mamastwo

cocoabean, thank you!!! your post really boosted me up...everyone's responses have helped, but yours really touched me, thank you. i'm getting myself a little worked up, because here i am, banded in july, and it is january and i don't really feel i have a lot to show for it. I am going for another fill soon and i will keep on the right track. congrats on your loss, that is wonderful!! thanks

thank you for all the advice!! I am defenitely not expecting the band to do it all, it can't and it won't unless I put forth enough of my own effort, i do realize that. I am just getting stuck in little ruts of frustration on my way to that "perfect place" where my adjustments are just right, my food choices are just right, and my excercise is just right. Its just the getting there =) i didn't become over weight over night and i am not going to fix old habits that easily. Everything dis just very slow moving. i commend all of you that were able to make the huge lifestyle change of better food choices and excercise after getting banded, but it hasnt been that easy for me. I'm working on that a day at a time hoping to do away with older habits and ways and make better choices. I wasnt one of those fortunate people that changed all my old ways right after being banded. I wish i could be, but i'm not. I'm not expecting the band to "DO" anything more than its already doing. I need more fills and i need to fine tune my diet and activity. again, thank you all!!! good luck on your journeys

Hi everyone and happy new year. I am in need of some serious advice/support or maybe just a good kick in the but!!! I was banded 7/23/11 and have lost a total of 30 pounds, from my first appointment ever, not just from the surgery. I have had three or four fills, my last being from before thanksgiving. I need to get back to my dr. but haven't had a chance to. When i eat, i do feel some restriction but I still eat too fast and don't chew enough, so I end up vomiting (only sometimes). I can pretty much take down a small piece of chicken or another hard food with not a great deal of chewing and it will stay down. The only difference I really feel is the QUANTITY of food I can eat at one sitting. The food choice can be pretty much anything. My food choices are not always the greatest but i do try and emphasize Protein and keep down the carbs, sugar, and fat. I have completely cut out any carbonated sodas, regular or diet from my surgery! I feel that the greatest change has been how much I eat. I simply cannot have as much as I used to, but then why isn't the weight coming off??? I am trying to gage if what I am experiencing is similar to what others are experiencing. I know everyone's experience will be different but I just want to know that I'm on the right track. My brother and mother had bypass a month ago and are losing huge amounts of weight. I realize that I shouldn't be comparing, two different surgeries, but it is hard to watch! I do remember at my last fill the nurse mentioning that i didnt have a lot of Fluid in my band (i think i have a 10cc band) and maybe I need to keep up with adjustments? I have a problem with emotional eating and I realize that that aspect will not be fixed by the band but isn't the band supposed to help with suppressing appetite? I realize that i need to make huge changes both mental and physical in order for the band to help me. I feel that I have made some considerable changes, but i'm just not feeling that it has been all that helpful. I really want to be one of those people posting a topic about LOVING my lapband!!! LOL, i hope I will be there eventually. Please throw some advice/support my way, I would REALLY appreciate it. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

thanks for your advice everyone! xavier, i have to make an appointment with dr. and i will tell him everything.

same problem here! i've had three or four fills and i'm not even sure how much is in my band, but i know i'm not at my sweet spot! i can still eat pretty much anything, just not a lot of it. So, patience is key and going to the dr. for adjustments often!!! my dr. will see me every two weeks if i can commit the time to go. I'm feeling like i have been letting too much time go by without getting back to the dr. but that is absolutely necessary in order for this to work. good luck to you all! this is an amazing site and everyone is so helpful

thank you, i appreciate your help. I know that i do need to move more and be very good about tracking calories. I just went to sparklepeople and opened an account, so hopefully that will help. i heard that the band's true function is to help curb your appetite, not to help you feel full so that you stop eating. I'm hoping to feel that after another fill. good luck with your journey and your new son kimmy!

good for you! i'm hoping to be there eventually

hi! i feel the same way. I was banded 7/23/11 and have only lost a total of 30 pounds, that's from my very first appointment BEFORE my surgery. I can't say i really have lost a lot due to the surgery. I have had three or four fills I think. I need to go back but I havent had the time. I know we just have to be patient and visit the dr often and get more adjustments to find the "green zone" but it is SO frustrating. My brother and mother had bypass a month ago and have lost an immense amount of weight. good luck in your journey!

