Is it only me? Help!

[Sweet_pea_2 0]

Janeth,

You are obviously very passionate about this. I hope you are able to meet your goals, although it is important to remember that the band is not like gastric bypass. The band is designed for us to lose a healthy 1-2 pounds per week.

The reason we are all here is because we have an addiction to food. We gather here to seek comfort, support, advice and friendship from others who share our addiction. As with all addictions, it is not something that just goes away over night. Yes, we have our band and it is a wonderful tool. I believe every one of us made the commitment that we were not going to cheat post-op or pre-op when we made the decision to get the band. However, despite our best intentions, those old demons do come back to haunt us. If we were able to control them, we would not have needed the band in the first place.

The great thing about LBT is, if we do cheat, or feel the need to we have a place to come to and share our thoughts and issues with others. We offer and gain the support we need here. We help each other get back on track.

Obviously, as you have lost all the weight once before and then regained it, you must understand what a battle it can be. Life does happen and stress does happen and those little unplanned things can cause us to turn to our old comforting friend, food. I believe every bandster will have times when they eat something they probably shouldn't have. What is important is that we do not beat ourselves or each other up over it. Instead, lets offer the support and comfort we all seek to help get us back on track.

I look forward to seeing your before and after pictures once you have had the band for six months. With your determination, I am sure there will be an amazing difference. However, if you should find it to not be as easy as you had hoped, we will all be here to help and support you.

Thought some of you might like an update on my progress since I stirred up a little fuss a couple of weeks ago. I've had my lap band for 9 days and I've lost 19 pounds since my surgery. I'm in the liquid stage for 16 days total and I drink Diabetic Boost, Glucerna and water....about 600 calories a day. I started walking on the treadmill yesterday for 30 minutes and plan to do that daily while increasing the speed and incline slowly and then increasing the length of time to an hour daily. I plan to start weight training as soon as I lose another 20 pounds which should be in about a month. Best wishes to all of you in your weight loss journey. Remember to tell yourself each day....I can be healthy and make the right choices just for today.

Janet:wub:

[travellegal 0]

Thank you for your insight. I was banded March 19th and am now on mushies and starving. I'm eating all the food I'm supposed to, not fattening. sugar free, etc. Protein, but I am hungry all the time. I wonder if the doctor put in a lap band.

[bibo07 0]

Caryn,

I am glad you wrote what you did. I had my surgery on March 6...and I was soooooooooo good the first two weeks...and I lost about 12 pounds. Then when i had to start my mushies I was out of town and it was very very hard for me to follow it. So I ate a little bit of regular food but chewed until it was soooo mushy. Now i am back (a week later) and I feel horrible. What if I damaged something???? I didn't feel anything when i ate? and I don't feel I ate a lot...but I couldn't stop, now that I am back...my husband blended my chicked and rice for me yesterday and it was disgusting but I dealt with it. I even had a few fries mushed. Has anyone else been bad like me? How will it be after my first fill which i will get on the 6th of April. I am feeling great now...never hungry???

I had my surgery 1/28/08 and did good on my post op diet for 3 weeks but then I started "cheating". Am I the only one??? I have not had a fill yet but when the food is by me I will eat it. I don't feel I have control. I am very ashamed that I did this surgery and feel good enough to eat regular food and "cheat". Please tell me I'm not the only one and that I'll have more control after my fills.:thumbup:

[Debra1952 0]

Hello. I had my lapband surgery July 24, 2007. I have since had six fills. I am now losing weight. Just need to get to a certain point with your fills. I'm feeling good and eating less. It works!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Ok - I know i am going to piss some of you off - but i gotta put my 2 cents in here.

This is a lifetime lifestyle change in your eating habit - when you cheat you are only cheating you and your surgery. This is not to say that I eat PERFECT 100% of the time but can say that I do 98% of the time. I allow for treats occassionally - but if I think I have over done it - I eat less the next meal and increase my exercise

You really have to wrap your mind around this whole lapband issue - the band it's self is not going to make you loose weight - it makes it eaiser yes but it's not the magical cure to our food issues - our food issues are mental and that's were the real work has to be done - imho 75% of the work is going to be up to you and the band will do the other 25% by providing restriction.

