citygirl4616

Chrisann is right. I was banded on 1/10 and lost 16 pounds in 2 weeks. Then, since starting soft foods, I have only lost 1 pound in the past 2 weeks. I was definitely freaking out, but I checked out some other boards (like the Nov. and Dec. 2007 bandsters), and found this is very common. Until we get that fill that gives us the right restriction, we may not lose the recommended 1 - 2 pounds per week. Be patient. We didn't gain the weight over the course of a few weeks. The band is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix. The restriction will come, followed by the weight loss. In the meantime, we need to keep eating healthy, and keep up the exercise.

Hi Everyone....I was banded on 1/10, and I am feeling great. Too great..I feel like I don't even have a band! In other words...no restriction yet, b/c I don't get my 1st fill until 6 weeks post-op. I lost 16 pounds 2 weeks after the surgery. Then, since starting soft foods...only down 1 pound in 2 weeks. Very frustrating, b/c I am eating soooo much less than pre-band! I just keep reminding myself that it took 12 years to put on the weight, so I cannot expect to get it off in 12 weeks. Of course, I have that secret fear that I will be one patient of my doctor who fails with the band. After all, I have failed with every other diet. Anyway...that is my current state...physically I feel great. Mentally, it is a bit of a struggle to stay positive and optimistic. What is especially frustrating, is I am hovering at 200.8 pounds. I am dying to get to "Onederland". C'mon! I am been trying to lose this same pound for a week already!!!! Be gone you last pound in the two's!!!!!

I got the OK to exercise at 2 weeks post-op. I was told anything that didn't cause pain or discomfort would be OK. I started slowly with walking. At 2 weeks post-op, it was a bit uncomfortable, due to the fact you use your stomach muscles to walk (who knew?!). Then, a week later, I tried a little light weight training (arms, legs and shoulders only...no abs), and that felt great. At 3 1/2 weeks post-op, I went to my yoga class. There were parts of the class that were very uncomfortable, due to pain near the port. I adjusted as best as I could, and ended up enjoying the class.

I got through my surgery with no complications. I spent the night in the hospital, and was home the next day by noon. The first 10 post-op recovery days were the worst. I was on Protein shakes and Clear liquids only. In addition, my incisions were still sore (especially the port). I was starting to really crave food, and I was tired of being in pain. At this point, I had lost about 17#. I went to see my doctor around day 11 or 12. He gave me the okay to slowly begin soft food. Oh my goodness...I was now in heaven! Cottage cheese with salt and pepper, scrambled eggs with cheese, hummus, cottage cheese pancakes, egg salad, yogurt, ff refried Beans with salsa and sour cream, etc. I was the happiest girl around! Shorty after introducing soft foods, the pain drastically reduced. I was now able to sleep on my stomach, and I was feeling pretty good. I am now 21 plus days post surgery. I have only lost 1 more pound in the past week. I am pretty hungry, and am thinking I need a fill. I am not going to obsess about it, I am going to try to exercise more. Today, I did some light weight training, tomorrow, I will go to yoga, and Sunday I will try Spin class. In the meantime, I will patiently wait for my next appointment with my surgeon (in 5 days). I would love to be down another pound or two, but I won't obsess over it. I have a feeling, he will say no fill until the end of February, and I'll be OK with that. It will just be a little more willpower on my part until then. I just don't want to GAIN any weight! That may lead to the slippery slope of "Oh no, I just fell off the wagon! Might as well keep eating!" That has happened with every other diet in the past, but NOT THIS TIME!!!!!

Good post! I was banded on 1/10/08, and within 2 weeks, I lost 17 #. Once I started introducing soft foods to my diet, I have lost only 1 # in 10 days! And that includes adding in my minimal exercise this week. It is is frustrating, because I feel like I have hardly any restriction, and I don't get a fill until the end of February. I need to be happy just maintaning my weight loss until my first fill.

I have not made it a regular habit to eat bread, but I have tried it with little problems. Both times were tasting some crusty french bread. I chewed very well, and had the equivalent of maybe 2 oz. at the most. I was way too filling, and prevented me from eating my protein. Until my first fill, I am going to avoid it (other than a bite or two). It is just empty calories.

