MrsCabes

For me, it was when I hit my perfect fill level - (I'm 6 months out and I've lost 62...20 of those in the past 10 weeks, since reaching my "sweet" spot)

Well, luckily, I've never been much of a morning eater anyway - I'm not one of those people that can get up and just eat. I need some time to adjust to the day. LOL I know that this is struggle for a lot of bandsters though - usually protein shakes are what I hear from everyone.

I think most bandsters experience this - I know I do! I try to drink something warm before I even attempt to eat anything. Of course, some days, it's 11AM before I'm even able to get anything down. By dinner time, I'm usually good.

My scale - like previous posters, I don't see my surgeon every week so I go by mine. It's a 3 pound difference (clothes, etc)

Hey - we have the same banded date! How are your fills going?

Honestly, month #4 seems to be when my weight loss kicked in. I was at a good fill level, I was mentally past all of the post op "hell", I was a pro at the food "rules" and it just started flowing. (the weight loss) Hang in there!

Congratulations!!!!! So great to hear good stories here! I, too, love my band. I've lost 62 pounds in 6 months. I no longer have acid reflux and I look forward to going to my doctor in October and see if I can get off my blood pressure meds and my PCOS meds! I can now sleep IN bed WITH my husband. I no longer snore. I feel like LIVING again. Like a poster above said "I'm falling in love with myself" all over again. I realize that I AM worthwhile and I'm so happy that I'm doing something FOR ME.

To those struggling - having the right fill makes ALL the difference in the world. Let's face it, if we were able to have a ton of will power, we wouldn't have gotten lapband, right? It took me 4 fills until I was at the perfect spot (I even refused a fill yesterday because I know that I'm at my "sweet" spot) - and it was a LONG and frustrating road until then. PLEASE be aggressive with your doctor - luckily, I go to a place that will do a fill every 4 weeks (once a month). Fills ARE what makes our bands work. It's a hard process - and I don't know that I would recommend the band to everyone. It's a slow moving journey but I promise...if you hang in there, results WILL come.

Darlin', this is NOT an easy process...period. I'm in the camp that I don't know that I'd suggest this surgery for everyone. BUT - there is light at the end of the tunnel. I am 6 months out, I've lost 62 pounds - and my beginning weight loss was SLOW. Having the right fills makes ALL the difference in the world. Hang in there - I think we have to go through all of these emotions and this process slowly, so that we can come out healthy, in the end!

I can eat chicken, as long as it's moist and juicy - I do really well on rotisserie chicken and chicken salad. Otherwise, no chicken here either.

I'm with you, guys! I've lost 62 pounds and still haven't gone down a size!

You haven't had your first fill yet so...you have no restriction. It IS like you haven't even been banded (hunger-wise). I'm 6 months post-op and I'm just now (4 fills later), at my perfect fill level. This is a SLOW process and physically and mentally, you're going to be on a roller coaster in the next few months. BUT - it's kind of necessary to feel these things so that you can move to the next phase. This is just as much as mental game as it is anything else. We've become accustomed to our old eating habits and it takes a while to bust out of that. You will get there, I promise. Where you are, right now, is the hardest time, post op. You're questioning everything and wondering if it's going to work. It IS - just give it time. Also - try keeping a blog or a journal. It really helps to vent and get some of these feelings out. Plus, when you look at it 6 months from now, you'll realize how far you've come and know that you needed to go through each step to get you to where you are. Good luck and be strong!!!

I have the best, most supportive (and secure!) husband in the world. He has been 100% behind me since I made the decision to get lapband - he, above everyone, knows how much I've struggled with my weight. He cheered with me when I got approved, he forked over the $2800 balance, he took off work the day of surgery, he shook me awake every hour to walk after surgery and he took care of the kids so I could heal. Every time, I have a victory, he's there. I can't wait to be thin for ME and for HIM!

BTW - ask your nutritionist...mine gave me the green light for diet coke about 3 months post-op.

My doc said no carbonation or alcohol for 6 months, post surgery. So, there's hope - it might just require some waiting! I'm looking forward to a margarita next month!

Awesome!!! Congratulations!!!!

Genetics plays a huge role - more so than how fast/slow you lose weight. Also - working out, from the START, will help. A lot of people, while losing weight quickly at the beginning, will skip this step. Just makes for more work and worry later.

You're probably referring to what I was talking about in another thread. The 2 ladies above have described it perfectly. You're always aware that food is going down.

I think we'll all come to a point that we'll need to tweak what it is we're doing. However, I have every intention of losing every last pound! Working out is essential - lapband alone won't achieve your goals. Plus, I don't want to be in excess skin hell when I'm finished. So, I'm working out NOW, pushing myself NOW.

Personally, I don't think that if you're weak...either physically or mentally, that surgery is necessarily for you. The actual surgery is easy. Learning to eat, battling our eating demons, learning to adjust to the band - those things are all physically and mentally painful. I, actually, just blogged about this very thing. I don't think this surgery is for everyone. There were months, at the beginning, that I fought depression because I thought that I made the wrong decision, that I thought my band would never work, that it hurt every time I ate, that I questioned everything I did. You HAVE to be strong. Now - 5 months later, I am ecstatic with my band. However, it's been a long road. And, I've been blessed enough to have had one of the top lapband surgeons (and his team!) behind me (being aggressive with fills!), my family and friends behind me and a whole slew of people supporting me, every step of the way. Not everyone has this and it's vital to being successful. Personally, I HATE it when people come on here and say that we need more motivation and that the band is "just a tool". Yes, the band is part of the process...but having the right fill and following the eating "rules" is more important than anything. Bottom line is - I don't regret it. I'm 100% happy with my band. But, it's hard and don't expect to feel ecstatic the day (or even months) after surgery.

What was the date of your surgery?Feb. 8, 2010 How healthy did you/do you eat?I didn't eat healthy, at all (well, MOST of the time). Now, I always choose Protein first and honestly, just by sheer portion control, I eat what I want. <---as long as I can get it down and not get stuck! How much do you exercise?Just started exercising 4 weeks ago and I'm doing it every other day, for 35 minutes each time. How much have you lost?53 pounds! Are you happy with your results?VERY happy!

Probably a 3 - mostly due to the gas and shoulder pain. However - I think the pain, from eating, later is worse than the surgery. Again, nothing unbearable...but learning to eat, with Lapband, isn't for the faint of heart.

Let's see...I've lost 53 pounds and haven't gone down a single pants size! Very frustrating, but I have gone down shirt sizes.

I was weighing myself daily but...that wasn't good for me, mentally. I'm now down to 1 day a week (saturday) and that's the weight that I record.

I've been banded for 5 months and one thing I've learned as that this is a learning process that takes time. Time for our bodies AND minds to adapt. I think we all go through these fears - but, I guarantee you, once you get to your perfect fill, you'll have your food "rules" down, your mind will have caught up and you'll be ready for the next phase.