DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

Best wishes on your journey and welcome!!

It depends on the size of your band. What size band do you have? And yes, you are eating too big a portion. We should be eating no more than 1 cup of food per meal total. Just because you can eat more than that doesn't mean you should. Also, there is a difference between being satisfied and feeling stuffed full. The band is supposed to make us feel satisfied, no longer hungry, and stay that way for 4-5 hours. It's not supposed to make us feel stuffed full, like we just finished a seven course meal. Granted some people physically can't eat more but even then the full sensation isn't like we experienced before being banded. So, you might want to go slow, eat only a cup of food, then ask yourself "am I satisfied? am I no longer hungry?" If the answer is yes, despite the fact you can still physically eat more, then you do have restriction.

I feel it immediately when I go back on solids after a fill.

I make spaghetti with Prego light sauce, whole grain pasta, and 93% fat free ground turkey (instead of beef). I add some extra seasoning but it's really good. I also make red meatloaf with 93% fat free ground turkey instead of beef and only use the egg whites rather than the whole egg.

Oh and you couldn't be a contestant in an eating contest. Can you imagine? You'd be PB'ing and sliming faster than the other contestants could swallow! NOTE: lol Skinny_Jill you hit post a nano second before me! GMTA!

A couple things: The first 4-6 weeks after surgery are for healing, not losing. That includes the post op diet. It is imperative you stick to the post op diet because it's entire purpose is to promote healing. If you start eating solids too soon, you run the very real risk of a ripping a suture, a slip, or even infection. Yes you're going to be hungry, especially while still on liquids or mushy foods. Your band is likely empty right now and most have little to no restriction with an empty band. It will also likely take multiple fills before you do have restriction. In the meantime, stick to no more than 1 cup of food per meal and do your best to make good food choices. It's not easy at the beginning, but you'll be glad you did when you start losing weight rather than gaining despite the lack of restriction. Just remember, the band is a tool not a magic cure. You still have to do the work, including following your doctors orders and making healthy food choices for a lifetime.

Sword swallower! I don't think that would work at all with the Lap-Band! *laughs*

If your doctor gives his ok for the Phentermine, then the choice is yours. But I it's important to ask regardless: -Have you changed your eating habits to healthy ones? If not, it doesn't matter if you're banded or what pill you take, you're not going to lose just eating smaller meals. Your food choices must be good ones for a lifetime. -Do you get all your Protein in daily? This is also essential to weight loss, band or pill. -Do you stick to no more than 1 cup of food per serving? This is important being a bandster. -Do you count calories? Some people do fine just making wise food decisions, however a lot of people need to count calories to be successful losing weight. Being as your now considering Phentermine even after being banded, I would highly recommend logging your food and counting calories so you can see exactly what you're eating and how it's effecting you. I would also recommend taking that food log to a nutritionist so they can help you make healthy changes that will promote weight loss. I mean this with all due respect, but you say "I really feeling like this surgery has not worked for me and want to go back to the method I was used to, the weight clinic, diet pills and B12 shots" Obviously that way didn't work to lose weight and keep it off forever or you wouldn't have gotten banded to begin with. The band is a tool, not a magic cure. Unless you do the work and make healthy changes to your eating habits for a lifetime you won't lose weight. You may lose a bit with Phentermine, but you can't stay on it forever, and as soon as you stop you'll likely gain it all back unless you make you healthy changes to your eating habit for a lifetime. So really, it doesn't matter what you do, the change and work has to be done by you, not your band or a pill. Best wishes.

I too am a big Lose It! fan. I've used it religiously since the day I came home from the hospital.

Excellent article, thanks for sharing!

I do, I'm extremely hard on myself. One way I've gotten around that is by allowing myself one "cheat meal" a month. Once a month, I eat whatever meal I am craving, regardless of fat or calories. I also allow myself one desert cheat a month (but oddly enough, rarely use it). This way I don't feel deprived and it helps keep my unhealthy eating under control.

oh my gosh you look amazing!!!! Congratulations, you're an inspiration!!

Wait and talk to your doctor, or better yet make an appointment with a nutritionist. As you can clearly see, everyone here is told something different so you need to find out what your doctor specifically recommends. A good example- someone here said you had to lower your carbs a lot. But, I eat more carbs than you listed here, no more than 125g per day. This is per my nutritionist, I follow her instructions religiously and have lot rather a lot of weight. So not everyone needs or even does well on low carbs. Talk to your doc.

Everyone will tell you something different because every surgeon and nutritionist have their own ideas. I eat at least 60g of protein, no more than 125g of carbs, and no more than 20% fat per day. I would highly suggest meeting with a nutritionist to find out what you specifically should be eating.

