MSnika3

Kaninag, I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this. I would be angry, too. Screw that "but you are losing at a healthy pace" bull. If you were just sitting on your carcass, not really following the guidelines, etc. then maybe a doc suggesting behavior management prior to a fill would be understandable. But since this is obviously not the case, you need to have another little chit chat with Mr. M.D. journal everything you do, eat, and feel, take it with you and demand some action! Like marathinner said, be your own advocate. Tell him ALL that you've just told us. With a neck roll and three snaps in Z formation. If that doesn't work find another doc, if that's an option. Tell him we will get some signs and start picketing outside his office. WE WANT RESTRICTION! WE WANT RESTRICTION!

Girl, you have me thinking, now. When I get to my doc for my first fill, he better not come at me with that foolishness. I need to go ahead and prepare my speech, just in case.

I don't have an answer, as I have not yet had a fill and have only been banded 4 weeks. I am glad that you posted your concerns and others have replied. I am a teacher and during the school year, I only have about a 25 minute lunch, that includes getting to and from the cafeteria with my class, and warming food after waiting in the microwave line. That usually leaves only about 10-15 minutes to eat. Guess I'd better start planning now for some quick-to-eat, filling lunches.

Thanks guys for giving me something to think about!!!!

There should be an option in the poll for this: In morning before I pee, after I pee, after I get dressed, after breakfast, after working out, before dinner, after dinner, before my shower, after my shower with soaking wet hair, after pj's one, one last time naked before bed, rinse, repeat. Ok, so this might be a SLIGHT exaggeration....

OK ginger, stop peeping through my bathroom window and then coming on here telling everybody about my scale habits! I don't even appreciate it! :incazzato:

But while you are playing, I weigh myself several times a day, many of those are moments you just posted, actually. If I use the bathroom, go in the bathroom, pass the bathroom, think about the scale, feel a moment of lightness, expel gas, burp, etc. Any ole excuse to peep at the numbers and see what does and doesn't affect them. Sick, I know, but I can't help myself!

Check with your doc for specifics because some have different opinions as to what is considered a liquid. I think my doc was pretty easy going, not too strict, but during liquids I was allowed to have:

Yogurt

Yogurt smoothies

Jello

pudding

Cream of ----- Soups ( i loved the cream of potato...i would puree it so that the little chunks of potato became liquid)

Campbell's "Soup at hand"

juice

Popsicles

Low carb slim fast

That's all I can think of off the top of my head and I feel like I'm missing something.....but hope this helps.

Good morning all,

I had my surgery on 5/22/08 and did the whole liquid diet till day 7 and then am now on the "mushies" stage till day 30. I have found (in my sick head maybe) that there are actually alot of food that can "become" mushy (that should be a whole other thread ). The first couple of days eating mushies I found that I was getting VERY full VERY quickly. Like after about 8-10 bites or less.

NOW.........it seems as though I never even had the Lapband??? What the heck is going on here? I know that once the swelling goes down that you start to feel hungry again and nothing really tends to get stuck, but I really didn’t expect it to be this quickly. My port is still sore when I push it, so to me that means...maybe...that I am still a little swollen?? So I should still get full quicker??? My mind is beginning to play tricks on me BIG TIME!!!

Back to the fill question.... I am not scheduled to get my fill till 6/24/08, which would be 32 days after surgery (I want it NOW!!:driving:)

How soon did everyone get his or her first fill??

Also, has anyone had or having the above situation?

All replies are very much appreciated! :incazzato:

By the way, I have lost NOTHING since 8 days after surgery....

BOO HOO!

I feel your pain, my best friend and I were banded May 9th and both are in the EXACT same situation as you.

Every line of your post made me say, me too, me too, me too!

As far as fills go, you are in a better boat that we are. Our surgeon doesn't fill for 6 weeks. We have fills scheduled for 6-27 which is actually 7 weeks post surgery (i think i need to give them a call to reschedule for a week earlier, what the heck were they thinking?):tt2:

The week after surgery we were happy dancing as the weight dropped at a rate of a pound per day. Unfortunately that stopped around day 8. What really sucks is that we've both creeped up and down by 2-5 lbs. I've recently begun low carbing so that I can keep hunger to a minimum and keep my calories down. Otherwise, I think that at this point I could eat ANYTHING, so I'm trying not to allow myself to.

