bandfun4me

Carbs are bad. Why wait, use your vacation as a new beginning to seize the day. Stay away form the whites, more fruit, more veggies, remember proteins come first. Are you using a small b & B plate (or coffee saucer), seafood fork and baby spoon. Try the FITT changing one will do the move off the plateau, FREQUENCY,INTENSITY TIME OR TYPE. Do a few days of protein shakes and start all over maybe with the mushy and see if that will jump start it again. Sometimes your body just need to take the time to readjust, taking alittle longer maybe. Remember to follwo the guidelines they give us after we had the surgery. Sometimes we need to re acquaint ourselves with these pointers all over again. I was banded in Jan 08, down about 62 lbs. had 6 fills with a total of 6.5 cc in a 10 band. Eating feels differnt whenI eat now. I finally feel a fullness instead of that lump in my throat. gotta be getting close. Good luck, keep readin and writing.

Have you been having liquids since your fill.My doc says liquids 2 days and mushy 2 days and regular food on day 5. Day 7 is when my restriction kicks in. I hear some say it takes 2 weeks for there's to kick in. Mine eases off in a few days. As long as you adjust your eating habits. Try warm fluid in the morning, small sips. I went through very tight mornings for a couple of months after several different fills. I just had my 6th fill last week and my restriction kicked in yesterday about lunch. I was banded in Jan 08 down 61 lbs. Love my band. Just be careful if it doesn't strectch out during the day, call the doc up. Good luck!

My doctor said no gum after surgery. Very hard sometimes, I used gum to quit smoking 9 months before surgery. So I just never buy it any more. Buy some trdent sometimes for my teens I stick with the Tic-tacs for breath issues and brush and floss my teeth after each meal. really helps and a much better habit anyway. WE were told the same about gum getting lodged in opening. I have had 6.5 cc in a 10 cc band. Don't want to take the risk, not worth it.

Congrats on your date. My pre-op diet sounded alot like yours. I used proteins shakes(EAS- sam's club) mixed with milk and frozen bananas or some kind of frozen fruit to make it seem more like a milkshake and it was thick, so it satisfied me better I believe. It ususally takes about 2-3 days to get those cravings for carbs out of your system. I really looked forward to the regular dinner in the evening minus any carbs. We were told no carbs due to tryiing to shrink the liver before surgery, to make it easier to work around without getting any kind of nicks to cause more bleeding. I lost 6 lbs that 2 weeks, so it adds up. Hang in there,your day will be here before you know it. Look torward a new beginning, don't fret the little stuf, this is a steeping stone.Good luck and keep reading and posting. I was banded in Jan 08, down 61 lbs. from a size 16/18 to a 6/8 , loving my band. It will be worth it.:regular_smile:

I like the Kashi - go lean and some of the Special k fruit, but I mix in with a little yogurt to get the filling and the fiber and Protein all in one. I can do Wheat bread, when I first starting eating Whole weat i toasted it. Now I can Eat 1/2 slice maybe after I eat my protein. I have just had my 6th fill now have 6.5 cc in a 10cc I have lost 61 lbs. lovin myband, I treat it nicely and works for me. Also like the uncooked low sugar oatmeal mixed in the yogurt, it keeps it from sliding through too fast.:regular_smile:

Slow Down! Cut your food pieces into size of thumb nail divided into 4. Try counting your chews 15-20 EACH. Try not talking and eating at th same time. This seem to happen to me everytime I had a fill. Liquids 2 days , mushy again for 2 days, then on day 6 or 7 I had to remind myself this is chunky food, slow down and chew. This too shal pass. but I am 9 months out and it has happened like clock work after each fill, So I write it in my food journal, on the day I get regular food again to watch day 6/7. We live and learn and re train ourselves the right way , hopefully hang in there. Love my band. down 61 lbs had 6fills now at 6.5 cc ina 10cc band.Good luck keep it going.:laugh:

