LapBandit

Goodness Elisabeth...I hope you're feeling OK. I'm so sorry you're having health problems. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

Welcome Derbygirl! Three pounds in a week is FABULOUS!! Keep it up Molly! I'm thinking my Tax Day challenge is a bit steep too...I'm not sure it's possible to reach it. I will reach it eventually but I'm not going to get depressed if I don't hit it on time! I'm just gonna try like h*ll though! Yeah, I've still got good restriction but it feels like things loosened up a bit today. I'm weird like that though...one day I'm fine the next I feel tighter.

Enjoy it! Lucky dog! Aww, I miss my "honeymoon" phase!! Happy Healing! But everyone's right...don't forget to get some nutrition even if you aren't feeling hungry!

Good luck on your journey! We'll be here for ya to cheer you on!

Have fun at the buffet! You should be proud of yourself for having a good plan of attack in mind before even entering the place...great idea! Well, I had an appointment with my doctor on Thursday and I got another small fill. Amazingly I have awesome restriction. I am tight enough that normal to small size portions completely satisfy me but not so tight that I have trouble drinking Water. I'm real hesitant to say it but...I might have found my sweet spot! I've got good restriction and I wouldn't want to be any tighter so I'm assuming this means I hit the mother lode! LOL! Now it's just a matter of waiting to see if it sticks. If so that would be AWESOME!

I was simply trying to express the point that it is not necessary to reduce to 800/day to lose weight. But, everyone should do what they feel comfortable with and what they decide is best with their doctors.

The liquid stage is really difficult to get enough calories in, even on full liquids I struggled somewhat. But, I definately do not feel it is safe to purposely dip below 1200 calories a day for any amount of time. I really hate hearing about doctors who are telling people to eat 800 calories a day. There was just a major scientific study done a few months ago that proved that people on a restricted diet (below 1000/day) did lose weight but that it came right back and they ended up in worse health than the group who ate a balanced diet above 1000/day. I have done well with my band and I truly believe it's because I make sure to eat enough each day. But, during the liquids stage just do the best you can. I know I just couldn't eat much during this stage so I used my protein shakes as often as possible to try to get in as much nutrition as possible. You'll be fine!

You Mom would be proud of you Molly, just like we are! You're doing great!

Interestingly peaches do not cause any trouble for me. We all seem to have similar yet different issues with fruit so unfortunately I think we need to try things out for ourselves to see what works with our own bands---keeping in mind that we should go slowly just in case!!

I think it depends on your doctor's recommendation regarding the exercise/lifting issue. For example, I had no restrictions by my one week post-op appointment. But, you're right...it is major surgery so depending on your occupation you might have some restrictions early on. Lifting 50lb bags of anything is quite a feat for me!! Interesting considering how much extra weight I used to carry around daily! I can't imagine having to haul around what I've lost--incredible strain I must've been putting on my body before the surgery. Wow, you really made me think of something I never considered before!

Sorry you haven't had much feedback. We must not have any chefs on this site! Although I don't work in the food industry I can say that if it bothers your husband to work with food now, then it probably won't get much better post-band. I say this with a little hesitation because I don't want to sound discouraging. I've had my band for almost a year. In this past year I have changed my lifestyle and my general view of food for fuel vs food for fun. But, I am still susceptible to "head hunger". If I am around tempting foods then I still feel tempted. Yes, my band helps me control my urges a bit more but I ultimately still have to make that decision to cheat or remain strong. I hope that helps a bit, good luck!

lizrbit-that's AWESOME! Welcome to Twoterville! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!! Keep up the great work and you'll get back into those old weights! I am doing OK. I'm not really losing much. Perhaps my body is readjusting again. It seems that this happens more often now. Figures...I'm trying my darndest to work towards Onderland and my body knows this is unchartered territory and must be scared to go "where no man has gone before"!! Seriously, I don't know for sure but I'd guess that the last time I weighed in the 100's was probably Jr. High. I'm sure I was in the 200's by the time I was in High School. Most of these weights/sizes others talk about being in at one time or another would've happened to me while I was still growing up so I truly have no concept of what life is like as an adult at a semi-normal weight. The awesome news is that according to my height I am about 20 pounds away from just being considered "overweight"! Even if I don't hit my Tax Day Challenge I should be able to hit the "overweight" category which will still THRILL me to no end!!

Yep, you're right...it's a whole grain carb so a normal portion is a great option. (I specify normal portion because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE pasta of all types so I must be very careful when I choose pasta or else I can easily go overboard!!) I've found that I cook it a bit longer than regular pasta so that it's a little softer and it seems to go down just fine for me!

