B-52

My only regret is that I did not do it a lot sooner!

I had my first fill 4 weeks after surgery.
I had my second fill 4 weeks after that.
Between the first and second fill I gained weight!
Two reasons. First, the first fill did absolutely nothing! Nada! Second, 4 weeks was the mark to come off mushies and onto regular food. So without any restriction what else would one expect?
After my 2nd fill I began to loose weight again, and had some restriction, but it came and went.
Third fill was the charm! That was last may, and have not had a fill since. I am honestly in the Green Zone, experiencing everything I hoped it would be.
No appetite, automatic Portion Control, steady weight loss, and patient satisfaction. My Dr. agrees, and I only see him every 3 months now.
I don't count calories, I don't measure or weigh foods, and I eat whenever I want, which isn't all that often.

Was there ever a time that you felt everything was totally working correctly?
Comfortably in the Green Zone? If so, then you need to get it back.
When I feel things are starting to get a little out of hand, I go full liquids for a few days.
This is on my assumption I have stretched out my pouch a bit, and giving it a rest will let it contract.
It does work for me, usually extremely tight afterwards.
Also, and many people fail to mention this, that IF you are constantly eating small portions, over time, your primary stomach will shrink also, just as it stretched when we overate constantly.

It is perfectly normal. Everyone looses on the pre and post op diet phase. How can one not without eating regular food? It's all about the healing, not weight loss.
The goal at this point is to get you back to NORMAL.....as in the way you were before you had the surgery.
That's PHASE 1.
Next Phase is to start, through a series of adjustments (fills) is to get you to were you are satisified with your weight loss journey....The Green Zone.This time is bandster hell!!! I actually GAINED weight! I was angry and frustrated at the same time because of everything I went through I though it was going to be a miraculous life changing event!
Instead it was everyone telling me I MUST do this and I MUST do that if I want to loose any weight.
Very Very Frustratiing.
Then you reach the Green Zone, in my case it took at least 4-5 months and a few fills after surgery.
That brings you into the Next Phase....Living in the Green Zone!!!
It's wonderful, it's everything I had imagined the surgery would do for me.
NO hunger, CANNOT Overeat, Steady Weightloss, and complete Patient Satisfaction.
Sure, I still have certaind complaints and concerns, but nothing like it was in the first few phases.
Hang in there, listen to your Dr., and work through it. It does take a little time.
AND DO NOT BE AFRAID OF CHANGE!!!!

Welcome, and congratulations!!
Just remember that his is just the first phase......healing and getting you healthy, strong, and back to normal, BEFORE you start your weight loss journey.

Maybe me saying I don't think about it is not the right term.
It becomes part of you and you learn to live with it. Almost take it for granted.
And you're right. It has been discussed many times that this website can be very negative.
But there are many, many people who have never had a problem, love thei band, feel it is the best decision they ever made.

Can't say for sure about your problem, but for me there are some foods, or food combinations, that no matter how well I chew, it's just not going to work out well.
Part of my learning experience was also choosing the right foods.
And that can change time to time. Something I usually have no problem with, may give me trouble today, then be Ok tommarow. Go figure.

It happens to me too. After getting stuck, try to stick to liquids the rest of the day and possibly the next to help the swelling go down. I am ok with chicken breast, ONLY IF I cut it into teeny tiny bites....think pea-sized bites.
I get stuck if I eat too fast or my bites are too big or if I don't wait at least 30 seconds between bites.
If you can't eat solid foods, go to yogurt, Protein drinks, etc. to help get your Protein. If you can't keep liquids down, you're too tight. If you can keep the liquids down, it's possible you are in the green zone but need to change the amount or speed of your eating. Try to slow down and eat tiny bites and see if the food stays down.
When I've gotten stuck on meatballs it was because I ate too many big bites too fast. If you're using regular-sized utensils, don't think you have to fill up the entire surface with food....I play a game when I have to use those instead of toddler spoons/forks...I try to see how little I can get on the spoon/fork at one time.
Take time to savor each bite (hard to do when I am used to shoveling my food! ) It takes practice!
good luck!

I was banded one year ago, as of 1/31. My last fill was late March, first week of May. I have not, nor have I needed a fill since then.
That's been 8-9 months ago!
I've been carrying on as usual, not really thinking about it except when visiting this website to give my 2 cents worth now and again.
I have to admit, I was getting a little frustrated, not exactly sure why.
This morning at the gym I got lost in thought....and this may sound stupid.....but I have been in the Green Zone for the past 7 months and didn't really pay much
attention to it?
Everything suddenly fell into place, totally changing the way I look at things!
It's like suddenly realizing you you graduated and got your diploma! so why are you sweating it!
It's done! It's over! You have arrived! What else is there for me to do?
I'm never hungry anymore......I eat very little, and whenever I feel like I need to......I don't even think about food anymore.
I keep telling myself there is something I need to do...it can't be this easy...but I can't think of anything!!!
Does that mean there is nothing left for me to learn??? To the contrary. I learn new things all the time. But with all respect, I don't think
80% of the people here would have the slightest clue what I'm talking about! (the world is not flat) Maybe that was why I was getting frustrated.
I'm scheduled to see my Dr first week in Feb. I've asked myself if I may need a slight fill. But I'm not sure what that would do for me in addition to where I'm at now.
Just had to share!

