First month struggles

I received my band on the 22 of January, I was so excited, so driven to do well, and I did: until.  Untill the surgery restriction lessened.  Until I could eat what I didn't want with no problem.  I am sad now.  I feel slow.  I feel like i have sabotaged myself again even after spending all this money, healing, facing myself and my family.  I get my first fill tomarrow and cant wait for the feeling of full to be less than two plates of dinner, less than handfulls of empty calories.  I guess I could use someone who has been here to tell me how this is normal.  I need to hear I am one of many in this private battle of mine. 

Once you start getting restriction, it will get alot better.  Don't put all your hope on the first fill, sometimes it can take a few fills. You are not alone!  Do you ever go to the lapband board?  Do you have a support group near you?  That will all help you in the long run.  You will do fine, it just is a life changing surgery and it takes time to get into that lifestyle. PM me if you ever need to talk, Chrissy

After my gastric bypass if I could I would have probably gorged myself...but with that surgery you can't...I couldn't even get in water enough and had to go to the ER for IVs. Any weight loss surgery is very stressful. It's hard not to immediately lose all the weight...it takes time. It's hard to get used to life after your surgery. The good thing is is that you realise that your not happy with how your doing...and that's ok. You haven't been perfect after your surgery...that's ok!!! This surgery isn't supposed to make us perfect...it's supposed to help. With lap bands they don't always work the right way so you have to keep going in to tweak your band so it keeps working the way you want to. When your having a bad day or a few bad days or even a week the first thing you have to do is take a step back realise you had that bad time and make a new committment not to do that. Once you start seeing results (which take awhile especially for the banders) it will be easier. Go to support groups to talk to people who have been through this too. You are not a failure. A true failure would never have had the surgery and wouldn't care what they were doing to their health. You are brave and you can meet the challenge of the hardships of life after surgery. This will be one of the hardest things you've ever done, but one of the best. I have days where I eat a whole big bag of potato chips...I shouldn't, but I don't beat myself up about it either...I just try and do better, that's all anyone can do. Talk to your surgeon and nutritionists about how you are struggling so far and they should be very supportive and offer some help. It's normal to have these kind of hard times and it's normal to be hard on yourself...just take a deep breath and get back on the right track. And when the hard times come again...and they will...remember you got through hard times before and everything will work out ok. Good luck!

ok so i have seen you around out there, responding in your long winded yet kind and funny way, and i just want you to know that you rock.  You are insightful, well spoken, and an inspiration.  I truely am moved to step back and start talking the talk even and walking the walk.  Really, you shoul be proud of your writting skills, and your compassion.  I forget sometimes that i am normal.  I forget that this is a pattern and I am letting it suck me down the drain without a fight.  I will get up in the morning and walk.  I am a success and I just needed a reminder!  Thank you!

Heather, I'm the same boat you're in right now, only just two weeks later. I too found myself wondering if things have been just a little bit TOO easy since the surgery (In fact, I had more discomfort in my lower back stemming from laying on that friggin' OR table for 2.5 hours than I did stemming from the surgery itself).

As for eating, I could've INHALED food I ate once I got out of the hospital, but I knew what that would lead to.

Getting back to more of the point, THE most frustrating part I find is having to eat meals NO BIGGER IN SIZE than one VERY small shot bowl with a pre-packaged bowl of Jello (But that's just for breakfast).

What's even MORE frustrating is trying to cook a bowl of Cream Of Wheat WITHOUT it looking like soup OR running over the top of the shot bowl while inside the microwave. Fortunately pureeing (sp?) it up with some yogurt helps a lot to replace sugar (I'd get Splenda but that stuff is EXPEN$IVE).

Anyway...I hope this helps if in only a small way.

Cheers