This may be a repeat question and if so, I apologize...

I was wondering if any of you have had your fill taken out before a vacation they put back in after? Is this frowned upon by most surgeons?

Just curious.

This may be a repeat question and if so, I apologize...

I was wondering if any of you have had your fill taken out before a vacation they put back in after? Is this frowned upon by most surgeons?

Just curious.

why would anyone want to do that??

Um, because perhaps you spent a mint on a cruise or such and want to feast for a week??? Like I said, just curious. I don't have any lavish vacations planned but the thought crossed my mind, so I thought I'd ask

Um, because perhaps you spent a mint on a cruise or such and want to feast for a week??? Like I said, just curious. I don't have any lavish vacations planned but the thought crossed my mind, so I thought I'd ask

When I went to my seminar they talked about this and said it was very doable. The doc had no problems doing this.

Perhaps I should clarify. It would not be a total unfill. Just a little out to make it easier to eat. You STILL have to make wise choices though!!!

oh, ok... i guess my priorities are out of whack. i wanted to lose weight with the band, not go back to my pre-band days of eating more than my body needs...

If I had dropped a load of money on a cruise, I'd want to have a slight unfill (assuming I get banded sometime before I die ) so that I could enjoy some foods perhaps I wasn't able to eat otherwise. I would try to control myself by not gorging on the chocolate buffet, but I'd want to be able to sample a few bites of lobster, prime rib, etc. I'd of course endeavor to eat as healthy of things as possible, but I would just want to know that my restriction wouldn't be such that I would have difficulty.

Um, because perhaps you spent a mint on a cruise or such and want to feast for a week??? Like I said, just curious. I don't have any lavish vacations planned but the thought crossed my mind, so I thought I'd ask

I doubt you'll find a surgeon to do that.

The thinking is that the band prevents this very behavior. We are trying to stop the behaviors, not find reasons to continue them.

Remember something, you'll still be able to eat 99% of the same things, just in a smaller quantity. This is the time you WANT restriction, to prevent over eating.

There are so many things we do that we think of as normal and they really aren't normal at all. This was one of the biggest challenges for me. I used to plan Snacks ahead of time. Isn't it amazing that some don't? LOL That is how I felt anyway. Snacks are IF you get hungry. Yet I'd plan mine.

With a band we eat like regular people. It's verrrrry hard for most of us (I swear, especially ME) to wrap our brain around doing things like regular folks.

I still find it amazing that normal sized people stop eating when they are no longer hungry. Aren't we all supposed to eat until we are so stuffed we can hardly walk? What if there is still lots of food on the plate? Doesn't everyone stuff themselves just because it is there?

I'm not sure I'm making my point clear. It is still hard for me to relearn basic concepts regarding eating and behaviors so I have a hard time putting it into words. But the bottom line is that we got a band to prevent the very behaviors you are asking about. It isn't as though you wouldn't be able to have those foods, it is a matter that you would eat the quantity of a regular person instead of a fat person. My doc told me on the day before, the day of, and the day after surgery that getting banded is the easy part. Life with a band and relearning behaviors is the hard part. I fully understand what he means now.

oh, ok... i guess my priorities are out of whack. i wanted to lose weight with the band, not go back to my pre-band days of eating more than my body needs...

You know, your sarcasm isn't appreciated and is uncalled for. It was an honest question and in no way a suggestion. I guess I'm not an extremist...I don't see a vacation unfill as reverting back to my pre-band days.

To everyone else. Thank you very much for you KIND and well constructed advice

Well, my doctor did address this specifically. In some INamed handbook thing I had to read and take a 'quiz' on.. it said Reasons to Get an Unfill: and listed 'So I can eat on vacation', and you clearly were NOT suppose to circle that. The band is not suppose to come and go to accomodate your binges. You might drop a mint on a vacation, but -to me- that's not an excuse to have to overeat! I dropped a mint on this band..much more than any vacation I've ever been on (so far). You should be learning to eat a small amount of food. Getting unfilled so you can occasionally eat more than you need to be eating doesn't sound very logical. I don't mean to sound like I'm attacking you, but why would you want to get the band done and go back to old habits?

I doubt you'll find a surgeon to do that.

The thinking is that the band prevents this very behavior. We are trying to stop the behaviors, not find reasons to continue them.

Remember something, you'll still be able to eat 99% of the same things, just in a smaller quantity. This is the time you WANT restriction, to prevent over eating.

There are so many things we do that we think of as normal and they really aren't normal at all. This was one of the biggest challenges for me. I used to plan Snacks ahead of time. Isn't it amazing that some don't? LOL That is how I felt anyway. Snacks are IF you get hungry. Yet I'd plan mine.

