Hey all. I was banded 6/21. I'm currently on a "soft foods" diet but I'll admit to trying things here and there to see how my band tolerates it. I dropped 8 lbs the first week and then plateaued. Today is my third week and I'm up 2.2 lbs.

I feel out of control in my food choices and the amount I'm eating. I have no restriction in the sense that I can eat normal bites, but I do get full, which is something I had rarely experienced prior to surgery.

I restricted myself to about 800 calories and when I wasn't losing, I upped the calories and now I have gained. I'm not exercising. I know this needs to happen. My motivation has been diminished by the past few weeks.

I know this is the bandster hell. I guess I need words of encouragement...help to make me preservere and get through this any ideas on what I should/could do is appreciated.

You will have plateaus all along, how many calories were you taking in when losing. I would look at the 800 calorie thing because it might be too low. If you get the calories down too far your body will just hold onto everything because it is thinking your in starvation mode. I would try the 1100-1200 area and see how that does for you but don't just give it two days... and drink alot of water.

I think Pandora is right 800 seems kind of low. Your body will go into starvation mode. I know exercise is not everyones favorite, but start slow. You'll be surprised when you begin to enjoy it. It's early yet. Don't give up.

Hmmm? I'm not very good with this encouragement crap.

OK, here's the hard truth. Almost every bandster has been where you are and almost every one of them made it through. Oh, we all bitched and moaned to our spouses and relatives but in time it all passes. Some of us filled up on salads, chicken, fish etc.

We have this one bandster, B-52, and he always says this: "Until there's restriction, it's just another diet!!" This is so true. So, do your best, you'll gain and lose some weight until you get a fill that gives you restriction. This is just a blip in your marathon journey so don't sweat it and don't be so hard on yourself. It's normal what you are going through. It's too bad we didn't listen during the seminars, nutrition classes etc or we would have been prepared for this. I know I didn't and I was not happy that I didn't start losing 10 lbs every month.

But, now I'm losing 5-6 lbs a month and that's just fine. Believe me, in 6 months you'll look back at this and realize that this bandster hell stuff is necessary. You're a newborn and you need to learn to crawl before you can walk. There's a big learning curve with the band and you're still in kindergarten.

tmf

There are a few things to do that will help you with food choices, and maybe to manage your hunger as well.

First: measure your portions at every meal, eat Protein first. take small bites, chew every bite well. Time your meals.

Schedule a consultation with a dietitian to help you plan and follow through with healthier eating patterns.

Make it difficult or very inconvenient for you to make poor food choices. There should not be any tempting food items in your home. Many of us are too lazy to make the effort to go to the store to get your food "vices", whatever they may be.

It sounds like your calorie intake is too low, and you did not mention if you were getting enough protein to meet your daily protein goal. Both not having enough calories or enough protein will slow your weight loss down.

Exercise is a must...even if it's only 10 minutes every day, some is better than none.

Drink SF/FF fluids to help manage your hunger.

Stay busy...if you feel hungry, go for a walk, start cleaning out a drawer, anything to use as a distraction to take your focus away from food.

Learn the difference between authentic hunger and "head hunger". Don't give into head hunger.

Don't allow yourself to get obsessed with your scale.

It's so easy to get discouraged...we all will have challenging days. Stay focused on your goals, and take a day at a time. The more you empower yourself to take control back with your eating, the better you will feel about what you have already accomplished.

Personally i think 800 calories if u arent exercising sounds about right, if you read the OP again its says she upped her calories and gained weight, and i would too, i cannot eat more than around 1000 calories a day and exercise like mad, if i am not exercising like my post op time after cosmetic surgery then 800 would keep me at the same weight .. the trick is to just use will power this time till u get restriction, and starvation mode according to most nutritionists nowadays requires many weeks of less than 500 calories a day and none of us are anywhere near that problem, some may disagree with this tho u may just stall your metabolism a little, but not starvation mode no, we have too many reserves of fat for the body to use before it starts wasting our muscles ... keep maintianing your weight and i am sure once u start getting good fills u will start to lose again

when i want to be (encouraged) i merely glance at a picture of me in feb at my highest weight ever. that normally does the trick. But now i also look at my granddaughters new picture.

but what i think about is mostly, what i went through to get here. the pre op and post op liquid diets. 4 weeks of liquid. if you can get through that, you can get through anything.

you are stronger mentally than you give yourself credit for.

put ur shoulders back, hold your head up. take that first step and get on with it. You can do this.

we are here for you. all the best

Hmmm? I'm not very good with this encouragement crap.

OK' date=' here's the hard truth. Almost every bandster has been where you are and almost every one of them made it through. Oh, we all bitched and moaned to our spouses and relatives but in time it all passes. Some of us filled up on salads, chicken, fish etc.

We have this one bandster, B-52, and he always says this: "Until there's restriction, it's just another diet!!" This is so true. So, do your best, you'll gain and lose some weight until you get a fill that gives you restriction. This is just a blip in your marathon journey so don't sweat it and don't be so hard on yourself. It's normal what you are going through. It's too bad we didn't listen during the seminars, nutrition classes etc or we would have been prepared for this. I know I didn't and I was not happy that I didn't start losing 10 lbs every month.

But, now I'm losing 5-6 lbs a month and that's just fine. Believe me, in 6 months you'll look back at this and realize that this bandster hell stuff is necessary. You're a newborn and you need to learn to crawl before you can walk. There's a big learning curve with the band and you're still in kindergarten.

tmf[/quote']

This is just what I needed to hear this morning. I'm feeling so down because I had a horrible eating day yesterday. I felt so hungry and went to McDonald's after work. I felt like I never even had the surgery. I was banded on 6/29 but can eat whatever but I don't want too!!!! I have 4cc already... Is this normal???? Thanks

Its always rough at first just be patient with yourself, but at the same time hold yourself accountable. If you don't all your efforts to make this happen will be for nothing. Pick an activity that you enjoy or one you think you might enjoy. Since your just starting out you might want to try turbo jam. It seems difficult but its really pretty easy and the lnstructor is very motivating. You'll just be dancing and kicking the whole time. If thats too much take early walks in your favorite park and take in the scenery.

