petuniap

Thanks for this. I'm awhile away from surgery but I am concerned about how my thighs look after losing close to 100lbs. Knowing that TT can help...I'll probably be ok with not having "perfect" thighs.

I got banded about 3 years ago and have been working on losing my weight ever since. It's been slow going, lots of stops and starts, lots of periods were I did well and then "rested" for awhile...meaning, I didn't continue losing but didn't gain too much back either. In the past year, I picked up an exercise program, got much more stringent with what I'm eating and lost another good chunk of weight. I passed some thresholds, sized out of the plus sized stores, (briefly) hit the "100lbs pounds lost" mark etc. The biggest threshold seems to be how people view me. All of a sudden, people I have known for a long time are now saying "wow, you've lost a TON of weight, you look great!", even though they've seen me go through the progression. I'm by no means thin yet but I guess I'm more in a "normal" range of overweight now as opposed to whatever they were seeing me as before.

I was having a conversation with a coworker about this tonight and she said..."well, you should be very proud of the accomplishment..you did it naturally. So many people do it by *getting surgery*, or crash dieting or taking pills". Obviously, she doesn't know I'm banded. I'm assuming she thinks I'm *NOT* in the surgery pool because I didn't suddenly lose a lot of weight. Only 2 people in the world know, my mom and my best friend. And the reason I don't tell anyone is because of what my coworker said. If people know you are banded, then all of sudden, you cheated somehow. You didn't do it naturally. And that pisses me off! I totally *worked* for this weight loss. I'm still working on it! I still fight myself every day about what I am eating and how much and when and why. There's no "cheating" involved. Would I be here today if I didn't get banded. Definitely not. God knows I tried. But I resent the thinking that using this tool somehow negates all of my hard work in people's eyes. It's like saying using a shovel to dig a ditch negates the work that went into that ditch. It's only valid if you used your hands. I call bullshit!

I don't know what the solution is. A part of me wants to be that pioneer and explain to people that I did lose weight naturally but used the band as a tool to help me get to where I am. But the other part of me doesn't want to risk losing the approval I get from friends and family for losing weight. I'm afraid if I tell, that no matter how I explain it, they'll still label me a "cheater". I know I shouldn't care what people think but I'm not at that point yet. I do care what people think about some things. And this is one of them.

Does anyone else run into this? How are you all dealing with it?

I've had my band for 3 years and...

- I've never been a Water chugger so I don't miss that. But I can get down enough Water in a gulp. I definitely did not stay as tight as I was when I first got the band.

- I drink during meals all of the time. I got tired of the tiny bites and chew, chew, chew plus it made me look and feel abnormal when eating with friends. I still eat much slower than anyone else and my portions are tiny compared to what everyone else gets down but i use water to avoid any socially embarrassing sliming episodes or even when I eat alone and want to eat something that I know will potentially get stuck. It doesn't affect my stomach's ability to signal a "full feeling" to my brain, probably because my stomach has shrunk so much getting used to the small portions. 3-4 oz of Protein and a few bites of a vegetable is usually plenty to get a "full" feeling. But that came with practice, I wouldn't recommend it to a newbie.

- I can get down deli meat by drinking water, otherwise it's stuck city. Same with white meat chicken....I rarely eat it because, even with a lubricant, it gives me a stuck feeling. I can eat a lot of other Proteins though..although I wish I enjoyed more types of fish because a nice white flaky fish is the easiest to eat with getting the stuck feeling and without any lubricant.

- I drink seltzer like it's going out of style. I couldn't deal with the no carbonation thing so I started drinking diet sodas about 6 months after my surgery. Now I've given up artificial sweeteners so diet soda is out but I LIVE on those Canada Dry flavored seltzers, I'll take Poland Spring sparkling water in a pinch. Sometimes it's exactly what I need to hit the spot. It's also an amazing way to deal with going to a bar and not drinking alcohol (which I limit because of sugar content). If carbonation affected my pouch size, it wasn't noticeable at all to me. Any time I've stalled on weight loss, it was because of eating the wrong foods, never because I could eat too much of the right things. Really looking foward to getting a Sodastream so that I can make my own flavored seltzers.

