flowers

The preopt diet is to make the liver less fatty and easier for the doctor to move aside and easier to get out of the way once its shrunk, so its not knicked. They will make incisions to put air into your stomach and blow it up, so it doesnt matter how big around you are. Thats what causes the gas pains after surgery. The gas will keep things off the area where the doctor has to work.

Wasa, I dont think there is any perfect solution, in spite of the fact you continue to sing the praises of the sleeve. Im happy it worked for you, but not all of us wanted such invasive surgery and many of us were not needing that much help, just a little. Jachut if you are within 10 lbs of where you want to be for a perfect size 8, congrats. Im always in between sizes, because Im hippier than I am big on top. You look hot in your avatar, even if being in the middle of size 8 and 10 is a inconveince. We should all look that hot in our avatars.

Wow did your post strike a cord with me. My first two fills she tried 3 cc and went all the way down to 1.8 cc. I went back in yesterday and she only gave me .5 cc more and wanted to take .2 cc out. I went to a different fill doctor and even had my surgeon write her a letter. She brought up again that she doesnt believe I really have a 10 cc band. I think its being scared that tightens me up on her fluoro. She cant put more in because the barium wouldnt go down to my stomach. She uses fluoro and barium swallow test each fill and wouldnt put in a fill if the liquid wouldnt go to your stomach. It is important I think to know what size band you have. Im up to 4.1 cc in a 10 cc band, which is unusually small. I dont feel tight and can eat anything and feel like its not helping me with appetite control. Im walking every day to get the weight off, not dieting like I should. I dont measure or eat Protein first and not drink during meals, but promised I would start that. I have been avoiding sweets and Desserts and walking and jogging 3.5 or more miles a day, which so far has been enough to lose weight. When you say your doctor said the band doesnt work for everyone I wondered if I was one. It doesnt seem to be helping me one bit. I need to try harder. Im just dieting regular, not following rules some here use, none of which either my fill doctor or surgeon imposed, like folks here talking 3 oz protein or 1/2 cup and measuring food. Your reply is very interesting .... and scary.

First off, you show being down 55 lbs and Iv been banded more than a month before you and down less, so you are not doing bad. I agree with your doctor 1 - 2 lbs a week is normal. You wouldnt lose huge amounts every week. I do think its important to get back into exercising and eating right. If you are losing this fast and go off one or two days, dont panic. This is for the rest of your life. We all want to be at goal now, but if you lose a couple of days here and there, it might help you later so you dont burn out and backslide even worse. No one is doing a diet every day of their life and never allowing themselves some treats. Its a tough time of the year, be kind to yourself, without giving in to temptation all the time. Once in a blue moon is ok.

I read a nurse's reply on this band on another forum. I think she said a 4 cc band can be filled to 4.8 cc, because the tubing holds extra in addition to what is in the band. I have the opposite problem. My fill doctor keeps saying I must not really have a 10 cc band, because she cant put much in. I went today for a fill and she put in .5 cc and wanted to take .2 cc out. I think my fear of needles causes me to get tight. Because once I get home, Im no longer tight. I almost fainted on her again today and had to go lay down. I havent ever felt good restriction, and yet my fill doctor says I am as tight as she will get me. I had to talk her into leaving the last .2 cc in. Im at 4.1 in a 10 cc band.

I don't really have any restriction. I put off my 3rd fill until tomorrow morning, so yesterday and today was good by to solid food for a couple of days. I personally dont think its so bad for me if I dont get crazy with the bad stuff like bread and pie and cranberry sauce, the sugary stuff. I ate more than I should have, but tomorrow its back to a day of liquids, oh no. I refuse to beat myself up, I think eating extra is ok once in a while as long as you dont do it all the time.

I complained about being able to eat too much to the doctor's husband who answers the phone and he told me I probably stretched the pouch. (cant be that they didnt give me enough of a fill?). So, Im paying for another fill in 2 days to get tighter and see if I too can cut down on portions. Iv also heard it could be the loss of the fat in the abdomen, and Iv been walking daily, so I have to be losing fat there.

