morelgirl

Understood. I try to avoid fast food. It's high calorie, fairly low satiety, and loaded with who knows what that would probably gross me out if I knew it was in my food. If I'm forced into it, I also try to go for Wendy's chili. The important thing is that whatever you choose, control your portion size and count your calories. And still practice small bites and slow chewing. As far as alcohol goes, it's a similar story-- control your portions and count the calories. Wine is, in my opinion, the best bet. It's socially acceptable to nurse a glass of wine forever, you have a variety of flavors and styles to choose from, and it's not mixed with anything carbonated or high in sugar/calories to add to its negative impact. Also, there are proven health benefits to red wine in particular, provided it's consumed in moderation (1 glass per day). Don't be surprised or insulted by people who caution you after reading this type of question. In the end, everyone just wants to help you succeed. Good luck!

You can do it. My preop diet was 2 weeks of nothing but skim mail and Water. Honestly by the end of the first week, I didn't want anything. At all. Yes, it was bad, but I made it through, and it actually did help prepare me for the diet stages after the surgery. After 2 weeks of milk, a whole week of Protein shakes was like a vacation! Just hang in there. No part of this process is really "easier" but all the parts of it get easier all the time. Good luck!

Suziecat, I have a part-time family. My best friend lives with me at the moment, and her husband lives here part-time (long story...he's a nurse working in another city and is having trouble finding a position to transfer to here, but his schedule basically allows him to work a week, then have a week off). My friend has always been my biggest supporter. She went with me to the seminars, accompanied me to my surgery, and helped me out during my recovery. Her husband is a great guy, but he doesn't know much about the band (despite being a nurse), so he's a bit clueless at times. Like, he made a stir-fry thing for dinner last night and I think he was a bit hurt that I didn't eat it, but right now it's so important to me to count every gram of Protein and to make sure I'm getting enough, that I was just afraid to. He also never cooks with recipes or keeps track while cooking, so I couldn't program it into Myfitnesspal to track everything. I felt a bit bad, but being successful is hugely important to me, so I stuck to my guns. My doctors never forbid anything, including pastas or salads, but it's always protein first, so if I want spaghetti and meatballs, I have to eat the meatballs first, then only have as much spaghetti as fills out my 1 cup serving. So usually, it ends up just being meatballs. I keep track of calories mostly automatically, not because it's that important to me. Since I use Myfitnesspal to track my protein, it automatically tracks calories too, and I like knowing what the general ballpark I'm in is like. I got myself to 1000 yesterday and plan to keep it there. I know for myself that my base calories needs are just under 2000 (I'm a total shortie) so if I don't keep my intake well under 1500, I absolutely won't lose. Plus, the 2000 calorie figure is an overestimation for me. While that's what all the formulas come out to, I actually have a naturally very slow metabolism - I have to reduce drug dosages and wait longer between doses than normal, as well. So no more than 1200 is really my safe zone. Doing well so far today, hope everyone else is, too.

While you're still so close to surgery, you're still dealing with Fluid retention, gas, bloating, and unhappy tissues that were handled during the surgery. Your weight right now is about as accurate as pulling the number out of your hat. Honestly, the best thing to do is to stay away from the scale until you're fully healed, about 4-6 weeks out from surgery. If you find that impossible, at least make sure to only weigh yourself 1-2 per week until you've fully settled into being a good, healthy bandster. Then, you have to remember that weight fluctuates daily, even from hour to hour, and it always will. Lots of little things can affect the scale -- fluid, sodium, barometric pressure, bowel and bladder content, the gravitational pull of the sun. Seriously, your weight will ALWAYS change. The important thing is to remember that the pattern is what's important. If you go up several times over several weigh ins over several days or weeks, THEN start to worrying and reevaluate your eating and exercise. But a random weigh in so soon after surgery isn't worth the scale it's appearing on.

It's possible, or it's possible that you may just be inflamed and irritated. If I were you, I would stick with liquids for tonight and tomorrow until you can call your doctor. He may want to see you, but the easiest thing on your band right now is liquids, not mushies or soft foods. If there's no slip, the liquids will help the inflammation go down faster so you can gradually build back up to solids.

Be careful with seeking to feel full. The band's "restriction" effect is not supposed to make you feel full. It's supposed to keep you from feeling hungry between meals, hopefully for at least 4 hours. Most people can eat more than 1 cup at a sitting, but successful bandsters eat their one cup and stop. They don't necessarily feel full, but they feel satisfied (not hungry) for several hours until it's time to eat again. Some few lucky people seem to experience fullness, but more commonly, the feeling is satiety, which is a bit different. I could definitely eat more than I do at one sitting, but when I finish my 1 cup of food, I am no longer hungry and that satisfaction lasts me about 3 hours or so. Because I can't go 4 or more hours yet, I am hoping for another fill at my next appointment, but I'm only looking for the fill, not the full!

