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I have about 9cc in a 11cc band and can still eat way too much. Lost 50 pounds fast but have but 25 back on. Maybe my band needs to be almost full?

Aug. 2nd for me... good luck with your surgery and fast recovery Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-J727AZ using BariatricPal mobile app

oh the dreaded liquid diet, I feel your pain...it will go fast..before you know it you will be eating refried beans and cottage cheese..

So I am scheduled for July 8 and my surgeon tells me he does not require a preop diet, just normal surgery fast before. For those who did not preop, was it hard post op to be on such a limited diet? I am already starting to use protein shakes for breakfast and being kind to my liver so that I heal well. Anyone not need to diet before surgery?

In December of 2011 a bunch of my friends and I went to NYC to go to Rockefeller Center and do the whole touristy NYC thing (I've lived literally an hour away from NYC my whole life and have never done anything touristy there! So if anyone wants to visit and needs a tour guide don't ask me, I have no clue!). So anyway, we took a picture of the four of us. That was when I was at the weight that I realized I gained 30 lbs since having my gall bladder taken out (314 lbs). The picture sits in my office. Every time I think about eating crap I look at my bloated face and think "nah, I don't need it, I worked too hard at this" also in my office is another picture of me taken 1 week before my surgery when I was at my highest weight (322 lbs) and another picture next to it when I was my lowest weight post op (250 ish?) these are just reminders for me not to put food in my mouth and to keep up with the fills, the workouts, eating right etc....because if I looked decent at 250 ish or so, imagine how I'll look when I'm at my goal weight (180 lbs). I'm also a little worried because right now I have 2.75 ccs in a 4 cc band, and this is the most that has ever been in the band, and I can eat things and not feel true "restriction" granted I'm not hungry between meals but it's still scary. For example last night for dinner I had 1/2 c of general tso's tofu (homemade!!! Never made Chinese food before!) 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli and 1/4 c of brown rice. I ate everything except for a couple of bites of the brown rice. Something I'll have to bring up at my next mds appt. On a personal note I have my 90 day review for my new position at my job, I hope I don't get demoted lol. Week two of c25k is hard, I don't think I'm running fast enough. I think the next workout I'm going to try to amp up the treadmill to 5mph in the beginning until I can't stand it anymore. Going to the gym tonight to do some weights. Have a good day!

Greetings! I thought I would do a post since I'm at the three month post op mark and a couple of different things are happening. I'm down a total of 62lbs already, which seems to be a little fast and I'm experiencing the repercussions of that, for sure. Most notably headaches and hair loss. I'm going to have the last bit of my hair cut off tomorrow. Eating is going ok. I really need to add a protein shake to my daily intake and increase my water. I just have, at this point, no hunger. And no real anything to put anything in my mouth or down the hatch. I'm going in on Monday for a review under xray, to make sure that the positioning is still good and that the pouch looks ok. May get a smidge more of a fill but not over .2 cc I'm quite sure. As I feel quite snug as it is. I guess my only other real complaint is occasional pain. But this isn't serious pain at all...more transient really. I'm not taking Tylenol for it or anything. Plus I'm doing ok with my exercising. I went for a run tonight but with the seasonal weather etc, it's not happening as regularly as it should. But I'm not experiencing any of the things I was worried about pre-op, like port torsion or band slippage, PBs etc. So I hope that everyone else out there is doing equally well, and that a few of your can attest that hair will grow back after weight loss stabilizes. Regards, :huh2:

I was banded on August 2nd, 2013 by Dr. Ginsburg. My journey started in November of 2012, with lots of hoops to jump through, but it was well worth it. The hardest part right now is getting a good night's sleep. I just can't get comfortable. Pretty sure it is my port sight that is keeping me up. Hurts to turn or bend. Doing ok with my liquid diet. Can't wait for the mushy's. Trying to not drink my protein shake to fast or too slow.

i would suggest stop eating sugar/ carbs..... the sugar/carbs make your blood sugar rise and fall fast, if you eat high protein and a good source of carb like veggies, oats/or grains, you BS won't rise as much or fall as fast and the protein will hold the bs for longer, my bs is between 80-100 most of the time

So does anyone else have to do the liquid diet for 3 WEEKS... I am 5'4 260 I had to do the 6 month weight monitoring and my starting weight was 290. I loss 30lbs I'm so pumped to get this started but so stressed out with 3 weeks of shakes. I honestly don't know if I can even stomach the shakes. In the past I have tried slim fast and body by vi. I never was even able to drink one. Maybe since I'm focused I can just do it. I have 3 children but great family, my sister lives with me with her daughter and my mother and uncle live directly across the street so I plan on staying clear of everyone till I know lose my mind and my family is understand and going to step in. So I know I just gave you guys the run down of my thinking so do you guys have any suggestions for me.? Stomach the shakes. Am I just too focus on this whole shake thing and working my self up... Help I start Thursday for a surgery date of March 14th

