2muchfun

No, not one single bandster has ever broken the eating rules. You would be the first. tmf

I apologize in advance for copying my post from an earlier topic identical to this one: Oh yeah! You're in "Bandster Hell". I'm not sure how I got through this phase without gaining weight. I think the band gave me enough restriction to eat less and that's all it took. But it really sucked! I was in BH for 3.5 months and bitched about it to my poor wife every day. My first 2 fills did nothing for me. Finally fill #3 gave me some restriction and I began to understand how to eat and how to communicate with my band. And I think the first 2 months of BH were the worst. I seemed to be hungry all the time. I work from home so I grazed constantly. But I did like some other bandster recommended and I had rid my house of evil foods. No chips, sweets etc. I ate nutritious foods while in BH. Salads, chicken, fish, etc. So, I was on a diet once again but I never really suffered and for some reason didn't miss the chicken fried steaks. Yeah, it's normal but it's only temporary. There's a learning curve with the band. You need to learn how to eat, what to eat and how long to eat and it doesn't come naturally. Bandster Hell is a good thing I now know. It taught me how to be patient and will teach you the same. Like Elcee said, this is a time for healing, don't fret weight loss at this point. BTW-Your doctor may have only put 1-2 CCs of saline in your band. Therefore you have no restriction because the band is sewed into the side of your stomach and that needs to heal. It's not really loose on your stomach but it's not squeezing just yet. You're pretty much right where you were before surgery. And it will stay like this until you get the fill that gives you some restriction. But don't eat big solid food yet. You don't want to mess up the artwork of your surgeon. Don't whine and complain because all of us bandsters had to go through the same thing. It sucks, but it's worth it in about 6 months. tmf

That would be a great topic for the weekend eh? tmf

So, eat more food this weekend. Only eat nutritious foods. Fool your body into thinking it needs to increase your metabolism because you're no longer starving. Do not eat a lot or very few carbs. Eat a bigger salad with shrimp or chicken on it. Buy egg beaters southwestern or regular egg sub and make an omelette with low fat cheese, veggies and maybe sprinkle some turkey sausage on it. Or, scramble some up and make a breakfast burrito. Sounds like your lunch and dinner choices are fine but maybe eat more of it if you can? I like to cook up a batch of low fat beef hamburger(96% fat free). Then I make a taco salad with it. Or, throw it in a low carb soft taco shell w/low fat cheese and salsa. I even cooked up some spaghetti squash and sprinkled meat on it with a splash of "I can't believe it's not butter". Add some parmesan cheese and it's delish. Just two days. Then hit it hard come Monday. And find a way to exercise. I know it's hard to find time but it's going to make a diff. tmf

First, you're eating icky food. imo I eat normal food like omelettes for Breakfast, tuna, chicken salad for lunch and pretty much anything for dinner. I just eal a lot less of it. But that's just me. I hate that greek yogurt crap and dislike protien shakes too. If you feel like you're being deprived, you may want to change the food choices up some? If not, carry on. But don't eat the same stuff every day. Some days you may want to eat 1200 calories so your body isn't in a starvation mode? You said nothing about exercise? If you do, mix it up too. I see you're just under 2 months post op? Relax, I went 3.5 months after surgery and lost 0 lbs. If you are not feeling any restriction and you're not in the green zone, you may just go sideways for a while. Happens to most all of us at some point in time and especially post surgery. tmf

Good advice. But I think the first time I really thought I might have restriction was over a Mickie D's cheeseburger. I got stuck on the bun and had to peel it off. Oh, I have fond memories of finally realizing this band thing might work? But, I agree. Better to find out you're having a stuck episode on an apple or carrot in your own home. Don't be bad like me! tmf

Make sure you go back and look at everything the Dr and nutritionist recommended? I've found twice now that when I start cutting corners, taking the easy way, I stop losing weight. Exercise, not drinking while eating, slowly chewing, making good food choices, keeping evil foods out of the house, listening to my band/stomach are essential to consistently losing weight. And please don't die! If you do, don't come back here and tell everyone as we already have too many scaredy cats on the boards tmf