Shopping around is not a bad idea, especially if you live in or near a major metropolitan area. Here in the Portland metro area, there are at least two centers of excellence to choose from. You don't want to be so far from your surgeon that you have trouble making follow up appointments, but based on the posts here, it sounds like prices can vary widely. Your health is a vital decision to make, but there's no reason to pay more than necessary. Good luck!

Yes! Vomiting is a leading cause of band slips. The more you vomit the higher the chances. The best thing to do is rest your band by going on liquids then slowly building back up to solids. If you still have trouble, call your doctor.

Actually, I think having no gall bladder when going in for surgery might be an advantage. My surgeon routinely prescribes medication after surgery to prevent gall stones from forming, since rapid weight loss can cause them and he doesn't want to have to do emergency gall bladder removal so soon after the band placement surgery!

Yay for your successful walk, Suziecat! And kudos for the Protein first and chewing. I admit, the devil on my shoulder occasionally wants me to chew less to "test" my band to see if there's any restriction there at all. I have to slap it down and remind myself that not following the rules is how I ended up a year out from surgery and less than 25 lbs down. So I still chew chew chew. I made a dinner last night for the whole house to share, and it felt good to be eating what everyone else did, even if it took them 10 minutes to wolf it down and me 45 minutes to chew through it. I want to live as normal a life as possible, so being off Protein shakes and Soup helps me with that feeling. I'm having a small bit of anxiety over what to eat today, but I know I have the right things in the house, so I just need to get creative. I also have a suspicion that my losses are going to need me to up my calories to keep up. It's always hard for me to get many in on healthy mushies and liquids, so I've been mostly under 800-900 all week and the scale slowed down today. I'm going to try for 1000-1200 today and grit my teeth if the first couple of days don't show we'll on the scale. I know in the long run, I'll be more satisfied and lose more consistently that way. Hope everyone has a great day!

500 is very low. The danger with keeping calories at that level is that you could trick your body into thinking it's actually starving. If it thinks that, it will slow down your metabolism and cling like a pit bull to every last pound you currently carry around. Most recommendations that I've seen have been to try to get around at least 1000. My main goal is to keep under 1200. Some days I get a little more and some a lot less, but it basically balances out. I also find personally that if I vary things so that I don't eat the same number every day I do better. Good luck with your fill!

Eating out of boredom is pretty similar. You need to develop coping mechanisms and focus of telling the difference between hunger and head hunger. I also think it's important not to cut out foods you love or to ignore your cravings. Find ways to work them in while sticking to your correct calorie and portion rules. You'll also find that if you follow the rules about eating slowly and paying attention to your food and your body, you'll find that you get a lot more satisfaction out of what you're eating. You get to savor things, which makes up a bit for eating small portions. I'm a foodie. I love really good restaurants, and I can still eat there, I just have use tricks to control my portions and listen to my band. You'll be okay. It's an adjustment, but it's actually a good one.

I understand what you're feeling, and it's not a sign you're going crazy, but it should make you think about two things: 1) You will still be able to eat almost anything you want to. Some people have trouble with things like soft bread, rice, Pasta, and tough meats. You may or may not, but nothing should be forbidden until you try it and find out it doesn't work for your band. 2) The fact that you're afraid you won't be able to eat sounds a lot like me, and a lot like many people who have misused food during their lives. It wasn't that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to eat, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to cope with not eating a whole pizza, an entire bag of chips, or a big restaurant dinner. And I can't do that any more, not if I want to succeed with my band. But the truth is, the reason I was doing that to begin with was because I had learned to use food to cover up negative feelings. Now I have to deal with those, which is hard and sucks sometimes, but I the long run, it is what's right and healthy. If you're really worried, you might think about seeing a therapist who specializes in eating disorders (there are many more than just anorexia and bulimia out there). NEDA has a feature on their website where you can search for one in your area. Living with the band is an adjustment, but it's mostly a mental adjustment, and I'm certain you can do it. Good luck!

My doctor dis not forbid anything. He said that some people have problems with bread, rice, pasta, and steak or other tough meats. He discourages sweets because of calories, but doesn't say anything is forever off the table (pun semi-intended). Carbonation was not allowed during recovery, but I was told that after that some people could handle it, and some couldn't. Personally, I decided that if I could handle carbonation, I would save it for something worthwhile, like champagne!

