meggs353

Let us know how you do! We're hoping for the best for you!

I completely agree - they have seen it all and should welcome you back with open arms to help you get back on track! It's normal and okay to feel embarrassed, but you have nothing to be ashamed of. You are not the first, nor will you be the last, person to struggle with weight-loss. Don't be afraid to reach out for support. It's easier said than done, but you'll be so much happier once you do. If your surgeon or their practice is not supportive than they are a bad practice. We've all experienced failure, and it doesn't mean you're deficient it just means you're human. And it doesn't mean you can't learn from your past and be successful the next time around.

Sounds like you should talk to your doctor. Life with the band shouldn't be painful or difficult and if it is something is wrong that should be fixed. If you live too long in discomfort there's a chance it could lead to more serious complications. Good luck!

For me it feels the same, but I'm more likely to get too full on much less food. A key is to eat slow, and make sure your eyes aren't bigger than your (newly banded) stomach. It's so uncomfortable to be too full.

Exciting times! I couldn't wait to start getting fills and feel full sooner with less food. There is nothing special you need to do before. Eat whatever you would normally. The fill itself is really easy, just a tiny pinch and then it's over. You'll likely talk with your dr or nurse about how much to add. The practice I go to, I believe, starts everyone out with about 3 cc's, then does smaller fills after that. I think a lot of people reach green zone between 5-7 cc's, but everyone is different so don't worry if you're on a different path! After the fill your dr will likely have some specific instructions for you. Mine says to have liquids for the rest of the day, and the next day, then have soft foods for 2 days. Once you start getting fills the most important thing (at least for me) is to eat slow! This is really hard to do when I'm hungry, but if I eat too fast or don't chew well enough the food will get stuck and have to come back up. It's really unpleasant and can lead to lasting long term negative side effects it happens too often. So make sure you're eating carefully. Also, eating slow will help you brain realize it's full with less food. That's the best part, and what you should be looking for. You don't want to be physically restricted from eating. It might take a few fills to get to the right place, but keep practicing good, slow, eating habits from day 1. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

You can get liquid Tylenol at a local drug store. You can buy the children's kind and take an adult dose. I think I used prescription meds for up to the first 3 days, then Tylenol for maybe 2-3 more days. Walking helped a lot! It breaks up the gas they use to inflate your abdomen, and helps your body with the healing process. I was back to work in about 7-8 days. Good luck! Let us know how you do.

So far, so good! How much of a fill did they give you? Who did the fill?

I remember that! She's great.

Thanks for this post! Very interesting about fat cells never going away, just becoming dormant. Please keep us posted and let us know how it goes. We're all routing for you! I'm hoping you'll be pleasantly surprised to see your hunger dim. The band is an amazing tool.

What a wonderful, inspiring post! I'm curious, could you share how much weight you lost in year 1 vs year 2? I'm on a slow weight loss path and have just about reached my 1 year bandiversary. I'm still looking to continue my journey and am curious if year 2 is any harder to keep losing than year 1. Congrats on changing and embracing your new life style. Your post makes me want to be one of "those" exercise loving (or at least enjoying) people too!

Can't believe it's been a year already. I'm down 25 lbs from my highest weight. It might not sound like a lot, but on my 5ft frame it's made a huge difference. I feel better in almost every way. I'm still on the weight loss journey, working to lose another 30 lbs (40 more lbs would be great, but 30 might be more realistic). I will get there slowly but surely! This past year has been somewhat of a roller coaster, working to get to the green zone. Recently, I needed to have my band loosened to travel to Argentina and China (to reduce the risk of an adverse reaction while I was away from reliable band health care). Even with this "looser" setting, I still have reduced hunger, which is amazing. I'm so grateful for this tool. Once I'm back from my travels I'll go back to get it readjusted, but likely just very slightly. Hope everyone else is doing well on their journey!

Good luck to all of you who are just starting your journeys! I'm almost at my 1 year bandiversary, and still on my own journey To username2 who has surgery delayed, I wouldn't worry to much! Your doctors schedule the surgery around your safety, so I would be glad they aren't taking any chances. Also, this whole process is a marathon, not a sprint. I know the feeling of wanting to get this done asap, especially after the weeks and months of planning and preparing. It's awful if you have to repeat the pre-op diet, but in a year it will all be a distant memory. The pre-op diet is really challenging, but it gets your body and mind ready for the big changes ahead. Good luck!

