J in Vermont

60lbs is great. i am no where close to that. after the last fill in april i felt for a while that i was at the sweet spot and lost some weight over the next month. now i feel like i get hungry and my appetite is bigger. still much better but not as good. have stepped up exercise as well. Sweets are my biggest problem area. Ofcourse they slide down without the least bit of hesitation. - J

Seems like i am on the slow train compared to my fellow Nov 2010 bandsters. I had my 3rd fill today. have a total of 6.5 cc in a 10 cc band. getting there though. until the jan fill, i couldnt even tell if i had surgery. hopefully this one will put me in the sweet spot. - J

I can now wrap the little gym towel all around my waist. It was not a pretty sight until recently. Slowly but surely.... getting there. Next fill Thursday. already have 6 cc in a 10 cc band. - J

i'm getting my second fill tomorrow. i am expecting to get 1cc but hoping it will be more because i cant even tell if i have had surgery. the only time i feel restricted/stuck is when i take a big bite of rice or fry bread. My portions are close to what i was eating pre-op. i'm making better choices now, but around Xmas and traveling was much harder. have had some NSVs but in terms of weight loss i am stuck at where i was 2 wks post op.

i got my first fill yesterday. 4 ccs - cant feel any difference. still on liquids, maybe it'll feel different when i have solids.

Had my first fill today. 4cc. was empty before this. Other than the injection site that took 3 attempts i dont feel any different. I was expecting to have a little tightness around the chest, like i did right after surgery. I have been hungary but not that much. i had a 20oz juice for lunch and then 8 oz of milk. They both went down with no problems. The surgeon says "you're a small guy so it'll take some fills to get there!" i told him that he was the only person to ever call me small. Small person getting bariatric surgery??? its all relative, I guess. The surgeon also thoght that it may be a week or so before i feel the restriction.

I just got filled this morning as well. 4 ccs as expected. i cant tell any difference. for all i know that saline went somewhere else. I've not had anything but Clear Liquids because i dont want to push it but i was hoping to feel something. i'm not sure what i was expecting feel. The fill itself was more painful than i expected. it took 3 sticks to get it. i hope he eventually did. what if the 4 ccs are sitting in the muscle and never made it to the port and the band. Just worry thoughts i guess. - J

COngratulations. Looking forward to joining the club. 15 lbs to go. Tomorrow is my first fill.

I was wondering how long are you on liquid diet before starting back in solids or soft foods. My appointment is on the 16th and i am expecting to get 4cc in a 10 cc band. Thank you

NSV means Non-scale Victory

The surgeon expects me to get around 8-9 cc ultmiately. He thinks the band is big for and therefore i need to get filled several times before i feel restricted. I understand from this site that everyone has a different fill level to hit the "zone". Hopefully i wont be waiting until the spring to get there. Will keep you posted on my experience with 4 cc.

I have been going to the gym lately and it seems like i have so much more energy. I did 35 min on the bike and and 25 min on elliptical and then the circuit of weight training. Not only did I workout longer, i was at a much higher pace than usual. I was also rockin' out to some rock music from the 80s! that might have helped, i'm sure to the annoyance of others at the gym. Weight has been stagnant for the past 2 weeks. have to admit i havent been a "good doggie" either. Looking forward to my 1st fill this Thursday... 4cc i am told.

I am 5 weeks out from surgery and had a salad with lettuce for lunch today. no problems what so ever. - J

Very well written Samantha. It seems as though you could read my own thoughts. I will go back to read your piece one more time. Thank you. - J

I cant wait to get a fill. I feel like i can eat to pre-surgery levels. maybe a little less. I think i'm snacking less between meals is the only reason i have lost weight. My first fill is scheduled for Dec 16th

could be band erosion too. I think you are on the right track though. The signs are of GERD.

Surgery Nov 1, 2010 - lost 13 lbs since surgery. 25 lbs all together

Nice.

No fill yet. expecting to be filled Dec 16th. Looking forward to some restriction.

I did eat solids 2 weeks out, but was choosing soft foods like fish and soft cooked veggies. i noticed that soon thereafter i stopped losing weight. lately i seem to be gradually going down again. its tempting to be able to have good tasting food after a long stretch of liquids. i think there is a lot of good advice in the anwers above mine. I will go back and read them again.

i had my surgery on Nov 1st and the 1st fill is scheduled for Dec 16th.

I was operated on Nov 1st. no fill at the time of surgery. My first fill will be dec 16th and its expected to be 4cc. My surgeon thinks I will need more fills before feeling restricted. lets see. i hope the first one is atleast somewhat effective. At this time, i have ZERO restriction. its like i didnt even have surgery.

I'm now little over 3 weeks post op. At this time I feel ABSOLUTELY no restriction. I think i can eat pretty close to pre-op portions. I haven't been very good either. Being able to have food that one can chew and has a crunch has made me go off track. haven't gained any weight at this time, but haven't lost any in the last week or so. Only feel restricted if i eat food that is very dry. The surgeon said that the band is "one-size" and is probably very big for me until it gets filled. i don't get filled until Dec 16th. From the more experienced folks... how did you manage this stage. I know will power must have something to do with it but its hard to find when i feel like I've been "deprived" for almost a month. These are of course sabotaging thoughts, but i have succumbed to them. Thanks, - J

Thank you both Deb and RandomRan for your thoughtful replies. I will begin the journal today, i think it will help. The problem i had with the Protein shakes right from pre-op until about a couple of days ago, is that they gave me pretty bad gout. I have never had gout for more than 2-3 days at a time and this episode lasted more than 3 weeks. The 2 major changes were that i was losing weight quickly and that i was drinking Protein Shakes. Natural Proteins seem to be better. I will also take up your suggestions for adding veges. i do like veggies and have been eating them, but they can be low cal and filling. Thanks again - J

I'm now little over 3 weeks post op. At this time I feel ABSOLUTELY no restriction. I think i can eat pretty close to pre-op portions. I haven't been very good either. Being able to have food that one can chew and has a crunch has made me go off track. haven't gained any weight at this time, but haven't lost any in the last week or so. Only feel restricted if i eat food that is very dry. The surgeon said that the band is "one-size" and is probably very big for me until it gets filled. i don't get filled until Dec 16th. From the more experienced folks... how did you manage this stage. I know will power must have something to do with it but its hard to find when i feel like I've been "deprived" for almost a month. These are of course sabotaging thoughts, but i have succumbed to them. Thanks, - J