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Jerseygirl82 offers good advice. You're only 19 days post surgery, so you're still healing and likely swollen. It's normal to not have much of an appetite. Also, the first 4-6 after surgery are for healing not losing, so don't bother with the scale until you're past the post-op diet and back on normal foods. Loosing will come, but first you have to heal. I would call the surgeon about the port. Maybe it's just healing slowly, but it's better safe than sorry.

Head hunger, definitely. And I still battle it pretty regularly. I constantly have to ask myself "Am I actually hungry, or do I just want to eat?" More often than not I just want to eat and have to just wait until the urge passes. It's like I tell others, the band may lessen your appetite and be a great tool, but we all have to fix our own heads. Changing my relationship with food emotionally is MUCH harder than just eating the right things.

I distinctively remember laying in my bed the 3rd day after surgery, struggling to even drink a little Water, in tears, thinking "oh gosh what have I done?" I think what you're going through is normal. Not only are you mourning the loss of an old friend- comfort food- you've had a lot of drugs pumped into you during surgery and the days after. Pain killers especially can really effect your moods and even make some people depressed. It does get better and easier. For me, the hardest part was the month I was on liquids post surgery. I was so hungry! But once you get healed and onto real food again you'll feel a lot better. Hang in there!

First off, if your doctor won't take your concerns seriously, you need to find a new doctor. There are many medical issues that can cause you to gain weight, including medications and thyroid problems. You really need a full blood work up to rule out anything medically related before having weight loss surgery. You mentioned having a hard time with movement due to disability. I understand this completely. I am also disabled. I have Multiple Sclerosis. While I can walk and such, sometimes it's a struggle and very often results in considerable pain in my legs and feet. Because of that, my exercise isn't like most others' here. My exercise is mostly walking a little more all the time. I will say this though, I feel SO much better since losing weight. I still have a long ways to go, but oh my gosh, I honestly feel better than I have in over a decade. Losing weight can't make my disability go away but it sure as heck has helped me to better cope with it a lot. Best wishes to you on whatever you choose.

The band will give you restriction but the choice in food is yours and yours alone. You truly have to change your way of thinking about food first, then your body will follow. Head hunger is a powerful thing and something I think we all struggle with from time to time. Today is a new day, so put it behind you, and start fresh. You can do this! BTW, if you're going to cheat? Please, do not cheat with soda. The last thing you need is a slip or seriously stretched out pouch. Stay away from the carbonation!

Welcome and congratulations on losing weight already!

It does get easier, but almost no one has good restriction after only one fill. (it does happen but rarely). Normally it takes multiple fills before you have restriction. Hang in there, it'll take patience but it will come.

Most surgeons want to see you monthly the first year after surgery whether you need a fill or not. It usually takes a couple fills (at least) before you have good restriction, too. The best thing to do is take a big gulp of Water, not a little sip, immediately after the fill before leaving the office. This way you can be sure the liquids can go down and immediately get some of the fill removed if you start gurgling the water back up. Most surgeons also advise 24-48 hours of liquids after a fill to allow the stomach swelling to subside, so eating immediately after isn't a good idea. I'm afraid you'd think you are too tight, go back for an unfill, just to find out later it was only your stomach swollen from the fill and now you're hungry without good restriction. Fills are typically done every 4-6 weeks, so I'd plan on at least 3-6 visits over the coming months. Likely more. Best wishes to you.

I bought some sugar free vanilla caramel coffee creamer today, only 30 calories. I find if I have a cup of coffee with that in it, it really helps curb both a sweet tooth and head hunger.

That's awesome, congratulations!

If you have a desk job, a week off should be enough. I had surgery on a Friday and was back to my normal routine by Wednesday.

Honestly, no one here can answer that. Only your surgeon can. Perhaps call his office and ask before going?

A couple things to point out... Being able to eat anything isn't bad at all, in fact it's good, so long as you stick to small quantities. When you asked about possibly needing another fill, then state night eating and boredom, then no a fill won't help. That is head hunger not actual body hunger. No amount of fills are going to change your head, that is something you have to work on yourself. You have to change your eating habits and lifestyle for a lifetime. You can't look at this like another diet, you must look at the band as a tool to better your health for a lifetime. If I were in your shoes, the first thing I would do is start logging absolutely everything you eat. This way, you can see exactly where your calories are coming from, where to cut back or out, and how much Protein you're getting. Plus, when you log everything you put into your mouth, you're holding yourself accountable. I personally use an android app called "Lose It" to track what I eat and I love it. It's never too late to turn it around and start losing. It's a matter of whether or not you're willing to do the work to turn it around and change your lifestyle.

