B-52

The first 3 months were extremely difficult and down right frustrating to me....I was as hungry as ever, surgery or not, actually gained weight after my first fill of 4cc's, Was told I needed to start counting calories, measuring portions, etc, which is all fine...but that was everything I did on every diet I have ever been on....I didn't need to go through surgery to repeat the same old stuff that failed every time....Surgery was supposed to be different , No? Felt I wasted all my time , all the preparation, the anxiety, and $$...all for a big nothing!!!!! But know this, and this is from MY experience only....after a few months, a few fills, things did change....my hunger, cravings, the need for food all were taken care of...the inability to overeat...no more binge eating....all gone! It did take a while FOR ME to adjust to what the band was doing, not the other way around....but once I did stat to earn new habits, this lap band surgery became the BEST, EASIEST, GREATEST thing I could have ever done....I lost all my excess weight...and it was, and still is, Heaven... It did become "The easy way out".....HOWEVER...and I did have to go through Hell, (bandster hell) to get to Heaven. It was difficult, hard work. Unfortunately, from what I read, many people are not up to the challenge, resist change...so they back down....then come back and say the band failed them, it's not working, or they can't keep anything down because they refuse to change what and how they eat... So yes, it can be tough....and sometimes change is hard....we don't like change, least I don't. But all I am saying is this thing does work!

If I am truly stuck, drinking does not wash it down....with no where to go because of the stuck food, it overflows and then it all comes right back up....can't stop it. Prior to that you would be sliming because the saliva has no where to go and that too accumulates. I ( and other people I know) used this technique to get un-stuck....go into the bathroom and sip some Water... IMO, if you can drink, then you're not stuck... And IMO it's normal to feel the food passing through your band slowly....and I have to wait till that felling goes away before the next swallow. And if you take too large a swallow, or the food is a tough texture, it can be very painful. If you've got restriction, you WILL change your bad habits....

If you're doing a documented 6 month diet program, don't they keep accurate records...weigh ins? I know I had to go weekly...... Later on, after your surgery, you'll want to weight yourself often...it is a positive motivational tool to see the weight coming off.... I did, and even though I am done loosing I still weight myself everyday, sometimes twice...it's a positive reinforcement.

If you have not been seeing your Dr., how do you know you've stretched your pouch? I have a way of telling with mine, just curious what your way of telling is....if it is stretched, getting a fill will not be wise, but your Dr. will probably take all the Fluid out to give it a rest and let things return to normal. Then start the process all over......IF it is stretched.

My first fill was 4cc's...twice as much as you...after that I started to gain weight.... Took 3 good fills before the band worked for me...some people are less, some people never find it (so I've read)

First, I am not a believer in BMI's....my only concern is Body Fat, and how much of my weight is comprised of it... And I had a lot of it..very high %, so much so it was clogging up my arteries, which resulted in some very serious cardiac conditions. So yes, I had WLS because I could not control my hunger, cravings and appetite..... Then, I went to the gym between 5-6am 5 days a week and worked out doing cardio, on an empty stomach...the thinking is to burn energy stored away as body fat opposed to what was recently eaten. All I can say, from first hand experience, it worked...my body fat% is as low as a healthy person would venture to go...in the "Athletic" range. So, in spite of what you may read, what has made you 100% successful??? Did you do it without exercising??

My first fill was 4cc's, 4 weeks after surgery...2nd fill was 4 weeks after that. Between my first and 2nd fill I GAINED weight..... First fill did absolutely nothing. Plus at 4 weeks I was coming off the post-op diet and back on regular foods...with NO restriction so naturally I gained as though the band was not even there.... Second fill was 2cc's, for a total of 6....after that, I did not gain, nor loose much either...things kind of came to a standstill.... It took my 3rd fill, of 1cc, to put me over the top, into the Green Zone, where my eating and hunger was brought under control and I started to loose weight steadily every week. This also was the hardest part of the weight loss process because I had to adapt to what was going on as far as following all the rules, choices of food, etc. But once I got that down, changing my mindset and habits to adjust to the band, (not the other way around)...it all became the easiest thing possible....best decision I ever made. Still cruising along without a single issue. But that first 6 months, that was a frustrating struggle to say the least. Do not judge your bands fills with those of other people....I have noticed everyone reacts differently....including successful people who have completed the process without ever getting a fill..... It's something you need to learn for yourself.....

Can't live without it!!! Don't tell my Dr., I had a cup of coffee 12hrs after surgery...Black. Not quite clear liquids....

Put it in a blender with some fresh fruit, a 1/2 banana, peanut butter, chocolate, just about anything you can think of...add 8 ozs of almond milk, skim milk, or just water, and you will have a high protein, nutritious smoothie to stat the day..... In the summer, add ice cubes to thicken and cool......

As you get the band adjusted with fills, you get more restriction...you then MUST...you are FORCED to change the way you eat, what you eat, and how much you eat....failure to do so will result in unpleasant things.... After a couple of times, you begin to learn your lesson...it's behavior modification.... OR As I read here all the time, complain you can't keep anything thing down...I am too tight.....go to the Dr. and get Fluid taken out...Ahhh, NOW I can eat anything I want as much as I want...just like before surgery....and I will join a diet group just like I did before surgery. It's like touching a hot stove and getting burned....eventually - hopefully, you learn not to touch a hot stove....or you can say "Bad Stove" and never use it again.... There was a reason I had surgery....it was to do what I was incapable of doing it myself....(I wish I did not have to) People say it's hard work...not exactly sure what they found hard, but for me the hard part was the first few months changing, modifying, my behavior - habits in order to be in "Sync" with the band....(along with exercise).....once I learned that lesson(s)...then it all fell into place......it became easier and easier and the weight just came off. That has been my story, and now, I am 100% successful and living a a new life...so I am speaking from my first hand experience and success.... Other people will voice their opinions based upon their experience and success....and you will find different people have different experiences...it's perfectly normal.

