POST OP DIET OVER ON TO SOLID FOODS

[MY2BOYS]

OK MY QUESTION FOR ANYONE IS THIS. WHILE I WAS ON MY LIQUID PHASE OF THE POST OP I LOST ABOUT 25 POUNDS , NOW THAT I HAVE STARTED TO EAT SOLID FOODS I'M GAINING WEIGHT AND I'M EATING HEALTHY. THIS IS SO FRUSTRATING CAUSE THEY SAY YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO LOSE MORE WEIGHT WHEN YOU START FOOD, ANYONE HELP WHATS GOING ON.

[Kittycat]

Wow good for you!! 25 lbs is amazing...not the easy way though!

Your weight will fluctuate until your first fill. Portion control and calorie counting will help until then.

Try not to stress about it...it's early in the process.

Good Luck!

[MarinaBleu]

I'm going through the same thing. I was banded 3 weeks ago. I posted the same frustration on another forum site and was directed to a great thread with some great info...hope this helps

If you have recently been banded please read this. I'm hoping to save many of you grief and stop you from driving yourself crazy with unanswered questions. This thread is not directed towards one person and I'm hoping to help some of you out. I've read about a dozen threads lately, and responded to a few, about the following:

There are a few stages you will be going through in the next couple of weeks. Liquids - they suck, Mushies - they suck too, Soft Foods - Ah, life is getting better and finally Normal Foods. Somewhere in there is Bandhell. I want to cover the sucky stages; Liquids and Mushies as well as Bandhell.

Liquids - this is the stage you will most likely lose the most weight.

1st and most importantly of all - follow your doctors instructions. If he tells you stay on a week - do that, if you're told liquids for three weeks - please follow his orders. You didn't have major abdominal surgery to cheat and put yourself at risk. It's not a picnic - it's also not forever. Hang in there.

Mushies - you may have to wait a couple of weeks before you can enjoy the pallet of a one year old. Truly - the first time you get some "flavor" other than chicken broth, popcicles and jello - is wonderful. It's also deceptive. After weight falling off of you at an amazing speed - you may actually gain weight. It is OK - this is normal. Don't freak out! There is nothing wrong with you and you've done nothing wrong. You may think it is okay to start adding back "normal foods". You think your body is ready, after all everything seems to go down fine. Don't do it unless you call your doctor and he says it is okay. Now is also when you have to start learning how to deal with head hunger.

The first six weeks following surgery is for healing. Let me say that again, HEALING. Don't push yourself and cheat just because you are missing chewing or eating your favorite foods. Everyone that has been banded has been in your shoes. We all know how you feel and it is no fun. Remember this is only temporary. You will eventually get to eat as normally as possible for a bandster. I say that because after banding your life will never be as it was before. It is something that takes adjusting and time.

BANDSTER HELL - After six weeks (or so), the doc finally approves you to move on to normal eating. You are so hungry by now you feel like you could eat a horse. About this same time you should get your first fill. This should help some of your hunger. Don't expect it to though. It often takes more than one fill to get you to your sweet spot (the perfect adjustment level for your band). More than likely you'll be in Bandster Hell. You have a band, but it really isn't going like you thought it was. You can still eat more than you want and you have another month (or more sometimes) before your next fill. You may be going off of willpower alone. Here's some things that may help:

* Start Logging Your Foods - keep track of your protein, calories and daily intake. Use paper if you want. There are great websites out there that have online programs just for that.

* Start An Exercise Program - Muscle weighs more than fat. If you are exercising regularly you may be putting on muscle - thus you weigh more

* Measure Yourself - You often lose inches when the pounds aren't coming off

* Weigh Yourself, but don't become obsessive. I weigh once a week - at first it was daily, sometimes more than that. Every ounce would drive me insane when I did that. The scale makes me accountable

* Measure your food. Know how much of something is going into your body

My last word of advice - Don't compare your weight loss to anyone elses. You are only setting yourself up for heartbreak. We all lose weight very differently. Some people are put on different pre-op programs, every doctor is different on their post-op diets as well. Someone that has been on liquids for three to four weeks will have a larger weight loss than someone that hasn't. Our metabolisms are different. We should be losing 1-2 pounds a week with the band. You should lose slowly - so don't get discouraged or angry if you aren't down 50 pounds in two months.

I'm finally near my sweet spot and it took four months to get there. Being banded isn't easy - it is hard work. It is only a tool and a tool is only as good as its user.

In ending I must say there have been ups and downs for me since April, but every struggle was and is worth it. I would do it over again in a heartbeat. I have learned so much about myself in the past few months. I've learned how to deal with addictions and demons I refused to face in the past. I've also learned to love me again and know I am worth the battle.

[Guest CaraMBA09]

I'm going through the same thing. I was banded 3 weeks ago. I posted the same frustration on another forum site and was directed to a great thread with some great info...hope this helps

If you have recently been banded please read this. I'm hoping to save many of you grief and stop you from driving yourself crazy with unanswered questions. This thread is not directed towards one person and I'm hoping to help some of you out. I've read about a dozen threads lately, and responded to a few, about the following:

There are a few stages you will be going through in the next couple of weeks. Liquids - they suck, Mushies - they suck too, Soft Foods - Ah, life is getting better and finally Normal Foods. Somewhere in there is Bandhell. I want to cover the sucky stages; Liquids and Mushies as well as Bandhell.

