SanDiegoPhotog

Back before they did this whole BMI thing, my old primary care physician told me that an average framed woman should weigh 100 pounds at 5', and 5 pounds for every inch after that. That put me at 135 (I'm 5'7"). It would put you at 140 IF you are indeed average framed. I would say that 140 is probably still a "safe" weight for someone of your height. Going under that might not be the best idea. But if you feel great and your doctor is not concerned, then so what? The scale is just numbers . . . I would go by how you feel. If you're already scared, go get a slight unfill maybe. I know that I weighed 135 throughout high school. At 140, I felt a little chubby next to the super skinny cheerleaders, but I would kill to weigh 140 now. When I got down to 122 because I was sick, my doctor threatened to hospitalize me because I looked emaciated. They put me on Ensure and my weight went back up. Then, well, many years later, it REALLY went back up . . . LOL . . . and that's why I'm here! At 5'7", my goal is 150. But if I happened to fly right past it and land at 135, I would NOT be complaining! I think you're doing AWESOME! Amazing results!

Are you one of those people that weighs every five minutes like I do? If so, I have some questions for you. [i KNOW I should only weigh once a week, but I just can't help myself - I'm obsessed]. Anyways . . . THE OLD ME would weigh at night and in the morning (after my morning pee). The morning would be what I considered my "true" weight. Typically, my weights would go something like this: night time: 249. Morning: 246. So, I would know that if I got a good night's sleep and peed in the morning, I'd be down anywhere from 2-5 pounds, depending on the time of the month for me. The NEW me has some seriously weird scale readings and I'm just kind of wondering why. Last night, the scale said 226. Okay, fine. This morning, after I went to the bathroom, it said 225.5. Okay. That's fine, too. THEN, I walked for 4 miles and the scale said 223.5!!!!!!!!! What I am wondering is WHY ON EARTH do I weigh less after my workout???!!!???? I never have before. It doesn't make any sense. I can even chug a bottle of Water and I'll still weigh less after the workout. It was NEVER like this before. Is this weird? It's not important. I'm just curious. I really like my post-exercise weigh-in weight. hahaa! :thumbup:

Was that ALL post-op or did you lose some pre-op as well? I was banded 6/4 and I've lost 39.5 pounds . . . but some of that was pre-op. It did slow down, but I got my first fill Friday and dropped 4 pounds like it was nothing. And I'm preparing for the fact that it will slow down again. If your doctor knows how fast you are losing and is fine with it, then rejoice!

I don't know about the APS band per se . . . but I do know that I have an Allergan band that holds 10ccs. My surgeon put 2ccs in at time of surgery and just added 3 ccs at my first fill last Friday. He says his patients have good restriction at 5.5ccs in the beginning, but I'm feeling pretty darn tight right now! LOL! We'll see as the next 4 weeks go by how the fill feels.

You know you are bandster when you have memorized the precise calories, carbs, fat grams, and protein grams of every protein drink ever made. AND you have analyzed them all for taste, aftertaste, and level of satiety! (and price - LOL!)

Oh my gosh . . . my weight can fluctuate 5 pounds or more simply due to water. Your body is going through a lot of changes post-op. I would just make sure that you are going to the bathroom regularly and getting enough fluids and protein and put your scale away until you are recovered. 9 days is not fully recovered. In 4 weeks, you will definitely be singing a different tune.

I am 5'7" and started out with a BMI of 40. People started noticing when I lost 30 pounds. People who are very close to me started noticing the 30 pound loss and they really noticed when I went on vacation for 10 days and came back. They said I looked like a different person, even though I only lost 3 while gone. I think the absence made the difference because they weren't seeing me daily. I think random friends and acquaintances are REALLY noticing now that I have dropped almost 40, but they don't come right out and say it (probably because they don't know me very well -- and my band is a secret, so I don't tell people I'm trying to lose). They comment on how tan I've gotten (I've been working out outdoors) or some other compliment . . . but they don't mention my weight specifically. I think some people are just afraid to -- they don't want to offend anyone. DH is loving the new stuff from Victoria's Secret, though! It's been a long time since I was able to shop there! :crying:

Well, I DO sweat quite a bit . . . but I seriously doubt I am sweating 2 pounds worth. I mean, that's a LOT of sweat. LOL! Nance, I am with you. I need to get over this scale addiction. I've pondered having my husband lock up my scale and only getting it out for me at pre-designated times. But I haven't had the courage. I guess if I can go from being a food addict to a scale addict, then it's not that bad. I think my husband was afraid that if I didn't have the food, I'd turn into an alcoholic or something like that and so far I haven't . . . so maybe I should just stick with the scale. :ohmy:

Because MANY people are looking for a quick fix and aren't willing to put in the effort and energy that the band takes. Sadly.

