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:wave: Hey there Banders.........ok so short and sweet this is my story...I have been fighting insurance for RNY surgery since March '05....they finally approve me, but only for Lap Band not RNY...so as you can imagine I have had to totally switch gears and try to learn all that I can about the band.........so any info will be greatly appreciated :help:

Such as:

What is a "sweet spot"

Pre-op Diet?

Post-op Life?

Frequency of fills and how you know when you need one?

Is it only for over-eaters or does it work for us "not-eat-enoughers" lol?

Just a few terms Im trying to get a full grasp on before I undergo this surgery.

This site seems kinda like OH....now I have a new addiction... :help: how will I ever get any work done now that I have ALL THIS to read... :confused:

Anything you can share will be greatly appreciated people!

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Hi Time4pam,

Welcome to LBT!

I am rather new at this. I have been banded for about 6 weeks but, I think I can answer some of your questions.

The "sweet spot" as I understand it is when you have the perfect amount of saline in your band so you have the perfect amount of restriction. You can eat the amount of food your doctor (it seems to vary from 1/2 -1 1/2 cups of food) at a time and will not be hungry until your next meal.

Some doctors require a pre-op diet while other's don't. In general, obese people have very fatty livers and the pre-op diet is to help shrink the liver which needs to be retracted during the placement of your band. Many doctors have very specific pre-op diets. My doctor just wanted me to lose at least 10 pounds. He didn't care how. The other surgeon in the area has his patients go on a diet of 3 slimfasts per day and all the vegetables you want.

The surgery itself was relatively easy for me as was the physical recovery. The post-op diet (which also varies by doctor) has been a little challenging. Once I made it to mushie foods, I did ok. The liquid phase was tough!

Most doctors will not give you a fill until you are 4 - 6 weeks post-op. Some people go longer because they have proper restriction with no fill. I know I will need a fill because I am eating more than 1 cup of food at a time and I am hungry again within a 2 - 3 hours. When you can eat too much and you don't stay full, it is usually time for a fill. As you lose weight, your stomach gets smaller and the band loosens up which causes less restriction.

This is a great site to do research and I'm sure you will have more questions as you get farther into this process. Good luck with your journey.

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    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
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    • KimBaxleyWilson

      Three months and four days ago... I was in Costa Rica having a life changing surgery! Yesterday we had a followup visit with Dr. Esmeral via video chat and this morning my middle number changed.  I'm down 47lbs and two pants sizes. I can wear a Large tshirt for the first time in like... 14 years! Woot!! Everything is going great. I have zero regrets. I went down to the riverwalk with a friend and walked 2 miles on Monday without even getting fatigued. And no more snoring or chugging pickle juice for crazy leg cramps! I need to go to the gym more... I'm making new shirts next week so that will motivate me. LOL But I'm also just not as TIRED all the time! I have a LONG way to go...but seeing the progress on the scales and in the mirror is a huge motivator!! Thank you all for cheering me on and supporting me!!
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      https://alluniqueguide.com/java-burn-coffee-reviews/
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