juliegeraci

I am on the fill roller coaster. I have had probably 12 fills and unfills over the course of 1800 months. Very costly to maintain.

When your doctor gived you the green light to start mushies you should try chili, tuna salad, those types of food which are high in protein.

If you can't get the full feeling then you need another fill. Keep going back until you get there. It took me 5 fills and 6 months.

I wasn't on a preop diet and did just fine.

Once you start getting fills you will not be able to eat those types of foods very well. Most likely just 1/4 to 1/2 of a cheeseburger. It may take you several fills to get that level of restriction however. Good luck.

Ilene, in time those feeling will go away. Eating like a bandster is wonderful once you get good restriction. I don't miss food nearly as much as I thought I would.

You are not crazy at all. I feel the same way about Lane Bryant. I am personally scared to shop now outside of LB. I don't even know where to start once I get into the Woman's section!

Hi everyone. Its been a while since I posted. I have lost 100 lbs. 40 of that was preop. I am focusing on losing 35 lbs in the next 6 months. Totally doable. I joined Weight Watchers on Saturday and so far so good. It does feel like a lot of food. Its strange eating so much. I am sure my body will adjust and I may even see an increase at first since I was eating so much less. Had difficulty eating solids so I decided to have a slight unfill. Unfortunately I am now more hungry so I am going in for a slight refill this week. Wish me luck. Happy New Years!

I drink on a pretty much regular basis. I try and only drink 2 drinks at a time. I use to drink a lot more.

Denise, yes I drank before being banded.

I had something recently that sounds the same. I was PBing all the time and always starving. For me it was because it was hard to get in enough solid protein, thus the unfil. If you can eat 2-3 oz at a time then you are good. Anything more than that, you need a fill.

Get rid of them and start to eat vegies, food or lean proteins.

Karen, isn't it wonderful! I hope you make your goal this year. Mine is my last 35 lbs.

Make sure you follow the doctor's diet to a tee. The first 6 weeks are crucial to heal. Don't go on solids too soon. Eat creamy soups if you get really hungry. Julie

Andrea, the rules are lean protein first, vegies the carbs. I would say you could barely get all 3 categories down, especially when you get restriction. Good luck.

I quit smoking a week ago so I'm happy about that one. My goal is to lose 35 more lbs this year. That would put me at goal.

amillerjones, I struggle with alcohol too. Right now I am trying to not drink during the week. I haven't had a drink in a few days now which is really good for me. Try and just limit yourself.

Hi Jeremy, first the operation isn't as serious as the sleeve and bipass. While you do tend to lose a little slower the results in a 3 year study are the same. My doctor told me its roughly 62% of your overall body fat. I am at 65% 18 months out with another 35 to lose. When you initially get your band you may not be hungry. After a couple weeks the hunger may return in full gear. As your healing progresses it will be time to get a fill. The fills really do help the hunger. It took me 5 fills to reach optimal level of restriction. yes, it can take some time to get there. I eat anywhere from 1/2 cup to 1 cup of food. I can eat everything, even bread. My relationship with food has changed completely. I no longer eat fast food because when you eat so much less you really need to get in the most nutrition. I also don't binge eat anymore. I am really glad I was banded. The other surgeries sound so much more invasive. That was why I didn't go that route. Best of luck to you on your journey. Don't look back, just forward. Julie

My port site was the sorest, probably a 5 or 6. No other complaints.

Out of curiosity, where do you live?

you may want to post this under cosmetic surgery.

Way to go. Great NSV!

Just make sure you get doctor's clearance first. No, it will not slip your band.

yes, you need a barium swollow to make sure everything is okay.

GNC has a protein shake in soy and milk based which is really good. I take the chocolate most of the time. I believe a big canister is around $40. I think it is around 60-80 servings.