GuyMontag

The good news is you've already had weight loss surgery so you're not really starting back where you were. You've got the tool...time to start using it again!

Take your BMI and multiply by .36. So if your BMI is 34.7 then you multiply it by .36 to get 85 grams of protein a day.

That's awesome. I did the same thing in Excel. It's so cool to see it visualized that way.

I think it really depends on a lot of factors. Maybe you'll just get lucky and it won't happen to you. I also think the more rapid the weight loss the more likely the hair loss. I lost 100lbs in six months so I definitely noticed the hair loss. Once the weight loss stopped so did the hair loss.

Well sometimes fills make a big difference and sometimes no difference at all. Surprisingly, sometimes fills don't really kick in for up to a week. Basically, just take things easy. Chew your food well once you are on solids again and you might even consider trying mushies before you go full blown solids. I usually do a liquid meal like a protein shake, then a mushie meal, and finally a solid meal to test the effectiveness of a new fill. Good luck!

I'd be surprised if it's a slip with no pain. Night coughing and acid reflux are common symptoms of either being too tight or pouch dilation. Either way I'd call your doc. In the meantime I'd recommend taking some liquid motrin, going on full liquids for a few days, and not eating right before bed. Eating right before bed always causes me trouble.

I define the green zone a little differently for myself, basically for me the green zone is when I have enough restriction where I can't easily eat a cheeseburger with the bun. That's how I know the band is working for me. If I get much tighter than that then I risk getting stuck on really tight days.

I went from being hot all the time to being cold. It's annoying but a fact of life. I always keep a jacket or sweatshirt near me now. Lol. First world weight loss problems

Mashed potatoes, refried beans, cottage cheese, apple sauce, and mushy lasagna. Mushy lasagna has no pasta. It is ricotta cheese, spaghetti sauce, garlic powder, and mozzarella cheese microwaved. VERY TASTY!

I love zuicchini and yellow squash. This recipe is so good and it has so many vegetables. I added a little bit of my own seasoning in the way of some garlic powder but it doesn't need much tweaking.

I made this last night and it was a HUGE hit with the family. Not only that it was VERY band friendly. I sometimes eat eggplant parm but it goes really slow through my band but for some reason using zucchini made this recipe incredibly easy to eat yet very fulfilling. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/no-noodle-zucchini-lasagna/detail.aspx Ingredients 2 large zucchini 1 tablespoon salt 1 pound ground beef 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 small green bell pepper, diced 1 onion, diced 1 cup tomato paste 1 (16 ounce) can tomato sauce 1/4 cup red wine 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano hot Water as needed 1 egg 1 (15 ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley 1 (16 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese 8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese Step-by-step View Directions 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a deep 9x13 inch baking pan. 2. Slice zucchini lengthwise into very thin slices. Sprinkle slices lightly with salt; set aside to drain in a colander. 3. To prepare the meat sauce, cook and stir ground beef and black pepper in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Add in green pepper and onion; cook and stir until meat is no longer pink. Stir in tomato paste, tomato sauce, wine, basil, and oregano, adding a small amount of hot water if sauce is too thick. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer sauce for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently. 4. Meanwhile, stir egg, ricotta, and parsley together in a bowl until well combined. 5. To assemble lasagna, spread 1/2 of the meat sauce into the bottom of prepared pan. Then layer 1/2 the zucchini slices, 1/2 the ricotta mixture, all of the spinach, followed by all of the mushrooms, then 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Repeat by layering the remaining meat sauce, zucchini slices, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella. Spread Parmesan cheese evenly over the top; cover with foil. 6. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil; raise oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake an additional 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Nah. You're not going to do anything externally to mess up your band.

My experience with fills is that they are quick and relatively painless. While getting a needle in the stomach area sounds terrible it's actually one of the best places to get a shot because it's just a little pinch. You won't need to take the rest of the day off but I'd recommend doing liquids immediately after the fill and then slowly introduce mushies and then regular food. Each fill is different but sometimes it can cause you to have to assess how you eat differently now. Take it slow and don't overdo it. Good luck!

Even though there may be differences between healthcare providers the makers of the lapband unequivocally say not to drink carbonated drinks. On the other hand, I don't listen and seem to drink them just fine. However, if I end up screwing up my band it's my own damn fault and I won't be able to blame anyone else because I knew there were risks.

