happy2lose

Muscle Milk is pretty good but my favorite is Matrix5. It tastes great when you add ice and banana to the vanilla mix and make a smoothie in the blender.

My surgeon told me that the port pain would last up to about week 6 and he was right on the mark. Congratulations! Donna

Congratulations Stacy! I recommend that you walk, walk, walk. It will jump start your weight loss and help get the gas out. Check with your doctor as to when you can begin working out though. The first month or two is about healing and some people don't lose any weight during this time. I walked a lot and began losing immediately. I'm sure you will do great! Donna

Is Kaiser doing the sleeve now? I have Kaiser (Riverside) and they were not doing the band at the time I was offered the Options program so I opted to go to Mexico and self pay because my only other alternative was GB and I wanted the band. I really didn't know anything about the sleeve when I had my surgery, but now I am wishing I did and wishing I would have gotten the sleeve. It is my understanding that once you are in the Options program you will see one of the doctors in prevent. medicine before you are approved. I do know that your qualifying weight is the weight taken at your time of orientation. Please let me know about the sleeve though because at some point I would like to convert to it. Donna

That is where your band is located. It took 2-3 weeks before I became less aware of it being there. Give it a little more time and I'm willing to bet that feeling goes away.

If you have trouble eating meat, try eating Beans. You can spice them up with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapenos. Also, I swear by the Greek yogurts. The Fage-0 has 20 gr of Protein. Sweeten it with some Splenda and vanilla extract, it tastes great with a little granola for some crunch. Try adding some whey Protein Powder to your food to help boost the protein. Hope I've helped you, Donna

I think you are probably right HappyHomeCC.

All we can do is make suggestions to help you. If you don't want to take our advice then don't complain if you aren't losing weight and eating the way you are suppose to.

You have been given some excellent advice. Sometimes you need to rely on good old "will power". I suggest you go through your refrigerator, freezer and your cupboards immediately and get rid of all the bad foods that you should not be eating. Give them to a neighbor or donate to the homeless shelter but DO NOT KEEP THEM IN YOUR HOUSE. If you focus on your Protein then you should not be hungry. Cut up all your meat before eating it into tiny fingernail size pieces. Concentrate on chewing each piece until it is a paste consistency in your mouth before swallowing. If you do this you will be able to eat any meat. If you are hungry (real hunger not head hunger) between meals then you most likely need a fill. Don't give up. Just start again and do what you know you are suppose to be doing. YOU CAN DO THIS!

IM JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU WITH WHAT I THINK MAY BE KEEPING YOU FROM LOSING. Donna

Sounds like you may be too tight. See if you can get a slight unfill of .25cc or so. Hope you feel better!

Honestly, you can't expect to eat the foods that made you fat in the first place and lose weight while eating them just because you have a lap band. I find it very hard to believe that you were not educated on what types of food you should be eating post lap band. It is never my intention to be mean or hurtful to somebody but I do believe in being honest and direct. You need to purchase the following books if you are serious about losing weight. I have included the link to the books via amazon.com. Amazon.com: Eating Well After Weight Loss Surgery: Over 140 Delicious Low-Fat High-Protein Recipes to Enjoy in the Weeks, Months and Years After Surgery (9781569244531): Patt Levine, Michele Bontmpo-Saray, William B. Inabnet, Meredith Urban-Skuros: B Amazon.com: Recipes for Life After Weight-Loss Surgery: Delicious Dishes for Nourishing the New You (Healthy Living Cookbooks) (9781592332267): Margaret Furtado, Lynette Schultz: Books Amazon.com: Weight Loss Surgery For Dummies (0785555899292): Marina S. Kurian, Barbara Thompson, Brian K. Davidson: Books

Considering you aren't always eating the way you are suppose to or exercising regularly it seems you are still doing pretty well. There are other means of Protein available, I suggest you eat Beans, tofu, eggs, cottage cheese, etc. There are also great protein powders on the market that you can add to your foods. Stay away from starches and sugars. You should try to get at least 30 minutes of exercise daily. I suggest an hour each day to achieve better results. Also, make sure you are drinking enough Water (64 oz).

Are you walking enough? I would call your doctor and ask why you still have shoulder pain. I did not have the pain in my shoulder but it seems to be a very common thing but I've never heard of it lasting for 3 weeks.

Please give an example of the food you consume each day?

I think your behavior is pretty normal for a food addict:smile: Just remember, whatever you gain before surgery you will have to lose after. Gaining now is not a good idea. Your surgeon may put you on a low fat, high Protein liver shrinking diet for your pre-op. I went through a huge range of emotions in the weeks prior to surgery. I was worried about giving up my best friend, FOOD. Just remember, you are not really giving up a lot you will just be eating less. This surgery was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I still enjoy the foods I like but I enjoy being thinner and feeling better much, much, more. I highly recommend that you figure out a daily exercise routine to help you get the weight off. Best of luck to you!

