Fern

Down 1.5 this week. This will be the week for more! Lots of Zumba and a fill on Thursday. Then liquids for 5 days. Glad to break through the plateau! Have a great week everyone! 9.5 till onderland!

My Docs said no traveling for a month- in case of an emergency they want us near. Check with yours. I ended up rescheduling because of schedule conflicts and had to wait a little longer. I was ok post op, and was back to work in a week. Resting on the beach sounds nice though. Stick to liquids so you don't risk anything.

I am still struggling with the same 3 pounds. I feel like I relive Mondays over and over and over again. Usually by Friday I can get down to 210, and by Monday I'm back up to 212. I have been at this plateau for weeks. I am eating accordingly. And, not at all going into a feeding frenzy during the weekend, just regular meals. All week I am even using meal replacement shakes to loose anything. I've kicked in with extra Zumba classes and this week I'm going to do more. In my opinion, I should be loosing pounds with the qty of exercise I am doing, never mind the band and good food choices to boot... Zumba is a serious work out- c'mon! So, I'll be going every day this week. I have a fill NEXT thursday. I'm being super hard on myself, but my body isn't budging. I may be inclined to think that i may be displacing some of my fat with muscle, but that's not the answer I'm looking for. I need that scale to move and I need it to stay put for a week, (or go lower). My morale is low, low, low! I'm so frustrated. I have to find something to change it up to bust out of this.

Cosmo with unsweetened cran and real lime for sure!!! Vodka martinis are great, but sodium in the olives. I like them dirty. What about a mojito? Minty. Refreshing. Another fave is Sangria. You can make it with some carbonation or without. Either way it's never fizzy. Great recipies for all of these are easy to find on the web.

Hi all- anyone struggling with high cholesterol? I'm 37 and 2 years ago my cholesterol went absolutely wacky, high. It's always been healthy and low, low prior. It was one of the reasons I did LBS. I'll give it some time. But, it's unnerving. Now, the docs don't think it's food related, maybe genetic or something wrong... I feel great otherwize. I'm 2+ months post op now and my cholesterol went higher. Trigs high too. LDL,HDL sucks? Some of the shakes I've been doing are supposed to help LOWER it? I added in the oatmeal too. I'm a vegetarian so I have been doing up dairy for protein. I'm starting a statin today to see if once I get it lowered in 6 weeks and retest, maybe it will stay low. Hopefully I don't get all the icky side effects from the script. I loathe meds. I couldn't find a Red Yeast Rice tablet that would be small enough to take, or I probably might have done that. It too, comes with complications/ side effects. Exercise, check Whole Grains, check, check Vegetables, Fruit, check No greasy, fried foods, red meat, check Dumbfounded, check.

Elcee, I also agree in what you are saying! It wasn't an easy decision for me to take the statins. I've agreed to try short term. If the side effects inhibit exercise I'm stopping them. Thats more important to me. I typically tend to follow a pretty alternative health pattern- lifestyle. It was alarming that in recent years my results from labs went completely bezerk. I live in an opposite land now! Thankfully I have good blood pressure and no problems with sugar. I am not at an ideal weight yet, so thats where my concern is adding to the complications. I'm still 211. Slowly, slow... I think if my weight wasn't such a factor I'd feel more like I could go without. I'll probably do a liver flush sometime too. Have you heard of those? You look great though!!!!! Congrats on your successes.

I went through all my labs tonight again. Frustrating, yes. Life threatening no. Fixable, lets hope so. I started the script and I will take it for 6 weeks unless I get side effects, (flu like symptoms) then plan b? I also did more research and perhaps I can optimize my thyroid levels more (I don't have one working anymore, post treatment for Graves Disease) specifically my T3's. Although my TSH is in the normal range, the hypothyroid condition can effect Cholesterol. Graves disease has no mercy on me. It's so sneaky! I have a good primary care physician who may consider this factor, since we could not conclude another reason. He's receptive. Our diet does include lots of EVOO, Avo and nuts of all types. You'd think my good cholesterol would be in better shape. It's borderline low. Thanks for all the support and feedback. I appreciate it.

I too have been playing around with the same three pounds for over a month. It's annoying. I think inches are coming off, but it is frustrating to keep hitting the same lowest weight. I'm exercising like crazy to just hit a new low. My second fill is 2 weeks late, so thursday the 10th. I have 3ccs. I think I still may reach my goal if I am a little more successful after this next fill.

I like the Premier Nutrition they sell at costco especially when I need something on the go. Aseptic single serve contaners. It is sold in the case. 30gP. chocolate is the only flavor avail. It does not have artificial sweetners like sucralose or aspertame in it which is perfect for me. Some of these others mentionedsound good! I have not heard of, i'd like to try them! coffee ones sound right up my alley.

No food a few hours before.

Any March bandsters out there? I just got a March 15th date, after 10 months of waiting and participating in program to meet insurance reqs.

I agree with Betsy B! I'm a vegetarian so protein is way important for me to get daily.

Don't be surprised if you plateau and it takes a few fills to kick the band into action. Everyone is different and bandster hell can take months. My Surg. recommends 100g protein (impossible) post fill. I'm waiting for my second fill and since returning to solid foods post op I've barely lost a few pounds and have been doing everything I can to loose. It's willpower and work... and not the same for everyone.

