BetsyB

Leigha, quick question: how much of that 2150 calories represents exercise above and beyond activities of daily living? The 2150 minus 1790? It should be pretty easy to rack up 360 calories, exercise-wise, even on non-running days. Especially with your gardening and bike riding!

Denise, congratulations--that is a heck of an NSV! Doesn't it feel great?!

I have not had this problem. My scale says the same thing no matter how I move, or where I stand. It was pricey, but it was well worth the $$ spent. It's a Terraillon. I've had it for a number of years, and it weighs me exactly one pound lighter than my surgeon's scale, each and every time I go in. That's consistency!

For this surgery, I had staples, and they were kept in long enough that the incision did not pop open. I have had, in the past, experiences like yours---and everything healed up just fine. It is disconcerting, though, isn't it?

I would guess that, even though you intellectually knew that you would not hit sweet spot, you really did kind of expect a bigger change---and that simply is not achieved, for most of us, with the first fill. In reality, the band is like a little noose. Even without restriction, it does limit capacity. (It may empty rapidly into the stomach below, but it can only hold so much at a time.) If you really think you're hungrier, be sure to be careful with your food choices. Avoid sliders---without restriction, they can swoosh right on through, leaving you as hungry as before eating. Lean toward lean Proteins and nonstarchy veggies and heart-healthy fats---things that will stick with you without triggering more hunger. I know it's frustrating---it does get lots better! Hang in there

Congratulations!

Karen, I'm sorry you're facing a potentially scary situation. I've been in those shoes--and I have to say that it's just SO amazing that we have the screening we now have to identify potential problems (and rule them out!). I am sure you will get good news--but we are here for you no matter what. AF--welcome! My doctor wants us to have at least 2 liters of water/day. I'm only now flirting with restriction, and can drink Fluid without thinking about amount--it moves right through without stretching the pouch, as long as I don't have food in there. (My doctor's rule for that is NO drinking for 90 minutes after a meal.) I started walking again right after surgery--not as far as I walked preop, but I was up and at 'em right away. I was cleared to exercise without restriction after 4 weeks.

It's completely normal. Our incisions are tiny, but they do not reflect all that our bodies have endured. You had general anesthesia, 5 incisions were made in your abdomen, your organs were manipulated, and your mode of nourishment was pretty dramatically changed. Your body has a lot more to recover from than the surface tells! You will feel much more like yourself very soon.

Oh, there were lots of reasons, going way back to preschool years and my weight-obsessed mother. But really, it boils down to eating too much. I do have a metabolism that sucks--I require only 800-1000 calories to lose and, when at a normal weight, to maintain. (This is with daily, vigorous exercise.) My gain came mostly as a result of fighting THAT cold reality tooth and nail. I had a great deal of help from programs like Weight Watchers that insisted I must eat more---information I happily accepted, even as I watched myself expand, because I didn't want to believe I had to pare down to 800 calories---and would do anything to disprove it. But my journals don't lie: years of gain-loss-maintain patterns showed me what I could no longer ignore: that, like it or not, I had to drop down to the level where MY body loses weight. This physical fact, coupled with a couple of emotional wallops, fed me quite nicely, all the way up to 246.8 pounds. Thank GOD for the band. It makes doing what I should have been doing all along possible long-term.

My doctor handles nutrition education the same way. We have a class and are given a CD-ROM with more detailed information for reference. He also has follow-up classes after surgery. All are taught by the nurse coordinator, though the dietitian has had cameos.

You weren't denied coverage. You were simply told their "rules" for coverage. And that includes the 3-month supervised diet for which the clock starts ticking with the first weigh-in in the surgeon's office. It's all spelled out pretty definitively in your insurance contract. (I have the same BCBS coverage.) Your surgeon's insurance specialist should have known that Weight Watchers records, or even records of monitoring by your primary care physician, would not be sufficient for BCBS, and told you this so your hopes would not have been raised. I'm sorry you were disappointed---but the ball is now rolling, and you will be amazed at how rapidly the time goes by as you do all the hoop-jumping required preoperatively. (You will be busy doing things like getting clearance from a psychologist, having pulmonary function tests and seeing a pulmonologist and cardiologist, and so on.) Really, your surgery would not likely be scheduled any sooner if you didn't have to wait for BCBS approval---even self-pay patients have to get these clearances, and they take time. Before you know it, you'll be banded!

Lisa, I'm so excited for you! You will have a wonderful experience with Dr. Joyce. He and Dr. Lahmann are the best--and Silver Cross is wonderful. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers on Tuesday!

The mind stuff is hard to tackle--but really, it does improve when you have restriction. There is just something about knowing that a food won't work for you that makes it far less appealing. Food really does take a different place in your life--it's not at the forefront any longer. That said, it's really important that you rein in your impulses as you approach surgery. Your liver needs to give up as much glycogen (stored carbs) as possible before surgery so that it is easier to maneuver around. You can do it--just a few more days! It sounds as though you've gotten right back on track, so don't dwell too much. Just make good choices from here on out. ETA: It's probably a good idea to prepare yourself for the possibility that you WILL be able to eat fairly freely postop. Most people do not experience significant restriction until they've had 2-4 fills. That said, some of us DO tell ourselves, "Nope, can't have that!" and lose really nicely during this phase, never the wiser. (If we don't try Froot Loops, we don't know that they can go down, kwim?) I tell myself, during this limbo of not-quite-restriction, that just 'cause I can eat doesn't mean I should.

