HeatherinCA

12 pounds since surgery? That's 2+lbs a week. That is normal weight loss. It slows a little bit when you transition back into real food. But 1-2lbs a week is what you should expect. You have to burn off 3500 calories to lose one pound. I was banded about 11 weeks ago and I've lost 40lbs, and about 15 of those were pre-op from the liquids

That's how healing from any surgery feels! You will be fine, don't worry

Measure your food. Keep it 1/2 cup or under while you are healing. In the long run, I eat about 1cup to 1cup and a half of food per meal. I never quite got the whole egg thing. My thought is the band has a hole.. food goes through, and your stomach isn't hard, it stretches when you eat. Shirley is right, I had one big fill, and my hunger is gone, but some doctors take months, and give tiny fills.

Ask your doctor.. or you should have some kind of book, or materials from them. I would assume it's fine, but I'd call their office or look at your booklet Mine was a week of full liquids right after surgery, then 10 days of purees. I didn't have a "clear liquid" stage post op. Walk walk walk!! That helps with the gas

http://heatherslapband.blogspot.com/ yep! I need to start reading all the ones i'm following! going to do that now hehe, and i'll follow you

Question! Is your oatmeal 1/4 cup dry, or cooked?

Breakfast: 2 eggs made with Pam 1 Lite Whole Grain English Muffin (100 Calorie) 2 tablespoons salsa Lunch: Chipotle Burrito Bowl w/ Chicken I ate about 3/4 of it. (note to self, no cheese and sour cream next time! 220 calories alone!) Dinner: 4 Fresh & Easy turkey meatballs 1/2 cup Fresh & Easy Organic Marinara sauce 1/4 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese. Snack: 3 pieces sugar free Dove "Chocolate Creme Silky Smooth Dark Chocolates" 1190 Calories.

We eat mostly at chain restaurants, and they all have their calories on the menu (it's a law here), or have a supplemental menu with the calories. That helps. I try to look before I go... I'm surprised, some places, it's actually not that bad. I've had good luck lately at Panera Bread, Red Lobster (the best!), Mimi's Cafe, Chili's (fajitas!) and even Cheesecake Factory has a few things (their portions are huge, you could make 2 or 3 meals out of their "weight management" meals even) and a few others. Where I can find a good meal, that isn't a HUGE portion for under 500 calories, and I can't generally eat the whole thing. You can usually find grilled chicken, salmon, or shrimp, and veggies at any restaurant. If you look for something that is Protein that isn't fried or in a sauce you should be good. Or I like sushi, if you get one roll that doesn't have some kind of sauce all over it or is fried it's not bad. DON'T EVER GET AN ENTREE salad. I'm sorry, but I haven't seen one restaurant salad, with dressing, for under 1000 calories. The worst place I've seen is California pizza Kitchen. The calories were so high on everything I had to get a cup of minestrone. Mimi's is pretty bad too, but they have a "light and fit menu" with things under 600 calories.

I give in to it, or I find a lower calorie version. Like a piece of sugar free chocolate, or frozen yogurt instead of candy and ice cream. But honestly to me, when I find out how many calories are in what I want I usually don't want it anymore haha. Luckily for me, in LA, every chain food joint, coffee shop, and restaurant has to post the calories on the menu. When you find out there are 562 calories in a serving of ranch dressing at Mimi's Cafe, you won't eat it! Or I don't feel guilty about ONE piece of pizza, or a small slice of cake. Before it would of been 5 pieces of pizza, or 2 cupcakes..

People are just vocal about the bad experiences, not so much the good ones. If you have a good, qualified surgeon you should be fine, and if you are fine now, you will probably stay that way! . Also a lot of people have other things wrong with them, or the surgeons find other things when they do the surgery.