I had read once before about pain after eating or drinking and wondered about it, since Iv never felt anything I would call pain. Interesting. I think I would try and ride it out since you can still do liquids. My fill doctor wouldnt fill me near that tight. She checks with barium after each fill and watches it go into the stomach and if its not going fast enough, she removes part of the fill. Id personally like a tighter fill, but she wouldnt do it. I see most advise a unfill. Im having another fill in 2 more days and was hoping to get tighter, but maybe this is a case of not wanting to get too tight, there is too tight too. Sounds like good advise you are getting. Having never been too tight, its hard to imagine, but I know I wouldnt want to be there either, just want to lose faster. Get a small unfill if by Monday you still have trouble with liquids.

Pain??? Iv never had pain from eating. I was told to stay with mushies because it would help my surgery heal, not because I was physically unable to eat solid food. I did sneak a little chicken without mayo before my month was up. Never heard folks have pain from eating certain foods until you are stuck? and thats what you mean. I havent really got stuck for more than a couple of seconds, no pain ever.

I can eat tacos and chips both. A little resistance if Im trying to smush too much in at a time and dont chew the shell up enough before I swallow. I try not to eat things like this though since chips are carbs and so bad for you. I eat them maybe a couple times in a month.

Maybe Im misreading this?? OP lost 10 lbs in 3 weeks and says she is stalled and another poster lost 15 and is complaining about how slow it is? By definition a stall means you lost zero pounds in 3 weeks. 10 lbs in less than a month is not a stall. It could be that when you changed from liquids to mushys you quit losing like you were because you probably had less calories and when you were only on liquids. Some gain when they switch over to mushys and their doctors say dont worry, this is a time for healing. Even if you didnt lose anything they would say its normal until you are filled to a much tighter place and healed. This is the time for healing. Its going to be a long slow process. I looked at tickers and dates and figure a year to lose about 100 lbs from what Iv seen.

Get something like SF popsicles that are only 10 calories and take a while to eat. If you eat one and still craving, then eat another, still 20 calories and keeps you busy for a while and not eating something bad.

I had my surgery July 9th, so about 2 months before you did. It sounds so simple when folks say eat Protein first, measure portions. Well, I live alone and I rarely cook. If I have to cook all the time this aint going to work and Ill fall off the wagon. I pull out a healthy choice or lean cuisine frozen dinner and cook it. Do any of you measure the quantity of a cooked frozen dinner, am I supposed to do that and get rid of the excess? It sounds so easy, but the reality has me scratching my head. I gain if I eat carbs or sugar, Im prediabetic, so eating wrong is what does me in, Im eating the same portions as before the band (so maybe the band wasnt the right answer for me Im thinking). I get rid of sugar and carbs and I lose, simple as that. I do sometimes cook baked salmon because that always makes me lose, but Im not eating small amounts. Maybe the smaller portions will get easier after my next fill. I sure hope so. I didnt have much swelling after my surgery, so had no restriction after my surgery to help get me started eating less. My surgeon looked at the two large bowls of Jello and applesauce and tea and said well you wouldnt be able to eat that, right after my surgery .... of course I ate it all. This cutting back of portions is what I have trouble with. Losing is just a matter of what I eat, not how much but Id lose faster if I could eat less. I wasnt overeating before surgery though, but no one believed me the way I was gaining, I was almost on diabetes medication.

I can eat as much as before to me. I get this feeling like I have to burp after a few bites of food, so I stand up sometimes and walk around and then a little burp or two or four or five and then I can eat anything after that first little bit, and eat the rest. Sounds like some people are quitting eating and I know Im not. Maybe thats why I am losing so slow. My doctor's husband has accused me of overeating and stretching my pouch when I went to make the last appointment, that its my fault I lose the restriction. I cancelled the last appointment, but going in this Saturday for another fill, but I never feel like like descriptions I hear. As I said once I burp a few times Im fine. Thats not stopping me from eating. Maybe its supposed to be stopping me, that gassy feeling, but I just wait and then I can eat it all ... and do. Im going to try harder after this next fill to cut back portions, like some I read here who seem to be satisfied with so much less than Im eating portion wise. I am down another pound this morning. 188 lbs, going to change my ticker.

