lisacaron

I'm feeling like a failure. I have been trying to do well. Making good choices going to the gym and pizza is going to kill me! Why did I order it? Why couldn't I stick with sharing the chicken parm dinner I ordered with my husband and get up and walk away? Why did I let him get in my head with his b*tching "what we are gonna SHARE THIS"?! I knew it was more then enough for the two of us. We are both banded and it was enough. But no he had to eat the pizza too and oopsie daisy slip fail and i had to have it too. Then he said oh YOUR gonna need a fill. Really just me? Why do we do that? I was ok with eating it I didn't push it got close to the line one more bite might have been my undoing but..did I need the comments from the peanut gallery? Now I feel like crap about myself sure he's sorry he said that NOW but the damage is done. It's in my head and on my mind. I have an appointment with the nutritionist in the morning and I don't know what she will say. I hope it's something motivating and positive and not comparisons of portion sizes to rubber food like I am 3 years old. Should I ask for a fill? I am 6 weeks post op. what's your advice?

I had that happen to me about 2 weeks after the surgery. The incision under my port incision opened up and drained out a lot of fluid. I called the Dr. because it got to be painful that the wound was open. It took a couple of weeks to actually scab up and I am now 6 weeks post op and it's just about healed to the surface of the skin but I still have a bit of a scab there. (I'm not diabetic don't know why it's taking so long to heal) The incision is right at my waist which is the worst place for it to be, my seat belt in the car is right at that spot so is my desk at work and my pants. So it has taken it's time but it is finally healed. Just be patient and keep the area clean and let it get air but try not to expose it to materials that are not clean or sterile until it stops draining. I had a pocket of fluid that built up between the muscle and the skin surface that opened the wound to drain out better out then in. The longer it stays in the more chance for infection. Hope you're feeling better soon!

Not bad. Feeling better finally the last two weeks how been rough for me. Being sick and both father and father in law in hospital for major issues blood clot in lungs and curated artery surgery. Planning graduation for the youngest of 5 boys I have been exhausted. I need a 36 hour day to fit it all in. Feeling so much better now though still coughing a bit. I made it back to the gym this week finally. Walking for 30 min gives me some time to unwind during the work day. Learning to enjoy it!! I think I may need a full but not sure. I get hungry often but don't really eat very much. I see the nutritionist tomorrow. I read we are supposed to eat three meals a day and be satisfied. They key for me might be smaller more frequent meals i dont know but the three meals are nit really working for me. How about you?

Is it the free app? There are a couple of them....is it Couch to 5K or the C25K?

I agree with what you wrote here. It's not that we are not trying to make "healthy" choices it's that we make more non healthy choices then we do healthy ones. We are all here for a reason, and we didn't get here just by eating lettuce and carrots. I am banded about 6 weeks now and I have not had a fill yet, and I find myself thinking about all of these issues. I know it's the only way I am going to be able to clear them up. To think about them and become more conscious of the choices I am making. It's great that I can no longer eat an entire pizza pie, but is that really the best choice for me to make to begin with? It's easy, and it's fairly quick, and that is yet another issue of mine, at work I'm great with my time management. I get it all done, efficiently and I spend the time making sure things are done correctly the first time and leave myself enough time to double check my work when I'm done. When it comes to myself and my own habits, I try to square root everything and make the easy and fast choice and I don't even take a second look at them after. I really need to work on that a lot more, and not just rely on the band to stop me from eating in excess but to be aware of how much I am eating, and when I am doing the eating and what exactly I am putting into my body. Thanks for calling me out on this, it's something I needed to read. I think that's a good thing about this forum. If we can't be honest here with ourselves then there is no place we can be.

Hi May Banders, How is everyone doing this June day?

