mrsto

Regarding what foods go down easily, as mentioned by a few above, you have to try different things & see what works for you. So far, I don't have problems with anything, except honeydew melon. I used to LOVE honeydew, but now it gives me horrible stomach pain. It happens almost immediately when I start eating it. Go figure..... Maybe it's more about the plication than the band; don't really know. Maybe it's very gassy, and I never noticed before? I've thrown two melons in the trash already, and won't buy it again. The first time I thought maybe it was something else... The second time it was painfully clear

I do not miss anything about my old eating habits. Nada! I used to feel bloated after every meal, and never felt "good". I feel good all the time now. I love eating slower, and I LOVE eating less. As Jim said.....it's the new normal. Sometimes, if I'm feeling angst and totally compulsive, I will want to continue eating beyond what I'm physically comfortable with. Those days are difficult, but they don't happen often.

Jim, I was just talking to my husband about Guinness. Do you not have it occasionally because of the carbonation, or the calories? Guinness doesn't have a lot of carbonation, and I was wondering if it would be an acceptable alternative to regular beer?

Oops.....ate only 1/4 cup of quinoa. LOVE the edit feature!

Stephanie - are you taking small bites, and taking 20 minutes to eat? That 20 minute marker really helps. For instance..... I was SO hungry by the time dinner was finished cooking. I thought.....I'm only going to have one chicken thigh, so I'll take the biggest one of the bunch (probably 2-3 oz of meat). I measured out 1/2 cup of quinoa, and had a few spears of asparagus. Pre-band, I would have looked at that plate & thought that it wouldn't be enough. I was so hungry, I thought "I'm going to finish everything on this plate!". And I wanted to! As usual, I ate very slow, and by the time I ate about 1/4 cup of quinoa, a few bites of asparagus, and about 2/3 of the thigh, I was done. And I mean......done! I tried to eat a bit more, but stopped, thinking to myself "this is ridiculous". I'm full (in the banded world), so why am I trying to push this? So I tossed the rest, and that was that. The reason I wanted to finish everything on that plate, is because my old mindset told me that it was a small amount of food. Since being banded, what I used to consider small, has dramatically changed. For you, you could still be in bandster hell, along with your mind telling you to "finish up". If you go very slow, and pay attention to each bite going down, I think you'll become aware of when you've had enough. In the beginning, I had no clue what sense I was looking for; same as you. But it came in time, and now I'm acutely aware. Even so, there are some days that I'm able to eat a bit more; not MUCH more, but.....more.

My story is somewhat like AJ's. I couldn't walk up the stairs without feeling like I was going to drop dead at the top. I didn't want to go anywhere, get dressed, socialize.... I was embarrassed about the way I looked, aside from feeling physically horrible. My prescription bottles were increasing, and the writing was on the wall. And deep down I felt that it wasn't fair to my husband, who met me 8 years earlier when I was in a size 8. Even at that point I'd already gained 28 pounds, but he didn't know it. He never bothered me about my weight, but I felt that cutting my life short by carrying around so much extra, wasn't fair to him. It's not really ALL about me! Although, it IS completely up to me to do something about it. There were many things that brought me to my ah ha moment. But one day I was talking with my next door neighbor, who told me that she'd had a gastric bypass. I had no idea! She's always looked good, and when we got to talking, there were many similarities between us (regarding our life long struggle with our weight). I listened intently about the surgery, and entertained the idea for several months before moving forward. During those months I gained a few more pounds, at it became painfully clear that at my age, the weight wasn't coming off without some sort of intervention. The band is my intervention, and it's been a absolute blessing.

I see there are a few of us with the same affliction I'm the SAME way! I will obsess about a mistake, a conversation that didn't go well; play it over and over in my head until I'm beyond crazy. I repeat the conversation in my head, and go over what I'm going to say, what they will say, blah blah. It's nuts! Pink, here is what I've learned in my 58 years of neurotic thinking. Number ONE: WORRY, is the illusion of being in control. Number two: how ever bad you think whatever happened was, the reality is....it's not THAT bad. If I could have all of the time and ENERGY I put into these types of things that happen in life, I would probably add YEARS onto what I have left. As CG said....go in with your head held up HIGH, and "act as if" you are not bothered. We ALL make mistakes; no one on this earth is perfect. What I've also learned, is that when you learn to lighten up on yourself, you naturally lighten up on others. Life isn't black & white; it's numerous shakes of gray. Take a deep breath.....take a hot bath, and try & relaaaaaax

It could be acid reflux coming up into your throat. Talk with your doctor about it. I had this issue prior to surgery, and unfortunately, still have it. I started back on Prilosec every day.....again. But call your doctor.....whatever MY issue is, doesn't mean that it's your issue. Hope you feel better sooner than later

Thanks Sweets :-) Since being banded, I haven't gained any weight; not even on days like yesterday. But I've only had three days like that since surgery. I pray that this is how it will be for the rest of my life!

Believe me.....I KNOW it's not easy! My doctor put me on a 1200 calorie per day diet for two weeks prior to surgery. I didn't even stick with that; ate more like 1400-1500. And THAT was a stretch. All of this WILL be much easier once banded (after you go through bandster hell), and 1500 calories will seem like a lot. After my little meltdown yesterday, I felt like my 1500 calories was 4000 calories! That is the beauty of the band (and plication....for me). 1500 calories on a bad day will not cause weight gain, and my need to add those extras got me through a difficult day. Today......back to my usual 1000. I hate "diets" too, but really, I feel like I still AM dieting. The difference now is, that I'm able to comfortably stick to a lower calorie plan, and not feel hungry all the time.

LOL! Yeah, you can eat 1500 calories being banded. I had a crappy day yesterday, and ate exactly 1500 calories! Thanks to the plication, I stopped before going any further. You'll learn what foods go through really easy; the foods to avoid!

Are you female? Doesn't say in your profile, but I'm thinking.....yes. If you are, 1500 calories per day is pretty generous. At some point, you are going to be responsible for tracking what you eat. Maybe, instead of strongly resisting this part of the preparation, use it to learn how to account for what you consume. Even when banded, you're going to have to keep tabs on your calories and Protein intake. As you get more familiar with how many calories and protein are in certain foods, you will learn how to lay it out, and how to get the most bang for your caloric buck. I'm not saying this is easy, but nothing about WLS is easy. If you are thinking that once the surgery is done, that you are home free, please think again. It's a HUGE adjustment, and a 1500 calorie per day "diet" for a few months is pretty generous. If you read through some of these forums, you'll see a lot more stringent pre-op diet protocols than that. Hang in there......it's worth it!

You should call your GYN. No matter what anyone has experienced, everyone is completely individual. If this is not a normal pattern for you, only your doctor can diagnose. Good luck!

Isis - I'm with you on this one. Peanut butter is a controlled substance in my house, and I can't even start with it. One spoonful, two spoonfuls..... Next, the jar is sitting on my lap! Good that we know our trigger foods

Adorable!!! Congrats

There are more success stories with the band, than not. Many times, people only post when they're having an issue. In my short time on this site (relatively speaking), many of the band issues aren't from the band, they're from people not adhering to the lifestyle change required WITH the band. Sure, sometimes (for whatever the reason) people's bodies reject it, or they have other issues in relationship to the surgery. But overall, there are way MORE positives. This morning, I had my three month check-up with my surgeon. He goes through a list of the usual questions; do you get stuck, are you nauseous, does food come up, etc. My answer is no to everything. I have zero issues, and I'm absolutely THRILLED with the results so far. Before I decided what surgery to have (about a year ago), I looked in these forums; lap band and gastric bypass. I actually freaked out and decided to do nothing, because after all the negative posts, I decided it wasn't for me. Close to a year later, and another 12 pounds, I knew I had to do something. After much mental torment, I decided on the band with plication. I'm SO GLAD that I did! Good luck! Just try & focus on the positive. There is a LOT of it here

Pygo - I was banded on 3/25/13, and have never had a stuck episode. I'm in the green zone (I think), and losing weight steadily. I also was beginning to wonder the same thing, because from what I keep reading in these forums, the occasional stuck episode seems to go along with the band. But I think the key is focusing on small bites, chewed VERY well. From the start, I was afraid of some of the things I've read, so I'm really careful about the way I eat. Apparently, it's working for both of us!

Your doctor is the only one who can diagnose your particular issues. However, it seems way too early to know if what you're feeling is permanent "forever" damage, or just post-op healing. If I were a betting woman, I would say the latter of the two. Hope you feel better sooner than later.

I think you are the exception. So far I've been very successful with the band, but it does nothing to quell head hunger. Many of us have gotten to this point for reasons other than actual physical hunger. The band doesn't cure the emotional urge to eat. THAT is the hard part. I commend you for having worked through all of the difficulties with the compulsion to eat. I also commend you for not finding it necessary to track your food (I've read in several of your other posts). But again, for the most part, I think you are the exception, not the rule. I believe that as much as we seem to have "it" licked, our addictive behavior is always there, waiting to take over in any weakened moment. I'm really happy for you, that you've got all aspects of this under complete control. By the same token, I don't believe any of us are actually cured; band or no band. It takes continual attention; sometimes more than other other times.

Sounds GREAT - I'll drink to that! Uh, a protein shake, that is

Yes - hang in there....it will come soon enough!

Congrats! I know how excited you must feel

Creepy!

When I was back on solids, I wasn't allowed watermelon (and many other fruits) for awhile. My doctor has the progression setup a certain way, and melon was several weeks out. I would ask your doctor if it's okay for you, depending where you're at. Certain foods create bloat and gas, and some doctors don't add everything back all at once, even if you're past the mushy stage.