Help, I am wasting away.

[john47 0]

I mean this post op diet is ridiculous. I am on the soft food stage and do not see the doctor for a fill for another 2 weeks. The diet they have me on means for a meal I can have say 2 tablespoons of a soft meat/fish and 2 tablespoons of a vegtable and maybe a small potato. Really? I am 20 stone for christ sake, and am used to having very large meals so am struggling big time with this. I calculate that I am eating 600 -800 cals a day in total. All the medical advice on the internet says it is not safe to drop below 1200 cals a day.

The first 2 weeks after surgery was fine, the swelling meant I had no hunger, but now the hunger is on my mind 24/7. I woke this morning at 3.30am dreaming of food.< /p>

I am losing lots of weight, 33 pound over the last 7 weeks but I feel I am wasting away and do not have the energy to even climb the stairs. Arn't we supposed to be losing weight at a slower pace than this? Is this diet safe?

I drove to the hospital last week and walked in without a appointment and waited outside the dietitians office and she just told me stick with it until the doctor tells me otherwise.

I have stuck to it, but cannot last much longer. I need to eat food ! I need to see my doctor. I am due for my first fill on the 30th Oct so need him to remove this hunger through a fill or let me increase my food intake.

I should be enjoying this weight loss, everybody is saying how well I look but it's a nightmare to me at the moment. I suppose this is what is called bandsters hell? lets hope it gets better.

Sorry for the rant, needed to get it off my chest.

Edited October 10, 2009 by john47

[prettyinpink474 0]

I'm having a struggle with this myself. I have lost maybe 8 lbs in a week which is alot for me (I started at 209lbs). I feel like I cannot possible drink enough to get alot of Protein in, and yes I too have been dreaming of food. HA

I hope it gets better, I am only a week out but would love to even be able to eat soft food. The only thing that keeps me on track is knowing that this is an important part of the healing process. Have you gone online to see what type of sample soft food diets there are? You'll be surprised at what you can eat. Also, you should eat until you feel satisfied not just 2 T of food.

[john47 0]

I'm having a struggle with this myself. I have lost maybe 8 lbs in a week which is alot for me (I started at 209lbs). I feel like I cannot possible drink enough to get alot of Protein in, and yes I too have been dreaming of food. HA

I hope it gets better, I am only a week out but would love to even be able to eat soft food. The only thing that keeps me on track is knowing that this is an important part of the healing process. Have you gone online to see what type of sample soft food diets there are? You'll be surprised at what you can eat. Also, you should eat until you feel satisfied not just 2 T of food.

Thanks for the support, yes there is loads of nice soft food choices, but the dietitian who works along side my surgeon has all his patients on the same lapband diet. It was great to start with because it misses out the liquid stage. After surgery it was 2 weeks of pureed food, now 2 weeks of soft food then on to normal food.

The problem is this 2 tablespoons worth of food requirement. When I went over to see her she insisted I stick to it until I see the doctor on the 30th Oct. So all I can eat is 2 spoons of mince/fish with 2 spoons of veg and a small potato !!!!!

I should be the happiest guy on earth, the weight is dropping off me but I am in starving and do not have any energy at all.

I was not joking when I said I hardly have the energy to climb the stairs.

I will stick this out until I see the doctor but I am convinced this cannot be the right way to lose weight or healthy for me.

[prettyinpink474 0]

Thanks for the support, yes there is loads of nice soft food choices, but the dietitian who works along side my surgeon has all his patients on the same LAP-BAND® diet. It was great to start with because it misses out the liquid stage. After surgery it was 2 weeks of pureed food, now 2 weeks of soft food then on to normal food.

The problem is this 2 tablespoons worth of food requirement. When I went over to see her she insisted I stick to it until I see the doctor on the 30th Oct. So all I can eat is 2 spoons of mince/fish with 2 spoons of veg and a small potato !!!!!

I should be the happiest guy on earth, the weight is dropping off me but I am in starving and do not have any energy at all.

