aubrie

these dense, course foods are difficult to digest. Your stomach has to pulse and churn to process it. You want your stomach to be nice and still while you are healing. The less movement the better the healing process. Listen to your doctor. It's important. Rest assured, you'll be able to eat it at some point. Just not right now. I'm six months out and am doing well enough to eat a little snack pack of baby carrots with my lunch. It's only 30 calories and I love them. But it took a while to get to that point.

Corn on the cob is one of my favorite foods. Pre band eating 4 ears was not uncommon. Butter and all. Sometimes even the Mexican style. Roasted on the grill in shucks, with butter, sour cream AND mayo with a touch of salt and chili powder. Oh my God I can't believe I used to eat that! cholesterol nightmare, not to mention the calories. Now I'm very happy with a half ear, no butter. Jack is correct. FRESH and lightly steamed, is the only way to go. I've had two fills and can still eat it. Popcorn however is another storey. I was terrified to try for months, then did just recently. The little skins seemed to be the problem. I ate about two bites and it didn't set right so I stopped. Not worth it. Again, Jack is correct. without butter it tasted like styrofoam anyway. No big loss.

Boiled eggs and regular scrambled eggs are fine. they don't go down as easy as a soft scrambled, and that's usually how I eat them. Beat a couple eggs with some skim milk. Then cook real slowly scraping the bottom of the pan. don't overcook. they come out more like a custard and are VERY soft. I eat them every weekend and have had a couple fills already. Still no problem as long as I cook them like that. I also have NO problem with egg drop soup. I make it a lot for lunch. It's good during the mushie stage.

They even have warnings out for pregnant women NOT to drink aspartame. It can cause birth defects. I've read some REALLY HORRIBLE side effects of artificial sweetner and avoid it like the plague.

My surgeon sent me home with an anti-nausea patch behind my ear. It was good for several days. It worked great. My son uses them for motion sickness. I agree with the warm ginger tea. I also use warm peppermint tea, which are both a good clear liquid while you are on liquids post surgery.

You go girl. Congrats on the rapid weight loss!! I just made it to wonderland about two weeks ago. Boy it sure feels good. I'm a little puzzled about how I'm losing weight though, so I don't know if it will help. In times past, when I lost weight, I lost it in my tummy and my boobs first. Everywhere else was a fight. This time around with the band, I'm losing in my legs, my hips and butt and my arms. I've had some loss in my tummy and boobs. It's the darndest thing and I can't figure it out. Not that I'm complaining, it's just different for me. I'm losing in a more proportioned manner. I'm starting to think that the type of exercise I'm doing is responsible. I'm ONLY doing Water aerobics. Different kinds each time, but all in the water. I have arthritis and don't have much of a choice. I'm sold on it.

Just wait until his wife sees how successful you are and starts riding his ass to lose weight. Then he discovers how hard it is to keep it off. He'll be asking you for help in a couple years. Just wait. I think he sounds envious of you. It's a sibling competition thing. Just let it play out. You'll come out on top.

I have to disagree with all of you. It's not carbs in general you can't eat, but the TYPE of carbs. Your body needs carbs, especially if you exercise. My dietician AND my surgeon support this. I shouldn't eat white rice, but doc recommends brown rice. I shouldn't eat white potatoes, but doc recommends sweet potatoes. I shouldin't eat regular bread and pasta, but doc recommends 100% whole wheat bread and pasta. Your body just processes certain carbs differently. Some immediately turns to sugar and fat. Others take longer to digest and process and actually benefit you. Whole grains have TONS of B vitamins. Your body NEEDS them. Espeicially if you are prone to depression. You all need to research the glycemic index. It explains it better than I could. I'm losing weight just fine and I don't avoid carbs. but I am EXTREMEMLY careful about what kind and how much. that's why I have a band. To help me with this. Granted, I'm wary of those who say they can eat a bucket of popcorn, and that chips aren't a problem for them, etc. etc. That's not what I'm talking about. There ARE indeed good healthy carbs out there. I'm in this for my health and to improve my quality of life. Not spending my life counting calories, avoiding healthy foods just to drop a notch on a scale, and having my band to tight and PB myself to death, to get to the next dress size. I have never PB'd and don't intend to. If I ever get that tight, something is wrong. For me anyway. Not just health wise, but also for my quality of life. If you want to be healthy and glowing, whole food, quality food IS your best friend.

My family physician didn't recommend the lapband either. He recommended the bypass as he had several successful bypass patients. I ignored him and did what my heart and my extensive research told me to do. I have gone to see him twice and he is bowled over by my success. He said that he hadn't actually worked with a lapband patient, that his knowledge was from reading. Now I'm his poster child for lapband. He requested pamphlets from my surgeon and is now giving it out as an option due to my success. I'm very proud of that. Lapband is a mystery for many people. time will change this, but it's up to us to set the example!!

you know you're a bandster when........ you have your own set of dishes and silverware in midget size. you have your own shelf in the fridge you buy a case of Water a week instead of a case of beer you ask for exercise equipment for your birthday your kids call you a "Borg" because of your "alien thingy" (port) when you're the last one left at the dinner table people think you're single because your wedding ring no longer fits you could stuff a small pillow with the hair you clean out of your brush. you're the ONLY one in the movie theater not eating popcorn.

