reverie

Nope. Not one fill.

First 6 weeks aren't about weight loss. Stay away from the scale and let yourself heal. You're complaining when you're down 2 pants sizes why? What exactly are you expecting, over night results?

Glad I could help! I too re-read those 15 things almost every other day. Even though I am so close to goal, I still get too hard on myself; go figure!

I highly doubt you've gained a true 4-6lbs in a week. That means you had to have eaten over 14,000 extra calories, and that's doubtful. Note that the scale can go up 10lbs in one day, for various reasons. Have you eaten a lot of salt? Eaten a lot of carbs? Are you getting your period soon? All of this can cause weight gain on the scale; again, not a true weight gain. More than likely it's Water weight. I wouldn't sweat it. Stay off the scale for a few days and re-weigh.

Exercise :wub:! I'm glad you found something that works for you! It's all about LIKING what you're doing.

Exactly! It was and is worth it for ME, that's all that matters. It works for me on a daily basis. My band has given me so much more than just that "I'm full" feeling. I swear it somehow triggered a switch in my brain -- the one that said get up off your lazy @$$ LOL.

May bandsters have the best luck I've heard Good luck on your journey! It'll be a year before you know it.

I bet you will; you're half way there already. Amazing!!

I could probably post in this in success stories but I like post-op better At one year out I'm down 116lbs. This time last year I was sitting in the recovery room with my mom with a lady from some other floor puking up her guts in the next bed over. Let me say the beginning of my journey was NOT pleasant. From being written the wrong prescription for my medicine (somehow they wrote my script with the wrong name) to the nurse telling me I can't use Gas-X strips because they contain sugar (post-op instructions for someone who had gastic bypass) the first day was pretty much hell. We got to the hospital at 5:00AM and didn't get home until midnight. It SUCKED! My surgeon had to call in a prescription at a 24 hour pharmacy at 11AM at night. But, I will say that has been the only horrible part of my journey. Otherwise, it has been flawless and so smooth-sailing. I didn't get stuck until about 6 months in -- thank you dry turkey meat! I've found that I have gotten stuck a bit more often than I did in the beginning, but that's probably due to the fact that I like to experiment with food, and I have yet to master eating slowly. Maybe one day. My first goal weight was 120lbs but I've since upped it to 125lbs; last I weighed I was 130.6lbs, so not exactly at goal, but so close I can feel it! I never imagined losing 100lbs in a year, let alone 50lbs honestly. Pre-op I was lazy as no other. I went to work, came home, sat on my laptop, and ate. Nowadays my schedule is pretty much the same, except I workout for a good hour and a half+ now. I am well aware of what I put into my mouth, I hold myself accountable, and rarely do make excuses to not exercise. This is my journey, and not everyone will take the path I took, that's the beauty of it all. I chose no fills and to workout/track my food. Some may go this route, some won't. It's all about what works for you. Hopefully this is helpful to people who are pre-op and post-op. I find that I am coming here less and less so hopefully some of you soon-to-be band-vets stick around to keep everyone in check These forums have been so helpful to me since day one and the wealth of knowledge here is great. 15 things I've learned along the way: 1. The scale isn't everything. Yes we all want to see the scale move but there is so much more to weight loss than the scale. Inches lost are important as are the beloved NSVs (non-scale victories.) Focus on how different you feel as well, both mentally and physically. When you do hop on the scale, limit it to once or twice a week, not every day. (Unless you're in maintenance mode, then every day may be most helpful.) 2. Exercise is a must do. Start off slow and intensify as you lose. Once I got out of surgery and was cleared to walk, I walked. I probably went around the hospital floor 50 times, in the same boring circle. I'm sure the nurses thought I was nuts. From that day on I've exercised my butt off, literally. I started with walking to doing indoor exercises including the Beachbody programs (Slim-in-6, Insanity, P90, P90M, and P90X.) I will also be doing RushFIT at some point in time. 3. It's okay to cheat; in fact, it's part of "dieting." I allow myself cheat Snacks every now and then to keep myself sane. It's been proven that ignoring a small craving usually only leads to a larger much more unhealthy binge. I have been a long-time Reese's lover so I'll treat myself to one when I want. I even eat ice cream everyday almost. Note: I've only started this as I get closer to my goal, I didn't do this all along. 4. Weight loss isn't always steady. Though I lost 1-2lbs pretty steadily for months, I hit many plateaus. There was 2 weeks where I lost nothing. There were weeks when I lost 5lbs+ in a week. In fact there were times when I gained, not much, but a gain on the scale nearly sent me up the wall, and it still does. 5. Water is tasteless but so useful. I really haven't drunk anything but water since surgery, with the exception of a few sips of things here and there. Water keeps me full when I'm not eating and it keeps you hydrated! I use Crystal Light to spice things up a bit. 6. Protein is a lovely thing. Protein protein protein, mmm, protein. I've learned that protein is a must have if you're losing weight. This doesn't mean you have to go all out on your protein levels a day, but aim for 60g minimum. I personally eat my weight in protein, but this is my preference and has to do a lot with my exercise and weightlifting. I've always been a chicken eater/lover so I stick to eating just that most of the time: chicken, turkey, and sometimes fish. 7. Food tracking keeps you well, on track. Tracking what you eat helps keep you mentally sound, or at least it did for me. Track everything you eat each day and each meal. This way you're able to see your intake levels for calories, carbs, protein, etc. and adjust accordingly. 8. Carbs are NOT the enemy. When I first started to lose I stayed away from carbs. This was simply due to the fact that my trouble foods seemed to be carb filled: Pasta, rice, corn, and bread. I was eating about 30-40g of carbs a day post-op. I will say that it worked flawlessly and I lost plenty because of my carb-cut, but I do want to say that carbs are not the enemy here. Nowadays I eat carbs like they're nothing. Why? I workout; carbs are the fuel I need. However I will admit to making low-carb recipes all the time and of course still carb count. It is, and always has/will be about calories in vs calories out. In the end carb reduction = calorie reduction. 9. Everyone loses differently; don't compare yourself. I remember looking at forums and seeing how some people lost slowly and how some seemed to drop very quickly. The point is that we will all lose at different rates. Don't compare your weight loss to another's as in the end we're all just looking to lose; who cares about the pace. 10. "Junk food" can be made healthy. Yep, that's right, healthy junk food. I still eat pumpkin pie, Cookies, ice cream, and plenty of other things deemed to be "junk." There is a lovely thing known as healthy foods and ingredients, and with them you can make junk food quite healthy. Pumpkin pie? Got it. Ice cream? I'll take a few scoops. I still like to think no food is taboo. 11. Being banded is about portion control not for ridding your diet of certain foods. I am one who truly believes that having the band doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to any food. Though I cut out some food when I first started, for my own good, I have added in pretty much everything again, including rice and breads. This time however they're portioned properly. I can't and don't eat bowls of rice/pasta anymore. 12. Set mini-goals. Of course the main goal is to lose weight and reach our goal weight, but set mini-goals along the way to keep you positive. I often set goals that went along with holidays. (ie. a had a goal weight for Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, etc.) 13. Hold yourself accountable, but don't beat yourself up. Know when you cheat or go-off track and take it from there. Don't beat yourself to death mentally. One bad day won't kill your weight loss efforts. 14. Keep your eyes on the main goal, though it may seem like it's taking forever to get there, you'll get there, sometimes faster than you ever imagined. 15. Be happy for every pound you lose no matter how small it is. If you're 165.2 one week and one 165.0 the next, be happy, be proud, and realize that even though it's a small loss, it is still a loss. As long as the scale is going down, don't complain.

