Terranne

I've lost 48% of my excess weight and it's been 10 months. I'm not exercising and have had struggles throughout the 10 months...I believe that my weight loss is wonderful, I feel a lot better but if I had of put the effort into losing the weight, I would have been much more successful up to this point. Everyone is individual and everyone will lose much differently. The main thing is that I've lost 58 lbs to date and am continuing to lose and NOT regaining any of it!

Hi everyone! I've been lurking for a long time lol just thought that I would check in and say hi and wow everyone is doing so wonderfully! I checked in often before and just after my surgery last June and then just have come back once in a while since. How is everyone getting the weight off? Are you exercising a lot? Are you following an eating plan of some sort? What kinds of exercise are you doing? I started to do an eating plan given to me by a personal trainer and explained the entire surgery and even documented what I ate for a week so she would understand my portion sizes and she still was expecting me to eat too much at do it 5-6 times a day so I'm very frusterated and obviously that didn't work for me. I'm back to basically grazing and hoping that I make good choices most of the time. On this, I am consistently losing about 6 lbs a month. I would love to speed things up a little, I did plateau for about 2 months coincidentally when I began exercising wierd! Anyways, you gals are all doing so wonderfully!

For non-coated pills I find them uncomfortable sitting in my pouch so I do cut them in quarters and swallow them one by one with lots of water. Otherwise it's a really uncomfortable, gross feeling for many hours after. It seems like they just stick in there and wait to dissolve.

OMG, it is so wierd! I was just googling this because I've had it but really didn't think that it had anything to do with lapband guess I was wrong. At first I thought it was an allergy but it doesn't matter what the food is or what time of day I have my first actualy meal or solid food, it happens and it HURTS! I usually stop eating of course and put pressure on the roof of my mouth (closer to the back) with my tongue and it goes away in 1-3 minutes I would say. I can have all of the solid foods all day long but as soon as I take that first bite I can feel it going down. I really do wonder like someone mentioned before if it's a reaction to the food going down and possibly the saliva being produced in mass amounts the first time of the day...also maybe that you are tighter for your first meal, maybe a shock. I don't know but too wierd...hope someone gets an answer from a doc soon please let us know!

It really wasn't stressed by my doctor, the pamphlet that was given did state no soda but nothing about caffeine. I drink both. I don't drink the soda a lot because it does bubble up and sometimes cause discomfort but I only drink Coke Zero and A&W diet rootbeer, more the rootbeer because it doesn't have as much fizz to it. As for coffee, tea anything like that, I don't avoid it at all. If I do drink it though I only have sweetener in it...no creams or anything like that to keep away the calories.

I was banded by Dr. Kuri in Tijuana June 2007...great experience! I am self pay from Canada...very long trip to get there but totally worth it and being that Canada's second language is French I didn't know more than a single word and still managed to get through just fine. The hospital was very comfortable and clean, much like a hotel type setting in your room. Dr. Kuri is a very warm and gentle man and made everything feel very calming. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have a fill nurse that I located about 2 1/2 hours from my home which was a huge concern when I was looking into the surgery but everything has been wonderful! Good luck with any decision that you make...it is very easy to assume that mexico would not be the safest or cleanest place to have this done but my experience was wonderful!

If your doctor is just saying no protein to make sure that you aren't filling up on empty calories, you should possibly try a whey protein isolate...this can be mixed with water, is already partially broken down so it is easy to digest and has next to no calories, no fat or sugar at all depending on the brand you get. I am trying a meal plan in which I'm eating every 2 hours and this requires me to have protein with a carb each time and as well all know, eating that often with the band can be nearly impossible so in order to get my protein which is extremely important I can have a protein isolate, yogurt, ff cottage cheese, some nuts, tuna mixed with ff mayo whatever works but for abou 3 out of the 6 meals I do have the protein instead of the food because I cannot physically eat that much. You should of course follow what your doctor is requesting, but if the reason is for calories only, this would be worth a shot.

Swimming is an awesome exercise and if you don't like lap swimming then most places will offer fitness classes too. I love lane swimming, I started after my first child swam 6 days a week for an hour and followed a low cal diet, lost 35 lbs in 3 months! We're in a small town so are times and locations are limited but the indoor pool is to open up after the Sept. long weekend and I'm planning on starting right away. It may seem a bit boring but if you concentrate on your breathing, counting and such the water is a very relaxing sound and can totally take your mind off the fact that you are exercising. Not to mention the no sweating part of it, I hate sweating. Happy swimming

Can you claim the cost of the surgery if it's not done in Canada? Can you claim expenses associated with the fills too?

Don't know anything about that doctor but Dr. Kuri is also in Tijuana...I had my surgery June 12th and everything was awesome! No worries there and also the same price as Dr. Zapata.

vintagebound - I don't think that I have a choice of hotel...when did you chose? They just said it was included in the package and that was it. Assembly line? What do you mean by that? I don't know the first word in Spanish. A lady I have been chatting with just went last month and said that there are 2 english speaking nurses, hope they're there when I am!

Hi everyone! I am being banded Tuesday by Dr. Kuri, I would really like to hear from anyone and everyone with an experience with him. I know one other lady banded by him who was very happy with everything so she has been helping me but of course as the time comes closer I am getting nervous and terrified of doing this...I am so stressed and want to know what kind of a decision I've made!!!!!!!! Anyone, please share your experience!

Cblancha - I totally feel for you, I'm there now! I'm on day 8 and it's pretty tough, I'm feeling quite sick to my stomach today for some reason. Make sure that you drink the protein shakes or eat something solid protein that is very important and it'll keep you full. I have just been keeping busy and whenever I start to feel hungry I've got 2 big jugs of Crystal Light sitting beside me and I drink until I'm full.

Thinking of you Marylynn...hope all is well!!!!! Rhonda - We are suffering together! I am actually on day 8 with only 1 cheat day so far...yes I said day, I gave in and had a few things over the course of the day that were naughty but I'm back on track now. I was doing so well and just had to ruin it by eating so now I'm hungry all over again (the hunger passes believe me)...I've gone from not a darn piece of solid food for 6 days and now I feel like I'm starving to death so I've been having a chicken breast per day to tie me over. When is your surgery scheduled for? Mine is June 12th in Tijuana!

What is the AP band?