HeatherO

This is entirely too much food way too soon if you are less than two weeks out . . . and you culd be jeopardizing your band. Also rolls, cheeseburger, fries, chips are not healthy choices for bandsters. There is almost no nutritional value to these . . . and if you are eating limited quantities, your food choices should be nutritionally beneficial. Even if your doctor approved you to go on solids this early, foods should be band friendly choices. If you are in pain, go back to liquids/soups/mushies, etc. If you are not following your post-op diet plan, you should get back on it as soon as possible.

I had this happen before on two occasions - same food. It happened over the summer (6 months or more post banding), both were instances where we grilled out and I ate some corn on the cob (this was the only food I don't normally eat). I didn't pb/slime or anything but was uncomfortable after dinner and thought maybe I overate. For several days thereafter I was uncomfortable and nauseous. After being uncomfortable for a couple of days, I ended up going back to liquids/soups for a while and was OK again. The second time . . . I realized it was the same problem the next day and immediately went on liquids/soups. I don't eat corn on the cob anymore. It almost seem like as if it doesn't quite get stuck but maybe the harder pieces of the kernals don't go through my pouch. I agree with Jack on calling the doctor . . . that is always the safest route. My case was specific to me, but there are a number of issues that can make you feel this way. In the mean time, I would suggest going back to liquids while you are having pain. At least with liquids, you can do no additional harm . . . and if it is a minor issue your stomach can focus on getting better rather than digestion. Also if you do end up vomiting, liquid might pass easier through your band than anything more solid.

Any kind of unusual pain, especially in the chest area, should be reported to your doctor just to be cautious. You have been banded around a month now and are now probably moving towards more solid foods. It could just be an adjustment factor. Have you noticed it more after eating or is it just a dull ache in general? Have you had any pain in this area before? Did you start any new exercises or more strenuous activity in general?

I was just wondering how everyone in the U.S. did on Turkey day. It is such a big day for feasts and is a trying time for some of us bandsters. Do you have any funny stories? Were you able to stay on the bandster plan? Did you have any slip-ups? I did pretty good for primary meals, lots of turkey and veggies which are on my plan. I had a tablespoon of macaroni and cheese which was yummy but I don't usually eat (I also know that more than 1 tablespoon might make me sick). In the evening I went off plan a bit. I had a cup of eggnog which had about 300 calories. I also had a small square of pumpkin cake (my favorite dessert in the world that I eat once a year) with some whipped topping. All in all, I probably indulged in an extra 800 calories or so, but I don't feel guilty because I enjoyed myself with family, worked out 2 extra times this week and I am back on plan today. (I also have the excuse that the baby made me do it since I am expecting, lol) I hope everyone enjoyed themselves over the holiday!!!

I don't think hiccups can make your band slip. I get them more now that I did before banding. You can still drink Water, just a little more slowly. It should pass quickly :0)

I had surgery on Friday and was back at work on Tuesday. I was fine other than fatigue, the pain was no issue.

I said hiatal hernia repair as well. It is kind of a boring surgery in that there is nothing much for people to talk about. It is in the same location and no-one asked any more questions about it. Also, since it is stomach surgery, it makes sense you would be on a slightly modified diet. I never felt bad about saying this, because I did indeed have a hiatal hernia repaired. However, like the others said . . . you don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I knew that if I didn't say anything it would cause people to ask even more question than they would otherwise.

My doctor said I had to get unfilled, and then we negotiated fo a parital fill . . . which is still kind of like being unfilled since I can eat anything. Every doctor is different, some want everything out and some say you can leave it all in as long as you are comfortable.

We have a lot in common. I was banded in Jan of this year and am due 9th June. I have lost a couple of kilos since I got pregnant but it must be luck because I am definitely eating more. I also have been drinking a lot of plain milk as well . . . I just seem to crave it.

Just keep responding and giving it a shot. Many people get an initial denial and later everything goes through as long as they are diligent.

I was told tylenol as well but for some reason, it never works for my headaches.

I have never had a problem with lettuce or salads, but everyone is different. I love sushi, but don't eat it right now because I am pregnant. However, I could usually eat 2-4 pieces. When I was tightly restricted, I would pick most of the rice off the roll which is messy but still yummy. I would rather have riceless sushi than no sushi at all.

Both Jachut and ColtonWade had excellent points. Adjusting your habits is indeed important. However, if you decide to hold off on a fill for the holidays you need to be careful. It sounds like it is just making it too easy to overingdulge. It might be helpful for you to start charting what you are eating either on paper or online using fitday or the dailyplate. It is really important to know what you are consuming over a time to really understand where there is room for improvement and adjustments. I would also suggest going back to basics as well. Limit your calories to a specific range, and don't go above the range. Eat Proteins or dense foods first because they are slow going through your pouch. Highly processed foods, slider foods, Pasta, etc are not typically good choices for bandsters. If you do have them, it should be few and far between and should fit in your calorie range while still eating proteins or dense foods first. Have you ever felt good restriction or close to your sweet spot? Are you avoiding drinking with eating? Are you getting exercise? The answers to these questions also make a big impact on your weight loss as well and are important to keep in mind.