I'm finally back down to my lowest since surgery (for the umpteenth time). Actually, I'm down one more pound.

I'm going to start some exercising today to see if I can speed things up.

About the port site...mine hurt for a looooong time. But, I don't think that can be used as a guide for what your stomach has going on. I think my stomach swelling diminished quite a bit earlier than my port site healed. I could have downed a double cheeseburger at week 3. Thus, the low carb switch ( I just ate the meat and cheese) :huggie:

Good luck to you, I hope your bandster hell doesn't continue on after your first fill. I've often heard that it can until you hit the right restriction. Not trying to be a downer, but these are things that my doc just didn't share before hand.

I knew weight loss would be slow and gradual, but I expected the slow and gradual to start and continue after surgery. Not start fast and halt, indefinitely. I know many will say that my 16 lb. loss (9 post surgery) is great since that's 9 in one month. But I say the heck with that. I would rather have lost it gradually over the month than to deal with this! I feel that instead of being able to continue doing what I'm doing to lose, I'm having to figure out HOW to lose and/or keep from gaining. I haven't gotten to the point where I feel that "this isn't working for me and I could have done this without the band, and I want a refund!"....because I know that when I get a "good" fill, the band will work for me. I guess it's just frustrating to know that it's just chillin' in there not serving a purpose, yet!

I feel like I was armed (by my doc and staff) with a plethora of valuable information. But they forgot to make mention of this little bitty thing we call BANDSTER HELL!!! AAAaaarrrggghhhh! (And I know that they knew this was coming!)

Sorry that my reply has turned into a full out vent session, I really just wanted you to know that your experience is very common and that you are not alone. :sad:

Keep us updated! Good luck and stay strong!!

Hi Everyone,

I was banded May 9th. I lost 8 pounds prior to surgery and 7 pounds in the week after. Since then I've gained and lost the same 5 pounds, over and over, again. I'm eating between 800 and 1200 calories, most recently from a low carb diet. I drink 64-80 oz. of Water, daily. I know that I should be happy with the 15 pound loss. I know that I don't have a fill, yet. I also know that eventually, the weight will lose the battle and will retreat. That is not my concern, at this point.

My question is...WHY is the weight not coming off without a fill? Scientifically, I don't understand. What has happened to the calories in vs. calories out theory? Surely the calories expended in having to keep my fat self alive would be more than what I'm consuming?

A fill only aids you with Portion Control? Right? Well, I'm controlling my own portions, as well as food choices. Can anyone give me some good explanations as to why I would not be losing weight? What is the deal, really?

Funny you should bring that up I was a heavy diet coke drinker and thought I would go mad without it but until I read your post I hadn't thought about it.....weird huh? You will do great!! Good Luck

OMG!! I was having the exact same thought! I suffered caffeine withdrawals last summer, accidentally. It was pure hell. When I realized what I had unintentionally done to myself, I sucked down the strongest diet coke I could find. I had planned to switch to tea after being banded may 9th. Funny thing is, I haven't had any caffeine in almost two weeks and I hadn't thought a thing about it! Definitely weird!

Thank you guys so much. I will definitely try to slow down my eating. I never realized food could taste so nasty until I started chewing it to liquid consistency. Ugh!

Scarfing my food has always been a bad habit. I've gotten so much better, but sometimes I swallow and realize, oops, I didn't chew that bite enough. I guess I have to be a little more disciplined with eat morsel until chewing to smitherines becomes habit.

I will take all advice into account and will post an update when I've conquered this! I'm so glad to know that my surgeon didn't accidentally suture my stomach to spine, because that sure is what the pain felt like! Thanks, again!

I have been on mushies for 5 days. Sometimes when I'm eating, I start to feel a pain in my chest that extends on to (and seemingly through) my back. It's like something piercing straight through me. What the heck is going on. I don't know if I'm eating too fast or getting too full or what. But why does it hurt the worst in my back? Has anyone heard of or experienced this? :wink2:

In Froggi's defense, the original poster did ask for encouragement because she is feeling discouraged. I think that we should try to help when one is in the dumps and asks for a lift. If we are sharing our own negative experience without helping the cause, then we should ask ourselves why we are posting.

