BeLikeBey

Hi apreezy1...are you taking pictures to record your weight loss? I had my surgery on Jan 5th and sometimes feel the same as you until I look at my pictures...only then do I see the difference. Remember this is a slow process, it will come off as long as we do what we are supposed to. Keep up the good work!!

I got by first fill Feb. 13th under floroscopy (?). It was really awesome to be able to look at the xray and see the barium go down. The Dr. saw ( and I felt ) that my band was too tight so he unfilled some and I could see (and feel) the liquid going down. Before the unfill, I guess that is what it would fill like to be stuck and from that experience I know I don't EVER want that to happen. It's probably inevitable but I am going to try my best to chew chew chew and not eat too quickly. Very weird feeling. I got a total of 3.4ccs. I was on liquids for 2 days and today I am on soft foods. I am down a total of 32 lbs since starting my pre-op liquid diet before surgery.

I'm not home yet but I will post a recipe that I got from my Weight Loss Surgery for Dummies book when I get home..it has helped me tremendously through this whole experience. It has a lot of food suggestions and recipes based on which stage you are in.

I bought some already cooked chicken and added a tiny bit of fat free sour cream, and ff mayo to make it moist plus seasonings

I was banded on Jan 5th and have been eating a lot of eggs, cheese, chicken salad, tuna salad, seafood salad, green beans, soft fish and yogurt. I have also been eating Ritz crackers which I don't think is a good thing so don't eat those ; ) ( puree the salads in a blender)

Hey Jan 2012 Bandsters! I was banded on Jan. 5th and was recovering just fine until about 3 days ago. I started experiencing very extreme hunger pains after 8pm. My stomach starts rumbling and growling so bad that it hurts. I tried to ease the pains by eating Soup, broth, Jello, pudding and or yogurt (not all at once ) but nothing seems to help. It was so bad the other night that it drove me to tears. I have a high tolerance for pain and I have been hungry before but not like this. Last night I took my liquid pain medicine just so I could get some sleep. I had my first post-op visit today (I've lost 22lbs since my first visit in August!!!) and the doctor told me to start adding thicker things like yogurt etc. like it was no big deal. The nurse told me that the band is usually tighter in the morning and loosens up toward the end of the day so that's why I'm probably getting hungry at night. I have two more weeks on liquids and I am counting down to the day when I am able to start adding purees! Has anyone else had any bad hunger pains? Hungry in the City!

Hi Babybandster...I am happy to say that I no longer have painful hunger pains. I still get hungry but it's normal hunger. Officially I still have 4 more days of full liquids but I have already started some mushies. I tried a poached egg this morning which was okay except for the runny yolk (yuck)! I have also tried split pea soup which I liked especially since it has 10 grams of protein per serving. I'm looking forward to having chicken salad next week! How are you doing?

Congrats Mag2u! That is awesome!!

I am now 12 days post-op and I still get hunger pains but they don't last as long as they did when I started this topic. I have been trying to stay on a schedule with my fluids and I think that has helped. I also starting eating/drinking Egg Drop Soup (very yummy!) This morning I made some oatmeal and put in in the blender....it was very good and filling.

Thanks mags2u and shay33 for the encouraging words..yes we can do this! Today I have been making sure to get in more water and pudding and so far so good this evening. My stomach is slightly growling now so off to get some yogurt : |

Hello, I got my band on Jan. 5th also! I have been doing okay, no problems now other than a bloated stomach. Today, I woke up with the left shoulder pain that I have read so much about...thought I was going to be spared of that...but it's no biggie...just feels like being sore from a good workout. How much are you able to drink? I can drink my 4 oz with no problem and regularly suffer from a growling stomach but I don't want to drink more that what I was told. I alternate between shakes, broth, diet jello, and just today added a low fat creamy soup. Is anyone else experiencing hunger pains?

I was banded this morning!!! Dekalb Medical hospital truely lives up to being a Center of Excellence!! Everything was done on time and the staff is great! I am resting comfortably as I opted to stay overnight. Was very sore this morning...to me the pain was similar to bad cramps...now just mild soreness and a bloated stomach. Good luck to those of you who are having surgery tomorrow!

