Julie*

Well, I have started on "real" foods that I can chew and chew and chew. I know now that I have restriction that's for sure. I work at a college and forgot to bring lunch today so I went to the dining hall in our bldg and bought a veggie casserole with no breading on it. I could only take about 2 bites and chewed and it felt stuck. I think this is going to be interesting as I test what I can eat and not eat. Stacey: I went to a birthday party on Saturday and it was rough for me too. I had some guacamole on my plate, some egg salad and a small piece of cake. It felt very weird though. Sherry: I haven't noticed it yet but my last period was the week after surgery and I generally felt crappy anyway. Janet/Nanster: I am stalled too right now. I didn't lose any weight last week. I just started exercising again though and am hoping that will get things going.

I couldn't get mine to open this morning either.

My Emily is 5 and she and I will say prayers tonight for you and your Emily.

Tonight the head hunger hit me really hard for the first time since surgery. I had my blended dinner (mushies until Tuesday of next week) and then had a few bites of my son's Annies Mac/Cheese and then had a few more bites and then had some tortilla chips with melted cheese and then realized that I was doing everything wrong! Now I feel like crap physically and mentally. DH just reminded me though that my actual caloric intake was not bad BUT it's the loss of control and wanting to eat when I was NOT hungry that shook me up. Head hunger is a vicious thing.

Stacey: That is excellent weight loss. Great job! Diane: I eat oatmeal every morning at my desk. I have a Sunbeam Hot Shot water dispenser and it makes it really easy to heat up water. This was one of the good habits that I had even before the surgery. The difference now is that I am satisfied with 1 packet of oatmeal but before needed two! I get low sugar or organic stuff b/c the regular oatmeal is really high in sugar. Tammy: I agree that your neice needs counseling. She also needs people not to tell her that her hips are big etc because that is really damaging. I hope your sister is able to get her the help she needs.

Still holding steady at 254 and really getting ready to eat solid foods. I am finding that I am very cranky by the end of the day. I think it's also b/c of this weird gas pain that I am having on my left side. It seems to be easing up a bit today so my fingers are crossed that it will just go away. We leave for Florida in 6 weeks and I would so love to be down another 10 pounds. Not sure if that is realistic though. I have to start exercising but just feel so tired at night still. I think it's time to just do it and stop thinking about it. I really do feel better physically though. I'm not as achy and it feels so good to have my clothes fit better and not feel so tight all of the time. I can't wait for the day that I have to buy a smaller size. That certainly hasn't happened in many many years.

Still holding steady at 254 and really getting ready to eat solid foods. I am finding that I am very cranky by the end of the day. I think it's also b/c of this weird gas pain that I am having on my left side. It seems to be easing up a bit today so my fingers are crossed that it will just go away. We leave for Florida in 6 weeks and I would so love to be down another 10 pounds. Not sure if that is realistic though. I have to start exercising but just feel so tired at night still. I think it's time to just do it and stop thinking about it. I really do feel better physically though. I'm not as achy and it feels so good to have my clothes fit better and not feel so tight all of the time. I can't wait for the day that I have to buy a smaller size. That certainly hasn't happened in many many years.

Sunta: Your post made me laugh b/c I am now on week 3 of mushies and desperate to chew something. LOL I was on Clear Liquids for days 1-4, full liquids for days 5-7 and then it's mushies until the beginning of week 4 and my mushies are supposed to go through a straw. I am proud to say that I have made cottage cheese, refried Beans, and mashed potatoes thin enough to be drank through a straw. Why don't you give that a try since that will still be following docs orders but you'll feel full longer. Good luck and glad that you're feeling so much better. Julie

