I'm freaking out a little. I was banded about a month ago, and I have zero restriction at all. I can eat whatever I want, as much as I want: pizza, rice, Pasta, chicken, bread, diet soda, etc. I don't even have to chew all that well. Only one time did I get a twinge of pain, and I had eaten more than I should have (holiday dinner). TMI alert: I burped and felt better right away. My band is in the right position - I had it checked by esophogram.

Is this normal? I get a fill in 2 weeks. Will that help? Is my ability to eat anything and everything a sign that I could fail on the band? :Yawn:

Oh my your band isn't totally healed and you might have it slip with so much food. Stop..you should be on mushies only now and not "real" food. Call and get in to see your doctor to have things checked out and maybe a fill in a few weeks. Go back on your post op diet as soon as you can.

The band is a tool use it. don't abuse it.

.you should be on mushies only now and not "real" food.

I'm on regular foods now. We did 10 days of liquids and 10 days of mushies, and I was spot-n perfect for all 20 days. But now I'm struggling with the regular food. The problem is, I have no symptoms of any trouble at all. I eat to satisfaction, and have no pain. I do obey the no drinking with food rule, but I know I'm eating too much. Shouldn't I have gotten stuck on pizza or something?

I will take your advice and call my doctor. :Yawn: I went through so much to get this band, I really want it to work. I'm terrified to fail.

i dont want to be rude or anything but why are you eating so much? the purpose of the band teach you to eat correctly and also help you with restriction granted you have no restriction but why eat pizza when you know its not healthy? why not learn to adapt with the healthier foods now instead of later? truthfully i am 6 months post op and i can still eat anything in site if i wanted to and i never really had any restriction at all ever was eating solids since a week after but i learned to control my eating and learn to eat healthier foods. sure from time to time i mess up. but what im not understanding is why sabatoge your journey at the beginning? remember the band is not a miracle band it is something to help you along the way you still have to make the changes in your life to succeed. as in excerising and eating healthy.

i dont want to be rude or anything but why are you eating so much? the purpose of the band teach you to eat correctly and also help you with restriction granted you have no restriction but why eat pizza when you know its not healthy? why not learn to adapt with the healthier foods now instead of later? truthfully i am 6 months post op and i can still eat anything in site if i wanted to and i never really had any restriction at all ever was eating solids since a week after but i learned to control my eating and learn to eat healthier foods. sure from time to time i mess up. but what im not understanding is why sabatoge your journey at the beginning? remember the band is not a miracle band it is something to help you along the way you still have to make the changes in your life to succeed. as in excerising and eating healthy.

I asked if it's normal to have so little restriction, or to be able to eat so much. I was looking for answers along the line of "No, it's not normal - you should feel some restriction - call your doctor" or "Yes, it's normal, try to eat as healthfully as possible until you get filled." Your answer was a little more judgemental than I was looking for, especially considering I posted this in "Lap Band SUPPORT."

If you're able to eat right without restriction, then why did you get the band in the first place, and not just "do it on your own" by diet and exercise? How did you get to qualify for the band in the first place? I was never able to succeed on a diet for very long, which is why I got banded. At present I feel no different than before the surgery, which freaks me out.

My surgeon (Dr. Fielding at NYU, who has the band himself) told me at the consult that there's nothing wrong with eating pizza. He eats half a slice and feels full for hours, while his wife (his partner Dr. Ren, who is naturally slim) will eat 2 or 3 slices.

Also, I'm not eating "so much" - it's just that at each meal I'm able to eat a lot more than I thought I would, and the foods I was told might cause trouble haven't. So, for instance, I have had rice and I have had Pasta and I have had pizza, but certainly not all at the same meal, or even the same day!

I only ate the equivalent of one slice of pizza (half a slice plain, half a slice with mushrooms), but I also ate a salad with it, which adds up to well over a cup of food, and I though a cup was the band's max - my point was that I thought I would feel something after eating that much, or that I simply wouldn't be able to eat that much. True, before surgery I would have had 2 or even 3 slices plus regular soda, so this is an improvement, but I expected to feel at least some restriction and wondered if it's normal not to.

Hi Peach,

I was banded Dec 10th. So I haven't very much to offer as experience but it is my understanding, that at this point it is entirely possible to have no restriction. My surgeon told me that success at this point is mostly due to willpower because there is nothing in the band until they do the first fill at six weeks. He also said it may take several fills to feel restriction.

Do your best to eat healthy and follow your surgeons recommendations, including the exercise. I hope the new year brings the sucess we are all seeking!

Fran

I asked if it's normal to have so little restriction, or to be able to eat so much. I was looking for answers along the line of "No, it's not normal - you should feel some restriction - call your doctor" or "Yes, it's normal, try to eat as healthfully as possible until you get filled." Your answer was a little more judgemental than I was looking for, especially considering I posted this in "Lap Band SUPPORT."

If you're able to eat right without restriction, then why did you get the band in the first place, and not just "do it on your own" by diet and exercise? How did you get to qualify for the band in the first place? I was never able to succeed on a diet for very long, which is why I got banded. At present I feel no different than before the surgery, which freaks me out.

