daisychains7

Congrats on your surgery! It's cliche but take it 1 day, 1 meal, and 1 lb at a time. Your health comes first now.

I second what Jen said. I had no desire for food the 2 or 3 weeks after surgery. Then the hunger hit, and it hit with a vengeance! That's what happens when the swelling goes down. At that point, you are just going to have to make smart food choices and stick to the small portions. Allow yourself 3 meals (no more than 1 cup each) and 1 small protein rich snack a day if your hunger is really bad. Definitely pack yourself a snack for work or wherever you go, cuz it drove me crazy how those first couple months i couldnt go out for more than 2 hours without DESPERATELY needing to eat! I found that drinking skim milk, water, and hot tea in between meals help control that hunger. Hang in there!! It will be way better after you get fills.

I wear Asics Gel Foundation 10, and Asics GT 2160. They both have a lot of support (the second one more so) and come up to a size 12 or 13, and WW.

That's awesome!! You probably feel 100x better now

Lose_it - I'm glad to know someone else knows how I feel. The hospital where I had my surgery also has a support group, twice a month. I should probably go too. Breakfast - 6oz Greek yogurt lunch - 4oz pork shoulder, 2oz steamed sweet potato snack - 8oz skim milk dinner - 1 rotisserie chicken leg (no skin), 3oz Greek yogurt, 2oz mashed potato Snack - 1 mandarin orange sugar free fruit cup Exercise - 45 min elliptical, 20 min bike

Don't be embarrassed. Many of us have been through this. It sounds almost exactly like my experience. The first week after surgery my stools were watery and frequent. Then a couple weeks later I had pressure on my rectum so bad it hurt to sit... This lasted for days. I'd try to push it out.. Eventually got to the point I almost blacked out from the pain. Went to the ER and they said it was impacted stools. They gave me a few enemas, suppositories, rectal exam and X-ray. OUCH. The nurse had to manually break up the stool because it was so deep inside me. They sent me home and told me to take colace and miralax if I don't go #2 every 2 days. So.. I highly recommend you go to the doctor if it doesn't improve in a day or two. It's not pretty but they are professionals and can help get things moving. The watery stuff is the effects of stool softener. Stool softener can not break up the already impacted stool, only the new stuff. So pushing it out is going to be painful, but after that, if you keep up on colace and Fiber rich foods, you'll be totally fine Oh and Water intake is key!!!!

Debbie, that so exciting about your diet returning to normal tomorrow! Yay! You will be getting fills in no time, and 37 lbs without one is amazing. Did getting your esophagus stretched hurt? Sounds painful to me. I am very sorry about your mother in laws declining health. I pray she is in a good place emotionally and is not in much pain. Breakfast - 6oz yogurt lunch - 1/2 tuna sandwich on wheat bread, about 8 grapes dinner - 3oz crockpot pork shoulder, 3oz sweet potato snack - went to baby shower, had 4oz fruit punch and 1/2 piece of cake Exercise - 1 hour of walking around the lake (about 3 miles) I gotta admit I have been struggling emotionally the past few days. I am dealing with low self esteem due to being the fat girl for so long... It's so hard to see myself any differently :/ I also feel guilty whenever I eat food I really enjoy.. Or treat myself.. I keep wanting to push my daily calorie count lower and lower. I know it's unreasonable.

Some of us were just banded and others are about to be... Post some of the things you are most looking forward to doing after you lose weight! This may help us get to know each other, stay motivated on tough days or erase doubts. Don't be shy and feel free to keep adding to your list. Here are my goals: Being healthy Avoiding diabetes Being able to ride a roller coaster Horseback riding Taking my dog for a walk every day Wearing a swimsuit in public without hiding Having more energy Wearing a one shoulder dress No back pain Run a 5k Waterskiing Sitting comfortably in an airline seat Not getting winded walking up stairs Being able to shop at a regular store Riding a bike Wearing shorts Being seen for who I am, not my size Crossing my legs Surfing Parasailing Shopping at Victorias Secret Keeping up at an exercise class No more WW shoes White Water rafting Taking a jazz dance and hip hop class My thighs not rubbing together in skirts Waterpark To be continued...

Breakfast - 4oz kashi go lean cereal, 3oz skim milk lunch - 3oz chicken, 2oz green Beans dinner - Arnold's sandwich thin with Peanut Butter (I didn't feel like cooking tonight) snack - 6oz yogurt I am going to a baby shower tomorrow and I know that will mean food, food, more food, and cake. I am planning to bring a fruit or veggie tray to the party. I will just eat a cup or less of food, and allow myself a piece of dessert. BUT I need to make sure I exercise tomorrow first. I feel very guilty indulging (which I rarely do anyway) if I haven't worked out that day.

Are you exercising? That can help off set a less than perfect food choice. Also - probably not a good idea to have leftover cake in your house. I know I couldn't have junk food in my house and have the willpower to resist it. Treat yourself, enjoy it, and move on! Tomorrow is a new start.

Since you haven't had any fills yet, you have no restriction. With no restriction it's normal to be hungry all the time and be able to eat almost anything. At this point you are going to have to "diet" on your own and stick to the 1 cup meals, even if you want more. Also, you mention you've been eating a lot of potato. That's fine, but your meals should be mostly Protein. That's what keeps you full for the longest.