Hi everyone, Yup, I agree that it's gas pains. I think I have just really overdone it with dairy and carbs and it's not agreeing with my body. My DH got me some GasX and I am trying a day of very low dairy to see if that helps. Stacey and others: I have been going through the exact same thing. I am luckier than most though b/c I go to a weekly group therapy meeting that I've been going to for 3 years as part of a weight loss clinic. The psychologist we meet with specializes in obesity and we talk every week about the emotions surrounding food etc. I really think it has helped me to prepare for the challenges of finding a new "friend" besides food. But, I am still having a hard time too especially in the evenings. Janet: Thanks for the kudos about my weight loss. I am pretty happy about it. 10 pounds was on the 10 day liquid diet that I had to do before the surgery. I am finding that I have less restriction each day. I start on solids next Tuesday and am curious to see how that goes for me. I'm glad we're all sticking together. It really helps!

Hi Everyone- I have had a very good recovery from my banding surgery and am still on mushies. 2 days ago I noticed that I had an achy pain under my left breast that seems to come and go. It goes away at night and is worse in the morning when I stand up. Right now I just had some blended Soup and it feels yucky again. It's not by my port b/c that is on my right side and doesn't hurt at all. I am planning on calling my surgeon tomorrow but has anyone been through this? Should I go on Clear liquids for a couple of days to see if that helps? It's just such a weird achy pain. Thanks, Julie

Thank you Randy. I am taking GasX now and will call my doc about prilosec as well b/c the pain is still going strong this morning.

Tilly- Thank you SO much. You have really put my mind at ease. My symptoms are exactly as you described. It' worse when I burp or yawn or move around quickly. I am assuming it's due to my mushy diet that has lots of dairy and carbs. I guess the next 6 days are going to be some different stuff like more applesauce and fruit smoothies.

Stacey: How did your fill go today? I posted a question on the regular board but will re-post it here in case any of you are dealing with the same thing: I have had a very good recovery from my banding surgery and am still on mushies. 2 days ago I noticed that I had an achy pain under my left breast that seems to come and go. It goes away at night and is worse in the morning when I stand up. Right now I just had some blended soup and it feels yucky again. It's not by my port b/c that is on my right side and doesn't hurt at all. I am planning on calling my surgeon tomorrow but has anyone been through this? Should I go on clear liquids for a couple of days to see if that helps? It's just such a weird achy pain. Thanks- I am having the worst panic over this like my band has slipped or something. Ugh.

Do you mean gas when you say wind? I was thinking it could be gas too but it seemed weird to get it 3 weeks out.

Good Morning! I'm hanging in there and with everyone that I am just pretty hungry. I had my period and now that it's over I dropped 4 pounds in about 2 days. It was really encouraging and I hope that everyone else has the same luck. (Now I better not gain when the next cycle comes around!) I'm pretty sick of the mushy phase but it's just for 8 more days and then I can try chewing stuff again. I'm pretty nervous and excited about that! Sunta: I don't even know how you've managed to be on full liquids for so long! Can you blend soup? My mushy diet is anything that I can get through a straw so creamed soups thinned with milk have become my lifeline. Glad to hear you're back in bed though- I always feel better when I can rest better. Tammy: Glad you're feeling better too! Stacey: It sounds like you're going to need another fill soon. I would not be able to eat any chicken mcnuggets or any type of chicken yet as far as I can tell. I had a small bit of a cracker yesterday before mushing it in my soup and that felt like it got stuck. Could be that I am just nervous though?! Hope everyone else is well.

Well, I've had a pretty big weight drop the past few days. I have now lost 21 pounds. I haven't really exercised yet but I am sticking to 4 eating episodes per day and just having my soup, mushy crackers and fruit smoothies at night. I do feel hungry alot though and realize now how this would not work for me w/o the band. I would already have found something to binge on! I will be happy to have real food again next week though eating slow is going to be a struggle for me. The good news is that I don't seem to be craving soda much these days. Who would've thought I would go 3 weeks w/o a diet coke.

Well, I've had a pretty big weight drop the past few days. I have now lost 21 pounds. I haven't really exercised yet but I am sticking to 4 eating episodes per day and just having my soup, mushy crackers and fruit smoothies at night. I do feel hungry alot though and realize now how this would not work for me w/o the band. I would already have found something to binge on! I will be happy to have real food again next week though eating slow is going to be a struggle for me. The good news is that I don't seem to be craving soda much these days. Who would've thought I would go 3 weeks w/o a diet coke.

I would give your doc a call and get some anti-nausea medicine to see if that helps. I threw up the second night after getting the band and it was really awful. I would hate to see your nausea worsen. Good luck!

9 days of mushies left! I'm finding that my mood has levelled off a bit the last day. Plus, I'm down 18 pounds so I feel like it's working and that helps with my moods. I found some good soup recipes for mushies that I am going to try tomorrow. My SIL is here this weekend and I don't really want to try new stuff with her here in case she asks any questions. That's the last thing I need! I get a bit worried reading about slippage and stuff and just hope that my band is kind to me.

9 days of mushies left! I'm finding that my mood has levelled off a bit the last day. Plus, I'm down 18 pounds so I feel like it's working and that helps with my moods. I found some good soup recipes for mushies that I am going to try tomorrow. My SIL is here this weekend and I don't really want to try new stuff with her here in case she asks any questions. That's the last thing I need! I get a bit worried reading about slippage and stuff and just hope that my band is kind to me.

Sunta: Very good news that you don't have a blood clot. Have you tried the Campbells Microwavable soups that you can drink? They have a velvety potato one that doesn't have the little chunks. Tammy: I'm sorry about the weight gain. I would be upset too even though you know that it is normal. I'm sure with some restriction you will lose. Hang in there. Janet (and others): I have been really up and down with my mood swings too. This healing period is rough. I had more but my Mom just got here so I gotta run.

Hungry Hungry Hungry but hanging in there. I'm finding that I have to eat something when I get home at 3pm but I guess that would be my snack of the day since I don't eat again after dinner. I lost a pound so that's good but I doubt I'll lose much more w/o restriction or lots of exercise. Then again, even if I feel like I'm eating too much it's SO much less than normal. My friend told me today that she believes I can unlearn head hunger. This is certainly a new thought for me. Her point was that head hunger is a learned behavior so why can't it be unlearned? I have to think about this one for awhile.

Hungry Hungry Hungry but hanging in there. I'm finding that I have to eat something when I get home at 3pm but I guess that would be my snack of the day since I don't eat again after dinner. I lost a pound so that's good but I doubt I'll lose much more w/o restriction or lots of exercise. Then again, even if I feel like I'm eating too much it's SO much less than normal. My friend told me today that she believes I can unlearn head hunger. This is certainly a new thought for me. Her point was that head hunger is a learned behavior so why can't it be unlearned? I have to think about this one for awhile.

It's been a rough 2 weeks for me too and I haven't even had the hard recovery that you are dealing with. My surgeon told me at my pre-op that our bodies have gone through alot of trauma just having surgery and to be on a restricted diet afterwards is very very hard. Hopefully you'll get good news this afternoon about the blood clot and be able to put that behind you. I just keep taking it one day at a time and remembering that I already feel better 17 pounds down even though I starting to get hungry. There have been a few times that I questioned having the surgery and then my husband reminds me that I was 10 times more miserable when I didn't have a plan. At least now I have a plan and am working towards weight loss. Hang in there, Julie

Elisa: WTG on the 20 pounds. The only thing I had to do after surgery was wear compression socks for the first 24 hours. I haven't had any leg cramps at all so that's good. I am not getting in all of the Protein right now. It's just way too hard for me being on the mushies diet. Thankfully, I haven't noticed any change in my hair yet. Just 11 more days of mushies and then I can start eating soft foods. Stacey: Thanks for telling us what your fill was like. Don't worry- you'll start losing soon. My doc kept telling me that this is the healing time. Any weight loss is a bonus! Hi everyone else!