You gotta plan (shop) for healthy food choices and limit your exposure to unhealthy foods as much as you can - Ice creams, chips, candies, fats and liquid calories slip right on thru (slider foods). If you need a fill get one - and keep bugging your doc for fills until you get to your sweet spot and for each of you that will be diff. Eating hard Proteins will keep you fuller longer and for those on liquids eat things that are on plan that you find most statisfing (like creamed soups) Mushies - fat free refried Beans.< /p>

Just cuz you can eat more - why are you - you had major surgery that in its self for me has been a great motivator - I have fewer yrs ahead of me than what's already behind me - I want to extend my life and the only way I am going to buy a little insurance to get to that goal is by eating healthy and exercising

This is a whole new learning curve for all of us - we are going to fall down every now and then - but then we have to pick ourselves up dust our butts off and keep on plugging away at our new lifestyle changes. As the saying goes Practice makes perfect.

If you are hungry - make good low calorie - sugar free - low fat food choices - you guys can do - you really can - it take some work but it is so doable. Just make the committment to you - this is for you and no one else - you are worth the work and the more you work at it the easier it becomes...

[shortgal 5]

Janet: AMEN! I still do not have very good restriction after eight fills, but I trod on and count my calories ( and track my protein) every day and do not go over 1200. I am absolutely putting in 75% of the effort ( except for exercising, but I'm getting better with that, too).

I choose healthy foods and I keep ALL junk food out of the house. I stay away from Desserts. Had a couple bites of a treat on a holiday and still stayed within my calories.

I am self pay so I followed my post op diet carefully, I don't drink after my meals etc. Basically, after paying almost $18,000, I am still dieting and THAT'S OK WITH ME! The band does boost my willpower and once I get the right restriction, it will be a little easier.

I have experienced a good restriction a few times after a fill, so I know how good it can be and I know I will get there.

I could not sit by and just waste all the time after surgery, waiting for the perfect restriction.

I'm not exactly a fast loser, but I am losing and I will not sabatoge myself. I'm not perfect but I am doing the best I can do to help my band, help me!

Great post! Thanks!

[IndioGirl55 32]

Janet: AMEN! I still do not have very good restriction after eight fills, but I trod on and count my calories ( and track my protein) every day and do not go over 1200. I am absolutely putting in 75% of the effort ( except for exercising, but I'm getting better with that, too).

I choose healthy foods and I keep ALL junk food out of the house. I stay away from desserts. Had a couple bites of a treat on a holiday and still stayed within my calories.

I am self pay so I followed my post op diet carefully, I don't drink after my meals etc. Basically, after paying almost $18,000, I am still dieting and THAT'S OK WITH ME! The band does boost my willpower and once I get the right restriction, it will be a little easier.

I have experienced a good restriction a few times after a fill, so I know how good it can be and I know I will get there.

I could not sit by and just waste all the time after surgery, waiting for the perfect restriction.

I'm not exactly a fast loser, but I am losing and I will not sabatoge myself. I'm not perfect but I am doing the best I can do to help my band, help me!

Great post! Thanks!

Shortgal

Thanks - I was lucky that I had insurance but I still had to pay a LARGE program fee to my doc.

I truly don't get where people don't think that they have to have will power with the band. Yes you do!!!!!

You aren't dieting !!! You are eating healthy!!! you gotta take the word diet out of your vocabulary - diets don't work cuz when you go off them you go back to eating normal - which is what got you fat in the first place!!

Eating healthy does work.. I don't think of my eating plan as a diet I truly am eating healthy - I have cut the amount of fat i ate by 95% (remember your dh & I both agreed with Emeril - Pork Fat Rules :tongue_smilie:)

I still go out and have a taco or chineese for lunch - I just don't scarf it down in the quainties that I use to and I keep within my 1000 - 1200 calories 99.9% of the time - infact I can't tell you the last time I went over...