I guess my point is not to worry too much about what others' experience has been...you'll have your own which may be totally different and you are more adaptable than you think. There are things I miss a LOT, eating without fear of getting stuck is one of them, but the weight loss became worth it for me. Hope you all get to that point as well!

Jessy...I recommend you see a nutritionist...many lap-band doctors have one on-site at their offices. They can make specific recommendations for your diet. Also, consider buying a book on nutrition, I think you could really benefit from educating yourself more on this topic. It will help you to figure out what works for your body instead of simply following your doctor's advice or advice from this board. This is a lifelong journey and there are no "rules"....each person's formula will be different and none of us can know what will work for you. I can take a look at what you are eating and say...."up your Protein, eat more fat, eat more vegetables...just eat more period"...but none of us are experts on anything except what works for us. A nutritionist will be able to give you far more specific advice and give you some guidelines around how much protein/fat/carbs you should be consuming to maintain a healthy rate of weight loss and what types of foods will satisfy those requirements.

You should UP your calories...I don't think you are eating enough and your body may be in starvation mode....holding onto fat as much as possible. Calorie cycling works really well for tricking the body into thinking it is not starving. So if you up your calories for a few days and then drop back them back down again, and repeat that cycle, that should kickstart the weight loss. Try adding in some healthy fats in there in the form of nuts (which add up calorically pretty quickly) or avocados. Good luck!

I currently work out 2 days a week, about to start going 3x a week and I have relaxed hair. I'm choosing to keep it...no natural styles for me! I currently workout on Tues and Thurs (going to start Sunday morn as well)...wash Thursday night and Sunday afternoon. It does take time but it's time I'm willing to devote because my vanity dictates that I work out regularly and keep my hair as I get so many compliments on it. Have you considered dropping the flat ironing and just wrapping it after the roller set? I think flat Iron heat is the worst for your hair...I only flat Iron roots when I'm trying to stretch time between relaxers.

Just wanted to present a side from someone who is making the relaxed hair/workout regimen work!

Hang in there, Fefe, we do all go through hard times and retraining our brains not to turn to food as a comfort is the most difficult part of this journey (IMHO). I had a job scare earlier this year and went through a VERY tough time at work....would cry every weekend over it. But I still lost weight. I think part of the reason was that what I ate was the one thing I had 100% complete control over...so I used that to make good choices.

I would recommend a couple of things. Start off by being diligent to the exercise program that your personal trainer created for you. I started an exercise program right around the time my work stuff was getting uncomfortable and it was such a blessing. I started feeling better almost immediately and my workout became the only time I wasn't in a constant state of worry over my job, mostly because it was so hard that I couldn't think of anything other than getting through the workout. Plus, it's a great mood booster....I would walk out of the gym feeling great, exhausted, but great. I was only taking 2x a week classes so I didn't feel the pressure to exercise every day but I also had no excuse not to make it to class. Unless I was out of town for work....I was in class. My trainer even called me out for being consistent and seeing my progress as a direct result of that.

After you get your exercise routine dialed in for awhile, then I'd concentrate on the food. I found it too overwhelming to do both at once but I also found that once I started exercising, I wanted to improve my stamina and endurance. I wanted to perform better at the gym and changing my diet was a way to do that. So my motivation became more than just "lose weight", it became "improve performance" and "feel better during my workout". I also found a new plan to follow. I know that many of us got the lapband to stop "dieting". But for me, I found out that some hard and fast food rules helps me to get back on track after I've strayed much easier than just promising to myself that I'll stay away from x,y,z. So I started a "carb cycling" diet which many bodybuilders use for quick fat loss. My plan wasn't to eat like that forever, I just did it for 30-60 days to get myself back on track. And it worked...I immediately kickstarted my weight loss in a big way. You can Google "carb-cycling" if you want to learn more about it or you can find a plan that you think will work for you. But having guidelines and following them strictly can be so helpful. Now I'm on a different plan....one that is more livable for me but still getting great results. For the first time since getting my lapband 3 years ago, I see a clear path to getting to my goal weight and I'm so excited by that. It gives me the motivation to keep going every day.

Stick to it and you'll be losing more than 1 pound/month soon!

