Okay so I'm scheduled to be banded 3/11/11.

I am paying out of pocket...so I do not get to see a dietain.

The only information I have is the seminar information.

I understand that when I come out of the surgery I'll be on a special diet until my stomach heals and I get used to it.

But my main question is what happens after that?

Does the band do the dieting for me?

And all I have to do is exercise?

Or is there rules I need to follow daily?

Do I count calories? If so how many do I do a day?

Do I need to join a weightloss program?

Do I get a lot of Protein? How much?

How much exercise?

I'm trying to get all the homework done so when I come out of the surgery I'll know exactly what I need to do.

I do not want to mess this up.

I really want to optimize my weightloss.

I really think it would be worth it to see a dietician who knows Lapband. I was selfpay and my surgeon requires three meetings with the dietician.

Okay so I'm scheduled to be banded 3/11/11.

I am paying out of pocket...so I do not get to see a dietain.

The only information I have is the seminar information.

I understand that when I come out of the surgery I'll be on a special diet until my stomach heals and I get used to it.

But my main question is what happens after that?

Does the band do the dieting for me?

And all I have to do is exercise?

Or is there rules I need to follow daily?

Do I count calories? If so how many do I do a day?

Do I need to join a weightloss program?

Do I get a lot of Protein? How much?

How much exercise?

I'm trying to get all the homework done so when I come out of the surgery I'll know exactly what I need to do.

I do not want to mess this up.

I really want to optimize my weightloss.

Best of luck on your surgery date! Every surgeon seems to have their own course of treatment after surgery. I'm going to assume you know what to do until you are healed at this point. The best advice I can give you is that IMO the band by itself will only do so much, and the rest comes down to how bad you want to lose the rest.

Remember that you are still healing for the first couple of months post-surgery, so the main thing is to focus on eating correctly - small bites, chewing well and paying attention to what your stomach is telling you (and by that I mean if you feel any pressure, don't take another bite until it subsides). You want to really avoid regurgitating your food especially in the first few months. The eating part of it takes practice but becomes somewhat second nature after awhile. Focus on eating healthier foods and cooking healthier...limiting salt, butters, oils, "white foods" (pasta, rice, bread, flour, sugar). Do not eat until you are stuffed, but feel satisfied.

Get active. If you haven't been exercising, start by walking, hiking, then gradually try more physical things to get your heart rate going for a better cardio workout, then do strength exercises to try and keep or maintain muscle tone.

I'm in a rare circumstance where I have several family members who are banded. We all have our own opinions about what works and what doesn't and what we are willing to do. I had a hard time getting the last 15-20 lbs to budge, so I realized that if I want to get where I want to be, I needed to take more of a targeted approach to get there and started journaling what I ate, the amount of calories, what exercise I did that day, and weighed myself daily. It really helped me to get the weight off. I also recorded my weight along the way so I have a history of my loss.

Take pictures of your progress, Celebrate mini-milestones. Don't try and see how tight you can get your band. For longevity, the looser you keep your band the better off you may be. It may be more difficult to lose or maintain your weight that way, it forces you to really be more aware of your eating and exercising, but then again you will be able to enjoy alot more variety of foods. Some people have trouble with bread, white chicken, fibrous veggies. There isn't anything I can't eat...I just don't eat as much and I really limit the things that distract me from my goals.

If you aren't already, begin taking a mult-vitamin and make sure you get enough Calcium in your diet. Biotin may help curb any hair loss - but expect a little hair loss in the first few months - it will grow back. It's just the shock of your body adjusting to your new way of life.

Don't drink your calories unless you are doing Protein shakes. By that I mean avoid sugary drinks, drink lots of water/fluids to keep adequate hydration.

There are things that can make your band tighten up. Salt, stress, TOM, lack of proper hydration, travel, exercise, and sometimes people have tighter bands in the morning.

Also, when it is time to get your fills, don't get one more than 1 per month until you figure out how they affect you. My fills don't fully kick in until the third or fourth week after a fill. Sometimes people feel the fill affect right away and then loosen up. Don't allow yourself to get too tight...not fun and very uncomfortable. Always be able to drink 64 oz fluids per day. If you can't - you're too tight.

Best of luck on your journey. It may seem like alot to handle, but it really is not bad. It sure is better than doing it on your own. Really try and focus on developing new eating habits in the first few months - it will help you in the long run. And congratulations again on your upcoming surgery. Hope all goes well!

Does the band do the dieting for me?

