catthegrape

Just had my first fill today and I am STARVING! I am PMSing and I have had huge hunger sensations all day, but now can't eat enough to really satisfy my hunger. So it looks like I am the opposite of you, Heather, in that I have restriction but also have hunger. This has been my experience thus far with the band. Two days after surgery my hunger pains were ferocious, worse than the surgery pains. It was only when I was back on solid foods and able to eat at least a cup of food every 2-3 hours that the hunger subsided to a "normal" level. I am hoping as time passes that my body learns not to be so dang hungry all the time.P.S. You gave me encouragement on a post last week when I was in tears over the non-budging scale. Happy to report I've now lost a total of 12 lbs, which is an average of 2 lbs/wk. Yay me!!!

I was told 15 lbs. till 6 weeks post op. I wouldn't think your puppy would be a problem but it will also depend on how fast you heal, how much you hurt, and especially what your Dr. says. Does he have a nurse or support team you can call/email?

My band was mostly empty when they put it in, in fact when I went in for my 1 wk post op I complained of painful (not productive) burping from deep in my belly. She actually put a needle in my port and removed some air and liquid, as she said it's supposed to be mostly empty but may have gotten some in there during the procedure. My understanding is it's supposed to be empty until your first fill.

I am the ultimate slow loser. Today I had like my 10 fill and after 6 months am at 10.6 CCs. I understand you are trying to stay under 1,500 cal but I would also review what you're eating. Take a look at what your trigger foods are. For me it's crackers, chips (even low fat), Cereal. Until you have restrition you can eat all you want. Personally I had trouble with Bare Naked chocolate granola, ate it by the hand fulls; and honey roasted crunchy Peter Pan Peanut Butter. Had to stop cold turkey.

Regarding exercise I highly recommend lap swimming. It is easier for over weight people to do because it's easy on the joints. When I started (way before banding) I did an hour. I still do an hour but am now able to work a lot harder.

Thank you so much to all of you! Seeing that even the "slow losers" end up with big success over time is very heartening. Ya know, I just get these goals in my head of how much I want to have lost by XYZ date, and my body is not cooperating. I have lost an inch off my waist. Honk, did you post somewhere else that you use a waterproof MP3 player? If so, could you give me the deets on that? I have very sensitive ears and swimming is sometimes difficult as a result, but maybe with earphones this would be less of a problem. I can't do any weight training or yoga till I get clearance from my doc at my 5 week post op appt on March 2, so till then I'm pretty much walking or walking. Would be nice to mix it up a bit.

Cat

I hear your frustration. Please understand until you get filled you are going to have increased hunger because you are somewhat dieting right now. This is what bandster hell is! I am only 3 months out, and just had my 3rd fill; I have 5.7 cc in a 10 cc band. As of yesterday I have lost 38.2 pounds. I am at what they call there sweet spot. Some people find it at 2 fills some at 6+ fills. No matter, you lost 2 pounds. Would have lost weight by eating whatever and not exercising? Try not to be so hard on yourself, depression puts weight on you. Have you gone to a doctor to talk about your depression?

Not depressed at all, and this is a bit of a sensitive subject for me. Seems that the default assumption when someone is upset, angry, frustrated, etc. by their situation - they must be depressed. That is NOT the issue. Being frustrated to begin with and then seeing a thread for January bandsters in which everyone is losing significant amounts of weight did end up in a crying jag, however. Point taken about the alternative - would not have lost ANY lbs and probably would be heavier at this point if I had not done this. I just get tired of feeling like I'm in the worst case scenario with everything in regards to the band. I'd like some of the ease and success that others seem to be having!

P.S. Congrats on your success! 38+ lbs is awesome!

Cat

Yes, this is very normal like you said you are still healing. You can't stay on liquids and mushies forever so as you introduce new foods to your body it will slow the process down but it will start back as soon as your body has adjusted. Keep your head up! I think I only lost 4 pounds at my 6 weeks check up. Some people gain our don't lose any during that time period.

Thank you thank you thank you! I have only lost 4 lbs since my surgery date of 1/27/11 and have been in tears all evening, trying to find someone who has had a similar experience and still had success in the long run. Looks like you are doing FANTASTIC and that has really given me hope! Thanks! Cat

Are you hungry? How much Protein are you getting?

I've had really good luck, but my weight loss has slowed down. I'm lucky to lose 1lb a week. I take thyroid medicine and my thyroid levels have been out of whack, which affects my weight loss. I've been flip-flopping around between 167 and 170 for this past week. I'm so close to being half way to my goal (I'm only 4'8") that it is a little bit frustrating.

Just hang in there. You can do it!