Swanson chicken broth wasn't bad. A couple times I just strained all the chunks out of Soup and ate the soup broth because it offered more flavor that way. I would try to go as low sodium as you can, though. Otherwise you'll retain more Water.

When people say restriction, they are referring to when the band has adequate saline in it so you're satisfied with relatively little food and can go 4-5 hours without being hungry. Stuck is usually the result of eating too fast, not chewing enough, or taking too big a bite. Getting stuck can often be a tight, even painful feeling until the food passes. Some people will slime- when their mouth fills with saliva. Some will even PB the food back up- which is productive burp. It's a little different than vomiting because it's not the same powerful wretching. It's more like burping the food back up.

I have Medicare and I did not have a 6 month waiting period. I went to the seminar in December 2011 and the surgery less than a month later in January 2012. I would just politely call it to your surgeon's attention that you've checked into it and don't think Medicare does have a waiting period. See what he says.

One thing I have learned is that the majority of Lap-Band failures aren't band failures at all, but people failure. Not changing their eating habits, not getting adequately filled, or remained over-filled, or drinking carbonation. It's true that once in awhile something does go wrong with the band by no fault of the person, but that is the exception not the rule. Statistically speaking, only 8.6% of Lap-Band patients have complications that are no fault of their own. That's a very small percentage. Don't be mislead by anecdotal evidence and people trying to talk you out of it for the wrong reasons. Be it Lap-Band or Gastric Bypass, the choice is yours, just make the choice based on facts.

The first 4-6 weeks post surgery are for healing, not weight loss. I know it's frustrating, but you have to give your body time to heal. Plus, it's pretty dang hard to make "smart" food decisions when your choices are so limited by the post op diet already. With that said, 600 calories is very low, and I agree with the others it's likely part of the problem. But again, it's understandable during the post op diet. It does get a lot easier once you're back on real food. Until then, I would put your scale away and strictly focus on healing. The weight loss will come once you're healed. Best wishes to you.

If you are serious about getting back on track, this is a great way to do it. It's called the Five Day Pouch Test, and it is a good way start over from the beginning: http://5daypouchtest.com/plan/theplan.html You said you had an adjustment but didn't lose weight. Did you also change your eating habits? Do you monitor your calorie intake? The thing is, your band could be the perfect restriction and in the perfect place, but if you're still eating unhealthy food you're not going to loose weight. In the end, it's you that has to make the changes and do the work. The band is just a tool. Good luck.

Honestly, I just eat "normal" food *laughs* Breakfast- I have a Protein shake for Breakfast every morning, I like the unjury. Lunch- tuna with fat free mayo on a piece of toasted whole grain bread, and a piece of low fat American cheese melted on top. Small garden salad with fat free ranch dressing. Dinner- 4oz of boneless pork chop, 1/4 cup mashed potatoes and 1/4 cup green Beans Snack- 1/4 cup of low fat cottage cheese. This is what I had yesterday. Today I'll make a Lean Cuisine for lunch, and for dinner I'm making whole grain Cheeseburger macaroni Hamburger Helper, but with 93% lean ground turkey instead of ground beef. It's only 303 calories for a cup if you use the turkey instead of the hamburger and skim milk.

As for carbs, I eat whole grain breads and Pasta. Baked potatoes, or homemade mashed made with skim milk. I know some people do better on low carb, but as long as I stay away from the "white" carbs, I do fine. I'm just careful to eat my Protein first and make the carbs secondary. As for exercise, I do very little and what I do is mostly trying to increase my daily activity. I have Multiple Sclerosis, so "real" exercise like at the gym is next to impossible for me. I do try to walk as much as I can, though.

Honestly, I have just done what my nutrionist advised. Nothing special. I eat between 1000-1200 calories a day, at least 60g of Protein, no more than 125g of carbs, and no more than 20% fat. I don't eat white rice, bread, or Pasta. Only brown rice and whole grain breads and pasta. I try not to eat after dinner, however being a night owl I end up hungry around 10pm most nights. If I do have a small snack then, it's never any carbs. I've found I simply can't have carbs after dinner and lose weight. I use an app called "Lose It" to track both calories and nutrients- it's my bible and it holds me accountable. That's it, nothing special really

Best wishes to you, you'll do beautifully! We'll see you soon as a bandster

Best wishes to you!! I hope you get your revision!!!