Melody2006

I upped my protein and avoid carbs now and I'm really loosing. I am also curious if you can over do it on protein. I was told by a doctor that your body can only metabolize 25g of protein at a time.

Yes I would do it all over again. When my surgeon said this time next year I could be 300+ , it hit me he was right. And only 7% loose the weight and keep it off threw diet and exercise alone. I did a lot of research and don't regret my choice.

I know how you feel. I'm going to work in 2 weeks after being banded on 7/15/08 and I'm afraid now that I've told some co-workers when I go back the change might not be enough. I guess I shouldn't care. I really freaked out when I first went to real food again. That week I didn't loose at all. But I'm doing way more Protein and sticking to the rules and the weight is coming off again. I think a big key is not only daily exercise you enjoy, but cutting out white carbs (bread, rice, Pasta, etc.) It's not my favorite thing to do, but it works!

I just knew I wouldn't stick to the gym with the added monthly membership cost, the gas costs to get to the gym, etc. I also can't afford to spring for a treadmill right now and the family keeps arguing about where the exercise bike we have should be in the house, so I can never stay motivated to use it. I had to find something I could stick to and would stay motivated to do no matter what the situation. I bought an Omron HJ-720ITC pedometer that syncs to your home computer. It's the best pedometer out there hands down! and do a minimum of 10,000 steps a day.I also bought some basic home exercise equipment (weights, exercise ball, yoga mat, jump rope, etc.) for great prices at TJ Maxx & Marshalls. I put it all in a plastic tote in my room. I also got a subscription to fitness magazine to motivate me. I tear out the exercise pages that show simple exercises with home equipment and started a binder with page covers. I did splurge on a pair of new balance shoes at marshalls yesterday for $33. I can now say I look forward to exercising daily. I've been doing great and have lost weight! America's Walking: The 20% Boost Program: Fit Walking into Your Life

Time for you to get a cuisinart ice cream maker and make your own protein ice cream. PM me if you want a recipe for chocolate peanut butter protein icecream. Thats my plan!

This is what my surgeon said: 800-1200 cals a day 60 gr. Protein day minimum 64 oz Water daily

It's free! Here's the link and all you have to do is follow the instructions. Weight Loss - Diet Ticker

Jasgot, The thing with gastric bypass is they re-route your organs and thats pertinent. Then gastric bypass people have to deal with malabsorption and have to take a hand full of pills a day. Thats not for me. Also I myself don't have the schedule or funds to justify a gym. I just know I won't stick to it and everyone staring at me. Then the monthly fees, and the gas money & time to get over to the gym. So I bought an Omron HJ-720ITC pedometer off of Amazon.com for $29 shipped. Unlike other pedometers, you can slip it right into your pocket and it works, no clipping on for everyone to see and it to fall off. Also it syncs to your home computer and puts it into night graphs. Best one out there! I wear it from morning to bedtime and get my goal of 12,000 steps a day. You can find out a lot about lapband and gastric bypass on youtube.com Hope this helps!

YAY! Keep us posted.

I felt the same way as you and knew with my insurance it was a green light automatically. (The bariactric center is inside the hospital I work at and get my insurance). What you need to do is ask your surgeons office what your particular insurance requires and how you can speed a long the process while you wait. Thats what I did. In 2 months I had all my stuff done and I was banded. It's all what your insurance requires. Also ask what your pre-opt diet is going to be before surgery. I didn't expect that part. 2 weeks of liquids only before surgery, and 2 weeks of liquids only after surgery. No food for a month! I didn't expect that part. That was hard Now I'm to mushy foods (banded 7/15/08) and I'm waiting for a fill. Feels like I'm dieting on will power alone. I'm just following the lap band rules. This isn't the easy way I expected. I'm working for every pound lost. I now keep a pedometer on at all times and go for 12,000 steps a day no matter what. I'm working for this and have been working for every pound lost since I decided on the surgery. Your journey starts today. You start following the band rules today. (No straws, No caffeine, No non-natural sugars, No smoking, No alcohol, Cut back on bread & Pasta, Protein first, Vegetables 2nd, carbs if you have room left. Smaller portions, eat only until satisfied. no drinking liquids with meals, and 60 grams of protein a day, 64 oz of Water a day.) You don't need to wait to be banded. Banding just forces you to stick to the rules and takes stomach hunger (not head hunger!) out of the equation. Wish someone would have told me that upfront. Your journey starts today if you choose so. Best of luck.

