herghost

You know, the band is not a magic thing that all of a sudden the lifelong issues we've struggled with will go away. I wish. ONe of the things I decided when banded was not to be a slave to the scale. When I was in weight watchers, if I had gained weight or didn't follow the diet, I would skip the meeting or not eat the day before. How dumb! I realized that skinny people have the same issues we do, they overeat sometimes and have to watch it after that. So, I only weigh in when I go to the dr. office. I celebrate wearing clothes I couldn't wear before. If I get off track (and last month I not only got off track, I derailed in a big way), then look to today as a new day. I guess I want to let you know Denise, that we all struggle with food issues and will continue to struggle with these issues. That's why we ended up getting banded, we needed a tool to stay with us (can't skip weighing in with the Band, it's ALWAYS there!). Hang in there girl! You have lots of good company! Sue Stenzel

I got a fill on Monday, my first fill was 1.5cc. Dr. aspirated .2cc and said there was air in the system. He then injected 2cc. I do feel more restriction than before, but still able to eat quite a bit of food. Just not sure what is going on with this fill. My band is the 14cc band. Sue Stenzel

Thanks for the info. That makes a lot of sense. Puts my mind at ease. I just looked at your before and after pictures, AWESOME! Way to go!

way to go! Awesome committment and that you followed through! Some days, that is very difficult but, one day at a time, eh? I've heard others talk about the walk thing, that it's hard in the beginning but after a while, you HAVE to. Interesting discussion on the artificial sweetners. I'll work on that. I did better yesterday, stuck to 3 meals and only protein snacks. So, that's a step in the right direction. Sue Stenzel

I don't think hubby is trying to sabotage me, just doesn't think about it. I told him what my issue was (can't resist high carb foods) and told him I couldn't have it in the house. So we'll see how things go. I like Blue Bunny creamsicle and the raspberry bars. But I do have trouble leaving them alone and eat 3 or 4 at a time. So....the popsicles are a better choice for me also. I heard it takes 3 months to learn a new habit! Would that include learning not to eat sweets? Everybody, thanks for the encouragement. Sue Stenzel

the discussion of refined sugars speaks to me. I havent' been doing well and only have 2 fills completed, haven't reached the "sweet spot". I find that once I eat high sugar food, I want more, more, more. And, I can't control it, if it's in the house, I want to eat it. Had a discussion with hubby this week, do not bring that kind of food in the house, can't resist it. Didn't help, came home with pie within a couple of hours :-( Sue

Creatinine isn't a measure of something in your blood or urine, it is a measure of kidney function. Sometimes medication can make this go high or a number of other factors. Having a high creatinine does NOT mean you have to go on dialysis, that is a last resort. Sometimes dialysis is done but is temporary untiol the causing problem is fixed. It means there is something going on that needs to be evaluated. Hang in there and I hope that all goes well for you. Sue Stenzel

Glad to see the conversation about fills. I had my first fill over a week ago, and for about 2 days, I could feel some restriction, and then back to eating without any restriction. I have a 14cc band and he put in 1 1/2 cc the first time. Does anyone do anything like pouch loading? Drinking 8oz of fluid before eating, then eating your meal and not drinking fluids for 1 hour afterwards. Do you notice if that has any help prior to getting to the "sweet spot?" Sue Stenzel

I have to agree with you, I had my first fill on Friday, noticed some restriction on Friday and saturday and then back to willpower. But you know, even more so, feeling better IS a great motivator! My clothes fit better, it's easier to walk, I don't get short of breath, I'm off 3 meds since surgery! (yipee!), people notice I've lost weight. So, while it's a struggle once in a while, my "constant reminder" whether the band restriction is where it needs to be or not, IS helping! Sue Stenzel - it's less than before but I have been working off of willpower alone for the last 2 weeks... But feeling so much better is such a great motivator... I got up at 6:30 on both Sat & Sun and went all day each day... Before I would have slept one of those days away if not both... Good luck on the 5th...

