Feeling very discouraged by "bandster he!!". HELP.

[BonMag 1]

I am so scared that I am going to be a band failure. Obviously, I have failed at weight loss every other time I have tried, so I am so nervous that I am going to fail once again. :bored:

I have my first fill this Thursday. Does it get easier? I am hungry most of the time, and I keep feeling like my old habits keep creeping back in. This past month has been pretty good, but the past few days have been just awful- I've put on a few pounds and I am just so darn upset at myself.

I need to hear some stories about "bandster he!!' and how you may have overcome it after your first fill.

Thanks for sharing your stories with me!

[BooCakes 0]

I'm still new, only a week out, but I have been reading on here for months and months. This sounds very common, so don't beat yourself up. Start fresh, cause each day is new. My one friend who was banded had her third fill and said it's SO DIFFERENT when you have restriction and she finally has hope and is dropping. So, don't give up yet and try and be a little patient. Keep a journal and try and watch your foods extra carefully till then. Hang in there!!!

[its_brittanyanne 0]

hi everyone.. im guessing bandster hell is the weeks before your fills? im taking a guess because i dont know lol. but im really worried and wondering if anyones feeling the same way as me. or going thru the same thing as me. i pray someone is so i dont feel alone anymore...

i was banded on july 17th and have lost about 25 pounds since then. i got my first fill about 2 weeks ago. i was under the impression that after each fill is when youll lose the weight the most. and i havent lost any yet. im feeling really discouraged and have recently reverted back to some old unhealthy eating habits... the past 2 days ive actually ate til i was OVERLY full.. too full. and i feel so upset and mad at myself. im wondering if its because im on my period. and the week before this i was PMSing... so maybe thats why im not losing anything? im just so confused and hope i didnt/dont mess my band up. everything looked fine 2 weeks ago at the fill xray. so i pray its still good.

i still can only eat alittle and be full.. but the past 2 days ive actually just KEPT eating beyond that point. but im promising myself to start FRESH tomorrow. and catch this overtacking early. and get back on track!

wish me luck everyone and anyone whose going thru anything similar to me PLEASE message or respond.

i feel really alone and need advice.. thanks<3

Edited September 23, 2009 by its_brittanyanne

[bambam 0]

Lynn -

It DOES get easier. Weeks 2-6 after surgery I gained and lost the same 3 pounds. At 6 weeks I had my first fill (have had 3 so far with 5.25 cc in a 10 cc band). I noticed a little restriction with my first fill, but of course each one has given me even more.

I think we all worried about failing with the band - after all we only had numerous diet failures in the past to use as a basis for how we might do ih the future. But obviously we get the band believing it WILL work - or we wouldn't go through with it - it's just so easy to doubt ourselves.

As you start getting even a little restriction it makes it easier to eat less. I found it easier to make better choices too, because you are taking in so much less than before. I actually crave Protein - have always loved Protein but have craved things things like chips and ice cream in the past.

What I love about the band is even if I have some chips (my binge food in the past) I can eat so little of them that I'm really not doing the horrible damage I was in the past - and honestly most of those things don't taste as good to me as they used to. I think part of the "enjoyment" I got was not from the food itself, but from eating huge quantities of them at one time! To eat 3-4 chips just isn't as much fun.

Hang in there- you guys are doing great. If you follow your doc's instructions and make healthy choices most of the time along with the other band rules, you will do great.

[lcoulson 0]

Hey ya'll! I was banded June 24th and I am down 48 lbs, my three month check up will be tomorrow. I know exactly the bander hell you are referring to. I had a fill of 2 cc's in a 10 cc band about 5 weeks after surgery and waiting those five weeks was horrible and after the fill I felt a little bit of satisfaction. That lasted me about 6 weeks and then I started working out a little harder and I was starving all of the time and really could eat anything but I relied on my willpower at that point. I got my second fill about a week ago and I finally feel like this is where I am supposed to be. It took some patience and some hard core will power to get here but now that I have hit my sweet spot, it feels really good. I now have to be really careful when I am eating anything really to eat slow and chew chew chew or it will get stuck. Brittany, know that you are not alone and we are all here to support you!!

The feeling of being hungry all the time is so hard and I hope that your doctors are good about seeing you asap when you feel that way. Boo cakes... the liquid phase was so hard for me, I cried and to be honest if I never EVER see a blended cream of celery Soup again it would be too soon. Good luck and know that happier days are to come!

