Pnw_Red

I guess I would say just watch it and eat as carefully and mindfully as you can. If you're pb-ing a lot or have any reflux, I think and unfill is absolutely the way to go (I've heard the nurse at our office say that over and over and over and over again.) If you're just tighter than usual but can control the pb's by chewing carefully and can get in your Protein . . . then I guess it's a comfort level thing for you. Personally, I got tighter about a week out after my last fill, but I think that varies a lot. I'm glad you were able to get some food in though!

My nurse would say that you are too tight and should get a partial unfill right away. PB-ing puts you at a great risk for complications. You should be able to eat solid foods. How long ago was the fill? If the fill was in the last couple days, you may well end up TIGHTER in a few more days--happens with some people. If it was a week or two ago and you're still on mushies and can't eat food, then you're too tight. Any reflux?

Just an FYI--my doc had me on solid foods by 3 weeks. I don't think I tried steak for a little while, but I was eating chicken and fish by week three with no trouble.

Oops! I just realized I thought I posted this and my last post in the "what do you eat" thread on a different page. I guess that's what happens when you have too many windows open! **************************** I'm pretty much a water person too. My surgeon's recommendations say 2 cups of NF milk a day and then no other caloric liquids. I stick to that pretty closely because I like water and it's easy enough to do. I don't think I get in enough whole grains--usually I make sure I get breakfast with a majority of my fiber. I need to play with cooking some Quinoa or barley or something along those lines. Congrats on all the weight loss! Looks like you all are doing great!

Hey all--can I join in? I like looking for food ideas because otherwise I tend to eat the same things over and over. I'm not particularly tight--was banded in April and had two fills, but I'm losing weight steadily, so I"m going with it. Yesterday's food-- First thing in the morning: 16 oz latte B: 2/3 cup Smart Bran cereal with 1/2 cup blueberries L: Salmon Patty, 1/2 cup carrot sticks, 2 TBSP LF Sour cream and ranch powder for dip. D: Chicken thigh, beets, skinny cow fudgesicle.

You may have had one piece that got stuck this morning and then irritated your stomach and it swelled. Try taking it easy for a day or two--take a step back on your food and go with mushy stuff or liquids for a meal or two and then gradually add things back in. It doesn't take much for some poeple to irritate things. Even if you haven't had a fill, some docs put Fluid in the band right away, so it's very possible that you have some restriction already and getting stuck just irritated things.

I think that the "easier to cheat" isn't all that wrong actually. High calorie liquids usually go down easily for many--ie icecream, sugary drinks, etc. and if you want to get unfilled and/or just not keep up on your fills, you can. SHOULDN'T, but can. Heck, my surgeon's office has told me at least a dozen times that it is very easy to cheat the band and that I have to do the work to make it work. I don't think there is ANYTHING wrong with saying, "Yep, I can cheat the band if I want to, but I don't want to." The same features that make it easier to pick unhealthy foods also make it easier for us to have a wide range of healthy foods and not be limited in our choices. Sorry you're getting so much grief though. I hate the whole "my surgery is better than your surgery" attitudes that I hear so often.

I eat MUCH more than 1/4 cup a meal, but my calories run right around 1,000 a day. I eat 3-4 oz of lean Protein and 1/2 cup of veggies for lunch and dinner. Breakfast is usually a high Fiber Cereal with berries. Instead of focusing on how much you can eat compared to others, try focusing on eating what your doc recommends and then stop. Wait 20 minutes. If you're not hungry and your meals are lasting you 3-4 hours and you're losing 1-2 lbs a week, you're at the proper level. Different offices have different instructions. Frankly, I don't have the "restriction" that I had right after surgery where the band literally stopped me from eating. I eat small amounts, I'm satisfied, I'm not hungry until my next meal. There's no hard stop at the end of a meal other than my own knowledge of what I should be eating. I've averaged over 2 lb per week weight loss since surgery, so I'm right on track. You don't have to eat 1/4 cup of food per meal to be successful.

I agree--take a pregnancy test and then get in to see your doc. I also have a goal weight I want to hit before getting pregnant, but you know, sometimes things happen that are out of our control. Losing this much weight can also throw your hormone for a loop, as can any surgery requiring general anesthesia. Take a deep breath, take the test, and talk to your doc! You can handle this!

My surgeon's office would tell you to get an unfill. If you can't eat real food, you're too tight. I know there are people who like to run really tight, but you run a much bigger chance of a slip or other complications if you're so tight you can't get any real food down. If you have to take vitamins just to get in your basic nutrition, you're too tight. Yes, ultimately you will loosen up after you lose some weight, but you could cause damage in the interim. Some people report contining to tighten up after a fill for up to two weeks! So you may even get tighter before you get looser. Based on what I know about how my surgeons office does things, I'd say get an unfill, wait and see how you feel. If you can eat real food, feel satisfied after a bandster-size portion (waiting up to 20 minutes to let your body register) then you're in the right place. Good luck to you!

I'm going through the same considerations that you are right now. I started at 320 and am now at 265. While I'd LOVE to get to goal first (around 170 is my goal) I've decided to give myself a solid year of working on weight loss. At the end of the year, if I'm under 200 pounds, then we can go ahead and start trying. If I'm NOT under 200 pounds, then I'll probably re-evaluate.

