2muchfun

Your profile said 240 so that's the figure I used. It's very hard to lose more than 8 lbs a month. You need to burn 3500 calories to lose 1 lb. If your amount of calories to maintain is 1700 and you eat 1000 and burn off 300 more in exercise, you will be burning off 1000 calories per day more than you consume. So, 1000 X 30 = 30,000/3500 = 8.5 lbs lost. Good luck and don't forget the exercise! tmf

The purpose of a pre op diet is to shrink the liver. Drinking alcohol probably won't add weight to your liver but alcohol will lower your inhibitions and you could pig out on a plate of nachos which would make you gain another 2-5 lbs of fluids. If you do, stay away from carb and sodium loaded margaritas. I'd stick with wine or hard liquor with no sugar additives. tmf

My doctor said no and I asked him directly. He did say that it can appear that we lose saline in the band since as time goes by, food seems to pass through the stoma with more ease. But that is because our pouches become more efficient at massaging the food through the band. Makes sense to me since the stomach is a muscle and to isolate a small part of the stomach could make that portion of the stomach a stronger more efficient machine? tmf

Sure, no harm in starting a diet. But losing 40+ lbs in 2.5 months may be a little too unrealistic? You can always diet with the band. But to use the band as it's intended and to learn how to live with and utilize it's magic, eating diet food may not be the best approach. Almost all of us are on a diet, a diet of healthy foods. This diet allows us to naturally eat fewer bad foods. tmf

Please make this the template for this question in the future?

Can you swallow water? If not, yes, you're probably stuck and it will take a few minutes to pass through.

Losing so much weight was good for your smile too

Your employer chooses from a variety of plans and each plan can have different co-pays and deductibles. The less exposure you have to co-pays/deductibles, the more expensive the plan will be. Most employers give their employees the option of selecting from a variety of different plans and the lower the co-pay/deductible the higher the monthly cost will be to the employee. If you're a member of Congress you would have the cadillac version where all costs are covered, but if you're a lowly government employee, you will have some out of pocket expenses. So, yes, this is common and everyone who has insuance may have a different plan, different deductible depending on the choices the employer and employee make when purchasing or selecting insurance.

Say what?

Guilty as charged

OMG..Ibuprofen!!! My doc also "demands" no ibuprofen and I lived on that stuff for years and still miss it today. My back is killing me and tylenol does squat! tmf

There are still a lot of anti-coffee ninnies out there who want to demonize the drink as being unnatural and unnecessary. I agree with some other posts that your doc might fear the extra calories you could add to the drink and there are physicians that fear you may drink coffee with your meals which is still a no-no with some docs(not mine). Mine doesn't really care about drinking coffe or drinking while I eat as long as I don't use my coffee to wash down my food. Sips a minute after a bite is OK. tmf

In these days of insurance claim denials, hospitals are covering their butts by informing patients that they are ultimately responsible for their hospital bill even if you have insurance and even if your insuror has approved your surgery. There are also ancillary costs involved such as surgery assistants who may not be one of your insurance company providers. I had to have oxygen that was also 100% covered. I know, for me, my surgeon used an assistant who was not a BCBS provider and I had to send him a check for $300. I do recall being told this could happen but there's so much going on leading up to surgery that I just didn't care as long as I went under the knife. Yeah, just grin and bear it but be prepared there may be some claims heading your way if your plan prohibits it? tmf

Oh yeah! I'll bet my coffee can kick your coffee's butt! I'm right there with ya. Screw that "words of wisdom" crap. Gimmee my caffeine and make it dark roast and bold.

