HeatherO

The band may be a great choice for you but it depends on what your eating style is. If you are constantly grazing or eat tons of sweets/junk food it may not be as helpful for you. It is an excellent option for chronic overeating. In my case I was an overeater and it has fixed my problem completely. I am more concerned that you are sabotaging yourself 3 months into a 6 month diet. This may be a strong indication that you are not ready for either surgical option. You need to start thinking about the reasons why you are not allowing yourself to succeed and maybe get some counseling or support to get through this phase. At the very least, break up your diet into chunks. Follow it for a week and don't allow yourself to cheat . . . and then take one day as a free day. Then you can go back on again and go a little longer. If you go every day thinking it is a "last supper" you will not be able to meet your goals. One thing you need to look at if you choose banding is that you don't need a last supper. You can eat after banding, just less of it. You don't have to grieve that you will never have another _ _ _ for the rest of your life. Do you really want surgery . . . if so, you need to make a choice to follow through with the pre-op diet. Going on liquids for a couple of months is not going to be an easy option, and you don't want to allow the thought that you can save yourself later with this option to prevent you from following the diet plan. Good luck. It may seem difficult now but it gets so much easier down the road. We have all been there and understand what you are going through, you are not alone.

Sometimes more fills can cause lack of loss or even gain if you are not eating the right things. You can be so tight that you can only eat junk food while having an inability to eat anything else. You have two weeks so that is plenty of time to decide. Just back off the junk food completely and go back to banding basics, lean Proteins followed by veggies and healthy carbs with the remaining space you have left. It is hard to get off junk food if you are in the habit of eating it, but it gets progressively easier. Day 1 is hell, day 2 is rough . . . but by day 4 it is not so bad and it is easy to continue from there. Then, if you are following the rules and are getting physically hungry between meals or can eat large quantities, then consider the fill. You can also get a teeny tiny fill that is easier on you like .1 or .25 cc's. The closer you are to your sweet spot, the less fill you need to make a big difference. Good luck.

Thanks :0). My weight loss continued post pregnancy. I think I was around 152-155 when I got pregnant and 22 weeks later I am at 138. I think I am going to start creeping up a little now. My band is completely empty as of last week and my OB/Gyn said I needed to start putting on a little weight (or at a minimum stop the loss). She had me start supplementing my diet with a daily shake/smoothie. I don't think I am going to gain much because I am not very hungry even with an empty band. I think whatever restriction I lost from the band must be offset by baby pressure . . . or maybe my stomach is just smaller and easily satisfied after being banded for so long, I am not quite sure.

. . . or eating before you get the chance to get hungry, lol. :bananalama:

I never heard that before . . . that the diuretic effect goes away for the most part. That is interesting. Especially considering how much I enjoy coffee and tea when I am not pregnant. I was drinking an extra glass of Water to offset a cup of coffee each time . . . and I could just about ride a wave to the bathroom, lol.

I guess before proceeding I would ask how many bands he has placed. I would never want to be in one of the very first patients. It is also known that complication rates go down with experienced doctors. If he has placed a considerable number with good success rates, then I wouldn't have a problem. How many has he placed?

My DH was nervous and afraid. He didn't want me to do anything that could risk my health, our future, or the ability to have a healthy pregnancy in the future. He was also afraid that I would get my hopes up and not find success in the end. We talked about it long and hard before coming to a final decision. He finally supported my decision but let me know that he loved me the way I was and that he would do everything he could to help me lose it the regular way. When the decision was finally made . . . he was completely and utterly supportive. He would go biking with me for hours and exercise with me, keep his eye on my food choices and console me when I was feeling under the weather. I lost all the weight and I am very healthy and happy. He is happy for me as well, but if I ever get sick after eating he always looks a little sad. I think sometimes our spouses are just nervous for our sakes and may not always express it well.