I took a week off (I work in a lab too--12 hour shifts and lots of standing/lifting.) I was absolutely fine after a week and could have returned much sooner. I think you'll find there's a pretty big range of experiences in recover, but I felt really good after surgery and didn't even take the stronger pain meds.

Yes, you will have to be on a diet. Period. HOWEVER, once you have a few fills and get restriction, you WILL be able to diet because your hunger will be reduced to tolerable levels. I know it seems impossible, but when that physical hunger is under control, the rest gets a lot easier. Easy? No. EasiER, yes. The band is the difference between struggling and failing and struggling and succeeding. Unfortunately, the struggle will always be there, as supremely unfair as it seems. Hang in there and get another fill if you can!

Hey! I'm not a super regular poster here, but I'll be at the meeting. :incazzato: There is usually a really good presentation about a topic related to the lap band. I think this week's topic is on "Mindful Eating." After the presentation, we split into various groups and discuss issues related to the band. There's usually a group for emotional eaters and then everyone else is grouped up either by banded date or some other random category depending on the night. I've only been to two groups, but thought they were both really informative!

Today I stepped on the scales and I'm at my "before" weight from the last time I tried Weight Watchers about six years ago. I lost about 35 pounds before I gained it all back (plus another 55.) On one hand it's depressing to have to start all over again. On the other hand, I'm really back in familiar territory! 54 pounds lost this year!

I was banded April 22 and got my first fill Wednesday. I had restriction right away and it only started to fade away the last few days before the fill. I could have gotten a fill 2 weeks earlier but like you, I just didn't need it. The nurse at my surgeon's office has the motto, "Ride it until the wheels fall off!" Ie, don't get a fill if you don't need it! If what you have is working for you, go for it!

I know people have said they eat lightly for a couple days after a fill, but should I do anything different before? Ie, not eat for a few hours before the fill? My first fill is this afternoon, which means a few hours post lunch. I planned on eating lightly today and then following the fill with a day of liquids and a day of mushies.

Thanks! I had my fill about 3 hours after lunch and did just fine. No problems. I had soup for dinner and chili for lunch today and so far, so good. I can tell I'm tighter, but I'll give it a week or so before I decide if this is enough. (I only had her add 1 cc instead of the usual 2cc for a first fill since I've already had restriction.)

Wow, that's AMAZING! Congratulations!

For those who have successfully lost weight or are successfully losing weight--do you eat 3 meals a day, or do you split your food up between meals and Snacks? I'm about 5 weeks post-op, haven't had a fill, but seem to be one of the fortunate few that have enough restriction to feel a big difference already. I'm generally picking healthy foods and am finding that, without at LEAST one snack a day, it's hard to get up to 1,000 calories. (I never imagined myself with such a problem . . . :wink2: ) I stalled for three weeks at 800 calories a day, which is what eating 3 meals and only when hungry was adding up to, so I'm pretty interested in keeping the calories up around 1,000-1,200 for a while, especially as I'm getting more exercise in. Any thoughts on the meals only versus snacks approach?

Thanks everyone! To clarify, my doc's info says it's ok to either split calories up into 3 meals or meals plus Snacks. I'm just curious what has worked for other people who have lost weight. I tend to agree that eating too little is going to be detrimental to my weight loss (and I DID stall out on 800 cals a day.) I'm astonishingly NOT hungry much of the time, which is GREAT, but leads me to have too few calories if I only go by hunger. However, not being hungry makes it easier to stick to the planned food for the day! I think I'm going to continue with the 1-2 snacks a day and see how things go. Thanks!

My doc's office said they had one patient who lost 160 pounds without a fill! I'm about 5 weeks post-op. My doc's office usually does fills at 4 weeks, but I haven't needed one yet. I'm not very tight compared to some, but I definitely have restriction. Most people I've talked to were starving to death around week 4 and were waiting until their first fill.

I'm 5 weeks post-op, no fill, but I have some restriction (though I'm obviously not as restricted as others.) I can barely eat the 3-4 oz Protein and 1/2 cup veggies my doc's office recommends at one sitting and yet I think I eat WAY more than most who post menus here. I track my calories and most days I have to work to get up to 1,000 calories. (I was at a weight loss standstill at 800 calories, so I've made efforts to increase calories and started losing again.) Today-- B: 3/4 cup Kashi Cereal, 1/4 cup strawberries, small amount of milk. S: 16 oz nonfat latte to get in milk. L: 3.5 oz chicken thigh, 1/2 cup roasted cauliflower D: 3/4 cup Silverado Chili, 1 Tbsp light sour cream S: Kashi crackers, laughing cow cheese, 1/2 cup grapes. Total--933 Calories Most days I have cereal for breakfast with a little fruit, a latte (12 oz milk), 1/2 cup LF yogurt with some fruit, then lunch and dinner are as close to 3-4 oz meat and 1/2 cup veggies as I can eat comfortably.

You need to follow your doc's orders! I have seriously the most lenient post-op eating schedule I've heard of, and even my doc had me on liquids only for the first week. I'd encourage you to rally yourself for a few tough weeks and stick to your doc's plan as close as possible. It's really a very short time in the grand scheme of things! Yes, it's hard, but you'll get better results with less stress and worry if you stick to plan. Good luck!

Anesthesia can TOTALLY mess up your cycle. I had an appendectomy in high school and it too a YEAR for my period to regulate back to normal. Not unusual at all.