I doubt it's true counseling? It's more like the hospital advising you of the costs, risks and what you are responsible for. Calling it financial counseling is a misnomer so I wouldn't be all that concerned. She/he could have called it your hospital consult and be more accurate. jmo tmf

It's a little early to be concerned over not losing weight. How long have you been in a plateau? Can't be very long since you were banded 2 months ago. Most people would love to have your success so far. A 2 month plateau may be time to be concerned, but a week or two is nothing. Just keep on doing what you're doing. It's all about math. Burn more calories than you consume for success. tmf

If our pouch is behaving as it should, shouldn't the food be pushed through the band in one minute? Would your situation be an example of a pouch that is not behaving normal? I can see if the band is too tight that food may not go through in one minute, but for me, I can eat two bites and be stuck if I am too tight, eat too big or too fast. For me, the discomfort of having more than two bites in my pouch is very uncomfortable and it stops me from eating anything until the obstruction is cleared. Stuffing 1 cup or even 1/2 cup in my pouch would be incredibly painful and ultimately impossible. Are you saying that your pouch did not give off any indication that it was full, such as a stuck episode? I do recall maybe a year ago someone else reported a dilated pouch and esophogus and it puzzled me as to how that could happen since getting stuck is so uncomfortable for me that I can't imagine dilating my pouch or esophogus due to the pain involved? I did notice that a small study indicated that this happens with patients with pre-existing conditions? "Patients with pre-existing LES insufficiency appear to be at risk for pouch dilatation and esophageal decompensation despite normal band position and normal stomal width" Well, that sucks huh? Good luck. Are you going to have your band removed, unfilled or stay the course? tmf

2 weeks isn't much of a plateau and yes, you are only in the beginning of your journey. Many more miles ahead for you.

Kool, I don't measure at all. I think early on I did but after some time you know how much you're eating and once your band is adjusted properly the band will help you make that decision. But, to answer your question, a measuring cup is the amount you are too eat. Some things like salads will be more than one cup and I wouldn't be concerned over a pile of spinach, cucumbers, lettuce etc. Just try to keep the Protein and carbs within one measuring cup. jmo tmf

Doubtful. You should be eating real food to make the band works it's magic. Slider foods like this may be healthy but they don't give the satiety a real band friendly meal would give. Proteins from meat, vegetables and fruit can stimulate the vagus nerve so that you are more satisfied for longer periods. jmo tmf

The sweet spot for many of us is when you can eat one cup of food and feel satisfied for 4-5 hours. The sweet spot or green zone is elusive and transparent. I had it for many months and didn't know it. I caved to my head hunger/cravings since I wasn't able to tell the difference. Feeling full is not the same as being in the green zone. That just means you ate too much. Hopefully it's more apparent to you. tmf

Good news, bad news is? I can eat steak as long as it's tenderloin(most expensive) and sometimes a real good ribeye. Very small bites, lots of chewing and I'm full with 6-8 ozs. Small side salad maybe? How often do I partake? Maybe once every month or 6 weeks. For some reason steak just doesn't appeal to me like it once did. I guess that's one of the benefits or downfalls of the band. Some of the foods that once gave me pleasure, are now just another bland food. It comes and goes too. So, don't even think about a sirloin or any leftover steak after you start feeling restriction. Leftover meat is usually dry and can cause a stuck episode. tmf

Looking good dude. LOL..great placement of the door handle in that first pic!

I too was told before surgery that some foods will be off limits. Steak, bread, some fibrous fruits, rice and so on. So far, I can eat anything as long as I eat like a bandster. tmf

You're new to the forum so take what I say with an apology up front. You've hijacked this thread. It's not a problem since many of us do it. But, just so you know, when you do this, only a handful of people will see your post and you won't get many responses. To get the most exposure you should start your own topic in any of the forums and your topic will appear on the right side of the page where hundreds of people can see it and offer you great advice. I know hijack seems like a volatile word but it's really not. And I'm only responding so that in the future you will receive more and better advice? Having said that, my doctor didn't require a pre-op diet so I'm not much help. As far as exercise goes, I needed no motivation. I already know that I've always been more successful losing weight when I exercise. Start by walking, then maybe jogging. I prefer biking. Some here like to bike on the roads but I'm a chicken**** and only bike on walking/biking paths. Exercise for me has to be fun and something I enjoy. If you hate walking or working out in a gym, you probably won't be likely to do it. Good luck! tmf PS...I like your kitty. I have 4.