5 weeks post-op and eating everything!

[rktown 0]

I am 5 weeks post-op and have been eating anything and everything I want. The first 2 weeks I was unable to eat much even the liquids and mushies but now i can't get full! I will have the first adjustment next Friday. Did anyone else experience this before their first adjustment?

THANKS IN ADVANCE!

[rktown 0]

That makes me feel sooo much better. I felt like I was doing something horrible to myself. I can not wait until next Friday and my first adjustment - Let's get this thing started!!! I want to know I've spent my kids college money on something worthwhile :nervous

[mariecarmen 1]

Oh, man, this is probably the one thing I wish someone had warned me about before I had the surgery.

After about 2 weeks and before my first fill I was ravenous and eating all kinds of things I knew I shouldn't. And I was so upset because if I'd had any willpower in the beginning, I wouldn't have needed surgery. I was disgusted and thought, "if this is the way it's going to be, I'm not going to make it." Bad cycle.

Then someone here posted about the same feeling and a more experience bandster responded that it was perfectly normal. It got better after my first fill.

But, wow, that was an awful time for me. DH kept looking at me sideways wondering, I'm sure, what good the surgery had done me.

Deep breath, it passes and you'll get through.

[Smoothgirl14 1]

IM SO GLAD YOU POSTED THIS !!!! Im a new bander too and im in week 3.5 and yesterday i ate 3/4 of a greek salad for dinner, and for lunch i had 4 buffalo wings !!! I was upset, i feel like this is not going to help me lose weight.

[396power 2]

I have no will power. I have been eating what ever I want. And that has been going on since 8 days out of surgery tomorow is day 14. and some times I eat to much I need help.

[JackSpratsWife 0]

rktown,

Your post looks like it was written by me. I am also feeling no restriction and seeing no weight loss and wondering what have I done. I get my first fill on the 10th. I can hardly wait!

From what I see I have the least amount of weight loss the first month from anybody I have seen on here. Anybody want to come to my pity party? :fish:

[Cheryl S. 0]

396power,

My doctor told me that if I eat things I am not supposed to before the band has a chance to get "seated" it can cause a slip. I cant afford another $15,000 to go in and have it fixed. You have come this far, don't blow it by eating things your not supposed to. It's not worth it. You need to clean out your pantry and get rid of everything or lock it up if you cant control it. Try taking a walk or doing something when you have the urge to eat.

Good luck.

[tekila4red 0]

Pfffftttttttt relax that is what you should do, look if it was easy to do this part unrestricted you wouldnt have had the surgery right? Im not encouraging you to eat a box of twinkies, Im telling you as you start getting your fills, you will find yourself controlled whether you want to be or not!!!! Two weeks after surgery I was eating as if I never had surgery, my doc says he expects this and its normal, Ive had 3 fills and lost 34 lbs..... Like I said if we could all do it with out having the restriction and on our own.... we wouldnt have had the surgery in the first place.....best of luck to you!!!!

Above was posted in a different thread!!!! You guys seriously need to relax, trust me when i say its harder for me to do than anyone Im so uptight about weight loss, its ridiculous...but DUDEEEEEEEE relax it didnt take you 5 weeks to get to obesity or morbid obesity and its going to take you more than 5 weeks to get used to your new life style and how things are going to work from here on out!!!! If you have not had a fill yet, then yeah your not restricted and your habits are your habits...wait til you have a fill and have all new stuff to freak out about......:omg:

[serenity 1]

Great posts. I too have fallen off the wagon, and berated myself. I do not want the complications and will make a serious attempt from this point forward to get my act together, bandster hell or not.....it took alot to get this surgery and yes, old habits die hard, but again the post are encouraging from all points of view.

[MissNilsa 0]

i'm doing liquids on pre-op and all this talk is scarring the crap out of me. Seriously. Do people get hungry after banding - worse than pre-op? I ask because this is what it sounds like.

[LTjr 0]

This confuses me, because even with out a fill your new stomach is only capable of holding around 3cc's of food(right?). How can someone feel as hungry like they had no surgery???

[soulsis78 0]

I had my surgery on April 24th. The first few weeks I had restriction and lost 12 lbs. Slowly, my appetite returned and even though I was eating less than I had before surgery, it still was more than I had expected to be able. I had my first band fill on June 1st and so far, I've been a little disappointed. My dr. asked me to drink Water while they were filling my band and to let him know when I started to feel restriction. I didn't. I have a 4cc band and he got up to 3ccs. He decided to back down b/c he didn't want me too tight for my first fill, down to 2.5ccs. I am eating significantly less, and trying not to eat anything bad. I eat about 7 x a day. Cup of Cereal (high fiber), nutragrain bar, cup or apple sauce, child size yogurt, cottage cheese, a couple of oz of chx and veggies, etc. But I'm not getting full. Mentally, I stop b/c I assume that I shouldn't eat that much, but my body isn't telling me to stop. Also, the scale has stopped moving. Is it possible to plateau this quickly. I feel like my body is fighting all my attempts at diet and excersise.

