sugrbear

I have been losing steadily since my surgery, have only had one fill, I work out 3-4x week for 1-2 hrs variying my routine. I have a lot of variety in my meals. For me "Slow and steady" gives my mind and body time to adjust to living a lifetime with my band. Remember if you fill it to the max now, what happens when you are 1/2 way to your goal and you stop losing and need an adjustment but there is no more room for fills?? Or in 5 years, will your band be worn out from fill in, fill out.. etc. ? We all hope not. We need to take care of ourselves and our bands. What works for me will work for some, but not others, we each have to find what is right for us, and healthy for us. Good luck.

Here is an idea of what I could have before my first fill, for breakfast 1 scrambled egg, maybe 1/3 banana or few berries, lunch sl cheese, 2 tbls salmon salad, few berries if hunry for lunch, dinner, 2 tbls mash sweet pot, 2tbl brocc, pc tilipia,. Trick is don't eat in front of TV,, and stop when you feel satisfied,,not your old full feeling..Mindless eating will keep you going even though you are satisfied you just don't realize it. I don't eat anything I am not actually hungry for. Chew slowly and well. Good luck.

I am staying on plan today because I have 6 grandchildren I love dearly and plan to be around for, for a very long long time.

I see more people on this site using Adkins or liquid diets than my other site. I chose this band because its a "tool" to help me eat normally within better portion control. My Dr said his goal is for his patients to lose slow and steady, to enjoy what they eat and eat normally. I was banded March 28, and have only used lig protein shakes about 4x. I use regular food when I can, just in tiny amounts, mashed a little if necessary and small chewed bites. Yes, If I really want a candy, I too take a small piece, put the rest away in freezer and enjoy that bite or two. Then down the line if I really want something I have it. I just don't eat the entire bar(s). I eat fresh fruit. I am losing slow and steady, not hungry, I do workout 4 x week pretty good. But I don't feel deprived or on a diet about to die. That was the whole idea relearn better eating habits and control. I have found often when I think I want something, after I get it, I don't have a taste for it. Which is just fine with me.

thanks for the Dr. recommendation, I have her on my list in my notebook I know keep for lapband,

Own your power, don't let others take it away. When others find themselves not meeting their own goals or accomplishments they tend to diminish others . I would only share this type news with your freinds and family you trust to appreciate what you have accomplished. You go girl. HOORAY!!!!!!!

I love fresh strawberries and black raspberries, so I have one scrambled egg and a few berries for breakfast, I take berries in my car as a snack so I won't buy junk, and I have a few at night as my end of meal. It only takes a few to satisfy me. This of course is not every day. haha. It has worked fine and my Dr. is good with it.

So sorry to hear what has happened. I still ask my husband to lift and carry heavy items, I have had laproscopic surgery before so I knew to be careful longer than they tell you. I your recovery improves. How is Hershey, we are from York, have a home in Rehoboth Beach Delaware but had to move to Houston Texas 4 1/2 yrs ago and really miss it there. We do come back in spring and summer, I stay in July and august since I dont work, I will be looking for a lap band Dr to take over when we re locate back. Good luck

My understanding is that it is usually to allow you time to heal, swelling to go down, and what is right for you and what your needs may be at the time. The same Dr. may put some fill in one patient at time of surgery but not another. It is all Dr. and patient specific. A good question to ask at your meeting . I found out at a group meeting that someone I know who has the same size band but a different surgeon had fill put in her band at time of surgery so we both asked our Dr's to be sure and she had fill and I didnt . I went in thinking I wasn't suppose to have fill so when she told me she did I was surprised. I asked my Dr. about it. I was told no I didn't to have time to heal, and see how I did without fill . Many people have started losing with no fill, just the band alone. I have met one woman who lost over 80 lbs in a year with no fills. My Dr. believes in slow and steady weight loss so he is very careful about his fills. And firmly instills that this is a tool. Ask your Dr what his theory is and why, or what it will be for you, and let us know. I really just believe it is like the band itself, it is particular to you and your Dr's theory. Good luck

