crzytchr

Thanks! I will check online and see what I can find.

Oh, you are amazing! Hopefully that woman will change how she speaks to her daughter. If not, at least the daughter will NEVER forget the stranger who took up for her! YOU ROCK!:biggrin:

The 5 day pouch test is a 5 day plan that starts with liquids. Then you move to mushies, then soft Proteins and then on to regular foods. It is like doing your entire post op diet from beginning to end in 5 days. It can help you get familiar with the "I am satisfied" feeling again, especially if you have been eating too much. In this case, I recommended it because the original poster has been pbing a lot and probably has swelling. The days of liquids will help the swelling subside and then when moving to mushies, then soft proteins, and regular food if the pbing continues, she will know that the band is too tight and a small unfill is probably needed. Oh, and as a bonus, many people can lose a few lbs doing it and jump start weight loss again. Surgical Weight Loss 5 Day Pouch Test

My only regret is not doing this sooner. As far as questions, be sure you are VERY clear on what is expected of you during your pre and post op diet. It is important that you stick to both, so you need to know exactly what to do.

I had hoped to lose 100 the first year, but I lost 82 instead. I am extremely pleased with my loss. Also, I have just recently had a 3 month plateau end. What is so amazing is that, prior to being banded, a plateau that long would have sent me into a eating frenzy, because I would've thought, "why not, I'm not losing anyway." My band helped me keep my weight stabilized until I began losing again. I LOVE MY BAND!!!!

I keep a box of the Chewy Peanut Butter/Chocolate Chip bars in my classroom for snacks. There are 10 in a box and it costs about 2.50. You can get them with added protein (only 5g:sad:) and it is about 100 calories each.

Journal the foods you are eating and see what your calorie count per day is. You may realize you aren't eating enough. You are steadily losing, so that is a good thing. If you lose 1-2 lbs per week, and it continues, that will be great! I have had 3 different plateaus and the last one lasted 3 months. But I realized that pre-banding, I would have gained during those three months, not stayed the same. This is for the long haul, it is a journey and you are doing great! Celebrate you successes. Oh, and eat more if you aren't consuming enough! If you exercise daily, you should probably eat at least 1200 calories per day. Many times we eat 1000 or less and think that is the only way to go. I eat/ate 1200-1500 per day, even during my plateau.

I got mine from GNC. They aren't cheap, but you only need one per day. They are tart tasting, like a sweet tart.

Longtime lurker, first time poster in this thread. I like my fish fried... No seriously, I had to give you a fist pump and say congratulations!!! That is amazing.

Shrinknme, my friend, who was banded two weeks before me, just had her surprise "band baby" on the 15th. She kept her fill the whole time and is doing great. She is also BF. Be sure to try to let us know when the baby arrives!

Some surgeons don't want you to get protein in this early, others do. Some want 2 weeks of clear liquids, most want 1 week. It depends on your surgeon. But most, do not want you to have any food for at least a week, but usually two or more. You have to give your stomach time to heal after surgery, and eating food churns the stomach and can upset the stitches put to hold the band into place. If you need protein (mine wanted me to have it), New Whey protein bullets have 42g of protein in 3 oz of liquid. I used those. Many people use Isopure. The protein will probably make you feel better. I remember during the clear liquid phase feeling great disdain for the people who were eating food around me. Even the ones I gave birth to!!! This will pass, and you will be so much better for following your post op guidelines.

I love my right fit pants, the problem is, I am at the smallest in them (1T blue) and can't find anything else that fits properly. I have curvy pants from the GAP, but the dang thing "gap" really bad at the waist....It sucks, because you wait so long to NOT shop at Lane Bryant and then realize nothing else will fit properly once you drop below those sizes.:thumbup:

For the most part, I eat what I want, just a lot less of it! Examples: IHOP- I eat 1/2 of a two egg omelet and one pancake; pre-banding I would order, AND EAT, 3 eggs/3 pancake meal with a side of toast CHILI'S- I eat a cup of chili with 4 crackers; pre-banding; skillet queso, 1/2 of a chicken quesadilla order, and 1/2 of a paradise pie CRACKER BARREL: 1 fried fish fillet, maybe 5 French fries, and 1 biscuit; Pre-banding eat 2-3 biscuits BEFORE my meal, then order whatever entree and eat most of it I will say that even before I had my first fill, I ensured that I would lose by only putting the amount of food I was supposed to have on my plate. (less than a cup) I would only eat that, and amazingly, I was satisfied, maybe not FULL, but satisfied. I lost 25 lbs before my first fill by following that routine. I do eat whatever I want, even ice cream and candy, but I don't overdo it. I eat a scoop of ice cream instead of a bowl. I eat a serving or less of candy instead of a kingsize. The band is a tool that helps me control the amounts of food I eat. I have lost this weight, so far, without exercising. I know now, that in order to finish losing all of my weight, I must get off of my butt and move. I am, however, still losing, albeit slowly, but still losing. Oh, I haven't had a soda since before banding and I NEVER drink with my meals or for at least an hour after. This helps me feel satisfied longer. Forbidden foods, not really sure, but I haven't tried salad, but many eat it. I eat bread, but not often and eat whole wheat Pasta at least once a week. My surgery was outpatient...surgery at 11:30 am and home around 4:30 pm.