Take a deeep breath:-) You're doing fantastic!! 40lbs. in 5 months is amazing! My doctor always told me that an average 6-8lbs monthly loss was amazing! It's been 5 months since your surgery which means you're averaging an 8lb loss every month which is the highest end of the average. This is all just my opinion but when I read your post, I almost feel like you're trying to prepare yourself for failure so that you wouldn't experience disappointment. Trust me, been there done that, but like you said this is a lifestyle change, not a diet where you do anything and everything to dump as much as you can as fast as you can. Everyone loses at a different rate, and your weight loss rate is great. I'm not sure but are you worrying so much about weight and food that you're dealing with head hunger vs. real hunger and are unable to tell the difference? If you're stressing out alot about it, that will also give you a hungry feeling, so try and relax and listen to your band, not your head:-) Just because the scale isn't moving doesn't mean you're not losing weight, if your clothes are fitting better than you're losing inches vs. lbs. Your body goes through these cycles of lbs lost vs inches lost to keep up with itself so what seems to be a stall on the scale is acutally your body catching up and sheading inches, which to me is a hell of alot more important than the # on the scale! Don't get down on yourself, you're not a failure. If you stay the course and communicate properly with your doctor, follow his or her instructions to the T, eat as healthy and as clean as you can, exercise and get your Protein and Water in, YOU WILL LOSE WEIGHT. There really isn't another option. Yes, there will be times when the scale stalls but during those times look for as many non-scale victories (NSV) as you can to keep yourself positive and motivated!! You're going to be just fine!!

Well good luck, its pretty bad for two days with hunger and a headache and then youre in the groove. Also on liquids, you lose weight fast so you feel like youre on a roll! Good luck! Cali

if you are following your program to a "T", the weight WILL come off, whether fast or slow. I was a slow-loser from the get-go and ended up losing over 200 lbs. I was super committed though - almost never went off my program for the first year.

Congrats....the month will go by fast I bet.

Are you waiting 30 mins before and after meals to drink Water? Are you taking all your Vitamins? Are your reaching your Protein and water goals? If these cravings and hunger are in your head and not your body, which they should be if your doing all of the above, I think group or one on one therapy will help give you tools to deal with the problem. Also remember this new tummy, new eating habit is VERY new for for you. Your mind and body need time to adjust to this huge life altering operation. I know that while my huge sweet tooth has vanished, when I go into the kitchen and see other yummy fast food things, which I ate all the time before, I want want want. But my one trial (an egg and cheese mcmuffin minus the muffin) ended in pain and puking so I remind myself of that shameful episode and move on. Just know that you're not the only one dealing with cravings. It's normal. It's like quitting a bad habit. Your mind takes about 3 months to really start to move on.

Today I had to run by my doctor's office to give a final blood panel meaning I had to fast all day. Two weeks from today I will be home from the hospital, counting down the day. Told my friends by next summer vacation I would be wearing a thong :smile:, ya me 50+ in a thong.

You are doing great! Congratulations on making a huge step in your life! Keep reminding yourself the soreness goes away very quickly and the healthy habits and opportunity you have are forever! It gets better, fast! Rest, enjoy some time off and take care of you.

