Cocoabean

If you are still on liquids after the fill, it makes sense you are hungry. Your stomach is empty! Many people don't feel much difference from the first fill. My restriction kicked in on my third fill. Chin up! Protein Shakes. I had to do liquids for nearly a week after my last fill due to a holiday weekend. My nurse practitioner who did the fill didn't want me in the ER as the doc's office was out of town for a conference. My surgeon had done all my fills before that, and he only had me do liquids for the remainder of the fill day. But I made it through, miserable, but I made it.

I don't know how the 6 bites should fill you up. Our bites are to be the size of a pencil eraser. I eat about 1500-1700 calories a day. I am maintaining now. It is about what I ate through the weight loss phase as well. I try to concentrate on eating protein first. A typical amount of food for me (it can depend on the day, as bands are sometimes fickle): half a cheese enchilada with some beans and rice Outback Steakhouse French Onion Soup with a couple slices of their bread if band tolerates it 3"-6" of a Subway sub. I use the bread as a handle and tear it away to eat the meat and veggies, eat a bit of bread if band tolerates it. 1-2 beef ribs with some broccoli on the side...maybe 1/3 cup. 1 pork chop with a little mashed potatoes and a veggie side dish. 1 chicken thigh with same sides as above. Sometimes I can add in a little bit more dark meat.

I'll take you for a sister any day, Melody!! DH and I have been dreading this time for these reasons. She got the fiduciary because my BIL was the trustee. Several years back he was having some financial problems. He asked Mom to quitclaim the house over to him, "to make it easier for him to take care of the estate." Fortunately she asked DH if it was a good idea. Nooooo! Not only that, but you have to take control of the estate away from him. He was trying to figure out ways to screw one sister and leave her with nothing. Could not have happened, due to what Mom had written, but what a mess. His wife made several comments about all the work she would have to do to the house to get it ready for sale and would "have" to charge that time to the estate. We were all very relieved when she chose the fiduciary.

I am very glad you are seeking further help with it. Some of it sounds like an ulcer. My niece has gastroparesis, a motility disorder where the stomach doesn't empty. It is no fun, for certain. It took a long time to finally get a proper diagnosis of scleroderma causing the stomach issues. I wish you all the best in the search!! Feel better soon.

Hi Steve, welcome!! Here's a link to the forum about Florida doctors: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/forum/599-florida/ Good luck! This is a great place for support.

I had a problem with grilled cod. Just as I was telling my husband that I could not see how bandsters have problems with fish. Karma! That was also the first time I had a public toilet backsplash into the eye!! ugh. Note: put a seat protector into the Water before you urp, it stops the splash! Also, beware of auto-flushers. PF Changs gave me a face shower! Dark meat chicken is fine for me. The breast meat is just too dense and dry.

At 7 weeks post-op I went on a cruise. I postponed my first fill until after the trip. Not so that I could eat, but for fear of a complication and not being near my doctor. My surgeon did not have me on a food plan at that point. He said have fun. Don't worry about your weight. After fills is when we worry about weight. I did my best to make decent choices and actually lost a pound on a 10 day cruise. But of course, check with your doctor and see what type of program you will be on then. I expect you will be on regular foods by then.

Your doctor is sure your band hasn't slipped? Eating too fast/taking bites that are too large. This can cause extreme discomfort. Cut your food to pieces the size of pencil erasers and chew thoroughly. Did your doctor give you a volume level of food per meal as a guide? Some say 1/2 to 1 cup. Put your food on a small salad plate. When that is gone, you are done. Eat slowly, take your time. Swallow one bite before you take another. When I was first banded, I'd sit down to a meal, pause for a second and remind myself to eat slowly, take small bites, and enjoy.

I usually add this experience to these types of posts. I was tired yesterday. But my losses went is starts and stops. I lose 1 lb in a week, then be the same for one, lose 2, up 1, same, same, down 3, up 2, down 1, same, same, same, down 4. For me, it was not steady, but the trend was down! I averaged 3/4 of a pound per week. Lower than the "advertised" 1-2 pounds per week. But once I figured out how my body let go of the weight, it was all good!! Just please don't say phooey, I'm going to have a milkshake! Follow your band rules. You said you were not perfect. That's OK. But is it a sign that you might need a fill? Were you more hungry? Perhaps it is time to see your surgeon for a touch up fill.

