Jim1967

I don't have head hunger or cravings much anymore since my last fill. My Nutritionist tells me for a man I should shoot for 80 to 110 grams of protein a day. I find between a 36 gram protein shake and a nice dinner I don't get hungry hardly ever. I usually have my shake in the morning and a smart one for lunch and dinner is usually a 4oz protein some veggies and if I can take in a small starch. I eat the starch last to make sure I get all the important stuff in.

Sometimes I eat just to get my intake not because I am hungry.

I had a sugar free peanut butter cup about a month ago but other than that no sweets.

Thank you!!

If liquid is all your having then I would drink it throughout the day as you want it. Here is a good article to read about restriction and what to look for. It helped me a lot when I was first post op.

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/page/index.html/_/support/post-op-support/restriction-the-holy-grail-r51

Every Doctor has his/her own way of doing things. My Doctor asks me to do liquids for 24 hours after a fill and introduce solid slowly. Seeing that this is your first fill I doubt you are over filled however we are all different. Not feeling full is normal. Remember you are not looking to get full like Thanksgiving full you want satiety It's good you are not hungry but whether or not you will remain that way will depend on you. How were you on the liquids before surgery?

How big is your band and how much of a fill did they give you? I do think you are over thinking it a bit but that is normal. We all do it. Just remember to take everything slow until you learn how your band behaves.

As for the water it is not surprising at all. Remember for the most part the fluids just slide on through. If you are having an issue swallowing water then your band is way to tight. I got 4 fills and good "restriction" and I can belt down a 16.9 oz crystal light in 5 minutes but I know my band. So take is slow and explore and treat your knew stomach like a baby.

Thank you :-) I just commented on you're blog too. LOL

Unfortunately, you're in bandster hell. That time when the band is placed (most likely empty) and the time you get your fills. Food intake is going to be all on you until you get some fills in you. I wish I had more suggestions for you. Make sure you're taking in a lot of fluid it may help with the hunger and hopefully you can avoid over eating.

Good Luck....

Sounds like you are on your way to being among the banded. Good Luck!!

Hi There,, I understand where you are coming from about the intervention. My Mom used to make comments to me about the weight gain but they were more in a chastised (or maybe nagging is a better word) manner rather then sitting me down to have an adult conversation. I love my Mom but she treated me like I was still 13 and refusing to do my chores as opposed to the 37 year old man that I was. I didn't need to hear "oh your getting fat again".

I have no children of my own and have no place offering advice but I think the approach to the conversation is huge. Hearing it from someone else besides from a parent would be huge as well. Again, this is nothing but the opinion of a childless 44 year old. You're right though...he has to want to help himself and hopefully that realization will happen sooner then later while there is still time.

Thank you for the well wishes and I hope you're son finds his way.

**Before anyone judges me I am in no way blaming anyone at all for my weight or weight gain especially my Mother. I just wish I had gotten a real reality check before I got so out of control**

Thanks all. I am all set. My HR dept straightened out. This is what my HR Dept said:

We have been notified of this issue. Fortunately, our employees are not being affected by this change. Even though we are through Cigna, we are part of the Tuft’s platform which means that coverage will remain the same and it will continue to be accepted at your primary care physician’s office and Lowell General. Only people who carry Cigna insurance on Cigna’s platform are being affected. This has been confirmed by our rep at Cigna. Hopefully this eases your mind a little bit. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

I have since called my PCP and I am all set. No issues.

Just got this response back from my HR Dept.

We have been notified of this issue. Fortunately, our employees are not being affected by this change. Even though we are through Cigna, we are part of the Tuft’s platform which means that coverage will remain the same and it will continue to be accepted at your primary care physician’s office and Lowell General. Only people who carry Cigna insurance on Cigna’s platform are being affected. This has been confirmed by our rep at Cigna. Hopefully this eases your mind a little bit. Please let me know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Spoke with the office and it is the only hospital he is affiliated with....

Good point!! Thanks for mentioning that. I know he is affiliated with another hospital but I cannot remember which. I have to check that.

Thank you everyone. I do think I am there. I am amazed how long I can go without being hungry and I have had no cravings. I can generally go 4 hours before my belly starts to gowl and when I finally do eat I find my portions are small. Tonight for dinner I had 7oz plain baked haddock and 1/2 cup of of zucchini and summer squash. I took me 30+ minutes to finish it but after I did I felt satisfied. I had a 16oz crystal lite about an hour later and I felt quite full but not to an uncomfortable level.

Thank you all very much for the support and encouragement. Carolinagirl you hang in there!! You can do this and it will only get better with time. Just try hard to be patient. I know how frustrating it can get after a month out and no movement but it will come. Once those fills start coming it will be whole new ball game. You'll see....

That's strange she told you no more protein shakes. My Nutritionist asked me if I liked them and when I said yes she said good I want you to supplement at least one meal a day. Wow next fill is in September? Wonder why they are making you wait so long. I had my first fill 6 weeks after surgery and my second one two weeks later. Must be cause you vomited. They must think your getting plenty restriction. I got 6 cc's in an 11cc band and I am just now getting restriction.

Good Luck!! Sounds like you are on your way!

That's awesome news. Congrats. I am just curious how much do you have in the band now? I got my 2nd fill this morning and now have a total of 6cc in an 11cc band. I hope this is it for me as well. I am on liquids until tomorrow morning.

If you're getting banded you better get used to needles fast...

Thank you all for the kind words and advice. I have to say looking back at my post from yesterday I am a little embarrassed I got down on myself like that and cried poor me. I am lucky in a lot of ways and I am determined to make this work.

I really hope anyone new to this process doesn't get discouraged by my post. I am less than 2 month post op and only have had one fill. My journey is just starting. Please do not get discouraged by my words above. I would delete it but then all the good, kind words and advice that followed would be lost and that would be tragic.

It's funny how one day can make a difference and I didn't even step on the scale today....

Thank you all and you're all right....I just need to shake out of this and get with it. It is what it is and I made the choices and they're done. Now I just have to do the needful and get it done.

mylynn, that was also my exact reason for not having bypass and yes my wife is my number #1 fan.

Thank you all.

NWgirl,, I wondered if it is because of my size that I got such a large fill in the first shot.

Daddof4 I was banded on April 16th. 6 week wait for the first fill

During the two week standstill I was not getting enough protein. Once I started weighing it again and actually tracking ensuring I was getting between 80 to 100 grams daily and then the scale started to move. I have at least one shake a day and that is 36g when combined with simply smart milk.

thank you all for the encouragement and good luck to all of you.

Hang in there..it will get easier. Walking is the best thing you can do for the gas pains. You're not suffering from intestinal gas you're body is trying to push out the gas they used to expand your stomach so they could work on placing the band.

Thanks I think I needed to hear it from someone whose lived it. My wife kept telling me I am putting to much pressure on myself to soon and that less then a month out I should be happy with what I have done so far.

Good luck to you both!! Let me tell you getting that approval letter in the mail is like being a kid on Christmas morning.