Moderators or someone I was banded June 9th and have totally no restriction at all no fill yet isn't the band itself serve as some resistance its like until my fill I am going to gain weight this is frustrating how long from this point is it until you get restriction again it was good while it lasted let me know thanks

Hi Flower, I'm not a moderator, but I suppose I qualify as someone.

You probably won't have any restriction until you have a fill. The band is designed to only work with a fill. So, to answer you question, you will start to feel restriction only when you get a fill. Some people feel restriction depending on other outside envronmental factors, such as edema, altitude or possibly barometric pressure.

Hope that helps. Be patient, difficult I know.

Hi Flower,

Vines is right! Very few people feel restriction with just the band - most of us need 1 or 2 or 3 or more fills to gain that restricted feeling.

Sad, I know. I thought the same thing when I was banded - thought I got a defective tool.

As much as we pay our doctors, this is one thing they need to tell us prior to surgery: you will NOT get restriction until your first fill!

Yep, it's true. the band does nothing to dim your appetite or provide restriction until it's adjusted. There are the rare bandsters who feel restriction from the get-go and don't need a fill for months, but they are RARE. It's much more likely that once the healing is done full hunger will return, and there will be no help from the band until it's adjusted.

So yes, you're absolutely normal.

Just wanted to add that I have had 7 fills so far. As we all have to learn, patience is the key with this band *sigh*

Good Luck

I was just thinking the past few days "if I could tell a prebander one thing, it would be that you need fills to have restriction for the band to work" It seems that so many are beating theirselves up or thinking the band is failing because they aren't losing in the first six weeks or so. My heart hurts for them so much. It scares me to think of those who have no support, like this board, and other boards, and are questioning theirselves everyday or not getting fills, or eating wrong and possibly hurting themselves.

Okay my rant is over. I am just sad when people get so discouraged, when they don't need to be.

Hugs to all

Yes, but does it surprise you just a tad that they aren't aware of this BEFORE being banded? I mean, if you just read this board alone it's a constant topic. If a person has really been researching/reading experiences before choosing to be banded you'd think they'd have at least been prepared for this 'prefill' phenomena. One wonders why the doctors don't instill this information into a prospective patients thinking before surgery too.... hmm...

Some even gain a few lbs before the fills kick in. Post surgery is meant for healing time, not weight loss. Any weight loss prefill is pretty much a bonus. Then again, that old saying - just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD can be applied here too.

It is frustrating. So many of us think because we had surgery one day, we're going to wake up be 20lbs lighter immediately. It just doesn't work that way. But it still surprises me when people say they've researched and researched, but they haven't heard this...

This too shall pass...I promise you, IF you eat your Protein first, then veggies, drink your Water and begin exercise, YOU WILL lose weight. If you have no restriction and you continue to eat as you ate pre-band or drink high calorie liquids during the mush/liquid stages, you probably will not lose much until you actually restrict your intake. We've all been there! You'll do fine!!

I was just thinking the past few days "if I could tell a prebander one thing, it would be that you need fills to have restriction for the band to work" It seems that so many are beating theirselves up or thinking the band is failing because they aren't losing in the first six weeks or so. My heart hurts for them so much. It scares me to think of those who have no support, like this board, and other boards, and are questioning theirselves everyday or not getting fills, or eating wrong and possibly hurting themselves.

Okay my rant is over. I am just sad when people get so discouraged, when they don't need to be.

Hugs to all

Thank you for sharing this information with us. My daughter is very frustrated right now because she feels like she can eat a ton. She's very upset at herself because she's not losing like she thought she would. Her first fill is July 21st and she can't wait.

I went through a small very mild, yet no fun, depresion after the surgery because I was not dropping pounds like I thought I should be. I mean for God's sake. I had liquids for three weeks...shouldn't I be a size 0 by now? It is tough even if you read and read the board and think you are prepared for that time.

What I had to do was (after reading and reading and reading LBT) kick myself and say...

#1 Look at the fact that you have lost 10-15 pounds. That is great and during any normal month you would be jumping for joy.

#2 Everyone says...this is just bonus time. As hard as it has been to hear, every time people tell me stuff on LBT they are ususally right. If this is bonus after the sweet spot I am going to be flying high!

#3 I am going to have to be gentle with myself while I try not to gain during this time. My goal is to not gain anymore. Ok...and I have the small goal of losing 3 more pounds before my first fill (2 and 1/2 weeks away). But I think that is much more reasonable than I was being with myself. !0 pounds a week...that is reasonable and rationale, right?

#4 THis is a journey. Each day, even with small bumps, in the road I feel more able and capable to achieve sanity. Isn't that what we are all after? If I felt great and confident at 220 I would not have needed surgery. It really all is about my sanity.

SO here I am...I read LBT everyday. I am makign small strides in my physical weight loss but I am gaining leaps and bounds in sanity.

Thanks for letting me do therapy. I love this place.

It's funny but the coordinator of the bariatric program where I had my surgery called just yesterday to ask me how I was doing. Two of the questions she asked was "how much can you eat" & "are you feeling full?" I was banded on June 8th and have been on full liquids this whole time. I have not had a fill. So basically she was saying the opposite of what you all are saying. The issue here is that I was the second person they banded, the first person they did an hour before me. I figured it was ok to be done on their first day because a rep from the company that makes the band would be in the Operating Room. Now I am slowly but surely finding out that there are many reasons that you shouldn't be first.

Laura, You've been on liquids for a month????!!! That sounds a little excessive to me.

Yes, 3 pounds in close to 3 weeks is reasonable. 10 pounds a week is not reasonable! Probably not healthy either!

One thing I am learning is that the fill is not a constant thing. I was banded in March, first fill and unfill in June and just this week I am having amazing restriction. I mean, sudden and unforgiving restriction. I'll all for spontinaity, but geez!

Yes, 3 pounds in close to 3 weeks is reasonable. 10 pounds a week is not reasonable! Probably not healthy either!

10 pounds in a week! NO, NO, NO! That is not healthy! 2-3 pounds a week is on target.

HI...

I too was banded on JUNE 9.. FLowers..I am right here with you on this. I will get my first fill on FRIDAY...I have been down..too..,.and these boards are the only thing that have kept me sane. How do ppl live without the boards?

I feel "normal" now. The only thing that keeps me from binging...is ME. I think I could eat whatever..I havent tried it ..tho.

I agree..someone should tell us this. In the back of my mind..tho..im afraid of Friday..them weighing me and AGAIN..not measuring up..ya know? I see ppl losing 30 lbs in the first month or more..I have lost about 16.

COME ON FRIDAY@