Jodi_620

It depends on your situation (your surgeons process and your insurance requirements). I had my initial consult with the surgeon, then psych eval. (2 visits), then nutritionist (2 visits), Upper GI with the radiologist, Blood work/EKG/surgery release letter with family doctor, two week liquid Protein diet, pre-op visit with surgeon to go over all the above then a couple days later surgery. Like you, I started the process before I was actually approved by insurance. I was having the surgery whether approved or not. Otherwise I would not have gotten to far into it before being approved.

Why not???? Once you are on solids you should be able to eat most foods. Of course this early on you have to take each new food extra slow until you learn what works for you. Take tiny bites and chew well and wait between bites to see how well it goes down. I can tolerate burgers just fine as long as I chew well. And putting ketchup and/or mayo on top helps it go down easier. I put a patty on a plate with a little shredded lettuce, diced tomato, ketchup...all my favorite toppings--then eat it with a fork and knife.

I am still not having any bad pain, nothing related to eating and nothing like the gall bladder attacks I had years ago..just an uncomfortable stitch in my right side. It does seem to come on when I walk for too long. My surgeon is not convinced that what I am feeling has anything to do with the gall bladder but he said we will remove it then we will go from there. Almost makes me want to just skip the surgery for now. He did say that he can do it in one small incision so it doesn't sound too bad.

Home brewed Iced Tea sweetened with Stevia instead of artificial sweeteners. I also buy the premixed tea when I am feeling lazy, Turkey Hill brand diet green tea with Gensing and Honey isn't too bad...their other diet teas are too strong or too sweet IMO. I have also developed the habit of drinking hot tea. Pre-band I never drank Hot drinks but I find that a cup of hot tea 30 minutes after each meal seems to relax my stomach.

Mine comes out on my one year bandiversary.

Thanks Miss Cass. Sounds like you are off to a great start.It doesn't necessarily take so long to lose the weight, five years seems a little long. It depends on how well you respond to the band, how well you follow-up with fills and stick to the bandster rules following a good diet/exercise routine. But losing the typical average of two pounds per week, you could possibly reach your goal in 1-1 1/2 years, maybe 2 years.

In my opinion what will work best for you is something that you enjoy and will stick with. It doesn't matter which type of exercise you do as long as you get up and do it regularly. Something with both cardio for weight loss and strength for toning. Choose something that is fun and is comfortable for you, works with your schedule and in the most convenient location.

My first instinct would be to find someone else. Is this nutritionist part of your surgeons staff or did you find him on your own? For long term support it is pretty important to have a good relationship with those that will be helping you reach your goal. Give him another chance, maybe you caught him on a bad day. But if not, do consider finding someone that you can get real support from or if he is part of the surgeons staff, talk to the surgeon about how you were treated.

Keep in mind, you are not necessarily starving by the end of the day. Chances are, like many of us that have been overweight, most eating has little to do with hunger. Now is the time to see if you can identify what is truly making you eat more during these times. (stress, boredom, temptation etc.) Because band or no-band, you will need to learn how to deal with those issues on your own. Just something to consider.

Since being banded the lettuce often doesn't agree with me. It sits in my pouch too long and gets all slimy and I belch up this disgusting old lettuce taste. I can handle the spinach and other salad fixings pretty well but I have to limit the lettuce.

