Mackenzie

michelle i cant wait to hear about your fill- you will do just fine! cylnn: so this is exactly what im supposed to feel like, not hungry?? its like a reality to me now that i actually have the band- sooo exciting!

kimmie, you hit it right on the head!!!! here is what dr.miranda said hello Mrs Salter: WOW isn't that wonderful? Not feeling hungry? Eat three meals a day, SMALL meals, just a bit of the fish, and some spinach and a tablespoon of beans, you do need nutrients, so do a little bit of a healthy choice. HEALTHY CHOICES: fruit green veggies grains( popcorn, whole wheat toast, whole wheat crckers) Dairy (lowfat or fat free cottage cheese, yogurt, lowft milk) Meat and beans: peas, chicken, peanut butter, , pinto beans, 1 slice turkey Dr. MIranda Really- not being hungry might be the weirdest thing ive ever expierenced. I am still fighting head hunger though- when i get home i think- ok time to have a snack bc thats what ive always done- wrong! that is the hardest time of day im dealing with is when i get home from work- ive conquered night time and thru out the day..... but around 330-400 is hard! Thanks for all the posts- and Michelle you are so right- there is worse things then not being hungry- but its still just really weird!!! ive just been waiting and waiting and waiting and it never comes?! hahahaha thanks everyone for giving me advice on this topic- you girls rock! =D>

Ok- after you get the band- it says no liquid calories or protein shakes bc they pass thru the band and dont leave you feeling full for a long time- helps you avoid snacking throughout the day, etc. If you are ok with feeling hungry (like we all did on the pre-op diet) i dont see why it would be a bad thing. I still use a slim fast as a meal replacement sometimes- The key is to treat it like a MEAL- not eat that and then eat again. However, going back to your old eating habits isnt a good thing! Personally, i think 3/4 of having the band is mental!! You have to control yourself, and its hard! No human being needs the amount of food that I was eating before I got the band- it was crazy how much I was eating- then to all of sudden have to stop eating all that- was very hard, but this is my new life and its something that I have to learn to deal with! I hope that this helps a little bit! Its hard- really hard, but you can do it! portion control!!!!!

I know that she said no liquid calories- but i have been using those a meal replacement since Im not hungry at all. so i dont need something to stay in my band, bc im not hungry. I would rather drink that and get some nutrients then none at all. I have been taking my vitamins and drinking lots of water...just weird that im not hungry! ha I emailed Dr. Miranda to get her advice- I will let you all know what she says! thanks for the posts >

A lot of people claim that with the bigger band, its harder to get to your sweet spot. I have a 10cc band- and my fill doc put in 5cc's on thrusday and Im not hungry at all. I think that everyone is different, dont panic

So I got my first fill last Thursday- 5cc's in a 10cc band- I was on liquids for 48 hours and then back to solids. I feel fine- liquids go down great - so does food- but im not hungry...at all. People say only eat when youre hungry..but i wasnt hungry at all yesterday...and again today. Should i eat a little bit anyway so i dont die! haha (jk) Last night I had 1/2 a burger- no bun just to get something in me- and drank a slim fast for breakfast and lunch-- But seriously, let me know what you think... I dont feel sick or anything so, its weird I just dont have an appetite... let me know what you all think!

if you are getting your blood work done the day you arrive- you need to fast until you are finished with your blood work so you dont need to worry about food for the plane ride!

Ina- I went to St. pete for my fill. She gave me 5cc's bc i live so close. I LOVE her! she was really nice, and very informative, also a HUGE fan of dr.ortiz!

Good idea- i got rid of most of my clothes- but in the future i would be will to do this

thanks everyone! im glad that you all are relieved Im excited for you all to get fills too! ps i had a slim fast this AM at 9..its now 1230 and im still not hungry! this is craaaaaaazy!

I got my first fill on Thursday. i was on liquids for 48 hours- and it feels VERY different in just drinking water! i take a drink (my fill doc said that I do not have to take small sips of water-thank god bc i didnt feel like i was getting enough) So i take a drink, swallow and i feel it sit in my throat and then about 3-4sec later i feel it go down. SOOO WEIRD! But I know that its working! I started eating today and was full after 2 scrambeled eggs! then around 2:00 got a little hungry again- had 2 chicken wings and about 8 fried pickle slices (ugh waaay to greasy, but that was the only choice i had when all my friends are boys!) I guess when i eat grilled chicken or fish and fresh veggies all week- one afternoon of complete CRAP isnt tooo tooo bad! I havent been hungry the rest of the night..I had a little bit of hummus at a party.... what a great thing this is! I LOVE MY BAND- i LOVE that it feels like its working! I am sooo happy that I have my fill!

the docs tell you that its about 1-4 lbs per week. A lot of it is what you put into it. Also i think age and activity has a lot to do with it as well.

Your band is a tool. This has been the most mentally challengeing thing Ive ever put my body thru. I think you need to really think about why you eat food. People arent fat bc they are physically hungry all the time, they are "hungry" for another reason. Dealing with the profile of the ports, really isnt something you need to worry about unless you get SUPER skinny. Trust the docs! I doubt that once you are at your max fill that you would gain weight... i really dont know how you could eat that much with a full band as it limits your intake or you will get sick and PB. The band is for life if you want it to be, which i duno why someone wouldnt. It is removable if there is a problem but otherwise its your new best friend!

