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At 2 weeks I was told I should be having only 500 calories a day. I thought that was ridiculous. I was averaging 700 and following their menu and food program precisely. I also felt great. So I ignored that and then started mushies, which probably upped my calorie intake a little more. But I'm losing now, wasn't before, and still feel great. The Dr. said listen to my body. The dietician was confused on many things, and so I am not sure if she was right about the calories or not, but I'm going to continue to follow the menu plan and measure everything. I'm not counting calories. I exercise, and I weigh myself. When there is a plateau, I'll think about counting up calories to make sure I'm not "over eating"--which sound silly when my meals consist of either 4 oz or 1/4 cup, and 3 protein shakes inbetween.

I'll just throw in my 2 cents worth-I had a great surgery and recovery, too. Never even touched the Morphine in the hospital and nothing more then Tylenol at home. 1 week later back at work, good as new. Can't say exactly why it went so well, no gas pain (luck?) little pain (luck again?). One thing I really feel helped me was I lost 30 pounds in the 2 1/2 months prior to surgery. My Dr. said "there will be plenty of room". Also followed all instructions for eating before, so I know I was healthy. I was told if I gained more then one pound from my last visit to the day of surgery, it would be cancelled, so no last binges for me! I can't say I expected the worst. I knew about all the problems that could happen, but I decided about 3 days before surgery that it was going to go great. That's what I told everyone, and that's what happened. Was it positive attitude that helped, or some sort of Precognition? Who knows. All you can do is your best to lose some weight before, follow all nutrition instructions before and after and remember it gets better, even if it's going pretty well to begin with. (I had a couple of middle-of-the-night moments of "what the hell did I DO this for!")

Not only was "it's only a tool" stressed to me over and over, I had to take 3 different psych tests to make sure I had no underlying problems that needed addressing first, and had to take a multiple choice written test to make sure I understood the band. It's not just a Dr, but a whole "Center for Bariatric Surgery" that can provide the support and information one needs. I had to see Dietician, psycholigist, recreational therapist, physical therapist, nurse, Dr. and some of them twice before even getting a date. And every last one of them I had to explain that I knew it was still what I put in my mouth that would determine my success or failure with the band. Maybe our Mom could find a better Center for more support?

I used Yogurt to fight the diarrhea. Remember there was antibiotics used during and maybe after surgery. That can often cause major digestive problems. Yogurt has the live cultures that can replant the gut with the correct bacteria needed. It took about a week for me to feel relatively normal. Maybe it was a coincidence, but it is something the proffesionals seem to overlook in discussing "after" problems. I was told immodium as well, which does not cure the problem, but maybe gives your body more time to fix itself. I knew a lady who was in absolute misery for 3 weeks (not a bandster, just after taking antibiotics for something) and lost 16 pounds. Her pharmacist told her to try yogurt and she said it was only 1 day before she felt better.

I went to see my dietician today 2 weeks post op. I've followed the food plan to the ounce and was so proud of myself. She added up a days "food" (drink) and said I was up to almost 700 calories, and really should only be at about 500 at this point. Since I only had what the plan says, I was shocked. Also shocked at her statement. I know enough about calories to know that the bare minimum is supposed to be 1000. I'm not sedentary, I've been walking and active since the day I came home, was back to work at 1 week, back on the treadmill after 3 days. It seems to me that there should not be a set amount of calories "for this stage" as some people are not as active as me. She suggested lower calorie protein shakes, which I went along with, but after thinking about it, I am going to listen to my own body. I feel great. I see no reason to cut my calorie intake by such a big percentage. Did anyone else have such an experience with a dietician? I'm not big on counting calories at this point myself, just following their menu and food lists and portion sizes. I'm sugar free, fat free, and never consume more then 1/4 cup total. I get in all my protein, and have lost 3 pounds since surgery day, and I've been told not to even worry about that at this point (though she pointed it out as in "well, you DID lose a couple of pounds, but...") I have to say I was just shocked at the whole visit. How can I be critisized for following their plan? And how can 700 calories a day for someone who works 8 hours, does housework and exercises every day be too much? I'm just curious, though, if any of you have another take on this. I am open minded, I actually CAN cut calories if the consensus is that I should.