How is everyone doing with their NSVs? Any positive experiences to share? I'd love to hear them! I can now check these off of my list: Being able to ride a roller coaster... I did this on July 8 and it felt amazing. Having more energy... I have a lot more stamina than I used to, more than some of my thinner friends. lol Being able to shop at a regular store... I am an XL in tops (L in stores that fit bigger), and am able to get into XL pants. Bought size 16 jeans at target. Crossing my legs Shopping at Victorias Secret... I had always wanted to buy a VS PINK sweatsuit. I know its silly but this week I tried on a hoodie and sweatpants in the largest size... it fit. I did a happy dance in the fitting room!! I decided not to buy it, but it felt good. I look forward to accomplishing my other goals. I still have a lot of weight left to lose but am happy with the little progress.

Good for you for making it through the party. Before the surgery I used to hit the buffet at parties at LEAST twice and have a piece of each dessert! Lol Ah yes, I have accomplished a few of them now. I will post in there tonight! Breakfast -6oz mango yogurt lunch - 1/3 panera turkey sandwich with wheat bread dinner - 2/3 of meatloaf and mashed potato lean cuisine, 2oz diced peaches snack - ok originally made a smoothie, it was so gross I threw it out. So 6oz yogurt with 2 tsp granola Exercise - walked outside at the zoo for 2 hours. I am pooped.

I drink good old skim milk (Lactaid free cuz I'm lactose intolerant)!

I feel your pain. I had a stuck episode last night and it lasted almost 24 hours. For some reason when I get stuck, the discomfort lingers for a LONG time. I feel 75% better now so I can't really complain. Hope all the May Bandsters are continuing to plug away.

Everything you're experiencing sounds totally normal! That yucky feeling will be gone in a week or so. Remember pain meds are your friend. And congrats on starting the journey.

I know it's not what you want to hear, but honestly you shouldn't expect to lose any weight at all the first 6 weeks. That is what my surgeon told me. Many of us actually GAINED weight during the first month or two. You're still healing, so a 9lb loss is nothing to sniff at! I recommend not weighing yourself at all for the first month.

Thanks Teara! Breakfast - 6oz yogurt lunch - 3/4 Arnold's sandwich thin, crunchy Peanut Butter, 1/3 banana dinner - 4oz chili with cheese, 3 saltines, 2 strawberries snack - 6oz yogurt... I'm about to have it now actually. Not very hungry but I've only had 40g of Protein today and I'm supposed to get about 70g :/ Exercise - 20 min cardio Didn't feel great today since I'd been "stuck" since late last night. Finally feel better. Sure. Which thread? Im not sure which one?

I can't lie. It is painful. However, it was completely worth it and I'd do it all over again!

I'm 23, and was banded in May at age 22. No need to be embarrassed. We have all been there.

YES. I still can't believe that I've lost as much weight as I have. I still have that voice of doubt in my head sometimes that tells me I can't succeed at this. But what I've learned from successful Bandsters here is to Celebrate the little things. Success isn't just reaching your ultimate goal weight. It's getting to the gym on a day you don't want to, tracking your food, fitting a little better into your clothes, 1 lb, and 1 day at a time. Try to set realistic, small goals and you can't fail. Sorry if that was a bit of a tangent, ha.

I looove spicy food. Sriracha is my ketchup! Unfortunately spicy food gave me painful heartburn the first couple months post op so I avoided it. Slowly am starting to eat spice again (hot chili, pad Thai, etc) with no more issues. I only have 1cc in my band, however my doctor says I'm in the green zone. I can tolerate pretty much anything, I just find certain foods easier to chew than others (salad, and thick beef are not the easiest for me).

Welcome Daddyof4. Lisa, it sounds like you are on track actually. The fact that you're not experiencing stuck episodes, sliming, and PBing is a GOOD THING! I have only been stuck a couple times and have not vomited once since the surgery. My doctor says I am in the green zone... yet I can eat pretty much anything as long as I go slow and chew. How awesome is that?! I dread a plateau too but many have had success by stepping up their exercise. The fact that you are losing slowly means its something you can maintain and you may not have loose skin or hair loss. We are all here to support one another, so feel free to come in here any time and vent!

Thanks Lose_it!! You ladies are doing great. Keep it up. I weighed myself today and I am down 91 lbs now (41 of that is post surgery)... I am pretty excited to hit the 100lb mark but also trying to be patient with myself. Trying to decide what I will do to treat myself when that happens. Breakfast - 6oz greek yogurt lunch - 3/4 boca burger, 1 tbsp ketchup, 3/4 arnolds sandwich thin, 1 baby carrot with hummus, 2 strawberry snack - 8oz milk, tea dinner - 3oz skinless chicken thigh, 3oz green Beans Snack - 8oz milk no exercise today

I'm 23 and haven't had any alcohol in about 4 months (my surgery was almost 3 months ago). I was never a big drinker to begin with, but I did recently ask my doctor about it at my last fill appointment. She suggests no alcohol for the first year post op, but that one drink on special occasions is fine. Keep in mind alcohol does effect most of us more/quicker once we have the band, and it is empty calories. Like everything else, it's okay in moderation as long as we plan for it.