steelergirl

Now looking back on my experience I can say I had the exact same concerns. I had minimal restriction from surgery date 11/12 until my second month visit. So 2-3 months into this journey I had "full" restriction. I think it worked better for me to get gradual restriction, because i think if I went from having no restriction to having to eat 1/4 cup servings, I would have been freaking out! My band is currently around half full and I eat until my body tells me its full. Sometimes it can be a hiccup, sometimes it is a fullness in my upper belly, sometimes i just feel full. Im 40 and have never felt full prior to my lap-band. I can eat child size meals and have never experienced stuck, vomiting or sliming(knock on wood). I pinky promise you that you will get there and if you work the tool you have, you will be very successful!!!!! Best of Luck to you!

First I have to say this is only my opinion based on my own experiences. I have not had a single episode of getting stuck or sliming or vomiting since post-surgery. It sounds to me like you might be eating to quickly and not chewing enough. If you can't burp and it feels like a pressure, I would say yes... you have restriction. But listen for your body to give you earlier clues that it is full. This usually happens with me BEFORE the not burping signal. Hope this helps. Good Luck!

I have found that "YOU" don't cut down your portion sizes....that is what the band does. If you listen to the band and use it instead of abusing it, it handles the portion part for you. I had my rough couple of weeks and head hunger but once I got proper restriction...I just listened to what my body wanted. More food or not. You will do great and don't stress. I did and it was silly looking back on it.

Thank You all for the great support and thoughts. Instead of food controlling me....I control the food!

I am 40yo. and I can honestly say that I have never been full after a meal. Even at buffets...my stomach would be upset but I kept eating and only stopped because I was embarrasing myself. Even at Thanksgiving when everyone stuffs themselves and unbutton their pants, I was still grazing in the kitchen and eating leftovers within an hour. I had my 3rd fill a little over 2 weeks ago and I can not believe that I actually get full. I eat until I am satisfied and I can eat everything. I can eat any meat or protein, toasted bread, cousous and most veggies with no problem. The amounts that are satisfying me are child like and I am dropping weight at a steady rate. I honestly didn't even expect this to happen to me after lap-band. I just knew I was going to have to struggle to keep my hunger down. I am so pleased with the band and my surgeon that I wanted to share. I almost feel close to normal when it comes to food and eating.

Why wait for her to excite you??? It is very difficult to not be excited when the person you are with and love is the one bringing the excitement to you. I find it hard to believe that your wife is sitting back and can't see the change in you....I think she is waiting for her husband to return:wink2: Love is great if you open yourself up to it

Thank you both. It was one of those moments that you remember when you are staring at that piece of cheesecake trying to decide if it's worth it or not...

I have a 10yo daughter who is the absolute light of my life. I have been up and down in my wieght through out her life. However, she is a big girl now and she hugged me lastnight and was able to get her arms the whole way around me for the first time and they actually touched!:eek: I was soooo excited and when she realized what had just happened, she hugged me again extra hard!!! I just wanted to share this incredible milestone!:mad2:

I understand where you are coming from. I did really well in the beginning and then all of a sudden it was like my body got stubborn and said...NO MORE! i see my surgeon once a month and my January visit I had lost 24lbs. My Feb visit...I lost 2.5 lbs!WTH! I was counting calories, measuring everything, eating protein first, no sugar..etc, etc. My doc said "relax". I said WHAT?...He said..."relax" "You are doing all the right things." He agreed that I was not restricted enough and gave me a fill and I have lost 8 lbs since last Wed. I actually dropped my exercising down to 3 days a week and it seems to work better for me. Hang in there. This whole process is guessing game for us and our bodies. Give it some time and rem to look at the big picture (4 weeks of loss averaged out vs. each week) You will be fine. I would however talk a bit more direct with your surgeon. I think sometimes they think we don't know what we are experiencing and we have to say, " I know I need a fill, I can eat everything I want!" Best of luck!

Yippee!!!! i just got under BMI 40 at this morning weight also. What a wonderful feeling.....Congrats everyone

Hi there! I know exactly what you are talking about. It started after surgery with me. My doctor told me that some people are more sensitive than others to the nerve pain. Mine will go away from time to time but after a fill it seems to come back. I hope that this subsides for you and you can tolerate it. I take low dose pain meds for some old ortho injuries and this does seem to help on the days that I just can't tolerate the pain. FYI- My doc also said that it has something to do with the positioning of the band and how close it is to the nerve that runs up the center of our body. You are not alone......feel better!