The Warrior. I am not new to stress, any kinds of stress. I have it in abundance, it finds me no matter where or how I try to hide from it. I am not one of those people that seeks out drama and enjoys creating struggles in her life. I would much rather turn on the TV and see it play out there, where I can turn it off when it gets to be too much. My life is nothing like TV and there is no remote to change the channel or to mute the nonsense or abort it all together by switching it off. Nope not for me, some days I feel like it's a constant assault of one thing after another. Trust me I am not one of those people that makes mountains out of mole hills either. The stress I speak of is real, it is the stress of 5 children all over the age of 18 that can't seem to find their direction and all live at home with me. It is the stress of working 12 hour days 5 days a week with an hour each way to commute. It is the stress of sick in laws and fathers. It is the stress of burying ex-wives, and the untimely death of friends with megawatt high profile funerals to plan and execute. It is also the stress of good things like graduations and holidays. Weddings, and new babies being born. It is the stress of family, I'm sure everyone can relate, not need to expand here. There are days when I just want to cave in, I want to curl up and give up. If you knew me that would be one of the last things that this warrior would say or do, but it doesn't mean that I don't think about it, and just having those thoughts of giving up bring me even more stress because I know I am that low, and it is going to take me that much more work to pull myself up and out. I am the Warrior. I have spent my 42 years battling everything under the sun, yet the hardest battle there is to fight is the one against myself. I am my own worst enemy. I get so lost in the excuse of having to do this and that for all others that I lose the focus on what I really should be doing. I put aside taking care of myself and I say it's for this one or that one and what would they do if I didn't stop to do it or help them out? They can't get along without my help and my input right? The world as we know it might come to an end is my response. If you follow any of the movies Hollywood is putting out these days…that might just happen with me or without me helping. So why am I doing something for everyone but me? This year I vowed along with my husband that this was going to be the year I get healthy WE get healthy. Wait a second, I didn't realize that I was doing it AGAIN. I don't have to wait around, or put the fault on him or anyone else. If he can't walk or he's tired or my cousin bought a new car, or his having a baby, that doesn't mean I shouldn't lace up my sneakers and get that walk in today! My father is in surgery and my son is graduating and the tent my sister in law was supposed to lend me conveniently has holes in it from of all things ants, that or she just didn't like that I called her out last night on her bullshit, but either way that doesn't mean that I shouldn't make a better choice for dinner then Domino's pizza! Even if I can only eat 2 slices instead of half the pie it's still a bad choice. Wait a second, I think the bug zapper in my brain finally came to life, and zapped a few of those annoying thoughts that plague me with their incessant buzzing annoyance. You know the ones that I bred to keep me distracted and diverted from doing all the things I should be doing to make my life healthy. I went through major surgery to make my life better! I didn't just sit in some pretend yoga pose chanting I think I can I think I can I think I can. No, I really can! So what the heck am I doing? Why am I not getting my act together and getting out there and working out and eating better. I have NO excuse. I have to stop blaming everyone and THEIR problems. I have to stop making their problems my problems. I have to start taking care of my problems because I just realized no one else is going to do it! No matter how much I help them, they are never going to be able to help me with what I need. I have to open up and let go and start doing it and stop making excuses to myself about why I feel the way I do. So what you, feel the way you feel. Acknowledged now deal with it. Get off your ass and do something about it! I know I can, I will and I AM! Right now! Today! This very moment. I am the Warrior!

You're not alone my friend. I too had the hungry feeling and I wanted to eat some food. I had enough of the shakes and sweet chocolate and vanilla flavored whatever it is. I wanted something crunchy I wanted to chew something. I was looking for something savory and not bland or boring. Someone on here posted something that caught my attention, and I took that and ran with it. When my husband and I were past the liquid phase of recovery and were on to purred foods and then to mushy, one thing that helped me was making chili. The person had posted trying Wendy's chili and we did that at first before making our own. We bought a small chili from Wendy's threw in in the blender, got fat free sour cream and put a small spoon full in it. OMG my friend it was soooo good. It wasn't chicken broth, it wasn't Protein shakes, it wasn't pudding. It had the consistency of it, but it was a different flavor and different smell. You can do that with pretty much anything, that you like. A quick zip in the blender and it's baby food constancy with the taste you are looking for. Make sure that you put healthy for you foods in that blender though, after our shot with the Wendy's chili we made our own to cut the fat and calories. We made a turkey chili, loaded with vegetables and once they hit the blender it was good to go for our diet requirement. We have now progressed to solid foods, but still enjoy that turkey chili as a meal because it's so healthy with the all the vegetables in it. Good luck and don't let the feelings of hunger get the best of you. Sometimes we just need to satisfy our need for flavor or texture and there are loads of healthy choices out there that can fit the bill. With the new tool you have the help of the band to control the portion size, just pay attention to your body's signals to stop when your full and enjoy!