My surgeon (Dr. Fielding at NYU, who has the band himself) told me at the consult that there's nothing wrong with eating pizza. He eats half a slice and feels full for hours, while his wife (his partner Dr. Ren, who is naturally slim) will eat 2 or 3 slices.

Also, I'm not eating "so much" - it's just that at each meal I'm able to eat a lot more than I thought I would, and the foods I was told might cause trouble haven't. So, for instance, I have had rice and I have had Pasta and I have had pizza, but certainly not all at the same meal, or even the same day!

I only ate the equivalent of one slice of pizza (half a slice plain, half a slice with mushrooms), but I also ate a salad with it, which adds up to well over a cup of food, and I though a cup was the band's max - my point was that I thought I would feel something after eating that much, or that I simply wouldn't be able to eat that much. True, before surgery I would have had 2 or even 3 slices plus regular soda, so this is an improvement, but I expected to feel at least some restriction and wondered if it's normal not to.

Hi Peach

It is perfectly normal not to feel any restriction before your first fill and many people take 3 or 4 fills to feel restricted. I have had one fill and still feel quite restricted so I am quite lucky but have my next one planned in 3 weeks. I can't eat bread without discomfort and am trying to eat meat and veggies and not too many carbs and the weight is coming off nicely.

I agree with your surgeon that going forward you shouldn't be on a diet and should be able to eat most foods just smaller portions than before, although most successful bandsters concentrate on getting good Protein and veggies as if you can only eat a little, eating good wholesome nutritious food is healthier.

At the stage you are at, it is hard and you want to make sure your insides have healed properly as you don't want to cause slippage. Perhaps your surgeon will fill you sooner than planned?

Very best of luck to you, you will notice the difference after your fill and you will lose weight if you work at it.

Sue

It's totally normal to feel no restriction at this point. Some surgeons put some Fluid in the band when it's put in, but most put it in unfilled. I had no restiction until my 2nd fill and it wasn't until my 3rd fill that I really felt my food choices guided by the band.

Try to make healthy choices when you can...eventually the band will help you with this. I too don't understand how people can have an empty band and simply be able to change the eating habits that got them to be obese in the first place. I had to get fills and use the band as the tool to help my lose the weight. There are people out there with nearly empty bands doing very, very well, but I am not one of them.

I have 4.5cc in my 10cc band.

Christine

Hello and welcome to LBT,I am no expert here only being banded about 7 months,but I do alot of research and based on my own experiences I have found it can take months to get to a comfortable level of restriction.

In the first couple months I had restriction with no prefill,I am sure now that was due to the swelling from surgery and even then it would depend on many variables,how big your stomach is,how big is your band and how much swelling you had.But then when the swelling went down so did the restriction.I then had to be patient and wait for a fill level that worked for me as everyone is differant when it comes to fills.In the mean time we are to practice good eating habits as best we can but do not beat yourself up if you slip once in awhile but by no means allow this to become the norm.

Now for my assessment,most doctors go slow in bringing us to our comfortable level of fill because it takes time to make new habits and break old habits so they take us slow and easy so we do not hurt our band or our body in the transition.The band is different from Gastric bypass in that Lap Band is 3 year plan not 1 year.So when you see people who got big fills right off I would question the logic in this.Because there again I ask are they ready and trained for that drastic a change in a couple months time.So just be patient your day will come in the while I say fake it till you make it.But trust me nobody knows what normal is.

Good luck and just start the journey and stay the course as best you can,be honest with yourself about your eating habits.

Edited January 1, 200917 yr by Bamagal

I have the same problem. I was banded 12-11 and did very well for two weeks. Now I can eat anything without a problem. Haven't felt sick yet. My first fill will be 1-21 and I am afraid I will gain back what I have lost--17lbs--before then. I want to make the right choices but did not get to where I am today by doing that.

You are in the hardest part of this journey - "bandster hell". You have this nifty little tool, but it has not kicked in for you yet! Once you start having your fills it will still take awhile to find your sweet spot and get perfect restriction, until then you are on will power!

I have had 4 fills, and this last one finally gave me the restriction I needed, or maybe too much, waiting until Monday, might go in for a .5 unfill.

Take the time right now to start changing your habits, eat well, eat slow, take small bites, and chew well. These are the things you will have to do when you reach restriction. I had to be diligent about measuring out foods, watching my calories and counting my Protein to get through that phase.

It is so tempting to see what you can eat and if it will go down. What you can and cannot eat will change from fill to fill. I was able to eat chicken easily up until a couple of weeks ago and now it will hardly go down.

You can get through this. Think of it as a learning period to prepare for the restriction you will feel and start practicing your new lifestyle skills!

I agree with those who say you may not feel restriction yet. I'm only 11 days out, but I'm beginning to feel hungrier every day. I'm only on mushies and am fuller faster than before, but at times I feel I could eat a ton of food. In fact, I had a dream the other day that I did!

