JaimeSTL

Angie, you look great! Way to go! I'm taking in progress pics too, but I can't tell any change yet. My clothes are freaking falling off though. LOL

I have 3.2 cc in a 14 cc band. I've had pretty good restriction with that. Everybody is different. I've lost about 10 lbs since my fill 2 weeks ago. If I'm hungry, I eat and when I'm full, I stop. I just eat really small amounts at a time.

I've been eating 800-900 calories a day. I had a period of time that I stopped losing, then had a fill and started losing again. However, the last few days I have plateaued again eating the same amount. I feel like I need to get in more calories a day, but I really don't know how to do it. I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. Any suggestions? I am not a fan of Protein shakes so I really don't want to go that route.

I tried rice before I had a fill. I had no problems. I eat pasta all the time, mostly the noodles in my lean cuisine entrees and I've never had a problem with them. I haven't tried bread, but the other day I did try a South Beach kit that was ham and turkey on a wheat tortilla. That didn't feel too good going down. I'm definitely not trying bread anytime soon.

I have BCBS (Empire) also. My information was sent in on either Jan 29 or 30th and I was approved over the phone late in the day on Jan 30. Congratulations!

I think it varies for everyone. I had restriction from surgery until about a week before my first fill, which was at 4 weeks out. The only time in those three weeks that I felt really hungry was during the last half of the week of liquids. Once I started solids I was fine until about 3 weeks. Then I was starving and wanted to eat everything. Even then, though, I ate maybe a cup of food, as opposed to the 1/2 cup my dr recommends. I had my fill 2 weeks ago and I am feeling less restriction than I did at first, and I'm eating more. Of course, even w/the amount that I eat, I get about 800 cal a day. I personally haven't found it hard to stick to smaller portions. There is no way I could eat as much as I used to before surgery. I also make much better choices now so even if I eat more than I'm supposed to, it is low calorie healthy food as opposed to the complete junk I used to eat. Keep in mind that the first 4-6 weeks are about healing and not about weight loss. It is very important to eat well, get in your Protein and heal.

I've had a really good week. I'm down a total of 35 lbs as of today. My first goal is to lose 50 lbs/be under 300 by the time I see the doctor again on 5/7. I had my fill on 3/24 and I feel like it is starting to wear off. It varies. Some days I can only eat 1/2 a cup per meal, others I feel like I could eat tons (well, about a cup at most). My doctor recommends 1/2 cup per meal. I just try to eat to my comfort level. Today was weird. I forgot to eat breakfast--just wasn't hungry. Ate a small lunch, then at dinner I was starving. The last few weeks have been so amazing. I feel so much better already, I've lost 2 pants sizes, I have more energy. I have been very fortunate, bandwise. I haven't PB'ed or vomited (knock on wood!). I do all I can to avoid it because I absolutely hate throwing up.

I lost very quickly right after surgery, about 17 lbs in 10 days. Then I leveled out, then actually gained 8 lbs! The dr thought I was retaining water, but some was probably from going to solids and from being able to eat more because I had no restriction. Anyway, once I got my fill, those 8 lbs dropped back off and I've lost about 7 more. I didn't think I was eating that much (and compared to pre-surgery, I wasn't) but I do eat much less now that I've had a fill and have some restriction. My doctor said that he doesn't even pay attention to weight loss until after the first adjustment.

All of my clothes are falling off of me! I have one pair of pants that I just cannot wear anymore and all the others are really baggy but not falling down yet. Before surgery, I wore a pair of jeans that were size 30 :wink_smile: only one pair because I refused to buy that size ever again. Anyway, they are out of the question now. Last week, I was trying to find a pair that would fit and tried some 26s. They were about 1-2 inches from buttoning. I threw them on the floor because I was in a hurry to get to work. DH must have picked them up and washed them. Today I put on jeans, thinking they were my size 28s that fit nicely, maybe even a little big, and they were tight. I was like, crap why are these tight. I finally looked and they are the 26s that wouldn't fit! LOL They are just a tad bit tight, but not unbearably so.

Oh, I forgot to add one thing I really miss--popcorn! I'm scared to try it, plus I don't like it plain. I love lots of butter, especially movie theater butter. A couple of bites would be nice, but like I said, I'm scared it will get stuck so it just isn't worth it.

Soda, especially from the fountain. I gave it up as of Feb 4th, so I've been without for almost 2 months and I still miss and crave it. I used to drink all kinds, Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Cherry Coke, whatever. No diet though. LOL I also miss bread. I tried to have a tortilla the other day and it didn't feel very good going down so I'm not trying regular bread anytime soon. Otherwise, everything else goes down pretty well and I don't really deny myself anything, just have a tiny portion if it is bad. I have sugar free pudding and 35 cal fudge bars to help with my chocolate cravings. I know that I won't cope well if I feel denied I just don't overdo it. A small handful of chips (5-6) is way better than 1/2 a bag!

