I have been lurking around for months now - am in the process for surgery - right now the paperwork has been sent to my insurance for approval and am waiting to hear back from them - anyway - I went to a class last night (Pre-Operative Dietary Counseling) which is required through the hospital - some of the things the dietician said freaked me out big time..... help me with these questtions..... There were 4 people in this class and the other 3 are all wanting to have gastric bypass surgery - so I am the odd man out -

is portion size for the band the same as for bypass patients - I thought it was much much smaller than a normal portion - but not shot glass size - and that is what she was using as a reference.....

she also said we would not be able to drink large amounts of Water or crystal light - we need to practice drinking a little amount, wait, then drink a little amount, wait, then drink a little more - is that true?

thank you for helping me out - I really did think I was "well educated" about LapBand surgery but after last night I am not sure.....

Thank you!

Helena

Aloha hford

Well as for the food, the small portion size is correct, at a meal you will eat about 1/2-3/4 cup of food. I can eat a little more than that right now, I'am 4 weeks post-op and have no restriction but I really watch what I eat. I try and take small bites and chew-chew-chew, because when I get my fill I don't want any problems. As for the Water you will need to drink a lot of it about 64oz. a day, I do use crystal light and these sugar free juice packets from Wal-Mart, I hate water no taste.

There is a lot of thing that freaked me out to about the band, no drinking 1/2 hour before meals, no drinking 1 hour after meals. I thought they have got to be kidding, but I now can do it with out even thinking about it, thats just the way it is. I do encourage you to read alot of the threads here there is a so much information here some will be very useful and some well lets just say you might have to wade throught a lot of poo to find the pearl's

I hope I may have helped, I'm a 50 year old male and my views or openions might be a little off base. But getting the band was the best thing I ever done, besides marrying dear sweet wife who will be getting her band on the 29th. of this month. I started this trip at 398 Lbs. and have lost 46 Lbs. I was banded on the 11 July, 2007.

Good luck best wishes and may God bless you

Aloha

BWD

I'm 10 days post op. Presently I have about 3/4 to a cup a food per meal (1/2 cup Soup, 1/4 cup Jello, 1/4 cup yogurt). But I eat six times per day. So once I'm on regular food I would guess I would have somthing like this : 3-4 oz of salmon and some mashed sweet potatoes for supper, maybe have some salad an hour or two later......

I drink 2 litresof Water a day........

Thank you so much your advice was awesome I too am freaking out I go in 8/17. I guzzle water right now and do not now how i am going to learn how to sip. I also have no idea how to work this chat room thing at all. How will I know when someone answers my questions? Please help you seem very nice

I'm 12 months out and have lost about 80 pounds and have great restriction and can eat almost a cup with no problem, and that's all you want to tell you the truth. I eat usually twice a day and I can drink over a gallon of water and tea a day. I can gulp my drink as well as I could preop but immediately after surgery you do have to sip and not gulp. I have sent 8 people to Mexico that are friends and family and 6 are at goal and banded in the past year and I have 3 friends, close friends that have had the bypass, one has gained back all of her weight, one has been in and out of the hospital since day one and now is very close to dying, can't get enough nutrients so I would take the band anyday over the bypass, but just my opinion. Congrats on your decision and I promise you you will love your band.

I am 15 months out from my banding surgery. How much you can eat will depend on you and your Dr. When I was newly banded without a fill, I could eat anywhere between 1/2 cup to 1 1/2 cups of food. When I got my first fill it dropped to pretty steadily being 1/2-3/4 of a cup of food. Then down to the 1/2 cup with the second fill. My fill Dr. is VERY aggressive, he wants his patients to eat 3 bites and consider themselves done....I said...Not me! I have not had another fill since the 2nd one over a year ago. I still have restriction, but it has loosened, and I eat about a cup of food per meal. My weight loss has slowed, but it is still coming off, at a safe rate, and I do not feel deprived. Would he give me another fill if I went in for it? You betcha! But I have dropped most of my weight without the worry of being overfilled, and have no intention of taking that chance now!

IF you allow a Dr. to fill you to a serious restriction, you may be only able to eat a shotglass full of food, but I have ALWAYS been able to eat more than that. And I feel my band has been highly successful.

As for the drinking, it is a learned feeling. There are times I can chug Water or tea, other times I can only sip it---but I can sip it steadily, if that makes sense. I have never been unable to drink enough. Practicing to sip is fine, immediately after being banded you are often times quite swollen, and you can only sip small amounts---but the swelling eases. Then you can begin drinking more normally. Other than avoiding drinking with my meals, I drink as normally as I ever did, with the possible exception of a true guzzling when I am out doing something like mowing the lawn. Fluids have not been a problem.