I knew coming out of surgery, I could eat anything. I was in the airport 24 hours after surgery and knew I could have downed a mexican dinner at the only restaurant where I was waiting. Nothing has changed, I can eat almost anything. The only times I have had any trouble is when I was gulping cantelope too fast, I got a little stuck and taking Vitamins late at night, just before bed, if I lay down in bed right after vitamins they slime up. Wheat chex Cereal, I think thats the one with big pieces?? I had a little trouble for about a week with that after my last fill. I can eat bread, sub sandwiches, everything else. Bread and pizza has never bothered me a bit. I was told during a seminar there are about 10 foods people have trouble with and usually not the same foods as another person. Which foods you cant eat will probably be different than mine. Salads are one of the 10 foods, some eat fine and some cant do.

It looks like you are another July butterfly. I was banded the day before you. Iv walked pretty much every day. I also dont have age in my favor, Im 58, but you can sit there and add up all the reasons why something is hard and if you are determined enough you will lose. Im sure Im overeating and not at restriction, but I am not eating any sweats, and like someone else mentioned, if Im hungry I have a Protein snack. Have some turkey pepperoni in the microwave. Have some rolled up ham. Fry and egg in pam. Low fat hotdogs are about 50 calories fry one in the skillet in pam and so on. I know how to eat to lose, but I slip slided away last winter, but Im moving back where I need to be, no matter what it takes. I reread my post, I combined two things, one I was saying hello to another July butterfly, the other I was saying what works for me to lose weight if I stick to protein Snacks and cut the sugar and walk every day. Im hoping to get to where Jack and some others are and that I dont want to eat so much and that this gets easier, but to me its still working it.

A lot of it is how hard you are willing to work. Especially at first you aren't going to have much if any resistance, and I wasnt allowed to get a fill for 5 weeks to heal and then that didnt give me any resistance either. I was banded July 9th and working it. I get a fill this Saturday and hoping for more help to lose faster. Not happy with my slow progress. Im exercising, but eating more than anyone here says I should be eating, just eating a lot of fish and watching my sugar levels. As you can see by my ticker, Im planning on getting into the 120s and Im 5 7, so less than the weight charts say I can weigh. I wouldnt be happy with less. Just make up your mind you are going to do this. Get some SF popsicles or something to stick in your mouth when you want to eat. Or I roll up a few pieces of thinly sliced ham for a higher Protein snack.

wow never heard of this. My surgeon the next morning wanted to know why I hadnt yet taken a shower in the hospital room. I said because Im still attached to a IV. But after 24 hours never heard of you cant take a shower, you must have something different on your incisions.

Im glad Im not the only one dissapointed with my lapband's restriction. I go for another fill this Sat. so far they only put in 1.8 cc each fill in a 10 cc band, no prefill. Im up to only 3.6 cc, and thinking no wonder I have no restriction, this is being done too slow, but cant get my fill doctor to push harder. Im losing due to will power, dieting and walking every day, no thanks to my lapband.

IMO there would be a number in between 3 and 1.8 that if the fill doctor was taking more time with fills she could have found that wouldnt over fill me but would have given me enough restriction to help. I feel almost no restriction and can eat anything. Im losing because Im dieting, not eating sweets and walking 3.5 miles a day, I was up to 7 miles but had to cut back when my right knee couldnt take it. You can lose without your band helping at all, and that doesnt prove I dont need a fill, at least to me. I dont feel like my band is helping at all, but yes, Im losing. By your doctor's standards and some other doctors, as long as Im losing fine, I dont need another fill, even if I feel no restriction. I guess I disagree with that way of thinking, why have a band if its not helping. I got down to 150 on Nutrisystem, but didnt hold it. I can diet, thats all Im doing now. Im one who isnt terribly keen on the lapband at this point since I dont feel its helping. My fill doctor does test with fluor to make sure the barium goes down into your stomach, so a over fill isnt possible with her. I just want some appetite control, which I dont have with my too conservative fills. Im hungry all the time, its sheer willpower losing the weight. When I complain to the fill doctor's husband (he does the appointments) instead of talking about the fact she doesnt fill me enough, he will blame me, saying things like "well you must be over eating and stretched your pouch" instead of acknowledging maybe the fill isnt tight enough. Its never their fault I still cant feel any resistance. the band isnt all its cracked up to be so far. fills can make or break you.

