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My other suggestion - spend time on your own personal development - read books, talk to people, go to support groups - keep working on your head and motivation and then the band will take care of the hunger and quantity.

It does get better - restriction is a great thing and does a lot to help out with cravings and hunger. However, it is not a brain transplant (which I think is what I need) and so I still have days or weeks where I am in a bit of a hole and really struggling - like right now. But despite being in a slump at the moment, in the last 11 months I have lost 100lbs and have made amazing changes - but I still get in that bad space where I eat everything in sight and feel like a lump :eek: So, keep trying and do your best. Know there will be good and bad days but the band does work! Be gentle on yourself and before you know it the months will fly by and the pounds will drop off. Good luck.

If you want a bit of reading material to help along the way, I have really enjoyed "The Gabriel Method" by Jon Gabriel and "Women, Food and God" by Geneen Roth. Found them both very helpful and try and get myself re-reading whenever I know I am in a slump - good luck.

I am a year along the journey and I still have good and bad days like you describe - and even though I read books and do workshops and try to focus on personal development, those bad days still come along. Unfortunately I know that little switch in my head is never going to go away (darn it) but I am getting better at controling it (well some days anyway).

All in all, I think you are doing great :-) It took me about 6 months to get everything working right and my head in the right place so that I could honestly say that things were progressing well (I still lost lots of weight even when I was bad, and I still have bad days even a year on). I guess all I am saying is be gentle with yourself and take it easy - the months will start to fly by and the kilograms will start to drop - just rest easy now :-)

All sounds normal to me :-) If you are worried about the bowel movement try a fibre drink or tablet with lots of water, that will help. As for the tiredness, well you have just been through a significant surgery so your body will take a bit of time to recover, just be gentle with yourself, another week and you will feel great. As for the hunger, not great suggestions there, perhaps try some soup or something of a slightly different temperature, flavour, texture - that might help the huger. Unfortunately, it will just take you brain a little while to adjust and once you get onto more solid food you should find that you are full longer.

That sounds scary. Do you still feel no restriction or have things improved? I wonder if after the food slipped through you may have had a bit of slime in your stomach which has helped the next food slide through quickly. I have noticed that myself, sometimes after a bit of slime has passed, a little later things slide through too easily but by the next day I am usually back to normal. Hope time has improved things for you, otherwise time for the doctor? Good luck.

I would suggest that you have a chat to your doctor as they might have a better idea of your current health and chances of conception etc. I got banded almost a year ago in the hope that it would help me be healthy enough to fall pregnant. I was almost 33 then and am now quickly approaching 34, my husband and I are now trying for a baby - I am much lighter and even if conception is difficult at least fertility doctors will be more willing to help me as I am healthier, lighter and have much lower blood pressure. I agree it is a hard decision - I guess a bit of soul searching is the only advice I can actually offer. Good luck achieving all of your goals regardless of the order.

I am 10 months post op and I still get a bit of port pain bending over sometimes - like a pinching feeling from the inside. Not terrible but uncomfortable and I just quickly adjust myself to overcome it. The most painful part of my operation was the port pain - was over a month before I could sleep on my tummy again - that was the worst part of the op for me, not being able to sleep comfortably. :-)

Sounds like you have had a rough time. I was banded the week after you but have had reasonable restriction 3/4 of the time - I must admit I still eat too much on occasion and sometimes not the best things. I read someone else had stretched their osephegus and was able to eat too much - I think they had a barium swallow to identify it. Has your doctor not suggested any other tests to be sure?

I did a big trip about 5-6 months after op - with 12 different flights in just over a month. (At one point there were 3 consecutive flights with quick transfers and 30+ hours in the air). I didnt have any problems with the band - was often a bit tight but ate on some longer flights. Did have one bad episode where I tried to eat, had two small bites, well chewed and then had 5 quick trips to the bathroom and needed anti nausea tablets to stop the slimming. Otherwise was fine. Perhaps just take a protein shake to make for yourself if it is going to be a long flight - just in case.

Hi BetsyB I agree with what you are saying, this journey is all about making positive healthy choices but my doctor has specifically said my band is a tool to help me towards eating like a "normal" person - someone who eats a healthy moderate diet and is not obsessed by food. The reality is, if this journey was simply about good food choices then you wouldn't need a band - there is so much more at play here and for most that includes a huge emotional and psychological attachment to food so any small advances are worth celebrating - so, from a psychological perspective it is best not to beat yourself up, use every step forward as a way to build your confidence and pride because that is what helps you to make those good choices as you go along. Just as others have said, during my 10 months I have good months and bad but the good outweigh the bad and the bad days get fewer and fewer - over 100lbs lost and I know for me this has been all about my head and almost nothing about the food. Good luck everyone.

