Summerrain

Ill outline what my surgeon instructed me to do. Pre op one month Optifast. Post op one week liquids and introduce mushies by second week, third week introduce solids. 4.8 Mls was put into my band on the day of surgery and I had my first fill of .8 Mls exactly three weeks later. My surgeon explained to me that he used to do fills at four weeks but with all the researching they found that the hunger starts to return by third week. Then it was fills every two weeks till they got me to where I needed to be with the band. Only small amounts were given every two weeks, in a few four week periods less than a ml of Fluid was injected. I have the large band which I've been told holds 12 Mls, my surgeon said on average around 9 Mls gets you to the greenzone. I currently have 7.2 Mls in my band and am there, the whole process for me took about three months. My last two fills were spaced out over three weeks. As you can see each doctor is different with their instructions. I honestly would have really struggled if I had to do a month liquid , a month mushies. Just speak honestly with your careers , maybe he might give you a fill earlier if you need it. Many have had solids introduced much earlier and it hasn't caused problems provided you follow the rules and I'm one that is proof that all is working as it should.

Wishing you luck and hopefully all will be smooth sailing after this for you!!

Never admit to a male he is right even if he is!!! Women are always right lol.

Hugs Sasha, I understand totally where you are coming from. I had those struggles too the first month and cried a lot but I was still glad for my lapband. All I can say is stay strong and focused, it's going to take a while to fight those demons and I have found myself getting stronger as the weeks go by.

Are you not able to swallow your pill whole, or may be cut it in half instead of crushing. Also a tip from my nutritionist was if you find your band too tight in the morning take your pill later in the day or with a bit of yoghurt so it helps go through the band easier. My largest tablet is a Vitamin d with Calcium and about the size of a large finger nail and I can take it with no problems and I have very good restriction.

I would probably say the bites you are taking maybe just a bit too big. Try taking much smaller bites, hopefully that will help your stuck issues. Each time we get a fill we get more and more restriction and even though we think we are taking small enough bites of food our band tells us they aren't small enough hence the stuck episodes. Also at about the 20 minute mark you should feel satiety which is different from bring full. Satiety is when you no longer feel hungry, so that means no more eating. If we keep eating beyond that point then we get that full feeling ( like pre band) which we are not aiming to do. The bites I take are about the size of my thumb nail now and if I happen to get distracted and take a bite a bit bigger my band screams out in protest. By taking much smaller bites I'm lucky enough to still be able to eat everything without getting stuck.

Ditto to what others have said, you're in the early stages and what you're experiencing us normal. I know if I eat white bread it gives me a slump so if I do eat it now its the healthier carbs. Drink lots if Water as the more you drink the more it flushes you're system and helps with Fluid retention. And yes sounds like you need another fill and will keep needing them till your band is where it needs to be to be in the greenzone. It will take multiply fills, some are luckily and don't need any or only a few, we are all different. My nutritionist also said if I'm waking hungry that's also a sign for another fill.

Well done!! You're right it's takes a while for the adjustments and changes, it's us retraining ourselves and overcoming past demons re food. Keep up the great work!!

Remember those days well. I'm a tummy sleeper, could never sleep on my back as I wake up wanting to be sick. As the above poster said use pillows to give your tummy support if you lay on your side. By day three I was sleeping on my tummy but with a pillow under me, it hurt a bit to get into that position but once I got comfy I was able to sleep all night. Hang in there and it will get better.

Love this post!! I've had the same feelings some days about wanting to eat a normal meal like in the past. Some days are hard as I really really miss sitting down and devouring a delicious meal, but that's what got me to where I was. It's hard, it's a new way if eating with the band and will take time to adjust. But in saying that I am so thankful for my band and do not regret it for one second. My food obsession is pretty much becoming non existent as the weeks fly by and it feels so good to be free ( apart from the odd day) from the control food had over me. Yesterday I went grocery shopping with two of my kids. They asked if I could buy them donuts, which I haven't bought in about seven months. In the past I would have drooled all the way home and the minute I would have walked through the door I would be at those evil donuts shoveling them down then feeling sick. My kids ate one each and there are two left for my husband, because if my band and because I finally started to listening to my body I find that I don't even crave one. The mental thing to keep stuffing ourselves with everything and anything like in the past is a difficult one to deal with but I found has got so much easier with being in the greenzone.

