JerseyGirl80

Overtime you will get used to it. As you get more restriction it'll be the band stopping you from taking in more liquid, if any. After a while you won't want to drink. I'm almost a year out, I still take very tiny baby sips while eating and I do drink in between courses when I'm at a restaurant. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, because "those are the rules" no drinking and eating. Giving it up completely is still very hard for me, but I used to drink 2 to 4 glasses of soda, tea, anything during meals, now when and if I do drink it's barely half a cup of something. I do have most meals without drinking and I wind up drinking earlier than I should after meals, but again, baby sips. I don't and physically can't guzzle down fluids like before. I find I need to take these baby sips when I eat dryer food out of fear of them getting stuck. I know when I have to wait, I know when I can get away with baby sips and I know when I just can't drink at all. You'll learn this too over time. Everything is always hard at first, but as humans we can adapt to anything. You have to make the effort to drink your liquids through out the day. Getting the band was a life style change, therefore you have to change your lifestyle. Make drinking Water during the day a priority, you will not be as thirsty at meal times and it will help with in between meal hunger. I would advise not pouring yourself a drink when you sit down to eat your meals, if there isn't a cup infront of you, you won't have the urge to drink it. If you are out at a restaurant keep the drink far away from you so you don't just pick it up to drink out of habit. Good luck!

First of all welcome, good luck and congratulations. There are pros and cons with everything, so far I don't really have many cons other than I can't eat the amount of certain things anymore that I'd like to lol, but then again this is also a pro. Many people have complications, many do not, many succeed, many do not. But so far, almost a year out, I have no regrets. Some days it's a struggle, some days I couldn't be happier. It is no magic pill and it does take work, but I never forget why I did it, it's truely been a life changer (and saver) already, and I'm very happy with the results so far. To answer some of your questions... How difficult was the surgery? It wasn't very difficult, I was asleep lol. But seriously it's a low risk surgery, but there is some risk as with any surgery. I woke up and a few hours later I was on my way home, with no problems. How long was recovery? Everyone is different, I was up and moving around the next day. I was full of gas so I had to be, plus moving around quickly after surgery helps you heal faster. It's usually a very fast recovery time for most people. How long were people out of work? Some people are back to work in less than a week, some longer. I was greatful that my employer gave me 3 weeks no questions asked, they were very supportive. Although when I went back I did have some port pain from sitting and rubbing against the desk in my port area, and some pain from my bra rubbing one of my incisions (I don't think you'll have that problem lol). I was fine when I was up and moving around, it was the sitting and desk rubbing that really bothered me. I was also very tired when I came back, this was probably because I was getting used to eating such little bits and from being a slug for a few weeks lol.. Yes I milked my surgery and was lazy for a while. What did you tell people when they asked about the weight loss, and did you tell anyone before the surgery what you were going to do? I told who I felt was important enough to know. I didn't hide it but I also didn't go around volunteering information. It was and still is on a need to know basis, if someone asks I'm honest but if it doesn't come up I don't talk about it. It really is a personal preference, some shout it from the rooftops, alot of people don't tell anyone but close family members and sometimes no one at all, to each his own.

They're both really good and both decaf.

I use straws and never have problems, I hardly even burp. Everyone is different.

You probably don't have any restriction yet, I wouldn't worry too much. I seriously was able to eat like a pig last Christmas, soft foods and too many cookies, whatever I tried to eat if it was chewed enough it went down no problem. At that time I was out of surgery about the same amount of time as you are now. But after a while, when I started on solids I did have some restriction. Now after several fills, I don't think I'm exactly at my "green zone" but I'm close, it takes time for some of us to get there, but you will. Talk to your doctor to ease your mind, I'm sure you are fine.

Bacon, fried potatoes and biscuits, I wouldn't consider those soft foods and I wouldn't recommend eating that at all if you are trying to follow your doctors diet plan. So I'd be careful and concerned about your food choices especially in this stage. I was banded last year a week and a half before Christmas, I moved to soft foods on Christmas, I was able to eat much more than I thought I would, I was surprised actually. Most doctors do not put a fill into the band at placement. Most of the restriction you will have until your first fill or until you are fully healed is just your stomach swelling from the surgery. It's normal for people to not have any restriction right after surgery. My doctor and many other doctors, advise their patients to be patient and to not depend on the band to be "working" right away. It is us that are responsible for what we are eating and how much we are eating until we meet restriction or our "green zone" Even then we are still responsible for our food choices but you will find it will be easier and that the band will finally start to work in your favor over time. The band sometimes takes months before it starts to work or months before you start to feel any restriction after 1 or several fills. If you really are concerned about how much you are able to eat you need to discuss that with your doctor. Good luck!

