morelgirl

Small utensils help you take smaller bites, and there are aps you can use. What my nutritionist always said though, was, "chew the alphabet!" In other words, chew every single bite of food as many times as there are letters in the alphabet--26. Sometimes I did that, sometimes I counted out 30 chews. I did this for months before it really became second nature to thoroughly chew every single bite. Now, when I find myself starting to speed up my eating, I go back to counting. It seems silly, but it does help make sure you aren't swallowing any large chunks.

It's good to hear from you again, Stephanie. Sorry to hear about the trouble with your fill level, but I hope it either settles on its own or you get the adjustment you need. Personally, I'm using every ounce of will power I have to not chow down on the pistachios in the other room. I'm trying to vary my calorie levels from day to day and since I had a heavier day yesterday, I'm trying for a lighter day today, but I can hear the nuts calling my name!

Yay! So glad for you, Suzie. 5 lb is still a great loss, and I'm glad your doctor was so supportive. I know it's difficult to go back to liquids, but it's only a couple of days, and I know you can do it! Personally, I'm having more head hunger than usual today, which is annoying. I'm not sure why it's happening, but I'm just going to grit my teeth and trudge my way through it. Cue me chugging the crystal light. Hope everyone is having a good day.

One of the best parts of getting back on track and living like a compliant bandster is the amazing food I get to eat. Nope, not kidding. I happen to be a pretty darned good cook. The problem is that when I'm not living right with my band, I get lazy. Cooking for one person half the time just doesn't seem "worth it," as if I'm not worth taking care of as much as the other people I cook for. That leads to take out, dining out, fast food, convenience foods, and processed foods. And that leads to weight gain. But when I'm concentrating on improving my life by working with the band, I eat not only healthier foods, but often tastier ones as well. Just in the past week, I made band friendly versions of beef Bourguignon, macaroni and cheese, braised chicken thighs with mushroom sauce, and for dinner tonight, Asian lettuce wraps with chicken and vegetables. It's all fresh, high protein, low fat, unprocessed, organic, and so much better than anything I could get at a supermarket or a cheap restaurant that it makes me shake my head that I ever made those choices. Even with the band, I love to cook, I love to eat, and I love flavorful foods. Now, I'm just finding ways to eat them the right way in the right amounts with the right ingredients. And it just rocks!

Good for you in standing up to the prejudice and making the right decisions to support your needs and your health. I'm so proud of you. Unfortunately, in my experience, I've found healthcare professionals to be among some of the worst cases when it comes to dealing with people who are overweight. I'm not sure if it's just a lack of proper training or true insensitivity, but it happens way too often. Personally, my trigger in the category of "stupid things doctors say" is when they ask, "you know, you're at a very unhealthy body weight. Have you ever thought about trying to lose some weight?" "Try to lose weight? OMG, why didn't I ever think of that?!" As if my entire life (put on my first diet at age 8-9) hadn't revolved around trying to lose weight. As if obese people don't realize they're obese and are just happily cavorting through life without a care in the world. Drives me batcrap crazy!

I think I've finally done it. It's been over a year, but I think I'm finally in the green zone. But, wow, this is not what I expected. The veil has been lifted, and I'm starting to realize that being here is no more of a magic wand than just getting a band was. Oh, don't get me wrong; this is exactly where I want to be. It's much better than yellow, and I don't ever want to experience red, so I wouldn't trade this for the world, but that doesn't mean I don't need to exert any effort any more. For me, this is what the GZ means: 1) one cup of food keeps me satisfied for about 4 hours after eating, 2) when I finish 1 cup of food, I am absolutely done. The idea of eating any more makes me uncomfortable. 3) 1 cup may occasionally be too much! I still struggle with the idea that if I'm allowed to eat 1 cup, I should eat the entire cup. After all, haven't I always wanted to eat every bite I possibly can? But now, I need to remember that I should only eat what I need, and that if I eat more, not only could I hurt my entire WLS process, but I'm that much more likely to be uncomfortable and to feel mild heartburn. I hate hb. Not only is it uncomfortable, but it can be physically damaging as well. (No, I'm not too tight. Already cleared this info with my surgeon's office) 4) even in the GZ, I still have a lot to learn. I don't know it all, and with a lot of things, reading about them is totally different from experiencing them for myself. 5) this process will be part of my life for the REST of my life. That last one I already knew, but sometimes I need the reminder! So to anyone who despairs of ever finding the green zone, or who turns it into the holy grail in your mind, just keep what I've said in the back of your mind and remember that your journey is going to be as unique as you are. Just because something isn't perfect doesn't mean it's not right for you!

