TracieT

Hi all. I got my second fill last Wednesday (8/24). I was banded 5/24/11. I now have a total of 4 cc's in my 10 cc band. Here are the answers/advice I am looking for: 1.) Since my surgery I have counted calories and Protein grams. I try and eat around 1100-1200 calories/day and 100 g of protein/day. I am very hungry most days. I don't actually measure a cup or two of food but I am not eating a lot. I do not have any restriction but every once in a while I will get a stuck feel ing (I think). Does this mean the fills are working?!?! I have no other indication that they are. 2.) What exactly is the "stuck" feeling? I get a sharp pain in my upper chest. I have never had sliming or PBing (Thank Goodness!). Is what I am experiencing "being stuck"? 3.) I have only lost 8 lbs since my surgery. I lost 60 prior to surgery and think that I did better without the band. I sometimes wonder if I am not eating enough?!?!? Please let me know if you have any advice or similar stories. I am so confused and frustrated ! Thanks so much!!

Thank you all so much! TKW...I will not let anyone get me down ! Today is a new day! Niterum...thanks for the helpful suggestions! Honk...Wish I had a place to do that! A waterproof mp3 and water exercises would be my dream! Mandy...thanks for the kind words and encouragement!

Really Mimi?!?! Not humanly possible...huh??!! I must be non-human. There is the answer!!! Thanks so much! Do you think I'd waste my time on here to post false information and look for answers to my fake questions??? I am so fustrated and your post is the last thing I needed to read! You have no idea about me or what my body has been through. I have no functioning metabolisim due to thyroid disease. I have to work very hard at al of this. I journal, I weigh, I measure , I am prepared, I am committed to my weight loss. I have lost over 140 lbs. Once again, thanks!

Thank you for the very informative responses! i have to admit, I am obsessed with all of this. I wake up thinking about losing weight and go to bed hoping I did a good job for the day. I am telling you that it has consumed me. It's not just since the band...most of my adult life has been like this. You read so many different things and get so much advice (most of it very helpful) that it has clogged my brain...lol! I will keep trudging along. I work out 6 days and burn between 300-450 calories per day. Before the surgery I dropped the weight easier than after. It took me three years to loose 85 lbs. 6 months to loose 60 lbs and since the surgery I have only lost 8. It just baffles me! I decided to get the surgery because I needed a tool to help me finish my goal. I know that the band is not magic but I thought with my low caloric intake, lots of medium to high intensity work outs and total commitment that I would be closer to my goal by now. Thanks again so much for the responses !

I have been banded almost 7 weeks. I have had one fill (2 cc in my 10 cc band). I have felt no restriction since my first week post-op. I am on vacation this week and made poor dinner choices. I was fine every day until dinner time. I did seem to get full quicker on the filling foods (crab cake, fried fish, etc...). My weight loss so far has been mostly me...making smart choices, counting calories and exercising. I have exerciseded here too. Do you think I have done any harm?!? I plan on getting right back into my routine when I get back. I go for my second fill in a week in a half and I cannot wait!!!

Thanks for sharing your experience! Yes, I am on regular food. I have been since 10 days post op. I didn't go totally crazy and eat poorly every chance I could, as I have in the past on vacations. Right before I left, I hit the 70 lb lost point, ao I am hoping I did not gain that much. Thanks again !

I drink a lot of coffee. My doctor is against it for the fact that it can cause acid reflux and ulcers. I don't think I can ever give up my coffee. I love iced coffee in the summer with skim milk and splenda...yum!

I was banded three weeks ago today...I am HUNGRY! The first three days post-op was rough but I have felt great since then. I was liquids for one week post-op, mushies for three days and then was allowed to introduce healthy, high protein food based on my tolerance of it. However, I feel no restriction...no nothing! There is no fill in my band but thought I would at least feel something! I think I could eat a ton of food if I allowed myself (which I will not). I am eating 3 small meals and filling in my hunger with protein shakes if needed. I don't feel like I even have a band!! I go for a fill appointment next week, but if I have lost more weight, he may not fill me. I could be doing the same thing without a band (as I did before surgery). Has anyone convinced their doctor to fill them based solely on the hunger factor? Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated !

Thank you all so much for the replys! I am really going to insist on a fill!!!

Don't give up! Are you eating 3 small meals? the Protein shakes really help me when I am hungry. My doctor told me to "never get starved" but it is just so hard! I don't want to eat more because I still want to loose! Ugh...I hope this gets easier!!!

Have you had any hair loss with this much protien?

I was Banded on 5/24 and today is my 2 week "anniversary" ! I feel soooooo great! The first 3 days of post-op I was thinking, "What the hell have I done to myself?", but after that it has been smooth sailing! I followed all of my doctor's orders to a tee and it all worked out. I started walking on day 3 and never had to deal with the gas pain. My incisions are pretty much healed and although I have no fill in my band, I am feeling full at 700-800/calories per day (with at least 80 grams of protein/day)! I lost 52 lbs during my 6 month pre-surgery lifestyle and really increased my exercise. I did a 5K the day before surgery. I think that my recovery is a testament to how going into this surgery after living a very healthy lifestyle just helps you recover so much easier. My doctor even agreed to that. My biggest advice to anyone who is thinking about being banded is that you need to change your lifestyle the day you decide to have the surgery. It will make everything so much easier!

