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Under normal circumstances, I am not terribly hungry at any time except first thing in the morning. I get a bit peckish about mid-afternoon, but a light low carb snack takes care of the problem. I can tell it's time to eat when the area above and near my band growls. (I ignore the lower belly growls now.) I've been on solid foods and eating normally since about 15 days after surgery, as per my doctor's instructions. This has not been without a few unfortunate events where I discovered I wasn't quite ready for that food yet. Even now, I still have some difficulty with beef and pork. Poultry and seafood pass with relative ease unless I eat too quickly. Let's see...my typical meals. Hmm. Okay. Breakfast-- one egg, usually mixed with a couple of tablespoons of both a well-cooked vegetable and perhaps a tiny bit of meat. This is often baked. I like baked eggs. Call me lazy. Add this to two cups of coffee before I switch to Crystal Light for the rest of the day. Lunch- often this is a meal heavy on the Protein, like tuna salad, a leftover meat from the night before, or something. Today, I was different. I had 2 oz of brussells sprouts and called it done. Snack-- today I had 1/2 cup of LF cottage cheese with a bit of Splenda and DaVinci SF raspberry syrup. Dinner-- Here is where I cook. I love to cook! I use SavingDinner.com to choose recipes and each week's low carb meals come with a grocery list. Last night was Saigon Shrimp over Cauli-Rice. My DH and roommate also had a rice pilaf and green Beans. Normally, I'd have indulged in the green beans, but I was too stuffed after the Saigon Shrimp, and I didn't even have it over the Cauli-Rice. Tonight is Tuscan Bean Soup! I'll make biscuits for the guys, but I'll probably have just the Soup and maybe a little spinach salad. BTW, I often work into the night, so I'll have a hot herb tea. Somehow, that satisfies my late night cravings. Sorry this took so long to answer. I'm working a promotion today and keep having to stop typing. LOL!

I am new to the forum, but I have seen many of your posts. I look forward to seeing more hopfully in the future. My surgery is next week on the 16th. Congrats on the cross-over! praying for your speey recovery and an eased journey! Happy for you and all the April surgeries!

O.T.R Sleever: I think thats just what I needed was a reality check! Its a bit ridiculous that I feel that way. Stalls just make you feel crappy no matter how much weight you've lost. I love my sleeve and am so very fortunate I have this great tool. I didnt get fat overnight and shouldnt expect it all to come off overnight either. Thanks for the much needed reality check!

I think the main part of the pre-op is just trying to make you aware of what you will need to do after surgery. My surgeon didn't require a set amount of weight to be taken off. but I tried as I could. I slowly weeded out carbs, junk food, carbonation, etc. And now I'm six weeks out and its been a breeze. Its a total different experience than pre-op. You can't eat as much, you don't want to eat either. I'm speaking personally mind you. I only lost 20 lbs pre-op, but after surgery, I'm getting close to 60 lbs.

32lbs since surgery .... 47lbs including 2 weeks pre-op

I feel lucky....no scratch that blessed. Not to long ago I felt hopeless and miserable. Here I am today, lost almost 60 pounds. This has changed the ways look at food. I still have lots of mental changes to make and still need to make sure this new found thought process sticks. In the past I have lost weight and I have regained it back with a nice bonus extra weight. What's so different now? The week before surgery when I could only drink Protein shakes had me come to a realization, this is not going to be easy. I already knew it was going to be hard but actually experiencing the hard made me realize what it truly meant. When I came home after surgery my brain wanted food. It wanted to feel good. I even had dreams about food. I cried a lot. I felt like I lost a friend. When I began eating solids is when I realized how much this surgery can really help me with this mental change. I embraced it. Began logging my calories. The scale moving down was exciting! Here I am 3 months later almost 60 pounds lighter...37 pounds away from my goal of 135. Everyday I have been working on my mental stomach. I have been feeding my mental stomach nourishment. A positive mental outlook on life, a eat to live not live to eat kind of attitude. I read health food magazines, I look at pictures of women with toned bodies rather then admiring skinny women. Every day I look in the mirror and admire what I have accomplished so far. If I don't do this I will fail. I will fail at this losing weight again and this surgery will be for nothing. I will regain the weight back. I lost so far. I didn't get fat because I was physically hungry after all. It wasn't true hunger. It was hunger from my mental stomach begging to be fed. Now I feed it something different. Yes I was a food addict and now I am in recovery and I will always run the risk of relapsing. I have to avoid trigger foods, trigger people, and situations. I avoid revolving fun around food. If we go out to eat I make sure they have healthy choices. Yup this will be a life long battle but I believe it can be won! Thanks for listening (or reading) I just wanted share

