DELETE THIS ACCOUNT!

I would only consider it if the band didn't work for me. (mind you, it's rare for the band not to fail, it's usually the person wearing it who fails) It's irreversible and removes a large portion of your stomach. To me, that was just way too extreme without trying something less drastic first. So, I got the band. I love my band, btw. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's the best thing I've ever done for myself.

This is about the same schedule I was on, too.

Not me. Every time I dieted without the band I'd do great for a little while but eventually give into hunger and seriously over-eat. With the band, I'm not hungry and over-eating results in me getting stuck, thus removing all enjoyment from it and desire to do it. I love my band, it's by far the best thing I've ever done for myself.

Pain killers can really constipate you, couple that with the stress of surgery, anesthetic, and drastic change in diet and it's miracle everyone isn't constipated after being banded. I took Colace daily until I had a BM after surgery. If the MOM doesn't kick in, you might want to try the Colace tomorrow. It's a softner not a stimulant laxative.

I don't even attempt to eat in the morning, my band is just too tight. I usually just have a protein shake for breakfast then by lunch I'm able to eat actual food.

That is so awesome, congratulations! You look wonderful!!!

I agree with 1shauna- I say enjoy it. It's not carbonated, and it's a liquid, so worse it can do is put you on your butt *laughs*

That's pretty normal in the beginning, in fact that's why people often refer to the time period you're in as "banster hell". Until you get some restriction, which normally takes a couple fills, you can likely eat just like you did before you were banded. It's not easy, but during this time it's left to willpower. Hang in there, it gets easier once you have some restriction.

I have a lot of restriction, and must take teeny tiny bites and chew like crazy, but I can still easily gulp water. Everyone is different. Not drinking during and after eating is hard. I find myself staring at the clock just waiting until I can have a drink some days. Like Holly Dolly, my surgeon said I'm free to drink before eating, but I should wait 30-60 minutes after eating to drink again.

Actually their are no foods we "shouldn't" be able to eat. Some do have problems with certain foods, usually breads, but not everyone does. I have good restriction and can eat anything so long as I take very small bites and chew, chew, chew. My surgeon says as far as volume, we shouldn't be able to eat more than 1 cup of food total. Most are able to eat about 1/2-1 cup per meal and should be able to go at least 4 hours before being hungry again. Most days I can't eat a full cup, more like 2/3-3/4.

I couldn't agree with you more, Melissa76tx. There are the rare times a person has complications, or the band truly doesn't work for them, by no fault of their own. But more often than not it's the person who failed the band, not the band who failed the person. They go into the surgery thinking it's like a magic bullet, and they can keep eating the same bad food they did before surgery. Or that they don't have to keep up with fills and their surgeon. I understand people mess up, we're human, but I get really sick of all the negative posts about how much they hate their band when the truth is they have no one to blame but themselves for their failure. If someone messes up and posts looking for support on getting back on track, or even sharing their trials to help others, I think that's great. But I hate it when people come on here just to moan and complain about the band and blame it for their bad choices.

I know this will sound contradictory to weight loss, but have you considered raising your calories just 100-200 a day? I know it doesn't make sense, but I was slowing down and read about how the body actually DOES need some carbs to kick start it into weight loss sometimes. So, I allowed myself more carbs for a week increased my calories by 200, and shock of shocks, I lost 8 pounds that week. I went back to my normal routine the following week, and lost another 4 pounds. Perhaps it could help you off your plateau, too.

Thank you for sharing your story! You speak very wise words, I hope others read this and learn from your experience. Awesome job on the weight loss, too! Best wishes!

I would suggest tracking your calories, Protein, carb, and fat intake. I use an android app called "Lose It" to track what I eat. I love it, because not only does it track calories and nutrients but it also tells me the breakdown for restaurant and grocery store foods. By tracking what you eat, you'll easily see what you're eating that is working against you and it'll also help hold you accountable to good food choices. Also, what regime did your nutritionist set up for you? Mine said to stay between 1000-1200 calories a day, at least 60g of protein, no more than 125g of carbs, and no more than 20% fat for the day.

Oh my goodness that's awful. I'm so sorry you're going through this. I'll definitely keep you in my prayers.