I have to say that I also believe it would be impossible to evaluate the efficacy of any WLS without taking into account the factor of patient compliance/non-compliance. Even when examining the failure and success rates of the more invasive surgical procedures (Roux-en-Y, BPD, DS, sleeve, etc.) results are always skewed by the inclusion of non-compliant patients in the data sets. Every single form of weight loss surgery can be made unsuccessful by the patient refusing to follow the prescribed diet plan. Patients with malabsorptive surgery may face different side effects and complications (dumping syndrome, for example) from non-compliance, but weight regain and lack of weight loss can occur following any current WLS procedure if the patient refuses to follow a post surgery diet. A patient with LAGB can regain weight if not eating small portions, not eating only when physically hungry, not eating lean Protein as the largest component of the diet, eating high-calorie/low satiety (slider) foods, or by consuming large amounts of liquid calories. A gastric bypass patient can regain by doing the very same things. The GBP surgery may make this unpleasant by causing dumping syndrome, and the initial restriction of amount eaten may work for a while, but continual overeating can stretch gastric tissues to nullify the original restrictive effect. In my mind, this means that ALL types of WLS must be evaluated using all the available data, including that on non-compliant patients. Now, I say that mainly based on issues surrounding diet. As far as prescribed exercise goes, I have known several successful band patients who did not include exercise as part of their post-surgery program, or who only added it after a great deal of initial weight loss that was not aided by exercise. For some of them, it slowed their losses, but for some their loss was quick enough that I can't image what would have happened if exercise had sped it up. I'm not suggesting that exercise is not a key component to anyone's trying to lose weight, but in my mind it is not AS key as the diet changes that consequently limit calories and therefore result in weight loss. Every WLS surgery patent has a diet to follow after their surgery and in the words of my surgical team, the diet is at least, if not more important, in determining final weight lost than the initial surgery itself. After all, the point of weight loss surgery is not to reduce weight--if it were, the procedures we choose to undergo would have us all waking up in the surgical recovery room at our normal BMI goal weight. Rather, the point of surgery is to aid in patient weight loss by helping to limit the amount of calories consumed, the number of calories absorbed, or both. I don't see, knowing this, how you can possible expect to separate patient compliance from long term success rates. But that's just me.

21k???? That seems ridiculous to me unless it includes free follow up care for the rest of your life! Here in the PacNW, I paid 10,250 which included up to 24 hours in the hospital (checked in at 9, out around 4:30, but could have stayed til 9 the next morning), the surgery, and the first 3 months of follow up with fills. Now my fills are a bit pricey, but I can deal with that because I know once I get to the green zone they will be few and far between. The only other money I had to pay was for my per-surgery psych evaluation (~$400). Your 21k quote sound a bit silly. If I were you, I'd do some shopping around!

I think that if your band can tolerate the food texture, you don't need to rule them out, just eat in moderation and count the calories. Some ideas also are to try making your own versions at home with healthy ingredients. Just off the top of my head, I would try my favorite pizza dough recipe (quick, no knead and makes a nice, thin crust) with whole wheat flour for extra Fiber and Protein. Top with cooked Italian turkey sausage and fat free cheese and veggies to make it satisfying, up the protein, and keep the calories down. Same with Mac and cheese. Substitute whole wheat, high fiber Pasta and fat free cheeses. And cottage cheese for higher protein and eat a small amount as a part of a lean protein (fish or chicken) meal. One of the reasons I got the band was to not have to completely eliminate any foods. Just be sure to get your protein first, use moderation (band rules!), and count all the calories.

The medical information I have read says that when the band is originally placed, it goes around the top of the stomach, which is surrounded by a fat pad, so basically there is a layer of fat between the actual stomach wall and the band. As you lose weight, the size of the fat pad decreases even thought the stomach stays pretty much the same, so it is normal to feel less restriction after losing weight. That's why the band was made to be adjustable, so that it can be tightened to account for the loss of the fat pad to maintain restriction. You probably just need a small fill to get right back to where you were. I think you're lucky. I have still never been in the green zone and I have ridiculous amounts of fill. But, until it works properly, I just keep seeing my doctor and relying on her care. Good luck!

Cottage cheese, pickle relish, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. The cottage cheese gives it the salady texture and also ups the protein, so win-win.

Suziecat, good for you for talking to the woman who bashed the band instead of just writing her off as a lost cause. I'm sure that having you to help and encourage her will be a huge benefit to her with her sleeve. Well, I went back to solid foods yesterday and so far I'm disappointed not to feel much from my band. I am pretty satisfied after a small meal, but I'm still getting hungry again after about 2 hours, so I guess no green zone yet for me. That makes me really relieved to know I have another appointment in just over a week, so I can get another adjustment. The upside is that by going back to following the rules, I have lost a couple of pounds already, so I am happy about that. I just can't wait until the band starts working so that it's not just me on another diet. Trying to stay optimistic here. Hope everyone else is, too.