Oh yeah! You're in "Bandster Hell". I'm not sure how I got through this phase without gaining weight. I think the band gave me enough restriction to eat less and that's all it took. But it really sucked! I was in BH for 3.5 months and bitched about it to my poor wife every day. My first 2 fills did nothing for me. Finally fill #3 gave me some restriction and I began to understand how to eat and how to communicate with my band. And I think the first 2 months of BH were the worst. I seemed to be hungry all the time. I work from home so I grazed constantly. But I did like some other bandster recommended and I had rid my house of evil foods. No chips, sweets etc. I ate nutritious foods while in BH. Salads, chicken, fish, etc. So, I was on a diet once again but I never really suffered and for some reason didn't miss the chicken fried steaks. Occasionally I would stop by a taco bell. That was my thing. I'd get one green bean burrito and one with meat in it. I could never do that now. OMG, I'd be sliming and gagging like a cat hacking up a furball. Yeah, it's normal but it's only temporary. There's a learning curve with the band. You need to learn how to eat, what to eat and how long to eat and it doesn't come naturally. Bandster Hell is a good thing I now know. It taught me how to be patient and will teach you the same. tmf

Hmmm? I'm not very good with this encouragement crap. OK, here's the hard truth. Almost every bandster has been where you are and almost every one of them made it through. Oh, we all bitched and moaned to our spouses and relatives but in time it all passes. Some of us filled up on salads, chicken, fish etc. We have this one bandster, B-52, and he always says this: "Until there's restriction, it's just another diet!!" This is so true. So, do your best, you'll gain and lose some weight until you get a fill that gives you restriction. This is just a blip in your marathon journey so don't sweat it and don't be so hard on yourself. It's normal what you are going through. It's too bad we didn't listen during the seminars, nutrition classes etc or we would have been prepared for this. I know I didn't and I was not happy that I didn't start losing 10 lbs every month. But, now I'm losing 5-6 lbs a month and that's just fine. Believe me, in 6 months you'll look back at this and realize that this bandster hell stuff is necessary. You're a newborn and you need to learn to crawl before you can walk. There's a big learning curve with the band and you're still in kindergarten. tmf

Sliming, yeah. It's normal and most every bandster has and is experiencing it. You need to slow down, chew a lot, and eat band friendly foods. But, it really varies what we all can eat. Some foods that affect others don't affect me. Bread, dry meats, carrots, tortillas, fruit skins, etc can get stuck. You should be doing the happy dance? As soon as you figure out how to eat enough food and how to slow down and let it pass through, you may be in the green zone. Lucky you! tmf

This is normal but you must follow your doctor's guidelines. No ifs ands or buts. Call your Dr's office and request some kind of relief. If they approve, go for it. Otherwise, suck it up. tmf

Honk is right and I'd add I felt the same way about my 5th fill and went back for #6 but then had to go back and take some out. I think I could have been fine with #5 if I would have known what I know now. Did that make sense?? Anyway, give it a few weeks before you go back but if you do go back for a fill, make it a small one. Once you get to this point just a little fill of .1-.3 can cause toomuch restriction. tmf

I too do not respond to Tylenol. Cindy's Mom pointed out to me that I shouldn't be using ibuprofen so I checked with my doc and dietician. Nope, can't use it. Sounds like you know what to expect. That's half the battle, knowing what to expect. tmf

My two goals were 50 and then 25 more. I get it. I told myself that if this band can get me down to 175, it will have been worth it. I'm 8 lbs away from my first goal. tmf

100 calories a day? That sounds a little dangerous? Did you mean 1,000 calories a day? 100 would be like one large apple a day? tmf