I wondered the same thing. I had good restriction for about 4 different fills. WhenI had 5cc in and he pulled it out in the same injection to send another 1.cc in.I made the comment that must have caused that "wrinkle to go away, From that fill on I have had very little restriction, BUT I have a FULL feeling when I have eaten my alloted amount of food. It just feels different. My doc tells me this is how it should be. I now have 6.5 cc in a 10 cc band I lost 4 lbs last month after he got me up to 6.0 with with the same feeling, he said I am getting close to that "sweet spot" The full feeling will come and stay for about 6hrs now. wonderful, makes me wonder if mine is strectched. He said it is very hard to pull all saline out due to the suction and it being air tight in the band, the needle is so small to go into the port, very slow coming back into the syringe. I am 9 months out 15 lbs from my goal. luv my band, we are buddies.I use it everyday. I try to take care of it , wnat to keep it healthy and working hard for me too.

12 days down a lifetime to go. Keep it up. Remember to keep your protein up that should be set according to your height, I am 5.2 and I was tolde to keep my protein at 70 daily, he was not worried about calories. the first couple of weeks, proteins gets your body healing (and your hair from falling out) also was told to consume another 80 ounces of fluid, So I was having 3 protein shakes (eas = 23/scoop) plus adding the milk. I stayed about 900 calories aday. I am 9 months post op I run/walk 6 miles aday lost total of 61 lbs 15 to go. It is only easy if you work at it. Work at your menus, work at your exercising, work at eating when you need it , no grazing. We have to re-program our minds to recognise hunger in our tummy and not from the mind. Moving that body will do wondersfor you! good luck and keep reading and postin here. alot of great info.

You will fall off the wagon and make "bad food choices" from time to time. The fills will make you wish you had not eat those kinds of food. Remember the plan, protein cut in 1/4 inch pieces no white food, no bread no pizza crust no rice. Veggies are a good filler. hang in there. Move your body when you get the urge to graze. eat by yourself do you will not want what your family is eating. The exercise really makes it work, the more you do the better you feel and the more weight will fall off, so that makes you feel alot better so in turn you repeat the process. make it work. Don't let anyone force you off your path. good luck. You are at a good place a lot of good reads here.

I think I am very close these days. I now have a total of 6.5. SinceI was 6.0 I get the FULL feeling moreso than stuff being hung in my throat. I lost 4 lbs this past month(WhenI got the 1cc), so he only gave me .5 cc yesterday(6th fill), still on liquids/shakes (2days) then mushy for 2 days. It usually take about 6-7 days for the restriction or the full feeling to set in.I can go about 6-7 hours some days without getting hungry. Slow is good on the restriction. I have had some fills that were really restricting. only little sips of warm water in the morning. That is tough when you are on that tradmill at 5 am. You really have a different feeling when you are getting close to that sweet spot I do believe. How wonderful it is. Down 61 lbs, 15-20 to go.

A big issue I had after my first couple of fills was actually LEARNING how to eat. Cut all your food into quarters, imagine your thumbnail to the piece of meat/protein, cut into quarters. this should be the size of all meat/protein that goes into your mouth. Then you must chew, chew and chew some more until this is almost a liquid , then you swallow. put that fork (seafood or miniture fork) down in between bites as well. Don't use bowls to eat out of, use a bread and butter plate or either a small breakfast plate or even a saucer plate. Meat protein first, then veggie, no white bread, once you can get bread to go down must be wheat. We have to get away from those things that got us here to begin with. We have to learn to make good food choices. Vegies or even beans, Dried are best, they carry 8-10 g protein for cup. Remember to time your self whenyou eat. no more than 30 minutes. If you are hungry from the tummy or from "mind hunger" we have to sort this out. This band stuff is hard work, you will have to work and use that tool. I was banded in Jan 08, just had my 6 fill, now total of 6.5 c in 10 cc band, Down 61 lbs. I exercise 30 min morning, noon and 1.5 hoursin the evening 4x's week. I knoew that the only way that fat was going to go away was for me to move my body, no tv in the evenings. Don't let other people discourage you, ask for their support, some friend may unknowingly sabatoge your plan, ask them to exercise with you. Keep a chart, a daily food journal and don't skip any meals, and lots of exercise. The band is not an easy ride, but it will work for you, make it work for you. I have had a some bad meals as well. One time it took me 3 hours to recover from a tiny piece of meat I did not chew up very well. Grilled salmon and Bojangle chix cause me grief every time unless I cut and chew plenty. Hang in there. make yourself accountable for every thing your do and act. It will make a difference. Make that menu out for a few days and follow it. Good luck.