Pre-band I had such horrible swelling in my feet, ankles and lower legs. I guess I had what is called pitting edema. I could push my finger in my ankle or shin and leave a huge, deep, dimple in my skin. It was so gross. Now I can see my ankles, the veins in my feet, my toes actually look slender, and I have shins. I can even feel the ligaments behind my knees. My best friends husband told me last weekend that I had cute toes!! I was wearing some cutesy beaded flip flops. I was so elated he might as well have told me I looked like Princess Diana. NOT!.... My birthday is next week. A new pair of sexy sandals and a sun dress are in order!!

I have a desk job. While I do exercise regularly after work, when I'm on vacation I'm typically WAY more active than usual. Swimming, walking, snorkeling, hiking, dancing, etc. So I almost ALWAYS lose weight on vacation. Even pre-band. Just HAVE FUN, and you shouldn't have to worry about the "indulgences". that's part of a vacation. Part of my weight loss journey was to ENJOY life again, and be normal. That's part of it, and why I love my band. Quality of life is at the top of the list for me.

If you're to tight, you may not be taking in enough calories. Either you cant get it down, or your do and it comes back up. If you get to few calories you're actually SLOWING DOWN your weight loss. In this case, less is not more. When you consume to few calories, your body's metabolism slows down to compensate. When it slows down, it's not as effective at burning calories. You want to try and increase or maintain a metabolism. Slowing it down is counter productive. Exercise increases a metabolism as well as regular consumption of quality calories. that's why starvation diets never work. You gain it all back and then some. That's because you have decreased your metabolic rate. So being to tight is counter productive. Not to mention dangerous and NOT HEALTHY.

Doc put in 5 CCs to check the port and tubing for leaks. Once he was sure it was working right, he pulled 4 CCs out and only left one CC. So I didn't have a lot of restriction, but I did have some.

stress for sure. riding in an airplane at high altitude, yes. Water retention sometimes.

Can't go to the bathroom without it, so giving it up is not an option. I drink more water if I have to. Sad but true.

Woo Hoo! You go girl. I know how you feel. Isn't it awesome? My huband lays in bed and is always feeling me. He contantly remarks about all the bones he can feel and seems to be in awe of it all. He also says I'm not a stanger anymore either, that I have my face back from when we first met. I marveled at the fact I can now cross my legs. This happend a couple weeks ago and I constantly cross them and watch as I do it. I'm obsessed with it. It's remarkable. I look down and just can't beleive it.

I do good with spring mix as well. The greens are tender baby greens and they are much easier to deal with. Because they are baby greens, the pieces are smaller as well. I LOVE salad. If I ever get to tight to eat it, I think I would have to have an unfill. It also helps keep me regular....and with a band I need all the help I can get!!

When I really work out my abs, my port will be sore for a day or two. I'm 6 months out and it's still that way. I also do deep water aerobics. They recommend that you wear a floatation belt. I can't. The belt sits right on my port and hurts like hell. So I work out without it. It's double the workout trying to stay afloat, so I don't mind. But as I lose weight I become less bouyant and the workouts get even harder.

As you exercise and lose fat, you will also lose fat around your stomach. As this happens, the band will loosen up. Thus another reason for regular fills. It's normal and sounds like you are doing FANTASTIC. Keep going.

Stay Tuned... It sounds like you're really still on a clear liquid diet, except for the shakes. Tomato soup wouldn't qualify as a clear liquid, but it sure counts as a full liquid.

I did the 5 day test before my last fill. It worked like a charm. I lost 3.5 pounds in 5 days, and my pouch was back in line for the fill. I highly recommend it. It wasn't that bad at all. Just prepare yourself for the ketosis and BAD BREATH. Yuck.

Hmmmm.... Just goes to show you the difference in doctors. My doctor is adamant about calcium and milk. He's also not anti-carb, so I guess that would also explain it.

I was my undertanding that it takes a full 8 weeks to heal inside and that's why most surgeons won't do a fill for 2 months. Mine didn't. At 4 weeks I had just gotten off the mushy stage and was trying to adjust to solid food. A fill would sabatoge that effort. DON'T RUSH IT. I know you're anxious, excited, impatient, etc, but you have to walk before you can learn to run. I would be wary of a physician that gives a fill at 4 weeks. You're still healing. That's why this period is called BANDSTER HELL. It's a real situation, and you're there. Welcome!

Sometimes I do this just from sheer necessity. I'll put something in my mouth and chew, and I know it's not going to break down far enough. Like asparagus, steak, chicken breast, stringy green Beans, skin on fruit, etc. The texture is all wrong, and I know if I swallow it, I'll be stuck for sure. So I spit. It keeps me from getting stuck. I this regard, I see it as a defense mechanism to keep me from getting sick. I cracked up about the dog liking the rejected spit pieces of meat. Sometimes my dog sniffs my plate on the coffee table and sees my little spit piles and looks at me like, "Damn, are you not going to eat that? Sure looks good to me!"