Hi I am Danielle and I got banded on Oct. 4. First 3 weeks were fine but as soon as I was able to eat real foods my appetite increased and I am still at the weight I was the day I got my staples Out which is 10 pounds lighter. I basically been dieting on my own but it is hard because the reason I got the lapband was to help my portions Cause once I get started a girl can GO, so its getting frustrating. My first fill is Nov. 14 hope things getting better

It can be hard the first little while, till you start getting some fills. Hang in there. This is about making changes for life. So even if you can't feel restriction, just try to make healthy choices and get exercising. That way you are on the right path and when the fills kick in you will be much happier. I've found that I take pride in getting a good workout in or making a healthy choice at meal time....not that I have restriction. Sure it does help, and it will help you, but this journey also needs to be about your changes. Not just having a band. I found weeks 3-8 post-op were the hardest, mentally, because no weight came off......but changes were being made with my body and mind that I couldn't see on the scale. If you haven't already, take pictures of yourself. Really helps your mind when the scale isn't moving. Hope this helps.

Oh ya....and when you start feeling a little restriction try to change the way you think at meal time. Instead of thinking, :"how much can I eat"...think "how little can I eat and still be satisfied". I read this somewhre on the boards here and it has really helped me.

You are in the stage that we call "Bandster Hell." You are not restricted yet at all, so technically, there's nothing making you feel fuller than if you had no band at all. I went through this stage, and you just have to push through it! I promise that once you hit the "sweet spot", all the waiting will be worth it. As for now, eat healthy, exercise, and concentrate on your food. Think "Only eat until satisfied." That's how you are going to eat with the band.

Take it as practice!

Good luck to you!

Elizabeth

For now this is a will power diet. I wish doctors were more up front about that. It took me 6 months to get restriction. Buy yourself a good digital food scale and start measureing your food. When it's gone you're done eating.

Yep your in "bandster hell". The 1st few months after my band was placed I didn't feel any different. It took 3 fills (about 4 mths) for me to feel restriction. I assumed that I wouldn't be hungry immeditely after surgery. I was starving. I lost maybe 10 lbs the 1st 4 mths that I attributed to the post op liquid diet. Once I got restriction the lbs started coming. Its been 2 yrs and I've lost 104 lbs with about 10 left till goal. I do feel ur pain. I thought I failed the band just like every other diet id ever been on.

Please be patient. I don't remember my doctor telling me this. I thought the band was magic and it would work right away. Doesn't work like that

Good luck to u

Marci

It's all on you right now to control your portions. Hopefully your first fill will help...for some it takes a few fills to get the band working for them. Just because you "can" eat more, doesn't mean you should. Find something to moyivate you to stay on track until Now 14th

It's all on you right now to control your portions. Hopefully your first fill will help...for some it takes a few fills to get the band working for them. Just because you "can" eat more, doesn't mean you should. Find something to moyivate you to stay on track until Now 14th

Things that really helped *ME*:

1) discover the crucial difference between "hungry" and "NOT hungry";

2) discover the crucial difference between "eating" and "OVER eating";

3) discover the crucial difference between "satiety" and "sport eating";

4) discover the crucial difference between "wishing" and "DOING";

Evaluating each day each meal each bite, as to WHY I was moved to stuff my pie hole, led to considerable self-understanding.

Yes, I had issues with food, with 'comfort' food, with all the reasons we of the Tribe of the Morbidly Obese, chronically stuff more in to mouths, than just physical hunger.

Once I recognized a LOT of my own eating related to the fear of becoming hungry, rather than being hungry, it became progressively easier to change my own eating behavior.

I had to abandon my closely held concepts that eating/grazing/stuffing myself in a day-long buffet had much to do with actually enjoying a meal. I had to define actual "meal" as a sit-down at-home activity, rather than something I stuffed in my mouth while doing something else.

I came to not only recognize but enjoy the different phases of approaching 'hunger'. I came to delight in discovering the sensation of developing an appetite over time, letting it blossom into something other than an excuse to shovel down another bag-o-burgers.

Nothing tastes better than non-Morbidly Obese.

Each day, each meal, is opportunity to explore and expand understanding of ourselves. Rather than let the Belly Dragons rule our lives, we have the pristine opportunity to develop and train the Rational Mind part of our being. Exercise that and we WILL overcome our bad eating habits.

Recognize our over eating habit is NOT 'who we are'. What we do, day in and day out, is what we become.

Frustration and helplessness come from not acting on what we know is right. "Hunger" is a habit. We can learn to modify what we do and train 'hunger' to what Normos do: eat when hungry. Then stop. No more 'just another taste'. No more 'just finish this plateful. No more 'don't throw this out'. Yes. You. Can. Do. It.

Slow down your eating. Chew everything. If you can't recognize whether you are 'hungry' or not....you AIN'T. Stop eating. Put it away.

cheers on your journey

This is what has helped me - I portion out my meal on a salad plate which include 3 -4 oz chicken or fish and 1/4 cup of two different veggies. I sit down to eat it and that's it. I find that it really does fill me , but I have to say I don't have any of the "signs" of being full. I do the same thing for every meal - portion out what my nutritionist says I SHOULD have and that's my meal - period! Hope this tidbit helps.