I had my band put in this past October. I have had several fills, as I had to have the band completely emptied and start over in February. I started at 256 pounds, and last I checked, I was 227. After reading some of the questions from other people, I don't think I am doing this right. I can eat almost anything I want, except the no-no food, bread. I can eat about half of what I used to eat. I don't nessicarily get "full" but I start to have pain when swallowing. I have learned when to stop, before I "slime". I could really use some advise and suggestions. I don't really have any one to talk to about this

I have such a difficult time understanding how and why so many people are banded without the nutrition education needed to be successful with their weight loss journey...Thank you Center of Excellence for my pre op education!

It's excellent that you have been able to loose weight without the guidance from your surgeon. Keep up the good job!

There are many variations to the post op diet recommendations, and they do vary by surgeon...and I do recommend you begin with a call to their office and ask for contact information for the dietitian or nutritionist to schedule a consultation with them for guidelines to follow.

That said, my surgeon's guide lines are to measure portions by volume, not weight for every meal...you are allowed 3 oz of lean Protein, and 2 oz of a Fiber carb (fresh fruit or veggies - can be cooked or raw). He recommends 3 meals and 2 Snacks (1% milk or FF yogurt) daily.

My surgeon requires a very low carb, high lean protein diet. Your surgeon my have different guidelines...so check with their office to get their recommendations.

Best wishes...

Did you get any instructions from your doctor? That is the place to start. Even if you can eat a lot that doesn't mean you should or that you are eating the correct amount of calories to lose weight. I log everything in my fitness pal to make sure I am getting enough calories, Protein, carbs & fat -- but not too much.

I also do not drink anything when I eat. Everyone is different but I think most people lose on 800 - 1200 per day depending on the person. I try to get 70 - 100 grams of protein a day & keep it low in fat, sugar & fairly low in carbs. Also, exercise or just moving more is important.

You may still be hungry but when you get to the right restriction you will not be able to eat too much at a time. Many doctors say eat only 3 meals -- mine did. However, I do much better eating about 6 Snacks a day instead of meals. That way I never get too hungry. And it works for me. Good luck finding the combo that works for you.

PS. I started at 258 last August, had surgery 9/7/11 & now am 163. Trying to lose 30 more+- I'm 5'5".

This is copied from another thread because it applies here I believe:

It seems to me there is a lot of misunderstanding out there when it comes to restriction. Over and over, I read post after post of the following statements:

"I have had fills but can still eat whatever I want"

While some people do have issues eating certain foods, there is absolutely no truth that you shouldn't be able to eat foods like breads, Pasta, and rice. If you are following a low carb diet that's one thing, but being banded doesn't mean you shouldn't be physically able to eat them anymore. Many of us can still eat absolutely everything we ate before surgery.

"I have had fills but I can still eat more than 1 cup of food"

This may be true, however, just because you can eat more than a cup of food doesn't mean you should. More often than not, if you eat slowly and stop after eating no more than 1 cup of food, you will find that you are satisfied and no longer hungry despite the fact you could still physically eat more. Quit trying to test your band to see how much you can eat, because the only one that will fail the test is you, not the band.

"I have had fills but I don't feel full"

Big misconception- the band will make you feel full. Wrong. It's true some people do feel full but it's a different full sensation than we had before banded. In fact, it's almost uncomfortable. The band is not supposed to make you feel stuffed full, it's supposed to make you feel satisfied with less food for longer periods of time. If you keep getting fill after fill because you don't feel stuffed full, you are going to end up one of the many people who have bands too tight and slips as a result. Being satisfied means you are no longer hungry, not that you feel as though you just ate a seven course Thanksgiving dinner. Quit trying to feel full and start listening to your body because it will tell you when it's satisfied.

I encourage everyone to educate themselves on the Lap-Band, what it does, and what it doesn't do. Too many people are walking around banded completely ignorant to the facts and I fear many will have complications and slips because of it. It's your body, take responsibility for educating yourself on it.

I agreed with all that's being said but I found that there are a couple of dietitians at my drs office and the one I have SUCKS! So don't depend on that! Thank god for the good before education and my will NOT to fail! But I use Myfitness Pal and keep the calories to 1000cal and try to do 60-70 grams of protien, I find that it's all about will power, I'm pretty fresh to thus scene though, I was banded on April 10th and i have had two fills andI have lost 43lbs. Good luck.

bets, it's all about willpower for me too. The only time the band "restricted" me from eating anything was when I was too tight and having acid reflux. Sure, it was nice losing some extra lb's, but life is too short for me not to enjoy the food that I like. So I had a little bit removed. I can still eat bread, Pasta, pizza and I am filled 7.35 in my 10 band. Do I choose to eat those everyday? Nope. I measure and weigh everything, log it all on myfitnesspal and that's the reason for my success.

