Southern Gypsy

It's like a love/hate relationship I have with my band -- UGH! Damn if I do (with restriction) and Damn if I don't (a looser band).
I will tell you, after having a restrictive band year in and year out...sometimes it get OLD...at least for me.
With my old band, I had kiss a@@ restriction and lived with that for years, until I had saline removed and I honestly (welcomed it) because I was sick and tired of getting food stuck, slimming, etc. chewing, etc.
When my surgeon removed some saline back in 2012 due to a hiatal hernia and back pain when it was filled optimally-- I felt FREE.. a release from (lap band jail)...LOL....
I felt so free, I went wild....I ate a Five Guys burger, with melted cheese and fries without getting that ( Deer in the Headlights) Look...you know what I am talking about .
Then I had a delicious philly cheese steak sandwich with toasted bun, onions the whole nine yards....I was on a roll....
I continued my FREEDOM...Until my pants started to get tight...and then I had to go shopping again for a new size....
At this time, my band was still pretty empty, I could not fill it properly because I had back and chest pains from my hernia, so I continued on a downward spiral of FREEDOM....forget about ice cream and candy...you know the sliders we sneak and eat with a very tight band....I wanted REAL food...and I got it...
Well...50 pounds later and finding myself in a size tight 16-18 pants...something that I NEVER THOUGHT WOULD HAPPEN WITH A LAP BAND INSTALLED....HAPPENED TO ME...ME? I was the person that was obsessed with the scale, someone who walked at 5 each morning, in 20-30 degree temperatures for 6 straight years...because I HAD CHANGED MY LIFESTYLE FOREVER? EVER ...EVER?
Once I found a surgeon to HELP me repair my hernia, give me a second chance to get my "grove back" I was humbled and grateful..
THE MORAL OF MY POST IS...NEVER THINK YOU GOT THIS WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY IN THE PALM OF YOUR HANDS....BECAUSE ANYTHING CAN COME AND TAKE IT AWAY FROM YOU ....
When the lap band is UNFILLED AFTER YEARS OF EATING HARDLY NOTHING...your metabolism gets SHOT...and if you EVER have to get unfilled....THE WEIGHT CAN COME BACK QUICKLY...I GAINED 20 pounds in ONE month....
And oh yea....after I had ..had my feel of Burgers and Cheese Steaks....it was too late to eat Broccoli and baked chicken....no matter what I'd done with a LOOSE band...I could NOT get the weight off UNTIL I got my lap band properly restricted again.....
It took over 14 months JUST TO LOSE the 50 pound weight gain, I was FINALLY BACK to my old lap band fighting weight ...it sure was not easy like it was when I was first banded...
So while my lap band (SuzieQ) is working NOW in full over load.....I still want to stuff my face and I can't, I just can't do it.....and you know what? I glad.... ...
Please respect your band and cherish with love, because one day...you may find yourself IN FREEDOM with an unfilled band and that is a very SCARY place to be!

Me too. Good luck. What kind of diet are u on? Im on 1 protien drink and 2 lean cusine meals a day nothing more. Then all liquids 2 says prior to surgery.

Congratulations. My surgery is this Friday. I am excited, nervous, scared, excited, nervous, scared!!!! HAHA I am ready for this change in my life.

Oh Sweetie_13 - this is exactly what I needed to read at this very moment! I'm so happy for you!!! I'm packing for the hospital now for a 12 noon surgery time tomorrow and I'm so happy to hear how well you are doing! I'm on the other side of the spectrum in that I just started this process 6 weeks ago, got approved a month ago and BOOM - getting banded tomorrow! Lightening FAST...My doc didn't put me on a pre-surgery diet, so I'm at my heaviest ever and looking forward to this journey I'm embarking. My mind is right, I know that I'll be eliminating sugar and most fat from my diet and eating very small portions and taking a long time to eat a meal. No more fast food for me ever hallelujah!
It will be nice to visit with you on this forum - what a great group of people. I'll check in tomorrow. Rest well and I do pray the discomfort is better than tolerable for you!!
Be well

I have crossed over!! I'm officially 7 hours post op lap band and feel great emotionally. Physically no real pain but soreness from the gas trapping. However I haven't taken any pain meds other that what they gave me in surgery. I started off 240 and while fighting with my insurance over a year I have lost quite a bit. My Check in weight today was 195. I still got banded. I earned this dam thing. All the nurses kept saying they didn't understand because I'm pretty ok weight wise. My response was tell my knees and organs that lol my choice and I feel so good. The worst part was my sister's crazy driving on the way back home. Hahaha

I have been a stalker on here for some time and now I can say that I will be banded on Oct 25th. I am ready for this new chapter of my life. :) :)

Preop diet started on December 31st. Most of my 24 lb. weight loss was prior to surgery and while on liquids post op. Since the mushie stage, and real food, only another 2 lbs. down. But remember...none of us should be hooked on the numbers...I am following a sensible food plan and eating 1,000 calories or less a day. I know the weight will start to come off as long as I stick to the plan. Most of the time, this amount of food satisfies me...I'm due for a fill on Friday but not sure I will do it. I'm not in lapband hell like so many others are. I'd rather put the fills off till I truly feel I need them. Will see what the Dr. says on Friday and make the decision with her input. I think we panic when hunger returns but I don't think hunger is abnormal as long as satisfaction comes when the meal is over. I'm never full...I don't think I will ever be full again....but I also think that thin people are never full either. I'm trying to think like a thin person...and am hoping one day that I won't have to weigh my food and will be able to eyeball portions. I'm so used to eating so much food that my initial reaction is that the amount of food I put on my plate now will never satisfy me....and yet for the most part, it does every time. This journey is truly a life change, not just a food change....and I'm understanding how much the band really is just a tool. Every piece of food I put in my mouth...and every piece of food I do not put in my mouth is a decision I make at every meal. I expect that I will be doing this the rest of my life...like most people who are not overweight or obese do. I think that's the key to this....learning that food is just food..and not letting it rule our lives anymore..