HeatherinCA

I'd go back and make sure your band is in good shape. But you have to commit to it!! For me, I do 80% of the dieting, the band helps me out with 20%, like keeping me from being hungry all the time, and limiting my portions a little bit.. But 80% is me controlling what I eat, and how much I exercise. The band won't stop you from eating. Don't ever let it get so tight you can't eat solid protein.

Good thread!! Hmm guess I will post some. I know this isn't the same for everyone, and maybe I'm lucky, but I can eat anything, nothing gets stuck, or makes me throw up. I was so scared when I would read this board pre op thinking that was going to happen all the time. If you can't eat hard Protein (after you heal), you probably have too much Fluid in your band. The pain is pretty bad for the first 3 days post op. It was worse than I thought for such a "simple surgery".. just thought I'd mention it. Get a heating pad. Also, when you need to lie down, or sit up or down post op, take a big breath before you move, it'll help with the pain when you have to move your stomach It is nearly impossible to poop (haha gross, but you pretty much have to take something every few days to make it come out, since you don't eat very much) Buy the gummie Vitamins they taste better than the nasty chalky chewable kind. I actually enjoy taking them now! and like everyone else said the band won't stop you from eating, or make you full after eating 1/2 cup of food it's just not like that! I eat, i have to watch my calories and what goes in. It's a learning process. I eat about a 1 to 11/2 cup of food per meal (after healing), not 1/2 cup. I always had this vision that you eat like a 1/2 cup of tuna for all your meals forever, it's simply not true. I can eat regular food and regular meals, I just am satisfied with less.

I went home after, mine was like 10 am or something. I was probably there for 12 hours. I wish we had gotten a hotel, the drive was brutal because of the pain! I think you only stay overnight if it's required by insurance maybe? Or if they have to do something like repair a hernia during surgery.

I don't know what to say? I don't see why it would be your surgeons fault if it didn't work? Unless he implanted it wrong...

You can do it!!! Just follow the rules, you'll feel better about it I know it's hard, but after the first month it's much easier.

This. I still have to pick and choose what I eat everyday. Learn about calories and portions... you can't be skinny and eat fat people food, doesn't work that way.

See what your body says, I can eat a good amount, but I'm not hungry, so I figure I'm good. How long can you go between meals? If it's 4-5 hours, and if you are losing weight I'd say you are good. LOL everytime I see your avatar i think of this episode of the Simpsons. Homer gets a lapband to impress marge. Then he has like all this extra skin he holds back with a clothes pin haha Uploaded with ImageShack.us

My guide book from my surgeon says to do it, mixed with Water and sip it..

Yea, basically you don't want the band to be full of liquid when you need to be eating. Since we eat so little. I haven't seen my nutritionist since pre-op. I don't feel the need to see them all the time... but yes every doctor says different things, but I would think the liquid things is pretty much the most important....

That makes sense Jacqui. It's just hard for me to physically understand it! It's all a little strange. Yea for me the lack of hunger is full force, but I don't have much restriction (I can eat anything). I guess it does work differently for everyone. But in my mind, I see the band has a hole.. food is gonna go through, I can't see how it would ever stop the eating completely. Seems like a lot of the sensations and feelings are different now. I was so used to being full to the brim after I'd eat, now it's just a light feeling. Which takes some getting used to.

Right, I think I feel the same as you. I eat, then I'm full, but I can still eat more, I have to restrain. It's never to the point I can't physically eat anymore. If I over eat sometimes I get a little gassy, but nothing really stops me. It's almost strange, because I'm never really hungry, so it's hard to gauge when I'm full, but I know I have to eat. I do the same, eat what I want, then I pick at my plate. Or sometimes I eat when I'm not hungry, to eat for the sake of eating. I was just curious, because we see SO many posts everyday, people wondering why they can eat so much, and when they will have "restriction" or they have 9ccs in their band, and can still eat... I know everybody is different, but my hunger would be gone forever if I had 9ccs in my band! I barely have any now. It doesn't seem healthy to me that people can't eat Breakfast, and are eating maybe a granola bar and 1/2 cup of tuna a day... PBing is when food gets stuck and you vomit it back up, but i think it comes up like slime and in one piece. I do that too, I'll eat my dinner, and then I get up, if i'm still hungry later i'll have more, but it's usually never the case that I need more. I eat around it too, or after an hour or so after a meal I could eat again which I do sometimes.

Pretty much... did you talk to your doctor?