Atallen06, you should be glad to be where you are! Seriously! I've had the "liquids in/liquids out" problem for the last 7 days. I'm soooooo over it!

What kind of diet are you on since surgery? The bloating will be helped if you take gas x - either strips or chewables. It takes a couple of weeks for the body to absorb all the gas they put into us.

I hope all is well for you and that you remember - you will lose the weight! Things like gaining right now are normal!

Barbara

Barbara, I was on clear liquids for two days. Then full liquids for the next 7 days. I am now on mushies for two weeks. I've been eating refried Beans, oatmeal, and Protein Shakes.

My bloated feeling, I think, comes from my Constipation. I did have a problem with gas and bloating the first week, but, thankfully, that has gone away. Thank you GasX!

I am doing well, now that I've started mushies. I thought I was going to eat my arm off last week! I am anxiously awaiting some weight loss action, though! I'm trying to be patient (but it is not my virtue!)

Thanks

you can have your lips sewn shut,

You caught me off guard with that one, Hastings! I have just blown slimfast out my nose! Thanks! :confused_smile:

.

And atallen06, I think Jachut was referring to those foods that I consider totally safe! Ones that won't get stuck, ones that won't have big pieces that can slip down into the pouch unexpectedly before you have a chance to chew them up--nice "Slider" foods like yogurt and cheese and a whipped up tuna salad! :confused_smile:

Thank you!

Because I can guarantee if a food really appeals to me, its because its a slider food that I can eat easily - and lots of HEALTHY foods fit into this category - like yogurt, cheese and crackers, etc.

When I do this, it makes a remarkable difference to my hunger levels.

What's a slider food?

I am staying on plan today because....I am determined to let the skinny bust loose! And because I am too early in this journey to be starting bad habits and taking detours.

I was banded on May 9th. I, too, have gained a couple pounds (and I am NOT pleased!) I have not been doing any exercise, so I would be inclined to say that yours may very well be muscle gain. I, on the other hand, have been feeling bloated and haven't had a movement in about 18 days. I don't know what is taking place inside right now, but I do know that this weight WILL come off, and I will be fit and oh so sexy! And so will YOU!

Hopefully, others will post to reassure us that we are not abnormal! :biggrin2:

My best friend and I were both banded on May 9th by Dr. Avara in Ocean Springs, MS! We are from Gulfport. All has been well, so far. Just awaiting the 6 week checkup/fill and getting used to a new way of eating. We've just started mushies and Frijoles and Tamale pies from Taco Sombrero on HWY 49N have become our staple.

How is everyone's journey?

I am a little over a week post-op (5/9). Feeling fabulous! For me finding the satisfied/full feeling, I have to eat really slow and savor every bite. Doing this I recognize when I am satisfied. I haven't even been eating my 1/2 cup of food. I am hungry between meals some but I drink a little Protein drink and I am good. I don't know that I have a lot of restriction...I guess I am scared to push it. So far loving my Realize band! Good luck to everyone.

Ditto for me! I did push it once, however! I let myself get to the point of starvation and wolfed my food down. Soon after, I thought I was having a heart attack. Learned my lesson. I now eat veeerrrry slowly!

I also haven't had a "movement" since the day before I started my preop diet. Now that I count, it's been 18 days!:confused_smile:

For my family, the difference for us is whether or not we eat out. If I cook at home, it is definitely more costly to cook healthy meals than the cheaper meat and potato or Pasta dishes. But, even those costly healthy meals are MUCH cheaper than our monthly food bill for those months that we eat out several times a week (and unfortunately, that has been a norm for us for quite some time.) Since school will be out this week, I'll be a cooking fool. Guess I can put that money away for a new back to school wardrobe!!:confused_smile:

Does your nutritionist deal mostly with gastric bypass patients because those are the guidelines that they have to follow. My doc only works with lap-banders and says that 1/2 cup to 3/4 of a cup is good. Once filled like I mentioned I only ate 1 cup.