And our parents wonder why we got fat?!?

I always try to share my story and say what worked for me rather than telling others what they need to do. What worked for me worked but it may not work for them. I dislike it when people say, THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO all matter of factly.

Better safe than sorry! Although, I hear when you have gallbladder issues the pain is pretty intense. You may just be getting used to your band or it could also be mispositioned. I'd definitely go to the doc for peace of mind.

After I got banded I worried about healing first and weight loss second. It's tough to eat like your band is working when you haven't gotten fills yet. Don't feel bad, just get to the doc and get some fills and the weight loss will kick back in. You're not doing anything wrong, you just need to get your band turned on and working for you!

I wish I could down a big glass of water in a couple of gulps but I cannot anymore. I still drink plenty of ice cold water but if I'm feeling particularly parched and want to drink a lot I seem to be able to drink room temperature water a lot faster than ice cold water. I definitely do not drink while I eat. I tend to drink up until it's time to eat and then wait at least 30 minutes after eating to start drinking which I pretty much do non-stop.

I agree with all of the advice above. 1) Get to your doctor to get a checkup. 2) Get support. Lap band is MUCH more successful with support.

My doc is very cool with it. He's been extremely pleased with my weight loss and has never said anything negative about me getting banded.

Whenever I get stuck I do what Hazel suggests and go back to liquids if I think I've swollen my stoma. I also will take some liquid motrin if needed to help get the swelling back down. Also, in the future, I recommend going slow with your first bite and always putting down your fork between each bite to help you remember to slow down. And chew chew chew!

You could try some metamucil to help firm things up. It shouldn't be like that the whole time. It's probably just your body adjusting to changes.

Support. The more the better. Supportive family, friends, doctors, nurses, groups, support support support.

Most in here have answered your questions very well. From my personal experience I love the weight loss my band has provided but at the same time it can be a pain in the ass. The constant tweaking to get to a good restriction almost always tempts people to get too tight with disastrous results. Let me list some things that annoy me about the band. 1) I can't drink liquids quickly. I can't tell you how much I would love to down a bottle of Water in a couple of gulps right now! Lol. 2) Can't go straight to bed after eating or it's very uncomfortable. 3) Veggies can go down slow and hurt sometimes. 4) Daily heartburn if I don't take Prilosec. 5) TIGHT DAYS...out of nowhere my band can tighten up like crazy...causes can be drinking alcohol, stress, exercise, dehydration, early in the morning. 6) LOOSE DAYS...sometimes I'm just loose and can eat more than normal and then I'm hungry. 7) Hunger. Yes. I get hungry. No I don't need a fill. If I get a fill I will be too tight and bad things will happen. 8) Fills can be annoying...I had to get over 20 adjustments to get good restriction. I currently have over 14cc in a 14cc band. 9) I can't sleep on my stomach. If I sleep on my stomach I get reflux. No I do not have a dilated pouch. 10) Sinus drainage wakes me up at night because the nasty Fluid pools in the back of my throat. Gross! This can wake me up choking and is quite disgusting. I'm sure operations like the sleeve has its own bag of nasty tricks but those are some that annoy me about this particular surgery and applies to me. Your mileage may vary. If I had the choice to make over again I would SERIOUSLY consider the sleeve. Would I get the band again? Yes. If I didn't think the sleeve was all people make it out to be after research then I'd get banded again. Getting lapband surgery because you think it is a 'gentle' surgery is a mistake. To anyone that thinks they don't want to get the sleeve or bypass because it's too invasive and they want a gentle surgery then you need to diet and exercise and stay away from a doctor with a knife completley. Surgery is surgery and there's no 'easy' way about it even with the lap band. Look at what a band does to a stomach after 5 years and it's not all daises and sunshine. Don't even get me started on erosion or a slip. Lapband surgery is SURGERY and alters your body. Don't choose it because you're scared of something else. That's not a good reason to make a decision in my opinion. Good reasons to choose lap band are that it's adjustable and you can control, to a point, the speed at which you lose weight. You can usually opt for sleeve or bypass if your band fails which is a plus. Anyway, I've listed reasons why it's a pain in the ass above, but you can still lose weight with it and that's what matters. Is it better than the sleeve? I don't know. All I can tell you is what I do know. Good luck with your choice.