Q's for those who's had lapband or RNY :)

Hi there! My hubby and I are both set to have our lapband surgeries on July 12th. We're currently on our 800 a day calorie diet for two weeks pre-op. My hubby has some questions and I hoped some of you who have been there, done that can answer. He's wondering what our energy level will be like after surgery? Also, on average how many calories a day will we be consuming after lapband? Will these reduced calories give us the energy to do VIGOROUS activities? My hubby may be a big guy but he is one heck of a racqueball player and he plays HARD. He's wondering if he'll have the energy to do this on very little calories? This and waterskiing, in particular. I'm thinking that the hardest change for me after lapband will be not drinking before and during meals. It's just so reflexive to drink while eating, so that will take some mind power to stop that routine for sure! What have others found to be the hardest challenge post laptop? Also, here's a Q I plan on asking my doctor ( we'll ask all these q's ), but I'm someone who basically eats very little all the time, then when we go out to dinner or at parties or gatherings I eat whatever. I have this FEAR that I'll have this surgery and NOT lose weight! I'm not having any problems doing 800 calories a day because I probably don't go more than 1200 on an average day anyway and I still wasn't losing weight. Is anyone else like this and been OK and LOST with lapband? My understanding from my doc's seminar is that your metabolism changes and different hormones are released, etc that will essentially give me the metabolism of some skinny minnie who eats whatever she wants. My doctor even said that most overweight people are starving themselves JUST to maintain their overweight weight. I fall into that category. Can anyone shed some light on this? I just have this fear .....wondering what if I do this and I STILL don't lose the weight???? Is that possible? Of course, I mean having lapband AND following the food and exercise routine......NOT talking about cheating with milkshakes or whatever.  Thanks for sharing any insights. We appreciate your help! Hugs :) Melissa

Hey Melissa! Maybe I can help you and your husband out with a few of those questions! I was also really concerned about my energy level after the surgery since Dr. Wellborn told me that basically I would be in starvation mode for a long time in order to lose weight! I teach 2nd grade so I knew I had to be able to keep up with them. Anyway, my energy has actually shot through the roof since I got Lap-Band! I am so excited. I have been able to do so much more and not get tired easily at all! I have a two year old cousin and she is a ball of energy and I have no trouble running around with her and swimming and all that! Its neat! Never expected that!  Ok...next question. It is my understanding ( you better double check this with Dr. Wellborn though) that during the liquid phase you should be consuming somewhere between 400-700 calories. This is strictly liquid form.. soups and other similar liquids. This was hard for me to do because I am not really a soup person but I stayed on liquids faithfully for the full two weeks after surgery. Then when you move to soft foods and eventually regular foods then you should be eating no more than 800 calories per day. Everything should be basically healthy. Stay away from things that are fried or have lots of sugar or are essentially "empty" calories. I have avoided junk food so after counting calories for a while I was not getting near 800 so I basically don't count calories unless I am eating something that I know is loaded. Not sure if this is what I am supposed to be doing but it is working for me.  They also stress to take vitamins and calcium. I take the little gummy vitamins that taste like gummy bears. I don't like them but I will do what I have to. The vitamins mainly give you added energy and pick up the slack since you may not be eating adequate amounts of vitamin-rich foods.  I'm not gonna lie to you......drinking with meals was the hardest thing for me to deal with. When I started soft foods, I drank water with my first meal. Not really because I was thirsty but more because it was habit. I have always drank with meals. Anyway, the way to cure that is to take a nice drink right before you eat and then put it away. Don't have it on the table or within reach and then after a couple days of not drinking while eating you kind of forget about it. It's a little difficult at first but trust me, it gets a lot easier with time. Now I really don't even think about drinking when I eat....except when I eat something SPICY!!  :)  I was really nervous that I wasn't going to lose weight with the Lap-Band. I thought that since I had failed at every other diet attempt that this would be just one more thing to fail at. Wrong idea I know but that was how I felt. I have been amazed at the results so far. I am only four weeks post op but I can already see results. When I went for my two week check-up, I got on the scale and had lost 29lbs. I was shocked!! So was the nurse who was weighing me!!! Since I have started eating soft foods, the weight has not fallen off so quickly but it is still dropping. I think I am hovering somewhere around 34 lbs. lost. That's super good in a month's time!! I know that eventually it will slow to like 2 lbs a week or somewhere around there but thats still a lot of weight in a small amount of time! One more peice of advice before I get off here..... stay off the scale!! It will drive you crazy! I got on there every morning and would flip out when the weight started to slow down. So now I get on there about once a week and it is so much better! Just a little tip!! Ok.. well I hope I have answered some of your questions. I know this is long but I get a little excited when I talk about Lap-Band! It has truly been a life changing event! I am so happy that you and your husband are getting ready to start on your journey. If you need anything, just message me and let me know! Good luck to you both!!   Karen  

