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Well today I started my pre-op all liquid diet. So far it's 6pm and i'm ok. I hear my stomach growling, but it's nothing I cant handle. I had a muscle milk shake for breakfast, chicken broth and SF jello for lunch, just ate a SF popcicle and will have a protein shake for dinner. I've been drinking crystal light as well. I even went to the gym and did 40 minutes of cardio. I'm totally shocked and hope that I can keep this up!

If you aren't seeing a counselor, now seems like a good time to start! If you're dealing with some self-esteem and self-doubt issues that are leading you to binge, then a therapist might be able to help you process these feelings and come to terms with them without having to resort to slider foods. It is my firm belief that everyone in this world could benefit from seeing a therapist once in awhile. You certainly don't need to be seriously mentally ill for it to be helpful

Hi everyone! My name is Jen and I am currently living in Ottawa, ON. I am 24 years old and weigh in around 270lbs. I have pretty much decided that the lap band is the way to go for me, but I still have some questions floating around in my head. Here are two that are on my mind today: 1. Do you ever get the sensation that you can feel your band? Not the restrictive effect, but like there's actually something inside you that if you move a weird way you can feel it? 2. I am concerned that I will never feel normal again. I will always have to eat with focus and explain to people why I can only eat a small portion. I am trying to arrange my finances before going ahead a booking my date. I will be self-paying because I live in Ontario. Thanks for any insight! Jen

i understand your frustrations. my clothes still fit the same way too. i was really discouraged in the beginning because i was not losing. then i started doing some reading on here to see what the "old timers" were doing to lose. i finally decided on a low carb, high protein diet. that has helped so much. now everyday the scales are going down. not a lot at a time... just 2 tenths of a pound or 4 tenths of a pound, everyday... but at least it's not staying the same or gaining. i eat meat and green veggies. and drink lots of water. anytime i crave something, i eat a piece of meat and it satisfies me. not sure if this interests you or not... just thought i'd share. good luck and hang in there! you can do this!

That's exactly what I was trying to convey. That eating beyond what your surgeon has prescribed for you could possibly be detrimental to healing and lead to possible detrimental consequences in the future. However, everyone has to make their own choices and live with the consequences. I think I'm through with this thread. About to go unsubscribe to it. Best of luck to all concerned.

Teekii, I know it is hard to stop those bad habits. Do some further research on the band and you will find that it does not prevent you from eating. It helps with portion control and hopefully hunger once restriction sets in. The types and choices of foods will be yours to make all through this process. Call your doctor, let him or his team know of your extreme hunger and see if he/they will allow you to advance your food levels. Try drinking added protein some for some folks it helps with the hunger. Wishing you luck in learning new ways....

Denise is right. The reason to progress very slowly to solids is to allow for healing. Contact your doctor and talk to them about your issues. They may allow you to progress a little faster, or may have suggestions to help you through this time. Medication for nausea would be better than changing what you're supposed to eat on your own. Hang in there, it will get easier. The saltines didn't get stuck cause they are a processed food.. basically pre-digested. Yuck.

For many surgeons, they put us on liquids post-op to allow our stomachs to heal. Unlike with bypass, our pouches still grind. Most surgeons anchor the band by pulling the stomach over it and putting in a few stitches. By eating solid foods of any kind you are forcing your pouch to grind and putting pressure on those stitches that are trying to heal and form scar tissue to anchor them down. You risk pulling them loose, and needing another surgery to repair it. Liquids don't cause any grinding as they go right down...thus leaving our stomachs empty. Now, not all surgeon's have the same post-op instructions and some people return to solids sooner than others. Each surgeon bases his or her post-op instructions on personal experiences of best outcomes. You should follow what you were instructed to do. If you were to eat something that got stuck at this point, the pain and trauma from that could be extreme. I'd not want to risk losing my band because I pushed the envelope. I was one of the ones who was very hungry immediately post-op. When my doctor called at 3 days post-op to check on me I told him I was ready to eat my dog. He said that would be a bad choice, but since I was doing so well, I could move to full liquids a few days early. Mashed potatoes never tasted soooooo good! If you are nauseous, there are medicines for that, call your surgeon's office and ask. Or ask if the saltines are OK. They might clear you for them.

If you test to your band to see what you can get away with, you're going to find yourself "winning" a lot But in the end, that's not a game you want to win, right? It sounds like once you're healed and can eat solid food again that your band may be working-- giving you a feeling of satiation after only a little food. But for a lot of us (me included) the band did never and will never stop you from eating anything. Your job= choosing what to eat and listening to the band Band's job= giving you a sense of "not hungry" after a relatively small amount of food That's it. Good luck to you! I know it's hard to figure out with every other person, and every other doctor, saying something different.

I agree with the above posts. My 2cents is to stop the juice and the milk. You are drinking the calories rather than eating. Orange juice has tons of sugar, natural sugar but still sugar. It will cause your blood sugar to spike wich leads to your body storing the sugar as fat. Once you get to solid food, you will be much better off eating an orange, then you get fiber which helps control blood sugar. You will find it more filling as well. Eat low fat cheese for your calcium. Good luck on your journey!