Yes, the band controls your hunger, it presses against the hunger nerve or something? I never get really "hungry" I wouldn't say I get really nauseous... all these things feel different though.

Yea it's about 1-3lbs a week after that savour the first few weeks haha, gives you a good jump start.

I'm just curious... in my opinion and personal experience (I've been banded about 3 months) I feel the fills are to keep me from being hungry all the time... I have 5.5ccs in my 11cc band(which was my first fill), and I can go a good 5 hours without eating, I still have to police what goes in, I can over eat if I chose to (within reason, obviously not pre-band amounts), and I haven't had any stuck episodes or problems with any food. But I'm not hungry so I feel the band is doing what it is supposed to. Losing steadily 1-3lbs a week. Yes, pre-banding I thought it would physically stop me from eating, but I view it differently now, and now I'm not so sure. Then I see people posting about having and/or wanting "restriction" from their fills.. as to stop them from eating so much, and people that have their bands filled to the max,... I'm unclear which is correct, or is it a little of both? I don't wanna start a fight, I'm just curious what everyones opinion is on each side of the argument.

I got mine about 5 weeks after surgery.. I think as long as you are on solids you should be fine. @Che sounds like you have plenty in your band if you are full for that long, why would you need more?

That seems too tight to me, if you can't eat solid protein... The fills just control your hunger. It's not supposed to restrict you from eating food.

Yep heating pad is great, and take your pain meds and when you stand up and sit down take a deep breath, helps the pain.

The big question is are you hungry all the time? Obviously I still want to eat and I have an appetite, but my hunger level is very low, so I don't think about eating as much... it's still a struggle and I have to decide what goes in. I think restriction is a myth, it's never gonna stop you from eating. Or you'll be so filled that you can't eat and you get sick all the time. I don't think it's supposed to FEEL like you have a band. The band controls my hunger, that is it's job, if I was on a 1200 calorie diet i'd be starving all the time, now I'm not. This makes it a lot easier for me. Sucks to have to make decisions but thats what skinny people do, they CHOOSE healthy foods and small portions. That's why they are skinny. It's a lifestyle, you gotta learn how to work with it.

I eat pizza, don't worry it's not gone forever haha! You can't have too much of it though

Sounds like they might be testing your will power. The fills just help with your hunger, but it doesn't stop you from eating, and you should be still losing 1-2lbs a week without one if you follow all the rules. They want to make sure you are committed to this. I know everyone has their own opinions on fills, and their purpose and all that, but maybe it's to prevent you from having 12 fills, and wondering why you still over eat.. maybe he wants you to understand their purpose. But it still seems a little strange he's holding it hostage... but if you can't lose weight with diet and exercise then you are screwed even with a band.

They sell adult liquid tylenol that is what I take.

1-2lbs a week is normal, safe, weight loss that is what you should expect from now on. also you are still healing so don't worry. The 18lbs is only because you aren't eating! It's to help you heal, weight loss is kind of an unintentional side effect.

Yea it's just healing for the first month. Don't worry and 8 pounds in 3 weeks is good! you've lost over 2lbs a week. You can't expect to ever lose more than that... I lose 1-2lbs a week. Occasionally it's more, but 1-2lbs is the norm. You really gotta watch your calories! Make sure everything is going right, if you don't lose any, look back on your week and figure out why and change it.

Well, it is all about learning to work with your new lifestyle. Watching your calories and exercising. The bands job is to control your hunger, it does help you eat less BUT, it doesn't stop you from eating, I could eat enough food to gain weight if I chose to. Now, for me, my band is 1/2 full of Fluid, I can eat anything I want (but I'm not hungry so the band is working), no food gets stuck, I don't particularly go crazy with chewing my food. It's not the case for everyone though. But it shouldn't be happening frequently. Some people elect to get a lot of fills, because they want to physically not be able to over eat. Which isn't healthy. You'd only get acid reflux and all that if you are too tight and you end up puking all the time.. The only problem I really have is with going to the bathroom, which is due to the lack of food, and the amount of Fiber we consume. I would be a little concerned getting it and only needing to lose 60 pounds. It's a big surgery, and a lot of recovery and work, and for me, I'm about 2.5 months out and I've lost 40lbs already. Seems like it might be too much work to only lose 60 pounds. I have about 130 or so pounds to lose, it was to the point I couldn't lose those pounds myself dieting and exercising. I needed a little bit of a push. The band is kind of a built in tool, built in motivation. I can't really give up because it's always gonna be inside me.