I had surgery on Aug. 1, 2007. I have done pretty good until the last 3-4 days. I am able to eat just about anything and I do not fill very restricted. Is this normal? I have been told this is normal until you have your first fill. Is this true? How often do most of you have to have a fill?

I was banded on 8/2/07 so I am just 1 day behind you. I am starting to feel hunger more often, but I live in fear that I will do damage if I eat too much so I am careful about what I eat. I continue to remind myself that we have no real restriction yet and must wait for 3 or 4 fills before we are really using the band as intended. In the meantime we will have to use our self control to develop good band eating habits and hopefully lose weight. Good luck to you and to all of us. Sheila

Hi, I was banded 7/28 & feel like I could eat alot but am really trying to stick to my diet. The first 10 days were easy, I didn't feel hungry & was not able to eat alot. It definately has gotten harder & I don't even go for my first fill intil September!

The good news is I am down 13lbs! I can finally start mushies so I am hoping it helps to ease my hunger!

I was banded on Aug 8th (9 days ago) I was really starting to starve to death & since my doc. said full liquids anything you can get thru a straw without using a straw I have been having strained cream of chicken & cream of broccoli soup. I also put some creamy potato soup in the blender.I'm assuming these are okay, as they would go thru a straw. I've got to tell you after having only the diet jello & popsicles, broth & juices, these are REALLY hitting the spot. Plus I have 2 protein shakes a day & no sugar added, fruit flavored applesause & some water/juice/diet lipton gree tea. So... I think I'm gonna make it.I just need to start exercising now that I am feeling better. I'm still not supposed to bend down for another week or tug & pull as in the dishwasher, dryer,vacuuming, sweeping & mopping. & no lifting over 10 lbs for 6 weeks. I won't last 6 weeks on that, but I'll be careful. What has your doc. said? I know some people that are jumping in & doing everything right away & I could too, since I'm feeling much better, but I don't want to take the chance of causing band slippage, or just not healing. What do you think?

Oh & creamy tomato soup, too.

Near the end befor my first fill I did notice I was reachingfor a second piece of fish, so I had to be really careful. Now after my first fill I can only eat about 3oz at time.

I was banded July 31st. I can eat anything. The last 3 days I have been bad but still lost a few pounds. Yesterday I ate a BIG crabcake and some mash potatoes. Tonight we were in AC and I had Nachos w/ crab dip and nachos with cheese, peppers, and onions. I chewed everything to a pulp but definitly did a bad thing. I feel HORRIBLE!!!!!!! Thank God I rode my bike 11 miles today. I have to stop before I cause damage. Now that I feel fine I pushed the envelope way too far. I am down around 35 pounds and am gonna do my damn best to do good until my first fill. Im a LOSER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :faint:

I just got some reassurance from someone who is a bit ahead of me - my surgery was 7/24 so now I'm really not having any restriction at all in stomach size, and I've really been needing more volume to feel full.

My "buddy" said this is very common, and after the first fill she felt back to the 1/2 c capacity for about 3 more weeks.

I guess the trick is, when you're waiting for a fill, watch what you eat and do your Snacks and meals as recommended. I had lost about 18 lbs in 2 weeks and am kind of stuck there, but now my goal is to keep my weight there or lose a little more until the fill.

I'm trying to use s/f popsicles at night when the cravings really hit - I don't relaly like them, so they keep me away from something I shouldn't have, and they're only 15 calories. Also, my Protein mix says to use morning and at bedtime - apparently protein helps you feel full and might let me sleep before I start grazing - si I'm jsut trying to stick to that.

Any other tricks and tips would be much appreciated!

The fundamental firts 6 weeks.

Do not eat solid food. Eat sloww and small amounts of soft food.

The # 1 goal is the perfect healing of the band surgery place.

Be careful.

Dr. C. Lozano

I guess the trick is, when you're waiting for a fill, watch what you eat and do your Snacks and meals as recommended. I had lost about 18 lbs in 2 weeks and am kind of stuck there, but now my goal is to keep my weight there or lose a little more until the fill.

These are very wise words! The pre-fill stage is NOT so much about losing as much weight as you possibly can, but learning to moderate your intake and maintain the loss you've achieved already.

I find the single best thing I can do for myself in these times is NOT TO GET TOO HUNGRY. Nibbling on things like string cheese, Protein bars, cottage cheese mid-morning and late afternoon really helps me eat sensibly at lunch and dinner. Getting too hungry is a sure path to overdoing it when there's no restriction to stop me.

Thanks, Alexandra - your words will help me stay on track. I hadn't tried cottage or string cheese yet but at night when I feel hungry I usually want something NOT sweet, and that sounds like a perfect thing to keep around. Between that and the milk in my Protein shakes, at least I know I'm getting all the Calcium I need!

I see you were rebanded - may I ask, did something cause band slippage, or did it just happen on its own? How did you know it had slipped? Right now, every time I get a little pang in my side, I worry that I've slipped something. I do get a pain in my side if I eat or drink too fast, but it's really kind of good to have that "warning button".

Congratulations on your continued weight loss, and thanks again for the wisdom of shared experience!

Pam

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