I have over 100 to lose! It's all about how your work with it... maybe the thought is if you are 400 pounds you won't have the discipline. I'm not sure I would recommend it to someone that large.. I don't know that this would be enough of an intervention between you and food. Also the weight loss is fairly slow, losing 1-2lbs a week, if you need to lose 250lbs... I think you would need it to come off faster. But yes like said above... I don't know many insurances that would approve it under 100lbs... I mean I tried a few years ago, when I was about 250 (which would still mean i'd need about a 100lb loss), and they didn't approve me, because I didn't have co-morbidies.

Yea, i just get a little gassy.

Yea, but I eat as like a "4th meal" which I don't think I need those extra calories. How long do steel cut oats take to make? haven't tried them yet.

LOL pureed lettuce? Gross hahah

46.7 to 40.4 so far!

Track your calories, keep it around 1200 or under. Exercise.

OMG! My last job, we created hotel mini bars.. so my entire office was FULL of every kind of candy imaginable to create samples. I would eat so much it was terrible! Actually I think i got it all out of my system, not much of a candy person anymore haha

I would wait at least 7 days. Then start adding in things like chili, oatmeal and mashed potatoes for a week or so, then start with egg salad, tuna salad, scrambled eggs, toast, crackers for a week, then regular diet. Mine was 7 days full liquids 10 days pureed food 10 days soft foods then regular foods day 28 It's a good learning experience to go through the healing process. Tip, get pre-made shakes like Myoplex or Pure Protein those go down much easier.

I do a little bit, but honestly I don't really crave it. Maybe sugar free pudding, or a fudgsical. Good thing for me is sugar free dark chocolate. Dove and Hersheys has little tiny bite size bars and it hits the spot for me. They have like 38 calories a piece. My problem is if i buy sweets, i eat them!! If I don't buy them I don't miss it.

B: 2 eggs cooked with cooking spray and 1 lite 100 calorie whole wheat english muffin with 2tbsp of salsa L: 1/2 cup prepared chicken salad with 2 flat bread crackers D 4oz tri tip with a little bit of rice and Beans and 3 tortillas :(I know bad.. Friday is kind of my "going out" day. I give myself a little extra) Snack: oatmeal with 2tsp brown sugar (trying to kick the oatmeal habit!! haven't yet blah) My FitDay says about 1,450..I try to keep it around 1,200. I did exercise today too. I had to guess w/ the dinner calories because it was at a restaurant.

I wouldn't worry till you are on mushies. Don't go too crazy, and it should be low fat cream soups.

Veggies can be troublesome, they are the last thing to be added usually. I'd think on mushies you could eat a salad.. maybe chopped up real small. Meh I don't like salad, doesn't fill me up! and the calories are ridiculous in a lot of them.

Not gonna lie, it's not fun, but for the first 4 or 5 days, you feel really crappy, and you don't wanna eat anyways. For me, something from sugery made me lose my sense of taste for a couple days haha. You will only be on liquids for 1 week or two weeks depending on your doctor, then you go in to pureed and mushy food. It's only 2 weeks you will live!! Not to mention you lose a lot of weight on liquids it's a good jumpstart.

It keeps you from being hungry all the time, and helps you eat less. I eat significantly less!! But I don't eat rabbit nibble portions.. I eat about a cup to a cup and a half per meal. BUT it's still easy to cheat and eat too much, eat between meals, drink milkshakes, eat ice cream, eat fattening slider foods. Haha but it IS a tool, it's kind of built in willpower. It's in you, it's not going away, it's like the nagging voice that says eat correctly! Frankly, I'm satisfied with what I can eat and I don't feel deprived. The band helps with that, on a regular diet you are hungry a lot and it makes it easier to cheat. Lots of people do fail because they don't follow the diet. If you think you can eat cheeseburgers and brownies and lose weight then you are crazy. It's still a 1200 calorie healthy lifestyle. Skinny people eat less, and eat healthy. If you could of done it on my own with weight watchers (which i've probably done 5 times in my life, along with lindora, atkins, south beach and every other diet program) I would have. I can get 50lbs off, I can't get 150lbs off. I needed more help.

It's gas from surgery, they pump your stomach full of air. Not sure why it causes shoulder pain but it does! I get a little bit if I eat too much, but it's usually not that painful.