I waited to have a glass of wine until I was back on solids and cleared by my surgeon to eat whatever my band would tolerate. Alcohol is not encouraged by my surgeon because of the empty calories, but it is allowed in moderation. If you want to be safe, clear it with your doctor first. Two words of caution though. Because we eat less now, the alcohol has a more potent effect on some people that before banding, so sip slowly. Also, restaurants routinely pour glasses of wine that are 6-8 oz. each. One actual serving should be no more than 5 oz, and wine lover that I am, at home usually pour myself only 3 oz, and it's plenty! Enjoy your date night!

It was a combination of things, and a dawning realization, really. My goal was to get to the point where my 1 cup meal would keep me satisfied for 4 hours. I always planned to consider that my green zone, but honestly, it wasn't just that. It was also realizing that I honestly could NOT eat more than that at a sitting without making myself uncomfortable. It also had to do with how HUGE a difference my 0.25cc fill made. It's the smallest fill I've had and the one with the most impact. The difference was so remarkable that I feel like if I got anything else added, I would go immediately into the red zone and would be extremely uncomfortable, heartburny, and unable to eat healthy foods. Plus, of course I talked with my surgeon's office and we discussed the impact of this fill. They agree that I'm at the right fill level now, so it's up to me to make this work and start really taking off the weight!

Suzie, I am so happy for you! Not only am I glad that your doctor visit went well, but 9 pounds is HUGE! Even if your band dr's scale is slightly different from your PCP's scale, that's still a significant loss, and you should be proud of the accomplishment! I also like that your doctor supports your maintaining the band with your new, positive attitude. You've already been through so much surgery that I know if I were in your shoes, the last thing I would ever want to see again would be the inside of a hospital! I know you can be successful with your band, and everyone here will be here to support you through it, as well. Hilary, I hope your allergies improve. I know what torture that can be, and I'm the same way with allergy and cold medicines. Taking them, even small doses, turns me into a total zombie. I've been known to still be sleepy 2 days after a dose! Today looks to be pretty average. I definitely overdid it on the salt yesterday, and I barely made my Protein goal, so I'm going to focus on being better with those 2 things today. Oh, but I have one secret to share! I'm not really a sugar fiend. I can pass up a sweet treat easier than something bready or salty, but I do love chocolate. Well, I found the perfect treat to satisfy my chocolate cravings: Adora chocolate Calcium supplements! I ordered them on amazon, and they are a tiny bit pricey, but oh, boy, are they worth it! Each supplement is a little disk of real chocolate, like a mini piece of Dove candy, but has 500 mg of calcium. They make both milk and dark flavors, and I love them both! I have one every night after dinner and I'm getting in my Vitamins and also having a real treat that I can look forward to to satisfy my chocolate cravings all in one shot. Love them! Everyone have a great day!

You sound as if your head is in the right place, and honestly, that's the battle half won right there. The mental part of this is the most important and the most difficult. Always remember why you've made this decision, especially on then difficult days, and I predict you'll be a huge ... er, make that a "tiny" ... success!

This may sound harsh, but there is no way to predict how you will react to fills or how long it will take to find your green zone. You kinda just have to grit your teeth and remind yourself that you made this decision for the rest of your life, not just a few weeks, a few months, or a few years. I was one of those people who needed 9cc+ in my band, but we're not the norm. Most people need less. My very first fill was 4cc, for all the good that did me. Your journey is going to be as individual as you are. What I can say, is that even though it seemed to take forever to find my green zone, it was worth it. So try for a little patience, and you WILL get there. Good luck!

