RestlessMonkey

Again agree with Plain....my preop diet listed what I was to have, and I didn't count calories/carbs/etc, just did what I was supposed to! Besides each person has a different threshold for how many carbs are "too many" etc. So you're right to check w/your doc!

Yeah, what plain said! :biggrin: I drink buckets of unsweet tea and coffee each day. I did without any (w/no side effects, no withdrawal) for my preop diet and about 3 months post op. Then when I realized my doc had forbidden it because it "could be" an appetite suppressant, I happily poured myself a big glass of tea :biggrin: No shakes. No nothing. Just delicious tea! Same with the coffee. But if it bothers you for whatever reason you should perhaps forgo it.

I got mine at 6 weeks. If your doc is aggressive with fills then wait, I'd say...(because you don't want to be too tight and him be out of town) but honestly odds of getting restriction w/first fill are slim. I started losing at my SEVENTH. So if you are going to be more like me, then see if you can get going now! :biggrin: (of course you don't know how you'll react, that's the kicker) Ask your doc what he thinks.

Yes it is normal to be able to eat more you have a loose band with no restriction. However for most of us it is VERY important to follow the doc's directions so that you can heal. Peristalsis (digestion) makes your stomach churn and can loosen your stitches causing a slip now or later. You aren't the first this has happened to but it isn't really a good thing...check with your doc. Odds are at 2 weeks you'll be ok but it should be his call. They really should stress more how important the post op diet is.

I'm sure now you're anxious for it to be Monday. Good luck! :biggrin:

Sure! I'm happy to get to help! Tricare requires a "Center of Excellence" surgery (I'm sure that's true for Prime AND Standard) so you want to make sure your doc is affiliated with that accreditation!

I eat real food...no diet, etc, except for the protein shakes. You may eat some cookies over the holidays. Guess what? Even thin people do. They don't pop and you won't either. You may find your taste for them is less, or that you are satisifed with fewer than before. It probably won't be as hard as you are imagining.

High starting BMI , older, no comorbs (really!) and got approved in under 48 hours. In case you don't find it on my ticker, my starting BMI was 67.4. And no, my surgeon never once tried to push me to get bypass.

I have tricare standard and my pcp didn't have anything to do with my band...except to say he thought it was a good idea and giving me a pamphlet for a center that was not covered by tricare!

Sorry I wasn't clear...my point was that if Medicare covers people age 65 and older, then apparently the surgery IS done on older people, so no, being 61 won't automatically block you from having the surgery.

No, it's covered by medicare and that doesn't kick in for most until age 65! I'm 54 and LOVE my band!

My doc in his seminar did say that many with rapid weight loss will lose their gall bladders...since I'd already had mine out it was a non-issue for me. It's not the band, it's the weight loss.

Doesn't your doc recommend one? They usually have a brand or specific NI they want you to have?

Glad you liked it! I was pretty proud of myself for realizing that dieting just DOES NOT work for me because I become so consumed by food that I almost can't function. Am I going to be hungry did I eat enough did I eat too much Can I have that? Do I even LIKE that? Etc etc. AND OMG I can only have this bread and the store is out can I travel 10 miles I have to have it BAH! Drove me insane. But weight is falling off now that I have the band and I have never been more free of worrying about food in my entire life. It is a miracle.

High protein low fat low carbs is like atkins (just don't eat a lot of fat) or I think south beach. I also agree your surgeon could help Or you could just do it yourself. That type of thing is easy. Eat lean meats turkey chicken pork eggs use low fat butter sparingly eat green veggies (avoid potatoes, peas, carrots) bread use cautiously....you can find low carb/high fiber stuff (like my mission tortillas that have tons of fiber but still 5 carbs) and so on. You don't really need a formal diet.

My surgeon will only give fills every 4 weeks or more. It honestly depends partly on WHAT you ate.

I have learned that most who lose a lot at first do it by just dieting...no assistance from the band. Since I never got the band thinking I'd diet (counting calories, weighing portions, that makes me NUTS. I think about food 24/7...very counter-productive). Now that I finally FINALLY have restriction weight is dropping off and I'm not weighing a thing, not "journaling" (been there, done that, got the 4X t-shirt LOL) So if you want to lose until your band is adequately tightened, pick your favorite diet once you have finished the post op diet your surgeon gives you. Or you can wait for the band to do it's thing; but it does not happen immediately.

Sign in my docs office says goal is to be able to eat any food, small amt, stay full up to 6 hours. I've found if I eat solid food like a steak I stay full FOREVER. If I eat something like a bean burrito I'm hungry in an hour. See how long you stay full just eating solid Proteins and some veggies...if you still get hungry soon, you need another fill.

Ask your doc.

Here's another helpful website (I only assume the stats are correct!) Guide to Weight Loss Surgery As you nose around here you will find some issues but remember they are a small portion of people who are banded. Many of us absolutely LOVE our bands, but it's good to get the big picture. No surgery is w/out risks. However like you I finally realized...if I keep dieting I'm going to stay fat. If I don't diet I'm going to be fatter. What else can I do? This was the answer.

My surgeon too says Snacks or more frequent meals MAKE THE BAND FAIL! However....evidence says this is NOT true because many successful people on here do snack, and do not subscribe to the "three meal a day" plan. I think once again this just shows how different we all are, how much the "pros" disagree, and how we all need to use the band in the way that best works FOR US. If I had 4-5 small meals and a snack daily I'd be always hungry and not lose well....something to do with blood sugar and insulin resistance. I'm not diabetic (thank God) but do have metabolic syndrome. 3 meals concentrating on Protein give me the best energy level and control of my diet while some eating that way feel woozy and faint. We have to find what works for us then work it!

That's exactly the opposite of what I was told to do. My surgeon is a firm believer in 3 small meals a day, at SET times (he says we can train ourselves to get hungry at a certain time, just like we do our pets who get fed at the same time each day. If you doubt it, ask anyone who works a set schedule with a set meal time. On their days off, they'll get hungry during that time) He is also adamant about NO Snacks. Anyway 3 meals, no snacks. Now that I have restriction it's a piece of cake. In fact I struggle to get the 3 meals in.

Akire20 Respectfully I don't follow your reasoning. If you think "I can do this by myself so I'll get the lap band" ...that makes no logical sense. The band is surgery. If you don't need the band to lose and keep it off, don't get the band. Let alone the sleeve. I honestly think you may need to do some more soul searching, thinking, research. And that's a good thing. If you are one of the few percent who can successfully lose and keep it off then that is totally what you should do! No surgery at all.

I hadn't even heard of the sleeve before my lap band seminar and many of the reasons I didn't want bypass applied to the sleeve 1 didn't want my stomach (or intestines, in the case of bypass) cut up 2 I wanted something reversible, just in case 3 I wanted something that could be tightened once my stomach (pouch) stretched...in other words, lifetime options. neither the sleeve nor bypass offer that. I preferred having an implant and going through all the fills etc. I would never have chosen the sleeve because I don't believe in having my stomach partially removed.

I agree with Cleo's Mom. You need to see your doc.