BetsyB

It does suck--you're right. But it's time-limited--and for a good cause. You'll get through it. It is hard, but worth it.

I've just been investigating this. In the past, Allergan has paid for replacement of defective Lap-Bands. I would imagine that Ethicon will do the same for Realize patients who are affected. I would also expect some sort of class action suit to be filed, if the problem turns out to be widespread. I have a Realize band and am not concerned; I guess this is one circumstance for which I am glad my doctor routinely uses fluoroscopy--he can assess the band at each visit.

salad stuff broccoli slaw other veggies that look good cabbage garlic fresh herbs, if my garden isn't producing them berries or other fruit that looks good ground chicken (for chili) shrimp lean beef pork fish turkey Italian sausage smoked salmon almond milk cheese-cheddar, parmesan fat-free cottage cheese Greek yogurt canned tomato puree (for sauces and soups) lots of beans--canned and dried (black, red, great northern, etc.) fat-free refried Beans boxes of chicken broth (if I'm making Soup and won't have bones to make stock) wine (for cooking) From Bariatric Eating, I order: Inspire Protein powder (Dutch chocolate and Pom Razz Sangria--very good mixed in a liter of Crystal Light lemonade) PURE unflavored whey Protein isolate Susan Maria's Cancun chili seasoning

Calorie needs vary so widely; I lose in the 800-900 range. I really don't like to drop below 800, because there's just no way to even approach meeting my nutritional needs if I do. That's where Protein shakes come in handy.

It's time to really educate yourself about the band, and what it will do for you. If you're considering bypass, really educate yourself about that, too. A good source of information regarding postop eating (for band and bypass) is bariatriceating.com. In your shoes, I'd start from scratch. You understandably have very negative feelings right now, because your experience has been terribly disappointing. But you also know that you have a band in your body--and that it's functional. (A hernia should not affect restriction.) Here's one simple fact, and it holds true whether you're banded or bypassed: you must eat the right foods in the right amounts if you want to lose weight. Just because you can eat something does not mean you should. And the band can't stop you--YOU have to stop you. Since you already have the band in place, why not really work it? Get in to the doctor for that fill you skipped. Work toward appropriate restriction. And in the meantime, really focus on doing all of the things you need to do to promote weight loss. Journal your food intake someplace like fitday.com to ensure you're in a calorie range that supports loss, getting enough Protein, and meeting your other nutrient needs. Exercise each day. Will you be hungry? Probably. Until you reach appropriate restriction, hunger is part of the game. We all experience it. What you're ultimately aiming for is a state in which you are satisfied (not"full") for a few hours after eating. Then, because you are easily satisfied, you have another small meal--and again are satisfied for a period of time. I know you've given up, and have reverted to old eating habits. These habits must be addressed for any weight loss surgery to be successful. I understand why you are considering bypass at this point--and really, it may ultimately be a better choice for you. But while you think about it (or even prepare for it), why not really work the band, and see if you can spare yourself another surgery? Bypass requires even more dietary restrictions than the band. Get to the doctor. See him/her routinely for fills. Overhaul the way you eat. Consider therapy to help you cope with the emotions that seem to be triggering overeating. See if you can't turn this disappointment into a real success story.

Time to find a new doctor. Surgery is not the answer. Fluoroscopy is. It's not hard to locate a port. (I'd report the doctor to the state licensing board.) Can your surgeon's office do the fills?

My doctor has a very similar approach. Protein + nonstarchy veggies, plus fruit (one a day) until 75 percent of excess body weight is lost. I've lost 75% of what he wants me to lose, so I'm "allowed" to add bread, rice, pasta, etc. Back in. But I don't miss them at all and feel a zillion times better without them. I am continuing with the original regimen because I love the way I feel. mdhannant, it doesn't suck at all--I promise, if you're already feeling better, you'll find, when you reach restriction, that you are completely satisfied without the starches. There's just no room, most of the time, for foods that aren't nutrient-dense. Gracie, hunger is normal at this stage of the game. I powered through by telling myself it was the last time I'd be hungry in the name of weight loss. I do aim for a little more protein/day than my doctor requires, so I add a Protein shake to my morning and my evening; this helps with hunger a lot. When I really couldn't take it, I called my doctor's office; they scheduled me for a fill a few weeks earlier than planned.

Heather, it doesn't matter how many calories other people need to lose. All that matters is that you've identified the range in which you lose. That said, if you've blown your knee out, you may find that you have to adjust your intake downward until you are able to exercise again. Do you journal your food intake? I ask, because it's really helpful, to me, to have a journal I can look back on to really examine my intake. I had a lot of faulty ideas about the range in which I lost until I had journaled long-term and got a better overall picture. It's not the case for everyone, but for me, what I eat is as important as how much. Journaling someplace like fitday.com can help you identify if you're focusing too much on starches, getting enough Protein, getting enough heart-healthy fat, etc.

Bree, I hope your fill does the trick. I am waffling about my scheduled fill for next week...

I don't remember. I didn't really count; I started feeling restriction with my third, then played around, fine tuning for a while. Maybe 5?

