vlp1968

it is a long time to wait- I got my first fill 6 weeks out. That's too bad the nurse left. You might want to call and see if you can get squeezed in any sooner. It's worth a try. Beware that the first fill may not do much- it took me 3 fills to feel restriction.

Don't beat yourself up! One thing I suggest is adding some planned snacks during the day. Try to keep yourself from getting too hungry, thats when we eat too much/eat too fast. Also, journal what your eating if your not already. Excersise when your doc. gives you the ok. It was vital to my weightloss and now maintance. Good luck!

Yes, I would check with your insurance company- seems a long time to wait. If you do have to wait I would suggest you focus on eating the right foods (high protien, low carb, low fat). Your portions may be larger than they will be once you have restriction but hopefully you can keep hunger at bay and at least not gain any weight. Good luck!

Glad you were able to eat some egg. You may have had swelling from the fill that is now subsiding. Keep up the good work. You don't mention if your excersising. If not, I would highly reccomend you start. That would really help those last 20 pounds come off. Best wishes!

Since you are not hungry, it doesn't seem like you need a fill. Make sure you are getting in enough protien- at least 60 grams, and also 64oz of water. Best wishes!

That's great you are going to a support group. I go just about every month and find it helpfull. I just wanted to stress the importance of excersise. It will really help you loose the 20 pounds you've gained. The benefits are just too great to pass up. I agree it's great you are doing something now and not 50 or 100 pounds from now. You've done it before, you can do it again. Best wishes!

I am so proud of you. You have taken a huge step towards weight loss and more importantly better health. It is so tough to start, but I promise it gets better. I started working out about 4 months post op. I started out with a moderate walk and now do a combination of walking and jogging. After a warm up I walk for 1 minute jog for 4 et... for 35 minutes. I want to work on increasing the time. Some days I have to really push myself to go but most days I don't mind it. I don't love it, but I don't mind it. The benefits are just too numerous to pass up. Keep up the good work!

Be honest with your doctor. If he knows how much you can eat, that just might make him decide to do a fill. I have heard on this board about doctors that don't do a fill because the patient is loosing weight. I agree, this makes no sense. The band doesn't do it's job unless it's properly filled. My doc. always based the fill on how much I could eat and how hungry I was. Again be honest with your doc. that's the only way he can best help you. I kept some vomiting from my doctor and wouldn't you know I ended up overfilled. If your doc. still won't give you a fill I would consider finding another doc.

I totally agree it's a matter of finding a healthy food plan that works for you. If you eat less calories than you burn, you will loose weight. I did a low fat and low carb diet when I was loosing. I ate lots of lean protien, non-starchy veggies, berries (low in carbs for fruit) low fat cheese sticks, some nuts. I lost 107 pounds in about 10 months. Just my experience, hope it helps.

I brought a nightgown to go home in. I figured a wait band would be uncomfortable. Loose pants like sweats would probably work as well. Congrats on your impending surgery.

You are right you may have some swelling. However, I wouldn't wait more that 2-3 days to get an unfill. There is no reason to be miserable for a whole week. I hesitated to get unfills and suffered longer than neccessary. I found after the unfills I was in a good place, restriction but everythig stayed down. You may want to see if your doc. and see you at the end of this week if things aren't better. Hope you feel better soon, best wishes.

Oh yes- you are deffinatley not alone. It's known as "bandster hell", the time inbetween surgery and when you get "restriction" (full for about 4 hours after a small meal). Be aware it may take several fills- took me 3. Hang in there, it does get better. For now, I would focus on eating the right foods (low carb. low fat, high protien) even if your portions are larger than they will be once you have restriction. Congrats on your surgery, you took a huge step towards getting healthy.

You have gotten good advice from the above posts. That is great you are going to journal and have joined a gym. I workout about 5 days a week. I believe snacking is ok and long as there planned into your calories for the day and fit into your food plan. I love to snack on nuts, low fat cheese sticks, berries (they are low in carbs). You want to eat lots of lean protien and veggies. As I was loosing, I stayed away from high carb fruits, veggies and anything with flour. Good lean sources of protien are ground turkey (make sure it's just the white meat- no skin), chicken breast (I love perdue perfect portions), lean pork loin (they come in different flavors, you just bake it in the oven for about 40 minutes), chicken sausage (I buy the flavored pre-cooked kind. Just wrap in a wet paper towel and cook in the micro. for about 2 minutes). I recently discovered frozen veggies that come in single servings (I think it's green giant- they are called just for one- I like the broccoli and cheese- 40 calories). Hope this all helps and best wishes.

Keep doing what your doing (you don't say if you are excersising, start if your not). Your weight will naturally flucuate with water retention, hormones et.. Try not to get on the scale every day, it's just discouraging you. When I was loosing I weighed in once a week and recorded it. You might also want to take some measurments. Sometimes the scale doesn't move but inches are lost. Good luck!

You are doing awsome! Keep up the good work.

Glad you are feeling better. Hope the xray shows everything is fine. Keep us posted.

Sorry you are having so much trouble. Hang in there! WW meetings sounds great. I used to do it and found the meetings very motivational. Focus on eating the right foods, even if your portions are larger than they will be when you have restriction again. When I did it they had 2 programs. One you counted points and one you ate from a list of foods until you were satisfied (very south beach). You might want to try the later. You also get points for treats during the week, I think 35. Good luck!

Sorry you are having trouble. I really don't have an answer, just wanted to sympathize with you. Work closely with your doctor and hang in there. Best wishes!

Toot Toot! Keep up the good work! Half way is a milestone.

You are right, you may have swelling. When I have been too tight after a fill I drank watered down protein shakes. However, I must say that there were a few times I suffered longer than necessary. I finally broke down and had a slight unfill and still had restriction. That's too bad your doc. is so far away- hopefully you will feel better in a day or two. If not I would call. Good luck!

You would know if your band slipped because suddenly you can't keep anything, even Water, down. At least, that's what my doc. said when I asked him. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

isaviolinist- just imho 33% fat seems high. I would decrease the fat a bit and add in more protien. You may be fuller longer. You will probably find your volume of food can be a little higher if you reduce the fat. Just my .02.

Yeah- lots of people think smoothies are healthy, but they are full of sugar. Fruit may be a natural sugar, but it's still sugar. You are much better eating the fruit itself, at least you are getting some fiber.

I lost about 2.5 pounds a week. Some a little bit more, some a little bit less. You are doing great! Keep it up!

I paid 160 ish for my fills. The doc. waived his surgeon fee for the first year. When I went in for an unfill after it had been a year, is was like 250. I am self-pay.