I have fallen off the wagon many, many times during this journey so I can confidently say this....it's you. Something happens after you've been eating properly and had success. You start to think you can "slack" a little. And for awhile you can. You have a snack sugar bar and the scale still moves downwards. At first, you are incredulous. Then you feel lucky that your indulgence wasn't punished. Then, slowly but surely, you think "hey...maybe I can eat more stuff and still lose weight". But that is a very slippery slope. Soon the scale stops moving and you hate that but you are still eating and now, you feel like you can't stop. You remember being on plan but you can't imagine how to you will get back to that place. Every morning you wake up, vowing that you won't slip today but then you do.

So what to do? Go back to square one. Not bandster square one. Weight loss square one.

1. Focus on eating planned meals every 3-4 hours....if you are a meal eater, that means breakfast, lunch, dinner and 2 Snacks. If you are a grazer, you make sure each mini-meal is eaten. Not eating regularly throughout the day leaves room for overindulging at one particular meal where something that's bad for you looks incredibly tempting.

2. Make sure each meal contains Proteins and fat. I'm not a carb person but I get that some people must have them. If you do, make sure it's a healthy carb. By now, you know what to eat. But you stick to it. No little cutting of corners. If it's oatmeal....it's oatmeal, not oatmeal with a little brown sugar and some raisins. If it's coffee, it's black or w/ a splash of skim, not with a splash of half and half. If it's eggs, take it easy on (or omit) the cheese. Picture your pefect meal before you prepare it and then make/buy it and and eat it.

3. Drink lots of Water. Put it on a calendar if you have to. You drink as much Water as you can get down...even when you are tired of it. Thirst often comes across as hunger to our brains. Plus drinking water keeps your stomach full and you are less likely to eat something

4. Have a plan for what your Snacks will be. Not whatever is handy or whatever you see when you walk into a store. You purposefully pack a piece of fruit. You might eat it, you might not. But you have it. And if you feel snackish, you grab for it first. No exceptions. Even if you tell yourself that you will eat that piece of fruit and then buy M&Ms....you eat the fruit first. Chances are, you will not want the M&Ms after you eat that piece of fruit. And even if you do, you'll realize that M&Ms are not that great and you might not even finish the bag. Soon enough you don't even need the bag at all anymore.

5. You resist temptation at every turn. You say no to everything. This will be hard and you will hate it. But you still say no. The more you say no, the easier it gets. Easier, not easy. But if you say yes, you will self-sabotage. So you say no. If you've said no to yourself 20, 30, 40 times but you still can't resist.....you eat whatever is it, but you think about it as you are eating it. No mindless eating. Ask yourself if it's as good as you thought it would be. If it was worth it. 90% of the time, you'll find that the answer is no. It's not really. I've thrown out half of a lot of things I grabbed in a moment of weakness because I really thought about what I was doing when I was doing it. Sometimes 2-3 bites is all it takes to satisfy the craving. Then the trash gets the rest. And you go right back to saying no.

5a. The trash is your friend! Don't feel like you can't ever throw anything out because it's "wasting" it. It's all going to be waste anyway, the only difference is if it went through you first or not. Do not waste calories on eating something that you don't absolutely have to eat. If you were dying for something, have at most 3 bites of it and then throw it out without even thinking about it.

6. If you can't lay around the house or sit at your desk at work and keep saying no....do something else. Change your environment. Tell yourself, you'll eat what you want after a brief walk. Then, on your walk, think about what's really going on. Are you bored, tired, hungry? Then feed the real need. If it's hunger, have a cup of unsweetened tea and eat something that's good for you. If you are bored, give yourself a task. If you are tired, figure out how you are going to get rest. Anything you can do to break the cycle of automatically reaching for food...do it.

We all have very well established thought processes around food. Your job is to short-circuit that thought process as much as possible. The more you can string along incidents where you short-circuited the thought process, said no, had water or tea instead of eating something, etc., the more successful you will be.

So happy to be able to add myself to this club - 102lbs so far, 70lbs more to go. Wasn't fast, wasn't easy, did not take me a year. But something finally "clicked" for me and I believe I can get to goal. It's a cliche to say "if I can do it, anyone can" but...it's true! If you fall, the band allows you to get back up at any time and recommit to success.

