RobinLB

This thread is encouraging. I was banded 2/7/11 and lost 11 lbs in the first couple of weeks. I've plateaued but I've also been hungry and can eat pretty much as I did pre-banding. I just didn't have restriction. 4 days ago, I had my long waited for 1st fill 4.4 cc's, but still not enough restriction that's going to show much weight loss. I'm so bummed out about the 8 wk waiting period before fills. It's going to be at least the better part of a 1/2 year or more before I start having any kind of weight loss that will be noticable to others. I really didn't picture having to wait so long for results, but at least after reading this thread, I'm feeling less discouraged.

Well, I've never tested eating as much as I would want to. I'm used to feeling full when I'm done eating, and except for the first few days right after surgery when there was swelling to help give you the I-can't-eat-anymore- feeling. I stop when I'm comfortable, or the food runs out on my plate, LOL. I also count calories never letting it go above 1000, mostly in 800-900 cal range. If I get hungry, meaning my stomach feels very very empty, or there are hunger pains, in other words, no mistaking it for psychological hunger, I eat something, or do a Protein shake. I often add Protein powder to the Protein shake because 1) it gives me more Protein, and 2) it adds a little more thickness to it that helps to stick to the ribs a little more. I have not suffered at all when it comes to eating since I've been banded. I'm hungry, I eat and there's ususally 2-4 hours between eating/meals. I don't think I'm going to be one of those real fast losers, but I am losing. 6 lbs in two weeks. I'l probably be even more comfortable after my first fill when I can actually feel 'full' again. Hope this helps. BTW, I may not have been listening very well, but I don't recall reading or hearing about stomach muscles really hurting after surgery, so know that will happen. Anything you use your stomach muscles for will cause pain, like getting up from a chair or couch, or rolling out of bed. It lasted about 4 days or so. Thank goodness I never had the gas pains that some people complain about. Good luck, you're on way to a new and better life.

Robin, Mary, Heather... Do you still have same hunger? I am pre-opp would like to know if even if you CAN eat as before you might be less hungry.

Heather, I'm glad you cleared up a couple of things for me. I thought the reason to wait a period of time before and after eating to drink was so you wouldn't throw up, but I guess at least in part, its tohelp you fill full longer. I thought the same thing about taking small bites, waiting 5-10 minutes between bites,making eating very drawn out, was also so you wouldn't get stuck, but thats also help you stay fuller feeling. Ok, I can do that.

uot

I am 9 weeks out and still can eat and drink anything too! Never had to chew or cut up tiny bites. Never had anything get stuck either! I am going for my 3rd fill tomorrow. I don't drink with my meals and I don't chew like your suppose too. I also have a hard time with making my meal last 30 mins....usually 15mins for me. I too am hoping once they hit the "sweet spot" with my fills things will change!! Good Luck to you!

I have been using Portion Control, ie 1/4 cup cottage cheese, 3 oz chicken, etc, but I can easily drink with meals, even gulp down a beverage. Don't have to take smaller than normal bites, and although I'm chewing more than before, there have been many times I've been distracted and feel that particular swallow could have been a problem. Is this all normal? Will it be necessary to do all those things correctly after first fill?

I was banded on 2/7 and only today, the area directly under the big incision is hurting quite a bit. the area doesn't look inflammed but it feels that way. Normal?

About the Blender Bottle, besides great blending, does it help make it thicker, as a blender would?

And here's my contribution to great products: Harmonized Protein, http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/progressive/harmonizedprotein.html

Sweetened with Stevia, blends like a dream, tastes great, and doesn't change texture or clump when used in a hot beverage. The link above has the best prices.

So from time to time I come across a product that as a post-op lap band patient I can not imagine living without. Anything from a new food, book or appliance... Please share about the things you have found helped you with your journey!!!!!

Here are a few things that I love!!!

-Blender bottle.... great invention! Helps to blend drinks when you do not have time to use a blender..

-Bariatric eating.com - great source for Vitamins, protiens, foods etc!

Exactly!!! Perhaps its the quantity of mush that could get you trouble, or a renegade larger piece that escapes the molars.

I never understood that theory, since chewing is most important, thereby thoroughly mushing foods larger in size.

Have you tried eating something a little larger and if yes, how did it work out? I generally eating that size when anything more than very soft food, like NSA pudding, Jello, etc. I haven't had any fills yet, just banded 2/7.

I was just banded 2/7 at Orange Coast Memorial Hospital, Dr. LaPorte's practice, but Dr. Ali specifically. All ok so far but only have lost 3 or so lbs so far. How about you?

