I don't know about anyone else, but I had my surgery on may 18th and I'm to the point where I can really put away some food. Not like I could before, but more then the 6-8 ounces I was told I'd be aboe to eat. I orderd a chicken salad last night and almost ate the whole thing before I knew it. My body did not have a problem with the food and I stopped myself and had them take the plate away, but is this normal before your 1st fill. HOW DO YOU KNOW when you haveeaten to much for your pouch does it hurt? do you pb or what?

U must be Psychic, I am having the same, but was told that post surgery pre-fill is just like not having a band there coz theres no restriction. The changes happen when the band is filled, hopefully xx

Yep, no restriction yet. I cannot wait until my first fill! I just called the doc's office today to see if I can have it at 6 weeks instead of 7. I hope he says yes. I still have another 3 weeks before that - I am just 3 weeks post op today and hungry a lot. There is a reason they call this time 'bandster hell'. LOL My doc says DO NOT focus on weight loss right now although he doesn't want to see a weight gain either.

Hopefully someone who has been through this before will give us some insight then. I just hope I'm not messing anything up. I heard of to many stories where people have stretched their pouches out and I really don't want that to happen.

You know what I do is just measure my 3/4 cup of food and never eat more than that and then I KNOW that I'm okay because that's what my doc says I can have over an hours time of eating. It takes HUGE amts of self control to not scarf it all down at once. I have learned to take a bite and then go do something else, go back and take a bite, etc. That is just my way to not have it all gone in 5 minutes...

You and I have both lost about the same - 10 lbs for me. The first 15 were pre-op....

The idea of the band is to restrict how much we eat, yes. But that same restriction also keeps us from being hungry.

So if after eating your chicken salad, you are not hungry for a couple of hours, and your pouch is not hurting because you have overeaten, it's all ok.

My understanding is that the whole lap-band approach is a change to lifestyle...the program I went through before surgery pushed us to take a small bite, put down the fork, chew thoroughly, swallow, pick up the fork, etc.

They strongly encouraged us NOT to treat the band like it was a speed limiter in a car...don't rely on it to keep you from eating, especially if you haven't had a fill yet...there IS some restriction, but usually not enough to provide the full effect. Since it takes 20-30 minutes for the "I'm full" signal to get from stomach to brain, eating slowly should make a big difference, as most folks eat too fast.

Even after fill, if you 'graze' or eat high calorie foods that turn into a liquid or slurry (ice cream, chocolate, most chips, milkshakes, etc.) the lap-band approach won't be successful.

Like 'ontheway', I set out the amount of food I want to eat, then that's all I eat...right now its 4 - 5 oz. of food per meal. I drink lots of liquids, and that helps me feel satisfied. I don't have my first fill until early July.

Did you sit in your pantry or fridge to eat your meals before you were banded? Eat out of the pots you cooked in?

Naturally people "set out" what they are going to eat before a meal. The trick to "setting out" a meal, or serving a meal is to not put a lumberjack size meal on your plate, and if you do put too much on your plate, to not eat it all.

I am not sure the whole putting your fork down between bites thing works long term. It makes you stand out from the other diners at the table. No one wants to feel different at the table.

What does work is eating slower. Chewing. Talking between bites. Concentrating on putting your fork down between bites is damm distracting.

The band is like a limiter. It does slow us down... Keep us from eating too much at a sitting.

And I still say, if after the chicken salad, you are not bursting at the seems, and are contented and full for a few hours, no problems. The band is working as designed.

wow - I appreciate that you didn't blast me, but those ideas are part of a program from a very successful Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence program - I guess ymmv. For you, maybe the ideas don't work.

And we have to be very careful treating the band as a 'limiter'...it WON'T keep us from eating too much...we can shovel just as much food down our pipes as we did before if we want to...it won't stay down, and will cause plenty of problems over time.

also, if you eat the wrong kind of foods, it won't limit you at all.

So - we DO have to change what we eat, how we eat, and how much we eat in order to be successful.

I was just trying to share ideas from the program I'm in...maybe I'm too new here to be allowed to do that.

Where did I blast anyone?

YES! The band WILL keep you from eating too much! That is the whole bloody idea. If people eat past the full feeling, THAT is where the problems start.

Why do you think half the people who don't bother to exercise lose weight? Because the band restricts their eating.

But what do I know right? You have a month under your belt, and I only have 2.5 years, and close to a year at goal. You know better hon.

Carry on.

umm...I said (and I quote) that you DIDN'T blast me...

Are you just spoiling for a fight?

Neither did I claim that I know better than you...I thought these forums were all about sharing ideas, not putting each other's ideas down...guess I'm really confused.

I haven't attacked you or your ideas - so I don't know why you are reacting the way you are...

The band restricts eating if we follow the rules...it doesn't do any good if we don't.

For instance:

- if we eat all day long, we can easily get too many calories past the band.

- if we eat ice cream, chocolate, chips, etc. - any food that becomes liquid or slurry, it goes right through the stoma and won't give us the sated feeling.

- if we constantly overeat, the pouch WILL stretch and be less effective.

So - that's what I was trying to say...the band isn't an 'eat whatever you want when you want' kind of solution...we need to modify our approach to food in order to be successful.

...and that's not me being a newbie...that's what nearly every bariatric surgeon/nutritionist will tell you.

