Search the Community

I love love love their salad with grilled veggies on top. Sometimes I add cheese (I'm a vegetarian), but I think you can get it with grilled chicken. I have come to think of pasta as tasteless, a waste of space (I'm post-op), yucky/gummy, and low bang for the buck given its lack of nutritional value. I feel so good putting a healthful tasty salad in my body instead. And everyone at the table will probably look at your salad longingly, wishing they had ordered it. You will feel great after eating it, too! I would pass on the bread or maybe have half a piece with the dipping oil bc that's the best part (since you are pre-op--post-op, you won't want it). You can get a side of sautéed spinach with garlic (not sure if it's on the menu, but they will do it), which is sooo good and good for you. Most of all, I hope you enjoy your time with your loved ones!

Hi everyone! hoping for your help! I am one day away from being four weeks postop (VSG Dec 16, 2019) and I made myself some hummus today but the consistency was very grainy and I only had a couple of teaspoons but then I got super scared that The grains or the skin of the chickpeas might get stuck in my stitches and cause a leak or something...so I stopped eating....but now I’m freaking out!! Help!! Thoughts? Should I call my nurse tomorrow? Thanks! Neda Vancouver, BC

All my paperwork was submitted to insurance on monday to BCBS-Fed, which included a 6 month supervised diet I did last year....well they told me today its too old and I need it 3 months prior to surgery!!!! So I now have to do a 3 month diet with a nutritionist?!? I'm so frustrated!!! I tried calling the doctors office to see what my options are and of course didn't get a hold of anyone!!! Please, any advise or words of encouragement would be appreciated!!!

Hi guys! Just wondering did anyone have their Psych and Nutrician appts before the seminar? I am so antsy to go ahead and do as much as I can before the seminar-aside from the initial consult bc that HAS to be after the seminar which isn't until NOV 10th!!! I know,I know,not that long to wait but I am thinking of doing the psych and nut appts prior to the seminar. Only thing is I may have to pay out of pocket for the nutrician appt bc my insurance doesn't cover it which is why I am switching tomorrow but the switch won't be fully in effect until middle of next month-I don't want to wait! I just seriously need to calm down bc I am getting wayyy wrapped up in getting the sleeve. I can hardly think of anything else! And things like my husband pretty much making me go with him and the kids to Taco Bell for dinner tonight make it worse,which I refused and did not eat from there bc it's gross,my son wouldn't eat,the twins are too little to eat there,so it ended up just being my hubs and my 2 yr old daughter eating but yet we still had to all sit there. We couldn't order it to go bc he said he wanted us to all get out of the house as a family...Seriously,I could barely fit in the booth,I had to very uncomfortably squeeze into it...I wanted to cry so bad but I knew it would ruin everyone's night.. I haven't ate out in IDK how long bc we never get out all together as a family,obviously long enough to NOT realize that I couldn't fit in a restaurant booth! This is bad... Ok this turned into a rambling vent...lol. I feel better though! haha,ok so now I am probably gonna schedule my psych and nut eval tomorrow and get them over with lol!

Girl me and you are on the same page!! lol,I just really wanna get it over with,heal up,and start on my new lifestyle as far as eating less and differently-and being able to exercise more,can't wait!!!! I am always slammed with appts for my kiddos so I have really had to squeeze these ones for me into a very tight schedule! I just had twins 9 months ago so I am used to everyone telling me how cute I am while pregs and getting all this attention lol now I am just the fat girl with cute kids and a hot husband....I can see all those looks from ppl like wth is he doin with her? Good thing he loves me bc I need his support!

I just finished day 6 and I'm right there with ya! I've been drinking so much and following my Optifast and the scale has barely budged! It has reminded me why I need this surgery, bc if this was a diet with the intentions of getting me to my goal, I'd fall off the wagon! It's terrible eating the same sweet crap all day every day and then no encouragement from the scale! UGH! I'm so afraid of my appt on Thurs not showing half the loss they expect(15-20 lbs in two weeks) ....but I am so trying to remember how fortunate I am to have this opportunity for surgery. We will be successful!!! Good luck, I'm on Nov 20!

Im 4 weeks post op. Went for a fill today. To my surprise I have 4cc since surgery. I added another to make 5. So I am half full. I did a lot of pushing from the table and didn't give into stomach growls (banster hell). Dr was pleased with my progress. Don't think getting fills is bad or bc you are doing bad. They are to help you on this journey and make it easier on you

Yes, I'm in the middle of it. It does make a lot of sense. I especially pondered the part where "fat cell" demand to be fed first. Like a tumor. That's why we continue to eat so (making us fat) much because the food we ate just went to the fat cells, leaving the rest of our body starving for food! It made we realize the damage carbs has been doing to my body all these years.

