I am waiting on insurance but had a few questions?

Do you feel weak living on 1000-1200 calories a day? Will I have enough energy to workout right away?

What are the band rules? I want to decrease any chance of complications and I have read to follow all the band rules so I wondered what they are. Thanks!

walking is the best exercise til your released to full activity after 5 or 6 weeks of healing. As long as you are intaking enough protien and fluids you should have plenty of energy the prtien really makes a difference. Good luck!!

Well, I eat a lot more than that, lol. I lost easily on about 1500 a day (more slowly than some, but still steady and easily) and now I maintain on closer to 2000.

So no, i dont feel weak. I have plenty of energy to run almost daily and do bootcamp and work on my feet all day and run around after my kids etc.

You might feel weak in the early days though, when your calorie intake is very low. But 1200 or so ought to be enough for most women to function normally.

I didn't experience any weakness even in the 4 weeks I was on a strict 800 calorie liquid diet.

Here are the rules cut and pasted from another forum

The Basic Lap-Band Rules

1. Eat only three main meals a day, plus two planned Snacks.

2. Eat slowly, taking pea-sized bites, and chew thoroughly until your food is a mushy

consistency.

3. Stop eating as soon as you feel restriction from the band. This will feel different from the

“full” sensation you had prior to your surgery.

4. Do not drink with meals, or for one full hour after eating.

5. Do not eat between meals, or planned snacks.

6. Eat a variety of high quality nutritional foods.

7. Consume recommended amounts of Fiber daily.

8. Drink 64-100 ounces of non-caloric fluids between meals.

9. Do not drink carbonated beverages of any kind.

10. Exercise 30-60 minutes on most days.

The waiting was the worst part of it all. The insurance company took it's time but once I was approved it went by so fast from my 2 pre-op visits to my surgery day. I didn't feel weak or anything like that but I ate too soon and all the wrong foods. So I suggest getting a few books about the weight loss surgery and read those because after going 6 months without losing any weight I did that and now the weight is coming off...slowly but surely every week I lose. The books give you so much information on what would should do before surgery, the day of surgery, and after. I wished I would have done that before I had surgery because I would have a success story to tell by now.

I have no weakness. My body has more than enough energy stored in the form of fat.

I am very careful to get the nutrients I need, but have no difficulty exercising ---usually twice daily---on 800-1000 calories/day.

If you pare down carbs, as I have, the first few days are rough; the liver then releases glycogen to get you over the hump. By the time that is depleted, your body is able to pretty efficienty burn your stored fat for energy.

It is very, very individual, but many people will, in fact, feel very weak and fatigued in the beginning. Much of it has to do with how much you are used to consuming. If you drop down to 1000 calories overnight, you will very likely feel some significant fatigue, but I'll assume that you will be on a pre-op diet of some kind and will have adjusted to a lower intake by the time of surgery.

As far as what the "Band Rules" are, they are pretty much whatever your Doctor says they are. There is a LOT of variation among Doctors when it comes to post-op instructions, and there is a LOT of information and advice out here on the 'net. BUT.....IF you have done your research and selected an experienced Bariatric Surgeon who has a good team with him/her, then you should probably follow their instructions TO THE LETTER, at least for the first few months.

A GOOD Bariatric Team will keep track of their patients, and be aware of what works and what does NOT work. They will have hundreds, perhaps thousands of patients that have gone before you, and they will have a very well-defined and tested protocol in place for you to follow. You might need to make adjustments along the way, but you do need to follow the Surgeon's instructions quite closely for the first few months.

S.

I am on 2 oz or 1/4 C of food 3x a day. If I get really hungry, I'll have a protein drink as well. I've been banded since 4/8 and the most calories I've had since then has been 809. Most days I'm between 400 and 500 calories. I thought I would be completely exhausted, but I actually have as much energy, if not more, than before I had the band.

I think it depends on what your putting out caloric wise...I went through fire school and did a bunch of extra stuff...1000-1200 calories of day didn't feel like anything to me, but I kept to that...I was way exhausted...definitely individually-based though...

When I started my preop and went off sugar and starches, I was headachy, fatigued, HUNGRY for three days. Since that time I feel great. No fatigue. Minimal hunger. I lost 23 pounds on my preop and have lost another 18.6 since surgery April 7. I have more energy than in years!

I calculate my calories on FitDay everyday and I have averaged 830 per day over the last month or so. It seems to be plenty to live on and feel great while continuing to lose.

I haven't had any weakness problems, but I also eat (in general) about 1300-1500 cals/day (some days more, some days less). I stick to mostly "clean" (natural and unprocessed) foods. I was cleared to exercise 2 weeks out and have been exercising fairly strenuously since then (but I exercised strenuously beforehand as well- hard workouts should be worked up to if you don't currently do them.)

As for the rules- your doc will tell you which rules to follow. They are all a bit different. My doc says 3 meals a day with no snacking.

Just to add to "the rules". Stay close to your surgeon. Go in for weigh ins and fills. Also, don't drink your calories, such as milkshakes and Starbucks. These are in addition to the rules listed above. No weakness here either and I'm on about 1000 calories a day. Never felt better!!! Best wishes!

I was worried about feeling weak or fatigued as well on such low calories. But, really, it has been just the opposite for me. I have more energy than ever and working out is not a problem. I do sweat a lot and have to drink a lot of water when I work out, but the low calories are not an issue. I guess my body really does have ample storage of energy (fat) to get me through. LOL

The waiting was the worst part of it all. The insurance company took it's time but once I was approved it went by so fast from my 2 pre-op visits to my surgery day. I didn't feel weak or anything like that but I ate too soon and all the wrong foods. So I suggest getting a few books about the weight loss surgery and read those because after going 6 months without losing any weight I did that and now the weight is coming off...slowly but surely every week I lose. The books give you so much information on what would should do before surgery, the day of surgery, and after. I wished I would have done that before I had surgery because I would have a success story to tell by now.

Can you tell us specifically what books you bought? I am being banded in 2 weeks!!!

I, too, wondered about the "weak and fatigued" feeling before my surgery--how could I DO this??!. I had my surgery 4/22/10 and have had my first fill and I feel GREAT! My "targets" for each day are no more than 1200 calories with 60-80 grams of Protein. It is a stretch some days to get all the protein in, and I rarely eat the whole 1200 calories. However, I feel very good. I feel for the first time like I am in control, not the food. I do not snack (except for one mid-afternoon planned snack to boost the protein). I'm very contented with what I can eat and I feel very good. I think the protein helps in terms of not feeling weak and fatigued. Perhaps it's also that I'm watching to be sure I don't eat a lot of crap...there's just not room in my diet for it anymore.

Good luck to you! I hope your experience of the band is as good as mine has been so far!

Nancy