Liquids - this is the stage you will most likely lose the most weight.

1st and most importantly of all - follow your doctors instructions. If he tells you stay on a week - do that, if you're told liquids for three weeks - please follow his orders. You didn't have major abdominal surgery to cheat and put yourself at risk. It's not a picnic - it's also not forever. Hang in there.

Mushies - you may have to wait a couple of weeks before you can enjoy the pallet of a one year old. Truly - the first time you get some "flavor" other than chicken broth, popcicles and jello - is wonderful. It's also deceptive. After weight falling off of you at an amazing speed - you may actually gain weight. It is OK - this is normal. Don't freak out! There is nothing wrong with you and you've done nothing wrong. You may think it is okay to start adding back "normal foods". You think your body is ready, after all everything seems to go down fine. Don't do it unless you call your doctor and he says it is okay. Now is also when you have to start learning how to deal with head hunger.

The first six weeks following surgery is for healing. Let me say that again, HEALING. Don't push yourself and cheat just because you are missing chewing or eating your favorite foods. Everyone that has been banded has been in your shoes. We all know how you feel and it is no fun. Remember this is only temporary. You will eventually get to eat as normally as possible for a bandster. I say that because after banding your life will never be as it was before. It is something that takes adjusting and time.

BANDSTER HELL - After six weeks (or so), the doc finally approves you to move on to normal eating. You are so hungry by now you feel like you could eat a horse. About this same time you should get your first fill. This should help some of your hunger. Don't expect it to though. It often takes more than one fill to get you to your sweet spot (the perfect adjustment level for your band). More than likely you'll be in Bandster Hell. You have a band, but it really isn't going like you thought it was. You can still eat more than you want and you have another month (or more sometimes) before your next fill. You may be going off of willpower alone. Here's some things that may help:

* Start Logging Your Foods - keep track of your protein, calories and daily intake. Use paper if you want. There are great websites out there that have online programs just for that.

* Start An Exercise Program - Muscle weighs more than fat. If you are exercising regularly you may be putting on muscle - thus you weigh more

* Measure Yourself - You often lose inches when the pounds aren't coming off

* Weigh Yourself, but don't become obsessive. I weigh once a week - at first it was daily, sometimes more than that. Every ounce would drive me insane when I did that. The scale makes me accountable

* Measure your food. Know how much of something is going into your body

My last word of advice - Don't compare your weight loss to anyone elses. You are only setting yourself up for heartbreak. We all lose weight very differently. Some people are put on different pre-op programs, every doctor is different on their post-op diets as well. Someone that has been on liquids for three to four weeks will have a larger weight loss than someone that hasn't. Our metabolisms are different. We should be losing 1-2 pounds a week with the band. You should lose slowly - so don't get discouraged or angry if you aren't down 50 pounds in two months.

I'm finally near my sweet spot and it took four months to get there. Being banded isn't easy - it is hard work. It is only a tool and a tool is only as good as its user.

In ending I must say there have been ups and downs for me since April, but every struggle was and is worth it. I would do it over again in a heartbeat. I have learned so much about myself in the past few months. I've learned how to deal with addictions and demons I refused to face in the past. I've also learned to love me again and know I am worth the battle.

WOW

Great info and words of advice. Thank you!....9 days and countin'

[MY2BOYS]

Thank you ladies that really helped me to read what you wrote, i guess i need to learn it just takes time and patients. Thank You and good luck on your journeys!

[momonamission]

It is very normal for you to put a couple of pounds back on. I just tried just to stay the same. It was hard though. I did not start to lose weight until after my fill. Even than it went slow until my second fill. Ya know what ...it is still going slow. But it is going. Those pounds add up and if you only lose 1 pound a week you will lose 52 in a year. That sounds good to me.

[Mizzoupoodle]

I have stayed the same since starting solids. I'm not disappointed because I know the weight WILL come off. I certainly could eat more than I am, and feel like I am using willpower a lot of the time. I have scheduled my first fill for Sept. 29 (the soonest my work schedule allows). I am being vigilent about no ice cream, no empty liquid calories but I am eating. I've stuck to the protein first rule but I am now able to eat close to what I ate before being banded...ugh!!! I just resumed exercising so I am hoping that will let me hold what I have lost until I get to my fill.

[denisem]

I'm getting my 2nd fill tomorrow morning. The first fill hasn't really worked that great, although I can tell some foods get stuck easier than when I had no fill at all. Other than that, I've pretty much just stayed the same weight the past 2 weeks. I did lose about 5 pounds total between fill #1 and fill #2. As long as I didn't gain, I'm okay with it. I'm really hoping for greater restriction so I can lose at a faster rate. My doctor (local in Houston area) wants me to try and wait 4-5 weeks between fills, so tomorrow will be 5 weeks.

I still consider this time period a little bit like "Bandster Hell" because I can still eat more that I should before getting full.

I haven't lost hope, mostly because of what I've read on here that this is typically normal before you find your sweet spot. So, we'll see what happens after tomorrow!

Denise