Pick yourself up and dust yourself off! You are averaging 6 pounds per month. That is awesome! You will have setbacks from time to time. Don't let it get you down. Sometimes our bodies regroup and take a break. Keep doing the right things most of the time and it will pick up again. Keep up the good work!!

I can have an issue with tomato skins. chicken breast meat is never good for me. Onions are OK if chopped rather than sliced. Otherwise, I do pretty well with salad.

I like Llyra's response. "Doing fine, thanks. How was your week?" Or fire it right back, "going well, How is your (insert disease here)?" Or ask other borderline questions. "How are your bowel movements lately?" Our society is too accepting of talking about weight loss. Or you can be honest and say this is going to be a long process, when I need support, I'll talk about it, otherwise, I'd like my band to just be a part of me and not a big focus. But I do appreciate your concern about me. Sometimes people are trying to be supportive by asking, they just don't realize how annoying it can be. I don't WANT to spend my life talking about it. I want to spend my life enjoying the fact that I am not obsessed with food now. My food choices are not my main thought processes any longer. There is much more in life I enjoy now! Let's talk about that! It used to be when I did a new diet plan, that it would be all I would talk about, oohh, I lost half a pound! Yay for me! Woot Woot! People expected it. After I was banded and I became confident that the weight was coming off, I lost interest in talking about it, too. And frankly, people got bored with it. The questions got fewer. Then when my weight stabilized, I very rarely hear about it now.

Thanks everyone! Elfie, that would be me! DH's brother tried some shady stuff a while back. So I had the idea for an independent fiduciary. The sisters are now ticked at us because the house is locked up. "But it's our home!" Uh, no, it's your mother's house. The trustee has to protect the assets. The sister that lives in back wants to know what she is supposed to do if it catches on fire and she doesn't have a key? She cannot go over and put it out!!! Uh, you call 9-1-1 like you would have before and let the fire department put it out. I got yelled at for 15 minutes over that one. At the funeral home with the other sister. The funeral director asked if we wanted her to be wearing her glasses for the viewing. Sister said no, she didn't want that, besides we didn't bring them. I said you can donate them to the Lion's club. They will make good use of them. She made a snide comment about we could if the house wasn't locked up! Well, it isn't locked up forever, and the Lion's club isn't going anywhere. Damn. They wanted to know why we couldn't have waited a few days to call the trustee. Maybe because she was passed? He needed to start things in motion? Until I asked, no one had called the funeral home to make arrangements. The family all assumed they did everything and called us when the service would be. Grand.

Hi Everyone...at about 1:20pm yesterday, my MIL calmly slipped away. Hospice made her quiet and comfortable. Made her breathing easier. They were a wonderful group of people. I cannot thank them enough. Now the crazy-ass games begin. MIL wisely appointed an independent fiduciary to settle the trust. He is now in charge. SIL's son, wife and two teenage children arrive today. They were coming to visit her for 10 days. SIL thought it would be GRAND if they stayed in MILs house with her. Oh yeah, great idea, 4 people in a home where we have removed the door to the bathroom so that MIL could get in and out easier. So anyway. MIL passes...SIL cannot understand that the kids CANNOT stay in the house. She calls my DH and is trying to put the bathroom door back on. He says why? Well for the kids... So I ask what if one of them puts a tampon down the toilet and the pipes blow? Who pays for that??? (The estate, by the way). So we call the fiduciary, he says no way, give me her #. So then I go off to find documents to take to him. Meanwhile SIL then calls DH hysterical. What do you mean there is a trust? What is a fiduciary? Why is he in charge? OMG! Why can't my kids stay in her house? I don't understand! Why does the house have to be locked up? Now mind you, this woman took Mom's purse and a picture on the way out the door. Uh, to stop people from coming in and taking stuff will nilly!!! DON'T YOU GET IT? The house isn't YOURS! Oy vey!

After my post-op healing and before my first fill, I went on a cruise. My surgeon said "Have fun!!!" He also told me to not worry if I gained some weight during that time. He doesn't put his patients on a food plan during that time. Most people don't feel restriction prior to receiving fills. Do your best to eat right. Forgive yourself, move on!

Great advice going on here, but if you are UNWILLING to get a fill, do NOT get banded. Without proper fill levels, you just have an expensive piece of hardware inside you..doing nothing.

