Scotty

Tried to eat some Breakfast this morning - and I know this doesn't sound very breakfasty, but I've been so light on Protein - it was 3 oz of cooked chicken breast pureed with yogurt. I took a teaspoonful and it just wouldn't go down. I had real discomfort as I swallowed, further up my oesophagus. I stopped eating immediately, waited a while and took some Water. I made the puree even more liquid with more yoghurt and took it with me for lunch. I did manage to eat it, but it wasn't as easy as it has been in the past. Tonight I made some pureed of salmon and brocolli. I managed to eat it but again, it's quite uncomfortable. I suppose I want to know why this would have come on so suddenly when I've been eating easily for the last week. This is my first week of mushy following 2 weeks of liquids. Needless to say, I'm worried something is going wrong.

Zoe is so right! I lost 10lb in the first 5 days then nothing for another 2 weeks! A lot of water gone. Everyone keeps complimenting me on how great my complexion is and how bright my eyes are. That's what 2 litres of water a day and no bread can do for you I guess!

Thank you! I've been having that too. Middle of the breast bone - bit like a pulled muscle. It's worse after eating so I figured it was some kind of indigestion. Looking forward to THAT one going. I have a little discomfort around the port area which did get a little worse after some - ahem - horizontal recreation the other night. Was a bit worried I'd really hurt myself but it didn't feel bad at the time, if you know what I mean. Got the go ahead to start cycling again. So looking forward to getting some level of fitness back after several weeks of laziness. Another lb down! Hurrah!

Last night I blitzed up some 3 oz smoked fish (haddock) with grated horseradish, yoghurt and a little half fat creme fraiche (sour cream). To go with it, 2oz of frozen peas simmered with half a clove of garlic, blitzed with 2 tsp creme fraiche and a sliver of butter. Total cals 350. Absolutely delicious!!! For lunch I blitzed 3 oz chicken fillets with a tblsp hummus, tablespoon non-fat yogurt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Added in some Korean chilli sauce too. Cals apaprox 300. I think it's really important to satisfy your taste buds as well as your appetite. Hope that helps!!!

I'm nearly 3 weeks post op and went on to 'mushy' (I hate that word) food last Friday. I've realised - and I think Alexandra is the same - that sometimes I don't feel 'full' until 2 or 3 minutes AFTER I stop eating. So, now I try to stop before that full feeling. What's amazing is how little food I need to get there. I'm still struggling to get over 1000 calories a day. Sadly my weight loss isn't reflected in the amount I'm eating. Only 1lb in the last 2 weeks, but apparently that's normal. (I have to say that or Alexandra will shout at me:))))!) What I'm struggling with is getting rid of the mental associations of that feeling of fullness, which generally were feelings of guilt. I still feel guilty even though I've no need to!

Eve I so relate to how you feel. I understand completely how it is to just no recognise yourself. When I see photos, I wonder who is that person? I'm in the honeymoon period. 2 weeks 3 days since my op. I wrote in another post that what I am trying to get used to is NOT associating feeling full with guilt. I have to go and work out my calorie intake to convince myself that it's OK to feel full now. It used to be that in order to feel satisfied I had to eat excessively. Then I felt guilty, so I felt bad about myself, so I ate more. We ALL relate to that cycle. I can't tell you how liberating it is to know it's OK to feel full! It's wonderful. Pain? the operation really isn't painful at all. At least not for very long. It's a bit like doing too many sit-ups in the few days after the op, but by 5 days I felt completely fine. A bit of itching round the scars, but that was it. The money - only you can say what value you want to put on your health. I paid myself for the op. I live in the UK and this op is rarely available on the NHS without serious co-morbitiy which I didn't have, and isn't covered by insurance. Yes - I could have used the money for a new kitchen, new car, holidays - but for me the band is an investment in itself - and more importantly investment in me! So - is it worth it? It's too early for me to tell - but I've a feeling it will be!

14 days since my op and I am still on liquids. I've mentioned this before, but I am now getting really worried. My calorie intake is between 500 and 700 a day max. I lost 10lbs very quickly post op, but nothing, nada, not an ounce for 8 days now. How can this be? I am really scared that this is the way it's going to be and I'll never lose any more weight and all this will have been for nothing. I'm drinking loads of Water, so it's not that. I'm even getting exercise. And it's definitely the least amount of carbs I've ever consumed. I know it's early days and this period isn't about weight loss, but I feel like a freak. It isn't normal. Is it?