You do not have to be there at a set time. You just show up when you want and jump in at an unattended station (when possible, leave a station or two between you and another woman). You go around the circut a set number of times, the number determined by your Curves depending on how many machines your Curves has. You start on a recovery board doing any kind of cardio you like, jog-jump-dance-march-ski-Whatever. You will spend around 30 seconds at each station, a voice will let you know when your time is up and say "change stations now". You move to your left one station which will be a strength training machine, you will do that machine until prompted to change stations again, the next station will be another recover board for cardio-and so-on. You work your way around the circuit the set number of times then go to the stretching area where a poster walks you through all the stretches. Total time start to finish should be around 30 minutes. There are machines to work every muscle group on your body. The machines should be easy enough for most people to work because you use them at your own pace. The machines are hydraulic so you create the resistence by how intense your workout is. Curves is a franchise and each franchise has their own number of machines. There are required machine that each must have to create a total body workout but many Curves have more than the minimum number. The best way to know what your Curves has is to give them a call and ask for a tour. Below is what mine has. I go around this circuit two times. Squat machine-with bar on shoulder you squat down then push up briskly to create resistance. Bicept/tricept-Sit on bench with two hydraulic arm weights in front, alternate arms pushing down and pulling up to work both muscle groups Stair stepper-My location has two which take place of two of the recovery boards so they are considered part of the cardio. Shoulder Press-Sit on the bench and pull the bars down and push up briskly to create resistence. Leg Extensio/Curl-Sit on bench and put legs in weights, pull both legs up then push down for resistence. Hip Machine-Sit on bench and place legs in weights. Spread legs as far apart as you can then briskly pull them back together to create resistence. Chest/Back-Sit on bench and push two bars forwards to create resistence then back. Leg Press-Sit on bench an put your feet on two pedals in front of you. Kick out to create resistence then pull back slowly. Ab/Back-Sit on bench and move you chest toward your lap, grab two bars and using your ab muscles sit back then move forward again. Pecs-sit on bench and grab bars on each side of you, pull them forward in front of your chest then back. Obliques-Sit on Bench and grab one so your arms are bent in front of you. Twist from side-to-side. Dip Shrug-Stand on pad and with both hands grab the bar which is about thigh-high. Pull the bar up about belly button high. Pull up to chin, push down to belly button creating resistance as you do. Lateral Lift-Stand on pad and grab two bars on either side of you. Holding arms and body straight, pull up on the left bar bending toward the right then pull from the right beding toward the left. Glute-Stand on pad lean forward and grab bars. Place your left foot on the pedal behind you and kick back briskly to create resistance then move forward slowly. (My Curves has two of these, one for the left leg then another for the right) Ab back machine

Yes I did break the habit and if you stick with it it doesn't take too long to get used to it. The best way is to always make sure there is no drink within site of your plate. I know for me, if I don't follow this rule my weight loss slows and sometimes drinking with certain foods will cause me to slime. Mushies that I ate: Soft meats, stews, Soups or chili blended in blender Canned chicken mixed with spinach dip blended in blender Refried Beans with con queso dip or sour cream oatmeal cooked in milk Eggbeater with cheese mashed or blended In a pinch, I also kept baby food on hand (add a little salt and pepper and its not so bland). SF Popsicles Anything that does not blend well, just add some Water or broth.

What kind of complications are you having?

Have you ever been diagnosed with PCOS? Symptoms include:excess weight (especially around the middle), irregular periods/infertility/miscarriages/heavy periods, excess facial hair, thinning hair/mail pattern hair loss, cystic acne, skin tags, depression/mood swings, ovarian cysts/ovarian pain, insulin resistance. It affects woman differently so you could have a few or all of the above symptoms. Fasting glucose test is the best way to be diagnosed and an endocrinologist is the best type of doc to see for it. Some do treat the symptoms with birth control but to treat the root cause the best treatment is insulin sensitising drugs. Weight loss is possible with the condition but it may be more difficult and you definitley have to watch starches and sugars. If you have a few of the above symptoms you should be tested because if you do have it, the type of food you eat will be an important factor in sucess with your your band. But to answer your question, I have PCOS. I had most all of the above symptoms and I was on Metformin for five years and that helped to regulate my cycles and keep most of the symptoms under control. Since shortly after surgery I came off the medication and have normal 28-day cycles and most of the symptoms have gone away 100%.

Three possible causes: To little protein (Make sure you get 60G per day) To little vitamins (take a good daily) Shock from surgery and diet change (just give it time, it will slow and stop) Time frame is typically, hair loss starts three months out and if you make sure you are doing the above, it should end within three months.

I was scheduled immediately. My letter came in the mail, I called the surgeons office and had a week and a half to get ready for surgery. But you should call your surgeons office and see what their schedule looks like this month.

Thanks Angie :cool2:

When you get that empty feeling it is often dehydration; something I experienced a lot for the first several months. It is hard but try to drink more Water between meals. You probably do feel gas too which only adds to the discomfort. GasX does help a bit but over time the gas should lessen on its own. True hunger for me is that tummy rumbling (not gas) hunger pains up a little higher in the digestive system. Not sure what's up with your doctor...