Ok, I am also, I need all the motivation and motivators I can get, I have been going to the gym for 3 weeks now, I do 20 min on treadmill, as of last week 20 min on the eliptokill, and did 5 sessions with a trainer who in my last session managed to help me pull or tear a muscle in my right shoulder and collarbone area so since then I can hardly raise my right arm, pain up my neck and ear, but I am hanging in there. I also do hip ad/abductor and light free weights, swim laps,,I go 4 x a week, when I am not in gym I walk to thrift stores etc shopping for books for my grandkids. I found part of the thing that helps me with the elliptokill is to have the right musical beat going, and not to be on with someone near you tearing it up.. I also warm up on treadmill first then move to elliptokill. It is still a killer though, but oh it gets my heart rate up so much faster. My hands clap for those of you running in marathons etc,, I am from PA/DE and ths Houston Texas humidity and heat is more than I can stand, no outside walk or run for me. Wombat, I had Dr. Spivak do my band March 28, have I met you at one of the support meetings on tuesday night? I am commiting to lets say at least 3 days a week for 2 hours each time. How often do we want to post to update each other, I am new to this.

Newly banded gals and guys, just remember, some dr's put a little fill in the new ap bands but most do not. This means you are still pretty open, it also means you need to be careful not to overit or overfill it thinking it is not full. I found everything was going right down, even my meds without crushing, my nurse advised me to break them down anyway because you dont want meds sitting in the new stomach causing other problems down the line. Right now you are in the healing stage, it takes about 4 weeks for your insides to heal, your port to stabilize where it is positoned etc,, you will probably feel differently each week as you get use to your new band. You are emotionally and mentally healing and adjusting also,, so don't get to frazziled by the hunger pains,, they will work themselves out. Part of it is just your old ways trying to break out. Relax, don't be hard on yourself. As you get fills you will experience different levels of statity really you will. And you will say,, "oh,,,thats it" fantastic,,..

okpunkinpie, Your ok,, I don't know what your Dr instructions were, but for me (banded march 28) after 3 days I could go to mushy food, so I could have pureed broccoli, sweet potatoes, salmon,canned or baked skinless boneless, chopped and minced well, with a little mayo., cottage cheese, yogurt, mashed up strawberries, peaches, scrambled eggs,,creamed Soups, etc. So I hope you can have some of this, If you are still on liguids, go to the cream soups, I found campbells butternut squash in a box is delicious and filling,,tomatoe basil, some like clam chowder and blend it a little more (I never liked clam chowder), These soups are a little more filling than clear broth. You should be able to have yogurt and Jello, and the popsicles and alternate with hot and cold drinks, and yes if you like them Protein shakes. The only one I like is walmarts whey Protein powder in vanilla mixed with ice, Vitamin Water or some flavored water or juice your allowed just a little though, the ice will do the work, and some fruit in the blender, no need for sugar. If you dont have fruit use yogurt or popsicles. you probably don't have any fill in your band yet, not all dr's put any in in the beginning so your pretty open, still. Next, do things to take your mind off it,, go for a short walk since your just out of surgery,, go to the nearest flower shp or nursery and just enjoy the smells and flowers, (a park if you live near one), get away from tv and its food ads,, and away from your computer for a while. What do you like to do? Go to a local pet store and just stroll around if you like animals. Go window shopping. Go to the library and look for a good book to buy off the sale rack. Go to a support meeting in your area that helps a ton. I know this all sounds maybe a little silly but, part of my weight problem has been because I moved away from my kids and grandkids across country I have little to no outside connection or motivation to get out. When I am back east with them I start loosing weight, I am active, I am happier, but life demands right now i live in texas, I do travel back several times a year but is not enough. So when I decided to take this step I had to make myself look for ways to get out close to everyday as a start in any way I could. It really has helped. Through the support group I have met a few people whom I talk with regularly,, I go to a gym now several times a week, but if I am having a bummer day or feel I am hungry I get up and out the door,, it really has helped me. I hope some of his helps you.