I am making hummus, and bringing my own personal bag of Genisoy soy chips. This way I can use the chips for my hummus, and taste any other dip that may look interesting with my dip. I know someone is bringing raw veggies....that is always a good option too.

Your feelings are completely normal, but you can do it! I was banded on 1/10, and I have 2 kids (12 and 14). I didn't start to get nervous until the day before, and then panic set it! You should have seen me on the ride into the hospital the morning of surgery! Then I started thinking a few things. First of all, by getting the surgery, I am probably adding 10 - 15 years to my lifespan, and getting a better quality of life. Second, this procedure lasts 45 minutes. In terms of being under anethesia, that is a very short time! My husband is a doctor, and several of our friends are anethesiologists. They talk about surgeries lasting for 5 hours, 7 hours or 10 hours! Being under for 45 minutes is pretty safe. You are going under a pretty 'light' general anethetic, compared to other surgeries. Finally, I kept on thinking, "If I don't get the surgery, I will probably be 10 pounds heavier one year from today. If I get the surgery, I will probably be at least 50 pounds lighter than I am, one year from today!" Thinking about that, made me remember why I was doing this. By the time I checked into the hospital, I was feeling much calmer.

I have the flavored adult chewable, multi-vitamin from GNC. It is not too bad. It tastes like a Sweet Tart (which I hate), but it is the best chewable I have tasted so far.

Someone must be 'on-call' for the practice. I would try to reach someone. If you cannot, it sounds like the literature your doctor gave you gives you the OK at 4 weeks to go ahead. I would start with very soft foods, introduce one food at a time, and see how you feel.

I don't think it expires. I am pretty sure you have it for life. Of course, it's removable, but I think it was meant to stay in a lifetime.

Every doctor is different, so it is so hard to say what is right for the band, and what is not. Some doctors have you eating solids by 3 weeks, some doctors by 6 weeks. It is very confusing. Chrisann's list looks very similar to my soft food list. I have found that the flaked fish option has allowed me to go out to dinner with friends last night, and not just get the Soup. Almost every nice restaurant has a fish option on the menu. At this stage, I am trying to avoid chicken, red meat, most carbs, junk foods, and sweets (to name a few). The one thing I am wondering about is fruit and vegetables. I am allowed 'mashed' banana, and I put frozen berries in my Protein shakes, but I am so ready for a salad. Last night I had a few bites of my friends chopped salad (it was chopped super fine...perfect for a bandster!). It tasted great, and it filled me up a bit, but I was wondering if that was a problem. I know we can have overcooked veggies, but what about finely chopped veggies?

I was banded on 1/10 and am currently feeling little restriction. Although I get hungry, I definitely am eating much smaller quantities of food than before. Before banding, for lunch I could eat a 12 inch Subway sandwich and an entire bag of microwave popcorn. Now, I could probably eat half of the 6 inch (although I am on mushies, so I am just guessing), and be stuffed. My doctor doesn't do fills until 6 weeks post-op. That gives me until at least 2/21 before a fill. In the meantime, my initial rapid weight loss has sort of reached a plateau. I find that eating as much Protein as possible helps with the hunger. Breakfast is a fruit smoothie with Protein powder, or eggs, lunch is cottage cheese pancakes, or mushy tuna salad, snack is ricotta cheese, and dinner is hummus, or mashed refried Beans. I snack on string cheese when possible and yogurt. The more protein I eat, the less hungry I feel.

I have seen a few threads on similar topics, but maybe this could help us get through this. I was banded a little over 2 weeks ago, and am feeling no restriction. I lost 18 pounds since surgery, and then once I started on the soft stage foods, the scale hasn't moved. My doctor doesn't do any fills until 6 weeks post-op. What would be a good 'sample menu' to eat during this stage, to continue a moderate weight loss? I can do light exercise, but have not been given the OK for solids. I can do eggs, Soups, tuna salad, hummus, mushed up Beans...basically anything pureed. Any meal or menu ideas that have worked for others during this post-op time would be helpful. Thanks!

