BandedApril

Deb, for some lapbanders, they feel exactly as they did pre-op when it comes to the amount of food they need to eat to feel full until they get their first (or maybe more) fill. I have been very lucky in that I have a lot of restriction without a fill (so far!) and I am 2 weels post-op. Some people start feeling hungry right away after surgery and find it takes willpower to stop eating since the band isn't working properly just yet. When you have good restriction you should be able to eat just a little food before your tummy says "I'm full!". P.S. I'm down 15 lbs since surgery! Yay!

Hi, all! Just wanted to suggest a fabulous site for tracking your food/water/exercise. It's Livestrong.com, and go to the MyPlate section. I've used this before and found it really helpful for keeping me accountable, so I'm starting it again. You can put in your height/weight and weight loss goals and it will tell you how many calories you need a day to get there. It's very user-friendly, so I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do! Day 12 Post-Op and feeling FABULOUS!

Emily, you will eventually be able to lay any way you want, but give it time. I am 12 days out and finally feeling more comfort sleeping at night. As for PB'ing, it is a "productive burp", a nice way of saying throwing up. It's one of those nasty side effects that banders have to be careful of. It happens if you eat too much too fast or without chewing well. I suggest you buy the book Bandwagon by Jean McMillan. It will tell you everything to need to know about this new lifestyle. I read it in like 2 days -- such a good read. She is knowledgeable and funny too. I think you'll really like it.

Aly, hang in there! I do have a suggestion for you. Try to measure your portions so that you don't eat more than 1/2 cup at a time. This is what I was told to do, and I haven't PB'd yet! If you PB too much, your band can slip and you will lose restriction, so try not to do it anymore. Congrats on the baggy jeans! I bet that feels great!

Hello, my banded friends! Well, today I went out to eat my first meal since getting banded 11 days ago, and let's just say I was completely paranoid! My husband said he could tell I was soooo not used to this new lifestyle. I was taking super tiny nibbles and just dipping my fork in the refried Beans and licking it off. I think I probably only ate maybe 1/8 of a cup of food because I was so nervous that I was eating too fast or too much or the wrong thing (I moved to mushies early because I couldn't stand to drink my food for one more day). So, it wasn't the most relaxing meal I've ever had, but at least I survived without any sliming or getting stuck. P.S. 11 days post op and down 13 lbs! Onward and upward!

Hey, you said "rebanded"...why did you have to get banded twice?? Yikes. I don't think I would go through it again.

Great advice! It is very discouraging when the scale doesn't move (or doesn't move in the right direction), but we have to remember that being healthy -- mentally and physically -- should be the goal, not necessarily a number on the scale. I wish everyone a ton of success and HAPPINESS!

Shauna!! Don't give up so quickly! You just had surgery, so give your body time. I remember the doctor telling me that it takes a few fills to get to the right place and how frustrating it is going to be in the beginning. I know many others are "starving" right now too, so you're not alone. I have a feeling that next week will be when hunger rears it's ugly head and I'll be miserable too. Also, I only lost a couple pounds during pre-op, so I'm way behind the others as well. But, I know I'll get there eventually, and so will you! Stay positive!!

I'm a little worried. I am one week post op and still feeling really stuffed almost all the time. I had some Soup at 11 a.m. and it is now 9 p.m. and I feel like I just ate a huge meal. Drinking just makes it more intense. Do you think that is normal? I know I'm not getting enough calories or fluids, and I'm really starting to grieve the loss of food. I need a pep talk.

I am one week post op and have a lot of restriction still. For example, I made some soup for lunch and accidentally ate more than 1/2 cup (probably more like 1 cup). Now it is 4 hours later and I still feel like a stuffed turkey. Ugh! These portions are so hard to get down. I guess the real hard part though is eating slowly. When I'm hungry, my brain says "Get that food in here as quick as you can!" Waiting a minute between bites seems like an eternity. But I guess that's what I'm going to have to do to let my tummy catch up so I don't feel miserable and stretch my pouch. It doesn't seem like liquids would stretch it though...what do you think?

Ok, I have a name for my band. His name is Nomo, as in: I'm not gonna overeat nomo. I'm not buying plus size clothes nomo. and, I'm not gonna be lazy nomo. I love my my band!

Well, I overdid it yesterday: food wise and movement wise! I thought I was feeling so great that I'd go do my Sunday grocery shopping. Well, that was a bad idea! The cart was fine to push when it has empty, but the more full it got, the harder it was to push and I was at the back of the store about to cry. If I didn't have a family to shop for I would have left the cart there and went home. My incisions hurt SO BAD! I finally managed to get the cart to the check out and had my first "carry out" ever. I always felt to guilty to get someone else to take my groceries to the car, but not this time! When I got home, I crawled in bed and slept for 2 hours! Then, last night, I tried to eat some blended-to-liquid potato soup. It was so good that Ignored my soft stop signals of sighing and ate a few more bites. Even though I barely ate 1/4 cup, I was miserable for hours! Lesson learned! I don't know about you, but it is a bit frustrating making yourself stop when it tastes so good. Still, I love my lapband for doing its job!