I know for me, you have to take it reeeaaaalll slow, with small bites, and learn to recognize the warning signals to stop.
Learning how to eat all over again is a very important lesson. It can be like walking on egg shells sometimes.

So I have been around here for a couple of months and it's finally my turn to pay it forward to all the newbies just now starting. Of course I am still a cub lol but I have been so blessed to share this journey with my husband who also was banded on 12/5 and have the support of so many "inspirational friends" (you guys)!!! Without the support I would have never made it to the OR table. In fact, I am beginning to think that so far (up until now) in my journey that was the hardest part.
I am 5 days post opt and already driving and I survived NYC potholes lol. I am also back to work. Still a little sore like I did 1 million crunches. The first 2 nights were the roughest. I have been officially weigh in by my doctor so I will update my ticker after Wednesday but just so you know I have lost weight!!! YEAH ME! So since the surgery I have not been hungry but I get these strong cravings. Almost like when I was pregnant. Like right now I am craving ham, go figure lol. I cook with joy for my children and with sense of empowerment over food. Benefiber has help tremendously (gas relief) and poops are not the same. Internal hiccups happen a lot especially when I get up but they don't hurt and it's usually just one hiccup. I take break eating my broth somewhere around 6 oz. I really try to listen to the band since I don't want to throw up. I have 5 small incisions that I call "Hopey Will's" (my band's name) birth marks. I got my fitbit to keep me on track so I make sure to walk and my Thermos Intak cup so I make sure I drink my Water with Mio. If this is my "so-called" honeymoon with the band, well then I am running with it and enjoying every moment. I knew that once I was banded I would hit the ground running. Many times I doubted myself and my husband reminded me everyday up until the my surgery day that I would succeed. At time he had more faith in me than I did in myself. Well not any longer.
I am so thrilled that I am on the other side. Before being banded, I feared failure of the unknown. Now that I see how it works, I have so much faith now that we can all do this!!!. I know that everyone heals differently. We will all get there on our own time. I am so excited for my future and all of our futures!!! Today driving to work, I had a smile from ear to ear and shed a couple of tears of joy. So far not 1 regret. Only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. I am so proud of myself and all of us for making this life changing decision.
Good Luck to all the upcoming bandsters and stay positive because if we believe we will achieve.

For me, it was a FIX. No more "White Knuckle Club" It was/is a life changing experience, not another diet.
Yes, I know how to work around it a cheat if I wanted to, but since the band has also taken away my appetite,
Why would I want, or need to cheat?
And yes, I know everyone is different, but that's my personal real life experience.

Yes.
One of the former members, restless monkey had that happen to her. She lost weight prior to the op but did it her way not by following the diet she was told to. She went for the op , the Dr "opened" her up and found her liver was too big/fatty so he closed her back up without putting the band on. She then followed the diet she was prescribed and got the operation a couple of weeks later.
It is not up to us to try to second guess our surgeons. We are trusting them with our lives so we should be able to trust them enough to follow their instructions. If we don't understand or disagree with what they have told us we should discuss it with them. If we are still not happy then we should change to a Dr that we do trust and who's instructions we are happy to follow.

I had a small weight loss between visits once, and my Dr said "as long as you're moving in the right direction, that's progress!"

I had a small weight loss between visits once, and my Dr said "as long as you're moving in the right direction, that's progress!"

There's a Hospital I go to every week, where the Director started calling me "The Incredible Shrinking Man"
Then everyone started to call me that. This has been going on for a few weeks now.
Today, when I walked in, everyone stopped, and turned, then said it together. I had to stop. and in good jest, took a bow!
(no one knows I had surgery)

There are times when I'm going along and I feel my portions are starting to get larger than ususal.....I don't measure/weigh food, I rely on the band to give me feedback.
But in cases like that I go to iquids for a day or 2, Protein shakes, Soups, etc, anything but solids.
This usually "tightens" things back up for me,
We used the term "Tighten up the band" I'm not sure that is what is happeneing, as much as our pouch stretching and contracting.
You can try the 5 day pouch test as previously mentioned. It is someones clever way of structuring a liquid only, then mushie schedule, and abbreviation of a post op diet.
It does work.