Thank you for the reply.. I don't complain all that often because I truely am greatful for the things I have in life and the progress, although slow, that I've made in the last year, but it sure feels good to let it out once in a while lol, thanks for listening.

thank you! feel free to rant as well, I feel a little better now lol.. When it comes to exercise I still hate it, I don't feel "great" when I'm done, I feel sweaty and gross lol. I'm sorry you're struggling too, although I wouldn't wish it on anyone, it's good to know that we aren't alone.

I'm a night eater too. After dinner I'm full and evertime I hope I don't get "hungry" again before bed, but I usually do. Although I can eat, it's usually mental hunger or out of habit hunger or just bordem. I only have healthy snacks in the house for those unavoidable night cravings. I don't keep garbage foods around and most of the time when I go to grab something at night I don't even take it. This is because I really just want to eat garbage and it's my inner fat girl just having a fit, and she don't want yogurt or fruit lol. So I try to keep those type of things on hand, veggies, fruits, yogurt, cottage cheese, beef jerky, turkey pepperoni, cheese, Weight Watchers of Skinny Cow ice cream.. I live alone so this is easy for me, but not so easy when you live with family. I'd suggest when buying "bad foods" that your family likes, try to get things they like more than you do to help you resist them, try to avoid buying YOUR trigger foods. Good luck!

I totally get your being lazy and not cooking lol, I'm so that way. It's just so easy to be lazy and hit up a drive thru, especially when you're to the point where you're just starving and tired from the day, you just have to push through that part. McDonald's still tempts me when I smell the disgusting delicious odor coming from it on the side of the highway.. But anyway, I figure, why am I gonna cook when it's just me, unless I'm cooking for my boyfriend which I do a few nights a week, but when it's just me, why bother lol? But there are ways that I've learned to make dinner for myself that are lazy friendly and healthier, even if on some nights it's just a lean cuisine.. I food shop way less so in that aspect I've probably saved a little. Even though I notice now when I go shopping my bill is quite high considering there's not alot in my cart. Healthier foods and less processed foods usually cost a bit more than garbage foods, but it's worth it. I went shopping with a friend the other night, her cart was full, hers came out to about $80-$85.. my cart was maybe half full but $135.. I bought alot of meats (higher quality), whole grains..the good stuff, and it was just so much more expensive, she brought all processed junk, fattier meats, white breads, you know the stuff thats killing us because it's all we can afford... But I know that that food that I bought will last a long time, it's going to take quite a while for me to eat all that meat.. She'll be back at the store in a week or so, I will not. I buy my meats in bulk and try to get frozen veggies when they are on sale. After a while you'll get the hang of it and know how much to get and what's worth spending a little more on and what isn't. You just have to look for sales and buy only what you know you are going to eat before it expires. Like fruits and veggies (fresh ones) don't last long, so now when I buy them I buy in very small amounts. Sometimes I still over buy, when I look at my cart I think "this can't possibly be enough food", it's a learning process that takes time to get the hang of, but you'll get there.

Whenever you feel ready, it's different for everyone but I'd say definitely a few weeks. I was nervous so I slept on the couch for about a month before I returned to my bed out of fear of rolling over in the night. So for me it was about a month before I was able to sleep on my stomach, but I was still careful for another month (but I'm just paranoid)

I never keep crap foods in the house, I'd suggest getting rid of all your temptation foods, throw them out or give them away. If you have a family and have to shop for them as well this can be difficult. If they want meals, treats or snacks that you shouldn't be eating buy things that only they like, not things that you like this will help keep you from making mistakes that you'll hate yourself for later. I live alone so I definitely keep No junk snacks in the house, only healthy ones if I keep junk food in the house I'll feel I need to eat it because it's there. My meals usually keep me satisfied enough to the point where I don't feel the need to graze all night long just because I'm bored, or whip up a high crab meal just because I'm craving it (or just because it's there). But these moments do happen which is when my healthier snacks/foods come into play, if I really am hungry . When I want real junk (which isn't very often) I'll buy a small bag of something (a single serving) and eat it that one time and move on, when I want to indulge on a meal that's a little less than healthy I'll go out to dinner I order a salad and eat only a little bit of tasty "garbage food" from someone elses plate or some of an appetizer. Once a week I go to a local frozen yougurt place, they make 1 flavor thats sugar free and fat free and it's the greatest thing ever to me when I add fresh strawberries. I seriously believe in moderation not deprivation. When I have "treats'" on occasion the weight may come off slower but it still comes off and living and eating this way is realistic to me, not some fad starvation diet. I enjoy these "snack/unhealthy" foods a million times more now having them on occasion than when I had it at home and just ate it whenever I was bored. Sometimes I find myself wanting to snack and eat something out of boredem, convincing myself that I'm starving but when I look at my fruits, crackers, cheese, yogurts and carrot sticks I pass on it because I really want to eat crap! I know I'm really not hungry, I just want to binge on garbage. and that it's just my inner fat girl having another fit.. So keeping junk out of the house works wonders, for me anyway. Good luck!

