Jack

Welcome to LBT and cheers on your journey......from another Oregon resident...."but it's a WET rain".....

Congratulations!!! Belts can represent real dedication. I have a favorite belt bought in 1965 for a special occasion.....wasn't able to wear it for over 30 years.....but now it fits great....in fact, wearing right now but it would be too big if I hadn't added a couple smaller-size holes. cheers to the Bandsters one and all!!!!

re: "http://drsimpson.net/fills/Lap-band-eating/lap-band-not-restriction/lap-band-and-restriction.html" excellent link!!! Thanks....and he hits most of the major points we all need to know. PBing for me has happened far more frequently because of some 'Error of Eating' I committed in some variable of 'too much/too fast' rather than being just the type of food....although certain items predictably are most often culprits in a little slime. Dry stringy chicken unchewed very well....which violates the 'too much/too fast' Rule of Eating... PB for me can happen even on a one or two bite basis if I ignore my new eating habits. Most often if I'm too hungry and eat too fast, there it is. And if 'Sport Eating' rather than 'Satiety Satisfaction' I tend to find my attention wanders from actual eating to something else, old chomp-and-gulp may intervene producing PBs.

In early soft food phase the blender is your friend....and do NOT take "bites".....take "nibbles" and put down your spoon between each delightful taste. Learn to savor the flavor. Learn to gauge the important nuances between "AM hungry" and "WAS hungry". It doesn't take more than a spoon or 2, it is a very delicate balance. If you learn this early on, you will not get the "too full" sensation. Learn the "just enough" spot and it will serve you well.

During my own transition period I needed to reinforce my newly recognized notion of "not hungry" vs "hungry". It helped for me to actually measure portions as eating actual food came back on line for me. I got a very small dish that I still use for dessert, it only holds a given amount. And I got used to used measuring cups for a while. But in this phase, a single poached egg was PLENTY for weeks and weeks. Eventually I could eat a small tin of Water packed tuna in 2 or 3 meals, with a little slippery NF dressing blended in. Get small a plates, and a small Soup dish and a child sized spoon. It reinforces the amount you eat while giving the idea of 'full plate' if you need that kind of visual. A snack for me was 1 saltine nibbled slowly over about 10 minutes. It actually DID take that long at first, my Band was extra tight from the beginning. In my era I was encouraged to eat to help the children in China who were all starving at the time. It really is a new freedom to NOT have to eat it all, eat this last little bit, eat just another bite, eat to make it all gone, eat because it takes up room, etc etc. Bless Mom....but her depression survival skills didn't do me the kind of good she intended.

I've re-read this, and re-considered exactly how I was feeling 2 days postOp. I've changed my answer. Yes, it IS crazy to consider it!!!

re: "Making a 4 hr road trip as passenger/navigator" probably no really big issue. But.....add in whatever time/energy demands of the concert plus ?then what? Another 4 hours back home? re: "concert" for myself, while I _could_ have done it physically, in no way would I have wanted either crowds or noise OR open ended 'being up and out' demands on my energy level. Proper recovery is far more important than a concert, IMHO. Perhaps doable, but exactly "why" would be the final question.

Old "Sport Eating" habits die hard. You know what to do. And like most of the rest of the Bandster world, you know what not to do. Wish it were easier for me too. Good luck and cheers in your journey. Every day requires discipline and dedication to our goal. And nothing tastes better than success.

This can be a confusing and painful moment, when friends somehow determine their opinion about your medical condition and decision, should be the final verdict on what does or doesn't happen. There's a ton of ways to deal with this kind of situation, depending on a world of variables. It also depends on how blunt you want to be, and whether you want to bludgeon them (metaphorically of course) or simply thank them for their opinion "Now BUTT OUT" etc. One colleague meant well in his relentless determination to advise me on matters none of his affair. Finally I had to say "Thanks for your concern. Your vote has been duly recorded. Now please respect MY vote, as that is the only one that counts." And how to handle the endless clucking about a jillion unrelated unsimilar seemingly concerned friends? Those who haven't seen you on the way downDownDOWN will be amazed. I told most of that crew it was "due to clean living and righteous thoughts". Creating a new ME is one of the unexpected tasks with which a Bandster Life blesses us. People that saw me at 350+++ for years were startled with the mini-Me sized from high school of the JFKennedy era. We have to become comfortable with our New Selves. This kind of encounter is merely a training exercise.