I am a little confused. I know we are supposed to eat a high Protein diet, and eat our protein in a meal first. My question is, are we as sensitive to sugar as gastric by-pass patients are? For example, I was shopping for yogurt today, and there was a pretty big difference in the sugar grams and carb grams between different brands. Should I be going for the lowest calories, or the lowest sugar count? Sometimes the lowest sugar count is not the lowest in calories. Do bandsters get sick when eating sugar like bypass patients? I am only 2 weeks post-op, so I am still learning! Thanks!:wink2:

I got terribly full the other night on some hummus. I usually measure out 1/4 cup or so, of food for myself, and eat it super slow. I had the bowl of hummus I just prepared, and just assumed I would know when to stop. WRONG! After about 30 minutes of grazing on it, I felt really full. Slightly sick to my stomach, but OK. Then a few minutes later, the pain started. A combination of cramping and gas-like pains. I was actually doubled over. I felt like I just ate 2 pounds of Pasta and an entire Thanksgiving turkey! I just had to lie down and wait it out. It took about 2 hours before I felt better. A hard way to learn to measure out my portion on to my plate!

My nutritionist said 64oz. of water or diluted juice or Crystal Light. She basically said to just keep water at your side all day and constantly sip. I am trying....maybe I get in a little more than half of that. It's hard!

It probably has different definitions for different people. For me it was the two day pre-op period and the first 10 days after surgery, when I could only have protein shakes, broth and Jello. I just couldn't choke down any more vile broth. I was dying for some yogurt or cottage cheese or oatmeal. I NEEDED my mushies!!!! Fortunately, I went in for my post-op, and got the approval to start with soft foods.

My doc said to do anything I felt comfortable doing (with the exception of abdominal exercises). I have been doing a little walking, but my port side is still sore, and I can't walk too much without my stomach muscles getting stiff. I guess we use our torso for so many activities, it is hard to get to full speed until we are fully heeled. I was going to try a little doubles tennis tomorrow. I'll take some Alleve and see how it goes.

First of all, 20 pounds is great! Congratulations! What does your daily diet consist of? How many calories are you eating? Are you getting in lots of Protein, because that is the key to keeping you full? Maybe you could check in with the office nutritionist? Also, check out the 'Food' board here, and see what people are eating. There are plenty of threads that give great meal ideas. Keep a food diary for a week, and you may be surprised to see that you are eating calories that you thought you were.

I am 2 weeks post-op. I also had a 2 day pre-op diet. So far I have lost about 19 pounds, so I would say I have begun to lose weight right after surgery (my band has not been filled yet). My doctor said he wasn't surprised. Since I am still on soft foods and protein supplements only, he expects a rapid weight loss until I am 6 weeks post-op. At that time, I start eating regular foods, and get my first fill. Then we are aiming for 1 - 2 pounds per week .

I am amazed how much money I was spending on food before my surgery. I have saved probably close to $200 in 3 weeks since my surgery (including pre-op diet). Before surgery, I was eating out all the time...3 meals a day! That really adds up! Even when I was preparing dinner for the family, the extra amount I would prepare when I was included, was much more! When I was dining with the family, it was always a snack before dinner, a salad, a main course, 2 sides and dessert. Now that I am just preparing for them, I realize they are completely happy with a roasted chicken and a veggie! When we dine out (for now), I just pick off one of their plates. I cannot imagine ordering the appetizer and full meal I ordered before! What an eye opener this surgery has been!

My advice is for you to know that your feelings are 100% normal. Keep your eye on the prize....losing weight! You will be healthier, look better, feel better, live longer. I was banded on 1/10 and was not the least bit nervous until the night before, when I started to panic! I started thinking, "What the h*** am I doing to my body?!" Then I thought to myself that if I didn't get the surgery, where would I be a year from now. Probably 20 pounds heavier. If I did get the surgery, in a year I will probably be close to my goal weight, and much healthier. That thought helped me get thought. Good luck...the surgery really was a piece of cake!

I was banded on the 10th, and was told I could add some soft foods. Since then, I have had cottage cheese, scrambled egg with a little cheese, tomato soup, hummus, peanut butter and ff refried beans (all in tiny portions). This is all in addition to my water and protein supplements. My doctor said it is the protein that helps you lose the weight, so as long as you keep your protein up, and add healthy, high protein foods to your diet, you should be fine.

Definitely meet both surgeons and then decide from there....you never know. It is not a problem to switch doctors within a practice. It is done all the time. Surprisingly, I have found that most bariatric surgeons are much warmer, and have better bedside manners than a typical surgeon.