Yep, I've been there, yesterday and the day before ane the day before that. I am due for my 5/6 fill this afternoon. I now have 6.0cc in a 10cc band. The last 2 fills changed the way the food feels in my tummy. This is month 9 down 60lbs. about 15 to go. It is a struggle now. Not much restriction the last couple of months, just feels different. Two fills ago , he pulled the total out to check, 5cc then. When he injected it back in with the new fill of 1.0 cc when my restriction should have kicked in (this has taken 6 days after each previous fill). There was none at all. Not even that over full feeling I had been having. He said I should begin to have that "full" feeling moreso that the restriction at this time with the fills that I have had. only1.5 lbs down in 4 weeks. So Hopefully I will get more juice, bring it on, I am ready to lose some more. gotta be gettin close to that sweet spot they refer to.:wink2:

I told only a few, hubby, sister, mother and only one coworker. Did not want to hear the negative stuff. I hear some of that from my hubby when we first talked about it and my mother. I think it is much better to let them see the results. Then tell them about the new tool I have for losing weight. There was another lady at work that had the bypass 2-3 years prior. she ios back to eating the way she did before. She spends 1.5 hours in our breakroom/kitchen eating everyday. SHe lost about 200 lbs. At this rate she will be one of those that puts it back on. I don't think she does any support meetings anymore. She ask me about websites. I sent her a link to one that has the 5-day pouch test. It resets the pouch for the Gastric bypass people.. The lap band surgery is not as invasive as any of the WLs were in the past. The biggest thing to the Band is getting your mind right to deal with it and learn to use your tool. Sometime it is very hard to restrain yourself and you make the "bad food choices". Hopefully we learn from these. I would keep the secret and smile when someone asks!!:tt1:

For a last meal. I also agree with the moderator on this one. I did not have a "last meal" I was on pre-op for two weeks, basically no carbs. It only took aabout 3 days to get those out of my system. I actually had protein shakes for Brakfast and lunch and a sensible meal for dinner minus the carbs. So meat and veggies. I was told to use the Saline laxative the night before. Not harsh at all. I hear alot of differnt stuff on this question. My dr office want you to shrink the liver in those last 2 weeks, to avoid any type of nic no extra bleeding needed. I am 9 months post op down 61 pounds. I eat very sensible, the tightness and restrictions feels good. It makes you stop when you should. I went a month las month wothout restriction and I felt as if I was piggin out. Even though I was still using my bread and butter plate and seafood fork to eat with. You will get accoustomed to eating very little and this will maybe increase as you teach yourself to chew and chew and chew some more so everything goes down easy. 30 minute cutoff on dining time, don't go over. Good luck, now is the best time to start something new. Congrats you are on the right track. Use this website as a tool as well. You will see lots of great info, somethings before you ever encounter them. :laugh::tt1:

Yep, we have all heard it and dealt with it. You are going to blow away. Just because we are smaller, doesn't mean that I am finished. It does take more work to get there. I am about 15 away from MY goal, started at size 16 now size 6/8. I have mirrors in my house as well. More toning, I have lost 61 lbs,8.5 months post op. Now it is a TOOL. You remember and don't want to go back. Those last pounds are very tough. I have had 5 fills, now have 6.5cc in a 10 cc band. I can tell I am getting closeronly lost 2 lbs since last fill 3 weeks ago. Restriction is not quite the same feeling as it was. so it is time to tighten up again. maybe a little extra this time. I walk4-6 miles 6x week and work out with hand weights and a bowflex. the works, no longer go to the gym. My body numbers continue to move to the good side. I love my band. I tell myself from time to time, No more diets the rest of my life. Just good healthy eating. It all in the band, lets have some more band fun. Enjoy.:cool2:

