Before my lap band surgery, I spent 7months imagining how my life would be transformed after WLS. I thought, "No more dieting, no more bingeing and overeating" Well, 25 days out, and I'm always hungry - especially afternoon and evening and, I just had a bowl of ice cream! What is that? I lost 13 lbs 7 days post-op and have not lost anything since. I had been watching my food intake, drinking 70 oz of water but not able to stop at 4 oz of food. Doctor said that I was pretty open so it is not unusual to be hungry.

My concern is that I will gain back the 13lbs before my first fill. My second concern is that the fill won't stop me from being hungry and eating as i have been. The 3rd concern is that I just waisted my time, money and energy on my last hope at getting to a healthy weight. I don't mean to sound like a pessimist , but I truly thought this was going to be different. I mean, I thought that the lap banned would be the perfect tool to stop me from overeating when I can't do it for myself.

Has everyone else experienced this disappointment early on? If so, did it get better and how...Thank you!:eek::wink:

I am in the exact same boat as you. Since being banded on April 2nd I have only lost 14lbs...4 of which I've gained back already. I am pretty depressed about it. Friends and family that I've told about my surgery are telling me I wasted my money...but they don't understand how it works. It's very discouraging. I am under the impression that once you have a few fills you will eat less because you'll have more restriction. The weight will come off, it just takes time. Search these boards and you will find a lot of people with this very same issue. It will get better! Try to stay positive and good luck!

Please PLEASE hang in there! What you are both going through is that lovely limbo period called 'Bandster Hell', which is the period in between banding and a level of adequate restriction when it feels like you're starving all the time. I honestly experienced the same feelings and shared your disappointment before I began getting fills and all I can say is that it WILL get easier. Unfortunately, our bodies need to heal before we can start getting those fills to work toward getting restriction. You do have a tool that will help-when you are able to properly maintain it. I promise this will all be worth it when you start getting fills and you will be much happier.

I will be banded on May 3rd and I have done tons of research on the lapband / pre and post op. From what I understand until you have a fill you don't have any restriction which is basically like you don't have the band at all, but like juliansmom2003 said your body does need to heal and it takes time. I would call your dr and see if you can get in to get a fill sooner than your appt date if you can't take it anymore. Anytime during your journey and you stop losing weight,are gaining weight or feeling hungry all the time and you all doing what you are suppose to then its time for a fill. Dont be scared to call the dr's office and ask, that's what they are there for. Don't give up. Stay encouraged and we are all here to help each other out. Good luck!

Stefani

It does get better - restriction is a great thing and does a lot to help out with cravings and hunger. However, it is not a brain transplant (which I think is what I need) and so I still have days or weeks where I am in a bit of a hole and really struggling - like right now. But despite being in a slump at the moment, in the last 11 months I have lost 100lbs and have made amazing changes - but I still get in that bad space where I eat everything in sight and feel like a lump :eek:

So, keep trying and do your best. Know there will be good and bad days but the band does work! Be gentle on yourself and before you know it the months will fly by and the pounds will drop off. Good luck.

My other suggestion - spend time on your own personal development - read books, talk to people, go to support groups - keep working on your head and motivation and then the band will take care of the hunger and quantity.

It's too bad that, during the preop phase,you didn't get good instruction telling you what to expect.

Your fantasies may yet come true---but the band isn't a quick fix. It takes a while to get things adjusted for restriction----and until you reach that point, it is just like being on another diet.

There's a difference, though: it's time-limited. IT WILL PASS.

It's very, very likely that your first fill will NOT give you appreciable restriction. It may take several months for you to feel as though the band is doing its job. But I promise, if you work with your doctor (and vice versa!), you'll get there.

I'm sorry you're feeling discouraged---I think most of us know how it feels. But if you try to reframe what's going on to a more positive, "I'm working hard now, but it will be worth it!" it may be easier for you to withstand bandster hell.

thank you for your input and words of encouragement! Intellectually, i know you are absolutely right - the weight will come off - in time. It has worked for hundreds of other ppl., it will work for us! We did not waste our time and money - ultimately, I pray that it will be the best investment in our health and well being. Pls. let me know how you do after your first fill, and thereafter. Good luck to you

How many fills did it take some of you to get adequate restriction. I've just started doing my "paper chase" to get the procedure done. I know that the lap band is not a cure-all and that it is a tool, but after a 2 week liquid pre op diet and a 2 week liquid post op diet, I'm wondering how much longer you have to suffer to get to where you can really work with the band as it is intended to work.

