Hi to everyone!!! OK...I was banded on Dec 19th - I am so happy I did it....... However is/did anyone else 7-10 days after their surgery EAT LIKE CRAZY????? I feel like I have no restriction....I am eating out of control....I am scared I have moved my band, I feel like I have had nothing surgically done. I went to a center of excellence and had a WONDERFUL doctor, nutrition classes, support, etc... I have lost 50 lbs (mostly from liquid diet pre-op) and am doing all I can just to NOT gain before my first fill. I feel like a complete failure because I have not/did not stick to the diet prescribed by the nutritionist/doctor. Is anyone out there like ME????? I really thought I had my food addiction under control before I went into surgery.... I guess I don't???? ANY SUGGESTIONS/COMMENTS much appreciated!

I was just like you. I didn't feel like I had surgery at all after the first 2 weeks. I only lost about 5 pounds from my surgery until my 1st fill and then only 5 more after that. Then I was truly restricted after my 2nd fill 3 months out and now I'm 11 months out and have lost 83 pounds. Restriction is the key for me, definitely. Do the best you can and make sure you continue getting fills until you have good restriction. Good luck! This is the greatest thing I ever did.

Gretchens4, You said "Restriction is the key for me, definitely. Do the best you can and make sure you continue getting fills until you have good restriction." I get what restriction is but, did it make you feel full sooner? I don't feel banded yet (only 4 wks post-op) What does good restriction make you FEEL like? Thanks

Diane

I'm right there with you. I'm a month out, and feel like I have no restriction. I lost 20 pounds pre-surgery, but now, the scale hasn't moved!!!!

I've been trying to eat no more than 1 cup of food at a meal, but my tummy still gurgles and I feel hungry.

I've had a fill of 2cc in my 9 cc band. I go next week, and I want another, more aggressive, fill. Like maybe 5cc!!!!

I feel like I want to eat an entire box of chocolate chip Cookies, followed with a half gallon of Mint chocolate chip icecream, then finish it off with some salty potato chips.

Hey,

I remember being so confused about restriction and what it felt like. I think it may different for different people. For me, after my 2nd fill I took one big bite of food and it was stuck. It hurt and I had to throw it back up to get relief (or suffer until it went through). I realized I HAD to eat very slowly, chew well, or it would be stuck. For me, having tight restriction is the way I lose weight, but some people wouldn't like it this tight. I rarely feel full the way I did before the band. I eat and start to gurgle or burp and know if I eat more I will be uncomfortable. It is definitely a learning process. I really don't feel hungry though, just not the deep stomach full that I used to get before surgery.

I hope that helps. Some others may feel full, for me, I HAVE to stop eating, and can not physically overeat with this restriction. When I start to be able to eat more I get another fill.

I am not even 2 weeks post-op and i'm still on liquids.And following it religiously. My question is this...Restriction or not, isn't the fact that we are taking in 700 calories as opposed to 3000 calories daily supposed to ensure weight loss? The scale is going down for me, but it's very slow. I lost 12 pounds on the 2 week pre-op diet and was very happy with that. But now 11 days post-op and only down another 3. The scale hasn't moved in 3 days??? I must say I am shocked. I know I'm following the plan, and I expected results similar to pre-op phase..What gives???

I remember feeling so frustrated too. I didn't lose much in the post op weeks, and especially in the first two weeks I thought it should fly off. Your body is really adjusting though, and I do think there is a lot of fluid retention etc. In the past year I've noticed through reading posts that some people lose like crazy in the 1st few months and then slow down, and some are the complete opposite (like me) and lose practically nothing until the 1st or even 2nd fill. I was SHOCKED that I didn't lose weight right away. I can't tell you how many times I looked at my husband and said I can't believe I spent 17,000 to stay the same. I only lost 18 pounds in 3 months and 10 of that was the preop diet!! I was stressed, but I hung in there and when I became restricted i totally "got it". I don't count calories, think about food, journal etc. b/c I don't want to be focused on every little bite. I am so tight that I can drink comfortably and get enough nutrition, but that is it. There is NO way I can over eat. That is what restriction feels like to me. At the beginning I got a very full feeling when i ate, but i could still eat a fair amount. With restriction I never really feel "full", but I am satisfied and just unable to eat anymore.

You will get there and this thing will work the way it should. I am very happy with the slow and steady progress I have made over the past year. I hope to get down to -90 by 2/23 which is my year anniversary!

Good luck to everyone.

Thanks for all your advice guys!!! I guess I will wait until my first fill etc.... THANK YOU!!!

Okay, guys. I was banded 7-16-07 and I just got restriction at my last fill. I have a 10cc band and have 8.2cc in it now. You may or may not get restriction at your first fill. You just have to be patient. It will come. You might niot think so but it will.

hi guys, i am neww to the site and was banded on 1/8/2008, i already lost 26lbs but suddenly came to a hault, i am a bit disapointed, but base on what i have heard this is quite normal, my restriction level is declining and i am a bit worried, i weigh myself on a daily basis and not one pound more but i hope to get my frist fill in two weeks or so and then see. i am happy i took this route.

Everything is just fine. If you could eat a horse a week after surgery, that means you didn't swell that bad and that's great! Most docs wont do a fill prior to 6 weeks post op, but in your case, you may want to tell your doc how fast you healed and that you are ready for your first fill. See what he says!

I had my surgery on December 17, 2007. I lost 21 lbs on my pre-op diet and have lost 20 lbs since my surgery. Right now I feel like I don't have much restriction and am watching everything I eat....I don't want to gain any weight back!!!! I am getting my first fill on February 16 and my band is a 10cc. How much of a fill should I get on my first try?

YES,YES,YES!!! I have been there. It will probably get worse before it gets better, too! Sorry, but I'm being honest. Your swelling from surgery is going down. It is almost as if you didn't have a lapband at all because, technically it isn't doing anything yet. The only restriction you get before a fill is what you get from post-op swelling. So you can pretty much eat what you ate before surgery. There is nothing wrong with you. You just have to wait this out and get that first fill - do you have one scheduled yet? If not, you probably should get it scheduled. We had to wait 4-6 weeks for our first fill. Being hungry does not mean you have a food addiction! Being hungry is a normal part of being human. You will have a much easier time controlling your food addiction when the band is doing what it was designed to do, and it may take 3,4,5 or more fills to get there and it is hard but you have to just wait it out. Hope it helps to know that there are a lot of us out here struggling right along with you!!!! I feel your pain!

I am scheduled for my 1st fill on 2/16/08. My band is 10 cm...How much of a fill should I get? I am going to Mexico to get my fill and I want to make sure I get a good one, cause I don't want to have to go back very soon!!!

I am so glad I'm not alone!!!! I had my surg on 01/02/08 and lost weight the first two weeks. Now?? I'm at a stand still on the scales and am HUNGRY!!!! I told my husband I don't even feel like there's a band in place. I feel some relief knowing that this is normal. I just thought it was my imagination. I thought I had already failed, just like I did with all the yo-yo diets. Now I can't wiat for my fill on 02/14. It can't get here quick enough. Thanks for a great post!!!!

ME TOO! I was banded 2 weeks ago tomorrow. I'm starving. I feel like the dr cut me in 5 places on my belly and just stitched me up without doing anything else. I have no idea when my first fill is. I have a post op appt on Wednesday. Please please fill it a little!