Really, I think making people wait is not really all that relevant as to whether or not they will be successful. I think personal level of commitment and a real desire to make a change are infinitely more valuable and a better predictor of success. I was banded a few weeks after I made my decision to finally go self-pay and get banded . . . yet I had been thinking about WLS for several years beforehand and went through the steps to do bypass but decided it wasn't worth it in the end. So I am not sure if that makes me a short wait or long wait, although I was informed. I am sure I did ask what is a pb in the beginning. I met my goal as well and went from morbid obesity to a normal BMI . . . so I consider that success. I do see people who are either uninformed, but most likely just noncompliant and banded asking really unusual questions being post-op. People post that they ate a burger 2 days post banding, or they skipped their post-op diet stages from Clear liquids to solids. Some people complain they are not losing but in the same breath are saying they don't exercise, don't eat healthy, and don't follow basic banding rules. I am not sure that forcing the people who choose to forgo any attempt at following the most basic of bandster rules are going to have more success if they wait 1 week or 1 year.

The band has been absolutely worth it for me. it is also normal to "grieve" for food or a lifestyle during the early stages when you are making the decision to change your life. He is not giving up food, he is just giving up excess. There is a difference between eating enough to fuel your body and eating way beyond what is necessary. I eat normal portions of healthy food . . . and food no longer overshadows my every thought. It has also given me a new lease on life with the energy and possiblilities that being a normal size provides.

I'm in Ohio which is rather cold and unpleasant this time of year . . . but our summers are mild and perfect. I am finishing up the last three classes for my MBA as well, I should be done this Summer. I am only taking one class at a time with my schedule and pregnancy.

I probably should clarify. I understood what you meant with the article . . . 64 ounces may not be necessary and there are other ways to get fluids in, which is true. I just didn't want people to take it too literally that water is not necessary even if quantity required is debateable. It is very necessary for good health and substitutes may never be as good as pure, unadulterated water.

I had a similar feeling of bottom hunger but top full right after surgery. This is completely gone now and has been for almost the entire time I have been banded. With restriction, I only feel hunger in my pouch . . . which is easily assuaged with a few bites of food.

Really for me, no matter what the studies say, I lose more weight when I am drinking the Water. When I stop getting in sufficient water, I plateau. So my body is telling me that water is necessary to maintain a healthy weight. I also think you need to be careful with how you interpret this. Water is healthy for you. Yes you do get liquids with coffee and tea . . . but they have a diuretic effect and you are worse off if you are not drinking something to compensate. There are low/no calorie beverages as well . . . but do you really know if all of the sugar substitutes are good for you in large quantities? Of course, with sweetened beverages you get carbs and calories. I still think water is a perfect choice for the majority of my liquid needs. So maybe I don't always get in 8 glasses . . . but I am not giving up the water.

I don't think you are going to damage your band by doing this. As long as you are following your post-op diet guidelines, you are in good shape bandwise. Protein shakes are helpful as others suggested. They help you to feel more full and satisfied. If I were you, I would handle it this way. Have a single serving of soup and force yourself to wait at least 30 minutes before you allow yourself another serving. If you still want it after 30 minutes . . . then you are probably still physically hungry. Also, don't allow yourself to go back for another serving unless you drink a full 8 ounce glass of Water in between. This kind of breaks it up into manageable chunks of time. You don't want to stay in the habit of overeating just because you are used to it. However, if you are truly physically hungry . . . I don't think you should deprive yourself completely. Also extra water is healthy for you and might help assuage some of those hunger pangs. Last but certainly not least . . . it is important to evaluate how you are thinking about this. In your post you say things like being destined to be fat forever, or pigging out. This negative self talk just makes you feel guilty or even powerless over the situation. You need to let go of the guilt and know that you do have control over what you chose to eat. You are now physically different than you were prior to being banded. You have a tool to help you and you need to change your mindset to make it work. You want to move towards having a more normal relationship with food . . . and beating yourself up over soup will harm more than help you. If you are physically hungry, you eat something healthy and appropriate for the stage of your banding diet and then there is no reason for guilt. If you are only "head" hungry and battling the demons of food addiction, then do your best to get through small battles in small increments of time. This is the hardest stage of banding and it only gets easier from here. You can do this, and you know you can because you took the step to be banded. Have a little faith and believe in yourself.