Hey all, Day 4 post-op afternoon and feeling pretty good. I did some gardening, cleaned the house, and went to a pool party last night (no swimming, of course). I've been napping everyday and just praying that this full sensation doesn't go away. Although it's a tad annoying feeling like a stuffed turkey all the time, it beats the heck out of hunger, right? I'm down 10 lbs since surgery, though I'm sure it's a lot of Water weight since I just can't get in too many liquids. But 10 lbs still sounds like a pretty good first week! I'm craving some ice cream in a bad way...do you think sugar free would be ok? Congrats to all the newly banded. Hang in there, y'all!!

Hey, Deb! We were banded the same day and I totally relate! I woke up from a nap today and actually feel a whole lot better and my tummy started growling tonight. Feeling much more human this evening and my tummy doesn't feel quite like the Water balloon that it has the past couple days. Let's stay in touch since we share the same band day.

Merlina, we were banded the same day and it doesn't exactly"hurt" the breathe, but I still have a lot of discomfort. I just feel kinda bloated all the time. Still can't take in more than a few bites of Jello or broth and struggle to get in enough liquids to even pee! I did have my first BM yesterday, so that was exciting. LOL

Hey, Daniella. Congrats on surviving your first week! I am only 1 day post-op, so 7 days seems like a lifetime away. I can't wait to get there! Don't get discouraged yet -- it's only been a week! One year from now you will be a completey different person, but rememe=ber, it takes time. I'm looking forward to mushies too. I think I'm starting to get a little hungry. I suppose that happens when one hasn't eaten in 2 days! I'm eating some broth now, and that helps, but the lasagna in the oven is making my tummy growl! How much have you lost the first week?? I can't wait to step on the scle at 7 days!

I am 1 day post-op and still feeling pretty yucky. I tried to eat some jello last night and just a few bites made me feel like I was going to burst! Same think this morning when I ate a gummy fiber (trying to things moving if you know what I mean). Were you guys like that: just feeling stuffed after a drink or a bite? And when do these gas pains go away?? I'm eat gasx strips like their going out of style. April

Just got home from being banded and wanted to check in. Everything went well and I found out he had to repair a hietal hernia. I woke up from suregry and felt pretty horrible, but I think it is mostly gas. Going to try to move as much as possible, which is hard because all I want to do is sleep! I look forward to recovering and being active, and am glad I made this choice. This is the first of many, many good decisions to come! Apeil

Hey all! Just wanted to write to let you know my surgery is in the morning at 11:15! I am nervous, but trying to stay positive -- "This WILL work for me!" I'll post again on the other side of Bandom. Congrats to all of you already losing weight and fighting through Lapband Hell! You ladies (and gents) rock!!! April

I hear you on that, Aly! I start pre-op diet on Tuesday also and I have been eating lots of bad food and then having tons of guilt and sick feelings afterward. I certainly won't miss stuffing myself silly on those empty calories. 17 days until surgery and they can't get here fast enough!

Hey, Shauna! Cool idea with the spreadsheet. I just bought a super cute pink planner at Barnes and Noble in order to track my weight, inches, exercise, food problems, motivational thoughts, etc. in. I've tried tracking and journaling before and really liked it, so it will be nice to do it again. Plus I thought it would be convenient to carry to the doctor or on vacation or something. Sorry about your date getting pushed back. I have to keep looking at my calenda or I know I'll forget something too! Starting pre-op diet on Tuesday. This will be my last weekend of bad eating forever!

Amy, I'm so glad you're moving forward and going to True Results like I recommended! All they do is lapbands, so they really know their stuff! I hope you'll find the good experience I've had with them so far. I went to the doc today for my EKG and nutrition visit and they've always been so friendly and not left me sitting around in the waiting room for hours. They'll assign you a patient advocate you will be by your side the whole time. Mine is Paul and he has a lapband too, so it's nice having someone there who is doing exactly what you're doing. Let me know how the visit goes! April

Hey, bandits! I went today to meet with my nutritionist expecting to have to do the 2 week pre-op liquid diet. Imagine my surprise to find out that I only have to do a low-carb diet! Woot, woot! So here's to 2 more weeks of chewing!! Oh, and I thought that I would be limited in my caffeine and dt.coke intake post-op, but they're not too worried about it. Yay! I don't think I could go without my coffee. But, even though I'm delighted about alot of things, I wonder what your doctors have told you? Anybody had any conflicting info? April

Amy, I am so sorry to hear about this. I noticed that you are in AZ, right? You should look into True Results.. I think they operate there and Texas They are having a $9900 all-inclusive special, which is a really good price. I have my surgery scheduled on July 12. I think everything happens for a reason, so try to stay positive. This may be a blessing in disguise.

Haha! So funny, Amy! I'm going back to the doc on Thursday for my EKG and meeting with the nutritionist, so I'm going to keep my eye out freebies! April