DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

Once in awhile I'll have a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast, but usually I have a Protein Shake for breakfast. I can eat cereal just fine in the morning, though.

I am in Georgia currently and stopped at ChicFila a couple times on the drive down. I got their 4 piece grilled chicken nuggets and an applesauce and it was the perfect lunch. I go to all my old favorite restaurants since being banded. I just try to order to healthy, and if I really want a fattening old favorite, I am sure to eat a bandster sized portion despite being an unhealthy food choice. I am just careful not to make eating bad a daily or even weekly thing. Maybe once a month at most.

If you are on a liquid diet, you can have any soup you want IF you strain out all the chunks. That means no chunks of any kind. So essentially, you'll just be eating the broth and nothing else.

The majority of surgeons don't do a first fill until 4-6 weeks after surgery.

Actually, it doesn't mean you can't have bread anymore. I have great restriction and still eat things like bread, rice, and Pasta daily. I just take very small bites, chew it until mush, and pause between bites. With that said, I don't attempt bread in the mornings. I am way too tight when I first wake up. However by lunch time I am fine to eat whatever I want. Good Luck!

That is awesome, congratulations!!

Thanks so much for sharing and congratulations on your 6 year success!

To all of you considering the lap band in Mexico, be sure to find a doctor near you that is willing to do your fills and take care of you before surgery. Very often surgeons won't touch a patient who's been banded in Mexico and they return home with no one to do their fills.

I say post what you like, if someone doesn't it like, they can simply not read it. Problem solved.

I think the majority of us have dealt with years of yo-yo dieting. Lose 50, gain 75, lose 30, gain 45. I'd be willing to bet I've lost my own body weight and gained it back at least a couple times. Honestly, I wish the Lap-Band was an option back when I was your age. I wouldn't have had to live my entire adult life a fat miserable mess. Ultimately the choice is yours, but the sooner you take control of your weight the better off you'll be on all levels. Best wishes to you!

I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. Perhaps you could take him to a seminar with you, so he can learn some facts about the surgery? Or would he read informational articles you gave him? It's sad that so many don't realize it's work. Hard work. I'm currently on vacation and still logging everything I eat on my Lose It app and watching what I eat very closely. I've lost considerable weight so far, but the band is just a tool and it's still me that has to do the work for a lifetime. Hang in there. I hope he comes around for your sake, but even if he doesn't, remember this is your decision and you have to do what's best for you and your future.

If you're chewing thoroughly enough and taking small enough bites, there's no reason all food shouldn't go through fine. The band is to bring a feeling of satisfaction- NOT being stuffed full- after relatively little food. I really think you're missing some very key information that is crucial to success with the band. I would discuss this with your surgeon.

If you're trying to do low carb so avoiding those foods, I totally understand. However, do not think just because you have the band you can no longer physically eat bread, rice, and Pasta. Many people eat those thing after being banded. I eat bread, pasta, rice, and tortillas regularly with no problem. I just take really tiny bites and chew my food well.

I had considerable restriction even when my band was empty. My first fill my doc tried to put in 3cc and immediately had back 1cc back out because I couldn't even swallow Water. Now, I have lots of restriction and am definitely in the Green Zone with only 4cc in my 10cc band. It all boils down to anatomy- everyone is different some people do feel restriction with little (or even nothing) in their band. With that in mind, you're still healing and it's likely your stomach is still swollen from surgery. Give it a couple more weeks, stick to the post op diet your surgeon put you on, and I'm sure eating will become much easier once you're totally healed. Best wishes.

There's a common misconception that the band is supposed to make you feel "full" or "stuffed". Granted, sometimes it does, but it's meant to make you feel satisfied sooner not stuffed full. I see thread after thread of people complaining about not having enough restriction because they can eat a pizza or three cheeseburgers. Well of course you CAN eat it, but if you slow down and stick to 1/2-1 cup of food per meal you will likely realize you are satisfied. Looking for that stuffed full feeling we got from eating (over eating) before being banded results in lots of trouble, most often people getting over-filled in their attempt to find it and ended up with a slip. Quit testing your band, because the fact is the band won't fail but you could end up failing yourself.

You should be following whatever post op diet your surgeon gave you, regardless of what anyone else says or even if you are hungry. The first 4-6 weeks after surgery are for healing, not losing, and a big part of that is following your surgeon's diet instructions. As far as losing, once you're on normal foods and start getting fills it gets easier. However, if you haven't met with a nutrionist I highly recommend you do so. The band may help you to eat less but it's not magic and can't force you to make good food choices. The band is just a tool and it's up to you to change your eating habits into good ones for a lifetime.

That is pretty common place these days. It seems a lot of insurance companies are now requiring a 6-12 month doctor supervised diet before they'll cover it. Hang in there and don't give up- it's worth it!

I just follow the guidelines my nutrionist set for me and track all my calories, that's all. It's very simple

It takes most people multiple fills before they have any restriction. Considering you just had surgery 2 weeks ago, I'm guessing you have no restriction whatsoever. Just curious, are you already on solid foods? Did you follow your surgeon's post op diet? It was wisely stated on another thread "Just because you can eat anything doesn't mean you should". The band requires lifelong healthy eating habits. Even after you have good restriction you still have to make good food choices and eat the right things. Oh and FYI- it's a very big misconception that just because you are banded with good restriction you can't eat certain things. This is totally untrue. I have great restriction and can still literally eat anything I want. It's still up to me to make good food choices and not eat unhealthy foods simply "because I can". Hang in there, it does get easier with restriction but you must get your head in the game and start making good food decisions now and for a lifetime.

Excellent post and very wise advice!! I hope many others considering this surgery read this!

I think that emotional roller coaster you're currently on is pretty normal. I know I went through more than one "oh lordy, what have I done to myself?" moments right after surgery. It can be very overwhelming and battling with sweets withdrawals (or carbonation withdrawals, carbs, etc) only makes it harder. You're already one step ahead of most by the mere fact you fully realize the band won't change your bad habits or nullify your cravings. I know right now it seems like an impossible uphill battle, but I promise you it does get easier and eventually those battles get a lot more manageable. Give your mind time to adjust to all the changes. It's ok to feel like you are and it's important to feel and process those emotions. Just don't let yourself wallow in those feelings beyond that point of dealing with them until they ruin your outlook. You can do this!!

VERY wise words of advice from Honk!!

thank you!! I love it, it's very meaningful to me

This is the tattoo on the underside of my forearm. I took the pic 2 years ago when I got it (hence the redness and puffiness) This one has literally just shrank along with me as I've lost weight, it hasn't been distorted or stretched at all.