Jack

while these are very few for me, I too just accept the fact and find some liquid protein and enjoy the variety. The richness of otherwise inexplicable finicky Band behavior rewards us regardless of occasional frustration.

"I'm eating soup when I'm not even hungry." We must find the strength and discipline to use our new tool. The Band has taught me a lot about my old habit of 'sport eating'. Being able to recognize the actual process of when we eat unrelated to 'hunger' is a step towards our success. re: "I'm also at 4 weeks with NO binging." Congratulations. It takes many such steps in our journey. You can do it!!!

Early postOp we are unfamiliar with both the "had ENOUGH" signal as well as "you really ARE hungry" message. We are used to being physically herded about by Belly Beasts that strive to control us as well as insisting they be in charge of eating as much as possible as often as possible regardless of hunger. Awareness of the more quiet voice that really is associated with 'hunger coming on' which trigger 'eating' rather than 'hunger MIGHT attack us' so we better 'eatEatEAT'. Learning the little signals and taking little amounts, gradually our brain learns how to control our belly regardless of "tastes so good". I love the sensation of recognizing "enough" in spite of whatever it was "tasting so good".

re: "What the hell happens if I am in work or worse yet in a restuarant?!! What do you do? " there are 2 kinds of Bandsters.....those who have PB'd......and those who haven't....yet..... You'll learn how to handle it, usually there is some slight warning. The 'soft stop' used to be a term we used to identify the 'early warning: your pouch is FULL so quit eating NOW dummy'.....for slow learners such as myself, who initially ignored such, the "hard stop: yes you ARE stuck are you happy?" is an experience that teaches one to modify our eating behavior. That kind of lesson can not really be transferred to another, it must be experienced first hand to have real meaning. Another tip: despite how well you think you are doing otherwise, do NOT try to eat chicken and talk on the phone at the same time! Don't ask how I know this. Almost all my PBs were resultant from my own hard headed 'Errors of Eating' that took a while to retrain to Bandster style needs. My very first REAL 'stuck' episode was with the small triscuits...a favorite snack I was able to gradually reintroduce about 8 weeks postOp....only somehow I managed to try to chew 2 or 3 at the same time.... Yes, leaning over the sink, trying to decide whether to call 911 or my surgeon's office. Fortunately one of his secretaries was about 4 months postOp and gave me some first hand tips. Learn how to nibble. Learn how to chew VERY Well. Nibble-->chew VERY well...to the point of slurry....THEN carefully swallow. It took me about 10 minutes at first to eat a saltine. Exercise: Nibble---chew---->nibble nibble--->>>chew chewchew chew. Check for actual hunger signal and "WHY am I eating this now"....swallow carefully. Go do something non-food related. Come back in 20 minutes. Check for 'hunger' vs 'sport eating' ..... cheers on your journey

I was about 18 months postOp before I hazarded even trying ground beef. To me it resembled more ground cardboard, and I was obsessed with removing all the gristle and unidentifiable other stuff that my chewing could not reduce to a paste. A normal grilled patty would end up with a golf-ball sized wad that I simply could not bring myself to even try to swallow. Perhaps I was over zealous. In any case, it was a couple years before I actually ~enjoyed~ ground beef. Ground turkey I was ok. Higher grade ground beef I was better that the econo stuff as there was more roughage than I expected to find. I used a food processor a lot to puree suspicious meats, as the dread I had of another major 'stuck' episode weighed on me. Again I was perhaps over zealous there too.

If you noticed your tongue also being coated in a thick white stuff, you were in ketosis. When the body chemistry shifts from the normal pathway of glyconeogenesis to fat burning glycolosis and starts converting the glycogen/fat of the old stored cheeseburgers around our waists, bad breath occurs. It actually is a good thing, showing we are going into the phase we need to enter in our early postOp recovery. We typically will be losing at a faster pace during this period. Be sure to drink PLENTY of Water during this period. Check out "Krebs cycle" in Guytons Physiology for a thrilling update on digestive processes on a most basic level, if academic medical texts don't put you in a coma. Once we return to a non-ketotic higher calorie intake of above around the 4-500 level, that odor will disappear over a few days. For those doing an actual true *fast*, the tongue will return to a sweet tasting pink as the coating goes away with the odor.

If you noticed your tongue also being coated in a thick white stuff, you were in ketosis. When the body chemistry shifts from the normal pathway of glyconeogenesis to fat burning glycolosis and starts converting the glycoben/fat of the old stored cheeseburgers around our waists, bad breath occurs. It actually is a good thing, showing we are going into the phase we need to enter in our early postOp recovery. We typically will be losing most of our weight daily during this period. Be sure to drink PLENTY of Water during this period. Check out "Krebs cycle" in Guytons Physiology for a thrilling update on digestive processes on a most basic level, if academic medical texts don't put you in a coma. Once we return to a non-ketotic higher calorie intake of above around the 4-500 level, that odor will disappear over a few days. For those doing an actual true *fast*, the tongue will return to a sweet tasting pink as the coating goes away with the odor.

