ywong07

I am a certified personal trainer and I just wanted to add a few things:) Don't get too discouraged . . . everyone is different. Typically, you will lose weight in reverse of how you gain it. So, if you gain it in your stomach first, then hips, butt, thighs, arms, breasts, face, then you will lose it in your face first, then breasts, arms, thighs, butt, hips, and last stomach. So, it is totally possible to have not gone down in pants size. Is your shirt size smaller? Remember, you have places like ankles, feet, hands, wrists, back, and your neck that have fat as well so there are a lot of places all over your body that you could have easily lost weight in and not have gone down in pant size. Don't worry, it will happen, just keep doing what you are doing :tongue_smilie:

Don't give up! You are still in the early stages of lap banding. You will begin to see consistent results once you have a few fills. I have only had two fills and my results have been similar to yours. I do not feel a lot of restriction yet but I have a 10cc band and what I have read is that the average optimal range tends to be between 7 and 7.5 for a 10 cc band. Since yours is 14cc, you are probably not going to be even close to your optimal range until you get closer to 9 cc. Your doctor is being cautious and making sure your stomach is healing and that is great. Remember, it took a long time to gain the weight and it will take some time to get it off. The lap band is not an instant fix, but it will help you in the long term. Don't overlook the fact that you have lost 20 lbs!!! That is an AWESOME accomplishment! Keep up the great work and don't lose focus! I am a certified personal trainer and can help you with meals and exercise if you would like. Reply back if you are interested and I will give you my contact info.

Kara, you are in the same place many of us have been in at one time. I would suggest seeing your primary care as planned and then researching as much as you can about lap band surgery and what is required after surgery. It is a great "tool" for weight loss, but it does require a lot of commitment. I am similar to you in that my highest weight was 260 and the lowest weight that I can remember since high school is 140. I even went on a strict diet and exercise program, went to school to become a fitness technician, and worked as a personal trainer for 4 years and was still only able to get down to 178. I kept at that weight for a year but then got pregnant with two more kids and ballooned back up to 260. That was when I decided to get the lap band surgery. I had been researching it off and on over the previous year and a half and was afraid to take such a drastic approach but I literally had tried everything else. I had surgery June 9, 2008 and so three months later, I have lost 35 pounds. I have been successful with the lap band so far, but I have tried to follow the Dr's orders as close as possible because that is what I have read and heard makes a huge difference in your success. I am sure if you decide to go ahead with surgery, with the right support, commitment, dedication, and determination, you will be very successful. Good luck!

What kind of sugar free substitute do you use? I found Splenda is the best tasting and less side affects than Equal or Sweet-n-low.

I worked in a gym for four years and studied nutrition. Without the lapband, you should be eating 5 to 6 small meals a day to keep blood sugar consistent. That should mean, you are eating about every 2-3 hours. Remember, these are SMALL meals, roughly 200-300 calories each meal. With the lapband, you should be able to follow the same guidelines.

Are you taking only one multivitamin a day? I am supposed to be taking 4 children's chewables a day, but I bought the protein powder with added vitamins so I take 2 protein shakes and 2 children's chewables and I haven't had any hair loss.

I LOVE my bullet! I make food for my family and then puree it in the bullet for me. It works just perfect. It's easy to clean, small and convenient, and fast. I make fruit smoothies and pancakes for my kids. I bought mine at Target for about $60 I think. I have seen them at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Linens N Things also.

Don't get too worried over your weight loss right now. Our bodies are made in such a way that if you aren't taking in enough calories, at first it thinks it is starving so it will hang on to the fat. Eventually, it will let the fat go when you get that balance of calories so that your body doesn't think it is starving anymore. I had the same doubts as you. I was drinking liquids for the first two weeks and hungry by day 9. I was able to drink liquids right down without getting nauseous or anything. I added Protein shakes and that helped. I got my first fill and started pureed foods and I could tell that there was more restriction. I can only eat about 1/4 cup of pureed foods at a time, but I do get hungry between meals. I am only supposed to have 2 meals a day, but have been eating 3 meals and 2 Protein Shakes a day. I drink at least 6 glasses of tea or liquid a day on top of that so I really stay pretty full all day. I even keep a Water bottle near my bed so when I wake up in the morning, I have a little water so I don't feel as hungry and I chew lots of sugarfree gum because I think the chewing helps to keep me from eating.

