reverie

Sit down and weigh the pros and cons of having surgery. What's stopping you from having WLS? Schedule an appointment with a local bariatric surgeon and talk with him/her. I was pretty young when I was banded and I don't regret it one bit. I've lost 112lbs, with 12 more to go. With 100lbs to lose you could definitely reach your goal! I'm not going to go on the whole the band is a tool rant/rave. Just know it does help with portion control and hunger, but it is not going to stop head hunger, emotional eating, or eating not so healthy foods. Good luck with your choice!

I'd look towards a lot of low carb foods such as chicken, broccoli, turkey, Beans (high Fiber = low net carb), tuna, eggs, cheese, lettuce, low carb wraps, bacon, sour cream, etc. Try googling Atkins recipes and read about the diet if you want to be the most successful. As for meals when I did "low carb" I usually ate bacon, eggs, and cheese for Breakfast, a salad with chicken and a low-carb salad dressing, and usually 4oz chicken or turkey with broccoli and some other vegetable. Good luck!

Try looking in Sports Authority, Modells, or Dick's Sporting Goods.

I started off doing low carb, about 30-40 a day. My protein levels have always been high (80g+ usually around 130g per day). It's really up to what works for you. Some people do low carb high protein, some low carb and high fat, some don't do any sort of 'dieting.' Play around and find what works best for you. The important part is that you meet your caloric needs each day.

Depends on your restriction level. I have recently added bread back into my diet (high protein bread) and had some for my pre-workout snack! Protein bread with almond butter and SF blueberry jelly. Delicious!!

It'll come, wait it out. You're eating drastically less than before, therefore 'going' slows down as well. You can try a mild laxative, but ask your doctor first.

1400, possibly working my way to 1500. When you have a lot of weight (fat) to lose, having a large calorie deficit (say 1600) is okay, because your body will use and burn the excess fat for energy. I started off eating 600-800 calories, and as I lost more, I ate more, and exercised more. Now I'm at 1400 calories, and toning more than anything. I have 12 more lbs to go.

You have to unlock the spreadsheet

New doctor, definitely. I have no experience in getting fills but that seems ridiculous. I do agree with his "fill-aholic" comment, which some do become, but in your case it's obvious that you're not at a reasonable restriction and you're not one of those patients with an extremely tight band, otherwise you'd not be so hungry/using other weight loss methods. Sorry you've had to go through all that! It amazes me how some doctors can treat their patients. Maybe you can find a doctor on here who is in your area and has patients who post here. Good luck!

Good idea. Do it at a routine time though. I do it as soon as I wake up.

Normal. Probably not even a true gain. You're adding in new foods after being on liquids. Advice? Stay off the scale for a bit.

How much fiber are you getting? Aside from benefiber. Milk of magnesia works usually. I aim for 25g+ of fiber a day and it's been helping. But, fact is we are eating less, so there will be a decrease in 'going.'

No loss, boo. Still trying to find my happy medium calorie wise to match with all the exercise I am doing.

I'm assuming you mean a seizure. And yes, that could very well push back your surgery. I would go to the neurologist and see what he/she says, though figuring out why you had a seizure is most important. Your Lapband surgery can always be rescheduled. My stepdad has had 2 seizures without any known cause, but he is on medication. I'd definitely get checked out as seizures aren't anything to play with.

It's probably gas pains and overall discomfort from surgery. Try walking a bit and use Gas-X strips or chewables. Good luck and hope you feel better soon!

Depends. Like Heather said the expected weight loss is 1-2lbs a week. Sometimes you'll lose more, sometimes less, sometimes nothing at all, and sometimes you'll gain. It's all part of the journey. The closer you get to goal, the less you lose.

15-20 minutes, if that.

Just seeing this; sorry!! It is 1/4 cup dry. Oatmeal tends to expand once it is cooked.

I use iceberg and romaine; I prefer romaine as it has a bit higher nutritional value. I love salads; I try to eat one everyday with a lite vinaigrette. I have never gotten stuck on lettuce. Just be sure to chew!

Couldn't have said it better. I started off doing low carb (around 20-30) and while I lost most of my weight doing so, I always felt groggy, no energy, etc. Low carb/ketosis diets do work, but I do not think they should be long term. I've had decent restriction without fills, I eat a cup of food at a time and I eat all across the board; grains, veggies, fruits, and so on. I too wonder how some bandsters and even other WLS patients get their required nutrition by looking at some of the "what are you eating threads." It's alarming. Good luck with your treatment! You'll be in my thoughts.

Always eat your protein first. I am a high-protein diet pusher, but I guess for some people low protein works. I aim for 125g protein a day, no less than 120g. Try to eat chicken, fish, and turkey. Things like nuts, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and others all have protein in them as well. I'd shoot for a minimum of 60g each day; so 20 each meal.

I've never attended any support group, but I'm from MD and just wanted to say hello

I'm 20

Congrats on your date! Best of luck.

I doubt it'll fix itself. Once the skin is stretched it's not going to go back perfectly or become "flat" no matter how much exercise you do. Try ab exercises and overall continue to lose weight, but I doubt your skin is gonna go back. I started at 245lbs, at 19, and mine hasn't budged so I'm all saved up for a tummy tuck. Good luck and congrats on your loss!