LeighaMason

Fast as in not eat or drink?? Yes that is too drastic. You will kill your metabolism if you do. How is your restriction?

WOW, I havent heard anything like that. My mom has Parkensons (I cant spell either) and she has trouble swallowing. My sister is a nurse in a nursing home and she said sometimes people will have a small brain bleed before they have an actual stroke that will cause minor sympoms that are major when they actually have the stroke. I hope he is doing better. Maybe if you know a nurse or doctor they can answer your questions better. Also there should be a list on the internet of actual side effects that were observed during the study of the lap band.

Good for you, I was so happy to have restriction. On my second fill I had to learn to eat slower (4 bites, wait 60 seconds), cut my food into smaller pieces (the size of my smallest fingernail) and chew, chew, chew. I hope you dont mind me giving un-asked for advice but its effective.

oh, I forgot to add that it is easier if I mix in the little crystal light on the go drink mixes.

Did you just get your band? If so the drinking water thing will get easier. I guess you just have to get use to the feeling. 6 cups is good. I just try and carry a bottle of water around where ever I go and sip, sip sip.......

Hey Molly, The nurse who does my fills told me that if I was too tight and all I could do was drink Protein drinks and eat "slider" foods that it would really slow down my weight loss. She said "we want you on healthy foods, foods that you can live with forever". Plus she is a lap band patient as well. You might want to get .5 cc removed and see if that helps. I shoot for 700-1000 cal a day, but I think where they come from helps too. Plus, I dont exercise like I should either........ Congrats on the diabetes! Plus dont forget how much 40 lbs is! When I get discouraged I get 2- one pound packages of hamburger out of the freezer, stand in front of the mirror and hold them up to my butt and go "see what 2 lbs looks like, and I have lost ____ lbs! See how good I am doing!" This always makes me feel better. :confused:

I have an idea, if you feel you have to have a double cheeseburger, go inside to get it. Have them cut it in half, and have them either keep half or THROW HALF AWAY!take the other half home and eat it. This will be hard for a while but it's what I do. I go to Andy's (frozen custard) get a small one and ask them to only fill it half way. ( I have some weird thing about throwing away food) Then I have portion control.

Sure, Sweet potato, rutabaga, parsnips, Beans, peas, and lentils Some also have Protein, so you get a 2 for 1. Also brown rice, oatmeal, and grits. (I have trouble with the oatmeal and brown rice, too sticky) It just takes a little, 1/2 cup or so.

I havent been banded much longer than you have, but I try to aim for that 700 cal. a day range too. I think as long as you are getting your Protein that is plenty because we have "reserves" for our body to pull from. My step son, the coach with a masters degree, says that I should have some complex carbs 1 hour before I work out to give me extra energy. If you feel faint you could try that. And I drink strong coffee every morning. By the way, 110 LBS! Good for you.

I didnt lose any weight before my first fill, as a matter of fact once I was off the liquid diet I was gaining weight, so then I was scared that this was just going to be another failed diet attempt. But then I got my first fill and magic happened! I have been losing steadly every since. I agree with the person who said keep a log of everything you eat. Dont worry once you have restriction and you do the things that you are doing everything will work out. Good luck

When I first had my band before my first fill, I had no restriction at all! After I started eating real food again I even started to gain weight! HOLY CRAP! What have I done? I thought I had signed on for another failed diet, only I paid $10,000 for this one! Then at 5 weeks I had my first fill and things settled down. Now everything is going well and I have lost 29 lbs. This morning I got up and put on a pair of slacks that I havent worn in 5 years! I can pull my blue jeans off without unbuttoning them. Dont worry too much, remember, legally your doctor has to warn you about everything, no matter how small the chance of it happening. Dont let the bad thoughts distract you. You will get use to the band and the port and stop thinking of them as soon as you start getting fills, just work on getting your Protein and getting ready. Good luck!

Ashley, Please be patient with your lap band. Your 23 and you have a small child. You don't have the time to commit to full time dieting like those of us with almost grown children. The bypass is not reversable and you may regret it later. Besides you have lost 18 lbs! HOLY CRAP! Thats great. If you do that 3 years in a row you will be where you want to! Dont give up. Now it is time for my cynical side. Remember to think of how much money your doctor makes on bypass. Maybe he wants a new car? Or his wife needs an new diamond ring? Your BMI is now 37.5 you would barely qualify for a lap band now! Get a second opinon from another doctor as a matter of fact, get a different doctor. Please dont think I am negative but I am a firm believer that your life has to be in jeopardy before you start to remove parts of your body. Who knows what might be avaliable in a few years. Dont give up, be happy with 18 lbs you lost this year, take another 18 next year and enjoy your baby while you can.

