I decided that it’s time for a lapband update. On the advice of many more seasoned bandsters, I decided to track weight loss weekly and report on it monthly. I’ve been cautioned about making it such a high priority. That’s hard to do when you look at the history that led to me getting the surgery.

So I give you this midterm report. I am holding steady on my weight loss and just batting around the same two pounds. I realize my fill has had little effect. I was told by many that that would be the case. It varies by the individual. I suspect it has a lot to do with me getting the newer larger band design that accommodates more solution since it wraps around the interior of the band in a c-like configuration. I am 4cc in a 14cc band. I am just guessing that is the reason until I see the surgeon later this month. It seems logical that although it accommodates more fluid, the fluid is distributed over a larger area resulting in a lesser restriction.

This time after the surgery is often called bandster hell by lapband patients. It is the time after your post-op surgery restrictions and before the lapband restriction reaches that “sweet spot” where it does control your hunger. It’s a time when you have to rely on changing your habits, lifestyle and diet alone to lose weight. I can tell you that it is tough. I have wandered away from the diet many times these past few weeks. With no restriction, hunger is there and food just goes through the stomach as it always did. Only in a few instances have I felt a little restriction and the consequences of eating too much.

I have 17 days to go before my 2nd fill. I am resolved to better follow my diet and start to see the weight go down. I chat several times a week with Mike, a long time bandster in Alaska. His advice to me on this is sound, “Five years from now you wouldn’t care that you gained a few pounds until you found your sweet spot. Realize that it might take up to 3-4 more months to find that sweet spot.” It’s good advice that I understand. The reality is that it is hard to wait for results. I guess I am using logic that I paid for this, and I want to see results now.