Hi there lap banders,

I've just joined the forum today and really need some help and advice! I was banded 9 days ago in Belgium and after 5-6 days of feeling full after tiny amounts of food and having loose bowel movements with severe dizziness, I suddenly feel really hungry all the time. I can now manage a full plate of Soup with 5 small crackers all at once and even managed a Belgian chocolate with some prawn salad (very well chewed) the other day. I'm only supposed to be on liquids for the first 10 days after surgery and feel upset that I cheated and managed to eat salad and chocolate. I am crying all the time and feel very depressed right now! What is really worrying me is the fact that I haven't lost any weight on the scales, despite having no more than 500-700 calories a day. My hands and fingers also feel numb but I don't know if this is poor circulation or the after affects of surgery:sad:. I just feel really diappointed that I'm still feeling hungry and haven't lost any weight but maybe I'm still not eating enough and my body is holding on to the fat because it's in starvation mode? I've realised that most of my eating is emotional and the band is preventing me from overeating but I feel a bit lost right now as I can't use my old coping strategies anymore, i.e food!! I'd love to hear from people out there that have went through similar experiences. Did you stay strictly on liquids for the first 10 days or have any lapses? Did you feel depressed? Thanks in advance to anyone that reads this and replies!

Banded on 8/11 and am doing well with my liquids.. Moved to soft diet yesterday. My doctor says NO ORANGE juice or any fibrous juices/fruits right now. I do have to make a effort to eat slower with smaller bites but I think I can do that.

I am having a severe breathing problem from my COPD/Asthma and have been coughing myself into a weakened state. It is a effort to eat what I am allowed, much less to even think about cheating.

I have lost weight and that is wonderful but I sure wish this coughing and poor breathing would clear up.

Skinny minny,

Sorry to sound somewhat harsh, but hasn't your doctors given you a very prescriptive post op diet? I had my surgery last week and am on a clear liquid diet for 7 days and a pure-liquid diet for another 7 weeks. My surgeon is one of the tops in the country and is known to be one of the most conservative in the practice, but the results of his patients speak for themselves.

You should be drinking 64 oz of Water per day, sipping. You also need 70g of pure Protein a day. I use a Procel powder + Crystal light mixture. This is all you should have in the first week.

For the remaining six weeks you should still be on liquids only and all of them completely sugar free, low fat and extremely low carbs. Atkins shakes 3 times a day and 64 oz of water with procel protein is my diet until halloween.

You're eating salad, chocolate, and orange juice and wondering why you're not losing weight?

The lap band is about a mental life change...My doctors had me on a lap-band like diet for a month before the surgery. I have been on water and no carbs for more than 30 days - lost 36 pounds before I even had the surgery...

You've got to have discipline. There was a gentlement in my doctor's office the other day visting him because he was referred by others. He had the lap band done by another doctor a year ago and had actually gained weight..And his diet consisted of chips and salsa, lots of carbs. He said he started on real foods 4 days after his surgery experimenting..

I don't mean to be harsh but you need to know that this will be a complete failure for you if you don't follow the rules, be very disciplined and understand the lap band is only a tool in a total life conversion.

Hi there lap banders,

I've just joined the forum today and really need some help and advice! I was banded 9 days ago in Belgium and after 5-6 days of feeling full after tiny amounts of food and having loose bowel movements with severe dizziness, I suddenly feel really hungry all the time. I can now manage a full plate of Soup with 5 small crackers all at once and even managed a Belgian chocolate with some prawn salad (very well chewed) the other day. I'm only supposed to be on liquids for the first 10 days after surgery and feel upset that I cheated and managed to eat salad and chocolate. I am crying all the time and feel very depressed right now! What is really worrying me is the fact that I haven't lost any weight on the scales, despite having no more than 500-700 calories a day. My hands and fingers also feel numb but I don't know if this is poor circulation or the after affects of surgery:sad:. I just feel really diappointed that I'm still feeling hungry and haven't lost any weight but maybe I'm still not eating enough and my body is holding on to the fat because it's in starvation mode? I've realised that most of my eating is emotional and the band is preventing me from overeating but I feel a bit lost right now as I can't use my old coping strategies anymore, i.e food!! I'd love to hear from people out there that have went through similar experiences. Did you stay strictly on liquids for the first 10 days or have any lapses? Did you feel depressed? Thanks in advance to anyone that reads this and replies!

The numbness is your extremities as well as the dizziness is from starvation. Which is also the reason you are not losing weight. If you do not feed your body enough calories it will go into starvation mode and hold onto your stored fat for nutrients.

I'm also concerned that you are eating solid food so soon. I realize that different doctors have different post-op instructions but it is way too soon for solids.

You need to go buy some Protein shakes to start on immediately. You need to buy the ones with at least 15 grams of protein. Slim fast puts out a high protein formula or you can try Carnation Instant Breakfast or Matrix2 or 5. Any whey protein will probably do fine. You can find a whey protein product in the health foods section of any grocery or drug store.

I suggest you take in 1000-1500 calories per day. You will need to work at it to find out how many in that range you can take in and still lose weight at. But definitely up your calories. If I were you I would stay away from solid food for at least another 2 weeks and at that time move on to only soft foods for at least a week before advancing to solids again.

Have you found yourself a follow-up care doctor in your area? This is very important. You need a doctor to check your blood levels for certain nutrients periodically for the first year. It would also benefit you to see a nutritionist to find out how many calories and what types of calories your body needs to remain healthy and lose weight.

I also recommend that you go for a long walk for at least 30 minutes every day. The exercise will also help you with the depression. Sometime around 4-6 weeks post-op you can increase your workout or join a gym. Ask your follow-up care doctor exactly when it is okay for you to start working out.

I hope this helps you. Let me know if you have any questions.

Donna

Edited August 27, 200916 yr by FailureIsntAnOption

Couple things I forgot to mention, be sure you are drinking enough Water. Try to drink at least 64 oz. per day. Take a chewable multiple Vitamin daily (Viactiv is a good one).

Here are some other daily guidelines my nutritionist gave me to follow:

Protein-70-80 grams

Sodium- under 1000 mg

Carbs- under 60 grams

Sugar- I can't remember offhand (just be sure to limit yourself)