Hi - so far the only thing I've used the protein powders in is water, Crystal Light and sugar free pudding. I'm not too adventerous when it comes to experimenting. Another thing I like to add flavors to drinks is the sugar free syrups. My favorite is raspberry that I add to Lemonade. I found the syrups in the coffee aisle at Woodman's grocery store. I recently found in the cold cuts section, ready packaged snacks for toddlers I'm thinking. It had turkey, mozzarella cheese and mini Ritz crackers. Calorie total was 130 and 8 gm of protein. Perfect for taking to work. They come 2 per pack and cost a little over $2. Sue

Found it! PB2 is a powder you mix with water and believe it or not it is the real thing. Serving size 2 tbsp Calories 54 fat cal 25 Carbs 3.7 g Pro 4.3 g I got mine from a friend and I use a pkg of sweetner with it and it is really good. My friend is a diabetic and she uses this. For more info go to bellplantation.com Sue Stenzel

The protein powders from SmartForme are very good tasting. There is also a cruchy chocolate snack that is really good. From what I've heard, the soups are not that great. Sue Stenzel

I've found a protein powder at GNC that is chocolate caramel. I mix it in sugar free chocolate pudding, yummy flavor! I also got an orange cream and mix it with Crystal Light sunny orange (I think that's what it is), and it tastes like a creamsicle! Hmmm......chocolate pudding and peanut butter, that sounds yummy! Sue Stenzel

Hi, Like you, I'm going for my first fill tomorrow. And I too have had binges on occasion, and doing ok with eating, and have to tell myself to stop even if I'm not full. I tested it out on Monday, ate one cup of cottage cheese and nope, didn't feel hungry. Last week, I had my first occasion of pb'ing but I figured out it was due to swallowing too large a bite. So, it doens't sound like your band slipped, I think you would be more nauseous and throwing up and miserable. I'm hoping the fill will help me feel full faster so that I'm a little more relaxed about the food intake. I've read that it seems to take 3 fills to find the "sweet spot", I'm just nervous about the 1st fill. Sure hope it goes ok. Good luck and hang in there. It's gonna take time to change habits that we've had for years!!!!! Sue Stenzel

Boy do I hear you on this one! I too am off to vacation and just starting soft foods. I'm looking forward to the additional choices I will get to make. Will make eating out that much easier too. AND I'm nervous that I'll go overboard. So, good luck with your food choices and know someone is out there with you! Sue Stenzel I'm off for a 6 day vacation Wednesday and am worried about gaining - wish me well!! Hopefully, all the walking will help offset the "I'm on vacation and should indulge" mentality. Marlena

Hi Charlene: Congratulations! What the dr. told me in the initial period after banding was to get the fluids in first and the protein next. At this stage, it's probably not an issue to eat 3 meals a day. I found I was sipping fluids all day long and managed to get the protein in (40 gms per day). The dietitian suggested skim milk (1 gm protein/1 oz milk), Carnation Instant Breakfast (no sugar added) and protein powder. That got me almost 30 gm in just 8 oz of fluid. Since I sipped it over 4 hours, I also added ice cubes to keep it cold. Nobody worried about the 3 meal a day thing until I advanced to pureed foods. Then, I still had to have the protein drinks inbetween meals, but I was following the fluid restriction of no fluids during and for 1 hour after meals. Hang in there! It's been a great trip so far for me! I too have not been hungry. And the cravings have just started for me (I was banded Aug 30). And mostly they start because I had something I liked and then don't want to stop eating it! Not a good thing. I'm finding some of my old, not so good food habits, trying to sneak back in. So, I'll have to pay attention more to what I'm doing. I WON'T mess this up! I LIKE the way I'm feeling 3 weeks post op! Sue Stenzel But I'm not getting enough protien. I'm on a liquid diet for four weeks and they want me to have 3 oz liquid every hour or two. I'm finding that difficult to do. I'm drinking high protien but only getting about 300 calories and 30 grams protien. Charlene

what is pb'ing? Sue

I too notice the same thing when I have a little more than what I usually eat. Especially if it's potatoes. I just started pureed on Friday, so am still learning what makes me feel ok and what doesn't. My doctor told me that there could still be swelling in the pouch and it does take time for that to go down. Also, you do want to be careful not to overeat at this time so as not to make the band slip. I've found, if I eat too much, I have a stomach ache for about 2 hours. Keep in mind, this is all a learning experience right now. Follow your guidelines for food and fluid intake. Sue

Yep, I've noticed the same thing. Maybe it's a way to get back to the board. I do find, that when I go check in at the site, I find more interesting messages. Sue " I'm subscribed to this forum and I'll get notices for a while that someone has added a new message, then all of a sudden, I'll stop getting those messages. It seems that once I visit the site again, it starts sending the messages again. So what's with that? Anyone else experienced this?

