juliegeraci

You can do this. Just make sure you get in your protein and go get a fill if you need one.

I am in the same boat as you. I am down 100 lbs but only 65 is from the band 21 months ago. I am currently 30 lbs from goal. The only thing that has kept me motivated is the thought of my plastic surgery. I can have surgery 20 lbs from goal which puts me 10 lbs from that. To stay motivated I committed and prepaid 10 weeks at Weight Watchers. My first week I only lost .7 but this week I believe I have lost at least 2 lbs. The program is based on a point system. I have been only eating 20 points a day which is 1k calories a day. This is the only motivation I have. As far as exercise goes, I try and do my workout video at least 4 days a week. Good luck.

I am a slow loser. I've been banded 21 months and I am down 105 lbs. 65 postop, 40 preop. I am trying to lose my last 30 lbs. I am 10 lbs from plastic surgery. I joined weight watchers so that is helping me with my calaric intake. I keep my points to 20 points a day which is 1k calories. I lost .7 lbs my first week and I believe I am down at least 2 lbs this week. I am back on track and very motivated for my plastic surgery.

How exciting. Congrats on being banded!

It does help a little bit to lose more slowly. That being said, I have really taken my time to lose 100 lbs and I still need PS.

Lise, my doctor makes you wait 6 weeks for a fill. Once you start getting fills you will find that your hunger will deminish. That being said, it may take you several to feel that way. Good luck.

Congrats on being banded. I know that Mexico patients do really well so you are in good hands. Good luck.

I can only let you know how much I eat based on what works for me. I eat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food. Typically I can only eat 1-2 oz portions at a time. I am at 3.2 in a 4ccs band. I am losing 2-3 lbs per week on 1k to 1200 calories a day. If you can lose at 1 cup a meal then you may be okay. It just comes down to personal preference. For me, I need goo restriction to not be hungry. At 2.9 I got hungry more often. Good luck.

A light beer is 2. I thought wine was 4. I better look it up. Wine is so high in sugar!

Kathy, keep your eye on the prize, If all you can do right now is eat high protein and drink all your water then do that. I know what you are talking about. When I was 100 lbs more than now I could barely walk 1 mile per hour on the treadmill. Curves would be a good place for you to start exercising. It is very low impact and you can go at your own pace. You will lose weight being banded and not exercising but the weight loss will increase if you do exercise. Good luck to you and congrats.

A high protein diet will shrink the liver so you should be fine. As far as being hungry after surgery everyone is different. You can have anything that fits through a straw when you are on the liquid phase. That being said, creamy soups really helped me when I was hungry. They have protein in them because they are typically made with milk. Liquid protein is very important during that time so make sure you have a high quality liquid protein shake available to you. Good luck.

I've been banded for 21 months. Let me know if you have any questions. Julie

Welcome to the boards. I've been banded 21 months so let me know if you have any questions!

Try and eat tuna and chicken salad, chili, fish and things like that. I don't know how to set up a ticker sorry.

This is quite common . Just try and stay on 1 cup of food 3x a day, protein and vegies. You will start to lose weight once you start getting fills. It may take you several fills to reach optimal level so please be patient. I gained 7 lbs one time in between fills so it is quite common. Good luck.

Welcome to bandland. I hope you do really well. Let me know if you have any questions. I've been banded for 21 months.

