Astrasmom

You made this sound so good that I actually ordered the variety pack. I've been using Elite for so long now that I like to try other things. Elite is good but it's also good to change once and awhile so you don't get bored of the same thing over and over again. Thanks so much. I will let you know what I think.

I use Elite whey Protien Isolate.

Congratulations on the start of your journey. My names Dawn. :thumbup: I was banded in Oct. 2009. You are correct that things go away after you are banded. Luckly I wasn't on any medication before surgery but I was borderline everything and I had sleep apnea (used a CPAP machine for 5 years). My BMI was 49 when I started and I weighed 304lbs. I am no longer borderline anything. All of my bloodwork is normal. I no longer have Sleep Apnea. I am 19lbs from goal (204) and have lost 101lbs so far. My BMI right now is 32. I went from a size 26 to a 14. I can walk long distances now without having to stop and breath. My chest doesn't tighten anymore. I don't have to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes or worry about having an uncontrolable accident from not being able to hold my urine due to being too heavy anymore. I also had open heart surgery for an aortic aneurysm in 2001 and a valve replacement. At the time I chose a porcine valve (pigs valve) because I was only 34 at the time and I didn't like the fact of having to take blood thinner for the rest of my life. Downfall is that this type of valve only lasts for about 10 years. Needless to say I am reaching my 10 years and I am hoping that with the weightloss I have prolonged my next surgery. My cardiologist told me that if I didn't lose the weight I could die on the table. So that was my major shove in the right direction to get this surgery done. Next heart surgery I will get a mechanical valve because I honestly don't want to be (sorry to be graphic) cracked open again. I have no regrets about the surgery except that I didn't get it done sooner. I haven't weighed this much since 1987 so it's been many years. As I tell everyone, I have lost a total person on the outside but I have gained a person on the inside. I have found ME again. Myself esteem is no longer in the crapper and I feel very good about myself. I wish you much success and hope that things go very smoothly for you with the approval process. You have come to the right place for support. Everyone here is very wonderful. I would also recommend a local support group in your area if there is one. Please keep us posted.

Perfectly normal. Are you on the mushie stage? Try eating foods that are higher in protien. This link might help a little. Proteins, food nutrients, Indiadiets: Your guide to Health, Nutrition, Diets, fitness, Weight loss, Diet counselling, customized diets Make sure that you are drinking lots of fluids and keep yourself busy. This is bandster hell unfortunately. You may or may not feel any difference with your first fill. Some people do and some don't. If you can't make it until the 21st I would suggest calling and talking it over with your doctor. Usually they like you to wait for at least 6 weeks after your surgery to make sure the swelling is all down.

Daily recommened protein intake is 60 - 80 grams of protein a day. And this chart should help you with the measuring your protein. Good luck. http://www.indiadiets.com/foods/food_nutrients/Proteins.htm

That's awesome. So how long will you have to wait for your surgery? I had to wait 6 months because of my insurance. I thought it would take FOREVER!! But the day finally arrived and it's been the best 8 months of my life so far. I wish you as much success with this as I have had. Any question please feel free to ask. Good luck to you. And do keep posting your progress. :thumbup:

So very sorry that you are facing this. Everyone here has given you some really good advice. Understand this. You are in this for yourself. Like most of us, we have tried the diets. Sometimes they work sometimes they don't. Me personally, they worked...for awhile and then the weight came back twice as hard. There are people out there that just don't understand. Some of it is out of jealousy, some of it is because they don't know much about the process and after all it is major surgery, so it could be fright too. As hard as it might be I would simply tell your family, "I am sorry that you feel the way that you do, but this is my decision and if you can not abide by my wishes then I will have to distance myself until after my surgery is done. Hopefully after you see that it was the right decision for me, you will then understand. I am sorry and I love you." And then if that doesn't work and they keep pushing you, then unfortunately you have no choice but to distance yourself. I know that it doesn't help because it's your husbands family and if he is there to support you, then he will also understand your reasoning. Meanwhile do not weight yourself. The scale is our enemy. It's a tool to discourage weightloss. If you feel that you must weight yourself, use the same scale and only do it once a week. Also understand that your body is going through starvation mode. You could go up a few pounds. But it will come off eventually. Let me tell you from experience this is the best thing that I could have ever done for myself. I have only one regret, and that is that I didn't get it done sooner. I have lost 101 lbs and I went from a size 26 to a 14. I haven't been this weight or this happy since 1987. I no longer have any abmormalities due to weight and I don't have sleep apnea anymore. I used to be one of those people that thought that surgery was the easy way out. BOY was I wrong. There is nothing easy at all about this process. But it's a great tool to help you lose the weight and keep it off. I have lost a complete person on the outside, but I have gained another person on the inside. Meaning myself esteem is no longer in the crapper and I honestly, for the first time in many years, feel good about myself. I wish you lots of luck. I hope that it all works out for you. Remember no matter who is in your life. Don't allow them to make your decisions for you. You do what is best for you. I would suggest finding a support group in your area if is available. They really do help.