Hungry at least every 2.5-3.5 hrs, and I always wait to eat till I'm hungry. I get a ton of Protein, a minimum of 60 g but usually closer to 90 g daily. My husband thinks my metabolism may have slowed down, but then why do I seem to be the only one on here not losing in the first month? Is everyone else just that much better at exercising like fiends right out of the gate to keep their metabolism up? I walked a few times the first few weeks, but didn't really ramp up until last week, when I walked 4x. I'll continue to ramp up the exercise in the continuing weeks, but not convinced that this is the issue. Would love to hear from others out there with any feedback or similar experiences!

My husband wants me to ask everyone how much you've been exercising. I walked a few times in the first few weeks, but not regularly till last week and he is convinced my metabolism has slowed. But then why does everyone else on here seem to be having such huge success? Have you all been exercising like rock stars?

I was banded 1/27/11 and am in hell. Have only lost 4 lbs since being banded and feel like giving up. See my separate post titled "AYFKM??? -2 lbs since Feb. 2. Seriously?!?!"

I had surgery on 1/27/11 and weighed 275 on my surgery date. Starved on liquids till my follow-up appt on 2/2, only to discover I had lost a whopping 2 lbs even while starving every day since surgery. I can't weigh myself daily and have to keep my scale in the garage so I won't obsess. Hopped on a scale this weekend at the gym and again at the doctor today (my GP - had a cold) and I am down a whopping TWO FREAKING POUNDS to 271 in the past 3 weeks. Seriously??? I have been tracking every bite that goes in my mouth since Feb. 2 and am generally between 1200-1500 calories a day. I am 5'11" and the Lap Band food Diary says I should be burning an average of 3200 calories per day, without exercise. I have added walking and went 4 times last week. What gives, people??? By my calculations, I should be losing at least 3 lbs a week, not 2 lbs in 3 weeks. This is why diets never work for me. I never seem to lose and I'm like, well what's the friggen point? If I'm not going to lose anyway, I might as well eat what I want and how much I want. I have been SOOOO good, tracking EVERYTHING, even Vitamins, eating small meals, using my tiny utensils, eating every 2.5-3 hrs only when I'm hungry, making good choices and getting lots of Protein and keeping my calories in check, all without restriction. I am at the point of saying F*ck it and just giving up till I have my first fill on March 2. Now I'm worried that I won't even lose any weight with restriction. Everyone else I've seen on here has had fantastic results the first 1-2 mths, even if they slow down later. Anyone out there experienced this kind of frustration and disappointment and STILL reached their goals? If so, I really really really need to hear from you!

Cat

I looked for the threads on this but they seem to have expired. I am practically in tears and just have no good reason for being such an ass to my poor dog and my poor husband. I feel like a tyrant, and this is so weird because yesterday I was on top of the world, had boundless energy, was so loving to everyone, and today I am tired and headachy and sad. I had my surgery 1/27 so am a little over 2 weeks post op. Physically I seem to be doing fairly well but I feel like I'm on an emotional roller coaster. Would love to hear from anyone who has recently been through this and wondering how long it lasts?

Thanks,

Cat (The Tyrant)

My advice? Hide your scale, throw it out, whatever you need to do to NOT weigh yourself! Mine now lives in my garage. I won't know how much weight I've lost until I go back to see the doctor March 2. This is a long term process and I'm sure you know how the scale can fluctuate over a 24 hr period for all sorts of reasons that have NOTHING to do with what you've eaten. When we get hung up on the numbers on the scale, we measure our successes and failures based on that, and if you're like me, your whole sense of self worth and well being is defined by a number on the scale. By not looking at the numbers on a daily basis, you begin to feel proud of yourself for the more important things... did I make good food choices? Did I exercise? Did I take my Vitamins? And these are the behaviors that will lead to long term weight loss in any case. Sounds to me like you have a lot to be proud of, and I'll Celebrate that no matter what the scale says!

Mine came10 days after surgery - 2 weeks early!!! I also noticed I was in a lot more discomfort around my port and finally figured out I was just more swollen all over with regular PMS symptoms which usually make me more sensitive to pain. This makes me curious - has anyone found they have more restriction during their period or with PMS?

I am 2 weeks post op today and 1 incision is practically invisible with no glue, one incision has about half the glue left with the dried blood (I know, gross), and the belly button still has the most glue. I told my husband we'd have the nooky when all the glue was gone

Oh darlin', I feel your pain! Literally! I was banded a few weeks ago and was STARVING a few days later and even posted to this site about it. By the time I went in for my post op the following week, I was in tears. My advice would be to call your dr.'s office and let them know what's going on. For me, the hunger pain was worse than the surgery pain. Here's a few things that came out of my post op appt...

1. The nurse suggested I get back on my heartburn meds even though I didn't have heartburn because it would help with the stomach acid. It did help a lot. I still get hungry but it's not as ferocious and painful. If you don't have a prescription, find out if there's an over the counter medication they suggest.