In regards to the original poster.....maybe eating half of what you used to be able to is still too high in calories for you to lose at a speedier rate. Are you keeping track of how much you are consuming? And as for feeling full, that was the one thing that was hard to get used to NOT feeling. Preband , I would eat til I was stuffed. Now I measure my portions out and rarely go over what they should be. Now mind you, I rarely leave anything behind either but I am content on the smaller meals.

I would suggest meeting with the nutritionist again. This helped me greatly and helped with my success.

You don't have anyone to talk to about this? What about your surgeon? It's his/her job to help you lose weight. If your surgeon and/or nutritionist haven't already given you guidelines for eating, etc., make an appointment to see them and ask them what you could be doing differently to get the weight loss going.

There isn't a single "right" way to do it, and finding the "right" way that works for you is a challenge, I know.

I have two good articles on restriction in my signature that I keep handy to re-read once in a while to make sure I stay fresh. One of them was written by the lovely Jean McMillian and the other is on drsimpson.net both great articles.

This is copied from another thread because it applies here I believe:

It seems to me there is a lot of misunderstanding out there when it comes to restriction. Over and over' date=' I read post after post of the following statements:

"I have had fills but can still eat whatever I want"

While some people do have issues eating certain foods, there is absolutely no truth that you shouldn't be able to eat foods like breads, Pasta, and rice. If you are following a low carb diet that's one thing, but being banded doesn't mean you shouldn't be physically able to eat them anymore. Many of us can still eat absolutely everything we ate before surgery.

"I have had fills but I can still eat more than 1 cup of food"

This may be true, however, just because you can eat more than a cup of food doesn't mean you should. More often than not, if you eat slowly and stop after eating no more than 1 cup of food, you will find that you are satisfied and no longer hungry despite the fact you could still physically eat more. Quit trying to test your band to see how much you can eat, because the only one that will fail the test is you, not the band.

"I have had fills but I don't feel full"

Big misconception- the band will make you feel full. Wrong. It's true some people do feel full but it's a different full sensation than we had before banded. In fact, it's almost uncomfortable. The band is not supposed to make you feel stuffed full, it's supposed to make you feel satisfied with less food for longer periods of time. If you keep getting fill after fill because you don't feel stuffed full, you are going to end up one of the many people who have bands too tight and slips as a result. Being satisfied means you are no longer hungry, not that you feel as though you just ate a seven course Thanksgiving dinner. Quit trying to feel full and start listening to your body because it will tell you when it's satisfied.

I encourage everyone to educate themselves on the Lap-Band, what it does, and what it doesn't do. Too many people are walking around banded completely ignorant to the facts and I fear many will have complications and slips because of it. It's your body, take responsibility for educating yourself on it.[/quote']

Thank you for sharing this, this is great advice!! And answered alot of things I have been wondering...

I also have been struggling i was banded in March abd lost only 21lbs, but I have been eating not the best choices, even though it is less. I am committed to make this work. Please join myfitnesspal log in your food. We do have to count calories and the protein. My dr says 1200-1500 cal per day and 75-85g protein a day. The protein is EXTREMELY important for weight loss, so we have to get that in! Also my dr said to lose a pound a week we have to burn 3500 Calories. The exercise for me is easy, I still struggle with food. But I'm committing myself to hold myself accountable with myfitnesspal.

If you want to add me as a friend, my user is loneil0.

I have two good articles on restriction in my signature that I keep handy to re-read once in a while to make sure I stay fresh. One of them was written by the lovely Jean McMillian and the other is on drsimpson.net both great articles.

Thanks for the plug, Jim!

Yes, Jean is great! She has a lot of information and has been around a long time. Of course, I agree with the others that say call your surgeon, and also, talk with a nutritionist. See if there is a support group in your area, too. My experience is that even tho' you can eat what you did, you shouldn't. But, that said, you have lost 30 lbs, you are losing and that is important. My daughter is a slow loser, too! But, she has lost, and that is great! Keep up the good work, but see if you can find a local support. Karen