what is fluoro and barium? i was banded on 7/21/11 and am getting first fill in three weeks. thanks

I weight myself each day - same time each morning, I pee, strip, and weigh. I just need that constant reminder to get me set in motion. I also record my weight each day on www.myfitnesspal.com and for me, it works. I know that our bodies naturally fluctuate due to Water gain, etc. so I don't get crazy when I see the numbers go up. If it makes you happy to not weigh yourself, then don't! You'll have a nice delightful surprise to see those numbers down when you go to the doctor's office each time. Keep up the good work and good luck =)

I was banded 7/21/11, I went to the doc today and i'm down 19 lbs. I did the liquid diet for a full week and just to "test things out" I tried a very teensy, tiny portion of food. Well it went down fine. Ever since, i've been trying more teensy, tiny bits of food which I chew a billion times and get down no problem. I know that this is because I haven't had a lap-band adjustment/fill yet and because I'm healing, pretty much anything will go down. Is it bad that I'm eating itsy, bitsy amounts of food? This is making me VERY depressed because I know I shouldn't be doing this, but my old mentality, the one that got me here in the first place is what's telling me, try a bite of this, or this. I don't know how i'm going to make it to 3 weeks until I can feel some restriction from my band. I understand that the band is not a magic pill and that I need to work at it. I'm not expecting pity or for anyone to say "it's ok" because I know its not. I just need help, any ideas??? any suggestions as to what I can do until I get my adjustment? HELP

Thank you everyone for your feedback! Jersgirl, I can't believe we were both banded on the same day! haha, we will have to check in with each other. I DO realize that I should not be stealing little bites, but, my old habits are haunting me. Just as I didn't get this way overnight, the changes I need to make using the band will only happen in small steps over a long period of time. I am making a conscious effort each and every day to make the cheats the healthiest possible. I just can't stick to the full liquids, not just because I'm starving, but because my head is also telling me to EAT. This too I am working on, seeing a therapist! The lap-band doesn't fix the mental part!!!! When I saw my doctor for my post-op appointment he made it sound as though MANY people do this (I AM IN NO WAY SAYING ITS OK) because they realize ANYTHING can go down, once you've healed, because the hole from the small pouch to the large pouch is big. Once I have a fill, it won't be so easy anymore. He said to stick to 800 to 1000 calories even though I should only be on full liquids at this point. I feel as though I am chipping away at a MOUNTAIN with a toothpick some days, but I am trying to focus on my little accomplishments! Two months ago, I was drinking a coke a day, a dunkin donuts huge iced coffe every day, making many stops to fast food and just going crazy. I wouldn't dream of doing any of that now...I also took a walk with my kids!!! woo-hoo, 150 calories burned! LOL So again, thank you!!!! Congrats on your accomplishments everyone and good luck

hey mishell! i am SO happy to see that someone else posted about this topic...I just did too!!!! I was banded 7/21/11 and followed the full liquids for a week - my diet stages are first week all liquids, second week full liquids, meaning you can include yogurt and applesauce, the third week, baby food, the fourth week, SOFT foods, and finally week five regular foods. I began "testing" tiny amounts of food at the end of the first week, just because I was starving. I know that any food in any amount will go down because I haven't had an adjustment yet. I also realize that I'm setting myself up to fail if I don't restrict myself. But because I don't feel that restriction through my band, I'm resorting to old habit. I'm not downing loads of food, i'm testing little bitty amounds here and there. So I understand what you are going through. I cannot wait to have an adjustment so that I can finally feel some restriction. Good luck to you!!

I was banded on July 21, 2011. I just saw the doctor today and am down 19 lbs (not since surgery, since my last doctor's visit). I will be getting my first adjustment in three weeks. I'm a little nervous about food right now because my doctor told me that any type of food will go down because I haven't had my first adjustment yet. I had tried tiny portions of real food (and chewed it until it was gone) so I just don't want to get into the mind set that I can eat anything I want. Other than that, I feel great and am so excited to step on the scale each morning. I'd love to hear from others who have had lap-band. Any tips and suggestions would be appreciated!!!!