outside*looking*in

I have found that I have the will power to not buy it but I can't fight temptation if it is already in the house! We had a birthday cookout for my daughter recently and of course there were left over chips and cake (stuff I normally DON"T buy) I am too tempted to have it when it is in the house and do give in and have some. SO I have declared that from now on we will go out for "special occasions" and get dessert while we are out so we can have it there BUT NOT in the house! I don't know what to say about your work thing. Maybe you could bring an alternative to have when you are starting to feel tempted. ??? I am stay at home Mom so I don't have that issue. For some reason I feel like I have been getting hungrier and hungrier as time goes on??:thumbup: I have had 2 fills over the past 2 months(up to 4.5cc now) and I am due for another next week. I hope it brings some restriction! Best of luck:wink2:

hi - I was banded on 2/3/10. Once the swelling was gone and I had normal feeling of restriction from strictly the device (without fills) I could feel full on 4-5oz of food. NOW - 2 fills later - I sometimes feel hungry even after the 4-5oz of food. I have a total of 4.5cc in my band. I worry that something is wrong like a streched pouch or something because I don't feel as full as before the fills! :smile: Some days are better then others, each morning I really can't have anything until 10-11am but I have never felt so tight that I have had reflux. I did not have a problem with reflux prior to the surgery though. don't know if this helps at all.

I can't wait 'til we go out and I can nibble a few bites of my husbands food and say, Wow I AM STUFFED!:thumbup: 'Til then, I will try and be very good. TRY!

I actually hosted a cook out/birthday for all of my family and friends over the weekend. Out of the 20 or so people there, only my sister and her boyfriend know about my surgery 2 1/2 months ago. I have lost a total of about 40lbs since the rest of the people have seen me! (20 before surgery). I was not really worried about the food but about the weight loss questions. Turns out - no one said a word about me looking any different. I guess they have seen me go up and down in weight and so far it is not enough to warrent saying anything. I was actually relieved to not talk about it. I just played the hostess, ate fruit and drank some water and was so busy socializing, no one noticed that I never actually fixed me a plate. Good Luck:thumbup:

This is exactly the post I needed to see. I too am getting discouraged and tonight I way over ate (I have been really good up 'til now with my portions). But - we went out to celebrate a birthday and I had a sandwich for $8.50! I knew I should not have had the bread, knew that I should at least only eat half, and really should not touch the chips it came with. I ended up eating more than 3/4 of the WHOLE SANDWICH, SOME OF THE CHIPS AND THE PICKLE SPEAR!!! I knew if I stopped after half I would be fine and more than satisfied but I just couldn't push it away! Especially since we paid $8.50 for it! THEN we went for ice cream afterwards and I HAD AN WAFFLE CONE!!! I don't normally even like ice cream!!!! :scared2:I have been feeling miserable since and soooo guilty! I have had three fills and won't have a 4th for another 2 weeks. I just HOPE that I will get to a point that I can take a few bites and be so full that it does not matter what my head tells me, my stomache just won't take it! Can you describe a bit more about the difference you felt before and after your last fill? Did you notice right away? Did it take time to kick in? How does full feel to you now as compared to before. Thanks in advance!

So I took some before pics just before my surgery and I have not taken any since then. I am down just over 20lbs and I am 10wks out. If you take progress pics, what do YOU go by? Weight loss goals or time? Just curious.

Wow - that really surprises me. I have had nothing but a good experience with the office. All of the staff have been friendly and helpful. I was visited by Dr. Koppman before I was released from the hospital. They did not call me to check on me but I did not expect them too. I was expected to and told many times to call if I had any questions or concerns. I have not had too many issues come up medically but I have been working with some of the girls in the office on another issue and they have been helpful. I have only had one doctor in my life time return my phone call personally due to emergency (blood clot situation). I am sure that most doctors don't do this. I did not know that they no longer have an office in Celebration but they do in Lake Mary. I am not sure of the hours nor am I sure if they do surgeries in that area (I have never had to go there). How did your band work for you over those three years? And how are you doing now? Why did you have it removed for slippage? Will you have it replaced? (Just curious for future) It seems our experiences have been completely different but I am only 2 months out. Best of luck to you.

My doctor found a hernia while he was placing my band. He stiched it up and said that it is not uncommon for them to have to repair hernias while putting in bands. I never knew I had one.

Cupcakes were sooooo YUMMY!!! Thanks all!

My surgeon (there are two in the practice) is very involved. They personally give the seminars, consult appt, pre-op appt and every fill after. They have nutritionist and pyschologist on staff and well trained nurses that are always available if needed. A pre-op class is required (at my office) with the nutritionist and the nurse, at that time you get a big manual that explains the stages of surgery, eating guidlines for the next year out, exercise tips, basic do and don'ts and what to expect.

It is funny this post just came up as I just got off the phone with the doctors. They are reluctant to submit it for some reason and I don't understand why? This has been such an unneeded hassle that I wonder if it is worth it. Will keep you posted!

I agree with BetsyB. I weigh daily and I have learned to look at the times of month I stall or gain and have been able to see that it usually coordinates with OV/TOM. So , it no longer bothers me. Sometimes it takes me two weeks before my weight goes down again. This first few months has been such a learning process. Get to know how your body reacts to all of the changes that are being made. I am only about 6wks out and learn daily still. Good luck.

