Nothng has changed!

[Noturningback15 45]

Nate, I feel your pain! I didn't get any real restriction until after 7 months of my surgery!!!!!!! I am at 7.3cc's now and I have great restriction but it's still like a diet and I have to monitor what I eat. It's up to me to do what's right. I am one of the few people that can eat whatever I want. Some studies stated that bread, certain meats, ect. may be an issue but in my case I haven't crossed a food or bread that I cannot eat. I don't know if that will stay the same after I get more in my band but as for now I choose not to eat hot fluffy rolls (my favorite)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am glad I got the band even though it's not working like I thought it would at first. It will get better though as time goes. I was so upset a few months in because I was seeing everybody losing all this weight so fast and I didn't start to lose good until after I joined the gym. I'm like why I gotta workout to pull big numbers every month. But, I just came to realize everybody is different and that's what's so great about life!

[Melissannde 41]

I fully understand it all, and it has all been explained to me, plus my own sister went through it all, so Im educated on the process...just saying I feel nothing yet, when my dietician is telling me to eat 1/2 a cup. If I could restrict myself to that for a period of time, I WOULDNT NEED WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY! That is my only point...I need restriction, or something, I can eat everything now...all the warnings, and education leading up...never once was I told, oh and 3 weeks into it you will be hungry and eat anything and everything you want!

I didnt sign up for that, I prepared for change and it hasnt come 'as of yet'...I know its there, and its a few cc's away from being what I want, but this time in between is almost as fustrating as waiting for the surgery. My next appointment is like 3 weeks away, and Im meant too see the dietician before then and tell them what...Im starving!

So please, dont assume people dont know...I know why Im here, and why I feel this way, but its fustrating, Im ready to go, Im ready to eat a small meal and feel content...something I rarely experience ever!

If you're being told 1/2 cup of food with little fill, I can understand your frustration.

My doctor doesn't go by volume alone. We are told 3oz of Protein (about the size of a deck of cards .. all 3 dimensions) and 1/2 cup of veggies. If I put all of that in a measuring cup it comes out to close to a full cup. Weighed out, it comes to around 6 to 8 ounces.. depending on the density of the veggie.

Yes, I think you should tell your nutritionist or dietitian that you are hungry and struggling. That you don't feel that 1/2 cup is holding you long enough. And I'd call and make the appt much sooner than 3 weeks from now. You need help now.. not in a month. ( btw: I don't like to use the word "starving". We rarely starve in this country. And words have great power.. if you tell yourself you're starving, it's harder to get over than thinking, I'm really hungry)

My NP used to also tell me, if I eat my 3oz and 1/2 cup, then wait 20 minutes.. if I was still hungry after 20 minutes, I could have more veggies. Ask about that. Ask if you are hungry in 3 hours.. what to do then? Not everyone will fit in the same eating plan. They may have to modify it for you. I modified my own to be honest. I was SMO (super morbidly obese) at the beginning of my journey and 3oz of Protein just wasn't enough. I ate 4 oz for a long time, but didn't tell anyone. I don't remember when I went to 3oz, but it was at least a few months. My weight loss didn't suffer significantly. In fact it was so good that the RN hesitated to give me my first fill. I had to stress that I was really struggling.

Things to try to get you through if you can't get your bariatric professionals to bend a bit: Drink lots of Water between meals. Sounds silly & stupid, but it does work. Get Judith Beck's Diet Solution Book. It's not a diet book per se, but it's about behavior modification. It will help with the way you think about food and weight loss. Try drinking COLD fluids to slightly tighten the band. Hard to do this time of year (assuming you're not in Australia..lol), but worth a shot. I know from another thread that you don't like counting calories, but until you get good appetite dimming, that may be what you need to do. I used to find that mild exercise, such as brisk walking, would cut my appetite a bit. Besides, if I wasn't in the house near the kitchen, it was more difficult to eat.

Good luck to you. We've all been where you are and we all made it through. You can too.

[Phranp 46]

"I fully understand it all, and it has all been explained to me, plus my own sister went through it all, so Im educated on the process...just saying I feel nothing yet, when my dietician is telling me to eat 1/2 a cup. If I could restrict myself to that for a period of time, I WOULDNT NEED WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY! That is my only point...I need restriction, or something, I can eat everything now...all the warnings, and education leading up...never once was I told, oh and 3 weeks into it you will be hungry and eat anything and everything you want!"

Okaaayyy ... so, you know everything there is to know about the band, and you even have your sister to help as a guide to how everything moves along ... here's my question: what's your point? If you are positive that you cannot manage on 1/2 cup of food without restriction (which I TOTALLY understand) why don't you eat more than 1/2 cup of food so that you can stop being miserable and frustrated? It's only for 3 more weeks, right? Your doctor is willing to top you off (and while many doctors will not do this, hey, your doc DID finish med school and has probably done it before so ...), so I don't see the problem. Eat what you want for the next 3 weeks, then get topped off and start from there. You can live with being the weight that you are for 3 measly weeks, right?