XOXO Lindsi

[Libbyjane1976 1]

Hey Lynn!!! You can do it. As you start to get your fills it does get easier to maintain your hunger. "Bandster hell" sucks but you will get through it. Just take it one day at a time and remember the band is a tool to help you lose weight, you control the rest!!!

We are all worried about being failures. It's up to us not to become one. Just remember whenever you are hungry, keep fresh fruits and vegetables on hand. That way if you are going to eat, it may as well be something healthy and good for you!!!

Good luck with your journey!

[fatty no more 0]

OMG! I am soo grateful for this support! I have been feeling like crap. Full on crap! For the last week and a half. I have not lost any weight for 2 weeks! I was beginning to feel beaten once again by my fat. I am 7 weeks out from surgery, and I am having my first fill next week and can not wait! I was feeling good about myself as I saw 2 lbs go each week and then it came to a complete halt. I am still exercising, but the frustration I felt before surgery is back. Before the lap band I would work out 5-6 days a week and not loose a pound. And here I am again. Working out and not loosing. I hope after my first fill it will get better and I start to loose again!

[shannybp 0]

Don't worry I continually gained weight inbetween Dr. visits until we found the right restriction. I felt like I was the only person in the world who has weight loss surgery and actually gained weight. The nurse told me that it is not all that uncommon for thins to happen. Once you get the right restriction you will not be hungry or even thinking about food. You will succeed. Just be patient with yourself and your body.

[ParrotheadCathy 0]

That's why they call it "hell".....it's not easy. But the good news is that each fill takes you closer to good restriction. The first one or two probably don't make enough difference for you to really be aware of it. I know I didn't really feel much of a difference after my first fill, which took me to 3.6cc. It was another cc after that before I could say "yep, it's there and it's working".

You have to keep trying to do your best. Practice eating small bites, chewing well and eating slowly because that will serve you well when you start feeling restriciton.

Eat Protein first and eat at least 20 grams at a meal. If you get hungry in less than four hours snack on a small amount of, you guessed it, Protein. A 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese, an ouce of low fat cheese, a little deli sliced turkey (perfect because of the convenience). Protein will make you feel more full for a longer period of time than anything else you can eat so take advantage of that.

And, the best thing about bandster hell? Yeah, it does finally go away.

[SummerAgain 0]

I have only 2 things to say about this topic: ME FRIGGIN' TOO, and THIS SUCKS ASS.

[bobbiezhere 0]

Boy oh boy do i understand what all of you are saying/feeling. I did very good pre op...post op...ate what i was supposed to and figured..ok..band is in (7/7) - I'm on my way...well, not so much.....but 6 weeks after surgery i was scheduled for my first fill - so i figured "ok!"...well guess what? I got 5cc's in my 11 cc band..and...well - i didnt really lose much! I played up/down yoyoing with the same flippin couple of lbs! I didnt feel much of a restriction - so two week after my fill, i called and moved my next appt up a week to 5 weeks.

And..in those 5 weeks..didnt lose much...a lbs or 2 maybe. Talk about upset/frustrated! Its fine if i wasnt eating what i was supposed to - then i would figure "ok..partially your fault"...but i was eating good! But, i could eat, in my feeling, more than i should be able to.

Today, i went back to my dr. He added 2 ccs to my band. He told me it might take a little but we WOULD get the right restriction. This MIGHT do it - i can hope! But what i liked, is he told me - to give it a couple of weeks - and my next appt should be 4-6 weeks out - whatever feels right to me. I did make an appt 4 weeks out. But i will see what happens in the next couple of weeks. Maybe this fill will do it and i'll be losing good and then i wont need to go in a week 4.

Just know that it sometimes takes more than 1 fill to feel restriction. I truly hope i'm going to be feeling it now!

Up till now, what ive lost, i feel i've lost on sheer will power with my food choices. Now i'd like to have a little help from this band to get to my goal!

Hang in their ladies....i think sooo many of us feel the same thing...its part of the process i think to getting the "right" amount for us. And because everyone is so different---its hard to know what that time will kick in for us - but it will!!!

[BonMag 1]

Thank you so much for all of your support. I feel so sorry for the bandsters that don't know this forum exists! I don't know what I would do without it.

[fatty no more 0]

I ditto that THANK YOU! I'd be sooo lost without this site! Thank you to everyone for all the encouraging words and to those who are experiencing the same as I am, to know I am not the only one who is going through this is comforting.