Cocoabean

I don't log food. I eat to my hunger level and try to focus on Protein, and steer clear of the junk. If I get to a point where my weight starts to go up, then I might have to start tracking. I'll cross that bridge when it happens. So far, this is working for me. Denise

I remember posting a similar post way back when. Relax and let your body heal. Even after your first fill you might not feel restricted. It took me a couple. My surgeon doesn't look for weight loss until after a couple of fills. I also postponed my first fill because we were, of all things, going on a cruise! Yeah, try being in Bandster Hell while cruising the Panama Canal! OY! My surgeon was ever so pleased that I managed to lose 1 lb during that 10 days! Needless to say, I was fit to be tied, I wanted that fill so badly. Someone here during my first days posted that an empty band shortly after surgery is like having a new sports car with an empty gas tank. It is so pretty and you want to take it out for a spin, but with no gas...it gets you nowhere! That was pretty much what I kept telling myself until my restriction started. "Wait till you have your gas!" It will come, give it time. It is frustrating that the result isn't immediate. But now, 2 years later, I am down around 60 lbs. :rolleyes2: Yeah, baby! It's all good! Denise

This is not entirely set in stone, my BMI was well under 40 and I had to do 14 days on my pre-op diet. I did Medi-Fast. Which is shakes, Soups, and bars. It also included one "lean and green" meal each day. Basically a low calorie, high Protein, low carb diet. Denise

Also, part of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver and make the surgery easier. You owe it to yourself! Your recovery will be that much quicker if you can stick with it. On another board a poster speaks of her liver splitting in two during surgery. It isn't worth the risk. My doc said he would cancel if he got in and my liver was not in good enough shape to tolerate the procedure. That pretty much kept me on the straight and narrow. Best wishes! Denise

At a pre-op class I attended, they pointed out that for many of us we will be overweight when all is said and done. But that is a far cry better than being obese or super obese. And darn it all, I am just a few lbs away from "normal"---yeah, like I'll ever be normal at anything! he he he he he!! Denise

Welcome back! You've taken a big first step in gaining control. I agree seeing your fill doc/surgeon is a great idea. Also getting back to proper band eating. Avoiding slider foods, drinking water, not drinking with meals. All that stuff you did when you were losing the 120 lbs. You know what to do, you have done it. Your body remembers it! Come here often for support and reminders of why you had the surgery. I was here for a while right after my surgery. I took a break but now I am back. My weight has stablilized just above a normal BMI. I want to get below that. I am here often now as a reminder that I have this powerful tool and all these wonderful people to help me with attaining my goal. We can do it together! Denise

Wow, Jennifer. That is going to be a challenge to keep it a secret from someone you live with. This has nothing to do with your right to medical privacy, and I am not saying you shouldn't keep it secret, just want to point out a couple of things, for what it is worth (which is probably nothing--you get what you pay for). Nevermind the fact that you have five unexplainable scars on your belly. I am two years post-op and my scars are still red, but fading. A stuck episode will be so hard to explain. I could not imagine the stress of trying to hide it from someone in my household. But heck, I can't even hide it if I am having problems while eating out with a group and someone notices I am not eating much. I feel like I have to explain, so I do. That is just me, and it is the way I have chosen to handle the situation. Others may opt to say they are not hungry or they had a big breakfast/lunch. My favorite spot during a stickage is hanging over the kitchen sink. Trying to hide when you are sliming and in pain for what can be hours at a time will be no easy feat. I wish you all the best in your recovery from the surgery. Denise

It might be worth a phone call to your surgeon to ask if you can proceed to soft foods. I was allowed to move faster than I was initially told based on my post-op progress. I tell you, mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs never tasted so good! Denise

In the first year I think I had 3 fills and one slight unfill, it might have been 4 fills and one slight unfill, not quite sure. Then I had one more fill about 3 months ago. I am nearing two years post-op. My doctor likes to sneak up on the sweet spot. We were both surprised when I went over the top and got too full. Now, every time I think of getting a fill, I have a stuck episode and decide I am OK where I am, and that if I want to lose the remaining weight, I am going to have to work at it a little harder. Gee--I am like a lot of people, a few lbs overweight and needing to work at it!! :-) But it really does come down to several factors. Your anatomy and discussion between you and your doctor. Some doctors are more aggressive than others. It also depends on the size of your band. Your personal preference will also enter into the equation. I'd rather have my band a little looser and be less likely to have major stuck episodes. Denise

