I went to the Dr. for my initial consultation and they scared me @#$%less! I have been researching lap band for a year. I have talked to a few people who have had it done, and I have been lurking here for a long time.

Well, I went to my inital so excited, and I had to talk to like three nurses and the Dr. All the nurses were former patients. One of them had the lap band, and she had lost 160 lbs. in ten months. She looked good in her cloths, but in her little photo album she had a pic of her naked and it was soooooo scary. I have resigned myself to the fact that I would have to have plastic surgery, but this was insane. Arms, abs, her whole legs, boobs...everything. I know that part of that is that she lost so much so fast. And honestly I don't want to lose that fast. I am content with like 2 pounds a week because of the skin issue. I don't have money coming out my ears for plastic surgery.

But she went on to tell me that she eats pretty much like an atkins type diet...which the Dr. recommended...and she never cheats. I don't want to eat like that my whole life I had accepted that I would possibly never eat bread again. But I have a husband and three children, and I don't have time to make different food for me at every meal. I had thought that I would be able to eat what everyone else eats (minus bread, sugar, etc.) just on a very smaller portion scale (but I would also drink my protien shake (which I love anyway). Then to be told that I would only eat like steak, fish, and salad and veggies...literally scared the crap out of me.

I really didn't think that eating that way was the reality of lap band. I know that I have to radically change my eating habits, and I don't want to eat like I do presently...but I had thought that I would be able to eat a bite of a birthday cake, or have a small portion of lasagna (without so much noodle), or a little bit of potato. I tried atkins and I hated it...I lost 50 pounds on it...but I don't want to eat that way for the rest of my life. Like I had said, I figured that I would eat what my family ate, or if they were eating something that I just couldn't eat, i would heat up a lean cuisine or something, or have a shake. Something quick cause I don't want to spend my life chained to the kitchen.

Can you please give me your experiences? How do you eat now after the band has been put in? Do you only eat steak, fish, salad and veggies? Oh, and I make my shakes with FF milk, and they told me that I would never be able to drink milk again. I HATE shakes made with Water...yucky! I wasn't plannin on drinking a gallon a day, just a cup with my shake...help!

Careypea

That's insane. There are plenty of people that eat like you're talking about.

Some people really can't handle bread. It depends on how tight your band is.

You can make your Protein shake any way you want to. You can buy them in

a can already made if you want to. I am really not one to give advice. I am not losing well with the band, even though I am doing everything I am told.

But- I have read many many posts on people that are losing well and are not only doing Atkins eating.

I had my consult yesterday and was told that you need to eat your protiens first, then veggies, and evaluate what you want next. No liquids with you meal so the pouch stays full longer and you are more satiated. I know another seminar I went to stressed no dairy, but theywere more experienced with gastric bypass and I didn't get a lot of info on the band there. My Dr. actually discourages too manyliquid calories once your band is healed. They will flow through and you are consuming calories that aren't helping to keep the full feeling. Maybe you should ask to speak with a dietician or a different nurse that didn't have such a drastic view. Even my Dr. said every once & a while you may need to have some "Ben & Jerry therapy"! As long as you are able to get past it and move on to make better choices.

two things...coffee. I don't drink a lot of coffee, but I do like to put instant coffee in my Protein shakes. The nurse told me that I would have to switch to decaf...:Banane43:

also, I don't want to give the impression that I am ragging on the nurses. They (Dr. included) were all so nice and very sweet and trying to be very helpful...but they were scaring the pants off of me. :thumbs_up:

thanks for any responses!

Careypea

I guess this is where I chime in with "everyone's different."

The band is a tool, your tool. You have to decide how to use it--not the nurses, not your mother, not even your doctor really.

It's a little bit of plastic and it's job is to restrict your intake and help you feel satiated longer. There are ways around both of these things as you will find by reading some of the posts here. With everything in life, you can follow the directions or choose to figure out a way around them.

