2muchfun

Let's look at the reasoning behind the no fluids during a meal. I don't pretend to be a scientist or doctor but this is what I've read: As you eat, food fills your pouch and is massaged through your stoma in about 1 minute. Sometimes faster and sometimes slower depending on the type of food. Slider foods go through in seconds. There are nerve endings near the top of your stomach/pouch. Food touching this area activates some kind of response to your brain that you are no longer hungry after so many bites of food. I'm sure it takes longer for some of us. If you are aiding your food to slide through the stoma, you may be cheating your pouch from sending that all important signal to your brain that you are no longer hungry. Some new studies have shown that it's OK to sip Water 1 minute after you swallow your last bite of food. I've tried this but I have to admit I'm a failure since I can't seem to wait 1 minute and I also have a hard time sipping as others have testified. So, no fluids for me at the table. Satiety is the Holly Grail behind losing and keeping weight away. tmf

You may lose a few lbs once you find the green zone but it's usually the 4-8 lbs/mo that we always mention. For me, I started having stuck episodes in my 3rd fill. But, I would get stuck for 10 minutes and then be able to eat more than a cup of food and sometimes 2 cups(mostly I didn't). Then with fills 4 and 5 I got more and more restriction. Fill #6 got me to what I consider the green zone. It did take some time for me to creep up on the green zone and I think the doctors and nutritionists understand that we bandsters learn how to communicate with our band with each fill. I think it would be difficult for many of us to reach restriction/green zone with only one or two fills. The learning curve on what to eat and how to eat is much longer than 3 months, at least for me it was. Watch for stuck episodes and then try to learn how and why it happpened. Then make those corrections in your eating habits and keep getting fills till you feel like you are full or satiated with a cup of food. The operating word here is satiety, not restriction. Seek being satisfied with much less food. tmf

It can take 6 or more fills to find restriction. One fill does not guarantee the green zone. tmf

"You can't out-train a lousy diet" It's hard to give you advice with so little information? Have you had fills, do you have restriction, what do you eat, what do you do in the gym, bandster hell? tmf

I like your doctor's advice. I agree, one hour prior to eating is just way too long and unnecessary. Water just flows through the band and is out of the stomach in minutes. tmf

I have a treadmill and elliptical. Octane makes a very expensive and wonderful elliptical for around $3,000. I'm cheap so I bought an older used one for $900. I like it but the Octane I wanted seemed to fit so much better. I still use my elliptical in the winter. I did stop off at d**k's Sporting goods and there seem to be some very fine machines there for around $900. I also have a gym quality treadmill. It's a star-trac. I've had it for about 14 years and it really is a fine treadmill. I bought it new for $3000 and it was worth every penney. I've put many miles on that treadmill. There are so many places to look up reviews on these machines. Dicks, Sporting Authority, Amazon and several other independent sites offer great advice. Good Luck and I still think a treadmill offers more than an elliptical. tmf

99% of the time, a "stuck" episode will result in the pouch massaging a food blockage through the portal in 10-20 minutes. It's not a big deal unless it happens with most meals and then a small unfill usually remedies the problem. tmf

I think for all of us this would be so difficult to deal with. Sounds like you sincerly want to lose weight. I like my surgeon but I love my dietician/nutritionist. I think if I ever experience any problems I would seek her advice before my doctor's unless it might be surgically related. My nutritionist is a full time bariatrics nutritionist. She only works with bariatric docs and bariatric patients. Nutritionists are much less expensive to consult with than a doctor although it sounds like you could use a very competent and caring bariatrics doctor. I just don't know if they exist? Most docs I've spoken with want to keep their visits to 10-15 minutes where you can spend up to an hour with a nutritionist for $50. Each doctor is so wrapped up in his/her own practice that most will not take on a consultation type roll for a patient who had surgery elsewhere. I'm sure there may be one but where? I'm assuming you're relationship with your surgeon went South? You should try to see him or ask around about a bariatrics nutritionist. tmf

I drink coffee or latte most mornings but if i don't I do not see my band react differently. And I've been paying attention. tmf

First, I'd recommend you fill out your profile so we know if you're post or pre op? Portion size is very important to many bandsters. Especially in the first 6 weeks and thereafter until you get a fill that gives you restriction. Speaking for myself, I don't really worry about portion size. I seem to get full after eating 4 oz of meat and whatever veggies or salad I make. I guess I could continue to eat but I'm satiated before I get to that point. And, I prepare less food now than before. It all comes with experience and familiarity with your band and your own needs. Over time we all create this relationship with our band and as one other bandster put it, it's a love/hate relationship for most of us. Usually for dinner I eat about 350-500 calories. I choose low fat meats and eat virtually no fat salads and veggies. I might be able to lose more weight quicker if I cut back my intake but I don't like to deprive myself and I'm losing weight my way. If I ate 1/2-1 cup of food per meal I would leave the table still hungry. I don't like that feeling so I choose to eat a little more but try to keep it nutritious. tmf

