ElfiePoo

First, you are not going to 'stretch' your pouch. It would take (according to my surgeon) months and months of stuffing yourself to do that. Every doctor's postop rules regarding eating are different. I think it's rather silly to tell someone that just because they have a little piece of plastic in them, they now have to eat starvation portions of food. Right...if we could do that, we wouldn't have had the surgery. My surgeon said to aim for 1 cup of food at my main meals and a small snack (couple ounces of cheese, hard boiled egg, 1/4 cup cottage cheese, etc.) in between my meals. He suggested that, until I started getting fills and reached my sweet spot, if I was still hungry after eating the one cup, to go ahead and eat more, but eat more of the vegies as they would fill me up without as many calories. .

You're only 2 days post op and you're 'getting discouraged'? Change the mindset because if you are so easily discouraged, how will you make it through the next few months until you hit your sweet spot...or the next year...or the rest of your life? .

Swirl, I can totally relate...and I did vast amounts of research for *years*, asked questions...and more questions...and even more questions...and it still did not prepare me. They thought I was the perfect candidate for the band because I'm not a junk food eater, I don't 'graze' and I've lost 70 pounds and kept it off for 8 years so have a history of being able to actually diet and lose weight (the keeping it off wasn't the important part to them). Despite that, I have struggled with this band and nine months later, I'm sitting at only 35 pounds lost and have gone from no restriction to too much restriction and now back down to none. I can't say that it has been a total loss but it has certainly not been what I was led to believe. I'm at the point where I have no clue what good the band is *but* it's done and I move forward. I'll keep looking for that sweet spot but will stop looking to the band for help and keep reminding myself that it's up to *me*...not the band. Good luck and hang in there.

Yep, you might as well wrap your head around the idea that the band did not negate the need to diet. That one took me awhile. I'm at the point where I haven't figured out yet what good the band is since I lost (and kept off) 70 pounds without it. 900-1000 is too low but then combine that with the idea that they won't give you a fill cuz you're not losing...sounds like they haven't got a clue on either diet or purpose of the band. Studies prove that women who eat 1200-1400 calories lose weight faster and more steadily than women who eat 1000 or less. I'd guess it's because (a) your body doesn't go into starvation mode and ( you're less likely to cheat because you aren't 'starving'. Eating like a normal person will probably work when we're maintaining our lost weight...and the band with its restriction will help keep us from stuffing down the food at a meal. Right now though, we still need to diet. Totally puzzles me though because if I eat the calories needed to maintain 140 pounds, then my 225 pound body should be losing weight...but it's not!

I've not been doing so well the past 4 days. My 4 year old dog, Sophie, died last Friday afternoon and I've been spending the last 4 days alternately crying and eating. Ice cream seems to be my 'go to' comfort food. I *know* I shouldn't be eating for comfort but losing my little girl has really knocked my pins out from under me. I feel like I've lost a child. I'm going to try to do better today. I've dumped the remaining ice cream in the trash. Getting on the scale this morning helped because I was horrified at how much weight a person can gain in 4 days. How come it doesn't come off that fast? Sadly, since my last unfill I do not have any restriction at all so I've been able to eat horrific amounts of food. I'm going to try to do better today. I haven't been able to do my walk since Friday because I just lose it. Sophie was my walking companion. I tried to walk this morning while it was still cool, but just couldn't do it. Let's face it...I hate to walk at any time and this just makes it worse. Sophie at least made my walks somewhat enjoyable. Now they're just a reminder of her. Sorry for not commenting on other posts this morning. Just too tired and depressed right now. .

I finally came to the conclusion that the band does squat for me in terms of losing weight because it all comes back to my own self-control. I have to *choose* to eat the right foods because the band will let me eat the wrong ones. I have to *choose* to put down the fork because the band will let me keep eating certain foods...and it's usually the bad ones. I haven't figured out what good the band is yet, but I've not given up on it being helpful in the long run at keeping the weight off. .

Leigha, love your avatar. Looking good!! .

I was too tight for several months (and didn't realize it) and got so sick of sliming and PBing that I asked the doc to take me down to 6 cc (from 8). Now, if I want, I can eat anything and in quantity, just as I could pre-band. However, I know that even at the sweet spot, it's still possible to not lose weight...or even gain because you can still eat junk and you can still 'graze' all day.

'Good' is a very subjective thing. First you have to define good. My definition of 'good' didn't involve losing a lot of weight fast so perhaps you would not consider me successful. What I wanted out of this was to learn to eat like a normal person. I really didn't care how long it took me to take the weight off. My surgery was 11/3/09 and in that 9 months I've lost 50 pounds while learning the limitations of the band, discovering what 'too full' (amount in band) meant, and other nifty discoveries of the band. I consider myself successful because I recently had an unfill to the point where I have no restriction. I can eat as much of anything that I want...but I haven't. In fact, I've lost another 5 pounds since my unfill. My attitude towards food over the last 9 months has changed. I'll take that over fast weight loss any day. .

I've been very blessed to have a very supportive family and friends because *I* am the biggest sabotager of myself. ;-p .

