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What stage are you at? Once you are past the initial postop stage there is no reason to drink Protein shakes at all, you DON"T NEED THEM. It is perfectly easy to get enough protein from a normal healthy diet and if you really want some extra protein that goes down easily have a glass of milk or some yogurt. If you are still preop it is a little bit harder as most Dr's make you use them for the preop diet. If you are at that stage ask your Dr if there are any alternatives to shakes that they are happy for you to have.

That is insane and so are the Dr's that enable that kind of behaviour.

I would be careful. If you are on a liquid or mushy diet the alcohol is likely to affect you a lot quicker than it normally would. You may end up feeling awful and you don't want that. If you do drink the alcohol remember not to eat and drink at the same time .

the sleeve is the first part of a 2 part procedure but it has now been proven to work as a stand alone procedure. The advantages of the sleeve no fills you reach a level of restriction straight away and should lose from the beginning less issues with bringing food back up you should be able to eat most things disadvantages higher risk surgery if the sleeve is not made the correct size then you may still be able to eat too much and not lose weight most sleevers seem to be on antireflux meds as a matter of course The advantages of the band it is adjustable(some may tell you this is not an advantage as it just means more effort to get to the right spot) much lower risk surgery it can be removed ( but there could be lasting damage) disadvantages it is a longer slower process to get to the correct level of restriction more aftercare and consequently this means ongoing costs some people find there are lots of foods they can't eat stuck episodes! some people develop reflux I think both surgeries are probably equally as effective. The sleeve is still relatively new so there are not a lot of statistics on its success a number of years out. Both these types of WLS are a tool and not a magic wand. The level of success with either will depend on the commitment of the person. If you decide to graze all day long, eat Cookies, candy etc neither will stop you from doing so. Also neither will force you to exercise. So at the end of the day it is best to choose the surgery that you think will suit you best. Don't get a band if you don't intend visiting your Dr regularly or if you think you may not have insurance or money in the future to cover the visits.

Well that is good news because you really don't need Protein bars or drinks. You can easily get enough protein without them, I never use them. Can you eat chicken, lean meat, fish etc? If you can then you should be fine. Concentrate on unprocessed, whole foods. e.g lean chicken, some veg and if you have space some form of carb as well. That should fill you up enough.How about dairy? Although technically yogurt is a slider food it is a better alternative for a snack than something like cake, fries, donuts etc.

So if you are allergic to :- all Proteins all fruits all vegetables what do you eat?

I had my band installed December 31st 2007 (Hell of a New Years Resolution). Back then I weighed 300lbs. Over the next year and a half I was down to 190. It wasn't easy. I never went to any support groups and the rapid loss wreaked havoc on my hormones making me a bit unstable. My surgeon was pleased to see someone in their late 20s with a band thinking I will be healthy and have almost no issues. Sometimes I worry at night. Trying to sleep I find myself terrified of erosion. Before I was terrified of heart trouble from being overweight. But I feel like I can't stop worrying.I think this is fairly normal. Some people are born worriers and worry more than others ( you sound as though you may fit that category). I find myself worrying sometimes too even though that is not my normal personality type. It is because you can't see what is going on. If you take care of your band erosion is rare. During the day, I maintain a distracted life at work. Lately my hours have been 60-90 hour weeks with work provided meals.Just because work provides them doesn't mean you have to eat them. You can still take your own healthy food. Due to this I had my band loosened by 1cc last August.It is never a good idea to have a band loosened so you can eat more unless the band was too tight previously. I can now eat anything without much trouble. My appetite is strong and unforgiving. My metabolism didn't handle it too well and I'm 20lbs heavier today. I had 0.5ccs added last week, but I can still eat mostly anything.That is good. You should be able to eat anything. What you need to do is make healthy choices and don't eat huge portions. If you are still hungry(proper hunger not head hunger) then you may need another fill. I'd like to say I was a model bandster, but I'm not. Not even close. Once at my comfortable weight, I found my band as a tool to eat almost anything without gaining weight. I would push it more and more to get more food. Over the last year I gained 10lbs, but it never went higher. I drink carbonated soda, and eat almost anything. I eat slowly depending on my restriction, but it seems to be more lose in the evening. It was because of my inability to maintain control that I had it loosened a bit since the band was a bit uncomfortable. It is normal to be able to eat more at night. I still don't understand why you had your band loosened though - what does a bit uncomfortable mean? I want to tighten it back up to a strong restriction and get back to my target weight, but I'm very afraid of my irresponsible side slowly killing me. Sounds like you have other issues than hunger. I would make an appointment to see some kind of psych that specialises in food related problems to find out what your problems are and why you are sabotaging yourself. The band doesn't solve emotional eating problems. The lapband diets are difficult for me. I have major food allergies. Raw fruit / vegetables, shell fish, nuts, all close up my esophagus. Protein products give me the same problem. My wife stocks the house with food for the kids, a inventory I can't seem to steer clear from. I want to feel full, a feeling I couldn't achieve even without the band. I instead feel uncomfortable or regrettable. It sounds as though you are making excuses to justify your poor decisions. I am a first aid trainer that teaches Anaphylaxis courses and it would be very very very rare for all Proteins, vegetable and fruits to cause this problem.What kind of foods does your wife buy for the kids? Why don't you go shopping together and buy healthy food for the whole family. The younger the kids get used to eating healthy stuff the better and the less likely they are to have weight problems later on in life. I need friends I can talk to. In person works great, but difficult to find in my area. What is your area? Feel free to PM me if you want. Sorry if some of my responses sound harsh - they are not meant like that but I am not into couching things in flowery language!All the best in recommitting and getting back on track.

I would say that you are right. It is amazing what our subconscious can do/say whilst we are sleeping.

sparkplug I would say that it is probably time for you to get a fill. Your body has obviously come to the end of what it can do without one and now seems to need that little bit of additional help.

