bearbandit

Make sure you get all your fluids. Get up and walk a least once an hour, that will help with the gas. I actually set my alarm in the middle of the night to get up and walk. Which made the mornings a little better. If you get nausous make sure you take your medication to avoid vomiting. (hopefully your doc gave you a script for that, mine was a patch). Good luck and in a few weeks you will feel much better.

Well said Monkey! Also remember you did have some rescriction after surgery because you were swollen. The swelling goes down and your back to full capacity. You have no fluid in your band at this point. Welcome to Lap Band Hell. Weeks 3-6 was very difficult for me. I still kept measuring my food, but it was tough. Get your exercising routine started but start out slow...your still healing. Try eating extra protein that seemed to help with the hunger. Drink lots of water. Doing this I kept the weight coming off. I noticed a difference after my first fill. I guess I am a lucky person as I have a large stoma. I actually have felt some restriction after each and every fill. I am going in for another fill on April 2. Hopefully my last one. Good luck

Sorry forgot this point.. Each meal should be 4-6 oz....Measure the volume not the weight. :cursing:

It sounds like your metabolism is very slow. Eat every three hours. Eat very healthy. Try focusing on this ratio with the food you eat every three hours. 80% protein, 20% complex carbs. Proteins should be animal proteins like, chicken and fish. Complex carbs should be from veggies. (no white carbs such as rice, pasta, potato's) If you want to eat pasta then have whole wheat. Do your own research on how to get your metabolism burning high. The band is a tool and expecting to lose substantial weight by just restriction alone wont work. Add in your exercise and make it a routine. This is the key to get your weight off! Walking is a good start. Minimum 45-60 mins a day. Always challenge your self and set goals to increase the time or speed. I started walking then moved to eliptical. Now I can run on a treadmill for an hour!. As you progress in your weight loss increase your activities and increase your food intake to keep your metabolism running high. Good luck:biggrin:

Being affraid is perfectly normal. I was really scared that I would not be able to adjust to the new life style. I am happy to tell you that its the best decision I have ever made for myself. LBT is a good place to get support but talk about it with your friends and try to get support from them. Good luck on your journey.:cursing:

I had the same thing...it slowly went down in size as time went on. Now its just the port. Its just swelling and fluid build up. If for what ever reason it doesn't reduce in size you doc will simply drain the fluid with a suringe. Good luck

That is perfectly normal to experience. I had it for about 5 days after surgery. My doc said if it lasts for about 7 days then call him because of the risk of dehydration. Constipation will follow for sure. I am finally getting close to being normal again. Stool softners were a great tool during that rough time.

Yes I work out all the time. I am running a lot now. About 45 mins prior to my workouts I eat a protein bar and something with some carbs like oatmeal. For me the key is right after my workouts I drink a protein shake. What I call a recovery shake. It has a banana,protein powder, soy milk, blueberries. I am usually fully recovered in about an hour or so. :frown:

How much protein do you need? There is so many different opinons on that subject. I personally feel that it depends on what is your physical activity and what are you trying to do with your body. 60-90 grams is perfectly fine when your physical activity is lower. But if you are a point where your physical activity is very high and your trying to build muscle you will need the extra protein. That's why body builders consume .75-1.2 grams per lb of body weight. Keep in mind drinking lots of water should always be a priority. For example for me when I started my journey I was getting 70-80 grams per day. Now with my activity level through the rough I am consuming 110-150 per day based on if its a work out day or not. I am gaining muscle and losing fat at this point. Always trying to consume protein immediately after a work out to rebuild my muscle tissue. The amount of protein you are consuming is a little high at the stage your at. Lower that by consuming more water. Good luck and do lots of research. At this point try to keep your protein levels below 100.

I have hypoglycemia. What they do is give you a blood glucose tolerance test. I have a mild case at this point but it will effect me if I dont eat often. In the mean time until you get tested dont eat high sugar foods. Stay away from them. Get your sugars from fruits or some juice. Also make sure your eating something every 2-3 hours. Usually all it takes is a couple swallows of fruit juice to make me feel better. Good luck and get tested. :frown:

In the beginning I was missing some of the foods I used to eat. Once the weight starts coming off you will forget about them. Remember you can still eat a lot of things you used to but smaller portions. You will soon realize that you actually just miss the taste of the food. I didn't have pizza for about 4 months. My first piece was a thin crust Kashi pizza. Not bad. There is usually a healthy alternative to whatever taste craving you may be having. Good luck and I am sure you will do fine.:tt2:

Measure your food. Always at least until you can eyeball what 4-6oz of meat/complex carbs looks like. I suggest buying some 1/2 cup containers which is 4oz. You can completely remove the whole idea of stretching your pouch by measuring your food. Good luck and always follow the rules of the tool.