I'm almost a year out and I still drink Protein shakes for breakfast because they're just more convienent and easy to get down in the morning. Most of the time I feel tighter so I sometimes have trouble eating anything solid until lunch time, but I'm not big on breakfast anyway. The band doesn't really allow you to eat in a hurry, if you are going to eat any kind of solid foods you have to find the time for it, it's very difficult to eat on the go, which is also why I normally stick to shakes. These are some breakfasts ideas I have occassionally: Chobani yogurt (you hate yogurt so this doesn't help) Egg beaters, sometimes I'll add some veggies or some low fat meat and cheese 2 hard boiled eggs with a sprinkle of salt with a slice of wheat toast w/ spray butter or just the eggs when you're on the go Breakstone cottage cheese doubles Kashi Go Lean Cereal with silk almond milk or skim milk (some of these cereals have 9-13 grams of protein per serving). sometimes I'll snack on it dry when I don't have time. Smart Ones (weight watchers) breakfast meals, a little high in carbs but still high in protein so once in a while its not so bad. You can pop the sandwiches or wraps in the microwave and just eat them easily on the go. But I would only suggest eating solid foods on the go prior to surgery. Hope this helps!

I believe 60 to 80 grams a day is the norm once you are off the post-op diet and onto regular foods. As to how many grams per meal, no ones ever really broken it down for me before but I usually try to get around 25-30 per meal if I can. I like to split it evenly between each meal, that just made the most sense to me. When it doubt ask your doctor or nutrionist.

It sounds like you don't need a fill, you may even need an unfill. Taking a tiny bit out can make a huge difference and still leave you with great restriction. If you are eating the right foods, chewing enough and eating very slow you shouldn't have problems unless your band is too tight. You should go to see your doctor and tell him what's going on, don't miss your appointment. Follow ups and good doctor/patient aftercare is a huge part of this process. Throwing up alot is NOT normal and can hurt your stomach, esophagus and possibly cause band slippage. Tell your doctor about it, don't be afraid to be honest with him, he's there to help you get through this. With the problems you are having you shouldn't really be concerned about calories counting if you throw up. If you are "throwing up" just that little bit that comes out, that's usually your last couple of bites that are stuck at the top of your stomach or esophagus. This happens to all of us occasionally, for it to be happening often is NOT good. You have to find a happy medium and until you know for sure what you can tolerate it will be touch and go. You have to be careful, stop between bites and "listen" to your band, take a moment to think "Am I really still hungry?" if you aren't then you have to stop eating. It's a hard transition when we were once used to just stuffing our faces and not thinking about what were doing. Slow down, after a "throw up" episode you should do liquids or at least mushies for 24 hours to give your stomach time to recover. What types of foods are you eating? Are you eating breads, rices, pastas, dry meats? Alot of people have trouble with these types of foods and either have to eat very tiny pieces or they have to avoid them all together. I hope things get better, good luck!

I can (physically, with my hand) feel my port and have been able to feel it since surgery. Mine hurts occasionally when it's cold or damp out, thats the only time I can "feel" it internally. It's kind of like when you've had a broken bone and it acts up when the weather changes. The more weight I lose the easier it is to find and feel with my fingers. It's not sticking out or anything, I can only feel it when I go looking for it. As for my band, I can't feel it internally but I think I may have felt it once or twice while laying on my back with my fingers, but again I was looking for it, it wasn't very easy to feel. I don't mind being able to feel my port, it doesn't bother me or get in the way. I actually kind of like being able to find it myself so I know it's still where it should be lol, plus my doctor finds it easily too during fills.