I also forgot to mention that I can't lose weight under 900 calories a day and am typically 1000-1200 calories daily (now 1200-1600 with pregnancy but havent gained yet). Some of us went super low-caolire but it doesn't work for everyone. You have to find the range that keeps you losing and tweak it when you get to a plateau.

My BMI is 25 down from about 40 so that puts me at about 100% loss and at the tippy top of the normal BMI range. However, I would still like to lose 16 pounds to get to my high school weight as a bonus. I am surprised that almost everyone who responded to this thread has lost 100% or more, lol. However, I can tell you that there are common themes among those of us who achieved being in the "normal" BMI range. 1) Long-term commitment to banding and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 2) Following bandster rules most of the time. 3) Maintaining a healthy diet which may or may not be low-carb, but still avoiding "junk" most of the time (an occasional bite on a special occasion is normal if it can be kept within bounds). 4) Exercise, exercise, exercise . . . some people lose weight without it but I think the majority of us who achieve our ultimate "dream" weights make it a normal part of our lives. For me, it is about 3 sessions of an hour weekly plus lots of little stuff like walking whenever I can, taking a bike, running up and down the stairs, etc.

I see that you mentioned in an edit that you did have a fill under fluoro and the band looked fine. I have read other threads where people say their band worked differently post pregnancy (there is a pregnancy forum on this site). For some reason, it just doesn't work the same in that it is tighter or looser than normal . . . or is just more fickle in that finding the sweet spot is really hard. My band was perfect before pregnancy . . . I got to my sweet spot quickly and maintained that fill level for many, many months steadily losing until all of a sudden, my band became horribly tight. Later I discovered it was pregnancy related. Since I have been pregnant, I can no longer tolerate anywhere near my previous fill level or I can't eat. I don't really have morning sickness or vomiting problems and never did during pregnancy, but it feels as though normal fill levels cause my band to almost close completely. I am hoping, praying, dreaming that post pregnancy my band will work normally again . . . but alas the future is not known to me as of yet. I am not sure why your band is behaving this way and you are uncomfortable eating dressed. I have read many, many pregnancy threads and this is the first I have heard of it. Perhaps a slight unfil may help the sensation (but then it also allows the food to flow more easily which may inhibit weight loss attempts). Perhaps you can get a slightly larger band size on your bra or pants if they fit snug. I would ask your doctor at the least and keep posting threads regarding how clothing affects the band.

I agree with Jack, you just have to take the bull by the horns and not overeat. If it was easier to overcome, I wouldn't be banded today. We all have that desire and I still have my little binge demon whispering sweet nothings in my ear from time to time. What I have learned is that power to overcome it accumulates. If I can say no . . . I can keep saying no. If I say ok, just this one because of this, that or the other . . . I am likely to do it again in the very near future. If the desire doesn't go away, I have something like carrots or broccoli . . . I can never binge on these things much because I get tired of eating them long before I overdo it.

Weight: 220 lbs/99.8 kgs/39.9 BMI Height: 5 '3 or 160 centimeters Current: 141 lbs/63.96 kgs/25.0 BMI Goal: 140 lbs/63.5 kgs/24.9 BMI or a "Normal" BMI Reasons: 1) Health Concerns: My mother sadly passed away due to complications with heart disease and diabetes at the ripe old age of 51. She was as healthy as I was in her early 30's - no problems except obesity. My sister was diagnosed as a diabetic at age 18. She is not controlling her sugar very well and needs 3 shots a day plus an overnight medication to keep her sugar stable at night. I was beginning to feel like a ticking health timebomb - it was just a matter of time. I wanted to do something before I became sick. 2) Definition of Self: To be obese may be a feature of who you are (like having red hair and freckles) but it does not define who you are as a person. In our society, the first thing people notice is general body type and assumptions are made. I didn't want to be the "fat" girl any longer . . . I just want to be me. 3) Vanity - Life is just not as fun when you are obese. It prevented me from being myself with full confidence. I also have an adorable husband and always wondered if people thought "what is he doing with her???" if you know what I mean. 4) Many, many other reasons to numerous to describe :0). All I know is that I am very, completely, ecstaticly happy to be within 1 pound of goal.

Congratulations!!! You must be healing splendidly to get moved up on your food plan. Happy melting.

That is terrible and I really feel for you. I would definitely pursue a formal complaint at a minimum, and perhaps legal counsel. Failure to investigate chest pain could be life threatening . . . and you obviously suffered serious complications that were unaddressed. This behavior is intolerable for a doctor/hospital and should be addressed. My biggest concern would be that the doctor's next patient may not be quite so lucky. Anything you can do to bring this issue to light may just end up saving someones life down the road.