I can't imagine anyone doing better than you have, not based on the weight you've lost (which is awesome) but based on the things you've succeeded in changing about your life. You inspire me every time I read one of your posts! Nervous, schmervous!

Fantastic!

Believe me, I feel your frustration! I was in your exact shoes from 1 month to 6 months after surgery, a total of 6 fills. I have an 11cc band, and I got up to a total fill of 8cc within the first 6 months after banding, and I could not believe that I didn't feel one single cell different from before surgery. But then I made the worst mistake of my life: I gave up on my band. I stopped getting fills, stopped doing follow up, stopped living according to the rules of being banded. And what happened? I gained back half of what I had lost. Don't make the same mistake I did! I know how rough this is, but have patience. After more than 6 months of being an idiot, I finally got my head back on straight and I went back to my doctor (actually a partner of my original doctor, who had moved) and I learned some really valuable things. 1) Every single banded person is different. You can't compare your experience to others. 2) Some people can lose weight without ever having a fill. They are rare. 3) Some people don't start feeling restricted until they hit 10.5cc in an 11cc band. They are rare, too. 4) The only way to find out what fill level works for you is to keep following up with your surgeon until you hit the right level. I was banded on 2/1/12. It's more than a year later and I JUST hit the green zone with my last fill. I now have 9.25cc in my band. Even at 9cc, I felt nothing, but that last 0.25cc fill was like magic. I now am totally satisfied after 1 cup of food, and I stay satisfied for about 4 hurs after eating. It seemed to take me forever to get here, but the fact that it took over a year is MY FAULT. If I hadn't given in to frustration, this would have happened a long time ago. Just please be patient and don't make the same mistake I did. Bandster hell SUCKS. Big time. But no matter how long it takes, it is ALWAYS temporary. Keep your chin up and come here when you need to vent. People like me will totally get what you're saying. You might be like me and need more than the average fill before you hit green, but you may only need another 0.25cc before you're golden. The only way to know is to keep moving forward and to stay optimistic. It WILL work. Just give it time.

Yay, Suzie! Congrats on that. Recovering after surgery is a big triumph, so it's great to hear that you're doing so well. I just made it through an impromptu lunch out with friends. It's Taco Tuesday at a local Mexican place, and heaven knows that chips and salsa are one of my weak spots, but I think I did okay. I broke my chips up into tiny bites to make them last longer and chewed my bites really well, which slowed me down enough not to go too crazy overboard. Then I ordered a single taco and I couldn't even finish it. The second half is in my fridge right now. It was a higher calories lunch than I usually have, but I feel triumphant over the amount I ate and know that I just need to have a reasonable, high protein meal for dinner and I'll be in great shape. So excited! I love where my band is at right now!

Welcome, Lela! I'm glad you found us. We're a supportive group who have all had our struggles, so we understand what it's like. I firmly believe that the key to this entire enterprise is mental. You won't get far if you're not in the appropriate state of mind, so wanting it really is the first, most important step. (PS, I'm in WA state, too, but close to Portland). Suzie, I'm looking forward to hearing about your doctor's appointment, so please keep us updated. Hilary, I'm totally back on solids. My doctor's instructions after fills are liquids on fill day, the next day if necessary, but to progress back up to solids as soon as it's comfortable. For me, I usually end up back on solids within about 3-4 days after the fill. If the green zone really is where I am, it feels ... different from what I expected. Not that I really know what I was expecting, but I don't think this was it. I feel generally really normal and comfortable. My portions haven't changed, but I feel closer to "full" after a meal than I did before. Not the stuffed feeling of my preband life, but just a feeling that if I tried to eat any more, I would end up very uncomfortable. The important part to me is that I feel satisfied after my meal for about 4 hours. It's not that much longer (about an extra hour), but it makes a big psychological difference for me. Really the satiety is the only difference. I'm not having trouble eating any foods. I can have bread, rice, and red meat. I have no problem with dry chicken (except that it doesn't taste as good as moist) and I'm fine with fibrous vegetables. In fact, roasted asparagus and roasted Brussles sprouts are among my favorites! That's really where I want to be. To me, if I have to worry about what foods I can and can't eat, it's just another diet. This is perfect for me. I think the final determination of whether or not this is the GZ will come from whether or not the weight comes off in steady 1-2 lb per week increments. I lost 1.6 last week, so if I can keep that up with just that little bit less hunger I'll be very excited. Keep positive, everyone. We can do this!

