Hi everyone - please respond ! I was banded on August 1, 2007. I am now in the 5th stage - regular food. I have not had a fill yet, I will have my first fill on Sept. 14. My problem is that I have lost 16 pounds so far but now that I can eat regular foods I haven't lost any more. I feel like I have no restriction and am being a pig! I am trying to be so good about what I eat but I have a daycare and have to give the kids snacks, so it is so hard not to pop a cheetos im my mouth, etc. I am really starting to get desperate over this. I am getting very frustrated -:help: I also own a deli but that isn't a problem since I don't seem to eat there. My problem is junk food and I don't know what to do. After I get my first fill will all of this change? Will I be able to control myself better? Please respond fellow bandsters, cause I really need your support - I hope this surgery won't be a bust for me. Thanks

Sweetpea51

No fill yet for me, but from what I have read, after your fill, your band will restrict the amount of food you can tolerate. I wouldnt worry too much, but try to avoid the junk food trap. I went on liquids well before my surgery to get prepared for what was to come, so these first 2 stages wont be real bad. Maybe call your dr to ee if you can get your fill date moved up a little? Keep us posted and good luck....Dave

Hi Sweetpea. After however many fills it takes to get restriction, you'll have more tools on your side. The first is that you won't be hundry, so that will help. Until then, you really are functioning almost as if you have no band. But junk foods, unfortunately, usually go through the band better than good foods.... so for now, your best bet is to practice the bandster lifestyle as much as you can. Be sure to eat protein and vege meals with no "sliders" (water, gravy, butter) so you can practice filling up and chewing slowly. And keep soing what you are doing...identifying behaviors you'll need to work to change like eating the kids' snacks. It was hard for me to ony eat at meal time. And to eat slowly. And to avoid ice cream. One of the things I found was that I ate too much and too often whenever the TV was on, so I needed to change that. Consider your band to be about a 6 month education for you, learning to do things differently. Fortunately, once you have restriction, it's a whole lot easier.

Thank you Dave01 - I feel a bit better. Hopefully it will be easier for me after my first fill. Thanks again!

Sweetpea51

Betsyjane - Thanks a bunch! You and Dave01 really reassured me - I am so looking forward to my first fill. And I am certainly doing better now about the junk food than before the surgery, but it is really hard since I'm around it all day. Thanks again! P.S - Do you really have a deer? I only ask because I have a pot belly pig, among other animals.

Hi Sweetpea51

It takes time. Both my Husband and I were banded (me/March2006 and my Husband October/2006. I did well of slowly (and I mean SLOWLY) losing the weight - My Husband who is nortoriouos for being a 'SNACK DADDY', found it difficult and very frustrating to lose any weight. Especially in the beginning. It wasnt until his 4th fill - 7 months later that he started seeing results. I know everone wants the weight to come off immediately, but it wont. Set realistic goals. It will take about 1 year to get about a 65lb to 75lb weight loss. And most of it wont start coming off until after your are 6 months post op and start getting your fills. Please dont be discouraged after your 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill - I promise you will be able to continue to snack the deli and snack with the toddlers with no problem! (Speaking from experience - I could still hound down 1/2 pizza!). It will take between 4-8 fills to find the 'sweet spot' you keep hearing about. You may always be able to do a little snacking here and there, but the total food intake will eventually be limited.

Be patient - I PROMISE it will come! But I PROMISE you will have daily frustrations here and there. The band is worth it and on your year anniversary you will look back and thing 'OMG'!.

Good Luck!

PS - junk food seems to always go down easier than the good food. Its slides down smoother that is for sure! I have to confess about my Husband - he is a junk food junkie with TWIX BARS!. He eats about 2 a day. Im NOT encouraging this - but he still has lost over 65lbs coming up on his 1st year anniversary. Healthy foods do seem to go down a bit harder and you do have more of a chance PB'ing (I can speak on experience on that one). The point of this thread is - junk food still may be a problem for any Bander - be careful. Be conscious of what ratios of good/bad you are eating. Your intake will be limited, but he QUALITY of the food may be crap! My Husband has the 10cc band and is filled to about 9.5cc. He doesnt have much room left before his band is maxed out - theoretically - its time to dump the high calorie junk food and start with the true exercising and healthy choice food intake.

We were all Banded for our 'addictions'. It is hard to stop them immediately. Again - with time and learning what this Band is going to do to you - you will learn things the hard way - may not be the smartest way, but with time, you too will become an EXPERIENCED BANDER!

Thanks neese007 - I have started to write a daily log of what I eat every day including calories, fat, etc. I also started to walk 3 miles a day and am really trying to ignore nightly hunger. I think if all of you guys can do it I can! Thanks again! P.S. - you're husband sounds like me - I love candy, especially Twix bars!!!

Hi SweatPea.

I have not had my first fill yet, so I feel very little restriction. the trick for me is NEVER to allow junk food in the house. This is easy for me as I do not have teenagers. If you own the daycare, perhaps you could eliminate cheetos and other junk food, and provide healthy Snacks for the kids. You may even be able to charge more in the future. I know around here Daycares that serve only healthy organic foods charge more. Good Luck

When you start getting fills you will not be as hungry. You still, however, will have to make sure you don't have junk around. Junk goes down too easy! Replace those foods with high protein foods such as yogurt or frozen yogurt. You will feel full longer so hopefully that will help. Also, fruit is good. Good luck.