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I had my lapband on August 6th and lost 15 pounds within a week and now I have gained 2 pounds back. I know that this should not freak me out but I am so scared about failing at this! I have only been eating between 300 and 500 calories a day, and I know that I have not gotten all my proteins in on somedays... is this normal? I go back for my 2 week post op this Thursday and I am nervous!

I never slack off on the exercising, thats the thing I find makes the most difference for me. Lots of cardio because nothing burns calories like running does and over the last 2 years I've also done lots of circuit training. That allows me lots of scope. My only other "rule" is 3 meals a day, nothing more. I dont always stick to that perfectly, but its snacking that does me in. I eat whatever I want, but I only eat 3 meals and my weight never budges an ounce. Its not uncommon to gain weight early in a relationship, because you tend to do a lot more things like eating out, having romantic dinners, afternoon teas etc etc. Just cut them out again, lol.

LOL. I went through the same thing. You'd think that with the 80+ grams of protein I was getting daily with clear liquids that "technically" I wouldn't have had an energy problem, but I really did. It wasn't until I started back on solids that my energy came back. And as long as I stick to the high protein/low carb diet, I even find myself waking up, refreshed and ready to go, an hour or so before my alarm goes off! That has never happened to me before! So, good luck to you -- I'm glad to hear that putting more veggies into your diet and worrying less about calories seems to be helping. Also, If you are committing to a high protein/low carb diet, you may want to pick up some keto sticks at your pharmacy. You use these sticks each morning to measure whether your body is going into ketosis -- fat burning mode. In ketosis, your body goes into a metabolic state in which it burns its own fat for fuel. The deeper into ketosis you are, the more quickly you are, theoretically at least, burning fat. Thus, even if you hit a weight loss plateau, just knowing that you are in full fat-burning mode seems to help with sticking to the diet plan. In my experience, if you can maintain your metabolism at the third or fourth level of ketosis, you should see sustained and significant weight loss -- although, as with any other diet, YMMV. As with anything else, check with your doctor before going on a strict Atkins-like high protein/low-carb diet that will cause ketosis and, again, good luck!

Hey there. I've been banded for two years (almost to the day). I've lost over 100 pounds but am still working on getting rid of some more! The only thing I can tell you is to watch what you eat and exercise. Same as anything else. If one thing doesn't work, try something different. If you're eating 1200 calories a day, sometimes bumping it up to 1300 does the trick. Or the opposite. It's something you have to play around with. Make sure you're eating in a healthy manner as much as possible. Track what you can. I used to hate counting calories but as my weight loss has slowed, I've had to pay more attention to what I'm putting into my mouth. Be careful with Protein shakes and Soups. While they have the protein you need, they won't necessarily make you feel full for long enough because they aren't going to sit in your pouch like solid food will. See if your next fill helps. Just be careful with it. You technically should be able to eat just about anything (just in smaller quantities). I do have trouble with most breads and a few veggies (mostly celery and brussels sprouts) but that's about it. You don't want to get too tight. I made that mistake at the beginning. Then I was going through a lot of slider foods and drinking my protein because I couldn't get healthy foods down. That's not a good place to be! Don't be afraid to speak up to your doctor when you go in as well. If your insurance will cover it, go back to the nutritionist that you did your initial pre-surgery stuff with to see if they have any advice. Good luck and be patient. Be flexible and try new things when others don't work. Switch up foods and exercise routines. Whatever you do, keep yourself motivated and on the right track.