Hi debwin! Sorry it took so long to reply, I was away for work. How is your pre-op diet going? I am from BC (Canada). I might postpone my date though. I just got a promotion at work and I need to fly to our head office for training 3 weeks after surgery. I don't think this is realistic. If my body responds well to the surgery and to drinking all my fluids, it could work but that's if everything goes perfect. I don't know that 3 weeks is enough time to rest and recover though. I'll have to make a decision by tonight so I can change arrangements asap. How is your pre-op going??? Are you getting excited, nervous, both?

I know it has not been very long since I posted but it seams forever. Friday I was at my job of 5 years and it was my last day, got a call while on-line (at work) for a new position. Yea! But I don't have time to play on the internet! can you imagine? I have work to do? Well it seams to be going ok, but I really miss my support group. Even though I don't post much I was reading every day!!! And honestly I had a lot of time to play because there was no work, and thus the reason for my lay-off. So I took you guys advise and hit the library...my sister is working afternoons and I had planned to use hers. Kinda feel like I am at work with people looking over my sholder. lol Any how I got another fill last week cause of the questionable upcomming changes in my bc-bs. Boy am I tight now, no PB's but really slow going down I think I have lost 5 lbs since then. With the liquids for 2 days cause of the tightness, then stomach upset because of the lay-off, and the stress of learning the procedures in a new company....well I guess you get the picture. It's all good I got my new library card and I can visit anytime. Going to go catch up now. Love to all Trish

I’m feeling awful, not physically but emotionally. I am 2 months post op today. My first month post op I felt great. I recovered quickly & was learning quickly how to eat and drink afterwards. My sleeve seems to like just about anything unless I eat too fast and don’t realize it. Emotionally after surgery I also felt amazing. I felt better than I had in years. I finally felt like I was seeing progress and started to feel a lot better about myself and I felt as if I was dealing with my relationships with people a lot better (I always felt very anxious around people). I felt so confident about the decision that I made, that I decided that it shouldn’t be kept a secret. If someone asked where I’ve been or how I had been losing weight so quickly, I had no problem telling them about the surgery. It was the first time in a long period of time that I didn’t spend a couple days crying over things that hurt me, it felt freeing and I felt on my way to this ‘new’ life. But the last two weeks I have felt absolutely awful. I feel like everyone’s treating me like crap. My boyfriend was very supportive when the surgery happened but now continually tries to offer me food that I shouldn’t be eating. We went out to eat and over dinner I wanted to talk to him about how serious it was that I change the habits I had before surgery and how I didn’t want to get sucked back into greasy, fat, fried & fast food again. I asked him if he could please just eat a little healthier around me (ex: a sandwich instead of a burger) instead of asking me to stop at a fast food place when he gets into my car if I can just make him something when we get back to my place. He still didn’t understand after this conversation what I was saying.. He thinks its ok to eat that kind of food because I “can’t eat much of it anyways”, so he thinks it does no harm. Not even five minutes after this conversation he asks if I want to split a milkshake with him. *rolls eyes* On top of this, I have also lost all of my sex drive.. I honestly don’t know if it’s because I’m finally taking birth control for the first time ever.. or because I’m fed up with all of it. Other than that my mother has never been supportive of any kind of surgery and thinks it’s easy to just jump on a treadmill and eat some carrots in order to get down to the weight you need to. I moved in with my sister 5 days before I had surgery. She has always been the All-Star of the family. Skinny, dancer, beautiful, dresses & carries herself nicely & so on. I’ve always been very envious of her and always have looked up to her. These past two weeks have had me feeling so awkward around her and her friends. I just feel like that fat kid in the corner that doesn’t have a clue. Besides everyone else, I’m really not making myself any better. I get all dolled up and look in the mirror and sometimes I just cry.. I feel like I look awful and I get such anxiety just thinking I have to go out looking this way… I don’t have much support with the decision I made besides myself. I was comfortable with that but when people, a long with your own mindset try to throw you off the wagon.. It gets really hard to try to get back on.. I honestly don’t really know how to get my mind ‘back in the game’. Don’t get me wrong.. I’m still having all my protein and vitamins throughout the day. The only thing that has lacked recently is my exercising. I guess I just needed to vent.. but mostly was hoping for some feedback.. any suggestions on how to get out of this rut…

Also I should throw this in the pot... I'm having my sleeve in Mexico so we also have a nice long drive bc I'm not about to fly! We are...oh... 15 hours from our destination!!

