gotmyeyeontheprize

I am restricted to 600 calories per day and do fine with that. I'm not allowed to have any bread either. That probably made you feel bad. With the band, you really have to listen to your body and learn the new signals it will send you. When I am full, I feel satisfied not bloated and miserable like I did before the band. If I try to eat more than I should, my back will start hurting. Also, I will burp. If the burp is solid and feels as if food is going to come up with it, then I know I have overeaten. You DO NOT want to get stuck. I am 3 months postop and had my first experience with this last week. It was the most miserable feeling ever. Learn to stop when you are satisfied!

I will admit that I was scared to death to eat out after I first got banded. Also, I have not eaten at a fast food place since before I started the preop diet on November 8th. When my family goes out to eat, I order off the kid's menu if the restaraunt allows it. If not, my husband and I will share a meal. Sometimes, I get my own adult meal and take over half of it home and eat on it for a few more meals. The trick is to plan ahead. Look online and see if the restaraunt has a nutritional guide on their website. You may be surprised at the amount of calories in some of the choices you would think are safe. I always thought seafood was a safe choice, but it is often much higher in calories than chicken. Of course, this all depends on what seasonings, sauces, toppings, etc. are used. We went to Chili's last weekend and I hadn't checked the nutrional guide before we left the house. I thought it would be safe to order an appetizer portion of their boneless buffalo wings. After placing my order, I used my cell phone to google their nutritional guide and noticed that the appetizer had 1100 calories!!!! I immediately had the waiter change my order to a cup of their chicken enchilada soup that only contained 200 calories. Quick save for me since I am only allowed 600 calories per day!!

Mine was MIA before surgery and has now come back to visit.

I am two months out and burp when I am full. It is something I've had to get use to!

I have a current addiction to sliced lemons with salt. It is so strange. I crave them to the point that my mouth waters just thinking about them. I wonder if this new craving comes from a lack of certain Vitamins or minerals since being banded. I take a Multivitamin and Calcium daily. Has anyone else experienced this?

I am sorry that you are having trouble. You are going through "bandsters hell" which is the period between the surgical swelling going away and your first fill. This is very common. With that said, I do find it extremely careless of your surgeon to tell you that you should "experiment" with food to see what you can eat. I have been banded for seven weeks and have had my first fill. Could I eat a Big Mac? If I forced it down, but it would come right back up. My surgeon is very strict with what I can and can not eat. There is a list of foods that I can eat. Any food that is not on that list is a food that he does not allow. That is where the "will power" comes in. My husband and kids order pizza and eat it right in front of me. As I watch them, my stomach growls and my mouth waters because I would love to eat a piece of cheesy pizza. Even so, I have to use my "will power" to prevent myself from grabbing a piece! You are going to learn that not only is the band a tool, but the entire banding process is a mental thing. You have to be in the mindset that you are not going to eat what you know you can not have. Set your mind to know that if you make the wrong food choice or eat too fast, you will see your food again before it ever makes it past the band! Yes, you can out eat the band, but did you go through all of this to fail? Ask yourself that the next time you order that Big Mac! Chin up.....YOU CAN DO THIS!

One think that saved me was Gas-X Strips. I used them as the box stated whether I needed them or not. Needless to say, I didn't have the terrible gas pain that many people complain about. Also, make sure you have some Adult Strength liquid Tylenol on hand. If the hospital doesn't provide you with a pill crusher, you will need one of those too. As for food, EAS Myoples Protein drinks in chocolate and strawberry, broth, sugar-free Jello, and sugar-free popsicles. Flavored Water is good if you do not like tap water. Also, I enjoyed Crystal Light Lemon Tea. Grab yourself some good movies or books to pass the time at home. Otherwise, your main focus will be on food. Good luck on your journey!!

Ok, so I have grandparents that have made comments about my weight for years. Each time I had one of my children, my grandfather would always ask, "Are you sure they didn't leave one in there?" He even said this when I lost a baby when I was 36 weeks pregnant. For Christmas Eve, I had my dad and grandparents over for Breakfast. I was hot from cooking all of the food. So, I turned the fan on in my living room. My grandmother says, "Turn that fan off. Not everyone here has as much fat on them as you!" Today, she calls to check on us since we have had a big snow storm here. She asked me how I was feeling and how much weight I have lost. I told her I didn't have a scale at home. She says, "Yeah, they wouldn't weigh someone of your size anyways." SERIOUSLY!!Needless to say, my grandmother probably weighs 250 lbs. So, it is not as if she has any room to speak this way to me. All I can say is to keep the fat comments coming. I'm going to use her negativity as encouragement for my weight loss!!

This is my dad's parents. My mother passed away in August 2010. She would always defend me to them and put them in their place. I think my dad doesn't know what to say or how to say it.

Bless your heart. I was banded on 11/22 and had my first fill this past Friday. I too am still hungry. The only thing I know to do is to keep your chin up, eat as your surgeon suggests, and forge ahead. I don't think we will ever feel "full" like we did before being banded. Our "full" then was really "stuffed and miserable". Now, we all (new bandsters) have to learn what "satisfied" feels like. That will be our new definition of "full". Chin up.....YOU CAN DO THIS!!

