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I have never done this before but it was an "order" from the nutritionist and so I started on Jan 20th when I was still on mushies. I aim for 1200calories a day and actually find that keeping a food record is REALLY useful. Anyone else doing this?

I guess I should have expected not to feel restriction on the first fill but I'm still a bit disappointed. So now I will wait for the second fill and hope my willpower will continue to help me along. I hope everyone is doing well...it's kind of sad to see the January board so inactive. Where is everyone? How are you all making out?

I'm sorry it's taking so long for you to feel restriction I'm another one getting by on willpower for now but have only had 1 fill. I hope I will feel something sooner than later. Looks like there are a few of us in the willpower boat...glad to know I'm not alone.

Not sure about much as I am quite new to all this (was just banded on Jan 5th) but my docs told me that soda can stretch your pouch because of the carbonation...maybe if you've been drinking a lot of it that might be why you can eat a lot? I will admit that going cold turkey on soda has been one of the hardest parts for me as I don't think I had gone a day without it in about 20 years . I am still sad that I will never get to have one again (unless I let it get flat) but for now I'm doing okay. The other thing I've noticed on here is that everyone truly is different...you need to fill as much as you need to fill to be successful. I agree with the snacking idea...cottage cheese is full of Protein and can help with the hunger.

Great post! I like these happy ones We must have had our surgeries at a similar time, I think I'm almost 6 weeks too (Jan 5). I know that I'm not feeling restriction yet but am using willpower to continue losing while waiting for restriction to take effect. Knowing that soon my band will be helping my willpower really helps me to keep going. Congrats on your progress!

I agree with indigogirl! Keep a food record, even for a couple weeks to see just how many calories you are getting (you might be surprised!) and have breakfast! Even if it's a late breakfast because you are tight in the morning, have something to get your metabolism going. Good luck to you, hope things start moving for you soon.

I've never heard of a "delayed" reaction to the fill. It can't hurt for you to call and explain your concern...you are the customer after all. I had my first fill on Feb 8. I had one day of liquids, one day of soft/mushy and later today I get to progress to regular food. I'm hoping that if there is restriction I will know as soon as I start the bulky foods. The nurse who did my fill said you can't tell about restriction unless and until you are eating those bulky foods.

I just had my first fill this week and at my center they go 4 weeks between fills. I'm at 3 cc in a 10 cc band. I get to start regular foods again later today but I have a feeling I won't be feeling any restriction yet. I find it strange that they wouldn't tell you how much they put in...is there some reason for that? It's your band and your body...

Is there some reason you are planning to use protein bars and not food to get your protein? Just curious. At my second nutrition consult I learned that most bandsters don't need to supplement protein...I'm still very new at this so I don't have my own routine set. My nutritionist did say that if for some reason I can't get enough protein (recommended 70g per day) and I decide to go with a bar that I should pick one with minimum 15g protein and under 200 cals.

I think the food record is a great idea! Good for you for getting going with it. I don't know how tall you are but I'm 5' 5.5" and my nutritionist recommended 70g of protein per day for me (the range was 60-80!) so to me it looks like you are getting tons of protein. You probably don't even need those shakes...you're getting plenty in the food you're eating. But you should take my words with a grain of salt as I'm very new at this. Just passing on what I've been learning these last weeks.

My nutritionist told me that it is quite common for people to gain before the fills start happening so don't beat yourself up. There are a number of things on the liquids/mushies diet that won't be allowed later and that contributes. She even said not to worry about keeping food records or anything until the post op consultation (which is right before the first fill at my center). I'm sure you will feel much better once you progress to solids. You can do it!

Hey, we had our surgeries just one day apart! I'm sorry to hear that the fill didn't happen for you Where is your port? Mine is up quite high (I had my first fill today). I hope that hematoma gets going quick so you can get a fill. Have fun with your workouts! How exciting that you have a personal trainer.

Just got back a little while ago. It wasn't too bad. Apparently I had 1.5 cc in there already and they added 1.5 cc more so now I have 3 cc in a 10 cc band. I guess I'm lucky I haven't had any trouble or tenderness with my port and when the nurse was prodding around a bit to figure out the orientation it didn't bother me at all. The needle actually going in was a bit uncomfortable...there was kind of a "pop" when it went in the right spot but it was over fairly quickly. Now I'm on liquids for the rest of the day, puree's tomorrow and solids the day after that. I really hope I will start to feel some restriction...otherwise, 4 weeks til the next fill.

Any other January bandsters have their first fill yet? I'm nervous about tomorrow and hope it won't be a difficult process. I have the embarrassing situation that I didn't even know where my port was...I thought it was in one spot but when I went for my 2nd nutritional session, the dietician said usually they are in a different spot and when I started feeling around I realized she was right! Oops! Anyway, would love to have some of you to share the experience with so let me know when you are getting your fills. Julie

Hi! Thanks for starting us off Vicki I'm Julie and I was banded on the 5th of January. I'm going for my first fill this Tuesday. I had my surgery about 5pm and was home by 9pm! (Definitely couldn't drive myself though and I had to have a responsible adult pick me up...my husband seemed to convince them he was responsible enough, lol). The recovery was a bit longer than I thought, mostly because I have a two year old with special needs who doesn't walk so on day 5 when my husband went back to work I used the stroller inside to get him from room to room. Anyway, I've been doing really well except for today for some reason I'm making terrible food choices but I have decided that tomorrow is another day and I will be back on track. My first fill is on Tuesday and I'm really hoping to be lucky enough to feel restriction after the first fill. This willpower thing only lasts for a short while for me. Glad to get know some of you who were also banded this month and hope you are all feeling well. Julie

Congratulations to you! You are an inspiration. Today is 1 month since my band and so far it's been hard work so it's really wonderful to see a success like you post such a happy post. Keep it up

For the first 7 or 8 days I had a hard time getting much in too, I think my stomach was still swollen. I was averaging about 500-600 per day. Then on about day 9, I was suddenly hungry! You may still have swelling which makes you feel full all the time. I gradually upped my calories each day, aiming for 1200. I found that most of the time I would get to the evening and realize I was only at 800-900 and would have an extra protein shake (mine are 160cals) to try to up the count. I've heard your body can do a starvation mode thing and stop losing and I don't want that to happen to me. Now I'm about 4 weeks post op and am struggling (a bit) to keep my cals at 1200 or less while waiting for my first fill. I'm sure that once your stomach swelling goes down you will be able to eat more...I kind of wish I was back at that stage so I wouldn't need as much willpower, lol.

