parisshel

I purposefully keep my band in the forefront of my mind, but no, I can't "feel" the physical band. (I'm one month postop.) I am aware it is there when I eat or drink (my stomach now makes noises it never made before) and of course it lets me know when I need to push back from my plate. So I wouldn't say that I forget I have a band, no. Also, my incisions still make themselves known when my dress, shirt or waistband rubs against them...no forgetting there!

I'm four weeks post op and my rules are not to use liquids as meals. It sounds like your post op rules are different---are you eating "real" foods yet? I think the fact I am not starving is because I'm eating as if I already have a fill, i.e., no more than 1 cup of food at mealtime, and I have to eat the Protein first (before the veg or fruit). This is what keeps me full. If you've been cleared for regular foods, I'd think that eating protein would help with your hunger more than eating creamy soups and Water.

Totally normal post-op. Embrace it! Your appetite will wake up soon enough and you'll long for these days when your weight just falls off of you (for a week or so).

Ha! Just had to say I love the typo in your subject line.

Congratulations on becoming a Bandster and you did the right thing IMHO by taking the two weeks off. I really was grateful not to have to go back to work quickly...my energy was all over the place post op.

Look at you! Well done!

Agree with tmf above. I'm almost 4 weeks postop. My postop loss stablized about 1.5 weeks ago; hunger started rearing its head. My portions started creeping "just a tad larger" (but nothing like before). I did not want to wait until my first fill to start the weight loss back up again. So I made a deliberate decision to eat "as if" I had my initial postop restriction, (or as if I was already in the green zone). I had reader of other LBT members doing this very thing. And the scale starting moving southward as of two days ago. Be strong. You can survive these bandster hell days. Ride out the hunger, especially the night hunger which I find easier to ride out because I can just put myself in bed (away from the kitchen!). Seeing the scale move down is very motivating and can help us make it thru Bandster Hell.

Here's what I stay out of: -Discussions about religion -Discussions about how to raise your kids and -Discussions about which diet is the "best" So, when a sleever told me that she'd "never choose a lapband", I just said "Hmmm." No reason to try and have her see why and how I made my choice. Like religion and child-rearing---my choice. You don't have to agree with me; I'm the one who lives with the results of my choice.

I was not told to discontinue caffeine; in fact coffee was served to me in the hospital post-op. What I have found, however, is a big POW from the caffeine in my morning coffee. I suspect it is due to how little food I have in there in the morning. Really, my one cup was giving me the shakes. So I switched to a decaf...and, no shakes!

Could it be that you are craving this because you are thinking you will have to avoid sugar post-band? Kind of like a food funeral? I know prior to getting banded I ate a lot of sweets--out of nervousness over what I was getting into, as well as just thinking "OMG I'll never be able to eat these again?" (Crazy, I know.) I didn't fight it because that last thing I wanted to be doing before getting my lapband was indulging in my old diet mentality--swapping something that I perceived as "light" for what I really wanted.

Are you taking any new medications or vitamines--even natural stuff? You could be having a reaction to a new substance.

I'm 3.5 weeks post op and cleared to eat most things, as long as I take small bites and chew chew chew. But still, I was apprehensive about going out to eat. I'd read so many posts about people getting stuck when in a restaurant, or always scoping out where the restroom was in case they had to leave the table to bring something up. But we had lunch out today and everything went really well! I'm so pleased! My restaurant experience was fantastic, notably because with my band, I don't have to be counting points or agonizing over the choice of restaurant (do they have low-cal options, big salads, a fruit plate, etc?) I so thrilled to be out of this "special diet" mentality (all while making band-appropriate choices, of course). The biggest and greatest difference between eating out with a band and eating out while following a "traditional calorie-limiting diet" is I had no sense of deprivation before, during or after the meal. I ordered chicken breast with a balsamic vinegar reduction sauce, and a baked potato. I cut up my chicken into little pieces, swirled them around in the lovely sauce, and spooned out a bit of the potato from its skin. I could only eat 1/2 the portion (and portions where I live--in France--are small to begin with compared restaurant servings in the States) and it was perfect. (I gave the other half to my BF to avoid comments from the chef. This is not a good longterm strategy, however, because my BF does not need to be eating both his meal and 1/2 of mine.) I left the table feeling completely satisfied and, more importantly, I really enjoyed what I ate. I didn't have to order the "lowest calorie option", nor pester the chef with a million requests ("no oil, no butter, just poach the chicken breast in Water for me please "). If I ever had any doubt that I made the right choice for myself when I chose Lapband surgery, today's experience proved that this decision I made was a positive, life-enhancing one. How wonderful to eat a small amount, feel satisfied, and not leave the table saying to myself "Why can't I eat like everybody else?" Because with the band, I can. Just smaller portions.

