I am 1 week post-op today. And it has been nothing like I thought. From the IMMENSE pain where my port is, to being HUNGRY! Like hungry, hungry hippo hungry! What?!? Plus when I weighed myself this morning, I'm thinking ok, one week out, 2 days w/ virtually no calories and then the next 5 days averaging about 750 cals a day, this oughta be good, right? What loss do I see? 1.4 lbs! What what?!? Are you kidding me?!? All the pain and misery for that?? I've lost more from having a good BM! So I threw in the towel. I gave up. I did what I know and do best and that is go to my kitchen to find my comfort. I went right to my pantry and grabbed...

a donut stick.

And ate it. And felt fine. Truth is I advanced myself well beyond what the guidelines are for my timeframe. I started mashed potatoes and refried Beans at 4 days post op. I was hoping the donut stick would make me feel sick so that I would be more inclined to stay away next time I'm drawn to that nasty, sugary place, but it didn't.

But anyway, I am now in the depths of despair. If I am doing this poorly on my diet at a week out, barely losing weight, am I doomed to fail? I'm afraid I made the biggest mistake of my life getting this surgery and that I won't be successful whatsover. How do I fix this? Can I fix this? Can I fix me?

It will get better in time. Don't keep that crap in your house if its too tempting. You shouldn't be eating that a week out anyway. Give your poor body a chance to heal. Its not a miracle. Its a tool. It was surgery and the port was stitched to your muscle of course its going to hurt. Mine did for two weeks but every day it got better. Just keep your chin up and take pain meds.

Take a deep breath and call your doc and nutritionist. They are there to help. Believe this tool can work for you.....and help it...help you.

Don't be hard on yourself, please! You are not broken by any means. Look, I've been struggling with weightloss for 16yrs. I had my band put in in 2009. I lost 80lbs, then went through depression and now I'm back doing it all over again.

With talking to people on this website, family, friends, and doctors I am finding my way. So far I have lost 23lbs. I have no liquid in my band what so ever. I had to learn how to eat all over again, and love me again.

It's NOT easy whatsoever, but it gets easier. Have faith in yourself. Use every connection you can to help. YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

I am 1 week post-op today. And it has been nothing like I thought. From the IMMENSE pain where my port is,​I don't remember port pain,BUT..keep an eye on it if that area becomes inflamed red or you develop a fever call your Doctor. to being HUNGRY! Like hungry, hungry hippo hungry! What?!? Plus when I weighed myself this morning, STOP weighing yourself, or your going to form an obsession with your scale, use the "fit" of your clothes, and the look of your body to gauge your loss. I'm thinking ok, one week out, 2 days w/ virtually no calories and then the next 5 days averaging about 750 cals a day, this oughta be good, right? What loss do I see? 1.4 lbs! What what?!? Are you kidding me?!? You don't have restriction YET! most people 1 week out don't you gain restriction when you start with your fills.All the pain and misery for that?? ​Longgggg Term success, PERIOD. unfortunately we live in a society that is all about INSTANT GRATIFICATION No matter how you chose to lose weight it's going to take time. I've lost more from having a good BM! So I threw in the towel. I gave up. I did what I know and do best and that is go to my kitchen to find my comfort. I went right to my pantry and grabbed...

a donut stick.

And ate it. And felt fine. Truth is I advanced myself well beyond what the guidelines are for my timeframe. I started mashed potatoes and refried Beans at 4 days post op Not to add to your Pain but, not following your post-op instructions will only create problems in the long run. Possible LB COMPLICATIONS :oI was hoping the donut stick would make me feel sick so that I would be more inclined to stay away next time I'm drawn to that nasty, sugary place, but it didn't., And it's not going to, We all got here by using food to comfort us, It's best to learn to deal with the issues that you might be having and learn to deal with those along the way.Having the LB is a TOOL ~it won't stop you from eating the wrongs foods, and it's not about NEVER eating those foods you love either, it's about making better choices, use it to your Advantage know your NOT alone, we've all been there, and no LIES..it's NOT easy but YOU CAN DO THIS!!

But anyway, I am now in the depths of despair. If I am doing this poorly on my diet at a week out, barely losing weight, am I doomed to fail? I'm afraid I made the biggest mistake of my life getting this surgery and that I won't be successful whatsover. How do I fix this? Can I fix this? Can I fix me?

okay 1.4 lbs is not a bad loss this early... You are expecting something that isn't going to happen... quick huge losses.. the band doesn't do that.. You have to try to be patient with yourself and the band.. You need to use this time to heal, not even worry about the scale.. having donut sticks around won't help.. Everybody has a regret phase at first but after you start feeling better and heal and lose steadily you will feel better.. best of luck

Nothing of value comes easy...You can't have it all (splurging, binging) and still be successful. You must really commit yourself. It is your choice. The only person you are hurting is yourself. So stop it. Follow how to use the band and listen to your doctor.

