thetig

Hey there UberMom, I get stuck and I have no restriction at all! I am keeping with my plan of only Protein and liquids. I try really hard to stay away from the bad carbs. I am not exercising and I am waiting for a total band revision. You can do this! I will keep watching for your progress! thetig

I just received an email from a good LB friend and it reminded me that there might be other friends waiting to see what is happening in my Band World. Well, to my extreme Frustration, my revision surgery DID NOT take place yesterday as it was suppose to! My Doc had a family problem during the week and was not able to get back to Good Ole Blue Cross re: why was I needing another surgery! So because this question was not rectified Thursday day, at 9:30PM Thursday evening I finally got the word that my surgery was cancelled for the following morning at 7:30am. I must say I fell apart and just cried for a bit! I received a few good words of wisdom from my Mom and also DS1. DS1 had said that he had been having this need to tell me that I should not have the surgery on Friday it was eating at him but he did not say anything to me. Well, after taking all this in and not sleeping very well Thursday night, I came to the conclusion that I had not been being honest with myself and I too had had some reservations about Friday also. Sometimes you just can not understand why but there is a really good reason for everything that happens! On a side note.........I thought that I would weigh myself Friday AM. I had indulged the night before with a burrito and was sure that I had gained just because that was the way my luck seemed to be doing, so I just wanted to check add fuel to my frustration and disappointment! I got on first bathroom scale which is my friend and low and behold it was down into the 2 teens! First thought....this scale is really messing with me because it does have a real good sense of humor, so I went to bathroom number two, the BAD scale, jumped on that knowing what I would see....and it too was down 2 pounds. I just started laughing! I was still loosing weight, Wow. This is just to let you all know who are struggling with loosing if you stick with the protein and away from the carbs even if you have NO RESTRICTION and are not exercising! Your band still does help! I did eat carbs but I could only eat half the burrito because my band knew it was not a very good idea to eat all of it! I am scheduled for this next week Tuesday and next week Friday for my full revision of the Realize Band. Hopefully one of these days will work! Thanks for reading!

I just received an email from a good LB friend and it reminded me that there might be other friends waiting to see what is happening in my Band World. Well, to my extreme Frustration, my revision surgery DID NOT take place yesterday as it was suppose to! My Doc had a family problem during the week and was not able to get back to Good Ole Blue Cross re: why was I needing another surgery! So because this question was not rectified Thursday day, at 9:30PM Thursday evening I finally got the word that my surgery was cancelled for the following morning at 7:30am. I must say I fell apart and just cried for a bit! I received a few good words of wisdom from my Mom and also DS1. DS1 had said that he had been having this need to tell me that I should not have the surgery on Friday it was eating at him but he did not say anything to me. Well, after taking all this in and not sleeping very well Thursday night, I came to the conclusion that I had not been being honest with myself and I too had had some reservations about Friday also. Sometimes you just can not understand why but there is a really good reason for everything that happens! On a side note.........I thought that I would weigh myself Friday AM. I had indulged the night before with a burrito and was sure that I had gained just because that was the way my luck seemed to be doing, so I just wanted to check add fuel to my frustration and disappointment! I got on first bathroom scale which is my friend and low and behold it was down into the 2 teens! First thought....this scale is really messing with me because it does have a real good sense of humor, so I went to bathroom number two, the BAD scale, jumped on that knowing what I would see....and it too was down 2 pounds. I just started laughing! I was still loosing weight, Wow. This is just to let you all know who are struggling with loosing if you stick with the protein and away from the carbs even if you have NO RESTRICTION and are not exercising! Your band still does help! I did eat carbs but I could only eat half the burrito because my band knew it was not a very good idea to eat all of it! I am scheduled for this next week Tuesday and next week Friday for my full revision of the Realize Band. Hopefully one of these days will work! Thanks for reading!