Maybe have a fill under fluro? I dunno. Your band seems overly-finicky, IMO. Maybe go in for an endoscopy to ensure it's still in it's proper place, your pouch isn't dilated, etc.

First 6 weeks are about healing. Put the scale away and focus on feeling better and giving your body the time it needs to heal. You just underwent invasive surgery; your body right now isn't looking to shed fat. It needs calories, nutrients, and everything else to heal properly.

Yes, I didn't say that they didn't help, but they aren't going to make you lose weight. Having a fill decreases the amount of food you take in, which decreases your overall caloric intake. Start measuring and tracking your food. Maybe you're eating too little or too much; test the waters and see.

You've lost weight, take pride in it. The average weight loss per week with the band 6 weeks post-op is 1-2lbs a week. Are you tracking your calories? Measuring everything? What type of exercise are you doing?

Don't worry too much if you aren't getting all your Water in. While it is important, don't force yourself if it causes you discomfort. Remember to take small sips. If you're drinking ice cold water, try drinking something warm like tea. It helps. A heating pad may also help with the gas pains as does walking around every so often. Happy healing!

Fills don't make you lose weight. Be sure you're tracking/measuring everything you eat. Are you exercising? If not, start. Even a smile walk a day can make all the difference. Maybe ask your doctor to check and see if you have a leak since you seem to be experiencing restriction and then a complete loss.

If you have 50 to lose and you've lost 15 already, that leaves you with 35lbs to lose. I wouldn't have surgery for 35lbs, that's just me.

No fill and no secret I've been banded for a year tomorrow. I believe it took me pre-op and then about a month post-op to reach onederland. I think my calorie intake + the exercise helped most. Besides, you do often lose quickly in the beginning.

