catfish87

I also had a hernia repaired and you sound just like I did 4 weeks ago! My bloated feeling went away around day 5 and my hunger slowly returned then. My doc okayed a stool softner daily and Miralax if needed, but I would get the go ahead from your doc or nutritionist to be on the safe side...like catfish said you do not want to be backed up! Congratulations on your surgery and every day you will feel more and more normal I promise!

I thought it was so weird how each band and person are so different. I have a friend that was banded 8 months before me. She met her green zone on the 3rd fill with only 4.5 cc and I went for 5 fills and have 7.5 before I hit mine. I was so discouraged when I wasn't losing like she did. But everyone is different and I was in Bandister Hell for like 4 months. It took a lot of will power. Good Luck and be patient.

My dr appt is tomorrow and we will schedule my surgery and all of my pre admission testing. It has been pure excitement up to this point, but now i am a bundle of nerves. i know everything will be fine and this is a great thing happening, but I am now nervous as hell...totally normal right?

I had trouble getting Water down then (still do, especially in the morning (8 days post op)). bread? ??

I totally agree! There are people who have had the band for years and never needed a fill because the band itself gave them enough restriction. There are also people who have had to have fill after unfill after fill to be successful. We are all on this journey to learn to be healthier and to learn to eat better FOR LIFE, but if it was that easy we would have never been over weight to begin with. Use the tool that was granted you by this drastic measure that was needed to be a healthier you. Don't suffer through feeling hungry all the time. I know that, even with the band, I have to learn when to stop, but in case I am having "one of those days" I know my band has my back and if it isn't adjusted correctly for me, then the surgery was for not. Be patient. You will get where you need to be successful. It is different for all of us, so we can't compare, but hearing other peoples experiences sometimes gives us another outlook and makes getting through the wait easier because we know there is hope. People have survived all scenarios and been successful! Good luck!

Hi all! I am at 7cc's in a 10cc band and have been since 07/12. It took me 9 months and 5 fills to get there, but I was consistantly losing along the way. In October 2012, at my one year, I got down to 191 (85lbs lost). Unfortunately, I haven't budged since then! I kicked up my work outs and am trying different foods, but I think it's time... I'm going to get a small fill today and see if it makes a difference. I've heard that as you lose your stuff shifts and shrinks, etc. It looks like that has happened and I need a little tightening. Hope this helps!

I'm drinking my cup of coffee, putting my kids on the bus then going for my 3 mile walk with my dog. After that its off to my support group. Have a great day!!

I got to a bmi of 21 - but my diet looks normal, I eat bread, rice, Pasta, sugar, everything in moderation. It's portion size that matters. I don't count,weigh or measure, just tried to restore food to its rightful place. I eat three meals no Snacks apart from an occasional glass of wine after dinner.
I do run 10km several times a week, do spin classes and strength training three times a week.
It took a bit over 2 years to lose about 100lb.
Sorry, it's not sexy, there's no magic trick nd it wasn't fast. But very doable and easy to maintain.

Visited hospital today and advised that I am classed as a success as I have lost 79% of my body weight with the band. Really delighted with my results so far started 361 lost 60 pre op diet now 196 still 26 pounds to initial target that I wanted to reach cant wait to see what I weight in 8 weeks at band anniversary. This is the best tool ever as long as you follow the guidelines and rules.

Thanks again everyone, you all have been wonderful! I am still not seeing the scale move, but I am still hopeful. I received another "mini" fill on Monday. I still can't feel much restriction, however I am still limiting my intake and drinking my 'melting juice' ---I will ust keep going!

Hi, I have had my band for 4 years, lost over 100 pounds and stayed at goal which helped me to have 2 babies so had total unfits then put some back on which is why I have rejoined the forum. My best piece of advice is to give yourself a year to be completely in tune with your band, I'm not really talking about weight loss as you will be losing loads of weight during this time. I mean learning what you can eat and how much, going through periods when your band is too tight/ not tight enough. Times when your weight plateaus, or losing really well and then suddenly nothing for no reason. Listening to other people's struggles or frustrations or comparing yourself to their journey. But please STICK WITH it. Alot of people say they don't like their band because they can't eat anything/certain things/ can still drink milkshakes/ have some reflux/ sometimes throw up ( and if of course there are some extreme cases of this) and say that people should not have to live like that. But if you play it right, be relaxed with it and listen to your body ( because it's your body and your band that make the rules, not what other people or even your doctor says you should or shouldn't be able to do) eventually you won't remember or know how to live any other way. You won't use food to make yourself happy an you will probably rather go for a Run than attemp to eat a whole family bag of chips. You will be able o go out with your friends for dinner and have a small amount of something you love, a glass of wine and maybe share a desser because you will have learnt to eat like a thin person. Good luck xx

It is the BEST thing I have ever done for myself! I can generally eat anything I want - but I am satisfied with much smaller portions. Because I don't make any foods "off limits", I never feel deprived.