What does your dr say? Is he/she worried that you're not feeling restriction yet? It's probably too early to consider a revision surgery until you've filled up your whole band and still have no restriction. And that's definitely something to talk with your surgeon about! Maybe your dr needs to check if there's a puncture in the band (e.g. could it be leaking and not filling up all the way)? Maybe they should do an x-ray to check that it's in the correct position? I'm not sure why you don't feel any restriction. It sounds like you're eating healthy and exercising which is great! All I can think of is to seek help from the experts and make them really work for you!

You might want to check in with you doc - the thing is, this might not be as dangerous as you think. It sounds like you are in the perfect green zone, and as you said, you have reserves that your body is tapping into for energy. You may be doing just fine, and when you get to a healthy weight you might find that your loss abruptly stops. I wish I could get rid of hunger. I haven't found the perfect spot yet though. Good luck!

I always felt the same way. I guess it's hard to know a guy's true intentions, since very few would come out and say they are just scamming for an easy target. I bet some had genuine good intentions though! Maybe give some of these guys a fair chance, and you might be able to tell fairly quickly who is interested in you as person. But, consider being aware of men who "like big women". If that's their preference they may not be supportive of your weight loss process.

My port area wasn't stapled either. If you're uncomfortable definitely get in touch with your surgeon to make sure all is okay.

Here are some food ideas I've been enjoying this summer, along with some tips to make the prep super fast. I call these "recipes" (in quotes) because they don't include measurements (except the last one). They're more meant to serve as inspiration. My first tip is that, I've been buying pre-cooked quinoa and brown rice recently and keeping it in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. Brown rice (or your favorite grain, farro would be lovely) can be swapped for quinoa in any of these "recipes", though quinoa has the least carbs and highest Protein of the bunch (since it's a seed, not a grain). Quinoa is really easy to cook, and if you make a big batch you can portion and freeze the left overs. But the pre-cooked version is great when you're too tired to even boil Water. Cheesy Quinoa: - Mix prepared quinoa with skim milk, or fat free yogurt, and your favorite sharp melting cheese. Pop in the microwave and stir regularly. I like to add some veg for Fiber and Vitamins too. Chopped tomato, broccoli, or zucchini are my favs. For an extra boost of vegetarian protein throw in some canned black Beans. -- I like to keep frozen veg on hand for times like this, and I buy pre-shredded extra sharp cheddar (a small grating of fresh, real, Parmesan cheese adds a nice nutty saltiness too) Summer Caprese - Fill your (small) plate with really good fresh mozzarella cheese (tear it from the ball, don't slice, for a rustic feel), the best summer tomatoes you can find, and fresh summer corn. Top with olive oil, course salt, fresh ground pepper, and your favorite fresh herbs if you have them on hand. You'll get protein from the cheese, healthy fat from the olive oil, and fiber and nutrition from the veg. Yum! - I love to have fresh corn in the summer - I throw them in the oven with husks still on right on the oven grates, then store in the fridge in gallon size bags. Frozen, defrosted corn would work fine too though Quinoa Kale Pesto with Shrimp - Some time many months ago I was feeling ambitious and made a kale pesto, and froze the left overs in an ice cube tray, that now sit in a baggie in my freezer (to be inspired, the "recipe" included kale, bacon fat, pecans and Parmesan cheese). Recently I broke out a few cubes, mixed with pre-cooked quinoa, pre-cooked frozen/defrosted shrimp, and some pieces of frozen kale. You can sub a store-bought or fresh pesto of your choosing. I heated it up (microwave) with some anchovy slices for an extra Omega hit and salty kick. I was able to split one small bowl between Breakfast and lunch because it filled me up so much Quinoa Chickpea Sardine salad - in this case I'm using salad as in "tuna salad" or "egg salad", not as in lettuce salad - This one packs a macro-nutrient punch, though it doesn't have any veg the way I made it (celery, or tomato would be good though) - Mix canned chickpeas with quinoa, and a tin of sardines (I used the kind packed in olive oil, but don't pour all the oil in). I then mixed well with some all-natural mayo, and seasoned with salt, pepper, celery seed, and dried thyme. I'm trying to work seafood into my diet more, so this was a great way to get some in. The quinoa, sardines and chickpeas all have protein, and the sardines, oil, and chickpeas have healthy fat. And the mayo, in moderation, is just there because it tastes good! (The brand I bought actually has 25% DV of Vitamin E per serving - so that is slightly redeeming) And finally, last but not least, one of my favorite things I ever learned how to cook: Cheese Sauce. It comes out so creamy and delicious I promise skim milk works great. This sauce is amazing mixed with spaghetti squash which...you can cook whole in the microwave (just be sure to pierce it with a knife to avoid explosion)! Yum. I swear you will not miss the pasta! It goes great on anything you want cheesy. Cheese Sauce (this is an actual recipe - scale up or down using the proportions below) - Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil or butter, 1 tbsp flour, 1 cup skim milk, 1 oz grated sharp melting cheese, salt to taste - Heat the oil/butter in a pot, and add the flour and cook slightly until the flour is fully incorporated and a light caramel color. - Slowly whisk in the milk, ensuring the flour mixture dissolves - Keep whisking over med-low heat until the mixture becomes thick and creamy (this is a bechamel!) - Add your cheese until it melts and salt to taste - This recipe take some actual work unlike the others, but it's so tasty it's hard to pass up I hope these ideas can serve as inspiration! Meal prep doesn't have to be hard. The freezer and microwave can be your friend, without reaching for processed meals.

