daisychains7

Tammy, I'm going to try that laughing cow cheese. A trip to the grocery store is in order. May also do saucy pulled pork in my crockpot next week and see how that goes. I'm pretty bored of ground turkey and fish. So glad I'm not the only one. I intended to workout today but just feel wiped. Monday is a fresh start and new routine!

Before i got this surgery I made a long list of things I want to do after I lose the weight. For example, I want to be able to shop at regular stores, try parasailing and surfing, take a dance class, fit comfortably in an airline seat, walk into a room and feel sexy, ride roller coasters and buy lingerie at Victorias Secret. I want to be healthy. I want to get rid of this back pain and avoid the diabetes that plagues the obese members of my family. I want to be the star of my life instead of sitting in the background. I refuse to waste another year of my 20's missing out on things because of my size. I've only been banded near three weeks now but I believe the ups and downs will be worth it.

When I knew I was getting banded I started a consistent routine, 5 days a week and joined a gym. I was doing Zumba and dance classes. Since I started the liquid diet I had no energy.. Two weeks post op I feel so out of the swing of things. Getting back on track today! The band isn't going to do the work for me

I love this thread! I had a really great routine before surgery so my plan is to resume that. Just wish my energy was what it was before surgery 2 days a week I meet with a personal trainer for 1 hour. I do elliptical and weights with her. The other 3 days, I will exercise for at least 30 minutes. I have an elliptical at home, so it will either be that, wii fit (I LOVE my MJ experience dance game), walk or workout DVD. I used to go to Zumba every Monday night so my goal is to resume some type of exercise class in June.

Are you not eating because you can't get/keep food down, or because you dont feel hungry? I'm worried.... You have to eat something! It may help to go back to easy foods like yogurt and have 1/4 cup at a time. Welcome! Hey Debbie. Sounds like you did well today! I've been off painkillers for a week now. I think part of it is not being active for a few weeks. Got to build my stamina again. I also have dealt w/ depression in the past which effects my energy level. Ok just checking in, here was my day: Breakfast - 1/2cup yogurt, 1/4 cup berries snack - 8oz skim milk lunch - 1/4 cup mango, 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup ground beef (don't recommend this... No matter how much sauce I put on the beef it was still hard to chew down) Snack - tea with skim milk dinner - 1/2 cup tilapia, 1/4 cup steamed carrots, and few noodles of macaroni Snack - 8oz skim milk Went on a 15 minute walk with my dog today. I know that's not much but it felt SO good to move and get fresh air. Tomorrow I will go to the gym.

It sounds like you are doing great! I am glad I'm not the only one going through this. I got a little discouraged this week when I saw I had gained nearly 8lbs in the space of a few days - despite following the guidelines for soft foods. Have not cheated once so I was shocked. We have to remember this is a marathon, not a sprint. The first 4-6 weeks are for healing, and then the real loss begins Plus, once we are healed up and able to exercise more, that'll help.

I'm right there with you. Banded on 5/8, lost about 12 lbs in two weeks. Then I weighed myself a few days ago after switching to soft foods and I had GAINED 7.5 lbs. I know I've been following the rules, so I can't beat myself up about it. Focus on eating the right foods and step away from the scale for a few weeks.

Very true. I think I need to go to the grocery store to find more soft foods. I need more variety than ground meat, canned fruit and yogurt. Anyone have suggestions? Also I discovered today that ground beef isn't a great choice for me. I didn't get stuck, but even with a ton of sauce it's still pretty tough to chew down. Fish, turkey and chicken go down easier. I really don't enjoy eating the way I used to... chewing something into mush isn't very tasty. lol.

LOL! Get it girl!

Hey Beth! Congrats on starting your journey I'm 22 and was recently banded. There have already been ups and downs but I can't wait for the new me. Lots of support here!

18 days post op now. My pain is pretty much all gone but I'm scared to sleep completely on my side. lol. I feel like I need to start working on my exercise now. Before surgery I was working out 40 minutes 5 days a week. I was doing elliptical and zumba class. Now it's like I have very little stamina or endurance. Walking a few blocks makes me tired. I went for a 15 minute walk with my dog today. Is this normal, or do I need to push it more?

LOL!! That's hilarious!

You're not crazy... just prepared! Not a bad thing. I'd also suggest giving up carbonated beverages, and start doing some light exercise if you are able. Sounds like you are right on track so just keep doing what you're doing. Wish you the best on your journey.