My feelings exactly. My very first blog post speaks to this....WW is what got me to my Lapband. Last fall, when rejoining WW for the zillionth time, I just stepped back and said I cannot do this anymore. Sure, WW got me to lose weight but never to keep it off. I was also very turned off by their lipservice to good nutrition but at the same time pushing all their packaged goods and fake foods filled with sodium and so very processed. Message to WW: you can't be all about healthy eating and good nutrition and at the same time sell your fake plastic foods. That's a real conflict of interest. I did however benefit from the group support. Which is why I love this site; it is my group support. But I was delighted to get banded, come home and through out all my WW materials. Never again!

I'm sorry to read you've had a postop complication. I hope they can resolve it easily and you get through this quickly...and on to a happy banded life!

Agree with all the above commentors, and would add that holding a pillow against your incisions will help if/when you cough. In fact, you'll want to be coughing up stuff (anesthetia, etc) after your surgery so don't suppress the urge. Just hold onto that pillow to keep your tummy "in" when you are jiggling it by coughing.

Oh, I'd hate to not be able to tolerate chicken. Pre-band, I ate so much chicken I risked sprouting feathers. I'm now cleared for regular foods (in small pieces, of course) and happily have been fine with moist chicken and fluffy, wet scrambled eggs. That said, I have no fill yet so this may change, but I hope not.

I feel so bad for you. I'm sorry you had to go through this, it is additional trauma over the surgery trauma. And the irony of you being a cattle rancher! I hope you are feeling better today.

I was banded 3/20 and I eat every 2-3 hours, but very small "meals." This is what my surgeon prescribes and I find it necessary to keep my blood sugar stable and hunger at bay. I don't think I could've adhered to three meals/day! My lunch and dinner are Protein heavy (either fish, chicken, ground beef--I won't dare try regular red meat--or beans). I have a small side of vegetables with that. For my Snacks, I eat applesauce or I make a small smoothie with strawberries and a couple of spoonfuls of milk. Or I have a bit of cheese...in any case I take in my Calcium with my snack allowance. I have found some "portion creep" since I was first banded so I really need to watch this and stick to 1/2 c. food max at mealtimes.

Thank you for this thorough description of what we can expect. What size lapband do you have?

I understand this completely. Before my surgery, I had a film crew following me around doing a show on my WLS story. I chose to do it, but once they wrapped this initial part, I realized that I don't want to watch it once it broadcasts...I think seeing myself "live" will be extremely painful. On the other hand, I know I'll be happy to have the footage when I get to my goal. Maybe I'll look at the show then. It really is this feeling of "How did I let this happen?", isn't it?

My post op literature gives huge warnings about red meat...especially grainy, tough, dry red meat. Thankfully I'm not a fan of red meat so I'm not frustrated about giving this up. When I've had the meat urge, I've eaten ground beef which goes down fine. Sorry you got stuck and esp. with no restriction in your band...because it's not like they can unfill you...you are already unfilled! I hope you feel better soon.

That's scary! This alone would prevent me from ever trying it!

Great thread and an important one for the newly-banded to read. I am also among those who, once I was cleared for mushies, saw my rapid post-op loss stall. It's all good....it's not important what I weigh today; what is important is what I'll weigh next year, and the year after, and the year after....

Congratulations! You deserve to feel full of hope and power, because your decision is empowering! Yes, as the poster above states, take your pain meds BEFORE you start hurting. It's much easier to prevent pain than to bring it down once it has climbed.

The "small meals spaced throughout the day" is my life-saver. It was, in fact, my surgeon's directives that I eat every 2 hours, and now I see why. (And by "eat", I mean small...my snack is a couple of TBLSP applesauce, or non fat yogurt, small amount). This does prevent me from coming to the table too hungry and eating too fast/eating too much/eating the wrong thing at this point in my recovery. And yes, my meal is protein-heavy and that helps so much in keeping my blood sugar stable = keeping me from getting too hungry as I wait this period out.