Sure you can. Are you talking about long-term or are you talking immediately after surgery? Immediately after surgery, I was a bit heavier than usual, but that was because I was pumped full of fluids. It came off very easily once I started my post-op diet. It was just kind of weird to have this big ole bloated belly full of gas and "cankles" full of Fluid. Long-term, though, I've heard of people gaining weight. This is not a malabsorptive procedure . . . so if you eat the wrong foods, you WILL gain weight. Think about it, the point is to get to proper restriction and eat the right foods . . . but even the proper restriction is not going to prevent a milkshake from going down. And we all know how fattening a milkshake can be. People gain weight with the band by "eating around the band." They basically eat the wrong foods, they eat food easy to slip through the band and typically high-calorie, they drink with their meals, and they don't go in regularly for fills. The band is just there to help make you not hungry. The people that do well with the band are the ones who are willing to put in the work. I hope long-term, I prove to be one of those people.

I had a long talk with my aunt about this. She works with a very well known personal trainer here in San Diego and I was complaining to her that I hit a plateau and she kind of told me some things to do to try and change that (but, my plateaus are nothing to complain about TOO much -- not a year or anything like that . . . just more like little hiccups along the way). So, I'm sorry to hear you've hit such a major plateau. Here is what she told me. 1. Log every morsel of food that is going into your mouth. Are you REALLY eating your Protein first? What kind of sauces are you putting on your food (are their hidden calories)? Stuff like that. You can take your lists of meals for the week and have it analyzed by a nutritionist or your doctor. They can tell you if you aren't getting enough calories, if too many of your calories are coming from bad carbohydrates, etc. They might also suggest little metabolic shocks to your body (for instance, I started losing again when I went on liquids for 2 days after my fill -- I think the sudden switch to liquids made my body "let go" of the weight). 2. Change up your exercise. The personal trainer here in San Diego would ask whose cardio classes you are taking and then if you plateaued, he'd tell you to go take different cardio classes. Are you doing strength training AND cardio? Here is what my doctor told me . . . I asked him merely about calories. He weighs me on one of those scales that measures your body fat composition and Water and all of that (Tanita, maybe? I can't remember). Anyways, he told me that he measures my metabolic rate on that scale, too, and he can tell me that my metabolic rate is at 1790. He says 2/3 of your metabolic rate is ideal for weight loss, so he wants me to consume 1200 calories. I was only consuming 1100, so I thought, cool! 100 more calories! yay! LOL! It's basically the equivalent of PART of a yogurt . . . but you know what I mean. Anyways . . . you might try doing some of that. I also read an article lately that plain old table salt (not sea salt and not the kind of sodium in processed foods, but plain old iodized table salt) is really good for your metabolism (I think it's the iodine). Anyways, you might want to check with your doctor and see if you can have more table salt (I have low blood pressure, so I've never really had to limit my salt intake), or see if your multi-Vitamin contains iodine in it (some do). I hope some of that helps. :thumbup:

Wow! just wow! I am happy that you got accepted by another doctor, but that is just terrible that it had to be under those circumstances.

I wanted to clarify in a list because I sound a little rambling. This is what a lot of doctors seem to recommend (but not all): 1. Pre-op diet (aka the liver shrinking diet) - not all doctors require this and all pre-op diets seem to be a little different, though most are high Protein and many are high-protein liquids. 2. Surgery day. No food. 3. Post-op diet phase 1: Clear Liquids (duration varies by doctor). 4. Post-op diet phase 2: full liquids (again, duration varies by doctor). 5. Post-op diet phase 3: mushies (varies by doctor). 6. Post-op diet phase 4: soft foods (varies by doctor). 7. Regular lap-band diet (meaning, you can eat a wide variety of foods, they don't have to be soft or liquid anymore, but to maximize your efforts, you should have the healthy food first and follow the lapband rules of no drinking while eating, etc. FOLLOW YOUR DOCTOR'S RULES). 8. Fill. Return to liquids for 24-48 hours. 9. Resume regular lap-band diet. I hope that helps clarify why everyone's talking about liquids.

bandofgold . . . Your doctor is probably talking about your REGULAR band diet. Once you are off of your post-op diet, most people stop doing shakes (well, some people use them for convenience or because they are tight when they first wake up in the morning). But what we're talking about is the first 24-48 hours after a fill. Once you are "recovered" from your fill (which only takes 1-2 days as opposed to the post-op diet, which is typically longer), then you resume the regular lap-band diet (probably of Protein solids) as your doctor suggests. Now, YOUR doctor may not want you to do liquids for 24 hours after a fill. If so, then FOLLOW YOUR DOCTOR'S ADVICE. Always, always, always follow your doctor's advice. But, the overwhelming majority of doctors seem to be suggesting a very short amount of time on liquids following each fill. In that case, you might want to call your doctor and seek clarification just to be sure that you aren't supposed to do 24 hours of liquids after a fill, too. Does that make sense?