I am going through the same, I had my surgery Dec 28 lost 20 pounds most of that from the low carb diet prior to surgery. I have only had 2 adjustments so far and am up to 5.2 cc's, I can eat anything just have to chew longer and not drink while eating. I asked what the average fill should be in order to be in the green zone. They told me it varies with each person, anywhere from 5 cc's up to 7.5 cc's, I'm not discouraged yet but very anxious to start seeing results. Hello... I had my Lap Band surgery on 8-16-10 and lost 20 lbs within the first 3 months and I feel great, however, I have not lost anymore weight. I have had 3 fills since September and have very little restriction. I can actually eat whatever I want, as long as I chew it well. I have been following the SB diet, only using splenda if I need sweetness. And I keep active. My Dr advised me not to drink Protein shakes anymore as he feels they are additional calories that I don't need. I am going for another fill this week and this time I will ask how many cc's I have had so far. Is anyone else struggling after the Lap Band surgery?? I am getting very depressed, especially after reading other posts from people stating how much they have lost in the first 6 months. I would appreciate any suggestions/information that I could get.

I am 6 days post op and haven't lost or gained any weight. Not too concerned, just curious. I lost 14 lbs before my surgery and thought being on liquids (1000 calories a day) I would lose something?!?! Is this normal?

I'm so excited and nervous! Walking into my appointment today, I almost turned around! I was so nervous of the "what if's".... What if I'm too big for surgery... what if he thinks I'm not a good fit for the surgery I want... what if he looks at me and tells me I'm not trying hard enough with other options (my mom's suggestion: "Why don't you exhaust all of your other options first honey!") What if he likes everything and first surgery date avalible is in December... what if!!! Thankfully my husband was by my side and I'm too chicken to tell him "lets turn around and hide!" What if nothing! ***Happy "I'm getting surgery" dance!!!!**** (never thought I would be happy about going into surgery willingly! needles *cringe*) He approved me for surgery, he said two weeks of shakes/ less than 1,000 calories a day and surgery on June 13th!!! Bonus: Work is good with the days off, kids are going to hang with my mom and my honey is going to be by my side (he is my rock!) On a side note: The girls in my office are always having some sort of weight loss something going on... I think the current thing is $5 to weigh in each week for 6 weeks and at the end the "biggest loser" gets the "pot". They have always invited me to join in, but at twice their weight I've never been interested in everyone knowing my actual weight. Today they told me they didn't want me to join... that they all knew they would lose!! (this actually makes me happy!) Happy Tuesday everyone!

My gall bladder came out during laparoscopic surgery at the same time that my lap band went in four years ago. They took it out as a precaution because apparently you can get more gallstones once you switch to a low fat diet. The bile that is made by the gall bladder is for digestion fat, and if there is less fat to digest, it can build up and turn to sludge and form stones. That is the explanation that they gave me anyway. I noticed no change, and because I could not eat lowfat healthy foods with the band, I opted for higher calorie/higher fat foods just so I could have some food that would stay down and help my hunger. I used to slather mayo on everything as dry anything would come right back up within seconds. I think you are better off without your gallbladder with your weight loss surgery. I experienced some discomfort after they took it out, but the whole recovery for the gall bladder/lap band surgery wasn't more than about a week of taking it easy. If you have a choice, I would highly recommend having it done all at once so you have one surgery instead of two, one anesthesia, one hospital stay, etc.

I'm 26 months out and have been below goal for 18 of them. Of course the further out I got my portions increased. I could only eat a couple tablespoons at a time at 2-3 months and reached my max capacity of about a cup by 14 months. I can eat more in the evenings than in the morning and I can eat more of things like Soup and yogurt than I can chicken or steak. When I was close to goal I upped my fat and carbs by adding in more fruit, whole grains and full fat dairy, nuts, etc. in order to slow down and stop my loss. I can't give you numbers as far as grams of fat, Protein, carbs and calories because I don't track or measure. But I shoot for protein first, minimize (not exclude) carbs like Pasta, rice, bread and sweets and pay no attention to fat content. Besides my high protein diet I drink a protein shake and eat a Quest bar everyday so I know I'm getting well over 60-80g protein/day. I drink 64-100oz every day. I eat fruit, veggies and grains every day. I take my Vitamins every day. I don't ever feel like I'm dieting because there's nothing I can't or don't eat, just in moderation. I saw the nut on my day of surgery and haven't talk to her since. I just figured out what worked for me based on the basics of meeting protein and Fluid goals and making healthy food choices.