Here are some Protein dense items that can be carried on the go

• hard boiled eggs
• lentils in a small container
• nitrate free deli meat (sparingly because of the sodium content)
• Water packed tuna (any water packed seafood works well)
• beef or turkey jerky
• greek yogurt (if you partially freeze it the night before, it'll thaw out over the course of the next day and keep it fresh
• single serving cottage cheese

I don't eat Protein Bars or shakes either....I prefer real food for making me feel satisfied

Hi all,

I am experiencing the same GERD issues as everyone else. I have not been back to see my doctor, but I'm constantly taking Pepcid AC or Zantac. I'm down 97lbs, with another 60-70lbs to go. I'd stalled for a few times over the years but this year, I have taken my diet and exercise seriously and have started losing again.

Now that I believe I have a firmer framework on what and how to eat, I'm not sure I need the band as much. I'm not that restricted but I still find it hard to get in all of the vegetables I think I need to eat in order to fuel my workouts appropriately. So I have been thinking about trying to get an unfill to see if that helps with the choking at night (which is the worst part of the GERD). For those of you that have gotten unfilled...does that help with the reflux?

It's nice to read this thread and see that I am not the only one struggling. I have lost 50 of the 150 lbs I want to lose but my habits have gotten waaay out of control again. I stopped losing about 1 month and a half ago...only 4 months out of surgery and while I've only gained back about 7lbs, I know it's a slippery slope. Part of the problem is needing a fill, anything and everything goes down without a problem...but my doctor is so busy that it's another week and a half before I go in again. But I know a fill is only part of the problem...I have to get my mental issues back in check. My job has gotten very stressful and I've been dealing with it by eating, eating, eating.

I also plan on scheduling some time with a counselor to try and address the mental issues that are causing me to turn to food in times of stress. I went through a lot to get this surgery and I have a strong desire to lose this week and I have been encouraged by my successes so far...why is it so darn hard to stay on track??

Love the idea of this thread! So good to know how other people are doing.

1. WEIGHT- So far, I've lost 17 lbs since surgery 6 weeks ago...27 total. Gained during liquid/mushy phase right after surgery but that first fill did the trick for awhile. Was losing a pound a day until this wknd...went to a friend's bbq and lost much of my self-control. It's been a struggle since then.

2. FILLS- I've had one fill...heard the dr. say that she was putting in 2.5 cc but to be honest, I haven't asked her what size my band is and how much Fluid is in there. Don't want to get all hung up on that.

3. RESTRICTION- For the week right after my fill, I was pretty tight. Never got to a point where I couldn't eat solids but had to eat slooowly and chew very well or pay the price - painful. Now I am in bandster hell. I am hungry 2-3 hours after I eat instead of 4-5.

4. RULES- I'm doing mostly ok on the rules, which I find shocking because broke the rules during pre- and post-op phases. Not drinking with meals or for 30 min after. ZERO bread or Pasta. I have had a smidgen of white potatoes. I practice chewing but I could be chewing much more...even though I HATE that terrible feeling you get when a bigger bite is going through after not being chewed up enough, i still have a problem chewing as much as I should. And I'm still taking much bigger bites than I should. But because it's easier to get away with now that they band has loosened up, I am still doing it. The one rule I cannot follow is only 3 meals a day and no snacking. I get so hungry! It's more like 3 meals a day with a mid-afternoon and evening snack. Really want to get rid of those Snacks and I'm hoping another fill helps with that.

5. ANYTHING ELSE- I'm having a terrible time with head hunger. I constantly gripe and complain about how this is just another diet...and a non fun one at that. I feel like a bad bandster for complaining but there you have it. Up until this past wknd, I was doing good at ignoring the head hunger but that bbq triggered something and led to a mini-binge. Of course it was about 1/4 of what would have been a binge before but it halted my weight loss, nonetheless. My job is stressful and making me unhappy and I decided to deal with it by eating. I had one too many sweet potato fries in a large bite and bam! Stuck. Wow, it was one of the worst things I have ever experienced.:cursing: It lasted about 15 minutes but it felt like an eternity. i was scared to drink Water and I desperately didn't want it to come back up becuase I knew I'd have to go on liquids if that happened. Eventually it went down. I'll never shove that many sweet potato fries in my mouth again! Also, I learned that some foods trigger me. Crackers - I love 'em but I'll have to give them up. And no more 100-calorie Snacks. I can't just have them occasionally, I have 1 every day. So I won't buy them once I run out of this batch.