I had my laugh for the morning. I was sorting through some old magazines and found one from 2001 with a "Lose Weight With our Super Soup Diet". Ok, I had to look. The Soup is nothing more than Water, chicken bouillion, salt/pepper and a bunch of vegies like carrots, celery, napa cabbage, tomatoes, etc. Then you look at the diet. Breakfast is 1/2 cup of a whole grain Cereal with skim milk. lunch is a couple ounces of tuna (or chicken) in half a whole wheat pita pocket. dinner is 2 cups of this soup with a couple ounces of rotisserie chicken chopped up in it and another half of a whole wheat pita pocket. C'mon...their 'soup' has nothing to do with the weight loss. It's the serious restriction of calories, fats and carbs! Of course, you'll lose weight. Duh. .

HB, Yeah, I know I am not at my sweet spot, but as long as I don't gain any weight, I think I'm going to keep it here until I get back from Disney (we leave on Oct 2nd) since I know we'll have to eat out and I don't want to risk any stuck episodes. If I start gaining, I'll have to take the risk and get a slight fill. So far, almost a week after my unfill, I'm actually down 3 pounds so here's hoping. .

LMAO...can you just see your doc's face when you tell him what your liquids consisted of? "But doc...I *was* on liquids."

There's part of the problem...a doctor who thinks he/she can judge how tight you are based on looking at your band. Only you can determine whether or not you're too tight...and the symptoms you describe sound just like someone who's too tight. .

What you're suffering from doesn't sound normal for 3 weeks post surgery...sounds more like the problems people have after they start getting fills, either because they're too full or because they're just temporarily swollen from a full. I had pain in my left upper arm for almost 6 months and it is related to the band. It goes away as you lose weight and the band sags. I'd go back and talk to your doctor.

Ditto what everyone else said. Fills should not be based on how much you're losing each week. They should be based on whether or not you're still hungry and the quantity you are able to eat. I'd call and ask to speak to *her* supervisor. Sounds like she's on a power trip. .

Storm, Have your husband do some research on rose hip seed oil. The ones I read were published in JAMA. Sorry but I don't have the year or volume. No rubbing necessary. Just the application of the oil.

Good morning/afternoon ladies & gents! It's supposed to be another sticky day here so at 7 a.m. I shut down all the windows. It already feels noticeably cooler inside than outside. I'm doing moderately well on my eating plan considering I have absolutely no restriction and 'could' eat as much or whatever I wanted...if I wanted...which I don't. It's just nice having a wider variety to choose from, paricularly with all the fruits and vegies coming to the local farm markets. Still not exercising although my days are constant movement involving bending, lifting and stretching as I pack orders for customers and clean around the house. Time for lunch, so have a good day everyone! .

Cool...my area of expertise :wub:. First, do not put anything on your incision until it is healed. That means wait until even the scabs are gone. Second, Vitamin E in capsules...generally measured in IU's...are of no real benefit. The carrier in the capsule is merely glycerin with vitamin E molecules attached and this is what you are rubbing into your skin. The type of Vitamin E used in these capsules is meant to be taken internally. The Vitamin E does not become useable until it goes through the digestion process, at which time the Vitamin E is cleaved off and is now in useable form. So the only benefit you're getting is from the carrier or glycerin. If you want to lessen scarring, you want Rose Hip Seed Oil. Studies have proven that rose hip seed oil rejuvenates skin cells. Some of the women in the study (all had mastectomies) didn't even have to have plastic surgery to deal with the scarring afterward because the rose hip seed oil worked so well. Rainbowmeadow.com has it and it's listed under nutrients. If you really want Vitamin E though, you can also get the right Vitamin E...also listed under nutrients. You might also try a health food store or drugstore. .

I had no special diet preop and two weeks postop I was back on regular food. We only eat dinner together but I just cook a normal protein/vegie/carb healthy meal and take my smaller portions. Since I'm now able to eat Protein again, I just avoid the carbs and eat the protein and vegies. When we go out to eat, my husband let's me order and I just take 1/3 of his meal (or less if the restaurant is particularly generous)...or the components of his meal that I want.

Personally, I'd wait to get a fill until you get back. I'm at 6cc after having been too full for months and know that I'm now able to eat anything I want. However, I've decided to stay at 6cc because we're going on vacation in 2 months and the last thing I want to do is have to look for a bathroom...several times...during meals. Which is what the last few months have been like.

Mimik, You're doing beautifully on the weight loss! From personal experience, you can still feel like you can eat more than the recommended amount. This is where our part of the job comes in. We have to 'choose' to put down the fork even when our belly and eyes say "more". .

Congratulations, Whillow! When we've been wearing 20+, dropping to an 18 is such an accomplishment! .

As Betsy said, postop food plans vary according to physician. By the end of week 2 I was back on solid foods. The biggest problem is that they usually stitch a fold of your stomach over the band to help keep it from slipping. My surgeon did this and explained that it is extremely rare for a band to slip, even with vomiting, when this is done *but* since your stitches are only a week old, if you eat something solid and end up urping it back up because you get stuck, you run the risk of tearing stitches as well. .

Sounds like a scam. My mom had the same thing happen to her and when she tried to contact the company, there was never a 'live' person to talk to and nobody returned her e-mails or phone calls. She ended up treating it as a fraud claim with her credit card company and reporting them to the better business bureau. .