catfish87

Thanks! I have been banded for three years, so I'm slow. BUT, I'm pretty much ok with that. I had an issue with my band early on....( it had come undone! ) and had to have surgery to re snap it closed. I am not one for giving advice on what to eat and not to eat, as i eat pretty much anything I always did. Just less of it. I eat basically no bread, and fruit that is fiberous doesn't work for me now with good restriction. Im a fish eater! I also never drink soda, although I will have a couple beers every now and then. Don't tell the band police on here though!! They'll chastise you.

Thanks! I have been banded for three years, so I'm slow. BUT, I'm pretty much ok with that. I had an issue with my band early on....( it had come undone! ) and had to have surgery to re snap it closed. I am not one for giving advice on what to eat and not to eat, as i eat pretty much anything I always did. Just less of it. I eat basically no bread, and fruit that is fiberous doesn't work for me now with good restriction. Im a fish eater! I also never drink soda, although I will have a couple beers every now and then. Don't tell the band police on here though!! They'll chastise you.

Love Muscle Milk!...it's the only Protein shake I can drink

If you think you need more calories, you could always drink a high protien, mid calorie shake. There are some out there ranging from 20-40g of protien, with between 130-300 calories. I personally like muscle milk light. I wouldn't complain of the lack of hunger, it'll be there before you know it. Congrats to a good start!

I would start with your insurance provider to find out if the surgery is covered so you know if you are going to have to pay out of pocket. Than I would go see my PCP and have them refer you to a WLS that is in your network if covered by your insurance. If you log onto the original LAPBAND site you can request a packet of information and they will send you a very nice packet to explain the procedure and get you started on your way. It generally takes a few months to pull everything together and some it takes longer to meet their insurances requirements. Good luck to you. I do have BCBS but of SC not Montana and mine did cover the surgery with a 500 dollar out of pocket co-pay. I also had to show failure of dieting programs and had to have letters from my PCP to show that I had tried other means of losing weight and failed. Like you, I had done, WW, Jenny Craig, Curves, and multiple other means over the years and would lose only to gain back and gain more. I also had several comorbidites that helped my case, sleep apnea, asthma and hypertension along with mordid obesity. So tomorrow call your insurance and good luck.

Getting stuck is part of being banded. I don't think anyone ever died from it. Different people have different pain thresholds. I never felt pain just discomfort, like when you swallow something the wrong way. People who post do tend to over dramatize the event! Yes, it will frighten you the first time until you figure out what is happening. Once the slime starts, it is all over but waiting for it to clear. You will have a few moments to think back and say, OK self, what did I just do, and let's not do that again!

It is more of a discomfort than pain, well at least it was for me. Take what you read on the forums with a grain a salt, some people are way to dramatic. Just chew the best you can and one thing I forgot, if you do get stuck do not try and push it down with Water it will come right back up.

I'm retired... always off! LOL

I really enjoy biking too. I just started back in April of 2012, but found that it was something I enjoyed and didn't get bored with. I managed to get in about 1800 miles last year with 50 miles being my longest nonstop trip. we have a lot of paved trails where i live, plus there are always different groups of folks riding at different times, so its great! I will get a 100 mile trip in during 2013. I plan on doing a 100K by Memorial day. I have put it on a trainer in the den and ride indoors during the bad weather. Love my Trek!

Finally got a new bill and everything was corrected. I don't owe anything. Glad they resolved that. Because it was going to be very hard trying to get that kind of money out of me.

I was banded 12/28/2010. I used to ride a road bike a bit 20 years ago in college. I decided that I liked it then so I would try again. I bought my TREK 2.1 in March last year. In May I did a metric century for the Diabetes TourDCure. I was a wiped out after but recovered quickly. I ran a half marathon the following weekend.
I bet once you start taking off weight the joint pain will ease up considerably. I know mine sure did. I used to have terrible knees but after going from 255 to 175 I found that the knees were much less of an issues. It then came down to building endurance and getting my lungs in shape.
After lungs I found the greatest challenge in endurance races is nutrition. I haven't figured that out yet myself. If you have the ambition and goals pre-banding I think you are well on your way to better health. A century is a goal that you can definitely obtain with some training.
Two years ago I would walk 1.5 miles for a workout. I am now training for the Timberman Half Marathon in August.
Best of luck with your Century Goal. Keep us updated with your progress.

It's always best to follow your surgeon's instructions about this topic. In the past there have been heated discussions about this topic, and instructions will vary widely by surgeon.
I was advised to wait an entire hour post meal before I can have fluids, and absolutely NO drinking while eating meals, but again those were instructions from my surgeon, and I continue to follow them. I have found that if I am properly hydrated before a meal it is much easier to wait the hour after eating before drinking Water again.
It's important to meet your Fluid intake goals daily for many reasons. I try to drink 80-90 oz of Water daily. I always have a bottle of water with me and I sip from it often.
Best wishes...

Doc found out that I have insurance at least for one more month. So not an issue yet!! Not sure about what follows!!