2muchfun

What about fills? Are you in the green zone? Do you have any restriction? Are you counting calories? Are you getting smaller in inches? Maybe replacing fat with muscle? Weight before surgery and now?

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All previous comments are great, but, one of the most difficult issues with the band is, are you really hungry or is your mind telling you to continue to eat because you love the taste of food? Learning the difference between true hunger and a simple craving or conditioned habit can take months or even years to discern. It's still a struggle for me but I'm getting there. There are signals we get when we're no longer hungry. Burps, yawns, runny nose are a few of them. I like to stop eating and just sit back for a couple of minutes to listen to my stomach and see if it's telling me more food or is it my mind saying, this stuff is good, keep going? If it's the latter, it's time to stop and I'm the only one who can pull that trigger. "When a craving doesn't come from hunger, eating will never satisfy it"...Dr. Michelle May tmf

I see you're a nurse? My doc did the same with the first two fills and then only about .5 CCs after that. It took me 6 fills to find the green zone and he was only giving .25 CCs the last two. So, my doc likes to sneak up on the restriction. This was good for me as it allowed me to get used to the eating small, chewing big slowly routine. Some people like that HUDGIE guy got restriction right away and didn't understand how to eat like a bandster. Just be very careful to eat small bites, chew to mush, take your time and be wary of leftover meats. The dryness will stick in your pouch and cause a stuck episode. Stuck episodes aren't all that bad unless you chew a one inch piece of beef right after a fill. Then you deserve to get stuck. Sounds like you're off to a fabulous start! tmf

Go to this link and the story is there. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/168075-got-stuck/#entry1974516

ooooo! I wanna hear the whole story? Surgical, as in they cut you? Usually they can go down your throat and pull it out? Or, deflate the band completely? What the H*** did you eat to get stuck so bad. OK, never mind. I found your post from two days ago. Learning to eat with this band is one of the biggest challenges you will face. Someone mentioned mush to you. Take it to heart. food must be a mush or soupy before you should swallow it or you could face, literally, the long tube of extraction.

Seepage is normal after a surgery like this. If you feel like the incision sites are compromised you should call your doctor.

Welcome back to bandsterville. Don't be afraid to ask questions even though you're an oldtimer by your surgery date. Contrary to what some may tell you, there is such a thing as asking a stupid question! For instance: Why can't I eat candy? That's a stupid question! Duh! Is it OK to stick my finger down my throat and make myself throw-up? That's easy, no, it can cause your band to slip so it's a stupid question! Is it OK to guzzle an entire 2 litre bottle of coke? No, it's not OK. The bubbles will make your pouch explode( ).jk So now you know some of the stupid questions not to ask and any other questions are OK Welcome again and let's get readddddyyyyy to RUMMMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLE! TMF

Dr. O'Brien says that you shouldn't eat unless you're hungry. Your body will tell you when it wants more food. Now is a good time to start to get in touch with your body and ignore the silly mind cravings. tmf

Mine was the larger incision site just below my left manboob tmf

If you have them, make sure they're extra runny. No solid beans por favor!

Your doc will put you on a 2 week pre surgery diet to shrink your liver. If you can't control yourself during that time, odds are, he/she won't operate.

Tillquist has been around a long time. I think you made a good choice. I doubt he'll run you around and will give you great care.

Your doc will make that determination. Who is your doc in Denver? Mine is Frank Chae.

It's like being pinched by your baby sister.

You're right, it is crazy. You can still eat the foods you love, only you won't be able to eat them by the wheelbarrow anymore. No one can take the spoon out of your hand but you. Most all of us had some kind of attach before being banded but 15 lbs could make your doc cancel your surgery if you can't get yourself under control by June.

I hear ya! Sometimes I just sit back and say screw it. I'm too tired to eat any longer. Never thought eating so slowly would be a weight loss bonus

I don't recommend my way, but here's what I did. The band seemed to make me eat less from the start, but I could still eat far too much. I just noticed that I was feeling full** quicker with less food. But not enough to lose fat. So, I started eating healthy foods. Fish, chicken, salads, veggies. Diets suck and the reason I failed on diets was because they made me feel deprived and uncomfortable. So, I ate more food during BH but I ate more healthy foods. I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks post surgery and did not lose or gain any weight for the next 3.5 months. Then, my 4th fill took me right up to the green zone and then I started losing. I know that's a long time to wait to see results and I wasn't very happy about it, but it's now in the past and I learned from my BH experience. tmf **Full is the operative word here. Early in my journey, I didn't know the difference between full and satisfied. I now know the difference and I can stop eating when I'm no longer hungry. I don't have to eat and push myself till my stomach feels like it's bloated. It took me about 10 months to figure this one out.

If you've increased your weight lifting program, you're probably replacing lost fat with muscle so you won't see the results on the scale but should see it in less body inches and looser fitting clothes. Click on this link to better understand how this works?

Do not go into this thinking that the band will help or make you lose weight. You're the general in charge of your band. It won't do anything unless you use it as it's intended. Many people here have lost hundreds of lbs. Floridays above lost 224. There are before and after pics on the forum where people look like they were never fat. There are many uncomforable days for many of us on this journey. Stuck episodes, Bandster Hell, short term liquid and mushie diets, inadequate fills, overfills and the list goes on. But, for most of us, it's worth it to be healthy. tmf

No it's not. You can enjoy food, only enjoy it in much more moderation.

Your stomach is just another muscle that is susceptible to swelling just like the rest of your body. Think about the lapband as if it were a ring around your finger? If your body(finger) swells due to TOM, sodium, alcohol, carbs(complex and simple), stress and anxiety, so can the gastric lining of your stomach. This can be the perfect time of year for most all of the swelling reasons previously mentioned. The lining of your stomach can swell making the stoma a very small opening for solids to pass through.

No need to go on any diet at this point. It is important to keep your caloric intake as low as you can handle until you're out of bandster hell. But, you may not be eating properly. No offense, but it sounds like you don't understand how this whole thing works? Here is a link to a series of videos that may educate you on how you should be eating to receive the magic the band can offer. http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/166857-the-eight-golden-rules-lap-band-videos-by-dr-paul-obrien/page__hl__alex#entry1962873

I was banded 11/28/11 and no one ever mentioned plication to me. Had I known, I may have opted for band w/plication too. Research the pros and cons before you decide?

I try to stick to paleo as much as possible. It works fine for me.