Bandista

Hi Nahila, congratulations on your upcoming date! Very exciting. I liked having a pillow in the car for the ride home -- something to press on my belly for comfort. Also good to hold it there for laughing or coughing. Best wishes for smooth sailing and an easy recovery. Keep us posted!

Hi T-Bear, we have a great deal in common and similar stats weight wise. I'm 52, mother of a teenaged boy, supportive spouse, my family doesn't struggle with weight issues, etc. And like you I have been an exerciser for a long time and supposedly carried my weight really well (this makes me guffaw now!). I'm not a baker but I am a dedicated cook. I'm happy to report I can still do that but I'm not hungry for the results. You will find yourself in good company here as far as compassion for addiction. Transference is such an issue and of course there are many people who switched up to sugary treats from some other addiction. I've been working on transferring to exercise -- a positive addiction. Let's just say I'm not afraid of going overboard with this one but I want to be thinking about working out and how I'm going to get my walk in the way I would have been inventorying the cheese in our fridge before or planning to stop somewhere for a treat. You are doing so well -- I can hear the clear thinking and honesty in every word of your post. I love my band. I'm just getting into the swing with a good fill and ten weeks in or so. I love having that appetite monkey off my back. It's like getting out of food jail. And choosing myself first has been a very powerful decision. Of course every one benefits when I do this because I am happy and healthy. These are exciting times and I'm really glad you're here.

My surgeon provided a Protein shake but it was heavy on dairy and I knew that wouldn't work for me over a two-week period, plus it had a lot of chemicals in it. I ended up getting a couple different pea protein powders from Vitamin Shoppe (permission of doctor/nutritionist). Then the second week I went wild and got a couple more. Like Cheryl, after I was banded I didn't want these shakes. I am just now using up some from last October. Lately I'm really into fruit smoothies. I make a Protein Shake and toss in frozen fruit, flax seeds, etc. Delicious! The first couple of days of the pre-op liquid diet can be tough but it gets easier all of the sudden. The hunger diminishes and it feels good to detox. Sometimes things come up once food is not available to tamp down emotions and the timing of this is interesting because of course we are all a little jittery before going for surgery. I found journalling to be really helpful during this time. I was also really glad I forced myself to up the exercise. This gave me something to step into post-surgery when the walking is really helpful. Good luck to you -- let us know how you're doing!

My husband says I look softer, whatever that means. Mrs. Winnie-the-Pooh had a hardness about her, perhaps. Or she was something of a linebacker. I am seriously happy to have gotten my stomach down and the jeans size is 14 long now instead of 18. Onward! Oh, I just thought old = tired. Maybe when we lose weight we are less tired and we appear younger. Maybe it's a happiness thing. I am happier to be carrying less weight. That is hard work, hauling that around.

It's not now or never, so if you feel like you do need one in the coming weeks/months it will be available to you then. There's that. And if you're doing well on your small portion but don't yet have the duration, there's that. The important thing is you are really listening to your body. I'm going to see my surgeon tomorrow and they will have the fill all set, ready to go. I'm not ready to go. I'm feeling good where I am. My next appointment after that is in three weeks then we spread out to monthly for a while. I don't know how much fluid is in my band. No priming took place and I've had four fills. I believe this surgeon is of the small frequent fills school. I know it's up to me to determine when the appetite is manageable or if it needs dimming. Good luck to you!

Hi there, it sounds like you're doing really well. This is such a good time to be really learning to listen to your body. It's so interesting to be mindful and to notice everything. The mind can be a chatterbox and often mine is asking questions it used to rely on, like "what else can I have?" This occurs before I've even had my food. I think I was always projecting to the next item in my little graze-a-thon and not focusing on what was in front of me. So by listening I found that out about myself, along with a lot of other things. Now I try to be very mindful of the food on the little plate, putting down my utensil between bites (this is hard for me) and then the sensation and taste of the food as I'm chewing it, swallowing it. I try to visualize it. The esophagus makes little squeezes and that's what sends the message to the brain. I can't feel this but I try to think it. Then there is often a moment when I feel like I've had enough. That I'm done. This is quite amazing considering the size of the portion but there it is, the magic of the band. Then I thank my lucky stars.

Lake walk! Snowing lightly here and sub-zero temps on the way -- figured I'd better get out while the going is good. It's a three mile walk with a friend whose little dog keeps us at a breathless pace. Plus we have lots to discuss so the talking helps the exercise, too. I always feel great afterward and yet there's still some old lazy voice tellimg me I don't really want to go. I'm learning how to shut that down and seek joy and health instead. A complete rewiring takes time, I guess, but I'm getting there. Here's to it!

I lived in Italy at one time and one of the things I love about that culture is the evening "passage." People walk arm in arm, slowly, noticing everything and just enjoying being out and about. A bit of window-shopping, people-watching....and it's free!

There is a big gap in western medicine and nutrition -- we are just not there yet but I think it is starting to happen. I say listen to your body. Personally I have been such a restricter in my life and so I am being careful to moderate rather than outlaw. I don't eat foods with artificial ingredients, I buy organic as much as possible, etc. If we are eating so much less, we can afford to get the good stuff, right? And I have loved juice fasting in the past. Unbelievable energy and clarity. I think I will start planning for a fast soon. That sounds like a great idea! We have two juicers in our basement.....

Personally I cannot do aspartame and I'm very wary of any artificial sweeteners (sucralose, etc.). I like it that Steevia is a plant. I've grown it in my garden (not that I actually dried it and ground it, etc., I just buy it). Give me a plant over a test tube concoction any time, but that's just me.