This is a question for those of you sleevers who have lost a significant amount of weight or gotten to goal and MAINTAINED for a long period of time. You may have busted through that initial plateau and continued to lose to get to goal. Now you're maintaining and hopefully loving it... My question is, where are your calories and macronutrients (Protein, carbs, fats) now, and how did you get them there? Did you slowly raise them and lose/maintain while doing so? Have you brought carbs back up to a more "normal" place? Have your portion sizes changed? Also, now that you're so far out from your surgery, do you go to your original doc/nutritionist for guidance, a personal trainer, new nutritionist/coach, or are you deciding your calories/macros on your own?

I haven't ever really calorie counted, at the beginning you are eating so little that the calorific value just isn't enough to quantify and as time went by, in my experience, i was worried that i wasn't getting enough calories, so actually aimed for a high(ish) fat content, i.e. full fat cheese, butter, cream etc - although you do need to be moderate with this, as a) you might find you don't tolerate very well and, too much fat isn't good, lol. As for carbs, i work on the small plate system, so majority is protein, small portion of carbs and the rest are vegetables, but I do ensure that I have a carb intake. Whilst I understand that you are trying to get a handle on this, the fact is that everyone is different and you need to feel the way for yourself, you get much better at reading your body, what it can or cannot handle. Today for example, I've had a sesame bagel with cream cheese and salmon, prawn tempura and egg noodle broth and a chicken salad, some grapes and a Cappuccino - most of which I wouldn't have been able to eat when I first started, but now constitutes a balanced diet for me. L

I really like the WW program. Other than hypnosis, it was the only successful attempt I made at losing weight pre-op. I think WW really helped me learn easy ways to track my food, which has been key to my success post-op. I also learned a lot of healthy eating habits (1/2 apple with cheese stick instead of bag of chips at snack time!), and some good tricks for dealing with emotional eating, head hunger, and snarky family and friends during the losing phase and beyond. I loved the WW meetings and also enjoyed WW online. But I could not get my hunger under control enough to get to a healthy weight with WW. I generally weigh my food because I find it easier than measuring. So hard to know what a cup of watermelon is, but very easy to figure out 140 grams of watermelon. At first, I wrote all foods down, but now that I'm at goal and several months into the rest of my life, I track in my head, just minding Protein and a general idea of calories in. Lynda

As long as it's suger free you are fine. So will say the fake suger will lead you to crave more suger. I find that having something in my mouth to chew makes me less likely to eat food with calories.

I got sleeved 4 days before you, so am in about the same place. I decided to only weigh once a week - less likely to freak out. I have not tried the CVS Protein - maybe it really has fish guts in it - LOL. I got samples of the nectar Naturals, glad I just got samples because while the taste is ok I am very sensitive to smells - and it smells like dirty socks (really old sweaty dirty socks). The smell alone would make you gag. I got some of the Chike protein, it comes in individual packets. I really like the strawberry mixed with SF cheesecake pudding. I am really bored as well, it is very easy to just not eat at all. But, if you take in no calories your body will assume starvation and shut down the metabolism all together. I saw this when I transitioned from Clear liquids to full liquids, I did not start to lose again until on full liquids. As well, I am going back to work on Monday - we will see how it goes - as long as it takes me to eat, I am thinking of just taking a Protein Drink for lunch. I too went to Mexico - TJ with Dr. Kelly - and have been relatively ok emotionally with my family. They are both gone for the weekend though, so it is just me and the dogs and 4 inches of snow!! Poor fruit trees. I am hanging in there with you. Jean

I was told only 100% juice diluted either half or 1/3 juice 2/3 water. Even though it's natural it's still sugar and calories.