How do u keep track of what you eat? Just keep track of the Protein and carbs and fat per day not to go over those numbers? I use an an android app called Lose It to track my calories, carbs, protein, and fat. Also, what do u eat on a typical day or two? My dr told me low carb... 30-50 g a day. I'm still on post op liquids but I'm trying to figure out how I will be eating on a typical day. Well my typical day would look very different than yours, as you will be eating less protein and carbs than I do. Also, do u exercise in addition to food? Not a lot, I try to walk and move as much as I can, however I have MS so it makes exercise difficult

It seems to me there is a lot of misunderstanding out there when it comes to restriction. Over and over, I read post after post of the following statements: "I have had fills but can still eat whatever I want" While some people do have issues eating certain foods, there is absolutely no truth that you shouldn't be able to eat foods like breads, Pasta, and rice. If you are following a low carb diet that's one thing, but being banded doesn't mean you shouldn't be physically able to eat them anymore. Many of us can still eat absolutely everything we ate before surgery. "I have had fills but I can still eat more than 1 cup of food" This may be true, however, just because you can eat more than a cup of food doesn't mean you should. More often than not, if you eat slowly and stop after eating no more than 1 cup of food, you will find that you are satisfied and no longer hungry despite the fact you could still physically eat more. Quit trying to test your band to see how much you can eat, because the only one that will fail the test is you, not the band. "I have had fills but I don't feel full" Big misconception- the band will make you feel full. Wrong. It's true some people do feel full but it's a different full sensation than we had before banded. In fact, it's almost uncomfortable. The band is not supposed to make you feel stuffed full, it's supposed to make you feel satisfied with less food for longer periods of time. If you keep getting fill after fill because you don't feel stuffed full, you are going to end up one of the many people who have bands too tight and slips as a result. Being satisfied means you are no longer hungry, not that you feel as though you just ate a seven course Thanksgiving dinner. Quit trying to feel full and start listening to your body because it will tell you when it's satisfied. I encourage everyone to educate themselves on the Lap-Band, what it does, and what it doesn't do. Too many people are walking around banded completely ignorant to the facts and I fear many will have complications and slips because of it. It's your body, take responsibility for educating yourself on it. Be well all

First, take a deep breath. You're going through a lot of changes right now, not only getting banded on Thursday but quitting your job too. That's a lot to deal with. As for the pre op diet, just get back on track now and leave the last couple days in the past. You made a mistake, you know it, but there's no sense on dwelling on it. The pre op diet is specifically to shrink your liver before surgery. This is important because obese people typically have fatty livers, and if the liver is enlarged, it increases the risk of damage to it when the doctor is trying to operate around it. The good news is, the liver is also one of the first places to lose weight, hence why the preop diets are often brief. So, get strict with your pre op diet again. The thing about the band is, you have to remember it's a tool, not a miracle cure for fat. You still have to change your eating habits for a lifetime. The band can help you to feel satisfied with less food and not be hungry for longer periods of time, but it can't make you eat healthy foods. At the end of the day, it's you that must do the work, not the band. The band is just there to help you do your work. If you are committed to changing your lifestyle and eating habits to healthier ones and doing what is necessary to lose weight with the band, you will be successful. Hang in there and try to focus on all the positives in your life. Getting banded is definitely one Best wishes to you, you can do this!

Sure, I don't see why not. You will just likely be on liquids for the first day or so after. Just be sure to take a big gulp of Water before you leave the doc's office, not just a little sip. If you're too tight the water will gurgle back up your throat and you can immediately get a little taken out. Good luck with your fill and enjoy the water park

Once in awhile as a treat maybe (I also like the skinny macciato at Starbucks, yum!) but daily is a bad idea, replacing a meal with it is even worse. It's all empty calories and sugar so definitely not in your best interest.

It sounds like a coincidence. If you were too tight, you'd be having the cough mostly at night not during the day. You'd likely have reflux, too.

A common mistake people make is by thinking just because they can eat something, they should. That definitely isn't the case at all. Good restriction would mean you are satisfied with no more than 1 cup of food per meal and can go 4-5 hours before you're hungry again. Good restriction doesn't necessarily mean you can't physically eat more than that or that you feel stuffed full. Feeling satisfied without hunger is the goal. If you don't have good restriction, then definitely start with another fill. I mean this with all due respect and gentleness, but considering the Sleeve just because you don't have enough Fluid in your band to have restriction seems a little bit ridiculous. You have the band, it's in working order, why not follow up with your fills and actually utilize it? I would highly recommend tracking your food intake so you can see exactly what you're eating and where you need to make some changes. Perhaps even tracking your food for a couple weeks then taking the info to a nutrionist so they can help you make smart food choice changes. Good luck.

@Change704- I've lost 117 pounds in a little over 6 months, so yes definitely losing weight. And truth is, I eat a lot of carbs. My nutrionist said at least 60g of Protein, no more than 125g of carbs, and no more than 20% fat per day. So, that's the program I follow and it works for me well. @texas-bandette- I've only ever PB'd twice since being banded, both times were my own fault for not taking small enough bites of bread. So long as I take really small bites, chew it until mush, and pause between bites getting stuck isn't a problem.

I think this is another case of every surgeon having their own ideas. I have a Protein shake every morning for Breakfast, which my surgeon totally supports. The rest of the day I eat normal foods. However, while he said having one for breakfast is fine, that is the only one a day I'm allowed. I agree with the others that I suspect your food choices are what is hurting you. Just because you eat smaller portions doesn't mean you're eating healthy food. I would highly recommend tracking your food intake so you can see clearly exactly what you're eating and what you need to change.

Honestly, none. I can eat anything I want so long as it's not junk food, fast food, or otherwise unhealthy. I eat bread, Pasta, rice, potatoes, and tortillas regularly. I just make sure it's whole grain (for pasta and bread) not the white, bleached stuff.