Loriland3

HI, I have eggs or oatmeal also for breakfast and sometimes greek yogurt. BUt the yogurt doesnt always do the trick. If you can tolerate toast, try to make an egg and place it on the whole wheat toast like an open faced sandwich and if you really want to, you can put some chesse on top. The protein will hold you for a while. I have had salad too with no problem. I was told that iceberg and some other crunch lettuce is easier to tolerate that the mixed greens, (which I like better, but I too was craving a salad). With some grilled chicken or tuna, it makes a nice lunch and you feel somewhat normal!! The deli-meat wrapped with lettuce leaves is also a great lunch and it is satisfying. I crave salt more than sweet, so that helps too. I put some mustard on the lettuce and had a sandwich (well, kinda!)! I love all the suggestions,they are so helpful! So far, I havent had any trouble with anything, except red meat, which got stuck and that was AWFUL! I get my fill on Tuesday and I am a bit anxious, but I cant wait to feel restriction. I actually looked up band slippage, because I feel nothing. I am assuming I would be in pain if it slipped. I am always thinkiing the worst!! So, I eat small meals and all is good. Good luck purpleshell and let me know if eating breakfast helps you. My NUT said to eat real food for your meals and have liquid type of stuff in between. If you want a protein shake have it for a snack. That will help you go longer between meals and not feel starving when its time to eat. Amy~Good luck with the salad. Try a little bit and you should be OK.

Has anyone gotten that "Stuck" feeling? I think I had it the other night and it changed my world! I never want that again. I had shoulder pain and everything. I ate a piece of roast and will never eat that again!! Pain is a great deterrent!!

Hey Jess, I dont think you should be discouraged. Everyone is different. There is a HUGE learning curve that goes with this and I think the longer you take to figure it out, the better chance you have at it becoming a life style change for GOOD. Keep up the great work and it will come off. I am in the same boat, I have lost a total of 23 lbs and just started losing again this week (only 1/2lb but is not gaining). I asked my dr the same question and had the same concerns. He assured me that this time right after the surgery was to let your body heal, become adjusted to the change and begin figuring it all out. Once we get our fill, I think it will become clearer how much we can tolerate, what we can eat and what we cant. I get my first fill on Tuesday, I will let you know how it goes. I am a bit nervous and dont know what to expect. There are some great websites and diet plans online that I found just surfing around. I can give you the sites if you want. Good luck!! ~LORI

Hi everyone! Is anyone having trouble knowing when you are full? I get my first fill on the 25th. I am eating smaller portions definitely, but I am having trouble knowing when I am full until its too late and then I am uncomfortable. I get a pain in my shoulder in the back and pain in my stomach area. I am assuming thats the new way to feel when I am full. Would love to hear all your thoughts!

COngrats on the "no fill". YOu guys are all doing great! I am definitely going to need a fill. I havent lost anything since I started putting food back into my diet. I am on regular food and can eat anything. I get full faster, but still its not enough. I am very frustrated which doesnt help. It seems like all the other times, lose a lot and then nothing! I serioulsy hope that when I get a fill, a lot will change and I will start to lose again. I guess there is something to be said for being on a liquid diet! HAs this happened to anyone else? Am I doing something wrong? Again, congrats to you guys who are doign such a great job and I hope you continue to lose and lose!! ~LORI

Hi, I was banded on the 23rd and so far I am doing OK. The only problem is that I have a lot of pain on my left side and my stomach looks weird!! I guess its still a bit sowllen. It hurts whenever I move or take a deep breath. I am assuming this is normal. I think I had unrealistic expecatations for after the surgery. I have had 2 C sections, and my gall bladder removed and I dont remember being in this much pain. On the bighter side, I am not hungry, am dealing OK with the liquid diet, and I ahve lost a total of 17 lbs since the liquid diet 2 weeks ago. Once this pain goes away, I will be on my way! Did anyone else experience this type of pain?