You might want to ask for or take a spare pair of TEDS, the compression socks you need to wear after the op. Flying long-haul increases your risk of blood clot significantly as does having surgery. During the flight, keep flexing your feet to encourage the blood to move out of calf muscles and do try and walk round the cabin when it's safe. Also, you may get shoulder pain - so maybe a hot Water bottle (the stewardess would fill it with hot water for you) - or those pads climbers use to heat up their feet and hands. You get them in outdoors shops. And remember, you MUST drink water, especially on the flight. This will help keep you hydrated and reduce the risk of clots. Other than that - good luck, enjoy Amsterdam! Remember coffee shops are different there!!!!!!

I had my operation at The Princess Grace Hospital in London. Surgeon Mr Rogers. www.gordcentre.co.uk Yes - I had a tablespoon of spotted dick! And for the first time in my life I am not going to beat myself up about it. If you have read any of my preceding posts you will see that I have been surviving on clear soup and fruit juice for 2 weeks. I haven't managed to take in more than 700 calories a day. As it is, I still haven't made it to 1000 calories Dick or no dick. (By the way, for those interested the etymology is that 'dick' in olde english was a kind of cheese. The recipe has changed over the years needless to say). I'm glad you understand that the point of that band is to control your intake not deprive you of foods that you like. Feeling satisfied on such a small amount of food is the most amazing sensation! So liberating. I've been having to go and work out my calories intake to convince myself that I have no reason to feel guilty. Here are the equations: hungry=good; full=bad; feeling bad=eating too much>Welcome to the vicious cycle that is the life of a fattie!!!! For 20 years I associate feeling full with feeling guilty. Such destructive and pointless way to live. NO MORE!!!!! Hurrah!!!!!!

It's true - a big supermarket chain re-named Spotted Dick as Spotted Richard! Ridiculous really and they had so many people laughing at them they changed the name back pretty quick - the british version of a 'wardrobe malfunction' I suppose! For those foodies out there, here's Delia's recipe. A dinner party talking point, if nothing else. I add a teaspoon of mixed spice as well. Can you get suet in the US? I remember when I lived in the US I couldn't get it which was frustrating when having comfort food sunday lunches with all the sad old expats in LA. http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/recipeselections/r_0000001497.asp By the way, I managed about a tablespoon but it was heavenly! On the feeling full point, the last two days (as well as breakfast this morning) are really bringing it home to me that if even if I don't feel full whilst I'm eating, it's amazing that five minutes later I really do. This morning I had a scrambled egg with an ounce of cheese, some guacamole and hot sauce - yum - the whole lot could have fitted on the palm of my hand. I could definitely eaten another one immediately I'd finished, but I went online instead, and what do you know - now I'm full as can be! Amazing...couldn't put another bite in my mouth even if I wanted to. Long may it continue!

Spotted Dick - for those that are interested - is a traditional English dessert. It's a sort of sweet, wet sponge with currants in it. I blended a little with some custard. It was delicious! I reckon I've doubled my calorie intake tonight! Thanks again for the support guys!! Happy weekend!

Thank you all! You are all so wonderful...and Alex, I knew the answer - just needed to see the answer written down. My first day on soft food today. I just ate some pureed chicken with lowfat creme fraiche, lemon and spices. I also managed two tablespoons mashed potato - it was so delicious. One thing I've noticed is that when I eat I feel OK, then about five minutes later I feel uncomfortably full. All part of the learning process I suppose. This will make all the American's laugh...I'm going to have spotted dick and custard tonight! Love to you all!

I wouldn't have liked to come out same day. My Doc does two nights and I was glad of them although more than able to come home on morning of day two, less than 48 hour post op.

Hi there - you've had the star treatment from the top people on the forum already! I'm only 11 days post-op and this forum has been an absolute Godsend, especially over the first few days. I chose to keep my treatment secret so having this support has been vital. Before the surgery I felt very nervous, mostly about what I was losing which for me, was my relationship with food. It has been such an important relationship I wondered how I would cope. However, like you, I knew that if I wanted to live my life and unzip the mental fat suit, I would have to do something major. I found the surgery very straight forward. Of course there is discomfort but it's a bit like doing too many sit-ups. (Something I haven't done in the last decade by the way.) The worst and most irritating pain was in the left shoulder. They use a gas to inflate your abdomen so that the instruments can be used more effectively. This irritates your diaphragm which in turn gives you this weird referred pain in your shoulder. But even that went after a week and certainly wasn't bad enough to keep me awake or anything. Since the surgery I have felt a great sense of well-being. It's like a liberation. The choices in the first couple of weeks are very simple - you have liquids or you risk mucking everything up, and if like me, you've just handed over a great deal of cash, that's the last thing you want to do! It's a pretty good detox, I can tell you! I live alone so it's been easy to please myself. I would imagine it would be harder with cooking for kids and husband, but maybe for the first two weeks you would want to make arrangements so that you don't have to be tempted by anything! I've probably gone a bit off base in my answer, but thought you might like to hear from someone who's a bit of a newbie. I think talking to someone face to face who has gone through it is a really good idea. It's also very important that you consider the possible complications as well, both medical and psychological. This isn't a quick fix. The band is a tool that you have to learn how to use. I'm at the beginning of a journey but it's one as yet, I have no regrets about starting. Scotty

