Newbie Blues

I'm 3 weeks post op from a realize band and i still have until Feb 21st until I get my first fill. This is awfull! I have no restriction AT ALL. I actually can drink pop and eat anything I want. I'm trying to be good.... I start the day off following my post op diet.... but then after work, I lose it. I'm afraid I'm going to push the band off my stomach! Anyone have to wait this long for their first fill? Anyone have any words of wisdom. I'm feeling like a failure already and I haven't even started!
 Thanks, Ocrazyalicia

First off if you dont stop what you are doing with food and especially pop you will do damage to your band since you are only three weeks post op.

Pop is probably one of the biggest No No's for any WLS !!!!

I can eat anything I want also but just cause I can dont mean I should .  You yourself have to have the will power also to say no I cant eat this , I should eat this instead.

Im two months post op and have not had a fill yet .   Can I eat more then my one cup of food ? I sure as heck can I could probably eat 3 cups of food , but I dont.

I know after a cup of food that is all that body needs .

If you sit there and say Im so hungry or I can eat more then you will, you can actually talk yourself into that stage and in reality you are not hungry at all its called Head Hunger and you will be dealing it with for a long time to come.

I get head hunger every night , I fight it every night.  I was so use to snacking after dinner its became a habit and now I have to break that habit 

If I allowed myself to give into then I would be eating every night all night.

Just remember just because you got this band in place dont mean its going to be easy.  You have to have some dedication and will power yourself  and drinking pop and eating anything you want is no will power at all  the band dont stop you from doing those things even if you have restriction , only you can stop doing that .

This stage is hard! But you have done the hardest bit- making the decision to have wls and having it done! So now you need to fight to make it work.

My suggestion is to ignore calories at the moment. Eat larger amounts of the foods you are allowed by eating more often. Getting very hungry makes it harder to resist other foods - so if you feel hungry, eat something from your permitted list. If you don't lose weight just now, that doesn't matter - this time is for healing.

This sounds harsh but if you eat the wrong foods now, you almost certainly will be a failure. Research shows that eating inappropriately before the sutures are healed is one of the main causes of later band slips. And i am afraid most of us don't get a fill until 6 weeks post-op.

Best wishes!  Kate

Hi Kate, thanks for your input--it's made me feel a bit better.  6 weeks.  That's really helpful to hear.  I'm post op about 5 weeks.  I think I lost ten pounds the first night--the liguid soft food diet wasn't that hard for me.  Not sure why.  I wish I was seeing some weight come off now.  Once I went to solid food, I gained about 2-3 lbs.  Then over the next few weeks I lost 1-2 lbs.  I'm finding it a bit frustrating.  I'm not seeing the scale go down.  I was excited to see the first 10 lb go, but now nothing.  I'm actuall afraid to get on the scale at this point.  I'm very frustrated, frightened and second guessing myself at this point--did I make the right decision? can I do this? will it work?  I know, stay positive and focused.  I'm trying.

Thanks, that makes me feel better and hopeful. I wish I had been told the extreme consequences of eating too early. I'm going to see the surgeon tomorrow to make sure my band's still in place and have a call in to my bariatric dr to see if i can get my band filled sooner. 
I'm def gonna try the eating more of the right foods idea. Thanks again.
Ocrazyaicia

 I'm 5 weeks post op and I won't have my first fill until February 3rd.  I feel your pain.  Too bad the band didn't go around our heads instead of our stomachs.  As I am healing and the swelling goes down, it has been getting progressively harder for me too to eat wisely.  I am tracking my food intake on a daily basis and it has been steadily going up.   I haven't gone back to work yet which will be a real test.  I am going to have to break old habits and come up with a brand new routine to make this work.  I am going to join a gym (Curves probably) and exercise before I get home, hopefully this will make me stick to a sensible eating plan after work.  Don't feel like a failure, we are still the same people we were before the surgery, but now we have a new tool that should help us.  From reading all of the information on this website I have learned that the band can take awhile to be effective for some people, some longer than others, but I am hoping that when we start getting our fills that it will get easier.

Keep your chin up

Pam

I did not get my first fill until 6 weeks after surgery.  There was nothing in my band, but I followed the rules of what I could and couldn't eat, I just ate more often.  I also did not go over what I was allowed for my meals and snacks and just alternated them.  Think about how much money and time and energy you put into making this surgery happen.  Give it just as much energy to make it a success, just because you can eat something doesn't mean you should.  Please follow the rules so you don't hurt yourself.  Eat the good stuff you are supposed to eat, just more often until you get a fill. 

Hi!  I am 6 weeks post op.  I could have had a fill but passed it up for now.  I have been eating exactly what is on my list and followed the meal plan.  I don't even eat a cup of food!!!   I eat 1/3 C protein, (meats, chicken, pork) and 1/4 C veggie.  That is it!   I am allowed a snack at night which consists of greek yogurt and 2 oz of fruit.  I also have 2 servings of skim milk.
You HAVE to follow the rules or you ARE setting yourself up for failure.   My doctor stressed that the band is just a tool.  It will NOT stop you from eating the wrong foods.  It may not even stop you from eating the RIGHT foods!  You need to measure your foods by volumn not by weight.   3oz of my meat really only weighs 1 1/2 oz!   It is by volumn so it's 1/3 cup. 
Put that pop down!!     I don't mean to be harsh.  This is extremely HARD!   I have been blessed and when I say that I really mean it.  I am not hungry!   I know others have come out of surgery starving and that doesn't go away.  That's why I know I am blessed.  It will be much harder once I start feeling hungry to fight off the temptations.   I want pizza SO bad it can drive me crazy if I let it.  I sometimes get depressed too.  I miss my fav foods and I grieve for them.  I kid you not!   But I have to do this.  I have to give it an honest try.

Do you have support groups you can go to?  We have a lapband one once a month.  I wi**** were more frequent actually. 

I really hope you can get a hold of what you are suppose to do and do it for your own good.  I know you want this to work.  It will. 

I wish you the best.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I started a food journal and ate the foods i was supposed to, just more of them. So yesterday I did pretty well. I think the nutrition tracker on OH really helped me to see what i was actually eating. I've already logged my breakfast this morning and made my husband throw all the pop in the house away. I need to start being proactive for my success.  
For those of you that haven't have your band filled yet... That will never be me, EVER. The reason I had this surgery is not because I have no will power or dedication. I'm 30 now, over the last decade I've lost approx 60 to 80 lbs through diet and exercise about 3 times. Each time I would keep it off for about 6 months. then I'd gain it back with an added 10-20 lbs. Losing weight is not my problem. Keeping it off is.

I'm not going to allow myself to be shamed for the feelings and hardships i'm having right now. I refuse to believe that I am the only one that has struggled and failed this badly. And I think that those of you who "don't need your band filled" YET are the exception to the rule. While I appreciate your concern, I realize that that will not be my journey. I need the band. I am a food addict and an emotional eater. I'm not perfect and I'm sure I will continue to make mistakes. I'm not going to place too high standards on myself. That will def end in failure. I'm going to try to stay consistent and realistic.

Thanks, Ocrazyalicia