mediummike

Not to worry - those are still "soft foods" and sounds like you chewed thoroughly. Besides, as Cowboy mentioned, you probably would have known (felt it) if you did something wrong.

Great job so far - keep it up. Make sure you are getting plenty of protein (for energy) and water !!

I get left shoulder pain when I start getting restriction - for me it is a "trigger" telling me to slow down or stop. I have had it since surgery. The pain is not bad enough for me to hinder my day to day so I just ignore it and it goes away as long as I stop/slow down.

There is a thread on this site that shows when people have finally felt restriction in a 10 cc band. Many people (forgot how many) did not feel restriction until after 7 cc's. I myself did not feel any restriction until 6 cc's the WOW - there it was. It is an individual journey and many will tell it takes patience to reach your sweet spot. I have seen many times on this site that even .1 cc can make all the difference - hang in there and keep doing what you're doing (stopping yourself, chewing, eating slowly, etc..) as this will all make sense once you do get to your sweet spot...

I have a similar story - after my third fill, I had really great restriction that I was really happy with. The unfortunate side effect was some reflux. Like you, it was not horrible (certainly did not keep me up at night) and mostly occurrs after eating certain foods or drinks (not always - sometimes random as well) . It has definitely let up as my restriction has loosened up a bit. I would rather deal with a little reflux to get that restriction level back though. I also found OTC pepcid helped a lot. I'm curious if this can cause damage as well...

Yes, you wil appreciate food even more now, but be carefull with juices (yes, even apple juice). They are basically empty calories...

yup, sounds like a typical pb...somethings they get colorfull - depending on what you ate

I guess I was one of the lucky ones - no pre-op diet required by doc. Although pretty strict after the surgery, which was ok, because I wasn't hungry anyway for about a month...

I go to the gym 5 or 6 days a week - 60 minutes on treadmill and 20-30 minutes weight lifting. Treadmill does get monotonous, but I go at 5am and watch the news so it does go by pretty quickly (my gym has individual tv's on each peice of equipment). I was walking since the day after surgery. For variety, try other sports - I play tennis (great workout and can be done at any age) and softball. Both are a great way to break up the routine and I do each weekly, in addition (not lieu of) the gym. My wife enjoys long walks with friends - she says it makes it more enjoyable. Don't give up on the exercise - it is sooo important !

Health Journal - WSJ.com Explains medical reason why people tend to gain weight back after losing...

I think thie last paragraph sums it up nicely: How do some people manage to overcome the leptin effect and keep weight off? Generally by watching their food intake very carefully and continuing to increase their physical activity. "Anybody who has lost weight and kept it off will tell you that they have to keep battling," says Dr. Rosenbaum. "They have essentially reinvented themselves, and they are worthy of the utmost admiration and respect."

I've lost and gained a ton in my life (only half kidding). This article attempts to explain the gain part - a hormone called Lepitin. Health Journal - WSJ.com

I have lost 57 pounds and have 5 cc's on a 10 cc band. So far, so good !! I have pretty good restriction right now (it was better a month ago) and do not go back for a fill until the end of August - I went last week for my monthly check up and we agreed everything was going fine and to hold off on another fill.

As long as you can stil eat and drink without being sick or hungry, you should be ok. yes, you will be eating less initially but it is also my experience that the band "loosens up" over time.

10 cc band. My third fill got me to 5 cc's and I finally felt restriction (was pretty tight and I liked it !). That was about 5 weeks ago - when I went last week for my monthly check-in, they did not give me a fill because I had lost almost 10 lbs since last fill, and still had some restriction. It definitely "loosens up" over time and now I definitely have less restriction, but it is ok. I go for a barium swallow at the end of the month - normally, my fills are just done in my doctors office. They said they routinely do a barium swallow at around 6 months just to see how everything is doing...

some foods will be more difficult than others - hot dogs (with skin) are more difficult for me. some foods are just harder than others. After my third fill, I was really tight for about two weeks, but it has since loosened up a bit...

As Plain says, you are in a healing phase now and need to be mindfull of what you are eating - and how much. Focus on getting your proteins in - do you know how many grams per day you are getting in total ? Rough target is your weight multiplied by 37%. Also, try to get away from the juices - they are what is generally reffered to as "empty calories" and even though they will not harm the healing process, they will effect weight loss. I am not surprised you were able to eat that much as you will most likely not have restriction yet - usually takes around 3 fills for most people. However, everything you are told now - eat less, eat slow, chew, chew, chew - will prep you for when you will have restriction. In my case, I did not have restriction until after the 3rd fill. However, I "followed the plan" beforehand. I will say, it was more of a mental challenge rather than a physical challenge in that if I ate too much, or too quick before my third fill, there were no consequences. Now I have to be carefull or there will be physical consequences (PB'ing). Again, I would encourage you to speak with a nutritionist who specializes in WLS - mine has been very helpfull. Good luck to you !

Funny - same here - took 3 fills to feel good restriction. Check out the Lap Band Fills thread for more info...

Try going with more protein. Instaed of a slimfast (10g protein?) I was having these proforme protein shakes that were like 30g a serving. I would start it in the am and it really filled me up - would take a half day to finish. I was on mushees for at least two weeks after surgery, and had little hunger (I also walked a lot - is that helping you ?). Even when I ate mushee food and then regular food, the focus was on high protein (still is - I just had lunch - grilled chicken breast (2oz) and poached salmon (3oz)) . Juices/soups/instant breakfast all have lots of carbs and calories but are not high in protein. You may want to schedule some time with a nutritionist - they can help guide you as well.

welcome - yes, you will find this site very helpfull (and entertaining !)

yes normal. try some powdered metamucil to get things going again, but quite frankly, for me, it was until about a month after surgery and I was eating regular foods again that I had regular (normal) BM's. I ranged from liquid 5x a day to nothing for a week....

never thought about it that way, but hey, whatever works !!

I wish I had the surgery at 23 instead of 40. Sounds like you have tried other options - you must do what works for you...

Follow the advice of your surgeon. I was back to work within a week, but I have a desk job...

Welcome aboard - sounds like you are well on your way !