Me too! I decided to have the op before Christmas but didn't get into full on mourning until about a month before surgery. I did basically one of everything I loved - pizza, chinese, sushi - even bought a dozen doughnut but was so disgusted with myself I threw half of them away after a couple of days. The night before surgery I went for an early supper 6pm, at a really nice restaurant and had their burger and chips. It was delicious but it really stayed with me and I felt full right through to lunch the next day. I was really worried that something would go wrong in the surgery which was scheduled at 1.30pm. Fortunately everything went fine. My regret was that I didn't get to do the gastronomic meal with my friend at this really fancy restaurant. He was ill! Having said all that, I do kind of regret it all as I know I put on about 8-10lbs all of which I now have to take off. But, i'll never forget how good that pizza tasted!

Good luck! I can't believe how much better I feel and it's only 11 days since my op!

I'm in the UK too, 11 days post op, and my doc has me on thin Soups for two weeks then purees. He actually said consomme for two weeks but at only 9 cals per serving, I only a managed 6 days. Moved to carefully strained/seived soups for last 5 days and although I feel absolutely full after just one bowl, I feel great. The booklet he gave me says the test is, if it can go through a straw, it's OK. It's t is a little irritating though - all docs seem to offer different post-op regimes. I don't know if that's because they use different bands or have their own experience. Whatever way - I think it's best to stick to what they say though. I have an allergic reaction if to anyone saying "I told you so"!

I'm 10 days post-op. I stayed on the clear soups for the first four days but at only 9 calories per serving, I was worried I was going to pass out on day three, although I didn't feel 'hunger' in any recognisable sense. In fact since my surgery I have only felt a vague hunger once. I having been making soup which I pass through a very fine seive and them water down with clear broth so they are the consistency of hot chocolate. They could easily go through a straw. A cup or so fills me up. My problem is that when I feel full I feel guilt! This has been compounded by the fact that although I lost 11lbs in the first 6 days, I haven't dropped another ounce since. Now I know that it's probably that I'm turning into a big bag of water with all the liquid I'm pushing in, but I reckon my calorie intake is about 500 a day, so it's a bit frustrating. I'm also worried that I'm pushing my metabolism into starvation mode which will make long term weight loss that much harder. This probably explains why I am retaining so much water. I am taking in 3-4 pints of liquid a day but there's not a lot coming out. On the plus side, I do feel fine. I cycled today - only about 3/4 of a mile but it was good to get moving again. I want to eat but so far, other than sucking on a milk cholocate button until it vanished in my mouth, I haven't cheated once - a minor miracle in itself. But, golly, it's so boring!? Never through I'd be saying I can't wait until I can eat baby food!

Thanks for that New Hope! Yes - I left my bike in the garage where I store my car about three weeks ago and I was going to walk it back to my apartment, but I feel absolutely great - no pain or discomfort at all really since Thursday last - so I jumped on and cycled the half mile back. I just signed up for Fit-day.com. It's good if you eat a lot of shop bought food, but without meaning to sound like a really 'holier than thou' fat Martha Stewart, I do like to make a lot of my food from scratch so it's harder to do the calculations! But it is good to have another project filling in those boxes every day. It was interesting to see that a cup of prune juice is a whopping 162 calories! (I need to dig out my american 'cups' to make sure I'm getting this right!) I read the 'Importance of Water' thread and need to drink even more water I think. See if I can't get a decent 'flow' coming out! I think it's true that you can't really over-estimate the importance of water in the weight-loss process. Scotty

