4sweeties

Yes I did. I was on a 2 week liquid pre op diet (not personalized for me my dr puts all patients on a 2 week pre diet) I followed it very well. However, 3 days before surgery I went off it, by having the healthiest food I could find at a pre-Christmas party. I enjoyed every bite (and it wasn't many bites). Next meal, i was back to my liquid diet. I do not beat myself up about it. I was happy I made healthy choices the one time I went off course. It did not mean I would be a lap band failure or a cheater post op. I lost 13 pounds on pre op and my liver was healthy for surgery. My first 2 weeks post op were right through Christmas and New Years and I did not have the urge to cheat once. I am now on solids and followed the doctors post op diet to a t. I feel successful. I am not saying go out and cheat. (And if you strayed a lot tell your doctor so they are informed and know what's best for you) What I am saying forgive yourself and go back to the diet if you do. The pre op diet does not predict your post op diet success, but it does shrink your liver, get you used to eating less, drinking protein shakes and it sheds pounds. Good luck!

Next time say, "Why do you say that". Not in a mean way, but just to get them to expand and inform. Then listen carefully to their response. If it's not a dr and you say that, it might put it back on the person who said it and help them reflect and justify their answer. It may help people realize it's not their place to say that. And a dr should follow up his or her words with a good explanation if you ask that question.

I am only about 1 month post op. I am on soft foods. On the list is tuna with mayo, no celery. I don't like mayo so I had it plain thinking that was ok. I had bad chest pain and burped. This pain lasted 10 mins. I thought it was from eating too fast, even though I didn't feel like I was eating too fast. A few days later, same thing. This time I blamed it on too big of bites, even though tuna crumbles apart and I did chew, chew,c hew. Today I tried it again. (I did not make the tuna connection until today as I thought I ws eating too fast first time and too big of bites the third time). This time I said to myself tuna must not agree with me, and then I remembered the chart says mayo and maybe it's too dry without anything like dressing or mayo. I dry heaved and slimed. Then my stomach muscles felt crampy. At dinner, I was eating a sweet potato and the pain was so bad. Maybe I didn't heal from this afternoon. I slimed in the sink for what felt like forever, Now my stomach muscles hurt like they do after throwing up. Why am I getting stuck with no fill? Did I hurt my stomach, my band or my plication? I go to the dr tmmrw and now I don't think I will get the ok for solid foods. Please help me with my misconceptions. Is tuna without anything bad? Can you get stuck without a fill? Could I be physically hurt around my band? I will tell the doctor tomorrow but please help me too!

Long Island...was banded in Dec

I'm one month post op this week. How is everyone doing?

The slime was like a really long string of jelly fish coming out of my mouth. Thick and clear. Not much food in it, mostly clear. At least that's how it was for me.

I love WII just dance and cheer (lol more than my daughter loves it). I get tired from it and it feels like a work out. Thanks for your post, it's a reminder, on days I don't go to the gym or outside for exercise, wii is there. I think it's a good starting point for exercising.

...I love laughing cow cheese and the skim ricotta, scared of tuna fish for the moment but def will try that in the future. Thank you! And thanks for saying to do liquids, even though I just got the ok that I can go to solids, I still don't feel right inside and I think a day of liquids before I move on won't hurt.

Went to dr today (well the PA I guess that's who I see instead of surgeon) for my month follow up, and told her what happened. She said she often suggests people try food more than one time before they give up on it, so nothing wrong with me trying it 3 times. She said everyone is different like some can't tolerate asparagus, others can have it daily. She said tuna fish straight from bag/can is more like a dry meat which tends to be more difficult. She said my sore port pain area is ok because for up to 6 weeks it can be sore (but I was worried because it was feeling beter until the stuck episodes- I still hope she's right:) Good news: I lost 6 more pounds since my last follow up and even though I got stuck, I can move on to solids!!!! Wow, 6 weeks of liquids to mushies, and now I feel like I'm on a new phase of my journey. I'm excited and nervous at the same time:)

I lost 13 pre op. Was banded 12/19. I lost 8 more the week after surgery, then nothing the 2nd week. It's been about a week and a half since then. It's hard to say bc at dr I had clothes on but I'm guessing another 4-5 based on my scale. Tomorrow I go back to dr, and will find out oficaly. Then onto solids!!!! So only 12 pounds for me ([pst op) unless you count 2 weeks pre op then it's about 25.

I weigh myself everytime I use the upstairs bathroom that has my scale. I don't get upset with the different weights, I look for a range. I love to see the numbers so much lower than they were pre op. When this novelity wears off, I'll hop on the scale less. But for now it makes me smile.

Can you eat cheese on your mushy phase? ASk for cheese and crackers or just bring it yourself. Most people like that and you can stick to soft cheese. Drink your 64 oz of water b4 the party, have a mushy meal right b4 you go. I am less hungry on days I get all my water in and that plus a meal, you won't be as tempted if you aren't hungry. Do your friends know about your surgery? If yes, then say please no cupcakes. If there are cupcakes etc. there, tell yourself if I eat junk I might feel sick and I don't want to be sick tonight.

Just to clarify,,.I mean after my commute home I bring in my unfinished Water bottles and drink from them. They are various sizes but it's fine bc in the morning I measured out 8 cuos with my measuring cup and filled up the bottles with that. not anything I do...another thing I do...that was a typo...on days I don't have time to pre measure my water, I do the starbucks venti trick.

I use a measuring cup and poor Water from my frig it into my waterbottle. I pack enough water for the day and if I'm not done by my home commute I finish at home. Crystal lite helps when I get sick of water. Anything I do is when I gt my morning coffe from starbucks, smallest size now with non fat milk, I ask for a large (venti cup) of water. That holds 24 oz and fits in my cup holder. I refill it 2 more times and I'm good. It doesn't seem overwhelming that way. I try to have my water by me all day and I continuously take small sips. I stop 10 mins before I eat. Then I set my alarm on my phone for one hour. When I hear the alarm, I start sipping again. I think the phone alarm really helps.

My husband travels a lot and it's hard bc you can't really wrap it up and bring it back to the hotel. I mean maybe you could, but your next meal will probably be out with co workers as well and there's not always space to store it. I think for that reason you need to get into the mindset it is ok to waste food, you don't need a clean plate and a child is not going to starve because you didn't finish your food. For me, I had to get out of my head it was a waste of money. (otherwise my husband and kids would gain weight b/c at first I wasn't hungry to finish the own but I didn't want to waste it so I pushed it on my family dining with me, when they had their own meals- luckily they had no problem saying no to my food and it didn't phase them if my left overs got wasted). Then I accepted it is ok not to finish food when a restaurant serves so much. (If in a situation I can wrap it up and take it off that's a different story). If the group orders an appetizer and you take one piece and just eat a bite of it, they won't really notice and might be happy more for them. Order a healthy dinner and eat a small amount. If anyone says anything (which they prob won't) it's ok to say you are watching what you eat, you want to be healthy for your next physical. (no need to mention lapband unless you want to. I just tell people I'm trying to lose weight if they comment) My drs office is offereing a class where the surgeon and nut, go out to a restaurant with lapband patients and show us how to eat wisely in a restaurant. After I go, I might have more tips for you.

I agree and I am losing. But part of me thinks, why can't I lose quicker or stray more, considering I am eating so much healthier and less than in the past.

You are so pretty!!!! I also love your new clothes.

I had both and no stomach cutting. They folded my stomach in, and used stiches to keep it folded in. I can't compare recovery to that of just lapband since I never experienced lapband without plication, but it seemed very similar to lapband only recoveries. Good luck!!!!

How high does your scale go? My cale went to 300 (I was high 2's) and my scale weight flucuated so much it was annoying. My husband got me a new scale goes up to 400 pounds. I said I'm losing weight not gaining, he said it will work better and it did. Same thing happens if you try to put a half of pound to 2 pounds on the scale. It's hard to get consistent accurate readings. I think it helps when the scale range is a lot larger than your weight. (lol or I have a better scale now b/c it only differs am to pm which is typical, not everytime I step on it by 1-12 pounds)

Without a scale, I think protein is supposed to be a little less than the size of your palm, and no thicker than a deck of cards. Of course a scale is more accurate but until you get one.

I thought with plication the size of your stomach is reduced (because it is folded in) causing less food to fill you up. Like the sleeve and bypass reduce the size of your stomach. I have heard it tends to speed the weight loss in the beginning, and patients often need less fills. But in the long run weight loss evens out between plication and not. But I don't work with bariatric teams, so I don't have the first hand experience like successful4me does. Please clear up my misconceptions as I am confused now.

Pumpkin I have the same problem and forgot to ask at my post op if I can pick him up yet. He's almost 4 and 35 pounds. When he is sad I just want to pick him up. Like on Christmas his cousin pushed him down off a bed and it broke my heart not to be able to pick him up when he was crying. Theory sounds good to sit and have them climb on your lap, but in reality when they are sad and crying their not listening or going to walk over to us and climb. I called my husband to pick him up but it left me sad. Also, when he doesn't want to get dressed, i just want to pick him up and dress him but have to rely on other strategies. Your child is even younger, so I feel your emotional pain. I just keep saying to myself it's only a few weeks of not lifting, and then I'll have years of being able to bike ride with him when he's older and I'm healthier.

I don't know when my first fill will be. On Dec. 19 was my surgery and my dr leves the band empty. I know they don't start fills until the healing process is over, so I guess 6 weeks. But then, they only do fills if you are hungry earlier than 4 hours (I think something like that). For now I am happy to be on mushies but it's more work than the liquid diet because planning 6 mini meals seems hard to me. Shakes and soup was a non brainer, I just had to remember to pack water and shakes if I was going out. Now I'll have to pack 2 tbsp of one thing, a slice of lunch meat, it just seems like a lot of little amounts of food to pack for the day. Luckily I have the weekend to adjust to this phase. This morning I had 2 tbsp cold cereal, 1/2 cup of milk for breakfast. My sample menu also says a soft boiled egg but I didn't make that. I prob should have started with that bc it's the protein. Last night after my post op and my OK to move on to mushies I went to Panereas with my family. I did not want soup after 4 weeks of liquids (2 pre op). So I got a kids meal turkey and cheese sandwich. I did not eat the bread. It came with one slice of cheese that I ate, and I ate less than half the turkey. Thinly sliced turkey, ham, chicken is on my list of ok mushies, so is soft cheeses and AMerican is one of the examples. At first I was tearing the turkey into little pieces but I felt like I looked like I had an eating disorder in public. So I picked up the turkey and ate little pieces. What is everyone else doing for mushies? How many times a day do you eat? What do you eat? Do you have to pack mushies or are you mostly home when you eat them?

My nutrionist sample menu has 800 calories and 75 grams of protein for the 2 week mushy phase.

6 pounds in 2 weeks is great. I too am two weeks post op. I keep telling myself "follow the post op diet, ad this is a time for healing, losing is a bonus if it happens the first six weeks". Of course, I do love to see the scale go down, as that's not something I often saw in the past.