Hmmm, maybe that's it. I know my surgeon performs both surgeries, and the literature that they give patients is the same regardless of which surgery you choose. As a matter of fact, I can't recall whether or not my nutritionist asked me which surgery I was having. She could very well have known from my chart, though.

I can definitely eat about 3/4 to 1 cup of food right now. I haven't tried to eat more. That is just the amount that I allow myself since I reached the point of satisfaction my first time with mushies.

What did your nutritionist say? That was the advice that mine gave me.

Well, I met my nutritionist once, and she gave me a "manual" on food guidelines and went over the allowable foods. I've received a total of three packets of information large enough to fill a binder. Most of the info is repetitive, and a little bit is conflicting.

I didn't ask about frequency of eating, but information from the nutritionist says eat three small meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner (2 oz. at a time) and 3 Protein supplements between meals. I wrongly assumed that I would have some restriction from just the band itself and all would be good. I didn't realize there was this "bandster hell" until recently.

I have been sticking to the 3 meals a day. But 2oz? That is a joke!

Don't worry about portions. Just keep eating the right foods until you are not hungry. If that means you eat 15 times per day, the so be it.

Well, I guess that may be one of my problems. I've been trying not to graze. Yesterday I had oatmeal for Breakfast. I didn't eat again until several hours later. By then I was so starved that I ate too fast and ended up in pain. I guess I've got so much info, rules, and guidelines floating around in my mind that I'm sometimes being too careful. :leaving:

Wow Salsa, you never felt hungry! I think that is amazing. I can already say that I haven't had the same pleasure, even this early on. I think that if hunger weren't an issue for me, then I would be okay during this time period. I guess that's were my questions stemmed from.

I started feeling severe hunger pains after my 4th day post op. Being limited to only liquids was pretty awful. Even with getting in all my Protein Shakes, I literally felt my stomach growl most of the day. If I hadn't been so hungry, I really think I would have been okay for the most part. Now that I have started mushies, I feel so much better. Currently I am cooking cheeseburgers and fries for my family and I don't have a problem not eating any, because I am not hungry and I know that when I'm ready to eat I can have something satisfying.

I agree with the pride in being able to put mind over matter. But when my stomach is growling so hard it hurts, my mind isn't even part of the battle!:leaving:

I know the answers will vary. But I'm quite curious...How long after surgery did you realize you had no restriction and could eat as you did before surgery? How did you know (where you hungry as a wolf, never full, etc)? How where you able to continue losing or keep from gaining?

I'm asking because I want to be mentally prepared. My doc prescribed Phentermine before surgery. If I have to take it before I get my first fill, I won't hesitate! It is definitely an appetite killer. Thanks

Morning Everyone,

I'm having a bit of a problem with my post surgery diet. I was banded 5/1 and had my first fill on 6/1. When I had my first fill they told me to pretty much stick to a low carb diet. I know I can loose weight with that but I had real trouble sticking to that before surgery. I do fine for a couple of weeks then it's all over. Not sure that's a model diet for the rest of my life. Don't think I've lost much weight since my fill. My doc put 2cc in my 4 cc band. I have'nt been keeping a journal to this point. Do you guys keep a journal? Exactly what are you all eating for your meals. I use to do well keeping track of points with Weight Watchers. Wonder if thats an option now. With that you can eat just about anything as long as you count points.

Just not sure what to do at this point. Any information would be greatly appreciated. I'm 20lbs less than I was on 5/1. That's not bad but nothing in the past 2 weeks.

Abby

Hi Abby,

Just inserting my 2 cents here. I am by no means an expert, given that I am only a few days off the surgical table, but...I think that the "low carb" they probably meant was perhaps, low "bad carbs" and not strict, Atkins type of carb restriction. You know..get in all your Protein. When you eat, start with Protein, then veggies, and so forth. I think you will be fine tracking WW points. Just make sure you get that protein in. I'm thinking about pulling out my WW stuff and trying to eat on the core plan. I figure that since I have about five weeks or so before my first fill, I'd better do something to keep the weight loss going. Congrats on the 20 pounds!