Wishes4444

WTG!! Doddie!! You are right 2 pounds less is a wonderful thing! Anything down is great! We will all get to our goals, one pound at a time! Best Wishes

Candy, sorry you had a bad day. My Dr made me sign a paper BEFORE my surgery that I would have to pay 250.00 for each fill because ins doesn't cover it. What pissed me off is that on top of the 250.00 he charges me my 40.00 co-pay as well! Thats 290.00 for each fill! That is why I have only had 2 so far!

Hi Shortgal, Yes you are right some carbs are needed and there are good choices to be made. However I don't think pierogies or potato chips would fall into the "good" ones lol. I drink low sodium V8, I like them and it counts as some of my liquid. I too believe we need fruits and veggies. Have strawberries, or blueberries they are both good choices. Veggies for sure, try not to have carrots corn and peas as often as you would have green beans, broccoli cauliflower etc.

Hi NJ in VA I have a 10cc band as well with only 2cc fill. But I am only 17 weeks into this. Sounds like you maybe feeling hungry becasue of your food choices. Sounds like you are eating more carbs then protien. I was on a liquid diet for 3 full months and I didn't feel hungry ever becasue the sahkes had 35mg of protien in each shake! Protien is the key to keep your stomach from growling and feeling hungry. Trust me I know all to well that we rather eat the carbs I still have trouble with that for sure, but I do find if I eat like I should I feel much less hungry. The good thing is the band keeps me from eating a whole bag of Lays, I find I can only eat a handful and then there is no more room! Thank God for my band lol! Good luck to you!!!

Hi AthinnerDenise, I don't think that it's the band that makes you feel full, think about that then we would all always feel full! The band makes the food sit very high in the stomach which triggers our brain that we are full. The food does go through but it goes through very slowly. picture a funnel and pour something in it. It goes through but slowly. So things can get stuck if its too big or you eat too much too fast. But I am very sure it you look online of ask your Dr you will see it's not the band that makes our stomach feel full;) Hey badbutt, sorry I dont know your name :rolleyes2: I know just how you feel! But first let me say congrats on your weight loss so far wtg! When did you get banded? WTG for joining curves! I joined an indoor pool because I have bad knees and most exercises are hard for me. Now are you drinking enough Water? i know when I went for a long period like that with no weight loss I did a few things to get it moving. First I started writting down EVERYTHING that went in my mouth. I found that I was not drinking near enough water. Once I started writting things down I found that I was eating way to many "bites" of carbs. I went back to eating mostly protien and drinking more water and finally the scale started moving again. Just hang in there it will move I promise! Try those things and see if they help! When you write things down you will tend NOT to put things in your mouth that shouldn't be there :tt2:

Hi Amanda, My Dr. is Dr Spencer Holover who is in Dr. Shawn Garbers office In New Hyde Park , on Long Island. I am SO very unhappy with that office I can't begin to tell you. Before I had the surgery the Dr had said how important it is to do monthly follow ups. Well my last appointment was Dec 19th! They have canceled my last 2 appointments back to back and he is only in ONE day a week so now I am looking at March 5th now! Lets see if they keep this one! They RAPE you with the fee for the fill 250.00 and then on top of it they charged me my 40.00 co-pay! 290.00 for a fill. They don;t have the fluroscope so the one fill I did get it took them 3 VERY painful tries to filnd my port then they didn't even have ne drink anything afterward. It's just bad, and they were "supposed" to be the best HAHAHA

Anne, Very good question about the five day pouch test. I was wondering the same thing! I am sure it shows us how much we should be eating but it still doesn't show "if" our pouch is streched. I know I can eat much more then I could right after surgery. I could not even eat one whole egg. Now I am sure I could eat maybe two. I do only have one of course but I do eat the whole thing now.

Hi Doodie, I guess it sounds like I am crazy saying I am a slow loser BUT you have to understand yes I have lost 76 pounds which is wonderful. But the bulk of it was before banding and right after the surgery. I lost 5 pounds in 5 weeks now so yes I do think I am a slow loser now. I knew it would be slow but I think a pound a week is VERY slow considering how heavy I am. I know as you get closer to your goal weight it slows way down, but at 282 pounds and only 5' 2" thats a long way off so I really thought it would be more like 3 pounds a week at this weight. Don't get me wrong I will take ANYTHING in the downward motion. I also get upset becasue I even gain a few pounds here and there which is NUTS with what I am able to eat! Band Chick where is you Dr? I would SO love to find a new Dr office to go to. I am SOOO unhappy with my office and they don't have the Fluoroscope and still charged me 250.00 out of pocket for a fill PLUS my 40.00 co-pay! It took them 3 VERY painful tries to find my port and I have not been back since then which was Dec 19th! After my fill they didn't even have me drink anything, and they are "supposed" to be the best here on Long Island. As far as I am concerned they are an office where they treat you like cattle. Anyway sounds like you have a great office to deal with! I would love to see my band and pouch!!

