AndreaL

Wow. It sounds just awful. I was too tight after a fill and that's exactly how I felt. PB'ing EVERYTHING, even water, and tons of pain and pressure when I tried to swallow something. I'm sure your surgeon will have answers for you.

I've now lost a 5000 BTU air conditioner and an ostrich egg. One pound away from an elephant's penis!! :sneaky:

Hey Everyone!! I thought I would share this yummy concoction I came up with. IT TASTES JUST LIKE BLUEBERRY MUFFINS!!! I'm on solids, but after fills I'm pretty tight, So I usually take it easy in the morning and stick with mushies. I was tired of plain old Protein shakes and yogurt, so I came up with this: Ingredients: Cream of Wheat Fat Free Evaporated Milk Water Frozen Blueberries vanilla extract Splenda (or other sweetener) Directions: Prepare the Cream of Wheat as instructed on the box using the Fat Free Evaporated Milk and Water (I use half/half proportions, but you can do any combination of the two, it's creamier with the Evap Milk). When the mixture thickens, removed from heat and add 2 tsps (or 1/2 tsp per cup) vanilla. Separate into 1/2 cup portion sizes and add 1/2 cup frozen blueberries and 1 tsp (or one packet) Splenda. It's great for the mushie stage, or for those of us who are really tight in the morning and need something warm to get us going. Enjoy.

Caryn, PB is "productive burping". Basically, throwing up. This will happen if you eat something that won't go through the band and gets stuck. It can also happen if you overeat, drink while eating (once on solids), eat too fast, or don't chew enough. It's not as bad as vomiting because it hasn't gotten to your stomach and mixed with the bile in there, so it tastes the same as when you swallowed it. HOWEVER, it is by no means pleasant. It is slightly painful and if it you do it alot, it can lead to band slippage or erosion. The first time it happens, you will probably feel like something is stuck in the band and then it starts to move its way back up. You usually have plenty of time to get somewhere private. Sometimes I find that just getting up and walking to the washroom helps to make whatever is in there pass through the band.

Denise, This will be the first of many times you will be scratching your head asking "Why isn't the weight coming off when I am eating so little?" I am still asking that question a few times a week. I have plateaued a couple times (in the middle of one now), and I yo-yo up and down. I keep being told that I won't start losing regularly until I reach my "sweet spot". 5 fills and 9ccs later, I'm still trying to get there. My progress is also a lot slower than I thought it would be, but I'm trying to take it one day at a time. There are days I want to fling my scale out a freakin window, but I just keep thinking that at this time next year I will be in a great place. You have to set small goals and look ahead at the big picture. We have taken the first step on a very long and winding road and there will be plenty of bumps along the way, but there will be an AWESOME reward at the end!! Remember why you did this and think of that every time you see that same number on the scale day after day. :biggrin:

An elephant's heart and an average human brain for me.

Your body has probably just gone into it's "starvation mode". It thinks you are starving so it is trying to hold onto everything it has. Don't worry. You are probably due for a big loss any day now. Stay positive. There will be many weeks that you don't lose anything and can't figure out why. Your body is used to getting everything in excess so when you stop it goes into shock. It will start coming off soon.

Caryn, You will definitely notice that you will be able to eat less and less after each fill. You can eat alot of regular food, just make smart choices. Choose low fat over full fat when you can, and choose leaner cuts of meat. I'm not a big fan of sugar free items, so I try to eat fruit when I am craving something sweet instead of resorting to "fake sugar". You will learn what is best for you. There is nothing wrong with eating "regular" food, as long as it is in moderation. Take care.

Sorry Cookie, I missed that you were still on liquids and here I am filling your head with thoughts of mashed potatoes. LOL Yes, go drink your Protein, try the Instant Breakfast if you can find it. It tastes the least like "protein" of all the drinks I've tried. The strawberry one tastes like milk with Strawberry Quick. Pretty yummy.

I would like to introduce you to my two new best friends...Frozen Wild Bluberries and Frozen Sunburst mangos. These two things are great when you have that "head hunger". It is really hard to get out of the habit of eating while doing mindless activities (like watching your fav tv show). So I will put my 1 cup serving of frozen fruit into a bowl (the mangos I have plain, the blueberries with 1/2 cup of vanilla fat free yogurt) and watch my show and munch away. The mangos are like having a little treat. They are like a little fruity sorbet. You can't eat them fast because they are so cold and they are conveniently cut into bite size pieces. My nutritionist recommended them for those time when you really want to eat something, but don't think it's stomach hunger, or for when you are really hungry and need to tide yourself over until meal time (like afternoon or late evening snack). I've founds them to be extrememly convenient as well as satisfying. I absolutely HATE yogurt, but putting the blueberries in is great. They are naturally sweet and as they thaw they give off quite a bit of juice which makes the yogurt really sweet and not tasting like yogurt at all. This is a bonus for my fellow yogurt haters.

Cookienay, Be careful with the low calorie count. Your body will go into starvation mode and you will plateau. Try to keep your calorie intake to at least 1000 a day (my nutritionist says 1200 is the best level). I know it's hard at this stage, but your body needs energy to heal and you don't want your metabolism to go on strike!! There are about 300 calories in an Instant Breakfast so if you can add two of those to what you are having now you should be in good shape. You can also try having some mashed potatoes with skim milk and some shredded cheese (even a little cheese whiz light) or low fat sour cream on top. This will give you some Protein, quite a few extra calories, and it's quite filling.

Cookienay, It is normal to be hungry after surgery. Your band is not filled. There is no restriction. You will feel like this until you get a fill. You definitely need to get in the Protein. If you don't have the protein, you will be VERY hungry and be tempted to eat the wrong things. You can't overdo it with liquids at this stage because there is no restriction so you don't have your "pouch" yet, so whatever you have will just slide all the way straight to your stomach as it did before the surgery. Try having some protein Water or even regular water (as much as you can) right before you eat. This will trick your stomach into thinking its full faster. I know the Protein shakes are bad, but have you tried Carnation Instant Breakfast? I find that the most tolerable. Mix it with skim milk. The more milk you put in the thinner the consistancy, and there is a fair amount of protein in the milk itself. If you can choke a glass of that down before your soup, you will not be able to have as much of the soup which is probably higher in fat and has WAY too much sodium (as all prepared foods do). If you are eating alot of the canned Soups, make sure to increase the amount of water you drink to balance out the sodium. Your stomach rumbles the same way when you are thirsty as when you are hungry, so before you decide that its food you're craving, have a drink and see if that does the trick. It may just be your body telling you to have a drink.

Target and Walmart have great mix and match tankini style suits. They are cheap and you can find tons of solids (browns and blacks mostly) in different styles. I like to buy one bottom and a couple tops to mix and match. They are only about $10-20 per piece, so you can get three or four different combos for the price of one suit at other stores. This way, you aren't spending $100 every couple months when you grow out of the "old" one, and you don't have to worry if your top half is a different size as your bottom half. Walmart also has "maternity" style suits which I find to have more support in the boob department and are a little more flattering in the tummy area because they aren't so tight.