pam

I was banded on 6/25/04 and have been eating solids for about 3 weeks now. As I have gotten more adventuresome with my food choices I too have experienced the golf ball of pain in my chest. It seems to come for me on the 4th or 5th bite sometimes. Then once it passes I can continue eating, but I do feel a bit like dying until it passes! Last week I was on a business trip and almost every meal was with coworkers with lots of chatting. The distraction of all of the conversation was really hard for me. I don't think I took small enought bites nor chewed well enough while I was trying to talk with my friends. On Friday I took the kids shopping at costco and we had lunch there when we were done. Pre-band, I would have eaten one of their giant slices of pizza and whatever Ben didn't eat from his (3 year old!). The banded me bought the chicken cesear salad. I pulled all the chicken out of the salad and cut it into tiny little pieces. One of the cashiers who I chat with occasionally came by to say hi and asked me why I was cutting up my food so small! I told her that I had a stomach problem and could only eat small bites. That seemed to satisfy her! The cutting, some dressing and really staying focused on chewing seemed to help and I had a fairly pain free lunch. I ate half of the leftover veggies for Saturday's lunch with half a can of tuna and still have salad left for tonight. It is fun to be full with smaller portions. I am realizing all the things I used to do to justify eating huge portions pre-band.... Here's to no more golf balls in my chest! Pam

Thanks for all the additional welcome messages! I am learning to live in bandland these days. I am waiting for my first fill, which is scheduled for September 9th. I am definitely restricted in terms of how much I can eat (though that is still probably too much), but what I am really hoping for the fill to do is to help dim my between meals hunger. I'd love to get to that sweet spot people talk about where I am really not hungry for 4-5 hours. My weight loss has slowed down to about 1 pound a week, which I am not complaining about. But I know that I am only losing because I am tolerating a lot of hunger and using some old weight watchers tricks to stay full. But, any losing is wonderful and I am enjoying it thoroughly. Also, after my rant about exercising, I have to say that I am on a roll. I started using the elliptical machine at the gym, making it there on average every other day. I am up to 35 minutes as of yesterday. I love the intensity of it, but without any impact on my knees, hips, etc. For my 35 mins yesterday I burned 400 calories if the machine was to be believed. I also love the Water and have been a water aerobics fan. The only down sides are the scheduling is a challenge for me and it is much harder for me to get an equivalent workout as on the elliptical. With 4 kids I have to take any chance I have to exercise and use it, day or night! Hope everyone is well and on the losing side! Pam

Hi! My name is Pam and I was banded on 6/25. I was fortunate to meet Alex online and in person to help me make my decision to be banded. I am 2 weeks and a few days post-op and just making the transition to pureed food. I'm not all that hungry, which is a pleasant surprise and ecstatic about the 15 pounds I have lost during my liquid days! I am feeling good, still experiencing some soreness from my port, but it gets better each day. This recent loss, along with 35 pounds I lost on WW, brings me to an even 50 pounds. I also realized, that for the first time in a long time, I am less than 100 pounds heavier than my husband! My current challenge to myself- to get exercising. I'm not a big fan and have never stuck with a routine for more than a few months. Any motivational ideas are greatly appreciated! A bit about me, other than my weight! I have 3 daughters and 1 son, ranging from 3 to 17. I have a loving, though morbidly thin, husband! I work 3 days a week in the field of early intervention, services for kids from birth to three who have disabilities. Looking forward to sharing my lap-band journey with all of you. Best, Pam

Thanks for the kind words of welcome! I just had my first multi-course pureed meal, grilled chicken, spinach and a tiny bit of baked sweet potato. It was pretty good, though hard to get the chicken pureed without adding a lot of water! Glad to hear I'm not the only one not exercising yet. On some of the yahoo groups everyone sounds like they are up walking miles the day after surgery.... I want this weight loss so badly that I'm willing to try just about anything- even exercise! I am lucky to have Alex to guide and encourage me and look forward to chatting with all of you too! Pam