Banded, now what?

[Coo 1]

Hi Holly Carrot, and everyone else in the doldrums.

I'm there in a big way :help:

I had FRIES for tea

I lost smaller amount initially, and have lost a bit more. I have started having Berocca every second day (ARE there calories in those???) and until tonight I was really good - well, healthy wise. I have a whole wheat sandwich, about 2/3 with salad for lunch, tiny Breakfast, and small tea, sensible controlled food. But its so hard.

I feel little restriction now and I called into the board tonight to see if anyone else is where I am. October 22 was me. I can virtually eat anything, and I have been doing okay by normal standards, but I had thought this period would be so much easier than this. I feel totally despondent, and am now having trouble sleeping.

:faint:

On a brighter note I have had a big decrease in post op discomfort.

How are we all going to get through this time???

[yankeerobin 0]

Is there room in the boat for me? I was banded Oct 19th and have lost a measly 5 lbs! I'm sooooo disappointed. I've lost 20 in total, but, the majority is pre-op. I haven't lost a single pound in almost 2 weeks.. well, I gain and lose the same 2-4 lbs over and over again.

I want to chuck that scale right in the trash, or just go out and eat a Big Mac or something. I've been faithful in exercising 45-60 mins per day, and still nothing.

Glad to see I'm not alone .. I just hope this works for me. I'd hate to disappoint all those who are supporting me (my family!).

Sooooooo frustrating!

[BluesByrd 0]

Well, we're all in the same boat, and the magic word we need to remember every day is something we all don't have a lot of right now: patience!

We've all be overweight for YEARS, and we are desperate for that change. But we have a lot going for us now that we didn't before: the band itself, the big group of friends here that are going through the exact same thing...

We will get to where we need to be; I have faith, both in the band and in all of us. Stay strong!!

[OregonHolly 0]

You guys are all so awesome. This is what "support group" is all about. Amy you're so cute - thanks for noticing I was missing in action. Carrot I think of you a lot and wonder how it's going! Coo - what's a Berocca? (Ya gotta love this international board, it's fun!) Everyone who posted, the regulars and the newbies - thank you all so much.

So here's my update: I'm thinking of my new "tool" this way: I had a new tire installed, but it doesn't have any AIR in it yet. So it's not really getting me anywhere. YET.

My niece had a band sometime in September. She was eating everything in sight before her first fill: I'm talking steak with baked potato, veges and bread and washing it down with a huge Coke. I'd have thought for sure she ruined her post op healing process. But NO! She got fill #1 (no results) and then her merciful doctor did fill #2 within days.... and voila! Great restriction, she can only eat 2-4 oz at a time, and she's now on her way. HOPE!

Carrot I have to follow your advice about carbs. But there's this devil on my shoulder saying "your first fill is in less than 2 weeks - if you don't eat that bagel now, you'll never again experience a bagel!" Lots of mental exercise going on. Having mashed potatoes during "mushies" sure didn't help. Yeah and Halloween is truly horrifying in a whole new way: that huge bowl of "little tiny" candies lying around. So easy to say "oh it's only a little tiny bit of chocolate!" Evil.

Exercise has been "hit and miss" for me. It's cold here in Oregon and my joints are killing me. I KNOW without a doubt that exercise will help and not harm me, but it HURTS. Very frustrating. It's all "grit your teeth and just do it" kind of willpower needed right now. I'm sure when 50 lbs is gone, exercise will be a joy and the joints won't hurt so bad.

But I HAVE gone down a size in pants, and actually those pants are kind of loose (okay, not right out of the dryer, but by day's end.) I was wearing a tight size 20 pants (quite tight, and ugly ones too) and now a loose size 18. I'm only 5' tall so other women that look like a normal weight at my height generally wear a size 6 or 8 at most. So that's my long term goal. Right now my goal is to wear a size 16.

Hey what are sizes like in Berocca land? Different overseas, no doubt! I love this international board, did I say that? Very fun indeed!

Thanks again for all the love and support. Oh, and I have on many days had just a Protein Drink for a meal, and a frozen diet dinner (like Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice) for a meal. I have some leftover "Nurti System" meals that I'm eating as well which are very high in Protein. So my weight is stable.

My fill is less than 2 weeks away, so stay tuned!

love you all,

Holly

[nip50 2]

I'm in the same boat as all of you. I was banded on 10/11 and won't have my first fill until 11/29. That's 7 weeks. I lost a lot with my preop diet and the first 2 weeks being banded, but since then it's at a crawl. I also feel that I'm starving myself. I don't know how I could get by with eatting any less. I'm also staying away from carbs. Trying to mainly eat Protein like tuna, chicken, eggs, cottage cheese and so forth.

What's the worst is when someone ask me how much weight I've lost and I've only lost 1 pound in the last 2 1/2 weeks. You know they're thinking that I haven't been trying. It's going to be a long month, but I'm determined to make it work.

I'm also having a hard time with the exercise portion. Things are so busy with working and 3 teenage boys at home. I already getting up at 5:00am and am going all day long, but I know that I have to fit it in sooner or later. Hopefully that'll be sooner.

Good luck to all of you.

[judybellyband 6]

Ok, how big is our boat? I had surgery on 10/17 where my surgeon put 3cc into the AP-small (10cc) band. Then yesterday, 11/6, he added another 2cc. So now at 5cc I still do not have restriction. I'm trying to get another in 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. But I know that I have to build up to around 9cc which will take forever.

