morelgirl

Morning exercise is generally recommended because the effect of exercise on your metabolism lingers for a while after you finish, so the thought is that if you exercise in the morning, your metabolism will be revved up during the day when you're most likely to be taking in calories. But the bottom line is actually that the best time for exercise is whenever you're most likely to do it. If your schedule works best with evening exercise, then that's when you should do it. Good luck.

Beans, if you like them. When I was on that stage, puréed black beans with a little bit of melted cheese puréed in or some sour cream on top was one of my favorites. Beans are good for protein and they purée up really well with even a stick blender. I still like them a day or two after a fill before I'm back on solids.

Thanks, everyone. Looks like I'll be upping my count and making a trip to the microwave halfway through meal time! And lingering at the table by myself. :-P

Thanks. It means a lot to be back on track, and also to know that someone is listening and understands what I'm talking about. :-)

So I made a couple of forums posts that explained what happened to me, so I won't rehash it. Suffice it to say that frustration both psychological and financial made me give up on my band for the past 6 months, but on Wednesday, I got my first fill since August of last year. It brought me up to 9 cc in my 11cc band, which still scares me a bit, but this is what's happened so far... I spent Wednesday and Thursday on liquids, progressing to a thick puréed black bean soup last night for dinner. Today I'm going a stage further having the rest of the black bean soup for lunch without the purée-ing. It's still extremely soft and barely more textured than a purée, but I wanted the practice of chewing something slowly and thoroughly to get me back in practice. Plus, it's easier for me to remember to wait between bites when there's actually something to bite onto, even if it's a mushy black bean. Getting back into the habits necessary to live with the band is big for me, since I haven't used them in months. The weirdest thing happened during lunch, though. Eating slowly and chewing bites, I ate 1/2 a cup of soup with sour cream on top and stopped. I'm trying to listen HARD to the band, and after 1/2 a cup, it told me I was satisfied. How weird is that? I don't know if I'll be hungry again in an hour, but if I am, I still have the leftovers (every last calorie allowed and accounted for) to eat to make the hunger go away. I don't know if I've actually ached restriction and am trying to remember that I won't know for potentially a week or two after the fill. But I also know that I have a follow up appointment in 12 days and a new doctor who is more than willing to do whatever it takes to get my fill right and get me to the sweet spot I'm still searching for. So, you know what? It's all good. I'm good, and I'll only get better.

It will get better, but the most important thing to remember is that you're pin bandster hell right now, and you won't be getting out of it until you achieve green zone restriction. That can take several fills. I'm on my 6th fill and I'm not quite certain I'm there, but I think I'm getting close. Honestly, the best (and hardest) advice I have is to stay off the scale. Losing weight before restriction in extremely hard and a lot of people even gain during this time. If seeing the numbers in the scale drive you bonkers, the only way to avoid that might be not to look at them until your band really starts working for you. I think if I had followed this advice, I would not have had such a difficult time myself, but it's never too late to do the right thing. Good luck!

I was very happy to find this thread, even though I have mixed feeling about the title. I was banded on 2/1/2012 in a remarkably easy procedure. My recovery flew by and I started the fill procedure exactly 4 weeks after my surgery. Over the course of eight months, I had a total of five fills that brought my level to 8.0cc in an 11cc band. I never reached noticeable restriction, let alone the green zone opr my sweet spot. I thought I knew that bandster hell lasted from the day of surgery top the first it e restriction was achieved, and I thought I was prepared for that. Wow, was I wrong. I couldn't understand how I could possibly be only 3cc from the stated capacity of my band and not feel a single thing even close to restriction. In fact, I felt not different than I had before the and went in. If I hadn't had the receipts on file (I was self pay), I would have thought I'd hallucinated the entire experience. After than that fill in August 2012, I went off the rails. Frustration overwhelmed me, and combined with a financial pinch that made further appointments with my surgeon impossible for several months, I gave up. So in that sense, I failed my band. But I can also honestly say that my band hadn't done much to help me succeed. I know that if I had been able to continue with my appointments, I would have eventually reached restriction before now, so it does all end up as my responsibility. I either case, shortly after the new year, I received a notice that my surgeon had left the practice he'd been with when my band was implanted and that I would need to transfer my care to one of his colleagues. Having sorted out the money situation, I felt the first stirring of hope in a long while, and I made an appointment to see the other doctor. It was the best thing that could possibly have happened. I adore my new doctor. She totally understood my feelings without letting me deny my responsibility for my own actions, which had resulting in my regaining half of the weight I had lost since beginning my surgery prep. She also understood that there's no way for the band to work effectively until I have achieved restriction, so she proposed a plan of aggressive follow up, gave me a full 1cc fill, and scheduled an additional appointment for me two weeks from the day with a promise of further fills until I achieve restriction and am able to get my band journey moving along, All that gave me hope, but finding this forum has given me so much comfort. Knowing I'm not alone in not having a smooth path from day 1 is so comforting. Knowing I'm not the only one who hasn't lost 50 lbs or more in the first year after banding has totally made my day. I admire every me on this thread for having the courage to share, and I thank you for letting me share as well. You rock!

I can feel the needle going in, but it's honestly less painful than a blood draw. Your abdomen has fewer nerve ending per square inch than a lot of other spots, after all. You can't actually feel the band tightening or anything, so just think of it as your weight loss booster shot! :-)

I had my band (Realize, 11 cc) implanted on February 1, 2012, so a little over a year ago, which seems a bit surreal, but today I had the most exciting appointment since my initial consultation. No, it wasn't because I reached my goal (oh, I wish!!!), but because it made me excited about my band again. I had a remarkably easy surgical experience. Maybe too easy. I was home barely five hours after surgery with nothing to report but that pesky shoulder pain. My surgery was on Wednesday, and I was back at work by Monday. Since the completion of my initial healing, I've never had any negative symptoms from having the band. In fact, there have been days when I have, unfortunately, wondered if the doctor told the truth about putting the darned thing in. To say I haven't reached my sweet spot is an understatement. For the first 6 months, I was careful, followed my surgeon's and nutritionist's guidelines, and lost about 25 lbs. Hardly a miracle, but I was happy. To me, that was real, noticeable progress, and I was fine with a slow rate of loss. I wanted to hit my sweet spot, but my surgeon was filling me slowly, and i still wasn't feeling restriction. Then I hit month 7. And month 8. I went up to 8 ccs in my band. The loss slowed to a crawl and stopped altogether. I got discouraged. I got angry. Most of all, I got hungry. So, I ate. I stopped stopping when my plate was empty and started looking to feel full. I started to regain weight. And I went through a period where (as a self-pay patient) I just couldn't find a way to spend the money required for a follow up and fill appointment with my surgeon. I regained more of what I'd lost. It kind of sucked. Then, just after the new year, I got a notice from my doctor's office that the surgeon who had installed my band and done my follow up had left the practice, and I would need to transfer my case to one of his colleagues. I also got a handle on my finances, so I called and made my first appointment in 6 months. That appointment was this morning. I LOVE my new doctor, for a lot of reasons. She wasn't easy on me; she made me take responsibility for my lack of progress and my regain, but she understood my frustration. She agreed that the band couldn't be expected to really do its job if I wasn't experiencing any restriction. She first checked to be sure my fill really was at 8 ccs, and it was. I had no leaks to blame. While it is unusual for a patient to not experience any restriction at that level, she reassured me that it wasn't unheard of. I wasn't the only person to ever be in this position. She proposed a new plan for my band experience and she made me happy and hopeful and optimistic again, the way I felt when I first got my band. I'm in love. Today, I got an extra 1 cc in my band, bringing me to 9 cc total. I'm on liquids for at least the rest of the day and probably tomorrow as well, but I feel entirely different MENTALLY and I really believe that's the most important thing for me right now. My new doctor also made my next appointment for me before I even left the exam room--for 2 weeks from today. She agreed that getting me to my sweet spot is hugely important and that if I have to go in every two weeks, or even every week, until we get the fit of my band exactly right, then that is what we will do. WE will work together and WE WILL get this band to work. End of story. Today, I feel marvelous. My new doctor is even better than my old one (who I was never unhappy with) and she said exactly the things that I needed to hear to get me back on this journey. She reminded me that I CAN be successful, but that my lack of success so far is not ALL my fault (for someone who has failed at every diet known to man or god before this, hearing this is HUGE). I am not blameless, and I know where I've gone wrong, but I can't be expected to succeed with the band until the band goes to work, and having the doctor acknowledge that and take steps to fix the problem means more to me than I can say. Today, I am starting over, and today I am ecstatic. Today is the next first step to becoming a successful bandster. Go me!

Thanks so much to everyone whop responded. I'll admit, a part of me is still dealing with a little shame, the part that's says, "in a year of having the band, you should have been able to lose X amount of weight and keep it off, you failure." Bit I'm doing my best to ignore that part and remember that the band is a tool, and that no tool will do a job by itself, nor will it work if it's not correctly tuned up and used. So there.

Oh, I should say that the only time I can feel things going through normally is if I haven't chewed well enough. That's definitely noticeable, but if you chew every bite really well, you should be fine.

It depends on how tight your band is. In the beginning, as long as you're sufficiently healed, you probably won't notice much. I didn't (started solids around 4 weeks post op). The only thing you may notice is that small amounts fill you up fairly fast, but if you can actually feel the food going through the band, you may not be quite healed enough for solids. After fills, if you can feel stuff going through, you might be a bit too tight.

4.2 does sound like a substantial 1st fill, but not insane, and I don't think it's a lot to have 4.2cc in a 10cc band. You can see my fill progression in my signature, but at the moment I have 7cc in my 11cc band, so 4.2 doesn't seem like too much. Everyone is different though, so as long as you can get down foods and liquids, I'm sure you're fine.

Knowledge and a sense of humor!

Oh, wow, I remember how good that day felt! Everyone goes with mashed potatoes once they get to mushies, and boy do they taste good after liquids. They're a better choice if you can make them with less butter (fat free cream cheese works ) and as a carb, try not to overdo it. One of my favorites in that stage was pureed black bean Soup with non-fat sour cream and salsa. Yummy! Good luck and enjoy the expanded menu!

Yay! I finally hit my first self-imposed goal: 25 lbs down!!! WooHOO! (******cue dancing poodles and waving sparklers******) Tomorrow will mark 3 months of being banded (surgery was Feb 1st), and in that time (well, including pre-surgery liquid diet) I have lost 25 lbs. Forgive me for repeating myself so often, but this is big for me. I think one of the reasons I set my first goal as one that would take some time to accomplish was because I needed hard evidence that this "band thing" could actually work for me, that I might finally have found a way to lose the weight I've been battling for as long as I can remember (I was a normal kid until I started school at age 5... I don't remember what it feels like not to be heavy). Trust me, I've been on every diet on earth, and I've always been able to lose a little weight, but it was always a slow, hard battle and it always seemed to take forever to see results, so I needed to set myself a goal that would be a "real" loss, not just the 5 or 10 or even 15 lbs I've lost so many times before. Been there, done that, gained it back plus some, not impressed. With 25 lbs, I'm finally impressed. Dieting has been part of my life since I was 9 years old. In that time, I can't count the number of pounds I've lost and regained (and gained and gained). Also in that time I've tried every diet in creation, and let me tell you, they've all of them had one thing in common: they sucked! All of them felt like a constant battle, pitting me and my willpower again my hunger and my love of flavor (I would say love of food, but in this case I'm really not talking about food as comfort or emotional band-aid, but as a pleasurable sensory experience). Every time I've dieted, I've felt miserable and constantly walking a tightrope over the canyon of all the things I wasn't allowed to eat. In the past, keeping myself limited to 1500 calories a day felt like absolute torture. Seriously, it should have been covered by the Geneva convention. But with the band that's all different. I eat between 800-1200 calories a day (usually around 1000) and I'm only hungry when it's actually time for a meal or a snack. I enjoy everything I eat, but I'm able to stop myself when I've either had my allotted portion or I'm feeling satisfied. I'm able to eat things that truly give me pleasure and stay in control so I don't overdo it. I just can't describe what an amazing feeling that it. It just rocks. The band has changed my life in so many ways that can only be called positive. I finally have hope... no, I finally have confidence that I can and will take off this burdensome weight. I might not be one of those people who loses every excess pound within the first 6 or 9 or even 12 months, but now I know that it will come off. Let me sit with that for a minute, because that's huge. This is the first time in my life I've ever been able to say that and really mean it. That makes my heart swell with happiness. I can do this now, with the help of my band. I can and I will. So, my next goal is a little one: 5 more lbs for 30 lbs total. It's a small one because it will encompass 2 accomplishments in one shot. First, it will be the most I've lost in one attempt in my adult life, and second, it will put me back in onederland, 2 things I've been hoping for for a long time. Plus, hey, 30 lbs is a great round number. I can hardly wait. Even better, I know I won't be waiting long.

Luvbug, please don't feel discouraged. I was banded on Feb 1st, and I've "only" lost 25 lbs. I, too, have days when I look at how much other people are losing and I wonder why that's not me, but it's really important to remind yourself (and myself!) that comparisons aren't helpful. Try to keep these few things in mind: Everyone has a different body and a different metabolic rate. Personally, my metabolism is positively sluggish. Not only is weight loss always slow for me, so is everything else, like metabolizing drugs. They take noticeably longer to pass through my system than they're supposed to. Part of that may be my decades of yoyo dieting, but part of it is likely genetic. Maybe your metabolism is also on the slow side. The heavier a person is at the time of surgery, they faster they will lose weight afterward. I started with a BMI of around 43, so fairly high but not in the realm of needing to lose 200 lbs. Heavier people lose faster. Men lose faster, the jerks! (Just kidding!!!!) People with more muscle mass lose faster. That's just one of those truths you can't change. Outside medical conditions can slow weight loss, for instance PCOS (which I have) is notorious for making it difficult to lose. Certain medicines can slow down the rate of loss, as well. The same methods don't work the same way for everyone. For example, I see people losing on 400-600 calories a day. If I drop much below a thousand, my weight loss stops. I also see people losing on 1500 calories a day. If I go above 1250, my weight loss stops. Also, I lose more if I don't eat the same number of calories day in and day out. If I vary with some low days and some high days, I lose more. Some people lose better on high protein/low carb, but I do not. If I cut my carbs too low, not only do I feel physically not as healthy, but my weight loss slows down. Some people exercise an hour a day every day. Some people exercise not at all. I'm in the middle. You need to experiment with what works for you. And finally, slowing slowly but steadily is not a bad thing. All of the literature on weight loss with the band suggests that 1-2 lbs a week is the goal amount to lose. Not only is this healthy and relatively "easy" to achieve, but it also means that the body and organs--most particular the largest organ the SKIN--have more time to adjust to the lose. That means slow losers are likely to have LESS excess skin than those who lose super fast. So look on the bright side on that one. The bottom like is that I understand how hard it is to remember all this when you see people who were banded 2 months after you and have already lost twice as much weight, but that doesn't make any of it less than true. It IS true, and in the end, I don't care how fast I lose this weight. I just want to lose it forever. Hope some of this helps. Good luck.

Boy, yes! In the beginning, I felt like a frat boy with all my belching! It has calmed down in the last few weeks, though I do still burp more than I did before surgery. I think it's just a matter of there being less space for gas to escape through, but that's just my theory. I still get a little embarrassed, but luckily my friends and family just find it amusing.

Yes and yes. Pain can also slow healing. That's why your doctor prescribes medication and there are limits on lifting, etc., after surgery. Rest is the best thing for your body, as is relaxation. Think of your body in this case a little bit like a computer. If you ask it to do one thing at a time (heal), it does it very well and very efficiently, but every time you ask it to do an additional task (deal with stress, move a lot, lift things, exercise, work, etc.) it has to divide up its resources so each of the tasks gets a little less power behind it. The best way to heal is to take things slow, get lots of rest and fluids, and try to reduce stress. Once you're done healing, your body can go back to its regular multitasking with no problem.

I was banded in February (2/1) and the only problem I've had so far is that I've had no problems! I mean, sometimes it's hard to remember I have a band because I can eat all foods with no sticking, no PBing, and no acid reflux. I've never had any pain beyond the first couple of days of shoulder pain immediately after surgery. I try to follow my doctor's rules to keep myself out of trouble and it's definitely working. I feel great. I'm losing weight slowly but steadily (as long as I follow the rules. If I slip up, the loss stops). Even when I occasionally eat more than I should, it's nowhere in the same universe as how much I ate before the band. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. And this is all even before I've reached what I would call "restriction." I know there's been a lot of negativity lately, but a lot of people were shaken up by recent events. Also, the boards seem to be cyclical, from what I've seen... meaning everything will go along calmly and positively, then there will be a couple of weeks of all bad all the time. Then it calms down again. Try not to worry. As I said, I've had zero problems in the 3 full months I've been banded. I would have the surgery again in a NY minute. Only you can decide if it's right for you, but please don't let a skewed sample like the boards influence your decision too much. Pick a good surgeon, follow the rules, keep a positive attitude, and you'll do great, I'm sure.

Not that following the rules of being banded is the equivalent of being on a chain gang (face it, it's not hard physical labor, just a good mental work out) but I've always loved the Pretenders. I mean, how cool is Chrissie Hynde? I got myself back on track as of Tuesday, and I've had a few good days this week. Of course, I'm also back to weighing myself obsessively (give and take, I suppose), so I'm trying to remember that it's normal for weight to fluctuate day-to-day, so having the scale go down steadily for a couple of days then be up a bit today is not really a sign of the coming apocalypse. Nor is it any reason to quit doing what I'm doing. Put down the chips, ma'am. Step away from the chips. Overall, I'm feeling pretty good. Since I just had my last dress fitting for my BFF's wedding, I could definitely be feeling worse. Do I love the way I look in my dress? No. It's okay. It's a good style for my body type and the color is really nice for me, but in my mind, I won't look good in a dress for at least another 30 lbs. But, I do like that I don't have to worry about whether or not I can wear it again, since by the next time I have an occasion for a really nice dress, it ought to be way too big for me. That keeps me feeling pretty positive. It's the little things, right? So things are pretty good. The wedding is one week from tomorrow, meaning that's one level of stress I get to shed. I just need to take one day at a time, especially while the BFF is away on her honeymoon, since that's someone who can't hold me accountable during that time. I'll need to do the heavy lifting myself. But you know what, I've built up some fairly big bandster muscles over the last 3 months. I'm pretty sure I got this.

First, take a deep breath. It's going to be OK!!! It is not at all unusual to gain weight once you begin to transition off liquids and onto mushies and solids. Generally these foods have more calories, plus I know that once I was allowed something other than liquids, my appetite came back with a vengeance, so I just wanted to eat more. You should almost expect to gain some weight between surgery and starting to get fills, because your band is not yet operational!!! This is very important to remember. The band is designed not to work with liquids and mushies, but to work with SOLID foods like chicken or other meats, vegetables, etc. Liquids and mushies rush right through the band so it can't do much to control those portions. It CAN control portions of solid foods because they take longer to pass through the band and spend time sitting in the pouch, thereby creating the feeling of fullness. Right now, your band isn't working, it's just settling in and your body is still healing. Once you're healed and your doctor begins adding saline to your band to tighten it far enough to give you restriction, that's when you can expect to really see weight loss. That's why this period (between surgery and fill restriction) is called Bandster Hell. It's a struggle. Trust me. Now, if you're really freaked out about the gain, there are a few things you can do. First, make sure you're obeying all your doctor's/nutritionist's instructions, but if you've got that covered you can and should also be tracking your calories (I use MyFitnessPal and I LOVE it). Your nutritionist may have given you guidelines for how man y calories to eat, but if not, most women do fairly well eating somewhere between 800-1200 calories per day. Keeping in that range might require you to chose alternative foods (fat free cheese, a baked potato mashed with skim milk as opposed to mashed potatoes with butter and cream, low-calorie cream soups, for example). Also, definitely make sure you're drinking enough Water for many reasons: it can help curb hunger, thirst is sometimes mistaken for hunger, it aids healing and helps your metabolism work more efficiently, and more. If you control your calories and drink plenty of water, you should be able to control weight gain until you have restriction, but I won't lie that it will be easy. Remember, it's Bandster Hell. But I think the most important thing to remember is that it's NORMAL to not lose or to even gain weight at this stage. Once you're healed, on solid foods, and have enough fill to restrict your eating, the weight WILL start to come off. Good luck!

I wouldn't call it a mushy, but more of a soft solid. So one stage past mushy.