Hi Everyone, it's been awhile since I've checked in. So few of us still following up. Where did everyone go??? Glad to hear everyone posting is doing well. I had my first fill of 3cc's 2 weeks ago. My weight is bouncing around and when I lose, i have not been able to keep it off, I'm -4, +4. Lowest I've been is 209. Maybe I should just stay off the scale for a while. I've started Zumba and love it. I would go everyday if I found classes daily. So much fun. Do go if classes are offered near you! I notice my clothes fit differently, so, maybe, I'm toning. I've had a funny stomach ache the last few days, so I've been drinking protein shakes and sticking to mostly soft foods like greek yogurt. Not sure if it's a bug, or just the new fill adjustment settling in. Stuck gas? It's just not really going away. I read that some people have a delayed response to fills. I thought it sounded wierd, but now I'm reconsidering. I'm avoiding sodium and I don't do carbonation either. I have not had any problems specifically with any sort of food, not bread, not anything which I am thankful for since it's asparagus season here in VT. My next fill isn't till june 10th and (although usually i'm inpatient) I'm glad it gives me some more time to figure out how my body is responding. Be well everyone!

I want in! This will be my first challenge, so I'll need instructions. I'm at 210 and would love to go for -15lbs. thanks!

How does the life insurance industry factor in WLS, particularly the Lap Band? Since I've been a mom I've had a life insurance policy, I think I bought a 10 yr term- about 5 years ago. They ran all sorts of bloodwork and weight- before approval and cost. So, when I buy another policy in a few years with a healthy weight, what will they think of the band? Has anyone recently gone through a life insurance eval post band? Thanks for any info or experience you might have on this.

Thank you for the replies! Glad to read people are being underwirtten. I just hope the cost is less expensive than it would be if obesity was part of the factor. As more people get banded, maybe premiums will continue to fall.

Find out ALL the details from your insurance company regarding bariatric surgery. Your weight may be approved IF you have other co-morbidities. You'll need to know it anyway. I started out at 5'4, 244 and got it done through building a case based on other health related issues. It wasn't easy but documdent everything. Don't add on the additional weight for real, you'll be expected to loose some pre op anyway, right?

Hi March Bandsters! My surg. was march 15, 2010. I finally got my first fill this afternoon, so I have a total of 3cc. My surgeon leaves band empty till 6weeks post op. I'm feeling fine, and hope this gives me a bit of restriction because it will be monthly adjustments from here on out. I've lost a total of 32lbs (incl. pre op diet). I've been at 212 for a few weeks now- so looking forward to restriction. On liquids for a few days, so that should kick things going downward a bit in the meantime...:redface: i can smell onderland, just a few weeks away maybe???

Wow! You look great! Sometimes I feel the same way too. It takes a while to get used to the complements- so I had to learn to say... Thanks! Like thats so tough, but I am still practicing.

You are on the right track. Popsicles, YES!!!!, herbal tea, (Papaya tablets the next week) and keep on top of the medicines-ask for something for nausea if you are given narcotics- especially if you have a long drive home. Also, see what type of laxative they recommend or can prescribe. The meds can bind you up, better not to wait! Good luck!

Hi all- I've heard all these warnings about "strecthing the pouch". Is this something that happens before fills or after? Has it ever happened to anyone? How did you know it did? It's something i think about all the time- the fear does help me with mindful eating! I'd like more accurate info if there is any- or personal experiences. Waiting for first fill in 2 more weeks, I'm 6 weeks post op. Thanks!

I have some questions about fills and banster hell; I'm post op and beginning to reintroduce solid foods. My band is "empty". So far (knock on wood) I have not had any stuck epsiodes with some bits of the more tabu foods that don't always work with the band. My question is, will this change with each fill? or, is it that I'm potentially agreeable to bits of rice, pasta, veggies, and bread? i do feel like I could eat anything without a problem, but I'm terrified. I don't want to make any assumptions that what works one day will work the next-- or post fill. We are encouraged to do liquids after a fill for 24hrs. Is the process of reintroduction the same after every fill? My next question is I could really use some suggestions while I wait for my first fill. Due to scheduleing complications at the office, I'm more than a MONTH away from fill #1- closeer to 6 weeks. I am watching portions and feel fullness long after I eat. But the hunger seems to be creeping back in; is this Banster Hell? That being said, I have not lost any weight even though my calories are 1000-1200/day. It's been about a week... I'm going to get more exercise in, but I'm afraid I'm going to get hungrier and not feel as full as long, I want to remain in control of this for the next month! Can the band do anything without a fill? It seems to be now, but then again I'm only a month out. I hope so. Thanks everyone!

Thanks ya'll, this thread was helpful for me!

Just had my 2 wk Post Op check up today. Surgeon said, in 2 more weeks I don't want you to ever eat mushie foods again and I want you to shoot for 100g protein a day. I was stupified, because I'm a vegetaran so that many g's protein is a real challenge; and "no more protein shakes" if i don't eat greek yogurt and cottage cheese, 2 good easy sources of protein- wtf. The dietician came in and talked me through it. I don't know. Then I was supposed to get a date for my next appointment in 4 weeks for my first fill and the earliest they had was in 6 wks. Annoyed and Frustrated.... but otherwize feeling fine.