I have felt food go through my band BUT only because it was too big a bite and not chewed properly ( early days of being banded). Now we do have a little pouch above the band but that will only safely hold a maximum of about a tablespoon of food from memory. As missy said its important to take small bites, chew properly then swallow then wait a minute before doing it all again. This ensures the food has been squeezed through the band. If you do this you will eat pain free with the band and avoid pbing, sliming etc. Now I know there are a few videos on you tube but I'm going to ask you to search for professor Paul O'Brien in YouTube. He has a video demonstrating what happens when you swallow your food as it goes through the whole process. Also as you start to get fills and get more restriction you'll find your size of food needs to be smaller and smaller, gone are the days if taking a normal bite, chew a few times then swallowing. Check out the videos they are very educational.

You're not being gross, I think this is a problem the majority of us experience or have experienced. I add benefibre to my Water every morning and that's helped. Some use Metamucil but you need to be careful with that one as it can go gluggy and clog your band. Prune juice is good and prunes if you're on solids.

I'd save my money and meet with a Bariatric nutritionist/ dietician instead. They can outline what you need to do in just a few meetings to get you on the right track.

I had the same at the beginning and I'd cry for no reason at the time. Four months down the track I'm more settled. I think for me personally it was such a big change to my lifestyle, I was happy I got banded but was scared of failing again and mourning food. Also making sure I take my Vitamins everyday I've noticed made a big difference for me.

Oh my gosh!!!! You look amazing, what another inspirational person on these forums!!

Awesome, you'll always be nice and cool! Can't wait to get to where you are!

Yes missy it's the best feeling, Ty ladies. I had to make a few adjustments to my eating as my loss stalled and I was gaining Fluid pounds, wasn't eating enough but I'm back on track I hope. I'm rewarding myself with a professional facial which I've already booked. It's funny in the past I would reward myself with food, never again.

I closed my eyes, stepped on the scales and 299.4 was staring at me. Four months and 66.6 pounds gone. My bmi has gone from 62.8 to 51.4. Still a long way to go but I know I will get there. So happy this morning, no one can wipe the grin off my face today!

I have been eating sushi since I was back on solids ( at 4 weeks). No problems, I'm like the above poster, I can eat everything with no problems provided the food pieces are small.

Sounds like you're doing all the right things, you'll notice as you get more fills and closer to the green zone you'll probably eat less than your cup of food per meal. Some of the weight is water loss the rest is fat. I eat clean unprocessed foods too and I don't calorie count, I portion control ( and before anyone jumps up and down, I've been to my nutritionists seminars that teach about portion control and no need to count calories, thank goodness). Just be patient and the weight will start dropping, some weeks slower than other weeks but in the end it all adds up. You may want to count calories just for a few weeks to be certain youre in the right calorie range. Drinks lots of water too.

When I get stuck my body takes care of it and I pb, it's only happened three times where I've pb,d so now I am so careful with the size if food that goes into my mouth. I've also experienced the stuck pain where my body pushes the food through, to help I walked around and stretched and it passed within five mins. They say carbonated drinks work as it makes you burp and shift the food, haven't tried that yet nor do I hope I need to.

Good luck!!! By six weeks I had already had a second fill too and it started to make a difference for me.

Ok so the last and a half week, even though I'm in the green zone, my scales have been so damn stubborn and refused to budge. I've stuck to my food rules, 8 or more glasses if Water a day and increased my walking to an hour in the mornings and 30 minutes on the treadmill after dinner. My weight kept increasing every day, so by yesterday I was five pounds heavier. I've felt bloated, thick and just icky. I'm pre menopausal and haven't had a period in over a year. This morning I refused to weigh myself, got on with my morning and was constantly going to the bathroom so I finally gave in and weighed myself and low and behold I'm at exactly 300 pounds, eight pounds lighter than yesterday morning and a total of 65.9 pounds lost since my pre op diet, four months ago. I knew it was mainly Fluid retention as there was no way in hell I ate more than my half to one cup per meal. I was starting to get discouraged, even though I knew it would all come off again or the plateaues would end but grrrrr wish I was a man at times that didn't have to worry about hormone fluctuations!! Just venting and fingers crossed I will be under 300 pounds tomorrow morning. If I am I'm going to cry tears if happiness!!

Yes very normal. It's actually the diaphragm that causes the pain. The gas should have been expelled within a few days. I found walking around and deep breathing helped me relieve that pain when it hit.