anglov

Ahhh, the misconception about the lap band. The band wasn't intended to make it easy. I look at it as an indicator for portion control. I know you have heard this before but the weight didn't come on right away so it isn't going off right away. I know several people who have had gastric bypass and I wouldn't do it for any reason. I don't want to be nutrient difficient, I don't want my parts rearranged. My friends at one point looked like they had chemo because they were so sick looking and their hair fell out. It was sad. It doesn't always work either. I know a few that gained the weight back. I prefer to be in control of my weight so I have that accomplishment. My question would be is maybe you need a fill if you can eat that much in a sitting. I was just banded May 12 and I have no restriction and there are days that I can eat a lot and other days where I feel tight. I have set my mind that I am not going to let this get the better of me. If you have problems buying extras for the purpose of a later meal then maybe it isn't a good idea to buy extra. Keep that temptation away. I don't compare myself to others weight loss either, that is a sure fire way to get depressed. I know you can do it. Setting smaller goals seems easier for me. Keep up the good work!!

Wow, I find now that I just don't have the time to be on this site as much as before the surgery. It may be because I now have my own "surgery life" to live and no longer need to research what may or may not happen. There's nothing exciting going on. Just day to day living. As I have said before I have no restriction so I can eat pretty much EVERYTHING and I am only 2 1/2 weeks post op. Kind of sad really. Occasionally I feel foods get a little stuck and that is probably the only clue I have a band right now. I am mainly watching what I eat and making a point to stop when I no longer have the hunger feeling. That is the hardest part for me. I am so used to equating no longer hungry with the full/bloated feeling. That is not what I have to listen for. Yesterday I did and ended up eating a 1/2 a burrito from Taco bell. It was delicious and I was satisfied but didn't have the full bloated feeling. I was comfortably not hungry any more. It was a good feeling. Well, I haven't lost a ton of weight. Not much really but I have noticed a difference in my clothes. Mainly in my hips, thighs and calfs so I will take that for sure. Just keep remembering that you can't measure your success but the scale alone. Other accomplishments are just as important. For instance, I am no longer taking reflux meds. I have been on them for 20 years. Not anymore! My blood sugar is coming down. As I said I notice the clothes fit differently. I got into shirts I haven't worn in over a year. There are other things for sure besides the scale. For the record my scale is down 9 lbs since surgery on May 12th. It's just the beginning...

Just remember that the "bumps in the road" don't go away with the surgery. I thought I understood that but now I see it really is more work now with my food and eating then it was before surgery. There are good days and bad days just like before. But still so worth it.

It doesn't sound like it is adjusted correctly if you have vomitting and tightness whenever you eat. It sounds like it is too tight. My doc said if it is too tight you won't lose weight. Maybe get that checked and a little unfill?

My goal now is to focus. Since I don't have restriction I need to focus on what I am eating and doing. Sometimes I wonder if the band is even there because I feel nothing. I am then reminded when I am eating meat and rush it. It gets stuck and then I feel the pressure start to ease and food slides on through. That is the ONLY time I am reminded I am banded. Everything else just glides on through. I am simplifying what I eat. I tried to mix it up and I think that got me in trouble so I am back to basics. I have realized I am a plate grazer. When I eat, I don't eat eat thing one at a time on my plate. I take bites of everything on my plate. BIG MISTAKE! This means I don't eat all my protein first and then move on. I move on as I eat my protein. I have to have ONE thing on my plate otherwise I won't eat my protein first. I am still hungry all the time. I am hungry about every 3 hours still. No matter what I eat I am hungry in 3 hrs sometimes less. The hardest part is at work. I have to bring lots of food, well, lots meaning several band servings since I work until 8pm. Last night at work I didn't bring enough and by 7pm my stomach was actually hurting because I was so hungry. It was painful and I have never had that happen before even during my pre-band days. And...what happens when you get that hungry? OVEREAT! I had to reign it in to keep from overeating. You also eat too fast which I did and some food did get stuck which actually is a pleasant reminder I actually have a band in there since I don't feel restriction otherwise. I carry an insulated cooler bag with me always with ice packs in it. I have bottled water and food like chicken salad or something I grab and eat if needed. Just make sure you have enough is all I can say.

I was banded a week ago on May 12th. Today I feel no restriction whatsoever and downed quite a bit at Breakfast this morning. Way more than I should be able to and barely felt full. Is this normal? Anyone else have this problem just one week out? I am not on full liquids anylonger. I am able to add foods like eggs, potatoes, vegetables etc. Today I made a "casserole". Hashbrowns, egg beaters, pureed turkey sausage and a laughing cow cheese wedge. The batch I made was intended to be 2 servings at least and I ate almost all of it and wasn't stuffed. I am SOOO concerned over that. It made about a cup of food. I don't feel sick or stuffed or anything.

