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Well you are not eating much so regardless of how tight the band is I would think you would be hungry. Soup is not the best food to eat because it doesn't stay in the pouch so it doesn't keep you feeling full. The bread on its own doesn't sound very nutritious. Did you have the glass of Water with the shrimps because if you did that would help them to go down easier and again wouldn't keep you full. Or did you only drink 1 glass of water all day- if you did that is really worrying. Maybe you are too full. It sounds as though you should be eating more food so that you can use the band the way in which it is intended. You need to aim for nutritious and well balanced. You should be able to eat a range of healthy foods from all food groups including veggies etc.

I think you will find burping is a common problem amonst bandsters. I certainly burp lots now.

You find that stash of clothes that you bought years ago that were just a little bit too tight but would be fine as you were going to lose weight, you try them on and they still don't fit.............. because now they are too big!

Its a fantastic feeling isn't it? I know I was rapt when this happened to me and the feeling when I stood on the scales and was no longer overweight was also amazing. It is so good to be able to see your progress - it motivates you to keep going. WELL DONE

I am sure that you already know that this means that you are too tight. Go back to your Dr and get some fill taken out. You need to be able to eat properly so that the band can work the way it is designed and you don't want to end up only eating sliders as then you will put weight back on.

I would be a bit concerned with your Dr. Like any product newer models have improvements that are added based on research etc. The older Lap Band may be perfectly adequate but if so why did they bother changing it? There must be very valid reasons any changes. I would question why your Dr is using the older model. Its probably a case of using up old stock but aren't you better than that? Shouldn't you be getting the latest and best model available. I know I wouldn't be happy with my doc putting old parts in me unless there was a very very valid reason. To my mind cost saving is not a valid reason - I am worth more than that - I want the best!

Excellent. Its great to hear stories like this.

PS. To take 30min to eat 1/4 cup of pureed food seems ridiculously slow. My Dr's recommend that eating a meal should take 20 - 30 min but that is real food not puree and I am allowed far more than 1/4 cup. I know all Dr's have different requirements but this seems crazy!

At this stage it doesn't reall make a huge difference as you have no restriction. It is only once you have restriction that you will understand the need to eat small bites/slowly because if you don't it hurts like hell! It is good to practice eating slower but reallistically I don't believe that most of us get it quite right until we have had some fills. In the meantime eat as slowly as you can but don't stress about it too much.

The liquid phase is tough but the reason for it is to allow your body to heal.Do not cheat with things that you have to chew as this can lead to band slippage. Rather increase your Protein as this can help you to feel full longer. Use Protein shakes, add things like lentils,chickpeas to soups and then blend them really well.Drink skim milk etc. if you feel you have to chew something eat diet jelly as it dissolves before it gets to the stoma so there is no churning of the stomach involved. We know how you feel. it is horrible but you can do it. Remember it is not for ever but for a very short period.

It's not. Once again it sounds as though it is from lack of information. If you read through the threads on this forum you will see that it is normal for it to take a no of fills to reach restriction and that this often takes months.In fact smaller fills that get you to your sweet spot slower are believed to be safer than more aggressive fills and less likely to lead to a problem such as a slip in the future. So sorry not to be able to give you the news that you were looking for but at least you are closer now to reaching the point that you want to be at then you were before. Most people do lose before reaching ideal restriction. Remember that you didn't put the weight on overnight and that isn't how the band helps to take it off either. If that is what you were expecting then unfotunately you have been misinformed and possibly chose the wrong surgery.

If you are a grazer and a big sweet eater the band may not help you much. it is easy to eat past the band by grazing - it does not stop you doing this. It is also not common to feel restriction when eating chocolate,sweets etc. They slide right past the band. The band does help by making you eat smaller meals and reducing your hunger in between. But a lot of people eat due to head hunger rather than actual hunger so again it may not help. I think you need to discuss this further with your Dr, nutritionist and possibily a therapist that specialises in eating issues before you make your decision.the band may not be right for you and you may want to consider other options.

Most people tend to be tighter in the morning and looser at night. If you need a snack mid afternoon have one it won't hurt. Just make sure it is something healthy.Tuna and a few crackers, yogurt with a sprinkle of muesli, an egg etc. I find that combing Protein and healthy carbs keeps me satisfied a lot longer than Proteins on their own.

Crappy foods will always go down easily.You can never be filled enough to stop that - that is something you have to deal with yourself by making good food choices.Sounds as though you need fill taken out so that you can get the healthy stuff that you should be eating down. Remember the band is only a tool - it doesn't do all the work- it is still up to us to make sure that we eat correctly.

I went for a fill today ( my 5th) and was told that they will no longer be taking the fill that is already in there out to check the amount as it is now believed that this can affect the pressure in the band. Has anyone else heard this? I didn't question why but it seems to make sense.If you blow a balloon up and then deflate it and keep repeating the process it makes the balloon weaker. So I imagine something similar may happen with the pressure in the band. It does go to show though that they don't know everything about the band yet - they seem to be constantly discovering new things.

I take my pills uncrushed all the time - no probs. I normally make sure that I take them with a large swallow of water but so far they have all gone down fine.

I can't tell you how to recognise if your pouch is stretched but I am going to tell you not to worry. Your stomach and pouch are a lot higher than you think. Closer to your chest than where you traditionally think of your stomach as being. If you have ever been stuck you know where you get that awful pain - in the centre of the chest between the breasts. Think of that as where your stoma is so the pouch is sitting just above there and the rest of your stomach just below. HTH

That's good. I can never understand the people that drive around for ages looking for a space right next to the entrance. Once they get inside they are going to be walking so surely it won't hurt to find a space a bit further away. trying to get too close means you waste valuable shopping time!