Ooo grats FWWAB! I'm so jealous you can sleep on your tummy! I haven't lost a pound since I started mushies day before yeserday. Boooo.. Also struggling to get any food in me anyway.. 3 times a day I eat about 5 tablespoons of something. I think below the 1200 calorie suggested diet to help continue to lose weight. Plus it's snowy out so I can't walk or anything. :thumbup:

Well, tonight is night two I can't sleep so I thought I'd share some things that are on my mind keeping me up. One is how we strive so hard to look "normal" - according to who or by what doctors notes? In mind mind of growing up is that you have to have long pretty shiney hair, I get that from my Christian upbringing. You should be very respectful to your parents...from my Parents upbringing. You must have small danty feet in which to wear the cute and beautiful shoes that would go with all the up to date styles that only come in zero to size 12/14. In the office where I work, I should dress professional which is hard to do in a size 24. Even with that 12/14 is considered huge while in school. I've always been heavy so I have dealt with this my entire life. You should never speak your mind - keep your thoughts to yourself if you want to keep that friend, keep your job or not be in family war zones. You should always wear makeup and not just any make up...expensive make up....according to the commercials, your eyes will drain, your face will sweat or feel heavy and your skin will look like an oil slick unless you use what "every one else is using". You must aways smile when a man/woman smiles and you and not show offense if you smile first and not get a smile back. You must be the "normal" height for a woman (about 5'6/5'7 ) and for a man ( about 5'9/6'). This is what we see most in movies that makes us compare our lives and bodies to the unrealist world. My husband and I married in 1990, divorced in 1994, remarried in 2002. He says I am fine just how I am. But I can't get past what reality forces me to think I should be. He is never complentary, hardly ever affectionete. Never says Im pretty or I love you just because. Never holds my hand in public or at home. We merely live together. I "think" we are in love but not even sure of that anymore. I have trust issues with him and he thinks life is all about saving money. Working your tail off most every day and not spending it...and if you do..I will hear about how many bills we have...which are all up to date, not is alot of debt. My 2005 truck is paid off in like 3 months. He drives a new truck, my son works for him and drives a new truck. We ARE NOT in trouble. I remarried thinking (from my christian childhood) that it was the right thing to do since we had kids. We did fall back in love and were remarried within 2 months of bumping into each other uptown. Now, we are back , well almost, back to the reason for the divorce. So, that is some of my sleep insomnia thoughts. Here's the rest. I have surgery on Monday...thats less than 48 hours. I haven't been able to heat much this past week. Not unusual to only get in about 300 calories a day. I tried going back to some of my norman veggies and healthy foods to help with the dizziness and lighthead that accompanies my migraines. Well, after being off real food for so long, they taste horrible so I just got get a bottle of water. I can feel how my body is deteriating. Muscle aches, headaches, dizzy, bumping into walls, vomiting after having something like jello. I don't dare call the dr for fear of him canceling. Actually looking for to the hospital stay so someone can get me back on track. Its 245am and I just had a small instant brown rice that actually did taste good. As of this morning my weight was down to 305 from 338 in April. This is just what is exploding on to these keys right now. There is so much more in my mind, I can't shut it off. I have anxiety and panic attacks which is making this all worse. Did I mention my husband is totally against the surgery. He says it stupid to do something that is elective and doesn't understand it not elective for "ME" . I need this emoionally and physically. I told him today, when I asked if he was taking me Monday and was he staying or leaving during surgery.." You haven't been there for me in the journey to get here so I don't expect you to be there after the journey". He just stared at me and said Im not leaving while you are in surgery which just sounds stupid to me considering how he acts on a daily basis. Then there is the dying on the table issue. What would happen to my kids, my mom and dad and grandbaby - I am the caretaker of all. Everything people say to me I hang on to because I don't know if I'll make it through the surgery...nothing is a guarentee. sorry for the spelling-everything is just pouring out right now. So, tell me, does anyone else feel this way or is my mind this warped from an Unrealistic World?