I pay the most attention to my calories and Protein. However, since getting my fill and having restriction, I can't eat much at a time and I concentrate on solid protein (can't stand protein shakes), I am eating lower carb most of the time. My typical day: Breakfast--Quaker Weight Control oatmeal, about 1/2 the packet or 1/4 cup of Eggbeaters (equal to 1 large egg) with a slice of fat free cheese and 1 or 2 slices of turkey bacon Lunch--part of a Lean Cuisine meal (eat all of the meat, about 1/2 the carb part) or slices of lean deli meat w/a slice of fat free cheese or 1-2 turkey dogs w/cheese (try not to eat these too much, lots of sodium) Dinner--about 3 ozs of meat (chicken, fish, or lean ground beef), 1/4 to 1/2 cup of veggies, maybe a little bit of a carb side but I'm usually full after the meat and a tiny bit of veggies Snack--usually only once a day, something like string cheese or something high protein if I need more, or maybe a sugar free pudding. I also love these 35 cal fudge bars I found...yuuuum, so good. I eat about 700-800 cal a day, 60-70 g of protein on average.

Wow, I can't even imagining eating that stuff at a week out, but I was one of the lucky ones who had restriction at first. I got 3.2 cc in a 14 cc band last Monday and I have pretty good restriction, but it seems to be less by the day. I guess the best advice I can offer is, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. The band isn't a miracle, it's a tool.

Way to go! I know what you mean about the scale being depressing. I went up 8 lbs between 3/10 and 3/19, finally lost the 8 lbs plus 2 more this week. I wish I could break myself of the habit of weighing everyday. I agree with coolcrystal about keeping the fill appointment. I saw my dr on 3/10 and he said I had restriction from surgery (no fill, just a tight fit) and might not need one. I swear, within 2-3 days I was in bandster hell. I got my fill on 3/24 and it has been great. I'm not constantly hungry, just cannot eat past the full point, and feel in control again. Keep up the good work!

Thanks. I use my-calorie-counter.com and if the nutritional information isn't in their system already, you can add your own. I had 96/4 lean ground beef and they had no listings for that, so I had to add my own. The nut. info on the package said it was 4 ozs, but didn't specify cooked or not.

I just had my first fill on Monday. My dr numbed up the area first, then inserted the fill needle. I didn't even feel it. It was very easy, took about 5 minutes.

When recording how much you eat, do you input meat weight as uncooked or cooked? Tonight, for instance, I had ground beef for dinner. It was 4 oz uncooked, 2.5 ozs cooked. The nutritional info I got for it said a serving is 4 oz. I'm not sure how to log this. Thanks.

I was banded on 2/28, lost 27 lbs by 3/10, then between 3/10 and 3/19, I gained 8 lbs. I could tell it was fluid though, because my hands were swollen. Plus, I was transitioning to soft foods, and I've heard that eating more solids can cause you to gain a few pounds. I saw my surgeon on 3/19 for an incision issue and he said that he wasn't concerned as long as I wasn't eating around the band (ice cream, milkshakes, etc) which I definitely am not doing. He said he doesn't really look at the weight loss until after the first fill, which I had today.

I saw my doctor today. He said the incision is not infected. I'm so relieved. He did say that it looks like I had a slight reaction to either the internal stitches or the dermabond on the outside. Either way, it isn't too bad and should go away soon. He went ahead and scheduled me for a fill on Monday! I'm so glad because I've been so hungry this week.

At the seminar I went to, Dr. Minkin said it is $16,000 for self-pay. They had pamphlets about a loan program, but I didn't look at it since my insurance paid. Otherwise I don't know if they do any kind of other arrangements. I don't think insurance would cover anything that was related, but you'd have to check with your particular carrier and plan. Also, call to verify if they cover or not. Mine didn't early last year, then started mid-year. I was banded by Dr. Minkin on 2.28 and I highly recommend him.

I'm going in first thing tomorrow morning. They called me back after finally talking the dr and he wanted to see me just in case. It is more red today, but not draining anymore. I think I might have a seroma, as there is a big lump under the incision.

Well, I just called the office again and they took my pharmacy number and said he'll probably call something in for me at the end of the day. Apparently he doesn't address phone calls until he has seen all of his patients. I guess it's better safe than sorry to go ahead and get on antibiotics.

I called earlier this morning and they said they would get back to me. So far, I haven't gotten a call back. It isn't itchy right on that spot, but itchy all around the rest of my stomach, and has been since about 5 days post-op. Maybe a little warm to the touch. I put a big bandage over it for right now and I'm trying not to mess with it so I can't tell.

My port incision is looking very weird. I had a big scab on the end of it, which got all funky in the shower this morning. Part of it pulled up and shriveled up, the other part is still stuck. Under the part that pulled up, it is white under there. It has been draining a yellowish/blood tinged discharge. Does this look infected to you? I'm waiting for a call back from my doctor's office.

Grace, right now I'm a bit more limited than just smaller portions. I am 2 weeks post-op, and I can only have liquids and pureed food, moving to soft foods early next week. In the future, I don't plan to ban myself from certain things. I will eat them in moderation unless it is something that I discover just does not agree with my band. However, most of the time, I would like to stick to things that are healthier and will give me the best results, as I have about 165 lbs still to lose. That is why I am trying to figure this whole thing out. Just because I used the word diet doesn't mean I am "on a diet" as diet also means food intake as a whole, like "liquid diet".