I was banded on 2/3 and had my first fill of 3cc on 3/4. It did nothing for me as I expected. I go for my second fill (not sure how much) on 4/1. My docs office has great book with set guidelines that he gives all his patients before surgery (it is one that they have come up with over the years). They recommend eating no more than 5oz of food at a time, no breads and starches until after 7 months or so and to focus on getting in your Protein and Water. Of course that is not always easy and until you have proper restriction we have to try it on our own. I have had a little restriction with the band in place as I can tell I can not eat the amounts I used to and I am not always hungry in between meals (depending on the day:tongue_smilie:). So I try to follow his guidlines as close as possible but don't beat myself up if I mess up a bit. It seems each doc is different and so there is no SET STANDARD for banders. Here is what I do. 1. Journal everything I put in my mouth on myfitnesspal.com -once I did this for a few days following my docs guidelines for portions and protein amounts I realized it gives me around 1000 calories a day. 2 - Get my required 70-87 grams of protein (differs for everyone) 3 - Try to get my 64 - 100oz water (much harder than I realized) 4 - Measure out my portions so I don't go over 5oz. 5 - Take my Vitamins - sometimes I forget 6 - Don't stress if I mess up a little as this is a learning process and I am not going to be perfect. 7 - Try to increase my activity - I suck at this but I am getting better. I am two pounds away from a total loss of 20lbs since my surgery. That is 20lbs in a month in a half!!!!:laugh: That is unbelievable to me. And I am slower than some on here who where banded at the same time as me. It is way better than where I would be without the band! Best of luck.

My docs office lets you have it back, in limited amount, after 1 month. I have 1 mug each morning.

I soooo know how you all feel. That was actually my biggest complaint after. I was banded 2/3. It took me over three weeks to feel back to about normal. It was about the time I finally added some real food and some coffee/hot tea. I can remember being wiped out just halfway through unloading the dishwasher! It was over a week before I left my house. It does get better. Hope you feel back to normal soon.

I like myfitnesspal.com free

I agree - I would never have felt well enough to go on a cruise. It is a lot to adjust to when you get home. Why do you have to give your co-workers an excuse at all. So you want a little time off - no big deal. If you have to tell them some excuse, tell them you have to have a hernia repair. That way you can rest at home.

Okay so it was my birthday this past weekend and I knew that I would not be as strict on my post-op diet as I would normally be. We were heading to a theme park and celebrating the day there. My husband also came home with gormet cupcakes. Here is what I learned: I do have some (little) restriction as I can not eat normal amounts that I used to. It is okay to Celebrate with your family and make as many good choices as possible but okay if you make a few that are not so great. I was able to stay away from soda the whole day when having to make drink choices. Even though the scale went up a little, it is okay because it WILL go back down. A theme park is a good idea to sneak in exercise as I put my pedometer on in the morning and ended up walking over 11,000 steps that day. I must journal and be accountable for the food going in my mouth even if it is the cupcake. I must continue to come here for support because it really does help.:cursing:

I decided to try on my summer shorts that I have from last summer that eventually felt so tight that I quit wearing them last summer. They felt just fine.! So, I decided to try on ALL of my shorts and I made a little note to put in the pocket of each pair with the date, how they fit and my current weight. Now, when I try them on when it warms up enough, I will know how they fit before. :thumbup:

Got right back on track by the afternoon yesterday. I never would have done that before. I would have spiraled out of control for a few days. Thanks for the support!:biggrin:

Pre-band I had gone back and forth MANY times between low carb and WW. They are two different schools of thinking (especially hard core low carbing). Carb loaded foods are the quickest things to grab UNLESS you plan ahead of things you can grab like cheese sticks, deli meat and cheese roll, pre-cooked turkey burgers and lots of other things. Regular Yogurt is higher in carbs than some greek yogurt. Did she give you any kind of meal plan? If you are not already trying a food diary program, myfitnesspal.com has been awesome for me. It has a huge data base of foods and will track your Protein, fat, carbs, and calories. You can also track your exercise. I have not done WW in a while but I thought they had come out with a low-carb version??? best of luck.:smile2:

Nope - I don't have restriction. I went for my first fill of 3cc last week (4wk post-op) and I swear the next day and everyday since I have been more hungry than before the fill. ???? I did cancel the Burger King order that I was having my husband bring so I guess it was good to snap out of it before that came. Thanks for the support. It is what I needed/need.:smile2:

UGH!!!! I guess I just had a moment of bandster hell! I have been so hungry. I ate two scrambled eggs for breakfast and an hour later hungry. I went in got a yogurt. Before I could finish I declared a "cheat day". I texted my husband to bring me some lunch home and threw a bagel in the toaster and ate it with some promise butter. I finally felt full................................................................................................Then the guilt set in! Oh - man...I ate too much, too quick. I listened to my head hunger even after I was full. WHat the heck? That was too much food at one time, am I going to stretch my pouch now? Crap. crap, crap.:smile2: texted husband and told him to NOT bring me anything!!! I will have a shake for dinner and get back on track tomorrow! :w00t:

I am posting this in the Pre-Op as I know many do shakes as part of their diet. I use a powder shake mixed with milk. The first thing I thought of to mix it well was a little device that I used to mix my daughters baby formula. It is made by Munchkin and can be found at Babies-R-Us for about $5. It is small, hand held, and battery operated. The longer you mix the better result you get. Just thought I would share. I know Target used to carry it but I have not seen it there in a while. There also used to be another one made by Lion Heart.

I was banded on 2/3 and I had the feeling of needing to burp but couldn't. That feeling went away as the days went on. I had the tight chest/breastbone feeling as well. It is swelling from the surgery and some gas. You sound normal. Just keep searching the threads and if you really get concerned about anything give your doc a call. Welcome aboard!