Go here to see the entire article: food. Adjusting to a New Normal Since 1999, tens of thousands of people have used the Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program and/or read Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat, to resolve their difficult eating issues. There are often people in our workshops who have had also bariatric surgery. They explain that surgery did not fix their real problem and/or that they need additional skills to cope with their "new normal." Bariatric Surgery and Mindful Eating Mindfulness is beneficial because it teaches us to focus our attention and awareness on what is happening right now, which in turn, helps us disengage from habitual, unsatisfying, and unskillful habits and behaviors. Specifically, mindful eating skills help resolve the mindless habits and emotional eating issues that lead to problems after bariatric surgery: Eating too quickly Taking large bites Not chewing thoroughly Eating while distracted leading to overconsumption Not savoring food and therefore having difficulty feeling satisfied with small volumes of food Eating too much leading to vomiting and/or distention of the pouch Grazing throughout the day Eating "slider" foods and high-calorie soft foods and liquids, often in response to emotional triggers Not consuming enough Protein or nutrient-rich foods Feeling deprived or left-out in social situations Struggling to establish consistent physical activity Transfer addictions And many other issues... Further, most people who make the difficult decision to have bariatric surgery want to improve their health and energy so they can live the vibrant life they crave. Yet without the additional tool of mindful eating, bariatric surgery can feel like a permanent diet that continues to consume your life. One of the most meaningful changes that happens when you learn to eat mindfully (whether you've had surgery or not!) is that it allows you to think about eating when you need to and free up your energy and attention to focus on living in between. Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery For all these reasons we felt that it was time to create a mindful eating program especially for people who have had (or who are considering) bariatric surgery. We have a brand new Am I Hungry? Mindful Eating Program for Bariatric Surgery Workbook and Awareness Journal and supplemental Faciltiator Training. Michelle May, M.D. is the author Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat and the founder of www.AmIHungry.com.

Yes, you are overthinking this. My liquid diet post-fill was 48 hours. A fill will make your band squeeze your stomach more and can cause some inflammation. If you try to pass too much food through your stoma you could cause more inflammation and even create an ulcer. He's asking you to ease into your new stoma(portal) with caution. tmf

Friends and family. Gotta love em? When I stall or plateau I can always go back and trace why I'm not losing. And, it's always too much food for me. It was toomuchfood before surgery and still is. But, it's easier to manage now. I don't know what adipex is but trust your doctor. See a nutritionist if you can? They have a lot of insight into why we don't lose. tmf

This is a time for healing and not losing weight. You should not be worrying about weight loss for another 4 weeks. In the beginning 6 weeks, most of your weight loss will be loss of fluids and not fat loss. Oh, you may lose 4 lbs of fat if you diet heavily but don't expect a lot. Your weight will yo-yo up and down by 1-5 lbs every day depending on your food choices, medications and workout routines. You will have periods where you lose no weight for weeks on end and then suddenly you will lose 3 lbs. 4 days is nothing. This is a marathon not a 100 yd dash. Expect to lose 2-6 lbs a month once you get restriction. You need to burn 3500 more calories than you consume to lose 1 single lb. Do the math and you'll see that 2 lbs per week is going to be very difficult but possible. Good luck and follow your doctors orders. tmf

You should follow your own doctors orders. Speak to his/her nutritionist/dietician. Here's a link to another clinic's patient manual. Your doctor's manual may be different. http://www.peachtreebariatrics.com/docs/Gastric-Band-Patient-Manual.pdf tmf

The quick answer is that there is no such thing as normal when you speak of the band. Some lose nothing and others lose 40-50 lbs. It depends on how much you have to lose. The more you have to lose the more you will lose in the beginning. The weight you lose in the beginning 6 weeks is mostly Water and not fat, unless you have dieted to the extreme. Once you get to the point that you have lost most of your retained water, you should lose 2-6 lbs a month depending on how much you consume and how much you exercise. Expect your weight to yo-yo as it is now, always. Medications, carbs, sodium, menstrual cycles all can cause you to retain fluids and mess around with your daily weight loss. Don't get "weight loss" and "fat loss" confused. tmf

Your weight can vary 5-6 lbs a day depending on what you ate, when you weighed yourself? It's quite easy to gain 5 lbs just by eating too much sodium or carbs. Most of the initial weight you lose is just water. You'll really only lose 2-8 lbs of "fat" a month but you can lose or gain much more water weight in the initial phase. I'm no expert on female conditions but I also understand you can gain weight during your period? So, it's no big deal. You may lose that lbs of water over the next few days as long as you control your intake of carbs and sodium. tmf

Well, the band does not work for everyone but it sounds like you've given up already? If you can get your port problems under control I see no reason why you can't get back in the game? It sounds like it's worked for you before, why not again? You just have to want it badly enough. tmf

Eat more food. Get out of the starvation mode. Keep your body guessing what will happen next. It's fine to go a week at 800 calories but ramp it up to 1200-1400 a few days or a week. And do the same with your workouts. Mix it up. tmf