If you want a lower-volume protein, you can get 30 grams for about 100-ish calories from Inspire or PURE protein powders from bariatriceating.com.

Yes. I would. The recovering alcoholic's sobriety is his/her own responsibility.

I only get in 800-900 calories a day, sometimes less. I make sure to get in enough Protein (I do use supplements for this), make wise food choices (so that everything I eat gives a bang for its nutritional buck), and take a good-quality bariatric Multivitamin. I exercise daily, often twice, and have not had a major stall since banding. The loss doesn't seem dramatic on a day-by-day basis, but it really does add up.

I get the chili there--it's pretty good, and goes down easily. No one ever raises an eyebrow when I don't finish :laugh:

Your doctor will let you know what s/he wants you to do, vis-a-vis preop diet. During the 3-month supervision, my doctor did not specify any particular diet; I was permitted to use any regimen I wanted, and was required to lose 6 pounds in that time frame. (This was dictated by insurance.) Doctors vary so much in terms of what they require for the one- to two-week preoperative diet. Most do have their patients follow some sort of carb-controlled diet to help deplete the liver's glycogen (carbohydrate) stores, so that the liver is smaller and easier to maneuver around. Some have their patients stick to protein shakes during this time. Others (like mine) combine protein shakes with some food (lean protein and nonstarchy veggies). And some don't require any specific preop diet at all. Yours will let you know what s/he wants you to do :laugh:

I was banded the day before you and have the same loss---and the same goal. I would love to join you :laugh:

I was banded the day before Bree, and have lost the same amount--how funny is that? I am perimenopausal, and have had no difficulty losing. I do follow a low-carb regimen and exercise every day. Body fat is mildly estrogenic, so losing can cause serum estrogen levels to rise. (I think this actually makes me feel better, in terms of hormone balance.)

Awesome job--congratulations! Happy anniversary!

What kind of response did you expect to get, when you've posted ???You got a great deal of reassurance that it's normal not to feel restriction for quite some time post-banding, and some very mild suggestion that you stick to the rules, 'cause there in place for a reason. How were people supposed to respond?

It sounds as though your doctor is very, very conservative with fill amounts. I have an 11 cc Realize band, too, and didn't start feeling restriction until I hit 8.5 cc--and I've had several fills since to fine-tune. I don't know exactly how much is in there (I've stopped asking because the number doesn't really matter)---I do know that as I've started toeing the line, the amounts have been much, much smaller ---and have had a far, far greater impact. It's too early for you to give up hope. Your doctor is getting you there very slowly...but it's not at all unusual to have as much fill as you do and still not be where you want to be.

My doctor is one who has his patients on pureed solids on Day 3. Solids, per se, are not a real issue postop. Testing the band to see how much you can withstand is really problematic behavior, though. Very few people have restriction so soon out of the gate. Very few people feel much restriction even after their first fill. Brace yourself for a significant period of time without restriction. If you're lucky, you'll be an exception, and feel more restriction sooner rather than later. But realistically, it may be a handful of months before you feel that the band is contributing to your loss. In the meantime, it would be a really good idea to work on the mental half of the equation. Yes, you will be able to eat things, perhaps almost limitlessly. That does not mean you should. Use the time during which you are striving for restriction wisely. Learn to make choices that will promote loss. Will you be hungry? Probably. Do it anyway. PS--I am not sure I'd share the results of your experiment with your doctor. Mine was willing to do fills early IF I was compliant. It works far better, IMO, to say, "I've been eating X amount, and am hungry within X minutes; I'm sticking with your plan, but am really uncomfortable" than to say, "I've been breaking every rule you've given me just to demonstrate to myself how useless this band is--and now I want you to fix it." If you demonstrate noncompliance, you may find it much, much more difficult to establish and maintain a good working relationship with your doctor. And because it's a long-term relationship from which you wish to derive a certain outcome (his cooperation in helping you achieve restriction), you might want to rethink your approach.

I agree that you probably need to focus on getting more bang for your nutritional buck. Lean Cuisines just don't give your body enough of what it needs. Not just for weight loss purposes, but for long-term health. In your shoes, I'd track my intake (and output--exercise) on Fitday.com to see where I was coming in, in terms of protein/carb/fat, etc. I think you will be shocked to see the gap between what you need and what you are getting. Once you know where you stand, you can start tweaking. I know that Lean Cuisines offer the benefit of ...well, a sort of mindlessness that can be freeing. But you can achieve the same sort of mindlessness if you have a basic "formula" for what you eat. My formula is 2-3 ounces of Protein (fish, poultry, lean beef or pork, fat-free cottage cheese, yogurt plus Protein Powder, legumes...) + 1/2 cup nonstarchy veggies for each meal. I have a protein shake in the early morning and late evening, and if I am hungry between meals, I have fruit, veggies, an ounce of cheese, or a bit more protein. Very formulaic, but it meets my body's needs (though I take a good quality bariatric Multivitamin as insurance), and requires almost no thought. But it still provides lots of variety--and is flexible enough that I can eat anywhere without difficulty.