Hey everyone! I called my doctor's office this morning and spoke to my surgeon's bariatric nurse (the one who actually put in the last fill). She listened to my story and said that since my symptoms are very mild and not all the time (heartburn happens no more than once or twice a day and goes away without medication), I might want to wait a week before deciding on an unfill. She said I could still have a little swelling and that it may still resolve itself as I get used to the new fill. I can take an OTC med if I choose, but as long as it is going away on its own and not being a big problem, I shouldn't worry too much, but call back in another week if I still have it. I have to admit that I'm a little relieved. I really do think I may be in the green zone, and based on what I told her, the nurse agrees. I know it would have been a different story if I'd had any episodes of being stuck, sliming or PBing, but she really seemed to think that this might be residual swelling and my stomach just becoming accustomed to this fill level. As long as I can still eat and drink, the HB is mild and I'm having not trouble eating or sleeping, and no night cough, I should be good. Yay! I'm so ready to just keep on trucking and heading toward my goal! Hope everyone has a great day!

I really need to learn to do these often. I am the Queen of Unrealistic Expectations. I'm a smart girl, so I know and understand that 1-2 lbs per weeks is the average and is considered by my doctor and the entire bariatric surgery community to be good weight loss, but that somehow does not stop me from being disappointed when I don't lose more. So what do I do? I need to give myself a reality check. While I was moping about "only" losing 1.6 lbs this week after entering my progress into MFP, my eye caught on the list at the bottom of the screen of previous losses. That told the tale of how I lost weight during the first few months after surgery, before I got frustrated at not finding the green zone and gave up on my band. Before I regained about half of what I lost. And what did I see there? I had lost 25 lbs in less than 3 months. That was FANTASTIC! Maybe if I had focused on that accomplishment instead of becoming impatient and whiney over what I wanted to lose, I wouldn't have cheated myself out of all those months of real progress. Lesson learned. From now on, when I start to get impatient and frustrated and to compare myself to others who seem to be losing soooooo much faster, I'm going to remember to give myself a reality check. I'm not running a race, I'm changing my life. It WILL happen, as long as I keep working. So that is exactly what I will do.

Well, I was able to get back on schedule this weekend, which was a help. Did well with my healthy meals, but I'm still averaging only around 1000 calories. I've decided that as long as I'm losing, I'm not going to obsess, but if I stall, I'll try upping the count. For now, I'm still doing well. My big discovery of the weekend is that this pesky green zone is even more elusive than I realized. I was very excited by my satiety this weekend lasting around 4 hours between meals, which is what I've been waiting for. I was all set to declare myself in the green zone, especially since I have had no trouble eating normal solids, no sticking, no PBs, nothing negative. Then it hit -- mild heartburn. Not all the time, but for the first time since I was banded, so I think that instead of another fill, I may need to call my doctor tomorrow and see if I can get a teeny-tiny unfill. Since they just added 0.25cc on Wednesday and my symptoms are very mild, I think that if they take out even 0.1cc I should be just fine and maybe even officially green. I'll update once I know. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Well, there is good news and bad news The good news is that if you're hungry just a couple of days after banding, that's a sign that you are healing well and your swelling is going down. It's pretty darned normal. The bad news is that there's not a whole lot you can do about it until your doctor lets you move on to mare satisfying foods. One suggestion is to consume more of what you're allowed and make sure you're getting plenty of Water. If you're sipping something constantly and not sitting around with an entirely empty stomach it can help. Since clear liquids are generally so low in calories (at least the ones on your approved food list will be), it doesn't hurt to have LOTS as long as you sip and don't gulp. The time between surgery and getting back to real food can be torture, but you can pull through with a little stubborn determination. I stayed on liquids for the first week and spent the second 4.5 days of that in misery from hunger. At my 1 week follow up, I asked if I could move onto purees (need to be lump free and still thin enough to take through a straw) and got the okay because I was completely pain free, no problems with gas, and healing very well, so as a last resort, you can beg for mercy from your surgeon, but NEVER make a decision to eat something off your list until after you've spoken to him or her. Good luck. I know you can do it.

