Yvette1026

I feel great. Day of surgery (Friday) was rough but I don't remember it (yay good drugs lol) I rested all weekend, was up and getting around on Sunday and was back to normal come Monday. My tips are have your pain meds ahead of time. Gas-x strips (use sparingly and only when the gas pressure is unbearable because the sooner it gets out the sooner you'll feel better - gas-x keeps it in) Heating pad (if you have two even better) Stay upright as much as possible (I slept upright for 3 days in a recliner) Walk as much as possible. Clear liquids first 48, even after the surgery even though you won't feel like much of anything, it's important to rehydrate. Follow your doctor's orders :smile: I couldn't tell you how great I feel, minus the gas everything is great I had a rapid recovery and am healing nicely

you'll be fine, as long as you've been adhearing. Sometimes it's not about losing weight, it's more about cleaning your liver of fat and toxins. The healthy food does this and your liver shrinks making it easier for the surgeons to work around it.

My own 140lbs+ weight loss in less than a year (pre-band) My multitude of celebrity fitness personalities and professional athlete clients I represent. My doctor and their doctors/trainers. Multitudes of medical and fitness research on the subject over the last 5 years. Vitamin K is what creates skins elasticity and promotes collagen along with Vitamins C, E, A and B complex. If you research it you'll find many sites and references on the subject. Here are some that are written in layman's terms for the general public: The Myth of Loose Skin Dieters: How to Avoid Loose Skin Problems by Janice Elizabeth Small Simply Slimming How to Tighten Loose Skin After Losing Weight: Saggy Skin Can Be Prevented and Fixed, Page 2 of 2 - Associated Content - associatedcontent.com Now you may be asking ok but??? The process as the first link goes into is that Protein feeds and builds your muscles, your muscles burn fat, in turn keeping your skin tight. I could show you some medical and industry sites as well that give you breakdown on how you should eat x amount of grams of protein per what you weigh and want to weigh to avoid excess skin. If you research the topic in depth, you'll come to find the same conclusion.

Exactly...our bands are now part of our body, it's very important to listen and take heed to what it's telling us. For example I KNOW redmeat is on the absolute "do not eat" list during month one, regardless of the idealology you're following for post-op diet. However, my body CRAVES redmeat, being an O blood type it is a necessary. I feel ill and sluggish without it pre-band and post. There are ways to prepare it to make it almost "mushie" and I have. Last night and today the left overs of it. I had 4oz of it and I feel better than I have since surgery. And my body and band has processed it and digested it just fine with no problem. It's important to remember what our bands do... our bands don't digest the food, we still have a stomach for that, they just monitor the amounts of food we can put in at one time. If I told everyone what I ate yesterday they'd all want to put me on timeout...But the band is about living your best live and achieving your best you, and that's exactly what I'm doing :thumbup:

Exactly.. that's the best attitude to have!

There's varying ideaology on this.. while I'm not going to tell anyone what to do and I say follow what your doctor has told you to do. Some of the leading WLS surgeons in the world say there's no issue with eating after the first 48 hours. There's certain foods that are completely off limits within your first month like corn, starches (bread,pasta, etc...) red meat, etc.. but if you do your OWN research and listen to YOUR body. I'm sure you'll do fine.

Don't feel bad.. the band is there to help you.. the band is there not so you don't eat normal food and enjoy yourself ,it's so you don't eat everything in sight or out of control like you/we more than likely did before the band. You enjoyed a holiday meal with your family. Great, it's not the end of the world, do yourself a favor and DON"T weigh yourself for the next week and just work it off during the week. I'm day 8, and had holiday dinner, I definitely felt the restriction and stopped, paced myself, etc.. and did the same on day 3... I'm sure some of you are gasping and shaking your head, but I've adhered and done very well.. No complaints here

Get your required protein and work out, lose body fat and not muscle and you'll be fine. Loose/saggy skin is created when you lose muscle and not fat. Period. - Doesn't matter if you lose weight from lapband or natural or any other way.

Funny I'm having the opposite problem and was coming on here to post a question.... I should have started my period and haven't. I can only assume it's the hormone change from surgery/healing. Prior to surgery I was in full PMS mode about to start any day had surgery and now nothing... Anyone else experience this?

WOW congratulations! I hope to have similar success in 6 months time! Congrats again!