Losing weight is a really great FRIEND DETECTOR. Use it wisely! :tongue_smilie:

Nicely put! WOW.....exactly:)

I could have written this post! I also stalk the clock. I am and always have been obsessed with food and all the things surrounding it. I pray daily that sometime in the near future I will be able to go a day without the constant obsessive thoughts. I believe that this is where there is a HUGE difference between those of us that have had weight problems all of our lives and those that have gained weight in the last few years. Looking back over my life....I can't ever remember a time when I wasn't losing/gaining weight, counting calories, reading labels, exercising or Binging. I have never ever, not more than 3 days, had a period of time in my life (40yrs) that my weight stayed the same. This makes me sad and at this point in my post surgery....nothing has improved. I'm still dieting, gaining and losing and obsessing with everything!

Hi- Is your calorie intake of 900-1000 your TOTAL calories once you subtract your exercise calories? If so, I would still add about 200 more. If you haven't subtracted your exercise yet from 900-1000....you are not eating nearly enough to maintain your output. Minimally at 3 miles a day for a "normal size person" they would burn about 200-300 calories, that would leave you with a positive of about 600 calories?!? Just my 2 cents! best of luck:thumbup:

I absolutely loved your post! It sums up all the frustration, hard work and accountability that others don't realize we as "band recipients" are responsible for. Beautifully written! BRAVO BRAVO!

I absolutely L-O-V-E my Wii EA trainer.....I have done both the "pick your own" work out and the 30 day challenge. I do the moderate level. I look forward to doing this 5X a week. When I have my days off....I feel like i should be doing something other , but the "experts" tell me not to. Rest means rest! II have started doing more of the EA instead of splitting between the EA and the Wii Fit, step aerobics. I definitely sweat during all of my routines and I have seen a huge difference in the way my clothes are fitting!

ditto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The last conversation the nutritionist had with me went like this....."even if you add 1 Tbs of olive oil to veggies and toss with seasoning or add a snack to your daily calories, I want you to have 200-250 calories more per day" of course healthy calories. I do about 45-60 minutes of cardio 5X a week. Nothing crazy hard but I break a sweat and I can feel a difference in my muscles. To make it real simple, she wants me taking in a clear 900-1000 calories a day...not 1000 and then minus the exercise. I also work at a desk all day so, I don't count anything but my actual workout or if I do major household cleaning I will sometimes count that. I truly believe that I am responsible for screwing up my own metabolism through the yrs. The numbers that should make sense never do for me.:thumbup: BMR and all the others...

I really like your posts that I read...but on this one, I must disagree. I have gained weight on 800 calories a day many, many times. I am not a liquid calorie person, I drink nothing but Water, and I monitor not only my calories and Protein, but my sodium, saturated fats and carbs. I do not eat processed foods, ever. I measure out all of my servings and I have eliminated all added sugar...even with that, last week I was up 3 lbs. Not my TOM...I too have discussed with my nutritionist and a trainer that I know personally through work, they both said I was not eating enough. I have in the last 30 yrs. eaten way below 1000 calories and I have lost quickly. But my body, my metabolism and my hormones are making this a guessing game for not only me but the professionals that know for a fact that I am following this lap band to a "T". I have come to realize that there is no such thing as "IMPOSSIBLE" when it comes to the band.:thumbup:

I went out before surgery and bought 1 dessert/bread plate. It was bright red, yellow and black, heavy weight and I use it for every meal I eat at home! It makes me feel I am eating a whole plate of food. I purchased smaller spoons bt I really don't use them.......The plate has been great and I also bought bright colored measuring cups and I keep them on the counter for easy access. good luck to you

I have used the stimulant laxatives for several yrs. 2 every night. Doctors think that when I was on diet after diet after diet for 10 yrs, I screwed up my "system". I was diagnosed with IBS about 4 yrs ago also because of this screw up. I drink a ton of water daily, well over min amount of fiber daily and i love veggies. Nothing moves me. Eating healthy has always had the opposite effect on me. Let me eat junk and fast food, and i live in the potty:)

i was banded 11/12/09 and I really had a time of it in the beginning. I have an extreme tolerance for pain but adjusting to post surgery was very difficult for me. I went the first week not being able to drink almost anything and went back to work on 11/18/09. I had severe pain in my shoulder, i felt weak, i was dehydrated...just very very "yuck". It starts to play on your psyche and I was beginning to think I had made a huge mistake. But it begins to get better. By day 9....I felt almost liek me again. I was feeling guilty because I needed to rest all the time that first week. But i listened to my body and i rested when i needed......Hang in there! I swear it gets better!:thumbup:

Hi- If I may...I remember reading an earlier post this month by you that was stating that your husband was coming home in the spring, you were stressed, in school, small child, not following your lapband diet, You were kicking yourself in the ass for not doing what you were supposed to be doing, you saw a friend that had lost a lot of weight, etc.... I also remember reading that you stated then that you had no restriction. Your band will only work with you if you work with it. Start from scratch if you need to. Have a straight up talk with your doc if you feel he is the right one. I wish you luck in your decision but please, please don't look for the easy way out when you are feeling stressed because of time crunch:smile2:.

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:smile2: