A New New Dawn

Are you also taking vitamins every day? If not, you should add that stat. Good luck!

Congrats! Stay active with people that are supportive of you too (this site, close friends/family, etc) and I felt the support groups my hospital offered (no charge) were great too and helped educate me and hear real stories of what to expect.

It is hard, no doubt. I am 2 weeks post-op and just moving on to mushy/soft food. Are you allowed a snack during the day? I had a protein shake in a.m., snack of a hard boiled egg and 1 pc of light toast, protein shake for lunch, 1 graham cracker w/ very small amount of peanut butter, then grilled chicken/veggies for dinner. I did that for 2 weeks and lost 10 lbs. I found having the snack during the day (which was endorsed by my dietician) gave me something to look forward to. It gets easier as the days go by. Food still smells so good to me, but thankfully, my conscience and my tummy won't let me have what my mind would like to! It will get easier!!! Good luck!

There is bagged popcorn that is very good called skinny POP. I get it at Costco. It is 39 calories for a cup.

Congrats! I was banded on the same day as well and agree with you! I am so excited about the days ahead and this forum is really helping me cope and know that I am not alone in my struggles and gives me a lot of encouragement and great ideas. Best of luck to you!

It's natural to be nervous, but if you are committed to this it is a wonderful tool to aid in a healthier, happier lifestyle. It won't be a walk in the park but will help you in your Quest. It's great that you are taking control of your health and weight at a young age. So many people I talk to say they wish they would have done it sooner as they have such a better quality of life now. Also, remember that this is reversible if you truly had complications from it later in life. Make sure to reach out to others for support via this site or support groups as you can get a lot of encouragement and great ideas to stay on track. It is a huge change in your lifestyle but once you can get past the mental challenge it poses, the physical benefits are so worth while. Best of luck to you!

Good luck to you! It is great that you are chosing to do this now before you have kids, etc. Best of luck to you. I am 10 days post-op. There were some difficult days after surgery adjusting to full liquids, etc. but the surgery itself wasn't that bad. I have been able to still cook for my family and my daughter baked cupcakes last night. They sure smelled good but I know that I can't have and don't need them and have been able to stay focused on my goal. From the 2 week pre-op diet to now I have lost 23 lbs and that is a great motivator. You can do it!

Are you exercising at all too? Also, the soup you are eating is it high sodium to where you may be retaining water? Lastly, I have heard many say to take measurements, sometimes what isn't reflected on the scale shows up in inches. Good luck.

The pain in your shoulder is actually a "referred" pain caused by your diaphram being irritated. I have seen several people say walking and/or gasx seemed to help. I was having this issue last night and kept walking it out and (gross-sorry) trying to expel any gassiness I could. When I woke up this morning it was much better. Good luck.

After your first fill do you notice a difference?

My surgeon has been doing the procedure for years and told me he has never had any problems with the surgeries. It was much easier than when I had an appendectomy. You will do fine!

Another thing... if you are on any medications, you may want to either get a pill cutter or talk to your doctor if it is a larger pill to see if there is a smaller size alternative. I am on BP meds and the pill is fairly large. I cut it into 4's.

The first couple days of the "fast" for me were difficult. However, I came to the mindset that I had to do it so it made it less of a "choice" in my mind. I do not like protein drinks but my nutritionist recommended the Carnation Instant Breakfast (NO sugar added - comes in a blue pkg), mixed with 2 1/2 T dry non-fat milk powder (extra protein) and 1 c. skim milk. I added ice as I prefer it really cold and it was pretty good. Once I saw the pounds going down it helped motivate me too! Good luck! Be prepared too for doing this post-surgery.

*Sorry, I should have clarified, I am one week POST-op. I had it done on 7/25. Good luck to you!

Definitely, I agree with your last post and others above. I believe there are (similar to protein drinks), drinks at GNC or similar places (Amazon) that are meant to add weight in a healthy way and one that won't be as tempting to you. You don't want him putting weight in an unhealthy, high cholesterol, etc. way. Guessing, he should be getting exercise too to help rebuild his strength so maybe encourage each other to walk and exercise together. It will be good physically and emotionally. Good luck!

In a support group I attended, many people recommended preparing foods to have in the freezer so you have options ready to eat. They felt they weren't up to doing a lot of cooking/preparation after surgery so when it came to the pureed stage or mush, they had things already prepared. One suggestion was to freeze individual servings in an ice cube tray for easy access and appropriate portions. I am a week out and one thing that I wished I would have done for my liquid phase (that I am still in until next week) is made some regular soups and saved the broth for this phase. Drinking plain chicken or beef broth is boring after 1 or 2x. I wish I would have had broth from some of my regular soups I make to have (minestrone broth, etc.) to add some variety and flavor.

They do not turn you down for losing weight. I asked about that too. They are actually hoping you will lose some on your own to show you are serious and can follow a regimen.

I wouldn't be too concerned unless you have had stomach issues. I think the bacteria is related to causing ulcers so I think you would have discomfort or stomach issues already. Good luck!

Were you drinking caffeine before and cut that out of your diet? That will definitely cause a headache and feeling bad. Good luck! The pre-op diet was hard but when I started seeing results in the scale it made it more bearable. Hang in there!

Wow, I guess every place is different. I was told no and only allowed actual liquids. Good luck.

Also, silly as it may seem, if you pour tap water straight from the faucet or the water dispenser, there is a lot of air (bubbles) in it. I keep a jug in the refrigerator so it can aerate for a while prior to drinking. After re-reading your post, jello is too much of a solid to get down right away. I think most surgeons want only actual liquids.

I definitely wouldn't do the grapes either, even one well-chewed. For me, it is only liquids for 2 weeks. I'm not sure but part of your grape may still be stuck too. The other thing is is the grape irritated your stomach it can cause further inflamation. Definitely small sips over periods of time. I didn't really understand it until I was having awful feelings in my chest as I was inclined to take my <almost> normal size sips. After taking small sips for a couple days, it ceased immediately. Good luck.

Good luck to you! I am 8 days post-op. Days 3-4 were really hard for me but they passed and I am doing much better. Keep your mind occupied and you will do great!

Are you strictly on liquids for those two weeks? My surgeon put me on 2 liquid meals per day and then dinner with 2-3 ou. of Protein and veggies. Even doing that I lost 10 lbs. in the 2 weeks. I agree with the first post too, keep yourself busy and occupied. Distracting yourself helps and when you start to see results in the scale that is a great motivator too! I was sooo excited to weigh myself and see pounds coming off so it helped tremendously. I am now 1 week post-op and on full liquids and am struggling with that too. I am happy to be going back to work today so I can have more distractions from not eating. Taking it one day at a time and each day realizing you are one day closer to your surgery and your "new life" will help. Best of luck!

I would wonder if your metabolism has slowed to where your body has gone into "starvation mode" from eating too few calories. Are you eating a small meal/snack every few hours to keep it going? Hang in there. I can imagine how discouraging that could feel. Also, since you are working out a lot (and presumably building muscle) are you noticing any difference in your measurements? Sometimes the weight loss shows up that way instead of pounds.