[karlvr 0]

Hey group, good thread. I was banded 10-31-2007 and feel wonderful...down 17 lbs and looking forward to another 60 or so. I am really trying to stick to the dr. orders about eating, but it does get frustrating. Today I forgot to eat or drink for the most part of the day. Just busy at work and I will really have to watch that. I was hungry when I got home. Ate Capt. D's grilled flounder and green Beans. Went down okay and didn't have the overstuffed feeling. I had a sugar free popsicle after walking for about 45 minutes in the local grocery store. My 2 grandsons were tempting me mercifully about all the good stuff on the shelves. Actually I wasn't tempted to badly knowing I was about to get a popsicle. My incision are healing nicely as far as I can tell. My port feels a little weird but I guess that is to be expected. I woke up lying on my stomach and realized it wasn't hurting so YEA!! Hang in there everyone and we will make it thru this better and slimmer people.

[cope1951 0]

Thank you, thank you, thank you - ALL OF YOU! I was banded on Oct 3 and I thought I was the only one feeling this way. I went to my first support group meeting at my dr's office last night and when I told them I felt I had no restriction the nurse wrote MISCONCEPTIONS on the board and started talking about misconceptions....like she knows how I'm feeling? I can eat just about anything with minimal restriction. I mean sometimes if I don't chew enough I can feel it stall for a second but then it just goes down. I don't get a fill until 11-15 and I can't wait. There was a woman at our meeting who was banded in 2004 and didn't get a fill for a year! I thought there was something wrong with me. You guys are the best and I feel so much better now that I've read this. It's fabulous knowing I'm not alone. I've only lost 14lbs and it sure feels like it should be more. I am walking though, even if I don't want to, I've started to walk 30 minutes every day so that's really an accomplishment for me. Prior to this the only exercise I got was napping.

Sorry for the long post. I'm just so relieved to have found this thread.

xxoo, Gerri

[renewedhope 4]

welcome Cope. My first fill is on the 20th!! I am starving and I can't wait!! welcome to our thread!!

[judybellyband 6]

Hope,

I love what you wrote...cause even with restriction it is always so true;...just as Hope has said, "So easy to say "oh it's only a little tiny bit of chocolate!" Evil.

AMEN!!!

[Freebigbennow 0]

There was another thread called " so this is bandster%^&*". On that thread I suggested that people stay away from carbs. They make you hungry. I questoned the use of mashed potatoes as a mushie, I was rediculed. I emphasized the benefits of protiens making you feek full linger and I was called a jerk. All because at the time I had been banded three days. NOw it seems there was some truth to it all after all. Somebody told me " lets see if protien and Water keeps YOU full when you are three weeks out" Well I am on my third week now and I can drink a tall glass of water, eat a 3 oz can of tune and viola FULL! Not that I don't empathize with everybody. This site is great!! I have learned so much it's invaluable. I just was hurt by all the slander. Maybe it was because i was a guy it was a girl thing I didn't understand(smile). Thanks Ladies. YOur friend "Ben the Jerk":rolleyes:

[nip50 2]

"Ben the Jerk" - I agree with you. I always try and eat Protein. I've been banded 4-5 weeks and my lunches are all protein - tuna, chicken salad, cottage cheese. I then have a Protein Drink inbetween meals. And as my doctor told me, always eat protein first and then if you're still hungry have some fruit or vegetables. I can't make it from Breakfast to lunch if I don't start my day out with protein. Even oatmeal won't hold me.

[judybellyband 6]

Ben you are so-o-o right. It's better to have Protein if you want to loss weight. Carbs like fruit give you energy but it will not keep you full. I drink a water-based Protein 14oz (one scope) shake at 7:30, another at 10:30, baked chicken in Tomato Soup at 12:30, Protein Shake with 1/2 banana at 2:30, a spring green salad with chicken at 5:30 and then sometimes another shake at 8:00.

I just self-paid thousands of $$$ so I shall not touch a potato/rice/bread/ice cream like starch until I get to goal. Anyone else going to take my challange??? Come-on, I need to feel the love here! ...and so does everyone else; right Ben?

[CTgirl 0]

Judy...i'm wth you...everytime i write the check to make a loan payment, i swear i will never eat anything that is not on my doctor's list...i was given a pretty strick list, so i was a little surprised to see what some people are eating....i guess every doctor is different, but the long term diet the nutritionist laid out for me is just what i would normally eat while dieting, but now i have the band to help me not feel hungry while doing so. ( don't have that feeling yet but hoping for it soon - 1st fill on nov 29th). I had two bad painful, food stuck incidents, so i'm trying to remember to chew, chew, chew and to go slow.....who ever thought you could make a 4 ounce yogurt last for 30 minutes ??????

eileen

[midwife72 0]

<p>Thank you for this thread! I was banded on the 22nd and I don't feel like I have any restriction at all. I did at first with the post op swelling, but now...nothin'. I am keeping myself from eating more than one serving and really trying to stick to the mushies, but I have to admit I have had some solids that have gone down easily. My goal at this point is to not gain any weight back by my fill on 12/6 and to start excercising. I BEGGED my doc to fill me before Thanksgiving but, no go! Thank you for being here, Tenacious Tens...I don't know what I'd do without you!</p>