samomom

Don't be offended if no one notices. 25 pounds is a lot and I promise you people do notice, but it's one of those touchy subjects that people will not bring up because they are being polite. No one wants to bring up weight with someone.It's one of those things that you don't want to do when someone is gaining weight either because you don't know if they are pregnant or not. I walked into my Cardiologist office last Friday and I've lost about 16-18 pounds and she was amazed in just 4 weeks. But then again, she's my doctor and is allowed to say things like that. I am sure you look great. When your pants are falling off you I am sure someone will comemnt! Melissa

Mine said no carbonated anything because it can over time lead to pouch stretching and erosion. Bummer, because I am having a hard time letting go of my Monsters!

The Devil's candy! So true, so true! I haven't even looked at the haul my kids got. Don't want to, don't care. I refuse to give in to the temptation. Carbs are what got me here and they aren't going to keep me here forever.

Every time I've lost weight I have been cold. Less insulation=colder body!

Those Boost shakes are junk. They don't really provide decent nutrition and I highly doubt they are meant to be a Meal Replacement. Try some other high Protein shakes like EAS or Muscle Milk. They will give you more protein and Vitamins. Why such a long time on liquids before surgery? I just had a two day clear liquid diet before my band. Hum.....I wish all the doctors would come to a consensus on what it safe and what is excessive when it comes to their pre and post op plans. Melissa

Funny that you like the long process. I am probably one of the very few here that had the shortest time from my initial consultation to surgery- exactly two weeks! I met the surgeon on Sept 14, my insurance approved me the next morning, faster than anyone they have ever dealt with, and I was banded Sept 28. I read about the crazy long process that some people have to go through and it makes me cringe! I don't know if I could have done it that way. Then again I'm the kind of person who decides on something and wants it done yesterday. I was briefly thinking like you about the foods I have to give up. I freaked out and then got over it real quick. Like others have said, you have to make your mind up if your son or the soda is more important. My kids mean more than another bowl of Pasta to me. I think once you are forced to cut the carbs in your pre op and post op diet, you will find that you can't stand them. Your body will never have a carb crash that makes you hungry again and that feels so awesome. About two weeks post op I tried to take a sip of Gatorade and thought I was going to slip into some diabetic coma right there at costco. It was sick. No more sugar for me. I don't crave it, don't like the smell of it and have no desire to let it stall my weight loss. The same goes for my beloved pasta. I've deliberately been making it often for my kids to see how well I can stay away from it. It gives me a great feeling to dish it up, watch them eat it and dump the last few bites in the sink when they are done. I don't want it or need it. Its like quitting a drug habit. Of course we can all fall off the wagon and pull and Lindsay Lohan and end up in rehab, but you will find that your get a high off of having more power to say no to the food than the food has sway over you. Melissa

I was going to do the one hole surgery too because my surgeon is one of the 5 who does it, but he actually said he had no really good reason to do it because there is more pain involved, it takes longer to heal and it was safer for me as he had much more room to work with the 4 tiny incisions. He said unless I planned on bikini beach bathing, going with the one hole wasn't really necessary. Also, He found a hiatal hernia which is so much easier to fix with the 4 incisions. I do plan on looking damn hot in a bathing suit next summer and I will need some nip and tucking thanks to the C Section leaving me flabby, but the scars I have are so minimal that I just don't care. Melissa

I was guzzling drinks about two hours after surgery before I even left the surgery center. I love my water and I was told if nothing else,keep drinking it as much as I wanted.

Before you totally lose it, eat protein and veggie only. So what if you eat a ton of chicken or beef, just stay away from the carbs, then call your doctor.

Funny what we get excited about! Congrats!

Don't waste your money on the Bariatric Advantage. They are so overpriced. Go to your local vitamin shop and ask about your chewable options. I buy mine from Trader Joe's, but I know not everyone has one in their state. I paid $7.99 and they are full of everything you could possibly need. I also do a sublingual B6,B12, Folic Acid pill which is as tiny as a pen dot, and a chewable iron that I ordered from Amazon that tastes like bubble gum.

The powder is way better than the pre made ones, plus it is better calorie and protein wise. I use the chocolate powder mixed with milk. I've been trying to cut the milk with some water to lower the calories, but I can't go straight water because it just doesn't taste as good. I do one scoop to 8oz of liquid. It makes a thin shake. I don't like them thick at all.

One more reason I'm glad my doctor won't use the Realize band. I asked about this Tuesday and it made no sense that you can leave a product in the body, but they'll take back the unused ones.

Its the ketosis. The taste sucks,but the results are great. It means that your body is burning more fat and protein instead of carbs. The taste is acetone. Google it. Its a good thing! Just remember that every time you get the funky taste, you are actively burning fat!