Robin, Mission Viejo

Hi everyone. I live in Mission Viejo for the last 13 yrs, but lived right near La Brea Tar pits before that, in fact, worked at Cedars (non clinical area) for years. I was banded 2/7. I've only had 2 anxiety attacks in my life, both over 20 yrs. So I thought it would be a good time to have another one as I was being wheeled on the guerney from where they prep you before taking you to the OR. We passed an emergency exit door and I was fighting with myself whether to jump and escape, LOL. Wasn't funny at the time. And I wouldn't have had to be so dramatic, just simply say 'changed my mind'. I have a fear of vomiting and when I'm overly hungry, can feel nauseated, so what added to the problem is I was queasy before surgery due to hunger, and afraid of pain meds right after surgery would make me vomit, but they didn't. Maybe I wasn't listening carefully, but never heard there would be stomach muscle pain like that. It was much much better a few days later. So now, 10 days later, I feel like a veteran, don't know what my fuss was all about, no trouble eating and drinking appropriately, in fact no problem drinking a little faster than recommended and not waiting between swallows of soft foods, like nsa pudding, etc. Today, eating a scrambled egg for the first time with a little cottage cheese. No problem. I had the surgery at Orange Coast Medical Center, Dr. LaPorte in Fountain Valley. I've had a lot of energy from about day 4, how about you. I've been really productive. Alas, not more than 3 or so lbs lost so far. I'm 5' tall, 260 lbs starting weight, 59 yrs old.

Wow, thanks. Think I'll have to get this. Just the cheatsheet is very helpful, have downloaded it for easy reference. Does this book include quick and easy recipes?

Posted this on another thread and thought it would be of interest here too.

Picked up a copy of Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook for Dummies at Borders Books for $19.95. It's great and answers a lot of questions in plain language that most of us have and some we hadn't thought about. It covers LapBand and Bypass issues and clearly keeps issues with each seperate. There are Nook and Kindle versions too at about $10.00. I think its worth having on the bookshelf.

Here's a cheat sheet link to whats covered in the book in more detail:

http://www.dummies.c...-cheat-she.html

You're not going to lose much when your body is trying to heal.

Why?

...and this is the way any weight loss program works for me. Just today started on Stage 2 foods but if smooth, creamy or liquid, really easy to get down. I feel I might be eating too much, and I find I don't really have to wait between swallows or wait very long before I have a beverage. I assume that will change after 1st fill. First few days, not hungry I assume due to swelling, but that has changed, now hungry, stomach growling. Most of all, not losing much has been my big concern since I never ate huge quantities of food, and cutting way down on calories + exercise did not result in weight loss. Always grew an early tolerance to whatever program I was or meds (i.e. fen/phen). Discouraged,

Low cost

Highly blendable

Good flavor

Stevia used for sweetner, not aspartame

Suculose (Spenda) ok, prefer Stevia

No to low sodium

And if possible, not to have it change texture if using in a hot drink,

Just banded one week ago, have only tried Biochem brand so far, I'm using the flavorless one, but it does blend well at all.

I know what you mean. I was just banded a week ago, and there are times when i know I need to stop but its more of a bloated feeling than a 'full' feeling. In fact, I can still feel a hunger pain when i 'feel' I shouldn't eat more. So I don't know if its swelling, gas, to much liquid or what. I can certainly 'eat' more now than a week ago, and I've only dropped a couple of lbs this week. I was hoping I wouldn't need a fill like the few lucky ones but I can already see that's not going to happen.

Meee! 108lbs down, no fill, 9 months out. It's plenty possible.

Reverie,

Are you male or female? Just like with regular dieting, I wonder if men loose faster with LB than women. I looked at your profile, you're only 20? So again, do younger people loose faster with LB than older?

I've thought about this too! and i think i'd like to try to..to a certain extent!

I had my surgery 1/20 and while im not eating entirely normals foods, (still trying to stick to the softest food i can) i definitely notice some restriction! without a doubt, i have to eat smaller bites, smaller amounts, and muuuch slower! that alone is soo good for me! i used to eat so fast before i barely even tasted what i was eating! im slowly discovering "how" to properly eat! small bites, tasting what im eating, and stopping before i get too full. the only problem is that while smaller amounts of food fill me up, i dont stay full for too long. for example, tonight for dinner i ate a piece of salmon, green Beans, and half a baked sweet potato, all healthy choices, and it kept me full for about 3 hours. not bad, but maybe a small amount of Fluid would keep me from being as hungry! all i know, is i would like to be able to eat normally, i.e. proper amounts of healthy food, and not feel like im restricted too much, while using the band to control my hunger. isnt that the point of this? we still need to make healthy choices and be smart! just not be so hungry doing it! good luck to you, im also very interested to hear what other people have to say about this!

