DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

I think a lot do. If you're going to, just be sure to do it before the liquid diet pre-op. if you've been told to lose a certain amount of weight before surgery, be sure it won't interfere with that either. The night before I started the liquid diet, I did have a reuben sandwich and fries for dinner. I knew it'd be a long time before I had anything remotely like it again. Oh and I had a piece of boston cream cake for desert. .....and now I'm hungry from thinking about it

I've only been banded since Jan.6, but so far I'm very happy with it. I go for my first fill tomorrow. I have no complaints so far. I'm excited to continue this journey towards health.

I was banded on Jan. 6. As of this morning, I've lost 38 pounds so far. Needless to say, I'm more than pleased with that! Here is my question: Is it possible to not need much restriction if you're starting with a smaller band to begin with? I notice many on here have a 14cc band. I have a 10cc band. I haven't had a fill yet, and I have to tell you, it takes very little to make me feel full. Very often I start to eat the recommended portion of a food and can't finish it. It almost feels like I'm about to swallow to reverse. It doesn't hurt and it's not nausea, but it is a definite tightness that I take as my cue to stop. (I've never vomited so far and really don't want to either lol) I am eating roughly 900-1000 calories a day and feel very satisfied with that. I try to be sure the majority of my calories are Protein (though I still seem to end up with considerable carbs) and seriously restrict fat intake. I won't eat Pasta or breads unless they are whole grain- no bleached processed carbs. My only (minor) complaint is that I'm hungry every 2-3 hours. For that reason, I eat small meals and then small Snacks in between. So far it works. Is it possible I won't need much of a fill? Just enough so that maybe I can go 4 hours without being hungry? I'm already eating small portions, I just need to be able to go longer between periods of hunger. I'm curious as to you your thoughts. Thanks

KathyOfAlabama, The Babybel Light it is good. I keep some in the fridge. It's 50 calories, 6g of Protein, and 3g of fat. It's filling yet small, so I will sometimes grab one to tide me over til dinner in the afternoon (I haven't had a fill yet so I'm hungry every 2 hours!)

I have an open faced tuna melt for lunch every day, but healthy. I mix tuna, 2 tbs fat free mayo, and a tiny bit of mustard. I put that on a piece of toasted whole wheat bread. Add a slice of Kraft's low fat cheese, and stick under the broiler for about 2 minutes. Very filling and 33.7g of Protein,18g of carbs, and 5g of fat. 261 calories total. I really like it a lot.

The level of people's ignorance seriously astounds me. This IS work, it's work for the rest of our lives. Sometimes I honestly think people lash out at us out of jealousy. They see us losing weight and react defensively and out of envy.This is especially true of other big people. It's like they see us as fat camp traitors because we chose to leave. It's sad, really. Whether behavior like this is out of ignorance or envy (or both), there is no excuse for it. I'm so sorry you had to deal with that

Wonderful and inspirational post. Thank you for sharing!

You may even want to start by talking to your primary care doctor about, see what he/she thinks, and perhaps they could even recommend a good surgeon in your area.

This place has been in the news a lot recently. They've had 5 deaths and are in a TON of legal trouble. I'm glad they're coming down on them hard. It's idiots like them that make people fearful of Lap-Band and uninformed.

Unfortunately everyone is different. I've read of people able to eat absolutely anything and everything with no problems. In contrast, I've read people who's food choices are severely limited because so much gets stuck. Really, there's no way to know what will work for you until you're banded and try it. (I know, total crap answer but the truth ) I do know that taking tiny bites, eating slowly, and chewing food to absolute mush definitely helps increase your chance of success without getting stuck.

Even if you're not vomiting and able to drink Water, you still could be too tight. You should be able to eat more than 2 bites of food without feeling like it's stuck. You mentioned you've actually over eaten recently. There is a slight chance you could've slipped the bad by over-filling your stomach, too. That could also cause the symptoms you describe. I'd talk to your doctor's office and see what they say. They may want to check your band for slippage to be safe. Best wishes to you.

Maybe go to a local Lap-Band support meeting or two? You might be able to find some there. Also, put his last name in the search bar at the top of this page. Two pages of topics on him come up, including a lawsuit against him. I'd definitely have a look!