With a band we eat like regular people. It's verrrrry hard for most of us (I swear, especially ME) to wrap our brain around doing things like regular folks.

I still find it amazing that normal sized people stop eating when they are no longer hungry. Aren't we all supposed to eat until we are so stuffed we can hardly walk? What if there is still lots of food on the plate? Doesn't everyone stuff themselves just because it is there?

I'm not sure I'm making my point clear. It is still hard for me to relearn basic concepts regarding eating and behaviors so I have a hard time putting it into words. But the bottom line is that we got a band to prevent the very behaviors you are asking about. It isn't as though you wouldn't be able to have those foods, it is a matter that you would eat the quantity of a regular person instead of a fat person. My doc told me on the day before, the day of, and the day after surgery that getting banded is the easy part. Life with a band and relearning behaviors is the hard part. I fully understand what he means now.

This makes perfect sense. I get all afraid that I won't be able to enjoy every day, regular food once I'm banded. I would get in this "question mode" about "going off program for vacation" and such every time I began a new diet. I never thought of it the way you put it. If and when a nice vacation is planned, I will be able to enjoy the cuisine, but in smaller portions...instead of cutting out certain foods altogether (with the exception of bad restricted foods of course).

Thanks again

Also wanted to point out, I guess depending on your situation, but it would cost me a vacation's amount to have an unfill and a refill just to binge on a trip.

Well, my doctor did address this specifically. In some INamed handbook thing I had to read and take a 'quiz' on.. it said Reasons to Get an Unfill: and listed 'So I can eat on vacation', and you clearly were NOT suppose to circle that. The band is not suppose to come and go to accomodate your binges. You might drop a mint on a vacation, but -to me- that's not an excuse to have to overeat! I dropped a mint on this band..much more than any vacation I've ever been on (so far). You should be learning to eat a small amount of food. Getting unfilled so you can occasionally eat more than you need to be eating doesn't sound very logical. I don't mean to sound like I'm attacking you, but why would you want to get the band done and go back to old habits?

So true, so true!! You guys are great! I feel better and better about being banded every day and that's partially to you wonderful people on this board

This makes perfect sense. I get all afraid that I won't be able to enjoy every day, regular food once I'm banded. I would get in this "question mode" about "going off program for vacation" and such every time I began a new diet. I never thought of it the way you put it. If and when a nice vacation is planned, I will be able to enjoy the cuisine, but in smaller portions...instead of cutting out certain foods altogether (with the exception of bad restricted foods of course).

Thanks again

Ohh, thank you for understanding what I was trying to say. Sometimes you have to know me well before you know what I mean vs. what I say/write! Writing is not my forte.

Skinny people on a vacation want to try a bite of this and a bite of that.

Fat people want a full serving of each.

Skinny people decide what they want to eat at the restaurant.

Fat people plan ahead if they have any clue what is on the menu.

Skinny people stop eating when they are no longer hungry.

Fat people eat until the food is gone or they can't cram one more bite in their mouths.

Skinny people don't think much about food.

Fat people think about it more than they realize.

I am finally learning that I don't do things the "regular" way. I do them the "fat" way. I think fat, I behave like a fat person, I live fat. I want sooo much to live normal. I want a normal life with normal food expectations.

The longer I have a band the more I am learning just how whacky my thinking was before. I look at some of the changes I have made and it gives me hope because I look forward and see how many more I have to tackle.

You know, your sarcasm isn't appreciated and is uncalled for. It was an honest question and in no way a suggestion. I guess I'm not an extremist...I don't see a vacation unfill as reverting back to my pre-band days.

To everyone else. Thank you very much for you KIND and well constructed advice

you know, you are not even banded yet, but it appears you are already trying to figure out a way to cheat the band. you posted something on a public forum, i would ass-u-me that you wanted opinions / feedback. sorry you didnt like my (honest) answer.

you know, you are not even banded yet, but it appears you are already trying to figure out a way to cheat the band. you posted something on a public forum, i would ass-u-me that you wanted opinions / feedback. sorry you didnt like my (honest) answer.

No, I LOVE an honest answer. I don't like snide, sarcastic, back handed insults desiguised as "honest answers". See, you never really answered me. You asked a question. I answered it, and you came back with a sarcastic response, but not an aswer.

Then again, I do realize that we don't eat our way into this band without having some emotional pain. We all express that pain in different ways. Perhaps giving me the smack down gave you a sense of superiority. If so, I'm glad I could be here to help you feel better about yourself.

If you take a moment to read through the entire thread you will see that I realized, after people pointed out WHY it's not a good idea to do this, that this wouldn't be a good choice. I have to stop viewing the band as another diet and accept that it is a tool that will help me make a lifestyle change. I'm glad I have the next month to work on getting that drilled into this thick brain of mine!