I really appreciate all of the wonderful comments from my last blog. You are all very encouraging to me. I have started a thread in the Realize Band thread section to see if anyone else out there has had a faulty band. We will not know the answer to the fault of the band until it is removed. I am not having any dye testing done due to the fact that the port has already been replaced and still the problem exists, the only answer is then to replace the entire band. The big day is next Friday for the replacement! I am getting to know all of the pre and post surgical teams at Cedars quite well, I actually know their names! hehe This time I am going to ask for a ZIPPER to be put in my belly button for easy access!:party: I will update my blog next Saturday! I am not looking forward to the GAS pains!:cursing: but I am looking forward to the "Sweet Spot" :party:

I really appreciate all of the wonderful comments from my last blog. You are all very encouraging to me. I have started a thread in the Realize Band thread section to see if anyone else out there has had a faulty band. We will not know the answer to the fault of the band until it is removed. I am not having any dye testing done due to the fact that the port has already been replaced and still the problem exists, the only answer is then to replace the entire band. The big day is next Friday for the replacement! I am getting to know all of the pre and post surgical teams at Cedars quite well, I actually know their names! hehe This time I am going to ask for a ZIPPER to be put in my belly button for easy access! I will update my blog next Saturday! I am not looking forward to the GAS pains! but I am looking forward to the "Sweet Spot" :drool:

Hi There, I am trying really hard to get some information on problems with realize bands. I was banded 3-26-09 with no problems. Had the first two fills with no problems and also not much restriction which is normal. I went for the third fill at two months out and found that I had a to have my port revised. No problem, went and had that surgery done 6-19-09, I waited a few weeks then went for my fill and low and behold the Doctor was not able to get the saline to draw out meaning I must have a faulty band because it is not giving me any kind of restriction. Okay, now I will be having my entire band replaced this next Friday. This now will make three surgeries in not quite four months and the bills are getting up there. I would like to take action with the Johnson and Johnson company that make the Realize band in that I would like them to pick up my out of pocket extra costs. Has anyone ever had this happen to them and what course of action did you take. Thanks for any comments or help that you can give! I feel like I should have a zipper put in my tummy! :-) I am loosing weight! Yeah!

I know that no one will believe this but .............. My Realize band has to be totally replaced! I went to see Dr. Feiz yesterday for my first real fill after reconnection of my port (6-19-09) and low and behold....it still will not fill. I also had a very large hematoma which had to be drained but I was told these are normal. There is a call into the Realize Representative to find out if this has ever happened before, it kinda looks like I have a faulty Band. There is still a leak somewhere in the line, but not knowing where, Dr. Feiz has pretty much decided to removed this band and put in a brand spanking new one! Yippy! The poor Dr. is so frustrated at this point. Me, I am not sure what I am! Here I go again 3 surgeries in less then 4 months. This one I am not really looking forward to because it will be a little bit bigger then the original surgery (3-26-09) by that I mean the old band has to be taken out and the new one put in, it will take a little more time I am sure. I am still loosing weight but not much. I guess we could say then that I have never really had a good adjustment or fill. They last only a couple of days then not much restriction after that. I am amazed though that thru all of this 43 pounds are gone. This proves that without any restriction the band still helps to lose weight! This is very good! Surgery could be tomorrow, Friday, or it will have to wait until next Friday. I will keep my Blog posted. If anyone has had this same thing happen please get in touch with me. I am not real sure as to what to do about the cost of all of this! I do not know if the manufacturer of the Realize Band should have to pay for all my extra surgeries. Please give me your thoughts. Thanks, Cheryl