I was not joking when I said I hardly have the energy to climb the stairs.

I will stick this out until I see the doctor but I am convinced this cannot be the right way to lose weight or healthy for me.

I would say try the 2 T of all those things together first and see how your stomach feels. If it feels full, then I would say she is giving you the measurements because they're calculating the size of the pouch. If you are so low on energy I would add in a drinkable Protein. I bet you are hardly getting what you need. But you're right you should not be feeling this bad, that's why you are not happy. We are the ones who know our bodies best so call your doctor NOW and insist on the low energy! He/She should help. Good luck and keep me updated.

[ElfiePoo 109]

John,

After reading about people not getting their first fill for sometimes months but being required to eat what would fill you up with a smaller pouch (and obviously doesn't with our own stomach), I went to my doc because I know there's no way in hell I'll be able to do it. If I could, I wouldn't be getting the surgery in the first place!

According to my doc, they do the first fill after 2-3 weeks once you're past the mushy stage and after any swelling goes down. Then they do future fills (until they get to restriction) on a 1-2 week schedule. He said most patients have their full fill (whatever that is that gets them to restriction) within 6 weeks without any problems.

I'd *insist* on talking to your doctor and find out why it is so necessary that you starve yourself.

.

[lapband 8-26-09 0]

Everyone is different so I am not sure if this will help but here goes. My energy levels took about 3 -4 weeks to increase. I have Protein shakes still. I have one first thing in the morning and then my second one when I get home in the evening before I go for a walk. My energy levels have increased significantly.

I attribute the increased energy to the Protein powder and walking. I am on a ton of Vitamins (multi, Vitamin D, Iron, Calcium citrate plus D). Are you taking your Vitamins? I am down about 23 pounds.

Good luck and hang in there.

[MrsBerggren 6]

Yikes! I think it is ridiculous to put everyone on the exact same diet.. some people need a bit more, some don't. And having to starve yourself certainly is not healthy. It's unreal that the nutritionist said to just stick to it till your doc says otherwise. Obviously you went there for a reason and needed some help.. Does she think you went there just for fun and because you had nothing else to do?? I can't believe she just turned you away like that.

Thankfully my doc allowed me to progress through the food stages as I felt comfortable so I never had to stick to something for too long. I NEVER would have been able to stick to 2T-4T of food per meal.

You are probably losing muscle mass with so little food and calories. A man needs more than a woman. Yes the ultimate goal of the band is to lose weight but for God's sake it needs to be a healthy weight-loss!

[vagabond 0]

When I first had the surgery I also had real low energy. I found out that my low energy was caused by low blood pressure. I had to be taken off some of my medications much sooner than the Dr. anticipated. This just goes to show you that we are not all the same and what is good for one may not be good for all which may be your case.

It still sounds like you are not eating much. I was fortunate to have a Dr. who did not go by the same book for each patient. He had a guideline but trusted his patients to move through the stages quicker if the patient felt ready.

Good luck and hope you feel better soon. I am sure you will feel better when you make the adjustments in your food intake and medications as necessary.

[elcee 3,341]

I would suggest you speak to your Dr not your dietician. It is important though to trust what your Dr say's even though sometimes it may be hard. Remember the Dr is the expert and we can't pick and choose which bits we like and which bits we don't. Yes bandster hell is hard but eventually you get to the other side.

Most of us have enough reserves that we are not going to starve!

I was advised to have a couple of serves of skim milk a day which helps. Also try things like OXO in hot Water, I find when I am hungry that makes a huge difference. Plus there is low cal jellyetc.

Don't tough this out on your own - speak to your Dr.

[LindaFromKY 0]

Are you remembering NOT to drink while you eat? 30 mins before and an hour after? You don't want to flush through what you just ate. I am 4 days post op and seem to be doing ok with my full liquids right now. I went out and got me some Ensure High Protein Drinks and Boost Protein drinks. I can't do that nasty Protein Powder they gave me pre op. Slim Fast had a high Protein Drink with 20 gm of protein per serving. I go to pureed foods on Monday. Gonna look up some receipes for pureed. I can have 240ml of liquid an hour. That is plenty for me to stay full. I have not had one hunger pain post op. Now, pre op was a totally different story. I struggled with that diet. Hope you find something that helps you.

