i was banded in 26 of april, my doc didn't tell me anything about drinking protins or a pre band diet!! and all what i have lost so far is only 2kg!!! I am confused!! and not stasfied with what i've lost??!!!! please advice!!

You are suppose to be on a high protein, low carb, low fat and low calorie diet. Do not drink for 30-60 min before and after you eat. Females 5'9" and under need 50-60 grams of protein daily. Males and females over 5'9" need 60-70 grams of protein daily. Eat your protein before other foods at your meals. Get at least 48-64 ounces of fluids per day. DO NOT drink carbonated beverages! We had week one - clear liquid diet, week 2 full liquid diet, week 3 pureed diet, week 4 soft diet, week 5 soft + ground meats diet, week six regular diet. My husband and I personally used the ISOPURE protein supplement powder - cookies n cream for our protein supplement. You want to use one that's the highest protein for the lowest carbs - isopure is 0 carbs. At least the first couple of weeks you will need the protein supplement to help you get your protein needs in. You really need to keep track every day your protein, fluid, calorie, carb intake till you get the hang of it. We had our surgeries 2/28 and 3/6 and have lost 41 lbs/55 lbs. Of course we also walk 30 min 6 days a week but you should be doing 20-30 min at least 3-4 times per week. Did you not get any info to refer back to from the nutritionist? The lap band is a tool to help you lose weight. Good luck!

thanks alot for help, he didn't even introduce me to a nutritionist!!! i'm so much angry and unsatisfied with my results so far, I don't even know what are the things i can eat and not eat! am on my second week!!

Where are you? You're talking in kilograms so I'm guessing not the USA?

Relax and dont panic, the USA seems to have very stringent rules about what to eat and not eat that are not followed so closely in other countries. My doctor has NEVER mentioned protein to me, and when I mentioned it to him, he says that its really not done that way here, that protein isnt such a big thing and they dont think along the same lines. Given that gastric bypass and the DS is not really done here often either, I'd hazard a guess that US doctors follow a standard weight loss surgery line of thinking that isnt necessarily inappropriate but could be considered a bit stringent for lapbanders. Some people love high protein low carb diets and lose really well, others dont, and us Aussies around here that dont do it that way have all lost weight just as well as anyone else.

You should be eating healthy, whatever that means to you personally. In any language and on any diet it means cut out the crap - the white sugar, white flour products (white bread, cakes, muffins, etc) the overloading on carbs (do you really need cereal for breakfast, muesli bars for snacks, sandwiches for lunch, cakes for afternoon tea and pasta for dinner?), too much alcohol, liquid calories and you'll probably be right, whether you get 40 grams of protein a day or 80, whether you eat carbs or not.

And get plenty of exercise. But bring it up with your doctor for sure if you're unsure what to eat.

The thing is that most obese people have been on diets their entire lives and could actually teach their doctors a thing or two!

Salam Salam

You are in the Middle east for sure, and I am going to start guessing that maybe you had your surgery at Hamad?

Correct me if I am wrong,

There is no one right way with the band and many doctors give differing advice and guidelines. You have already lost 2 kg's - well done. Get information from reading the forums but more importantly, make an appointment to see your doctor and go back with a list of questions. some doctors assume that the patient has all of the information they need if they don't ask any questions. All the best.

Well, yeah I am from the middle east, Dubai, thanks all for your great advice, I do feel better now

Salam,

Hang in there. We are here to help. You can pm me if you like.

Good Luck!!!

Salam, that is the great thing about this website, you hear alot of valuable information to help you along the way. You need to find out what will work out the best for you. Always keep in mind that good nutrition comes first. There are a couple of good books that I found on Amazon.com on Lap Band. I think one is called the Lap Band companion. It discussed nutrition and psycological aspects of having the band. I found it very helpful too. Good Luck, Becky

Hey Salam,

2kg is a loss, not a gain, stay optimistic

I am in Qatar, and things run here about the same as they do in Dubai. I was banded Feb 10th and you really have to make your own effort here to get proper aftercare help. My Dr. here told me their sucess rate with the band was just a little over 60%! I was shocked and he told me it was all down to patient committment and that the band was a simple cure. My psych was optional also, and after having some experience with psych here in Qatar through a friend I also opted not to go. My Dr. also said most people get upset when they are referered to psych as everyone states "I am not crazy, I dont need psych".

I got referred to a nutritionist, who basically told me I couldnt eat anything for a month after the band and that I would have to chew my food a lot (he was not of a lot of use). I stopped seeing him and did all my research online and here at lap band talk and I have been doing very well.

You can go to a private nutritionist, try the Al Ahli hospital (we have it here also and the care is top rate). I also got a great site from another banderster here in Qatar www.caloriecount.about.com where I log my food so I know approximately how much I am eating a day and try my best to stay at around 1200 calories a day (except for Fridays where I eat whatever I want but still try to make an effort not to over do it).

Hang in there, coming here to lapbandtalk is a great place for support, encouragement and to find a vast amount of info to help you use your band as a tool.

The thing with the protein is your body needs a certain amount of protein everyday to work properly. If you're bad here and there it's okay but if you underdo your protein everyday you'll have stuff like muscle loss and brittle hair/nails. I would suggest as the previous people said and either find a nutritionist who deals with lapbanders or find some books and order them. The gastric bypass people have different issues so all of their requirements aren't the same. Let me tell you when I was bad for a couple of days with my protein I could tell just because it seemed harder and harder to do my walking and work. Good luck that's already a great weight loss and like they said you didn't gain so it's all good! I have days where I go back and forth between 1-2 lbs on my scale(I know I really shouldn't weight everyday) but by the end of the week it's always a permanent down.