I eat 1700 calories a day. No one here, nor any online program/database, can tell you how many calories you need to eat. There are so many variables that play a part (height, weight, goal weight, daily activity amount,e tc) so using those tools/comparing to others is quite useless. My advice is to start off with a number and go from there. I worked my way up from 800 calories to 1700 calories. When I first began I ate about 800 calories a day. Seems like a small amount and a drastic cut from 1700, but when you have excess fat to lose, a 1,000 calorie deficit is acceptable (I'm sure some will disagree with me here.) Maybe start at 1200 calories and add 100 calories each week; re-evaluate at the end of each week to see what the scale is doing. This is how I worked my way up to 1700. Also, are you weighing/measuring/tracking everything you eat? If not, start. Buy a digital scale and fully know/be aware of what you're taking in calorie wise each day. Sometimes we're eating a lot more than we expect. I learned this when I went into my Peanut Butter phase. A "tablespoon" of peanut butter is not a true "tablespoon," so to speak. The same goes for most/all foods. In the end it's calories in vs. calories out; I don't care what anyone says LOL.

Papaya enzymes may help. I'd also advise putting yourself on an eating schedule; eat before you get too hungry. I find if I eat smaller meals more frequently I am able to keep hunger at bay, therefore I am not desperate to scarf down my food like there's no tomorrow. I eat every 2-3 hours, for hunger's sake, not for any false "it's better for my metabolism" reasons. Good luck!

1. First and foremost, the word "only" should be removed when talking about weightloss. That is 10lbs gone, and hopefully 10lbs you'll never see again. While it may not seem like much, those "only 10lbs" soon add up to 50lbs, maybe 100lbs gone. So, congratulate yourself and take pride in the 10lbs you have lost thus far. You said it yourself. You're early out. The first 6-weeks are not about weightloss, it's about healing and allowing your body to heal inside. Stay off the scale for awhile. You won't gain weight, but during this time you may not lose any either, and that is perfectly normal. Even though you're doing everything right, keep in mind you didn't gain it all overnight, and you're not gonna lose it all overnight either. It takes a lot of time, patience, and will power. Keep in mind post 6 weeks, the average weightloss with the band is 1-2lbs a week. Some weeks you'll lose within the range, sometimes less, sometimes more, and sometimes none at all. I say this in almost every reply to most thread, remember, weightloss is not linear nor constant. Keep that in the back of your mind. Also remember that your weight can fluctuate 10lbs in one day. 2. Per the starving issue, focus on getting your Protein in. Protein really helps with hunger as does healthy dietary fats. The "full" feeling is personal. I feel full eating 1 cup of food, sometimes more. Others feel full eating 1/4 cup; it's all relative and differs from bandster to bandster. Not one of us here has the same "full" feeling. I personally don't seek it. I portion out my food, enjoy it, and then I'm done. Restriction usually isn't met on the first fill, but then again, restriction is all relative as well. I have no fill and have enough restriction to keep me satisfied for 2-3 hours; that's all I want/need. 3. Port pain can last for a few more weeks. The port is sewn to your abdominal muscle so it will take more time to heal/feel completely normal. Try using a heating pad. 4. I'm not sure alcohol this early out is safe, advisable, nor a wise choice. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

Took off 2 weeks; could have gone back in a week.

Sometimes eggs can be tough; they have caused me problems in the past, especially early in the morning. I too have no fill. I'd advise drinking something hot before you eat anything in the morning. Tea/coffee work fine. Bands are often tighter in the morning so you may have to drink something hot to help loosen it up a bit. Also, be sure you are truly taking small bites. I am known and still am known to shovel in food, as I like to call it. You may find using baby utensils can help or using a teaspoon as opposed to a tablespoon. Make sure when you take a bite that it is a pretty small amount. Big amounts, while you may chew well, can slip down before you chew them, which may be causing the sensation you're experiencing. Good luck!

Is it inflammed? Leaking anything? Hot to the touch? Call your surgeon if you're worried. Blood clots can occur at anytime, which is why doctors/health professionals tell anyone, surgery or not, to get up and walk around after a few hours. As long as you're not sitting for hours on end, you're probably okay, though it never hurts to get up and walk around for 10-15 minutes.

Stick to your post-op diet. I wouldn't drink too slowly but small sips are best; you don't want to be gulping down liquids too fast, especially early on post-op.

Not much. Many of them just compliment me/say I look great. They don't treat me any differently, IMO. My brother will sometimes pick at me, ie. last night we went to dinner for Mother's Day and I told the chef I didn't want rice with my meal and my brother said something like "ohh no rice she can't weigh it" or "she'll gain an ounce." It bugs me a little but I laugh it off; he does know I weigh everything I eat and I guess he finds it funny; doesn't bother me much!