I'm not picturing that at this early stage you'd be able to eat as much as a 1/2 sweet potato. I'm sorry, I didn't notice on your message what your weight loss progress has been, but if its been impressive, you might be lucky. Good luck with this!

Lancebijeaux is a user who is doing it. I'm trying too.

That's wonderful! I hope you make it.

I thought I saw mention of it somewhere on this board.

And a few other questions:

1) How long is it necessary to wear the stretchy band thing that you wrap very snuggly around your upper and mid belly?

2) I assume its the swelling that's putting pressure under the area just below my breasts, in the center, at the inch long incision point. What is under that area, the small pouch? I can see where too much food/liquid could back things up and cause vomiting? It hasn't come to that, but I see where it could. I'm so glad I can gauge it early enough to stop before it happens.

3) Did your stomach muscles hurt, like when trying to get up out of a chair or bed?

Seriously. . suck it up!! Check with your doctor, but you should be able to eat plenty of yummy things during the full liquids phase. Why don't you buy some turkey chili and blend it with some chicken broth and Greek yogurt (tastes like sour cream)? Or you can do banana smoothies with skim milk and maybe a dash of cinnamon and sugar? You have to get creative. It's worth a trip to Whole Foods or some other spot to buy some delicious Soups that you will enjoy -- then just blend them up and thin them with broth if you have to. This phase really does not have to be a huge deprivation phase -- there are plenty of delicious liquid things that you can enjoy without going off the rails.

BTW, when you get to mushies. . don't forget about FF refried Beans and cheese. . yum. Was a staple for me during that phase!

Best wishes,

Catherine

Wow, great recipe suggestions.

An additional note to my post below - I'm actually feeling a LOT better tonight.

Ok, those of us who had it today. How did it go, how are you feeling? It was a little more difficult than I had anticipated because of few factors: I got little sleep the night before, had tremendous anxiety, (unusual for me0, and consideredd jumping off the guerny and running for it when theythey were taking me to the OR. I don't ususally have pain from surgeries, and there is some pain, not unbearable though. It's a little better tonight . Did you get a stretchy band to where around your torso? Its so supposed to make you feel a litt more comfortabl but I'm not sure. I thinks its also supposed to help keep the swelling down.

Being overly hungry causes me to be qweezy to nauseated (which I fear) and I experienced that before the surgery, which was making me more anxious. the Anesthesiologist gave me so anti-nausea meds before I went to the OR. I think it helped. After surgery, felt I needed pain relief. I panicked when they said they would be giving demerol, since I get sick from it especially on an empty stomach, but they said they do something with it where there's not that reaction any more, and they were right.

And I'm having to walk for one minute every 15 minutes to prevent clot, whicih is not quite happening that often, more like every 30min-60min. I also have to blow in that plastic toy like thing to keep my oxgen up, once every hour 6-8 times. The muscles in my chest get sore from doing that but am able to get the number up to the goal level tonight. Was a little harder when still in recovery. The nurse at the hospital said something encouraging - that what ever pain or discomfort I'm experiencing, this is the worst it will be and day by day gets easier. I'll keep you posted. So in summary, more difficult than I thought but this was because of my personal quirks, better than it could have been. I've been drinking a little Water here and there, and 3-4 super small spoons of greek yogurt. When down fine, waited 10 minutes between each one. I did begin to 'feel' when I should probably stop, and I did. I can live with this! I was so worried I wouldn't know when to stop, and get sick.

I have been fortunate in that everyone at work and at home has been supportive and encouraging even those who have come up to me to ask my permission to tell me how good I look

I'm offering a dollar to everyone that comes up to tell me that. Whether its true or not.

to those who during the holidays keep the christmas goodies out of my site or those that made the ultimate sacrifice and ate them before I could be tempted

LOL.

(God Bless them!). Right down to my DH who continues this process with me and in his own way compliments my weight loss ( Wow honey, you now have wrinkles in your behind..

Now that's funny. Actually, I expect to have hanging skin on my behind because its very large and has been since I've been a little girl. I knew someone who'd had the Fobi pouch, had lost all her excess weight, and she had hanging skin on her behind. It is what it is. And there's always cosmetic surgery

Scorpio, so am I!

Ok -- should we go for it? I'm Oct 29th.