I have had 4 fills total of 6cc in a 10 cc band. I have learned to chew, chew and chew some more, Hardly any burping now, very little gas. I feel like I can eat a little more. But I seem to stay full for a very long time 6-7 hrs soem meals. It used to be every 2-3 hrs I was starving. I think I am getting very close to my sweet spot. I have another fill next week. I am down from a 16/18 to a 6/8 now. exercise like crazy, walk 4-6 miles every day at one time and some extra laps at lunch weather permitting and free weightrs 4 x week. We are possessed by that weight loss, more more. great motivator. I have to watch how I eat, that means pay attention while I am eating. hang in there.:tongue2:

I would not get frustrated. Give your body time to adjust. I was banded in jan 08 and have lost 60 lbs, I walk 2x /day gym 3-4 x week. I had weight loss every month but this last one, month 8. So I got another fill, got another coming up next week, lost only 2lbs this month. very slow the further you get down the road. It seemed as if I hit a plateu about every 10-15 lbs for a week or so. We had a support mtg on this topic, advise was to use the FITT technique. Change only one of these to break that plateau (Frequency, Intensity, Type or Time). I may only lose 1 lb per week, but my body is changing still every day it seems, everything fits differently each time I get dressed. It is wonderful. The inside stuff has to change as well. So it all has to catch up together as well. Learn to use the band to your advantage and don't work around it. The tighter you can tolerate the better, Hey that is what I signed up for. If I put in too much food, it should punish me, I have to learn to do the right thing , to make "good food choices". If we don't we will end up dissatisfied or worse ,where we were to began. This is a lifetime journey. relax and try to enjoy. I was banded in Pinehurst NC. Whoo hoo! No regrets!! Keep up the good work and don't be hard on your self. Marsha:thumbup:

Congrats and welcome. You can get it all from this place. You are not ALONE.I was banded 1/18/08 I have lost 60lbs. 20 more to my goal , that is the tough part that last bit. I am at 32 % body fat using the Tanita scale. I have gone from size 16/18 to size 6/8. loving it. I do have to exercize like crazy or I feel guilty. I still make some "poor" food choices from time to time. You will recover. Walk a lot of short bouts 3-4 x a day. until you work up to the longer bouts. Remember cardio burns more fat as long as you are able, the more the better. Keep reading you will find answers if you need them. Good luck on your Journey. I had my band "wrapped" in Pinehurst. See ya round, Marsha

Yep, It was on my post -op list. Anything without sugar and cafeine. I love the orange sunrise and the citrus splash. I like to freeze them and get'em slushy. enjoy:tongue2:

Congrats to another bandster from Carolina. My band date was 1-18-08 in Pinehurst,NC. Hang in there, things will get better, every day!! I am loving the help my gives me. down 60lbs. Lots of energy. remember to walk, lots of little short walks until you build up to 30 minutes a day, then 60minutes aday. Then by the time the dr releases you for regular exercise your body will be ready to go. Of course there have been some tough days as well, you will need to be ready when they arrive. Just remember what you signed up for when you got the band. Use your tool daily, As that weight peels off things will get easier and then you will get another fill, and repeat until you get to that sweet spot. Good luck. This site would have been nice if I could have found it prior to my surgery. Oh well, we live and learn. Keep reading and posting, you will find some answers, I bet. Marsha