I've noticed that this site seems to have changed a lot recently. A lot of the "older" more experienced bandsters seem to be MIA.It's a concern as there are lots of newbies who have lots of questions and it seems to be newer rather than experienced people answering these questions. It's frustrating as they have a lot more experience and I am sure would have far better answers than those of us only banded a couple of months. Obviously there are still some experienced people around which is great but a lot are noticeable by their absence. What gives??????????

Just read this thread and it seems to be going around in circles re " exercise". Exercise = Activity Activity = Exercise Exercise does not mean you have to sweat it out in the gym it means that you need to be active and burn more energy than you take in. As kart and some of the others have said there are lots of choices. Find the activity that suits you and stick with that. If you like hiking, walking that is fine. If you prefer to sweat it out in the gym then that is also fine. Also look at how you can increase your incidental activity level. Things like parking further away from the shops and walking the last part, getting off the bus one stop earlier, doing your own housework, hang your washing on the line instead of using the drier all this kind of stuff helps too. The point is that exercise is broad it does not only mean going to the gym.

Speak to your Dr - maybe he can prescribe something. Hopefully it is allergy related and can easily be resolved. If it does turn out to be something else then it may be better to postpone. I know it would be dissappointing but you don't want to have surgery if you are not well - too risky and it will also impede your recovery. Good luck - keeping my fingers crossed.

No one can predict how you will react. Your best weapon is good preparation and lots of information.Read as much as you can, go to the support groups, ask your Dr lots of questions.Some people have issues some don't. Often the ones that have issues are the ones that were not fully informed prior to surgery so they didn't know what to expect. With regard to fills be aware that your first one will probably be between 3 - 6 weeks after surgery depending on your Dr.It is unlikely that you will get perfect restriction after your first fill - that can take months. Although some Dr's fill aggressively the slow and steady approach is considered to be safer and leads to less problems in the long run. During this period you may get hungry, you may not lose , you may even gain a little weight. Stick to healthy food choices and try to cut out the junk. It is better to eat more of a healthy food than carry on eating rubbish. And yes if you are consuming less energy than you are expending you should lose.But if you eat slider foods such as icecream, milkshakes, chips, crackers you won't. Do your exercise and most importantly remember the band is for life it's not a quickfix.

I also find the support groups invaluable. Nothing beats being able to talk to others that have had the same experience. You probably learn a lot more from them than you would from your Dr.But if you can't get to one then you have to look at other options. This process does get easier.They say that it takes 12 weeks to form a new habit so the longer you do it for the more natural it becomes.Before you get restriction you may still get hungry but as Cathy has already said if you are hungry eat a healthy snack. I think that what you eat is more important than how much. Rather eat a bit more of something healthy than a little bit of junk. And 17lb in 17 weeks is great. The average is 1 - 2lb per week so you are losing what you should be.You didn't put the weight on overnight so you can't expect to lose it that way either. Remember slow and steady wins the race!

Colorado, Plain I am in total agreement with both of you. I do find it scary how many people seem to be under or misinformed. I also find it scary that people think the band is a magic wand that will just make the weight fall off. My experience has been a walk in the park compared to what some people here are describing. I had my initial app with my chosen surgeon. My GP had refused to refer me and I hadn't attended any seminars.I asked some questions was given a book and then booked my surgery date and other tests. I read the book. Found a local support group which I went along to and asked lots of questions. That was probably one of the best things I did as i gained a lot more info than I would have otherwise. I found and joined this forum. Then I met with the dietician who explained the diet. At that stage I was thinking hell can I do this but I cannot say that I didn't know what i was letting myself in for.I was informed that in between meals I would get hungry but that I should just drink and was also told that between fills as the restriction wears off I could also get hungry.I had my final preop app with the surgeon where I asked lots more questions. he told me that I asked a lot more than most people but he was happy to answer them. They were questions that i thought of from being a member of this forum and the other group. The op went well. Minimal pain that was easily controlled. Driving the next day back at work a week later. Did I get hungry? Trying to remember................... I am sure I did but it is something that you soon forget. At the time it is a struggle but it is for a finite amount of time - there is light at the end of the tunnel. When I was hungry I drank broth, ate sugar free jelly, diet mousse or something else that was allowed on my list. My fills have been slow which is fairly standard practice here in Australia. It is not a money making thing - it is believed that filling too soon or too aggressively is one cause of band slippage. I have had 5 fills so far for a total of approx 3ml in a 10ml band. I can eat everything just a lot slower and a lot less than previously.I still eat bread(toasted), meat, chicken, rice, vegetables, Pasta............ Sometimes I get stuck but that doesn't mean I don't eat that particular food again it just means I remember to eat it slower and chew it better. I DON"T DO Protein shakes - shock horror. I get more than enough protein from the well balanced diet that I eat. I'm not on atkins or WW or any other DIET! My weight is coming off slowly but it is coming off. Rather slow and steady than not at all. I tend to lose .5kg then not lose for the next 2 weeks then lose again. At the moment I am averaging a loss of 2kg(4.4lb) a month. Many of you probably wouldn't be happy with that but I think its great. I live a normal life, eat normal foods and am losing.I have approx 5kg (11lb) to get to my goal. So yes bandster hell can be awful but it ends. You can't go backwards only forwards so work with what you now know. If you take it one day at a time it makes it a whole lot easier.And adjust your expectations. realise that prior to restriction you may not lose and may even gain. the band is for life it's not a quick fix.

The Dr decides once he/she opens you up. They use the correct size to fit your anatomy.They no longer use the very small one which was approx 4cc (I think) unless they have old stock that they are using up! The current Ap bands are approx 10 and 14 cc and then there is the Realize band which is a similar size.