Rainbow Days

Hi there. I had a gastric band fitted on the 7th of Feb 2007. I am not losing weight and wonder if anyone could suggest foods that will make me feel fuller for longer. My dietician advised that I eat crunchy foods but they seem to go down easier than others! A lot of foods I see people talk about I can't get in Scotland so if anyone can suggest foods in the UK or basic global foods that would be great. Many thanks.

Hmm I haven't heard of Protein bars. It may be something I can find in a health food shop. I will have a look on ebay and see if I can find anything like it. Is it like a fruit bar? I don't have to chew salad very well, it just goes down the way it used to before I had the band fitted. The only thing I do have to chew really well is meat especially chicken.

Thanks Yenken. That sounds really nice. I did have crispbread this morning which is just the 2nd time I have had it since having the band fitted. I must admit it has really filled me and I have felt full for about 2 hours now which is amazing for me! My dietician mentioned crispbread but I had been finding crunchy foods did not fill me so I didn't really try it but, after it filling me today, I will try it more often. I am looking forward to the next fill. I notice you mention not being able to tolerate lettuce and I can't imagine not being able to tolerate foods with this band. I am sure the surgeon forgot to fit one as I can just eat whatever I want without problems. Not that I want problems though but I do want to feel fuller.

Hi there. I had a lap band fitted on the 7th of February and had my first fill on the 26th of March. I still seem to be able to eat large amounts and am not sure why. I will be receiving my next fill at the end of April. I feel like a real loser as it seems to work for everyone else. Has anyone out there had the same experience or has anyone found that it did not work initially but then started working? This is what I hope will happen with me. I should say that my surgery took place in Scotland and it may be that the the fills here are done slower, starting with smaller amounts but I don't know. I am looking for any reason just now.

Hi again guys. debacct56 I saw your response and yes you do sound as if you are experiencing the same effects as me. I had my 2nd fill on the 4th of May, so just las Friday and I don't notice a difference. Like you I have had a few things get stuck but generally I can eat whatever I want and it will go down. I really am convinced the surgeon forgot to fit my band while I was in the operating theatre lol. I have complained that I still don't have restriction and that means I can have another fill done free of charge. I am waiting for my appointment. The annoying thing is that after my first 2 fills I felt as if there was a lot of restrictin but 2 days later it was back to usual. I know people give good advice like chew slowly and put your fork down but that is the same advice I was given prior to having the band and if I could have done that then and controlled the amount I ate I could have saved £8,000 and had a few Caribbean holidays, instead I'm stuck in Scotland, in the pouring rain, and I am still fat!!! I am hoping that fill number 3 will make a difference. Fingers crossed. It is either that or I will have to self restrict if I want to get the weight off. To everyone - keep your chin up guys, we will all get there in the end, I am convinced of it. Keep the dream alive and lets stick together, no one is alone out there.

Thanks travelgirl. I don't undersrtand my dietician for telling me that crunchy food such as crispbread and cereal is best as these things don't fill me. I have found some things which are protein as I wasn't sure. The list I found is eggs, milk, meat, apricots, avocados, bananas, cherries, dates, figs, nuts, beans, and grapes. I will give these things a try and see if that satisfies me more.

Denise I will definitely let you know what the surgeon tells me. Before having the surgery I thought that all food would stay in the pouch and then gradually, over time, drain through the band. I can't understand why food is going down to enable it to get stuck. I thought it stayed in the pouch and took about an hour to pass through at least but it must be going straight down for food to get stuck at times. Completely confused, will ask about this also on Friday.

Hi Denise. I know completely what you mean. I am going for fill number 2 on Friday and I am scared that it is going to make the food getting stuck situation worse. I am not sick a great deal but this is more due to effort on my part as I make sure that I eat small bites and chew really really well because I am scared of being sick. It is more the pain that worries me as when food gets stuck it can be really sore. The problem is that, although I chew well, I can still get through an awful lot of food and so am not losing weight. It seems pointless just now with worrying about food being stuck and not losing weight. This really isn't what I expected. I don't mind food getting stuck as long as I am losing weight but I am just not losing it. I will be discussing all this up with my surgeon when I see him on Friday and hoping he can offer a some hope. I just keep telling myself that I will get to that sweet spot if it kills me. Keep your chin up. Keep getting fills and keep smiling. Surely it has to work with the right number of fills!!!!

Hi Lucille. I seem to have a mild form of the symptoms you mention. Somtimes I do feel nauseated but it is mostly in the morning.... no guys it isn't what some of you are probably thinking!!! When I wake up I can feel quite nauseated and it doesn't pass when I have Breakfast. Later in the day it can come on again but it is mainly in the morning. I wonder if it is the way I am lying cause I find it more uncomfortable since having the band fitted to lie on my left side. Not sure why this is. None of symptoms are severe but the band may have something to do with the way you are feeling. I will be mentioning my symptoms to the surgeon on the 4th of May and I think you should definitely see your surgeon as soon as possible. Lizrbit, I really hope you are feeling better with your allergies. Take care of yourself.

Thanks Denise. Well I have also gone now for 2 months without losing anything. I had lost about 2lb but it has gone back on today AAAAHHHH! All I've learned is how to chew better also. When I went for my first fill I nagged the doctor to be aggressive and she assured me she had but the dietician then told me everyone asks for them to be aggressive but they just do the same every time. When I go for my next fill on the 4th of May it will be done by the surgeon who carried out the fitting of the band and I sense that he won't hold back when it comes to filling. He seems to be quite an aggressive type lol. Here's hoping!

Nice one by the way renebean. I think you are spot on with that. Having the band is a help but not the end of the story. If you still eat unhealthily then you will get the calories through it. You're replies are always very knowledgable.