Exercise takes some time to get use to - But for me it is what is helping my weight loss alot - I got a trainer as I have just been doing treadmill and I want to build some muscle = cuz muscle burn more calories and let me tell you I want to burn those suckers up...

As long as you are losing that's all that matters - we all lose weight differently and there are tons of factors to that - I hate to say I have been lucky (don't want to jinx myself) but I can say I have lost something every week even if it was 1/2 lbs since surgery - I am very fortunate to have an excellent motabolism others arent always that luck and my doc say I am not an average bander - he says I am losing weight like a bypass patient - so don't let my numbers or anyone elses get you down or think you are slow loser - I am very lucky that I had good restriction after my second fill and truly didnt need the 3rd one since I had to go back and have him take out .08 of the 1 cc he put in.

I am glad that someone else understand - but again - I think it's our age - after all these years we are FINALLY GETTING IT... Age does have it's benefits

Keep up the good work and tell your doc to be more aggressive with those darn fills...

[rzaal 0]

Your not, have a fill and see then, and then sometimes the first fill is not enough, so it may take another. I had my surgery Jan 31 and have had two fills. My second was just 2 weeks ago not even. It is definiately enough for now, spitting up some things, it sucks, so be patient:) Let me know how it goes.

[shortgal 5]

Janet: I'm actually ok with my Dr's fill schedule. I can go often for fills and I don't want to be too tight, so I like that we are "sneaking" up on restriction. I don't pay for fills.

I do feel like I'm still dieting when I don't have restriction, but I've had a few days of nice restriction and then I feel like I'm just eating healthy. The difference is the level of hunger between meals. Without proper restriction, I wake up hungry, feel hungry between meals and go to bed hungry, just like when I used to diet. So the feeling is the same.

I am going through a period where I would normally get another fill, but I'm putting it off because of an upcoming vacation. Not because I want to overeat on the vacation, but I do not want to worry about being too tight while out of the country. A few people have also mentioned feeling tighter after long flights so I don't want to worry about that either. That's another comment I hear that makes me crazy, people that want to be unfilled, so they can eat on vacation. I don't get that, either. I don't want to over eat anymore for any reason. Sure, I plan to have a few glasses of wine on vacation or a treat, but get an unfill? Why?

I've been eating this way since before being banded, so it is becoming my new normal, and that's good, but the hunger between meals is wearing me out. That's why I paid $18000! Some days are better than others, but most are still harder than I thought they'd be by four months post op.

You're right, age might be against our metabolism but in other ways, age works to our advantage! Older and wiser! I forgot about our conversation previously about DH's love of pork fat! Funny!

I might be slow but I'll get to the finish line!

[beckymein1021 0]

Janet: I couldn't have said it better myself! I don't consider myself on a 'diet'. I am making different (lifestyle changing) choices and like you, I have a wee 'splurge' now and then. But then I compensate for it in different ways (I'm a big believer in Water, so I try to make sure I get in my 124 oz. every day).

I went to Laughlin last weekend with DH to meet our best friends. We ate at the buffet 4 times. Did I partake? Damn skippy I did. Did the buffet make $$ on me? Damn skippy they did. Once I reached the point that I knew I'd had enough, I quit. Came back from the weekend down 1/2 lb. It CAN be done without starving yourself...just make conscious, good food choices.

Shortgal: You might be relieved to know that I also went out of the country and was a wee bit worried about having issues while I was so far from my doctor. I found I was SO conscious of every little thing I put in my mouth and chewed everything SO well, I was even better over in Rome than I find myself at home. I didn't experience the tightness after the flight. I did however, find with my meals at very different times (dinner at 8:30 PM), that snacking on almonds really saved me.

Good luck on your trip and have fun and enjoy!! The band takes some getting used to, but it's the best friend I've ever had!!

[shortgal 5]

beckmein: I don't have enough restriction to have to worry about chewing well.... that is my problem. But since I know I have to be getting close to good restriction soon, I worry about the next fill before I go away. I have been thinking all day today of scheduling one but keep changing my mind. I know we'll do a lot of walking. Last year we went to Tuscany and ate and drank A LOT but no weight gain bcause of all the walking. It's the hunger between meals that's bothering me. The few days I had good restriction I never felt like I was on a "diet", I just ate a small meal and felt full for hours.