No problem. Safe foods while out are best. I've been stuck while in a restaurant before and it's not fun and can be embarrasing when you're dry heaving in a public restroom. I still have to play it safe for a while after each fill I get, it's touch and go, I never know what foods are going to give me trouble as my band gets tighter. I get a fill today and am I little nervous because I have a family dinner party on Saturday, there's not much to choose from since I'll be at a restaurant and I only have a choice of 3 pre-selected items, I guess we'll see what happens... Glad you are ok after that mishap, that's kinda scary. Good luck.

First of all, if you think you are having a problem that may or may not be normal, always ask your doctor. But from what I've seen and my experiences, what you are saying about your "stuck" episodes, that's how it happens for many people. I'm thinking that if you've been "stuck" free for months and suddenly it started, maybe you ate foods you normally don't eat and they're just things you either need to avoid or be more careful with. Sometimes when we are out somewhere we're distracted by what's going on or by conversation and we eat too fast or we forget or stop "listening" to our bands. A good tip while dining out is to eat mushier things, or things you normally eat that you know for sure you can tolerate, and eat slow. Put your fork down between bites and wait a minute or so before taking another. I'm very leery on trying new things while out and I almost always order a Soup or hot tea first, I find the warm liquid relaxes my stomach and "opens" me up making it a little easier to eat.. For me I almost instantly know when I'm going to have a problem, (a stuck episode) and usually within 20 minutes it either passes or comes back up. My boyfriends mom gets stuck often, a few times a week (this is not normal). Once in a while is to be expected but all the time is a sign that somethings wrong. She'll be throwing up on and off most of the night once she starts, to me this isn't normal. This is because she eats fast, goes for seconds before she knows she's really full, feels obligated to clean her plate, doesn't chew well and eats things she shouldn't be eating. I "throw up" whatever is stuck and I'm good, I don't continue to have pain or have to keep throwing up. To go 18 hours in pain isn't normal to me, I couldn't have taken the discomfort that long, I would have tried to make myself throw it back up after a half hour. When I feel I have to throw up but nothings happening, I find kneeling infront of the toilet in barf position usually helps things come up easier. I even once knelt and leaned over the toilet and the food passed through the band right away, I didn't throw up, just my change in position helped move it along in the right direction. Throwing up often can cause damage to the esophagus and/or stomach or band slippage, so you want to avoid this as much as possible by eating slow and chewing ALOT. Throwing up is going to happen from time to time, I wouldn't call it "normal" but it happens. It's when it's happening often that you have to worry. I have episodes maybe once a month if that and it's always my fault because I rush sometimes and eat without thinking. Definitely talk to your doctor about anything and everything and always tell them about your stuck episodes, they'll know when it's time to be alarmed and if it's happening too often. And, BTW I didn't get my first stuck episode for a few months after surgery either, sometimes it just happens that way. Good Luck!

Once you start feeling full, your cravings should be more under control.. I know when I'm starving I get ravenous and just want to eat whatevers in site or whatever is easiest to get my hands on. I have to always make sure I don't get to that point of starvation, or else I'm done for, even with the band lol.. Just hang in there! These evil candy dealers need to "buy it back", they donate it to troops! http://www.halloweencandybuyback.com/

I keep a bowl of chocolate on my desk at work, full of the good stuff, twix, kit kats, almond joys, Peanut Butter cups and peanut M&M's, for co-workers when they come visit me. I almost never eat it, I like having it there because it helps me with my "will power" and helps me not feel deprived. If I want 1 I'll eat it, but just one, maybe once a week, sometimes once a month, especially during my lady time, at those times I might take 2 lol. I allow myself to have them because I believe in moderation, not deprivation..deprivation and dieting are what got me fatter than I'd ever been in my life. Being able to do this didn't happen over night, after getting the band I've been able to "control" myself a little better but it doesn't stop me from anything other than over eating healthy food! I can't eat 10lbs of grilled chicken or salad, there's just no room for it, but 10lbs of candy or a full size bag of chips.. there probably is lol But on Halloween I couldn't control myself, I probably had 5 peices, I lost count after a while.. and I only stopped because someone was working at the other desk in my office, otherwise I would have kept going.. I was a little annoyed with myself, but I'm only human. No one is perfect at this. I've had my band almost a year and it doesn't keep me from devouring that whole bowl of candy that sits there everyday, looking at me, whispering my name, I do, I stop me. Candy, especially chocolate, goes down like butta lol, the band isn't much help in this area.. So I hope no one here thinks the band will make those cravings or impulses to binge on anything go away, or that it will make it impossible to eat alot of "treats" it may keep cravings at bay.. but they never completely go away, that's the part we have to work on. Don't beat yourself up for eating too much of something, you'll gradually learn how to control it if you want to. Hopefully you will learn how to co-exist with "bad" foods or treats without overdosing on them. When I over do it on something, I get up the next day and start over, that's all we really can do. Good luck!