I am banded as well already but I too watch his show and love it! I wonder if they are really that involved with there patiences. I know my Dr sure isn't. I would switch drs now if I could in a heart beat I am VERY unhappy with mine!

When I get something stuck my nose starts running and my mouth starts salavating like crazy. My nose starts first though. I lost faster on my 3 months of my protein shakes then I have been with the band, but of course you can't stay on that forever. It is coming off just slower then I had hoped.

Jody, Unjury van and choc are VERY good!! Atkins choc shakes are also good. I did hear that Walmart has one called fortress in Van that is also very good. I have not tried that one yet though. Good Luck!

Joeboo, I was not losing either and I finally decided to do something to kick start it. First thing I did was to start writting down everything I was eating. You will be surprised about what goes in your mouth when you really pay attention to it. When I knew I had to write it down I thought twice about putting it in my mouth. Second I did something I never thought I would I joined an indoor pool and I go swimming/walking /running 2-3 times a week. I even joined a water aroebics class. I have never ever exercised but I knew I had to do something. That surgery was too big of a deal to not make it work. I have finally started to lose a little weight again still VERY slow but at leasrt its moving down, and I will tkae anything. Good luck to you and PLEASE feel free to e-mail anytime for support at Wishes4444@aol.com

Hi everyone! Slow loser here too! I try not to let it get to me, but a lot of days it does. I lost only 5 pounds in 5 weeks! I lost more on weight watchers then that. My body is adjusting to the less food and holding the weight! I weighed 298 Dec 19th and now I weigh 286 over 9 weeks later! I started going to a pool and exercising 2-3 times a week for a min of 1 1/2 -2 hours each time. I am trying not to get frustrated but it is very hard. I had one fill so far on Dec 19th and it was soooo painful, I am not looking forward to that again. I go back to the Dr March 5th. I can eat much more then I could right after the surgery, but it's still a small amount. I do have restriction because if I eat too fast or eat something that my pouch doesn't like I throw it up. I just thought I would lose faster with what I am able to eat. Thanks for listening

I try to have an Atkins shake or an unjury shake in the am for Breakfast before I go to the pool. Still trying to get enough Protein in. The Unjury Van and Cho are both VERY good!

Elsa, The Nutritionist was very nice when I was there but once she has your money good luck getting in touch with her. She will tell you to e-mail her and everytime I did it took over 10 days for her to get back to me and then it was with something like just keep doing what your doing instead of answering what I asked her. A TOTAL waste of money she was! I did not use there pyscologist because she was booked up and I found one that took my ins. Why are your fills only 50.00? Who told you that? Everyone else I know from there as well as myself get charged 250.00 per fill PLUS your co-pay. In fact before they gave me my surgery date they made me sign a paper that I understood the fill was 250.00 and ins does not cover a penny of it. If you don't mind not having a "personal" feel office then the office is fine and I don't blame you for not wanting to wait until March. They are very good Dr's and Mercy hospital was fantastic!!!!! I was losing weight great for the first 2-3 weeks. Then it stopped, so far I have had one fill which they do for everyone at 6 weeks post op. In 5 weeks since my fill I only lost 5 pounds! I have been very upset about it. I started writting down what I eat and I joined an indoor pool so I can exercise. Exercise is the key without it the band won't do any good. Since I joined the pool 2 weeks ago I finally got the scale to start moving down again. PLEASE feel free to e-mail me to chat more about this! wishes4444@aol.com Oh and I went to one meeting but it was pre op have not been to either one of them since my surgery. They only hold them once a month on the 2nd tuesday of the month. Good Luck please e-mail me for any other questions!!

Hi Elisa, I had Dr Holover, Dr Garber did not take my ins. Truthfully I am not impressed with their office. Their nurtitionist is HORRIBLE a total waste of money and she does not take any ins. I think they WAY over charge for a fill 250.00 PLUS your office co-pay, which I think is ridiculous! Dr Holover is nice but if I had it to do again I would check out other Drs before I made a choice. They didn't take a before photo which I have heard some offices do, it took them THREE tries to find my port for my 1st fill, and it hurt like He**. After the fill they didn't have me drinkwater or anything. I really and just NOT impressed with how I am being taken care of. I chose that office because I read that Dr. Garber is supposed to be the best and I figured Dr Holover must be right up there. So I guess what I am saying is go check out Dr. Geiss, I sure would if I had it to do over again. As for Mercy Hospital where they work out of it was wonderful. Good luck PLEASE keep in touch and let me know how you make out!