:DEveryone, congrats! As you can see every thing that you are feeling is normal. It sounds as if you have done your homework and are approaching this process with eyes open. Being realistic about what the band as a tool and not a fast fix is a must in order for you to be successful. Your emotions are real and I am glad to hear that you are voicing them and that others are here to support you through this time. This process works differently for everyone, our bodies respond differently, and we all wonder if we might "fail" one more time as we have when doing the diet trail. Esteem plays a big role in this and watching your body change may even seem sureal as we have gotten so used to seeing ourselves as "fat" or whatever term you choose to apply to your body shape today/or in it's heaviest moment. Some of us grieve for the loss of our relationship with food, others will experience fear/of the unknown or the what if. OK so weight will come off slowly for some of us and then for some weight will come off fast, as long as we get there! Our bodies are changing and in many ways our lifestyle will change too. How it will change is the unknown...how will we handle ourselves when eating out, what will we do when we are in a group setting and there is nothing that we can actually eat/or want to eat...who will we tell about our surgery? and many more questions. You will work this out and you will have some bad times, but you WILL work out these situations to your satisfaction.

Water at work I carry a bottle around with me where ever I go. A lunch full of crap? I will bring in my lunch and either eat it with the rest of the folks or I will eat my lunch before I go, bring my Water (I put crystal light in it for taste) and then enjoy the others. Eating out, I have learned to stay away from the bread basket, I choose my meals carefully and use the bread plate for my main plate. As for work...I decided to be open and tell everyone as when the weight came off they would all probably label me with a traumatic illenss and my family is aware. I made the mistake of trying to protect my mom as she has always had a life long fear of surgeries and her health is not the best so I did not tell her until afterwards. After she thanked me for loving her enough to protect her I then was treated to her "and don't you do that again and since when do we lie to each other now that you are a grown woman" lecture. I am not perfect by any means and I am still working issues out, but I am doing it and I know the plateaus and bumps are coming my way, however, I overcome them and I will not be shocked by them and I will carry on. How bout you? sounds to me as if you will too! Good Luck and keep us updated.

thsisme - well said! What I neglected to ad in my first post are my biggest concerns: not knowing exactly what is a 'small' bite although I've been given the analogy of the size of an eraser on a pencil. That does help. What amount is a 'sip'? How am I going to deal without being able to gulp when I'm SO thirsty? I've never been able to get a good analogy from anyone what it feels like when food gets stuck, other than its 'comfortable' or 'it really hurts'. I've got my ammunition (Papaya enzymes and meat tenderizer) ready though. I already assume my skin will sag and have no illusions about a 'beautiful' body, except in the spiritual sense. I'm extremely happy that I won't be taking up so much space everywhere I go, no issues with airline seats or even my discomfort in them, and trying to pack my arms in to no intrude on the next person's space. I want to know what it is to not be winded going up stairs, to not panic when I approach a turnstyle, to not have to pay an additional $5-10 to get clothes in my size from a catalog, often needing help to get a seatbelt closed when insomeone else's car, wondering before I sit on a chair if it will support my weight or how am I going to be able to get up and out of a couch without looking pitiful. And with any luck, be down enough to be able to qualify for an individual medical insurance plan with premiums less than what I'm paying on my current small group plan (I'm self-employed). Regardless of the bumps in the road, look how our lives will become easier, less stressful and fearful, and I'm sure there's a lot more I haven't remembered to add to the list above. BTW, I know a lot of people consider getting obesity surgery a private matter and struggle with who to tell, who not, etc. Everyone's different, but I don't relate with this at all. What's the big deal about it? (no pun intended, LOL) When appropriate, I always mention it. People seem to be very interested in that. If anything, it's an ice breaker, LOL. Someone else mentioned she doesn't want other people watching what she eats and and ready to judge. People who 'watch' will do that even in you're on Weight Watcher, and you know they've always been watching you being their superior selves. "Look at her, that's her 2nd dinner roll". With people like that, just pull a chair up to where they're sitting, the more in their space as possible, the better, and comment on everything they're eating with each bite. "You shouldn't be eating that fried shrimp! Do you NOT care about your cardiac health? (and then rattle off some statistics about mortality rates related to eating fried or unhealthy food. You have children you need to be there for!! Then do it again with the next bite they eat of anything where there's a health risk (which is almost everything!). Do some slow moving your head back and forth, with a superior, there's nothing that can be done for this person expression on your face). You get the picture. Letting people get away with stuff like that is giving them permission to do it in the first place. There has to be an uncomfortable/annoying/embarrassing/mortifying consequence or it will continue. Mortifying is always good. Ok, now you know I'm a Scorpio (vengeful), LOL. But incredibly kind also. And modest!