juliegeraci

Lee, congrats on your weight loss so far. Funny how we are around people now. I ate like a bird and was quite happy with that yesterday. I showed off my before and after pictures proudly. I look at least 5 years younger. Keep up the good work.

Yes, I just bought a size 16 jean and hung it on the wall to my closet. I can't wait to get into them. Julie

yes, need more details. Do you have a budget? Will it include alcohol?

1. How much food should I be eating per meal ( 1 cup, 1/2 cup or what?) and should that be making me feel full? It all depends on your body. If you can lose with 1 cup of food then that is great. In my case, it takes me 1/4 to 1/2 cup of food to really lose more than 1 lb per week. It is very important if you decide to get another fill to eat less to have Protein. In my case, I always start the day off with 30 grams of protein in a shake. That way I can then consume another 30 throughout the day. I eat probably 5 small meals a day. 2. I seem to PB a lot, is that normal? How much is a lot? For me when I am tight it is quite common to PB once daily or every other day. 3. I have a 10 cc band and have had 5 cc's worth of fills and get "stuck" a lot now, should I get more fills and just eat soft foods that won't get stuck? There are 2 types of tightness per my doctor. Tightness to liquids and tightness to solids. If you are tight to liquids that is not a good thing. If you are tight to solids and don't mind eating softer foods and still lose it is a personal decision on whether or not you should stay there. Also, keep in mind that the folks who have lost a ton of weight fast exercise a lot. Are you mobile enough to do a few minutes on the treadmill? 70 lbs is fantastic. Remember the average weight loss is 1-2 lbs per week. Typically the first year you can lose 50-60% of your excess body weight. 10 lbs a month which you are running puts you at 120 lbs your first year. That is reasonable but you must exercise regularly and have good restriction. I have seen one member on these boards lose 200 lbs in 18 months. JulieNYC is her name . You can find her under plastic surgeries has she has had a few. You may want to send her a private message asking her what her secrets are. she is wonderful and I'm sure it would be very helpful. Keep the faith. The band does work. For some of us, it just a slower process. Julie

wow, you look great! How exciting!

I agree with Jack. . It is nearly impossible to get that much food in. Wonder if I'm too tight . I don't lose if I'm not a bit tighther.

I ate like a bird. Unfortunately my downfall is alcohol!

I look much younger. At least 5 years.

Mine wasn't a preop diet. I lost about 40 lbs before deciding to be banded. I was on a plateau.

I pretty much have maintained. I am happy with that.

2 nights sounds good. You will probably rest most of the time. You'll also be sore at the port site. Good luck!

Hi Munchkin, Thanks for asking. I started the day with liquids and by 1pm I was able to eat a few appetizers. Dinner was later in the day. I was able to eat 2 bites of prime rib and one big ravioli slowly. I didn't PB all day yesterday so I am much happier today. Why is it that the band is so fickle sometimes. Just a week and a half ago I was able to enjoy an entire chicken salad at Chilis. It probably had a minimum of 4 oz of protein on it. I consumed all the chicken and probably 3/4 cup of the salad. Go figure.

Yes, I gained 7 lbs in between fills one time. When you move to solids it is very typical. Try to stick to 1 cup of food per meal until you can get a fill. My doctor gives fills at 6 weeks. Good luck.

Donna. Great NSV. Congrats!

Same with me. I went from 320 to 282 on my own and then it was really hard. That is when I was banded.

productive burp is like vomitting. Sometimes it is foamy or watery, other times it is what is in your pouch.

Update: I started the day with a protein shake. I was starving within 30 minutes. I can eat bread and I wanted something light on my stomach so I had a piece of toast with butter. It went down fine until about 10 minutes later then I PBd a little of it. I was able to consume the rest of my cup of milk. Now I am on applesauce. Heaven only knows how I'm going to get through Christmas dinner! Peace to all! Thanks for the posts. Glad I am not alone!

Interesting indeed. I am sticking to protein shakes today and maybe some mushies later in the day. Glad I am not alone! Thanks guys. I always freak out when things like this happen. Fickle band!

I started the day off fine with a protein shake this a.m. I was starving come 11:30 so we decided to go out for chinese food. I had literally 2 bites and PBd. I couldn't even have one more bite. Fast forward to this evening. We went over my friends house for a cocktail. On the way, because I was famished because I couldn't hold down lunch I decided to try beef jerky. Good for protein, correct? Yes, BUT then I PBd the beef jerky. Tonight at dinner I decided to eat really light and try some mash potatoes. No way, I PBd those too! Finally I was able to get in 2 tablespoons of masy potatoes and a little yams. For desert I mustard up enough power to get in 2 bites of cheesecake and a little ice cream. I am not too tight. This is very rare for me. Some days I can eat like a pig and other days like today I totally suffer. What is up with this fickle band? I am taking in protein shakes tomorrow and hopefully by dinner time I can have some solid protein. Go figure!

Totally inappropriate. I would mention something to the surgeon. Good luck.

Did they find her yet? I saw that on Nancy Grace.

Enchanted is a good pick. Hope you have fun! Merry Christmas.

Dr. Robert McKeen at Good Sam in San Jose is excellent. He is available 24x7 for his patients. He is well trained and has performed thousands of bands. He is wonderful!

Hi CharleyBoy. My surgery took about 6 weeks after my initial consult. I had to the the psych eval, the nutrionist and lab work. They originally denied me because he was out of network. Dealing with them covering me in network was probably a 2-3 week delay. So if you get covered fast you may have surgery fairly quickly.

Hi Sheila, gulping will get you into trouble. I can actually PB water if I'm not careful. Early on you don't really have restriction so the tendancy is to gulp. You have to retrain yourself to sip because when you do get restriction it will be a must. Good luck.