I think until you get your first fill you'll continue to feel this way. Until then, I think you'll have to focus on eating healthier foods. Your slice of pizza and a salad sounded OK to me! I know before the surgery I could eat 3-4 pieces of pizza, so I'll be happy feeling full on one! My surgeon's office said I should be able to eat 1 - 1 1/2 cups max. They aren't as strict as some, but I feel like this is still very little compared to what I could eat! Just do what you can to make it through this time of bandster hell ... the fills will make it easier for you.

Good luck!

This is exactly the conversation I have been looking for! I had my band on 12/2/08. Complete hysterectomy on 9/12/08. I lost 10 after they hysterectomy and 30 since the band. I've been feeling the past week and I don't seem to feel full any more.. I'm not pigging out, but I can sure tell a difference. I get my first fill this Tuesday.

I was getting a little worried, but now I know that this is pretty normal so I will just try to make the best choices I can until that.

just a test

I asked if it's normal to have so little restriction, or to be able to eat so much. I was looking for answers along the line of "No, it's not normal - you should feel some restriction - call your doctor" or "Yes, it's normal, try to eat as healthfully as possible until you get filled." Your answer was a little more judgemental than I was looking for, especially considering I posted this in "Lap Band SUPPORT."

If you're able to eat right without restriction, then why did you get the band in the first place, and not just "do it on your own" by diet and exercise? How did you get to qualify for the band in the first place? I was never able to succeed on a diet for very long, which is why I got banded. At present I feel no different than before the surgery, which freaks me out.

My surgeon (Dr. Fielding at NYU, who has the band himself) told me at the consult that there's nothing wrong with eating pizza. He eats half a slice and feels full for hours, while his wife (his partner Dr. Ren, who is naturally slim) will eat 2 or 3 slices.

Also, I'm not eating "so much" - it's just that at each meal I'm able to eat a lot more than I thought I would, and the foods I was told might cause trouble haven't. So, for instance, I have had rice and I have had Pasta and I have had pizza, but certainly not all at the same meal, or even the same day!

I only ate the equivalent of one slice of pizza (half a slice plain, half a slice with mushrooms), but I also ate a salad with it, which adds up to well over a cup of food, and I though a cup was the band's max - my point was that I thought I would feel something after eating that much, or that I simply wouldn't be able to eat that much. True, before surgery I would have had 2 or even 3 slices plus regular soda, so this is an improvement, but I expected to feel at least some restriction and wondered if it's normal not to.

This is normal what you are experiencing right now. You should have a empty band at this point and this time is for healing and not weight loss which is nice if you do lose right now but no big deal if you don't. Don't beat yourself up. You are exactly right. If it is so easy to eat right then why get the band in the first place? I don't want to live my life on a strict diet. I do eat right but I also enjoy eating a slice of pizza with my family on occasion and I don't feel bad about it. I don't want to constantly be counting calories, fat grams, etc. for the rest of my life. I take each day as a gift and make the most of it. I would suggest talking to your Dr. about a fill sooner than 2 weeks. After my surgery I did have some restriction but after my food stages I could eat about 1-2 cups of food.Even though this was a large amount for a bander, it was significantly smaller than before surgery and my Dr. knew I was struggling and he told me it would get better after each fill. He was right. After my first fill I could only eat about 1 and 1/2c. then #2 fill is now around 3/4 to 1 cup. Just be careful about certain foods that can cause you to PB because that isn't pleasant. I'll tell what my Dr. told me last week, everyone is different and something that works for one person might not work for you so don't compare yourself to others and become discouraged.

This is a life long journey that we are truly blessed to be traveling so overlook those who choose to criticize and judge instead of uplifting and supporting. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

This is normal what you are experiencing right now. You should have a empty band at this point and this time is for healing and not weight loss which is nice if you do lose right now but no big deal if you don't. Don't beat yourself up. You are exactly right. If it is so easy to eat right then why get the band in the first place? I don't want to live my life on a strict diet. I do eat right but I also enjoy eating a slice of pizza with my family on occasion and I don't feel bad about it. I don't want to constantly be counting calories, fat grams, etc. for the rest of my life. I take each day as a gift and make the most of it. I would suggest talking to your Dr. about a fill sooner than 2 weeks. After my surgery I did have some restriction but after my food stages I could eat about 1-2 cups of food.Even though this was a large amount for a bander, it was significantly smaller than before surgery and my Dr. knew I was struggling and he told me it would get better after each fill. He was right. After my first fill I could only eat about 1 and 1/2c. then #2 fill is now around 3/4 to 1 cup. Just be careful about certain foods that can cause you to PB because that isn't pleasant. I'll tell what my Dr. told me last week, everyone is different and something that works for one person might not work for you so don't compare yourself to others and become discouraged.

This is a life long journey that we are truly blessed to be traveling so overlook those who choose to criticize and judge instead of uplifting and supporting. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

Thanks so much. I will call my doctor tomorrow to find out if I can come in for a fill earlier than 5/6 weeks. I hope he agrees!

By the way, the good news is that the scale started moving down again. I think this is due to exercise. Either way, I'll take it lol.