I am a self pay in Texas because my insurance does not cover any WLS. My surgeon is Dr. John Mason in Bryan, Texas. Even with selfpay there were tests that I had to clear in order for Dr. Mason to agree to my surgery. They were EKG, chest xray, blood work and psych evaluation. Dr. Mason works out of St. Joseph's Hospital and they do offer a "selfpay" discount. When all said and done with tests, surgery and hospital costs I will be out of pocket approximately $12,000.00. I started this journey back in January and will be having surgery on May 22, which is my choice. Surgery could have been a lot sooner if it would have been more convenient for me to done so. If anyone in this area is looking for a great surgeon, I highly reccomend Dr. Mason. On me personally he has performed 2 breast biopsies, Double mastectomy (I am a 4 year BC survivor, woohoo!) and gallbladder removal. All of which were without incident and I breezed through with flying colors and believe that it was because of his excellent surgical skills and passion for his patients.

I am RIGHT with you!! I had my band removed in 2014 bc it just did not work. My insurance is also Highmark BCBS. I have started the process of revision (even thought it's out!). I am waiting to see how things work out with my approval. ... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Thanks ya'll for rallying behind me :obama fist bump::cool2: Tammigirl you are on point! I would not want to get into a legal tango with you.:smile: It's a shame that you have to get stressed out for nonsense. Update: This morning my phone rang me: hello new she: Hey April I just got to work but I wanted to update you me: Yeah , this thing has had me worried. see i am a private person and it disturbs me that my information is somewhere willy nilly new she: I know it bothered me last night that's why i called you first thing this morning to let you know that we are working on it me: yeah well i am still looking into hippa vioalations someone needs to be held accountable she: I promise you that the person over the mailroom is taking this very seriously me: in the mean time what can we do to expedite this? mailing will take another 10 days and I have already spent 7 months jumping through bc bs hoops so 10 days is a life time. she: i understand, you could always bring a copy of the missing photos up here me (thinking)-what , that's an option , oh hell yeah me aloud: absolutely she: Bring it in the morning and put it to the attention of the medical review board: i will call them and tell them it is urgent me: I will do it 8 am she: talk to ya later me:too mentally exhausted to do or say anything else pray for your girl and that's on the real

I was banded on Feb 1st 2013.. Ive lost 38 pounds so far... which i am ecstatic about. About a week ago i went in to see my doctor thinking somehting was wrong, because I was feeling hungry often and eating more (i thought my band had slipped or something). The doctor told me this was normal, because as you lose weight your band gets looser. make sense. so she gave me a fill and sent me on my way. BUT since then its like ive lost my mind. I know i am making bad food choices but its like i convince myself its ok (like eating ice cream bc it eventually turns to liquid and doesnt take up space in my tummy-!!crazy !!), and then feel horrible afterwards. i know what it sounds like. i was doing so well prior to this last week, my willpower was intact i guessbut now--- its an awful feeling because i know im probably doing damage but idk its hard. i want to say on track and 'be strong' and i know everyone has cravings and most of you are able to move past them. im wondering if anyone else is or has felt like me; and how did you overcome it?

Marc, Cheer Up, you have made a very positive step in your health and at a much younger age than most of us do. I am 50 years old, I have a son your age and I have just now gotten fed up enough to take a step like this. I wasn't always fat, and the largest I have been is 278, but over the years I have been on every weight loss plan you can imagine, including medifast, HCG, and hypnosis (to name a few of the less common). I was banded on 6/30/2010, and I am only down 13 lbs. 5 of which are from the pre-op diet. Now I know guys tend to lose weight faster, and the larger you are you tend to have faster drops in the beginning too, but 21 lbs is amazing, I mean WOW! As far as food goes, talk to your Dr. when you go in, tell him how you are feeling. Have you had any problems so far? When I went to my first post-op appointment I told my Dr. I was getting realy hunger and he told me this phase was known as "Bandster Hell" because we have had the surgery but none of the benifits of the fills yet. Now my Dr. seems to move at a faster rate than some other Drs. on here seem to, but mine gave me to go ahead to progress to regular foods at that point. He just cautioned me to chew everything really well, eat slowly and stay away from starchy carbs, so I would continue to lose weight. Oh, and this is very important, make sure to get enough protien in, only eat when you are hungry,and if something makes you throw-up stay away from it. I left his office on day 8 post-op, and stopped on my way home and bought a side order of bourbon chicken from a WOK place, I just ordered the chicken no rice or anything, and that single bowl lasted me threw 3 meals, I would eat a little of the chicken and something else like a yogurt or some well cooked veggies with it, and things have gotten much easier for me. The truth is I also had my first PBing episode after about the third bite of the chicken, but after that I have learned that well chewed REALLY MEANS "chew it until it disintegrates." At 5 days post-op I would immagine you are on a "full' liquid diet, which in my Drs. deffinition includes anything that could be sucked threw a straw (but don't use a straw). That includes creamy soups, either strained or blended so their are no chunks in it, and yogurt, blended no fruit chunks, even mashed potatoes and gravy, as long as they are not too thick. When I started eating these thicker items I felt much more satisfied, plus they tasted more like a real meal than Jello and juice. As far as when you can have a first fill, that is up to your Dr. but mine usually waits 4 weeks post-op, and many Drs. wait 6 weeks. Since I am going on vacation right at my 4 week date, I will probably wait until I get back which will be just over 6 weeks. The most important thing is talk to your Dr. and get support, on here or if they have one threw a support group your Drs. office may have or be able to suggest for you. DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED !!! You are doing GREAT!