I know that no one will believe this but .............. My Realize band has to be totally replaced! I went to see Dr. Feiz yesterday for my first real fill after reconnection of my port (6-19-09) and low and behold....it still will not fill. I also had a very large hematoma which had to be drained but I was told these are normal. There is a call into the Realize Representative to find out if this has ever happened before, it kinda looks like I have a faulty Band. There is still a leak somewhere in the line, but not knowing where, Dr. Feiz has pretty much decided to removed this band and put in a brand spanking new one! Yippy! The poor Dr. is so frustrated at this point. Me, I am not sure what I am! Here I go again 3 surgeries in less then 4 months. This one I am not really looking forward to because it will be a little bit bigger then the original surgery (3-26-09) by that I mean the old band has to be taken out and the new one put in, it will take a little more time I am sure. I am still loosing weight but not much. I guess we could say then that I have never really had a good adjustment or fill. They last only a couple of days then not much restriction after that. I am amazed though that thru all of this 43 pounds are gone. This proves that without any restriction the band still helps to lose weight! This is very good! Surgery could be tomorrow, Friday, or it will have to wait until next Friday. I will keep my Blog posted. If anyone has had this same thing happen please get in touch with me. I am not real sure as to what to do about the cost of all of this! I do not know if the manufacturer of the Realize Band should have to pay for all my extra surgeries. Please give me your thoughts. Thanks, Cheryl

Hi There, I am Cheryl from Burbank, Ca. I was banded on March 26, 2009 at Cedars by Dr. Michael Feiz! (The Greatest). My port detached itself from the tubing which was found during my third fill (adjustment) two weeks ago. I had a port revision yesterday and all is well today. I have lost a total weight of 30 pounds since my surgery and 10 pounds before that so a total of 40 pounds is gone forever! Hurray for March 2009 Bandsters!

Hi There, I just had my first port revision done yesterday! I also had a tumor on my left side removed. My Doc said it was a left over from my hysterectomy. My Port detached itself from the tubing which is weird by itself. My port is right above my belly button! I wish you well. You have done really great with your weight loss! Never think is it slow, all weight loss is Great weight loss!

I can not speak highly enough about Dr. Michael Feiz! He is so very caring! His office staff is great! Lisa is a wonderful person to talk to and she also is very caring! Getting insurance to approve the procedure takes no time at all with this practice! Please contact me if you would like any information on Dr. Michael Feiz, of Beverly Hills, California. Thanks!

Hey There Lsmmom! Sounds like you are doing well! We are both March bansters. I had my banding done on March 26th, at Cedars in Los Angeles. My doc is Dr. Michael Feiz. Super Doc! Yesterday I had a port revision done, mine came unattached from the tubing, now I am back to normal. I have lost 30 pounds since surgery, I was not on any pre op diet. If you would like to converse please feel free! My name is Cheryl, in Burbank, California. Good luck to you!

That was fun!!!!!! I got to the hospital and they were all ready for me! This part was just like the banding surgery in March. This is the tale of what happened next! First of all what is a Port Revision? Most of you already know but for the few who do not......it is when there is a leak in the port itself or the tubing going to the band! It is possible for the port to be damaged when the Doctor is doing a fill or adjustment. When there is a leak the doctor must go back in thru the belly button and fix the leak or replace the port. He finds the leak or problem with the port with a dye that is put into the port/tubing. This is all done with a local anesthesia so you are awake the whole time they are working on you and what ever is broken gets fixed, done, it was really quite fun......but then you hear the words of the Doctor, "Cheryl, The port has detached itself from the tubing and the tubing has gone up inside of you and I can not get it without doing it laparoscopically!", okay cool here we go on a nice trip to who knows where for a little while, I told them all night night and thanks for the great job and out I went! I woke up in the middle of a cartoon version of The Road Runner, it was really funny! I only had to stay at the hospital for a few hours, then I went home. So now today, it is almost the same as when I came home from the initial banding! I have three cuts from the laparoscopic part and the belly button cut! A bit sore today, feels like a Mac truck rolled over me a couple of times. BEST OF ALL!!!!!!!!! even though I am only on liquids, RESTRICTION, SWEET RESTRICTION! Oh how great it feels to have my old friend back in my body! Doc Feiz gave me a fill yesterday also just a little one. I can not say this enough, This young Doctor Feiz is amazing, kind, caring and very very special. Even my husband thinks so! So now back to loosing the tons and back to eating small portions. Just a side note! I was without any restriction for over 2 weeks, I ate a little more in portion size then with restriction and officially at the hospital yesterday I had only gained 2 pounds which I am sure is already gone with being on the liquids! This says to me that even with my band not being tight, I stayed in control of my hunger, the band was still doing its job, I still one night got food stuck eating too fast! I love my BAND!

