lisacaron

So I can totally relate to what Yummy was trying to say "in a way". When I looked at friends who had lost massive amounts of weight some of them older some of them younger. Some of them losing more weight then I would need to and some of them less. In their faces I could see this Skelator look. They had the hollow eyes and cheeks and thin lips and when they were dressed up in their shape wear and had their make up they looked awesome..but that was a lot of work to good! When they didn't do all that...I was scared. I thought hell I might as well stay fat and look young and enjoy my curves and plump figure. I started having issues and getting sick and my weight was the reason...and it was time to shed some pounds. I asked these friends and I started my research, and I found that those that lost the weight by crash dieting and not eating nutritious food but starved their bodies to lose weight were the Skelators. Those that lost the weight quickly in 10 pound buckets or more at a clip were the Skelators, and I knew that I didn't want to go that route and I used that to hide behind keeping my weight where it was. Then I started to get sick and my husband was also experiancing weight related issues. There was no way to hide it that to be healthy I needed to lose the weight and I needed help to do it. So we prepared for weight loss surgery and signed up together to lose the weight and do it as healthy as possible. All of a sudden I found myself looking for saggy skin and wanting it!!! I wanted to see some skin sag! I wanted that belly to deflate and hang! It's a bit uncomfortable...and yeah I can see a tummy tuck in my future, but I work on it as best I can. I go to the gym at least 5 days a week I weight train and tone I do my crunches and I suck that belly into the shape wear to keep gravity from having it's ugly way with it and stretching it out more! But I love my saggy skin!!! It's motivation for me, I see it and I know I have lost that weight! I see it and I think just like my High School diploma...no one needs to see it but I earned it! Eventually I will find a way to give it up and tuck it away, cause when I reach that point that I am at goal and maintained that goal I will have earned that too!!! Oh and no I didn't turn into Skelator! The only times my eyes look sunken in is because I have circles under them from not enough sleep, cause I am so busy running around enjoying life!! No fatness for me! I loved my body when I was fat but it didn't love me back. Today I love my body with all my sags, bags and bat wings, and it loves me back by taking me everywhere I want to go with out pain, and sickness!

What a transformation! You look awesome! This is one week after surgery???!!!! That's GREAT your giving me confidence and hope for the future!

eggs are more for the soft food stage, but you could try something like egg drop Soup if you like that. I did not eat any mashed potatoes or anything like that, because of the carb content and there isn't much nutrition to it. You can do things like meatballs and sauce, mash them up and enjoy. You can get chunky Soups and smooth them out. Flaky fish is another great choice, things like flounder or tilapia that can be mushed up with some lemon sauce or tartar sauce (go easy with this one if it's not light) During these stages your goals are not to lose weight but to heal, that said however you don't want to start eating ice cream and mashed potatoes and gain weight. In the mornings, Greek yogurt with fruit is great. Chobani was my favorite at the time, it was high in Protein, no sugar, and low calorie. I think Dannon now makes one that is even lower in calorie but still high in protein. You want to try and eat things that have a high protein content right now, and always choose that protein first over the fruits and vegetables. Your body is healing after surgery, and you are going to need the extra protein to help that healing process and prevent muscle loss, and worst of all hair loss. When you do move to eggs, I found the easiest ones to eat were scrambled or egg whites. Always eat slowly and chew chew chew. The mushy stage will move quickly to soft foods it's really giving you the chance to heal a bit more and work on those eating mechanics so as you go forward you won't experience PB's sliming or worse a stuck episode.

@@JenSul what you said makes total sense. Even though we know all the right choices, if we could make them and follow those good eating habits unassisted we would not be on this site Once you have your tool you will see that it does get easier to make the better choices. Your tool is just that a tool that will help you tailor your choices as you learn to work and live with it. The best thing that you are doing pre-op is recognizing and understanding your habits and where those pit falls are for you. You are laying out the course for your journey and while you may fall into one or two of those pot holes along the way, you will have an understanding of them and will be able to navigate out of and around them more effectively then someone who isn't doing that work pre-op and is thinking that once they have surgery all the work is done for them and they don't have to do anything but lose weight. Some of pit falls can be favorite foods, emotional eating, cultural eating (think of things like holiday treats and meals or special occasion foods like birthday cake) even the idea of the fast food culture we live in today is a big pitfall for me. I work all day long, those that know me could say 24/7 with some nap time thrown in Who has time to plan a meal and cook it?! but taking the time to make the time and carve that out for myself and my husband has resulted in greater nutrition for us, as well as better weight loss and compliance with our WLS tool. Now don't get me wrong I still love that fast food, but I don't frequent McDonalds or Burger King or even Taco Bell. I can make "fast" food at home, and have something for lunch the next day so that takes the thinking out of the day for me. (it also helps that the hubs is a fireman and cooks!!!) Your not doing anything wrong, get yourself a note book or scratch pad and take some notes on your eating habits. I love the 4 W's. Who do you eat with? What do you eat? Why are you choosing that? Where do you eat? they tell us lots about ourselves and our habits, and then if you get to the How you eat? Do you gobble, shovel, watch TV, read etc. All those things will change after WLS, but if you can define them now you will know after how to modify them.

My favorite thing when I was on mushy foods to blend was a Wendy's chilli or even my own turkey chili. I was so sick of sweet things by that time that a nice change up was great! i eat Tuna salad and chicken salad now all the time without bread or lettuce or anything. I just make a small cup of it and eat it with a fork. I don't eat bread at all anymore, once in a while I might take a bite or two of some toast but that's it.

@@JenSul what @@gowalking posted is right on the money! Now is the time to wrap your mind around all these things. Now is the time for learning, and making mistakes. When you have your surgery you don't want to make mistakes then because your new tool will let you know in a BIG way that your making mistakes. So now is the time for trial and error. Now is the time to eat what your eating, and realize that hey that's not what or how I should be eating once I have this surgery. Perfect! Your in the right place, you working through your issues and finding out where those food challenges have been hiding! Your discovering our sweet tooth, and now you know where it is, and knowing is half the battle. As for the food funerals, go easy on them. You will see that soon after your surgery all those "forbidden" foods that you thought you will NEVER eat again....will be right there and you will be able to eat them again! The difference after surgery will be that you will have a new outlook and understanding about those foods, and on food in general. You will know and even better understand that yes you can eat it, but with your new tool you will do so in moderation and in control. So keep on going friends, your on the right path!! Also remember from a nutritionists point of view....there is a big difference between eating food and nutrition. There are many people who are overweight, obese and even morbidly obese who are also malnourished. Having weight and an excess of weight does not mean we have good nutrition. Once you have WLS having good nutrition becomes a little more difficult, especially if you do not understand what that is and practice it before WLS. The reason for this is that after WLS you have a limited amount of space in which to consume food. The choice of food you consume is where the nutrition aspect comes in. Think about it this way, you could choose a 100 calorie ice cream sandwich or. a 100 calorie chicken breast. What is the nutritional value of the ice cream vs. the nutritional value of the chicken? The ice cream is going to taste better but it is more than likely loaded with chemicals, artificial sweeteners and flavors, that your body is going to digest and expel. The chicken breast is going to fill you up provide you with Protein that your body needs to repair muscle and provide energy to get you through your day. Given the small space you have to consume food the choice is very often one or the other...and this is where your understanding and practice of nutrition will come into play.

Yep I got the gurgles It's an odd feeling really, but I agree with @@Bandista it's that esophagus moving the food through the stoma. I think when we chew, and drink a little bit of air gets mixed up in there with the food and other body fluids that help push the food down resulting in the gurgle. It really lets me know I have pretty good restriction right now, and that I need to have good band mechanics, eat small portions, cut things up small, chew well, and eat slowly or else!

@@Jerseydiva15 give yourself some time to allow all the steroids to filter out of your system. Steroids do a number on our bodies and cause us to retain Water and gain weight. Keep doing what you are doing, keep up the exercise and watching your intake and you will see eventually everything will level out. I have had to be on steroids before and my husband is just recently coming off of them he is banded as well, and for what ever reason they make you gain weight. You can be doing everything right and for some reason the scale shows a gain. Use your sizes and inches for a more accurate reflection on your losses for now. If your pants are fitting better and getting looser then your on the right track and your losing inches. Those numbers mean more to me then the numbers on the scale. Everyone can see how I look in my clothes no one see's the scale

@@Alaskanband The issue I would worry about is prolapse where you stomach stretches over the band. If you are able to eat volumes of food even though your at such a high restriction and you are having some stuck episodes as well, I would advise giving your Dr. office a call and going in for a barium swallow/x-ray just to be sure that everything is working as it should. My thinking is better safe than sorry.

Here are a few tips: for the "gas" pains it helps to try sipping some warm tea and placing a warm heating pad under your back/shoulder where the discomfort is. An ice pack where the incisions are will help to numb the pain especially around the port site. When you are trying to drink fluids, sip use a teaspoon or a medicine cup to sip from. Your insides are very swollen and it will take time for them heal, just as it will take some time for your outside incisions to heal. Ice pops are another great tip for something solid as well as for hydration. You will be feeling better soon. I love my band and plication!!

TMF great advice! @@toothfairy86 take it slow. Use tiny medicine cups to sip from and small baby spoon to get the nutrients in and keep your strength up. Congrats to you and you will feel better soon!!!

@@MissManda85 I'm glad that you were able to see your doctor and I hope that everything works out for you and you are feeling better soon. Something you wrote in one of your posts had me very concerned and that is that not being covered for "bariatrics" was keeping you from getting the necessary medical care that you needed. Of course I totally understand the out of pocket costs for things, and I just think that it is not fair to make someone suffer and perhaps suffer irreparable damage to their internal organs because an insurance company doesn't provide coverage. If you have a blockage to your stomach because you swallowed golf ball and wound up in an ER they would cover the barium swallow and x-ray and MRI but because you had surgery for what is classified as a disease today, they won't cover your medical needs?! I'm sorry but that just makes me very angry, and upset to think that you or anyone who goes through these experiences is sitting there suffering and possibly causing damage to themselves because of this. The bottom line is that if we need care we have to fight for it and get into these doctors and hospitals get treated, feel better and fight like hell against the cost of insurance company bureaucracy. If we need help we must be able to get it and not have to sit back and suffer out of fear. OK taking a deep cleansing breath now.....as the smoke billows from my ears.

@@CherieRyde Thank you for posting. I was so saddened to learn about Robin Williams passing. Loved him as an actor, comedian, and person! My heart goes out to his family and friends and all that like me will miss his genius on big screens and small. Depression is no joke and those that suffer from it need our love and support always.

@@bluegudren don't be upset, that is the beauty of the band. We can loosen it when we need to and get right back when we are better. My hubs was sick and had his Fluid taken out. Then taken out half way when he went in for Hip replacement surgery. It was important for him to be able to consume high amounts of Protein and medications to heal from that surgery. When I was sick with the flu, I did the same thing I had some fluid taken out because yes your stoma can get clogged up! Also I just want to let you know what my Dr. told me. NSAIDS like Advil, Motrin, and Aleve can cause stomach irritation as well and even though it's not "bothering" us it can make the belly irritated enough to swell the stoma shut. If you can take Tylenol or even aspirin as needed but try to steer clear of the ibuprofen and NSAIDS. As soon as your all better and feeling well give your doc a call to have the fluid put back in. I hope your feeling great again soon!

@@veronica g Hi Veronica, I don't want you to think that you are alone in starting over. I am sure there are many on the site who are or have found themselves in your shoes. You can start over and you are making a great start already! If you really have questions about the sleeve and perhaps getting it into "reset" mode, my suggestion is to give your surgeon's office a call and ask them if they have a prescribed diet like the pouch test or something similar that can help those who have lost their way get back on track and start again. Best of luck to you and keep on going strong!!! Your doing great!