Wow Kevin that is brilliant. Just now I can't imagine ever feeling restriction. Knowing that it took you to fill 4 before feeling a real difference gives me encouragment. I thought that I would be full really easily when I had the bad fitted but it didn't happen. At least I'll be less despondent knowing that there is light at the end of the tunnel after all. Keep updating cause it is good to follow how it is going for you.

It is frustrating isnt it Ginger. When you make the decision to be banded you think it is going to be the miracle that you have been waiting for and when nothing seems to be happening is is the biggest let down. Everyone keeps saying that it is a case of keep getting filled until you reach the sweet spot and I accept that but it is still frustrating hardly losing anything. Hey Julie that is great about your getting to 230lb. It is brilliant to reach a point and thinking 'it is years since I have been this low in weight'. Keep up the good work. Hopefully us slower ones will be inspired to keep going.

I am sure that I fit into this group. I lost 10lb on the pre-op diet intended to shrink the size of the liver but since having the band fitted have lost 2lb. I had the band fitted on the 7th of Februrary 07 and today is the 13th of April so over 2 months have passed. I have had one fill as well so it isn't as if I have just had my band and no fill. I am totally frustrated. Going for my 2nd fill on the 4th of May and can't wait, hoping it will give me the restriction I so desire. I know this is a pretty common problem and it is so good to know that I am not alone out there.

Hi Maziemommy. No I don't have long between fills. I had my op on the 7th of Feb 2007 then my fill on the 26th of March 2007 and my next fill is to be at the end of April, this month. I'm still a bit confused by some things though. I thought that when I ate the pouch would fill and then food would gradually pass through but if I eat too big or don't chew properly it can get stuck straight away after eating. This has happened a couple of times. I thought though that the whole point was that food would stay in the pouch and it would take some time for it to pass anyway. Sometimes I feel that, even with all the research I did pre-op, there is still much I don't know.

First of all I am dying to know what 'goldfish' are!!! Im from Scotland and have never heard of them but wish I had. Berry I am totally with you on this one. Like you I have bad willpower which I suppose is why we had the band fitted in the first place. I had my band fitted on the 7th of February 07 and have not lost a pound. During the pre-op diet I did lose 10lb and I have kept this off but I have not lost anymore and I feel as if I can still eat large quantities. I had my frist fill on the 26th of March but have been really disappointed with the result. I did ask for the Dr to be really aggressive with the fill and was assured she had been but to no avail. There isn't really much difference from before the fill. People on here assure me that this is normal and that it may take until the 3rd or 4th fill before I reach what I understand is termed the 'sweet spot' when optimum weight loss will be achieved. Bring it on. Until I do reach this point I am trying to concentrate on eating small portions (which my dietician tell me should be the size of the rubber on the end of a pencil! good grief) and chewing well. I am also trying to keep in mind the money this has cost and the results I hope to achieve from it and this is focusing my mind somewhat. Keep motivated and please let me know how you get on as it is so good to know I am not alone out there.

Thanks Yvonne. I honestly was starting to think it was only me who had this much of a problem. There seems to be hundreds of success stories out there but until I found this website I couldn't find any realistic accounts of what could be expected from the lap band.

Hi everyone. Just a quick introduction. My name is Elizabeth and I live in Scotland. I had tried every diet under the sun as I'm sure everyone with a gastric band has. I had my band fitted on the 7th of February 2007 and my first fill was carried out on the 26th of March 2007. Sadly I am only down 10lb which I lost on the pre-op diet to reduce the liver. I am disappointed by the lack of weight loss and the amount I can still eat. I have heard of people not noticing a substantial difference until the 2nd or 3rd fill so I am hopeful that it will get better. Fingers crossed. I am having my 2nd fill at the end of April and am just waiting for a date. Can't wait.

Thanks again Julie. I know that if my calories are low enough I will lose weight. The problem is that my willpower is not brilliant. My surgeon has told me that I should not have to self restrict but that is what I feel I am having to do just now. I think this indicates that the band is not tight enough as you say. I am hoping the next fill will make a difference but if not then I will have to keep getting fills until I feel it working.

Thanks Autumn444 and juliegeraci. It is good to hear people telling me that it can take a while to reach the 'sweet spot'. I kind of was aware of that prior to the op but I didn't really believe it. I was so desperate to have the surgery and so convinced that I would be one of the people it would work for straight away. It is disappointing for this not to be the case but hearing others who have had the same problems and have started losing weight makes it so much easier to stay positive and to expect the light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks Stephanie. I am hoping the 2nd fill works as after that I have to start paying for them. The package I had only covers 2 fills and then the following ones are £50 each. Hopefully the 2nd will work and save me a bit of money as well

Thanks lizrbit. Thanks for the reply. I am not allowed to eat bread yet and surprisingly it is one of the rules that I have stuck to. Part of me acutally thinks the lack of carbohydrate is causing the problem. Prior to surgery I ate pretty healthily but I ate a huge amount of the unhealthy stuff. Now I have started picking at unhealthy stuff and my dietician thinks it may be because I am not getting enough carbs. I am trying to work on that. I guess I was under the impression that the band would be a quick fix and would remove the need for willpower. That is probably lazy of me but if I had much willpower I wouldn't need the band I suppose. People in this forum seem to know how much their bands have been filled. I am sure that doctors in America tell patients more. I feel that I need more information and will definitely try to get that when I go for my next fill. When you say you had oatmeal do you mean like porrige? Sometimes I have to try and work out what the different foods and brands are over there.

Thanks for that fabfatgirl. It can be very disappointing and frustrating when you are waiting for a miracle. I hear of so many people losing weight straight away. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for a better result after the 2nd fill. :phanvan