2muchfun

Soups are considered a slider food and won't give you the satiety that solid food and Protein gives. If soup works for you to lose weight you might continue till it doesn't, but it's the antithesis of the type of food that makes the band do it's magic. tmf

Looks like many folks in some states may not have bariatric coverage. Much of this won't go into effect for 6 months so now is the time to git er done? Looks like the ACO's(accountable care organizations) will have the oversight to determine medical necessity per state? http://www.bariatricnews.net/?q=news/111009/obamacare-denying-patients-access-bariatric-surgery

It will be interesting to see how Obamacare(affordable healthcare act) looks at WLS?

Your post just gave me an epiphany. How much weight could we lose if only we could see what we lost every day like the picture image in your post? Not going to happen of course but I know for me I'd want as much of that ugly stuff gone as humanly possible.

You may have swallowed a bean and eventually your stomach acids will break it down and it will all pass. I've never been stuck longer than an hour so if it goes beyond 4 hours you should consult your doctor or ER. Usually acids will break down all foods to a fluid state and that's why 4 hours of being stuck should be your max limit. JMO

My only suggestion would be for you to not compare your journey with anyone else. We are each so individual with our own set of health issues, amount of weight to lose and environment that comparing is impossible. Here's a quote I saw some time ago: "Don't be jealous of others. Jealousy is the art of counting someone elses blessings instead of your own. Stop comparing your journey with everyone else's. Your journey is YOUR journey, NOT a competition. You are in competition with one person and one person only, yourself. You are competing to be the best you can be. If you want to measure your progress, compare yourself to who you were yesterday"

You're fresh out of surgery and losing lbs/stones should not be your #1 priority at this point. Healing and readying yourself for the upcoming change in lifestyle is more important. Keeping your caloric intake low is important but once you're healed and eating solids is when the challenges and real fat loss begins. Most of the weight we lose shortly after surgery is simply Water our fat cells stored.

I lost 12 lbs the fist 2 weeks and then nothing the next 3.5 months so I understand the frustration. What really got me losing was my 3rd fill and a consult with my nutritionist. She pointed out where I could eliminate about 300 calories a day and the 3rd fill was the moment I started to feel the satiety so many spoke of. Also, it was late March so my exercise program(biking) also contributed to burning more calories. Visit with your nutritionist/dietician would be my suggestion.

I find that as the meal progresses I eat slower. It's that first 2-3 bites that usually get me stuck. I cook and sometimes the appetite is overwhelming by the time I sit down to eat and I wolf down the first few bites which causes the problem. The times where I take a deep breath before that first bite are the times I can eat a normal slow meal without incident. It took me 10 months to get to where I could eat slower without incident. But, it's still a struggle now that I'm 22 months out. tmf

I felt some restriction after fill #2 and quite a bit after fill #3. That's when the feeling of satiety kicked in. It's different for everyone and some it may take 6 or more fills to feel some restriction. If your doctor offers fills under fluoroscope you can get to the green zone quicker but not all docs offer this method. What you are experiencing is very normal and is what we call Bandster hell. It lasted 4 months for me. tmf PS. Your doctor is right. Liquids is the antithesis of what you should be doing. Solid foods and Protein is the path to more satiety and finding the green zone.

Yup, there is no consensus for pre and post op diets. There's no consensus on drinking while eating or how to fill and when to fill. Kind of crazy aint it? But, it still works for most of us. tmf

Joanne, so glad you're here and cancer free!!

Well, I certainly didn't mean it as mocking. Hope you didn't take it that way? Maybe I should have used another term such as Oh wise one? Anyway, there may be others here with more lapband seniority but I'm not familiar with them? Now I'm pissed because some people have called me poo-bah! Damn, I'm gonna kick my son's butt.

Well, that makes you our Grand PooBa in our lapband kingdom. Looking forward to hearing your wisdom! tmf

Much of the weight we lose right after surgery is Water we're retaining. The process could slow down once you squeeze out much of this excess Fluid. I agree with Missy and setting a realistic goal of maybe 20 lbs by year end is more achievable. The Holidays can be a hard gauntlet to travel. But there's no harm in shooting for the moon so hit it hard and who knows? tmf

Losing fat is a simple formula of burning more calories than you consume. Sometimes we eat too many carbs vs. Protein which can cause us to retain fluids. My recommendation would be to eat more protein, fewer carbs(virtually no simple carbs). Most of all, you should try to track your calorie intake and there are many sites that help you do this? Some of us have enough restriction that it's nearly impossible to consume too many calories so we either maintain or lose weight. Do you need another fill? Lastly, talk to your nutritionist. A good nut can help you lose up to 10 lbs in one month if you're committed. tmf

Are there fringe benefits jk

Have no idea? Most of us eat what we want but a lot less of it. Of course, sticking to healthy foods usually keeps the calorie count low.

Sounds like a stuck episode. BTW-If you want people to respond to your comments, you should start a new thread/topic. Only the few people who follow this topic/thread will see your comments. You can expose your comments to many many more if you create your own topic. Creating a thread within a thread is called hi-jacking the thread. It's not all that bad but you seldom get many responses with a hi-jack. You'll experience more success with a new topic. tmf

Salads are one of the easiest for me to eat. We all want to help you so if you could elaborate on why you can't eat veggies and fruit? Are you too tight, do you not chew enough or small enough? Do they make you ill?

It's not really a plateau till it's about a month to 6 weeks out. One week is much too short to evaluate weight loss. Congrats, you are doing well. You'll have to chime in after Morocco and tell us how the Bastilla was?

I've never heard of this before? I'm sure having a trainer who is familiar with band patients dietary needs would be helpful but the trainee could educate the trainer I would imagine? tmf

Them? You only have one port. If you're talking about the other incisions, those are where they inserted tubes for gas, tools, liver lifter etc.

Tonight, stuffed red peppers. Last night, Salmon and salad. Friday night, taco salad.

Yeah, I was scared that I might not be able to eat most of my comfort foods. Potatoes smothered in butter and gravy, chicken fried steak, pizza, lasagna, sandwiches, etc. But, I can still eat those foods if I want to but funny thing is, I don't want to anymore(except a once or twice a year pizza). I don't miss the fast food. I've even stopped off at McD's and bought a double cheeseburger a few times and it just doesn't taste good anymore. My favorite quote from this board comes from Pink Dahlia, "I'm so stinkin' thrilled with my weight loss i dont even care about what i cant eat!"