Keep in mind, our doctors are only having us do 1-2 days of liquids . . . after that, of course they want us to return to solid proteins so that food doesn't move too fast through the band (that's how it works). The liquids are just to help you recover from a fill -- to ease any irritation you might have from changing the size of your stoma (any inflammation around the tissue, etc.).

My doctor says 2 days liquids, but I'm a total chicken, so I am going to do 2 days liquids and 1 or 2 days mushies.

No. But I can tell you that throwing up like that is not normal and is probably indicative of a major problem. Have you considered the possibility that your band slipped? I'm sorry your doctor meddled in areas of your life that really aren't his problem. While he may have thought he was being helpful, it sounds like he clearly wasn't. It might have helped had he referred you to a psychologist or, at the very least, a family therapist to help you get to the root of your problems (with weight loss, your husband, your pain from your injury -- ir whatever) instead of just spouting opinions and not giving you coping methods or strategies (which, I am merely assuming he did not based on the information you provided). Getting back to the OP, I was banded 6/4/08 and had my first fill yesterday. I can't say yet that I am hungrier per se, but being on liquids for 2 days after the fill per my doctor's instructions has me CRANKY this weekend. I'm hoping that will be different come Monday when I can eat solid food again. I definitely FEEL tighter. My shakes are going down much slower. I had 2ccs in a 10cc band at surgery. He added 3 ccs at this first fill, so it's quite a difference.

oh wow . . . I am glad to hear that you are okay, though. did they say anything about having stretched out your pouch or do they think it will go back to normal size after the gas dissipates?

I couldn't stand taking the chewables because they were so chalky and sweet tasting and strong. So, I did some research on liquid Vitamins (which I was afraid I was going to regret because some of them are so nasty tasting). But I discovered some interesting facts about liquid vitamins and their potency in your bloodstream. I started taking a liquid Vitamin that even my husband takes and loves! I think mainly he loves it because not only does he feel great on it, but the San Diego Chargers' trainer has a lot of the football players taking it and DH is a HUGE Chargers fan. Anyways, the vitamin is called Passion 4 Life liquid vitamins and I love that it not only takes care of your multi-vitamin for the day, but it also takes care of your minerals, anti-oxidants, and other health goodies (like CoQ10) in one shot (one ounce) per day. This stuff is off the charts in what it contains . . . but I know if I tried to get all of this stuff in separately, I'd be taking at least 10 pills. Very cool.

I am not a very good pill taker, so Alli was never a good option for me. I cut out almost all of the fat from my diet and it still had me running to the bathroom . .. and it was NOT pretty. So, since the side effects were gross anyways, I decided that it was probably a good thing that I forgot to take my pills. My sister takes them and she seems to have good results with them. For me . . . I got my one true ally . . . my band. I'm done with pills. Now I try to remember to take my liquid Vitamin and I'm working hard at eating right and exercising. Since I workout for 60 minutes everyday and eat 1100 calories or less, I don't think I need a pill, too.

I agree with what has been said . . . if your doctor thinks you need to lose weight before surgery for your safety, then do it for your safety. But doing the sleeve? That sounds more like a confidence issue -- like maybe he thinks you can't stick to the lapband rules? I don't know much about the sleeve, but I know that if a doctor recommended it to me, I would have gone straight to another doctor. I wanted the band and that was it. Only you can really answer that question and only you can know if the doctor is right about your abilities to follow the lapband rules.

I have had one c-section and my gallbladder removed laparoscopically and I found the band to be MUCH easier than both. However, I have heard that people who have had multiple c-sections to find them easier and easier each time because the nerves in your lower abdomen die after repeated incisions -- almost like they become numb to the pain. I don't know if this is true for everyone, or just some . . . but I would definitely say that my lap-band was WAY easier than my one and only c-section. YMMV.

that is simply fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!! WAY TO GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have almost lost my 17-month-old twins. They are 20 and 23 pounds . . . so, 8 more pounds to go and I'll have lost them. And here I thought it was great when I finally got all 13 pounds of them out of my belly at their birth! Little did I know it would feel better to lose them as toddlers! haha!

I was banded June 4, 2008, and I lost a lot on my pre-authorization diet, pre-op liquid diet, and post-op liquid diet. Then, I started mushies and naturally, things slowed down. I also realized I had gone into starvation mode and was only eating 600-700 calories, so I upped it to 1100 and lost 2 pounds. Now, I am FAITHFULLY eating about 1100 calories a day and walking for at least 60 minutes a day at anywhere from a 2.5-3.5 mph pace (depending on my energy level for that particular day). For some reason, though, I cannot break out of this plateau. I haven't had my first fill yet, but I keep my calories low and I have been tracking them on thedailyplate.com. How long can I continue not losing weight at that calorie level and exercise level? Perhaps I am retaining Water due to my monthly cycle? I don't know. I was thinking of giving calorie switching a try. Have you tried it? Does it really work? Does it really trick you metabolism? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Maybe I'm just being impatient.