anglov

I get that a lot. I am being excluded from lunches and food days because they assume I have to eat "special" foods. I can have absolutely anything I want just in moderation.

Having said that, I bring all my own foods to work nearly every day. I eat every 3-4 hours so I have an insulated lunch bag on my desk all day. I cook foods and divide into meals. I know that I will get tired of eating the same thing over and over so I give my son the leftovers for his lunches. He's a happy guy.

I find that rarely do I have the inclination to eat out.

ummm HELLO??? 3.8 lbs in a week is fantastic! Why are you putting so much pressure on yourself?

Even on WW you must eat more than 570 cal a day. That is putting your body in starvation mode and then whatever you do eat, your body will hold on for dear life to it.

My doc has all his patients eating 1200 cal a day. Your body needs a certain amount of calories and fat per day just to function.

Be careful that all your hard work is for nothing if you aren't giving your body the basics it needs just to function daily.

Christie is right, 1-2 lbs a week is the realistic goal for lap banders. The lap band is the slower weight loss. It is not common to drop lots of weight all at once with the lap band. Be careful. You are doing great just don't give yourself the unrealistic goals. That is a quick trip to failure and whether you believe it or not you are doing great with the slow weight loss.

I am new to the band but seriously, you are only hurting yourself both physically and mentally. I eat things wrong and it gets stuck but right now I have no restriction so if I wait it will slide on through. Why would you want to continue to throw up? I would rather be tortured then throw up. I am losing slowly. I had surgery on May 12th and I know I don't know a lot but I have only lose 10.2 lbs. Losing slowly will give you a better chance of not gaining it all back. Give yourself and your doctor a break and let them know. You don't want to cause erosion or slippage and end up doing a lot of damage to your band or your esophagus from throwing up. Take care of yourself soon!

Are you on foods yet? That may be the reason. I noticed that everything slowed down when the food was re-introduced. I don't go back until June 10th so I have a little while longer. I am hoping that I get a fill because I have no restriction right now. I think it is just a temporary thing.

GNC has a good one. Called Wheybolic. The chocolate is better. I also have vanilla and unflavored. It mixes easily but I recommend milk not the water unless you are using some ice and making it a smoothie. Good Luck!

Congratulations on your weight loss. That is fantastic!

Ahhh, the misconception about the lap band. The band wasn't intended to make it easy. I look at it as an indicator for portion control. I know you have heard this before but the weight didn't come on right away so it isn't going off right away. I know several people who have had gastric bypass and I wouldn't do it for any reason. I don't want to be nutrient difficient, I don't want my parts rearranged. My friends at one point looked like they had chemo because they were so sick looking and their hair fell out. It was sad. It doesn't always work either. I know a few that gained the weight back. I prefer to be in control of my weight so I have that accomplishment.

My question would be is maybe you need a fill if you can eat that much in a sitting. I was just banded May 12 and I have no restriction and there are days that I can eat a lot and other days where I feel tight. I have set my mind that I am not going to let this get the better of me. If you have problems buying extras for the purpose of a later meal then maybe it isn't a good idea to buy extra. Keep that temptation away.

I don't compare myself to others weight loss either, that is a sure fire way to get depressed.

I know you can do it. Setting smaller goals seems easier for me. Keep up the good work!!

Just remember that the "bumps in the road" don't go away with the surgery. I thought I understood that but now I see it really is more work now with my food and eating then it was before surgery. There are good days and bad days just like before. But still so worth it.

It doesn't sound like it is adjusted correctly if you have vomitting and tightness whenever you eat. It sounds like it is too tight. My doc said if it is too tight you won't lose weight. Maybe get that checked and a little unfill?

That is great! I don't like tuna but I guess I could do the chicken kits. I may give tuna a try again. It has just been hard to stomach the smell since 1992. A long time! Those are some good options. I see you keep it simple and not too many things. Maybe that is my problem. I am looking for too much variety instead of being happy with simple single choices. Those are eating out choices too. I like that. Can I ask how much exercise you do? I walk a little but not much. I have been getting lightheaded and I think its because I am not eating enough.

Thanks finally and drowsy. Interesting information. I was really worried and I would say that one or two "mishaps" shouldn't have done any harm. Now that I am aware of it I just to need to listen more to my stomach. The problem that I am seeing when I eat is I don't have the full feeling until about 30-60 minutes after I eat. Sometimes an hour later and I am just like UGH!! I am stuffed whereas 10 mins after eating I didn't feel full at all and still felt hungry. I slow down and take my time. That is what gets me in trouble when I don't get that signal until much later.