Hi. I have had the balloon for almost 4months. My weight and height similar to yours (211, 5'5") I chose the balloon because I did not want major surgery. I wanted something relatively non evasive that would kick start weight loss while helping to retrain my brain to see food differently, retrain my stomach to adjust to smaller quantities and retrain my psyche into not needing food to comfort myself! And yes, the balloon has done all that. Its been a very uncomfortable adjustment. Its not easy to have this thing take over a huge portion of your stomach. There are lots of uncomfortable side effects, besides being full. But that is what has changed my relationship with food. After four months, I can easily say I have no cravings of any sort. I do not crave cake or burgers or fries like I did before. If I see them, yes, I will take a few bites, and those bites are enjoyable, but I can also walk away...because I know if I eat too much I will hurt my weight loss goals and there are undesirable side effects. Is this new outlook on food sustainable after the balloon is removed...I don't know. And I am afraid it might not be. But I am eating so much healthier than I have ever done before and honestly relieved that my carb/sugar carvings are gone.So am hopeful I will be more aware of what food does to my body, moving forward. As I am sure you have read in your research...the balloon is just a tool. It is not a magic pill to weight loss. I have to count my calories (I keep them 1100 a day) and I have to exercise (3 times a week is good, but 4 times guarantees a good weight loss that week) I am very aware of every food I eat....I always try to make good choices (not necessarily perfect, but good enough). So at a burger joint the other night, after having a great weight loss, I wanted to have a nice meal with my family - I had a burger, no cheese, whole wheat bun and asked for a side salad instead of fries. Was it the best choice, no I could have had just the salad, but it was wonderfully satisfying. The balloon keeps me full so I am not starving all day on such little calories and allows me to eat only a 1/3 of my former portions. I have lost 23 pounds and hope to lose 10 more before its removed in 2 months. You will read plenty of people who lost much more (40-50lbs)- but always take into account their starting weight because others may have a lot more to lose than you do. I did not qualify for the sleeve or lap band or by pass, but really was not interested in anything so dramatic. I just wanted to lose some weight fast, get healthy again so I could enjoy working out again. Please read lots and lots before committing to this. The side effects are unpleasant and require major adjustments in what and how you eat. But it does work and you will lose weight. Good luck!

Best wishes, feel better soon. Thinking of you. I was banded exactly five months ago today. Wow does time go by fast. imaluckydog Kathy

Kath4. Thank you for recognizing the positive in me. I am truly excited about my life after surgery. I think having a best friend that has already been through all of this helps tremendously. I have first hand knowledge. I also watch tons of youtube videos about successes, setbacks, and complications. I'm fully aware of what could go wrong. You will do great. Just check off each hoop as you jump through it. It will go pretty fast. I can't believe that I'm going to have surgery in 9 more days!

Pack some chap stick, after your surgery you wont be able to drink any water and your mouth gets terribly dry. They will give you some nasty tasting swabs to moisten your mouth and lips but it wasn't enough, at least not for me. I would gargle water and spit it out and it helped. Take some magazines or a cellphone. I stayed at the hospital 2 whole nights and didn't have anything to drink (Dr.'s orders) until 40hrs later. Be mentally prepared for that. I decided to stand up the same night after my surgery...just so that I could get to know my pain and that helped me recuperate faster. I suggest you try it. Also you might end up with 3-5 sometimes more surgical incisions in your stomach, they will seem like they are 1 foot wide but if you see them they vary between .5 - 1 inch. If you get to know your scars they will be less intimidating and will help you try to get up and move around. Sleeping at home was a pain, I bought a pillow that had arm rests and that helped me sleep almost upright in a sitting position...be prepared for that. Besides that the days will fly and you will love LOVE the decision you made. I no longer view food as my friend...HA! I hate food sometimes because of the discomfort it causes when I eat to fast or over eat. You will know what I mean later. It is a fantastic journey and definitively life changing! Also its OK to stray from the pre op or post of diets, at least in my case. I enjoyed a nice moderate breakfast meal the day before my surgery and then a protein shake for dinner. Don't stray too far, keep the consistency soft and mushy or you will regret it after surgery. I was in the middle of my semester when I had my surgery and I dont regret it a single bit even though it made me fall back on my school work. At any case I am rambling now...keep in touch and good luck!!!

I have Anthem BCBS and also had the 6 month requirement. There isn't a way to " Work around " it as if you want your insurance company to pay for it you have to jump through their hoops. The time goes fast, but it is a bit frustrating! My surgery is March 27th and I started this process last May! I'm thrilled I have insurance coverage! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

So this is all new to me. I have the support at home but it is really nice to read what everyone else has to say and see how everyones journey is going! So i had my procedure on the 16th of october. I have no idea how much i weight at this moment i actually don't keep a scale in my house. I need to but it is a fear i need to get over. Anyways my check in time was 11:30am. I didn't get into surgery till almost 4:30pm (my husband was a little pissed and so was my mom) I got out at about 5:45pm and woke up about 6:00pm. The nursing staff in the front was horrible. I told them i wanted to talk my husband and they said well whats his number. i gave them his number and they went to call hiM!!!! i got upset and told them he is in the waiting rooM!!! They were pretty stupid....well anyways after that they gave me some meds for some nausa. I turned down the pain meds (which i shouldn't have) I didn't really put two and two together before it was too late. We were in LA and it was friday night. We were in traffic for over 3 hours. We got home at 9 and my mom came over and went and got my perscription. The first night was rough. I was up every two hours. I eventually got up at 6 the next day. My husband and i went for a walk to the grocery store for some popsicles. (it's right down the street) I walked 3 times that day. I went to walmart and took a walk later that night with my neighbor. I was still sore and things i wanted to do i couldn't. I was hungry it felt like all the time. and it hurt too drink fast. My doctor told me ONLY CLEAR LIQUIDS till Thursday. I called them on saturday night and told them i was hungry and they told me to tough it out. So i am stuck i have to go back to work tommrow and am afriad that if i dont get more in my body i am not going to be able to survie my 8 hour day..... Sunday....I took a drive i had to see how i felt. Which i felt pretty good. yesterday was one of my better days until about 3. I started to feel sick to my stomach like i had pushed myself too hard. Monday...I am at home today working on some paper work i need to get done by tommrow :wink2: but other than that i am relaxing today . I need to...I need my energy for the rest of the week.... We shall see i am going to go get some brooth or something.... stomach is talking to me right now... talk to you all later!

