Does anyone else feel like this is just another dieting route? I am getting into the mindset of panicking the night before my "weigh in" with the surgeon. Instead of enjoying the journey and learning to have a good relationship with food, my surgeon will not fill my band (surg may 8th, no fill yet. See post:no fill) and I feel as though the worry is too much. I want to be successful but this isn't weight watchers. This is not what I expected, and if I knew ahead of time then I don't know that I would have had the surgery. Does anyone else feel this way the night before their surgeon's weigh in? Mine is once a week, every thursday.

Ok…so I've read your other post…my question is …are you hungry between meals? Are you not able to hold off the 3-4 hours of satiety without eating. Just because you can get a fill doesn't mean you actually need one.

Now I am no expert at ALL on fills because I haven't had one yet myself.

I guess Im asking do you NEED one or do you WANT one?…because in either post it doesn't say anything about you being hungry between your meals.

Guess I'm just curious and trying to figure out the issue.

And if your losing (which is good) why do you need that fill???

And, if you don't mind, why is he having you come and weigh every week….i know every doc is different but after the initial 2 week post check up most/many docs are once a month check ins...

Hope things get better for you.

Edited June 26, 201412 yr by chasingadream

I'm assuming you have just been banded....it takes a while, a few adjustments both to your band and yourself, before things start making any sense....until then all we can do is diet.

My first fill was 4 weeks after surgery....2nd fill was 4 weeks after that...between the first and 2nd fill I gained weight!!

I was upset, afraid to face the Dr. and what he might say....

Know what? he laughed at me...said all beginners have a tough time grasping the concept of how this is supposed to work...then assured me, not to worry, it was his job and goal to not only perform the surgery, but then to get it up and running after surgery....

Today when I go see him, he is very happy indeed with his work....and so am I...

Im not hungry between meals, however I wanted the band to help with overeating. Although I am getting better at being more conscientious at what I eat, there are times I just go on a binge. So although I may not need a fill, I want one. My band is empty, therefore what is the point of it being there?

I wouldn't ever consider myself an expert, but I've got kind of a unique experience with my band....UNUSAL to say the least. But it's my story....sorry for the long post!

I had my band installed in Sept 2009, I was soooo excited to be able to have this surgery. It would do what I had failed at....LONGTERM weightloss/control over eating too much! That was the promise....

I followed my preop and postop "diet" to a TEE...never cheated once. The week after surgery was easy....at least for the first few days...NO desire to eat. Then comes week two and full liquids, week three of mushies (oh that first "bite" of mashed potatoes....I still remember it 5 years later! They were sooooo good! The next week, was progression to "regular" foods as tolerated. So I'm now a month post op and thought things couldn't be better. I was following what and how much I was supposed to eat...everything felt great! I went in to my surgeon ( and he really IS the best, IMO ) every appointment as scheduled. Forward another month, and I'm starting to notice I'M HUNGRY! Way too often... Starting to become a struggle to control how much I eat. I continue to go to the surgeon for the next 5-6 appointments...we talk, I say I'm hungry, get a BLIND fill ( antiquated, outdated and IMO USELESS way to do a fill ).

This continued for about a year postop....and it had really become a struggle, just as you describe. Will I be up or down with my weight? I was trying...but starting to really get frustrated and ready to throw in the towel.

Another couple of months goes by and by then I'm really eating too much...NO control ( hey, I'd been dieting for over a year ). I didn't go to my surgeon for over a year....and gained back about 25-30 pounds! I was embarrassed to say the least....I was gonna be a failure at SURGERY!......

I had met a friend who had also had lapband about 5 years prior to me, and she made me go back to my surgeon....boy was I gonna hear it I thought....

When I get there, they had this new device in the office, fluoroscopy machine. They can see your band, the restriction level and other things. My surgeon welcomed me in and was so fantastic....he said lets take a look. MY BAND HAD COME UNDONE/UNBUCKLED......

I had been on a diet all this time. He scheduled surgery asap and fixed it. And I couldn't be happier with the results.

I know this is longwinded, but the point to MY story, is you've just been banded a little over a month. PLEASE don't get frustrated already. Continue seeing your surgeon, getting adjustments, and hopefully soon, you'll find your sweet spot with the band. Until then, IT IS a diet...just do your best. Thats all any of us can do. Best wishes!

@@catfish87, all I can say is, "wow!" And thanks for that important info!!

Im not hungry between meals, however I wanted the band to help with overeating. Although I am getting better at being more conscientious at what I eat, there are times I just go on a binge. So although I may not need a fill, I want one. My band is empty, therefore what is the point of it being there?

There are a few of us like chasingadream and myself who have not had any fills. We fortunately feel restriction even with the band open. Don't feel you 'need' a fill unless you truly do. Any one of us can binge. The band will not stop you from overeating if you eat slowly. You must take ownership of the changes you need to make in order to be successful. It's not magic and it won't work if you don't put in the work as well. Head hunger is the hardest thing for most of us to deal with but there are times when you will be hungry...so you need to eat. But you have to listen to the band as well and if you are not hungry...you need to stop eating.

@@Averiex Now I understand….I am in a similar situation…I can let head hunger get the best of me most days and eat…and eat…and really eat…and I am NOT TRULY hungry.so when I go for my monthly check-ins I have the same conversation with the PA about getting/needing a fill…and this is the response I get….

Getting a fill is not going to make me stop WANTING those things…I have to be pro-active and do other things to not eat…some days I am successful and some days I have that "something"….and for me, personally, I do not want to get a fill for the purpose of not wanting to eat…I want to get a fill when I am truly hungry between meals. I never want to get to the point where I am sliming or stuck.

I knew when I got the band it was only a tool….if I wanted it to stop me from eating I would have asked my surgeon to sew my mouth closed.

I find when I am truly busy and drinking lots of liquids I really don't need that fill….therefore I am still without it.

Everyone is different and i wish you the best in your pursuit of weight loss.

I didn't read every word above but did anyone say: "The band goes around your stomach, not your head"??

I'm beginning to see the doctors reasoning? If you're not hungry, why eat? This is what the band is supposed to do. Keep you from being hungry and sounds like it is? I'm sorry if you assumed the band would eliminate all hungers, all cravings and all bingeing? It won't. You will have to exercise some restraint and discipline.

tmf

You have to not stress because the second you stress you’ll probably either stop losing or start gaining. Due to the stresses of life I put 30lbs of my 103lb weight loss back on. Take it from me, don’t stress! At the same time I’m most successful when I think of this journey as a lifestyle change and not a diet. My surgeon did not require weekly weigh ins, I only weighed in when I went for fills so I can’t relate to that. Take it day by day, you can do this but changing your lifestyle won’t happen overnight it really is a process. When I was first banded I always use to ask myself “If my body hungry or is my head hungry?” 9/10 it was my head and I passed on the food.

This is not a diet it is a life style change. Look at it like another diet and it will be more difficult and may even fail. Work with a professional who deals in eating disorders or maybe Overeaters Anonymous would help too. I do both and have never felt like I was on a diet. Have I overeaten, yes? but I know what to look for and work at putting a stop to it. I get a kick out of see my PA and dietitian and go to my support groups regularly. They are there to help so use them!