I know everyone is different, but again, so far I am a little disappointed because I really thought I'd notice a difference with my first fill. I thought I'd have restriction at this point and that I would feel more full. Also, I didn't expect to bounce b/t 12-15lb weight loss. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Thanks.

[NoWorry 0]

I'm glad I found you guys and read your experiences. I did pretty well during the 3 week post-op (mostly liquids) healing period, thanks to the fear of slippage. But since then it's been tough pretty much from the moment I got the green light for solid foods last week.

First, I obviously had to test the level of restriction that the empty band was contributing. Purely scientific research, of course, not greed at all. And it didn't take long to figure out that the band was contributing zero restriction. Everything slid down exactly the same as before the surgery. Burgers, fries, pizza... no problem.

And now it feels like I'm back exactly where I was before my pre-op diet. No restriction, and yet one more 'last chance' to eat and drink all the stuff that I won't be able to have after my first adjustment. So the struggle is actually worse than before the decision to have the surgery, because I didn't have the 'last chance' factor back then.

Add in the occasional depressing thought of being a loser for having had to resort to surgery, plus the regret for having got fat in the first place, plus the confusing inability at times to see the benefit of the surgery and 'hell' is definitely an excellent word for this state. I don't even have the courage to get on the scale to see the impact this is having on my weight. I'll just eat really 'well' today and weigh myself tomorrow. Oops, too late for that. OK, I'll eat really 'well' tomorrow and weigh myself the day after.

I try and explain the struggle to friends, but they just don't get it. Just be tough. Think positive thoughts. Think about how you'll look and feel once you've lost the weight. Try not to think about food. How do I explain that a part of mind is doing nothing but taking a constant, repetitive inventory of every edible item in the fridge and the pantry. And another part of my mind is listing every single one of all the treats I won't be able to have after the adjustment. While yet another part knows exactly how many hours and minutes I have left to get to the store, and to each fast food drive thru in a 5 mile radius.

Just 10 days to go until the adjustment, but each day is turning out to be an incredible challenge. It's reassuring, though, to know that I'm not alone.

[soulsis78 0]

I had my surgery on 4.25.07. So far, I am down b/t 12-15lbs. I had my first fill on 6.1.07 and so far I am a little disappointed. I expected to be able to eat a little more during the period before the fill, but not after. Even though I followed the diet and lost weight, I really had hoped to experience more restriction and weight loss after the first fill.

My dr. asked me to drink Water as he was filling my band and to let him know when/if I felt restriction. I didn't. I have a 4cc band and he got up to 3cc. He decided to back down to 2.5 b/c he didn't want to make it too tight my first time. I sort of wish he had. I am not feeling barely any restriction and I am really not experiencing a full feeling. I can also pretty much eat everything I've tried without any problem (breads, meat, always well chewed of course, etc). I have been dieting and excersising, but I have seemed to already plateau. Is that possible so soon?

My fear is that maybe there is something wrong with my band. At one point since my fill, I ate a good size bowl of dry shredded wheat with no problem. (I was having a major sweet tooth and tried to tame it with something that wasn't too bad). I have an acquaintance who had the surgery almost 2 yrs ago and she is amazed that I can eat the types of food I can without any discomfort.

Anyone out there have any similar experiences and who may be willing to share? All I keep hearing is "everyone is different," but I'd like to hear from some people with similar experiences who has since gone on to successful weight loss. Thanks.

[mdrai 3]

I guess I'm a club member, too!

Banded 2 weeks ago... now hungry & able to eat lettuce, thin crust pizza, grilled chicken... ugh!

The scale is beginning to go the wrong way again! It's amazing how quickly the old thoughts/fears/dialogues come flooding back about what a loser I am that I can't even do the band right! Sheesh!

So... I decided to STOP all that TODAY! I need to remember that this is a MAJOR learning process... it's not about just the food, but also finally, once and for all learning new behaviors and developing a new relationship w/food. I think that THIS is what this time between surgery & fill is for. The following are the positive actions I am taking NOW:

*I started walking every morning at the local park. Doesn't sound like much but believe me it is a MAJOR milestone for me!

*I am writing down everything I eat + tracking all nutritional values.

*I have posted a list on the 'frig w/what I can eat & how much -- if it's not on the list, I'm not eating it!

*I am eating the bandster way: Protein first, veggie carbs second; small bites; chew 30 times; pause between bites; 20-30 min meals.

*I am drinking Water, Water, water as my main liquid.

*Stay off the scale. Weigh just once each week.

Good luck to everyone!