parker62

Wait a little bit more and best of luck on your journey.

Wait a little bit more and best of luck on your journey.

Hello everyone!
I am scheduled to have my lap band surgery in July. I believe I am insulin resistant because of the dark pigments under my arms and behind me neck (Acanthosis nigricans). I'm hoping the lap band diet will be beneficial in getting rid of this or at least lessening it. Has anyone else experienced this? And are there any tips you can offer in regards to meal plans?

Hang on in there i am praying with you. Be blessed

I was banded on 4-1-13. A few days before surgery I was getting a scratchy throat and cough. I contacted my surgeon and his partner was on call and told me it was ok, it was probably just a bug. They did surgery on me and I got very sick, coughing with a stomach full of incisions is not fun normally but with the cough, fever and chills.....bad, bad idea. Remember this if it happens to you. I also want those of you out there thinking this is going to change your eating habits because you cant eat is wrong. I was pretty sick the first 5 days, day 6 (today) is better. I am having trouble swallowing pills, I have no cravings, yet don't know how much to eat since my surgeon told me that I just wouldn't be hungry. It is hard to get up each day and know that although my stomach changed, my mind hasn't. My husband is having a hard time with me not being able to eat, we loved to go out and eat and shop and eat some more, 3 course meals! He isn't fat, but I can see that this week we didn't eat out once, I know we will save money, but I do know that when I went into subway to get a catering menu the smell was haunting. I never ate because I was hungry, I ate because it smelled good or sounded good. This surgery will not fix that. I heard of people talking about eating pizza day 3, man, lucky turds....I can barely get a Protein Shake down. I know BOOHOOBOOHOOOOOOO!!!! I want you to know that I am not a quitter, I want you to know this surgery takes work, it is hard, it hurts and as God is my HOLY witness I will do this, the facts are hard, the rewards will be amazing, support and loving family members are the key to success!! Lean on them!! Onwards and upwards (or should I say down wards!)

