Mackenzie

I am 21 and just recently married AND banded! haha Ive been reading up/talking to my obgyn on pregnancy after the band- they ask you to wait at least 2 years before getting pregnant just to get rid of all the weight and to let your body settle. It is actually healthier and easier to get pregnant when you are at a normal weight for your height. FOLLOW the Dr.'s instructions on post op diet (not only liquids) but once you getting filled too, in order to reduce your chance of slipping. I think what they do is remove your fill once you are pregnant so that you can eat enough nutrients to feed the baby- but ive not read of any problems while being pregnant on the band!

where is clynn or snowbird when you need them! hahaha I am stumped as well....maybe it just didnt sit well. I drank about 1/2 a glass of wine about 2 weeks ago and I WANTED TO DIE! I felt- HORRIBLE! I didnt throw up, but i was pale and achy.... I havent touched it since. I had not eaten though, i bet if I did, I wouldve thrown up. Since you arent in any pain, I doubt that you did any damage to the band. Hope you had a good date night!

Michelle- we are DEF. going to do the wedding re-do hahaha! I dont like to look at my pictures either, I HATE it! Maybe my hubby and I can fly out to vegas and make a big deal out of it! haha

i know how you feel! i was just married on Oct 6th and after ive lost almost 30 lbs, i look back at my wedding pictures, and my face looks like i was stung by a swarm of bees! I cant wait to keep losing, I just told my hubby that ill have to buy a new dress and we can take new pictures when Im at my goal weight! There will be a time when you like the way you look bc i took a picture the other day- and i like it!! i actually like it, hard to believe! Just enjoy the journey and all the changes that your body AND mind are going thru!

I think that most people who are banded feel this way. It is VERY HARD, but no one said that it was going to be easy. Keep in mind that the liquid post op isnt forever! If you stick to it for the 21 days, it is, like michelle said, a detox. Ive had foods that i LOVED before, and now, after ive been thru the pre-op/post-op diets, I dont like them anymore. Also, remember why you got the band in the first place. Put notes up on your fridge, dont put foods in your house that you would binge on. The last thing you want to hear is that it gets easier, bc that is not in sight right now, but it does. I am going back on the pre-op diet for about a week or so to get myself thinking about portions again correctly, as I havent been feeling hungry around dinner time, or before I go to bed. You will be able to eat again soon....dont risk your band by cheating.

that is a REALLY good idea. You are awesome Michelle! You have such good ideas! So keep them coming!

michelle!! thank you! I need to take a trip to vegas to visit you! at the fill center I am going to- my appt is for a fill with fluro, but they were saying that swallowing the barium is optional....weird.... i think ill just do it- its only $75 more I thought that the fluro was to tell where the port was so they were poking all around on my stomach?! Im confused! hahah PS- One more pound to go until -40, THAT IS AWESOME!

My FIRST fill is sch on thrusday and i am HOPING that its a good fill! I am ready to start losing weight again!!! I am doing the fluro- but was wondering if you guys think the barium is important to do or not.. I live pretty close to the fill center- about an hour away- Let me know what you think! Hope all is well with everyone! ( i cant belive its already been six weeks!)

i woke up RIGHT when they turned the anestisa off- they were gluing my incisions and there WAS a tube down my throat.

I went to the fill center website- just google fill center usa and itll take to you the website and they have the prices there- its a little pricey for the first fill, but the pretty reasonable after that. Good luck!

from what i understand, its different for everyone. I was concerned that I was drinking too much on my post-op diet and emailed dr. miranda. She said just drink slow and do not force yourself. You may still be swollen and have restriction still. Just make sure that you are drinking it a lot throughout the day- its hard enough to get calories from just liquids so you constantly have to be drinking something!

one day OUR seats will be taken up by the big person next to us!

once you can move onto liquid yougurts- i bought Go-Gurts- and put them in the freezer for about an hour- they are really good- and turn into liquid by the time they get to your stomach-

Alana, The post op diet sucks.... there is no getting around it! Since you are starting early- I think that is VERY smart, that way you have lots of time if you have slip ups (which I did)- I still lost 10lbs in about 2 1/2 weeks. First, try to keep your eye on the big picture and what you are getting the lap band for- trust me the post op diet isnt any easier- so try and practice restricting yourself on food- bc all liquids isnt any easier. Second- stop drinking anything carbonated if you drink it. That helped me. You will make mistakes, but just remember that you want to lose weight and you arent going to by binge eating on anything you can get your hands on. if you are hungry- eat a salad with vinegar- or eat a banana! you can do it! Good luck

you wont need pain meds. they give you 4 pills that you have to take every 12 hours - after that tylenol if you need it. I was on a plane for like 9 hours home and i was ok- got up to walk around a few times. you will be fine!

i did the same thing! be sure to ask for a room on the quiet side so that you can sleep in peace with the balcony door open! They said that when it is cool outside there is no air - its just heat - but when its hot outside there is no heat only air....i was pretty upset about at first bc i like to sleep when its cold, but it wasnt bad at all!

Thanks for the compliment! I am just so thrilled about this that I cant stand it! I did by come candy at the store the other day- but instead of eating the entire bag on the way home like i used to- i had 3 pieces and put it away for another day. Yeah sure i shouldnt be eating candy anyway but I wanted a small treat. I get nervous too about eating foods now. going from liquids to solids... she said so mushy foods..sooo i didnt have any. I am interested to hear what she says though hanna so be sure to post it!!! I have one of the best friends the in world, i tell her everything...but when it comes to the band she just doesnt understand the joy in eating a few pieces of candy and putting the bag down! haah so its nice to share with all of you! Have a great day! Its beautiful here in south florida- i hope it is everywhere else too!!!!

