Rachel412

Yeah, around day 7 my hunger came back. Once I hit mushy food I felt like it was better under control, but what you're feeling is called bandster hell. Hang in there!

i'm glad you're feeling good! my understanding is popcorn is a problem food once you have a fill, the little kernel shells can get lodged and cause damage...

It is very very common to not lose weight in the space between surgery and getting a good fill. This time is for healing, not necessarily losing weight, though some people do lose. Instead of deciding the surgery didn't work after almost 3 weeks, I think you should be upset with your surgeon for not properly preparing you for what might happen after surgery. I know you were having issues with your diet- what are you eating now in a day? How much Protein are you taking in?

that doesn't sound normal. call your surgeon's office!

that's great, congrats!

LOL- that's why we're here! Hope you're feeling better soon

Well... that pretty much says it all, doesn't it? I think people only lose weight before they get a good fill if they eat like they ALREADY have a good fill. I keep telling myself that xyz item will get stuck or make me sick and that keeps me from eating it- even though really, I do know that I would be just fine if I had it. Have you tried eating only your recommended amount of Protein per meal (mine is 4 oz.) and then eating only veggies from then on? But it does seem rare to lose weight after surgery (besides the initial loss from the liquid diet) so you're not alone. Just try to eat like you've already hit a sweet spot. Good luck!

You have to take off all jewelry, earrings & piercings too- fyi!

Thanks! I did end up eating before the party, which helped. I took one bite of a cupcake and that was plenty.

I suggest using an online tool or app to track your calories and protein intake every day. It'll confirm with you that you're doing the right thing and you need to just keep going. I'm where you are- on mushies and getting hungry pretty quickly. It SUCKS! Please know that others feel your pain!

It's a Japanese soup that you can get at Japanese or sometimes Chinese restaurants, or I've seen it at the grocery store. It's hard to explain if you haven't tried it... kind of a creamy consistency although it has no dairy. It's a salty broth with something called miso mixed in, then cubes of tofu and pieces of dried kelp. I KNOW it sounds so weird, but it's salty and savory and just... yum. Really hit the spot for me after so many sweet options with mushies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso_soup

In the full liquids stage I had to have 3 protein drinks a day, then low fat cream soups so I had cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery, miso soup... but I wouldn't worry too much about it. Are you tracking your calories every day? It might help you just keep an eye on what you're eating, which will help when you go in for your first fill and they try to figure out how much you'll need. Good luck! I was banded a few days before you and the weight fell off for the first 10 days or so, but then stalled even though I've been journaling and I only have 800-1000 calories per day. Your body is concentrating on healing right now, not losing weight. It'll come!

It wasn't creamy but miso soup totally hit the spot when I was in the full liquids mode. Texture and savory flavor... it was heaven.

I just was recently banded, but from what I hear at my practice's support group, that's very common. Hugs to you!

I don't have any good tips because I was on liquids for two weeks after surgery and just recently moved to the mushy stage... it's just hard if you're not feeling any satiety. Are you making Protein shakes with Water or milk? I noticed making mine with milk made them stick with me a lot longer. Are you EVER feeling full or satisfied?

I felt that way too I didn't have a pre-op liquid diet so on surgery eve we got Chinese food. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) it ended up being really gross and I barely ate any of it. Good luck with your surgery!

I was banded on the 12th and also had an unexpected hiatal hernia repair. Recovery was fine... I used every drop of that Percoset because it made me so happy! Clear liquids week 1, full liquids week 2, now I'm on mushy food and it is soooo much better than liquids. It's nice to chew something again even if it's soft. The first week I was sore, around days 9-10 I was in a FOUL mood and grumpy, mad, tired, sore, upset. I don't know what the deal was but I feel SO much better now. Eating around 800-900 calories a day, 70-80 grams of Protein. Feeling good! Other than being hungry a lot. I'm supposed to only have 3 meals, no Snacks, but my satiety isn't lasting more than 2 hours. It's rough. The good news is my fill is scheduled for 5 weeks out, not 6, so that's one less week of bandster hell!

If it hurts I'd back up to more liquid foods and try again to progress in a few days. Or try taking VERY small bites and see if even the tiniest amounts hurt. You still may just be too swollen for any sort of solids yet. Do liquids hurt to drink?

I know this sounds impossible, but can you put your scale away for a while and just focus on eating well and not on the weight you want to be losing? LOL- I should take my own advice! I'm a few days behind you and eating 800-1000 calories a day and haven't lost for the past week (my ticker includes the pre-op diet).

It's worth a shot! Try it and see what happens. There's a lot of jogging and then walking, repeat in the beginning.

Congratulations, and thanks for sharing such a motivating story!

I was just moved to mushy foods yesterday so my new way of eating is supposed to be 4 ounces protein, then if I'm still hungry up to a cup of cooked mushy veggies, THEN if I still have room I can add a carb. 3 times a day, no snacking in between. I just wish I liked cooked mushy veggies- beans don't count right?

that's amazing- congratulations!

I was really hoping you'd be feeling better by now. You poor thing

I suggest keeping food logs for your 6 months so you have written proof of what you did. That was part of my 6 month wait (different insurance) and once it was finally over and submitted I was approved within 48 hours. Good luck, the 6 months will go by faster than you'd expect!