Try not to think of it as starting off on the wrong foot. It might not be the way you wanted it to start, and we all want to lose that weight quickly and feel better about the way we look and feel but we can't feel good about ourselves if we keep putting ourselves down. I had my surgery on May 6th, and I have lost 19 pounds so far. When I went to the Dr. for my one month follow up, I was feeling down and a bit disappointed because my husband who also had the surgery with me, 2 days later then I did had lost more weight than I had. He had a five pound loss in that 2 week period. Where I had actually gained back three pounds. I was about to feel all upset and depressed and start beating myself up, but you know…I can't do that to myself. I had an infection in one of my incisions, and then even as that was still draining out I caught a bad case of bronchitis I'm still coughing and sound like I have been smoking 2 packs a day for 40 years! (I don't smoke at all!) My father had to have major surgery and has spent the whole week in the hospital, my youngest and last of five son's is about to graduate and I get a call saying wait we can't find his report he might not! WHAT!!! I have been eating right, and before I got sick even with the infection was trying to walk 20-30 minutes a day. What am I getting at here? Simply this, stuff happens. It always will, and it's the way we deal with it and the way we treat ourselves that defines how we are going to feel. So instead of beating myself up, I patted myself on the back and said girl you have had one heck of week, and it's OK. Feel better, stay strong and you can do this because it's for YOU and you are worth it! This week I am feeling better, I lost the three pounds and though I'm still coughing and I haven't gone back to the gym yet, it's OK. Sometimes I know I push myself too far too fast, so I'll slow it down and I will get there and so will you my friend! Stay steady, stick to the plan and even if you hit a bump in the road now and then you know you can get up dust yourself off and get back on the track.

I have a question for everyone/anyone, is such a large fill a normal occurrence? I thought fills would be given slowly so the person could get to that green zone where they are comfortable eating and drinking in smaller portioned sized amounts? Am I off base with that understanding?

I am only recently banded one month to exact. I have had this trouble though before the band and now after the band. I feel sometimes as if my body is rebelling against all the changes I am trying to make for the health of it! I have a whole lot of stress chronic and nonstop, I'm sure lots of people can relate to that. Long work hours, new marriage 5 boys in total who range from 18-24 and have those large issues that come with older kids. I wish the only problem was making bottles at 5 am and changing diapers! Those were the easy days, you knew what to expect for the most part. Not to mention all the stress we get from the OLDER family like our parents. Who can't seem to stay healthy or out of hospitals them selves! Every other day someone is in the hosptial for some life saving reason. This last week, my father is in for another major invasive procedure without which he will die, and with which the chances are only 50/50 it all works out…I can't seem to win. Can't find the anti-stress button not for even a second! Anyway, add all that to changing my eating habits, and then adding exercise to it, sends my body into some kind of shock mode and it can't take the pace so it shuts down and forces me to take a pause as I struggle for at least a week or better with some sickness or another. This last week has been a BAD case of bronchitis. 2 rounds of antibiotics and only today one solid week later do I feel any better. I'm at a loss. I take my Vitamins, I try to limit the stress and get enough rest but there are not enough hours in the day and everyone is clamoring for something, the only rest I get is when I am alseep!

