2muchfun

I had no preop diet. I lost 12 lbs the first two weeks and then nothing for the next 3.5 months. Most of the weight we lose initially is mostly fluids our fat cells retain. So, even the 6 lbs you lost since surgery is mostly Water. It's possible to lose 10 lbs of "FAT" a month but you have to be a marathon runner or ride last place in the tour de france to accomplish a feat like that. Make no mistake about it, you want to lose fat but losing excess fluids is usually a good thing too. You're right where you should be. If you started out at 350, maybe not so much.

Most of us have these stuck episodes. I get them several times a week. Especially in the morning. They last about an hour for me and I know if I could just eat very very small bites and chew more with more time between bites I could eliminate most of the stuck episodes. Slowing down and learning how to eat like a Bandster has been one of the most difficult lessons to learn with the band. I'm getting better but I've been working on this for over a year. tmf

I had the same experience with my 5th fill. My band was so tight around my stomach that my stomach was pushing the plunger on the syringe back. It happens. He put about .5 ccs in my band and once again I felt a little more restriction. I went back one month later and he put another .25 ccs in and I was in the green zone

Better call your doctor? You are either too tight or you've eaten something that is too big to pass through the stoma. If this just happened and has only been an hour or so, it should pass on it's own. But if this has been going on for a day or more, you really need to go to your doctor or ER. Most food will disintegrate in your pouch from stomach acids but if you swallowed a cherry pit for example, it may take days and that's just too long. You could also have a stomach bug that has caused the stomach lining to swell from blood rushing in to battle the bug. Or, you're swollen due to TOM or too much sodium in your diet? No matter, call your doctor.

Diets are temporary. The Lapband is permanent and requires a change in your lifestyle. Unfortunately, it's difficult to understand this concept until you've been banded.

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't recommend the band to a vegan. Hard proteins like fish, chicken and red meats give us the satiety we need to be successful. I'm sure there are some who have been successful but I would think the % goes down for those who don't eat meat.

A visit with your nutritionist could yield some great insights and results. If your band were adjusted properly you wouldn't be able to scarf food but you'd definitely have to pay much closer attention to how you're eating. imo, if you do continue this pattern, eventually it could catch up to you. Talk to your Doc and your nut. tmf

http://5daypouchtest.com/

I loved bananas in my protein shakes. You can eat whatever you want. That's the beauty of the band. Some folks may find bananas difficult for their band but I'm not one of them.

Sometimes we feel nausea after a fill due to lack of solid food. If your doctor allows it, drink a protein shake to ward off that hunger/nausea feeling.

I didn't understand the difference for the first 4 months and 3 fills. It still took 6 fills to finally feel satisfied. I don't think anyone can answer your question with any certainty. It's going to be different for each of us. For me, I try to sit down with less food and when I'm done, I take my plate to the kitchen and I can tell then if I'm still hungry. But being able to tell the difference between hunger and craving is the hard one.

IMO-The band is a tool to use in conjunction with a healthy low calorie diet. During the losing phase of your journey, it's important to know the calories going in and the calories being burned. The band helps us to lose weight by mitigating our appetites which allows us to avoid those binges and eat sensibly 3 times a day. Without the band, I'm sure I'd consume more calories than I burn. Do the math and you should be able to drop more weight. Not that 40 lbs is anything to sneeze at. If you can drop 25 lbs year, you can be at your goal in 3. tmf

There are several forum members who have experienced fluoroscopoy fills first. I wasn't lucky enough or smart enough to even know they existed and had to go back 6 times to finally find the zone. For many of us, it takes quite a while to learn how to eat properly and taking several fills educates us on how to eat slow and chew a lot. Still, I'd rather go for the right fill the first time. tmf

BMI is based on height and weight. So many people are hung up on their height? Make sure your height is accurate. Even if you were 1/2 in. shorter your BMI would be higher and you may qualify? I like to say I'm 5' 6" but I'm really 5' 5.5"

The only plication I've seen or heard of is on the forum and it's banded with plication. See Carolinagirl.

My doc and nut both say in moderation. If it feels uncomfortable, don't do it. So, I have a beer or two a week now.

Went to Red Lodge Montana July 25th-29th and had the same problem. Went out for Bfast with some friends at the local diner and got stuck in 2 bites. No one knew about my surgery so it was rather embarrassing to just sit there with this huge omelet I'd never eat. It continued throughout out stay but mostly mornings and noon. Nights were OK but I had to really eat small and chew a lot.

I never felt anything from my fills until I started eating normal foods and then it was just more restriction. I haven't heard of anyone else being cranky over a fill?

You're only into this for one week? The first 30 days are a time for healing and if you just happen to lose weight that's a bonus. The band won't work it's magic until you begin to receive adjustments to the band. And even after the band is adjusted properly you will see minor one week plateaus or even month long plateaus. Losing fat is simply burning 3500 calories more than you consume. That equals one lb of fat. But our bodies are not made solely of fat. You have muscle and fluids that make up much of your weight and adding or subtracting those bodily items will make your journey a roller coaster. So, relax, follow your doctors rules and enjoy the ride. BTW-I'm surprised your doc is giving you a fill so soon? Maybe it's just a post op visit? Most of us waited 30-90 days for our first. tmf

So I'm sorry to be too graphic here but remember, someone filled your body cavity full of gas, they pumped fluids, medications, antibiotics and anesthesia into your body. They punched 5 holes in your abdomen, moved all your inner body parts around, shoved a tube down your throat, took an electric scalpel and burned away excess fat and tissue wrapped around your upper stomach, then wrapped a plastic strap around your stomach just below the lower esophogeal sphincter, stitched it in place with 5-6 sutures bringing your lower stomach up and over the band and then snaked a tube out of your body and then sewed another plastic piece to the muscle tissue on your rib cage. The stomach and pouch need time to heal(swollen from trauma) and running solid foods through them could cause long term damage resulting in failure to succeed with the band. tmf

This could be painful, but start with eliminating all foods in your house that are triggers for snacking and/or poor food choices. Don't buy them again. Go to the store and load up on healthy food choices like spinach, zucchini, salad makings, squash, broccoli etc.

"we are suppose to be keeping our metabolism going constantly" Not all nutritionists subscribe to this method. My nut certainly didn't advise this way. Keeping our metabolism going by eating more food seems to be counter-productive? Keeping our metabolism going with activity makes more sense. I still have a snack around the 2-3 hour mark but not to keep my metabolism going. I just feel like I need it and I keep it low-cal and healthy. Like Noel, I prefer to not have my band so tight I can't eat regularly. BTW-Most of the docs who advise to eat every 2-3 hours are selling books. Most bariatric docs I've read state you should eat when hungry. tmf

For me, I had to keep getting fills(6) until I felt I couldn't handle any more without being too tight/restricted. At 6 I was getting stuck often but I was never hungry. So, after 3 months of this I decided I was too tight so I got an adjustment of .5 less saline. I felt satisfied but not for as long. The Holidays were coming up so I opted to wait it out and didn't lose any weight for 6 months. So, I got a fill 2 months ago and now I'm back in the green zone. My mistake of taking saline out cost me at least 6 months in my journey. What I thought was too tight was just me not eating small enough and chewing enough. I hope I learned my lesson. Eating properly has been the most difficult part of this journey. tmf

For me, the whole reason why this band works is I don't have to feel deprived. Diets don't work for me because of the discomfort of being hungry all the time. I agree, a velvet demand is in order.tmf

Depends on how tall you are?