Hey Karen!!! Thank you sooooooo much for all the great info!!!! You've been a tremendous help! We're going in for our consult, hosptial testing and dietitian appts all on the 9th and then surgery on the 12th. So, we'll be just a little more than a month behind you. :) We're both very excited, but at times nervous ( like me and my fears of WHAT IF I don't lose?!?!?!). It truly is great that I'm doing this with my hubby so that we can support each other. He's doing great with his 800 calorie a day pre-op diet. I'm SO proud of him because 800 for a guy is NOT a lot and this is a HUGE change for him. He hasn't complained ONCE. My hairdresser warned me that she was crabby and warned me that me and my hubby might be. But, so far ( knock on wood ) we've both been great. We're writing down everything we eat and doing great with planning,etc. I appreciate the info about your energy level. I'm not worried about things like walking. But, seriously, when  he plays racquetball he gets SOAKED and that takes a lot of energy. I know he won't even be able to play for 6 weeks or so anyway. He's just wondering about later. I have a question about the two weeks post-op. I know it's all liquids. I read that you can have skim milk, but I'm wondering can you have a Slim Fast shake??? I'm just wondering what we'll have during this phase besides clear broth and juice??? I'm not a milk drinker. I get my calcium with pudding, etc. A big congrats on losing 29 in two weeks.........WOW......that is amazing!!! And, 34 in a month is FAB!!!!! I hope we do as well!

I keep talking with my hubby about our new "mindset". I think all of us know that MOST of life's events seem to be centered around food whether it's eating, parties or celebrations. I keep emphasizing the psychological changes with my hubby because we have a lifetime of habits of eating big restaurant portions and gulping all the iced tea we want while eating. We're both very aware of the mental part of lapband, but I think it's hard to really KNOW what it's going to be like until you've DONE IT.

My hairdresser who had lapband told me she broke down once and gave in to a craving and it made her sick. She also said it messed with her mind for a while because  she had this feeling that she SHOULD be eating more, but you can't, etc. How have you done with the psychological changes with lapband?

I'll for sure follow your advise about not weighing. It's so easy to get obsessed with the scale and I think you get more of a sense of accomplishment when you weigh in once a week. Again, thank you SO much for taking the time to reply and share your experiences! We're expecting this to be a totally life changing event for us, too!

Continued good luck and Best Wishes to you! :) Melissa

Hi! You're more than welcome for the information. I had a great band buddy to help me out with all of my questions before my surgery so I am glad that I can returen the favor by helping someone else who is in the same shoes as I was a month ago. The 800 calories diet was not hard for me either. I really agnozied over it thinking that it would be awful but it wasn't. I think that if you have enough willpower and determintation to succeed with the pre-op diet then you will certainly be able to handle the changes after Lap-Band. I was really expecting that there would be drastic changes to have to get used to but it has not been hard at all. You get yourself ready with the pre-op diet and then the healthier way of eating after the surgery just seems to fall into place on its own. At least it has in my case and with others that I have talked too!!   I am not sure about Slim Fast shakes. Also, I did not see milk listed as one of the things that Dr. W recommends in the liquid phase. As a matter of fact, at my last appointment they said to take calcium pills because you can really run up you calories even by drinking skim milk. They said to drink nothing with calories. Nothing! I think it might be ok during the liquid phase because he allows you to have gatorade and that has a few calories and sugar. Just ask him and he will let you know.  Here is a list of what to have during the liquid phase. You will get this same handout at you pre-op consult with him on the 9th but I will go ahead and tell you as a kind of heads up.... As liquids: weeks 1-2: water, crystal light, unsweetened tea, coffee, propel, gatorade, diet soda poured over ice and flattened for 5 minutes. I can tell you that all I had to drink during liquid phase was water and sugar free kool-aid. I had gatorade the first two days but then got tired of it and the extra calories so I quit drinking it. I have yet to try diet soda of any kind. I have had no diet drinks in about a month and a half. Didn't hink I could do it but have found it rather easy. As meals: weeks 1-2: broth, cream soups, diet popsicles, watery grits, oatmeal, cream of wheat, low calorie-high protein smoothies. ( not sure what that is)

I will tell you that all I ate for the first two weeks was sugar free popsicles and cream soups. I did not eat broth. Make sure that you put your soup through a blender for 10 seconds and that there are no chunks or particles bigger than 3mm. If you do that you will have no problems.  If you find that you have to stay in the hospital overnight like I did, they will bring you a tray or two that has broth and tea on it. You could try the tea but I would advise you to steer clear of trying to eat the broth. I did not attempt it mainly because I did not feel like eating anything, but I can remember talking to some people who had eaten right after surgery and had become nauseated and felt bad. I don't really think that you will be hungry though. I had some apple juice and ice chips. In answer to your question, the hardest pshychological aspect of the surgery that I have had to deal with is mentally wanting food. Physically, I have not been the least bit hungry but in my mind I know that the food would taste good. Anyway, that too passes with time or at least eases up a little. Sometimes when I got out with friends or to parties or things like that I get a little uneasy thinking about what I should eat and making choices because I know that it would all taste good but would it really be worth it. Usually, I just graze a little and then steer clear of the food. I have come to realize that you can still have fun at parties without a great deal of food. It might be hard at first, but it gets easier and soon you won't think about it as much. Just my opinions, but that has been the only pshychological changes that I have had to deal with!! Well I better end this. Its getting long again. Feel free to ask any questions that you have and I will be glad to answer them. Have a great day! Good luck to both you and your husband!!   Karen

