greytz

Welcome in Tamra. Congrats on beginning your journey! Keep in touch and let us know when your surgery date is gonna be.

In my opinion it is worse because you have made a significant change to your body and at first right after surgery you don't really want to eat anything and you are thinking "Well, this isn't too bad" and all of the sudden Whammo! Your body begins to heal and your hunger returns two fold. That is why it is lovingly referred to as "Bandster Hell".

I just made one of my goals! I was so proud. I had to leave early for my trip and flew on Wednesday. I hesitantly sat down in the seat and put on the seat belt. I crossed my fingers and pulled the end. OMG, I could actually put some of it out! I measured off about six inches left over with my fingers. I went Woo Hoo and everybody looked at me like I was crazy but I didn't care. It felt so good!

Totally normal but this too shall pass. The hardest part is not overeating until your first fill. I weighed my food and it really helped. I also inventing things to do to keep my mind off of eating. And I put up really awful pics of myself on my fridge and pantry and cleaned out my pantry. That really helped too. Good Luck,

I would definitely check with my doctor. Did they pre-fill you with your surgery? I have read a lot of posts on here from people who have been pre-filled and are having problems. It could have been the toast and then adding food the rest of the day causing you to bog down and get stuck. Unfortunately if that is what it is, waiting it out is the only solution. But I would call the doc.

I can be discouraging but this is your time to be healing. You need to concentrate on that and then worry about the weight loss. This is definitely the most difficult time for everyone. The weight loss will come. Everyone loses differently also.

I ended up having to fly earlier than expected (yesterday) and guess what? I counted six inches I got to pull up on my seatbelt! I was so thrilled. I guess people thought I was crazy because I was sitting there using my fingers to count the inches and then I let out a little woo hoo! What a great feeling!

It was my promise to myself that I would make it a habit to work out after I got banded and I do. Treadmill on an incline three miles a day and weight training to try and tone my sagging. I will try to increase as time goes on and my resisitence increases.

Well, I do weigh myself everyday but I don't get caught up in it. Sometimes you can pass the same pound or two back and forth for two or three days. I had my first fill on 08-04 and she put in 4.6cc's. I have a 10cc band. I wasn't feeling the restriciton so I went back yesterday and she put in a full 5cc's. I am on liquids today so I won't know anything for a few days but I think I will be in good restriciton this time. Don't get discouraged. It is a slow process and it won't happen all at once. Keep working with you surgeon and keep talking to him. If you don't feel the restriction still let him know and keep bugging him until it feels right.

I don't believe that anyone begins this process with the intention to cheat the band or go against everything they have learned since being banded. I believe that everyone starts out truly wanting this and truly believing that they can make a change in their lives and begin the journey to healthier living. Everyday stresses with job, family and just plain living causes a person to want to revert back to their emotional habit of eating. If you read threads on this forum of people who are newly banded or waiting to be banded you can see and hear the excitment and new attitude in their posts and threads. If you read bandsters that have been banded for awhile you will read the reality of band life. They are quite a contrast. Not saying that they are not successful because a lot of them are but you will see that they have had many trials along the journey. In my opinion this is not a place for judgement but a place for help and support.

I will be flying for the first time also on Sept 4th. Thanks everyone for your posts. Even though it is not my thread, it helps me also. I am 7 lbs away from onederland. I really wanted to be in onederland by then but I don't know if I will make it or not. Maybe I can be there by the time I come home. Anyway, the last time I flew which was in May, I was at the point where I almost had to ask for an extender. I had to suck in my gut and pray the seat belt clicked. It did but barely. I went yesterday to get a fill check and add a little and found out that I went from a 36 BMI to a 32 BMI! Now I am excited to get on that plane!

Hi Jennifer, Sorry to hear she is being so ridiculous. She could have been a great source of support for you going through it together. She is definintely not ready and should not have been banded with her attitude and emotional eating illness until she had therapy and was stable enough to handle the process. She is going to do herself harm that may not be able to be fixed. Good Luck to you and it is smart for you to keep your distance at this point.

Hi Paul, so glad you joined us! And believe me I am not trying to put a damper on your enthusiasm but I just want to say that the band is just what all the above posters says it is. As well as you said yourself. It is just a tool and it will not in itself force you to make better choices. You have to be ready to do that yourself. You will want to research and possibly go to a nutritionist if you are a person that cannot stay away from bad food choices. Now, with that said, I am like all the other posters here, I love my band and don't regret a minute of my decision. I truly hope you begin this journey with us and will do what it takes to make the band work for you! Good Luck and keep us posted.

