Okay, so heres the deal.

*If you had will power you would NOT need surgery*

with that in mind...

I had my surgery about two weeks ago

I was basicly told to start out with liquids and advance... 'experiment' until i found my limit.

well, tonight i ate a big mac.... NO limit

my band has yet to be filled... is that the problem?!?!?

i am having the same issue. when they put the band on it isnt filled at all. i had my surgery jan 3 2011. so now the swelling is going down. its pretty much like we have no band. so in a few weeks we will get our first fill. then, no more big macs. good luck.

i am having the same issue. when they put the band on it isnt filled at all. i had my surgery jan 3 2011. so now the swelling is going down. its pretty much like we have no band. so in a few weeks we will get our first fill. then, no more big macs. good luck.

Yeah, I was getting a little worried!

I was like 'hey, did they do the oppisit and it's just an empty pit?!''

It's like... if we had the willpower we would be at the gym... not at mcdonalds lol

Well, i'm glad that i'm not the only one confussed!

Good luck to you too!!!

I am sorry that you are having trouble. You are going through "bandsters hell" which is the period between the surgical swelling going away and your first fill. This is very common.

With that said, I do find it extremely careless of your surgeon to tell you that you should "experiment" with food to see what you can eat. I have been banded for seven weeks and have had my first fill. Could I eat a Big Mac? If I forced it down, but it would come right back up. My surgeon is very strict with what I can and can not eat. There is a list of foods that I can eat. Any food that is not on that list is a food that he does not allow.

That is where the "will power" comes in. My husband and kids order pizza and eat it right in front of me. As I watch them, my stomach growls and my mouth waters because I would love to eat a piece of cheesy pizza. Even so, I have to use my "will power" to prevent myself from grabbing a piece!

You are going to learn that not only is the band a tool, but the entire banding process is a mental thing. You have to be in the mindset that you are not going to eat what you know you can not have. Set your mind to know that if you make the wrong food choice or eat too fast, you will see your food again before it ever makes it past the band!

Yes, you can out eat the band, but did you go through all of this to fail? Ask yourself that the next time you order that Big Mac! Chin up.....YOU CAN DO THIS!

I am sorry that you are having trouble. You are going through "bandsters hell" which is the period between the surgical swelling going away and your first fill. This is very common.

With that said, I do find it extremely careless of your surgeon to tell you that you should "experiment" with food to see what you can eat. I have been banded for seven weeks and have had my first fill. Could I eat a Big Mac? If I forced it down, but it would come right back up. My surgeon is very strict with what I can and can not eat. There is a list of foods that I can eat. Any food that is not on that list is a food that he does not allow.

That is where the "will power" comes in. My husband and kids order pizza and eat it right in front of me. As I watch them, my stomach growls and my mouth waters because I would love to eat a piece of cheesy pizza. Even so, I have to use my "will power" to prevent myself from grabbing a piece!

You are going to learn that not only is the band a tool, but the entire banding process is a mental thing. You have to be in the mindset that you are not going to eat what you know you can not have. Set your mind to know that if you make the wrong food choice or eat too fast, you will see your food again before it ever makes it past the band!

Yes, you can out eat the band, but did you go through all of this to fail? Ask yourself that the next time you order that Big Mac! Chin up.....YOU CAN DO THIS!

Well see that's my thing. I started out slow.. and started eating more and more. and i was getting really like... dissapointed that it wasn't coming up. I was kinda testing the Water to see what my limit was. and i ate the big mac HOPING that it would put it in my mind that i CAN'T EAT EVERYTHING... and it didn't.

I need to know mentally that i have a limit, and as of right now i don't.

i know for a FACT that when i find my limit.. and actually know i have one it will be a differnt story.

i HATE geting sick, so i will do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure that i don't, lol

The way I've been taught about the band, we are not to eat to fullness, but eat our measured portions (3oz Protein, 1/2 cup veggies). Many people are told to eat till they're not hungry. If I were given that guideline, I probably would've eaten the house down. Could it be that you misundertood your doctor's instructions? Perhaps what they meant was to experiment on what TYPES of food you can tolerate, not the amounts?

from a recent post on the Smartbandsters email list:

For you newbies: if you want to test the band: eat a small portion of

protein and produce. Stop. Go get really busy doing something else. You will

probably forget about eating. Your band is working. See how long you can go

before you get PHYSICALLY hungry again. If it's 3-5+ hours, your band is

working. Don't try to test it by seeing how much you can eat. We already

know you can eat more than you should. Don't try to test it by eating things

you shouldn't. They may go down or they may cause you a major problem but

it's not worth risking your band over some gummy, sticky, or stringy food

you don't need. That said, even if you're careful it might happen anyway

because it takes a long time to change a lifetime of eating habits. PRACTICE

slowing down, cutting your food into toddler size pieces, chewing more, and

making WISE choices. This really does work.

Also read Dr. Simpson's post.. it's not about restriction: http://drsimpson.net...newsletter.html

Like Melissande, that was what I was taught to do...eat my portions and push myself away from the table. If I can stay 'full' (defined as not hungry) for about 4 hours then I'm at my sweet spot. If not, I need a fill. I'm at my sweet spot. I eat my portion of 3 oz of Protein and 1/2 cup of vegies and I'm good for 4 hours. For dinner, I'll often add 1/4 cup of starch (rice, potatoes or beans).

If I ate whatever I could and until I was full (defined as not able to stuff another thing in my mouth), I'd also eat myself out of house and home.

.