You might want to go back to see your doc and your nutritionist. Don't let any negative feelings about the weight gain hold you back. It's their job to help you. They might decide to give you a fill or they can work with you on ways to help you start losing again. Good luck, let us know how you do!

I agree with the other posters. I did go through a bit of bandster hell, which is the period after surgery when you are fully healed, but don't have restriction in your band yet. I did gain weight during this time, but luckily from reading these forums I knew it was normal. The process to get the band properly adjusted isn't easy, but it's great once you start feeling full with less food and losing weight! One of the most important things is to follow your drs rules about eating. Mine said to wait 30s (using a timer) after each well chewed bite before taking another bite. Using the timer has helped me immensely! Getting stuck is no fun, so follow the rules carefully to avoid it. If you get stuck too often, for too long it can also lead to serious, irreversible complications. Be aware and stay in touch with your doc throughout the process. If you're not losing weight, or you're uncomfortable, or in pain, don't be embarrassed and don't suck it up - it's their job to help you be successful. Good luck!

I gained weight after I started eating solid food again after surgery. It took a few months for me to get to a good fill level, and start losing again (I went for small gains, to stable weight, to losing weight). Good luck!

I was told to avoid eating while flying and shortly after since the pressure in the airplane can make your band more restrictive.

Hey banders! I'm curious if anyone has tried to eat raw oysters with the lap band. I'm usually pretty good about being able to eat most foods by dinner time (I wouldn't think of trying this during the daytime when I'm much tighter)...but I can image a whole raw oyster just sitting on top of the band with no where to go. Or maybe it just slides right through?? Has anyone with an adjusted band tried this? I'm sure it depends on band tightness, but I wanted to poll the group to see if anyone had an words of encouragement or warning! Thanks!

I see on here a lot that when someone stalls, or gets off track, there is a push to go "back to basics". I'm wondering what that means to all of you (specifically with lap band since I believe the "basics" of other surgeries are different). For me, recently I was battling with a band that was too tight. Even though I was losing weight, I wasn't eating healthy and I was throwing up 3-5 days a week (some days constantly). I got an appt with my surgeon and she loosened the band but was confident that my problems were behavioral. I was eating slow and taking small bites, but she asked if I waited a full 30 seconds after finishing a well-chewed bite before having my next bite - in truth sometimes I was, but probably not all the time. She asked me to: - eat with a timer at every meal (waiting the full 30 s) - only eat when I was hungry (saying it's okay for me to skip a meal if I'm not hungry) - carefully consider before I eat (a meal or the next bite) whether I'm really truly hungry - exercise - meet with a NUT again I guess these are my basics. I need to refresh on the nutrition info they gave me. I remember it recommending artificially sweetened, high processed foods, which I think made me disregard the whole thing. But there are probably some pearls of wisdom in between the fat-free, sugar-free offerings (hopefully)! Do you all eat with a timer at every meal? Are your basics similar or different to mine? Thanks!

I was going to ask the same questions B52 did - are you losing weight? If so, I wouldn't worry too much. If not, it's time to talk to the dr.