That was fun!!!!!! I got to the hospital and they were all ready for me! This part was just like the banding surgery in March. This is the tale of what happened next! First of all what is a Port Revision? Most of you already know but for the few who do not......it is when there is a leak in the port itself or the tubing going to the band! It is possible for the port to be damaged when the Doctor is doing a fill or adjustment. When there is a leak the doctor must go back in thru the belly button and fix the leak or replace the port. He finds the leak or problem with the port with a dye that is put into the port/tubing. This is all done with a local anesthesia so you are awake the whole time they are working on you and what ever is broken gets fixed, done, it was really quite fun......but then you hear the words of the Doctor, "Cheryl, The port has detached itself from the tubing and the tubing has gone up inside of you and I can not get it without doing it laparoscopically!", okay cool here we go on a nice trip to who knows where for a little while, I told them all night night and thanks for the great job and out I went! I woke up in the middle of a cartoon version of The Road Runner, it was really funny! I only had to stay at the hospital for a few hours, then I went home. So now today, it is almost the same as when I came home from the initial banding! I have three cuts from the laparoscopic part and the belly button cut! A bit sore today, feels like a Mac truck rolled over me a couple of times. BEST OF ALL!!!!!!!!! even though I am only on liquids, RESTRICTION, SWEET RESTRICTION! Oh how great it feels to have my old friend back in my body! Doc Feiz gave me a fill yesterday also just a little one. I can not say this enough, This young Doctor Feiz is amazing, kind, caring and very very special. Even my husband thinks so! So now back to loosing the tons and back to eating small portions. Just a side note! I was without any restriction for over 2 weeks, I ate a little more in portion size then with restriction and officially at the hospital yesterday I had only gained 2 pounds which I am sure is already gone with being on the liquids! This says to me that even with my band not being tight, I stayed in control of my hunger, the band was still doing its job, I still one night got food stuck eating too fast! I love my BAND!

Hi There, A revision is when there is a problem with the saline not tightening the band when injected. It can happen but is not real common. In my case I had to have the port replaced, the port is the part where the saline is injected. Hope this answers your questions. Thanks, Cheryl

I really did not think that getting this revision would take so long but like always the insurance holds things up! In just an hour I will be leaving to go to Cedars again but this time it is just a very simple revision surgery. I will only be there for a couple of hours and then I will be back to home. Dr. Feiz said that he would make sure that my band was filled to the same place as it would have been after my third fill. I am really looking forward to the restriction. I have not had any for the last few weeks. I have made sure that I did not over eat but I have gained 3 pounds because I was able to eat larger amounts but that is okay, it will all come off in the next day or too cuz I am back to liquids and mushies! I will write more later today or tomorrow about the revision. Here I Gooooooooo! Back to restricted bandland!