Yes this happened to me. I went in for my 5th fill and about 4 weeks later it was so tight that i could hardly keep anything down so I had to go back in for a small unfill. I do have restriction now and I don't have another visit until August. I'm not sure if I will need a fill next visit or not. I'm not hungry in between meals. I am at a plateau for 2 weeks now. But I am told that when you get down to almost your goal weight, things slow way down.

Ouch. The bigger the dogs the more they insist that they are lap dogs. Silly things. You should be ok. Just keep an eye on it. If you are feeling any more pain than normal, or get a fever call your doctor immediately.

I was a major coffee drinker and I gave it up in August 2009 before my surgery. I thought I was going to die. After about a week I was actually glad that I gave it up. I felt alot better. The reason that my doctor doesn't want me to drink coffee is not becaues of the appetite stimulant but because coffee is a natural diuretic and it will dehydrate you. The key to lapband is that you stay hydrated. My nutritionist said that for every cup of coffee that you drink, it takes 2 cups of Water to replace what you lose. I'm also not supposed to have decaff coffee because even that has a small amount of caffine in it. Now I can not lie. Since I gave the coffee up in August I have had 1 cup. It tasted pretty good but like I said I am glad that I gave it up. I found that I am not as nervous as I was before when drinking coffee. Anyway all doctors are different so if your doctor said that you can drink coffee then you should be ok. But I would follow his orders and not drink it before you are supposed to.

You are absolutely correct on this. I have a hard time eating in the morning also. As the day goes on my band loosens and I'm able to eat easier. Great point!! Also ladies (Sorry to be a bit graphic) during that time of the month, you can experience a little more tightness also.

Congratulations on your success. All together with the pre-liquid diet I have lost 101lbs. Since surgery I have lost 91lbs. I feel awesome. I am 4lbs away from ONEDERLAND. I haven't been there since 1987. I no longer have sleep apnea. I to went in thinking I would need a pressure adjustment and was told that I no longer have sleep apnea. After living on that CPAP machine for 5 years. You have NO IDEA how good it is to sleep without it. My weighloss has also slowed down but I am losing inches as well. I went from a size 26 to a 14. Almost ready to move into a size 12. Some of my tops I have to wear a size 8. I do exercise but I'm not a fanatic. I walk alot. I exercise alot at home with my Wii and with exercise video's on the TV. I would LOVE to get my bike out and ride but it's been too hot and the darn green heads are murder this year. As I tell everyone, I have lost a complete person on the outside but I have gained a person on the inside. My self-esteem is much better. I actually feel good about myself which I haven't in many years. And it's wonderful when people tell you, "You look awesome. I almost didn't recognize you." I have to admit the attention is worth the entire process. I hope everyone else is doing well???

There are alot of us that can't do eggs anymore. Try smaller bites and if it happens again I would suggest passing on the eggs for awhile. As you go up in fills you will find that there are more foods that won't agree with you. Just remember do not swallow anything bigger then an M&M. And eat very slow. Take at least 25-30 chews before you swallow.

Things get better after you fills. You'll get there. 26lbs is great. Keep up the great work. Congratulations!!!