It scares me a little that your doctor is already saying that the band does not work for everyone and is already suggesting alternatives this early. Although this is a true statement in that some fail with the band, the majority of us see significant weight loss with the band. Most common reasons for those that don't are because they have other underlying physical reasons preventing loss, or failure to confront emotional eating and learn better behaviors, or inadequate support/follow-up care, or they become dependent on slider foods and liquid calories. In the first 2-3 months, it is very difficult to say that you will not succeed unless there are immediate issues with compliance. Many people do not lose well after they lose their post surgery restriction until after their first fill. I didn't lose well in this early stage after the first two weeks of liquid diet . . . yet here I am at goal with close to 100% excess weight loss. My doctor even told me that it is a bonus to lose anything before your first fill or two because you will get hungry. If my doctor would have told me that early on that I may not be successful and start thinking of other options, I am sure this would have had a negative impact on my confidence. The band needs a little time to kick in with fills . . . and restriction makes all the difference in the world. When you have no restriction, you are not really much different than before banding. If you are following the bandster rules, eating a healthy diet, and getting in some exercise then the weight loss should come for almost every one of us. Most importantly, stay optimistic and give it your all. 6 pounds is definitely a start in the right direction. Much of what makes banding work is in your head more than in your stomach, a positive attitude can work wonders. You can do this and we are all rooting for you.

If you are nearing capacity at 3 cc's in a 4 cc band, you still have at least 25% to go and a band can be slightly filled beyond the capacity line if necessary. Most of us fine that our sweet spot is a very narrow band of how much we can be filled . . . so much so that 0.10 cc's can make a huge difference. You aren't at the end of your band, you just haven't gotten significant restriction yet. I have read someone say on this forum before that lack of restriction could mean a slip. However, I know my own doctor has said that the symptoms to look for are in the in the opposite direction where nothing goes down and you have super restriction where sometimes you can't swallow your own spit. I can't diagnose a slip since I am not a doctor but it doesn't sound like a slip in my limited knowledge. Good aftercare is vital to the success of your banding experience. Your doctor does not sound like a very caring or considerate person. If you can switch, it may make all the difference in the world. You might have to pay a patient transfer fee to go to a new doctor, but you have already invested a lot in the band and it could be worth it. I wouldn't give up on it just yet, you may be only a fraction of a cc away from restriction, getting back to bandster rules and taking the weight off as you originally intended.

I started off with shakes as well in the early days . . . but at that point I stopped losing and my fill doctor said not to do the shakes because I was defeating the purpose of the band and making it harder on myself. They told me shakes will never make me full if I am not tightly restricted and it is too much of a "diet" to try and keep myself satisfied in this way. I stopped the shakes and my weight loss picked up. I would occasionally eat light yogurt for Breakfast and maybe half a piece of fruit sometimes (1 - 2 times a week), but mostly I would just have two eggs cooked however I felt like at the time coupled with a little low fat cheese. Sometimes I would eat cottage cheese. lunch would usually be Protein like salmon or chicken or eggs if I didn't have them for breakfast with veggies of some form (salad, steamed, etc). dinner would also be a protein, but generally I would spend a little more time at dinner cooking it in a way I really liked. Sometimes I would saute beef with mushrooms with spices with a little tomato paste and Water. Sometimes I would pan-fry salmon with fresh dill and accompany it with some plain yogurt mixed with dill and cucumber. Sometimes I would brown little chunks of chicken breast with a veggie. Sides were always veggies of different sorts, but I avoided starchy things like potatoes or corn. By sticking primarily to Proteins first, I got full quickly. Veggies are almost like free foods . . . I ate as much as I wanted when I was hungry. This really helped me through times of minimal restriction because I would eat as much as I needed to feel full, but they were healthy choices and I could still lose weight. I would consider my diet a modified low carb and it helped me to keep losing. I didn't snack and avoided any carbs that were not whole and unprocessed. Nothing pre-packaged or chips, Desserts, breads, rices, Pasta, etc. I also started off at 800-1000 calories the first month but found I lost more consistently at 1000-1200. My weight loss has been steady in that I lost every month . . . but it was always plateau, lose a little, plateau, lose a little more.

I am not receiving any emails today. I am not sure if there was another update. I have not changed any settings.

Congratulations on your decision. No one should ever take the plunge with weight loss surgery unless they are sure and have really given it a lot of thought. Having a doctor you feel comfortable with also makes a huge impact on your decision as well. I have been in your situation before . . . something happened, or someone said something, or I went through a break up and I would have 4-6 months of dieting motivation to get me on track. Unfortunately for me, life intervened and I got complacent and the pounds would drift back. Yo yo dieting always made me end up a few pounds heavier in the end, I was never this way when I was young. I needed the band for my personal situation and it has worked like a charm. I wouldn't have been ready for it in my early 20's but I was ready for it at this stage of my life. You can find success through diet and exercise. The band is only a tool that makes the diet part a little easier but it can still be done without a band. I wish you the best of luck.