adriennemarie

haha yeah my breath isnt as bad as it was those first two weeks because im eating more carbs than i was then, but i definitely still try to stay as low carb as possible, so my breath is not so great. i researched it quite a bit.. "Bad breath in the low/no-carb sect is often caused by certain chemicals that are released in the breath as the body burns fat. They are called ketones, and entering into a fat-burning state of ketosis is the hallmark of the Atkins diet. So the good news is that if your breath stinks, you're probably doing a good job of sticking to that low-carb diet." i read that in an article a while back. definitely interesting! but yeah, since we're really not supposed to chew gum, any dissolvable, sugar free breath mints are definitely my friend lately!

i was banded 1/20 and had terrible gas pains for about 2 weeks. that was the worst part for me too. i also had that left shoulder pain, which i dare say was worse than the pain in my belly. it was like a constant aching pain. i still occasionally feel that pain in my left shoulder. it comes and goes, nothing intense.. ive come to accept it. lol but walking, heating pads, stretches, all of this helps. i say try those gas x strips but they did nothing for me. although i was surprised at the taste of them! i dont know about anyone else, but i had TERRIBLE breath for the first 2 weeks after surgery! i actually looked it up and it was from not eating carbs. who knew? anyway, brushing my teeth didnt really help that either, but those gas x strips actually did for a bit. pleasantly minty! haha good luck, know it does get better in time

i'm also interested in this question. i'm only about 3 weeks post op, and am a size DD. i'm realllyyyy hoping that theres a lot of fat in my breasts and once i lose weight my bra size will decrease as well! i do have to say though, that ive lost about 20 pounds since the day of my operation, and im currently wearing a bra that i used to "muffin top" over, for lack of a better word and it no longer does that! i definitely agree with zeniada though, wait until you reach goal then decide for yourself!

congrats! thats amazing! any tips or advice?

well my doctor has moved me to soft foods, so i dont know if you mean the amount, type of food, or what exactly you mean by that! but i've lost 20 pounds since surgery day! granted, most of that was in the first two weeks and my weight loss has most definitely slowed, but thats a good thing. im not looking to lose 20 pounds every 2 weeks! lol thats clearly a ridiculous goal. but i work out at least 5 days a week for an hour (my doc also gave me the okay for that). and as long as im losing a couple pounds a week, feeling good, and not pushing my band, im gonna keep doing what im doing. that is of course, unless my doctor instructs me otherwise

I've thought about this too! and i think i'd like to try to..to a certain extent! I had my surgery 1/20 and while im not eating entirely normals foods, (still trying to stick to the softest food i can) i definitely notice some restriction! without a doubt, i have to eat smaller bites, smaller amounts, and muuuch slower! that alone is soo good for me! i used to eat so fast before i barely even tasted what i was eating! im slowly discovering "how" to properly eat! small bites, tasting what im eating, and stopping before i get too full. the only problem is that while smaller amounts of food fill me up, i dont stay full for too long. for example, tonight for dinner i ate a piece of salmon, green Beans, and half a baked sweet potato, all healthy choices, and it kept me full for about 3 hours. not bad, but maybe a small amount of Fluid would keep me from being as hungry! all i know, is i would like to be able to eat normally, i.e. proper amounts of healthy food, and not feel like im restricted too much, while using the band to control my hunger. isnt that the point of this? we still need to make healthy choices and be smart! just not be so hungry doing it! good luck to you, im also very interested to hear what other people have to say about this!

helloo everyone! i'm about 3 and a half weeks post op (yay!) and am now eating soft foods! except ive noticed a lot lately that my stomach gurgles quite a bit and i've been a bit gassy! i dont know if any one else has had this issue, but its quite embarassing in public! can anyone relate here? also, my bowel movements (not to be gross) havent exactly been the same, which is to be expected...wondering generally when this will return to normal! also, i was wondering about scarring. how has everyones scars healed, and how long did it take? and what if anything did you put on them once they were healed to reduce to visibility of them? loving the band so far! thanks

i had the same problem about 4 days post op. i called my doctor and without hesitation he told me to move to full liquids! its a combination of a sudden drop in the amount of calories youre taking in along with not drinking enough fluids! your blood sugar is probably low. if your doc said no protein and still wants you on clear liquids try drinking some diluted apple juice. but be sure to still drink plenty of water as well! good luck!

not sure a judgmental attitude is the best way to get a message across..just saying. and a couple peas and carrots (basically pureed to the point of mush) is hardly a bad decision, in my opinion.

my doctor was the same way! i did all these same things, even having a session with a psychologist (as a requirement) before having the surgery! the very last thing the nutritionist said to me before leaving my pre op appointment was exactly that, "this is not a quick fix" you still need to diet and exercise and make healthy choices! its a learning experience! if you do something that you know isnt good, brush it off, and keep moving forward!

i'm one week post op today exactly and i hate the burping. i can feel that i do still have some residual gas and that's part of it, because the burping almost hurts sometimes. however, my father has had the lap band for 5 years now, and he STILL burps when he eats! something about the food bubbling a little bit as it drains from the pouch into your larger stomach and causing an air bubble.. anyway, im supposed to be on full liquids still, but i have to admit i have cheated a littttle bit. ive eaten soft mushy bites of potato from my soup (chewed realllyyyy well of course) and last night i had a couple peas, carrots, and even a couple small pieces of chicken from my dad's chicken pot pie (so they were mushy) and had no problem! if my scale is correct, ive lost 19 pounds since the day of my surgery! seems like a lot, but we'll see for sure when i go to my post op appointment today! yay! best of luck to everyone!

ZUMBA IS AMAZING! before my surgery i was going almost 7 days a week, and i plan to start up again as soon as i get the green light from my surgeon! Dont worry about the moves, i myself never considered myself a dancer or even coordinated enough to dance, but trust me, the more you go, you WILL pick up on the moves! and the more you pick up on the moves, the more intensity you can put into it, and the more calories you can burn! its true, no one is looking at you or judging you to see if you're doing it right! every class ive gone to there has always been more than one newbie who seemed lost at first, but its really no big deal! we've all been there. the whole point of zumba is to have FUN while working out! its a party! its okay to laugh and be silly as long as you keep moving! i encourage everyone to check it out, and even try different locations and instructors because everyone is different. its SO much better than an hour on a treadmill.

hellooo everyone! i was banded jan 20, 2011 so im very new here! I was just wondering when everyone started to feel hungry again? at this point i have zero appetite and am borderline nauseous. Its getting difficult to handle and im ready to feel "normal" again.

I COMPLETELY FEEL YOUR PAIN! lol ive had the same recovery! i was expecting to feel abdominal soreness and pain at the incisions but really, its nothing compared to the gas pains in my chest! i had my surgery 5 days ago and today is the first day where i can actually take a breath and not wince at the pain. i too want to feel normal! im just clinging to the hope and reminder that i wont feel like this forever and it does get better! how is your appetite? hang in there! i'm right there with ya!

hi everyone! I'm about 5 days post op, and i still feel pretty awful.. the pain from the incisions isnt the problem though. I had extreme gas pains and still do occasionally. it feels almost like i really need to burp but cant. :-/ and i have ZERO appetite at all. its hard to image ever feeling hungry again, and i have to admit its starting to wear on me...