I found that while in the hospital the nurses were sometimes confused about what I was supposed to be drinking, or how to take pills, and so on. I know it's a newer surgery there, about 6 months, so I expected some confusion. I KNOW the dietician was confused. I seen her twice and she was completely disorganized, had to look things up over and over, and could not get dates right when she tried to write down when I could eat what. She even had problems with the calculator. So whether I'm REALLY supposed to only be at 500 calories or not is still a question in my mind. But it sounds like Christine has similar information, so possibly this IS what my Center believes. As one who has read every diet book there is, and seen other dieticians over the past 30 years, though, I have always read/heard that we are supposed to stay about 1000 calories. I realize things with the band are different then regular diets, but the rest of my body still needs energy, nourishment, and calories to keep up metabolism. I had not lost anything for 2 weeks after my surgery. Now I'm into mushies, eating a bit more and NOW I'm losing. I can see limiting amounts and types of foods at different stages, but as long as I'm following the menus and food plans I will continue to eat as much as I am. I'm not really going against "orders". I am obsessive about weighing and measuring so I think I'll just follow what I have in writing rather then what one rattle brained dietician tells me. (she was a sub anyway, not the regular dietician from the Bariatric Center)

I can agree with the other answers-6 weeks to regular food, but working up to it in stages. I, also, loved Coke and Pepsi, and not diet for me! I gave it up about 2 months before surgery, and didn't miss it as much as I thought. I went back to my moderately active job after one week and had no problems at all, much to my surprise. I expected to be wiped out at the end of the day and was not. In fact, if anything I have more energy now then before. As for chewing, I took advice I read on this forum and use smaller containers and smaller spoons. I have always chewed a lot, so my adjustment is to take smaller bites. I can't speak for what I can't eat yet, since I'm still on mushies, and I hope to GOD that vomiting is not part of my life now! As a general rule I have a stomach of iron, so being sick has never meant throwing up. I plan on being VERY careful and hope PBing doesn't become normal either. Good luck, don't be afraid of changes in your diet. I was, but decided if I wanted big changes in my body I had to be willing to make big changes in my diet. I never would have been able to do it when I was younger, but I can now. I used to say if I became diabetic that I'd just eat sugar and die because I could never give it up. Well, I have, and don't miss it. I know that I just had to be ready. Only you can judge if you are willing to make the changes necessary. 10 years ago, even 5, I could not have made this commitment. I felt ready, and I had a good bariatric center team who ran me through all kinds of interviews, testing, and information appointments to make sure I understood what I was getting myself into. Good luck to you on whatever decision you make, but if you are contemplating the band, you are probably ready for it. 2 years ago I saw a picture of it and thought it looked like some sort of torture device. 6 months ago it suddenly sounded like a good idea.

I was banded 5/7. I was told not to lift more then 15 pounds, but that restriction was lifted today by a visit to the Dr. He said listen to my body and if it hurts or feels too much, don't do it. As for driving, I was only told I could drive as long as I was not on the narcotic pain medication I was given. I never took it at all, but still took about 4 days before I went anywhere. I was doing housework the day I came home, within the 15 pound restriction, and back to work after 7 days with no problem. I've heard other stories, but it can be that easy. Some fly to Mexico to self pay and fly home the next day! THAT amazes me. If your anything like me, you will be fine, and probably will only need to skip a weekend or 2 with the grandkids (alone, anyway) Good luck!!!

Wow, I had no idea this could be a problem. I usally have 1/2 piece a day. I think I'll agree with Luscious and get some tiny mints. Thanks for the info, and sharing your experience. VERY glad to hear you have relief.

"It's not supposed to be fun." I like that! I think I'll put that up in my room for when I feel gloomy, or sorry for myself. The fun comes later when I can fit into clothes.

I'm an instant Breakfast person, too. I agree, no matter what the flavor, all the others smell and taste the same. Except for Isopure. I tried that and liked it well enough. It does not have THAT SMELL! It's also clear, and easier to get down if you aren't feeling well.