You can do this. I had a hard time with exercise too but if you make it part of your day at a set time every day it becomes part of your schedule and something that becomes a constant. Now that I do that I went from exercising 3 to 4 days a week to every day all because I carved it into my schedule and said no more excuses and found things I liked to do.

It is discouraging sometimes when we have a mind set & our bodies don't follow the path we chose. Just keep focused on your goal, talk with your Docs & clinic support. That helps a lot for me. Think of the long way you have already travelled & be proud of what you have accomplished this far. It is hard. I think everyone here empathizes with where you are & what you are experiencing. You can do this.

This is just what I needed to hear this morning. I'm feeling so down because I had a horrible eating day yesterday. I felt so hungry and went to McDonald's after work. I felt like I never even had the surgery. I was banded on 6/29 but can eat whatever but I don't want too!!!! I have 4cc already... Is this normal???? Thanks

arent you still on liquids or mushies? you were just recently banded on june 29th?

i am not judging, but mcdonalds should not be on your eating list this early on.

This is just what I needed to hear this morning. I'm feeling so down because I had a horrible eating day yesterday. I felt so hungry and went to McDonald's after work. I felt like I never even had the surgery. I was banded on 6/29 but can eat whatever but I don't want too!!!! I have 4cc already... Is this normal???? Thanks

Oh yeah! You're in "Bandster Hell". I'm not sure how I got through this phase without gaining weight. I think the band gave me enough restriction to eat less and that's all it took. But it really sucked! I was in BH for 3.5 months and bitched about it to my poor wife every day.

My first 2 fills did nothing for me. Finally fill #3 gave me some restriction and I began to understand how to eat and how to communicate with my band. And I think the first 2 months of BH were the worst. I seemed to be hungry all the time. I work from home so I grazed constantly. But I did like some other bandster recommended and I had rid my house of evil foods. No chips, sweets etc. I ate nutritious foods while in BH. Salads, chicken, fish, etc. So, I was on a diet once again but I never really suffered and for some reason didn't miss the chicken fried steaks. Occasionally I would stop by a taco bell. That was my thing. I'd get one green bean burrito and one with meat in it. I could never do that now. OMG, I'd be sliming and gagging like a cat hacking up a furball.

Yeah, it's normal but it's only temporary. There's a learning curve with the band. You need to learn how to eat, what to eat and how long to eat and it doesn't come naturally. Bandster Hell is a good thing I now know. It taught me how to be patient and will teach you the same.

tmf

Oh yeah! You're in "Bandster Hell". I'm not sure how I got through this phase without gaining weight. I think the band gave me enough restriction to eat less and that's all it took. But it really sucked! I was in BH for 3.5 months and bitched about it to my poor wife every day.

My first 2 fills did nothing for me. Finally fill #3 gave me some restriction and I began to understand how to eat and how to communicate with my band. And I think the first 2 months of BH were the worst. I seemed to be hungry all the time. I work from home so I grazed constantly. But I did like some other bandster recommended and I had rid my house of evil foods. No chips, sweets etc. I ate nutritious foods while in BH. Salads, chicken, fish, etc. So, I was on a diet once again but I never really suffered and for some reason didn't miss the chicken fried steaks. Occasionally I would stop by a taco bell. That was my thing. I'd get one green bean burrito and one with meat in it. I could never do that now. OMG, I'd be sliming and gagging like a cat hacking up a furball.

Yeah, it's normal but it's only temporary. There's a learning curve with the band. You need to learn how to eat, what to eat and how long to eat and it doesn't come naturally. Bandster Hell is a good thing I now know. It taught me how to be patient and will teach you the same.

tmf

tmf, picturing u hacking up that fur ball cracked me up

This is just what I needed to hear this morning. I'm feeling so down because I had a horrible eating day yesterday. I felt so hungry and went to McDonald's after work. I felt like I never even had the surgery. I was banded on 6/29 but can eat whatever but I don't want too!!!! I have 4cc already... Is this normal???? Thanks

Depending on which size band you have, 4 cc may not be that much. I have the smaller band and am at 6 cc and in the green zone.

Next time you have a bad day and have to have fast food, just try to make a better choice than McDonalds. Try Wendy's chili or Chickfila. And if you're doing low carbs, go ahead and get a burger and throw away the bun.

Depending on which size band you have, 4 cc may not be that much. I have the smaller band and am at 6 cc and in the green zone.

Next time you have a bad day and have to have fast food, just try to make a better choice than McDonalds. Try Wendy's chili or Chickfila. And if you're doing low carbs, go ahead and get a burger and throw away the bun.

Good advice. But I think the first time I really thought I might have restriction was over a Mickie D's cheeseburger. I got stuck on the bun and had to peel it off. Oh, I have fond memories of finally realizing this band thing might work?

But, I agree. Better to find out you're having a stuck episode on an apple or carrot in your own home. Don't be bad like me!

tmf

Good advice. But I think the first time I really thought I might have restriction was over a Mickie D's cheeseburger. I got stuck on the bun and had to peel it off. Oh, I have fond memories of finally realizing this band thing might work?

But, I agree. Better to find out you're having a stuck episode on an apple or carrot in your own home. Don't be bad like me!

tmf

My first time was in a restaurant with an overly dry chicken breast. It was a Friday night, the place was packed, and we were seated as far from the bathroom as you could possibly get! I wonder if everyone remembers their first time !