I don't think every doctor treats every patient the same. They may have a basic protocol but they may tweak it depending on your psychological profile, how much weight you need to lose and most of all, they've seen the inside of your body and have great insight as to how much time it will take for you to heal. Every patient is different and you cannot compare yourself to any other patient. Even 6 months after surgery, do not compare. It's just not possible. tmf

One more thing Katie? I think a lot of us, including me, believed the post-op diet was required to lose weight. It's far from that. It's what I posted earlier. It's given to you so that you can heal and prepares you for the next phase of this journey. I think that quite often the seminars, nutritional counseling and even doctors glaze over this stage of the experience. I know I hardly remember anyone giving me instructions for post surgery but I'm sure they did. By the time we get to this stage we're so overwhelmed with information and so excited to get this damn weight loss project underway, we simply can't absorb more information. You'll do fine, just fill up on liquids as much as you can. I doubt you've done any damage but do not, I mean it, do not eat anything solid like meat. K? tmf

Of course it can hurt you. The doctor gave you eating instructions for a reason. Your band is sewn into the side of your stomach and eating solids or semi solids so soon could jeopardize the sutures. It's not so much that it will stretch your pouch, it's that your pouch is still in the developing stage and if you push it too hard you can damage your sutures. BTW-It's not important to lose weight in this phase of your surgery. The most important thing for you to do is allow your stomach and band to become one but that may be difficult if you don't control your food choices. Follow your doctors orders. It may be painful but why jeopardize all you've gone through for a quick food fix. tmf

They make those slim bagels with about 100 calories and I can eat those. I like them with a lower fat cream cheese and smoked salmon. Great breakfast food. I can eat them but I still choose to eat slowly and take very small bites. tmf

My wife, who is not banded and is only 15 lbs overweight now, went on this cleansing diet where she at only organic veggies and fruit for a week, lost 7 lbs. Only meat was salmon once and halibut once. I eat 3 main meals and 2 small Snacks a day. tmf

Oh Yeah! You are in "Bandster Hell". Doctors do not put much saline in your band because they sew the band into the surface of your stomach. They do not want your stitches to come out and if you get some food stuck and have a vomiting spell you could tear those sutures away. The portal between the pouch and stomach is large at this point. One of our bandsters, and I try to give him credit when I can(B-52), has a saying for this phase of your journey. "Until there's restriction, it's just another diet"! This is where you are and will be till you get that one fill that allows you to feel that first stuck episode. Or at least feel like you are much fuller than before. Almost every one of us have gone through this phase. tmf

On the right side of this page are "recent magazine articles". Jean McMillan wrote a book all bandsters should read. Don't expect to lose a lot of weight the first 6 weeks or until you get a fill that gives you restriction. And search for bandster hell in these forums so you won't be surprised when it happens. tmf

I went to see my son at his work and he didn't recongnize me at first. Even though it's only been about 10 days since he last saw me. He said he recognized my biking shirt but didn't realize it was me. Woo Hoo! tmf

PBing is when you regurgitate some food or slime that has collected in your pouch or esophogus. It helps when you are in a stuck episode. Sorry Cherry but I'm no help other than regurgitating lapband terms. tmf

I think most of us can eat as much as we want. But, the trick is to listen to your stomach/body for those signals of satiety. Are you continuing to eat because you love the taste of the food or do you want to have that feeling of being full. Sounds like how I was before surgery. I can do the same as you but so far I've learned that I'm no longer hungry after sitting there for 30 minutes slowly chewing my food. So I stop. But I also get stuck with some foods and after 10-15 minutes the episode passes and I can continue to eat. And I can eat and eat if I pushed myself, but I don't now. You may need a fill but you should try to listen to those satiety signals? They've got to be there? tmf

Lots of good advice here. It will be difficult to find someone. I know of only one doc here in Denver who will do fills for patients with no doctor. Go to the top of this page and click on surgeons. There are 11 in the Phoenix area. You might find one you weren't aware of? Good luck and don't limit yourself to just phoenix. You may have to travel to Denver, Dallas or LA? tmf

Oh, I still do. But then I don't eat it all much of the time. I just wrap it up and put it in the fridge. In time I've curbed the size of my meals back but I still suffer from the same syndrome. In fact, I delayed my band just out of fear of not being able to eat as much as I wanted to eat. Now, it's not a big deal. If you're a new bandster, give it time. I'm still fairly new, about 8 months out and I'm still learning how to do this. tmf

FYI-Go to the forums tab at the top of this page. Almost anything you want to know about the band is in there someplace. tmf

Happy dance time. You officially have restriction. It may not be perfect yet but it gives you something to work with and tweak. tmf

I would highly recommend you follow the doctors rules. Your band is sewn into the side of your stomach and eating solids at this point could make the stitches separate and cause your band to slip. If you do fall off the wagon, do not eat meat. Maybe a corn tortilla with some cheese on some refried Beans? I'm not saying do this, but this is what is called a slider food. Take very small bites and chew, chew, chew. But once again, don't do it. tmf