Hi sue- I am not an expierenced bandster, yet, but everyone is different. The majority of people cant eat gummy breads, or pasta- some people dont have a problem. I think a lot depends on your fill. Before I had my fill I could eat anything, but we will see what happens in the coming weeks as Im getting used to my band actually working! My fill doc said that some people have a problem with pork bc its stringy or dry chicken...it just depends. You had to really look at a pic of the band and see how it works to understand why some of those foods arent going to go down well. Just remember that you are trying to pass food thru a small hole so you need to chew well, eat slowly so it has bite has a little time to go down, and be concious of what you are eating! Good luck. I had had no problems with acid refulx before the band. and havent had any since getting the band

um i need to print this out and tape it to my scale!!!! thanks for finding that michelle- that is something that we all need to read-more than once i think!

I hope that you arent so thristy anymore! haha I have been reading the best life, by bob greene (oprahs fitness guru) also You on a diet by Dr. Oz and they both say that you should eat breakfast as soon as you get up- or as close as possible- its supposed to help in weight loss by jumping your metabolism right away. Do with it what youd like, but I thought that was a good tip! Hope you are doing well!

remember that physcial hunger comes on gradually- head hunger comes on ALL OF A SUDDEN and it comes on STRONG! If you are honestly hungry- make a healthy choice some veggies or drink some more water. It will take a while for your body to realize what you are doing. I learned in the last few months pre-op and post op that hungry was something i needed to get used to - i would never let myself get hungry before the band- YOU CAN DO IT!

hanna-- I told them that i didnt want to see the needle until it was over- and GOOD THING I DIDNT ! hahahahha it was quite large! But they numbed it with some sort of spray and i didnt feel a thing. I would just tell them that you dont want to see it- it really helped a lot! Good luck!!! I feel full just after drinking water! Its weird- I am happy that I wont be able to eat as much but sad at the same time I havent quite broke that high i get from food- but im about 80% better! Now is when the REAL work begins bc eating too much is very dangerous for me now that Im filled! Have a good weekend!

Hey! it was st. pete- the nurse was AWESOME! i will DEFINETLEY go back to her- no questions asked. She also unfills WHENEVER for free! Usually they give you like 72 hours to come back for an unfill to do it for free. I would send people her as I would the OCC!

i will keep you all posted on my first meal after my fill on saturday!!

oh yeah, also about the barium- that is really only for people who are having troubles or are close to their limit in their band (according to my dr.) so i did not do the barium swallow

I went this morning for my first fill about an hour from my house at a fill center. I wouldve LOVED to go back to Dr. Ortiz, but its just a little too expensive for my hubby and I at the moment. I thought that I would be going to a place called "Fill center USA", I was wrong. I ended up at a Dr. office. I was a little weired out by that for a bit. I filled out some paperwork and was then weighed on a scale like the one at the OCC in Dr. Mirandas office. Then i was taken back to the room with the Fluro machine. I met the nurse, Kathie, who was AMAZING! She saw that I was done by Dr. O and was SO happy. She said "Dr. Ortiz is my favorite! I love him!" She asked me if i was nervous and I said that I was just nervous about everything being in-order inside of me. She looked at me and assured me that Dr. Ortiz is a genious and that he has never let her down. she actually refers her patients to him INSTEAD of a US Dr. which made me so much more proud and no longer ashamed of having my surgery in Mexico (and I only felt that way bc of OTHER peoples reactions). Back to the fill, she layed me down and turned the Fluro machine on and found my port. I got to see my band which was really cool and she said, suprise suprise its perfect! They then numbed me with some spray which was more painful then the needle! She put it in, and i didnt feel a thing. They she made me sit up and drink cold water as she filled me and asked me what I was feeling. She ended up giving me 5ccs in a 10cc VG band. ** she also gave me some background info on my band and I am VERY HAPPY that dr. o picked the vg band for me she said that its safer for your body the way its designed and a lot of other stuff!** I can DEF feel a difference even with drinking water. I LOVE IT! After we talked for 5-10 minutes or so, she grabbed the needle and pulled it out... that was SUCH a weird feeling!!! It was just weird bc usually a needle just slides out, but this took a LOT of pulling since it goes into the port. I drink clear liquids until noon tomorrow, then protein shakes or creamy soups at noon and then at noon on sat. back to solids but start with scrambled eggs or oatmeal. I AM SO EXCITED! I am ready to start losing weight again, and using my fill to become REALLY aware of what im eating, and when Im full as the last few days I have forgotten about that since i had no restriction. Good luck to those getting your first fill soon- its a breeze- i enjoyed it!

Michelle- they would adopt you hahah just come in FL and visit first! hahaha >

5 kids?!!! WOW!! Congrats! That is a lot of work! I have 2 dogs and that is enough for me right now! I have not set up a reward system yet but my parents have! My dad is giving me $5000 when I reach 100lbs gone which is nice, but about a year away...my mom has given me things for each milestone- like first day for real food, one month banded, then my next 20 lbs lost I get a coach bag from my mom and step dad. It keeps me motivated, but my pants getting baggier and baggier is almost more motivating.

I read on another forum about some people getting pregnany right after being banded...but it defeats the purpose! Everything I have read that is written by dr.'s has said to wait 2 years. I cant wait to lose the weight and enjoy my body before having a baby!