Any Lap Banded Members?

Hi!

First of all, congratulations on your decision and your current weight loss! It was the best decision I ever made relative to my health..And, I don't mind you asking about my weight at all! I weighed 248 on the day of surgery. The first two weeks I lost 15 pounds. After that it was about 10-15 a month. By this last October I weighed in the mid 140s and by early November I weighed what I weigh now, 133-134.5.

So...my hints/advice are:

1. Get used to throwing up when you overeat and know that that will stop after you get used to eating teeny tiny portions. Your eyes will be bigger than your stomach for a while! You'll take a few months to heal so things that you can't eat now, because they upset your stomach, you may be able to tolerate later down the road. Some things, not at all. For instance, anything heavy with cream, butter, fats, etc. makes me ill so I'm careful to stick with nonfat dairy items, or, if I indulge, I do so very moderately.

2. Speaking of indulging....I don't eat "diet" foods at all. I eat healthy foods, in small/tiny portions and stay away from junk 95% of the time. On those days that I do indulge, I don't overdo it and I see it as eating normally, not as cheating. For instance, over Christmas, I'd occasionally have a cookie or some See's candy but only a "normal" amount...one cookie, two pieces of candy, etc. It was easy because my stomach is small, I don't ever want to be obese again and I see sweets and things differently now. They aren't comfort food. Also, I made sure it was the best of the best if I had it so that the calories were "worth it".

3. Food wise, on a daily basis, I have stuck with high protein foods (LOTS of yogurt [try Chobini from Costco--yummy!], cheese, chicken, shrimp, meat, eggs, skim milk, etc) and veggies. I eat alot of soup! Calories don't matter for you right now because you can't eat enough to make a difference. You need the protein. For the first 5-6 months, I was eating 600-800 calories a day but they were dense and I was satisfied. I occasionally hit plateaus and at those times it was my body telling me to eat more. So I increased to 1200 and lost the rest of my weight. I just recently reincorporated bread and fruit into my diet but it's because I needed more calories for maintenance and the fiber. I know you'll find this impossible to believe but you could end up losing too much weight otherwise!

4. What you don't want to do: eat a bunch of sugary foods; milkshakes, fried foods, candy etc. See this as an opportunity to make a habit of eating right--and believe me, we all know how--and pretty soon you'll make those good choices without thinking about it. As the weight melts off, you'll crave junk less and less.

5. Don't listen to people who are being unintentionally negative. Your experience is different from another persons. It doesn't matter if they know someone who had a VSG who gained all the weight back. For one thing, the odds are the person they know didn't have a VSG (everyone thinks it's another bypass procedure) and two, even if they did, it's not YOU. YOU are in control of your weight and that won't happen to YOU as long as you follow the doctors orders, eat right and exercise.

6. Speaking of exercise...I hate to do organized, going to the gym stuff. I can't stand it and it's a set up for failure for me. So instead, I've found things I like to do that are exercise. I do yoga regularly and in the fall, spring and summer, I go on bike rides for an hour or two. My point is, do what you like not what you hear from others you need to do. This is YOUR experience and you're changing your life permanently so whatever you choose has to be what you like. You're going for an active lifestyle, not the award for most tight six pack!

7. Stay in touch! I'm always a good ear to bend and will be happy to answer any and all questions. I'm sure I missed stuff here! you can reach me through this forum. I'll keep an eye out and I'm thinking about starting a blog! In the meantime, get used to moving quickly through sizes on your way to a single digit wardrobe size! LOL!

Best Regards,

Jessica

Contrary to what Jaspersmom says, the lapband does not work by making you throw up. If you are vomiting, you are too tight. Talk to your dr. If he doesn't do an adjustment to stop your vomiting, find another Bariatric dr immediately. Also I suggest you meet with a nutritionist specializing with Bariatric patients. 600 cals of soup a day is not healthy and it's not how your lapband was intended to work. My lapband surgeon fills by flouro only and if the scale shows you losing 1-2lb weekly you won't even get a fill. You either have a bad dr or you have not been honest with the dr about your situation.

I totally agree!

I have the lap band also I was banded in 2009 and I've had a hard time. I could eat very little healthy food its hard to keep down but the junk is much more easier. I noticed I was eating more slider foods than regular meals, so I decided to eat as healthy as possible if I can't keep it down than that's too bad I just skip it.

Hey!!!!!!!! banded since 9/1/09!! add me yall I still eat like a pig oink....glad to see new bandsters here

Hey!!!!!!!! banded since 9/1/09!! add me yall I still eat like a pig oink....glad to see new bandsters here

NO SHE DOESNT! Shes crazy girls! lol LOVE YOU KATTTTT!!!!

Thanks - I will do that next time ....

@ jadimmick My doctor numbs me before a fill and I don't feel anything you might want to ask your doctor to numb you.

Thanks - I will try that next time. ( sorry about the double posts .... Just learning this blog thing ! )

WOW, Mary! 140 pounds is AWESOME! Keep up the good work and the great advice that you give folks. I've been on other sites and this site is by far the friendliest and most supportive throughout. Glad I finally found it! LOVE the food diary! :drinker:

I AGREE!!!!!!! YOU WILL LOVE IT HERE! I PROMISE

.

I too have a lap band and it has changed my life. I love it. It is NOT for everyone. It is NOT a magic solution. If you are not mature and mentally ready to follow the advice of your doctors, it probably will not work for you. It absolutely will help you stay on track and help control your addiction to food if you are committed to trying to eat right most of the time and following the other guidelines of a band. Oh and yes, you MUST go back for adjustments regularly. It takes a while to get it adjusted properly. My advice is to go a very reputable practice or program. I personally would stay away from the ones advertised on television with the bargain prices. I went through the Baylor program in Texas which I think is top notch. For me this was a last resort. I am more than half way to goal and still working at it day by day...although it seems to be getting a little easier.

If you eat eat the wrong foods most of the time (high fat, high sugar, high carb), drink with meals, consume too many liquid calories, don't exercise, don't get your adjustments, and don't drink water this procedure probably will not work for you. If you don't chew properly and don't quit eating when your body tells you too, you will get sick. It still happens to me sometimes.

I am not perfect by any means. I am still learning as I go, but it is working. Most of all I love the peace of mind knowing that I won't gain it all back if I just stay do what I am supposed to do.

Exactly. It is very frustrating to me to see people fail on the band. I've had a ridiculous amount of mechanical issues and yet I knew all along I was the one ultimately responsible for my weight. it is a miracle that I have not gained 100 lbs back with how very little I've had a proper fill in 6 years!

Update on me: I officially have a non-working band, from the last time I posted. My doc believes my band itself is leaking. The leak is massive, and doesn't hold for more than 30 minutes at its tightest. Talk about frustrating! One minute I'm feeling tight and burping a little bit and doing a little dance because that means I can ignore food and focus on other things, the next minute I'm feeling hunger rumblings in my belly and I can chug water.

30 days, folks...I will be re-banded. So, freaking, excited.