shortgal

Make your next appt when you leave from the last visit, so you don;t have to wait extra weeks. My Dr. has been willing to see me every two weeks and we assess how I am doing based on my level of hunger in between meals and then decide if I need a fill. I have gotten a fill at each visit so far. Perhaps you could discuss this with your Dr. Tell the Dr. you want to work WITH your band, but the band works with restriction, not without it. Don't say everything is fine, tell them what you're feeling. You have a big band and it might take several more fills, so I think it's very unfair they want you to wait six weeks in between fills. I have a decent amount of willpower and I have relied on that until I get good restriction, but I don't know I could hold out as long as you have. Maybe you could call the office each day and ask if they have any cancellations? Maybe they'll get tired of talking to you every day and just give you an earlier appt!

One fill since Aug??? No wonder you aren't losing! I was banded 11/27 and have had four fills and I still dont have good restriction. It is difficult to lsoe without good restriction, as then we're just relying on willpower and if we were good with willpower, we wouldn't need the band. Talk to your Dr about getting regular fills until you get good restriction.

One month is NOT enough time to say the band is failing you. We all want to lose weight fast, but for some of us it's just not meant to be. There are threads on the forum dedicated to slow losers ("slow losers unite"). And there are many threads about people that have gained during the healing phase, which you are still in. My group of fellow November bandster compare our loses, and we are all different. Some have lost double what I have in the same amount of time. Don't stress. Follow your Dr. instructions and continue your exercise. Please, don;t freak out if your first fill doesn;t give you restriction and you are able to still eat more than you should or want. It can take several fills to get to the right restriction. If you don;t understand the fill process, you can get more frustrated than you are now. There are several very good threads "stickys" that explain the fill process, including and excellent one by "Wendell". Please read it. You are in the same place about 75% of us have been the first month. It will get better.

There are premade Protein shakes ( example, Atkins Advantage and clear pre-mixed Protein drinks ( example, Isopure CLEAR) and protein powders that can be mixed into Jello or milk. chicken and Beef broth would also have some protein in it. Your Dr. usually advises you on this and when you are able to have different forms of liquids after the surgery. There are generally several stages, Clear Liquids, full liquids, pureed, mushies, soft food, regular food.

Almost 99% of us have felt the same way. We have failed so many times, we're sure this time won't work either. Get a bottle of Water and check out the "before and after photo" thread. That should convince you it can work. We must help our band to work tho', it won't do the entire job by itself. BTW, the other 1% are just a lucky bunch that never needed even one fill.

Looks like several of us are still waiting for our first level of restriction. The waiting between the fills is cruel, but since some people experience a late kick in of a fill, I guess waiting is prudent. For those of us not yet with good restriction, we must be getting close for sure. I had one "stuck" episode, yesterday. My own fault, I was talking while taking the bite (which was small) but I was distracted and didn't chew well enough. Wasn't a bad one and after a few coughs and enzyme tabs, it went down. That was the end of that meal.... and it was only my third bite, that got stuck. Oh well, that was a good calorie day! EVeryone is doing great on our challenge. Two weeks left! I thought losing one pound a week for me was very realistic as I'm a slow loser, so I am surprised that I have a chance to surpass my goal (not by much, but I'll take it). Maybe I can get into the 180's!!

You (excuse me, we) didn't get fat from one day of overeating! But several days that turn into several weeks of overeating will result in big weight gains. This will not be the last time this happens, so you need a game plan, to follow when it does happen. I agree with Jack, except I do full liquids for at least two meals, followed by a small salad with some Protein for dinner. I do two days of this , depending on how bad the "bad" day was. Track your protein while on liquids and keep them high. Drink Water between meals.

Sure we do! You could order an appetizer and a small salad instead of a full meal. Sometimes eating out is tricky right after a fill, while we figure out how tight our band might be and what foods our band will tolerate, but that would be the same situation at home, too. You might find you enjoy going out to eat more ,because you won't have to be so worried about overeating or wanting to finish the big portions they serve.