There are times when I'm going along and I feel my portions are starting to get larger than ususal.....I don't measure/weigh food, I rely on the band to give me feedback.
But in cases like that I go to iquids for a day or 2, Protein shakes, Soups, etc, anything but solids.
This usually "tightens" things back up for me,
We used the term "Tighten up the band" I'm not sure that is what is happeneing, as much as our pouch stretching and contracting.
You can try the 5 day pouch test as previously mentioned. It is someones clever way of structuring a liquid only, then mushie schedule, and abbreviation of a post op diet.
It does work.

First, that is exactly why I have not told anyone, except for close family, that I even had the surgery.
When it all comes down to it, it is all about me, my health, and my well being.
Everyone else can just go and ....well everyone and go and do their thing, but I had to take care of mine and my own.
Second, I have tried all diets known under the sun. I'm not kidding! Medical supervised programs to cabbage soup!
I started out good, lost weight, and it all came back, and then some.
I'm one of those people who cannot diet, and stay with it and be succesful. I quess some people can, the celebrities on TV pushing these programs say they did so I guess it's possible, but not me.
I needed surgery to alter me physically and force me to eat better and loose the weight, permanently!

First, congratulations.
My question is, if you are banded, what was it that was so "Dammmm Hard" for you in the process???

Good. I haven't chewed anybody out all day. But I'm gonna be the good guy. Last week was my 60th birthday so I'm feeling grandfatherly.
I don't see what the big deal is. You probably ate like a pig before you got banded, why would you not want to now? What has changed that would modify your behavior?
It's as though you bought a new car, but t's not going to get you anywhere untill you put some gas in the tank. And your band does not have any gas in it.
WELCOME TO BANDSTER HELL!!!!!!
The first 4 weeks were very tough for me. I got a fill at 4 weeks. Then I went home and gained weight before I showed up for my 2nd fill 4 weeks after that. In other words, it took me 8 weeks before I started to feel any difference at all. Up to then, it was as though I was not banded at all!
People kept telling me I have to do this and I have to do that....be strong...have some disipline....S***! I could do (or try to do) all that without going through all this surgery stuff. THERE HAS TO BE MORE TO IT THAN THAT!!!
IT took me 3 fills, 12 weeks, after surgery before there was something real I could start to work with. But even then it took more time to learn the lessons of being a true bandster.
So, be strong.....have some discipline......do this, and do that.....it will get better.
And don't worry, you didn't ruin anything, and you are too newly banded to stretch anything.

I don' recommend it, but I had to have my "Last Official Dream Dinner" of my choice, knowing that will never happen the same way anymore.
I say I do not recommend it be ause I would not want to see anyone screw up their surgery.
I had to loose 20 lbs prior to surgery. My surgery was on a Monday. The Friday prior I had my final meeting and weigh in with the surgeon. Everything was a go.
Saturday my family and I went out to the restaurant of my choice for a "Pig Out"
Sunday I fasted all day. Nothing but Water.
Monday went without a hitch.

Without getting into a lot of hypothetical s, I would simply say
"Don't Worry About It"
You can look at being banded into phases, and you are still in the surgery phase, not the weight loss phase. That comes after you heal.
I know it's hard, you have been getting all rev'd up for this and you're ready to get it started. But trust me, it WILL happen!
I GAINED weight. I was apprehensive when I went to see my Dr., and he basically called me a fool, smiled, and pulled out the biggest
needle I ever saw and said "That's why I'm going to stick this in your stomach"
Well, a little exaggeration, but he did laugh at me and said that is why the band gets adjusted.
(I work in healthcare and I've seen some really big needles. Like the ones used to drain knees)
As far as the "Starvation Mode", I'm not a believer in it. At least the way it is thrown around here.
But that's another subject. Let's just say I had enough fat stored away that it would take me 6 months to starve!

Well get ready, he may spring it on you a few weeks before surgery.
"See you on the 24th at 7:30am, and oh, BTW, don't forget to loose 20 lbs before then or I won't do the surgery"

I though about this also.
I have a problem believeing the band can be tighter or looser at any given time. Although we all experience changes in restriction and the expression fits the best. Anyone who has handled a band can see what it is made of.
Changes in temperature can expand and contract I suppose, but placed internally one would think core temperature remains fairly constant.
I beleive it is more correct to say it is the "Pouch" that constantly expands (stretches) and shrinks. I am always tight in the morning. Why? Could it be because I have not eaten any solid foods in 12 hours? And I have been resting?
It loosens up during the day, probably because I have been using it all day.
When things get to where I do not feel much restrictiion at all, I will go on all liquids, shakes and Soups, for at least 2 days, and things get very tight after that.
I try to consume mostly liquids all day, shakes for Breakfast, Soup fior lunch. Then the band is tight for dinner consisting of solids. Seems to be working better for me,
Bottom line, the more I eat, the looser the band gets.