Im driving 5 hours round trip and dont think that doctor takes enough time on her fills, in and out. She doesnt try to get them as tight as possible, 3 cc too much, she puts in 1.8 cc, as if there is nothing in between she could try. Iv expressed my unhappiness at the lack of resistance and cancelled my last fill, but decided to go in again, eventually I hope to get to a tighter resistance point. I have rescheduled to go in next Saturday. There is a closer doctor I could go to for $250 cash that probably would be better, but I got annoyed when his receptionist said that I was lucky he would see me at all when I complained that the cost was only $150 if you were banded in the U.S. You will have a great experience for surgery, and a much cheaper price, you just have to weigh it against the fact that getting fills will cost more and you will be treated like a second class citizen. Prepare yourself for that. Two sisters were at my fill doctor last time and they had only paid $6,000 each. So there are cheap prices to be had. My surgeon didnt speak much English and just started taking U.S. patients, but is very good. You wouldnt have trouble finding a good surgeon in Mexico, but you might have trouble finding a inexpensive fill center or pay extra. One fill doctor here who has a bad reputation, now is making Mexican patients wait 90 days, he has so many patients, he can do that now. He doesnt use fluoro and had poked holes in a few too many bands for me to use him. Where you get fills is something you definetely need to check out ahead of time. You might even have to fly somewhere. I was banded July 9th, 10 cc band, and only two measly fills of 1.8 cc each, so you know Im not hardly at any resistance. Im needing some extra will power is why Im making the drive this weekend. Im also losing much slower than most. .... but I am losing and will get there, maybe not as fast as those at tight resistance.

I paid $6,500 and went to El Paso and went across the border too. Just because you are flying in and going to Mexico doesnt mean you will not get just as good of care. I wouldnt pay the amount in Alaska when for the price of airfare you can have it done elsewhere. I went by myself, it wasnt that bad of surgery that you need to have someone with you, like say plastic surgery which will have you indisposed for a while. I actually flew home the next day, a day early.

I was on a board last night and outraged at the insensitivity and predudice towards overweight people. I wanted to say how bad predudice is toward people who are overweight. All predudice is WRONG. I knew I would be blown off as overweight myself or I wouldnt care, that's what folks would be thinking. The thread was about would it be ok for her husband to wear jeans on elegant night on a cruise. I said something mild, thought others would react, no one but me said a thing. Obviously, if I fussed I would fall into the category he said was people who just want to control others, but I think predudice against overweight people is rampant. At 190 lbs as some said I look better to others, but Im still overweight and I think a lot of folks still are thinking this. If they arent my close friends or family they are being judgemental. Iv been thin and I swear folks smile and are friendlier to you when you arent overweight. I dont expect compliments, I lost weight once before and so folks are extra reluctant to say anything. Iv heard my parents make comments about me being overweight. My sister says my mom says to her, "you dont want to be like your sister, you need to watch what you are eating". I told my mom (both my parents are too thin) that being predudiced against overweight people is wrong. She may try to talk better in front of me, but behind my back even my family feels the way those posts talk. I dont expect compliments because people are still thinking "she needs to lose weight" not "boy she is looking good"<!-- / message -->

I think they must be related to my grandma. Everytime my grandma would see my mom, one of the first things she would say is "putting on a little weight Jean?" .... and my mom has always been really thin, too thin. My grandma just was blinded by bias toward other family. She knew what to say to wound. My mom is about 5 3 and doesnt even weight 100 lbs, hardly ever has been over 100 lbs and to this woman she throws up her weight to her as if she is getting too fat?

I like the ones who tell you that you have lost enough weight, that you are looking too skinny. Are they jealous? Why would they say that when obviously Im not too skinny. Folks just been able to notice Iv lost weight, or they are just now commenting on it. Cant say as Iv gotten compliments exactly. One lady says to me, bet you feel a lot better. I guess. No one says you look good.