From my understanding there is EXTREME acid reflux and pain accompanied by the inability to be able to keep food and Water down.. but the biggest part is the acid reflux. Youc an find more information here Band Slip (How can you tell) - Lap Band Surgery - Australian Lifestyle Message Boards

Starbursts do not count as "Gummies". Pasta especially covered in cheesey fattening goodness, in even a small bite or two are NOT your friend. Sugar cookies dissolve in your mouth before you even realize you put one in there and you're REALLY not supposed to be eating them. No those ghirardelli chocolate and caramel squares will not just melt and slide... Christmas parties and potlucks are the devil when you're a day short of being a week out of surgery. All of the above results in gas, and gas pains coming back even though you've been pain free for a week. Today I will do liquids all day, until dinner and then I will be VERY VERY VERY careful and then go back on to liquids to repair any damage I did last night... UGH...

Starbursts do not count as "Gummies". Pasta especially covered in cheesey fattening goodness, in even a small bite or two are NOT your friend. Sugar cookies dissolve in your mouth before you even realize you put one in there and you're REALLY not supposed to be eating them. No those ghirardelli chocolate and caramel squares will not just melt and slide... Christmas parties and potlucks are the devil when you're a day short of being a week out of surgery. All of the above results in gas, and gas pains coming back even though you've been pain free for a week. Today I will do liquids all day, until dinner and then I will be VERY VERY VERY careful and then go back on to liquids to repair any damage I did last night... UGH...

When I was counting calories I used www.thedailyplate.com after about a week I was over it.. but some find it useful

We all have those days, you see it, you recognize and just try to do better next time. But all of that to the side, a VERY Happy Birthday to you! Do a do-over and take a day for yourself!

Get rid of them, don't have them accessible for you to be able to sneak out to the garage for a drag or two.. Find better ways to channel your feelings/energy. Try a substitute like a sugar free lollipop or that Water vapor smoker, that lets you blow "smoke" and everything even though it's just water. Commit to yourself, better yourself, encourage yourself and you'll be better equiped to handle the stresses that are causing you to smoke. Meditation, prayer, etc... are all other way to overcome it as well. Good luck!

It is water weight/swelling and gas. As your body heals your weight will go down.

The weightloss will help you get pregnant and help both you and baby be healthier in the long run. Yes obese women have babies every day, but the extra hormones that the extra fat produces can mess our bodies up and make it very difficult to conceive. I think you've made a VERY wise decision to have the surgery first and then try. Good luck with everything!

YAY for the 299'ers! It's a great feeling!

It's a not a matter of which is best, it's a matter of what you prefer. I personally use whey Protein, make shakes out of it in different flavors. You can also make pudding, etc.. there's also some products out thre like Isopure or "whey up" that give you 20-40 grams of protein in every bottle. Greek yogurt is low in sugar and HIGH in protein, usually 20 grams in a serving. I mix greek yogurt into things like Jello, etc.. to add a lil' protein to everything I eat. Before your surgery I would suggest upping your protein, I for example ate chicken breasts and protein style cheese burgers (cheeseburger without the bun or mayo, etc) then I fasted the two days before surgery drinking only whey protein. I had surgery on friday and was off pain meds and back to normal by sunday. Every body is different, it's important that you listen to yours. Mine craves red meat, so I made sure I gave it what it needed to promote healing, etc.. pay attention to what your body is telling you and you should be ok. Also what is your pre-op diet like? does it allow you to have food and not just liquids? every dr is different. I was allowed 3 shakes and 2 meals per day, with an option for a snack during my pre-op diet. It all just depends on you and your doctor. But now is the time to prime you body and promote healing. Up your Vitamins, etc.. and go in with a positive mindset.

No worries, I used to do benefits administration for a living, even though it seems like a lifetime ago, the knowledge is still locked in there lol

Depends on your insurance. Some insurances let you get to a live person without entering your information and some require you to be active in the system before they'll speak to you. BCBS and aetna for example require you to be a member before they provide you information, unless you're calling their sales line.

Once you know what's required, if they didn't refer you to one, make an appointment to go to a seminar. Research surgeons in your area and go check them out. I say avoid going before you know, because some places will pressure you to go self-pay and/or have you pay for "testing" that your insurance would normally cover.

Make the 5-10 minute call to your insurance. Ask them the following: 1.) Do they cover the surgery? 2.) What requirements are there for them to cover the surgery? (BMI, Co-morbidities, etc...) 3.) What is required of you to obtain the surgery (6 month diet plan?, year of proof of weightloss, etc.. - every insurance has different requirements) 4.) Do they have a preferred WLS surgeon or provider in your area?

WOW thank you SO much for that information! I know your surgeon's office is one of the top ones in AZ, probably the country. VERY useful information.. Thank you for sharing it with me. But man I just had scrambled eggs and spinach (cooked into the eggs) and OMGOODNESS I am so full, I'm TOTALLY feeling the restriction, my natural reaction is to drink to help it go down... I'm sipping apple juice hoping it will help but so far not so good.