reverie

Maybe seek help from a counselor. Are you tracking your calories/exercising? What kind of "diet" are you on?

The shape. http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/realize-band/realize-band-faq.html You may find that link to be helpful.

Walking, Gas X strips, and a heating pad, otherwise it's nothing you can avoid; it's all part of the journey. Good luck to the both of you.

Yay @ no guilt. That's how it should be. Food shouldn't be viewed as good and bad.

Thread hijack? Lol. Where do you feel pulling?

Eating too much too quickly maybe?

It's water weight. You don't gain 7lbs in a week.

Proof that the band cannot/will not/and does not stop you from eating. Will power is and will always be part of the equation.

I freaking wish. I have crazy restriction..with no fill. Oy vey. My episodes are very far and in between however.

Just my 2 cents: 1. Congrats on your loss! It's good that you're exercising. Exercise has been key during my journey. 2. Carbs are carbs; it doesn't matter if they come from cream of wheat or oatmeal. Eat foods you enjoy, not foods that a doctor deems "healthier" than another. Your body doesn't know a carb from pizza compared to a carb from an orange. 3. I'd say your too tight. The fact that you stated you're eating "soft" things is a lightbulb. Get an unfill. I don't care what you can or cannot eat as the poster above mentioned, but to me, eating should not be a chore. To me what you have to do to "eat" is abnormal and not something I'd want to have to do for the rest of my life. Eating should be quick, easy, fun, and..enjoyable. 4. Are you measuring what you're eating? Seems silly but buy a digital scale and track your calories. Get an idea of how many calories you're eating now and go from there. If you're low, add 100 calories each week. I did this slowly, starting at 1200 when I stopped losing weight. I eat around 1700-1800 calories nowadays and I am almost at my goal. 5. Eating more/smaller meals does not increase your metabolism. Long-time running dieting MYTH. I do eat throughout the day but only due to the fact that I do it so that I am not ravenously hungry. Eating more often keeps my hunger at bay, nothing more. No other benefit to it.

Man that sucks! At least you're all fixed up now

Everyone is different most definitely. I too have not needed/wanted a fill and I am not hungry for the most part. My stomach will growl if I wait too long to eat so I eat often before I get that super-hungry feeling. I will say post-op for about 2 weeks I had no appetite at all and my appetite today is there but I am definitely not craving the huge portions I used to eat pre-band.

It is banned but can be purchased/imported here. I've seen others use it successfully though it needs to be taken in moderation and shouldn't be taken for a long period of time. I've also seen people do what is known as an EC stack (ephedra + caffeine) to help boost the heart rate during exercise. It works but I can't say it's the safest. Good old intense exercise works for me.

Congrats! Remember you're still early out from surgery so things will/do get better.

Drink more water. Maybe try just keeping yourself busy. The hunger does pass. Congrats on your date; I like May 10.

I wasn't self-pay though from reading/seeing others' experiences, I would lean towards the sleeve unless you're able to find a doctor that gives you a set price that INCLUDES yearly/life time fills. Without insurance fills can get costly and since it can take 5+ tries to get to a proper level of restriction, you may be dishing out more money than you can afford. If I had to do self-pay, I would go for the sleeve. Not that I don't love my band or that it doesn't work, but for me, the sleeve would be the cheapest option if the money was coming out of my pocket. With the sleeve it's a one-time surgery that doesn't require continuous visits to the doctor for fills. Yes you'll need/want to have aftercare but with the sleeve it's a one and done surgery; with the band it's surgery and then follow-up visits to find your proper restriction level. If you choose to do it out of country, please be sure you know of a local doctor that knows about the WLS you choose. While it may be cheaper, you'll want to ensure that somewhere local is a doctor that can assist you if need be. Good luck with whatever you choose!

It happens. Pick yourself up and move on. You aren't gonna gain 10lbs *true* pounds from pigging out

I agree with the poster above. Low fat diets are bound to make you hungry, and they aren't the safest. Your brain needs fat to work properly as does your heart and other organs. If you're going to "diet" do low carb/high protein.

If pills worked would we have gotten WLS?

You'll be fine Mine bled a little too.

One week without a loss is hardly a plateau. When you go for a month without losing, then you can say you've hit a stall. You didn't get fat over night and you're not going to lose it over night, either. Be a bit realistic before you over-frustrate yourself for no good reason. Weight loss is not constant or linear, so you cannot, and you won't, lose weight every week. Try tracking your calories to make sure you aren't overeating. Are you exercising? If not, do so. Are you measuring your portions? If not, buy a food scale and start. Otherwise, wait it out, stay off the scale. Look for other measures of success. Maybe you're losing inches. Maybe you feel better and are seeing differences in your clothes. I doubt the port pain and lack of weight loss are related. Maybe try a heating pad to see if it helps. You could have just irritated it. My advice: be patient and stop expecting to lose everything so quickly; it won't happen.

The purpose of the pre-op diet isn't to lose weight unless your doctor has told you specifically that you need to lose weight to get surgery. Otherwise the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver and lower the triglyceride levels in your body. Weight loss generally occurs because of glycogen depletion and such low caloric levels.

It's your port..lol

Exactly! I have learned that completely eliminating foods only leads to me wanting them more and more..which results in a full out binge. So nowadays I literally eat anything and everything. Hello ice cream, kids Cereal, and dark choco! Besides, I wanted the band for portion control, not to eliminate foods I like.

Are you taking a Multivitamin with enough Vitamin D and Iron? Lack of calories can make you feel tired/weak as well. Maybe try eating more fats/carbs. As for Protein shakes, I'd recommend them but I wouldn't. They will not keep you full for long and should really only be used in the case that you need a quick and on-the-go source of protein/nutrients; not something that should be part of your everyday meals, IMO. If you go the protein route, try buying some casein or a casein blend protein and add it to yogurts, oatmeal, etc. I wouldn't rely on Protein drinks, not if you're weeks out from surgery. Just my opinion!