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You are doing great! Hang in there and stay focused. I was banded on Feb 9th and recently started eating solid foods. My first fill is scheduled for April 14th. I am feeling hungrier now and don't have much restriction but I am forming healthier habits and hope to continue to loose weight while waiting for my fill. I am down 17 pounds so far so that's not bad but I will be excited when I loose 30 pounds! Keep up the good work!!!!

I was banded on Feb.9th and just started eating solid foods last Thursday. I am trying to stick with three meals a day and no Snacks. However, that is hard to do as I am waiting to get my first fill. I don't feel much restriction unless I eat bread or dry chicken to fast. This is a slow process so just hang in there. I am eating a Protein Bar for Breakfast and then I might sip on chicken broth if I get hungry before lunch. I normally eat a South Beach microwavable meal for lunch and then a sensable dinner. I have been avoiding fast food as that is so habit forming. I try to make healthier choices but I still falter sometimes. I am down 17 pounds since before the surgery and I don't plan on gaining any of that weight back!! I am getting ready to go on vacation for a week so I know it will be tough. I always keep a Water bottle with me full of flavored water (Crystal Light packets) and I sip on it when I think I'm hungry. I won't lie...it is hard because we have so many bad habit that helped us get fat. We just have to work at forming new healthier habits. If you need something to eat between meals, grab a piece of fruit. Easier said than done but it's worth a try! The band is only a tool. Good luck to you!!!!

I was banded on Feb 9th by Dr. Ortiz in Mexico. The whole experience has been great so far. I just recently started eating solid foods and bread can be a problem for me too. I also got sick off eating some chicken too fast, I guess. My first fill is scheduled for April 14th. I can eat more than I thought I would be able to but I am using old fashioned will power to combat that problem. I feel more disciplined since getting the band so I hope to continue to loose weight while waiting for my fill appointment. Good luck to you!

Jackel1207, WOW!! You look fantastic!! Thanks for the pics!

Spiru-tein is great! I mix it with skim milk and ice and it taste pretty good. My favorite flavor is the Peanut Butter Chocolate Swril. Good luck.

Well, today is day 21 of my post op diet. I get to eat solid foods starting tomorrow. I am a little bit nervous but also anxious to see if I get full faster and stay full longer. I am hoping to go as long as possible without my first fill. I have a meal plan together and I feel ready. More later.

I had my surgery done in Mexico and paid $8500. It was the best investment I have made. The whole experience was fantastic. Dr. Ortiz is so great. Check out his website for yourself www.obesitycontrolcenter.com Good Luck to you!

Congrats Gigi! I was banded on 2-9-07 and I am almost done with the post op diet. Sometimes I feel like I am trapped in a fat persons body! I have been on the post op diet for almost 3 weeks and I feel like I should have lost 20 pounds by now. I guess I need to have patience. Next week I will start exercising on a regular basis and I will be eating solid foods. I am hoping that I will feel full longer even though I haven't had my first fill. I have no regrets about my band and the future is bright! I am just so ready to buy smaller clothes and look in the mirror and see big changes. You've done so well and it feels good to read about your success. When did you notice the weight really falling off??

How are you doing so far? How was the switch to solid food and did you feel full longer even without your first fill?

Try GAS X for gas relief. Good luck!

I was banded on 2-9-07 by Dr. Ortiz in Mexico and it was great. I have tried not to weigh myself on a daily basis. I want to feel the results in my clothes first. I think the weight loss will speed up once we start eating 3 real meals a day and exercise. Our bodies have been adjusting to the band and to our post op diet. I think my body went into survival mode when I started the post op diet. I am down 10 pounds so I feel great about that. I still have a few days left on the post op diet and then I get to eat real food and start exercising more. Good luck!

I was banded on 2-9-07 and I took small sips at first but now I am able to take bigger drinks of water and I feel fine. I don't chug a whole bottle or anything but I can take a big swallow without problems. I wondered about this because I remembered other people say to "sip" stuff but it hasn't been a problem for me to take a bigger swallow. I don't know???

I had surgery on a Friday and was back at work the following Monday. However, I do have a desk job so I don't have to pick up anything heavy or reach for anything. I felt great with only some soreness by my port incision. Take as long as you can off because the more rest the better! Good luck!

Mlevel, Congrats on your band! You'll be movin' and groovin' in no time!!! That surgery didn't keep me down one bit. I was up shopping in Mexico the next day! Good luck!

So far, it's been a great experience for me! You have to respect your band and treat it right. I am 15 days post op and I am sticking to my liquid/mushy food diet because I want my band to heal properly!! NO cheating for me! Just follow the rules and you should do great!!!

Gretchen, You'll be fine!! Remember to walk after your surgery to limit any gas pains. Good luck to you!!!!

14 days post op and nothing new to discuss. Everything is still going great. 8 days until I can eat real food!! Good luck to you all!!!