I was starving about a week after my surgery. Every TV commercial made me want to have anything that wasn't chocolate or vanilla! I found somewhere on here, a suggestion for Wendy's chili. Throw it in the blender for a second or two to mush it up and a scoop of fat free sour cream and OMG it was AWESOME. So good after all that shake and chicken soup. Give it a try you will love it and if you're really up for it, make your own Turkey Chili, lots of vegies and blend that all up for a second and you will be happy with your paste of chili trust me!

Greetings all, I am almost 4 weeks post op now, and I still have some tenderness when I move a certain way. I had a minor infection in one of my incisions, (the one right under the port) and that was kind of setback. I actually gained a bit of weight 2 pounds to be exact as the infection healed and the wound drained. It's amazingly strange how our bodies work. Once the infection cleared I lost the gained weight plus one more. We are still in the mushy phase of food, though I confess we have moved forward to things like shredded baked chicken. We are both doing well hubby and I. I try not to do the comparison thing as he is losing weight rapidly. He's about 33 pounds down since pre-op diet. Gotta love men's ability to lose that weight! Here I go though…long day at the office I've caught a cold everyone is SICK around me, and it's about 90 something degree's here in NY, but I am going to the gym! A mild stroll on the treadmill for about 20 minutes or so will save me from sitting in the 2 hour traffic pattern headed out East. Best to you all! Enjoy the weekend.

I read what Brad had to say, and I agree. I am brand new to the band, still on soft foods. However the calorie content is down to about 800 a day. That said…this last week since moving over to soft foods and away from the liquids I have not lost weight and have gained a pound. I know it's true and our bodies adapt to the deprivation to survive. Mine has and is now fighting off an infection, one of my incisions was brewing under the surface that erupted this Sunday. It was gross and painful and now healing starts again. It's in a bad spot right at the waist so movement there is unavoidable. Like a cut on your knuckle or you knee it takes time but it eventually heals. I know my body pretty well and even in the past as I would eat right and cut down the calories and pump up the work outs my body would not only adapt but rebel and fight against me often attacking itself and starting and immune system response that holds on and causes inflammation. Ultimately bringing me down, and making me sick. So what do you? What is your advice to someone newly banded on soft foods, to modify their diet and step up their weight loss while still trying to heal?

To all my friends in bandland… I would love your advice. I am just moving from the post-op liquid puree diet phase into the mushy food phase and in two weeks on to the solid food phase. I feel as though I am doing well with the soft food phase though I have only tried some light turkey breast today so far. The tiny quarter of a wrap sandwich I pulled it off was very satisfying and it felt amazing to be able to chew and taste something other than chocolate or vanilla. It was also amazing to feel full and satisfied after just a tiny piece of sandwich! I am so grateful for that and hopeful that it continues to help me in the days and months to come. The doctor told me I should strive for 6 small meals a day for the soft foods and that's great. I have been keeping to that schedule even with the liquids, but I am wondering what advice you might have to a newbie taking her first bites again? I want to be successful though I know there maybe slips now and again I have those days when I fear I might fail at this long term, and I don't want to fall back into old ways of thinking and eating as I did when diets failed before. For the first time in my life I am 100% committed to being a LOSER! I welcome your advice on meal ideas and planning as I move out of the shaky shake portion of the band and into the softer eating section of it.

I am about 10 days post-op and after the first 3 days of clear liquid I had to break up and space out the protein shakes. After another day I was able to get 3 in. Then added some sugar free instant pudding made at home with fat free milk. Ice pops were my saving grace to get the extra fluids in and a nice cup of decaf tea with artificial sweetener. Today I am still on liquids and purée soup. I have found another on here that offered up a Wendy's chilli with low fat sour cream whipped in blender and that took away some of the blandness to the liquid diet. I don't think about getting stuck or having an episode I am just going along taking care of myself and adjusting as needed and I am so very happy! Half a bowl of mushed up chilli and I am full! I love that. Before that would not have been the case. I purchased some bowls and plates from precise portions.com they are attractive no one has to know they measure your food in secret and I can see what it takes to satisfy my hunger for an hour or more. I have been eating at intervals to get it all down. 9-11-1-3-5-7 gets all the protein in I need and both hubby and I are doing great. Also read about a butter finger shake on here somewhere here is their recipe. I would think any fat free milk will do and it's a break from the standard vanilla or chocolate shakes. mix protein powder with FF butterscotch pudding mix, almond milk, and a teaspoon of peanut butter, blended in my magic bullet. Tastes just like a butterfinger! Good luck everyone and keep up the amazing work!!

