barbie1978

i'm almost 8 months out now and after this last fill i can't do most starch....occasionally i can do sweet potatoes or a regular small potato...and bread only if it's DRY or really moist (like a small sub w/dressing)... My doc said NO STARCH (especially bread) for the first 4-6 months post op, at least.... When I did lose weight on my own (10 years ago), all i did was no starch and the weight few off...you think you're missing more than you really are...and believe me, for an italian to say that you don't NEED bread and Pasta, it must really be ok..LOL Once it's out of your system, you truly won't miss it...and when you do taste it again, you'll probably think "THAT'S what i've missed? It doesn't tase as good as i thought"....really...

curiousinoh, you HAVE restriction! I've been banded since July and it took me awhile to figure it out (and that's normal)...i thought that since i wasn't 'full' after 2 bites of food that i didn't have restriction, but we all do! It might be at different levels, but we all have it. Your restriction might be different with different foods...chicken is a hard one for most banders....i usually have a harder time eating it..if i want chicken i just have to eat less of it. You will have foods that you can eat more of and foods you can eat less of....like chili for you seems to be a 'slider' food..goes down easy and passes through the band so you can eat a lot of it..it doesnt' mean that you don't have restriction, it means that chili is a food that passes easily for you... It's hard for all of us to re-learn how to eat. After this most recent fill (my 4th) i have GREAT restriction...i get full faster, i eat SOOOOOOOOOOO much less, and pounds just fly off when i exercise! A lot of foods have changed for me after this last fill...any starchy foods (bread, Pasta, rice, etc) ESPECIALLY if it is dry (like crackers) are almost a no-no....a few small bites is all i can take.... Yes, we need to eat slower....but sometimes eating a food that gets 'stuck' or hurts a little (ie gets stuck), well if you eat it slow enough you can eat more than you should. Listen to YOUR OWN body..we can all give you advice, but we're all different. What i can eat in a day probably is totally different than what you can eat....that's why i love the band because it's so individual from person to person... I would say to you to just pay attention to your body..if something hurts going down, don't eat it! It could very well change with each fill you get....i didn't figure it out until i'd say this december..which was 5 months post op for me... Don't worry! You'll figure out what's right FOR YOU! We all do...GOODLUCK!

so just an update...i still have been eating slower and some foods were a little harder to get down...but i could still eat almost 2 cups of food...SOMETIMES 1 1/2 cups...so i went for my 4th fill today...and i'm at 8.2cc's in a 14cc band! :smile2: I can already feel the difference...i truly truly think i am at my sweet spot with this fill...fingers crossed for no more than 1/2 - 1c. of food per meal and seeing that scale MOVE DOWN! :tongue:

hey all! I've had my 4th fill now and I'm at 8.2 in my 14cc band....we thought the last fill i was at 7.5, but when he removed all of the liquid today i was actually at 7.8! I had to eat a lot slower but could still eat a decent amount..no where NEAR like before that fill but i can already feel the difference.... I have been right about all of my fills so far and I've been saying that 8cc's is my magic number...so now that i'm at 8.2 i'm so excited to see how it goes! I've been at a standstill forever, it seems...dropped most of my weight just after surgery and now i'm finally starting to drop again (only down 2 since my last visit in december).... this is the good one though! I feel it! I'll update soon!

and your body is reacting to the slimquick cleanse? I"ve been toying around with the idea of trying Jillian Michaels cleanse....all natural...but i'm not ready to try it....

Bobbie, glad to hear you're doing well and it was better than they expected!!! Here's to you having good restriction soon! :mad:

I had my third fill on 12/30 and have definately noticed a difference in how and what i can eat. I have to eat much slower, take smaller bites, etc...i've been slacking on workouts (until the past 2 days so yay for me for that) so i haven't seen much loss... BUT, here's my question....the past few days i've noticed a LOT more restriction. I know it can take a few days to really feel good restriction after a fill but almost 3 weeks? Has this happened to anyone else? It's nothing i'm nervous about..i'm THRILLED actually...i just want to know if anyone else has experienced this... I'm supposed to go back in for another (SMALL) fill in a week and a half...i'm going to try something different w/calories this week and if i start really losing i'll change my appointment...if not i'll go in for the next fill....i want to make sure i keep good restriction!

excuse my language, but i've always been scared shitless of needles..especially LARGE needles....as in the day of my surgery, i was more afraid of the IV needle than the actual surgery! i have to say that after 3 fills now i have NO problem with the needles...but i absolutely get Lidocane!!! He usually gives me 2 little shots of it and i'm good..i feel nothing until he hits the port with the needle..that still feels weird. But the first fill i had i only got one shot of lidocane and i'll NEVER do that again or use nothing....it hurt like hell! GET LIDOCANE :w00t: Just my opinion

i was the same way! First 2 fills i felt almost nothing...from my 2nd fill i felt restriction for about 4 days...then nothing! I've had my third fill on 12/30 and i'm scheduled for a 4th in a week and a half...it's funny because i've definately felt a difference with this third fill..HOWEVER, just over the last 2 days (which is about 2 1/2 weeks after my last fill), i'm now feeling really good restriction! It can sometimes take alittle longer i guess.... Don't worry! You'll feel it soon...at your next fill find out what size band you have...i have a 14cc band and my last fill took me to 7.5cc's....