Are there other sites for journaling your food? I'm currently using FitDay.com and like it, am thinking of buying the program so I can use it off line and on trips. But I want to make sure that this will do the overall job for me and that there isn't something better out there for me. Anyone know of other sites? Sue

I was Metformin twice a day before surgery. My doctor took me off the med the day of surgery and I was to monitor my blood sugars. My surgery was 8/30 and I havent' been on the meds since surgery and my blood sugars have been normal (well, most of the time). I'm also off my blood pressure meds!!!! One of the things I decided before surgery was to make a list of non-weight related goals, or things I wanted to accomplish. I also promised myself not to get on the scale unless at a dr. appt. So far, I've been able to accomplish this. I like the surprise of the big weight loss when I'm at the dr.'s office. My PCP has been seeing me every 2 weeks to keep track of "vitals" and lab work. Clothes feel good, energy level feels good, ability to wlak batter feels real good. I'm liking that I can accomplish what I need to do every day (meaning I follow the diet and rules). I keep telling people that my head was in the right place to succeed at this. I also know that I'm probably in the honeymoon phase with this and a few months down the road I'm worried I'll want to go back to old habits. But, one day at a time! Sue Stenzel

Hi, I've only been banded since 8/30. I just advanced to pureed food. I have been out to eat twice since banding and had Soup both times (was on liquids). The waitress was pleasant and did not treat me any differently than anyone else at the table. I've told people I want to tell about being banded. And then life goes on. Yes there are changes, and no, I do not feel different eating different portions. In the weeks before my surgery, I too vacillated back and forth. While I haven't "learned" all the lessons yet, I do agree, the band is always with you as a reminder. I've found things that I used to do as habit, I now think twice. Want to grab a candy bar out of that basket on my secretary's desk? Do I really want it? Can I really tolerate it? And I pass. Stress eating? Nope, have to find another outlet. I'm enjoying Minute Maid Lemonate light with sugar free raspberry syrup lately. Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY! Even if I only lose 50% of my excess weight. I ALREADY feel better, am off 3 meds, walk easier, sleep better, and have more energy. Good luck! Sue Stenzel

Can someone help me with how to find where I left off in the messages? It takes me forever to find the messages from the current day or yesterday. I've got it set for hybrid view, I've tried searching for the thread number. I think I'm chat board impaired! Sue :heh:

Congrats to all of you doing so well during the post op phase. I was banded 8/30, and am still on liquids. Tomorrow I get to start pureed. Never thought I'd look forward to pulverized egg before! Yipeee! I had Blue Bunny orange bar, can't remember the name but it has no added sugar and no fat. It was yummy! A nice treat. I've lost 28 pounds since my pre-op visit. Was on liquids for 1 week before surgery and lost 12 pounds before surgery, so that 16 after surgery. I feel good, people have noticed the difference. It's a challenge getting the Protein in but I'm making the 40 gm per day. I too got the newer band and am glad due to the improvements that have been made. My dr. seems to like it better too. Next appt with him is 6 weeks and we'll "talk" about a fill. At this point, don't think I need one, if I drink too much Fluid I get a stomach ache, so I must be getting some restriction already. Great job everyone! Sue

Good choice on car, and gas conservative! These days, that's important and you can use the money you save on gas on new clothes!!!! We went grocery shopping yesterday, only for hubby, a couple things for me, and spent less than 1/2 of what we usually do! What does that say for what I used to eat! Actually, hubby has been losing weight by association. Had a day last week where I couldn't cope with anything. I tried to make a dietitian appt. and was having conflicts all over the place and that reduced me to tears!!! So, have been staying away from decision making and just taking it day by day. I had promised myself before surgery I wouldn't weigh myself until my first dr. appt. But I've noticed that my wedding ring fits better, I walk easier and a little further than I used to. Before surgery, I made a list of non-weight goals, things I wanted to feel or be able to do better or differently. That has helped to keep on track. My follow up is tomorrow, so will be interesting to see what happened. Sue