Today's menu is looking something like this: B: 1/4 cup Egg Beaters with 4 slices of turkey bacon L: Leftover chicken breast cooked with salsa, taco seasoning, and added taco sauce to moisten it. D: Probably the same as lunch since I hate two portions left. If not, I will pop open a can of chicken, add a dab of Texas Pete Wing Sauce, Ranch Dressing, and shredded cheese. Then, mocrowave it for a minute and a half.

I have been banded since November 22nd and haven't vomitted at all. Considering that I absolutely hate to throw up, I try to do everything necessary to prevent vomitting (chew food well, eat slowly, etc.). As one person stated, you should not be vomitting with the band if you are doing what you are told to do. Good luck with your decision!

I just had my first fill this past Friday. Unfortunately, I feel no restriction. I am just as hungry as I was pre-surgery. Hang in there and keep your eye on the prize! YOU CAN DO THIS!!

My surgeon says to eat 3 ounces of Protein first. Then, if you are still hungry, eat up to 1/2 cup of vegetables (not starchy veggies).

How long have you been banded? Typically, you are required to crush your meds. My advice would be to call your local pharmacy and make sure your headache medicine can be crushed. If it can, then use your pill crusher (if you have one). If you do not have one, break the pill up into as many small pieces as you can. I always keep a bottle of adult strength liquid Tylenol.

I am so sorry that you are going through this. You are in the well known "bandsters hell". I was banded on November 22nd and had my first fill this past Friday. Unfortunately, I am still in "bandsters hell" after a fill of 2.4cc. Once the swelling from surgery goes away, you no longer have restriction. So, you get hungry. From what I have read, it can take 3 or more fills before you ever feel any good restriction. Until you have adequate restriction, you have to lean on your own will power. Hang in there and know that you are not alone! Best of luck to you.

I had my first fill yesterday (2.4cc) and am still hungry. Yes, I know that according to one old bander, I shouldn't be talking about being hungry. Well, who cares what that person thinks?!?! Anyways, since being banded six weeks ago, my tummy still rumbles. I have read a lot of bandsters saying that this is a true sign of hunger. So, I guess I am confused as to what the difference is between head hunger and real hunger. Due to my fill yesterday, I am on liquids for the remainder of the weekend. My tummy is rolling, growling, and feels as if it is turning flips! Any advice on the difference between the two types of hungers would be great because I am so tired of the tummy rumbling and headaches!

I am six weeks post-op and am deep into the well known "bandsters hell"!!! All of my will power is completely gone along with any restriction I had from surgery swelling. For the past week, my weight has fluctuated up and down and I hate it!!! My first fill is tomorrow. Right now, I feel terrible about letting myself endulge in more food than I am allowed. Ugh!! Please tell me it will be better after my fill tomorrow!!

Great start! You said you live in Kentucky. I am in Tennessee and am wondering where you had your surgery.

Thank you all so much for your help. I went ahead and moved on to the mushy phase this morning. I scrambled 1/2 cup of egg beaters and ate REALLY SLOW. Everything went down well. A friend of mine, who was banded a year ago by the same surgeon, told me she advanced to the next phase as she felt like it. She said I would know when I was ready. Since all liquids were going down fine, including larger sips, I went ahead to the mushy phase. I find it interesting that it sometimes takes a week or two to feel the restriction from the fill. Have all of you experienced this or did you have immediate restriction? Since I still don't feel any restriction, I am hoping it kicks in soon.

I had my first fill yesterday and it was not bad at all. My surgeon does his fills under flouroscopy so he can see the port and watch the fill process. He begins by numbing the area with a shot. Then, he inserted the needle for the fill. I just felt a little pressure. He had me drink some of that nasty stuff so that he could see how the liquid was going down. Once he began inserting some saline, he had me drink a few more times. In my opinion, the worst part was the table moving me from a lying down position to a standing position. I felt as if I was going to fall off!! Oh, I got a nifty picture of my stomach, band, and the restricted area!

Thank you for your quick reply. I don't know the reasoning behind the fluids for the weekend unless it is to let my stomach get use to the fill. I go to the mushy phase Monday and can not have solids until Friday. I was afraid that the tummy growling was real hunger. Unfortunately, I have been battling it for a couple of weeks and am afraid I am going to lose the battle. I can already tell that this first fill has given me NO restriction at all.

I wish there was one universal lap band regiment that ALL surgeons and nutritionists used. It seems like each of our surgeons and nutritionists require different calorie, fat, and carb intakes. Some allow soups, some don't. Some allow red meat, some don't. It makes it hard to know what is right and what is wrong.

Oh, how I feel your pain! I'm not sure what size band I have because I have never asked, but I had my first fill of 2.4 cc today. Unfortunately, I'm still hungry and the tummy is growling as usual. Also, that nasty hunger headache is here as always too. To clear up any misconception that some people may have, I NEVER went into this thinking that the band was anything more than a tool. I am very aware that being banded is a lifestyle change. Even so, I did go into this expecting the band to be the tool that helps me to not over eat as over eating is what made me need the band in the first place. If the band does not give me enough restriction and I am going to be hungry forever, then the band is not doing what it was designed to do. Correct me if I am wrong rktaurus71, but I think your expectations from the band are the same as mine. Good luck moving forward and I hope your hunger pains leave soon!

Thanks to everyone for the vote of confidence. I am not going to have too high of expectations regarding tomorrow's fill. If it gives me restriction, I will have a nice surprise. If it doesn't, I will have to dig deep and find my will power again.