If you noticed your tongue also being coated in a thick which stuff, you were in ketosis. When the body chemistry shifts from the normal pathway of glyconeogenesis to fat burning glycolosis and starts converting the glycoben/fat of the old stored cheeseburgers around our waists, bad breath occurs. It actually is a good thing, showing we are going into the phase we need to enter in our early postOp recovery. We typically will be losing most of our weight daily during this period. Be sure to drink PLENTY of Water during this period. Check out "Krebs cycle" in Guytons Physiology for a thrilling update on digestive processes on a most basic level, if academic medical texts don't put you in a coma. Once we return to a non-ketotic higher calorie intake of above around the 4-500 level, that odor will disappear over a few days. For those doing an actual true *fast*, the tongue will return to a sweet tasting pink as the coating goes away with the odor.

re: scrambled eggs One of my worst day-long slime/PB fits was from scrambled eggs and grits. Just 2 bites keep me kacking for about hours and 250 miles of otherwise enjoyable country scenery. re: jerky I was terrified of this for the first 2 or 3 years postOp, then finally tried some buffalo jerky. Surprisingly it worked fine. If carefully chewed it works well for me. re: chicken remains an 'iffy' meal; sometimes yes, sometimes no. Sometimes I can eat almost one whole long-style nugget, almost never 1 whole one as I get TOO full. If I don't chew thoroughly I get stuck and PB for an hour or so. Sometimes grilled a small thigh is a delight. I'm not a big fan of chicken these days. Having enough hard dense high Protein continues to be the best way I can remain satisfied for 3 or 4 hours.

Write off those kinds of comments as "well intended but pitifully uninformed". One of the groups of people I ran into were all concerned that they knew more than the doctors, the patient, or those on the LBT forum who all have thousands of times more experience. We live in an age where the choices seem to be live in total anonymity or having the entire town butt in to our private business. Many will seek to comfort you, and some will try to encourage you, while others are bent on sharing horrid stories that have little or nothing in common with your situation. Learning how to live in your own postOp world is part of the exciting New Life we can all construct for ourselves. Who you tell and IF your tell anyone is YOUR business. I live in a small town so if I lose track of what I'm actually doing I can ask someone on Main Street who doesn't know me and THEY will have an opinion as to how I should live my live. Cheers on your journey!

Early postOp we all have to consider what our surgeon tells us to do. As we heal and our bodies turn towards "Now what?" along with our mental/emotional/rational sides, the very concept of "satisfied " is the most essential part of our postOp life. Learning to notice that small quiet voice will give us a new wonderful experience. Prepare for becoming reacquainted with the old long lost friends of 'satiety' 'satisfied' and 'not hungry'.

Looks like you have a good handle on the Whole Idea! I like how you've organized the concepts....except re: "Stage 6 - You cheated with some food that you know darn well that you shouldn't have eaten!" Except for the early restrictions postOp, Bandster Life is not like any other 'diet world'.... Bandsters can and do eat nearly any imaginable kind of food. More important, it's the amount we eat, and the reason we we eat that is far more important than 'what' we eat....although the 'twinkies-ice cream-cookies' theme of course must be rationally moderated.

re: "what your "full" feelings are and how you know when to stop eating?" perhaps the largest change in my own eating habits was discovering the wonders of the difference between "hungry" and "not hungry". Full is an illusion that I have ranted about in the past many times; we all were raised with some variation of "just eat this little bit"; "you can't leave the table until your plate is empty"; "here have just a little more" etc etc. By the time I was 20 I literally had lost the notion that eating and satisfaction were related. I trained for decades in the art of tamping down with my eating shovel all those precious morsels so I could AT LAST feel "full". Big mistake and total error. And do not let the sounds your Belly Beasts make, drive you into further over eating....the drive to eat until 'full' is the path to Morbid Obesity. Along the way of in the wretched 6 weeks postOp, I suddenly heard the song of "Not hungry" and it was directly tied to being "Not full". Suddenly I realized I had been trying to feed the Beast of "Full" and ignoring the Sprite of "Not Full". Sometimes just one or two bites is plenty. Then stop. In fact, look at how Normos eat: Hungry--->eat--->Not hungry--->Stop eating. That is how to train ourselves in our new Life. The fear of being "not full" drove me into a frenzy to eatEatEAT. You know where that leads. Cheers on your journey.

re: "I don't understand this myself because I'm less hungry than most bandsters and have no fill." I had no fill the first 6 months postOp, a period during which I lost the most weight and learned more about my preternatural relationship with food and overeating. Having spent the biggest part of 4 decades in the dark shadows of serial binge-dieting, I have no illusion that without my Band I would return to the sad old days of being controlled by my Belly Beasts.

I had trouble with corn kernels for about 2 years postOp regardless of on or off the cob. Finally that issue went away and I can enjoy corn on the cob....although it now takes only about 1/2-3/4 of a full cob to be plenty if I want anything else with my meal.

re: "why not just do Weight Watchers or something. What does the band really do that it's worth putting all my money into it? " I spent over 30 years fluctuating up & down & then up more again doing "Weight Watchers or something". So far, while not 100% the results I want, the Band has helped me more than any other approach I've used. Results seem to vary between Bandsters. Don't know of any specific academic studies that isolates the differences.