Just the other day I was reading a new entry by Band Groupie where she was saying that we all worry about if we are treating our bands right and not messing them up or if we will be one of the ones that has a problem, normal stuff that all bandsters worry about, I was agreeing with her every word.................... I went to get my third fill this past Wednesday and GUESS WHAT! As Dr. Feiz was injecting the saline and pulling it back out after I had drank water he noticed that the saline was not coming back out..............Oh My........so he tried a couple more times to see what was happening and needless to say he became a bit perplexed! Nothing had changed since my last fill I did feel the restriction for a week or so nothing great so we know that all was well in band land but still the problem with the saline now.........maybe there is a problem with my PORT! Still perplexed Dr. Feiz has decided to do a revision of my port. This will mean that I will have to have a small surgery thru the belly button and the existing port will have to be removed and a new port will have to be attached. He was very honest and stated that he has never had this happen before but it has been heard so................ I am being scheduled for my 20 to 30 minute procedure hopefully next week but there is a chance that it will not happen until the following week, something to do with my insurance we shall see. I was very sad at first not showing my emotion to anyone but myself, I was on the verge of tears the rest of the day at work, then I had a very nice talk with myself and I have come to the conclusion that this is why I have not been seeing a larger weight loss. I was thinking it was me but if I have had a slow leak for awhile......no restriction no great weight loss. My DH took the news very poorly but that is how he is with everything, he is mostly worried about the cost that this might cause and I can sure understand, as we all know this is not a cheap surgery and I am one of the lucky ones in that my surgery is all paid for already I did not have to take out any loans. I will continue with my program just as if I have restriction. My real concern that I am not talking about to anyone but my Blog is what if it is not my port and it is my Band that has a leak......I will just have to face that hurdle if it should arise.....here is to hoping it is only my port and I will be back in the band biz next week! I will keep all informed as to the progress of this type of problem! Thanks everyone out there for listening!

Just the other day I was reading a new entry by Band Groupie where she was saying that we all worry about if we are treating our bands right and not messing them up or if we will be one of the ones that has a problem, normal stuff that all bandsters worry about, I was agreeing with her every word.................... I went to get my third fill this past Wednesday and GUESS WHAT! As Dr. Feiz was injecting the saline and pulling it back out after I had drank water he noticed that the saline was not coming back out..............Oh My........so he tried a couple more times to see what was happening and needless to say he became a bit perplexed! Nothing had changed since my last fill I did feel the restriction for a week or so nothing great so we know that all was well in band land but still the problem with the saline now.........maybe there is a problem with my PORT! Still perplexed Dr. Feiz has decided to do a revision of my port. This will mean that I will have to have a small surgery thru the belly button and the existing port will have to be removed and a new port will have to be attached. He was very honest and stated that he has never had this happen before but it has been heard so................ I am being scheduled for my 20 to 30 minute procedure hopefully next week but there is a chance that it will not happen until the following week, something to do with my insurance we shall see. I was very sad at first not showing my emotion to anyone but myself, I was on the verge of tears the rest of the day at work, then I had a very nice talk with myself and I have come to the conclusion that this is why I have not been seeing a larger weight loss. I was thinking it was me but if I have had a slow leak for awhile......no restriction no great weight loss. My DH took the news very poorly but that is how he is with everything, he is mostly worried about the cost that this might cause and I can sure understand, as we all know this is not a cheap surgery and I am one of the lucky ones in that my surgery is all paid for already I did not have to take out any loans. I will continue with my program just as if I have restriction. My real concern that I am not talking about to anyone but my Blog is what if it is not my port and it is my Band that has a leak......I will just have to face that hurdle if it should arise.....here is to hoping it is only my port and I will be back in the band biz next week! I will keep all informed as to the progress of this type of problem! Thanks everyone out there for listening!