You're probably still on liquids and feel like you'll never be able to eat real food again. Relax, you'll be able to gradually add real food back. In fact until you get a good fill that restricts you, within a few weeks from now, you might get worried your band isn't working because more than you should eat will go down. This is all part of the roller coaster process of the band. You might also be feeling a little "down". The effects of anesthesia, surgery and healing can do that to us. You'll be feeling better about the whole process soon, especially as the weight comes off. Hang in there!

Janet, You look Marvelous, really you do! I don't see how you'll need any more after the last twenty. And all this is in 6 months!

you could try a mostly liquid high Protein diet. B'fast and lunch, a high calorie shake like Atkins advantage, then for dinner a small salad with grilled chicken or grilled shrimp. If you feel you need something in between, open a can of green beans(or spinach) and eat about 1/3 of the can. Or have one cup serving of low sodum beef or chicken broth. Don't add high carb veggies like corn or carrots to your salad or for in between snacking. Drink Water in between meals. Stick to high protein and limit your carbs. You'll drop the weight in about 5 to 6 days.

The reality of american life is that we will most likely be faced with a fast food restuarant again... perhaps we'll be driving a long distance and have to stop at a highway rest stop etc. The key is to research online the nutritional info and then we can at least choose the food that has the lowest calorie or the best food nutritionally wise, that the fast food place offers. A kiddie meal or a salad, small order chicken nuggets, etc. Being prepared with a Protein Bar for a snack can help us avoid being overhungry and making a bad choice or give us time to get to a healthier food choice restaurant.

Everyone can have different foods that their band will tolerate and once you figure out what you can have, it might change after you get a fill that gives you restriction. Many times it's just trial and error. You can review many fast food nutritional info online for calories etc. of most of their menu.

I'm glad you're going to talk to the Dr. I have found that for me, the first few bites, after a fill, I must go VERY slow. It's kind of like I have to "prime" the stoma to let it know food is coming down. Once the first several very small, well chewed, eaten slowly bites go down, things go a little better. Your salad had so many things in it, it might be hard to pinpoint which food your pouch doesn't like, the raisins maybe, or the nuts... you might want to stick to the same food for several bites before trying the next one. After every fill, there is a new learning curve for what our bands will like and how much of anything they'll tolerate.... so go very slow. Many people on the forum have suggested sticking with liquids for a short time after getting stuck, to allow the stoma and pouch to calm down. Let us know what your Dr. says, maybe the advice will help someone else.

What are you eating that gets stuck? Bread? Pasta? Rice? Have you called your Dr? For some people the fill takes a few days or more to Kick in and now you might be too tight. Or you might have started your period and that can make some women tighter. Eat what you know goes down ok and for some people once they get stuck, the rest of the day should be liquids so your pouch/stoma can relax a bit. Be sure you are chewing everything well and take small bites. After a fill, you just have to be careful until you know what your pouch will take.

I'm staying on plan today, because I will not hate myself today by overfilling my body with food it does not need and that ulimately makes me ugly and unhealthly. So I guess really it's because I will love myself enough to stay on plan!

Sandy Beach: enjoy the rapid weight loss, while it lasts! It almost always slows down and then you'll be on the forum asking why you have stopped losing weight. It's just part of the process we go through. As your post op diet progresses and your calorie intake goes up a little and your diet changes to more solid food, your weight loss will change. some people even gain weight. Once you are healed, your Dr will start the fill process and until you get good restriction, losing weight can be slow. Exercise, drinking your water, tracking your protein will help at every phase of being banded.

You might want to talk to the Dr about anti nausea medication and ask if they suggest it. Of course, the vomiting is the best way to get the bad bug out of your system. so the Dr, might not think you need an RX unless the vomiting is prolonged. Hope you feel better, soon.

The amount of calories each person needs can vary because of their age and level of activity. My nutritionist is fine with me having 800 to 1000 calories a day, if i keep my protein level to at least 50 to 70 gms a day. She even thold me it was ok to have an occassional lower calorie day, like after a fill, where I might not be very hungry, as long as I consumed a high protein drink or two that day. A person that might have a very active job, would require more average daily calories and a higher protein level than mine. Unfortunately, the medical professionals don;t always have time for individual analysis, so they take a general range and make a one size fits all approach.

