SandyM

I'd love to say I'm not on a diet but that wouldn't be entirely true. The band does restrict the quantity but I have to restrict the quality. Since I'm trying to keep my calories on the lower side in order to lose weight, not just maintain, the choices in make are even more important. If I were at goal, I could sample and taste and do fine, but as stated above this could add up fast and stall all weight loss. The band will work but we still have to do our shares.

Got to try this. I love trying new things

You can do this. It will require some work on your behalf, but keep your eye on the prize

I'm a nurse and it doesn't sound right to me. When you mash around the lump does more fluid come out? If so, and it was me, I'd keep mashing til it stopped coming out. I never got a lump when I started eating and it doesn't make sense to me.

Did you have plication with your surgery? I had hiatal hernia repair, it was rather large, and I think that made my recovery a little slower, but I still returned to work on Monday following surgery on Friday. My surgeon told me that plication would lessen the chance of the hernia returning. Just wondering if your surgeon could integrate plication in with your hernia repair, if you wanted that is. I think the plication has made my journey much easier, though not necessarily any faster.

I've had a few surgeries and I was still very nervous. This is to be expected. Heck you'd be crazy if you weren't a little nervous. But, you'll do fine.

Agree with the above. Staying hydrated is your most important nutritional mission at this time. I couldn't have done a Protein shake if I had wanted to for the 1st 3 to 4 days post op.

That's great. We seem to be all searching for the same thing. I think I hit green with my last appt. I'm still giving myself time for my fill to settle, but like you, going in I didn't feel I needed much to get me there and I got a 1/2 cc and I think I'm done. I don't want to be super tight. Good luck.

Yep, not even one. I find that one leads to two and then three etc.

I had probably lost 35-40 before people begin to notice and that was nearly half what I needed to lose. You do know grandmas like to shoe affection with food don't you

As hard as it maybe yo do, could be that you are in starvation mode from too few calories and you might need to increase your calories. Especially if you're gaining. Also, try decreasing your carbs and increasing your proteins ans see if this helps

3 business days

Sounds like my surgeon

I'm positive it's not the same type of gas pain as after surgery as no one has pumped air into me recently, but it is still gas pain. I don't know why I got it since the fill, but I did. It lasted on and off and finally dissipated, and I was just stating that gasx helped, incidentally which it did not after surgery.

I have had my first gas pains since surgery (May) since my last fill on Monday. Gas strips take care of it though, so I'm convinced there's some connection.

You'll do great. You have plenty of time to get your weight down before summer so you'll look swank riding a bike. I love riding but I had gotten large and felt like I looked atrocious riding down the road on mine. My chaps no longer fit and my seat thats built for someone under 190 lbs was very uncomfortable where it had been very comfortable before gaining my weight. Good luck. How many fills it takes is very subjective. Some need 3, some need 6 or 7. Just hang in there and take it slow and easy. I think I just slipped into the green, but time will tell.

This is sad, but some people don't know how to be happy for others, especially if they are unhappy themselves. Misery loves company. I agree that you should change where your relationship is with her. She can still be like a sister, but don't let her bring you down. You are doing great and should not feel guilty about this. also you should not feel guilty that your parents were more prepared financially to have a child than hers. Sounds like she had it good too because of their generosity, but feels like you had it better. Not your problem. You can't provide her with happiness, she has to find that herself.

What you may have been experiencing in the beginning that you were calling restriction was actually swelling of the stomach. Now that that has gone down, true adjusting can begin. But the band isn't going to necessarily stop you from taking in food, that isn't what restriction means. It will assist you in limiting your food if you stick to the right foods and help keep you from getting hungry as soon. It is a tool afterall and you still have to do a lot of the work, though I have heard those who don't agree with this so this is just what I've observed for myself and also what my surgeon has instructed me to expect. As for the hiccups, also not the same for everyone. I get hiccups with my first bite. I also get them when I drink now. Look for your soft signals, they may not be the same as everyone else's. Mine feels like a "bubble" forming in my stomach. First sign of this, I quit. I can't quite describe the bubble, I just know it's there. I had a fill Monday and I'm still waiting to see if this is the "green" but I'm thinking maybe.

It'll be ok. Stick to this site and you'll get lots of encouragement and information.

I have one at least daily. If I'm really rushed, I might have 2.

I know you want to see it on the scales and you will. You still have swelling and that will take time to subside and you should start seeing the scales change then when you start getting your fills it'll be even better.

Recently I met a lady who truly inspired me. I admit I at times have not been as sympathetic to people who were extremely obese. At first I didn't see myself in their category, then it became clear to me that I was and I was thoroughly disgusted with myself as well. I had the band due to this disgust and the knowledge that I was becoming disabled due to my weight and the knowledge that people saw me as a fat middle aged woman who had no control of her eating. I was finding it more and more difficult to get around, I was getting short of breath and my body ached in places that I didn't think should ache. My fat even hurt. That sounds wierd and when you tell someone thin that fat can hurt they look at you like you're crazy. But my fat physically hurt. I was ashamed of my reflection in the mirror, the store entry doors and even hated my own shadow. I didn't ride my bike anymore because of what people might think. I had become obcessed with my weight and was starting to stay home except to go to work and back. Last week I met a lady that told me she weighed 300 lbs. She is pregnant and stated she had gained 8 lbs since being pregnant and that she had weighed 292 before getting pregnant. She commenced to tell me she had the lapband and had all of the Fluid taken out to give her baby the nutrition it needs. Secretly I was thinking, "well it wasn't working for you anyway". I've been losing weight slowly and have had this fear that one day the scales would just stop moving and I'd have the extra weight that would never come off. This has been a mental battle for me. So when I see people who have failed the band, it reenforces that fear in me. Anyway, I saw the same woman again yesterday and we started talking a little. Come to find out, she started at over 600 lbs. Shes not sure of the actual weight because she would have had to go to freight scale to get an accurate weight cuz her docs scales stopped at 600 lbs. I was instantly ashamed of myself and was truly inspired. This woman had lost over 300 lbs with the band. I gained a respect for her that I did not have going in. And as we talked, I realized she was a smart, inspiring lady. I'm sure she was this at 600 lbs as well. I gained a respect for her that I didn't start with. Not because of her weight loss, but because I got to know her a little. Isn't it a shame that we cant look at people as they are until we get to know them. I've met beautiful people and thought they would be likable just to find that the only ones that could like them is themselves and I've met others that I probably wouldn't have given a second glance as a friend and liked them very much when I got to know them a little. I'm sure this happens when people meet me as well as I'm not necessarily that easy to love either. I spent time on my knees last night asking forgiveness for being judgemental and asking for more compassion and empathy. This lady opened up and told me how mean people had been to her while she was extremly obese and how it had made her someone she didn't like and had also made her get the surgery to turn things for herself. As a result of the weight loss she was able to get pregnant something she had given up hope for. So the ugliness did play a role in helping her, but its still sad. I just wanted to share this. I think it's easy for us to fall in this trap. I'm just glad I realize this and will work as hard on this as I do on losing my excess weight. I just wanted to share. If ever I've hurt any feelings on this board, please forgive me, I don't want to be that person and that has never been my intention.

try to focus on something beside eating. You'll get through it. Afterwards you are likely to have the same type of diet for awhile so sorta get use to it.

I think its because with sweets and the bypass you tend to get dumping syndrome. We don't suffer that with the lapband.

LOL, everything you are describing sounds like most of the people I've seen come here. You will be able to eat out again, just not as much and there will be certain foods you may have to abandon. It is the best decision I've ever made. I'm most of the way there, but still have to work at it. You'll do great.