I wanted to add to add to the "snacking" thoughts. My doctor says no snacking, but his definition of snacking is different than mine. Snacks to him are unplanned food of little to no nutritional value. Such as my penchant for Nacho cheese Dorritos. When I first heard "No snacks"--I thought that meant no foods between meals. As we talked further, I came to realize he meant that I could eat between meals, but only foods that were thought out and helped me to move forward. Like what ElfiePoo lists. For my weekly dinner meals, I eat the same foods my husband eats, just in smaller portions. Sample dinners: Pork chops (hard for me to eat, chewed thorougly), mashed potatoes, veggie, and applesauce. This is tonight's meal. BBQ or Baked Chicken--I eat drumsticks or thighs and remove the skin. Breast meat is just too hard to eat. Veggie side dish. I can still eat beef, I know some cannot. So we will often have steak with mushrooms and side salad. Or a roast. Mostly we have left potatoes out of our menu, I know I listed it in my first meal above. But it is a treat for tonight, since my band has been feeling tight the last few days, I am not sure how the chops will go down. So, I have the mashed potatoes as a back up. As to the sweet tooth. Yeah, right there beside ya! I was in the habit of having a couple of small bite sized candy bars before bed. To make matters worse, I did it with a glass of milk. Yummy. My figuring was that the bite sized are better than the full sized. So, I gradually cut down to no milk, then one bite sized and finally was able to stop it. It took determination. I do still allow a little bit of chocolate into my diet. Part of why I chose the band is because I can still have my favorite foods. As a previous poster said, ice cream in and of itself is not bad. It is what we do with it. For the moment, get it out of your house until you gain the control to have it around and not finish off the container. You owe it to yourself and your family to take care of yourself. You went through this surgery to make a better you. What a commitment that was! Grab it back and be in the driver's seat, you can do it! Denise

If in doubt call your surgeon. You didn't say when your surgery was. I had alot of pain in my upper left abdominal area after my surgery. I still get it from time to time. I have come to identify it as gas. But if this is new and severe, don't mess around, it is worth a call in to your doc. Denise

Yes, after a bad stuck episode, my stomach can be touchy for a couple of days. Got with mushies for a day or two and see how it goes. Best wishes! Denise

Hello and welcome, If you are eating 1000 calories a day and not losing weight, then you need to get your metabolism checked by a doctor. To take your questions one by one: 1. How often do you vomit? Rarely 2. What is sliming? When food gets stuck, the body produces large amounts of thick saliva to help move the food along. If it doesn't go down, this comes up and out the mouth. It is a very slimy consistency. 3. How drastic of a change in diet is it REALLY? It depends on your previous diet. For me, not so drastic a change in -what- I was eating as -amount- I am eating. 4. Do you HAVE to work out to have results? To get best results, yes, exercise is necessary. Calories in vs. calories out=weight loss. 5. How often are fills? I have had 4 fills and one slight unfill in 2 years. My last fill was about 3 months ago. 6. Based on my current eating- isnt the band basically going to do the same thing (restrict the amount I can eat?)? Not sure I exactly follow the question. The band is purely a restrictive procedure. It aids weight loss by helping you to reduce portions. The difference is that with the help of the band I eat less and am satisfied for longer, thus reducing my snack attacks and food obsessions. 7. How do things get stuck, how often and how do you unstick them? Things get stuck by eating too fast, taking too big a bite, or not chewing thorougly. A piece of food larger than the opening to the stomach sits over the top of it and won't move. To get them ustuck, sometimes they work their way down. Sometimes they work their way back up. There is a current thread on getting unstuck that is several pages long. Do a search on it. 8. If you cant eat carbs, and meats, and veggies and fruits because of the whole stuck issue- WTH do you eat? Who said you can eat carbs, meats, veggies, and fruits? That leaves nothing. I eat all of the above. The only foods that give me issue on a regular basis and that I avoid are dry meats like chicken breast and very soft or thick breads like bagels. I often eat salads, Pasta, steak, eggs, potatoes. 9. Do you really have to give up soda, carbs, coffee, caffeine, sweets, ect? My doctor has no issue with me having coffee. I have an occaissional diet soda--sometimes it gives me the burps, sometimes not. I love chocolate. I do allow it as a rare treat, but have to be very careful not to over do it. If you have no control over your sweet tooth, or you are a true grazer, the band might not be the best choice for you. I chose it because I would still be able to eat relatively normally. I did not want to get sick if I eat something with a high sugar or fat content as can happen with the dumping sydrome of gastric bypass. For some, that is a very powerful tool in the WSL arsenal and a big reason for chosing bypass. You might want to explore that. Best wishes to you in your journey. Denise

It sounds to me that you could be too tight. If only slider foods go down with ease, you might do better with a little less Fluid in your band to allow you to eat solids. This might help you to feel fuller for longer and get a grip on the appetite. My band is often tighter in the morning. My typical Breakfast is a couple of graham crackers with some Peanut Butter. It gets me some Protein without being hard to eat. It also holds me for a few hours. As for non-coffee or tea drinks. Maybe some broth or Soups. Or sugar-free cocoa? Best wishes! Denise

Love the stringy rubber cement reference. How true! Wow, grape juice would be messy if you missed the bucket. Urgh! Or do you drink the white juice? I have dove grey carpet. I can't imagine the mess..... I don't have any problem up-chucking, never have. I am thankful for that. I just hope that I am not too quick to go that route. I know vomitting is bad for us in band-land, but when I do it, there is very little heaving. Just an urp, a blop, and I feel much better. My rationalization is that by bringing it up fast, my stomach isn't roiling for hours trying to get the offending article down or up. I am facilitating the inevitable. Denise