Mine is my all time high. My first time with my surgeon was 5 less than that. But with the band's help, I'll never see either of those numbers again!

If your doctor cleared it, you are good to go! Beware of bananas, they still get stuck for me! And some folk have trouble with eggs (I don't!). I was to be on clears for a week but was moved to full liquids at 3 days when my surgeon called to check on me. I told him I was ready to eat my dog I was so hungry. He said he was an animal lover and would prefer I have some oatmeal than consume my beasty! Mashed potatoes never tasted so goooooood! Congrats on being on the losers' bench!

Gastric bypass will still allow food and drinks and calories into your body. Unless you are in the 30% that experiences dumping syndrome after eating sugar, the Cookies and chocolate milk will continue to go down just fine. I DO believe you want to lose the weight. ANY weight loss surgery is not going to provide what you are looking for. We cannot eat and drink high calorie, high fat, high sugar/low nutrient foods and especially drinks with calories and sugar and expect to lose weight. You might look into a duodenal switch. That provides the most malabsorption. But if you are honest with a surgeon about your lack of compliance, I am not sure they will be willing to perform surgery on you. Mine would not be, I don't think.

Here's a link to a post on my surgeon's forum from someone who is contemplating a different WLS after band removal. She was also non-compliant. http://www.thinnertimesforum.com/topic/57053-mini-bypass-contemplation/ Without compliance, success doesn't follow in the long run.

A few things come to mind. Skipping meals. Not a good idea. Even if just a snack as you call it, it IS a meal. That keeps you fueled through out the day. Keeping yourself hydrated. VERY important. And taking Vitamins. When we reduce our caloric intake, we MUST take vitamins. Ask to have your Vitamin levels checked. I turned up Vitamin D deficient and anemic. So now, in addition to my multi-vitamin, I take vitamin D and Iron supplements. If your vitamin levels are low, you can feel horrible. Proper nutrition helps the body function properly. You are exercising, that is awesome! Keep up the good work. Personally, I don't follow the wait 30 minutes after I eat rule for drinking Water. I have experimented with it and see no difference in how long it takes before i feel hungry again. But if you are only eating once a day, that is only one 30 minute period during which you cannot drink. There is lots of other times for drinking. TRY to get the water in. Keep a bottle with you and sip from it all day long. Welcome to lap band talk!

My eating out is very much like stateofzen's. I avoid the bread if it is soft. I avoid chicken breast (almost guaranteed to get stuck). I figure out where the bathroom is right away, just in case. Like Heather, I check out the menu ahead of time if I can and have a plan before I get there. I do sometimes order from the appetizer menu, especially if I am with a group. Mainly because appetizer tend to be easier to eat and thus, less likely to get stuck. In a group, I tend to pay less attention to what I am eating, and more to the conversation. So I am more likely to take a bigger bite, or swallow before fully chewed. This tends to lead to getting stuck, so I'll go more with slider type foods in that situation. With my hubby, we often share meals. Or if there is a split fee, I'll order a blow of soup, and then take a bit of his entree. If he wants his own entree, then I order one and know that I have my lunch for the next day. It doesn't have to be stressful. And dining out should not be something you avoid because you are banded. You just have to made some adjustments.

My surgeon says to not take handfuls of pills. I take pills up to the size of a regular Multivitamin coated tablet. Rarely, they go down a bit sideways. A stuck pill is no fun at all. A lot depends on how tight your band is.

When you say you barely eat, are you keeping a journal of everything you put in your mouth? How many calories a day are you eating? Are you eating 3 meals a day or all at once? Also, has your doctor checked your band/restriction level? Are you hungry between meals? Is it time for another fill? Are you grazing? I did not journal through the weight loss phase. I recently did for a few days. I thought I was consuming about 1200 calories a day and was shocked to discover I was eating 1700! Does your surgeon have a nutritionist you can work with?

That was one paramedic in California, you might make some calls to some ambulance companies and your local fire department to ask...? I have a medical alert watch that has the ID Alert symbol on the front with info engraved on the back. I asked about it in class and was told that they absolutely will NOT remove anything to read the back...also that the symbol was too small for them to quickly spot in an emergency situation. So, 65 bucks down the drain. Blah!