I had my third fill on 12/30 and have definately noticed a difference in how and what i can eat. I have to eat much slower, take smaller bites, etc...i've been slacking on workouts (until the past 2 days so yay for me for that) so i haven't seen much loss... BUT, here's my question....the past few days i've noticed a LOT more restriction. I know it can take a few days to really feel good restriction after a fill but almost 3 weeks? Has this happened to anyone else? It's nothing i'm nervous about..i'm THRILLED actually...i just want to know if anyone else has experienced this... I'm supposed to go back in for another (SMALL) fill in a week and a half...i'm going to try something different w/calories this week and if i start really losing i'll change my appointment...if not i'll go in for the next fill....i want to make sure i keep good restriction! :w00t:

goodluck with everything! My advice is to just find a new surgeon...if you can't trust or deal with the one you havem you NEED to find a new one! Just because he did your surgery doesnt' mean that you have to stay with him....i'm SO lucky that my surgeon is wonderful! If you were in the Rochester area i would absolutely suggest him...

love this show! So motivating... I don't have a machine that i can put in front of the tv (i would LOVE to do that for this show), BUT I'm going to do something during the commercial breaks...pushups, crunches, squats, toning w/ the band....every commercial break..

congrats on the loss!!! I was the same way..i'm about 40 pounds down since surgery and a lot of times i just dont' see it in the mirror..then i saw a picture of myself from last christmas at my highest (which was also what i weighed until 2 months before surgery) and i was DISGUSTED! I looked so distorted and bloated! It's really nice when people notice, especially when i feel stuck and bloated but they see me as smaller...it really helps me kick into reality that, yes, i'm still losing..even if its inches moving first!

that is AMAZING! Congrats!!! :thumbup:

My surgeon was very unbiased as well...he said in the seminar (and i quote): "I dont' care what surgery you choose, as long as we do something to HELP you." He spoke about how everyone in the room knows how to lose weight...we've all done many diets and have been successful at all of them. But we can't KEEP it off...he went on to talk about how obesity is a disease and how more people need to be educated on it and it's treatments (ie the multitude of surgical options there are now).... When we met one on one, i knew i wanted the band. I watched my mom go through gastric bypass and i knew 5 years ago that i did NOT want that done...however since the band is adjustable, THAT was a good option for me. My problem isn't the types of food i was eating..it was how MUCH i was eating..and then band has been AMAZING for me! The only time my surgeon will suggest bypass over the band is if you have serious co-morbidities that would benefit more from bypass...otherwise, he leaves it up to you. Most research now is showing that people who are 3+ years out of gastric bypass are GAINING IT ALL BACK...because a lot of them (not all) look at it as a magic surgery and something they don't have to work at...they get complacient and gain. NO THANK YOU. I'm not going to have major surgery and work at something just to gain it all back? I chose the band because it's adjustable and can change with you...and because it's a TOOL, not a magic potion... That being said, my mom is 5 years post op from Gastric Bypass on the 5th of january..and she looks AMAZING! She works out every day, wears a size 8 jeans (from wearing only stretch pants), and lives healthy :smile2:

hey everyone! Just wanted to do a New Year's update...i got my third fill wednesday and was a little disappointed yesterday as I could still eat a good amount (but was starting to feel better restriction last night)...well this morning I have FANTASTIC RESTRICTION! WOOOOOOOO! Happy fricken new year! That's all i wanted :biggrin: Hope this new year finds you all doing well!

I've decided to break down into small resolutions this year (instead of giving myself a whole year to do something and then procrastinate until the end of the year...)...SO that being said: 2010 Resolutions: 1. workout EVERY DAY in January..even if it's just a half hour walk....... 2. lots of Water and using my band to its fullest potential 3. getting another big fill on 1/27/10 4. reach 185 by 2/14/10 I just had my third fill yesterday, so now i'm at 7.5cc's in a 14cc band...YAY! What a great way to start off the new year! WE CAN ALL DO THIS!!!!!!! Goodluck everyone!

glad to see everyone posting! I just had my third fill yesterday..so now i have 7.5cc's in my 14cc band. AND i go back in one month instead of 2 because i told him how it was just way too long for me and also how I have been STARVING for the past 3 weeks.... I've been at a plateau for quite awhile now..i'm hoping that this 1cc he added will do the trick..at least until next month!