Hi Hazel-eyes. First, congrats on being banded! Welcome to the club. There is a lot of advise I can give you. I've been banded for 21 months. First, the first 6 weeks are time to heal and not necessarily lose weight. Make sure you follow your postop diet to a tee. It is very important to stay on course when it comes to the liquid, mushies and solid phases. Second, you may or may not be hungry which is quite normal. If you are starving during the liquid phase you can have anything that fits through a straw. Creamy soups made with milk were a life saver for me. Third, once you reach the solid phase try and keep your portion control to 1 cup of food 3x a day. High in protein first, then vegies. Try and eat very few carbs. Fourth, the more you exercise the faster your weight loss will be. I didn't do a lot of that so my weight loss is much slower. Most important in the next few months is to be very patient. Fills take a little time to get the right restriction level. It may take you a few months to get to the point that you have good restriction so be patient. I think it took me 5 fills to get there. You may find that after your first fill or 2 you still don't feel restriction. That is true. Often times it takes at least 3 or so to get there. It is quite common to be able to eat normal portions during that time. Don't get discouraged. This is not about will power, its about getting the right restriction level so be patient. Let me know if you have any question. Welcome to bandland!

What you are experiencing is quite normal given the fact that you lost 20 lbs rather quickly. Make sure you are eating protein, protein protein. Make sure you are getting your fluids in and exercising. The weight loss will start again.

Gurgling is a sign of restriction and not necessarily being too tight. That being said, if you are now gurgling and PBing more 2 months after your fill you may be slightly too tight. Julie

What stage of your diet are you on? Mushies or solids? Sounds like it is too early for solids but I'm not sure. With that being said, make sure you keep your diet to high protein as this will help you feel the fullest. Good luck.

sound like you are doing much better. I think it is mostly swelling that is why you have so much discomfort. Good luck to you! Happy banding!

It took me 6 to 8 weeks to get through the blood work, EKG, Psych eval and nutritionist. My insurance took about a week or so. It went very smoothly. Good luck.

I am 21 months post op. The best advice I can tell you is this: First, make sure you follow your post op diet to a tee. It is very important for your body to heal the first 6 weeks. Second, you may or may not be hungry before your first fill. If you aren't hungry try and make sure at the very least you are getting all your liquids in. Try and get in 60 grams of protein even if you have to drink 3 protein shakes a day. If you are starving try and keep your consumption down to 1 cup of food 3x a day without snacking. If you need to snack try and eat lean protein as it will keep you fullest the best. Third, when you start getting fills try and be very patient. It often takes several fills to reach optimal fill level. It took me over 6 months to get there so be patient. Originally when you start to get fills you may find that you are still able to consume 3/4-1 cup of food and up to 6 oz of protein. In time that will become more like 1/4-1/2 cup of food and up to 3-4 oz of protein. You weight loss will change it is could flexuate up when you move from liquids to mushies then solids. I did gain 7 lbs one time in between fills. This is quite normal. You can expect the weight loss to be 1-2 sometimes 3 lbs per week depending on your hunger and restriction. You need to be patient. If you are consuming too much, hungry and not losing it is time for a fill. I am 21 months out and truthfully just got good restriction 6 weeks ago. It does take time and patience. Being banded is great. I do PB a couple times a week but again it is really important to eat very small bites (the size of a pencil eraser) chew really well and slow down. Also, eating and drinking with meals is very important not to do. It moves the food through the band and gives you more calories. Try your best not to do that. Make sure you drink your water and exercise too. The weight loss will be much faster if you exercise. That has been my downside. I would be at goal already if I exercisef more. Good luck to you. Its so worth it. Let me know if you have any questions. Julie

Michele, you will love being banded. I am 21 months post op and still feel this is the best decision of my life. I am 10 lbs from having plastic surgery. I went from a size 24 to a size 16. My goal is size 16 but with plastic surgery most likely I will be a 14 or size 12. Keep the faith and stay focused. You will not regret it. Good luck.

Keep the faith. There are some awesome plastic surgeons out there. I just know you will find the right one next time and look like a million bucks! You are doing so great. I am so happy for you. You must look wonderful! I am 10 lbs away from plastivc surgery myself. I am going to have an extended tummy tuck, breast lift with implants, upper thigh lift and my arms done. Thankfully with the arms she can make an incision under my arm and just pull in the lose skin. My arms aren't that bad. My stomach is the worst, it really hangs down. Let me know how it goes with the other plastic surgeons okay.