It has been thee weeks since I last wrote anything here on my Blog.....shame on me because I know that I will not remember the last few weeks if I do not write it down so here goes. The last two weeks have been interesting! I have not lost much only a few pounds. I am down 30 pounds since my surgery and I thought I would have been closer to 40 by now, I am not complaining I am just disappointed in myself and let me tell you why. I like a lot of bansters have tried going back to some of my old treats like the one in mind is Wine. I love to have a glass or two and it is a way of unwinding but those glasses or even at times a entire bottle is just so many empty calories and this makes me believe that I have been hindering my weight loss instead of helping! I am going to go on a no Alcohol regime for a while and see how that is. Also I have not been on my treadmill since last Sunday and that is also something that will help with the inches coming off. After my 2nd adjustment or fill I was hoping for more restriction which I did get for about 2 1/2 weeks but now I am ready again for adjustment number 3. I like so many other blogs that I read am not real sure what I am feeling at the time of the fill so I am not sure if I am getting the max fill or if I am just getting a so so fill after all it is Me who is letting the Doc know if it feels right or not. What or Where or When Is the Sweet Spot?:thumbup: Now for any of you who might be reading this, I want you to know that this is not a BooHoo note to myself this is just a reminder that I, Cheryl, Need to be working a lot harder and to stop goofing around. I know what I need to do and I better start doing it. Also just a side note......I am still having trouble with the Free Air since surgery. It has now settled down near my bladder and makes me feel uncomfortable, the sharp pains have subsided and I am thankful for that. All in All I am a very thankful girl for this procedure all the little weirdness are worth it in the long run. Heres to being down 40 pounds by my Birthday! :biggrin:

It has been thee weeks since I last wrote anything here on my Blog.....shame on me because I know that I will not remember the last few weeks if I do not write it down so here goes. The last two weeks have been interesting! I have not lost much only a few pounds. I am down 30 pounds since my surgery and I thought I would have been closer to 40 by now, I am not complaining I am just disappointed in myself and let me tell you why. I like a lot of bansters have tried going back to some of my old treats like the one in mind is Wine. I love to have a glass or two and it is a way of unwinding but those glasses or even at times a entire bottle is just so many empty calories and this makes me believe that I have been hindering my weight loss instead of helping! I am going to go on a no Alcohol regime for a while and see how that is. Also I have not been on my treadmill since last Sunday and that is also something that will help with the inches coming off. After my 2nd adjustment or fill I was hoping for more restriction which I did get for about 2 1/2 weeks but now I am ready again for adjustment number 3. I like so many other blogs that I read am not real sure what I am feeling at the time of the fill so I am not sure if I am getting the max fill or if I am just getting a so so fill after all it is Me who is letting the Doc know if it feels right or not. What or Where or When Is the Sweet Spot?:thumbup: Now for any of you who might be reading this, I want you to know that this is not a BooHoo note to myself this is just a reminder that I, Cheryl, Need to be working a lot harder and to stop goofing around. I know what I need to do and I better start doing it. Also just a side note......I am still having trouble with the Free Air since surgery. It has now settled down near my bladder and makes me feel uncomfortable, the sharp pains have subsided and I am thankful for that. All in All I am a very thankful girl for this procedure all the little weirdness are worth it in the long run. Heres to being down 40 pounds by my Birthday!

Hi There, My Doc says to try anything that I want and I will find out just what works and what does not. I have found that soda is okay or carbonation is okay but in small amounts. I get a feeling of being bloated that lasts a while. I drink wine but try to keep it to a very minimum! Like Band Groupie says everything in Moderation. But what you really need to know is that all of these tasty drinks are empty calories and you will pay for them in not loosing weight or having it slow down. I have found this to be true for myself. I have slowed way down on the weight loss and I am rethinking my need for Alcohol! Good luck! The Skinny Margarita sounds really really good.

I am not sure how many of you have been banded by Dr Feiz, but if you live here in the LA area he is the only one to go to! I did a lot of research on him before I chose him. He is young, he is a great help thru the entire procedure and his after care is tremendous! The office staff also make the experience a good one and help a lot with the Insurance. I was approved within one month of first seeing Dr. Feiz. Surgery scheduling was fast and easy. You can see him in multiple offices in the area. I started in the Pasadena office and now I see him in the Encino office, he is also in Valencia and I believe out in Simi Valley area. His SMILE takes all of your fears and troubles away! When he is with you giving you an adjustment or just answering questions you feel that you are his only patient! That is a great thing. I work for doctors and it is hard to find one like this! I hope more of you will give your thoughts about this wonderful Doctor. Cheryl, thetig, Burbank, California