2. When do you get to move from liquids to mushies? I was supposed to wait a week but started a few days early. See if your doctor will okay this. The tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. really worked wonders. Greek yogurt with some tasteless whey Protein powder and sugar free maple Syrup also does the trick nicely, and if eaten slowly, should be a great transition from liquids to mushies. Now that I am on mushies, I am eating every two hours for the most part. Very Protein dense foods help. Let me know if you need more suggestions on this.

3. Usually hunger is a sign that your swelling has gone down, so it may be that you are healing more rapidly than average. The nurse scheduled my first fill for 5 wks out instead of the usual 6 wks out as a result. Ask your doctor if they would do the same.

4. My port pain was AWFUL for the first 10 days. It is still incredibly sore. I was able to take a few Advil a day but didn't over do it as this is not advisable to take a bunch of. Also, maybe try some aspercream and rub on the port site. This helped me a lot. I have seen on this site that some people take up to a month to really get over the port pain. Unfortunately, you and I may be in that group. I started my period this weekend and I think because of the general inflammation and Water retention we usually get with our periods this made it hurt even more. Actually had to break down and take an oxycodon Sunday night. Try the rub on pain relievers, though. That's my best advice.

That's all I got! Hope this helps!

Cat

I am a few weeks post op and doing fairly well, but trying to gear up for the additional changes I'll have to make after my first fill. Here's my conundrum... my doctor and nutritionist have me to eat within one hour of getting up. They have also said no liquids 15 minutes before and 45 minutes after eating. I take a liquid Vitamin mixture with Fiber added when I get up in the morning. I also drink a cup of Decaf coffee. I also plan to start exercising regularly and find that I do better if I do this first thing in the morning. BUT I know I can't exercise on an empty stomach, better to eat something first. BUT how do I get in a meal with the appropriate time to not drink, in addition to my Vitamins and coffee? Even though it's now decaf, that cup of coffee is sacred to me! My head is spinning. Has anyone come up with a good schedule to deal with all this?

Thanks!

Cat

I had surgery on Thursday and was working half days by the following Tuesday, up to full speed by the following Friday. I did NOT have an easy time of it after surgery and was pretty much in constant pain and comatose the first two days following surgery, and still VERY tired a full week later. Although a lot of people seem to have an easier time of it, you have no way of knowing how you will respond. I'm 40 yrs old, healthy, strong, and was totally surprised by how hard this surgery knocked me on my ass. Just make sure you have a back-up plan and give yourself an out if you need a few more days, or a few half days. And it's definitely a good thing you're not traveling the following week!

I had surgery on Thursday and have been recovering fairly quickly except for the constant hunger pains. I have upped my Protein and am getting 80 grams of protein each day and at least 50-60oz fluids. The one thing that seems not to be going away is the burping. It is EPIC! Not productive - no vomit burbs, or vurps. Could this still be the gas from surgery? Or is this something I am going to have to deal with forever as foods slide into my stomach from my pouch, displacing hunger gases or something? It happens all the time, whether I've just ingested something or not, and seems to actually happen more if I am upright. Thoughts, anyone?

I had surgery on Thursday and am also suffering with severe hunger pains. The one thing I have found that helps the most is warm chicken broth with a scoop of tasteless weigh Protein mixed in. It turns to almost a creamy consistency and helps alleviate the hunger pains for at least 90 min to 2 hrs. DON"T eat solids! Contact your doctor about maybe adding some yogurt or sugar free pudding.

thank you soooo much for snapping me back to reality .... Today is better, I think the effects of anesthesia left me with less self control yesterday. I didn't realize that I actually had sutures in and around my stomach....don't ask me how I thought it was secured in place, I guess i never thought about it...

Some of you mentioned that I could make the sutures come apart.... how do I know if that's happened or not.... today had a Protein shake instead and feel better.

Thank you all for your posts! I had surgery on Thursday and was unprepared for just how painful and uncomfortable this would be. I am burbing up gas and that's not too painful, but the oxycodone they gave me causes me to be a bit nauseous and if I see one more Protein shake, I am going to throw up!!! The worst of all are the hunger pains, which just seem to make everything hurt. I got in my 60 grams of Protein yesterday and 52 oz liquids. I have had 40 oz protein and 30 oz liquids thus far today and am STILL starving! My sweet husband went to get some tasteless Protein Powder and is in the kitchen right now making me chicken broth with the added protein. I am hoping this helps. The 1 oz per every 15 minutes is really hard when I'm this hungry and thirsty all the time. Aaagh! I just want this to go away! It's helpful to hear that others have gone through the same thing and have come out the other side fairly quickly.

Thanks!

Cat