I was one that answered your question previously posted in the General forum. I think that the way you previously asked the question was "Will the band stop all hunger?" And that is what people were responding to. Your doctor is not correct, you are still capable of feeling hunger with the band, even at restriction, I can assure you that I have had true hunger at restriction when I get busy and don't eat on time. The band does not remove the mechanisms that tell you that you need food. It simply creates a smaller stomach so that it takes less food to feel full and depending on restriction, creates a narrower passage so the food does not empy out as fast. When you allow the pouch to empty, you will feel hunger. At restriction you should not feel hungry sooner than 3-4 hours after your last meal. The guidelines put out by the makers of Lap Band lists between-meal hunger as one of the three determining factors to needing a fill. http://www.lapbandforum.com/uploads/1231574659/gallery_3398_50_12372.gif . If you do feel hungry sooner, getting a fill will narrow the passage and the food will stay in your pouch longer keeping you full longer. Can you please describe your hunger feeling? Seems like a stupid request but there are different types of hunger plus there is a lot of gas in the digestive tract so soon after surgery and it seems that many newly banded people have a hard time understanding what they are truly feeling.

That is really awful! I would question the qualifications of a surgeon with an ad like that.

You probably do need another fill. You also need to look at how much you are you eating, what you are eating and are you hungry between meals? That said, my doctor is pretty liberal when it comes to fills, I only have to wait a week to get another fill- I can get a fill whenever I know I need one. But even so, I have had a couple plateaus and one that lasted a month. I was eating and exercising but the scale did not move. BUT when I measured myself I realized I was getting smaller and my clothes were getting looser.

I think I like Bryans answer the best. My success with the band is not so much that it keeps me from being hungry but it keeps me from eating too much. Heck, pre-band my eating too much had very little to do with being truly hungry. Like Plain explained it also does not help with the head hunger which, once you get a couple fills, may be your biggest struggle-I know it was mine. And of course you need to make the right food choices and follow the eating rules. But with the band helping you to feel full on a small amount of food it is much easier to deal with your part in the process. In my opinion you should allow yourself to get hungry before you eat your next meal. I eat three meals a day and do not snack in between so about 4-5 hours after Breakfast my tummy is rumbling. But if you snack between meals or have more than three meals per day you may rarely feel hunger.

Oh yeah, the dreaded batwings. I am at goal and mine are pretty bad. So are my upper thighs and my midsection. They bother me enough that I won't wear sleeves shorter than a few inches above my elbows which is proving nearly impossible with the style being extra short sleeve and sleeveless. I have kept my skin slathered in a good quality lotion since getting banded. Can't say for sure if it helped any. I will say that my saggy skin has improved since I started working out in January, some muscle tone makes them look better-so upper arm exercises do help. I am going to give it a year as my surgeon suggested but I have a feeling that I will need some plastic surgery if I want to get rid of it completely. But who knows, you are 9 years younger than me so maybe your skin will snap back a little better than mine.

As you already know, it takes three months to see the effects. Once you fix the cause it will take three months for it to completely stop. You won't be losing clumps for three months but it will slowly subside until you are no longer shedding. Keep taking the Vitamins, make sure you are getting at least 60 grams of Protein and stay calm and give it time. The three main hair loss causes for us are lack of nutrition (vitamins), lack of protein and trauma from surgery/sudden dietary change/weight loss (which will resolve itself with a little time). I went through it and came out fine. I have baby fine thin hair and it was noticeable for a while but has grown back thicker than it was pre-surgery. Hair thickening shampoos help to get your through it. I really like a brand called Samy Fat Hair. I no longer need it though.

I agree with all of what lingling said but also would like to add that it could be due to addiction. My preop psych evaluation revealed that I have an addictive behavior. The surgery came along and I gave up lots of stuff at one time...soda, caffeine, cigarettes and compulsive eating (including my decision to give up sugar and starches). I was a ball of nerves, moody and emotional and could see myself wanting to transfer my addictions elsewhere...I am not a drinker but alcohol was looking so good at that time. Once I understood what was causing my anxiety it helped a lot. Just knowing why you are feeling the way you are just seems to make it easier to deal with. I also took a supplement called SAM-e and I highly recommend it for anxiety and mood swings. It is a natural supplement that you can get at any pharmacy, a little pricey but worth it. After a few months I was over all my addictions and my nerves calmed a lot...Just something to consider.