It sounds like you are being hard on yourself. Eating small amounts of any kind of food is what NORMAL people do and afterall, isnt that the goal of being banded? It is for me anyway :-) My band helps me to eat as a normal person (without all the food issues) would eat. So I say, be proud of yourself, you went out to eat with friends and didnt binge or gorge yourself - YAY for you. On the other hand, the better you eat, the faster you lose weight but even if you eat small amounts of the foods you listed you are still going to lose weight, just a little slower - so you just need to decide what you are happy with - but I say be proud of the advances you are making, fast or slow.

Your post sounds just like the little voice in my head :-) I have struggled a number of times during my first year and hit what I thought was rock bottom numerous times - even thought I had done myself serious damage after a couple of binge sessions. I knew the band would not be a magic cure but I guess i didnt consider the fact that it actually doesnt help stop emotional eating AT ALL!!!!! At least I eat a lot less than I use to but the same thoughts and doubts and negative voices play in my head. So, you are not alone and you are not crazy, although if you are like me you probably feel a bit crazy :-) I have done more soul searching and personal development and that is helping me a lot. I have just read the book by Genene Roth, Women, Food and God - has been helpful. And I loved "The Gabriel Method" which includes a good meditation (I really notice the difference when I listen to it for a week or so). I think that is by Jon Gabriel - google it. Keep doing your best, I am sure things will improve and get worse and improve and get worse and improve ..... :-) Good luck on the roller coaster that is life - and I wish you luck getting back into the zone - I am sure you will find again - hope it is soon

I have been banded almost a year and I regularly get the hiccups now after eating - not sure why it continues, but during the operation they fill you with gas to have a bit more room to move in there and it pushes against your diaphragm - it is probably all still settling down and returning to normal. Unless it is causing you pain I wouldnt be too worried.

How long has this tightness been going on? I struggle with certain foods which are often completely unpredictable and illogical but that is just the way I am. Could just be that those foods dont work for you. The other thing I find is that hormones have a big impact on my restriction - leading up to that time of the month I get really really tight and chicken breast, or any meat for that matter is out of the question - other times I can eat a full chicken breast - makes no sense. Good luck getting the balance right - at the end of the day if you are not comfortable most of the time then it is probably best to get an unfill.

I am 10 months post op and have been having similar problems lately - have checked my blood pressure and blood sugar and both are fine. I am off to have my iron levels checked next - apparently low iron can also cause lightheadness. I would suggest a visit to the doctor for some blood tests - I am a bit of a hypocrite thought because I have been putting it off for two weeks now :-)

Can I suggest a book that I found helpful - "The Gabriel Method" - talks about nutritional deficiencies that can stop us from losing weight and about how our mind can control our metabolism - there is a website that has a better explanation, perhaps google it? I have found the book helpful when I have been stuck at a particular weight for a while.

It will be WONDERFUL!!! You have just been through a pretty stressful and traumatic operation so be kind on yourself and know that in just a few weeks you will be feeling as good as new, only now you will have a great tool that can help you control your eating. I will be honest there have been many times I have doubted myself and this journey but almost a year later and about 90lbs gone, I truly believe that this is different than every other time I have lost weight - this time I have a tool (other than will power) to help me keep it off. It is not a magic cure so please dont expect miracles, but it can help you do fabulous things for yourself. I wish you a lot of luck and a quick recovery - it is not half as bad as you expect - just think of how great you can feel in 12 months when your clothes are half the size :-)

I have had those feelings many times - I think it gets the better of us all at some point (or many points). I have read some good books which help me with a bit of extra motivation - I would recommend "The Gabriel Method", all about getting your head right without being too psychological or self help obsessed.

You can rip the stitches which can interfer with placement of band and port, likely to cause long term problems rather than just a bit of pain right now. Be patient, take it easy - you can do it :-)

Sorry to hear about your pain. Is the pain more in the centre than to the side? I have not had pain with my band but had excruciating pain from my gall bladder a couple of years ago - thought I was going to die it was so painful and seemed to move around my torso so the doctors had trouble diagnosing it. Is your surgeon Dr Watson? I believe he is away for the coming week. Good luck sorting this out.

No I havent heard that but I have found that I really cant eat any bread without difficulty - not since about my second fill - sometimes I miss it :-) I actually find I have trouble with the soft fluffy part, seems to get stuck - I hadnt really noticed the crust.

I feel your pain - I too have been the same the past week or so - scale just wont move at all. I am wondering if it might be hormonal fluid retention for me? Not PMS time just yet but I have noticed over the past couple of months my weight loss seems to be tied to my cycle which is frustrating!!!!!!!! Might just be the joy of being a woman? :-)

I had the surgery done last June and my husband has now decided to go ahead - he will banded on the 14th too. He wasnt keen initially but seeing me and the results I have had (slow though it has been) he has been convinced of the possible benefits. She will need a bit of help during recovery though so probably good that you can help her now and she can help you later. Good luck with it all and fingers crossed you will get your turn soon (if you decided to).