Now that was the best research I have ever read!!! It should all be as easy as that, nothing to report

You are really lucky b/c even though my weight is down I am one of the unlucky ones who has high blood pressure genetically. I have been on certain cardiac medications and BP meds since my late 20's I was hoping they would all go away but I can't really complain much they have all been cut down to 1 pill that is a combo pill for heart rate and BP. I was hoping being more active might help but hey this is me NOT complaining. When the kids bug me now I just say I can't hear you....lol

@@JustWatchMe you know there is really something to that blood pressure thing. I have had issues with my pressure for the longest time. In my late 30's my kids kept telling me that I couldn't hear. I kept telling them it was because they mumbled. Well my husband started saying the same thing to me, that I must be having trouble hearing. I was pretty pissed off about it so I went to see a hearing specialist. At the time my blood pressure was not yet under control and Dr.'s were giving me all kinds of different cocktails of medication to get it under control. The hearing Dr. said my hearing was just fine, and that it could be an effect from the pressure. When my pressure was stable I could hear much clearer and when it was high I could still hear but not as clearly. He also said I probably was having selective hearing when it came to the kids and the hubby talking I tend to agree with him on both accounts

Congrats to you both and best of luck tomorrow!! Take it in stride, everyone is different and will have a different experience. Try not to stress about all the things you read, but try to focus on what's happening for you Come back and let us know how you are doing after your surgery!

@@Nicky Cleaver Please update your profile information when you have a chance. Don't go looking for trouble, cause you don't want to find it. Stick within the guidelines that your doctor gave you for your post op diet. If you are on soft foods make sure you are cutting bites small pencil eraser size and chew chew chew. If you were causing any kind of damage you would be feeling pain. When in doubt my best advice is always to consult your doctor. Never be afraid to give them a call even for a simple question. Filling out your profile with surgery information and posting a little more detail will help others to be able to give you better and more detailed support with any questions you might have. Sounds like your doing well. Keep up the good work and congrats on your surgery!

@@shantra Good for you! Congrats on making your decision. Let us know how your doing.

I chew gum all the time, I love my chewing gum and I know it might sound strange but it helps me think. It also saves my teeth from chewing on pen caps or biting my nails. As far as stimulating hunger I don't think it does that for me it actual curbs my hunger, and stimulates that digestive action as well as helps clean your teeth after eating if you can't brush. It can add extra air into your tummy, drinking from a straw can do that also but I still would rather drink from a straw when out and about then from a cup or glass. When I am home that's not a problem for me I would always caution not to swallow your gum or your straw or anything else that might have a hard time digesting

My funny story is that I was so zonked out from anthesthia after I got to my room they wanted me to walk. So I walked down the hallway with my hubby and then I wanted to be back in my room. Instead of the bed they put me in this BIG recliner chair. It was great I was all reclined back and went right back to sleep for another 4 hours. They came along and removed the catheter and well you know...now I gotta get up to use the bathroom from all the IV fluids...but I was stuck in the recliner! I am so short that I could not reach the handle to put the foot rest down and it was so high off the floor and with my belly incisions there as no way I was even alert enough to hop down from it. As I contemplated how long it would take someone to come into the room if I pulled off one of the leads, because the call button was clear across the room on the bed, a very very tall male nurse came to take my vitals which I wouldn't give him until he helped me out of the chair let me use the rest room and got me tucked back into my bed Then I let him take my blood pressure and temperature. Hubs was banded 3 days after me, and I was at the hospital for him as he went for surgery. When he came out our Dr. came out to see me in the surgical waiting room and told me I should go back home and rest. Only a few moments later he and the recovery nurses came back out yelling wait don’t leave we need you in the recovery room. So I moved as fast as I could and my husband was in there screaming at them for cutting off his leg! He would not stop yelling at them that they cut off his leg and his hip was in pain. I had to stand at the end of the bed holding his toes and ask him if he could see what I was holding and if he could feel my hand and that they didn’t cut his leg off he just had Lapband surgery!! He was finally convinced and calmed down enough for me to go home. When he had his hip replacement this past May I was ready for anything, but he woke up just fine no stress no screaming and best of all no pain!

This is a question unrelated to your initial question...I think you should probably postpone though I know that's not what you wanted to hear. Build up your immunity again because with the change in diet required your putting a big stress on your system before and even more after surgery. My question is...you said you had rashes...no blisters on them? hubs has had a suspicious rash and I was thinking shingles also. It was right near his hip replacement incision so I was very concerned he is 3 months post op. He went to the Dr. (one of his PCP Dr. is older then dirt and...well I just don't feel him..ya know) and they told him it wasn't shingles but gave him an oral med and cream for it...now I am right back to shingles...cause I think you can have a rash without blisters...but what do you think? Since you have first hand experience with it??