HeatherinCA, how do you make your chicken or tuna salad? Just curious because I love those but recently discovered that my favourite mayo has 100 cal per tbsp!!!

My dietician told me that carbonated beverages can increase the size of the pouch because of the gas. I'm a former soda-holic but haven't had a pop since my pre op diet started. But I know that soda is part of what got me into this mess so I'm off it. You will have to work at losing until you reach your sweet spot...I just had my surgery on Jan 5th, no fills yet and I know that willpower is the only thing keeping me going right now. I would talk to your doc and tell him you're having trouble, maybe he'll have some suggestions.

Hi! I was banded Jan 5th and am feeling really good right now. I had a 2 week diet before hand that was 2 meditrim shakes and 1 meditrim bar per day plus up to 2 cups of vegetables (certain ones were vetoed) and that was over Christmas! Very hard when eating with family, especially since I haven't told anyone but my husband and my dad about the surgery. I think I lost about 15-20lbs in the pre surgery phase. I know that some people at my clinic have to do the pre-diet for 3 weeks, glad I wasn't one of them. Anyway, the surgery went well but I was slower to recover than I expected. Glad my husband was home to help with the toddler for 4 days. Even when he went back it was tough for another day or two. I did not feel any hunger at all for about 8 days...I think that's how long it took for my stomach swelling to go down. My nutritionist told me that it is common for people to not lose in the first 6 weeks before first fill. She said that some even gain! I refuse to be one that gains and I did not even want to stay put so I am doing a food journal and keeping my calories below 1200 and I am continuing to lose. The post op diets seem to be quite different depending on your surgeon...I would just follow the doc's orders. For activity, it's good to get up and about right away but I didn't actually start exercising until almost 3 weeks post surgery. I was nervous about doing something to jeopardize my band. But I've been exercising for a full week now and am feeling very strong and continuing to lose. My first fill is on the 8th (which is at 5 weeks I think, rather than 6) and I'm looking forward to my willpower having some assistance. The first few days were tough but I am in a really good place now, clothes fitting great if not loose, getting fitter everyday with the exercise and not regretting anything. I'm a bit nervous about that fill but I think that's normal. Take care! Let us know what you decide.

I'm almost 3 weeks post op and I'm noticing that there are very different guidelines based on who you have your surgery with both for pre and post op. At one point, I got so hungry that I actually put the supper that I made for my family (butternut squash ravioli from Costco) into the blender so I could have some too. I really think it's a lot more about the consistency than the food item itself. So if you are chewing everything to a pulp, I really don't see why it wouldn't go down. I haven't tried any thing too solid yet but I'm pretty sure that when I do it will go down fine because I'm not really feeling any restriction at all. I think my first fill is scheduled for Feb 8th and I'm hoping to get some restriction then. Right now I'm only getting by on willpower but that won't last forever. I hope you don't feel too badly about your trial and error. This in between time is really hard.

I was banded on the 5th of this month and today I had a whole can of Primo roast chicken noodle soup! I couldn't believe I ate the whole thing! I started a food journal to count my calories a few days ago and was surprised to find that I was only getting about 700-800 a day. I want to try to get that up to 1200 so that I don't feel deprived and end up losing control. So I'm with you, I can eat at least a cup at a time, more if it's liquidy like Soup and I'm taking it slow. I'm still on stuff like yogurt, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, soft veggies etc. I'm going to start at the gym this week so I'm sure that will make me hungrier. As for the fill, it depends how much they add when they do it and how much you already have in. My doc says they only put in 1cc to test for leaks in the surgery so I know there is a lot of room left before I might feel any restriction. When do you get your first fill?

I think your feelings are normal...remember, you were under general anesthesia only a day ago and that's enough to mess anyone up. The first few days are a bit rough but they do get better (I had my surgery on the 5th). What is under your steri strips? Do you have staples? I had staples and just regular bandages and while I didn't have any trouble initially, I started to react to the staples and by the time I got them out they were driving me nuts! Apparently in stainless steel there are a few other things like nickel mixed in and I was obviously having a reaction to that. If you are reacting this quickly to something, you should check with your doc. Anyway, this is a great place to learn more about what to expect and find people who are going through or have gone through the same thing as you. Hope you feel better soon!

Hi from another Canadian! I'm in Manitoba and there are no meetings here, first time I've heard of them actually. But if there were, I would probably try to go (I was banded Jan 5th). There are some pretty major effects to your eating and drinking when you have a lap band. You can probably google and find some in depth detail but there are some foods you may never eat again like bread because they get stuck. I think some people can eat bread but everyone is different. Anyway, just wanted to say hi and recommend that you read read read to find out exactly what you are getting into.

Hopeful7, you really need protein for your body to repair itself from the surgery so try to get some in. Yesterday I had a Boost drink and a half can of cream of chicken Soup all day and it felt like too much so I know what you mean about not being hungry but the protein and the fluids are essential. Take care