I got a feeling as if something was stuck in my throat, mostly like an air bubble or when you drink a carbonated drink too fast. I told him that I had to burp to clear it which I promptly did and the feeling went away. I had 2.5 cc's as my first fill on Tuesday. Today I think I experienced my first sliming event. Not pleasant! Melissa

Hum. That seems a bit extreme to me. I was on a two week liquid diet, but no way way it just clear liquids the first week. I trust my doctor implicitly as he has done close to 2000 band surgeries, so I think he knows what he is talking about. I was able to have soups, Protein shakes, milk, etc. You need calories and protein. I am not suggesting to shun all the instructions given to you, but I think it's way off base. I was drinking Protein Shakes hours after surgery and I'm still alive. Melissa

I just got my first fill Tuesday and I am heading to Washington DC in about a week and a half to take the kids to all the museums and the White House. I'm worried about the availability of 'safe' foods while we are out and I don't want to have to stop and seek them out while we are cruising the museums. What are some low carb, not easily stuck foods that I should take with me? My usual Snacks would be fruit bars, granola bars, peanuts, or crackers, but those are either to high in carbs which I am avoiding like the plague or not very filling. I'm bringing packets of Muscle Milk for Breakfast in case I can't get something at the hotel. I can bring those in a backpack, but there is no guarantee that I can get milk(I have to mix with milk or it tastes horrible) in a bottle to shake it up. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks, Melissa

Honestly, if you say you can resist it, keep it up. Ice cream is so tasty and satisfying to our brains for those few seconds, but doesn nothing for our asses!! Don't do it. It's just not worth the wasted calories and sugar. If you have to, take one bite, just one and move on. Don't buy it and bring it home to the freezer. Do it out with someone. Just one bite!!!

The horrible taste in your mouth is most likely a good sign believe it or not. If you are buring fat and Protein instead of carbs, your body is in a state of strong ketosis. That means your kidneys are giving off acetone as a byproduct of fat burning. It's gross and I still have it almost daily 4 weeks post op, but I am down 14 pounds as well. Sorry about the unsupportive husband. As payback when you are a skinny hot looking woman, go shopping and spend thousands on new clothes and give him the receipts! Melissa

Ardelia, I am assuming you've never seen or needed a therapist. Most everyone who has needs to try a few to find who they are comfortable with and that isn't an indicator of desperation to only hear what they want. I think it's also a stretch to call someone mentally unwell when you don't know them, their background, or anything else, just based on a simple post. She doesn't seem like a nut to me. Anyone who can recognize that they have issues and can make a concerted effort to get to a therapist and doctor is doing better than someone who is crazy.

First of all, find a new therapist. I have seen a few over my lifetime and on two occasions have had two of them say some really unprofessional, unethical and shocking things that were so crazy untrue that other therapists I mentioned this to were furious. They are human, not perfect. Unless you have some deep seeded food issues, I think most anyone who is very overweight should try this surgery. I believe that many people don't really know what the band is or does and just sees it as an easy way out. Is this therapist associated with a LapBand doctor? I would guess not and that she doesn't have a clue what is going on. Don't let someone else ruin your day over this. I'm 4 weeks post op, 14 pounds and nearly a size down. I wouldn't let anyone talk me out of what I just had done. My life, my body, my choice. Melissa

Give yourself a good week or two to physically and mentally feel back to normal. I know that's probably what you didn't want to hear, but you have to let your body heal up and your mind needs to be allowed to get back to a place where you aren't focused 100% on the band and all that goes with it. I'm 4 weeks post op, just had my first fill yesterday and I'm feeling fine. It took me until I could eat again to get back into that normal mode. Melissa

Dont stress. I am/ was in the same boat at the same time. My scale of doom sucks. I went to the doctor today and his scale is much more accurate. I lost 3 pounds that my scale didn't even register. Stay off until your first post op visit. You are so soon out of surgery anyways.

You will be fine! The pain is minimal to nothing. I'm a surgery veteran ( 7 under my belt) and by far this was the easiest. I just had my 4 week post op visit and fill this morning. That 4 weeks flew by. Congrats and good luck.

I agree. Cleo's post is really helpful. I am totally with you on the no go with the very low calorie diet. I did the HMR shake thing twice before. You get somewhere between 500-800 calories a day. I did great the first week and lost 8 pounds, but never lost anything after that, but my freaking mind. It was awful. My body just shut down. I was so tired, cranky, starving and this was all through an Endocrinologists office!! He should have known better than to shut down someone's metabolism like that. My sister had the same thing happen on Optifast. She had a total meltdown after two weeks and never lost any weight. About a year and a half ago I was working with a Registered Dietitian who I swear was anorexic, but that's another story. She had me on a 1500 calorie plan which was working slowly, but I got very frustrated with a few things and dropped it to 500. Well, guess what? I never lost a pound on such a low calorie intake. When I decided to 'blow it' and eat more, I lost about 3 pounds in a week. I think it's all about finding the right number for each person, but going super low like so many of us are doing isn't the key for long term success. It is true that you slow your metabolism down. The way the dietitian explained it to me was using a wood burning analogy- She said your body is like slow burning embers. When you throw fuel to the fire is flares up and wakes up. That is when your body burns more eneggy and calories. If you keep your body in the ember stage then you aren't efficiently burning calories. I can appreciate what someone said in an earlier post that if you eat less than you burn then you will simply lose weight. It's sounds good in theory, but it just isn't that simple or true. If that were the case then none of us would be fat! My metabloic rate to maintain my weight is 2267 calories a day. That is just to maintain! I am eating 1000 calories or less a day and exercising. In theory, that should mean I would be losing 1 pound every 3 days. I wish!!!! I haven't lost anything in over 3 weeks and that isn't because my body is 'adjusting' as so many people on the board like to say. I have my first fill in about an hour. Time to jump in the shower and get my fat ass over there. I cried for hours last night about this. I really, really don't want to get on his scale. If I have gained a pound I will cry in his office. I am praying to the scale Gods to show mercy on me. Melissa