Summerrain

I don't have a problem getting my Water in everyday, I have a pop top bottle with a carbon filter in it that holds four glasses so two of those a day meets my water requirement. I carry it with me everywhere and constantly sip from it. In the mornings while getting my kids organized for school I sip on a bottle of viitamin water, by the time we are ready to take off for school that's all gone, two glasses worth. If you're not thirsty you cant force it, just do the best you can, if you drink other things throughout the day that also counts towards your Fluid intake.

I think the emotional roller coaster is normal. Just think about all the changes we are going through. Relationship with food has changed, our bodies are changing, the head games are another issue to deal with, when we socialize with friends and food that's also different now. I was having this conversation with my husband the other night at how far I've come from the beginning of the year and all the changes I've gone through, I remember how I was so emotional about a month post op and I'd cry for no reason till I sat and really analysed why I was all over the place emotionally. Don't be so hard on yourself it's a huge change this lapband journey. It takes time to adjust to it in every way. Also I'm sure all the hormones stored in our stored fat gets released as we loose and has to play havoc on us. You also might be onto something with vitamin/ mineral deficiencies so look into that too.

Great post and I so get what you are saying. I'm only just over five months banded and this is how I feel towards food now. A great example the other day my husband and oldest son went to a car show, on the way home they stopped off at out favorite continental cake store in the city And picked up six cannoli (those wicked long shaped pastries with vanilla custard cream on one end and chocolate on the other). When they came home they were like, look what we got. I said they look yum and continued doing what I was doing. Both looked at me sort of disappointed and said we got you a mini one so you can enjoy one with us. I thanked them both and said ill have mine later. Two days later mine was still in the fridge. In the past I would have inhaled the box and contents right out of their hands. This Christmas I'm cooking for both sides of my family, twenty in total. I'm still cooking all the goodies everyone loves but this time for me I'm not going to be rubbing my belly and complaining I ate too much. I love entertaining, I love cooking but it's so nice to be in control of what I now put in my mouth.

Way to go!!!

I'm at 7.8 in my 14cc band, it took about six to eight fills to get there ( don't remember exactly but mine were all teeny fills. As I loose more and more I drop out of the greenzone and I get a small top up to get me back there. Until you get to the point where your band is helping you, no amount of Protein, drinking, etc is going to make you less hungry. You will be hungry a short time after your meals and going insane till your next meal. It's all will power now. As others have suggested keep busy busy busy, if you're at home all day get out of the house, find distractions. It's going to be a rough ride till you get your band tweaked and when you do it will be like FINALLY!!! Hang in there it's worth it.

Amazing, just amazing, did I already say amazing? You look fantastic and that is a great loss in three months and gratz on getting into onederland!

I can eat all with no problems. Toasting g the bread helps also.

I got so sick of the constant constipation problem, laxatives worked for a bit but with tummy pains, benefibre worked for a bit then stopped working. Ever since I've added 1/2 cup of fruit salad to my diet I've started going regularly once or twice a day. My fruit salad consists of strawberries, raspberries, mangoes, sometimes banana and always a kiwi fruit, kiwi fruit is a super food packed with all sorts of goodies and apparently can have like a laxative effect. I wanted to stop taking all the over the counter stuff and find a more natural way to help me go to the bathroom regularly and I believe the fruit is helping in that department.

What you're experiencing is normal. I know, I know it's frustrating considering how what we eat is small amounts of food. Up until two weeks ago I was stuck on loosing and gaining the same three or four pounds over a few weeks. I hit a plateau. Today I went in for a fill but didn't get one as I've been sick and still not 100% so after discussing it with my fill person we both decided it was best I get back to normal before I get a small top up. I'm at 7.8 in a 14cc band. I weighed in and in ten days I've dropped 8 pounds. So looks like my little frustrating plateau has broken. I've only walked about two days in the last ten days also. So hang in there, tweak your diet, check you aren't overdoing the carbs. Keep exercising and before you know it the weight will start melting off again. Our bodies put the brakes on from time to time and we just have to keep being persistent.

Hi there I also found with some of my fills I'd get tighter a week or two later, which can also be normal, something to also do with the fluid in the tubing part making its way to the banded part. Just keep being careful and you should be ok.

Your nerves are very normal. I was on a preop diet for a whole month. Three Optifast shakes per day, 2 cups of vegetables at night. I wasn't 100% compliant and there were a few nights I did have Protein with my vegetables when the hunger was really bad, my doctor said it was fine. I still lost over 22 pounds that month and my liver had shrunk enough for a safe operation. Best wishes to you!

Don't think you did anything wrong, you've just discovered what you can and can't tolerate now being banded. Glad you're feeling better.

Beautiful, just beautiful!! Congrats you're an amazing success!

Looking amazing, well done!!

First of all you have absolutely nothing at all to be ashamed off, even though your doc said back then you were too loose the amount you had put in in one fill was obviously too much in one go for your body to handle. If you were doing all the right things re tiny bites, chewing well, waiting a minute between bites and you were suffering the way you did you were right on insisting getting some taken out. You know your body. The point where you are at is close to greenzone and having smaller fills is the way to go at this stage so you don't blow right past it and into the red zone. Now that was a few months ago, now you are starting to feel a bit more hungry and wanting to snack, those are signs you may need a small fill to get you back to that comfortable zone. You've lost weight and some of it is probably in your stomach area and that's why the band is a touch looser. You need to constantly tweak your band with fills till you get to where you need to be. Some people need more fills more often, some don't. So please get this shame out of your mind as you have nothing to be ashamed/ embarrassed about. I have 8 golden rules I must follow for the band to be successful and one of those rules is to be in regular contact with my Bariatric team no matter even if I think an issue is silly or not. That's why they are there.