Thank you -- this is so helpful. Experiencing same thing.

If the band is about esophageal signals going to the brain, maybe the gum is sending the wrong message? Artificial sweeteners tell the brain food is on the way, but also for banded people maybe not chewing gum has to do with how are meals are supposed to start and finish in a timeframe so that satiety is achieved. Just a thought....

My surgeon doesn't share the amount of the fills either. I'm sure he would if I pressed for the information but I think he's probably right that it's just another thing to obsess about. I have enough trouble with the scale!

Hi there, I like the idea of fluoroscopic fills but my surgeon just does it the old-fashioned way. So far it's working, though, and I'm grateful for that. Here's what it's been like for me (I've had four fills to date): We discuss how it's going, appetite, portion size, how long until I am hungry again. When we decide a fill is the way to go, I lie down on the table and put my arms over my head. Surgeon finds the port and marks it. He gives me an anesthetic and that pinches a little but is not really painful. Then, each time, he is giving me his arm to sit up again because it's over. Very fast and I can't even believe it's done already. Then I sit on the edge of the table and drink a glass of Water, chatting for a bit to make sure I feel fine and the water is going down easily, etc. I bruise easily and so my port area has some color for several days afterward, but there is no sensation or pain, etc. I am feeling restriction and have had a few stuck episodes. I'm losing weight and not feeling that appetite monster on my shoulder -- I'm not thinking about food all the time. I have an appointment next week and think I will go anyway just to touch base and have the accountability, etc., but I won't be getting another fill as I do not want to be too tight. That is very important to me. Best wishes!

Hi there, I hear you on the solar plexus pain -- just went through this yesterday myself when I got stuck on mushrooms. I have heard that eggs can be problematic because they are often two textures -- the whites can be rubbery, for example. I think every one is different as far as how and when their bands feel tighter or how long it takes to completely feel the effect of a fill -- and of course other factors like flying, weather, time of the month, etc. Isn't it something figuring all this out!? I am feeling tighter myself all of the sudden. Had my last fill on January 6th and am scheduled to go back the 20th. I have had four fills and I will not get another next week since I'm feeling restriction, not eating more than my tennis-ball sized portion, etc. Sometimes I do get hungry again before the 4-5 hours have elapsed but I think I need to be with my band the way it is for a while while I get used to everything. It may be that I'm in the green zone already.

My post-op protocol was one day clear then on to full. I loved the tightness and the lack of appetite. Just a bit of something like potato leek soup was plenty for me. I had lots of tea, chicken broth, Popsicles, watered down juice, etc. Could not tolerate a protein shake. Later for mushies I really enjoyed homemade applesauce, cottage cheese, etc. My tastes were different from what I thought they'd be. Good luck to you -- it sounds like you're doing great!

Wow, thanks for the inspiration this morning! My goal is to Lise 100 and I'm nearly a third of the way there. Good luck to you!

Eeeek, I hope I didn't sound preachy -- you know we are all talking to ourselves when we are writing on here!

This sounds unusual to me and I would call my doctor right away. May have nothing to do with the band; pain is an indicator of something not right. Kidneys, for example -- don't let something like that progress as kidney stones are extremely painful. We are not doctors here -- go see yours!

Hi Coach, I am pretty new and have now had three stuck episodes. Most recent was yesterday -- leftover chicken and mushrooms. I think one or other may have been too rubbery and I was not able to chew it up enough -- probably eating too fast. I am learning if there is the slightest tightness in my chest I need to stop completely, give up on that food as I will soon be getting stuck. But I didn't do that yesterday, I kept at it because I must be a slow learner or something. Each time I've gotten stuck the same thing happens. The slime people refer to is the production of saliva. I think this is different for different people. Mine is just regular saliva but some people report foamy liquid. I have to spit out the saliva. That's the beginning. All the while my chest is hurting and I know that I've gone and done it. Damn it. The incident has to resolve in spitting up the food out of the pouch. I hiccup rather violently and then the spitting up comes as a relief, though of course it is very unpleasant. I don't eat or drink anything after for quite a while. I realize my food needs to be succulent and easy to really chew up well. Nothing tough or rubbery which I might swallow anyway just out of habit. Good luck to you and congratulations on your new banded life. I am so happy with mine, even with these few learning curve stuck episodes.

This is the time for walking! Incorporate the elbows, like a Russian soldier,

OMG That is brilliant! If my fat could talk......

One day I noticed it wasn't sensitive anymore, wasn't yowling if I bent over, etc. Good luck to you!

Hi Fnika, glad you're here! Don't forget how important followup care is in this process. It's one of the things about the band in that first year. If you're dragging your heels about getting a fill you may be worried that you'll have to give something up. I am determined to do this without deprivation because I know how restrictive I've been in the past and how that hasn't worked for me. But what I can and do now is listen to my body. I'm surprised by what it wants and doesn't want. If there's something I'm craving, by having a good fill I can have a teeny tiny bit of it and feel completely satisfied. It's unbelievable to me, that feeling of being able to enjoy a small bite and then stop. I could never stop before. What I want is good food. If I can have that in small amounts and then wait 4-5 hours and then have good food in small amounts again.......there is no deprivation. I am not on a diet.

Wow, what a great post! I feel so fortunate to have realized that I would never be successful at dieting. No matter how good at it I was, I was never good enough. I can't get over how differently I am feeling about myself now that I am banded. It isn't just the thirty pounds down and physical changes, it's the knowledge that this dilemma of eating has finally been solved. What a relief! Yes, there are harder days and temptations and all the blah, blah, blah, but I am filled with hope.