I have a "history" of not feeling well on flights as it is. Not sure why, it is not fear, but I have had episodes of fainting (at least three times while flying) and since the band is near the vagus nerve, I worry more about being too tight.

I am taking a short flight this weekend to visit a friend in N.C., so we'll see how that one goes first.

Thanks for the words of your experience with flying.

I am making good choices in food and portion but hate that I'm hungry in between. I'm sure you remember those days!

Either way I'm sure I'll have a great trip.

[nmyacaa 0]

im 2 weeks post op, ive been on cream Soups since day 3. my doc told me anything that would go up a macdonalds size straw. hope im not doing it wrong. ive also cheated a few times, i ate some super noodles, and have had mash potatoe with gravy. im now worried about the band slippage that ive heard talked about. ive lost 10.6lbs in the last 2 weeks. please help im now really worried.

[IndioGirl55 32]

im 2 weeks post op, ive been on cream Soups since day 3. my doc told me anything that would go up a macdonalds size straw. hope im not doing it wrong. ive also cheated a few times, i ate some super noodles, and have had mash potatoe with gravy. im now worried about the band slippage that ive heard talked about. ive lost 10.6lbs in the last 2 weeks. please help im now really worried.

nmyacaa

Darling - we aren't doctors - we really can't tell you if your band has slipped or not (most likely not but again I am not a doctor) - but when you cheat - you are cheating yourself & your band - instead of mashed potatoes - just make soupy mashed potatoes Instant with all milk (skim) as it will boost your Protein - leave off the gravey- just little changes like that will help you - Leave the noodles alone - follow your doctors orders - even with the band you do need will power - you can do this you do have will power - you are stronger than the food..

[beckymein1021 0]

beckmein: I don't have enough restriction to have to worry about chewing well.... that is my problem. But since I know I have to be getting close to good restriction soon, I worry about the next fill before I go away. I have been thinking all day today of scheduling one but keep changing my mind. I know we'll do a lot of walking. Last year we went to Tuscany and ate and drank A LOT but no weight gain bcause of all the walking. It's the hunger between meals that's bothering me. The few days I had good restriction I never felt like I was on a "diet", I just ate a small meal and felt full for hours.

I have a "history" of not feeling well on flights as it is. Not sure why, it is not fear, but I have had episodes of fainting (at least three times while flying) and since the band is near the vagus nerve, I worry more about being too tight.

I am taking a short flight this weekend to visit a friend in N.C., so we'll see how that one goes first.

Thanks for the words of your experience with flying.

I am making good choices in food and portion but hate that I'm hungry in between. I'm sure you remember those days!

Either way I'm sure I'll have a great trip.

I wanted a fill before we left for Rome and even went to the doctor to get one, but he wouldn't give me one. He said I'd lost enough weight the past month that I didn't need one (but like you, I went back and forth on the appointment), then I figured, I'll just go talk to him and see what he thinks. I walked out VERY surprised that he didn't give me a fill, but in retrospect, I was glad he didn't. Not so I could overeat, but just to not have problems.

I am hungry in between my meals, too. I was hoping I wouldn't be, but I still find I need to snack on nuts, string cheese, cup of tea (isn't very filling, I must say) or cottage cheese. It feels like I can't eat enough at my 'meals' to last me 5-6 hours until my next meal. I just do the best I can and try to make the best choices I can.

Good luck on your flight and I hope you have a wonderful trip. Let us know how it all worked out when you get back!!

[Bandana 0]

Bibo

I was worried I damaged my band from eating also. The doctor gave me a sipp test to calm my nerves. There was no damage or slippage and I had shoved 2 pieces of pizza into my mouth. So it is unlikely you did any damage. But if you feel unsure you can talk to the doctor, I would call them with any of my concerns and they've always been helpful. Good luck. P.s. changed my user name to cowgirl.