Why EXACTLY are you trying to explain to me how the band works?

Do you honestly think I lost close on 190lbs by eating crap? Where - exactly- did I say (or have I ever said for that matter) to eat what you want?

Your tone is why I *mistakenly* thought you were being sarcasic with the "wow - I appreciate that you didn't blast me" bit. I still feel it is a little on the snarky side - but I think I will build a bridge.

I am spoiling for nothing mate. I never attacked you, or even your idea's. I just stated what worked for me. That and, I am to the point with what I say.

And my point is, and always has been. The band will restrict. It will restrict good food, and some of the bad. The bandster has to make choices in order to lose weight. Some people chose to fill their bands to the point of only being able to eat 2 or 3 bites. Others, like me, chose to fill to the point where restriction allows us to eat like a normal person, and exercise.

And as an aside - you can go to the best clinic in the world, but if you think you know everything, and don't listen to anyone but yourself, you will fall on your ass.

this is what's confusing me...we're essentially agreeing, but you *appear* to be disagreeing with me.

"But what do I know right? You have a month under your belt, and I only have 2.5 years, and close to a year at goal. You know better hon." Based on what I had posted, did I really deserve this?

And I quote: "YES! The band WILL keep you from eating too much!". To me, this is a misrepresentation, since it won't really keep you from eating too much if you aren't following the rules. What I've been saying all along is that the band alone won't cut it, but that we have to make changes in the way we approach food and eating. Are you disagreeing with that?

As far as your 'aside'...where in the world did I say that I think I know everything, and won't listen? I think you're making significant assumptions. Maybe there's some unwritten rule that unless you've been a bandster for a year, you're not allowed to post opinions or relate what you've heard from professionals.

I'm not looking for a forum argument, and (to my best knowledge) I haven't said anything disparaging about you - but it certainly seemed like your responses were, at the least, contentious. But I can accept that I misinterpreted.

If I have offended you, I apologize. I certainly wasn't trying to explain how the band works to you - I was trying to clarify what I'd said in my original post, which you seemed to disagree with...

this is what's confusing me...we're essentially agreeing, but you *appear* to be disagreeing with me.

Looks can be deceiving. Although I do notice it is usually older men who I "butt heads" with online.

"But what do I know right? You have a month under your belt, and I only have 2.5 years, and close to a year at goal. You know better hon." Based on what I had posted, did I really deserve this?

What? You claim to know better! You may not have said the words, but the tone of your posts say it all for you. And when I said it, I wasn't actually being nasty, so much as very sarcastic.

And I quote: "YES! The band WILL keep you from eating too much!". To me, this is a misrepresentation, since it won't really keep you from eating too much if you aren't following the rules. What I've been saying all along is that the band alone won't cut it, but that we have to make changes in the way we approach food and eating. Are you disagreeing with that?

Dude! I NEVER said that there are no rules to follow! I don't subscribe to a few of them, but that doesn't mean I don't follow most. And I never said the band alone will solve the obesity epidemic. Actually, if you look at more than 2 of my posts, you will see that I say exactly the opposite.

As far as your 'aside'...where in the world did I say that I think I know everything, and won't listen?

Let me quote you.

those ideas are part of a program from a very successful Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence program

That.

I think you're making significant assumptions. Maybe there's some unwritten rule that unless you've been a bandster for a year, you're not allowed to post opinions or relate what you've heard from professionals.

I think you are making some "significant assumptions" too. If you have read more than 2 of my posts, you would know exactly where I stand on all of the issues you tried to inform me on.

I'm not looking for a forum argument, and (to my best knowledge) I haven't said anything disparaging about you - but it certainly seemed like your responses were, at the least, contentious. But I can accept that I misinterpreted.

Nor I about you. And you are right, I am contentious at times. Not tonight however. I am just amused that you think you know where I stand on the issue, but if you have read anything I have ever posted, you would find that not only am I standing on the same side of the issue as you, I actually stand at the forefront of the fight (I think I may have the most vocal opinions on the matter at least), taking flames for the team.

If I have offended you, I apologize. I certainly wasn't trying to explain how the band works to you - I was trying to clarify what I'd said in my original post, which you seemed to disagree with...

Unless you are calling me anorexic, or telling me I exercise too much.... I can't see how I could be offended. But here is the thing. I never really disagreed!

Yes, my statement was simple, and nowhere near as long winded as yours, but I never disagreed that the band is not a "cure all" or would do all the work.

I do disagree on the limiter thing. If we all had the self control to eat only 3 or 4 ounces at a time, we would have never been fat, or could have lost weight without the need for weight loss surgery.

But with the restriction that the band offers, in conjunction with a healthy lifestyle (healthy whole foods, and exercise) we can lose weight.

I am well aware of the role my band has played in my weight loss. I am also aware of the role of my lifestyle changes.

Why be banded, and NOT use the restriction?

ok - I don't see how relaying information from a successful program tells you that I know everything and won't listen to anyone else.

...and you seem to be taking everything as if I was lecturing you...I honestly was just trying to clarify my first post, because you seemed to disagree with me in your response. No lecturing intended.

Seems like lots of inference going on...looking into what i'm saying instead of just reading what is typed.

If I want to say something, I come right out and say it - if I don't say it, then I probably didn't mean it. Seems likes that's the best way to truly communicate.