DianaW

I just found this site and am so happy I did. My surgeon's office referred me to several resources, but this wasn't on the list. Anyway, I received the band on June 25 and it was one of the best things I've ever done for myself. I was down 16 pounds at my three week visit last week and I believe I'm down another five though I try not to obsess over the scale. I'm scheduled to get my first fill on August 8. I'm wondering if anyone's having trouble with feeling bloated in the evenings? I'm transitioning from soft foods to whole foods, but it seems like no matter what I eat, nothing sits well in the evenings. No, I take that back. If I avoid any "real" food, it seems to go better than if I try to eat anything of substance. It feels like everything takes longer to digest after lunch. Sometimes, I still feel a heaviness in my lower abdomen several hours after I've eaten and occasionally when I first wake. Just to be clear, I'm not overly concerned, I'm just wondering if I should switch to just shakes or yogurt in the evenings and am curious if anyone else has experienced this?

Hi SueBee! I'm really good at following my team's instructions, so I check my portion sizes, I take small bites, I chew everything well and I pause throughout my meals. I used to be a fast eater so I'm very mindful of how I eat now - no worries there. You're right though, I am special and maybe I should stop eating in the evenings period! I've gone back over my journals and I can't find a pattern. Although I keep trying different things, so it's difficult to pinpoint one particular thing, at least right now. Sometimes I get so caught up in how it's supposed to be done that I forget this is MY journey and maybe I shouldn't be so quick to dismiss my body if it wants to do things differently. Thanks for the advice!

My one month mark was the 25th. I feel good now aside from some lower level bloating. Bloating and pressure seem to be a theme for me. I had a lot of pressure from the gas immediately after surgery and it lasted for more than a week. I had some serious challenges immediately after surgery, my sister-in-law got married July 6, I had a two day job interview on July 8 and 9 - and someone was always looking to take me to a meal!!! But, I talked to my nutritionist before everything and she really helped navigate me through it. Though my surgeon instructed me to transition from liquid to pureed foods three to seven days after surgery, he told me to talk to the nutritionist and it was she who helped me to figure out what to do when my options were few. Her advice boiled down to pick soft, healthy foods like fish and the inside of a baked potato (preferably sweet) then chew, chew and chew some more. I'm grateful to have an excellent team. This week I attended my first support group. My team groups all bariatric patients together so I met a young woman who had surgery the same day, but she had bypass. It was nice to meet the participants, especially the fellow bandsters, but I didn't feel really stimulated during the session and not particularly engaged. Maybe because it was my first. I'll try it a few more times before I make a decision. Really glad I found this site. You guys are way livelier than the ones in my support group.