This is the place to vent, and what you're feeling is totally normal. Remember that anesthesia messes with our minds as well as our bodies. Short term depression is very common after general anesthesia, so that may be contributing to you feeling down. As you already realize, this too shall pass. You are stronger than you think. Keep up with the Tylenol. Staying ahead of the discomfort will make the recovery time easier. Also, if you have swelling in your port site, try icing it to help bring that down. Alternate with heat if it is also sore. As you begin to increase your calories, your energy will start to return, and life will return to its new normal -- the normal of a healthier and happier you. Best of luck, and remember that this is THE place to whine. Not only will we listen, we'll understand exactly what you mean, because we've been there, too.

I had the same repair. My doctor told me beforehand that it might happen and estimated that he found hiatal hernias in (trying to remember the number) something like 75% of his bariatric patients. It's quite common, and if it's found during surgery and is not overly large, the surgeon will usually fix it while he's in there. Port site pain is also not uncommon. It is the largest incision and the muscle there has the added trauma of a new foreign body adhered to it. Mine didn't bother me enough to treat it, but experiment with heat and cold and see what works. Ice will help any swelling, heat will help relax the muscle. You can even alternate the two to see if that works best. Good luck, and welcome to banded life!

Whole wheat elbows this time, but in the past I've made it with any small pasta that has enough curves to hug the cheese. Occasionally I find a pasta that's like a slightly longer elbow that's been twisted to add an extra curve. Those are awesome, too.

Today, my housemate very sheepishly asked me for a favor. She asked if it would freak me out or upset me if I made a batch of Mac n' cheese. I am famous across several states for my baked Mac n' cheese. No soupy sauces, just a cheese-laden bowl of goodness so dense that you could cut it into squares to serve it and each square would hold its shape until attacked with a fork. Oh, how I love the stuff. My first reaction was to think that I couldn't do it, because I couldn't face the temptation of having such a yummy, calorie laden treat around the house and me not be able to eat it. Then I stopped and thought. Yes, I have a band now, which means I have to make better choices with food, but I will be making those choices for the rest of my life if I want to be successful. Can I really contemplate an eternity without ever eating Mac n'cheese? Would I even want to? So I came up with a plan, and I have to say, I'm pretty brilliant. I made my housemate my old fashioned Mac n'cheese the way I always do. No weighing, no measuring, just put the stuff in til it looks right, then stick it in the over and let the magic happen. But at the same time, I made a second, much smaller batch just for me. For MY batch, I used whole wheat pasta to eliminate the white flour and raise the fiber content. Then I weighed and measured the exact amount of cheese that would go into the bowl. I measured each additional ingredient carefully and programmed the whole thing into My Fitness Pal so that it would calculate exactly how many calories are in each serving. And you know what? It's not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Not only did it taste just as good as the orginial version, but my 1/4 cup serving had a good amount of protein between the pasta, cheese, egg and milk in the recipe. It also had an amount of calories that easily fit into my daily meal plan alongside a serving of lean meat. I found that 1/4 c just as satisfying as the bowl I would have eaten previously and it felt like a huge NSV to reshape the recipe and eat a healthy amount of a "normal" food. Go me! Now, that isn't to say that the lingering traces of the old me didn't think briefly about eating the entire batch in one sitting, but with my latest fill, I know that I honestly couldn't do it without getting sick. My band would stop me. Finally. But even more than that, I know I'll enjoy each small serving more knowing that I'm still living as a compliant bandster and that I'm still on track to meet my goals. So, I'll say it again: Go me!!!