I had an experience like that on June 7,08. took me about 3 hours to get over it. It was on a sat evening, 5 days after a fill and I was flying out at 9:30 on Sun am for my companys' annual software conference. I thought I was going to head toward the ER instead. I had a small piece of Grilled salmon and maybe pinch of wheat toast clumped up in there. I have never seen so much saliva come up. I just kept upchucking. I finally got the hiccups, my throat hurst so bad I used sore throat spray to maybe help something come up. I remember well. It was an eye opener. I was four months out at that time. I chew everyting ver, very well since that. We learn from our mistakes. I am just thankful I did not cause any problem s with my band or my stomach. Now I am 8 months out and 61 pounds less. Loving my band and using it everyday. Treating it well, I want to keep it for a long, long, time!:girl_hug:

Position is everything. Try having a pillow under your back, as far down toward the hips as possible. The time of my first fill had to be moved to the Floro and everyone since then he has been able to hit the first time with pillow in position and just a little stomach crunch, then I can even see what he pulls out and then goes back in, only a little prick. In fact the time he used the numbing stuff it was actually sore the next day at the stick site. So I asked him not to numb it, ok without it. I have had 5 fills total of 6cc so far. Hang in there. He may have to use the Floro lamp, Beware, you have to drink the barium stuff then.:smile:

Sounds like you are taking care of business. I got my band on Jan 18,08. I have lost 60 lbs. My first few fills were 1.5 and 1.0, then on my 3rd I got .5 and really had to adjust. I have had a total 6.0cc injected , Funny, I don't feel like I have as much restriction as I once did. But I eat a 1/2 cup salad 3oz meat and 1/2 wheat brd and that will last me for about 6-7 hours. don't get hungry but what I eat has a tendancy to last a lot longer. I try to go 45-60 min. before I drink anything. i have gone from 206 to 145. I have to fight for every lb. I walk 6 miles at a time and do the gym 4x week. I will be happy with 4lb/month now. and then maintain. You guys keep up the good work. Use that tool!!:smile:

Good morning all. My first post. I have been reading and browsing for a few weeks. Some interesting takes on the Gastric lap-band. I was banded on Jan 18,08, Also a Friday, I really enjoy those Fridays these days. A new anniversary every week. Including pre-op diet and surgery I have lost 61 lbs. I just has my 4th fill I now have a total of 6cc in a 10 cc band. Feeling good, excersize about 5 days most weeks. Scale wont move unless there is body movement to go along with the tool I am using. For the most part of my journey has been good. Ther have been a few upchucks along the way, but we learn pretty fast from those incidents. So I have had no soda, no pizza slices, no white bread since Jan 4, which is when I started my pre-op diet. I now have the full sensation that actually kicks in before the Feeling to upchuck. I burp very little these days, due to the fact that I chew my food very, very slow. Since I have more fluid in my band there is less room for the air to go in when you chew very slowly. I have one protein shake at 6 am every mornng to start me off on a good protein count for the day. This is not meant for a meal replacement only in addition. I consume anywhere from about 60-90 g proteins daily. A good saying I remind myself constantly is this. "If it doesn't have at least 7 g protein, it does not go in my mouth." I worked for 10 months to be approved for this band due to insurance specifics and I was also borderline wt wise. Only 210 lbs, I have fought my wt issue for 25 or more years, and been on the Fen-phen and you name it. Dont want to fail with this. last option. I was size 16/18 in Jan, now I wear 6/8. I have about 15 lbs to go. It will slow down when you have less fat % to lose. Kudos to everyont that has taken this step to take control of there life. I remember the nurse in the recovery room telling me before the sent me to room to "ENJOY MY NEW SKINNY LIFE". I intend tod do that every day possible.

I had my surgery at Moore REgional in Pinehurst, Dr Raymond Washington, He is in the Pinehurst Bariatric center of Ex. with Kenneth Mitchell. They even a a support group once a month. A good positive attitude and a need to remind ourself that our state did not happen overnight and we cannot erase our eating habits overnight. Work on one thing at a time, healing, exercize, eating. It is a journey.