Hello everyone!!

I see a lot of people saying "Bandsters Hell" and the "Green Zone".

What exactly are these?

When do you get to "HELL" or the "Green"?

Thanks

Bandsters hell is the 2 to 3 weeks after surgery, when you are on liquids then mushies then soft foods, which gets really old after awhile, cause you want to eat something solid, but know you can't yet.

the green zone is when you have good restriction from fills, can be from the first fill all the way to the 5th fill. i got good restriction by my 4th fill, i was full faster, satisfied longer, but could still eat things like pasta, rice, corn and tortillas and whole wheat bread with no issues, but not alot of it. i would say 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups a food at a meal fills me up. even soup sometimes fills me up for a good 4 hours.

This is a picture taken with my I-Phone in my Dr.s office. It is a little out of focus.

But to be in the "Green Zone" you are:

\

1) NOT HUNGRY

2) GOOD WEIGHT LOSS

3) PORTION CONTROL

4) PATIENT SATISFACTION

I hope you can read the yellow and red zones.

When I go to my Surgeon for appointments, he points to the chart and asks me "Where do you think you are on that scale?"

My interpretation is anything other than the Green Zone, where you have to work hard just like any other diet, and ask yourself "I had Surgery for this????"

Also, if you have the first 3, you can't help but have #4

Thanks .. yes this does help .. Thanks for the feed back

Thanks i find that chart online and just printed it out !! Thanks again ..

Thanks i find that chart online and just printed it out !! Thanks again ..

Give us the link. I have been trying to find it, and others will also.

Bandster Hell can last many months depending on how cheap your doc is with the fills! Green zone is also called sweet spot. For me it is when I really am uncomfortable if I eat more then 3/4 to 1 cup of anything!

The pic that B-52 put up is the same one that was in my Drs. office. Unfortunately...........that "green zone"/restriction/"sweet spot" is just a myth for MANY bandsters!

Bandster HELL can last forever, since for many of us the band has been a complete waste of time and money. Those of us with no restriction/green zone don't lose any weight unless we diet or exercise, just like before the band. Also......you will hear over and over on these forums "the band is just a tool". That is always written in an attempt to blow off someone who says their band is not working. Yes, the band is not meant to do all the work, but it is expected (AND ADVERTISED) to do SOME of the work. In many cases though, that just NEVER happens!

well then I'm definitely NOT in the green zone, which sucks!! I think I may have a leak because I'm burpy, have good restriction & can feel my liquids going down right after a fill but by the following day I'm able to eat things I couldn't swallow the day before. Or is this normal??

Your surgeon can check how much Fluid is in your band by withdrawing it when doing a fill, but it isn't exact--some generally remains in the tubing. There are other tests they can do to check for a leak.

If you are newly banded, the most likely cause of that is swelling at the time of the fill that is gone the next day. While not a true indication of what restriction level you will be at, do you know what sized band you have and how much fill you have in it?

Most people don't approach the green zone until the 3rd to 5th fill, sometimes even many more. Especially if they have a larger band.

well then I'm definitely NOT in the green zone, which sucks!! I think I may have a leak because I'm burpy, have good restriction & can feel my liquids going down right after a fill but by the following day I'm able to eat things I couldn't swallow the day before. Or is this normal??

It is very normal. There often seems to be no rhyme or reason to the band. I can eat chicken one day. Maybe not the next. Of I may eat something dense like chicken , steak, shrimp just fine, and then a few hrs. later yogurt doesn't want to go down. I call mine a psycho band. Things like these are very common though!

Your surgeon can check how much Fluid is in your band by withdrawing it when doing a fill, but it isn't exact--some generally remains in the tubing. There are other tests they can do to check for a leak.

If you are newly banded, the most likely cause of that is swelling at the time of the fill that is gone the next day. While not a true indication of what restriction level you will be at, do you know what sized band you have and how much fill you have in it?

Most people don't approach the green zone until the 3rd to 5th fill, sometimes even many more. Especially if they have a larger band.

I have had 17 fills and never reached the green zone. I have the standard size band.

well then I'm definitely NOT in the green zone, which sucks!! I think I may have a leak because I'm burpy, have good restriction & can feel my liquids going down right after a fill but by the following day I'm able to eat things I couldn't swallow the day before. Or is this normal??

Your surgeon can check how much Fluid is in your band by withdrawing it when doing a fill, but it isn't exact--some generally remains in the tubing. There are other tests they can do to check for a leak.

If you are newly banded, the most likely cause of that is swelling at the time of the fill that is gone the next day. While not a true indication of what restriction level you will be at, do you know what sized band you have and how much fill you have in it?

Most people don't approach the green zone until the 3rd to 5th fill, sometimes even many more. Especially if they have a larger band.

I have had 17 fills and never reached the green zone. I have the standard size band.

Hi Fluffy, I am sorry, I should have quoted Army Girl in my original post. It was in response to hers. But of course, open to all to respond.

Your surgeon can check how much Fluid is in your band by withdrawing it when doing a fill, but it isn't exact--some generally remains in the tubing. There are other tests they can do to check for a leak.

If you are newly banded, the most likely cause of that is swelling at the time of the fill that is gone the next day. While not a true indication of what restriction level you will be at, do you know what sized band you have and how much fill you have in it?

Most people don't approach the green zone until the 3rd to 5th fill, sometimes even many more. Especially if they have a larger band.

Thanks for the great info it does make sense. I have a 10cc band & have 5.75cc in it give or take a little. I just don't understand why I'm hitting a plateau so soon after surgery.

Thanks for the great info it does make sense. I have a 10cc band & have 5.75cc in it give or take a little. I just don't understand why I'm hitting a plateau so soon after surgery.

While I am no doctor, I'd guess you'll be hitting the green zone before too much longer. As a side note, my losses were never steady. If I had a big loss one week, I could expect a month long plateau. Then I might lose steady for a few weeks and post a small gain the next. But the overall trend was downward.

Also, I have days where I can eat more and days where I eat less. Days when I am hungrier than others.

Being banded is a journey, not a sprint.