At this stage of the game, you're eating too much if you're eating out of "head hunger". If you are truly hungry then eat...with this in mind...select good choices. I.E. protein shakes and other nutritious things (which it appears you are doing.) This phase is HARD. But, it gets easier so just hang in there!

This cracked me up and sums up my suggestion as well. Me too...been there, done that with apples! The meat of the apple is OK for me, but those darn peels are the devil. Which is a shame because don't they contain a lot of nutrition? Anyway, most fruits seem OK for me without the peel or skin.

I agree, I pretty much eat regular food too. Granted it's healthier food than pre-band i.e., no processed or simple carbs or junk food. Otherwise, I only have to be careful with foods which I know don't go down well for me like dry chicken and apple peels. But, unfortunately you'll have to discover which foods are not band-friendly for you by trial and error because we all seem to have different anti-band foods!

Not normal in the sense that this is the way you should live forever. But, I've heard of other people being swollen/extra tight for a week or so following a fill so in that sense it may be a temporary normal thing for you following fills if you're body is prone to the swelling issue. My advice would be to give it a week if you can stand it and if it's still the same then call your doctor. I don't have this issue at all and it doesn't sound like any fun.

This is exactly how it is for me too, and I just had my 4th fill today. Except, I we don't stop and test it with water. The whole thing usually takes like 3-4 minutes. It's painless for me. It actually tickles me a bit because I can feel the saline travelling up the tube!

Wow! That seems like a biggie to me! But, if it feels OK then great!

Suggestion...get a third fill! It's OK that your fill wasn't enough, it happens. I'm almost a year out and still searching for the sweet spot! It can be LONG process for some of us!

It's OK if you haven't lost yet. I didn't lose weight during my liquid phase either. Your body has bigger fish to fry right now like trying to heal from surgery. So, try to relax and let nature take it's course! You'll get there! Plus, although immediately post-op you may feel inclined to not eat or not eat much. It's important to get enough calories in each day or else that will slow/stop weight loss too.

I agree with Marjon, my surgeon said basically the same thing. Just follow the pre-op plan and you should be OK. I was told that severly reducing fat and sugar intake during the pre-op diet were the two main objectives toward helping reduce liver size.

Tax Day Challenge! (April 15th) Week Three of Eight Name..........................Starting…...…..Current….…..Goal…....To Go Juliegeraci......................238.................... 238.................228.............10 Lapbandit.......................231.....................225………….199.............26 Waterlily........................300.....................288.................264.............24 Roiansmom....................299.....................299.................270.............29 Libra...............................248.....................241.................228.............13 JulieNYC........................212.....................203.................185.............18 Elisabethsew...................282.....................276.................264.............12 PeaCeJ............................338.....................338.................318.............20 RidinMyHDDream.........297.....................290 ................281...............9 Babygirl1234..................260.....................253.................240.............13 Leecelove70....................228.....................228.................200.............28 Josette.............................351.....................351.................335.............16 Thanks everyone for your encouragement. I am proud of my efforts but I do get confused about the whole restriction thing! It's so strange how we all have this thing called restriction but it means different things to each of us! Well, it's TOM and it's been a rough one so only one pound this week. I think it'll be better next week once the ol' hormones go back to normal! At any rate...one pound is one pound, right??!!

Are you still on a post-op liquid diet or mushies? If so, then you're probably fine because it's hard to get enough calories in during this phase. But, if you're supposed to be eating real food then I'd suggest trying to get your daily Protein with real food as opposed to the three vials. Since the vials have 176 calories each I might cut back to one a day and use real food for the rest of my protein intake. It's easy to accidently slow weight loss by drinking your calories. I'm not suggesting you're having too many calories, in fact it's important to make sure you're having enough calories a day. I just know from my experience that drinking my calories doesn't benefit me as much as actually eating something with protein for the same amount of calories. Did your doctor suggest this much protein? I don't think it's harmful, but I don't worry about getting that much protein in each day. I aim for 70-80 grams a day with about 20 of those coming from a Protein shake. Everyone's different, but I've done OK at that range. I hope that helps. It's hard to answer your question because a lot of docs have different plans they want you to follow so I'm just sharing my plan!

I don't think your trainer needs to know about your band. I know it's scary...I was terrified of the gym at first. But, the good news is...once you get used to feeling endorphins (feel good hormones) from the exercise you'll probably start to enjoy it like me! I started out slowly. I didn't push myself too hard to avoid "failing" and getting frustrated. Instead, I decided to tackle things I felt comfortable doing i.e. walking on treadmill and light weights until I felt good about myself then I kept working my way up til now...I feel at home at my gym and it amazes me!