I use Dr. Garber's office but see Dr Holover who is on my ins plan. I think what he chrages for a fill is VERY ridiciouls! It's 250.00 PLUS my 40.00 co-pay! I have heard of people paying only 100.00 per fill I think at LIJ. I have to look into it.

My ins won't cover it either!!!! So I pay 250.00 and the Doc still has the nerve to charge me a co-pay of 40.00 on top of that! So 290.00 per fill for me. I have only had one so far and don't expect to get another one for a long time!

Skinny Jill, I know I love the Injury Choc and Van as well. I do agree 100% with you on the unflavored, when you add it to something it just changes it a little and then i don't like it. So I am sticking to the choc and van that I LOVE!! YUMMY YUMMY!

WOW what a great thread! I had to get my BMI under 60 before my Dr would do my surgery. So it did give me the motivation that I needed. As you can see I had lost 43 pounds and got to have my surgery! I do have a question did anyone experience horrible pain with there fill? OMG on Dec 19th I got my first fill and they took 3 tries and finally a VERY long needle to find it! I will NOT be doing that again real soon! The Dr said it is because I have a lot of belly fat and the port is very deep. Since my fill I am not able to eat much of anything, worse then when the band was first done, but no way am I going back for some of the fill to be removed! I can eat and drink my protien shakes so I know I am not going to get sick from it. Anyway just wanted to join this wonderful threat! Good luck to all!

Hi Michiganer, I did the liquid diet from Aug 9th- Nov 5th!! So trust me I know how hard it is lol. The first 4 weeks I did 3 shakes a day NOTHING else 750 cal a day. I only lost 16 pounds, so the Dr had me start eating 2 pieces of fruit a day. Or 2 shakes and a a small chicken breast. Toward the ead I was only drinking 2 shakes a day and eating some fruit. I really got used to it and was not hungey because the shakes they had me on were great! They had 35 mg of protien and I really was not hungry, yes I wanted food but was not hungry. I lost 43 pounds before my surgery and was very happy with that! The shakes were V.H.P shakes and you can find them online. However after the surgery they didn't want me drinking them because the have 15 gm of sugar and also I used to add 3 cups of Water so it would take me all day to get it down. They also want me to keep my protien between 40-65mg a day including my food. The unjury is great! I bought a sample of all the flavors and ordered the Van and Choc. To me they are really pretty good. I have not heard of anyone being consipated from the protien in fact I was told I would be "loose" which I was. I would NOT take the metamusil unless you get binded up. I LOVE my band! The first two weeks was very rough for me pain wise, and I still have some discomfort, but everyone is different. Yesterday I ate a few potato chips and had a bite of this and that, but was not able to stuff my slef like I have for all these years! I could NOT be happier! I am losing about a pound a day right now! I know it will not keep at this rate but for now I am so excited! At this rate I will be below 300 by Christmas! Good luck! and drop me an e-mail and let me know you are doing! Amy sounds like you are doing great! I go back to the Dr Dec 18th and I guess I'll get my first fill. even though I know I could eat more I have been eating about 1oz- 2oz at a time and I an not hungry and the weight is coming off! I tried to get the shakes at walmart but they only had choc. Have you ever tried the chco one? The Unjury is very good though. Best Wishes!

Hang in there Worththeweight, it will be fine! I know just how you were feeling! I even almost canceled my date becasue I was getting so scared! But now it's over and I could not be happier! I am losing almost a pound a day! I am sure it's not going to last but I'll tkae while I can! You will be just fine, and you will be on the road a more healthy you! Best Wishs all and Happy Thanksgiving one and all!!!!

Hey everyone! How are all the bandsters doing? I can finally say each day seems to get better and better. I am going back to work this week which I know will make me feel better for sure. Just to get back to normal again. I ate the top off a one inch wide piece of white pizza last night. The doctor said I could have ricotta cheese, but I felt so guilty afterward, and FULL it took a while to feel comfortable again. Think I better stick to my pureed stuff for now Good luck to everyone getting banded this week!:gluck: Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!:hungry:

I am also a babysitter, but my is 17 months and I can't lift over 7 pounds for 6 weeks! So going to need help getting her in and out of crib. Who can lay around after surgery lol. I had to walk every 2 hours even through the night for the first 4 days. I have been going out shopping trying to keep me moving and move the darn gas out. I too am finding it hard to get all my water in and shakes and meals. Just doesn't seem possible yet. I am sure I will get the hang of it in time.

Rest your very lucky! My Dr has done over 2000 lap bands so I know he knew what he was doing. I just had a lot of adhisions to cut throught from previous surgeries. Also my diaphram is shallow so it caused it to get inflamed. I think from all I have read and many many people I have spoke to some people are luckier with the amount of pain then others. You were one of the lucky ones! I was not. Good Luck everyone! Best Wishes