I was required to do a 10-day liver shrinking diet pre-op. Here is what I did and I lost 11 pounds in 10 days: Breakfast: Muscle Milk Snack: Hard boiled egg or lowfat string cheese Lunch: Muscle Milk Snack: lowfat yogurt Dinner: chicken breast & broccoli Snack: hard boiled egg or lowfat string cheese Be sure you get the Muscle Milk with 20g of Protein. It worked!

What kind of help do you need?

Don't beat yourself up over a moment of weakness. It happens! Just start back on the right track and eat only what you are suppose to eat. When I give into my weaknesses I exercise longer to work it off. Have a great day!

I had my surgery done in Mexicali, MX. It was a very good experience that I would do again in a heartbeat. In my opinion, the medical care was better in Mexicali then it is here in California. Top notch surgical team, state of the art hospital and equipment. All English speaking nurses, surgeon, anesthesiologist. Price $7,000 includes hotel stay, transportation, lifetime fills.

Electra, The band works great if you follow the band rules. It can be a very difficult device and there isn't a day go by that I am not concerned I may have damaged it somehow. I have had my band for just over 6 months and have been successful thus far. It does do as promised and greatly reduces your hunger to help you eat less. The weight loss is slow and I have had to work very hard for my results. There is a newer procedure available called the Sleeve. Although I am very happy with the results I have earned with my band, I do wish I would have done the sleeve. Although I don't entirely know the ins and outs of the sleeve, I do know it does not require the maintenance like the band. If I were you I would do some research on it. From what you have described about yourself, I do wonder if GB would be a more suitable procedure for you then the LB. I do however respect your desire to avoid the GB but encourage you to fully investigate the procedure before completely ruling it out. "Head Hunger" is something I deal with all the time. As far as I know there is no cure for head hunger. I would recommend you find a good therapist to help you delve into your eating disorder further. It took a lot of courage on your part to write what you wrote. It brought tears to my eyes reading it because I could totally relate to much of it. This is a horrible disease we are all fighting against. If you would like to talk more, feel free to message me personally. Best of luck to you in your decision making process and the battle of the bulge. Donna

Congratulations Tracy! Everything you have stated is very relatable. Donna

Experiences seem to vary widely as far as surgery and recovery. I felt only discomfort (no pain) after surgery. The discomfort was the feeling of a foreign object in my chest that felt very heavy. This feeling went away in about 10 days. I also experienced a strange rash on my hands and arms that went away by itself. I believe this was an immune response to the band. You may experience discomfort from the gas used during surgery. Most people feel pain in the shoulder area. I did not. I felt the surgery was a piece of cake compared to other surgeries I have had. Your surgeon will put you on a post-op diet that you should follow to the "T". You will get really hungry between days 5-10 but you must not deviate from the post-op instructions no matter how hungry you are. I recommend you focus on drinking Water during this time to keep the hunger at bay. The period between recovery and your first fill are called "bandster hell". It is called this because you will have no restriction and will have to use a great deal of will power to get through it. It does take some time to reach good restriction but once you do, you will not feel deprived of food and weight loss will be relatively easy. I highly recommend you begin walking immediately following surgery and increase the amount of time you walk each day as you are feeling better. My experience has been that you will lose rapidly the first few months if you walk a lot. As soon as your surgeon deems you ready, start a routine/daily exercise regimen. I joined Curves and go 5 times/week and ride my bicycle several times per week for an hour or more. Be sure you get measured at your chest, stomach, hips, arms, legs so you can see non-scale victories (NSV's) for when you can't see the loss on the scale. It is normal to hit plateaus during your weight loss. I find this to be very discouraging but just keep in mind the loss will start up again. This is why measuring is important. I will be happy to answer any other questions you may have if you would like to message me. Best of luck to you!:cursing: Donna

The first couple months after surgery are for healing not weight loss. If you happen to lose weight during this time then you are lucky. Most people do not lose until they have some fill in their band and gain restriction. Once people start the mushie stage of food they tend to gain weight so don't be alarmed it this happens to you. I suggest you begin walking for an hour each day. Walking will be an excellent start to a daily exercise regimen that will help you with your recovery and jump start your weight loss. Best of luck to you. Donna

You should definitely tell your doctor what you have eaten. Please understand I am not trying to be mean here but just because you were able to eat solids without obvious problems doesn't mean you should eat them. Digestion is different with solid food. It causes the stomach to churn more and could possibly tear your stitches that hold your band in place. Damage from eating solids too soon usually show up later when your band slips. Tell your doctor so he/she knows what to look for.