Doing this in hopes of changing my life. Today is Monday, June 28th. Last night I went to bed thinking to myself, "I'm going to get up early and work out. I'm going to have a slimfast drink for breakfast, and stay on liquids all day long!" ..8am came around and I hit the snooze button. Got up at 9, cleaned my room, and got ready to go to work. For breakfast, I had a little bag of peanuts (protein?). For lunch, I had a taco salad. Dinner hasn't came around yet, but I doubt I do liquids since I ruined my whole day. I've snacked on sunchips and a candy bar. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking that I actually ate that. I'm currently drinking a sweet tea from McDonalds (my #1 craving). I cannot give into this any more. I am way too obese for my age. I'm 20 years old and I bet I weigh 280 lbs., which is what I was before my surgery. *take a drink of sweet tea* ..It's so good. My back is hurting from sitting here (I'm currently at work). I work in an office for a local college. I don't do much, there isn't much to do. I'm too lazy. I've found this forum for a reason and I need you (everyone else on this forum) to help support me. My mom got the surgery done at the same time I did. When I finally made it below 200, I had to brag to her. She was jealous, but she was my motivation. Competitive, I guess. Now, she weighs less than I do. My mom, however, has more problems than I do. She is a constant spitter. Anything she eats, she spits out. That nasty thick and heavy saliva. Does anyone else get that? She gets pains a lot when she eats, but she spits and it makes her feel better. She gets shoulder pains when she is hungry, but when she eats she gets stuck. I'm not sure what her fill is, I don't even know what my fill currently is, but our closest doc is about four hours away. We are both ashamed to go back to the doctors. You know what else.. I need motivation. My only source of motivation is thinking, "Man, I used to be pretty when I was skinny." or "If I get skinny, I can break up with my loser boyfriend and go somewhere in life." or "Who is going to take a 300 pound teacher seriously?" (I am going to school to become a early elementary teacher.) Let today be the last day I do this "eat whatever, whenever, however" scene. Man, how many times have I said that? If you are still reading this, I thank you a LOT and I hope everyone who reads this will make a comment or message me. *another drink of my sweet tea* I get off work in an hour, at 8pm. I know when I go home, though, my mom is going to have me help her with the garage sale. We are setting things up to have a garage sale this weekend. She won't let me get rid of my skinny clothes though. We went through totes and totes of clothes and things for this garage sale, and I picked out one skinny outfit. It is going to be my motivation. However, it's still sitting on the floor in my closet. I need help. Anyway, I'm going to go home from work tonight, put on my comfy clothes, and help her get ready for the garage sale. I would really like to work out tonight, hopefully I will be able to do that. Here's another thing I want to add. I don't think I would be bad if I had good people in my life. My mom has candy, chips, cookies, whatever in the house for my niece and stepdad. I find it easy to grab a cookie from the cookie jar. And then go back for a few more. Another thing, I wouldn't be so bad if my boyfriend didn't constantly eat out and ask me to join. He works at a local car dealership, and the owners own a local Ponderosa (Ponderosa is an all-you-can-eat buffett). Because the owners own both places, Cory (my boyfriend) gets 50% off at Pondo. We eat there once a week. I usually only eat a plate of food and a desert, so that isn't bad, but it's the temptation of going to eat with him. He eats fast food or something like that for every meal. I can't say "no" to a double cheese and a sweet tea from McD's. Another thing that would make me better. My stepdad. He is always negative about the things he says to me. His comment last night was "Dr. Ortiz would be so disappointed if he saw you right now." ...My parents think that by p****** me off, I will work for it. ..Not quite. If you p*** me off, then I will do the exact opposite of what you want me to do. ..Bah. Okay, so back to the dealio. I'm going to go home tonight, get in comfy clothes, organize for the garage sale, and hopefully walk. Tuesday morning, I have to be at work at 8am. I will TRY to wake up at 6 so I can work out, then get ready for work. If not, I can always work out when I get off work at 5. I also need to fit tanning in there. I think that bigger girls look better if they are tan. It takes away from the fat. ...My opinion, I guess? Anyway, thanks for reading. Please comment. I would really appreciate any words or advice. Oh, food for Tuesday. This is what I am thinking. Breakfast: Slimfast shake. Bottles of water throughout the day. Lunch, leftover rigattoni. More water. Dinner, ...that's not decided yet. Any opinions?

