Banded and Bummed :(

[MetalRocker1967 0]

Ok...after jumping threw 6mo's of BS hoops. I finally get my band done. My Dr. and every person in Westchester Medical Center RULE!! This was a amazingly great experience, staff was great, couldent ask for more.......left the hospital w/ almost zero pain. Went home drank some Water and was PUMPED up for my new life !!! Well the first 3-5 days were great. I was pretty much able to eat soft stuff after a few days (mushy eggs, cream of wheat etc.etc ). Regular food a few days later..I called my Dr. and he said it was fine. I saw my Dr's asst 2 weeks later and I was down about 14lbs...NICE!!! Well now is where I get BUMMED!!! All of a sudden I have like ZERO restriction!!!! If I went out at night and we stopped at the diner..1/2 a bran muffin and I was STUFFED!!! Now I can eat exactally like before!!! BUT I must chew my food a LOT! So that slows me down a bit. I am hungry ALL THE TIME!!! Unfortunately I put back 7 of the 14lbs:angry:. When I discussed this procedure we agreed on that lap band would work for me cause I was an over eater not a sugar junkie. And this would most definately LIMIT the amount I could eat. I have only barfed once...and I will NEVER EVER not chew my food good again!! But if I chew well I EAT wayyyyyy to much to be full!!! I did not need the surgery if all I had to do was diet!!! That didnt work !! THAT IS WHY I WENT THEW THIS!!! I read that you need your fills...well my FIRST is tommorow...I was banned on May 6th. Not to sound gross but I a a FLATUATION MACHINE now!!! I could be a stunt double in BLAZING SADDLES!!! I also think I need something to make me regular too....1 or 2 poops a weeks dont sound good!! And Some times it's once..but I spend an hour just pooping !!! My biggest and most serious concern is I am/ was diabetic....I have not take any meds since the day before surg. and It has been really good up till a few weeks ago. And I will NEVER take the garbage my Dr. was giving me before surg(glycophage) or somthing...I started taking it 2 weeks before surg and gained all my pre surg weight..almost 20 in 2 weeks!!! And I was on liquid protine and exercising!! But it got my sugar down. Sorry for this crazy long rant....please tell me once they fill me up this will RESTRICT my eating!!!

[NewMommy1 0]

Hi! Okay. I had the same exact problem. At first I couldn't eat very much. I was soooo motivated, so that may have had something to do with it. Then, it was like I had never had the surgery at all. I went to my doctor. I told him that I think he played a trick on me and there wasn't a band in me. He gave me a 3cc fill. That helped a little bit; well, for about a week anyway. Then I could eat AGAIN!!! I went back to the doc. He checked and some of the saline was gone. He said the air dissolved it. (Don't know if this is true.) He put me up to 5. This worked for about a week. Then, AGAIN, I had very little restriction. Went back, one cc was missing. Finally he put me to 7 (last week) and I still have plenty of restriction. (Probably a little 2 much)

You probably just need a fill. It should help, but don't be surprised if you get your first one and have to go bac a few more times to get the amount right. Once you do, it'll work like a charm. Just stay positive and watch what you eat until your fills are successful in helping you control your portion sizes.

[kpdgal 0]

This is the problem with the band, you only get out of it what you put into it. There is no way we can go back to eating the way we did pre-band. You have to commit to eat less even when you have restriction. Log your food on fitday,daily plate etc and see what you are really taking in.. Get with your doctor and get a calorie/carb/fat guideline. The band (and you will hear this a million times on this forum) is only a TOOL.

Good luck with your journey. You will find your stride, there are a lot of helpful people who only want the best for you here. You were strong enough to have the surgery, so I know you are strong enough to make this work for you!:cursing:

[tampa terri 0]

I completely relate to your frustration. Once I had my surgery I didn't understand how I could still want to eat as much and as often as I did. I wanted to get to the restriction "sweet spot" so badly that I had fills too quickly then suffered with esphogeal dilation. I had to be unfilled and wait several weeks before I was healed enough to begin the fills again. I needed to learn the difference between living to eat and eating to live. The psychological aspect of overeating will be a struggle for me for a long time but the Band does make easier. I wish you well and hope things get easier for you. Good Luck!

