Hey there - I had my Lap Band placed on December 28th 2015 and I am struggling. Could really use some help/support.

The first couple weeks were easy enough since I was in recovery. Barely had any appetite, stuck to my liquid diet, and allowed myself to heal. I gained my appetite back during the mushies phase but was quickly and easily satisfied on small amounts of food. It felt great to not be at the mercy of my normally insatiable appetite.

Well, now my stomach is completely healed and it's like I don't have a band at all. I knew this was coming, but I didn't realize how I'd react to it. I find myself back in my old ways for some meals - not quite as bad as before but it's taking a great deal of effort to control it. I know I have to get through this and I know it'll get better eventually but it really sucks right now. I could use some motivation.

Anyone out there interested in helping this chunky newbie out?? Thanks!

Hi @@needtorecover - I just saw your post. You will get through this. Are you writing down what you eat? Are you sticking to a particular diet? When is your first fill scheduled?

The band has been a great tool for me. I used the surgery as a restart button for my way of eating and thinking about food. It hasn't been easy, but the band has made it so much less challenging.

Thanks for the reply - and sorry for the delay in response! Ever since recovery no, I hadn't been following a diet or writing down what I ate... I guess I sort of missed feeling like I could pig out (how messed up is that?) so I kind of went nuts with my over-eating. Counterproductive, I know.

I had my first fill (2 cc) on Monday and while "feeling restriction" is wording it strongly, it's definitely slowing me down a little. I can't eat fast (that's a good thing) and I fill up faster on less, but only marginally so. For Breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal, one whole egg plus one egg white, and a banana and felt satisfied for 3 hours (that's really good for me - pre-band me would get a donut and a coffee after 1.5 hours) and just ate half a Jimmy Johns sandwich and feel pretty full. I could eat more of it but I would be uncomfortable so I stopped.

Remarkably I lost a pound between recovery and my first fill. I think it's because I can't eat fast so even though I'm eating as much as I want (and certainly more than I should), I eventually just stop because my stomach registers "full" before I can finish my first helping and start in on my second.

It's really gotten me thinking though... like about how I approach a meal. Why couldn't I slow down before? I know it's scientifically proven that if you eat slowly you'll consume fewer calories even if you eat as much as you want. I used to try to make myself slow down before... I'm the kind of person who immediately shoves in a mouthful of food the moment I swallow. And the mouthfuls are large, of course. I did that with a bowl of rice last night and after 3 swallows I could feel a very unpleasant pressure in my lower chest so I slowed down.

On the one hand I'm angry with myself for needing negative reinforcement to slow down when I eat. On the other hand I need to be kind to myself because I developed poor eating habits when I was young and I've had problems with food most of my life, so of course it'll be hard to make myself eat slowly.

I'm definitely not "green" yet but this is definitely a good start. Thank God for this surgery. I don't think I would ever be able to lose weight without it. It's giving me hope for a healthier future.

Thanks for the reply - and sorry for the delay in response! Ever since recovery no, I hadn't been following a diet or writing down what I ate... I guess I sort of missed feeling like I could pig out (how messed up is that?) so I kind of went nuts with my over-eating. Counterproductive, I know.

I had my first fill (2 cc) on Monday and while "feeling restriction" is wording it strongly, it's definitely slowing me down a little. I can't eat fast (that's a good thing) and I fill up faster on less, but only marginally so. For breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal, one whole egg plus one egg white, and a banana and felt satisfied for 3 hours (that's really good for me - pre-band me would get a donut and a coffee after 1.5 hours) and just ate half a Jimmy Johns sandwich and feel pretty full. I could eat more of it but I would be uncomfortable so I stopped.

Remarkably I lost a pound between recovery and my first fill. I think it's because I can't eat fast so even though I'm eating as much as I want (and certainly more than I should), I eventually just stop because my stomach registers "full" before I can finish my first helping and start in on my second.

It's really gotten me thinking though... like about how I approach a meal. Why couldn't I slow down before? I know it's scientifically proven that if you eat slowly you'll consume fewer calories even if you eat as much as you want. I used to try to make myself slow down before... I'm the kind of person who immediately shoves in a mouthful of food the moment I swallow. And the mouthfuls are large, of course. I did that with a bowl of rice last night and after 3 swallows I could feel a very unpleasant pressure in my lower chest so I slowed down.

On the one hand I'm angry with myself for needing negative reinforcement to slow down when I eat. On the other hand I need to be kind to myself because I developed poor eating habits when I was young and I've had problems with food most of my life, so of course it'll be hard to make myself eat slowly.

I'm definitely not "green" yet but this is definitely a good start. Thank God for this surgery. I don't think I would ever be able to lose weight without it. It's giving me hope for a healthier future.

It does take a while for the fills to kick in. I am glad the first one is slowing you down. Eating slow is important. I think everyone looks at their post diet surgery differently. For me, I completely changed my mind set and eating habits. I stopped eating processed carbs for a long time. Actually, I didn't eat any fruit for a long time either. Now I eat some fruit and processed carbs, but it is few and far between.

I don't look at the band as negative reinforcement. I see the band and weight loss as the opposite. I completely understand where you are coming from regarding that thought process though. You should be proud of yourself for taking this monumental step in the right direction. Hope is such a great motivator :-).

@@kathousefl - Just wanted to let you know that the restriction definitely set in about a week after I posted this. I guess that's why doctors make you wait a month between fills! Now I get it. Though I don't understand WHY it takes so long for a fill to register... maybe the liquid takes a while to settle? Who knows.

In that time, I've lost another 13 pounds I'm excited! I think I need a little more fill to be completely green but this is a fantastic start. I'm starting to feel better already. It's nothing short of a miracle being able to feel full on so much less food. I have more energy now and I WANT to move. My pants that were tight before are hanging off my hips a little and my shirts don't feel as snug on my tummy.

Why my general doctors didn't recommend WLS before is beyond me. I am so, so glad I did this.

@@kathousefl - Just wanted to let you know that the restriction definitely set in about a week after I posted this. I guess that's why doctors make you wait a month between fills! Now I get it. Though I don't understand WHY it takes so long for a fill to register... maybe the liquid takes a while to settle? Who knows.

In that time, I've lost another 13 pounds I'm excited! I think I need a little more fill to be completely green but this is a fantastic start. I'm starting to feel better already. It's nothing short of a miracle being able to feel full on so much less food. I have more energy now and I WANT to move. My pants that were tight before are hanging off my hips a little and my shirts don't feel as snug on my tummy.

Why my general doctors didn't recommend WLS before is beyond me. I am so, so glad I did this.

That is great @needtorecover. I am happy you are feeling better and starting to see the results.