Hi Critical, I was banded 4 days ago and am feeling pretty good. I will be going to work tomorrow. I had a hard time with the pre op liq. diet I have to admit I ate some string cheese and an occasional salad.with grilled chicken, just kept it small portions. And things were still fine. I am also 5'4 and 210. alot like you are. I go to a support group where I can get all kinds of realistic answers. Not always the ones the Dr.'s want to tell you. I am suppose to be on clear liq. for 4 more weeks. Well it has only been 4 days and I was starving. So after talking to the support group I found out they all ate something. I had chili in my "magic blender" and it was so satisfing. Another thing I bought today is one of those belly bands that help hold you up while carring a baby, I think you are male, but so what it helps where the port is. good luck.

I have had months go by with no weight loss. It's extremely frustrating. However, now that nearly a year has passed, I am down 55 lbs. I tried dieting for 3 years, going to the gym and exercising every day, before I was banded. I would lose a couple lbs during the week, and gain it back every weekend. You have your tool, and it will work for you if you have the right fill. But unfortunately, the band does not help with eating chocolate. I am not saying that you eat chocolate. I am saying I do. But when I don't, I lost slowly. I didn't though, until I got the right fill.

I just wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a happy, safe and blessed Thanksgiving holiday. We are heading to West Virginia to visit John's family for a week. Because of how isolated in the mountains of WV we'll be, I won't have internet or phone service. I should be able to get phone service sporadically when we head into "town". I'm very thankful to have the opportunity call all of you friends, and very grateful to have you all in my life.

We are asking the same question! I have 6.5 in my 10 band and feel different! Last fill there was little difference but this was different! Satisfied quicker and not hungry after three hours! I only got .1 cc's today so I didn't think it would do anything! Hopefully I am green!

Hi Mary, Are the people at CareFirst Blue Choice out to lunch? I called yesterday with general questions & was put on hold several times & was finally cut off (right!!). I even asked the person to jot down all of my questions so she could find out all the answers at one time! I can't remember if I asked this before (forgive me if I did) how long did it take once the info was sent into BlueChoice? I was so hoping to have my surgery next month since I have a large project due Nov 15th. How long were you out of work? Dr Singh (St Agnes)said anytime between two-four weeks.

I went to my last appt with the surgeon today...I have lost enough weight to do the one week of pre op dieting. But I am going to start a couple of days early just to be sure my liver is good. After talking to the surgeon, everything became real...I am getting sooo excited now!!!

Great blog! I am approaching my first fill in (2) weeks. I do believe I have been giving a false sense of what it will be like after the first fill. I do feel more informed after reading your blog! Thanks for sharing!

Hi Dana, I hope you don't mind, I edited out the extraneous code in your post that was making it impossible to read. Congratulations on your banding and on losing 22 lbs! That's a lot to lose in the first two weeks, but on a liquid diet it's certainly possible. Just be prepared that when you go back on solid food this weight loss will STOP, and you might even put back on a few pounds. IT'S NORMAL, and your loss will start up again--albeit at a MUCH slower pace--as your body adjusts. I don't know about the difficulty swallowing. The feeling may pass, but as with anything unusual if it doesn't go away, talk to your doctor. Welcome to LBT!!

Hello to everyone! I have been on this site for a few weeks now just reading all the threads and finally decided to join you all. It has taken me all these weeks to digest all of this new information but I am more determined now than ever to proceed down this road. I know I will not be alone because now I have all of you! I feel so well informed that I'm not sure I'll have any questions for the surgeon when I meet him later this month!:biggrin: Looking forward to being a part of all the success on here.