I am about 10 days post-op and after the first 3 days of clear liquid I had to break up and space out the protein shakes. After another day I was able to get 3 in. Then added some sugar free instant pudding made at home with fat free milk. Ice pops were my saving grace to get the extra fluids in and a nice cup of decaf tea with artificial sweetener. Today I am still on liquids and purée soup. I have found another on here that offered up a Wendy's chilli with low fat sour cream whipped in blender and that took away some of the blandness to the liquid diet. I don't think about getting stuck or having an episode I am just going along taking care of myself and adjusting as needed and I am so very happy! Half a bowl of mushed up chilli and I am full! I love that. Before that would not have been the case. I purchased some bowls and plates from precise portions.com they are attractive no one has to know they measure your food in secret and I can see what it takes to satisfy my hunger for an hour or more. I have been eating at intervals to get it all down. 9-11-1-3-5-7 gets all the protein in I need and both hubby and I are doing great. Also read about a butter finger shake on here somewhere here is their recipe. I would think any fat free milk will do and it's a break from the standard vanilla or chocolate shakes. mix protein powder with FF butterscotch pudding mix, almond milk, and a teaspoon of peanut butter, blended in my magic bullet. Tastes just like a butterfinger! Good luck everyone and keep up the amazing work!!

Today is day three post-op. I am doing really well.those first couple of days were rough just trying to find a comfortable spot. Moving around really was the best thing. It helps release the gas it's gross to say but burping and farting are WONDERFUL I was on clear liquids for 2 days which was just fine for me. Taking small sips was enough to stay hydrated and satisfied. Today I am back to liquid diet. Protein shakes and such. My husband had his surgery yesterday and he is doing really well. I lost 16 pounds pre-op and he lost 14. Staying on the plan and shrinking the liver is a big key to a good surgery and healing from it. Good luck to everyone and we will keep you posted.

Good luck everyone. I go in at 5:30 am surgery is at 7 am. My belly is so nervous it's tumbling and rumbling from liquid diet today. We are all going to do great! Talk to you soon.

I have not been banded yet, but here is a great site to order plates bowls and cups that have the portion sizes set out in the design of the dish with out looking like a toddler plate or picnic wear. http://preciseportions.com/ Hang in there, soon your going to be looking and feeling great!

Hi Yes that's me! The hubby is doing great and very supportive. It's me and him against the world! We have 5 boys age range from 25-18 so that statement is pretty true! I will tell you, we had to purchase a mini refrigerator with freezer top to keep in our locked bedroom so we could avoid the problems of who ate all the yogurt, Jell-O, and ice pops! Only our 18 year old "fit" kid who is about 5'6" and weighs about 130 pounds soaking wet is into the protein shakes so he can "muscle up" (There is not an ounce of fat on that childs body!) I totally understand your pain! Right now we are not cooking in the house at all, they are eating anything we can purchase that has a lid and is in a bag they take down stairs to the family room and dine on. Half the time I have to say "take that down stairs PLEASE" how many times do I have to beg???? I mean ask??? They look at me like What…what did we do? I don't want to smell it I say and they look at me as if I have grown two extra heads as they scurry away with their bags of food as if they don't get away fast enough the three headed Momster is going to tackle them and devour not just their bag of food, one day my step son moved so fast, I had to look in the mirror to make sure I didn't turn green and sprout some fangs or something.

Good for you going to the gym! Proud of you keep it up! Good inspiration!