....beware Lesson #2: eating chicken and talking on the phone at the same time..... Don't ask how I know about this one.

dessert treat: 1/2 cup LF yogurt, 1 t Adams peanut butter, stirred/blended, a few drops liquid stevia, a few dozen raw blueberries...

It is essential to learn how to quietly ask the waiter to puree your soup. They don't need a life history, only a quiet request on the order of "Due to recent surgery I must ask if your kitchen can kindly puree my soup please". In the entire postOp recovery 3 week liquids/3 week mushies I never had any problem with such a request. And even now often only the appetizer menu is plenty for me depending on what/where. Our postOp "social eating" does require some modification from our old preOp eating behavior......we can learn to modify our table social behavior to enjoy the occasion without over eating. It does take practice to learn the shifts in our new Life Style.

We're coming into prime strawberry season here. I'm unable to eat enough of them raw to encounter any calorie or blood sugar issues. And while many disagree, I simply can not stand strawberry any other way. There's something to the fresh berry not present in other incarnations IMHO. Blueberry vines, raspberry and blackberry bushes and the Holy Gooseberries are plentiful on my little gardening acre and are my main indulgences. As far as other flavors go, I'm a fan of'plain vanilla' with various flavoring herbs as cinnamon, nutmeg, and a wide assortment of others infrequently. I don't care for chocolate and could go another 30 years without it except it's nearly as prevalent as oxygen. I prefer stevia if I need to sweeten something. most of the SF products have something in them I don't care for either. I'm not a pudding or especially 'Jello anything' kind of guy, since under the guise of a 50 year wedding party the relatives forced me to endure lime jello with bologna strips and 'fruit cocktail' many years ago....but that's another story. Life was pretty tough in preOp days as a Diabetic with some hidden allergy reactions. I just remain cautious.

re: "Any ideas? " maybe I'm missing something here, but why not just throw in a couple of diced or blended real strawberries if you want the most intense flavor? I've never gotten that super-intense flavor out of the big cosmetically appealing tennis ball sized versions, it's the little thumbnail sized berries that seem to have the real flavor.

Another tactic I found helpful was to get engaged in some project long put off. One handy task was to start sorting out all my old "Fat Clothes". Amazing mess of items barely worn. And walking. And other home chores. Gardening and yard work. etc. cheers on your journey

re: "One of my largest fears is that I will never be able to eat again." great topic to discuss!!! The reality for me was WAY better than anything I imagined it could be: I _CAN_ still eat nearly anything I choose. A huge improvement is, my belly is no longer in charge of "how much". Also, my palette changed, along with my relationship with eating. No longer are social occasions events **just for ME to OVER eat**. And the fact postOp I enjoy eating more than before.....the meaningful difference here is, a bite or 2, or a 1/2 cup or cupful, is plenty to satisfy. The compulsive repetitive and continual OVER eating for me is pretty well gone. I can still go to the Steak House and get a meal. I just don't care for the onion blossom, 3 courses of appetizers, Soup, fries, a 20 ozer, and desert. While I might eat all of that, it would pretty much take most of the week to do such. The phrase "eat to live" no longer identifies my eating behavior. "Live to eat" is far more satisfying. cheers on your journey.... NOTHING tastes as good a being slimmer, healthier, and happier.

I found herbal teas helped soothe my sensation of hunger during the first few weeks. One that worked for me was huckleberry tea, others were camomile and peppermint.

LOL! yes, our shapes do change...and for the better....although "round" and "pear" are shapes, there's ones I like better....

I was on 2 types of insulin BID 100 units for 15 years preOp. 10 months postOp I was off all injections! Taking metformin and glypazide. A1c fell to 5.9 and remained around 6.4 until last check up....it had bumped up to 7.4....ominous and of great concern...following up with internist next month. BMI preOp 46.5 now 35.5. Still "30# from goal".