I have friends that don't say anything. I find that it's usually my fellow fatties that are the ones to not say a word lol, occasionally it's thin people that have never had a weight problem that don't say anything either. As far as my fellow fatties go, I just think it's either that they feel bad and just don't want to talk about it, not so much jealousy because I know they are happy for me (jealousy is such a harsh word and sometimes condecending), but maybe just a little envious. And as far as thin people go, most of the time they're just oblious and don't care enough to notice while you're still technically "fat" to them. I don't really care who says what or thinks what, it's nice to hear but I'm not looking or counting on compliments, no one should. People are funny, some will gush and go on and on and others keep their thoughts to themselves and their mouths shut and others really are completely oblivious. 30lbs is alot of weight, but I know for me 30lbs wasn't noticable at all to anyone but me, and it's only because I noticed the changes in how things were fitting. No one seemed to really take notice until I hit 60lbs lost.. When you're big, 30lbs isn't noticable to a "normal" sized person, big is big, whether you're 180lbs or 250lbs.. FYI (180 is thin to me!) But anyway, I wouldn't stress over it, if I saw an old friend that lost weight I probably wouldn't say anything either, but that's just me. You never know what's going on in someone's life. Like Jachut's post and like my cousin (who was thin to begin with) lost 15 or 20lbs (she looked terrible) and my aunt, who is a yogo instructor... and never had a weight problem in her life says to her "Oh you look wonderful, you're so thin, what have you been doing??" to make a long story short she wasn't eating because she was depressed over her mother suffereing with an illness, she's since passed.. This situation makes me not want to ask anyone anything. I figure if someone wants me to know something, they'll tell me, otherwise I mind my own business. So you never really know why people say or not say anything about the obvious.

Stayed the same this last week.. starting weight for Oct was 254, now I'm 247. 7lbs lost

I'm a lapbandtalk addict too, it's up all day at work. I found that when I disappeared from the site for a few months a while back, I lost focus and almost forgot about my band. Coming here is a constant remember and a great motivater.

Hi, and congratulations on starting your journey. I don't think Weight Watchers in the past counts, when they say "supervised diet" they usually mean a "medically supervised diet" from this point on, while a doctor is actually monitoring your weight loss, not any diets from the past. A supervised diet, would be a program or plan given to you by your surgeon or nutrionist. You could possibly be on Weight Watchers during your 6 months diet and that could count though as long as you are being weighed and "monitored" by your doctor. This all depends on what your doc and insurance require.

I think your pouch can stretch over time from over stuffing yourself, but I don't think I'm stretching, I try to be very careful about that. My doc says that as you lose fat around your stomach the band can become loose. There were a few months where I lost nothing, (a combination of being lazy and not wanting to pay for my fills) and my restriciton felt the same (it was minimal at the time), as soon as I started losing again, after a few weeks I felt I needed a fill. I think I'm just losing stomach fat, I've probably lost about 14lbs since the begining of Sept (which was my last fill) these past 2 weeks I've been able to eat alot more so I'm needing another fill. I believe that once the majority of the fat around my stomach is gone, my restriction wlll last longer between fills and I may actually get to the point where I may be in my "green zone" and won't need fills anymore or as often. This happens for some of us, I think it's because some people tend to have more abdominal fat, which is where all of my fat is, so I have more fat wrapped around my organs than say a person that is more bottom heavy. I hope that made sense, I'm kinda tired lol Everyone is different, I felt a little restriction right after surgery then as some weight came off I felt none, got a fill, lost some weight and the cycle started all over. This is just how it's been working for me. Some people need a few fills before they feel anything, and some feel it right out of the gate and never need a fill, and others need them every now and then. I think getting filled slowly and adjusting to it at a gradual pace will make people more successful at this and reduce the risk of throwing up/getting stuck. The gradualness (if thats a word lol) makes it easier to get used to and gives us time in between fills to practice eating slower, chewing slower ect. I hope this was clear.. I'm starting to doze off at my computer..