When I had the lap band surgery the doctor said I also had a Hiatal Hernia , you can google this and read about it. This would explain why you have to be on the liquid diet. This would be a good cover story for people that you dont want to tell.

Ironically I had my first "stuck" experience on Wednesday as well. I waited too long to eat and I was starving so I ate too fast. I could not believe the pain! Then the next evening I was eating an omlet and the same thing happened, then the next morning I was eating my usual egg and it happened again. I finally called the nurse she said to do the liquids for 2 days which I did. I feel that hot liquids help "heal" my stomach faster so I drink broth. I have found the following things help me...... I have found that I can not eat first thing in the morning. I usually have a cup of coffee (black) or hot tea and then 30 min. or so later I can eat. Another thing that has helped me is cutting my food into pieces that are the size of my smallest fingernail or if it is a soft food then I put only that amount on the spoon, less than you would give a baby. I have to take 4 bites then wait at least 60 seconds before I can take another bite. If your Dr yells at you, maybe you should find someone who is more your style. Remember, you are the customer, you are the one who pays his salary. You dont need him to sugar coat anything but he should understand every body has differences.

I am in on the Easter challange, 10 weeks, 2 lbs a week, so I will go with 20 lbs. So my goal is 146. This sounds too good to be true, I havent been 146 in at least 10 years! But I have been losing at least that every week since I started my fills. So here we go...........

Hang in there Dawn, I felt just like you do. I was starving. Plus I was doubting my decision to have LAP-BAND®. I started thinking "oh no another failed diet", and I paid $10,000 for this one! I chose the LAP-BAND® based on the fact that I was always HUNGRY:reddevil: and that is what was causing my weight gain. I didnt drink sodas or eat unhealthy food I was just HUNGRY:reddevil:,even after I just ate. Then I had my first fill and everything turned around. I had to really start eating slow and cut my food into 1/4 inch squares but I was no longer HUNGRY:reddevil:. The hungry devil was gone. During the month after surgery I had to tell myself "I can do anything for 3 weeks", "I can do anything for 9 more days". Resist as much as possible, dont beat yourself up for the weight gain and just try to make it for the next 9 days. Once you start with the fills and are able to eat everything will be ok! I also needed to replace the physical act of eating with a hobby. I know this sounds weird but I missed the physical act of eating. Kind of like a smoker who enjoys playing with the cigarette. Try something like scrapbooking, knitting, cut out pictures from magazines and make collages etc., they dont have to be expensive or even pretty just the physical act of doing something will replace the physical act of eating. You can do it, dont let the doubt win!

I started at BMI of 34 and 195 lbs, I was banded 10/20/09. I have lost 29 lbs and have a BMI of 27.6. I wasn't going to tell anyone that I was banded but my sister told everyone. The most common reaction was "your not big enough for that" however I feel obesity is as dangerous as cancer and I never heard anyone say "your tumor wasn't big enough a problem to take care of". I think everyone is different and should make the decision based on what they think. Not what others think you should do. I was disappointed with the surgery before my first fill, I thought it didnt work and was just going to be another failed diet. However, after my first and second fills I have been losing between 1 and 3 lbs a week depending on how much exercise I get. I weigh 166 lbs now which is less than I have weighed in the last 5 years. I am happy about the surgery but it is a huge lifestyle change. I have to prepare for what I am going to eat every day. I cant just leave the house and think I'll get something later. Not being prepared creates the worst situations for me. First I don't eat because there is nothing I can have, then I get super hungry, then I get somewhere there is something I can eat and I eat too fast and too much, then I am sick. Don't fall into this trap. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare. I also didn't realise how important it was to cut my food into small pieces, and by small I mean like the size of your smallest fingernail, small. Plus I have to eat maybe 3 or 4 bites then rest for a couple of minutes before I can continue. I hope these things help you. Good luck.

I had my LAP-BAND® installed on Oct. 20th and I just had my first fill Thursday (Dec. 17th), it was delayed due to scheduling problems. I didn't have any restriction until the fill. I have lost 18 lbs from the first appointment. In my mind, I was just always hungry. I thought that when I had my LAP-BAND® surgery that I would eat less and I would no longer be physically hungry then I would be satisfied. But I have found, that after I had my first fill, I eat the super small portion and I am physically full, then I am mad because I was enjoying the food and I want to keep eating for the pleasure of eating. I had no idea that I had this relationship with food. I guess this is going to be harder than I thought, but the good news is with just 3.5 cc's in a 10 cc band, I can barely eat 1/2 cup of food and I stay physically full for several hours. Now I just have to get over the habit of eating.