I would go to your doc and demand to know exactly how many cc's are in your band. What type of band...etc. You have to live with this in your body so you need to be informed. This is what I would do. Once the doc tells you how many cc's you have tell them to take it all out and see how much comes out. If the total match's no leak. Keep in mind I didn't feel restriction until my third fill. The more weight you lose the looser the band gets. Keep measuring your food 4-6 oz and eat every 3 hours. Make sure your eating animal proteins like, chicken and fish. If you are doing that and it take more than 6oz to be satisfied (not full) then you need a fill. Believe me having too much restriction is not fun. Good luck and demand to know all the details of your band.

Your doing all the right things so far. I was rather foolish in the beginning as I really didn't prepare myself. My eating habits actually got worse just prior to surgery. The first month for me was rather difficult. But I got passed it and now I am living life and feeling great. Personally I think the best thing to do is start by removing all unhealthy foods from your kitchen now. Fill it with wholesome foods and no high fat snacks. That way once you start the process you will not be tempted. Follow the nutritional guidelines given to you and make sure you exercise. I feel that the food part will take care of itself having the band as long as you eat healthy and keep up on fills. But the key ingredient to maintain the weightloss is exercise. Find something you enjoy doing and do it often. For me I am offically a runner now. I love the mental and physical walls a person must break through to get to the next level. It challenges me and that's what I love about running. Also very important. Once you get to a stage where you are working out religiously make sure you up your calorie intake. You body needs the fuel to build muscle and to keep your metabolism running high. Always say this to your self prior to eating something you shouldn't. 'What do I get out of eating this'? and if the cons out weigh the pros then its an easy decision. Dont eat it. This is my saying "Food is fuel for your body, nothing more" At least it works for me. Good Luck on your journey!

I have a sweet tooth from HE_L! My fix is sugar free candy and sugar free gum. Worked so far. Good luck <by the way they make sugar free candy chocolates that are very low fat and low calories>

I can only speak from my experience. About 5 or 6 years ago I got very big. I actually lost 165lbs the old fashioned way. Eating right and exercising. I only kept it off a short time and fell into the same bad habits. I ended up gaining 115lbs of it back. This time my health was actually worse than before. I decided I needed help and chose the lap band. The reason I choose WLS is because I want to make it a permanent thing. I want to enjoy life and stop worrying about my weight all the time. I am too young for that. So the decision was an easy one for me. Especially since someone close to me had LB surgery and did very well. Good luck and remember it won't be easy but once you get there, WOW! it feels great. I am getting closer to my goal and with out a doubt in my mind I will get to my goal. Determination is my middle name! Good Luck:thumbup:

I doubt the kicking did anything. I had some nasuea a few weeks out. The doc gave me a nasuea patch that went behind my ear. Call your doc and get a script. Remember you body has to get use to having the band there. Its a foreign object. Your body will get use to it eventually. Also if your taking pain meds, that could be the cause of it as well. Make sure you are getting of enough food. Good luck.

Well for me I am consuming between 1200-1800 calories a day based on if I work out or not. Think of it this way. Your metabolism is like a wood stove. Once the weight starts coming off the fire will get hotter. (metabolism increases) The hotter the fire the more wood you will need to add to the fire to keep it blazing hot. If you dont add enough wood (calories) each day the fire will not burn as hot. Therefore your weight loss will slow. I am at the stage where I am building muscle which burns a lot of calories, thus I have to consume more. I started out for the first couple of months at 800-1000 cal/day. Exercise increased and naturally my body needs the food to recover. Example Michael Phelps the olympic swimmer eats like 10,000 calories a day, but he burns them off by swimming all day. Keep stoking that fire and the fat will burn off. Sweet spot. To be honest I think the sweet spot is found once we reach our weight loss goal.

Good job! Keep it up. Remember the closer you get to your goal the more difficult it is..I am almost there but have a long road ahead of me. Make sure your eating enough to keep you metabolism burning stong. Happy Journey:thumbup:

I was very weak for the first 3-4 weaks. This is normal. Your body is going through some major changes. Follow to the tee what the doctor told you to eat. As soon as you start eating solids you energy will come back. When you start exercising and the weight is coming off you will have lots of energy. I have some much energy now I cant even sit still. Good luck on your journey:thumbup:

Try using the liquid alternatives. Usually there is a liquid alternative. I still can take most pills, but plan on getting another fill very soon. My doc says size of a pencil eraser. Everyone is different. You will just have to see what your body can hanle by trial an error. Good luck

Try having some sugar free candy...it worked for me. Good luck

I agree completely. You should also get a full blood work up and have you vitamin levels tested. Believe it or not if you dont eat enough you will not lose any weight. Your body thinks is starving and stores you food as fat. From my experienc it sounds like your too tight. See your doc as soon as possible. Good luck and take care

:thumbup:Welcome to LBT. Good luck on your Journey. If you follow the rules of the tool, and make the changes in your lifestyle you will have success.

I had bad breath in the beginning. I eventually went away...At least I think. LOL:tt2: