kpeterson1965

Congratulations on your decision. I was banded on May 29th and have lost 28 lbs so far. Two things I can tell you related to your question is #1, patience is key, and #2, the amount of weight you lose is dependent on how much effort you put into the entire process. Let me explain both. Patience - it has taken me 3 months to get to the "sweet spot" where the band has just the right amount of restriction. I can eat enough food to be healthy without vomiting it up, but feel full faster and stay full longer and am losing weight. I had several fills and one unfill, then another fill to get to the right spot. Effort - it is not a magic mechanism. You have to eat the right foods, in the right order, exercise, drink tons of liquids, etc. You must follow the instructions your Dr. gives you to a tee. Example: I could probably still eat 2 big slices of pizza even though I am banded. Pizza is really greasy and slides right through the band. If I eat 3 oz of lean mean, 1/2 cup of vegetables and a little yogurt, I'm full for at least 4-5 hours. Huge calorie difference. It really is a lifestyle change. You have to change the way you eat for life. You have to be in control, almost to the point of being obsessive, at least until you've adopted good habits for good. It also helps to attend support group meetings, journal your foods and exercise. People who do those things are more successful than those who don't. The person who only lost 20 lbs maybe didn't follow through on fills, getting to the right restriction zone, and could have snacked on foods throughout the day, ate the wrong types of foods, etc. There are many ways you can fail, but you CHOOSE to fail. And to ultimately answer your question, yes I do get the "ok stop eating now feeling" but I will say it is more subtle than I had expected. It could be different for different people. Good luck on your journey, You won't regret it, I don't!

Since I first posted this, I had 0.4 ccs removed and immediately could eat again without vomiting. It was not pleasant, but probably a good thing to experience it so I now know what it feels like to be too tight. Wednesday I had a follow-up appt. and dr. put 0.2 back in. I can tell I'm tighter already and hoping that this will be the sweet spot. It is so weird that such a small adjustment makes such a big difference. It is such a learning experience, where everyday you learn something new. Anyone else at the sweet spot? How many fills did it take?

Thanks. I called after I wrote this and have an appointment for Wednesday morning. I hope to get some answers.

My mom will be 78 this September and had Lap Band surgery 5 years ago. She weighed well over 300lbs pre-surgery and has lost about 60 pounds and has kept it off. Like you, she can't really exercise because she can't get around very well to begin with. I would suggest the pool for exercise. I also agree with the Sojourner in that you need to get enough protein each day. I also am banded and find that if I journal my food intake every day, it keeps me on track to get nutritional calories in, and I tend to lose. Congrats on your 35 lb loss!

Is anyone else experiencing an inconsistent band? I had my third fill a little over 2 weeks ago and am at 7.0 ccs in a 10 cc band. I have had many "stuck" episodes. Some where food isn't really stuck, but kind of hurts going down. I can not eat any type of chicken breast or turkey breast, even the moist deli kind. It comes right back up. But then on the other hand, I've been able to eat a LOT of pizza at one sitting with no problem and didn't get full until I'd had about 2 1/2 slices of a medium pizza. Can anyone explain that? I wasn't drinking any liquid with the pizza either. Could it be the high fat/oil content of the pizza making it so slippery as to slide right past the band? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

Same here. It could be gas. Also, my (non-medically-backed) theory is that the band has caused the brain to be confused, not knowing what signals to send out. One minute I feel like I'm starving, the next no hunger pangs at all. I am starting to get the "full" feeling they talk about. I have been stopping eating when I start to feel it, but then I doesn't last very long since I'm still on liquids. Hoping once I get on solid food, it will last longer. Hope that helps.

I was nervous too. Just had mine last Tuesday. The worst part for me was the first couple of hours after surgery, but then after that I was amazed how quickly I recovered. I am on day 3 post op today and didn't even take my pain meds today. Took my kids to Lego Land and felt great. My advice would be to do EXACTLY what your docs tell you and you shouldn't have any problems. Good luck and keep up posted.

It's official! I made it to the banded side. So glad to be here!

I am May 29th.

My surgery is scheduled for the Tuesday after Labor Day, yikes! I will NOT be drinking alcohol that weekend, but it will be hard since I have a two graduation parties to attend. I tell myself, I can get through it, it's only temporary. Life will get more back to normal down the road post-op. I hope, anyway. Good luck on Friday and hang in there.

I don't start my pre-op diet until next week, but my instructions include a protein shake for breakfast and lunch and then lean meat and vegetables for dinner. It sounds like you would benefit mentally by eating a little bit of lean meat such as chicken breast or fish. I've also heard that some drs. allow hard boiled egg whites. It seems strange that so many people have been given different pre-op instructions. Anyone agree?

Mine is set for May 29th, and I will be starting my liquid diet in one week. So how is the liquid diet going so far?