[quote name=GraciesMom;1388360 Hi Denise' date=' Ok, the small world part is we also have a neighbor with a beautiful golden, and her name is Stella too. Also as for your screen name, that is my nickname for my 19 year old grandaughter. Her name is Destiny, and since she was a little baby I have called her "Destiny de Cocoa Beans", I even had a little ditty that I sang to her that I made up with that name. I am a nickname developer, and do it with everyone!:wub: She LOVES that name to this day, but I am not sure about the song ~Cheryl~ Hey Cheryl! Cocoa was our beloved chocolate labrador. His name morphed into Cocoabean, then Sweetbean, Sweetbeany, and so on. He was such a clown! We still miss him. (sniff) Now we have a yellow boy who has stolen our hearts. He is Butters aka Butterbean, Bubba, and Bubs. We, too, do the nicknames and work them into songs! I had to check to see if you were in Idaho. Stella's parents are there and she is named after her mother. She's such a doll. We are giving serious consideration to a golden girlie for our next poochie. I'd have a whole pack if I could, but our circumstances don't allow for it. Two would be the max and will most likely happen when I retire in a few years. For now, we have Butters, and Stella visits from across the street often. They are best buddies. Denise

GraciesMom--is Gracie the golden retriever? Love the name! Our neighbors have a golden, we suggested the name Gracie but they went with Stella, she's a peach :wub: Anway, on topic. After my weight loss stabilized a family memeber who has shared the weight battle with me and knew of my surgery said that she was glad she knew of it because while I was losing she might have worried that I was ill as it seemed I was losing so quickly and my body was changing so much from her perspective. Now, in fact, I really wasn't losing at a fast clip, I averaged a little less than a pound a week. But I did find it intersting. I think for many of us, we haven't been anywhere near a normal weight for so long that we look "sickly" or "too skinny" to people around us when we get anywhere near normal. I am still a few pounds above a normal BMI. So definitely not too skinny. But I have been warned about it! Too funny. I am still amazed when I hold up my size 10 jeans, and I have been wearing them for almost a year. They are soooo cute! Denise

Oh yes, hmarko, if you opt to drink something in quantities larger than sips, the reaction is generally immediate! I tried sipping pineapple juice early on, it didn't help me. I like a faster result. I have learned over time that when I get stuck, in order to feel better sooner, what goes down must come up. Ah, they joys of banded life. But still, one of the best decisions I have made. Denise

I was dying on the clear liquids! I totally feel your pain! My surgery was on a Friday and I got cleared for full liquids on Monday. There is hope! Denise

If he doesn't call you, you call him and ask. They might have a suggestion of something you can have that will sustain you better until you can move forward to mushies. Best wishes! Denise

My surgery was the second case of the day. So I got to go home that day. Had it been later, I would have stayed. I also would have stayed if there were any complications. Nothing was set in stone until the release papers were signed. At one point I wished I had stayed-I woke up during the night and the vicodin had worn off. I could not sit up. Had to wake the DH to get me some and help me get out of bed to use the bathroom. A mechanical bed would have been nice for that. Don't know what I would have done without someone to help. I guess I'd have lost weight quicker! :smile2:

Keep focus on the prize! You can make it! Also, keep the hope. I was pleasantly surprised, when my surgeon called to check on me a few days post-op, he was so pleased with my progress he let me move from liquids to mushies several days before I expected it! But really, don't do anything to risk vomitting or hurting yourself right now! Very important! It sucks, but you are worth it. Denise

The OP posted in an open forum a question about disability coverage. One's right to respond should not have anything to do with working in the industry. Some people here might have had a need to use disabilty coverage and had approval for 6 weeks of covearge due to medical need from complications or some such. This forum is designed for exchange of information and support. The OP took it one step further to say her desire to be off work had nothing to do with medical need but hatred of the job. Again in an open forum. Post in an open forum and you get what you get. She didn't ask for professional guidance from insurance folk nor for PM responses. My opinion is just a valid as anyone elses.

What bugs me the most about it is that there is no rhyme or reason to it. What I ate with no problem yesterday might get stuck today. It's especially frustrating when eating out. I try to pick things that will go down, but I can't count how many times I have taken one bite of something and gotten stuck. What a waste. If possible, I take it home, but it is darned annoying! Scottyd -- I hope your refill goes well. Fight the good fight with the hunger until then. You really want your stomach to heal so that the fill will go well and not cause new problems! Sorry you had to go through all this. I hated it when I was overfilled and trying to decide whether to get unfilled or not. Denise

Jacqui, Glad to see you are still posting! I took some time away. Nice to see long-term successes still around. Motivating to see many at different places along the journey. Denise