There is a learning curve to this for sure. I definitely thought it was going to be easier than this. But nothing about this has been easy. The thing keeping me going is feeling my clothes get looser and seeing my face get ever so slightly thinner. In certain lights, I can even see the hint of my collar bones:thumbup: Sorry for rambling!

When you quit are your satisfied or just tired of eating?

Both. Sometimes it's because I am "full" and sometimes because I am tired of eating. If I'm eating something that is going down more easily, like Soup, I stop because I'm nervous about overeating. I'm still getting used to what I think my "full" feeling is..I don't really know. I haven't gotten to the stage where overeating makes me throw up so I don't really know what the stop point is. Last night, I sort of felt like my stomach was a small cup and the food in it was on the verge of overflowing. So I stopped eating. But I have no way of knowing if that's "full" or "over full". I was hungry again 2 1/2 hours later and that kind of freaked me out since I was supposed to be done eating for the day.

So far, it's been a week since my first fill and I'm losing a pound a day. I know it's not real fat loss since you can't lose a pound of fat a day but I am about 6-7 pounds down since last Wednesday. Not sure if that means I'm not getting enough calories in...I'm not sure of anything really! I do have another fill appointment in 2 weeks so I plan to ask my doctor but I was hoping to get some info before then from bandsters who have been at this for awhile.

Ok, so I have had some pretty frustrating meals since my first fill and I'm hoping the more experienced bandsters can help me out.

3-4oz of Protein + 1/2 cup of veggies + pencil eraser sized bites + only 20 minutes of eating time = does not compute.

I am finding that there is NO WAY I can get down that quantity of food in the 20-30 minute time frame that I am supposed to be eating for. Last night, I ate for 45 minutes and I only got through the 4 oz of fish and maybe an 1/8 cup of veggies before I quit.

Bigger bites = painful going down

Smaller portions = hungrier before the 4-5 hours

Longer eating time = warnings from posters that food is already starting to go down into the lower stomach so you are just enabling yourself to eat more.

What am I missing here???

where is the pain?

Mid-chest. It's definitely much less than it was when I first got my adjustment last week but it's still there. It caused by bites that are too big or too frequent after a previous bite. That's the hardest adjustment for me, eating the tiny bites as slowly as the band seems to require. lunch is my hardest meal because I eat with coworkers and I always feel self-conscious when they are already finishing their lunch and I've barely started.

So I had a set back today. I went to lunch and started eating some crab meat, and a falafel with some hummus. Ever since I got my first fill, I've been having a hard time getting anything down without feeling pain and this meal was no exception. Then all of a sudden, I'm not sure why but I got super nauseous. I couldn't even finish my meal, I was done. I didn't throw up but it was touch and go there. I'd barely eaten anything.

Then we had a "surprise" happy hour in the office and without thinking I headed for the chips and salsa. I know that chips and salsa isn't a bad option if you keep the portion very small. But when my small portion went down without incident, it turned into a bigger portion. It went down so easily! Easily the most pain-free meal I've had since last Wednesday. I've been reading about the "food trance" many obese people go into when overeating and I was in full trance mode. I don't think I came out of it until I was back at my desk and thought about how much I'd eaten.

This incident made me really nervous because I think I was using the pain as a crutch and counting on it to stop me from eating more than I should. I know that eating shouldn't be painful and I shouldn't count on that but it was shocking how quickly my brain switched off and I reverted back to old habits once there was "nothing" to stop me. It made me realize that I still have a long way to go in this journey and I have to plan for "surprises"...what do I do when confronted with an eating situation I wasn't prepared for?

So I waited a few days and the pressure has subsided. It's not gone completely but it's not as bad as it was on day 1. I am learning that I have to take smaller bites and eat much more slowly otherwise it hurts like hell. There's a steep learning curve to this bandster lifestyle!