Hi Andrea, I'm Dawn. Nice to meet you. Congratulations on the start of your journey. Please feel free to ask questions and do read as much as you can at this point. Keep us posted.

Wow 1800 calories is alot of calories. My nutritionist said 800-1100 calories a day for weightloss. I really haven't been to hard on the carbs but the decreased calories are what have helped me. Sometimes I have a bit more because it's good to shock your body once and awhile otherwise it gets used to the calorie intake.

Your very welcome. Any other questions that I can help you with, please ask. Good luck to you. How are things going?

Forgive me for being blunt with you. It's not my intentions to hurt anyone but I was always taught to tell the truth no matter what the costs. So here goes. Here is the question that you need to ask yourself. Do I want to be healthy? Or do I want to die of weight complications and liver disease from drinking to much? Grant it even people that eat healthy and lose weight can get cancer or have a heart attack. HOWEVER your chances of dieing of weight complications and liver disease from drinking to much are greater. We all have to give a little to get alot. If you want to live then I would suggest giving up the bottle and either try the weightloss on your own or look into Weightloss surgery. No one can make you do anything. If you don't want to take care of yourself, then the doctor shouldn't put all of his/her efforts into trying either. I still enjoy a drink now and then. In my younger years I used to drink pretty heavily. Before surgery I used to enjoy a 6 pack of beer once or twice a week also. Now I enjoy a 2-4 wine coolers or a glass of red wine maybe once a month. No one said you have to stop living. You just have to be commited to making a lifestyle change. Most people drink in excess because they are depressed. Not because they truley enjoy drinking. So maybe you should start there first. Again sorry if I offended. Good luck to you no matter what you decide. Hopefully your decision will be to stick around for longer.

There was a lady in my seminar that was 85 years young and getting the Lapband surgery done.

It's a place where several if not all of us have not been in a VERY long time and can't wait to get there. :scared2:

I have only saved 1 pair of my heaviest weight pants (Size 26). I am now in size 14. As soon as I lose the weight and the clothing is too big for me I take them right to good will. I refuse to keep them around because I am NOT gaining the weight back. Out with the old, in with the new. My theory is I have lost an entire person on the outside but I have gained a new person on the inside. The person on the inside is the one with the new outlook on life and she definately doesn't want to go back to the way things used to be. So if those fat clothes are not around, then the least likely I am to get back into them. And I am NOT going out to by bigger clothes, I am going to buy smaller clothes. :scared2:

Congratulations on your weightloss. And also good luck in whatever decision that you make regarding the Lapband surgery. You are also very lucky to have a wife that supports your decisions. Please do keep us posted.

Just the opposite. If you weren't feeling all of this, I would say you aren't normal. But you are very normal. It's major surgery. As with any surgery there are risks. To be honest with you I can't sit here and say that no one has died on the table due to complications, because I know there have been deaths. But what I can tell you is that the rate of success is proven to be higher then the rate of deaths and complications of the lapband. I have only 1 regret since I have been banded. That is that I didn't get it done sooner. My doctor told me that they expect you to lose 50% of your body weight in the first year. I am already 75% down and only 8 months (100 lbs.) I have not weighed this much since 1987. I can not be 100% forward with you and say you will be ok, because no one knows and I can't tell the furture. I can tell you that the surgery wasn't that bad and I have been through Open Heart Surgery on the bypass machine. So if I can make it through that, I'm sure you will be fine with the Lapband surgery. I wish you much luck and please keep us posted.

Try Gas-X strips to see if that helps. Sounds like trapped gas. Try sugar free ice pops also when you can move onto straight liquids. They help with the swelling also.

I was in the same place you were a week ago. I waited 4 weeks before I finally decided I had to make the call to have a tiny bit of fluid removed. I could get fluids in but it was very uncomfortable. Solids were getting stuck way to easily and I wound up PBing alot also. I was scared to get the fluid taken out because I didn't want to start gaining the weight back. I finally realized that I was doing myself harm by not getting enough nutrients in my body. So I got the unfill. I feel much better and I am still losing the weight. I would definately call your doctor and get an unfill. You will feel so much better. And you will still have the restriction. You just won't be uncomfortable.