things you wished you had truly known??

What are some of the things you wished you had truly known about the lapband? or truly paid attention to?   When I went through all the classes for my lapband (who I have named gabby because she talks to me all the time), I was told about the eating slow and chew, chew, chew and portion control and I guess my mind was saying o.k. but my body had to be shown.  It amazes me to see the portions that I eat now compared to my portions before the band.  I was totally out of control.  Its still hard when I eat not even half of my yogurt and I am full but I am thinking "there is no way that is going to be enough to last me until lunch.  but it does.  Its truly a new way of life.  So much better than before!!!  I LOVE MY BAND!!!!

Hi, TinaMarie, we were banded same month/same year!   I had no idea about the fills/adjustments.  I had gone to two seminars, read all the lit and didn't see anything
about adjustments.  This has been a long haul for me.  I was fitted with a 14 cc band and still
don't have ultimate restriction.  (After ten fills, I have 9.6 in a 14.)  So that is very frustrating
for me - esp since I'm 62 and don't exercise like younger bandsters.   I've lost 60 lbs - 50 the
first year.  I follow all the band rules and eat a ver very healthy die****er, chewing, and moving
as much as possible.

If I had had diabetes I would have risked the gastric bypass surgery (I believe 1/200 is still
the statistic).  Maybe the sleeve - but there are still internal staples involved.

I find that it's dinnertime when I am most hungry and consume prob 600 cals - then a WW
icecream around 7.  From 7am to 5pm I consume about 500.

Bottomline, though, is that I just would not have lost the weight without the band.  I don't
have patience because I'm just not young.  I know in order to lose faster I have to go down to
about 1100 cals a day from 1400 and I need to move more.  So until I get that extra enthusiasm,
this is how it will be - about a pound a month.

Katherine B

I wi**** had sunk in that I would never be able to stop dieting.  No matter what everyone wants to call it they are still on a diet. I thought I would be able to cut back on my food intake and lose weight. My stomach was growling all the time after the surgery and no weight loss. i am 2 yrs out now and have still only lost the initial 20 lbs from the 1st  2-3 months post op. 

Kell --- I don't feel like I am on a 'diet' at all.

Just yesterday I told someone that the best thing about my band is that it lets me eat less without feeling like it is a diet.

I don't know if it is because I have felt some restriction since my surgery, or because I decided to give up sweets before my surgery ---- but I feel as though I have really just changed my tastes and now eat smaller portions of high-quality food.

I don't count points or calories (maybe a few times a month) or obsess about food like I did when I was on a diet.  I am not waiting for the day that I can stop eating this way because the'diet' will end.

The only thing I wish I would have truly known is to 'go back to liquids for a day' after a stuck episode.  I have had to learn that if I just keep eating the same way after getting stuck, that I tend to get stuck the next day, too.  If I surrender to liquids or mushies for a day, things settle down and I can go back to normal eating.

I was very fortunate and have a surgeon who has a practice built around education pre and post op.  I had a lot of exosure with the dietician before hand because my insurance required a 6 months supervised diet.  In the beginning, I thought that was a real pain, but now am very grateful for the time I had pre-op to learn about the banded lifestyle.  Even now, 1.5 years out I still have access to the dietician if I have questions, so my education is on going.

I found this site just after surgery and it's been invaluable for the "real-life" experiences shared by other bandsters.  No matter how good the education, it's not the same as living with the band.  I remember talking with my dietician  and both of us trying to figure out what a PB was.  We could only think of peanut butter!  Some of the OH lanquage was challenging to figure out but it made a lot more sense because the descriptions are more "real" and less clinical.  Sliming, Pb'ing, stuck, restriction, etc.

I guess the only thing I wasn't totally prepared for was the portion size.  I was told time and time again that I would be eating 3 oz meals but it took a while for my brain to grasp the concept.  Eventhough I would eat my proper portion and feel full, my mind kept telling me, "That can't possibly be enough food!"  I tended to over fill my pouch a lot once I got restriction and regurgitated food often.  I knew this was dangerous so I adopted a plan where I would eat my proper portion and then walk away.  IF I was truly hungry after an hour I would allow a small protein snack, but it rarely happened.  I learned to fight the head hunger that was telling me that I needed more food when I really didn't.  Today I have a 5 bite rule that works well for me.  If I'm eating dense protein, real food, 5 bites is usually all I need!  Amazing!

I guess another thing I wasn't prepared for was knowing when my band was too tight.  I knew it was tight based on the amount of things I couldn't eat!  After my first unfill because I could barely eat anything, including slider foods, I decided that life is too short to not be able to eat 1/2 a peeled apple or 1/2 c. bluberries!  I know I didn't become obese from eating apples or fruit, so  tToday that's my definition of restriction.  If I can't eat 1/2 a peeled apple,  I'm too tight!  Life is too short and apples are really good for you!

These are all things that we have to learn for ourselves.  No matter how much your read or prepare, you'll never understand what a "stuck" experience really feels like until you have one.  You'll never know what restriction is like until you reach it yourself.  I believe this is part of the process.  The band forces you to be in tune with your body and listen to what it's telling you.   If you don't listen, you will eventually have complications becuase you can do damage by over-filling our pouch, regurgitating too often, not drinking enough or getting enough protein, etc.  The rules are there for a reason!  No matter what you think, our health should be first and foremost in our minds!

Good question!

Lisa O.

this is a good topic

 I wish I would have known I would need more time to feel better before I go back to work. I should have taken 2 weeks.  Instead I took 3 days off of work. 

I completely agree. I took off a week but I feel like I should have taken longer as well.

I have to say I totally agree with kelled44. The majority of the time these days I feel like Im on a very expensive diet ($18,000) and still not getting anywhere, just like all the times before. Who in their right mind would have thought that cutting your total food intake by 75% would result in no weight loss.

If I could be a perfect angel dieter, I wouldnt have grapsed at the wls straw.

Hi MAry,

I remember you from my early days here on OH.

So sorry that you are having such a hard time of it.

In reading your comment about cutting your food intake by 75%, the following thing struck me..............

If you mean that you cut your caloric intake by 75% and you are not losing, then you must have been gaining something like a pound or two a week pre surgery.  I sort of doubt that so I wonder if your portions may be 75%smaller but are comprised of High fat High calorie items.

For example,  I know I could eliminate all solid food and drink 5 milk shake in a day and could consider that a 75 % recuction in volum but gain because of the calorie content.

Just my opinion, but based upon your limited info, somewhere in the mix something in your eating plan is way out of wack.  Have you had any contact with a dietitcian who is familiar with banded folk?

Good luck with your revision attempts

FatGuy(shrinking)inNC