Since you were not told by your doc that your hunger would return, and apparently your sister's hunger must have abated immediately upon having the band installed (otherwise I am sure she would have mentioned it to you, right?), you have been left in the unfortunate position that so many of us have experienced: being hungry until we have appropriate restriction. Yeah, NOT FUN. There's even a name for it: BANDSTER HELL! So many of us have gone through it that we warn newbies about it on this forum. But hang in there, you are almost out of hell.

I don't know ... it just seems as though all the advice people are offering is falling on deaf ears. Do what you need to do for you. This lapband is a personal journey ... do your thing.

Please keep us posted on how being topped off so soon into the journey works out ... we will all be soooo jealous when you sail through it without a hitch (after we have all had to wait MONTHS to reach our "sweet spot"), and the pounds drop off like melting butter (bad metaphor, sorry).

All the best to you on your journey.

Happy New Year!

[ElfiePoo 109]

Im still feeling like I did pre-op...always hungry, can eat anything etc. I shouldnt HAVE to starve myself, that is WHY I got the band, to aid and guide me to eat enough!

I am at 4cc so far, could it be that I am just a long ways from this so called 'green zone' or whatever you wish to call it. I even had scones today with my gf (she baked them, so had to try one at least!), the most 'bready' substance to date, and no issues. Was banded on the 7th and am now pretty much eating anything, and restricting my food myself, like a damn diet! I want to feel full as advertised, is that so much to ask!

Do yourself a favor and don't look for physical restriction. You should be looking for a cessation of hunger. Based on posts here on the LB forum I ended up seriously overfilled looking for that physical restriction. Not a meal went by that I wasn't sliming or getting 'stuck'. I won't go into all the details again, but a complete unfill reminded me that the band was doing its job by eliminating my hunger (which came back with a vengeance when I had the unfill).

The band works by putting pressure on the vagus nerves which in turn tells the stomach to quit producing ghrelin, the hunger hormone. Some people get enough pressure just with the band. Others need varying amounts of fill. Hang in there...you'll get there.

.

[ElfiePoo 109]

I fully understand it all, and it has all been explained to me, plus my own sister went through it all, so Im educated on the process...just saying I feel nothing yet, when my dietician is telling me to eat 1/2 a cup. If I could restrict myself to that for a period of time, I WOULDNT NEED WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY!

Nate,

I'm right there with you. Whenever I see someone post that their doctor or nutrionist told me them eat 1/2 cup, I just sit here and laugh and think what morons (the doctor and nutritionist, not the person being starved).

My surgeon told me to eat if I'm hungry, but make good choices (eliminating sugar and junk foods) and keeping my carbs below 60. I was eating probably 1500-1700 calories per day. Prior to the holidays (I've gotten a bit off track and am working to get back on), I was eating 1100-1300 calories per day, carbs at no more than 30gm per day and could go 4-5 hours without being hungry. If I had tried to eat 1/2 cup of food, even being at my sweet spot, I would've been *starving*...just as I used to be on a 1200 calorie diet prior to being banded.

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[Katy517 1]

My apologies on the incorrect assumption. I based it on the content of your prior posts as they suggested to me that you were caught off guard by the knowledge that adjustments are typically gradual and over time, the fact that you would be expected to follow a post-op diet and bandster hell in general. I also realize that you are frustrated. If I were in your shoes I would be consulting with my nutritionist and surgeon as to your hunger and how best to address that with smart diet choices for this stage of your banding

My surgeon deals with the immediate post-surgery and pre-fill hunger by mandating a six week all liquids diet that precedes the first adjustment. Worked great for me and really jump-started my weight loss efforts. There was no limitation on quantity or caloric intake - just that I ingest only liquids and that I walk for a progressively longer period of time each day. I was very hungry and I figured out that a lot of that hunger was from being bored with the liquids. It helped tremendously to stay busy with work, family, exercise and even this forum during that time as the head hunger just needs to be replaced with something else to occupy the mind.

That strict diet was prescribed by somebody with a lot more experience with banding than I and I knew that I could do anything for that six weeks if it was going to help me to get back to a normal weight again. I guess that I never expected the band to work by itself even in the beginning and realized that I was going to have to exert some willpower and discipline. It wasn't easy, but has been worth it. I wish you the best of luck with your band and your weight loss efforts.

So please, dont assume people dont know...I know why Im here, and why I feel this way, but its fustrating, Im ready to go, Im ready to eat a small meal and feel content...something I rarely experience ever!