I did a lot of research before I got this done. It took me two years of research to finally decide to do it. What I discovered is if you follow your doctor's orders, you usually will not have complications. However, if you don't you could be in for some rough times. Remember banding doesn't magically take off the weight, you have to go into it with the mindframe that you are making a lifestyle change. If you do, you will be successful.

Congratulations on your banding! The gas is probably one of the worst parts - it's all that air they pumped into your stomach to do the procedure. I didn't think I would make it through that phase either. By day 9, I was so hungry, but I just kept telling myself that I only had 5 days left, 4 days left, 3 days left . . . until I was there. YOU CAN DO IT!!! It took a lot of courage to get this procedure and make the decision to make life style changes so don't doubt yourself now. My paperwork didn't mention that I could have protein shakes so I had not been drinking them. I went out and bought a protein shake on day 10 and starting having a 2 oz. serving mixed with soy milk twice a day and that helped a lot with the hunger. You are allowed skim milk also so you can mix it with juice, water, or skim milk. Give it a try :thumbup:

Congratulations on your banding! I had dry mouth but I chew gum all the time, sugarfree of course and I haven't had any gas from it. I felt really tired and hard to move around for about 3 days but if you have a desk job, you may be ok to return on Monday. But, if you don't feel up to it, don't push yourself. I have had a few BM's but they really didn't start for several days. I had been on the liquid diet 2 days before surgery and then took phoso-soda to clean me out so there really was nothing in there. Then, after surgery, you are on a clear liquid diet so it is mostly liquids and not really anything of substance for a BM. I cooked pork for my family and took the broth, skimmed the fat and froze it in ice cube trays. Each cube is one ounce so I would just take 2 cubes, pop them in the microwave and then I added a little carne adovada seasoning for flavor. It worked great! I also took chicken noodle soup, strained everything out (fed that to my kids) and then froze that soup in ice cube trays also. It was better than pure chicken broth because you could taste the flavor of the noodles. My port is on the left so I was able to sleep on my right side about 2 days after my surgery but not on my left until about 5 or 6 days after. I still have not slept on my stomach because I am not sure if that is ok. I did not use a straw, just took small sips. I did not feel hungry until about day 9 on the liquid diet and had a really hard time until I was able to eat mushies. I called my Dr and they approved for me to get my first fill (only 2 cc) at 2 weeks post-op. I feel much better. I took my pain meds and anti-nausea medicine for only 2 days but it made me feel extremely nauseous. After I quit taking it, I had no more nausea and I haven't had any pain either.

I was banded on June 9 and have had my first fill already. I am on mushies too and I typically will eat 1/4 cup oatmeal for breakfast, 1/4 cup protien shake made w/soy milk, 1/4 cup soup, 1/4 cup protien shake made w/soy milk, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes. I also substitute a gogurt or danimals for one of the 1/4 cup foods and I mostly drink iced tea with no sugar so I don't think I am anywhere near 1000 calories either. I am probably closer to 600-800 calories a day. I was surprised that my paperwork said only 200-300 calories during this phase but I am losing weight and I feel good so I will continue with the foods I am currently eating.

I was banded on June 9 and my first followup was supposed to be on July 11th. I was on the liquid diet and feeling quite hungry by about day 10 so I called the Dr's office and they allowed me to get my first fill at 2 weeks post-op. I feel much better now and can tell a difference. I was afraid I would not be able to stick to the diet if I didn't get that first fill. I will still see my doctor on July 11th and they may have to adjust a little more. I have lost 22 lbs :thumbup: