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9 days out? I'm surprised you are permitted to exercise so soon after surgery. Generally the first six weeks after surgery are about healing. Exercise and weight loss come later. As for fills, once your swelling goes down and you have no restriction, you'll understand why they're important. Dave

Well I'm usually one to give nice, kind, encouraging responses, but this time I won't... knock it off. Seriously. YES, you can cause damage and hurt yourself. This surgery is all about willpower and if you're not going to start following the rules now, how do you expect to be able to follow them later? Do what your surgeon tells you to do. Yes it's hard but it was hard for ALL of us.

Hello everyone, I just joined lapbandtalk again after getting off the wagon. I am glad to be back. I lost about 35 lbs after banding in 2008 but have gained back about 20 lbs since then. "Life happens!" Also as I reflect back to my first experience with the lapband, I did not do all the things that I should have done to be successful and to make lifelong changes. About 4 days ago I had a small fill from my surgeon. I just finished a two day liquid diet and I am starting soft Proteins for two days. I also went back to my nutritionist and she is helping me tremendously. So I got my supports in place and I am more focus and plan to be very successful this time. I am working on not being so shortsighted, but think long-term, life changing goals. I look forward to us supporting each other. A SlimmerJoyce

Redhead Girl, You probably don't have any Fluid in your band yet and won't have any restriction or get that "full" feeling.... I was banded June 20 and my doc leaves the band empty until my first post-op visit, which is July 18. Between now and then, I am in Bandster Hell.....where it will seem like I can eat anything and everything without problems and won't feel full....sounds like you are in the same place I am right now. My doc's instructions were to make sure to weigh everything and only take a meal that is a total of 4 oz. right now....begin to take tiny bits and chew chew chew!!! I got up yesterday and drank 2 cups of Water and then about an hour later had scrambled eggs for Breakfast and ate it on a small plate and made myself wait 1 minute between bites and chew like crazy, and by the end of the eggs, I wasn't hungry for more!! Then after an hour, I drank another 1-2 cups water. Now, I WANTED to eat Snacks and crap in between, but didn't!! My mind was playing tricks on me....I wasn't hungry but my brain told me I needed to eat. I had to force myself to drink water each time I THOUGHT I was hungry. Are you drinking enough fluids? Try to drink as much water as possible to help fight off hunger. I also drink decaf iced tea sweetened with sugar substitute, or crystal light if I'm craving something sweet.... Once you have proper restriction, you will be able to eat a lot less, but until then, you will seem like the bottomless pit!! I know I feel that way!! Do you still have your post-op diet paperwork? I still have mine both from the doctor and nutritionist and am trying to follow that as closely as possible to help my stomach heal. If you'd like to see what's on my plan I'd be happy to email you a copy to help you get on track. (message me here or send me an email, kittyforet@yahoo.com) That being said, I am NOT perfect!! I've made mistakes and probably do stuff wrong, but I am a work in progress and learning all of this takes baby steps!! I too get caught up in that "but why can everyone else stop eating at a few bites?" mentality but I have to remember that they have SOME fill already while I have none....and I don't want to harm my recovery at the expense of following everyone else, even though it IS tempting!! Plus I paid cash for this little sucker in my stomach and I don't really want to see that go to waste!!! I too have slipped and eat more than I should AND things I know are no-no's, just to try it, just to be defiant and prove I'm in charge, but it didn't help me one bit!! Once you get your Protein, if you buy the powder, you can always start adding that to your food/drinks and get it in that way....I bought unflavored and start adding about 1/4-1/2 scoop into my food (oatmeal, applesauce, soup) or into my drinks (wal-mart brand of strawberry banana light fruit and vegetable drink tastes pretty good, and you can't taste the Protein Powder in it!). If you like Carnation Instant Breakfast, you can drink that and add powdered skim milk to it to boost the protein content without buying protein powder; you can also add protein powder to CIB if you wanted. What I do to make sure I get enough is to set aside 1 scoop per day and make sure I either make it into a Protein Drink or add a little protein to everything that enters my mouth so that by the end of the day, the scoop is all gone. That ensures that I get at least 20 grams with that one scoop. Sometimes trying to get all your protein in is kinda hard, but start small and it will get easier! So, starting today, join me in trying to eat the right things, in the right amounts, knowing one day we WILL be eating smaller portions!!! WE CAN DO IT!!! kristi

I am 15 days post op and that is my biggest complaint.--NO ENERGY! Some days are better than others and I guess the bad days are getting less. You have to remind yourself that you just had surgery and your calorie intake has dropped dramatically, that is what I tell myself. From what I understand this too shall pass, I just wish it would hurry up because I have places to go and things to do!!!

The thing you do need to realize is that yeasty breads and pastas will likely get stuck by your band. And, I hope you do not take this the wrong way, but you don't exactly have a healthy relationship with food. Your weekly intake didnt sound like it included anything good for you, fried foods being a prime example. I know that you found a nutritionist who was less a "no" person and a psychologist who gave you a green light, but you should also take a step back and realize that they were not saying what they said to be mean, but because they really believe that there are things you need to address before you take such a drastic step in life. My mother is 600 pounds in a hospital and I would never want to end up like her. As much as I love breads and pastas, I realized that I had to accept that what I was doing to myself was not the key to longevity and instead of finding loopholes or someone who would take my side in my battle with good foods vs foods I loved, I needed to face my reality. I see so many people on here who get the band and then "cheat" and follow that up with complaining that the band doesn't "work". We all need to realize that obesity is a disease that is both psychological and physical and address all the elements together. Good luck to you on your journey. Nechama