Hello Ahab, welcome to the wonderful world of BandsterLand!!! Here's my personal responses to your inquiries: My problem is with the fact that in order to do the pre-op right the choices and tastes are rather limited. Yes, I have a list of all the wonderful "shakes" you can make - but I'm not really a shake/smoothie kinda person....[maybe not yet.....] : Will I be able to eat high-end, quality restaurant foods or will a trip to a restaurant be a total waste of time not to mention money? [i attended a banquet just a few days after my 3 week liquids/3 week mushies phase. The biggest thing I could eat was a poached egg....but it was sheer heaven. Watching the people at my table stuff down their third full plate of heavy starches just to dive into their gooey Desserts was a real lesson for me!]....and there are phases in which you will not care for much, but still have a taste of restaurant fare with great enjoyment. The amounts will be considerably decreased. And do not be surprised to find your tastes may have changed, for what you think you may like. re: enjoy the foie gras [i've never been able to tolerate even the odor of it], good stinky cheeses [probably no change there] (bread I can live without) [i lived for bread but now often go weeks without any and don't miss it] , a nice steak (a small one) [i can really enjoy a properly grilled petite 4 oz, rarely 6 oz...typically when I grill burger, I'll do a pound as one large pattie and cut into quarters which last most of the week] or other nice juicy medium rare steaks...I can't chew the fibrous 'well done' versions enough to enjoy them] or really unique and different foods that I have access to while traveling on the expense account [mostly I can eat about anything I choose, heeding certain matters....dry chicken for instance remain a problem....preparation is important whether it fits or not] en I'm faced with a chocolate soufflé with grand marnier - it's kinda hard to say no - again I'll only have a bite - it's the taste experience that's enticing.[fortunately I'm indifferent to chocolate of any kind....if I never have it in the next 30 years I wouldn't miss it] I'm also a sucker for street food - especially in NY.[some street food works for me and some doesn't--flour tortillas aren't well tolerated while chips are....crackers/dry/toasted yes, french bread no. I used to buy loaves of specialty bread....one for home, one to get me there...there's a lot of variation in street food in the places I've been.] Have any of you thought about this before the surgery? How has your restaurant experience been affected by the band? Did you have to give up all the delicious things and replace them with shakes or meh chicken just to deal with the band? Have any of the awesome gourmet foods been a problem because of the band? [Actually my *taste* changed...what pleases my palette changed, so I don't feel like I "gave up" anything. I enjoy gourmet food...but have a far more limited notion of what I actually *want* to eat than preOp. And the biggest most surprising change for me, has been that I no longer "live to eat"....that phrase never mean much preOp....I now literally --most the time--- "eat to live". And I can enjoy the process of becoming hungry without the dread and anxiety preOp, that dreadful things were about to happen. The process of becoming hungry enough to eat has at times become as enjoyable as the process of eating itself. Who would have thought!! So cheers on your journey!!! Keep us posted on your voyage of discovery!!!

joleng: re: "I was just wondering am i gonna get gas pains still yet? i don't know what to expect and was wondering if i should expect to get them" I didn't have any to talk about. On the other hand, constipation for nearly a week was of considerable concern!!! cheers on your journey

re: "but I just want to be able to eat somewhat normal! " WARNING!!! With installation of the Lap Band, there is a NEW "somewhat normal". Now 6 1/2 years postOp, my own beloved Symbiant, my Little Angel of the Silicon Fist, at times is touchy, not totally predictable and somewhat finicky, not unlike a headstrong child. With more experience as a Bandster, the quirky aspect of what will and what won't work for the day. I have not observed any given pattern to these variances, and being male have no issue with a monthly cycle. If by "somewhat normal' you mean "able to eat a wide range of foods and enjoy food without being obsessed with huge amounts that led to over eating and Morbid Obesity in the first place", the overwhelming trend IS for that to occur. And yes, there are issues we must learn to identify and manage by adapting our eating behavior accordingly. I haven't heard of any Bandster posting without some minor unpredicted glitches in the daily routine now and then. Learning how to manage our New Bandster Life Style leads to greater satisfaction. Recognizing there are phases we all tend to encounter helped me manage my own expectations. Recognizing "too tight" and "too loose" is as important as learning "hungry" and "NOT hungry" in modifying our eating behavior. "Hunger" for me for far too long, was like a draft horse showing up to drag me willingly or not to the buffet line. Bandster Life taught me how to saddle up that pony and ride my hunger to where I wanted to go with it. Surprised at what I found, was I didn't always have to use my eating shovel. A few teaspoons of food provided the satiety Normos follow in their eating patterns.

Jinifer: Welcome the Bandster Land! We'll be watching to see what you Dr. tells you about this problem. Please advise us as soon as you have the diagnosis. Cheers on your journey!

Nicely stated Marine!!! Thanks for the reality check!

We got thru phases at differing rates. It took about a year before I was brave enough to try such as carrots, cauliflower or brocoly in the raw. You will learn how to do such as the right time. In the meanwhile, steamed and soft is good.