I had my first fill 2 days ago. I was so happy...but now, I'm not so sure. I have such a feeling of pressure in my chest...it pretty much lasts all day and last night I had trouble falling asleep because of it. I tried eating a piece of fish last night and even though I was starving...it was a miserable experience. It really hurt going down. Finally, I figured out that my bites were probably too big so I started taking the pea sized bites everyone talks about. That eased the pain up somewhat but eating bites that small and chewing so much was so tedious! Also, the fish got cold and 30 minutes after sitting down, I'd only managed to eat about 3 oz. I gave up after that because I read that if you are still eating after 15-20 minutes, you should stop to avoid stretching the pouch. I didn't slime or PB or anything but I was hungry again an hour later. I ended up eating Soup with Tomato chunks and the pressure intensified to pain again.

I'm really wondering if this what I can expect from now on or am I too tight. I want to lose weight so I am partly glad that eating is such a chore and is somewhat painful since that will modify my behavior for sure but I also don't want to live with this feeling in my chest every day. My dr told me to come back in 3 weeks for fill #2 and I'm not sure if I should wait it out and see how the fill settles or if I should go back in.

I jsut got my first fill today...I'm supposed to be on liquids for 2 days and then mushies for 2 days. I think this is how the weight loss happens...so many days without real food!

I drank some Water in the office and I felt it go down slowly. I also had Soup and apple juice at lunch...I can feel it going down but it does go down. However, I have a bit of pain in my chest and my shoulders...is that normal?

Thanks KMCD and ALuv82 for the wise words. I've been doing much better on mushies. I am looking forward to ending mushies in 2 more days! My first fill is scheduled for a week or so after I end mushies and not a moment too soon as my hunger is returning.

Thanks again for the support!

Thanks for the responses, lingling and terebel. I've been doing much better and staying on mushies. What I am finding though is that my portion sizes are larger than they probably should be. Still hard for my eyes to adjust to what portion sizes are appropriate. But that will come with more practice.

Thanks again!

I was banded on April 27 and in the last few days, I've slipped on my diet...eaten things that are not really mushy. I think it's because I wasn't really mentally prepared for how hard this was going to be. I went shopping yesterday and bought the proper food to eat to help me right my ship and was just wondering if anyone has gone through the same thing.

*Please no lecturing responses. I understand the reasons for the post-op diet and I understand the risks of non-compliance. Just really looking more for support to stay on the right track now*

Today is day 10 since my surgery and I get to move to mushies tomorrow...thank goodness! I'm not that hungry and I think it's because I stayed away from anything with too much sugar during my liquid phase....very little fruit juice. I stuck to Protein shakes and Soup. But to be honest, I got very tired of both and skipped many, many "meals". It was either that or cheat and I figured cheating would be worse.

I am losing a pound a day but I'm already preparing myself to expect that to either stop or even reverse once I move to mushies. I am still planning to try to avoid too much sugar during mushies...I truly dread that painful, gnawing hunger I had during the pre-op phase. Going to try and keep it Protein based.

As for restriction, I have none yet..but I expected that. I don't think my doctor put any Fluid in during surgery and I am not one of the lucky ones that feels restriction just because the band is there. So for people that are concerned about everything going down well, that's how it's supposed to be. Your first fill probably won't do the trick either...I've seen people say it took them 3,4 or even 5 fills until they felt true restriction. So that could be months from now!:thumbsup: It's a good time to start practicing the bandster rules of protein first and also watching those carbs/sugar intake.

Right now, my chief concerns are how itchy my scars are and how much pain I feel on my left side...at what I thought was port site...but it's not! I was feeling my stomach last night and it felt like my doctor put the port dead center of my body...not too happy about that!

mlat1822, I was banded on the same day as you and had a similiar experience on my first day back. I hadn't had much gas pain at all, but as the work day progressed, sharp pains in my shoulder and chest became more and more intense. I did some walking on the way home and then took my Lortab. I have yet to see my dr. for the one week follow-up to ask about the pain but since I woke up pain free this morning, I assume it was gas related.