Hi all, I am new to this forum and to banding. My name is JoAnna and I am 29 years old and a mother of 2. I was banded on 6/20/05 and have lost 33lbs to date. I was looking at the before and after pics on this site and a question occured to me. For those of you who have lost a lot of weight, did you stick by a strict diet? Do you ever have fast food or sweets? I ask this b/c I have no restriction right now and I am hungry most of the time. I eat only about a half a cup at a sitting, but find that I am hungry again in about 4 hours. My Dr. says he will not do a fill until I either stop losing weight, or 4 months post op, whichever comes first. I am really worried about regaining the 33lbs I have lost. As humans, we have cravings for things. Do you ever give into your cravings? I know this surgery is about changing habits and eating better, but I am scared I will not be able to do it. As it is, I am not following my surgeon's post op diet instructions. I was to be on a all clear liquid diet for the first week, which I did. But I am now suppose to be on a full liquid diet (cream Soups, cream of wheat, grits, and all drinks.) from week 2-6. I stuck by that for the first week and then moved myself to the soft foods stage b/c I was so hungry. I am suppose to be on the soft food stage for weeks 7-12 and then on to all foods. This is so much more strict than most surgeon's aftercare diets and I can't seem to follow his instructions. This makes me so fearful that I will fail as a bandster. Please do not flame me for my post b/c I am already feeling bad enough. I know I should be doing as my Dr. says and I know I have to work the band for the band to work. Thanks in advance for reading and answering.

JoAnna

265/232/???

Hi JoAnna,

My situation was a bit different to yours, in that my doctor does the first fill at 5 weeks post op. I was on liquids for 2 weeks, then mushie foods for 4 weeks. I of course, did tend to cheat a bit. I moved myself to solids a week sooner than I was meant to.

I still induldge in the occassional junk food, only, a whole lot less of it than I would have had before being banded. I reckon most of us do slip from time to time, but as long as you're staying on track and motivated 95% of the time, you should do fine. The liquids/mush stages are not fun - but its a very small step in a very big journey. I agree that being on mushie stuff for up to 12 weeks sounds a bit ridiculous, but I'm not a doctor, so I don't know his reasoning behind it. You can make it through this.

Congratulations on the weightloss so far - 33 lbs in just over a month is amazing.

Thanks for responding. I am pretty happy with the loss considering it took me 6 months to lose 35lbs last year when I went on a diet. I think it mainly has to do with the fact that I rather starve than eat something I don't like, I hate grits and cream of wheat and cream soups getting boring fast! So there were plenty of times I just had gatorade or water.

You know, I'd call that doctor and ask why the postop diet is so restrictive. I mean, most doctors and patients are already considering a fill at 6-7 weeks out, so just about everyone is already on solid food by then and has been for a week or so. I can't believe you're supposed to be on soft foods through three months? I'm wondering if you weren't given the RNY post-op diet instead?

But to answer your first question, I'd have to say NO. As I've said on many an occasion, a world without ice cream is not a world in which I want to live. Sticking to a strict "diet" is a guarantee of misery for me, and that's not at all why I went into this. Fast food is part of life, and so are sweets. But being banded means very limited portions, and that's the trick.

Being banded was only one step in a LIFE LONG battle. If I expect to live with these changes, they have to be changes I can live with.

I eat only about a half a cup at a sitting, but find that I am hungry again in about 4 hours.

Um, I have news for you: You're HUMAN! Four hours is a perfectly appropriate time between meals. If a half-cup of food is keeping you satisfied for four hours, you'll be losing weight steadily in no time!!

I agree totally w/what everyone's posted. That's the longest fill-weight time I've ever heard of! As for me, I try to stay to a South Beach type diet, always eating my proteins first.

My doctor's philosophy is similar to yours. I was on full liquids for the first 6 weeks and I only cheated a few times (around week 5). I have been cheating on the soft diet because the nutritionist said that soft is anything that totally breaks up in your mouth so that is what I am eating. My doctor does believe in getting a fill as soon as you stop losing weight so he is going to schedule me sometime next week which would put me at about 2 months out.

I agree with Alex, it sounds like you were given the RNY diet.

And after eating 1/2 cup, I believe you are SUPPOSED to be hungry in 4 hours.

I am 3 weeks post op, going into week 4. I did not follow the diet to a T Mainly because, I was starving and physically ill.. I moved to puree early and felt 1000 times better. I dont eat fast food but i wont say i never will. 6 weeks of liquid IS the RNY diet and with no restrictions you WILL be hungry! Good luck to you.

I'm terrible, I cheat all the time. I try to balance out my cheating by eating low fat and fat free foods often. If I eat ice cream I eat the light kind, if I have toast I use light butter, etc. However, I still allow myself to indulge in Taco Bell and Outback's Cheese fries. I find that I actually eat MORE when I don't eat what I want. By knowing that at any time I can have what ever I want, that limits the "last time" syndrome of eating everything I can.

I think everyone is different.. and me personaly can eat whatever I want its just a matter of what I want to deal with.. Like fast food now days is just not worth the effort I do it once in awhile but not often and when I do im disappointed I cant just eat it all because it tastes so good to me still.. so i try to stay away from it because well now the bread and stuff just makes it nto worth the effort.

My two favorite out to eat is taco bell and subway. I eat about 1/2 of 6 inch sandwhich that is toasted and i usually eat half of that bread and then just eat the meat.

When I was working still I did excellent on my Protein, since then I've slacked. Ive been loosing like 5 lbs a week. Since I slacked on protein it really hasnt changed much so I'm not overally concerned. I do drink slurpees once a week and I have only had a rootbeer float as far as that kinda stuff goes but I will drink a sobe every couple weeks it takes me like 3-4 days to drink it since I only drink a little of it at a time.

I think people will have ups and downs and as long as your loosing I dont think it matters.

I dindt follow my pre-op diet to a T nor did I follow the after diet, I did what was best for ME. I do not excercise as much as I "should" but I will if the time comes where I am not loosing as fast as I am. I am totally prepared for the platue and brick wall I will hit someday in the future. Luckily I've lost enough at this point I am already totally happy with myself I could care less if I ever lost anymore (ya that seems crazy but its true)

My surgeon is aware that I'm not the "pefect bandster" but he also knows that no one knows me like I do.

To date I've only had one incident with food.. actually tonight I did. I was eating a chicken nugget and playing an online game with my hubby and wasnt paying attention. I knew INSTANTLY i was going to get sick so I drank a ton of Water to just get it over with and once I did that I did throw it up with no problems and went on with eating. I felt fine as soon as I was able and feel great now like nothing happened.

I think of it this way.. yes this is a lifestyle change but if something works.. why try to change it? I mean I'm not miserable because i cant eat what I want but I dont eat any where near as much as I did before. Thankfully my weight is coming off maybe I'd feel different but right now I'm happy and things are working.

I know I am very lucky.. I know most arent as lucky and I wish everyone could be as lucky as I have been. So.. granted dont take my post as a free for all since it may not work for you just because it does for me.

cream of wheat and cream soups getting boring fast!

OMGosh! I know - nothing like eating something that looks like it has ALREADY been vomited up for freakin'-ever!

Me too girl - got old fast! But hang in there! You are doing fabulous - besides, I was told if you lose too much too fast - there is little if any chance that your skin will not hang!

I was banded one day after you and I think that I have only lost 15 pounds or so. I have not weighed myself at my doctor's office and do not have an appt until at least early August :guess not sure of that is good or not because I have restriction now.

Anyway... congratulations and just keep plugging away - you are doing fan-tab-u-lous!:banana

meanwhile... I will try and do the same:cheeky