I have been eating 2 meals a day and drinking one (a slim fast optima) Food has gone down well without a problem. I have been making the healthiest meals and THEY ARE SO GOOD! My husband even enjoys them and he isnt one for healthy foods! I had a little pasta with a lot of red and yellow peppers and some chicken last night. I think i mightve eaten a bit too much (but a LOT less then the portions I used to eat of pasta)..so i went for a walk around the block and felt much better. The othe night I had 1/2 a turkey burger and 1/2 a sweet potato.... I have been walking a lot and eating so well, I am so proud of myself! The scale has been playing with me the last week-- all the way down - then 4 pounds back up- now 2 lbs back down..UGH. My fill is on 4/10 and my goal is to lose 5 more pounds before then.. which would put me at 30lbs lost total. I think its pretty doable. Good luck to everyone!

I started eating today and have an idea of what I plan on eating...but i just wanted to see what some other bandsters were eating? I want to continue losing weight before my fill so I think i might do a slim fast at least once a day... Today i had a slim fast for breakfast- snack 2 lowfat gogurts, a slim fast for lunch- 2 more LF go gurts then for dinner- 1/2 a sweet pot 1/2 a turkey burger w one piece of whole grain bread and a spinach salad with 1 tbl spoon of EVOO and balsamic vingear. What are you eating to lose weight?

another thing that kept me going was just to think that I CAN have a cig after surgery (even though i never did) so maybe think of it that way- that soon enough you can smoke!

i was a smoker up until my pre op diet- and ive read some of your posts and i know how excited about the surgery you are and how badly you want this surgery. Let me just tell you that smoking before surgery is extremely dangerous! They will also be able to tell if youve been smoking when they do the blood test- TRUST ME! my friend went in to get implants and they postponed her surgery for a month because they knew she was smoking when she wasnt supposed to! I know its hard, this whole thing, but you NEED to give up smoking. Also... you are doing this to get healthy right? Well, smoking is doing just the opposite. I think you mentioned you have kids right? You dont want them to see you smoking- or PICK UP smoking when they are older ( as most kids of parents who smoke do). I heard a commerical the other day on the radio about smoking and at the end the guy was saying I dont care if i get cancer..and he is true. We KNOW that smoking causes cancer and yet we continue to do it. you can quit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you are changing your life with the lap band so make the change and quit smoking too! its a battle in your mind- after 48 hours your body doesnt crave nicotine anymore, your mind and mouth do! Good luck!

Hi there! I started off on the Lap band journey like you did. I was going to get in in FL, went to the seminar and started with all in insurance BS...and what BS that is! ITS CRAZY how much stuff you need to have! Then I got home early one day and saw Oprah and there was Dr.Ortiz. I called the OCC that day, and booked my surgery. I dropped all the insurance craziness and payed the 7500 or whatever it is for the OCC. The care I rec. from the dr.s/and nurses there was unbelievable! I was glad that I stayed overnight (in the US it is an outpatient procdeure) bc I was a bit nauseated(sp?) while I was walking. My husband was totally skeptical about going to MEXICO for SURGERY! but when we got there and met the dr.'s he was in awe of them. Dr. Ortiz and Martienez are more than qualified- Dr. Ortiz is on the lapband bored in mexico and teaches drs. all around the world on how to use the lap band. I was banded not too long ago and i am very happy with my results so far. I feel SO motivated having this tool inside me. I have been walking, already cooking very healthy for my husband and planning healthy meals for myself. This road isnt easy- at all. The pre op and post op diets are hard, but the end is much brighter than any piece of pizza! I hope that you do look into the OCC. If anything just give them a call- I think you will be hooked! Good luck!

Just try to eat that you have been to get you to the weight you are comfortable at! Just because your fill is gone doesnt mean you need to eat junk and over eat! Good luck- I cant wait to get to where you are!

Good luck!!!!! You will do just fine- and have a GREAT TIME in san diego- Ive been there several times and I LOVE IT!

Hi everyone!!!!!!! I was looking at the calander today and realized that we get to eat soon.... I am excited to start putting my tool into practice (since obviously im not filled yet). I am also excited to start eating healthy- and eating to live, not LIVING to eat! I get to eat on wednesday...and I went to the grocery store today and stocked up on fresh veggies, some fruits, fish, chicken, ground turkey, egg whites, whole grains... I was at first pretty nervous about eating bc i dont want to abuse food like I did before, but eat day, with each challenge I am faced with (in the food world) i learn more about myself and my habits. I am still a bit nervous, but I think that the good part of my brain (when it comes to food choices) is starting to get a LOT bigger than the bad side! I just wanted to touch base with you all and wish everyone well in the coming weeks inbetween our liquids and our fills! I am so excited for the road ahead. My battle with food is going to always be on my mind, but I think its safer that way to ALWAYS be concious of MY addiction. I know that some people here were never "addicted" to food...just ate too much..but whatever the case may be, I hope that you all have the power to make good decisions and learn from the bad- as we will ALL make mistakes! Also i wanted to share a little recipe that i used to love- actually got it from the south beach diet book- and I LOVE IT- so i wanted to share with you girls- anyway- thats all be sure to keep in touch!!! egg quiche: 3/4 cup egg white 2 eggs 3/4 reduced or non fat shredded cheese- i use NF mozzerella 3/4 cup red pepper (you can use any color)- chopped small 3/4 onion chopped small 1 10oz package of frozen spinach salt and pepper 1 has about 40-50 calories Place spinach in microwave for about 3 mintues- then SQUEEZE ALL the water out! Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 12 muffin pan. Bake on 350 for about 30 mintues. I LOVE THESE- AND my husband, kyle loves them too and he isnt one for veggies and healthy foods! I also serve with 1 or 2 pieces of turkey bacon and 1/2 a banana > PS how is everyones weightloss going?