JustWatchMe

Enjoythetime, amazing photos! You're an inspiration!

Sure. I went back to work Monday following a Thursday banding, and my desk is stocked with Atkins shakes and a few other liquid brands. I also briefly brought Jello and pudding to work but mostly just the shakes. I get to leave the building at work, so I eat soup at lunch a lot of the time. Good luck!

Bsellis, you mean a work of art! Congratulations!

This totally made my day!

Potassium deficiency? Bananas, orange juice?

Mikee57, let us know how you like it. I was looking into getting one for my mom (and then borrowing it LOL) but I don't see them in stores. Where did you order from?

Congratulations!

Unjury chocolate online is my favorite, followed by Atkins dark chocolate. I mix Unjury with water, and it's rich enough for me that way. Good luck!

Enlist a pal to give you rapid, sharp karate chops in the area that hurts. A couple of times a day. This helped me immensely. Good luck.

I've got enough fat reserves for a few months. Mine says a similar warning. Just follow your doctor's plan.

I didn't have a clue what my banding was going to cost me and couldn't get an answer from my center either before I was approved. It all depends on your insurance, I was told. Once I had approval I just called my insurance carrier. They set my mind at ease by telling me my max out of pocket, which I could handle. My teeth almost fell out when I got the hospital bill later. Thankfully my insurance paid what they said they would, but these bills are ridiculous and do not reflect reality in any way. The bill is one thing, the "discount" for that insurance carrier knocks it down immensely, the deductible is applied, the insurance pays their part, and the rest is mine. My hospital required a credit card 24 hours before surgery and took my expected amount due. Nuts, but I had expected a bill so I was ready. As for purchasing products from my group, nope, I never had to do that. I only had to see their nutritionist (out of pocket but affordable) and their psychologist (covered). If you're not comfortable, think twice. You're going to have a long relationship with your team, and it would be best to trust them going in. Good luck.

My doc likes an aggressive weight loss in the first weeks post-op before introducing solids, and then does a first fill at six weeks as well. The cynic in me could say it helps his numbers look good, but the compliant trusting patient in me will say it helps develop discipline that I'm going to need while aiming for my green zone.

Love it! I'm "done" with you! (In the nicest way, of course!)

I'll check them out now.

I just came back from Lands' End. Tried on five suits.

Down 45 pounds but it's NO easier finding a bathing suit that fits. My old ones are old and stretched out, and nobody makes a suit for an apple shape like me that doesn't look like crap. I'm so aggravated. I'm going on vacation in a month, and I have an Aqua Zumba class now every week. It's so depressing. Trying them on in the store is bad enough - I can't imagine attempting to find one online. Nothing. Fits. This. Body. That is all. Carry on.

Good luck! Stay connected here, keep your eye on the prize, and you will do great!

Yay Rita!

Hi, May banders! I had surgery March 13. I had a five-day clear liquid pre-op. It got easier at day three. After surgery I was put on six weeks of full liquids, which in my case also allows blended creamy Soups and yogurt and sugar free pudding. That got easier after two weeks, and I finally get solid food in five more days. You will probably gain a few pounds from the surgery from swelling and healing. This will take up to a month for your body to shed at its own pace. Don't obsess about it, it's useless. Just follow your nutritionist's instructions. If you can start a walking regimen now it will help after surgery. It all seems so daunting pre-op, but it is doable. You will make it through and your new life is waiting for you. This is hard, but it gets easier the more I follow directions. The days I have trouble are the days I cut corners. So I stopped cutting corners and the weight is dropping off now. My band is not yet filled and I am surely still dieting, but my goal is a safe and healthy transition into the fill phase and then finding my green zone. Until the band is filled to the green, we are working hard and exercising a lot of discipline. Don't despair. It is so worth it and I feel a thousand percent better than I did two weeks pre-op. I walk two miles a day now, every day, and I couldn't get off the couch on March 12th. Good luck to you all! Keep posting!

Lorena, welcome to bandland. I had surgery on March 13 and I am still not allowed solids until April 24th. So my first month is creamy Soups without chunks, Protein shakes, yogurt, Jello, milk, basically liquids. Please ask your doctor for a list. They may have tucked it in that packet they gave you and didn't spend enough time stressing the importance of healing and behavior change during this post-op time. It's very important to long-term success and to giving your band the best healthy start. My band needs to get used to my body just like my body needs to get used to my band. It's fragile now and stitches are healing. Keep reading these boards and stay connected. Good luck!

Parisshel, I agree totally. My nurse practitioner, who does all the fills and is the primary person I'll be dealing with going forward, didn't know about this board or the Big Book of the LapBand. She's great, and I really like her, but she treats only WLS patients day in and day out. I couldn't believe she didn't know about this site or any other online support. To her credit, she asked me to send her the info, which I did. But it hit home how a non-patient may never really understand all that a patient goes through. I guess it's up to us all, collectively, to teach them. And to speak up at monthly support group meetings. I went to a few of those pre-op and learned a lot from folks who had the surgery already. Regarding head colds and tightness, so true. I recently posted about morning tightness and I don't even have a fill yet. Well, my cold is almost gone and I am now sure the feeling was due to congestion and post nasal drip, because the tightness is gone now. The surgical team teaches us the rules and the basics. We teach each other the finer points of day to day life with a band.

Cccv4, we'll have our soup today and we'll get through this holiday together! Since I'm the cook around here and my daughter is always on a diet and my husband is working today, I got a reprieve from holiday food madness. My daughter and I are having a low-key lunch with my mom and a low-key dinner out with my husband later. No Easter chocolates in my basket this year. It's all worth it.

Congrats to those who have lost so successfully. Good luck with this next phase.

Incredible. Congratulations on all of your success!

Cccv4, so glad to hear it! Congratulations on your success so far!