Angelator

I was banded May 17, 2006, then filled in early August of that year. Since surgery, I've lost about 25 pounds (some days a little more, some days a little less), but I think I would have lost a lot more weight by now if I would have eaten a balanced diet, instead of a diet based on lots of carbohydrates. My problem is that I've eaten what I wanted: tons of carbs, not enough veggies, not enough protein. Overall, I still eat LESS, so I still lose weight, but it would have been smarter (and I'm sure *healthier*) to just have a balanced diet with protein, veggies, and carbs all combined. I also have not exercised at all, basically, since my surgery. Since I've felt that my weight loss has slowed down the past couple months, I recently joined a gym and have been working out (cardio) about an hour a day (and I try to go everyday). We'll see if that helps speed up my weight loss--I hope so! I've lost 25 pounds so far, but still would like to lose about 35 or 45 more.

I'm curious how much weight you all lose on a monthly basis. I think I've been losing about 5 or 6 pounds per month myself...and I'm curious if this is typical or slow or fast or what.

I calculated mine, I'm at about 1.3 per week. I haven't been exercising at all...maybe if I start exercising I can speed up the process a bit.

Hi everyone, I received my first fill (under fluoroscopy) a week ago (1.1 cc's) and didn't feel restriction so I felt like I was eating too much. Exactly one week later, I got a second fill (under fluoroscopy) which put me up to 1.5 cc's. Yesterday (same day as my second--and most meaningful--fill), I was told to stick to mushy stuff. I pushed the envelope a lot, telling myself this stuff I ate would be "mushy" once I chewed it up enough. Then, essentially, anything I ate yesterday gave me the golf ball feeling going down (very unpleasant!) and I'd start salivating like crazy (I take it this is what everyone refers to as sliming?). And then the weirdest thing was that I'd start throwing up, but the only thing that would come up was all the saliva I had swallowed (no food!). I'm not sure if this is a normal experience. I'm afraidto eat anything right now, but I was hoping maybe you all had some pointers about WHAT and HOW to eat at this stage in the game for me. I want to experience proper restriction without golf balling and PBing. I'd really, truly appreciate any advice you have. I'm still trying to learn how to deal with this thing. Thanks!

Thanks for the advice. I will do liquids for a day or two at this point. After I do the liquids for a day or two, what do you recommend? What types of foods, in what order, etc.? Sorry for the dumb questiosn I just don't want to keep experiencing what happened yesterday... Thanks,

I was wondering if you could also explain what you eat. It seems like (even if you have a "tight" band) if you eat really slippery foods (i.e. spaghetti) that it might go right through the stoma and into the lower stomach pretty quickly and you might not feel restriction. Same thing with like Soup or a smoothie, I would assume. I've read that you eat Protein, vegetables, then carbs (in that order). Is this so you can feel restriction or is this so you eat the things you need the most and then eat the things you need less? And like, what do you do if you have a meal without meat or something? like just carbs and veggies. Sorry for the dumb questions. I just got a snug fill (1.5 cc's) and had some bad eating experiences yesterday (golfball, sliming, PBing) so I want to get advice about what and how and when I should be eating certain types of foods.

I recently had more fill put in under fluoroscopy (I'm at 1.5 cc's) and yesterday when I ate I'd feel the golf ball sensation going down, salivate like crazy, then vomit only my saliva/slim/whatever nastiness you wanna call it. What am I doing wrong? What should I be eating right now? I need pointers.

Wow, I'm surprised the doctor (or nurse, or whatever) wasn't wearing gloves (for sanitary purposes). Yikes! Hopefully there won't be any infection.

I paid out of pocket for my surgery and I just assumed I had to pay out of pocket for fills, too. I have Blue Cross. Anyone pay out of pocket but then have their fills covered by insurance? That'd be nice! :-)

I don't have any experience with this (yet) but could you explain what you mean by slime in your mouth? I went to the dentist yesterday and she said I salivated a lot more than the normal person (it's like a fountain in there!) and I wonder if this has something to do with the surgery...

I have some questions for someone who had an appropriate fill level and experiences successful restriction. 1. What does it feel like to feel proper restriction? I had 1.1 cc's put in my band a week and still never feel full. Sometimes, though, I feel pain as my food goes down the stoma--feels like a lot of pressure in my stoma, like I'm swallowing a golf ball. I'm scheduled to get a second fill tomorrow (1 week after my first fill) and I'm just wondering if someone can describe to me what I'm supposed to feel. (I'm assuming the golf ball feeling isn't it!) 2. Can someone explain what happens during a PB session? That stands for productive burping? I'm a little slow.... :-) 3. I'm getting the impression I should avoid bread at all costs (b/c it hurts going down, at least right now). Do other people experience this, too? Sorry if these are dumb questions--I'm still learning how to live with this thing. Thanks!

I also had those back pains and pains along my left side that felt as if I had went running and exhausted myself, but about a month after surgery, those pains went away. In a few more weeks I'll be getting my first fill and I'm worried that those pains might come back. I'm crossing my fingers taht they won't...

I have a stupid question: what is sliming? I don't think I've experienced this yet but I've heard people mention it. Can someone fill me in? Thanks!