They told me my bites needed to be the size of a pencil eraser, and I thought...WHAT???? I do eat small bites, but I don't consistantly eat them that small---although I did at first, to be sure what I could and could not eat, and I still chew forever!

I believe the things they told you were to prepare you for the first few weeks following the surgery....and once you get off of liquids following the surgery, you might have to do very small meals---but as you and your band adjust to one another, and you begin your fill process, you will find how YOU can handle it.

Don't panic---we all survived the first weeks out, and you will too!!! Welcome to LBT by the way!!!

Kat

bms---if you don't get an email reminder when someone posts in this thread, all you have to do is go to the top of the home page (or any page for that matter) and click Quick Links, and go down to Subscribed Threads, and any thread you have typed into, will be listed, and when you click on it, it takes you there. You can also subscribe to a thread you want to watch without "speaking" by using the Thread Tools also located at the top and clicking subscribe.

Before long you will be going all over this site like an old pro!!! Welcome to you too!!!

Kat

I am 15 months out from my banding surgery. How much you can eat will depend on you and your Dr. When I was newly banded without a fill, I could eat anywhere between 1/2 cup to 1 1/2 cups of food. When I got my first fill it dropped to pretty steadily being 1/2-3/4 of a cup of food. Then down to the 1/2 cup with the second fill. My fill Dr. is VERY aggressive, he wants his patients to eat 3 bites and consider themselves done....I said...Not me! I have not had another fill since the 2nd one over a year ago. I still have restriction, but it has loosened, and I eat about a cup of food per meal. My weight loss has slowed, but it is still coming off, at a safe rate, and I do not feel deprived. Would he give me another fill if I went in for it? You betcha! But I have dropped most of my weight without the worry of being overfilled, and have no intention of taking that chance now!

IF you allow a Dr. to fill you to a serious restriction, you may be only able to eat a shotglass full of food, but I have ALWAYS been able to eat more than that. And I feel my band has been highly successful.

As for the drinking, it is a learned feeling. There are times I can chug Water or tea, other times I can only sip it---but I can sip it steadily, if that makes sense. I have never been unable to drink enough. Practicing to sip is fine, immediately after being banded you are often times quite swollen, and you can only sip small amounts---but the swelling eases. Then you can begin drinking more normally. Other than avoiding drinking with my meals, I drink as normally as I ever did, with the possible exception of a true guzzling when I am out doing something like mowing the lawn. Fluids have not been a problem.

They told me my bites needed to be the size of a pencil eraser, and I thought...WHAT???? I do eat small bites, but I don't consistantly eat them that small---although I did at first, to be sure what I could and could not eat, and I still chew forever!

I believe the things they told you were to prepare you for the first few weeks following the surgery....and once you get off of liquids following the surgery, you might have to do very small meals---but as you and your band adjust to one another, and you begin your fill process, you will find how YOU can handle it.

Don't panic---we all survived the first weeks out, and you will too!!! Welcome to LBT by the way!!!

Kat

Thanks for all the info Kat.

I too am a bit scared with my surgery date set for Sept 18th.

I am happy to hear that I will be able to drink normal and a controled amount of food after the healing period following the surgery.

After reading some of the posts I have found on here, it can really freak a person out. This makes me feel good about my decision.

Congrats Kat on being one with your band!

Good luck hford on you upcoming surgery!

what goes on in Mexico? Do you have insurance? Is it covered in Mexico. Thnks for answering the water and drinking questions stay in touch I need a friend

I've never had to eat less than about 3/4 of a cup of food per meal, plus maybe a tiny snack, to lose weight.

shot glass? Sheesh. I'd starve.

You can do this aggressively if you wish. Or not, its your choice. I'd rather exercise and eat more.

Thanks Kat

It just boggles my mind to think about eating 3/4 of a cup of food at a meal. My entire life I ate like it was my last meal. Large portions were a way of life in my family growing up. We were always "big" irish people and "needed" more food. In my twenties however I ate very little and was a verythin person, only until I became preganant did I put on big pounds and the older I got the slower they came off.

My question is ...do the banded miss food? Do you you/we experience withdrawal??? What a change in livestyle it must be. Food had to have been a big portion of your life and to carve it down to 3/4 of a cup per meal I just can't even imagine it right now. Of course I am prebanded and need to research everything to the rediculous but would appreciate any feedback..

thanks