[tmbennett8 0]

Hello. They don't call it BANDSTER HELL for no reason. We all hit those uncomfortable times that we are either not losing or we have hit a plateau. You mentioned you gained weight while on the Protein shakes while you were exercising. My doctor told me NOT to exercise while on those shakes for that reason. All that Protein will make you gain muscle which, as we all know, weighs more than fat. Something they may help you as it did me is to make a list of all the reason why you did this in the first place. Every couple of weeks I go back to that list and am quite amazed each time at the "pick me up" it gives. I actually made my list before doing the surgery and I can't be more glad that I did it.

Good luck to you. YOU CAN DO THIS!!! We support you.

[gingerbug 3]

I really feel that you need to give the process a little more time. The first couple of months is HARD and you may feel like you are on the worst diet every imagined. I personally could not BELIEVE I was supposed to just eat a small portion of a meal at each and every meal even as I was getting fills to reach my sweet spot. It can be done, I promise. A lot of people regain a little after getting off the liquids/mushies as we move into real food. Hang in there.

[TopTier 0]

All that Protein will make you gain muscle which, as we all know, weighs more than fat.

yes, but keep in mind, muscle takes more calories to MAINTAIN than fat, so you may initially appear to put on more weight, but it will be easier to lose since you are going to need to expend more energy (burn more calories) to ultimately maintain the muscle tissue.

It's a weird balancing act, that's for sure!

[Catherine55 43]

Welcome to Bandster Hell! Do your best to stick to a healthy diet and don't try to eat to your limits. Otherwise, you'll just have more weight to lose after you get to restriction.

Hang in there! Definitely work with your doctor to get to a good fill level!

Best wishes,

Catherine

[spud.mama 7]

Hello, my only comment is that you need to research just a bit more about the band. I'm not sure that you were fully informed before you got it as to what to expect after getting your band and how to deal with difficult situations like.....FOOD! (Which we all have a difficult time with or we would not be here.)

Good Luck. Learn what you can and work WITH your band, it wont do all the work for you.

[gingerbug 3]

All that Protein will make you gain muscle which, as we all know, weighs more than fat.

Worth noting, muscle does not weigh more than fat, it is more dense than fat. A pound of muscles weighs the same as a pound of fat BUT the pound of muscle is much smaller than a pound of fat. All those muscles will do wonders for any person while they lose weight, even if the muscle is building before the fat starts to come off. I think another poster already mentioned that muscle burns tons more calories even at rest.

[phenry 0]

You are getting close to surgery Spudmama!!! Wow...tomorrow....good luck and please post when you can to let us hear about your experience. I get mine on Friday.

[phenry 0]

gingerbug...I used to live near La Porte...how are things for you since Ike?

[emjay 8]

MetalRocker - you will do fine. Many people gain weight after surgery and before their first fill. My doc likes to do fills gradually, so it can take several fills to get to your "sweet spot" where your losing 1-2 lbs a week. We all want to see results NOW. Many of us want instant gratification. That's part of our problem. If your doc gradually increases your fills, you may not lose much in the first few months, but once you feel restriction, your weight will drop.

ps. as far as the flatulence problem. I hear you! I never had an issue before, but it seems to subside after awhile. Took a couple of months for me though! You are in "bandster hell" as someone mentioned before. Work your way thru it by trying to make the right food choices. Concentrate on getting your Protein first, then fill up on your fruits and veggies and whole grains. Stick to 3 meals a day and drink lots of Water or no-calorie beverages.

Best of luck to you and I wish you all the success you deserve! :ihih:

[lola0806 0]

We have all gone through this same thing. It can take several fills before you feel any restriction, you should keep on top of it and make the follow ups with your Dr to get the extra fills. I have started to keep track of what I eat on sparkpeople.com and it's helped me a great deal. For a while I was eating less calories and my weight loss was slowing down, when I went onto sparkpeople it calculated more calories than what I was eating and since I've been monitoring it this way my weight loss has sped up a little. I even went in for a fill this week and they decided not to give me one since I am doing ok. I know a lot of people eat only 3 times a day, I actually eat about every 3 hours and I don't feel those hunger pains. Of course, when I'm home and bored my head is constantly telling my stomach to eat :ihih: so that is when my self control has to kick in, sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. Your doing great so don't give up on your self, we are all here to help you out.

[johnp 0]

The band is only a tool and you must use that tool. I had my third fill yesterday and I think I finally have decent restriction. I am 17 weeks out and I lost 71.5 lbs. Not due to restriction but due to wanting to lose the weight.

It is difficult but over time it gets easier