FLORIDAYS

She is only eating a 1/2 c of food. That isn't enough to get by on for 4-5 hrs.

I am glad you are giving this careful consideration.... I personally think if it were me who was 200 lbs at 5'7 I wouldn't consider myself a candidate for radical surgery. I am 5'9 and had a BMI of 55 and I still thought long and hard about the decision. It was my last hope in my opinion because I had Lost weight on weight watchers, nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, Adkins ...you name it but I always gained it back because I never learned how to eat normally like a thin person and I would get board on diets and revert back to my old ways. That may be you as well but your weight is still manageable. Have you spoken to your family dr or maybe a counselor?

Saw them last year here in Florida... Wonderful!

The band won't stop you from walking To the pantry or opening the fridge and eating something you shouldn't. Your head isn't banded. Your stomach is.

great that you are down in weight but advancing yourself to food before you are healed is risky business. It's so important to follow the rules that your dr set forth.

Yes the calculator says you are obese.... But it's certainly on the low end.... Nothing that a few months of dieting wouldn't change. What concerns me is that if You don't have the will power to not eat the free food you woudnt be a good band candidate...because we can still eat anything but we run the risk of having the food get stuck, not losing weight and possibly having serious medical issues from the band slipping. The band isn't a magical cure. It's a tool which helps you lose. But is is drastic. Its surgery. Its also forever for the most part....so while you may benefit from the tool based on your size I think I would try it on your own first... So just how committed you are. Just because you can find a dr to perform the surgery doesn't mean you should have it. If it were me I would try it on my own... Track your calories and measure your portions...just like you would if you had the band. If after a few months you haven't been successful then talk to 2 or 3 doctors and get their opinion.

If you lost too much then Pick the number you are comfortable with and stay there. If you over eat one day... "diet" for 2 days. But how can you over eat? Do you need a fill? I think your first step is to go see your dr. Discuss your feelings with him and decide if you need a fill. Then go BAck to basics... Count calories, measure portions and eat like you did to lose the. 140. You KNOW you can do it.

From my experience it feels like a brick sitting on my chest.

Hunger usually isn't painful. This sounds like gas. Maalox worked very well for me.

Get a pill cutter at the drug store... That will solve the problem.

I did really well with tuna, cottage cheese, applesauce, mashed potatoes hummus, scrambled eggs and ground turkey. Even on the mushies stage I measured and made sure to eat no more than 3-4 oz of protein, 1/4 c starch and 1/2 c veggies. I wasn't big on the mushie veggies so I drank 8oz of low sodium v-8 juice usually split between morning and afternoon.

that is exactly why I was banded.. I had lost the same 60 - 80 lbs. more times then I can count...but once I got off the diet... It went back on in record time. Not with the band... I just physically cannot eat too much. I love it.

Getting banded, being committed to losing weight and being successful will give you lots of courage and you will realize that only you are responsible for your own happiness. Your husband and sister will share your journey but in the end it's all about you. You are the only one who can make this work. As for your husband... Consider taking him with you to the dr so he can hear first hand what you are going through. Or better yet sit him down and explain the band to him. Tell him your stomach was banded..not your head. The band doesn't interfere with the bodily functions like hunger and until you are in the green zone it is shear willpower to get through it. However you are committed to doing it and would appreciate his support. My husband felt like this was all me and he really didn't know what to do or say... Until we actually discussed it and I told him what I needed from him. He was comfortable after that. You are still in an emotional time having just been banded. Give yourself a break and start enjoying the journey.

That is just hysterical.. .... made me spit the water out of my mouth on my iPad.... Thanks CHEZ

I haven't tried it either. And in no way am I knocking this product ..but my rule of thumb has always been if it sounds to good to be true.... It probably is. Of course for $2 it may be worth a shot. Just make sure there are. NO strings attached.

It was 2 weeks before I felt human again. Rest whenever possible and let your. BOdy heal. It will get better I promise.

You are hungry because you aren't eating enough food at mealtime I suspect. How long is it taking you to eat the 1/2 c of food? It should take 20 -30 minutes And since you are newly banded it may. BE that you need to eat your food in stages although I would do everything not to do that...it creats the grazing habit. Just take tiny bites...about the size of what you would feed a baby. Use a baby spoon for true measuring. And take your time to get the food in, Hope that helps...

As long as you are watching and not eating....enjoy !!

From my experience there isn't a lot of salt In liquids...it's possible that your mushie foods have more salt and you are retaining water.. It may also be that you are getting more calories with Mushies and your body is storing the calories. This is the time to start a good habit of tracking your calories. If you stay between 1000-1200 ( or whatever your dr told you) for a day and stick with the proper portions you should be fine.

You are right CHEZ.... Yesterday the plastic surgeon told me the lift and Tt i am considering makes the lap band surgery a walk in the park.

Start with the basics. Count calories and measure portions. Eat 3-4 oz of Protein, 1/4 c starch and 1/2 c of veggie at every meal.... If you are hungry after that you may need a fill. Good luck!

Yum...it's close to my fav... Grouper is a smidge higher on the list. Glad you had a nice diner.

It's a great question. Truth be told only one aspect of it was really harder than I imagined... The 2 week liquid diet. But I stuck to it, didn't cheat and ultimately had a successful surgery. After that I cannot say its been hard. I was very strict with myself because I knew if I didn't see results in a reasonable period of time I would get frustrated. So I measured portions, counted calories, got fills when I needed them and went to my dr every month. It was frustrating at times of course. Eating out with friends watching them chow down on pizza and wings while I was having something less exciting is hard. But that isn't the band's fault. I do think you have to be completed committed to making it work. The band will do 70% of the work when you are in the green zone. sometimes it takes a while to get there. You must do the rest by making proper food choices. If you want to be successful ..being banded and in the losing stage means you will have to drink Water when your friends are drinking alcohol, skip the cake at birthday parties, forgo the ice cream on a hot summer day. And plan what you will eat when you are out and about. But once you have lost your weight you can have a few bites of most anything you want... The band will prevent you from wanting must more than that. I have craving every once in a while but i put my mind over matter and either ignore it, drink some water or eat one bite. I can tolerate most anything except carbonation, rice and skinned fruit. But during the 23 months of losing I didn't eat anything i didnt account for in my calorie tracker. I even would write down the cocktail sauce i dipped my low cal shrimp in. I was obsessed...admittedly In fact I can tell you the number of times I cheated...that's how focused I was. That doesn't work for everyone but it did for me. That said I am maintaining now. I have 2 lbs more to lose to get to my goal. And 12 more to get to my stretch goal. But I am not worried about it. If I don't lose another lb I am completely happy with my success. Was it hard? Sometimes. But 377lbs at 50 yrs old I was a heart attack waiting to happen. I think dealing with that would have been harder.

mother nature blessed you evidentially. I was always a B cup... Just a 44b.... Now I am a 34 b but of course the girls are quite deflated. But I am looking into those options. Were you always larger on top? I mean as a young girl?

Add a fiber supplement to your liquid. There in one that comes in box of packets like crystal light. You can put it in anything liquid. It's tasteless... You won't even know its there...but it helps. If I recall during liquids I used 2 a day