Howdy :scared2:

I've been reading about all the things I have to do with the band, no soda, no soft bread, no drinking and eating at the same time etc. and I can live with them while I'm losing, the benefit will be well worth it.

What I'm wondering is, after I reach my goal will I be able to have the band emptied to a point where I can let go of some of these and just have it as an aid to help me control my portions? I'd like to go back to "normal" eating with the band telling me when to stop since I don't seem to have the little voice in my head that's supposed to tell me. Will I be able to? Or will I always have pain from soda or throw up from drinking right after I eat?

edit to add a question instead of double posting... I see people referring to a "pb", what does that mean?

Edited July 19, 200818 yr by ShrinkyDink

Awesome question. I can't wait to hear some responses.. I often wonder about long term with my band. I hope to keep it for a minimum of 15 years but think eventually I may have it removed,, or maybe NOT!

I truly miss carbonation,,, but not the weight that's gone...!!!

278/229/180

My surgeon says it is for life. If you go back to "normal" eating you run the risk of regaining weight.

it is for life. we are choosing new habits for ourselves and that commitment should be a forever thing. i think all our habits with eating are very different though and i guess it all depends. i can say that soda is a no-no as my doc says it can have a negative affect on my band and i dont miss it much. i have been banded two and a half months now and am down 35 lbs.....as far as bread, my nutrionist says it is okay to do a slice of toasted wheat bread a week and that seems to satisfy my craving. i can really even get it all down anyways. but these are healthy changes and you really get used to it as you see the results. it is so worth it!! i only wish i did it sooner! best of luck!

I expect I will have the band for the rest of my life. As for sodas, I have not had one since June 11, (day before surgery) and I have not missed them. What I am having a hard time of is finding a drink other than Water that I can run into the store and grab that I like. As for throwing up if you drink something while you are eating, that has not been the case for me. I sometimes have to drink something to make the food go down, otherwise it feels like a golf ball in my throat. I am down 21 lbs since surgery and it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I believe that without the band I would go back to my old habits but maybe in the future (years from now) it will be like quitting smoking. You know to never pick up a cigarette again for fear of starting back. The difference between food and cigarettes is you have to eat you don't have to smoke to stay alive, so you have the potential to start eating like the old you and gaining weight again.

Good luck to you.

I guess what it boils down to is you can't have it both ways. If you could eat normally you wouldn't have chosen the band and you would have lost the weight eating normally. Or you'd get the band and never have a fill. Cause after all, you can do it on your own. I can't, so I have the band for life and I can and will live with that. I don't want to be fat again and the risks that come along with it. I can give up some food and a few soft drinks in exchange. Small price to pay.

PB is a productive burp, basicly a little upchuck. I have been banded since 4/11 and I have not had a fill due to infection in the port area(port removed temporarily). I have lost 49#'s to date and I eat any food including bread if I want it. I do watch my fats,carbs & calories closely. It has been very easy however because I am not hungry at all and it is still quite amazing to me that I can only eat 1/2 -1 cup of food & be totally happy. Even on the days I have indulged I rarely go over 1500cals. Understand I left the emotional eating and the head hunger behind a number of years ago but I still had a raging hunger in the evening. Like you this is a tool to help me lose the weight but it is not a quick fix or a cure all. It took me many years to pack on the pounds and realisticly it could take more then a few months to take it off. I never want to be so filled that I can't eat food I like or need. I have a friend who can't eat any meat but fish. Her weight loss has not improved with such tight fill. I plan to have a normal life in moderation. We had a family reunion (3days) and I was very pleased that I could eat but definitely never ate like I would have before and had no desire to do so. Even when I snacked with the others 3 or 4 chip & salsa was a great plenty. WOW before I could have eaten 1/2 the bag and never give it a thouhgt. As to soda I gave it up for water probably 10 years ago. I really have no desire for it very often. If you use the band as a tool & not as a quick fix cureall you will be fine. Have goals but don't expect to lose in a few weeks what took years to amass.

Good Luck to you

ps. ignore my ticker can't get the thing to update

Why can't pop (or soda as some call it) be drunk? Does this include both those with aspartame and those with splenda (Diet Rite)? Obviously it's totally worth it to quit if I need to, just curious. I'll miss my pop!

It is not the sugar - it is the carbonation. I miss my sparkling Water with lime but I am committed to making this work!

Anne

I was banded on Jan 21 and have lost 61 pounds.Ive never been told not to drink sodas but,just common sense should tell you to only drink diet drinks.My wife thought that I would have to give up beer,but the surgeon said that it was OK to have a few beers fron time to time as long as they were light beer with only 105 calories and 5g.of carbs.Went to the doctor on Wednesday and had lost anorher 9 pounds in 6 weeks Dr. said I was right on schedule with what he would expect.So,If im still losing then I'm not doing it wrong.

Carbonated drinks (sodas, beer, etc.) is a real no-no. It's not the calories that are a problem, but rather the carbonation. The carbonation swells and stretches the pouch. Do that enough times and stretch the pouch, then it takes more food to fill you up and make you feel full. Eat more to fill you up = eventual weight gain.

Really it's not those specific things that are big concerns, I just used them as examples. I know I can't go back to eating anything and as much as I want, I just mean will I always have to follow the quirky way of eating that the band requires. I'm good with the new healthier habits, just wondering once I reach my goal if a band with no fill in it will allow me to relax the "band rules" as long as I'm controlling my portions.

Really it's not those specific things that are big concerns, I just used them as examples. I know I can't go back to eating anything and as much as I want, I just mean will I always have to follow the quirky way of eating that the band requires. I'm good with the new healthier habits, just wondering once I reach my goal if a band with no fill in it will allow me to relax the "band rules" as long as I'm controlling my portions.

Hi there, the thing is that from my experience (and of course everyone is different) it is not that easy to control portions without a fill. For me, not having the right fill feels like I don't have a band and it is very hard for me to control my portions just like it was preband which got me here in the first place.

Hi there, the thing is that from my experience (and of course everyone is different) it is not that easy to control portions without a fill. For me, not having the right fill feels like I don't have a band and it is very hard for me to control my portions just like it was preband which got me here in the first place.

Thank you all, that's what I was wondering

My Surgeon says that you should go into this thinking "well I can try it" this is for life. Once the band is gone, your weight will come back as your stomach will naturally be bigger then your "pouch".

The carbination is too much for your pouch to handle and can cause it to stretch even if you burp not all of the gas will come out. Hope this helps.