judych

did you have the shake in the drs rooms? i know that we are to drink water in the rooms before we leave... i thought i would like to take a shake and try that as well?/ then i will know that i can have soups and shakes for starters.

im 5ft 5 1/2 ins.im now 202 pounds and want to get down to 160 pounds. ive lost about 18 pounds already. you arent as tall as me. i could go lower if i wanted to though, my perfect weight is lower than 160. we just decided that 160 is probably more realistic for me because of my age. it will depend on my general health how low i go i think. I hear you when you say you would love to be a size 9/10 again. how about you set some small goals and when youve reached them you can make the next goal. that way its not quite so daunting. i reckon i will have to do that.

thats interesting. i didnt know that. i dont think mine have changed in seven years... nearly 70 now.. lol. another four years to go. it could be either but i know that mine changed after surgery and it was only temporary.

yes i did. everything tasted very salty to me. dont worry about it... it will pass soon enough. The taste buds get a rude shock for some reason.. lol. I think i had the salty taste and yuk for about two weeks. you may not have it that long. Yes, it is fairly normal.

fantastic effort. what was your BMI? when you had surgery?

poultry can be eaten if its chewed properly and very small bites. i think there are the biggest lessons we have to learn. in fact we have to relearn, and its not easy.i know that i used to woof my food down... big bites, chew five times and swallow... and nine times out of ten i would be up and down from my chair to see to others so i never paid any attention to the way i was eating, i just wanted to keep the meal moving. all those years and bad habits, and now im relearning. SMALL bites, on a teaspoon... CHEW at least thirty to fifty times if its chicken. i know it sounds a lot but i find that with meat the more you chew the more you can eat it without being stuck. .. then WAIT... count for at least 20 - 30 seconds before putting another bite in your mouth. i find that meat is slower going down the esophagus, so i wait longer. softer foods dont take more than 20 seconds. i can feel the esophagus moving the food down now. i know when its in the pouch. you should be able to feel it as well. Being sensitive to that will save you from a lot of stuck episodes.

..i know its hard but if you cut your food up to bite sized portions and then put the knife and fork away, and use a teaspoon, you will far greater control over your bites. ive had to learn that the hard way

..well, ive thought this through as well. ive been stuck more than once. its got more to do with the easophagus and a small pouch than a fill in the band. the band is on the bottom end of the pouch, which separates the pouch now from the bigger stomach portion. I think its all to do with how big a mouthful, and how long you chew, also how long do you wait in between mouthfuls, more than any fill. It takes two good perastaltic spasms to move each mouthful(teaspoonful) down through the aesophagus into the pouch.(that takes up to 25 sceonds, and if you tune in to it you can feel it passing the food down) Because the pouch is so small and the food cant pass through so quickly into the larger stomach portion, it backs up. Especially if you eat too large a mouthful , dont chew enough, and dont wait for the aesophagus to clear the bolus of food into the pouch. Ive been eating more, but not having stuck problems because im learning now to CHEW, CHEW CHEW and WAIT. i think this is the secret with it all. I have my first fill on wednesday. i dont have any fill in my band yet.

are you talking about ''top shelf?""

iim sure you will do fine. you will be much more in control in your own home than being away, thats for sure. as you say, you can plead not feeling well.

...spelling error... that should read PORK...... sorry.

lol... take heaps more chewing time !! its the only answer. we wouldnt get stuck if we ate according to the guidelines that we know. Im finding now that i can eat a wider variety of food... for example, treat myself with the crackling from home cooked port.... i can actually eat that !! never thought i could. but, i chew at least fifty times.small mouthfuls. it goes down without a whimper. (dont worry.. lol... its not a daily practise to eat it. ) so... its taking time to chew.. chew... chew.! i would say that everyone here who has had bad experiences of being ''stuck'' would have to admit that they didnt take the time to chew enough, or wait enough ime in between bites either. ( i have come to recognise that there are two spasms in the aesophagus.... those two motions are what push the mouthful of food down into the pouch... i wait while i feel that going on... counting every time.) Usually i count about 30 -50 between bites. im sure you can get around it easily. Just dont forget that band that you have inside you when out eating socially. lol.

i really do like SLM. ive had other brands but prefer SLM so far. one thing ive noticed, it keeps well in the fridge once its been mixed. ive noticed that other powders will thicken and settle on the bottom of the container. I buy SLM vanilla and chocolate and use plenty of Greek yoghurt with it as well.

thats just marvellous.. way to go.

it might be better to just crush it up.. that takes care of mine well. i dont taste it in the protein drink.

mine went well, just overnight. im coming up for a fill next wednesday. thats my first. ive had issues with bad eating habits... too quick, all that sort of thing. . its caused me a lot of pain and upset. im learning but slow. having red wine has been difficult for me as well.. ive had to take a stand just yesterday about it.i had no counselling at all... no lead up diet to prepare myself.. i know what you mean. i think there should be both. i hope it all works out well for you... i know i wouldnt change my mind, it was just a shock, and like i said, ive had issues that ive had come back in, or try to. Im over that now though. i hope i am anyways. ive lost quite a bit of weight ... nearly 1 1/2 stone... about 18 pounds. thats helped me tremendously. How are you back at work now?? are you finding it easy to have the right food while at work?? is the cold weather spiking your appetite like it is mine? when do you have your first fill?? judy

well.. it sounds like good advice... thanks for sharing it. what meds was it? i have to take olmetec... thats not small. im wondering how i will go after my first fill. when i first came home i was crushing my pills up and putting them in my protein drink.

im really pleased that you got over that nasty hump so quickly. i hope that you dont have any more issues. not like me, the toads have been ''popping out of their holes all week'.. lol.

thanks. i will remember this one. would it work as well with stuck food?? or not??

i know what you mean. this last weekend ive had my sister staying. WE had red wine,(and great food, but not much food for me) just like we used to... and i loved having it. so, after she went, i kept having one or two glasses of an evening. Last night it pulled me up with a severe jolt. what on earth was i thinking?? i cant go back !! ive subjected my stomach to radical life changing surgery... and for what if i continue with red wine every night??.. so, in bed, i determined... NO MORE !! i was grieving for the old lifestyle myself... its obvious when i look back. it did catch me by surprise because im post op now nearly 7 weeks. Anyway.... now i recognise what it is thats going on in me... i know i can fight it. i had no idea how much that food and wine was a part of me at the deepest level of my emotions and pyche. awful . time to have a thorough cleanse , inside and out.

it hasnt got a strong flavour of its own but it takes on the flavour of whatever is cooked with it. i like it. i like the texture as well.

goodness me.. .thats scary. you mean to tell me that you go through that agony 4-5 times a week?/ is your band too tight??

i havent coped all that well really. im having problems letting go. i have a fill on the 7th. i will talk with the dr about it all then.

yep.. your sub conscious telling you that its time. you are doing the right thing. hugs for you. judy

..and it sounds like torture to me as well. i reckon this is the b est idea. Just cook for the others basically what you are allowed to have. mostly ive done this and its not been too bad. its the speed my family wolf their food down with that worries me more.