Welcome to bandland! lol. I have had the band for almost a year, itll be a year June 3rd. I have lost 61lbs so far, and i need to lose 40 more. The lapband has helped me so much, and I know i made the right decision. Be patient with the long wait.... bc in the end it is well worth it. The important thing is, you have taken the first step... and thats all you need to do to keep on going in the right direction. Dont become discouraged. So all in all, you now know someone with a band! Any questions you can feel free to private message me, or on this post.

August 25th is my birthday..i was banded in April so that I could turn 40 on 8/25 being at my desired weight. I will remember all of you getting banded on my birthday too. Its so great so many people are fed up..had enough..and doing something that WILL work instead of all the things that WONT work. Congrats - 8/25 will be your new birthdates too.

i am one whos doc told i could do a liquid diet for a week then full liquids for a few days then transition to mushies. i am 15 days post op and i aould be onto more solid foods but i have kept myself at the soft mushie stage for the very reasons stated above. i have every confidence in my doc. and wouldnt go to anyone else. but when i asked about why i could transition so fast he said if it made me more comfortable i could stay with the liquid longer bit by the time i went to the mushies my stitches would have healed and i wouldnt have a problem. i am still very careful with solids bc even though i wasnt self pay it is to high a price for me to pay to cheat from what the doc told me. we are on this ride to lose weight not be bugged that we cant taste this or that. if we cant control ourselves for that little bit of time then all the work we did pre op and post op are fruitless. i figure hunger is a natural normal feeling so we might as well get used to it! and nothing tastes as good as thin feels!

You can't really do that in college. At some point, they have to keep up with the class or fail. And I think letting people learn at their own pace earlier in their life is probably contributing to the problem. Yes, it seems like a nice idea, but when do people learn that they can't really succeed at their own pace in the real world? If you tell your boss that you will be getting your work done on your schedule instead of trying to meet his deadline, what do you think he'll do? He'd probably think you were joking and then fire you when he realized you weren't. I noticed the propensity of the school system to "dumb down" the curricula when I was in school. I could literally coast through all of my classes in high school without studying more than 5 minutes before a test and still get As and Bs. Did that help me? Hell no. I had a rude wake-up call in college when I realized that the professors aren't required to make you pass and don't dumb down their curricula to the nth degree. I struggled with my classes and ruined my GPA for the first 3 semesters. I still struggle with studying, even though I should have learned how at this point in my academic career (I'm getting a Master's in biology.) Teachers and school administrators are so afraid to push students and potentially make them feel or look "stupid" that they are making the majority of the students mediocre.

Last week on Oprah, Dr. Oz was on the show and doing some "myth busters" if you will. They did a case study on two twin women and gave one of them water (8 oz every hour, totaling 64 oz) and the other twin got no water. The end result was that both of their vitals and Vitamin levels, body readings & functionality were the same. Dr. Oz explained that we don't need as much water as we think bc the body gets water from food. And the required amount to keep the body going is much less than previously thought. I am still for drinking a lot of water. If anything, it helps curb hunger!

In her November O magazine she wrote an article about her thyroid problem and how she put on 20lbs bc of it. With all that she has had going on this year, it's amazing it's only 20lbs. Her dog died by choking on a plastic toy, her school scandals and her thyroid problem. Like most, I have followed her weight over the years. Just like mine, up and down....

This post is for my dad. He had the sleeve procedure about 3 weeks ago amd developed a leak. He was in immense pain and the Dr. Had to then make a 10 inch incision on his stomach, go into his intestine and place a bag there which he would be fed into and he had to disconnect his stomach from his intestine while it heals. The fluid from the leak is now (3 weeks later) starting to reduce but he will not be allowed to eat or drink through his mouth for about 2-6 months. Once they check his leak has healed. He will then have surgery to remove the bag and reconnect his stomach. Has anyone else had such a complication and of so what was the outcome? Its so stressful as i recommended the surgery as i was very happy with it and now my food loving dad is nil by mouth till further notice

Maybe your just not ready YET. And I say YET bc you can change.your mind ... that's ok. Don't force yourself or talking yourself into doing something.you aren't sure about. Wls will still be here next year. Who knows maybe you really are ready to do this on your own w/o wls. Best of luck to you.