The band does not diet for you. As you do research on this site you’ll see people referring to their band not letting them eat things. What they really mean is that some foods are not passing from the small stomach above the band to the rest of the stomach below. I believe myself to be at or near restriction (meaning I can go about 4.5 hours before feeling hungry). I can eat any food I want. Some people get a full sensation from their 3 oz of Protein and cup of veggies. I have more of a “I’m no longer hungry so I’ll stop eating”. A few minutes later I do get more of a full sensation.

The band once you are at restriction (which took me 6 months of fills, though some people get there faster) will help you eat less. Thin people eat things like pizza, nachos, chicken fingers, and ice cream; they just eat much less than we do. Personally during the weight loss phase I avoid these types of food because they are high in calories and fat. Before you are at restriction this will be about will power the band won’t be helping. I think denying yourself yummy foods for ever is setting yourself up for failure. Is it okay to have mostly healthy stuff at a birthday party but have the cake? Sure Just be judicious in your food choices.

And all I have to do is exercise?

There are those on this site that do not exercise. I would say most bandsters do some form of exercise. You mentioned wanting to optimize your weight loss I would say the way to do that is to find something you don’t mind doing and put it on your schedule. Am I a bit of an extremist and plan to go 7 days a week; while sometimes only making it 6. Probably. I am a slow looser even after being very conservative with my food choices. Where would I be if I didn’t exercise?

Or is there rules I need to follow daily?

Do I count calories? If so how many do I do a day?

I really hope your doctor is going to give you a food plan guideline. My doctor does not believe in counting calories. The nutritionist says if I am going to count to stay around 1200. I am to have 3 oz of protein per meal plus veggies. They’ve never said how many. Some people say ½-1 Cup. I highly recommend buying a digital food scale that you can zero out the weight of the plate then add the protein. You can buy them a walmart or target.

Do I need to join a weightloss program?

Some people do I have not.

Do I get a lot of protein? How much?

3 oz per meal. 60-90 g per day. My nutritionist said I could add a low cal Protein shake if I needed to add protein (Premier chocolate ready to drink at costco 160 cal 30 g protein.

I'm trying to get all the homework done so when I come out of the surgery I'll know exactly what I need to do.

Do as much research as you need. I am a huge researcher. I want to know everything so I can prepare. There are some very good live surgeries on YouTube. Not at all gross there is no blood (since they use a cauterizing tool it singes the blood vessels). It shows you why it’s important to shrink the liver. They flip it out of the way. And you see how they attached the band, by sewing one part of the stomach to another. This is why you need to stay on the post op diet. Your stomach has stitches! You don’t want it moving around for a couple weeks.

I bought two books online. Weight loss surgery for dummies, and weight loss surgery cooking for dummies. Both of those will have all the information you need, and i got them both for about 25 dollars on amazon. I highly suggest them

There is so much information the dietitian gave me. I went into the appointment thinking it was going to be a huge waste of time and it was a stupid requirement that I had to check off my list for surgery. I was so wrong! I highly recommend seeing someone who specializes in the banding diet and can give you so much valuable information. It is so confusing...how much to eat, what to eat, how much to drink, when to stop and start drinking....how much Protein, how to get it, how many calories etc. I understand that you are self pay, but I truly believe this would be a worth while investment if you are going to invest a lot of money in a surgery. You really should know all the information you can get. With that said I think the previous posters gave you terrific information!!! Best of Luck to you on your journey! We are totally worth it.

Here is what my nut said.. 64g protein 64 oz of water no empty calories so only diet drinks like crystal light limit fruit juices to 4 oz a day. 1% milk, 1000cal a day diet 2 multivits chewable 2 calcium chewable with Vit D separate them by two hours at least and calcium absorbs better with foods. No slider foods like milk shakes and things that will pass directly through your band. Any pills you take must be smaller then a M&M No ibuprofen must start using easy to swallow Tylenol. Begin walking immediately after surgery and work your way up to 30 mins of walking a day. Then once your passed your light duty stage you can begin exercising more. Once your back on a regular diet foods stay away from grits potatoes anything Starchy like bread. If you eat bread it must be toasted otherwise it will be too sticky and cause you to get stuck until you get use to it. If you want treats do sugar free jello and puddings and Popsicle there are great fudge cicles out there that are only 30 cals and really takes like frozen pudding. I would come up with the money to meet with a nut its worth it. Also check out http://www.Lapband.com you can get a lot of good information there it has a register y and you sign up and have access to all kinds of info.

Anyone know a lapband friendly dietitian in Kentucky?