Hey Linnie, I remember you. We are on the same schedule. I am finishing up the mushie stage and slowly trying new food. So far there is nothing I cant eat which is scary. I too am hoping not to gain before my first fill. Its great that I lost the 23 lbs, but it was by eating NOTHING! Now that I am putting food in my diet I am afraid to gain. Looking forward to the fill so I will begin the weight loss again. Today I went out to lunch with friends and the kids. I had some eggplant parm and no Pasta. It wasnt diificult to stay away from the pasta, but it was nice to eat the eggplant like a normal meal. I look forward to hearing from you, keep on losing!! ~LORI

Heather, I took Miralx yesterday and by the evening I went. I am going to try it for a while and then once it gets somewhat regular, I will switch to metamucil or something, or just watch my fiber intake. TRy Miralax, it works!

Hey Kelli, Sorry I somehow did not see your reply until now. How are you doing on the next stage? Are you hungry? I am doing OK so far. Not very hungry...but still manage to eat!!! I thinik its great that you are down 19 lbs. I am down 23 all together, but I havent lost anything since I started to add food back in. How about you? HAs your weight loss slowed down? I am a bit frustrated by it. I got so used to losing almost a lb a day!! I know its now realistic, but it was nice! I hope you are doing well. Let me know how its going! To everyone else, I hope you are all doing well and continue to have success. Keep in touch and let me know how its going...the support on this site is great and really helps! ~LORI

Brockwayn, I have the same pain. It feels more like a cramp and hurts when I move and bend over. My Dr. says its fine, that it is the muscle healing from having something stitched to it and a foreign thing inside. I have no idea, but I am goving it one more week and if no improvement I am calling my dr. As of now, I wouldnt worry, I think we are still in the healing stages.

Hi, I too was banded on the 23rd and I have some of the same feelings. I did not feel full at all on the liquid part. I am finding though, that the more texture I add to my foods the fuller I feel. But it is a different kind of full. It feels like pressure and it comes on fast. One minute I am fine and the next,,,I feel a ton of pressure. I have not vomited so I guess I have not been that full! THe thing that I am learning is to resist that urge to keep eating once I am done. I still pick out of habit and that is really bad. I am afraid that that is going to ruin it. So, that is my goal to stop it now. I have only lost 23 lbs. I have not lost anything really since starting the mushy food. I am going to solids later this week and I am terrified I will gain weight. Looking forward to my first fill to feel restriciton and start taking the weight off for good! As for eating slowly...how do you make 1/4-1/2 cup of something pureed last for 30 minutes? I have tried and I just cant do it. Any siggestions? Good luck and Congrats to everyone who was banded...I hope we can all keep in touch as I am sure we will need the support as we move through the stages! ~LORI

Pamala, sorry to hear about your surgery. I hope you are feeling OK. I think anything you lose is great.and you should be proud of yourself. Hearing all the amounts of other people you start to wonder if you (meaning I) am doing the right thing. I am having NO trouble eating anything. I am feeling that this is not right. Some people have lost SO much weight before their fillm which is great! How much are you able to eat? Are you on regualar food? Is there anything you cant eat?

HI, I lost a total of 23 pound, 15 of them were pre op. I was banded on the 23rd. I am begining to eat real food and I am afraid I will gain weight or not lose anymore. Is this normal to stop losing once you begin eating "real" food? And how much can you guys eat at one time? I am having a hard time feeling any restriction and that worries me. I am not getting a fill until the end of Jan. Is that when I will feel the restriciton? Also, just wondering, when did you guys stop feeling any pain? I still feel like I have a cramp or a pulled muscle where the port is. I have a hard time bending and walking I feel the pull of the muscle. Anyone else experience this? It almost feels like aconstant gas bubble Congrats to you guys who have lost so much! Thats a real accomplishment! ~LORI

Hi, Tomorrow I begin the "creamy" stage of my diet. I will be 1 day shy of 1 week post op. Its the craziest thing, but I am a bit nervous. How do you go form liquid to creamy and how do you know how much you can take? I have my Soups all lined up, ready to go and I am really dying to have them. I am just really afraid of overdoing it and getting into trouble. Am i just crazy? I have been starving for almost 3 weeks and now I have the chance to begin eating and I am terrified! WEIRD HUH??? I am even afraid to have my SF hot chocoate today, which I havent had in 3 weeks. Any advice would be so helpful! Thanks!

Thanks guys! I feel a bit better, still nervous but excited too. Here is another weird question, are we allowed to have a (one) drink? I am thinking about New Years and just wanted to know if I could have a glass of wine or something. Not that its a big deal, but it would be nice. I am sure beer or carbonated anything is out huh?