Girl, we ALL go through this...and the way you eat will constantly change in the first few months with your first few fills...yes it's different for everyone, but I know for me, I vary... My first fill i felt restriction for about 2 weeks then i could eat more....second fill i had really good restriction for about 5 weeks...then i started getting hungry and could eat more...i'm due for my third fill this coming wedensday and I NEED IT! I can eat bread now, and a lot more than i really need...but it's NOT as much as pre-band and i keep telling myself that. Last year at this time i think i had already gained 8 pounds (no joke)...this year, i'm up two pounds from 2 weeks ago...that's it...and I also have needed a fill for about 3 weeks... Piece of advice...don't beat yourself up...you're not supposed to "drink" your food! The whole point of the band is to eat NORMAL foods, in smaller amounts and stay satisfied... Another piece of advice: DON"T WAIT to talk to your doc when you need a fill! I have to tell him this wendesday that 8 weeks has been too long between fills...I'm to the point now when my stomach is growling (that hasn't happened since BEFORE surgery) and i'm H.U.N.G.R.Y!!!! I shouldn't feel that an hour after i eat...and i've gained 4 in the last month... So when you think you need a fill, at least give your doc a call..you're probably right!

oni, you HAVE restriction! If you didn't, then swallowing a bite of food that's too big wouldn't have caused you to get stuck..it would just have gone down... And something else you said, about taking a certain amount of time to eat? It should take you 20-30 minutes to eat a meal...if you take LONGER than that, you're basically grazing, which defeats the band.... It's tough to figure out your own personal signals to when you are done eating...i've heard people talk about burping, hiccuping, runny noses...i didn't get any of that until about 2 weeks after my second fill....i would feel fine eating and i then finally started paying attention and when i burped, i just stopped eating for a few minutes...THEN i realized that i was satisfied (not hungry but not in pain of being too full). I had been eating through that until i felt a pang in my chest, which is not good. It's different for all of us, and you'll find your cues! Goodluck!

hello all my july bandsters! We don't seem to congregate in the monthly forum so i thought i'd post here... How is everyone doing? How is the loss going? I'm at a standstill and in SERIOUSL need of a fill...which i'm getting next wednesday! YAY!!!!! It's been 2 months since my last one and so far that is WAY too long for me to go...so fingers crossed that this fill will kick my butt in gear for 2010! I'm SO excited to start the year off with really really good restriction... How did you all do for the holiday's???

yes, so quickly after surgery you won't have much/any restriction. Most doctors don't put any fill in your band until it heals, which is why you can eat more than you expected (even though you SHOULDN'T BE EATING YET!)... Unfortunately so many people 'slip' or 'cheat' post op....there's nothing you can do about what you've already had...you can only move from here. Try to find more things for your liquid stage...protein powders you can mix with drinks...SF popsicles saved my life! You can bite a piece off and chew it, yet it's a liquid...OMG i remember how HUNGRY i started feeling and how much it helped...did it satisfy me? Well my new stomach, yes...but my HEAD HUNGER? No....but head hunger is what got me here to begin with...and the band doesn't make it go away. You have to learn to recognize head hunger and find something else to satisfy it....go for a walk, brush your teeth, drink Water (liquid loading)...anything but put food in your mouth that you DON"T NEED and CAN"T HAVE yet.... You'll get through this! We all did....You'll move on to mushy/pureed foods soon...don't hurt your band by eating too soon! And MY full signals are burping...i get a single hiccup when my new stomach is a little TOO full....and the indicator that i've had too much or eaten too quickly (even though my HEAD doesn't think so) is chest pain...from the middle of my chest up towards my shoulder...it SUCKS...

i have been doing better than i USED to...but worse than i should. I am in serious need of a fill. I go this coming wednesday and I have to talk to him about the legnth inbetween my fills...one i get one, i'm good for 4-5 weeks...then by week 6 i am getting more hungry and can eat more...by week 8 i can eat a darn house! That's the point I am at now. I didn't want to say anything to him at my last fill since it was only my second and I didn't know what I was suppsed to feel or how i would feel...but this is just crazy. I can eat A LOT now...and i'm up about 3-4 pounds (depending on the day)....I am VERY excited about my fill and starting the year off with REALLY GOOD RESTRICTION! YAY! Oh, and I agree that all of us July bandsters need to chat more! Now that holiday's are almost over I'm sure we'll all have more time to be on here...

congrats on having your fill AND having restriction!!! I get my 3rd fill this coming wednesday and I NEED IT! I can eat a fricken house now...

Well how well did your incisions heal last time? I know mine widened a little..i never touched them, but instead of just being a little line they almost looked stretched (which doesn't make sense if i'm losing weight??) and they feel like the go in...if that makes any sense. But where I was going with that was maybe you'll have smaller incisions? But yes...they do have to start over with small fills...you have to totally heal again :thumbup: Let's hope that the actual band is ok!