Remember that the band does not restrict against liquids. So, you won't feel full until you start eating solid foods. The main goal right now is to not chew any food for atleast 21 days (my doctor's recommendation). You can have anything that will fit through a straw. Try some apple sauce, Protein shakes, Soups (Campbell soup in a sip cup style) and whatever else you need to feel satisfied. I am trying to drink healthy stuff to get the nutrients I need. I like the diet V8 berry juice, Propel flavored Water, suger free hot cocoa, apple juice, chicken broth, Velvety Potato Campbell Soup and Cream of Broccoli Campbell Soup. I have blended up spaghetti with extra sauce to make it softer and it was really good too. I was cooking macoroni & cheese for dinner and it looks so good so I blended it up with extra milk but it didn't taste very good. You just have to be creative with foods and try blending stuff to a mushy state and then eat it. The most important thing right now is letting your band heal so please don't cheat with solid foods.

DO NOT CHEW food is what my doctor said to me. I MUST only eat/drink stuff that can fit through a straw for 21 days. This is CRITICAL so that your band can heal. Seriously..... you do not want your band to slip so think of this as very serious business. I am 12 days post op and I am still on full liquid/mushy foods. Try Campbell's Soup at Hand (sip cup style) in Velvety Potato and Cream of Broccoli. They are both very tasty and filling. Pleeeaase don't cheat again!! I know it is hard with the small of foods all around but it is not worth it for the band to slip. If that happens, you have to have surgery all over again!!! Hang in there!! You will get to eat solid food soon enough.

Crishell, You are doing great! I had my surgery on Feb. 9th and everything is going great. I am lucky that I have not experienced the gas pains that I read about. I hope that won't change but if it does, I will buy some Beano. I orginally told myself not to weigh for a while. I wanted to feel the difference in my clothes first. However, I bought a new scale and decided to weigh myself. I really think you should only weigh yourself once a week or every two weeks. We tend to become a slave to our scale and I don't want to weigh myself daily because it is not neccessary. Once a week should be the most that you weigh yourself. Same time each week. Oprah's trainer said that you shouldn't weigh yourself for 3 months after starting a diet. Your Water weight flucuates so much that it can be discouraging to weigh yourself too much. I don't think I could wait 3 months to weigh myself but once a week is plenty. Keep up the good work!!

Check out www.obesitycontrolcenter.com This is Dr. Ortiz's website and he does the surgery for $8,500 (includes 3 nights hotel and pre op tests). I had my surgery there on Feb. 9th and it was wonderful!!! Good luck!

I'm 12 days post op and still feeling great!!! 10 days and counting to when I get to eat solid foods. The post op diet is going great so far. I am stronger when it comes to mental hunger. I am hoping that my strength and focus carry over to the solid food phase. No gas pains for me. I walked a lot the day after surgery and I think that really helped. I have not had any nausea or any other problems to report thus far. All is great with the band!!!

I felt pretty good the day after my surgery. My youngest is 9 years old so it was a lot easier for me. You won't be able to pick your 3 year old up and you have to be careful so they don't accidently hit you in your stomach. Also, it hurts a little bit by the port site when you bend a certain way. I don't notice it much anymore but the first week you will notice that discomfort when you bend over to tie shoes or something similar. Other than that, you should be fine. The mental hunger will still be there when you cook dinner but you will be able to handle it. Just be mentally prepared for that struggle and have juice nearby to drink. I walk around with a Water bottle full of either Crystal Light or Propel flavored water. My husband even made a comment about how much I am drinking now. I just feel like it is my security blanket right now. When I feel hungry, I take some sips and I feel better. I only had to drink Clear Liquids for 3 days and then I moved on to full liquids like drinkable yogurt and Protein shakes. Your stomach will make a lot of noise the first week after surgery but it does settle down. I have those chicken broth boullion squares in my purse so that I can drop one into a cup of hot water and have a little sip of something warm. I also drink sugar free hot cocoa in the morning or whenever when I feel deprived. The hardest thing at first is smelling food knowing that you can't take a bite. It does get easier with time and soon I will be able to eat solid foods. The band does not restrict against liquids so you will feel some hunger even after you drink something. Once you start eating solid foods, you should feel fuller longer. I am still in my liquid/mushy food phase. I will say that I blended up some spaghetti with extra sauce and it was pretty good. You will get creative with foods in that healing phase. NO chewing as the band is still healing. Good luck to you.

I had surgery in Mexico on Friday Feb 9th and was back at work on Monday the 12th. I sit down for my job so it wasn't a big deal except where my bra rubbed the incision. Wear a comfortable bra after surgery like a sport bra. The underwire can rub one of the incisions. I felt great the day after my surgery. My sister and I went shopping for a few hours in Mexico. Walking really helps with gas. I never got the gas pains in my shoulder and I feel that the walking really helped with that. Good luck to you!

Like I said before, the weekends were always my toughest time with eating healthy. I don't like to cook on the the weekends so we find ourselves at the drive thru's quite a bit. This was the 2nd weekend that I was banded. The first weekend with the band was my surgery weekend so that one doesn't really count. I held up pretty well with the band this weekend. However, on Friday I think I over did it with liquid calories. I had two margaritas and a hot coco. Both drinks had too many calories. Saturday, I made up for it and drank a bunch of Water and stuck with my full liquid/mushy food diet. I did much better than if I did not have the band. That is certain. The weather is getting warmer in Okc so I am feeling really up beat about the spring and summer. I am so glad that I have the band because I am so focused on loosing this weight!!! More later.