reverie

Congrats on being banded! The gas pains you're feeling will go away with time. Just be sure to walk and take Gas-X strips, they really do help. Don't worry too much about your protein levels right now; really focus on your water. Your body has enough stored protein that you will be okay if you fall short. Focus on healing!!

Congrats on deciding to get banded! It's definitely one of the best decisions I've ever made for myself despite the fear of the needles and the pain. A few days of discomfort seems like nothing once the weight starts to come off! Good luck!

Why don't you contact your doctor?

Woo hoo for May 10. I'm doing great; losing 3lbs a week. No fills. Eating right + p90 is really getting me where I need to be. Hoping to be at my goal by Jan. 29 (20th birthday) Hope everyone else is doing great.

Hope everyone is doing well! I think I'm ahead of the curve but we will see!

I'm going to say that your swelling from surgery has gone down and you're in the lovely "bandster hell." While you've found out that you can do all of these things, you need to find the strength to realize that you aren't making the changes you're supposed to be making. Because you don't have a fill yet, you're not going to have restriction; and while the band will work for you once you have proper restriction, right now you need to work with it and not go back to the old ways that got you to where you are. Yes you can probably eat anything and everything right now, but, you know you aren't supposed to. You need to find a way to get yourself to follow the rules. That means chewing, no drinking with meals, etc. It'll get easier once you get your fills going, but for right now it's all up to you. As for your port site, it will be tender for awhile. Try using a hot compress if you need it.

We were banded the same month and I've lost plenty of weight. Maybe you need to sit down and take some time to examine what you're eating each day and how much exercise you're doing. Count your calories/protein levels and see where you're at.

Were you not prescribed medications to help calm nausea? If you weren't maybe you can call and ask for some?

The band is usually tighter in the morning. Try a hot cup of tea or something to help loosen it up.

I use my own scale and I measure each Sunday on my rest day from exercise. I don't see my surgeon much and I like to at least know where I'm at. My scale from home and my doctor is usually a 2-3lb change, due to having clothes on and food in my stomach.

Congrats and good luck! You'll do great. My surgery was very early in the morning (I was the first guinea pig of the day) and I surely didn't mind!

Fingers crossed that September 13 will be your day! How cool that it's so close to your birthday. Now you can celebrate 2 days in a row. :biggrin:

To start the process you want to call your insurance company to make sure that they cover bariatric surgery. From there they will tell you what type of criteria you have to meet; ie a certain BMI, comorbidities, etc.

Welcome Brian and congrats on choosing to get banded! It's awesome that you're pushing to beat another obstacle in life. You'll do great. :biggrin:

Congrats on deciding to get banded and welcome to the boards! I definitely understand the ups and downs emotionally, but in the end it is really all worth it.

E: Quest protein bar B: 1/2 cup egg whites with turkey sausage L: Tilapia with broccoli/cabbage D: Chicken w/ spinach and feta cheese and fresh green beans Lots of water.

I did some research, looked at online doctor reviews, and in the end came here and asked about my surgeon. It's definitely important to do some research!

I'd have nothing to say but shut the hell up, followed by a few other not-so-nice words. See, people who have never had WLS don't know that it's not the easy way out, nor is it cheating. It takes an entire lifestyle change with a lot of commitment to lose weight. In the end, I'd say nothing at all. I've had people make comments like this, and eventually I realize they aren't worth it to have around. They're all obviously jealous; I wouldn't let it bother me. Either way, congrats on your loss and congrats to you husband as well. You've both done awesome! Keep your heads up.

Correct; at least you've started the process. Six months may seem like awhile but it really does fly by. Just remember your goal in the end.

I wanted to take these but with the added calories (sometimes even carbs) and the amount you need to take to equal to a normal chewable vitamin (ie. Centrum) I said no thanks and sucked it up to chewing my disgusting pill each morning.

Woo hooo! Great loss. Keep on going!

I do wish you the best of luck in whatever route you take, but in the end, the weight-loss starts with you. RNY, DS, the sleeve, Lapband; no matter what WLS method you choose, you have to be willing to make the lifestyle change, and it seems that you aren't ready or just don't want to. WLS to me is just a tool. Yes those who get RNY/DS lose quickly, but in the end it comes down to you to make the healthy choices, both food and exercise wise. Maybe the band isn't for you, but with your mindset and eating habits, another WLS may not get you to where you want to be either. None of them are a perfect answer; they're all tools to use to help you during the lifestyle change. While the malabsorption may help you more than the band could, still eating improperly will cause you to gain the weight back. I'd consider therapy or just talking to someone about your eating habits. You can't eat unhealthy and expect to lose weight just because you revise to DS or RNY. It's not that easy.

Lapband. And loving it greatly.

It really depends on the restriction you get from surgery. Some people don't get any with just the band itself, others get enough just from the band. I've lost all of my weight without one fill; guess I'm one of the lucky 1% of people who don't require fills. With the band your stomach is smaller and a pouch is made, but for some it's not enough to hold them over for 3-4 hours without getting hungry again, so a fill is necessary. Sometimes without proper restriction people will go for the "slider" foods (chips, ice cream, etc.) But for many, a few weeks post-op until the first fill can be "bandster hell." It just takes some self-pushing and self-regulation of what you eat and how much.

Plateaus are normal but it seems like yours has been going on for awhile. If you've fallen off the wagon, start back from the beginning. Go back to counting your calories for a few weeks. See what levels you need to be at. Stick to no more than one cup of food a meal. Remember to really try to get in your protein. Start exercising again.