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questions: since my fill on Tuesday I really dont feel all that hungry. Yesterday I forgot to eat lunch. Um what? Reminds me of what it felt like after surgery. I know it may not last, and actually I expect it to go away. I mean Ive had a band for 2 years now and its still a learning process. So I would guess Im in the "green zone" right? Ive been getting stuck and pbing for months when I ate too much or the wrong thing (chips are my downfall). Thats restriction right? So you can have restriction but still not be in the green zone????

Jay Im glad you came and posted and dont feel like you are bring us down. This is why this thread exists. Everything that L2t posted is exactly what I would say. Listen to her, she is a wise women. I have a really hard time eating out with friends and family too. I try to avoid it. Seem to do better on the weekdays at the office when I can bring my lunch and control it. I dont do most frozen dinners either, they get tough when heated. Things for lunch:yogurt, cheese sticks, oatmeal, cottage cheese with marinara, chicken pot pie (bad I know), tunafish, chicken salad,green salads, fiber one or yogurt bars, mini rice cakes, granola dry, and a TON of Campbells soup at hand. Im not sure what I can tolerate now but I dont do well with fruits but canned veggies are fine. Go back to Dr R and see about taking some of that fill out.Ik know it feels like your degressing but you're not. If what you are doing isnt working then why keep on doing it? hahah guess what? I cant make the B+W meeting on the 17th bc of a work meeting in NY. FIGURES!!!

yeah! its so great to see all the post esp to hear from FMSlim.:thumbdown: Glad you got to restriction FMS...whats your fill level now.? Ive read that its usually around the 1/2 point of the band (ie 5ccs for the 10cc band and 7 for the 14cc). Im around 8.1 and I dont think I can go over 8.5ccs. L2TI kinda like B+W for my appts bc I seem to get more face time with Dr. V....dont ask me why Great weight lost ibelieve!, it takes a while to get used to how people react to your wieght loss. When I dont journal or put myself first (thats usually bc of work) and skip the gym....I dont loose. Been using the dailyplate.com bc its free for about a year and from that Ive determined that "I" need to have my intake around 1,000 calories. Sometimes I go over but I keep that as my target. Most helpful thing of journaling is looking back and seeing and where the weight loss occurred and what I was doing during the most successful times The diet they provided us pre-op says 1200-1500 I think, I cant say it ever gets easier but I know if I didn't have this band I would have never been able to do this.

Hey all how is everyone doing? I went to see Dr V yesterday and got a slight fill 0.175ccs. She is so awesome and down to earth. I love that little lady! Right now Im around 8.1cc in a 14cc band.She had to use a smaller needle than the regular one. I know Im close to my upper tolerance limit as Ive been up as high as 8.9 but really struggled with intolerances there Needed this fill BAD as my hunger was out of control and I had gained 8lbs (!) in the last three months. Im only on liquids and soft stuff like yogurt and cheese but my hunger is GONE!!! What a great feeling even if I know it wont last. *sigh* The parking at B +W is still a nightmare, They are doing just valet and handicapped in the underground garage. I parked across the street from the ER but you know what I think it costs more. :thumbup: I'll be tracking down those people who havent posted in a while. You best check in!

K8_MA sounds like you may need a good poop. maybe some Miralax and lot of water. Also if you can tolerate pills you may want to switch from the Gas-X strips to the pills they have more medication in them and cheaper if you buy generic. guess what???? I REALLY cant tolerate Fritos :thumbup:. pb'd that stuff up and everything I ate after bc yup I was swollen. But Ive been doing better and may even consider a tiny fill Hows Jay? I worry about that kid

change of plans...cant make the meeting bc of work..ugh! will be calling the Dr today to get a tiny fill bc I HAVE to stop this gaining cycle and I know the only thing that will help is reducing my intake. hang in there folks ~Mel

ALERT: Support group meetings are Monday Oct 19 (Faulkner) and Tuesday Oct 2oth (B+W) of next week @ 6pm. I will be at the Tuesday meeting at the Brigham. Is it still Carrie Hall or has it moved? I cant access the hospitals webpage Hope to see you guys there! ~Mel

sorry you hated it I did too. Ive done better with vanilla protein shakes bc you can manipulate the flavor more than with chocolate. Cant stand the fake chocolate taste and it seems the higher the protein level the grosser the after taste is.I will admit Ive used Hershey Lite syrup, just a teaspoon Some things I have tried to boost up the base flavors of protein shakes.... SF Jello Pudding dry mix (cheescake hello), frozen fruit (strained out the seeds), Torani SF Syrup (found in the coffee aisle), cocoa power (low calorie),ice, peanut butter, and pumpkin spice.

quite a few questions here....Yes the groups most mentioned here are the monthly support groups. All are welcome pre and post ops. The information session is a requirement for any WLS at B+W/Faulkner. The total process varies from person to person depending on things like your insurance and surgeons schedule. If I were to guess the average time span from info session to surgery is around 5 months Congrats to the newly banded!!! Take time to rest and yes the milk based shakes (and the large quantity of it) can produce gas. Some folks (ahem me) became temporary lactose intolerant after surgery. Thankfully this resolved for me over time and lots of Lactaid pills. There is a Lactose Free Slimfast available...keep in mind that SF CIB has dried milk in it. I never touched my incision and was told not to cover it and leave it be to let the strips fall off on their own. I too had a stitch poke through like L2T...what a weird sensation. On a personal note: not much new for me...still up in weight (+6lbs) and still struggling with portion control and pbing too much. I would get an unfill but Im not so sure that its not mostly user error vs the band being tight. I know if I get any fluid out I will lose any and all restriction. Wish I could have back those few times when my hunger was gone and it was easy to stick to a plan. Now almost 2 years out its seems like a distant memory. Dont get me wrong I am VERY grateful that I had this surgery esp today when I found some old pictures of myself. It was a shocker to see just how big I really was. Sorry for the babble but I know you are the ones who understand the most. Mel

yes thats correct. I have the print out in front of me Faulkner- Oct 19, Nov 9,Dec 14, Jan 11, B +W-Oct 20th, Nov 17, Dec 15, Jan 19th Lap Band Postoperative Diet its saying at the above link that the meetings for B+W are now in Bayles Conference Room on the third floor at exit 7A. And it looks like the put the progression diet on line. At least I think its never been on the website?

read about them online I think on PatriotLedger.com Do you know their hours? I have stuff to sell

ibelieve yeah some people have pbing issues when they dont eat or arent mindful. best of luck Bostonlady if by some odd chance you are on floor 15 let me know (you shouldnt be) bc my friend just had her appendix out. last words of wisdom is to force yourself to take it easy even if you feel okay. sorry I didnt make the last support meeting...work got in the way. its a shame bc I need it bad... up in weight and eating poorly.

well I was pbing down by the Hyannis harbor trying to hide it from all the tourists...seems I can only tolerate crispy crispy bacon. I always seem to have trouble while on vacation away from my "normal routine". Oh and that work weight loss challenge? It ended today bc of my trips and traveling I gained weight and was 1lb higher than when we started. :thumbup:

Heidi come here and brag all you want. I think my friends and family are sick of hearing me talk about food, exercising and losing weight. have you googled the 5day pouch test? Once again Im wondering if I need a fill or am I okay? Been up and down these same 5lbs since the start of the year. I can only do Monday the 14th so this works out for me!

the port area takes quite a bit of time to heal and will be sore for a while. Sometimes if I turn the wrong way or bend weird mine still can bother me. Its normal to only be able to take in a 1/2 cup now.Your stomach is still very swollen and healing... but if you are really worried dont hesitate to call the number I listed above. Just make sure you arent drinking too fast or gulping as that can introduce air into your pouch. Your days of chugging are over ************ The next support meetings are Monday Sept 14th at the Faulkner and Tuesday Sept 15th at B&W

When I first had surgery I told only a few close friends and family. I didnt tell my coworkers bc they werent all that interested and all they knew was I having surgery. Maybe its bc I work for a small company and my bosses are men.When I did tell it was only one person (female) and shes kept it quiet. They knew I was dieting bc of the food I was eating but the weight came off slowly it wasnt a huge issue. Now that Im almost 2 years out most people know and Ive been surprised at the people who I assume know but didnt I had my surgery right before Thanksgiving, I ate some mushie green beans, pushed food around my plate, and was the first to start clean up. I dont think anyone really noticed

Hi Megan if I wouldnt worry about your liver if you've stuck to the diet and lose at least some weight you will do fine. You are going thru the normal pre-op freak out. Its part of the program that you will stay overnight and most likely be released the next afternoon after you have an upper GI (fyi be prepared that the barium you drink is different and the nastiest thing ever!). You will be on clears in the hospital and will then progress to milk based liquids (refer to the guidlines you were given by the dietitians) while there. You wont be released if you are having problems with the diet progression. When you are discharged they will give you prescriptions with instructions/phone numbers. I cant think of anything that you will HAVE to have in the hospital. Dont bring too much or anything valuable. They will take your bag when you check in and then bring it to your room later (for me it was late late). You will have a small bag for just the clothes you are wearing. hope that helps

K8 dont be alarmed all you are going thru is normal. I too was suprised at the pain when I read about people (well it was on these boards) who walked out the same day and went back to work within a day or two. Nope no way for me and I think have a high pain tolerance. Your job now is to sip sip sip and keep up your fluids even if you dont want to. It will pass believe me. For All and for Jay there is a PA line to call 617-732-8884 but its only an answering machine. Calls answered with in 24hrs or less. Its good to use if you have a question about medication or post op but dont need to see your Dr. And yes Ive gotten a call back in a day. Anything that is an emergency you should call your surgeon. L2T7 I do not have any magical words of advice I wish I did. Our journeys are very similar and I can only say I know how you feel. I thought the hard part would be the first year but now is so much harder. Gave up on Lane Bryant a while ago..Im still plus size on the bottom but it just wasnt worth the price and effort and feeling like crap shopping there. Sucks that its harder now to shop then when we were clearly only plus size. Try to get out of the house today...I know its hard with this depressing weather.

Oh Paige Im sorry and I can say I know how you feel to some degree. Got on the scale today and Im up in weight...so I went to the Marshfield Fair and went to town eating junk. Not sure I am sorry either. What stinks is I know will lose weight if I keep my food AND calories way down and that is SO friggen hard...1200 calories only maintains me. Heidi the one bra that would fit me from Kohls was this one http://www.maidenform.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=71553&categoryId=107&wtlCategory=Lilyette%20%AE%20Full%20Figure&parentCategoryId=4&PIPELINE_SESSION_ID=63304bb8c0a87d6f00e2b07b4b61da63

Jay after you got stuck did you got to liquids and progress from there. You could be swollen and starting a cycle of eat, swell, stuck, eat, swell stuck....hows your H20 intake bc if thats down that wont help either. STRICT liquids for at least 24hrs and then mushies. Good luck K8...like the others said they wont cancel. Post here when you can Lobster....umm thats a tough one esp for me bc my family is in the seafood business...stick to the flaky stuff. Good for you Paige given up the mashed...I need to work on my chip and cracker issues. Heidi...you need to buy a bra thats doesnt come in S,M,L etc. I had good luck at Kohls with sports and regular bras. They also tend to be on sale too. I had to buy a strapless bra the other day...boy was I amazing to 1)find one in my size 2) find one that fits 3) find one on sale!!! and not over $50.00. First strapless Ive worn since the early 90's. :thumbup:

thats good to know Phyllis will be there at the Brigham. thanks Surfergirl I dont use Soy either bc of a family history of breast cancer even though its prob not an issue. well Im on liquids today ...seems I have an issue with the fish I broiled last night, I know i ate too fast and too much....pb'd it up for hours. Ive got to adjust my brain that I cant eat as much soiled as I could before my last fill.

Bostonlady, broth based soups anything without chunks. There was a Lipton Cream of Chicken cup of soup dry package that I liked or Campbells Soup at Hand. I also had a small sieve like strainer that was helpful in getting out solids of stuff. I found the shakes at Target in Abington...wonder if it was a fluke thing? Glad to hear Dr T's office has been so receptive. I know he maybe picking up more patients now that Dr Mun is gone/leaving. Heidi good luck with Dr V. This is my first time in close to 2 years I dont have a 6wk follow up...very strange for me. lol Random: know what stinks? having good restriction and not losing weight and making poor food choices. I am off to the gym to pay for my vacation indulgences

Boston Lady I think you are all set...what about somesoup or tea? sometimes you get sick of drinking cold stuff and I got dizzy at one point but when I added the soup the salt made it better. They will give you a script for liquid pain meds when you are discharged. Sometimes its hard to get the script filled at your local pharmacy (mine wanted 2 days).If you can get the script filled before your surgery (need to ask the office) or at the hospital's pharm. Heidi..way to go! Keep it up...one step at a time. Im looking forward to getting back on track starting tomorrow when my vacation ends. Ready to fight the good fight..... again. CONSUMER ALERT: was shopping at Target and they had Atkins shakes for $4.00 for four...seen them at Walmart for over $6 and change and even CVS for $7. Also in the bins where the sell the dollar junk stuff they had resistance bands for excerising for $2.50 with instructions. Gonna try them out for a change of pace.