In the end when everything is said and done, it is your decision, and I don't think your looking for anyones approval, but I do think you may be looking for reassurances since you posted to this site. The cost is always a concern and I know when I researched what Dr I would use for my lap-band I did just that, I researched as much as I could, but my first concern was how qualified he was, what his experience was not just with the lap band, where would he be afterwards, and was his personality right for me. I knew my insurance would not pay so the last thing I considered was the cost. For self pay the cost has come down considerably just in the last year from what I have found. Many of the Dr's now offer package plans which will cover your first full year of visits and fills. When you consider using Mexico often the cost is the first draw. But are your fills included? The reality is you may take 3-4 fills but you may need as many as 8 fills. That is an extra cost you probably have to take care of here in the US somewhere. You have the cost of travel to and from Mexico and any other expenses I may not be aware of. So, is it really cheaper. I did not find any Dr. charging 20,000.00 for lap band in my area and we do have some excellant Dr's here. I am sure your parents are concerned because they love you and are worried about the risk going into Mexico because there they will feel helpless to help you. Here they have a sense of power to at least try. As a mom and grandmother I can tell you that is so important to us when we love you. I am sure they are also concerned about the risk of lap band because they don't understand it. Take them to a free seminar of a Dr in your area just to help educate them if you can. It may help set their minds at ease. None of us are trying to talk you out of the surgery, we are of course going to have different opionins about why we would or would not go to Mexico for it. We all want the best for you. Good luck to you in your journey and I will pray the best for you and peace for your family about this.

It was great to see so many respond from PA, I will be interested to see how you all make out with the Dr's you choose. I am looking for a Dr. experienced with lapband in the York Pa area for emergencies should one arise and to use when I relocate back to the area. My husband grew up their and we were married their in Red Lion. My daughter and two of my grandkids live in the New Oxford area in Adams county.

sunflower, I was a BMI of 36 also, I wanted to loose 60-70 lbs. My Dr. told me and all the literature says with the band, you can expect to loose about 60% of what you should loose, but you can loose more and many have lost more up to their entire goal by working at it. I go to two support groups and have read of many in our situation that have stuck with the eating guidlines, exercised, and changed their lifestyles to be more active and involved and hit the numbers they wanted. My doctor believes slow and steady is the best way to go. I was banded on March 28, I lost 10 lbs the month before just because I had been eating more sensibly, and started exercising, then after the band, the first month I lost another 12 lbs. This is great according to my Dr. I think the key for us anyone once they get to this point is to have variety in your food choices, and change up your exercise every so many weeks, the type, the pace etc, I thrive on change, so I use treadmills, elipticles, swimming, I plan to go for some dance classes later, hiking, anything to stay more active. Hope this helps,, good luck and congratulations on your journey. Sugrbear

Hi PA,, great to hear from someone back east, I miss it. I was just banded in March here in Houston Tx,,but I am from York PA, and Rehoboth Bch De.. am homesick. Anyway,, take this time to read, read, read, all you can about what you are embarking on. I don't know the particulars of your situation but I would say knowing exercise will have to become a regular part of your new life, start now even it its slow. Start slowly looking at your eating habits, and making some little changes so you don't go thru shock later. I was told I was borderline diabetec last summer and that was all it took for me to give up soda that day for good. It was the start that helped me when I went for my lapband consultation and surgery. I didn't have to do pre diets or qualifying so I had mine pretty quickly after going, I was also self pay so I didn't have the insurance hassels. Next big thing, find good support groups in your area and start going before your surgery and keep going after. I go to the one my doctor holds twice a month and then I go to one every week a bunch of us have from many different dr's that live in the same geographic area. They help a lot. Most importantly research very well all the Dr's you are considering for your procedure. Go to their seminars, ask questions, even go back a 2nd time and ask more questions. Many here in Texas have free seminars (dr one on one is a fee) so I took advantage to go to several and compare. I googled them, looked at backgrounds, went on sites and asked people to give feedback, etc. Lastly for now, I will tell you, this is "your" journey. What works for you may not be the same as what works for me, that doesn't mean it is right or wrong, you have to feel good about your decisions and progress. Sometimes slow and steady is better, if you have series health issues you may need to lose a little faster in the early months. Don't heavily compare your losses with others. The pounds are only one measure of success. There are the inches, pounds, less meds needed, better health, better emotional outlook. Remember we all deserve the best we can do for ourselves. Goodluck, sugrbear:thumbup: