Julie*

I am the program assistant for a large grant program at the University of Vermont.

I was pretty nervous too the week before my surgery and I found that it was worse when I had my period too. Consider yourself lucky that you are having your period now and not during the surgery time! I also have PCOS and have pretty rough periods too and they really do contribute to the negative feelings and fear. I just try to keep remembering that I did those to help get rid of those health issues. Hang in there. Soon the surgery will be over and you'll be healing and feeling so happy that you took this step.

I had my 2 week follow up appt today and the surgeon said that I am healing very well. I thought I only was on mushies for one more week but he said I can start solids at the beginning of the 4th week. I can't figure out why I thought it was the beginning of the 3rd week. I'll have to pull out my paperwork but even if that is incorrect I obviously am going to follow Dr. Forgione's recommendation. I'm starting to get hungrier though and am worried that I am eating too much creamed stuff that is high in calories and sodium. This diet is so bland though that I can't figure out what to eat. I'm almost wondering if I should just go back on the shakes for another 2 weeks at breakfast and lunch and then have soup for dinner. That would keep within the calories that I want to be in and stop the overeating of soup. LOL- Never in my life did I think I would eat too much soup! It's also time for me to start exercising the doc said. My plan is to get on the treadmill tonight when Mark gets home. My goal is to exercise every day even if it's just 15 minutes a day to start. I am struggling a bit with wanting to eat more when it's time to stop. I am sad to find out how much food I was consuming once I analyzed it. I've touched on this before and I think it's a a recurring theme for me. I just hope that the hold food has on me will start to go away.

I had my 2 week follow up appt today and the surgeon said that I am healing very well. I thought I only was on mushies for one more week but he said I can start solids at the beginning of the 4th week. I can't figure out why I thought it was the beginning of the 3rd week. I'll have to pull out my paperwork but even if that is incorrect I obviously am going to follow Dr. Forgione's recommendation. I'm starting to get hungrier though and am worried that I am eating too much creamed stuff that is high in calories and sodium. This diet is so bland though that I can't figure out what to eat. I'm almost wondering if I should just go back on the shakes for another 2 weeks at breakfast and lunch and then have soup for dinner. That would keep within the calories that I want to be in and stop the overeating of soup. LOL- Never in my life did I think I would eat too much soup! It's also time for me to start exercising the doc said. My plan is to get on the treadmill tonight when Mark gets home. My goal is to exercise every day even if it's just 15 minutes a day to start. I am struggling a bit with wanting to eat more when it's time to stop. I am sad to find out how much food I was consuming once I analyzed it. I've touched on this before and I think it's a a recurring theme for me. I just hope that the hold food has on me will start to go away.

Nanster: I had to do a 10 day pre-op liquid diet so I dropped 9 of my pounds before the surgery even happened. This past week I've only lost 1 pound. It's really hard for me to stay at the 1/2c with the cream soups and stuff. Glad your first day back at work went ok. I am 2 weeks out today and have a question. Does anyone else feel extremely tired by about 8:30pm? I am usually up until about 11pm each night but have been SO tired that I go to bed much earlier. Otherwise, I fall asleep on the couch which is not like me. Could it be just lingering effects of having surgery? During the day I feel really good though hungry. I have a follow up with my surgeon this afternoon so I will check with him too. One more week of mushies!!

My husband goes through the same thing with his mother. She is 74 and extremely overweight. She has diabetes now and just doesn't move around that much. She sleeps on the couch b/c she can't make it up the stairs anymore. My husband and I both want her to try and help herself but sadly I think it's too late for her- she has beat breast cancer twice and I think she feels a bit invincible. We get angry too (not in front of her) but I think it's just b/c we really love her. So, the only thing we can do now is make sure we don't bring any junk to her and cook healthy meals for them when we are there. I'm sorry you're going through a similar situation.

Congratulations! Have a Happy and Healthy 9 Months.

Here's my plan: Days 1-4: Clear Liquids Days 5-6: Full Liquids Weeks 2 and 3: Mushies (cream Soups, blended stuff but a long list of what not to have) Weeks 4 and 5: Solids but a pretty restricted list to follow Week 6: First Fill and all foods 3 days after first fill

Hi Everyone- Sounds like we're all coming along pretty well. Tomorrow will be 2 weeks already for me. I am still on mushies for another week and am having a hard time keeping the portions at a 1/2 c. I am able to eat quite a bit more of blended Soups. I have noticed though that I am eating SO much less and that I do feel some restriction when I have a fruit smoothie. This morning I was at a press conference for work and they had mini quiches. I popped one in my mouth without even thinking about it and even though I chewed and chewed it kind of got stuck and was really uncomfortable until it went down. Tomorrow is my post-op appt and I can't wait to see what the scale says. Mine at home says 16 pounds lost but most of that was pre-op.

Well, my doc was very strict that I needed to wait a year. I am not planning on any more kids though so I never really asked him why it was so important. Good luck with your decision!

I am on mushies for another week and I have been enjoying cream of chicken soup blended with a can of cream of mushroom soup, 1 c milk and a dollop of lite sour cream. I blend it all up and it's a few meals at a time for me. Just today I graduated to mashing saltines in it too and that is yummy. Peanut butter (smooth) is on my mushies list. I took a banana and a tbsp of peanut butter and blended them. It was really good.

Just got back from an overnight in Montreal with the kids and Susan, Ericson, and Andy. We had a great time but it sure was weird not really being able to eat. I found it interesting that for lunch I had my slimfast, then had a yogurt around 5pm and the insides of a manicotti at 8:30. Wow- that would've been 1/2 of one meal just a few weeks ago. It was so weird not having the bread, the salad and a whole entree. But it wasn't bad at all just different. I am still at 259 but that's ok. I am going to start exercising on Tuesday when I am 2 weeks out. My goal is to get on the treadmill every day. I want this to work and I'm so happy about it now.

Just got back from an overnight in Montreal with the kids and Susan, Ericson, and Andy. We had a great time but it sure was weird not really being able to eat. I found it interesting that for lunch I had my slimfast, then had a yogurt around 5pm and the insides of a manicotti at 8:30. Wow- that would've been 1/2 of one meal just a few weeks ago. It was so weird not having the bread, the salad and a whole entree. But it wasn't bad at all just different. I am still at 259 but that's ok. I am going to start exercising on Tuesday when I am 2 weeks out. My goal is to get on the treadmill every day. I want this to work and I'm so happy about it now.

I haven't had a fill yet but I do know that my doc said that the first 24 hours after a fill should be liquids only. You may want to check with your doctor on this. Hopefully someone else can help you with the restriction question.

Great thread- The last 2 days have been hard for me b/c I am feeling pretty hungry. These are the threads that really help as I'm waiting for that first fill.

I had a 10 day pre-op diet and it was REALLY hard. I had a couple of slips too but figured that I was doing the best I could. I lost 9 pounds in that 10 days and my surgeon told me that my liver looked really good. So, I figure that even with a couple of slips you're still following doctor's orders for the most part. Hang in there. I've found the post-op diet hard to follow too but the motivation is much better since the band is in me now.

Yes, I am and learned the hard way the first night I got home after banding. I took a dose of oxycontin just as prescribed and dry heaved until I finally threw it back up. It was awful and the last time I will ever take that drug. I was on morphine in the hospital and had no problem with that.

Wow, that gives me hope- I am only 9 days post-op and am fighting my habits on an hourly basis. The big motivator for me now is that I don't want to hurt my new band so it stops me. I have been scared about what will happen when I am not restricted to the mushies diet. I hope that I am able to see the bad habits someday and actually resist them. Thanks for this post.

I am feeling so much better- kind of like my old self but 16 pounds thinner! It's rough though trying to work on breaking these head hunger habits of mine. I never really understood how much I was going to the fridge and how many calories I was unconsciously putting in my mouth until I really had to pay attention. Today I ate too many mushies. Who would've thought it possible? LOL I found that cream of chicken soup tastes so much better with mushed saltines and sour cream on it. It really did taste like a meal but I know it was way more calories than I am supposed to have. DH told me that as long as I am not eating things not on the mushie list that I shouldn't worry as much about the quantity- all i know is that my caloric intake is SO much lower than before, even with that extra sour cream, which was lite by the way. Tuesday is 2 weeks and I plan on starting to exercise daily once I feel healed enough. Week one goal is 15 min per day on the treadmill and then I'll go from there. I am hopeful that this might actually happen for me.

I am feeling so much better- kind of like my old self but 16 pounds thinner! It's rough though trying to work on breaking these head hunger habits of mine. I never really understood how much I was going to the fridge and how many calories I was unconsciously putting in my mouth until I really had to pay attention. Today I ate too many mushies. Who would've thought it possible? LOL I found that cream of chicken soup tastes so much better with mushed saltines and sour cream on it. It really did taste like a meal but I know it was way more calories than I am supposed to have. DH told me that as long as I am not eating things not on the mushie list that I shouldn't worry as much about the quantity- all i know is that my caloric intake is SO much lower than before, even with that extra sour cream, which was lite by the way. Tuesday is 2 weeks and I plan on starting to exercise daily once I feel healed enough. Week one goal is 15 min per day on the treadmill and then I'll go from there. I am hopeful that this might actually happen for me.

I ordered 5 boxes and they just showed up on Tuesday. My DH told me not to bring them home b/c it was too much temptation for all of us. LOL So, I gave a box to each of my son's daycare teachers and they were so happy.

I'm having some weird mood swings. I know it's the week before my period which normally is a moody week but I just don't feel that great. Maybe I have the mushy blues? I am doing fine sticking to mushy and blended stuff but I am having a hard time sticking to a 1/2 c. I am trying to figure out if it's head hunger or physical hunger..... My calories are still SO much lower than normal but I don't want my stomach to have to work harder than it's supposed to right now. I am just so anxious to heal and start seeing what I can do with this band. It's hard to wait more.

I'm having some weird mood swings. I know it's the week before my period which normally is a moody week but I just don't feel that great. Maybe I have the mushy blues? I am doing fine sticking to mushy and blended stuff but I am having a hard time sticking to a 1/2 c. I am trying to figure out if it's head hunger or physical hunger..... My calories are still SO much lower than normal but I don't want my stomach to have to work harder than it's supposed to right now. I am just so anxious to heal and start seeing what I can do with this band. It's hard to wait more.

I was on clear liquids for days 1-4, full liquids for days 5 and 6. Now I a on mushies for 2 weeks, then "soft" but not blended for 2 weeks. Good luck!

Hi Sunta- My doc did not fix mine either b/c he said it was too small. I had no symptoms from mine though so I wouldn't have known I had one if he had not told me. I hope you're starting to feel better.