Hello everyone, I am doing good this morning so far with yogurt and a banana for breakfast. My office is ordering pizza in for lunch . . . and I am hungry. I am going to try to keep it at one slice and have some grapefruit. I am finding that being pregnant and taking night classes in graduate school after working all day is roughhhh. I had class last night from 6 - 10 PM after starting work at 7 AM. I felt like I could have just layed my head down and snoozed right in class. My role in the debate last night was to forcefully argue against the government taking on electronic medical records as a representative from Microsoft. Needless to say, exhaustion does not improve my debate skills.

If you have a strong milk supply, you can always prepump for the time after anesthesia and just pump and dump what you have after for a short time. I am not an expert, but really I don't think that the band is much of an issue if you are getting sufficient calories and a healthy variety of foods. You will most likely not have much restriction during the first couple of months and you are also working with your doctor to find the right level of restriction for you. I think the only difficult time may be the first couple of weeks after banding while you are on liquids. You may be OK during this time . . . or if you are concerned you could probably supplement with formula and dump breast milk not used.

One thing I want to add is that I have been suffering from back pain with this pregnancy which is not a problem for me when I am not pregnant. I am finding that doing regular stretches, no matter how I am feeling or how tired I am, is really help with the aches and pains. I am thinking about trying to find a pregnancy yoga video or something along that line.

Well . . . any news??? :0)

The second trimester has been much better for me (if you disregard the overly tight episode last week where I needed an unfill). I am hungry from time to time, but it is manageable. It is not the same as the first trimester feeling if I don't eat NOW I am going to die. My quantities aren't excessive either, even with a complete unfill. One thing that has helped me is that I eat more often now. I don't have to eat a lot, but I don't go more than 4 hours without having a bite of something. My tastes have changed in that I crave specific things. Or maybe it is not so much I am craving something as much as it is I don't want most alternatives. Lately a regular "4th" meal has been half a banana with a 100 cal whole grain toasted english muffin with pb&j. It is not too many calories . . . it sticks with me for a long time and is very satisfying. I have also been eating about two yogurts a day every day . . . they are full calorie though because I don't want excessive sugar substitutes. The Yoplait whips and thick and creamy yogurts have really hit the spot and they are the only type I buy lately. For me I think the key to not getting excessively hungry is to keep eating regularly in small amounts.

Losing at a steady but not too rapid pace (1-2 pounds weekly), taking in appropriate nutrition with Vitamins and enough Protein and keeping regular exercise all help your body keep up with the weight loss and lessen problems with excess skin, or at least make sure that you are giving your skin the best opportunity to shrink healthily. Most of it has to do with heredity, skin elasticity, age, length of time obese, etc. You may not have control over a lot of it.

I had this feeling too with tight restriction. It was just uncomfortable, but not painful. It was definitely a feeling of pressure or of being slightly swollen. Having a slight unfill makes the issue go away.

It sounds like your on the right track and doing the research. Having supportive parents also helps. The only person who can tell you if the lapband is right for you is you . . . because you are the person who will be living the banded life. Definitely check out the teen forum as well, it is a great place to meet new people that have went through what you are going through now.

I am interested in learning more about this as well. I have used them in Europe and the Middle East . . . but never here in the states. I think it would be a wonderful thing to have.

It is very important for you to stick to your post-op diet to allow your stomach to heal properly. You risk the future of your band by eating solids so early . . . they cause your stomach to have to move during digestion and your band may not settle properly. chicken is also something that many bandsters have a problem with. The texture seems to be difficult for many a bandster and you should take it easy when introducing this into your diet. Watery mashed potatoes are not so bad . . . but it is still too early at one week out. Many other people have done this, some have problems, some don't, and some won't know for a while if they have caused damage that will harm the band down the road. Do you really want to risk your band just to eat solids a little early? What is a couple of weeks sticking to a post-op plan if it could mean a lifetime of better health at a lower weight? If I could advise anything, it is to get back on plan until solids are allowed . . . which isn't very far down the road.

I think it all depends on your restriction level. With tight restriction, any fluids will almost instantly cause me to pb or just be very, very uncomfortable. Right now with an unfilled band I can eat and drink together without issue.