Katiebal_Lecter

I feel the same way, I’m on my pre-op diet. I feel like I’ve become obsessed with the scale and food, in an unhealthy way. Like every time I pee... ope, I better go check my weight. It’s driving me crazy. I think after surgery I am going to put my scale away and only bring it out to check my weight on the “milestone” dates. I feel guilty about food too. My liquid diet allows for one lean cuisine a day and it’s like my whole day is planned around when I can eat that. I’m losing weight but I feel less healthy mentally.

How are you doing?? How did it go?

I’m having the same surgery on the 17th!!! I’ll be anxiously awaiting your updates!!!

I’m pre-op right now, I am getting a band revision to GB on December 17. I’ve heard that, with GB, you no longer get the “growling stomach” sensations of hunger. Can you guys who have had your revisions describe what your new hunger feels like... Do you still get the growling? Is it nausea? Emptiness? Can you put into words what this “hunger/starving” feeling is like? Thanks in advance for any insight.

December 17th so long as COVID doesn’t get in the way! (Band to bypass)

I was banded back in 2008, and lost 120 pounds over the following years. In 2016 I got a piece of broccoli stuck and slipped my band. My original surgeon’s office wouldn’t let me revise and said since I was so successful with the band then we should try to get it working again. Well fast forward three years, never got the band working again, the pain while eating was worse, I had bad acid reflux, and I regained 50 pounds. A different surgeon in the same office said she would revise to gastric bypass after removing my band. She’ll try to do it all in one surgery. She said she would only do the GB in lap band removal cases because with the scar tissue from the first surgery it wasn’t safe to make the new stomach the way it should be with the sleeve. So December 17 (fingers crossed no COVID delays) I’ll finally be getting the band removed and GB done. Good luck with your decision!!

Up to you, I was paying $500 per doctors visit just to have no restriction for 8 months...

I was the exact same as you - wanting instant gratification, but after 7+ years of being banded I do not regret it at all. My friend got the sleeve when I got banded and she lost about 200 pounds quickly, but then gained about 300 back subsequently. My uncle and aunt jumped into the gastric bypass without doing research because they saw how well I did with the band, they lost weight but have gained most of it back and retain the problems that come with bypass like the dairy intolerance. Stick with it. It's not easy, but it will be worth it once you find that proper fill. I haven't had mine filled/touched in 6 years now. It does work. Hang in there!

I was 8 months post op before I felt even a hint of restriction. My doctor was very cautious. It's sucks when you're so ready for your journey to start, but hang in there, hopefully you'll notice a change with your upcoming fills. I would ask your doctor to be a little more aggressive. Especially if you live near the office. It's very apparent after a fill if they put too much in. One time my band basically closed and I couldn't even get water down. Once you get closer it's fine to do the small fills, but I'd say, initially, try to get them to go big -like 1cc

I was banded in 2009. I've lost 120 pounds and have kept about 110 off. When I was banded it took 8 month before my doctor got me to a fill that actually restricted anything and a few more fills after that to get me to my sweet spot. That first 8 months was difficult because unlike gastric bypass, I wasn't losing weight quickly. if I had advice I'd say "eat slowly." Every time I ate too fast I'd fill my stomach too quickly and end up getting sick. It takes time to find out what foods will work for you post op. I avoid beef products because they don't break down enough to go through my hole, but chicken and fish are fine. Also be very careful about following that "don't drink while eating" rule. Fluids with food can either push food painfully through or make you puke. I'll admit I eat more junk food than I should. like the other poster said- this is a tool, it will limit how much you can eat, if you follow the rules properly, but it's not going to stop your emotional eating cravings. Good luck to you! Stay positive and remember the non-scale reasons you want to do this too, whether it's to fit better in chairs or not die going up stairs, it's not all about scale weight.

Hang in there. I got banded in 2009 and it took my surgeon and I 10 months to get the right fill. I started out at 308 pounds and it took me a couple of years to get down to the weight I am now (180's). I used to give up hope from time to time but I kept telling myself as I lost the weight "you never thought you'd get to 300 and now look at you, you never thought you'd get to 285 and now look at you" and keep saying that as the scale started to go down. My body is still not my idea of perfect and I still see the heavy me in the mirror from time to time, but it has been a worthwhile journey. I also slip and eat more of the "easy" foods than I should- m&m's for a meal? Yes please. We all still have to deal with the psychological baggage that come from being fat, but know you're not alone in that regard. I do the Atkins diet when I want to center my eating again. My biggest advice to help keep you on track when you feel like the scale isn't moving: look to those non-scale victories: do your clothes feel better? Can you walk up stairs without getting winded? Can you fit into a chair with armrests? Whatever your mini goal is-- you should be proud of yourself for taking this step and remember you're body is changing in ways you might not be able to see. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I'm 24 and will be two years out in October. Like you I've been overweight my whole life. I'd lost weight on my own a few times - 50 to 60 pounds through eating very little and excercising like a madmad only to gain it all back and then some when I got discouraged. Then my doctor and I decided to have this sugery (I have the Realize Band) to use as a tool to help lose the weight and keep it off. I was just as worried as you were when I first started: what will happen if I fail? What will happen if I succeed? For my first six months I lost probably 30 pounds. It was really hard because my fill wasn't tight enough and I could eat just like I had before. I started to get scared that I was one of those people that this band just wouldnt work for. Then in May, six months after my surgery, I finally got the fill that made the difference. I started losing about 10 pounds per month for a good seven months. The weightloss slows as you start getting closer to goal. So far I've lost 115 pounds with about 20 to go. Don't go into this expecting the quickest fix. When I started I thought I would be at my goal weight by May, not just starting to get restriction. And even with a good fill level, when i stall for a few weeks, I still get that panicked feeling that I will no longer lose weight. That's when I tell myself "remember when you weighed 290 and didnt think you would see 289? Remember when you were at 276 and didnt think you would get to 270, remember when you were at 226 and didnt think you would see 224?" I keep reminding myself of all the times I thought my journey was over only to lose more and more weight later on. For me the weight loss isn't consistent- it could be 5 pounds one month, one pound the next, none for a few months- and you really just have to go with it. Don't stress when you're not losing- it takes your body a while to shift everything around. My last bit of adivice- take before pictures!!! Even though i was incredibly embarrassed at the time I took pictures at my heaviest weight, and boy am I glad I did it! I took them straight on facing front, facing back, and side view. I've taken pictures once a month since, as well as keeping measurements, keeping a journal to write about how I feel during important milestones, and tracking weightloss (i put in what i weigh on the last day of every month to compare). Now when I'm feeling bad or like I havent lost anything, I compare my current picture to my heaviest weight picture and it just blows my mind. When I put the two side by side I no longer pick at what I have left to lose, instead I marvel at how much I've lost. I was recently worried about the currently fattest part of my thighs until I noticed while doing my monthly measurements that the fattest part of my thighs right now is the same size of the smallest part of my thighs back when i first started. If that makes sense, right now the biggest part of my leg (thigh) is the same size as what was once the smallest part of my thigh by my knee. Do as many measurements as possible, this really helps to track what and from where you're losing fat. Measurements are far more important than what you weigh on the scale. My ONLY regret with this surgery is that I didn't have it done sooner- yes I've struggled with food since banding, yes I miss certain foods, yes I've eaten things I shouldn't, yes it's been physically, emotionally, and mentally tough- but now I can walk up stairs without getting winded, I can fit comfortably in seats at movie theaters and on airplanes, I no longer wear sweatshirts even in the summer to cover up my extra flab, I can look at myself and not feel disgusted or shameful. You have a great opportunity in front of you and I wish you the best of luck on your journey!