HI, My name is Lori and I am 40 years old. I have 2 boys and a great husband who is very supportive. My decision to get banded was tough, as I was afraid to give up some of the things I love. BUt the more I thought about it and the more I looked at all the things that could go wrong with being overweight, my decision became easy. I chose my children and my life over eating a STEAK!!! I think that is a much more resonable decision! I did not tell many people about my surgery. I told my husband and close friends and chose to tell faily members a month before the surgery. THe decision had to be mine alone, and I didnt want to hear anyone tell me their opinions either way. WHen I did tell people, I kinda wanted to hear, "WHAT? YOu dont need that surgery, you are crazy!". BUt, guess what, I did not hear that! I heard some mixed opinions, but mostly it was over the surgery complications not the fact that I was too skinny for it!!! I was banded on the 23rd and so far I am doing OK. I dont feel hungry and I am doing OK with the liquid diet. Much better than before the surgery when I had to have those gross shakes and bars. I did cheat, I must confess and had only Protein as my cheats! One day I broke down and actually had sashimi! BUt, I stil llost 16 lbs before surgery. I am terrified of vomiting and I am pretty sure I will not be cheating on this post op thing. THe surgery went without problems, and my DR said it was one of the nicest lap bands hes done. I dont know what that means, as I dont think they get rated on how pretty they are! But, he seemed pleased and thats all that matters. I am in some considerable pain, that is concerning me a bit. It is contained to one side and hurts whenver I move. It feels like muscle pain, like I did a million sit -ups, not that I would know what that feels like, lets face it , if I did then I would be here!! LOL!! IT does dissipate when I take the percoset, but I am hoping I dont need that for much longer. Please let me know if anyone else had this kind of pain. I am assuming its normal, but would love to hear from others! Anyway, thats about it. I know I am very long-winded, but I appreciate any feedback any one has for me. I am looking forward to my new journey and figuring it out along the way. Happy Holidays to everyone and best of luck on your own journeys! LORI

THanks! I am so done with the clear liquid stage. I cant look at another jello or bowl of broth! Ihave a few more days until I can have the shakes and the creamy stuff. Looking forward to that! I still have this pain in my upper belly on the left side. Its slowly getting better, but its not gas. It feels more muscular and sore. I am hoping its normal. Good luck to you, and keep in touch, Woudl love to hear how your progress is going! LORI

Hi, I have some of the same issues. I was banded on the 23rd. YOu all seem to be doing great! I am still in a lot of pain on the left side. Still hard to get up and down. Is this normal? Most of you seem to be getting right back to the swing of things. I am able to do more today than yesterday, but it also hurts more today. WEIRD! I cant WAIT to be able to eat something other than Clear liquids. I cheated today and had a Protein shake because I felt tired and weak. THat worked well. I am just so jealous of you guys being able to eat real food like chili, etc. Rault, it sounds like you are on your way...your recovery sounds real good. I hope you do well at the DR. Good luck! LORI

Thanks Ami, for replying! And for the encouragement. I would love to keep in touch and hear how you are doing. Hopefully we can help each other! I am DYING on the clear liquid stage. The first few days were OK because I felt like I needed the light nourishment, but now I am sooo tired! I really need some Protein. How long were you on the clearliqiod stage? I think I am going to pull myself off of it and go to the full liquid stage just so I can have some protein or something in my stomach. I have 2 little boys who want to play with their mommy and I have no energy! HOw did you make out with the holiday? Was it OK? I am hoping that New Years will be OK. A little worried about the drinking part of it. Are we allowed a galss of wine or anything? I didnt think to ask my DR. I guess I will call him. HOpe you are doing well! LORI

Yes, drinking a lot here too, mostly gatorade and broth. How are you getting protein in? THe only protein I am getting is from the homemade chicken broth. The gas is not so bad, its just that one place on my tummy. Its getting better. Cant wait for the clear liquid stage to be over! Keep me updated on your progress, looking forward to hearing how you make out! Good Luck and enjoy the sunshine in FL. ITs freezing here in CT!!

THanks so much for replying. Hearing from you makes me feel so much better. How do you feel? YOu are just a few weeks ahead of me. How is it eating real food?