I am very happy with my band and have had little to no complications. I have been banded since October 2010 and have been at or below goal since September 2012.I started this journey in a size 24 W(very tight) and I am now wear a size 2 or 4 skinny jeans. And yes I am really that skinny and no I do not have a lot of excess skin. I have a personal trainer that I have been working out with since March 2012 and with hard work he has helped me lose my last 30 lbs and drop from a size 12 to my current size. I have been on this site long before I had surgery and this is what I learned. The negativity has always been here but instead of getting worked up over the negative comments and all the issues I chose to watch and learn from others mistakes. This is what I learned when I was new to the forums, take what you want from the postings and leave the rest. Learn from both the successful people and the unsuccessful people. This is not a diet and you have to learn to eat healthy to be healthy. If you want to be skinny you have to think and eat like a skinny person. You have to make it a way of life and not just a vacation from the old life.
Why do I love my lap band:
LB has helped me accomplish what I could not with a diet.
LB has helped me improve my health, I no longer take 4 medications for my blood pressure or have difficulty with my asthma, have sleep apnea or joint pain so bad in my knees that I cried.
LB has allowed me to exercise.
LB has allowed me to have more energy to enjoy my grandchildren.
LB gave me back my life that I thought I would never get back.

Honestly I thought I would die just like my brother of a stroke due to my morbid obesity or I would have diabetes before I hit 60.
As i have stated before and many may not agree but I am an addict! I am a food addict, food was my drug of choice and my coping mechinism. I have been successful with lap band because I gave up my drug of choice and now make healthy choices. My behavior no longer controls me, I control my behavior and how I deal with stress and all issues that are placed before me. Food was not the enemy, I was.
So I encourage all of you to embrace the change and really look deep inside and figure out who is in control, YOU or FOOD!
I LovetheNewMe!

The lidocaine sucked!! the rest was easy!! and my Dr kept joking with me, so it helped calm me down!

to be a failure, you have to stop trying......so dont stop trying
eat better quality foods in your allotted amount, drink alot and the hardest thing, want it....no more reasons why you cant, only reasons you can
you got this

I am so very sorry you're struggling.
It sounds to be like quite possibly you weren't given the information you need before your surgery. It seems more often lately, I'm seeing doctors send patients in for the band without properly educating them. Really, it angers me, because then there's people with the band feeling bad and frustrated because no one bothered to explain it to them.
I think possibly the problem may be you're expecting the band to do things it's not supposed to do. As far as soda- it's not supposed to stop you from drinking it. It's your job to not drink it and the reason is because the carbonation can lead to slips. So, no more carbonation, regardless of whether you can physically drink it or not.
The band isn't supposed physically stop you from eating. It's not supposed to give you that full feeling either. In fact, if you're eating until you're full, you're likely over-eating. The band is supposed to keep satisfied on less food for longer periods of time. By doing so, and appeasing your hunger, you're not pre-occupied with food because you're not starving despite eating small amounts.
Please have a look at this link. It explains it all very well and I think it will really help you a lot: http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html
You're not a failure so please don't beat yourself up. You're only failure if you give up on yourself, and you obviously haven't or you wouldn't be here asking for advice. You just needed someone to give you some good, useful information on how to use the band inside you.
You can do this. Best wishes to you.

TOTALLY normal.
I was thinking of walking out of hospital while waiting for my surgery but didn't.
3 yrs later best decision
Good luck
Wendy

Did 45 min walk, 1.5 mile bike (which isn't alot but a start) and 30 min dancing just dance with the kids and it felt great. Was banded on 12/18. Had my first fill last week. And got the clear to workout. Just a start but better than nothing right?

My nutritionist has a band...she was banded in 2003..she is 10 years out, has had a child, is at goal weight and has had no problems. I hope to be just like her, minus the child, I already have 4!

Thanks everyone! It went great. There was no meet to be nervous at all. He didn't numb it and it was over in seconds. Monday I will be 6wks post op and down 28lbs. He gave me 1 1/2cc to get started.

Hopefully your doctor will have a pre op session on what you're supposed to eat both the days prior to surgery and then the month after. And give you a hand out to take home so you can look back at it.
My doctor required clears plus Protein Shakes made with just milk for 7 days. Yes I know most Protein shakes are not clear. The next 7 days were smooth Soups such as Tomato or squash plus protein shakes made with just milk. Week 1 of mushies was smooth yogurt, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese. I could also still have smooth Soup. Week 2 of mushies was soft protein like canned chicken or tuna which I mixed with low fat laughing cow cheese. I was then allowed to move to solids. In general my doctor frowns on processed carbs like Pasta or bread. And I don't really like rice.
By 3 months out I was eating regular solids. Personally I try to stay relatively low carb and low fat. I've never been a drinker so that's really not an issue for me. I live alone so there's no 1 else here to eat junk food so no reason for me to buy it.
I try to live by the 90/10 rule. Eat really healthy 90 percent of the time and the other 10 have some treats. For me it means not keeping fatty foods in my house. But if I go to a family birthday party once every 3 months I work a small piece of birthday cake into my daily calorie count. And since crackers are a trigger food for me I don't keep them in my house but I can have 1-2 at a party.

My Dr said anytime before meal , not during and only need to wait 15 mins after. I do my best but occasionally have to drink during.

Have any of these people actually had the surgery? Or is it all urban legend I heard it from someone's father's sister's brother? I've never regretted having surgery and I'm 2 and a half years out. For some of us this is the life line. No 1 else has to live in your body so no 1 else gets a vote!

I was a food flusher. Eat, chew, drink, repeat. It has taken me over a year and while I get it right most of the time, I still have lapses. It is a tough habit, but keep working on it and it gets better.