I am on a two week preop diet.. It goes like this: Breakfast: Protein shake, Vitamin, Calcium chew vitamin Lunch: Protein Shake, calcium chew, b-12, Vitamin D Dinner: 3oz of lean meat, 1 serving of veggies, Vitamin, probiotic, calcium chew 64 oz of Water First 4 days were terrible.. Drained, headache and nausea.. 5th day was way better.. Not hungry at all... Surgery date next Wednesday.

My surgery was the 26th..was impossible the first week to get protein but once you can have shakes its pretty easy to get enough.

I am allergic to the Phenylalanine that is in all of the drinks. I get that Minute Maid concentrated lemon juice (found frozen in with the juices) and put in two or three squirts, then add splenda and I really love it. But like you I am struggling all of the time to drink enough and never make it. I am still trying.

Has anyone picked up Muhummad Ali's daughter Khaliah Ali's book Fighting Weight!! It's good thus far I am on chapter 3!! And she alos lost weight with banding!! I can relate to her story ALOT!! And I know alot of us can that have been overweight as children to now!! Please pick up she looks fantastic and she says that she hasn't had any work done. But she loves her band ... She had her surgery done at NYU by Dr Fielding!! And Dr Fielding also has a band!! crazy rite the Dr himself has a band!! But it goes to show when you try and put kids on diets it only scars them worst cause they don't understand why they shouldn't be able to eat like they want. And immediately you feel ugly like something is wrong with you and when you go to school you feel really out of place cause all the other kids are smalled than you are... and of course kids can see the difference. I know I did and my parents tried putting me on diets and taking me to all sorts of doctors and it just further crashes your self esteem. And that makes you wanna eat more. Cause you feel so awful inside. I remember thinking that I was so very ugly as a girl and it didn't help me any as I got older and got kinda curvier with my looks ... I started to get attention from men and I was rape at 15 sadly ... but whom ever made the statement what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger and that is sure as hell true!! But after my rape I gained weight sooo rapidly it was crazy. I balloned to 280 at 16 years old. But I'm saying that to say this. It's a hard life being an overweight child I could seriously write a book to on my life trials and tribulations and I will only be 20 in a couple weeks... And society today plays a big part and it sucks but this is the world we live in ... Fat people want to be accpeted but at the same time if we glorify being fat as we do being skinny ... everyone would want to be fat and everyone would be unhealthy and dying off at an early age... so it's kinda a catch 22. What do we do... and I want to grab the overweight girls in EVERY school and just hug them and say you are beautiful baby and keep your head up!! It's ok... Cause I didn't have anyone there to do that for me as a girl. In high school I became more popular but the skinny girls still looked at me like I was just the "fat friend" that all the skinny girl cliques have. But I don't wanna ramble on LOL thanks listening and letting me share!! LOTS OF LOVE APPLES!!

i might have aprotein shake 2-3 times per week.. not so much anymore. Im into crockpot meals now. Like ill put 5 chicken break in a crockpot raw with a large chicken broth, A full large bag of frozen carrots and another bag of frozen mixed veges. Ill live off of that for 6-7 meals .. Its easy.. let it cook on low for 8 hours and so moist.. Chris

