reverie

A lack of hunger is completely normal; it'll come back sooner than you'd like Focus on getting your water in, dehydration is a big problem after any type of surgery. Rest as much as possible! I say you'll feel much better in 4-5 days.

Know a few who have had it; some have maintained their weight, others haven't. Bypass is considered the gold standard because it generally results in the most dramatic/quick weight-loss, however, dramatic and quick loss is rarely ideal. To me, gastric bypass is way too invasive and I'd rather have all of me in tact. The fact that you have to worry about dumping and have to live off vitamins for the rest of your life is a turn off for me. I don't want to be taking pills everyday for the rest of my life due to the fact that my system has been altered in such a way that I can't absorb certain vitamins. Even though results are usually promising with bypass, all surgeries require a lifestyle change. Knowing how to eat and the importance of moving (note, I didn't say exercise) is critical for anyone losing weight, with or without surgery. Plenty revise to bypass, but I've also seen bypass patients revise to Lapband; it's a catch-22. If you're willing to make the needed change, any surgery will work, so will non-surgical methods.

Yes and no, but leaning more towards no. While I've lost 100lbs+ flawlessly and for right now my band is "okay," the revision and failure rates of Lapband continue to soar and some of the stories I've come across have been scary, to say the least. It seems that after a few years out the band starts causing all sorts of problems and while I went with Lapband due to the fact that it's irreversible, some of the damage it causes isn't so..reversible. However, I wholeheartedly believe that the less you mess with the band (fills/unfills) the less chance you have of experiencing any negative consequences. I have no fill so I guess time will tell. In the end I do credit the band for somehow kicking me in the a$ and making me learn how to eat and live like a normal person does. I don't eat extremely small portions nor have I cut any type of food from my diet. Somehow the band made me want to learn about nutrition and weight-loss, and if I knew from the getgo that it truly is as simple as calories in vs. calories out, I'd have never sought surgery. Either way, hopefully the seminar is informational for you and your husband! The band is a good surgery but in my opinion not the most ideal one, either. Good luck whatever decision you make.

This. Even with a fill nothing will keep you from eating. Plenty of food goes down easy, even if you're in the "green zone." I'd focus on portion size and weighing/measuring your food before eluding to another fill.

Normal! After about a week I was feeling "okay" I'd say after a week and a half I was back to normal. Just rest as much as you can and focus on healing. Though Lapband is branded as being the "least invasive" WLS, any surgery is invasive and time makes all the difference.

Very normal; you're experiencing a loss of water weight and a decrease in glycogen levels, so yes, normal, to be expected, but it won't/doesn't last for long.

A cardigan?

Ab exercises are fine. I used to do them daily, until I realized that they're pretty futile. Core exercises are much better for developing abs. But..abs are made in the kitchen. Low body fat = visible abs.

Agree with Mimi 100%.

I eat what they do. One day off doesn't hurt and portion control works wonders.

I thought about this too. Pre-band I was lazy, pure lazy. I did nothing. Pre-surgery I decided to start walking, but I couldn't walk far, my shins/ankles would ache like no other. My mom would literally have to drag me to get back home, haha. Since the weight started to come off, I exercised more, walked more, then went to running, then got into workout DVDs, and now I run and lift weights, and they have become the highlight of my day. I cannot wait to go home, eat, and then workout..and then eat more, LOL!! And let's just say now I run for miles..with my mom lagging behind me Remember that exercise is just moving. Dance around your room. Run up the stairs 5 times. Jump rope. Anything you can do to get yourself moving and your heart beating a bit faster is exercise. It doesn't have to be a mundane jog on the treadmill. Do things you like..just MOVE!

This. Add weights as well. Sadly fat will come off from wherever it wants to.

Congrats!!

Surgery was at 6AM I was out by 7PM I think? I took off 2 weeks but could have gone back in a week but I had paid leave to burn so..why not

At times your body goes through what is known as a recomposition; you're adding some lean mass and losing fat at about the same rate. Be HAPPY! (seriously) that you're dropping inches, it means you're losing FAT. Remember, the scale measures weight, weight includes fat, muscle, water, waste, etc. Losing inches is pure fat loss. The scale isn't the end all, and never should be. Measurements should come first.

I'm not attacking you, hardly, but some of the advice you give is outrageous and signs that your band won't last for long. I'm not looking to personally flame you but first you recommended 3 bites of food now you mention keeping a tight band and eating ice cream to loosen it? Sorry but, I like to consider myself a successful band vet and fill or no fill, i KNOW that's not how the band should or is meant to work. I too could lose weight eating 3 bites of food; who couldn't? Again, not a personal attack but why give out false/possibly harmful information? PS. Thanks Melissa (even though we don't agree much ) and Jess.

Goes for all types of protein lol. Liquid protein is the same protein you find in chicken and other dense foods.

Welcome! Your date will be here quicker than you can imagine. Good luck on your journey and remember to REST!

Depends on how long you've been overweight, genetics, how overweight you are, etc. I'm 20, 19 when I was banded, have lost 115lbs and absolutely need PS. Am I horrible looking? Nope. But there's excess skin and with surgery I'll have completed my journey. Weightlifting has helped but excess skin is excess skin.

Good luck! Starting to track your calories may be good at this point now. I've been 5-10lbs away from my goal and have really cracked down/gotten strict with counting my calories.

What the? Your posts are exactly what cause band problems in the future. Wow. You don't need to be extremely tight or tight at all for the band to work. Being overtight for too long leads to slippage and erosion. Once your band is gone, then what?

Follow your surgeon's post op directions. Everyone is different (sadly). Per exercise I was told no more than walking for 6 weeks. Doing too much too soon can lead to future problems. Rest and get your protein in.

Are you tracking calories? I can say I eat well, which I do, but my calories add up to 1800+ most days. Doesn't seem like they could, but they do. Start tracking/weighing and go from there. Get an estimate of how much you're taking in/putting out.

What I eat varies a lot per day, but I stick to chicken, turkey, fish (tilapia/salmon), shrimp, and lean beef (90/10). I also eat a lot of greek yogurt, light yogurt sometimes, Protein bread, cheese, and fat free milk. Sometimes cottage cheese but not much anymore.

Protein nor Biotin will help. You really just have to wait it out. I've eaten no less than 90g of protein throughout my journey and still lost a lot of my hair. Like your doctor said it comes with rapid weight loss and surgery can cause it as well, so a double whammie. Know that when your hair falls out, it's also growing back. You won't go bald.