All I can say is that till you've lived with your band awhile, it's important to follow your doctor's recommendations. Later, use common sense, commit yourself to a healthier lifestyle, seek support and enjoy your life.

Jack always reminds us that this band journey is not a sprint, but a marathon. If it takes you 2 years to lose the weight, so what? Do it at your own pace and remember this is a lifelong journey. And that journey can include bread, birthday cake and sweets. Just don't overdo it.

Some of the reasons they tell you you can't have milk etc. is because they don't want you to do liquid calories. Liquid calories are a big part of not losing weight. I still drink milk occassionally, and I eat things like bread at times, I just don't do it all the time because of the calories. I eat my protein first, then veggies, then carbs if I still want them.

The band is a tool, your tool. You have to decide how to use it--not the nurses, not your mother, not even your doctor really.

It's a little bit of plastic and it's job is to restrict your intake and help you feel satiated longer. There are ways around both of these things as you will find by reading some of the posts here. With everything in life, you can follow the directions or choose to figure out a way around them.

I completely agree with Mariecarmen, but I'd go even a little farther and change the last line to "choose to find a different way to use it." YOU are the one determining your goals, so YOU are the one who will determine how best to use the lowered capacity the band gives you. The person in the OP who lost 160 lbs in 10 months obviously chose to go the ascetic route and lost WAY faster than most bandsters. That speed is RNY territory (are you sure she didn't have an RNY?).

As far as plastic surgery goes, there are no guarantees. Much depends on your age, genetics, speed of loss, patience, and dumb luck. Losing weight at a sane rate, keeping well hydrated and getting lots of exercise will give you the best shot at minimizing the appearance of loose skin. But in the end, it's your choice. If you don't want to have PS, don't! It's that simple.

I am a slow loser at 1 lb per week. I eat everything just in smaller portions. I can also eat bread without a problem. Just work with your surgeon to make sure you don't lose too rapidly. He can adjust your band to meet those requirements. You should still be excited. Sorry they scared you. Julie

Sorry, I didn't reply to you all. I got the flu unexpectedly.

I wanted to thank all of you who replied. You have made me feel so much better! I was soooooo excited, then so scared, it was like a car with the breaks on!

All I want is a normal life. My life now certianly isn't normal. And eating only steak/fish and salad doesn't seem normal to me either. So I just want to thank all of you for your responses. I really don't think that what I envisioned my life is unrealistic, and that is so comforting.

You guys are great and you gave me back my enthusiasm...I know I spelled tha wrong, but you get the idea! Thanks!

Carey

P.S. If anyone else wants to give me their take...I would love it!

Carey... I'm not sure where all that comes from.. I haven't had a fill yet.. But I have read that some people go the Atkins route to boost weight loss, but lap-band does NOT = Atkins for the rest of your life.

I don't plan on doing Atkins unless I get stuck on a plateau, just to jump-start (because I know Atkins worked well for me to lose just not maintain). I get my first fill tomorrow, so maybe I'll be singing a different tune, but so far I have not had a problem eating anything I ate from pre-band.. just a lot less! I tried a grilled chicken sandwhich for lunch, I could only eat 1.5 bites.. bread, condiments, lettuce, onion, tomato, horribly dry chicken (I hate chicken btw).

I chewed it a lot and the bites were extremely small, but I had no problems. Just an example! If you read around on foods, people talk about the foods they can or can not eat.. and everyone is different. But I don't see many people going for the 0 carbs (yes there are some). Low-carb is just a health issue in general, there are bad carbs that everyone (banded or not) aren't suppose to have a lot of.

Oh and no one ever scared me with the band.. I avoided the 'complications' folder here until post-op. I didn't want to psych myself out. I was 110% sure I was doing this, so I didn't need the stress. I knew of the complication possibilities of any surgery, and lap-band surgery... but beyond that I didn't want testimonials. Now I browse it fine. My doctor never said anything to me to scare me from getting it, he just told me RNY would lose weight quicker and he felt the statistics were better (I disagreed) and that's another long story.