Speaking from personal experience I had no problems loosing weight pre band but like the majority have said keeping it off was my issue and when I'd put it back on it was with extra too. A lot of people can loose it and keep it off and I wish I was one of them but I'm not and finally at 49 years old and weighing in at a hefty 366 pounds I started researching the lapband. It took me a good year to make my decision and in that year again I gave it another good shot at trying to loose and keep it off. I'd hit a hurdle as in a plateau and backwards I went again. Had my lapband put in on 2 nd July 2012 and today, five months later I weigh 290 pounds. For me so far it's been the best decision in helping me loose and keeping it off so far, it's not easy, it's a lot of work and a lot of frustration at times but in saying that not once have I wanted to give up these last five months. So yes do your research, give it your best to loose and keeping it off and you may be one of the lucky ones that can maintain the loss if not then maybe lapband is the way to go. I know I will reach my goal, might take me two to three years but one thing I know I will never go back to where I was and I believe having this tool will help me keep the weight of finally. Fingers crossed I don't develop any lapband complications down the track. Best wishes to you and I'm sure you'll make the right choice for you.

Hi there, when you say very large meal what are the quantities? We are all told one cup per meal. I know if I have gone beyond this point when not in greenzone I've been uncomfortable but not where I haven't felt hungry for a few days. I personally would think it better to eat every day, set up a healthy routine, rather than a big meal then hardly anything for a few days. I can go for up to six hours between meals but then normal hunger appears but never a few days unless of course I'm sick.

Before lapband I suffered for years with an acidic stomach, didn't get heartburn but a constant acidic feeling in my stomach and eating made it worse as of course more acid would be produced to start the digestive process. I took somac then and I still take it today when needed as illness and stress makes mine flare up. Having the lapband has actually improved it for me but yes speak with your doctor and take your Zantac if you need it.

Not sure how ill go even though I said I was in weeks ago. Have been really sick the last few weeks and only just started walking again tonight and boy did that walk feel good! I'm still in and going to give it my best shot.

Donna, I'm sorry you've had a difficult journey so far. You're on the mend now and can finally get to where you need to with the lapband. I don't see you as a failure, look what you have had to endure the last six months and you're still marching on and you should be proud of your loss so far. You're a champ in my eyes. Now the going to the toilet part is a problem, I was the same and constantly taking over the counter meds/liquids to make me go along with awful tummy pains. I tried the benefibre and that worked for a few weeks. I was getting desperate for a more natural approach so I started eating about half a cup to a cup some days of fruit salad every day, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sometimes a few slices of banana, mango and always a kiwi fruit thrown in. I've read that the kiwi is like a natural laxative and its a super fruit with lots of goodies in it. Since I've been doing that I go every day with no problems minus the tummy pains. I count it into my portion control and as part of my treat I'm allowed every day. I was making chocolate my treat but I actually missed my fruit more. Maybe try kiwi on its own if you like the fruit for a few days and see if that helps. Stay strong you're on the mend now even if slowly!!

I've had a horrid ten days with a pinched muscle in my back and on top of it picked up some bug. I've hardly eaten anything and I have nausea but I am drinking with no problems. ATM have pains in my tummy too and that's because I'm hungry but if I look at food I instantly want to be ill and I'm do fearful if throwing up. I've been to my doctor and got anti nausea pills which help and antibiotics. If you're not feeling better go see your doctor. It's not fun bring sick with a band. Just try and sip liquids as much as you can tolerate nice and slowly. Hope you recover quickly.

I think it's very normal to feel down in the early stages, it's a huge lifestyle adjustment which can be scary and have us question if we did the right thing. I remember one day after my third fill I walked out of my Bariatric centre feeling really happy and on my drive home started to get really teary and by the time I got home I was crying like there was no tomorrow. Took me a few hours to figure it out and it was fear of failing yet again, mourning of my previous way of eating, mourning of food, mourning the fact that I could no longer eat a two course meal and sometimes three course when going out with friends. Food had control of me in so many ways and from that day on I developed an attitude that I would no longer let food control every aspect of my day to day living. I needed food to live not live to eat food. So feeling down is a normal part of this process and it will get better.

Great job on your loss so far. I have the same size band as you and currently have 7.8 in mine and have been in the greenzone with that amount till about a few weeks ago. I'm due for a small top up next week to get me back into the greenzone. My surgeon said on average around 9 cc's is the greenzone area for this size band.

When I was at your stage I was advised to take a liquid laxative and that helped, Actilax was the name of it. It got to the point where I became too dependant on it and it started to give me those awful cramps tummy pains. I switched to benefibre on the advice of my nutritionist and that worked for a while. I wanted a more natural approach and not become reliant on all the stuff out there to help me go to the bathroom so what I've done is added 1/2 cup fruit salad per day to my food intake. Usually strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, sometimes a few slices of banana and the most important one, kiwi, they say kiwis have a natural laxative effect. Since I've been doing this I go everyday with no tummy pains. My fruit salad is my allowed treat and is working nicely for me in the bathroom department. I know you're only a few days post op and can't do the fruit yet but as someone else suggested maybe try the benefibre and see if that helps. Some people also take Metamucil but just be careful with that one as it can gel up and block the opening where your band is.

Well done! You're doing great.