If you are pbing a lot, you may have some swelling, which will cause you to continue to pb. It is a viscious cycle. It would be good for you to go on liquids for a couple of days. Perhaps do the 5 day pouch test. The first few days are liquids, then it moves to mushies. It helps you test your pouch and get you back into the program. It should also allow any swelling you have to subside. If you give your band time for swelling to go down and you start pbing again, you should probably check into getting a small unfill. If you are journaling, what kinds of foods are you eating. When I became too tight after my hysterectomy, I turned to slider foods, which stalled my weight loss. It wasn't ice cream and candy. I was eating Cereal (Special K), but it still stalled my weight loss. Do a little investigating and see what you can find out. Journaling will also help you figure out exactly how many calories you are consuming each day. I consume 1200-1500 per day and have been since surgery over a year ago.

You know your body and you did the right thing. Don't ever let him try to convince you to get a larger fill than you think you need. My surgeon is aggressive with fills. My friend was banded by him 2 weeks before me and she received 4ccs at the first fill. I knew I didn't need that much, so I asked the PA to do half. She did and when the water stayed in my chest, like it did you, so she immediately removed 1 of the ccs she had just put in. Both of my 2 fills were only for 1cc each. That is all I need. If you stick to your guns, you may escape ever being too tight...My friend experienced that, and it isn't pretty.:tt1:

I love, love, love cereal, but unfortunately, I can NOT lose weight when I eat it. I was too tight after my surgery this past December and after my wreck in February and I started eating Special K with skim milk. Sounds healthy, right? I didn't drop any weight at all!!!! I love it:drool:, but I must stay away from it.:tt1:

I know when I was first banded my surgeon took patients that went to Mexico. You can always try. He is located in Gonzales, LA. It is about 25 minutes east of Baton Rouge on I-10. If you can't find someone closer, you should be able to see his profile if you view my bandster profile. His PA, Holly, usually does the fills, and she is amazing!

I had the same problem until I realized my weight was documented when I went for my yearly check-ups at the ob/gyn. This doesn't help you, but if your wife was seeing her doctor yearly, she can get the weight documentation from them.

I did notice, and I felt bad for him. He is such a sweet, likable person. I also suspected he may be the "crush".

Well... when Alexandra was kicked off, they did the "look at her now". She said something about having a crush on someone (apparently on the show) and that she was too shy to say anything. She then said to wait and find out who it was.

Ok, now they have us trying to guess the love connection that was made!!! Jeez...

For me, I know that I need to exercise. It is the getting started that is difficult for me. My principal has our school mapped out, and she knows that 6 laps around our school is 1 mile...I have no excuses, I just need to pack a change of clothes and shoes and get off my butt and MOVE!!!! I am certain it will jump start my weight loss. Now, to just DO IT!!!

I had surgery at 11:30am and was home by 4pm. I am glad, because I HATE being in the hospital.

My friend has her C-section scheduled for tomorrow. She was banded two weeks before me in July '08. She kept her entire fill the whole time. Her ob/gyn said as long as she could eat 1800 calories per day, she wouldn't have to get unfilled. She has gained I think maybe 15-20 lbs with the baby and that will all come off when she has it. Oh, and this baby was a big surprise! She had to go on fertility drugs for her first two pregnancies, so she never dreamed she could get pregnant on her own. In fact, she has a set of twins that were 11 months old when she found out she was pregnant with this baby. Good luck!

Ladies, ladies, ladies....I am Miss Plateau Queen! (Click on my ticker and you can see )You can not take my title from me, so stop trying! I have had 3, yes, 3. Two for a month or little over a month and then my last, and the killer of all plateaus, for about 5 months. It lasted from March until August. I just recently started losing again, albeit slowly, but I am losing. I am pleased, because before banding, I can assure you my big butt would have been gaining this whole time instead of holding steady. So, I'm really not complaining, just claiming the title I think I have earned.