My two cents....for what it is worth.
Remember that you are worth this and you are not a failure because your weight loss journey is different from those around you. In my three years I have come to realize that everyone is different even with the band. For example, I have great restriction, but I can eat bread. I always have been able to and waiting around for bread to get stuck to let me know that I have restriction or can't eat anymore is not going to help me at all.
I lost 10 -15 lbs in the first month and basically hit a plateau that lasted nearly a year. Then I gave up, was depressed avoided my doctor and gained a lot of that weight back. My doctor wanted me to have a gastric bypass, even encouraged me to run the new testing and thankfully my insurance company denied it. He basically wrote me off as a patient.
New doctor gave me very different support and aftercare. Some things I have now learned:
(1) I need a low-carb diet. I eat 45-55 gms of carbs a day. Thats it, and a lot of that comes from fruits and veggies. The funny thing is that with carbs, they are either slider foods (potatoes) foods that get stuck, (doughy foods, rice) or sweets/nuts (high calorie, high sugar, high fat) and they often trigger cravings for more carbs!
(2) I eat at regular intervals, every 3 hrs. Some people say they don't get hungry for 4-5 hrs. Not me. I'm hungry. If I rely on just hunger, I eat too much, if I to wait for 4-5 hrs I am starving and again I eat too much, too fast or make bad choices. Seriously figure out how long it takes you to get hungry and set your meals around that. I had an alarm on my cell the first week to remind me to eat because I am not starving at that point and sometimes miss the hunger signals, but I know if I go past the 3 hrs pt bad things happen. I also know if I am hungry between then it is probably dehydration and I'm not getting my fluids in.
3. Eat slowly. If I eat my 3/4 cup to 1 cup of food in less than 15 or 20 minutes I am eating way too fast and likely to eat way too much. You'll find if you are only eating softer foods you eat them faster because they don't get stuck. I have to force myself to eat Proteins like chicken or steak and fresh veggies because I am afraid they will get stuck and they require me to be very careful with the chewing. The other day I ate carrots too fast and they were stuck! Ugh. The old me would have stopped eating raw carrots. The new me knows I ate them too fast, and didn't chew well enough. Also know that I will get full on a smaller amount of carrots than I will lunch meat, or yogurt. If I can eat it that fast it is probably not that good for me!! Time yourself. I've done it and having that external cue to keep you on pace helps. Note: If you follow this guideline with portion size, small chews and length it takes to finish a meal and are still getting food stuck you are too tight!!! I know it sounds counterproductive, but being too tight means your body thinks it is starving and you WILL NOT LOSE ANY WEIGHT!! Get the unfill, let your pouch heal and go back to the basics. My dr. does not like people relying solely upon Protein supplements for regular maintenance...so in his opinion you need to be able to eat lean meats without getting stuck.You can also be too tight and go over your calories because you tend to rely on soft mushy foods that are not going to keep you full and that are higher calorie for the volume.
4. Track your calories very very carefully. The've said it before and it is true. One of my biggest issues for me with this surgery was my slow metabolism. My body adjusts very quickly to a reduced caloric intake. You are not losing any weight because your body is adjusted to the amount of calories you are taking in. If i ate the amount of calories the calculators say I should to maintain weight (even without exercise I would be gaining 2-3 lbs a week! Trust me! I have tried.) I have to stay on a strict 1000-1200 calorie diet. If I am around 1400 or 1600 I gain. And when you break it down that is not a ton of calories and one pudding cup, cookie, or yogurt can quickly throw me over my daily goal. I may be eating what I would call a healthy diet but now post lap band for me healthy means getting lots of Protein, paying strict attention to carbs, and focusing on non-starchy veggies. Very different from my BFF. If the scale is not moving I have to take a very serious look at what I am eating, own what I ate and make adjustments. My guess, if you haven't lost weight you are probably taking in the same amount of calories you were before the surgery just in a decreased volume. Again, doesn't mean you're eating ice cream all the time, but you would be amazed at how many calories you can take in even with the band. Someone said he does 3000 calories on a calorie cycling regimine for his high cal day.
I know its hard and I know you may feel like people assume you aren't following the rules or are doing something to sabotage your success. Please don't give up!! I have run into plenty of guys and gals who struggle and this journey is a mental and physical one! Don't judge yourself or your success based on what others have done on the boards it will only make you feel more depressed. Set your own goals and Celebrate them, no matter how small. I Celebrate tracking all my calories (especially if I have missed a day or two!) Adjusting behavior patterns and breaking internal cues and triggers can be hard. Your body does not want to lose weight, it thinks of that as starvation. You've got to outsmart your body and for some of us it takes more work than others!
Good luck!

Well today is my day. I am up took a shower and is dressed. Presently waiting for my ride to get here. Schedule to be in the hospital @ 5:30am. I am first on the list for 7:30am. Feeling good not nervous my faith is strong and i have already spoken to my lord. Pause @ any time today and whisper a word for me. I will be posting as soon as i am out. Thanks to all. On my way.

I'm sorry to say, but i have known quite a few Bypass clients who have gained a significant amount of their weight back, What do they do at this point go on a diet? Lap band is a tool thats all it is. You will have to use your tool to get the job done. Good luck on your JOURNEY.

I am right there with you all. I will be banded on March 8th. I am pretty calm, have not told anyone, this forum is my support and i love it. Best wishes to everyone and i will post right from my notebook soon as i wake up.

I'm sorry to say, but i have known quite a few Bypass clients who have gained a significant amount of their weight back, What do they do at this point go on a diet? Lap band is a tool thats all it is. You will have to use your tool to get the job done. Good luck on your JOURNEY.

I'm sorry to say, but i have known quite a few Bypass clients who have gained a significant amount of their weight back, What do they do at this point go on a diet? Lap band is a tool thats all it is. You will have to use your tool to get the job done. Good luck on your JOURNEY.