jensmallwood

Congratulations on having a date, LaShonda! You're right-- having a Lap-Band does not make this road "easy" at all, though it can make things easier if you're committed to taking this particular path. Congrats again!

Awesome! Congrats on taking that next step-- and I can't wait to see it in print!

Congrats! I hope the kidney thing clears itself up right away... that's a bummer. Did they give you any indication why that might have happened?

I was self-pay and I would do it again in a heart beat. For me, it wasn't so much about getting help LOSING the weight (though I'm of course glad for it) but it's about keeping the weight off for me. It's so nice going on vacation and knowing that I'm not going to come back 5 or 6 pounds heavier. Of course we still have to make the same healthy choices as everyone else... but that band sure helps. I paid 15K, and it includes a whole year of fills and follow-up with my surgeon's office (which is right in my town. hooray!) LOVE my band! (oh, and I just reached 50 pounds off today!)

Eating very little and only twice a day is barely enough fuel to keep your body going, much less fueling a workout. So you need to add some food. (preferably a whole other meal.) It's ok-- the weight that you're NOT losing is just because your body is holding onto Water (probably)- especially if you're doing some weight training. It helps with the repair work of building muscle tissue. (which is good). It'll go away. If possible, try to workout right before you'd eat a meal anyway, and eat that meal within an hour of your workout. Make it a well-rounded one-- lean Protein, veggies and some whole grain carb.

I think this line pretty much says it all: " and lap-band surgery wasn't the miracle cure she was hoping for." Nope-- it's not a miracle cure, and people who go into it thinking it is are much more likely to fail. I don't typically watch the Biggest Loser, (because I don't think the program is good for morale, and I think it goes about weight loss the wrong way-- dangerous even)-- but I might have to tune in to see how they portray her and her surgery.

jingle- I'm glad the 1/2 c is only until real foods! Phew. That'll make a huge difference. I'd ask doc if it's ok to throw in a couple more Protein shakes a day (I made mine really thick by blending up frozen strawberries, carnation instant Breakfast (SF) with vanilla greek yogurt and enough skim milk to make it blend). Very filling.

That's what? 6 or so weeks from now? I'm sorry, but I think it's unrealistic. You'd have to lose 5 + pounds per week. The walking is a great idea-- keep it up! And you should be proud of yourself no matter what skirt you wear to the zombie walk!

Go back to fluids for a day or two, and then try the soft foods again. You may still be a little swollen.

YES! You are in bandster hell. And it will get better-- but unfortunately it may take several fills. Getting back to real food will help. I don't understand the three 1/2 c servings of food a day, though. Did your doctor tell you that? My doctor thinks that's crazy. Who can live on that amount of food? My guide, according to my doc, is a small salad-sized plate, filled with lean Protein, veggies and whole grain starch. (And the plate that he uses as a demo is from Allergen, who makes the lap-band), so it seems to me that that's the intention with the band. I'd ask your doc why 1/2 c of food (and I've heard other say this on this site), but honestly, it seems ridiculous to me. I've had good weight loss without eating such tiny amounts of food. But it WILL get better!!

Something may have irritated your esophagus, which may have swollen. Try a day of full liquids, then move back to soft foods and solids and see if that helps. But yeah, some days I can eat anything, other days I can't. Fickle band!

I think you should go ahead and call your doctor. I don't know what the chances of something having become lodged there are... but the chances of the area having swollen up are good. If you can't get and keep liquids down-- you need to see the doctor right away.

What do you mean by sugar? Total sugar, including milk and other dairy products, sugar from fruits and veggies, sugar from carbohydrates-- or are you talking about added sugars? I would be wary of thinking in terms of "how much," etc. (and of course I'm not a nutritionist) but I know for me, getting into the "diet" mindset makes me binge. I try to stick to a healthy diet, which doesn't include a lot of added sugar, but does include all the naturally occurring sugars in healthy foods. If you're diabetic on the other hand, that's an entirely different story and your doctor would give you guidelines.

And you're on your way! Don't be worried if you find you don't have much restriction yet, though. It takes time and "tinkering" to get there.

Woot!!! Awesome job, Bob!

I think the junk foods are less dense-- the simple carbs, sugar and fat have no protein, and no fiber. The healthier foods can be drier (which can be remedied in healthy ways), have more fiber and protein- which makes them more dense and therefore harder to swallow. Uh, I think...

Sweet! It's nice to be able to feel normal (ie- treat yourself) on vacation, and still be in control!!

You have to work the band for it to work for you! Go back in for a fill. If you can eat too much, you need more Fluid. Why wait? Do stand around being disappointed-- do something about it!!

That is awesome! Congratulations!

Yes-- mine isn't quite visible, but one touch and voila- there it is! The good news is that the doc never has any trouble finding it. I think it would be hard to miss. I have heard that there is a "low profile" port that you can switch to if it comes to a time when you need/desire less visibility. I think it's a quick outpatient surgery. (maybe even in-office?)

It *should* be helping to curb your apetite. I have FINALLY reached a kind of restriction where I feel like I could eat almost anything only in a smaller portion (I could go out every once and a while and have a burger and fries and only eat a part of it (leaving a lot of the bread and most of the fries). But that just happened for me (I hope it lasts!) however, there are some things that I could eat a LOT of- and they mostly include sweets-- ice cream, cake, etc. Those really soft, gooey things would just go down, so I have to avoid them. Are you getting too many slider foods in? I'm glad you are getting a fill tomorrow. Hopefully it will help! Why don't you post some of your typical meals for a day, and maybe we can offer suggestions to make them more filling?

It's still the gas pain. It seemed to take forever for it to go away fully (for me at least.) Just keep moving- walking as you are able. A heating pad on my shoulder helped as well. Some people swear by GasX, but I didn't notice a difference with it. It can't hurt to try (if your doc oks it.)

Congratulations! The band has really helped me with the plateau I was just on... from mid-June until August I stayed at the same couple of pounds. It was bothersome, and typically I would have started eating so much that I would have gained back everything. While I did eat *some* more, I didn't gain anything, thanks to the band, and now I have started losing again. Love my band!!

I've also heard that stress can make the band feel tighter. If you were feeling rushed and stressed instead of relaxed, that might have done it. And yeah- it just happens sometimes. Sucks, too! I've had to excuse myself at a restaurant to go try to throw up (quietly in a public restaurant.) Good times- NOT!

I was also never told not to use a straw. I haven't noticed any problems with it.