Jim1967

I agree the important thing is how many hours can you go in between meals? A fill isn't really the answer for the scale not moving. Fill is really if the hunger sets in with little time in between meals. You've mentioned you've eaten bad foods. What kind of food? If your eating high calorie slider foods then the band is not going to be helpful in curbing that. Unfortunately, as weird as it sounds the band will allow stuff like chips, crackers and of course ice cream to slide right on down like you never even had a band. If you are getting hungry quite often then I would say you probably need a fill. Everyone is different but for me I eat only 3 meals a day with no snacking and I can typically go 4.5 to 5 hours without getting hungry. I haven't had a fill since January.

I know most Surgeon's and Insurances vary depending who you to talk to but I was told by my Surgeon that the insurance company does not base their decision on the BMI after the preop diet but rather the number at the beginning of the process. Perhaps, I misunderstood but it sure does sound ridiculous that you start at a qualifying BMI just to end up not qualifying. Not that I ever had to worry about it anyway with a starting BMI of 78. Hell, even now I could get approval based on BMI alone. LOL

My Center says it is a minimum 3 months with all the classes and appointments you need to attend. I ended up waiting 6 months as the insurance required a 6 month monitored diet. Seemed like it was taking forever at the time but wow that was so long ago now. I wouldn't change a thing with this journey except maybe have done it sooner...

Congratulations!!

I actually do not enjoy eating out anymore. I can prepare better quality food at home without hidden junk in it.

So so true. In the beginning you lose because you are on such a restricted diet. Then you add solids back in it easy to sock on a little bit of weight. Bandster Hell is a very real thing and I not only struggled with it I also went through months of finding that perfect sweet spot where the band was adjusted just right for me. Focus on the quality of food right now and as you get fills you can adjust your portions. My Wife is a few weeks post op (banded 9/16) and she is going through the same exact things that you are. She has no fill in that band. While is perfectly normal it can also be frustrating. Stick with it though because it is worth it. Remember the hard part is over. You did it. Now just follow through and work it and you'll be golden. Best wishes!!

Had a fantastic weekend but as usual my only wish was it didn't fly by so fast. I was in my friends wedding this weekend. Probably for the first time in many years I felt really good about myself. I felt I looked decent and I was confident. I am so thankful to my new best friend of 15 months (My band). It is truly amazing what proper fitting clothes can do for your psyche. Even standing outside decked out in a tux with it being 95 with a heat index of 105 I was quite content. 15 months ago I would not even have been able to stood long enough to be in this Wedding and finding an actual tux that would fit would've been a tremendous challenge. This first pic was taken with my IPhone which obviously has a dirty lens.

Slow and steady is the name of the game. As long as you are seeing that downward trend then you're doing it right!! Larger folks like myself tend to lose quicker but it is only a matter of time until that slow down hits.

And...What she said

I am with B-52 on this one. I am not saying go against what your Doctor advises BUT are they banded and are they living/working with it? I can drink at any time without any issues. Before, during and after. I tend to get a little bloated if I do drink to soon after certain meals and steak has always been a problem. As time goes on you learn how your tool works with your body. No two people are the same. I am not recommending you go against your Doctors 'rules' by any means but perhaps you could say "hey Doc I would like to try this or that, what do you think?" Probably say 'hell no' to you this early in the journey. You are newly banded only two weeks out so one thing is certain you need to proceed with caution so not to cause complications. Being only two weeks out you are in a healing stage. Eating, drinking it is all about the lifestyle change and that is what being banded is all about. Creating new habits. I am coming up on 18 months out and I have done my share of experimenting but I always defer to my Doctors judgement. If they hands down say no to something then I don't do it. Like carbonation. They have said absolutely not. So I have not had soda for almost two years now.

This morning I had my first follow up appointment in 6 months. I had been struggling the last week or so deciding on whether or not to get a fill. I got some good advice and some suggestions and after talking with the PA today we decided there is no need for one right now. I am eating 3 meals a day with no snacking or cravings. I am going anywhere from 3 to 5 hours without getting hungry and I have found for me I tend to get hungry sooner after having the shake but with real actual food I can go 5 or 6 hours. At the end of the day I do believe I was factoring my fill needs on 1. Getting hungry at times sooner than what I was months ago. 2. Scale is not where I wanted it to be. So....# 1 is OK as I have narrowed it down to why I get hungry sooner and I can adjust. #2 is definitely not a good reason for a fill. Getting a fill certainly has nothing to do with the scale and getting a fill will not help the scale move any faster. Thank you to Missy for reaffirming that for me. I mean I knew in the back of my mind it was not a valid reason for fill but hearing it from someone else just made more sense. I also found this morning that my last fill was not in April it was actually back in January when I got .5cc. I had it written down in a notebook but hadn't actually looked it in a while. Lastly, my PA is going to work on getting insurance approval for a new sleep study. 240lbs later it is obvious an adjustment is need on my CPAP. Other then that I am living the dream and enjoying life. Happy 5th Anniversary to my beautiful wife Kelli (Kelli1016). If you read this then I wish you a happy Friday and I hope you're doing well and rocking your band or preop diet!!

Learning to eat slow was probably the hardest part for me. So used to eating on the go and never had to be concerned about something going down the gullet. My Wife was banded on 9/16 and she is dealing with that fun now. Good luck all!

I actually hated stage 2 so much that I stuck mostly with stage 1. Texture was a real problem for me.

I have never experienced it but there are those who experience tightness in the morning and those who do not. I am one of the ones that feel tight first thing in the morning. Also, I hear some people feel band tightness when they are stressed out. I think the only thing we all have in common is we are all banded (those post op anyway) and everything is individually based.

I had to do a 6 month supervised diet for the insurance requirements then after that still had to wait for approval. At the time it seemed like the day would never come and when it finally did I felt like a little kid at Christmas. Oct 12 will mark year number 2 of starting the process. My how time does fly... Wishing you all quick and smooth approvals so you can all have your Kid at Christmas moment.

Treat your tummy like it's brand new and introduce everything slowly like it is the very first time.

I don't get hungry much at night anymore but when I get that crave for some thing sweet I grab a teaspoon of peanut butter. At least with the PB I am satisfying my palette with something that has protein.

Very fact you are posting about it tells me you are looking to turn it around. Cut yourself some slack and De-stress and start anew. Lovely ladies above me made some wonderful suggestions. You can do this!!

I cannot eat any kind of rice...but aside from that the only thing I absolutely avoid 100% is Cheez Its. I am a recovering addict and out everything in this world to eat those little buggers are my trigger food. When I was a little boy my make believe friend was the Sunshine man on the corner of the box. I wish I were kidding....Cheez Its are like my preferred drug.

So sorry to hear about your furry friend but I am happy as it sounds like you found the green zone!!

You can expect it but it may just lead to constant disappointment and frustration....Been there and done that!