LeighaMason

Does anyone besides me ever wonder if the genetic link is an overly large stomach? I have been overweight for 15 years, during that time I have cooked at home meals. I rarely cook fried food and eat out even less. I mostly use the grill, pressure cooker, slow cooker or the oven. I stopped eating simple carbs 8 years ago. But still I was overweight, and the reason was portion control. I could (and did) eat twice as much in a sitting as other women I know. I was always hungry. Then I had my lapband put on in October and now I have restriction and I have been losing 2 lbs a week. I physically cant overeat now because of the pain. I am no longer hungry now that I have my new small stomach. Has anyone read any studies on stomach size and obesity?

When I was younger and "trapped" at home with people that I didn't like I found a job working in the evening. I ended up keeping kids in someone else's home. This got me a little spending money and also a place to go..... might even help some single working mom too.

There is a lady that I play cards with that had lap band before I did. She tried to discourage me from getting mine because she said it didn't work. However, because when we play cards together and the game usually lasts 6 - 10 hours, I have seen her eating habits. She eats at least every hour, even though its just a little bit at a time, it all adds up. The lap band does its job of keeping her from eating alot at once but she defeats it by eating too many times. I think you have to decide what type of eater you are to see if it will work. I have had good success so far, 31 lbs in a little over 3 months. I was the type who ate (mostly) healthy food but too much at a time. I had no portion control and I was hungry all the time (even after I had just ate) but I didn't really snack. Just 3 LARGE meals. You have to make a personal decision based on the information that you can find. Decide if you think you can work with it. I couldn't be happier that I did it.

Was your surgery just 4 days ago? If so I am going with swollen stomach, but i think that its a good sign. I reached restriction with just 2 fills @ 3.5 cc's in a 10 cc band.

Sparkles, I am glad you joined us here. I am self pay too. After my surgery, liquid and mushie stage I gained weight. Before the lap band I was always hungry. I was hungry when I finished eating. I could eat twice as much as other people. So I had the lap band done because I was tired of being hungry. Then guess what? I was still hungry, I was so mad at myself for spending $10K for nothing. Then I had my first fill and when I went to regular food a few days later, I got full! And I stayed full! Well for a little while I did. Then I had my second fill and it was even better. Now the only time I struggle with hunger is if I let myself get too hungry before I eat then I want to eat the rest of the day but my band wont let me. I physically can't overeat. I have been steadly losing 2 lbs a week since. Plus I havent been exercising so I know I could do better, if I wouldnt be so lazy. I have faith that it will be the same for you. Remember if the lap band worked by just being around your stomach it wouldnt even have the port, they would just put it in. The stage your in is like having a car with no gas in it. You will get some gas next week at your first fill then you can start going somewhere. BTW, I blame diet pills for ruining my metabolism. I think they are the worst things on the planet. Throw them away. Please.

The nurse who does my fills put in 2cc's in my second fill then took 1 out. I was disappointed because I want to "get there" as fast as possible, however, she was right because its been 3 weeks and I think I am at my sweet spot.

I have band restriction after 2nd fill, and everything makes me equally full, but bread, tortillas, or anything like that makes me overly full after just a few bites. I think meat and cheese keeps me the fullest longest. Plus if I let myself get too hungry then I get hungry again faster and seem to be hungry the rest of the day.

I always say that I am a reverse anorexic. Anorexic's feel fat no matter how thin they are, I always have a mental picture of myself as being thinner than I actually am. However, I have lost 30 lbs so the image in my mind and my body are actually getting closer together. Keep in mind that we are always more critical on any picture of ourselves than anyone else is. I have pictures of me from my 20's that when they were taken I thought I looked horrible and now I wished I still looked like that!

I felt exactly like you do, right about the same time after surgery. I was self pay too. I started thinking, oh no, here we go again, another failed diet but instead of $200 its $10,200! I was still starving all the time and as a matter of fact after I started on solids I started to gain weight. Then I got my first fill and had some restriction and started to lose slowly. Then I had my second fill 3 weeks later and I have alot of restriction. It now takes forever for me to eat, I dont get hungry, I force myself to eat enough to get my protein and I have lost 13 lbs in 6 weeks, that is 2 lbs a week or 104 lbs a year. It will be the same with you, as a matter of fact it will be better for you because you are exercising, I should be but I am not. All you need is a fill, until then it was like I didnt even have the band. Dont give up.

Call your Dr office and ask for specific instructions, mine were no solids the day of the fill, liquids only and fast for 2 hours before then liquids for 1 day after and mushies for 1 day. Here is what I learned after my first fill. The directions of cut your food into small pieces and eat slowly were too vague. 1) Cut your food into pieces the size of your small fingernail. 2) No more than 1 fingernail size piece of food per spoonful or forkful. This includes mushies. 3) No more that 4 bites then rest for 60 seconds. Good luck.

Good luck I hope this is the one for you.

I do better with hot or warm stuff than with cold or frozen. I would go with warm broth for a day then try again with something warm. Hope you feel better soon.

I am wearing my 10 year old slacks today, I couldnt stand to get rid of them when I gained weight so they just hung in the closet and now I can wear them again! (My husband says I am a hoarder, lol.) They had been hanging so long that there was a layer of dust on the leg that was folded over the hanger. I am thinking resale shops....

I had a hernia that they fixed at surgery but I never knew I had it. I burped alot before but I rarely had heartburn. If I eat too fast now I feel like I have heartburn. Maybe just not having as much food in your stomach is causing the acid to burn more than before. Have you tried pepsid (chewable)? It works for me.

Your DR is full of BS. I have had 2 fills and I have restriction. If I eat too much or too fast or too big of bites, my body has a fit! I get a horrable pain in my chest, my mouth starts making this really thick saliva, and I start throwing up, and this lasts for hours! It is impossible for me to overeat, my body wont allow it... Remember Dr's are people, its his work that you are questioning so its easier for him to blame your eating habits than to admit maybe he didnt do as good of a job placing the band as he could have. Keep getting fills until your band is maxed out and then if nothing happens you may want to get a second opinion.

Join us on our easter chalange thread, we are setting a goal and reporting back on Mondays on how we are doing. The thread title is Easter Challenge Anyone? Everybody is welcome, and there is still plenty of time to join.

If you have been throwing up (hangover or maybe stomach bug), you are irritating your stomach and it may take a couple of days to get back to normal. After I throw up, I will drink hot tea which seems to help the inflammation and I go on the clear (broth) liquid diet for a couple of days and then I feel better. Good luck........

I had my lap band done 10/20/09. I paid $10,200, no insurance. Best money I ever spent. Go for it.

I would have my band filled to the top before I gave up on it. Hungry was my problem too... I got restriction on my second fill. But I have heard of people who take many fills to get there. When the doctor said ok thats all it will hold and you dont have restriction, go for a second opinion with another doc. Until then fill, fill, fill.