Tonia was kind enough to compile the Banding 101 thread from Spotlight and organize it into FAQ format on a website. Visit http://hometown.aol.com/texasrosey/ to answer some of your questions!

Bumping for newbies..

Its been one week since my surgery. I did the liquid for 6 days, no on day 7 I have eaten twice today without any feeling of fullness. Even though I have not had a fill yet, I thought I would still have restrictions on the amount of food I eat. I feel like a "bottomless pit". Someone please respond. I can't tell I had surgery at all if it were'nt for all the bruising.

shouldn't you still be on liquids of some sort? and yes, this is very common. once you begin to heal, it very well could be that you don't have restriction until your first fill. there are numerous threads here asking this same question. read, read, read - there is so much information, free for the taking. good luck!

Letha, thanks so much for the reply. Found others on the site as you had mentioned. Its been a big help. Too bad my Doctors office isn't as informative!

I was one of the people who was positive for H.Pylori . They discovered it after my endoscopy. I was treated with antibiotics for 2 weeks,as a result my surgery was moved back one week. But thank goodness I am ok now and was banded on 2/9/05 -16lbs pre-op

-12lbs post op : )

1stimer asking a question. Can anyone tell me how many calories they want you to eat in a day post-op and beyond? I can find nothing that tells me. I must admit I am a little freaked about getting enough nutrition in the bod long term.

Rondalund: My doctor has me on a 1200 calorie diet and to try to take in at least 50 to 60 gm of Protein a day. I admit it is hard for me to get in that much protein but I do strive to reach the 50 gms. The 1200 calorie diet is easy to get too but sometimes in the wrong types of calories.

You should ask your band surgeon or ask to speak with a nutritionist or dietician about the recommendations. Every surgeon is different and require different caloric requirements.

Thank you for your reply, I have been on so many diets, the only one I have ever lost on was 1200 cal a day plus excersise, I could actually do it until finally the appetite won. so I am hopeful about the lap-band, my husband wants me to get it done asap. so do I - I was just worried about mal-nutrition if it was an issue. I know how to put 1200 healthy cal in, and I am not afraid of excersise!

Research is the key! I just got my date, did the whole "interview" process to make sure this doc is the one I want operating on me. I told him I had a few questions he said "shoot" then I pulled out my 3 pages of typed notes! He was shocked and said he was very impressed. I knew everything he was talking about and how I expected the band to work for me. I also wanted to make sure that the info I did know was what he was telling me. I am so thankful I did the research, I feel comfortable with the surgery and with the doc because he had the "right" answers for my questions. Thanks to this site!!

I am about to book for the op in France but as the date draws nearer I am beginning to realise how much I depend on food as a crutch. I'm panicking that I wont be able to cope with such a restriction on my ability to eat - but I am sooooo desperate to lose this weight and live a happy life. Every message I've seen says something along the lines of "I love my band" and everyone seems to have had the same relationship with food that I've got - but how do you all cope?? Has anyone felt so deprived that they wished they had never had the op??

I'd love to hear from people

Shelley (uk)

I've never felt deprived. I do pull my hair out at nights though out of sheer addiction. I'm able to eat a good amount of food.

I have read thousands of posts in the past year, and I think I'm the one that has the worst problem of all of us when it comes to addiction. I have anxiety disorder, and I've used food as a drug my entire life. I still love my band! I've only lost 1/2 of the weight that I need to lose, and I won't lose any more till I break the addiction of eating past being full.

The band helps, trust me. I couldn't stop eating to save my own life before, but there are times the band stops even ME dead in my tracks. Hard to believe.

thanks so much - it really does help to get others opinions