The excitement of the pre-band life is long gone. All the hoops that had to be jumped through for the insurance companies. Then you have the "has my liver shrunk enough" issues. The pre-op tests, the dreaded "head shrinker" appointment and the liquid diet. The after glow of the first weeks post op band have faded. We learned a new vocabulary - Mushies, PB, Sliming. We went through our stages and excitely shared the foods we were able to add. And we learned. We learned to Never eat and drink at the same time. Cut into small pieces. Eat slowly. CHEW CHEW CHEW. The scale began it's decline, maybe even hitting "uncharted water". Some lost fast, some lost slow. For me, getting under 200 was a celebration. I had not been under 200 in OVER 25 years. Now, the scale appears to be STUCK. I know, I eat too much cereal, but when you cannot have dairy or milk products, it is a PAIN. I don't eat bread, rice, pasta, fried foods, refined sugar. I am as my daughter calls it, a MONOVORE. I can live off of the same 5 foods and be quite happy. So Tuna, Salmon, Green Beans, Peas, Applesauce-they have different flavors and oatmeal. But I am happy - I may weigh 180 but I am happy. So as plateaus go, this one is okay with me. Maybe it is just the "non excitement" that makes it so nice. I like the quiet of now. I still step on the scale expecting to see 280 instead of the 180. Sometime I wake in a cold sweat and that was my nightmare. But then I awaken to the clear daylight and I see it was all a bad dream. A dream to learn from, but as with all dreams, it fades. I am happy.

^^^This! Great post @allwet. It's super stressful, the "not knowing," and trying to navigate a new road. The surgical team tries as best they can to prepare us, but the reality is that it's like bringing home a new baby from the hospital. We will be anxious and fretful 1st time parents to our new babies. I was TERRIFIED of overeating and ruining the tool I was given. My new pouch wasn't giving me feedback to let me know when I was full. So I never knew how much latitude to give myself. So I actually did the opposite of you. I ate my scheduled 5-6 mini meals per day and got my protein in come hell or high water. But I ate very small quantities and calories for my stage in order not to stretch my pouch. Consequently, I never challenged it or felt full--so I thought my surgery was screwed up cuz I never got full. LOL. Then one day I let myself eat all I wanted. Low and behold, I was only about 2-3bites below the "OK, 'enough moron' stage." I got my vitamins in each day and got my 120oz of liquids! Every day. I ate on a schedule whether I was hungry or not, cuz it was the only way to get my protein in and make as much of it protein from food, rather than protein supplements. Retrospectively, I'm not sure if that was right or wrong. You know? I could have just had 2 Premier Proteins for 320cals and been done with it! Protein req satisfied, BOOM Chahkalaka! And I would have had 22oz of liquids toward my goal. I healed easily. Many don't. Many of you guys have a LOT of swelling to deal with. So it's an individual walk and what worked for me, won't work for you. You just have to carefully feel things out. Now, fast forward to 9 almost 10 weeks and my new tummy tells me when it's full and I know approximately how big a meal should be by volume and weight. I know when I can't possibly eat another meal--so I cut out the next meal. I try to still eat on a schedule, but sometimes I don't want my snacks. So I skip them. Eventually, I will be able to eat enough volume, that I can eat 3 meals + 1 snack a day. But I'm not there yet. And that's ok. My tummy will tell me when I am! Your's will too! At the end of the day, if I haven't eaten enough to satisfy my protein minimum for the day, I will add as much Premier Protein as I have to have in order to satisfy my minimum goal. I ALWAYS satisfy my liquid reqs and my vitamin reqs and the absolute minimum protein. But now I'm doing good to work toward the middle of the protein range, which should give me more oomph to do my workouts. Just take things slowly and try to listen to the very subtle cues from your body. They will become more and more pronounced as you learn its new language! Congrats on surgery!