No restriction is no reason to give in. I don't get a feeling of being full until sometimes up to an hour after I eat. That can be trouble if I overeat. It is hard to get the protein in. I crave vegetables so I try to have some when I can. I am also running out of protein ideas and getting bored with the ones I have. I went to bingo last night. This is my first outing since being banded on the 10th. My bingo allows you to bring your own food if you want or fast food. Whatever you want. I brought some food with me but I saw they had chili. I really wanted a bowl and knew if I couldn't eat it hubby would. It was delicious. I don't think I would have liked it normally but I guess I was starved for something different. I ate maybe a 1/2 c if that and chewed the meat really well. I did fine and was stuffed so maybe what I am eating is not filling enough or it is too mushy? I ate meat and was full. So should I eat more solid proteins to stay satisfied longer and to feel full while eating otherwise I just don't get that feeling until it is too late and I have eaten too much. I am so confused. I think that an appointment with a nutritionist should be the 1st appointment post op we have. I could really use some help. I met with one before surgery but when you haven't had this done yet you don't know what questions to ask. I need more protein ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and some things easy to take to work. I hate fish such as tuna. YUCK. I haven't been able to eat it since my 2nd pregancy.

That is great! I don't like tuna but I guess I could do the chicken kits. I may give tuna a try again. It has just been hard to stomach the smell since 1992. A long time! Those are some good options. I see you keep it simple and not too many things. Maybe that is my problem. I am looking for too much variety instead of being happy with simple single choices. Those are eating out choices too. I like that. Can I ask how much exercise you do? I walk a little but not much. I have been getting lightheaded and I think its because I am not eating enough.

I guess I should eat more protein but I am running out of ideas. I don't like fish at all. I have been eating eggs, eggs beaters, chicken salad, ham salad, cottage cheese, refried Beans. I don't know what else to add for protein. I can only eat so much of it. After several days it gets old. I can officially add baked chicken/turkey this week but I have already been adding well chopped meats and have had no problems. I have been craving vegetables so I have had broccoli casserole and green beans. I ate some chili last night at bingo and man it was good. I took my time and chewed the meat really well. I ate probably 1/2 c if that. It was delicious. It's the change of pace that I think I loved.

I posted a question in the post op form on restriction. I received several replies with good reminders of what I need to be focused on. I have no restriction. I have read that it happens when the swelling goes down. I just didn't expect it one week after surgery. I guess unrealistically I expected to be a little "tight" for a while. So, now I am on a different path. I have to be more mindful of my eating since I obviously don't have the help of my band right now. I go to the doctor on June 10th so that is quite a while to be on my own. I have thought a lot of what would I do if I stretched my pouch. What if this lack of restriction was actually my pouch was stretched? Could that be it? What do I need to do if it is stretched and how would I even know? Anyone?

Thanks finally and drowsy. Interesting information. I was really worried and I would say that one or two "mishaps" shouldn't have done any harm. Now that I am aware of it I just to need to listen more to my stomach. The problem that I am seeing when I eat is I don't have the full feeling until about 30-60 minutes after I eat. Sometimes an hour later and I am just like UGH!! I am stuffed whereas 10 mins after eating I didn't feel full at all and still felt hungry. I slow down and take my time. That is what gets me in trouble when I don't get that signal until much later.

If you haven't looked at your paperwork/binder lately I highly recommend getting it back out. I learned somethings. I was concerned about no restriction and overeating and stretching my pouch. This is what I learned in my paperwork. My new pouch can hold about 1/2 cup or 3-4 ounces. It won't stretch because of one overeating. It happens over time. Just don't keep doing it. Most who overeat get sick and throw up. I learned that the diet I will have once I am on ALL foods is pretty hefty. For instance: Breakfast: 1-2 oz high quality Protein (like an egg, cottage cheese, 1 tbsp peanut butter) 1 serving of skinny bread, toasted 1 piece fresh fruit or 1/2 canned 1 tsp butter, oil or margarine as needed. Lunch/Dinner: 2-3 oz meat, fish, poultry or conbinationa with low fat cheese 1 cup vegetable/salad or cup vegetable plus 1 small piece of fruit or 1/4 cup potato, rice, Pasta or bread 1-2 tsp butter, sauce, sour cream or oil as needed Plus add 2 servings milk or yogurt. I think any of that is a lot in one sitting so my eating the breakfast casserole the other morning is no reason to beat myself up over. I can't imagine eating this much in day. Does the swelling go down that much?

thank you for all the responses. It is helping me keep perspective. The rest of today was better as my post above says. I am still only having about 400 cal today. That is not much.

Hey Heather, I have to say even though I ate that much this morning at 8:30 am I was not the least bit hungry until 1pm. Then I ate green Beans and cottage cheese. I tried to eat some Soup at 6pm and I can't eat it. I feel full or bloated. Still not sure of the difference. I agree though if we had willpower we wouldn't have had surgery. Crazy!! The breakfast was good and when had I ate the small portion it would have been fine. I am all about filling foods. The whole breakfast had 200 cal 4.5g fat, 18g Protein. That's for all that I made and ummmm ate. Tomorrow is another day. aaaahhhh!!!!!! Here's to us keeping on track!! Let's keep in touch in case we need exta support and motivation okay?