That's the right attitude. Picking yourself up after a small mis step and getting right back on track will serve you well post op. If we don't let our little mistakes turn into big ones, we'll keep the weight off!

I never used hamburger helper, but don't you add it to ground beef? I used to make what we called "American Chop Suey" and basically I browned ground beef with a few spices, added some premade Spaghetti sauce and then added pre-cooked elbow macaroni. Isn;t that what hamburger helper is? so does it really save time, to use the box? I cooked the macaroni while the beef was cooking, so it only took about 15 to twenty mins for the whole thing anyway. If you have a food processor, homemade pizza is easy and way cheaper than from a pizza place. I didn't know much about sodium in food when my kids were little, but once my husband got high blood pressure, we started buying anything that said low sodium and we never leave the salt shaker on the table. A trick for people that will salt their food before tasting, is to just not add any salt when cooking, b/c you know they'll add it and use unsalted butter if using it in meals. Besides, things like cheeses that we add to a receipe already have salt in them. Even canned veggies can have added salt in them, so we look for the "no salt added" ones. A gradual reduction and the family might not even notice. Tricky moms!

I finished my two days of full liquids since my last fill and today have started soft food. I don't think this fill is going to be my first sweet spot. I do think I'm closer and the next fill could be the one, of course that is another two week wait! At least I am still losing even if it is slowly. I had oatmeal for b'fast and that did satisfy me for the morning and I just finished a lean cuisine for lunch, but I do feel like I could eat more. I think my sweet spot will be when a lean cuisine fills me up or the last few bites get tough going down. As a matter of fact, I am already planning what my afternoon snack will be.....so that's a sign, I'm not there yet! Oh well, I'll continue to track calories and Protein like I'm dieting until my sweet spot comes!

The biggest nutritional problem with the processed foods like hamburger helper and the dry soup or dressing mixes is the sodium. The salt content is very high and it would be better, even for kids, to not learn to love the flavor of salt so much. Looking for low salt alternatives would be healthier for the entire family. It can take some time for the family to adjust, but we have. Now if I eat a bowl of soup at a restaurant or diner, all I taste is the salt. the salt seems to mask the real flavor of the food.

Compliments can be like a double edge sword. If I say, "looks like you've lost some weight and you look good" then it could also be taken as, "you looked pretty bad before".... I think because "lost" weight is so often "found" again, people are worried that if they comment when you lose and then you gain it back, they may feel they can no longer offer those "you look good" comments. Honestly, with many of my friends, I just really don't care how much they weigh or what size they are etc. and many times I just don't really look at their bodies closely enough to notice a twenty pound difference, especially if I see them often. I would agree, it's harder for friends not to notice a weight loss greater than 30 pounds. Sometimes we are still wearing our larger baggy clothes and the weight loss is not as noticeable for that reason. So as long as we know we're losing and on our way, that's all we can worry about.

I think getting down to 130 is realistic, but staying there...hmmm, not sure FOR ME. The weight loss charts for both Lap Band and GBP, all show a better weight loss in the beginning weight loss phase and then a gradual incline back up higher and then stabilizing. That's why I'm more worried about maintaining the lower weight than acheiving it. I do think however that at whatever lowest point we get down to we will bounce up a bit and then stablize, so we might as well aim lower, so when we bounce back, we'll still be lower than if we set a higher goal weight. Did that make sense? I weighed 128 when I was 18 to 21. I got married. My husband is tall and of course we ate together and I found myself eating what he was eating. If he had a snack, I wanted a snack etc. During the age bracket of 18 to 21, I would go to college dances and in general was more active. Then got pregnant and the weight crept up. After I had the two kids, I did lose weight and got down to about 135, somehow the weight found me again! I would be perfectly satisfied to stay at 135 to 140. Anything lower would be icing on the cake. Many times, I envy the taller women that look great at 150 - 160.