Tracking our intake is an essential part of learning about our eating choices. The various programs make tracking quite easy. Those subtle reasons we respond to daily stress from whatever source, can be observed and then changed once we become aware of our Intake errors. Changing old habits is difficult but rewarding. And the scale is not the final arbitrator of whether we are successful. Changing the physical and emotional constraints of Morbid Obesity demands our full attention, discipline and dedication. "We ARE the Band".....and the Band as Tool means we must learn to use it....the Band as an instrument in the symphonic orchestra of our ultimate health/happiness requires we learn to tune it before we play a sonata. You. Can. Do. It.

Suzi Q2: I was 59 at surgery and terrified of surgery. My slot was #2 of the morning, and delayed about an hour....during which I nearly got up and left the hospital. Glad I didn't. I had a rapid and uneventful recovery. Off pain meds the 2nd day postOp. In fact, none of the theoretical pain I worried about ever happened. My worst day these 6 1/2years postOp remains BETTER than my best day preOp the preceding 20 years. "Choking" relates to air way tubes into the lungs; "band issues" relate to the esophagus tube into the stomach....two different tubes. But tell your doctor. And I feel at LEAST 30 years younger because of weight loss!!!! Cheers on your journey.

You might want to get examined to determined whether a hiatal hernia is present. While I "can" eat before bedtime, it really isn't something I do much these days. Perhaps a saltine if I 'must' but really is just the remains of an old preOp habit.

I've grown fond of my own sense of serenity and a more gradual pace of life in general accompanies the changes my Little Angel of the Silicon Fisssst has imposed on my eating habits. "Eating rapidly" has become a clear error in many ways I strive to avoid, especially at first meal of the day. I haven't seen what more recent research has shown, but the old notion was that the pyloric sphincter opened only enough to allow passage of the portion of stomach contents that had been reduced to a certain liquid gruel-like consistency before introduction to the small intestine. I never had the concept that Bandster upper pouch contents was an "hours delayed" event, as somewhere in reading a lot gave the idea of just slowing down the process, but one could clog up the drain by certain eating errors. Thanks for the post Jacqui.

There's a lot of conflicting opinions regarding "starvation mode". The subject is something of a hot topic at times for all of us. IMHO, if such were true, there would be no 'death by starvation' cases and people in concentration camps would have a whole lot better experience. Here is one interesting discussion: http://fattyfightsback.blogspot.com/2009/03/mtyhbusters-starvation-mode.html The balance in our food-as-energy models are interpreted in many ways. I'd urge you to do a LOT of research on the subject and tell us what your conclusions are.

What kind of help do you want? Talk with your doctor and give him accurate information so he can determine what the best approach is to deal with this issue. No Bandster ever died of 'constant hunger'. Mostly 'constant over eating' is what gave people such as myself the kinds of problems that come with Morbid Obesity. Recovery from a decades long self inflicted over eating habit has required continued daily efforts on my part, which mean I have to do my part of the dance. The result is worth it, and nothing tastes as good as better health. Good luck.

I tried "miso soup" for a temporary bridge during that phase. Never did develop any craving for it. As you experiment, the variety of flavors becomes ever more amazing IMHO, from the old preOp days. Sometimes just the tiniest of pin-head size peaks of such as mustard would give me incredible gustatory satisfaction. Also just a fingertip in a little plain horseradish was immensely satisfying on many levels....not to mention clearing the sinuses. Part of my own discovery was how complicated the physical act of eating really is. I had always sort of just inhaled/suck/washed it down without much chewing, though, appreciation for flavors, consistency, etc. My goal was to push as much down as rapidly as possible so I could get some more as soon as possible. What an idiotic approach to one of the great pleasures of life! I learned to saunter and stroll through a meal instead of making it a bumper-to-bumper rush hour stress event.

re: "And, you're still hungry with the band?" One of my most unexpected and BIGGEST postOp pleasures, is coming to realize how ENJOYABLE the act of 'becoming hungry' can be. Like a summer rain squall moving in from across the plain, you sense it in the distance, you feel the increasing awareness of the approach, and the gradual merging of the distant beauty into your immediate surroundings. The delight of actually HAVING a physical appetite which responds to Normo size meals is blissful, after decades of simply striving to stuff as much down my gullet as rapidly as possible while planning what to eat next. Somewhere along my life path, I lost track of this important event. Somehow I became obsessed with the dread of 'being hungry' and ate everything in my path to avoid that. The other part of the Band that is a true delight, is that the pleasure of 'becoming physically hungry' is well balanced with the pleasure of 'becoming physically satiated'. Sometimes it may take only a bite or two. Often 1/2 a sandwich is more than it takes, rather than an entire loaf of bread. Learning how little it takes to satisfy is a delight. PreOp typically was an adventure in "how much can I eat". PostOp the matter far more often is "how little it takes to be satiated". Entirely different focus for me. Cheers on your journey.

this is a strange story http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3334976/Fattest-man-Paul-Mason-sues-the-NHS-for-allegedly-letting-him-grow.html