Don't beat yourself up. Every doc is different and honestly if flipping the band was that high risk then there would be a precise set rules that ALL people who have this surgery would have to follow. I have seen some that are already allowed solids after just a few weeks. I can have solids in 3 weeks and I was banded last week. If you are looking for the "chew" factor try pickle relish. You get crunch but it is already processed up in small peices for you. Geez 4 lbs is still a loss and every loss should be celebrated!! I was 314 on surgery day too. I am down 7.2 and I was banded one week ago. You are doing great!!

Congrats!! I am looking forward to being under 300. I have 8lbs to go to be under 300 and that is something I haven't done in YEARS!! I don't know if you have a Lane Bryant near you or not but they have pretty clothes. Pricey but good quality. Womanwithin.com has some good deals and nice clothes.

I agree, you are probably in starvation mode. If that happens you start burning muscle instead of fat. My doctor told me that once I get to the full foods stage I should be eating a minimum of 1250 calories a day. As my doc explained it this is not a diet but a lifestyle change and my stomach should tell me what I need. That is drastic to limit yourself to 800 calories. Are you still hungry? I listen to my stomach. If it is hungry then I feed it something healthy. Take this for what its worth. I am only 6 days post op right now but I have learned to listen to my stomach. It hasn't led me wrong yet.

That's funny you say that about the phone. In my education class there was a man that didn't turn his phone off and would let it ring and ring and then went it went to voice mail he would listen to his voice mail. He never turned it off. I would say that is not only rude but shows a clear disrespect for what everyone is there for.

Good for you! I ordered my card Friday. They say with the card that some places will let us order off the kids menu and I know the Villa Buffet at Horseshoe casino in Indiana lets bandsters eat free. At least we went with someone that had the band and she got to eat free. Needless to say she was a failed band. Even that day she sat right now and ate two rolls and went to throw them up. What a waste!

Thanks a lot! I know that when I put the food in my mouth without thinking, it made me realize how much I MUST pay attention now. I feel good and everything I do eat seems to taste so much better now. It will take a lot of planning each day so that I have everything I need with me at all times. I go back to work on Thursday so I have time to sort through it all before the real stress begins. I have the chew chew chew part down but the drinking part is a a challenge. I do take a sip or two but I don't actually drink a lot.

That is fabulous! There is nothing wrong with going slow. Congrats!!

kmw4799: I have a desk job but I am around some heavy eaters that while I was on the all liquid diet for pre-op they were constantly going out to eat and trying to get me to eithe go with them or order something. It was cruel so I decided I am taking off as much as I can so I can adapt to the band. I was also told I can't drive for 5 days. It was just 3 days but they changed it I think because the found a hiatal hernia and repaired it while they were in there.

JoeyBee: I haven't been nauseated or gotten sick. It just sits there in my chest like its blocking it. I keep sipping Vitamin Water Zero to keep hydrated. I have found a warm liquid will help pass it through. The key is sipping it. you really shouldn't be frothing on day 3. You may want to contact your doctor. Your band may be too tight. Did they put a fill in it while they put it in? Some doctors do. I made campbells extra noodle soup, its in a red box. I made with the noodles and then strained them out. The broth is decent. My surgical sites are a little swollen too. They put my port right on the line where my waistband goes and then they tell me not to let my waistband rub it. HELLO???you put it on my waist so now I hike all garments nearly to my armpits to keep them from sitting on top of the port site. It will pass but I would definitely call the doctor if you vomitting and frothing. you don't want the band to slip while its stilll healing.

Congrats!! I had mine Wednesday.

Thursday the 20th I go back. just to clarify and i was banded on 12th.

I feel bloated when I eat too much broth or water.

I am took off until Thursday and I was banded Wednesday. My doc told me I couldn't drive for 5 days but all the paperwork I got up until them said 3 days. They found a hernia and repaired it so that may be why.

I was banded Wednesday. I was scared and nervous and had second thoughts right up until the day before surgery.

I think you can still party just limit your drinks or have something non alcoholic.

Congrats on stopping smoking. That is great. Smoking would prevent you from healing as quickly. I quit soft drinks and caffeine about 3 months ago. I only drink Vitamin Water Zero.

You will only be as successful as you want to be. Remember this is just a tool. I have friends who had it and they "cheat" and have only lost 10 lbs in 4 months. Keep blogging on here and find some new friends that will walk through this with you! I am here if you need any encouragement or help.

I get up and take a short walk every 30 minutes. If I don't I get really stiff on the side where my port and hernia repair are. When its too much I sit back down.

Thanks everyone!! I slept on the couch in the reclining seat last night. It wasn't bad. My heating pad made all the difference last night. I will blog later on todays updates