I had the same problem and found out I had stomach flu right after I had surgery. At first, I thought I had made the biggest mistake of my life. Once the flu was gone I was golden. Have you been to see your PCP? That is how I found out I had the flu.

If you do what your doctor tells you to then it will fullfill his qualifications to shrink your liver. I think people misunderstand the difference between fatty liver and fat period. I am not a nurse and don't profess to know exactly how it works but there are a lot of nurses on the forum who post at night and I am sure they can tell you what the difference is. But if you stay on the plan, hopefully you will be fine for surgery.

Welcome and good luck to you. Keep us posted on your progress!

Hello Startin09. Welcome to the forum. Good Luck and keep us posted on your progress!

Congrats! I am so near but so far. I am struggling also. I have nine pounds to go and I am wanting to get there so badly. I was hoping to make it before I go visit my Mom on Sept. 4th but I don't think I am going to. I have an appointment with my surgeon on the 25th of Aug so hopefully I can get some more restriction. You are doing great!

I am sure people with that experience will post. It hasn't happened to me yet but from what I have read on here from other posters is that it takes time to go down and you will need to wait it out. Then, I believe most of them go back to mushies or liquids depending on what they can tolerate. If it gets really bad, I would page the surgeon or whoever is on call at your surgeon's office.

Great. Yeah, I can understand. I just suggested the cards because it was just easier for me and I was more inclined to do it. But whatever works for you is the best thing. And, the whole point as I am sure you already know is to track the bad as well. It is what really opens up your eyes.

My surgeon directed me not to eat or drink at least 4 hours before a fill. I had my first fill and didn't eat all day before hand. I was afraid my food would not be all the way digested and I wanted the best results possible. I didn't want anything in my pouch when she filled.

First of all, I never thought to myself, I may want it out before I ever got it. I did have some fears of course, I think that is natural. I know you are asking the people who wanted it or got it out but I wanted to tell you how I feel now that I am a couple months post op. I have absolutely no regrets at this point and I am thrilled I had the surgery. I was a person who for the last three years couldn't even yo yo diet. I was just heading up the scale period. Oral steriods for a skin condition and thyroid disease made it totally impossible to lose weight or even maintain weight. I am on my way down the scale and wouldn't change my experience so far for anything. Not saying I haven't worked hard for it because I have but at least now I have results which I couldn't get before. I think it is ok to be nervous and have fears but I also believe you have to want it bad enough and be willing to take whatever conseqences come with it (bad or good) and deal with it when it happens. If I have problems down the road then I will handle them when I get there. I hope you find the answers you are looking for and can decide once and for all if the band is right for you. Good Luck!

Never been to him but wanted to wish you the best of luck!

Jim, that is wonderful that you have taken the right steps to help the situation. I would definitely say to make as many appointments as you can as often as they will let you until you can work your way through it. I think you are headed in the right direction for sure. My belief is that the nutritionist is important because even though you know what to eat you aren't eating it at this point. It will just help keep it in your head that much more. Also, when I have had trouble in the past staying on track, I put a postcard on my kitchen counter and everytime I ate something I wrote it down. I also kept one in my purse (for you a pocket LOL) and when I was out would jot it down. I put the postcards together at the end of the day. I was shocked sometimes at what I ate. It might really help you right now. It is kind of a kick in the butt to see it in black and white. It will also help your nutritionist believe it or not. She can see what you are eating and help you make better choices based on the foods you tend to like. Otherwise, she will just be telling you to eat foods you may not be inclined to eat and it does you no good. This way she can substitute better food choices based on what you already like. I hope that made sense. I can sometimes hear things in my head and not put them on paper very well. Anyway, best of luck to you and keep me posted on your progress!

Get a bullet. Most of us wouldn't have done without it. You can get one at Target or Walmart or Bed, Bath and Beyond. Also, sounds like you are going to a lot of work. Most surgeons allow coffee. Check with your surgeon on everything. Also, check with your surgeon about the meds. I did not have to crush mine at all. Just took them with a sip of water. I used and still use chewable vitamins though.