I'm actually fairly certain that I'm not a nation in central Eastern Europe, but beyond that, things start to get fuzzy. While I was off the bandwagon, I forgot all the rules about listening to my body and my band to determine what was hunger and what was head hunger. Actually, it would be more correct to say that I ignored all those rules, and now that I'm trying to pay attention again, I think my skills have rusted. I'm not sure I was ever very good at really distinguishing between head hunger and real hunger, but at the moment, making that distinction seems harder than ever. Maybe it's because I was a slacker for so long, or maybe it's because during the coming ten days, making the distinction is going to be the difference between getting an additional fill at my next appointment and not getting one. I think the pressure is getting to me. I'm back on solids today and trying to tell how long one of my small meals is really lasting me, and I'm having trouble deciding. I know the only thing to do is to track my calories, get all my protein and keep at it, but that isn't actually helping my confusion. For now, I think I'll just eat my meals and wait for my stomach to growl and know that does mean I'm hungry. And maybe I'll learn what a soft stop is before I hit my 10 year bandiversary. :-)

Everyone is different, but I think the comment about it taking 3.5 months to lose anything was just an example of two important things to remember: 1) weight loss in the first 4-6 weeks should be thought of a a huge, surprise bonus. Until that period is over, your body is too busy healing for it to want to give up a lot of weight. Many people who lose huge amounts right away started off with more weight to lose. In general, the more you weigh the faster you lose because your body needs to burn more calories just on basic functions. 2) real weight loss doesn't start for a lot of people (me included) until the band is properly adjusted, which can take many fills and doctor visits to accomplish. Anyone who loses weight before the band starts working is really just a successful dieter, not necessarily a band success. I think what everyone has said is right. Just relax, follow the rules, and the weight WILL start to come off. Good luck!

Love, love, love this thread. Your stories are all so inspiring and have really helped me not to feel so bad about myself for my own band experience. To sum up, I got my band in Feb 2012, about a year after a dear friend of mine got hers and had tremendous success. I thought I was prepared, that I wasn't expecting a miracle cure, and that I knew what I would have to do to succeed. As it turned out, I shouldn't have been feeling quite so superior. I lost on the preop diet and for about the first 8-10 weeks afterward. Then the loss stalled and I kept losing and regaining the same 2-4 lbs over and over. I kept getting fills, but they never seemed to make a difference, so eventually (about 8 months in) I just lost heart and gave up. Since I had never felt my band go to work, I had no trouble going back to my old eating habits, even with 8cc in my 11cc band (I know, even my doctor admits it's unusual, but she says it does happen occasionally). For 6 months I did nothing, except eat and sulk. Luckily (and probably because of the band) I managed to keep off at least a few of the pounds I lost, but I still felt like a failure. Then I got a notice that I would have to change doctors as the one who did my original surgery had left the practice, so I decided this was the time to start over, see the doctor for the first time in 6 months, and get myself back on track. I had my appointment last Wednesday. My new doctor is great! She made me take responsibility for not following the eating rules and for letting all the time pass without fills or follow up, but she agreed that we need to get my band working as quickly as possible. I got a 1cc fill(now at 9cc total...after checking to be sure there really were 8cc in before) and I have been slowly working my way back into banded life for the last few days. Today, I'm getting back to solids again, so now is when I start to figure out if this last fill was enough to help my band work. I'm not sure yet, since I admit I just had tuna so far, which is on the mushy side. Still, I'm happy and optimistic knowing that my doctor scheduled me for a follow up apt for two weeks from our last visit and said I could have more fill then if I need it. So I completely understand all the struggles everyone here has expressed. It makes me feel awesome to know I'm not the only one who has struggled, so that you all for sharing and for letting me share as well. I'm certain we all have the ability to succeed, and I can't wait to watch you all get to exactly where you want to be.

I'm curious... I was told by my surgical team (surgeon, nurses, and nutritionist) to wait a minute between bites of food, and I've always felt a bit like I'm cheating by only waiting 30 seconds. After I chew my bite to mush and finish swallowing, I set my spoon or fork down and count down from 30 before I go for another bite. Part of me feels like I'm cheating, but eating 1/2 - 3/4 cup of food this way takes me at least 20-30 minutes. I feel like if I wait a full minute, I'd take an hour at each meal, not to mention how cold hot food would get before I finished it. So I'm curious about what everyone else does. Do you time yourself a full minute? More? Less? Not time at all? How does it work for you?

B-52, actually, it makes a lot of sense. I ate dinner tonight with the 1 minute rule, and it took me 1 hr 20 minutes to finish my 2.5 oz of fish and 1/2 c of cottage cheese. I felt ridiculous, and frankly, I was bored with eating long before I was done or satisfied. I've never been a rapid eater, but I do understand that making a new bandster count down a minute after each bite really emphasizes the idea that slow eating, lots of chewing, and small bites it fundamental to success.