Help!! My surgery is Thursday and without thinking I took my vitamins today-multi, D an calcium. My paperwork says the surgery can be cancelled if the clear liquid diet is not followed...it didn't say anything about taking vitamins. Did I mess up?

Hi...my surgery is also Jan. 5th! I can't believe it's so close. I've never been in the hospital before and I am really nervous but also excited about finally getting rid of all my excess weight. 2012 is going to be a GREAT YEAR!!! Good luck to you!

Thank you....i will : )

Whew...thanks guys..i feel more at ease now.

Thanks mags2u! Slippage is one of my biggest fears also which has motivated me to stick to my diet.

Hello fellow January Bandsters! My surgery is scheduled for Jan. 5th!!! I have been on a liquid diet through Christmas and New years and now that the holidays are over hopefully it will be smooth sailing from here. I've lost 14 lbs that I will never see again. The liquid diet started out hard then got easy and now it's gotten hard again but I have been strong. I agree with one of the previous postings that it is the smell of food that gets to me even if I am not hungry. I also have to leave the room to avoid the smells. I have been drinking a lot of Muscle Milk Light and great tasting shakes from GNC called Lean Shake. They have 170 calories and 25 grams of protein. Once a day I also have a low fat strained soup or some chicken broth and plenty of SF popsicles. Good luck everyone!!

I lost 40lbs in 2009 and gained back 50 all while still going to the gym every week. I went from working out almost every day to just two days a week cause the bigger I got I could no longer physically keep up with the rest of the classes. Yoga was one of them...i just couldn't do the stretches anymore so I stopped going. I really like working out. My surgery is Jan 5th and I can't wait to lose this weight cause I am ready to kick it back up a notch or two.

Hello January Bandsters! My surgery is Jan 5th. I have been on a liquid diet since Dec 17th. I started a week early by mistake and didn't want to stop and start over again. It feels like it's getting harder for me...getting physically hungry more often. I lost 10lbs but I thought it would have been more after all this time. I am getting really nervous..i had my pre op appt today which was a breeze but now I'm like "wow..am I ready for this?"

I am on day 17 of my pre op liquid diet..surgery set for Jan 5th. I have not cheated cause I've gone this long and I think it will be harder to get back on track if I cheat. It was hard to watch every eat on Christmas but I keep reminding myself the food will be there post op....it's not going anywhere. I wish I could have done this a long time ago and maybe I wouldn't be so overweight. I didn't get the shakes recommended by my doctor..drinking Muscle Milk Light. It is pretty good...i think that helps..they have lots of different flavors.

I have Anthem BCBS. I had my initial consultation in August where I received a packet from my surgeon telling me everything I needed based on my insurance. I had to have the following: Psychological clearance, dietician evaluation, pulmonary clearance, letter from PCP, diet history, TSH test, upper GI. I did not have to do a three month medically supervised diet. My BMI was 49 and I have mild sleep apnea. My paperwork was submitted at the end of Nov and I got approved in less than a week. It would have been sooner than that had I not taken my time getting the clearances....i was trying to make up my mind between the lapband and bypass. Getting banded 01-05-12!!!!!! If you call Anthem...they will tell you everything that you need. Good Luck!!!

how long before your surgery? I started my liquid diet 12/10 but my surgery is not until 01/05. I am okay now but I can not imagine doing this for two more weeks. Any suggestions?

I am on day 3 of my pre-op liquid diet. I tried to start on Friday since I'd had my upper GI that day and my stomach was empty. By that evening I had the WORST headache and I ended up breaking the diet. I started over the next morning and thank goodness I have not have a headache since. I hope I am following the diet correctly (protein shakes, apple juice, water, low fat strained creamy soups, sugar free hard candy, sugar free jello, sugar free pudding). I am not sure how much I should have of this stuff. I have just been trying to eat according to the serving sizes but it does not feel as if it is enough. I am waiting to hear back from my doctor's office for clarification. How many protein shakes can I have per day? Am I supposed to start tracking my calories and protein grams now? Any suggestions until I hear back from the doctor?

Thanks Corrigan!