I had liquids plus yogurt and pudding for one week. I was able to move to soft foods...eggs/cottage cheese/low fat cheeses after only a week and I tolerated it well. Yesterday I had a 3oz grilled chicken breast and it felt great! So, after only 2 weeks post-op, I am eating small portions of REAL food ! I went back toy Zumba class tonight and I felt so good!

Get rid of the scale or give it to your husband and have him give it to you once a week to weigh in. I was scale obsessed for years. Once I thew away my scale and joined Weight Watchers and got weighed in once a week, it changed my thinking on "how much I weigh". We all get too fixated with the number on the scale and there is so much more to judge success by. Good luck!!!

Pinky, I am so happy to find someone else who had the same surgery date as myself! So glad to read that you are doing great as well! I have my first follow up Dr. appointment tomorrow and will get weighed for the first time since the day before surgery! (I kow...can you believe I have not weighed myself?!?!?! lol). I wanted to wait a while to get on the sacale becasue I did feel bloated immediately after surgery. I feel thinner so I hope it's reflected on the scale! 15 lbs since surgery...that is AWESOME!! It's nice to read "good" things on these boards too and I am glad you shared with me. Keep up the great work and keep in touch !

Sorry about the misspell in the topic title ! 2 Weeks POST-Op...Feeling Fantastic!

Have you tried walking yet (a small distance)? That really helped me feel better. Maybe the leg pain is from being laid up?!?! Hope it gets better for you soon!

I am two weeks post-op and feel fantastic! My best advice to everyone is to live a very health lifestyle as soon as you make the decision to have the band. It will help so much with recovery and your life as a bandster!! I lost 50 lbs before my surgery date and did a 5K race 2 days before being banded. The pre-op diet is to shrink your liver. I lost 4.5 lbs on it but I had been dieting for 7 months before my surgery and lost a total of 52.2. Your total weight loss on the pre-op diet could fall in a wide range. I think people who have not really dieted up until the first day of the pre-op diet probably loose the most as it is a big adjustment to the body. I was allowed protein shakes, fruits and veggies. However, it was not enough for me due to my exercise. I spoke with my DR and NI and they said I could add healthy low fat, high protein choices to my diet. (Egg beaters, low fat cottage cheese, etc). My DR was very pleased when he opened me up. He said my liver and everything inside could not have looked better. The diet prepares you for the post-op phase of your new banded life. Don't dread it...just work with as best as you can. This is your the first day of a new and fantastic life! Good luck!

Hi all. I was banded on Tuesday, May 24th. The post-op diet has thrown me for a loop. I make my protien shakes but feel so bloated after I drink them. (3 oz.). I have no fill in my band but think I feel a little restriction...who knows?!?! This post op diet sounded so simple but I am just not able to get it all down! I want to get my protein in first and foremost. I am really nervous that I am not doing this correctly. Ugh!!! Suggestions?!?!?

Hello Everyone. I began my Band journey in December of 2010. I have a tentative surgery date of May 23/24, 2011. I have lost 80 lbs on the Weight Watchers program since 2008. I gained 40 of those pounds back last year. Since January 19, 2011 I have lost 35 of those 40 lbs. As my surgery date approaches, I am so filled with anxiety. I know I can lose this weight on my own but I cannot keep it off. I am already doing the right things in the food and exercise department. Do you experienced Banders think that this will benefit me once I have the surgery? I guess I am just looking for some feedback from Banders who had succeeded at losing weight before the surgery and how that experience helped them afterward. Thanks in advance! Tracie ) Also...How do you add a picture to your profile?

Thanks everyone. I worry about the protien the most due to the hair loss. I went through that once and NEVER want to do it again. My post op diet (as of yesterday) is 3 small meals (cream of wheat, yogurt, fat free pudding made w/sk milk or low fat stained creamed soups) and 3 each 3 oz protien shakes which include skim milk. I am no where close to eating a fraction of this. Anyone know of any good protien water mixes...I cannot get the Special K20 in my area. Thanks again for the advice. My mind is just going crazy worrying about all of this stuff!

I got my insurance approval yesterday and I am scheduled for surgery next Tuesday....May 24th! So many emotions are flowing right now....excitement, nervousness, anxiety. When I went to my seminar in December and was told this was a 6 moth process, I almost died. Now, I am 50 lbs lighter going into surgery and so much more knowledgeable. I am thankful for the 6 months I had to do! I need some pre-op Words of Wisdom...any tips, advice, etc... Also, what did everyone use to clean their belly area before surgery?!?! Thanks so much ) !

Is anyone drinking this pre or post op? I love it so much and don't think it would be an issue to drink it...just water and a few b vitamins. No sugar either. Just curious...

St Elizabeth Surgical Weight Loss Center - Youngstown, Ohio (About 30 miles from Canton) 452 Broadway Street Youngstown, Ohio 44501 330-480-2866

Congrats to you! What kind of flavored water do you drink?