Protein is very important--and there are lots of ways to get it. You say that . It's time to move beyond "pretty sure" you're eating less to being certain. You can do this by tracking your intake on a site that helps break down what you're eating in an easily-understandable way, such as Fitday.com. It will help you make sure that you're not sabotaging yourself by making common mistakes such as making smoothies that are too high in calories and fat. I'm not suggesting that you must be doing this---in reality, it's very common not to lose much weight right out of the starting gate. I'm just suggesting that, in order to evaluate how you're doing, you really need to have concrete information that journaling can provide for you.

If scarring were a concern, your surgeon would likely have brought it up to you. I would not worry about it; I know many, many, many women who've had both CS and cholecystectomy for whom scarring was a total non-issue during banding. The surgeon will be well-equipped to handle any scarring/adhesion he finds, though.

I was just below a BMI of 40 when banded (40 when the process started)---and didn't lose anything on the preop diet or the liquid phase post-op (which was blessedly short). It really is quite normal. You'll lose! It gets so much better. Are you starting to feel well (aside from hunger)?

If you want a good unflavored Protein to add to things like broth, once you're allowed to have it, Bariatric Eating's PURE unflavored whey protein isolate is excellent. There's a trick to using it in hot liquids, though. You have to first add a bit of tepid Water, mix into a paste, then VERY slowly add warm liquid. This tempers the protein so that it doesn't denature & clump up. Once it's tempered, you can stir in hotter liquid, to bring it to the temp you like. (You cannot reheat, though---the protein will separate out in little rubbery clumps. So do this with single servings of broth, Soup, whatever...)

Before I had restriction, I had no concept of "stuck" (other than what occurred immediately postop with a pain pill), PBing, vomiting, or the oft-described chest-tightness. It wasn't until I approached restriction that these sensations developed any meaning for me. And I still haven't really experienced PBing; I've vomited. Sometimes, this is a sign that I need to do something differently. Other times, it's pretty arbitrary. Bands can be fickle, and there are just times where things don't go down well for me. (For example, I've learned that when I am just about to get my period, I get stuck--on foods that I eat in small bites, chew thoroughly, etc. There is no way of knowing when this is going to occur, with any certainty. It happens when it happens, and it's my signal to eat soft foods and use Protein shakes for a day or so.) As for plateaus, in my experience they simply require waiting it out. If you're eating the way you should, then loss will resume after your body figures out that it's okay to let go of the weight. OTOH, your post implies that your diet might have room for improvement. If so, and if you want to continue to lose as you work toward good restriction, then you just can't fall back on the "no willpower" excuse. You'll have to muster it up, and eat in a way that promotes weight loss. Just 'cause you can eat a lot doesn't mean you should :bored:

I am going to sound tremendously blunt, but will say it anyway: your expectations are unrealistic. Right now, you are on Clear Liquids NOT to promote weight loss, but rather to allow your body time to heal. Many, many people gain during this time---due to meds, the stress of surgery, tissue swelling, the increase in Fluid intake (IVs and oral), fluid retention, and so on. The liquid diet is not intended to result in lasting weight loss. When you reintroduce solids, it's likely you'll see a little upward blip. But after that you can expect steady--but not rapid--loss. Many will tell you that loss won't come until you have restriction; this is not true. If you choose to manage what you eat during the period known as bandster hell, you can lose very effectively. But whether you choose to diet or wait for restrictino, things just aren't going to move all that quickly. The band is not a fast route to weight loss--but it is an effective route. I know it's very frustrating, especially at the beginning. If the scale frustrates you, you might want to take it out of your routine for a while.

I have never had difficulty getting liquids in. I think the real difficulty that you hear people discussing comes not from restriction, but stems from the fact that we're not supposed to drink for a period of time after eating. This effectively reduces the time we have to get all of our needed fluids in. It's not so much that it's difficult, physically, to do so. As you gain some restriction, you may find that your stomach capacity limits how much you can take in at once---but you'll figure that out as you go.

No comparison! My first c-section was on the heels of a 53+-hour labor, so I'm not even using that one as a basis for comparison. My second was a breeze. And banding was light-years easier. Like Jacqui said, the first night was similar---I felt cruddy, but not terrible. I did accept pain meds in the hospital in order to get up and moving around a lot. That made a huge difference. By the next day, it was a soreness issue---not an I-just-had-major-abdominal-surgery thing. And it was very liveable. Yes, there are discomforts, and there are twinges of pain. But it's nothing like a c-section.

If you want to achieve the correct fill level, you will have to see your doctor regularly for tiny adjustments. This is part of the expected aftercare for the band. If you want to succeed, you have to do your part--and that includes scheduling doctor's appointments. Do it sooner rather than later so that you can start enjoying the BENEFITS of the band. There's a world of difference between a poorly-adjusted band and one that is just right.

Oh, no! What a disappointment! I'm so sorry. Listen to Anne--she's very wise :bored:

If Cookies and cake go down, so can yogurt, lowfat cottage cheese, Beans, Protein shakes, tender steamed veggies, and any number of healthier options. An incorrectly adjusted band certainly can make it difficult for some of the "good stuff" to go down---but an improperly adjusted mindset is often just as big an obstacle to weight loss. I suspect it's at least a factor in your long-term stall. If you really are so tight that you can't get dense protein and veggies down, then a slight unfill may actually jumpstart your loss. It's really important to give yourself the best odds for successful loss; the first step is working with your doctor to achieve the right level of restriction. Then, the ball's in your court. The band can't make food choices for you. And it can't make sure that your eating behaviors are compatible with the band--that you're eating slowly, chewing well, and so on. Be sure you're doing your part.

I like board shorts :bored: