::tracy::

Ok here are my tips ... Yes my band is very unpredictable in the morning. i tend to stick with very soft foods until after lunchtime. Night time is when i have my more luck with eating. As a rule, if you PB once during the day, you will do so again for the rest of the day. If i do, i go back to liquids/soft foods for the day and take it easy. You have to be super patient with it! Some things that help me with eating are ... before i eat i drink a glass or two of Water ten minutes before. This makes a load of difference for me. It clears out the pouch of any gooey stuff and makes it easier for the food to go down. I read in a lapband book i was given ... you should beable to eat 1/2 cup of food in 20mins. i talked to a lady and she was saying you need to eat little fingernail sized bites and put your knife and fork down between each bite. Really slow eating and teeny bites is the key. As for eating a sandwich ... i can't eat a sandwich, i would PB trying. i can not do bread. Try different foods. i have become quite inventive as i am intolerant to alot of food. i am quite unlucky in that regard ... or perhaps lucky as most of the bad food i just can not eat now. It took me a good 6 - 8 months to learn what i can and can not eat ... The other thing is ... never ever drink during a meal ... i am sure you have been told that though! That is sure to cause a PB. As for an unfill ... it can be a good idea, you would be surprised at the difference just a half a ml unfill can make.

are you in HB too, getting banded at royston? am happy to share all with you ... i am far from shy ... i can private message my details, give you a call, catch up for a coffee. wow i am s super excited for you ... it is an amazing wonderful step to take!! tracy

Hi all, It has been a while since i have posted here. Have been busy with life! Weight loss is going well, i have just come out of a slow patch where i only lost a couple of kg over a couple of months. i had a 0.5ml inflation though and it made all the difference to me. i am now back on track, losing my 3-4 a month. yay. Quite exciting too ... i have just about reached a little mini goal ... i wanted to lose 35kg by christmas ... i decided that the day i had my banding done. The rate i am going i will be there by the end of this week ... not to bad ... a good month early. i really can't believe this worked as well as it has. So exciting!!

i get chest pain when i am hungry. I am now 9 months post op ... it seems to be something that somedays doesn't bother me too much and others it is terrible pain. food fixes it though. It is kind of weird experiencing all these new niggles and sensations ...

Well i live in hawkes bay and i am filled here. The closest to me otherwise is Hamilton ... very nice people i have been to them when my surgeon was out of the country.

i don't have any reflux issues ... and i don't think anyone in my support group does either. things i do struggle with are ... eating in the morning. If i try and eat in the morning it gets stuck ... then i am unable to eat again until later that night or the next day. my mornings are now protein shakes. i am unfortunately one of those people that struggles with alot of different foods. Perhaps it is fortunate though ... because it makes losing weight easier! i don't eat bread very often now, i can't eat most takeaway food ... especially mcd's burger king, fish and chips, pizza ... all the bad things. They all get stuck. i don't eat alot of red meat ... however i never really ate it before so that is not too much of an issue for me. i am not going to sugar coat that it has been easy ... cause there are days i want to cry and just be normal!! It is huge changes to make, a life time of habit to break! i forget to eat slowly, i forget to take little bites ... i have to work really hard to eat the way i need to. However it has been totally worth it! i would do it again if i had the choice. Most days are ok though.

i didn't find it too bad. It is just one month out of your life ... not much really! There are ways to make the opifast taste better. Yes it does get tiresome after a month of drinking shakes ... but trust me that the time immediately after your surgery, you don't want to eat really anyways! I would do it all again for the outsome so far. Tell whoever you are comfortable telling. i found most people were very supportive, there have been some less supportive along the way but that means little now i have lost almost 1/3 of my total body weight and over half of my excess weight! Totally worth it! Good luck with your journey and keep us posted on how you go.

Hi Chris, i didn't tell anyone for along time. I had a few close friends that knew but that was all. i would just say when people commented ... i am eating less and exercising more. It wasn't a lie ... Now though i am more comfortable with it and just tell people ... but it has taken me a long time to get to that point. i was really insecure about what people would think, that they would think that i am taking the easy option. Though those close to me have seen it is not the easy option. As for eating out ... i still struggle with it. i almost always end up over eating when i go out ... as i feel like people are watching how little i eat ... and to be honest, a few of my friends comment on how little i eat now. Compared to before, i used to shovel food into my mouth, i have always been a fast eater! As bad as it is ... you can become quite skilled in the art of reguritation ... in the event of over eating ... though not a recommended practice by any stretch of the imagination. i can't offer any good advice about how to deal with social events, especially sit down meals ... other than do what you do at home, eat slow and don't finish your plate. It really is a tricky one.

Yeah, it is normal, nothing to worry about at all. 8kg is an awesome start. We all tend to lose alot from preop diet and immediately post op. That period until the first fill can feel like forever and i know i worried terribly i would put it all back on. (that didn't happen though). i can't say i felt hungry ... though i did feel like i could eat as much as i wanted. i guess the key is making the good food choices. It wasn't until my second fill that i felt real restriction. i am now at a point where i need more restriction due to weight loss. It can take a while to find that "sweet spot" with restriciton. A really good indication that i read in the lapband book i was given ... you should beable to eat 1/2 a cup of food over 20mins and feel full. It said you need to eat very slowly, putting your knife and fork down between each mouthful and never finishing whats on your plate. I have found that a very good techique to use, early on i would (rather hubby would) dish me up much larger meals and a life time of habit would see me trying to eat it all. Now i dish up less than i think i will eat ... about 1/2 a cup of food ... and go with that. i haven't suffered from malnutrition ... despite what others may think will happen only eating that amount of food! i am fading away though ... but in a good way. All the best on your journey. If you can join a support group, it is hugely beneficial ... we have one here in HB. Otherwise find good people to keep in contact with ... as it is very encouraging to know what you are feeling and experiencing is really quite normal. keep us posted!!

You are doing awesome Flax ... wow 41kg ... your goal is so close!! I can not wait to get to goal!

Hey, great story. i love hearing peoples successes ... all too often we can get caught up in what is not going right. However i do have to say ... you men ... you make me so jealous at the rate you lose weight!!! Haha ... good on you!! i have to stay i am so pleaed with my own journey so far. i am over half way to goal in 7 months ... can not complain at that. i just invested in a punch bag, pink boxing gloves, dumbbells and resistance bands ... this is to add to my already full on cardio work outs ... lean muscle burns fat!! i love the new me!!

i had quite a while off as i was banded just before xmas and had holidays in there. However i could have gone back after 10 days i guess. i had planned on going back after 6 but it didn't work out as i still had the little staples in my tummy and they were uncomfy ... once they were out though, i felt alot more comfortable. Just see what happens, take it easy. The other thing that can prevent an early return is of course ... liquids in ... liquids out. i haven't read all the posts to see if anyone has mentioned it ... but i know it was a problem for me. I never went too far from the bathroom!!

i think you are doing great too. i cheated a little, i had a salad on my birthday which was a few days before my surgery. try not to stress, the stress will be more harmful than the noodles!! all the best with your surgery, let us know how you get on. it is a tough road to travel, but totally worth it!! i would do it all again if i had to. i feel amazing!! *hugs*

i don't get shoulder pain however i know that that pain is referred from pressure, Fluid, air ... whatever on the diaphragm. Makes sense ... especially the eating too much

There is not alot of nutrition in those. i am much the same, i tend to go to what is easy after a fill and feel pretty rotten, but i try to get in some Optifast or even some kind of fruit smoothies ... something like that. Of course you have to do what your surgeon says, however looking at that list i would guess the sickness is coming from lack of nutrition during that time. Our ketones increase ... which is an awesome sign of fat burning ... however elevated ketones can make us feel sick!!

what kind of fluids are you drinking? perhaps it is low blood sugar that is making you feel unwell? Thats my immediate thought given you feel better once you eat.

i have had a few issues this week with my band, i had a gastric bug and my poor little tummy got inflamed and i was unable to swallow for a period of time. Had a little sleep over at the hospital to get rehydrated ... i then proceeded to drive 4 hours to the lovely lovely offices of David Schroeder in Hamilton to get deflated. Andrea and David there were a god send in my hours of need. :thumbup: Big Thumbs up to them both!! It was an immediate relief!

Well i am over half way now. I am so pleased with my results so far. Certainly lots of hard work, but totally worth it. Sorry to blow my own trumpet ... but i am sooooooo happy!! i must to some before and after pics

i gave up before my pre-op diet ... sadly i have started again ... 6 months later .... i will give up again ... but disappointing. As far as surgery, yeah, you really have to think about if you want to be in the best shape for it and for the recovery.

i confess ... i am a gum swallower!! i have been all my life! If it goes in my mouth and i chew it, i swallow it. i don't even think about it ... i just do it. This is the reason i have not chewed gum since i have been banded ... actually no ... once i did but then i remembered i have a band and i spat it out before it was even fully chewed. i envy those who can chew with no problem and without fear of swallowing ... i do like gum. i am very much a mints girl now ...

i planned on going back after 5 days but my surgeon said no i had to wait a week and then it was only going to be a couple of days until my xmas break ... so i had a good month or so off. YES ... liquids in ... liquids out. My experiences were numerous in those first few weeks post op. Buy some sanitary liners and go to the bathroom often! All the best!

i noticed no difference after my first fill either, it wasn't until my second did i get any restriction. And for some it is the third or forth. As for stretching it out ... this is my thought ... when i eat too much now ... i feel it, i feel the food hasn't gone through and it hurts! I would say if you are getting no pain/discomfort the food is moving through and if you are not "pigging out" then i would say there is little risk of stretching the pouch. i totally understand your frustrations ... you have spent all this money and you now want it to start working now. Don't be too rushed though ... it can take time to find your "sweet spot". Time and time again i read in these forums people worried that this might happen or that might happen ... in reality there are a minimal amount that this happens too. Of course none of us want to be that minority however I don't think it is worthy of too much concern or worry. If you follow the instructions of your surgeon, you treat your band nicely, listen to niggles and pains ... then there is little more we can do. We are all so individual with the band, put the same band in a 100 people and you get 100 different experiences. Use others experiences as a guide, not an absolute on how it should work for you. All the best for your fill on the 9th! hugs

yes agreed ... it is a blessing in disguse!! IT used to be the time of the month i put weight on ... now ... it is when i lose the most ... just to the fact eating is so ... challenging!! i do think i am at my sweet spot though ... i am losing about 1kg (2.2pounds) per week ... perhaps a touch more ... it is all sweet otherwise!

i have good and bad days with food ... it almost seems to cycle through the month and i think i now see a pattern emerging ... i was wondering if anyone else has experienced the same. I am sure leading up to menstruation that it seems i feel tighter and have more episodes of PB's. Also too, if i am tired or run down ... and especially if i am stressed the same thing happens. Does anyone experience the same of similar?

no, it is not too tight. i see my surgeon regularly and he is quite happy where it is at. you were quite correct in your assumption, i as making reference to tightness/restriction ... not food choices. My food choices are quite limited now as i can not tolerate meat for the most part, bread ... all the usuals. Again the food types that came with no surprise to the surgeon or myself for that matter. i have only had two fills, i am at about 4.5 or 5 ... something like that ... not sure to be honest. i am certainly not looking for another fill, i have been at this since feb ... so if i think i was too tight it would have become evident before now. i will discuss it with my surgeon today anyways ... thanks