I feel like I need to share my experience with others, as I wish someone would have shared the same with me years ago. My weight loss started over 20 years ago, never stopped since, culminating with a gastric sleeve in 2017 (SW 360, CW 250, GW<200). After the WLS I've lost about 70 lbs and hit the plateau which lasted a few months. I tried breaking it with intensive gym, calories counting, but no real impact. As a result, I've lost motivation, and over the next 2 years gained about 30 lb back (late night snacks, sugary treats), which was a huge frustration. Having a sleeve - the best WL tool one may ever have - I felt like being a "regain" statistics, not an individual with life and willpower. I still had my "pouch" restriction, but after 30-40 minutes after having a meal I was ready to eat again. It lasted till last November, when I hit 290 lbs. The frustration turned into anger. I spent days to research diets and practices. As a result, I'm back on track, losing rapidly about 3-4 lbs a week, full of energy. Here are my 3 key pillars, which brought me back: 1. Low carb diet. After researching multiple trendy diets, KETO seemed to be the most promising one. But I didn't like the idea to consume lots of fats, and avoid vegetables. I'm an old-fashioned guy. So I adjusted the KETO idea by adding a decent daily portion of green veggies (zucchinis, asparagus, green pepper, kale - those which have nearly no sugars, but lots of fibers), and limited my fats to avocados, brazil nuts, eggs and fatty fish (salmon) - no huge amounts of bacon, butter, cheese and oils. For protein those above also provided enough, plus I have some lean pork, beef or chicken. That type of diet keeps my in permanent ketosis, while I still have a decent amount of fibers and healthy protein. My nutrients are around 50-60% of fats, 25-30% of proteins and 10-15% of carbs. 2. Intermittent fasting (IF), 18:6. It means my eating "window" is 1pm - 7pm, during which I have 3 meals. Personally I believe that low carbs diet and IF are made for each other. Being in ketosis I feel no hunger at all, as my insulin is very low. That makes IF a simple task. Also once a week I do a 42 hours fast by skipping meals on Sundays - right before my weight check on Monday morning! ). IF is also a solution to plateaus. I adjust the fasting time to 12:12 for a few days and do a long fast after (48+ hours) to reset. 3. CICO (calories in, calories out) is the 3rd pillar. Keeping everything written down is not just a good habit, but also makes me feel I control the process better. My daily intake is around 1,100-1,300 calories, which creates a huge weekly calories deficit for weight loss. One may consider it's a bit too low, and I would rather agree. I'll certainly increase my calories after hitting my goal. A few more tips from my experience: - After 40+ gym can't be the only solution. Keeping yourself active (especially with this pandemic) is important for general health, but unless I'm a professional athlete, 1-1.5 hour walk every day (outside or a treadmill) is good enough. - Staying hydrated is a must, healthy weight loss won't work without it. Tracking water was always a pain for me, I was forgetting to do that. Now I have 6 magnets next to my water cooler. Each time I refill my bottle, I move one magnet to the other side, which helps me to see how many refills left. No fuss with writing down, takes a fraction of a second to move the magnet - while keeps me fully informed. Helps a lot! - Supplements!!! Lots of them! Since I'm restricted and have rather a distorted diet, I need to fill the gap of minerals and nutrients. Multivitamins, husk fiber, omega-3, collagen, cumin, ox bile, Vitamin D, electrolytes etc. It's 18 pills per day, in 2 batches! My latest blood work returned perfect results - no deficiencies, and the lowest sugar level I ever had in my life. As a conclusion - no hunger, no frustration, no cravings, energetic, clear mind, active, positive - and still losing weight! I even think that it would be very doable without my WLS, but in fact a restricted stomach makes everything much easier. So much easier, then it feels sometimes I'm actually cheating in this weight-loss game! I do hope someone will find it helpful. I wish I knew that years ago, but better late than never.

Okay...that was funny!! I am 5' 11'' and I have always joked that I wish I was taller...cuz I'd be thinner...more stretched out, you know? lol I will tend to drop super fast but I also used to gain it back too. Lost a TON of weight a TON of times like everyone else... I do stick to the plan once decided upon. I am planning on doing it until May 24th so a little over 3 weeks. Hoping to lose 30 lbs. Just making sure I wasn't going to be disappointed. Thanks for your reply!

I was nauseated two weeks ago for the first time since being banded in April. The next day my left side hurt so bad I couldn't stand it. I ended up having surgery to remove kidney stones two days later. It was horrific! I immediately thought it was something to do with my band but it wasn't.

My first fill was 5cc., my second was 1cc, my third was 1.5 cc and on Wed. I will get my fourth...I can still eat quite a bit right now. I am losing on average 1.5 pounds a week- but again, can eat too much. Have lost 28 pounds since Aug. Not too bad, but I have so far to go....another 60 to go....Good luck !! Rose :whoo:

I live in Edmonton. I ma scheduled for the second fill 2 weeks after the first and then 3 weeks later for the third.... I dont think due to cost of airlines tickets I will be able to go back so soon after the first fill. I am going away for 2 wweks during xmas.... I am feeling i tottaly set myself back. How much did u get in your first fill? Has it made a big difference?