Well, I just went to the market. Partly to get out of the house, partly to get in some supplies. I feel OK. A little light headed and a little bit of stinging around my wound, but the walk was no problem. I bought some consomme soup and pro-biotic drinks. I also bought some Spirulina. Does anyone else take this? My local health food store said it is a good source of protein if you're on a liquid diet. It also has B12 and Iron in it so should prevent hair loss. My doc also recommended Prune juice to try and get things moving - and dammit if I can't find it anywhere! I bought some prunes and will make my own in the blender with some apple juice and water. If I pass it through a seive it should be thin enough I hope. I came home and had half a can of consomme (in two attempts) and I feel full as an egg. Hoping I'm not eating too much, but I'm also worried about passing out - I do feel quite light headed and can't even concentrate to the Telegraph crossword, which I usually do in an hour. Another query for you guys - Driving - how long until it's OK to drive? I suppose I should check with my insurance. I know after a Caesarian it's 6 weeks but I'm hoping to get back to driving soon. I succumbed to the temptation to step on the scale this morning. 2lbs down! Doesn't meant anything I know, but at least I can update my signature!

I was recommened Spirulina by my local naturopath. It comes in various forms - tablets , liquid and powder. The great thing about Spirulina is that it is 40% amino acids - these are the Proteins you need for building hair, nails and healing, and the sort of things it really hard to get if you are on a liquid diets. It also contains Calcium, Iron and B12 - again good if you're not eating meat or green veg. It isn't contraindicated with any meds. The bad news - it looks terrible but tastes pretty much of nothing. I've been mixing it with juice. It turns everything sea blue but the taste is neutral. It's made from Algae!

I think 3oz/100ml an hour sounds about right. My book didn't say anyting about amounts but I realised quite quickly that I was feeling very bloated so slowed down considerably. It's a good lesson to learn early on - listen to your body.

I had my prophylactic antibiotics in the hospital. The only meds I have now are some pain killers (Voltarol & paracetamol). I'm afraid I'm not keen on the taste of Slimfast and it isn't on my docs list of recommended foods. The Spirulina I mix with prune juice and cranberry juice. Actually tastes OK despite its looks. If you have ever seen The Thomas Crown Affair - it's the greeny/blue stuff Renne Russo drinks, except I make it much thinner! Thanks for your messages. Certainly helps stave off the sense of isolation.

Well, I've been and gone and done it. All went smoothly although I was very anxious before the op. The staff were great though and really calmed me down. I was admitted 5 hours before surgery so there was plenty of time to think and wonder. the worst bit was the anaesthetist trying to get a vein! ended up using a childrend IV kit. I have very small veins apparently. (Must be the only small bit of me). There hasn't been much pain to speak of and what I have had has been pretty well managed. It's more uncomforable than anything else. I was a bit worried when I sneezed the other day, but the 'ping' I felt was just a bit of sticking plaster coming loose I hope! I'm finding the liquid diet quite liberating really. Not missing food - yet! But it's only day 2 so I better not be too cocky. Just been out to buy some nice juices and consommes. Now I'm looking forward to my week off work being a lady of leisure! I am also looking forward to the next phase. It's a challenge but on I'm really looking forward to. And on Thursday, I have to break the news to my mother whose coming to visit from Scotland. Better start rehearsing now.

To tell or not tell has been one of my biggest worries. Sharing it here on this forum really removed a lot of the burden and helped me come to decisions. Now that I have had the op done, I have made the decision that the only people who will know the truth will be my mother and my friend, P. The reason? Well, I don't think it really is anyone else's business and i don't want to be the subject of gossip. That said, I do feel a bit bad about fibbing to two of my closest friends, both of whom came to visit me in the hospital and both of whom thought I'd had my gall bladder removed. I hope I can be forgiven. I have lost weight before and enjoyed the comments. That time I was using Reductil (Meridia) and I was fairly open about it. But, it all went back on needless to say. So, this time I'll just say I'm on the ELEM diet. That's the Eat Less Exercise More diet. (I have a friend who's a personal trainer for Piers Brosnan, Brad Pitt etc. He wrote a book and I remember he told me that 96,996 words were padding: The only four you need to remember are Eat Less Exercise More!) I do worry about social situations. I haven't had to deal with any yet (I'm only 2 days post op) But I reckon there are a enough freaky people out there not eating much at dinner parties. So either people will think i'm a coke head or trying to lose weight, preferably the latter! In my own home I nearly always serve food to friends 'family style' which means people take as much as they want to eat. That should make it easier for me not to draw attention to myself and the quantity on my plate. Similarly restaurants - if I can influence where we go so I'll make sure I choose places like Japanese restaurants where you can order lots of little dishes and have as much as I want or not. Drinking with meals - this is going to be hard. When I'm out, I do love, love, love a glass of wine with my meal. I don't know how I'm going to cope with that. Watch this space...but I'll be sober for the next month, that's for sure. Big love to all...