Mangofish

Since I was self pay I didn't have to jump thru hoops. I also had a large fast food good bye party right before my surgery. I didn't do any type of diet before hand and my surgery and everything else has been a breeze. I am the opposite from the OP - more of a free spirit I suppose where rules and regulations would actually overwhelm me but I def. did stick the the post op diet. Luckily My surgeon and my post op doc are laid back and as long as I'm losing they could care less if I ate kit-kats all day.

pizza dough/bread and overcooked meat. Biscuits unless they are soaked in butter.

Prior the 1st 4 or 5 fills - it kinda felt like a dull pain but I barely had any restriction until maybe the 5th one but now since hitting my sweet spot I feel full after only eating a little bit. I will be honest. I haven't been exercising. My last fill in late June has cause me to lose about a pound per week since then (I was 195 - now 182) and that includes eating stuff my doctor would roll his eyes at.

pizza (minus the bread) with garlic butter. or chicken alfredo. I eat it but only a little b/c I've hit my sweet spot.

congrats!!!!

Good luck and it seems to be the case that people with lower starting BMI do not lose as fast - remember it may be slow and steady but it will happen.

That is awesome!!

At fill 5 I started to feel some restriction. At fill 6 I now have hit my sweet spot and have lost 10 pounds since June which is a lot for me.

As I approach my 1 year band anniversary date I am just thinking how silly and uninformed I was prior to surgery. I guess I was thinking this would be a magic device but it is just a tool where i have to do my part too. What do you guys wish you knew before surgery?

I was at a bday party this weekend and it so sucked not being able to eat pizza. I ate the cheese and toppings but man the crust looked so good! I still miss eating but for me the pain if I eat it will outweigh any food lust. Too much info but food never exactly tastes the same when I am sliming up food with some stomach juice mixed up. Oh and since you haven't had surgery yet - please take the time to heal and not freak out before your first fill if you haven't lost X amount of weight. This is a journey (cliched but for real) and it may get bumpy but I wouldn't trade my plastic band for anything. Good luck!

I wish I lost 27 pounds in less than 3 months .... Just took me a year and 6 fills to lose 30. ARGGHH!!!!!!!

Slow and steady.

Zero pain. No nausea b/c I let them know I usually have it bad so the doc put in extra stuff to protect against it and it worked. Getting my teeth yanked was more traumatizing for me even when I was put under.

I also swell a lot from fills. The last fill less than 2 weeks ago had me feeling like hell. I could barely get liquids down and had a pain that lasted a few seconds after each sip. Each day got better. Hot Soups definitely helped and got me through it. I also drank lots of Ensure vanilla drinks. Definitely the worse thing to do after a fill is trying to push food down (no matter how small a crumb) when you are suppose to be on liquids only. Please keep us updated.

Of course your hungry all the time - its called bandster hell and it totally sucks. I was there and it took me a couple of week to get out of it. I am not sure if you are out of the mushies stage but the only time I felt full was when I ate a giant salad. Not to be a downer but the 1st fill may not get you out of bandster hell. Are you allowed to eat chicken or steak yet? Or tried different recipes with eggs? Also try the Detour Protein Bars - taste like candy but w/30 grams of protein and they are really big bars. I thought this thread would be once you are at your sweet spot and physically cannot eat the junk food you used to. I am totally missing eating pizza and mac & cheese but the pain would be unbearable. Wait till you get there and everyone is eating junk food and you cannot - alas! Anyways, what did your nutritionist advise you to eat at this period? This is key!

TG this isn't another "I feel like a failure 10 days post op". I think there is a presumption that if you don't lose all this weight quickly you wasted money and you are a loser. You are not!! If you are a failure than I need to just to jump off a bridge for only losing 30 pounds a in a year. Yes, sometimes I feel disappointed but I know I would never ever have lost it without the band. I am slightly annoyed at doctors who vary so much on lap band advice - by reading the boards some doctors yell at their patients for only losing a pound a week while my doctor is over the moon when I lose a pound a week. You will have to keep getting fills until you hit the sweet spot. It took me 6 fills in 7 months to get really get there. I wonder why doctors don't seem to explain what this is as so many people on this board seem to think 1 or 2 fills will magically work which usually wont make a difference on most people. For instance, I am satisfied with yogurt and string cheese. Fills 1 thru 5 - I would have rolled my eyes at that - it would have taken 6 oz steak and mash potatoes to fill me up. Hang in there and don't compare yourself to others.

Donna Jo from Idaho - you are so sweet! I am going to try your chicken broth plus Protein (chicken, turkey, etc) blender mix recipe. JoiaRox - great post! It is a good attitude to have - when you feel down at least we can say the scale is going down and not up (and lately for me it has been with no exercise) so I really don't need to complain or even compare myself to others. I really had to own up to myself when I was also surprised I didnt lose weight instantly after surgery. I am nearly a year out and "only" 30 pounds down. If I didn't have this band I'd probably be close to having a 4th chin by now. Yes, you definitely have to rewire your brain b/c believe it or not - I can be really tight and only drink Soup...and chocolate. I find it ridiculous how slider foods can go down so easy.

I had a very similar occurrence a week after my 6th fill. I am very tight now and was ok for a week then suddenly I had this pain which would occur deep down on my throat and then sometimes on my upper stomach a second later. Turns out I pushed myself to either eat too much or too fast and made my stomach swell up. A couple of days on liquids and it resolved itself.

So happy for you!! I totally understand - love being in Onederland!

I don't think the original poster is saying that newly banded should not seek encouragement but to have realistic expectations. There seems to be a couple of posts every day of people a week (or even a month) out of banding and stating they haven't lost weight. Your body is healing and you haven't even had a fill - this is not magic where you lose weight instantly after surgery but a tool which until you get fills is only an ornament. You should concentrate on healing not the scale at this point. The online community is very supportive and more informative than doctors who really don't seem to explain what the surgery entails or what the timeline should be of weight loss. I am actually in the same boat you are - I just got my 6th fill last week and only on broths and liquids b/c of a sudden stabbing pain that just developed last 48 hrs. Not losing weight and I personally regret telling people I had the surgery b/c they too have unrealistic expectations. It is NOT gastric bypass but a slow and sometimes tedious methodical process. Give you body time to heal and don't be discouraged until much later if necessary- why be discouraged when you haven't had a fill? Good luck.

You know I just saw a lap band commercial and it really makes lap band seem like a walk in the park. It really doesn't educate people on what to expect - just shows before and after of the people who succeeded. My doctor is happy I lose 1 pound a week. 2 if I exercise. I guess I am glad the scale isn't going up but since I got a fill last week I've hit takes 30 minutes to eat or I will get this painful sensation down my throat. Thankfully I haven't vomited like others. I guess I am just venting since all my friends who know about my surgery and many in the public in general see this as a walk in the park b/c it's not as "severe" as gastric.

I totally second this. What happened to the Read This Newbie's post that explains no weight loss right after surgery?? Your body is healing and in freak out zone after surgery. Good luck on your weight loss journey.

I was wondering what the pain was - so I guess I have been eating to fast. I just got a fill last week and I am not use to having to take teeny bites or taking forever just to eat.

Great thread. I was at church yesterday (I hadn't been in forever b/c I couldn't fit into my Sunday best clothes for months) and I actually caught 2 guys looking at me though my first reaction was Who me? and looking over my shoulder....b/c I still have a ways to go.