OMG That is so sad, my heart goes out to you. I wish you every success in your journey, I am just sorry that you have been made to wait so long particularly considering the circumstances. All the best. Lynn

I don't think you were stuck I think you were probably overfull.It doesn't sound like a good choice of food and eating squashed up in the car can also cause problems.

I have had my band 2+ years and I do believe that the sensation changes over time. It is a lot easier to eat many foods now than when I was initially banded. But I do not think I need a fill as I am at goal and maintaining. In fact I think I would probably get refused a fill at this point and having one would probably make me too tight. I think that the effect wearing off or dimming a little is common to all types of WLS, it is often referred to as the honeymoon period. It is new, exciting, you are really committed , the effect is strong and the weight comes off fairly easily. The longer you are together the more comfortable you are with each other, the less effort you put in , the novelty has worn off and you need to put in more work than you did when it was all new and exciting!

It's generally not Pasta and potatoes that make people put on weight. It is the sauces that they cover them with and the huge quantities they eat. If you live outside of the USA then is both normal and acceptable to still eat potatoes and pasta post band and most of us that do so still lose weight. Potatoes are very nutritious and a good source of potassium which is important - low potassium levels can cause all sorts of issues. Cutting out carbs works for some people but it is not the only way to eat post band and a lot of people forget that. If I think about what made me fat I think it was chocolate, cake and Cookies..........

I got to do 2 shakes per day and some veggies at night. That was it.

Well done and I think you are right. With a positive attitude like that you will achieve your goal.

I don't have problems eating popcorn. In fact if anything it can be a slider food.

Post surgery blues is very common. And with something like a band a lot of people have the OMG what have I done feeling as well. It does get better, I promise. You should be able to drink fluids without a problem but don't gulp too fast as that can cause a problem. If you continue to have problems drinking contact your Dr. It is possible that you have some Fluid in your band and that combined with the post op swelling may be making you too tight. If this is the case then the Dr will remove the fluid until the swelling has gone down. Just keep hydrated by sipping slowly but often.

The question is :- if you couldn't stick to the preop diet how will you manage to stick to the postop diet? If you decide postop that it is just too hard or that you will substitute something you run the risk of doing a lot of damage. I would be more worried that you are not ready and committed to make the change that the surgery requires than I would be about the liver. You have to realise that the band is a tool that works when you work with it. I would take a good hard deep look at myself and work out what I wanted and if I was in fact ready.

I'm not sure about this poster. I am sure I have read an almost identical post somewhere before.It seems as though this has been copied and just tweaked a bit but I could be wrong. Just something seems slightly strange but maybe it's just the cynic in me coming out.

I also don't understand why they would unfill it completely unless for surgery as in Jachut's case. I have heard lots of people say that it is hard to get the restriction right again after a complete unfill. It seems to do something to the band - a bit like when you blow up a balloon and then let it down and blow it up again. I would be stocking the fridge with healthy Snacks e.g crudites or making big pots of veggie Soup. Stuff that you can fill up on that won't cause weight gain. And I would probably also take the opportunity to fill up on the healthy foods that can be hard to eat when you have decent restrction e.g fruit salad, salad sandwich, steak. Good luck, hope it all goes well.

Clothing sizes are not what they used to be either. I am happy because I wear a size 8 pants (US4) which makes me feel really good. However the other day I was going through a bag of clothes from about 20 years ago.(No I'm not a hoarder but I do keep my good stuff) 2 of the skirts were marked size 10 and I used to fit in them easily.They didn't even come close to doing up around my waist which made me feel fat and miserable. So that probably means that the size 8s I wear now are the equivalent of a 12 or even 14 from when I was younger. (That probably does make sense as I am not slimmer now than I was then). It's amazing how a simple number can affect your mood.

There is another side of this as well. Now that I have "come out of the closet" about my surgery I feel that I have to maintain. ( I haven't told everyone but amongst those I have told a few know someone that has had it done and failed). To gain back any weight would just prove the theory that so many have that WLS doesn't work. I have heard so many negative comments about how surgery doesn't work, or how after 5 years you put all your weight back on, or how someone had surgery and didn't lose etc that I feel I have to prove that it can and does work. Those people that have had a friend that failed with it also now know that the weight loss is not automatic. That there has to be some kind of effort on your part and that if there is then you reap the rewards. I am now 2 years 5 months out. I am hoping that I can maintain so that at 5 years out I am still a success and can prove all the naysayers wrong.

If you have been dieting for a long time you may recall that all diets used to have a 1000 cal (4200KJ) per day limit. They then changed to 1200 cal and only recently it seems has a 1500 cal recommendation come in. For many , especially females that are short 1500 cal is way too much for weight loss. This would be closer to a maintenance level. I have tried high Protein previously and have never been able to stick at it for more than a couple of days. I would think that it is perfectly possible to gain on a high protein diet. Some people take it as a licence to gorge. If you are eating masses of cream, butter , fat , fried foods then I am sure weight loss will not be automatic. In theory it should be but theories don't always work which is why they are theories.

My face is much thinner and I no longer have multiple chins. I do think it is true though that each person has their own hard to lose area. For me it is my stomach. That is not to say I haven't lost weight there because I have but it is still a lot bigger than I would like it to be. It all comes down to where you are genetically predisposed to store your weight. Some people are pears , some are apples. I am most definitely an apple. These days though I am a much smaller apple - if I buy pants then a 4 will normally fit the butt and hips but I sometimes have to buy a 6 to make sure I can get them done up around the waist.

Sometimes it's not as obvious as you think, especially if you still have weight to lose. People avoid saying something in case you haven't lost weight and are happy with your weight as that could be embarassing.