First, I have the Lap Band so it may be different than by-pass or sleeve..... I keep reading the posts on this forum, because, to be honest, I am not sure what "Maintenance" is... I had surgery, which changed the way I eat, What I eat. and how much I eat....it was a reversal from what I used to do to get so fat.... So, for me to go on "maintenance", I would do what...? Change my new habits when it comes to food and eating??? I don't think I want to do that...... You could say, reaching any goal as far as weight was a "Perk" to learning to get rid of those bad habits and learning to live a new, healthier way.... But I will keep lurking to see if I learn anything....

I agree 100% with everything you say....I have no hunger 24/7 also, and I can, and have gone all day without eating when I am occupied doing other things....I have to remind myself to eat, at least look for some Protein.... A word of caution...it may wane after a while as you loose weight, but that is no big deal...normal...you are there now and know what it is all about. I have been there without any issues or changes for about 3-1/2 years now. There is one or two little tricks I have learned as far as any maintenance goes, but that can wait.... Congratulations.....I love reading posts like this from fellow banders...

Italian ice is one of my "Go To" treats....there are a few places near me that have home made and I buy it by the quart.... (won't eat processed from the store shelf) And I don't count calories....... But you are post-op, just starting out....need to follow your Dr.'s directions as close as possible...

I told no one and from what I have read, I'm glad I did not....sure, it was a topic of discussion..."You look great, How did you do it??" No one ever questioned if I was sick because I drank my water, ate my protein, and exercised regularly so I did look as healthy as ever....more so. But that was years ago, I've finished this process back then and no one talks about it anymore...and new people I meet never knew me when I was fat...so it's done, over...old news. Time to move on...and I cannot be more pleased.

One thing I have noticed...it's really not about pounds, but %'s..... Someone who starts at 400 lbs, and looses 100 lbs, is no different than someone who starts at 200 lbs and looses 25 lbs... (Very rough estimate) So when I see someone saying they lost a tremendous amount of weight, where did they start from? Some people can drop 25 lbs in the first day or two with hardly no effort because they have so much to loose..... So you really can't go around comparing to other people....the less body fat one has, the tougher it is...

Just goes to show you how vast and different certain issues can be....there is no right or wrong. There is however, YOUR Dr. and his/her treatment plan for YOU, so YOU can finish/complete this process successfully. I know there are things my Dr. knows I do, and don't do, because he knows ME and what I am able and not able to do. The next patient may be entirely different.

I did not start drinking carbonated beverages like soda and beer, sparkling water....until about 3 years after surgery... By then I knew my band well enough to detect the slightest of warning signs.

I know people who carry Papaya Enzymes and use them when they get stuck.....I never tried it.

Yes, I believe stalls are real...our bodies can and do adjust.....But i never experienced a stall...because I am always ever increasing my work outs, getting more and more enduring as I get better, and at the same time, as my band got adjusted, I ate less and less...so I never was in one place for too long.... Don't ask me how many calories, I never count them. Plus, I always worked out on an empty stomach to burn stored fat as my energy source, rather than what I may have eaten... It worked!

For a while, friday night was pizza night for our family..... I would eat an entire Large Pizza with the works in one sitting, plus a salad, plus soda. Later that night I was in the fridge making a sandwich or something before bed.... NOW, thanks to the band, I have a hard time eating one slice...so I don't even try anymore, and eventually I have no interest in ever eating pizza again....THAT's behavior (and lifestyle) modification! That's what the Band has done for me....and not just with pizza. Also, I was one that would finish what was on my plate, and then finish what everyone else could not..."You going to finish that?"..... That was so bad on so many different levels....if I had to sit with someone who had that behavior today, I would find it absolutely disgusting and repulsive....yet there I was....I'm embarrassed thinking about it, and who I did it in front of..... Glad all that is behind me for good! BTW...It's impossible to eat a sandwich anymore either....

FINISHED.....I lost weight, surpassed any goals I set (I'm not on a diet) and continued loosing until my body reached the "Optimal" body fat %...then settled there....have not gained or lost since. Every Journey has a beginning, and must have an end....otherwise we are wandering around lost. I prefer to call it a "Process"

I lost weight the first 4 weeks after surgery...who wouldn't, following the post op diet requirements? Then I went in for my first fill, 4 cc's, 4 weeks after surgery....after that, I started to gain weight. Everything I lost pre and post op. Even with the one fill..... Then I went in for my second fill....2cc's...after that everything held constant...no gain or loss..... It was not until my 3rd and final fill, 12 weeks after surgery, did the band start to work and I began to steadily loose my weight. That was over 4 years ago, never had a fill since, and have lost all my excess weight. Continued to loose until the fat was gone.

Stalls are when your body catches up and adjusts to the new way you're eating ( or lack thereof) along with physical activity...one needs to keep things changing in order to continue loosing. I never experienced a true stall, because I was (and still am) constantly improving and setting higher demands on my exercise/running....plus my eating was always evolving discovering healthier more nutritious foods. So I never fell into a routine, or rut, that lasted very long....changed weekly. I'm finished loosing weight....I get on the scale every day, sometimes twice a day...I gain and loose the same 5 lbs, which could be a 10lb swing positive and negative, for years now...perfectly normal.

Alex and I have something in common...other than WLS.

I was taking insulin and oral meds....and then could not get my Glucose under control, A1C's were always high... That is all behind me now, for almost 4 years.....no more meds at all!! Threw away all my pens and needles....to be honest, I don't check my blood levels anymore....I see my PCP every 4 months and my A1C's are always normal....