I understand your despair. I would think we all have felt it often and sometimes felt like this will never work. What helped me was finally being banded. Feeling so grateful I was not the person still asking questions in the Pre-Op threads (not that any thing is wrong with that!!) Then the thought of feeling great and looking great. I have lost 100 pounds since 2010 AND I have eaten donuts, junk food I even still like my vodka on weekends, I try not to condemn myself and beat myself up. I try to stay focused when I am food shopping and not buy the junk food that will stand in my way of being a thinner me! It is hard and as you are healing but once get fills if will all start feeling different, if you keep your head in a good place it will become easier to make good food choices. And when you do "fall off the wagon" if your head is in a good place it will be easier to say "ok, had my donut, know back to it!!" Hope this helps, congrats on your band. I have named my port Patty the Port. We have a love/hate relationship!!You can do it!!!!

You're only a failure if you quit. Its way to soon in your journey to quit. Dust yourself off and get back on the wagon. So you made a mistake, learn from it.

Stay off the scale. If you're hungry, eat something full of Protein, I found drinking something hot helped a lot. My go to is Diet Hot chocolate, enjoying a cup right now.

Its hard at first and its mind over matter. Right now, your mind does not matter. Tell it to shut up!

Do you want to lose weight? If you want to, you will.

You are not broken, we've all wanted to gnaw our arm off. One thing I kept telling myself is, I knew I had enough fat on my body to keep me going for weeks. Prisoners go on month long hunger strikes. I went on strike against my own head.

You can do this and you will do this, b/c I know you really want it. Like Nike, just do it!

Ok, another tough love moment:

Knock it off! This isn't about quitting at this point, this is about seriously hurting yourself by not following your post op diet. Your stomach has been stitched and by eating food before you're allowed you are risking ripping them. Call your doctor and be honest what you've done so he can make sure you haven't done any damage and in the meantime get back on your post op diet and stay on it.

Why are you upset over 1.4 pounds lost? The first 4-6 weeks post op are for healing not losing so for you to lose anything at all is great. Plus, the average weight loss with the band is 1-2 pounds a week. You need to have realistic expectations or you're setting yourself up for failure.

You have a choice to make. Either buckle down and do the right thing or throw up your hands and give up before you even give it a chance.

You can do this but you have to want it and commit to it.

And yes. I remember thinking is this port going to hurt like this all the time! I can't even hold my son! I want this out! ... But 4 weeks later and zero pain around the port at all vand the diet thing gets easier and as my doc said, this is heel time, not diet time.

Thanks for the input everyone. I appreciate your (mostly lol) kind words. I finally got my primary doc to call in a liquid script for my Prozac. He was supposed to do it before and kept not doing, and I ended up being off it for a week. So I'm sure my roller coaster emotions are due in part to that. I really want this to work for me. I'll just be so glad when I can finally start getting fills so that I don't get so distracted by the hunger. It's so much harder for me to make good decisions when my stomach is growling. And on that note, I think I'll go grab a protein shake!

I understand you are having a tough time, however you will lose the weight at an appropriate pace for your body. My weight loss has been slow however it has been appropriate for me. It has allowed my body to overcome some of the challenges that I have been facing and allowed me to make lifestyle changes so that this will last forever.

Don't beat yourself up!! Give yourself time to heal. I was banded May 9th, at my follow up appointment I only had 3lb loss. I was so discouraged because I had not eaten for several days and the rest of the time I only had 500 calories a day. Well, I went back to work today, I was down 8lb! I couldn't believe it. I think there is a lot of swelling, adjusting and healing going on postop. Give yourself some time, be gentle with yourself. I have eaten some treats along the way, including today. While I have not gone over my calories for the day, I'm still trying to navigate these changes and these new rules but I'm still the same person with the same temptations. We are all a work in progress! Don't lose heart.

The biggest thing you need to manage right now are your expectations. It will take 2-3 weeks for things to "settle". You should probably be having your first fill around week 4 and follow-ups every 2-3 weeks until you are in the green zone. Also know that weight is not going to be peeling off... the band will be steady, constant weight loss. I lose 2lbs a week... EVERY week. I was on vacation for a week did not eat the most strict, consistent diet, and lost 2lbs. My typical week eating good, exercising 3-5 times a week... you got it 2lbs. I am way ahead of my projected weighloss targets and my doctor is very pleased. It doesn't sound like a lot, but it will be. 2lbs a week is more than 100lbs in a year!

You are going to be OK. Take a deep breath, sit down and remember; this is not a a weightloss sprint, this is a lifestyle change. Also keep this in mind - you will will get whichever you want more... the weightloss or the donut. You decide.

Glad you're feeling a little better.

I gather from the liquid prozac mention that you struggle with depression or other issues generally. I do too, I have severe bipolar disorder. I understand feeling those pits of despair and not being able to crawl back up, hehe.

But what you've got to do- and the only thing I can do to keep myself afloat most days is learn to rationalize with yourself. Don't go expecting these huge results overnight. Will you teeter totter on the scale? Abso-freaking-lutely. There have been times in my weight loss journey where I'd lose a pound. Gain two. Lose a pound. Gain two. Lose 5. Teeter tottering is SO normal. Remember there are tons of different things that can make you teeter between 1-2 (maybe 3-4 pounds) regularly. Water weight, that time of the month, that time of the day, what you ate last... the list is gigantic. Here's what you need to rationalize about though.... As long as you're not gaining more than 5 pounds (in my opinion 5 is ideal) and you're typically maintaining or losing, you're doing AWESOME.

Don't beat yourself up. Makes things a million times worse.

The donut sticks won't help, either.

Much love, and good luck!