Army's girl

To b-52 & brenda62, What are you eating that has pushed your weightless into rocket speed?? I still don't know what foods I should eat. I mean of course I know fast food, junk food & all thats not good but what should I be eating specially now that I'm tight??? If you can give me a full days menu(sample of one of your days meal) that would help me. Thank you so much.

B-52 Thank u soooo much for describing what normal good restriction feels like. I've had the feeling but thought it wasn't normal & had them take ome out. I guess that's why I've only lost 10 pounds in 3 months, could eat anything & was always hungry!!! Well I got a fill as soon as I read ur post earlier today & now I'm "gurgling" like u lol. I just hoope I also don't feel hungry or want to eat all the time. When I first had surgery I felt no hunger not interested in food at all but after 7 days that went away. Good luck to all including myself.

Hi abphiipi, I totally understand your frustration but I must tell you that fills are definitely the way the majorityt of physicians do them & it is a trial & error type. The reason they do fills every 4 weeks is to give your pouch time to heal. Everyone is also different in the sense that I may require 2cc's to get to the green zone "where it may take you 5cc's. I guess my point is that everything takes time, have faith, and patience. Don't forget to be positive.

Well in Miami, fl fills are NOT included in the surgical price & every fill is $200!!!! So if you get fills the first year your ahead of the game, at least that's what we in Miami think.

Smoking slows down the healing process & everytime you get a fill your stomach has to heal again thats why your told to be on liquids for a day or two. I don't understand how alot of people can't see the corelation between band erosion & smoking. The majority of good doctors & surgeons that actually have a conscience and care won't perform surgery or fills on patients that smoke or refuse to quit smoking because they know & its said in the seminars that the band is just a tool but the patient has to be willing to make the changes necessary in order for the band ot be a success. Its not easy to do but either was paying for the band or going to surgery. I was a smoker & still crave every now & then cigarrettes but I tell myself that I need to be strong & focus on the goal which is to lose weight by making healthier choices so I can live longer to be there for my kids an family. Don't be too hard on yourself & don't get discouraged but go online and definitely do research so you can learn and understand the effects of everything we do to our bodies & how it affects us mentally & physically. Therapy is a great place to start. If you need assistance by taking medication then thats fine but start somewhere, baby steps. There are doctors or PA's that will fill you regardless of your smoking but hun love yourself enought o start making better choices with food, gambling & smoking oka. One at a time you can do this!! Getting the surgery & posting on here is a great start. Good luck, we are all here for you.

Okay so I got my 1st fill post-op yesterday of 1.8cc so now I have a total of 3.8 in my band. Honestly I didn't feel much of a difference & even though I was suppossed to be on liquids for the restof the day, I was so hungry I ate about 4oz of imperial rice which is soft runny yellow rice with chicken & cheese melted on it. I was at a kids bday party & was so hungry I had a headache!! Anyway the good thing is that I was full for the next 5 hours. However, I don't wanna feel that hungry because thats when i'll eat the fastest and everythng goes out the window. Anyone else feel the same?? Is this normal??

thanks KAT for replying to MY post instead of starting your own lol. I guess your right its just discouraging when you see yourself hitting a plateu so fast. Tomorrow I go for my first fill & I'm going to ask for as much as possible, as long as I can drink sips of Water ofcourse. I've actually gained 3 pounds back. In reality those 10 lbs really don't count as "true weightloss" but I was happy to see them go. Funny thing is I felt the same as you in thinking I had maybe stretched my band or was eating too much. Funny how we give ourselves guilt trips. Anyway, I hope your headaches have gone away & your feeling better. As for me, I'm super excited to get this fill tomorrow. Oh confession, I don't walk 30 mins a day because I work in surgery running around about 10-11 hours of the day & once I get home at 6:30p sometimes 7:30pm I check homework, feed dogs, sometimes cook & bythen its 9:30ish & I'm exhausted!!!! I walk the dogs honestly 10-15mins but weekends I do go to the gym & do 45mins on the treadmil or elipticle. I think the worst thing I ate this week was a chic fillet chicken sandwich for dinner, yes with the delicious fries! lol I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow. Question, will I feel that restriction & lack of hunger immediately after my fill????? I hope so.....

I was banded on 11/4/11 and loved the first week because I lost 10lbs and wasn't hungry at a. After those 5 days the weightless stopped and the hunger kicked in!!!!!! I told my surgeon I needed a fill but his office messed up because I was scheduled today but when I Coles to let them know I'd b 10mins late the doctor said "sorry too bad come back another day. (there was more to it) Anyway, I'm zoo disappointed because I can eat same amount as I did before getting banded. I spent all my savings for this "tool" and I'm praying this fill makes it work. All of what your feeling is close if nt ESA Ty what I feel. Hang in there & so will I. OMG I can't imagine

Everyone is different it seems bcuz some people feel the restriction immediately after & others feel it days later. Listen to your body, eat the good healthy food & exercise, the rest will come.

Excercise is a HUGE factor for us banders. I know its not easy & we don't always have the energy or time for excercising but we gotta remember the money, time & emotions that we have vested in this.I found that even walking my dogs help burn calories & was amazed that goping around the block burned 550 calories!!! Hang in there, good luck dear.

Sue I hope your feeling better today. I had the exact same feelinngs & even had spasms for about 7 days. This is all normal because the band is a foreign object so it needs time to accept it & settle in the tissue. The grumbling is actually air in your stomach & the acids that are complaining because theres no food in there for it to breakdown but its ok. I ended up taking a week off from work because my body told me to so listen to yours. All you should be doing is short walks at a moderate pace. I found when I drank my liquids I felt better taking sips every couple of seconds & chewing on gas-x & antacids after. I promise the grumbling & pain will go away after the first week but you need to take it very slow. I think that was extremely hard for me because I'm extremely hyper lol but its very important to do so. I hope all this helped you & I hope soon you'll feel better.