Hey Karen!!! WOW, thank you sooooooo much for sharing all this great info!!!!! BIG hugs to you!!!! You mentioned not seeing milk listed on Dr W's list. I think I either saw this on a generic brochure from his seminar or online. I'm not a milk drinker, so if it's not allowed it doesnt' bother me! haha It really helped to get your list of foods Dr W allows . Thank youuuuuuu so much!!

I imagine during weeks 1 and 2 I'll be living on Crystal Light, popsicles, soup, cream of wheat and oatmeal. Thanks  for the advice aboud skpping the broth IN the hospital....we'll be staying because my hubby's on a cpap machine and they told me to just stay with him. i'll just be sucking on ice cubes.

Your email was VERY helpful to me and my hubby.......thank you again for your support!!!! I need to run because he just came home with a watermellon and I need to look up the calorie count FOR sure because he cuts into it! Continued best wishes to you!!!

Hugs :) Missy

One of the hardest things post op was learning to actually listen to my body... So many years went by my mind or emptions ruled what went into my mouth, now I listen and think.. ok, I feel..... I need..... I DON'T need.....  and sometimes I'm right and sometimes I overdo it... The band has a learning curve, as does everything.  I still use my phrase of "isn't that weird?" when I have a learning moment... I went out a few weeks ago and had steak... I ate about half a 6 oz steak, but couldn't deal with the bread on the table... I used to polish off a 14 oz steak, salad, bread, potato and all the fixings... my body wanted the protein over the bread, and I felt great after dinner.  I heard from Suzan she actually put salt in a co-workers water at a company lunch, telling her she knew better. Its weird at first, but the first time you drink and it compacts your meal against the band stoma, you will rethink the drinking thing.  As for your small appetite pre and post band, I would be interested to see what you chose to eat before and after and how this changes... You can eat a little but still consume alot in calories, carbs, fiber and all that... I think you having the mindset that you don'**** much pre op will lessen the mental things post op. The band is a tool, use it how your body needs, and it will work.  Are you going to the 10th seminar?? Hope this helps.. Susan

Hey Susan :) Good to hear from you again! I know what you mean about listening to your body. I've done that before when dieting, but just never keep it up over the long haul. So, having the lapband tool will fix that! My hubby and I are on day four of our two week pre-op 800 calories a day diet. Already we're both listening to our bodies. I do better waiting and eating when my body needs it and then maybe having something every 2 or 3 hours....just to keep my blood sugars level. It's amazing how creative you can be with only 800 calories! You mentioned your body wanting the steak, needing the protein. I've felt that way today and most of my calories have been protein today. So, you're totally right about listening to what you body needs. BTW, way to go.....what a huge change to go from eating the bread, potato, full steak, etc to half of a small steak! Good job! :)

We're going to the support group meeting on the 10th. I need to find out WHERE it is!! We both have our consult and testing and all of that on the 9th; the support group on the 10th; and then surgery on the 12th! We're getting EXCITED!!!! We've both had moments of fear ( for me, things like.....what if I do everything right and this doesn't work????  and for my hubby, fears like.....will I have ENERGY???) But, overall we're both totally psyched up and highly motivated. I am just SO proud of my hubby sticking to this 800 calorie diet. I told him I don't want either of us to have to have OPEN surgery, so we have to do what we can to help our liver shrink so Dr W. can do it laproscopically!

Will you be there on the 10th??? If so, we'll see you there!! ( where IS it held??)

Hugs :) Missy PS. Love the story about Suzan putting salt in a co-workers water. hehe

https://www.stvincenthealth.com/maps/svimc_interior_ground1s t.pdf left of the main entrance first floor..  terrace room 6:30pm I believe... Yes I will be there:) Susan

Ohhhhhhh thanks so much for the info, Susan! I was thinking it was at 6 p.m........glad to hear it's a bit later! We'll be there!!! I look forward to meeting you! :) Missy

I just stumbled upon your post and just wanted to say HI and glad that there are so many Dr. Wellborn patients out there.  i am almost at my one year anniversary and about 80 pounds lighter.  This is very exciting and I know that you and your husband will be successful as well.  I plan to be at the meeting on the 10th so I hope to see you there. Donell Conway, AR