[john47 0]

Thanks for all the helpfull advice guys, it is really appreciated, and I mean that from my heart.

I went to see my local GP, general practitionar (local doctor) today who is not connected to the weight loss team and she was angry with them. According to the diet sheet I have, I can eat normal food after 4 weeks which is on Wednesday.However, I am still supposed to follow this stupid 4 tablespoons rule even after that.

Anyway the local doctor was really angry today and told me I had to eat more, and that if the surgeon complained when I see him in 2 weeks to tell him to refer to her. She told me that the dramatic weight loss will not have done me any harm but I should be losing at a slower rate, and this should be done through the fills and a balanced diet and I should not be as tired or lethargic as I have been feeling. She just told me to take it easy and stop if I was starting to feel full.

I had a extra 4 oz piece of juicy chicken tonight and it fell like heaven. I have also had some low fat custard and it feels like I have just finished Christmas dinner. I swear, I am sitting here with a big smirk on my face like a cat who has just got the cream.:lol:

I tell you what, after we all get to a normal weight, I bet we never put ourselves through this again.

Thanks for the all the support and kind words.

[kittkat2009 0]

Hey John and Prettyinpink,

John are you getting your Protein Drinks in? I have 3 cups of Protein Drink a day and eat about as much as you approx. 700 calories/day. I am never hungry. My surgery was 9/10. To date I've lost 33lb (13.5lb was pre-op diet). The Protein 'shake' i am using is Unjury and their chicken Soup flavor is really pretty good or the unflavored one in Beef broth (s &p to taste) is also okay. Ive been drinking the savory flavors cos I got burned out on nearly 3 weeks of slimfast vanilla, strawb and choc! The savory flavors actually fool me into thinking I'm having a meal. And each cup is packed with 21g of protein. I do believe that that protein 'shot' 3x a day is what keeps me full and full of energy. Hope this helps - hang in there - I am told it will get even better after the fill. My first fill is scheduled for Oct 21st.

[LisaMc 1]

If I understand this right, and I think I do, most of us are missing the root issue here. He is being asked to adhere to a diet that is adequate for someone who has the proper fill/restriction. He is being asked to do this with NO RESTRICTION AT ALL. This is my gripe. I would have lost weight WITHOUT A BAND if I ate 800 cals 2 Tbl at a time sticking to a diet that was high Protein, low fat, low carb. Anyone would. I understand that the stomach needs to heal. I get that. I doubt he even has a "pouch." This band without any fill in it, is equivalent to never having been banded in my experience. Someone else mentioned that it doesn't make sense to have a one size fits all diet. It doesn't make sense to me either. Good luck! I feel your pain. I really do. I am going in for my 3rd fill on Thursday. I still dont' even know that I have the band at all.

[Enchanted 2]

Hi John...glad you're feeling better. A couple of things come to mind after reading your posts...

1. You definitely need to talk with your lapband doc about this and not your GP. Our diets are all different now that we have the band and GPs are not all knowledgeable about the band and not all have loads of patients with the band. So...talk with your surgeon or their office, let them know you're starving - they will probably have you increase by drinking a Protein shake

2. coming off of carbs makes people feel so tired and sluggish...that might be some of what you're experiencing

3. my doctor is also VERY strict about calories. while in the losing phases, he says 600-800 calories each day is good. You're the only other person I've met who is so low. (Congratultions?)

I hope you continue to feel better...but do call your doctor..I worry about you eating chicken when you should be eating mushy foods according to your doc. You're still healing from major surgery and should be following the rules that your doctor sets forth for healing (not following what you hear on the boards or what some other doctor is telling you unless you're changing doctors?).

xo