I was banded on Wednesday the 12th. I had no hunger on Wednesday or Thursday but today I feel hunger pains. I just drank a few ounces of Protein drink and my stomach is bubbling. I will try again in a bit. I plan on having thin Soup for lunch. I had to have Clear liquids for two days then full liquids including yogurt for two days then applesauce/pudding and bananas for 2 days. By Wednesday I can have mashed potatoes/well cooked veggies/vegetable soup and Beans. Every two days I can more things. My throat is still sore from being intubated. I had a lot of sinus drainage yesterday and it felt like I had indegestion. It felt like something was sitting on my chest. I coughed and some of the drainage broke loose. I was afraid to cough because well it hurts and I didn't want to shift the band. I'm not taking the prescription pain meds at all. Just adult liquid tylenol if I need it which is about once a day. So far so good..

Thanks! I am trying really hard not to compare myself to others when it comes to the weight loss but that is human nature. Every doctor is sooo different that there is no real "norm" out there. Since I am on foods sooner I am not going to lose weight as fast which I know deep down is a good thing but 7.2 in week and now I can eat nearly a cup of what I consider heavy foods is a little concerning. I go June 10th for my post op. I hope they do a fill that day.

I was banded May 12th. I have NO restriction at all. I feel like I could eat just like I did before surgery. I called the office and they said that is normal. I must be a fast healer because that means the swelling is way down. I don't go back until June 10th for my 1st post op possible fill. I am really going to have to watch my eating but as it is I probably don't get 800 cal a day and that isn't healthy. This is really bothering me.

I am down 7.2 lbs since surgery. It isn't a whole lot by comparison to others but isn't that point? I should not compare myself to others. My weightloss is just that, MY WEIGHTLOSS. That doesn't include the 5 lbs I gained from swelling after surgery. I lost that 5 lbs of fluid(that counts right?) and then 7.2 lbs after that. Not too bad considering I am not on a liquid diet. I only had clear fluids 2 days and surgery day was considered day 1. Each day I add more foods as I tolerate them. I am down a total of 25. 5 lbs since March 25th. This is the most weight I have lost in years. I am amazed at how well I am doing and I don't feel deprived really. I still miss my mac and cheese but I suppose I will one day get over that. I had breakfast casserole this morning. It was very tasty. It's funny how the little things are so much better now. I made it myself and it took a few minutes but tasted so good. I made ham salad that is wonderful and a change for lunch. I am not a tuna fan or any seafood for that matter. I think chicken, ham and egg salads will be my staples. It's best when you can make things yourself because you can control what goes into it but in reality since we are eating such small portions most foods are well within guidelines. Ok, has anyone else noticed that your tastebuds aren't the same? I LOVE to put lots and lots of pepper on my food. I never use salt. I have realized that now I am super sensitive to pepper in my food. I made egg salad and put a very small amount on my food. I mean very little and it still seemed to overpower the dish. I actually was coughing as if I had poured a cup of pepper on it. Very weird. I have to say I am so glad I found this site. I feel I have so much support and help on here and hopefully I can pass what I have gotten onto to someone else just joining us. Thanks to everyone I have met along the way and will continue to meet. Each one of you have touched my life in a way that is changing my life. At a time when I wasn't sure if this was the right decision I was reminded how successful I could be. Now that I am banded I know that no matter what I can get the help or encouragement I need right here.

My first post-op is June 11th. I hope it helps. Have you tried refried beans? It stays with me a awhile only I can't handle it very often. Mashed potatoes stick a little but that is a lot of carbs. Hopefully we will both be feeling restricted soon.

I must be a fast healer as well. I am only one week post op and it seems each day I feel less and less restricted. I feel more hungry more often. I am sticking to eating no more than every 3-4 hours but sometimes at 2 hours I am feeling hunger. I am still struggling with drinking while eating so that may be it. I am on soft foods now. Still I am eating less.

I am heading back to work tomorrow. I have a desk job too. I went to the store today and overdid it. I was sore where my hernia repair was. I think it was the slight bending and straightening I did getting things from my grocery cart to the conveyor belt. I felt it about an hour later. Just me and the heating pad on the couch right now.

Most surgeries have a general post op procedures to follow but this surgery seems to have a WIDE variety of post-op diets. I am on soft foods now and can have full solids in about 2 weeks maybe sooner if I am tolerating them. I have heard reasons for a 21 day liquids diet because it takes that long for the stomach to heal to they don't want them to have a sold BM. What the heck??? It's like every doctor has their own take on it. I am so glad mine is less conservative. I have deep respect for everyone who has a long liquid phase!!

Don't beat yourself up. Every doc is different and honestly if flipping the band was that high risk then there would be a precise set rules that ALL people who have this surgery would have to follow. I have seen some that are already allowed solids after just a few weeks. I can have solids in 3 weeks and I was banded last week. If you are looking for the "chew" factor try pickle relish. You get crunch but it is already processed up in small peices for you. Geez 4 lbs is still a loss and every loss should be celebrated!! I was 314 on surgery day too. I am down 7.2 and I was banded one week ago. You are doing great!!