My nutrionist and doc said we should be eating no more than 1 cup of food at a sitting. If you were eating say a meat, a veggie, and some potatoes they should fit on a small salad plate with room to spare. Because you haven't had fill yet, chances are you're not going to feel the tightness or fullness yet. Most people on here seem to require a couple fills before they get those sensations. As another person on here once put, this beginning part is the "white knuckling phase" because there isn't much restriction yet, so we have to get by a couple months on willpower. I don't get my first fill until Friday, but I'm one of the lucky ones that has some restriction even with an empty band. When I've had enough, I get this weird tight feeling. It almost feels like I'm swallowing in reverse, but I'm not nauseous and it doesn't hurt. When I get that feeling, I take it as my cue to stop. (I've not thrown up at all yet and am hoping i never do lol) I'd try to stick with the portions your nutritionist recommends and hopefully it'll get easier once you get a fill or two.

So funny you posted this question, because for the last month I've been wondering the same thing. I have no idea where mine is. I've felt all over my tummy and can't find it. I get my first fill on Friday, so I guess I'll find out then.

Unfortunately unless there's something specifically stating a doctor will do the fills in the event he moves, he's not in breach of contract. If you took him to court, all he'd have to say is "well I'd be happy to fill her for free, she just has to come to my office in Illinois" I'm very sorry. That absolutely sucks. Did you contact him and ask him if there are any alternatives? I'd even consider getting with other band patients of his and confronting him together. It's worth a try!

That's amazing, congratulations!!

No offense, but you asked specifically "Anyone have any thoughts or experiences?" As I see it, we shared our thoughts and experiences and you don't like the answer, so you get pissy. We gave you our thoughts and the facts that explain why we feel as we do- and we gave them in hopes of helping you As you also stated, "I feel like I know this answer", so then do whatever you want to do. But do not get snarky with us for simply giving you exact information you've asked for. Especially when we're only trying to help.

I agree with honk. If your doctor said strictly liquids before surgery, then I wouldn't eat a meal. The whole purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink your liver. Your liver is the first place to gain fat but also the first place to lose it, and he needs your liver shrunk so he can safely access your stomach. Otherwise, you risk injury to your liver or even having your surgery postponed if the surgeon feels the liver is too big. I'd definitely wait. It's just not worth the risks in my opinion.

I would definitely wait until after surgery. One, you don't want the tattoo bumped and rubbed like crazy when it's so new, and I guarantee the docs and nurses won't give it a second thought when you're under anesthetic. Second, the doctor *could* potentially see it as an open wound (because it wouldn't be healed yet) and take issue with it. Finally, that is just one more place to risk infection. If I were you, I'd do it about 4 weeks post surgery, then you won't have to worry.

I've never heard of this. What exactly is "rolling" the stomach?

Keep in mind for the first 4 weeks after surgery you're not supposed to do any strenuous exercise or lift anything over 10 pounds. That would include luggage. Depending on when in March you go, you could have a bit of tenderness or gas pain still too.

You had an IV while in the hospital, yes? You are retaining a TON of fluids right now. It will take a little while to work itself out of you, too. That is why your weight is showing an increase. Once the fluids work it's way out, you'll go back down again. Don't go near another scale for at least week.

I was originally supposed to have gastric bypass in June 2010 and backed out at the last minute. I just couldn't rationalize essentially cutting up and re-routing perfectly healthy organs without trying something less drastic first. On Jan. 6 2012, I got the Lap-Band instead. So far I am down 38 pounds and couldn't be happier with it. Everyone is different, and everyone has their own decision to make, but for me it just seemed more logical to start with the 100% reversible Lap-Band first then progress to the Sleeve only if the band doesn't work for me. One more thing to note- people don't lose weight and regain weight after the Sleeve and Gastric Bypass, too. Whatever WLS surgery you choose, you must be prepared to change your eating habits for a lifetime. WLS isn't a magic bullet, regardless of what you choose, you have to do the work. Whatever you ultimately decide, I wish you much peace and success

Yeah until you look in the mirror and see no scars, or worse go to your local Bariatric Center for a fill and get stabbed repeatedly in the gut by a needle because the surgeon is trying to find your non-existant port. *laughs*

You're not supposed to have problems swallowing or problems eating bread, rice, and pasta. True some do, but that isn't a sign of not being tight enough. Many have good restriction and can still eat about anything- just smaller portions. I would suggest keeping a food journal so you can see exactly what you're eating and how much. This way you'll be able to see if maybe you're consuming too much carbs or fat. You can eat tiny amounts of food and still not lose weight if the food you're eating isn't good for you. This should help you to figure out if you need a fill, or possibly a change in diet. You may want to bring the journal to your nutritionist for pointers, too.