I've not had any hair issues. Keep in mind, anesthesia can be very hard on your hair, too.

It's not easy, but you can retrain your body to "crave" new things. I was a major sweets addict. I could sit and eat a bag of Reeses Miniatures in one sitting, or a 3 hostess cupcakes, or multiple pieces of pie. Very often I'd even wake up in the middle of the night to eat junk food. The first couple weeks were very hard, but I handled it just like I would any other addiction, I had to quit. I cleared my house of all treats. I didn't go in a convenience store or gas station because those were major impulse buy spots for me. I didn't grocery shop alone so I couldn't sneak a treat there either. I stopped eating not only treats, but bleached white breads and pastas, too because they can trigger the same addictive trigger. I only bought whole grain breads and Pasta. Over the weeks, I felt better eating healthier. Slowly I found myself "craving" other things. This will be shocking but I started craving salads with fat free ranch dressing. When I get a sweet tooth now, I have an golden delicious apple. My body adjusted and changed what it wanted. I did have a Reeses Egg on Easter- and was immediately full and felt a little icky. It's weird but now if I eat sweets, they make me feel horrible. I don't mind because it makes it just that much easier to stay away from them. This is how I kicked my sweets addiction. You may even want to consider a counselor to help you better deal with your emotions. (I'm a huge emotional eater, too) Best wishes.

I started sleeping on my stomach the night after surgery and have ever since. Never had a problem.

I do that hiccup thing, too! I'll get very strong hiccups and that's my cue I've eaten a little too much. If I'm foolish enough to try to eat another bite after the hiccups start, I'll end up feeling stuck and extremely uncomfortable. I also use the salad plate, too.

They will attach electrodes with sticky pads to your arms, legs, chest, and scalp. They then will tell you at a certain time you must try to sleep, ie no cell phone, tv, radio, etc. You must sleep a portion of the night on your back. If you knock an electrode off while you sleep, they'll come in and try to fix it. Overall, I'm not going to lie, I hated it. No pain or anything like that, but I can't sleep on my back and I definitely can't sleep with a billion wires stuck to me.

I always have small portions, no more than a cup of food. I stop eating when my portion is gone but sometimes I can't even finish that because I'll get so full, so fast. So for me, it's a combination of both.

Yes you definitely can, I know I did before my first fill. Plus, some people do have some restriction from the band alone. It sounds like you may be one of them. I have kept track of my caloric intake via an app called "Lose It!" since the day I got home from the hospital. It is very helpful not only counting calories and nutrients but holding me accountable to what I eat. Before I had a lot of restriction (like where you are now) it was particularly useful in keeping me from over-eating because I could see instantly where my consumption was at for the day.

What I have found from reading people's stories, 90% of the time people say "Lap Band didn't work for me" it should really read "I didn't work with my Lap Band" Too often go into this surgery thinking it's some magic bullet that will make them lose weight without any work or change on their part. They don't follow up on their fills so they don't have any restriction and can eat as if they weren't banded at all. Or they eat small amounts but unhealthy foods, high in fat and calories. Some even eat around their bands, washing food through with Water so they can eat more or eating slider foods like crazy. You must change your eating habits for a life time and work with your band. It's a tool and just like all tools if you don't use it correctly then it's not going to work. It is pretty rare the band to truly fail someone, usually it's a matter of the person failing themselves.

I didn't have any pre-op diet to follow, either. I did, however, start to watch what I ate and try to cut back on my own. I figured I'd try to get a jump start on losing. You'll find every surgeon is different, not only when it comes to pre-op diets but post op diets too. Heck they even differ on what they think you should and shouldn't eat. Some say no carbs, some say a little carbs, some don't care about carbs at all. Some say 40g of Protein, others as much as 80g. I've even seen some recommend as little as 800 calories a day while others tell their patients not to count calories at all! It's confusing, so the best advice I can give is to do as your surgeon advises but also do what works best for you and your body.

Congratulations on your baby!! That is an amazing story!!! For you to have already lost so much, with no fill, AND pregnant? Heck you're doing great! I think you'll do fabulous once you get a couple fills and have restriction. Best wishes to you!!