YAY! :eek:

My ticker is up to date!

I have this and asked my surgeon. He said if 1 year out he compared one person that had the band to another person who had it with the band one would loose on average 100 pounds, the other 80 pounds. I'm sure thats some sort of comparison estimate.

Smith5jm, you were banded on the 16th of july and your eating any kinds of foods already? I was banded on 7/16/08 and I'm still on full liquids and dying for some food!

I was banded on 7/15/08 and on the full liquids. I'm 9 days post opt. I cannot wait to get to some decent food. I just can't eat more than one serving of popcycles, yougurt, or sugar free pudding. I'm concentrating on protein shakes to keep my hunger at bay.

Heck yeah I would have done it sooner! I could have enjoyed more of my life not avoiding pictures, not avoiding a lot of things due to my weight. I wouldn't have so much to drop, and I could have avoided all the saggy skin I'm probably going to have to face at my goal weight. Better late than never!

I have to say I'm dying to move to mushies. I want to just do it anyways and not ask. I feel like I've worked this hard so why blow it now. I made it thru my 2 week pre-opt diet no cheating and now 8 days post opt. Thats what mainly holds me back.

Call and ask. But those stocking (ted hos) are expensive!

I was banded on 7/15/08 and I log all my food into thedailyplate.com so I can track my water & calories. I have not once gone over 700 calories. Now today my stomach is growling and I'm afraid to eat more. I was wondering how many calories should we be having at this stage.

I lost some weight during the 2 week pre-opt diet that my surgeon required. Not all people have to do that 2 week diet so they don't see the same weight loss that others do that have to do that. Some have bigger weight losses because the insurance required them to diet 6 months before banding. I think thats the big sudden losses you see with new bandsters.

I was banded on 7/15/08. I didn't cheat one time on the 2 week pre-opt diet due to the stories I read here of people waking up to "open" lapband surgerys that had been done on them. Where the surgeon opened them up and the liver didn't shrink so they cut them wide open and did it that way. Or they wake up and were told they weren't banded and they'd have to try again another day. No way was I going to let that happen to me. Now I'm 8 days post-opt still on full liquids and I'm more than ready for real food. But I don't dare cheat because I've read here some have had band slippage due to that and the throwing up it caused and they have to stay on the liquid diet longer to shrink the pouch back down or the band has to be removed. I can't risk that!

Walk, walk and walk some more. If Gas X doesn't work for you I have been told many get relief from maylox

I was lucky that someone at the hospital that I work at told me sence our hospital was also a bariactric center our insurance was doing the lapband package for anyone with our insurance that has a BMI of 40 or over for $250. I was sorta shocked because I never considered lap band before because of the huge cost and I didn't think I qualified. My BMI was 44 at my 1st consultation. I've worked at that job for 4 years and I wish I was told sooner. Wish I did it sooner. And if I knew then what I knew now and my insurance still wouldn't pay, I'd find a way to self pay and go to Mexico (people are getting top doctors there to do the surgery and all expenses for 2 for $8 grand) and find a fill center near my home that would take someone that was banded in Mexico. You don't have time to waste, because life is short and things just get more and more expensive. I have a feeling this surgery is going to go up in cost over the next few years if they don't find new things soon.

a liquid diet.

If you want your insurance to pay and don't want to go the self pay route, find out exactly what your insurance requires (call if you have to) and get all the appts you need scheduled as soon as you can. That way your not wasting your time and energy on whats not going to get your band paid for.