My nutritionist said that usually after fill #3 people have restriction, but its different for everyone. I have 3cc in a 10cc band and I do not have much restriction. I can pretty much eat what I want...just slowly and a lot less than I used to before banding.

I knew that this wasn't the magic bullet that will make me thin, but I was also aware of the "Bandster Hell" that I am going through now. I lost 17lbs the first 14 days postop and only 2lbs since then ( I was banded March 12th). I have been watching my food intake and the types of foods I eat.

You might wanna try walking, I have heard that adding excercise with sometimes jump-start our metabolism and help us begin loosing weight again. I was just released for exercise last week (I had a hernia repair) but I plan on joining a gym this week and begin attendance to see if that will help me loose a little quicker.

Hang in there, I know it seems discouraging right now but you are going through the NORMAL cycle. I think at one point or the other we have ALL had second thoughts and gotten discouraged!

I am so glad to see this post! I am two weeks post op and healing really well. The last few days, I have been really hungry and able to eat more! I even called the nurse this morning about this. She said I am getting ahead of myself (since I still need to keep healing) and when I meet with the dr. next week for my first post-op, they will schedule my first fill. She said the fill will definitely begin to make a difference.

She suggested I talk to the nutritionist in the mean time to work on my diet so I can feel full. I'm just waiting for him to call back.

This really is frustrating:unsure:, but glad to see it gets better in the weeks and months ahead.

More experienced bandsters on here, please keep posting to us newbies that it will get better!!:thumbup:

Believe me it will get better. I was banded Feb. 8 and have lost around 34 lbs. I got my second fill this past Wednesday, and it has done nothing for me. I can eat like a horse. I know it takes a few fills to get restriction, but hang in there. It will get better.

How many fills did it take some of you to get adequate restriction. I've just started doing my "paper chase" to get the procedure done. I know that the LAP-BAND® is not a cure-all and that it is a tool, but after a 2 week liquid pre op diet and a 2 week liquid post op diet, I'm wondering how much longer you have to suffer to get to where you can really work with the band as it is intended to work.

It took me 5 fills to reach restriction and 4 months of careful eating to not gain any weight! But now that I'm there it is much easier but I have to work at it still.

There needs to be a permanent thread posted about how contrary to most people's expectations (including mine) right after surgery where people expect to lose all this weight. Chances are you're not and you are Not a failure during this time - your body is healing. This isn't gastric bypass. Until you get filled it's just an ornament around your stomach.

Thank you for all the posts! Yes, I was not aware that until the first fill (or two or three) there is no restriction, just "an ornament" around the stomach (I like the analogy, thank you!). I am hopeful that, in time, we will all get to our goal. Others before us have done it, we will as well!!!!!!!!

I am now 6 months post op and I have felt the same frustrations you felt, like why did I do this if I was gonna have to do it all on my own. After the 4th fill, I would have restriction half of the time. I still obsessed about food and I would eat things like sugar free ice cream (like way too much of it) and chips (for some reason chips didn't give me problems). It started to get to where I couldn't eat but one or two chips and then they would get stuck (or I would be full) so I would just put them away. I lost about 15 lbs in 2 months like that. Last week I got another fill and now I can only eat just a tiny bit. It takes me about a half hour to drink a protein shake. I think I am now at that sweet spot. I have lost 4 lbs in 3 days and I'm very concerned that I better step up the exercising cuz the weight is going to really start falling off. All this to say, for the first 4 months I struggled with gaining pounds and losing pounds and now I am just going down. I think those that have lost a lot of weight probably went thru similar experiences. Oh, I just want to say that without slowly working my way into learning how to eat slowly and pay attention to my body that I would not have been able to handle it. I really would have hurt myself with this type of restriction in the beginning. Good luck!