So last night I was able to eat real solid food! I don't feel ANY restriction now & my portions are getting bigger. This is not suppossed to be happening& I'm really frustrated. I'm going to gym on weekends bcuz lately I've been working long hours & I'm just too exhausted by the end of my shift to go to any gym. After cooking, feeding the dogs and going over homework its 8:45pm & I'm beat!! lol I'm really looking forward to getting this fill so I can finally get back to losing weight. Any suggestions in the meantime? The protein shakes don't hold me at all & neither do the puddings, yogurts, cheese & etc. I never feel nauseau or throw up either (I wish I would though so I'd be scared to eat). I'm kinda down of this.

Thank you for your replies. That was very informative. I'm post-op 15 days now & haven't lost ANY more weight other than the 10 lbs I lost the first 5 days. I'm hungry often and I can eat just about anything just a small amount of it. I'm not sure this is good or not but I sure wish I wasn't hungry all the time & thatthe weight would continue to come off. I've been going to the gym maybe 4 days outta the week. As for liquids & snacks, well I work in surgery so I don't really have time to eat or srink every 2 hours. I crave carbs incredibly. My first fill is dec 3rd. How much should I ask my doc to fill me with??

Why are you eating French dip & chips at all?!!! No band will work if you don't change your eating habits dear. I understand your concern & how you feel but I'm worried your miss using the band as it's not there for the purpose of continuing to eat poorly. If you change the type of food your eating you may not get reflux or have ANY problems at all. I'm sorry if this sounds aggressive, it's not meant to be but seriously chips?

There's an entire list on this website. Go to the main forums

I also have p90x & even though it's a great workout you really must be VERY careful because you can & will hurt yourself. It's extremely challenging, even my fit athletic husband had his issues. Whatever exercise program you start make you listen to your body. All in all I liked p90 over power 90. Good luck & be safe.

I got banded 11/4/11 at which time my doctor put in 2cc's. The first 5 days I lost 10lbs & honesty didn't miss food nor felt hungry which was great.now I'm on day 10 & I'm hungry all the time & I've stopped losing ANY weight!!!! I'm on mushies eating things like kfc mashed potatoes no gravy, sf popsicle & fudgesicles, whey protein shakes (4oz) w/slim fast mixed together for flavor, lots of juices, scrambled egg (1) & cheddar/motz cheese cubes. I get my fist fill on 12/3 & I'm really hoping it will restrict me so i continue losing weight. I don't know how to tell when I'm restricted. Can someone please tell me how this feels & what sign & symptoms to look for so I know? I don't want to feel like I'm starving & depriving myself because that leads me to binge & fai.

wow 800-1,000 calories is pretty gracious. How much of those calories are sugar & Carbs? All the info suggests that fills are needed when your not in the green zone, meaning able to eat whatever you want, more than 4oz of low calorie/sugar-free foods, snack often in between meals & have no portion control or eat more than 3 meals per day. Definitely speak to your physician BEFORE hr fills you & let him know you feel good although you haven't lost any weight. This may prompt him to rethink the fill & go more in depth with you about what your eating. Nonetheless, I wish you lots of success.

wow these are all great ideas!!! I got banded 7 days ago today & have lost 10 pounds but am starving!!! I get to start mushies in 2 more days & I can't wait. During this "mushies" stage, does the weightloss slow down?? How much Protein am I suppossed to be getting daily & what excercise is everyone doing?

offended??? who in the world would be offended by this awesome post??!! CONGRATULATIONS hun, I don't know you but I'm proud & excited for you!! Your looking fabulous. I just got banded 7 days ago & I'm hoping to have these results very soon too lol

wow!! I'm glad your feeling better & that your insurance covered the removal. That was one thing I was really worried about too. I just got banded 7 days ago & was feeling everything you were except depression. After about 4-5 days the spasms, tremendous pain & discomfort were just about gone. I am a scrub nurse & do these procedures every weeks (all of them including bypass) & you are correct, It is NOT for everyone. I'm glad your family supports you they way they do & that you had options. It sounds like you don't need anything now that you've learned portion control. Congratulations sweetie!!

Brandon, 20-30 mins a day is great. The important thing is not to go too fast so make sure your speed on the treadmill is comfortable enough for you to walk, breathe & say hi doing good. That weight is alot of stress on your heart & body but your well on your way to becoming healthy & it'll happens sooner than you know it. Your body will get used to walking and your heart will get used to pumping but the best person you can ask this question to is your personal physician because no one here on ANY website knows your medical history and everyone is different. I wish you the best of luck & congratulations for having the courage & strength to start this journey!!!

thank you all for your responses. It reallys helps because I learn through all of you. I had my post op yesterday but did not get a fill. Instead he scheduled my first fill on dec. 3rd which is exactly 1 month post op. The problem is I got so hungry yesterday cooking for my family that I actually chewed some steak, sucked the juice and gave the chewed meat to the dogs! When I saw that didn't cause me pain or discomfort I chewed on a little bit of rice and swallowed. I did this one time & then felt real guilty and got very mad at myself for doing it. I actually gained 1 lb back!! have no will power. How bad was what I did?? I'm eating lots of sugar-free popsicles & fudgsicles cuz I'm so tired of the jello, pudding & juice thing & the slim fast is NOT satisfying at all. What else can I do??? PLEASE HELP I can't fail

Ok so I got banded last friday, 5 days ago and go to my first post op visit tomorrow where I'm going to ask about getting my first fill. My question to you all is "is it usual to need a fill this soon after surgery where I got 2 cc's put in"? I'm hungry sooner than before & am starting to feel starved. Does thismean its time for a fill? I wasn't feeling that before.