Thanks, Mindy. To be fair to my bariatric center, they HAVE emphasized that. I just can't seem to get my head around taking in so little and not losing. It's so different from the last 35 years of dieting experiences. I feel like my body is doing something different, and I thought I knew it well. But I was told many, many things to help me heal better and faster that I've never had explained in other surgeries. Usually I would feel like hell yet, but since I feel so good I guess I forget how short a time it's been. The protein is a big one, oxygen the whole time I was at the hospital, sticking strictly to the menus I've been given, both for weeks before, and after. Sometimes I feel like I haven't eaten anything I like in forever, but I also know that I will get past all that. I just got off the treadmill-and know that it's for health, not weight loss that I'm doing that. So in my case I just needed a reminder. I appreciate it. I'm sure in a couple of years I'll look back and laugh at myself for complaining that I haven't lost anything in 9 days!

Glad you're feeling better. I'm sure it's a great relief. I was afraid to even take any pain medication other then tylenol because I often have stomach problems when I've taken it before. Last time I took vicoden I spent the next morning feeling like I was in hell. Luckily when I got my liquid pain medication home my daughter (who is a nurse) took one look at it and said "that's vicoden" (with a generic name) She's had the same reaction to vicoden. If you have liquid Tylenol try a dose of that. I was shocked at how well it worked. Good luck-each day should be better. I'm so sorry you had such a rough start.

I'm glad to read about the lack of weight loss. I'm 9 days post op and not losing and ounce. I was concerned about the lack of calories when I saw my menus for after, but didn't question it. I see the dietician next week, and maybe by then she'll help me with eating more. I"m sure I'm under 1000 calories, and have always heard you won't lose weight that way, but never really believed it! I'm also worried about how I'll control my eating before I feel restriction. I'm not there yet physically, but my eyes see certain things and my heart just takes a leap. Anything I have around the house that gets to me gets taken to work and given out. Today I took an entire large concession sized box of 1 oz bags of peanuts to work. My husband might eventually eat them, but I could not face them anymore. I've thrown out a lot, too. I'm not a selfish person, but for now my family is just going to have to do without junk food in the house. Sounds like this won't get better for quite a while. At least I can be prepared.

Losing weigh can make the surgery easier. We can all take it off, but not keep it off. As long as the insurance agrees, the more you take off the better pre surgery, and then with the band in place you won't gain it back.

I have no restriction yet, and am very concerned (now that I have the band) about not getting over full. So I'm anxious to know how other answer your question. I was told clear fluids for 2 days after a fill. Did you do that?

One more idea about the diarrhea. I had it bad also, though none of your other symptoms. I know from experience this can be caused by antibiotics and I know they gave me a whopper in the IV. After 2 days of clear liquids I could have "full" liquids. For some reason on my list that included yogurt. I hate yogurt, but have had about 1 ounce at every meal, taking up some precious space on my 3 oz. meals, but each day was better, and I'm definitely over it for the most part. One lady I knew had been on an antibiotic for something. She had severe gastric symptoms for 3 weeks and was going in for lots of tests when a pharmicist asked her if she'd taken medication. When she answered yes, he said "go home and eat some yogurt" She said she was better the next day. Just a suggestion that might help some people

I'm nine days post op and have followed the food and nutrition plan outlined by my Dr to the letter. I weighed a nice weight the day of surgery-30 pounds exactly lost. But then I gained 10 pounds overnight in the hospital, and while I have taken that off, I am only back to my presurgery weight. I eat only dabs of this and that, and protein shakes, but not one tenth of a pound lost in nine days. I find that discouraging. Anyone else have a similar experience, or explanation? I'm back to my job, back to normal exercise, so it's not from sitting around. My surgery went great, so I was up and walking within the first day. So what's the problem?:thumbup:

I know I'm not getting enough calories. I'm not hungry, but I know enough about nutrition to know I need more then this. I wanted to ask about that but decided I'd just follow what they told me. Right now I'm on full liquids-clear for 2 days, full for 2 weeks, then pureed for 2 weeks, then soft for 2 weeks. I have a feeling it's a little of both-fluids AND not getting enough calories. I trust my bariatric center, though, and will follow the diet. I really DO feel better already, like more energy, not as sleepy at work, so I KNOW I'm eating healthy, which is so important for healing. I was told not to worry about weight loss at this stage, I just wasn't told not to expect it! Who knew you could live on liquids and not lose weight? I'm also not supposed to do any exercise but walking for about 3 months, so I can't just start wearing myself out on the airdyne, elliptical, and videos. Oh, and thanks for the reminder about fluids. I am drinking water all day long and getting it all in. I was afraid I would be too full, but after about 3 days I had no problems. I'll keep that at the top of my list to keep up as well as the diet. You'll hear a big cheer when I finally start dropping!

I worked with HS BD kids for a couple of years. I was prepared for the insults about my size or looks. Somehow it never happened. I loved working with those kids-with only a couple exceptions. I worked in the "Crisis room" where the kids were sent when they were misbehaving too badly to stay in their BD rooms. Had chairs thrown at me, things stolen, bricks picked up, etc. I was prepared for comments about my weight, thinking I'd answer the same as you said "not telling me anything I don't already know". I probably didn't have that experience because I usually only had the kids one or two at a time. Now I work in the main office of the same large high school, and really look forward to the day that I feel better about the way I look. I still deal with high school kids all day. I think I've been lucky because I know it could happen any time, even after I've lost what is a LOT of weight to me (by the way, congrats on getting into new pants, I've lost 30 pounds and can't find a difference at all) But then we had a young gal working in BD for a while who was pretty, skinny and blond, and they said plenty about her that was nasty, just in a different way. Which, I guess, proves your point that teens are cruel. The people in my office also talk about how these are the kids of our future. We recently had an honors program. Even the "good" kids couldn't follow directions, listen to announcements, remember to do as told, etc. We have a graduating class of about 400 and we aren't sure who is worse, them or their parents. Which explains WHY the kids are not behaving well. I sure know what it feels like to have a bad day with misbehaving teens-I didn't quit working with BD kids because I didn't like it, but to get a promotion. However there were days when I went home thinking "this is NOT the job for me!"

I had a pre surgery diet similar to Atkins, with limits on everything. The day before surgery I ate exactly the same thing as the other days, which was meat, dairy, vegetable, and fruit. Just had to quit by 11:00 pm for a 7 a.m. surgery, and no bowell prep. Guess I was lucky. I had not problems at all. I've often had problems with IV insertion. Finally someone informed me that I was probably not drinking enough, so the night before surgery I drank water until 10 with the blessing of the nurse. No problem with IV. Just a hint that might help somoene else someday. I've had up to 10 tries with hot packs to get an IV in, and just drinking lots of water the day before made all the difference difference. Same with blood draws.

I liked reading your account. I, too, am one week post op. Just so everyone knows, my experience was very similar, and even better in some ways. I had no nausea at all! I also never took any pain meds other then some toredal that was IV push, never touched my morphine pump, and never took the liquid vicoden at home, just liquid Tylenol. Went back to work yesterday, felt great, even better today. I don't think I'm up to 2.5 miles yet, but I'm back on the treadmill. I will say I had an overnight stay, so I got the toredol for the first 24 hours. Oral pain killers can cause nausea and I was so afraid of that. I'm sure I'm partly just lucky to have such a great outcome, but I feel three things helped. One, follow the pre surgery diet. Mine lasted a long time, and I won't say I didn't cheat once in a while, but I lost 30 pounds PRE surgery. Second, exercise before so you are in shape. Third, positive attitude. I decided about 2 days before surgery that this was going to be a breeze. I'd had a gall bladder surgery years ago that frankly sucked big time, and I had been afraid of a repeat. This time I was better prepared, better taken care of before, so I followed all instructions, and just decided it was going to go well. When anyone said "good luck" I'd say, It's going to be smooth, easy, no problem. I'm not known for my positive attitude, so this was a big stretch for me, but I surprised many nurses helping me when I could do so much, kept insisting "I'm fine", "I feel fine" (despite at one point everyone telling me I had no color and my blood pressure was very low) "I'm FINE". This hypocondriac didn't need anyone telling me I didn't look well. "I feel FINE!". And I did. I hope this experience is the norm for everyone looking forward to a surgery date. Thanks, Daisy, for starting such a positive thread. We all need to know the possible complications, but it's also important to know how easy it can be. I would have loved to have read your account before my surgery as just one more piece of the positive puzzle.

Hey, Thin, good luck with everything. I had to do 10 days of a presurgery diet, and about 2 months of a "pre"pre surgery diet before that. Lost 30 pounds before I was even banded! It's hard to stick to the pre diet, but doing so will help you so much afterward. Your body will be used to less and you won't feel so ill when you can't eat much. I shocked myself by not feeling ill at all (after) and get by just fine. One hint about shopping for the after foods. I bought everything on the list given me, which wasn't a bad idea. However, I still had my pre surgery eyes. I bought big containers of juice, cans and cans of cream Soup. Anything you can get in small amounts will be best with possibly more variety. I am on full liquids and a can of cream soup would last me over a week (1 or 2 oz. at a time). sugar free popsicles was on my list, then after surgery I was told nothing cold, it could make the stomach cramp. As with everything, you can get mixed messages. I was given sample menus, which helped a lot. One week post op and I can honestly say I feel better then I did 2 months ago. I"m sure eating right has a great deal to do with it. Exercise if you can, too. I pushed myself hard in the weeks before, and walked 20 minutes around the house the first day post op and 3 days post op was back on the treadmill. Everyone who took care of me was amazed at how well I felt, and how much I could do on my own. Trust me, that was the first time in my life THAT has ever happened. I, too, "lurked" for weeks before posting anything. I knew the "good, bad and ugly" before I even went for my first informational meeting. Then I didn't post because it just didn't seem real for me. Everyone is so great to share their own experiences. I thought maybe it was time for me to share as well. Glad you chose to, also. By the way, wish I'd been thin in '86. I was on my way up at that time to my all time high this year. I'd have to go back to about '80. I plan on living the second half of my life in a different body-saggy, but lighter.

I had surgery 1 week ago today, and I agree it was more discomfort then pain. I had no problems at all, and never even used the morphine. I was given Toredol through the IV and that was enough. Once home Liquid Tylenol was enough. I took 1 week off of work, and went back today feeling very well. My biggest discomfort at the moment is the itching of my largest incision. I had an overnight stay, but could have gone home just as well. I've had laproscopic gall bladder surgery, and compared to that, this was a breeze. The hardest part about not eating is simply habit---reaching to taste something I'm cooking, wanting to eat the last bite of something on a plate. So far I have no real hunger at all. I never dreamed I could exist on these few calories without feeling ill and starving. I'm sure the presurgery diet helped a great deal with that, or so I told myself as I hung on by the skin of my teeth to that diet. I hope everyone's future surgeries go just as well as mine, and now we all just have to learn how to listen to our bodies and eat right. It's exciting to actually look forward to losing weight without the usual "if" involved. Congrats to all of us on being brave enough to take a big step in the right direction!

I'm 5 days post op. I had a very specific print out of what to drink/eat and when, and sample menus. I am doing fine, but did find on day 4 that I just could not get everything in. So I decided the next day I'd listen to my body and cut back, making sure to get in the Water and Protein. Today I felt much better and able to follow the menu without feeling overful. I'm sure everyone reacts differently, but besides needing support from your bariatric team, you need to listen to what your body is telling you. It will be trial and error with all foods for a long time to see what "sets well" and what doesn't. One nurse told me it will be like being a baby again-learning to eat all over. My Dr. also said when there are any problems or changes, like a fill, back off to clear liquids again for a few days. I was also told to expect possible "depression" after the surgery, simply from all the chemicals. It can take up to six weeks to work it all out of your body. This surgery went well for me, but a previous gall bladder surgery did not, and it was every day of that six weeks of being depressed and in misery to finally have a day that I didn't feel at some point that I was unable to go on. At that time I also had a small child, and that does put more strain on you. If you feel a great deal of depression or anxiety, don't be afraid to talk to either your surgeon or family Dr. Just like pain, gas, and swelling, all have medicines to help, so does your mind. Good luck, take care of yourself, and check back in and let us know how you are doing