Interesting question. Curious to see how everyone's fullness feels. When I was on liquids, I knew I was full when I felt bloated. I would also get pain on my left side. Now that I'm eating food, it feels different. Feels like my chest is full. I can kind of feel the food sitting in there, and I know if I keep eating it will "overflow". I also may burp a couple times. I have only been "stuck" once so far. That was a painful, deep pressure like a rock stuck in my chest. I am sticking to measuring my food for now, never going above 1 cup total. I have never been good at listening to my body... in the past I would eat when I wasn't even hungry, and would continue eating even after I was full. This is so new to me, that i hope it becomes more obvious after I get fills.

How did you prepare the chicken? Maybe with some marinade or sauce on it it will go down better? I have only had issues with refried Beans so far, but it was pretty unpleasant. A lot of moving and a glass of pineapple juice to break it up were the only things that helped! Here was my day: Breakfast - 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup banana snack - 8oz milk Lunch - 1/4 cup kiwi, 1/4 cup cheesy broccolli, 1/2 cup shredded chicken dinner - 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup shredded chicken Snack - 8oz tea with skim milk I will probably have another 8oz milk before bed. Didn't do any exercise but I need to step it up this weekend. I am going to try ground beef with taco seasoning, or maybe shredded pork in the crockpot. I am getting pretty tired of eating the same foods all the time. Do you guys think baby bell light cheese (in tiny pieces) counts as a soft food? I am lactose intolerant so have never tried that cheese before.

Its amazing how every day I am learning what works for me. I am supposed to get 70g of protein in a day, and I refuse to drink those nasty protein shakes anymore, so that means I am having 1 or 2 protein rich snacks a day (yogurt, milk, a little meat). I've also noticed I need to stay AHEAD of my hunger (which without restriction is every 3 hours at most) otherwise I feel very weak. When I am out and about I bring a lunchbag with snacks. I have moments where I feel really depressed and overwhelmed with this whole thing, but I noticed when I'm not hungry, my mood is a bit more stable. I just want to heal and be on regular foods. I want to be able to eat a salad or what everyone else is eating, just less of it. Patience is hard! Congrats to all recently banded Hey Deb! I wondered what had happened to you. I'm sorry to hear your surgery was postponed. I know how anxious you are to have this done. Try not to get down on yourself... this is a blessing because you don't want to put yourself at risk by having a BMI higher than your surgeon says is safe. You are in my prayers as well and I am excited for you to have your surgery done in no time

Oops, sorry double posted.

@lappyloo I'm sorry it wasn't a great experience. The only thing that works is walking and waiting it out unfortunately. In a day or two things will be so much better. @kiwijo Try pineapple juice. Worked like a charm for me! Some say papaya enzymes work as well. @mrs.Popeye Im going through the same thing. My appetite is actually worse now than it was before I had the band. Argh.

Yummy! My first non liquid meal was lemon Chobani yogurt. Never tasted so good! It's crazy how a portion that seemed so tiny before surgery now seems like A LOT of food! Eating 1 cup of food takes me 45 minutes and I feel stuffed. I am not on mushies anymore.. if mushies are the same as pureed food? I am on soft foods. Lots of ground meats, tilapia, and canned fruit.

Me too. Keep me posted! I am really hoping my first fill next month helps a little bit. My hunger wasnt even this band BEFORE the band. Just trying to be patient.

This is reassuring. I'm about two weeks and the hunger is really kicking in. I never feel full for more than a couple hours, so I can't wait to feel restriction eventually.

Thank you Lose_it. I needed to hear that. Here is what I ate today: Breakfast - 1/2 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup raspberries and strawberries snack - 8oz skim milk lunch - 1/2 cup chili, 1/4 cup diced peaches Snack - 1/2 cup yogurt dinner - 1/2 cup tilapia with salsa, 1/2 cup mandarin orange Snack - 8oz skim milk Exercise : 20 mins walking on the treadmill. I think I need to work on adding variety to my meals and having more veggies as opposed to fruits.Also, in order to curb my hunger and get in those 70g of Protein a day, I need to have something between every meal. This is such a learning process but every day I learn more what works for me. Hope you ladies had a good day

I don't think it would hurt it, but it's a slippery slope. I knew myself that if I cheated on the pre op liquids with something tiny, I would be 100x more tempted to cheat in a big way later.