juliegeraci

Move your ass soldier. It is worth it!

Glad you are learing a lot. There are a lot of experienced bandsters here so its a great place to learn. Good luck with your surgery.

Just curious, do you know where patients go from San Jose? My friend just got her referral.

Hi, I have been banded a year and I am considered an average loser at 2 lbs a week. I lost 52 lbs my first year. Year 2 came and that is when I started to have issues with my fill level. That being said about 8 weeks ago I had to go for a slight unfill because I couldn't hold down solids. It took me a good 6 weeks to finally get back to where I have good restriction. I have 50 more lbs to go and this time I know I can do it. I have already lost 2 lbs this week. I am perfectly fine with losing 2 lbs a week. Good luck.

Lapband surgery was really easy for me. I was sore at the port site maybe 1-2 weeks. Just take care of yourself and sip your liquids throughout the day. You will be fine. congrats.

Congrats on being banded today. Let us know how you are doing. Good luck. Welcome to bandland.

Congrats on getting below 200. That is fantastic. I can't wait until I do. Good job!

Some people find good results when eating up to 1 cup of food. If you are eating up to 1 cup and not losing you need another fill. I find that 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food is plenty. Good luck.

I use the Soy protein base from GNC. It has 30 grams of protein with 1 cup of skim milk. I use the chocolate flavor. I love them. I've been using them for a year. You can always get them on sale as well.

My doctor makes you wait 2 weeks.

Lisa, you could have a small leak. I had one and it was repaired with a thicker solution that saline. If you are filled under flouro and still leak I would assume that is what is going on. You can be filled with a "fix a flat" solution. It is exactly like fixing a flat tire. Good luck.

It is quite common to have to continue to fill your band. One of the reasons is this. If you lose weight you lose fat around the stomach so it gets loser. It is common to continue fills. Sometimes, however you may not need one for say 6 months. Good luck.

If you can eat 1 cup of food and you are still losing you are fine. If you aren't losing you need another fill. If you have optimal fill level you shouldn't be able to eat more than 1/2 cup of food.

My doctor recommends 1 day of liquids, 1 day of soft then regular food.

I went down form 3 to 2.0 and gradually went back to 3 within 3 fills. You should be okay starting out at 1.5. Good luck.

You can slip your band. Be very careful. You may be too tight if you do it often enough.

Yes, hiccups are very common. If you are getting them when you eat it is a sign that you are near full. Its a restriction sign so don't overdue it.

Make sure you are eating solid protein at every meal. I start my day with a protein shake and typically eat more protein at lunch and dinner. I do not snack. Do not buy chips. Maybe a few pretzels would be better. I also like a small handful of Almonds. Good luck.

Yes it is possible but that does seem extreme. You can probably count on a minimum of 3 lbs a week. Your body may go into starvation mode too so you may need to bump up the calories a bit. Good luck to you.

I started my fills at 6 weeks. During my first year I had 5 or 6 fills. You will need a fill when you are constantly hungry or can eat a lot of food. If you can eat 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food AND still lose you are okay. But if you aren't losing you need more restriction. Don't be shy about asking for a fill. It took me a long time to get restriction. I am much happier now that I have some. Good luck.

I showered right away. Just watch the stiches and gauze that is on them.

The band is very gradual. I have seen people lose 100 lbs in a year but they really worked out a lot. You need to know that ahead of time. I havent worked out that much this year and have only lost 50 lbs. So it can be true that the first year you lose 30-50% of your excess weight. In my case it was 50%. If you have to lose say 125 lbs plan on it taking at least 2 years. That is my bet. Good luck.

Hi Sweety, what you are experiencing is normal. I felt so anxious myself. You will be fine.

Ditto, it is to shrink the liver. It makes surgery easier, however my doctor doesn't do preband liquid diets.

That is great news. I love hearing stories like this. You will be fine if you get the right restriction level.