Hey BG, I have been following your progress and I must say that I have been worried about you not getting your protein. Very Glad to hear that you have taken things into your own hands and have started a little food into your diet! I ate baby food during my mushie faze! hehe. I bet you are down a lot in inches with only the liquids for so very long! That is good! Well here's to you for a very Happy Mother's Day and happy planting. I love to plant also! Here in So Cal I can plant all year long! The Tig

I just want to say that I am so very very lucky to have the Doctor that I do here in So. California! His name is Michael Feiz and he loves what he does and be believes in each one of us that he does surgery on. It does not make any difference what type of bariatric surgery you have he is your greatest Cheerleader! I have read so many blogs and comments on all the different ways that Doctors have each one of us do before and after surgery, I am not sure why some LBers have to go on liquid diets 6 weeks or more before surgery and I am really not sure why other Doctors keep certain people on only Liquids for who knows how long after LB. I really hope that for those after LB who still are not taking in at least 60 mg of protein a day and are only on clear liquids that your body does not starve itself and go into the starvation mode which will cause you to not loose any weight or inches. When I spoke to my nutritionist, she really pushed the fact that after one week of PO or less I needed to get those protein shakes in me regularly it was really important to my weight loss. I was able to start eating mushies after 8 days PO then I was able to start eating food as I could tolerate but eating very slowly. I am very in touch with my body and I was able to tell after 3 weeks that I needed an adjustment. No problem I had one and now after six weeks PO I have had my second adjustment because again I was able to eat more then I should. My Doc told me that I would more then likely be back in another 3 weeks for the third adjustment and this is how it will be until I get to the place where I am not eating more then I should be. I have tried drinking a soda and I really did not like the feeling it gave me so back to Ice Tea for my caffeine! I always eat protein first if I am full then nothing more will pass my lips. I have allowed myself to have a glass or two of wine a couple of times and one of those times I drank the whole bottle, but I am not making a habit of that because I do realize that those are truly empty calories which I do not need. I do have to walk more and I am going to start that today. My Doc again says to not focus on the pounds gone, focus on the inches lost and the way my clothes are starting to just fall off me! I LIKE IT! Here is to all of our success! No Failures!

I just want to say that I am so very very lucky to have the Doctor that I do here in So. California! His name is Michael Feiz and he loves what he does and be believes in each one of us that he does surgery on. It does not make any difference what type of bariatric surgery you have he is your greatest Cheerleader! I have read so many blogs and comments on all the different ways that Doctors have each one of us do before and after surgery, I am not sure why some LBers have to go on liquid diets 6 weeks or more before surgery and I am really not sure why other Doctors keep certain people on only Liquids for who knows how long after LB. I really hope that for those after LB who still are not taking in at least 60 mg of protein a day and are only on clear liquids that your body does not starve itself and go into the starvation mode which will cause you to not loose any weight or inches. When I spoke to my nutritionist, she really pushed the fact that after one week of PO or less I needed to get those protein shakes in me regularly it was really important to my weight loss. I was able to start eating mushies after 8 days PO then I was able to start eating food as I could tolerate but eating very slowly. I am very in touch with my body and I was able to tell after 3 weeks that I needed an adjustment. No problem I had one and now after six weeks PO I have had my second adjustment because again I was able to eat more then I should. My Doc told me that I would more then likely be back in another 3 weeks for the third adjustment and this is how it will be until I get to the place where I am not eating more then I should be. I have tried drinking a soda and I really did not like the feeling it gave me so back to Ice Tea for my caffeine! I always eat protein first if I am full then nothing more will pass my lips. I have allowed myself to have a glass or two of wine a couple of times and one of those times I drank the whole bottle, but I am not making a habit of that because I do realize that those are truly empty calories which I do not need. I do have to walk more and I am going to start that today. My Doc again says to not focus on the pounds gone, focus on the inches lost and the way my clothes are starting to just fall off me! I LIKE IT! Here is to all of our success! No Failures!