Did you have seminars and talks with nutritionists about just what the band is and does? That helps a lot, I refer back to my paperwork and my "bible" those are the eating instructions I got after the band. Keep in mind that you are in control of the band and your eating. The band is only as good as you make it. I know that's hard. I get hungry a lot, have had 2 fills, a few slimming episodes, ugg. And I have to continue to make good food choices. You can "eat around" the band and then you won't lose weight or lose very little and even gain wieght. Who wants that, noone, after all the work and pain you went through to get the band I make sure that when I do go a bit overboard. I take the next few days and restrict my eating to my Protein shakes and one small meal. Calories around 1000 for a few days. Then I go back to my normal 1200-1500 calories a day. I now weight myself once a week. That prevents me from getting depressed when I don't lose or gain a pound. You still are thinner than when you started. I hope to get really good restriction when I get my next fill December 11th. My goals are about 8 to 10 lbs. a month. So far I am doing well. I will take my time and hope to lose the rest before next summer. Good luck and don't beat yourself up over this, just keep trying. Pati

I'm also scheduled for surgery on the 12th. I started my pre op diet yesterday and I've had a headache ever since. Its a high protein low calorie diet. I had to buy all this gross food from the NUT and I get to have 2oz of turkey, chicken, fish etc. with lunch and 2oz for supper so it's nice to have something to chew and not having all liquids. I have my pre-op appt later this afternoon. Should be a breeze. I meet with my surgeon again next tuesday and have my endoscopy on the 9th and surgery on the 12th. I'm nervous cuz I'm a single mom and I always worry about the what ifs. I know everything will be fine and I'm really looking forward to the new me and being a healthier mom for my son.

I'm on optifast 4 times a day plus 20 calories extra (i try to do a hello and chicken broth at supper) but yeah if it's liquid going in....

I would prefer to eat my own kale chips..les calories than trader Joe's but I bet theirs taste better than mine

Weight Watchers fudge bars or Blue Bell No Sugar Added Dutch chocolate ice cream are my go-to's. At only 90 calories a serving, no fat and 9g Protein - you can't get much more guilt free than that. Don't be too hard on yourself, this is a process.

My dad had his WLS 4 weeks ago and as I preceded him two months earlier he usually comes to me first with his questions. My doc told me that 1000 cals daily is a good amount to have and to shoot for 80 g of protein ( which I have no prob getting). My Dad is wondering what the typical amount of calories per day is for the men who have had this surgery. So far he is doing very well but I am sure he is still at the point where he is eating much fewer calories than he will once his stomach is healed up.

Hi , i was banded in 2006 and managed to lose 7 stone but by 2009 i was having lots of problems with acid and reflux. I was advised to have my band emptied to try and relax my stomach back into shape but although it worked for awhile, my problems gradually got worse and worse. i started to have 'drowning' incidents at night, dreaming i was drowning and waking up with all this fluid in my lungs. I had infection after infection and several incidents of aspiration pneumonia. Although i had my band done privately i managed to be seen by a NHS surgeon who operated and repositioned my band. In the interim period i had regained 3 stone of weight. I am now trying to reach the fill point when i can lose weight again but finding it difficult to get my band to the correct point. Minor fills (0.2 of a mil) and my band is either too loose or then next time too tight and then i had a further incident with reflux 'drowning' and ended up in hospital again with pneumonia. My lungs are taking a long time to recover and i am still not loosing any weight despite calorie counting and trying to do as much exercise as possible.

I'm sorry you're struggling. When you say you have no restriction, are you aware of what the band is and isn't supposed to do? The band isn't supposed to make you feel full, nor is it supposed to restrict what or how much you eat. The only thing the band is supposed to do is help you to feel satisfied on less food for longer periods of time. Satisfied means not physically hungry but has nothing to do with the sensation of being full. Carbs aren't necessarily a bad thing so long as you're eating smart carbs in moderation. As far as bigger portions, there's a saying around here that is very true: "Just because you can eat something it doesn't mean you should". Stick to the band portion of a cup or less of food per meal. About how many calories do you eat in a day? Do you get in all your Protein daily?