Hey Ladies, I'm a little bit frustrated. I had my surgery on May 17th, over five weeks ago. I lost most of my weight in the first two weeks, and I've been mostly plateaued since then. Maybe losing .5 pounds per week now. I still have NO fill. My doctor is making me wait TWO MONTHS after surgery until I get a fill. ::eek:: I feel like I have to wait longer than everyone else until I get a fill. It sucks. Until then, I feel like I'm able to eat much more than I was expecting. At this point, my eating is limited by sheer willpower. I could eat a lot right now if I let myself. I also need to start exercising more, too. Maybe that will help speed up the process. But until I get my fill, it's like I have no band at all right now... Just venting. Thanks for listening/reading!

Hi everyone, I just found this website and I am so happy and so relieved to have finally found what I've been looking for! :clap2: A lot of other Weight Loss Surgery sites are dominated by Roux-en-Y patients so it is such a breath of fresh air to finally find a website made for people who opted specifically for the Lap-Band like I did. About me: I'm 25 years old female and have lived in Los Angeles for the past 7 years. Before that, I grew up in Northern California, near Berkeley and San Francisco. Next, I'm making plans to relocate to Washington, DC by the end of this summer (if all things go as planned--we'll see!). I got banded on May 17, 2006 (my 25th birthday, as well!). At first I didn't want to get banded on my birthday, but after giving it some thought, I realized how much I liked the symbolism of starting my new weight loss journey on a day that also symbolizes the end of one experience and the beginning of another--a day of new birth--my birthday! I was banded five days after I graduated from my Master's degree program from the University of Southern California, as well. So, as you can see--there are a lot of changes going on in my life right now. It is very exciting, indeed! As for the results I've seen thus far--they've been impressive--more than I expected, actually. I realize that it has only been six days since my surgery and, of course, weight loss is quick in the beginning given the small amount of calories that we "eat" (and by eat, I really mean, drink). And I know the weight loss is going to slow down. But in the past six days I've lost a little over 10 pounds! In less than a week, my BMI has gone from 37 to 35. I imagine a lot of that weight is just Water weight but I'm hoping some of it has got to be fat! Nonetheless, I'm excited to see what kind of results I'll see overall as days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. And eventually, when months turn into years. Throughout my research, I read and was told that Lap-Band patients lose, on average, something like 50-60% of their excess weight. However, based on the excellent results of the people I've seen on this board and elsewhere, I have some hope that I may lose 100% of my excess weight. So that is my goal. An appropriate weight for someone of my height--five feet, three inches--is something in the neighborhood of 135 pounds. So, for now, that is my goal. I'm just going to do everything I can to follow the nutritional and exercise guidelines and hope that I will end up in a body that is healthy and that I can finally feel comfortable in! Anyway, it is great to be here and I look forward to getting to know other people who made the same decision as me: to be proactive and make the life you desire instead of letting life make you.

Maybe just take smaller sips? I don't know. I'm surprised to hear you're two months out and have already had two fills. My surgeon won't let me have my first fill until two months out. Hmm...

From my research on lapband surgery, half of a patient's success has to do with the surgeon's skills. If he messes up, you will pay the price. The other half of the equation is whether or not you follow the guidelines and put in the effort to lose the weight. Personally, there's absolutely no way I would go with a surgeon who has little experience. I care about my body and my success way too much. Even if it would save me some money going with someone who is less experienced, I'd prioritize my health before saving some money (and I'm just guessing that's why you'd even consider it, right?).

first i'd try a heating pad. then maybe try to walk around if it's not too painful. hope you feel better soon.

I was banded about three and a half weeks ago (on May 17th). At first the weight was dropping off quickly--I was losing one to two pounds per DAY. But then after about 10 days, my weight loss sort of just halted. I think part of it was due to the fact that I went out of town and several times I ate milkshakes (b/c there was nothing else on the menu I could "eat"). Part of it is probably also because I haven't been walking as much as I probably should. All in all, I've dropped something like 12 pounds (most of which was lost in the first 10 days or so). It's still pretty good to lose 12 pounds in less than a month, but I feel like I'm not doing very well compared to other bandsters. I probably just need to exercise more but I'm so darn tired of walking around my neighborhood. I want to start going to the gym but I'm not sure how long I need to wait before I can start doing the eliptical machine and/or swimming. Does anybody know how long after surgery one should wait before starting a more vigorous exercise routine? Thanks for any tips/opinions/words of encouragement!

I'm 25. Just had my band put in 3.5 weeks ago (on my birthday, actually). I recognized I had spent half of my twenties overweight and unhappy with my body and that I wasn't about to spend the last half of my twenties that way. I feel like it's the most adult decision I've ever made. :clap2:

Would anyone be interested in meeting in the LA area maybe once a month to talk about our band experiences?

You can buy pill crushers at a pharmacy or a walmart type place which makes it possible to take any solid pills without any worries. Can't crush gel capsules though so I'm not sure about those.

How long since you got your fill?

I had a catheter put in while I was still under anisthesia (thank goodness--wouldn't have wanted to see what it felt like going in, that's for sure!). When I woke up I couldn't really feel it. It wasn't until I got up to go for my first walk that I could feel it. It wasn't as painful as I thought it'd be. In the long run it was tremendously helpful because it hurts to get up and down after surgery (using stomach muscles is painful right after your tummy has been poked into). I was worried it'd hurt coming out, but it didn't really. Don't worry, it's not bad at all.

I'd recommend finding a frozen yogurt shop in your area. That way you have to go OUT and make it an event to get the sweet stuff. And usually they have options that are like ten calories per serving or something incredibly miniscule like that. If you want to splurge, you can get strawberries or sprinkles on top or something. But bottom line is, if you want to lose weight, stop buying ice cream. You're shooting yourself in the foot.