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Heyas Jaygerlo5 Are you drinking with your meals? Fluids with meals will wash the food right through the pouch and leave you hungry quicker. The Lean Cuisine meals you are eating.. do they usually have a lot of rice or Pasta? You said you're eating rice with dinner as well. And you have crackers for Snacks. All of those our flour carbs which can make you hungrier (they do me). They certainly don't hang around long, they are passed quickly through the stomach, leaving you hungry quicker. For meals and snacks more solid Proteins. Cream cheese on lean ham slices. I think five of those with 2 TBS of like vegetable garden cream cheese are so filling. Do you like tuna? A can of tuna, mixed with a couple of TBS of fat free dressing is awesome, or mixed with a green salad it makes a great lunch. Cottage cheese with some fruit is filling as well. These kinds of foods will stick with you longer. Now, that being said. My doctor is fills us if we are hungry in under 4 hours after eating a normal meal. Maybe you need a fill? Be sure you're eating right before you decide this though. It's not good to be too tight.

Thanks everyone! I knew you'd understand. And yup, Ddiedre, I am thrilled that my girls are shrinking! Maybe all of the reductions pics I've been looking at online scared them into submission! hehe Chatterbutter - NSV means non scale victory. A benefit of your bandedness other than a scale reading. Neat huh? And this wasn't my first. They are coming so quickly now that I can't even remember my first. Here's a few more that happened over this last weekend: 1. I put my sunglasses on and they were so loose I thought they were broken. 2. I had to raise the seat in the car. Since my butt and legs are shrinking, I was "shorter" in the seat! 3. I can wraps my arms around my husband and link my fingers together - completely! 4. I have gone from a size 26 pants to a 20 in jeans, and 18/20s in what I call soft pants - elastic waist, soft t-shirt type material. Um, yeah, I bought these 18/20s last week or the week before, and they are literally falling off of me! Woohoo! Diane - you are extraordinarily, hugely wonderful and I love ya! *hugs* All the rest of you slobs - Here's to food stains on our pants and not on our shirts! LOL

Yay! Another Susan. Great name Welcome to LBT Susan. As Karen said, there is a lot of great information here. Check out the FAQ (frequently asked questions) Forum for some good info about the bands themselves as well as some studies done on the band. In the general discussion forum, you'll find the before and after pics. I believe the FAQ forum also has a thread with great links to other sites which have info on the band. Yup, you'll be up for days with no sleep now! LOL Glad youre here. Dont be shy about asking questions. We all love to discuss our journeys.

I spent a year of my life asking myself the same questions. The biggest being.. "How can I be depressed. I have a good life. Everyone is healthy. My family is all near me and we all love each other. Everyone's employed. Ect." All the while I was slipping further and further into darkness. Crying everyday. Shutting myself off from the world. My daughter started talking to me about seeking some medical help. I really shut out that idea because 1) I dont want to be addicted to anything and 2) I dont want to have to depend on drugs to live like a normal person. But physical problems ended up forcing me to see the doctor and when she asked, 'So, how are you?' I just fell apart and cried. I told her I'd been depressed for a year. Could no longer work because of the depression and panic attacks. We discussed medication and I told her of my fears. She suggested Effexor and said it wasn't like some medications that make you feel numb. So I agreed to try it. Within a few weeks, I noticed I wasnt crying anymore. A few weeks more and I was actually laughing and smiling again. I feel completely normal, not drugged or void of emotions. I can handle questions that used to make me fall apart. Tough ones like, "Whats for dinner?" hehe Anyway, if you have recognized that you are more depressed than ever. If you have noticed the problem enough to talk to your man and to us, then you already know you need some help. My doctor recommended some counselling after I was feeling better with the Effexor, and I might do that soon. But for now? I'm just so grateful to be laying on the ground instead of in a deep dark hole!

ROFL! I believe you, Mary!! Teresa - Don't ever, ever, ever stop dreaming and hoping. Let your mind believe, and invision yourself thin. Now.. make your list. *big hug*

Heyas Stacy(s) hehe When I was just getting back on solid food, I wanted meatloaf so badly that I bought a Healthy Choice meal. I could only eat about 1/3 of the meatloaf and all of the mashed potatoes. The rest went in the garbage. Now, I only buy the HC meals that have a meat and mashed potatoes or rice. I eat all of it for luch. If I have one at dinner, I might add 1/2 cup of green Beans or peas to it. But then I'm stuffed for the night. I eat most of my meals in a 7/8C Glad reusable container. Using the small size bowl really helps. I typically can eat that full of food at dinner time, but earlier in the day.. probably no more than 3/4 full. I was having problems remembering to eat my Proteins first but using this container has helped. I put my veggies on the bottom and the meat on top of them, so I have to eat through the Protein to get to the carbs. Hope that helped.

Comparing yourself to your friend! That's what you're doing wrong. The average weight loss for bandsters is 1-2 pounds a week. Get that firmly implanted in your head right now ok? And.. this is not the time to be worried about losing weight. This is healing time. Prior to getting a fill, no weight loss is expected.. in fact, it's common to gain a few pounds as you progress from liquids to solids. So, cheer up! You're doing wonderfully. Stay off the scales and stop comparing yourself to someone else. Bodies are so different in the way they respond to this kind of thing, it's really not fair to you or to your friend to try and compare. *hugs*

I agree. Stay on liquids and let that irritation go down. Stick to non-acidic stuff. Tomato soup has a lot of acid in it, which might have caused more irritation. Drink soothing things like milk, Protein shakes, ff/sf icecream, sf Jello. Bless your heart. *hugs* (on a side note.. thats what ya get for cursing us! Mwahahaha! *evil grin*)

I feel exactly the same way and I'm thrilled about it. Dawg has to pester me to eat on the weekends. Before my first (and only) fill, I was starving every three hours. Then, right after my fill I was really starving and could eat more than before I got a fill. Very strange! Then things slowed down again, back to eating every three hours, and now (one month later) I'm eating three meals a day and don't even think about food in between the meals. I'm never starving or wanting to graze through the kitchen. I only think about eating when my body says it's time to feed it. It's awesome. Alexra, I know what exactly what you mean about the grocery store. I was standing in line to use the ATM in WinCo the other day, and right next to me was a table full of the most disgusting stuff you ever did see. Lard, sugar, cream.. good lord, all mixed together into what we have delightfully dubbed cakes and pastries. When I realized I was staring at them, in a daze, I made a face and said Eww right out loud. LOL One thing about the store though, I now watch what's in people's carts and I compare it to how they look. Amazing to see that my cart now looks like those carts being pushed around by healthy, happy looking people.

If you're eating in accordance with the "bandster rules" I'd say you need that fill. If you're eating lots of carbs and not enough protein, then I'd say give yourself some time to do it correctly in order to determine whether or not you really need a fill. From what I hear, being too tight is awful. And you don't want to risk damage to your stomach or esophagus, right? Sweet tooths are the hardest to battle with the band. Try your best to keep full of protein. It will help you not be hungry. And get all the sweets cleared out of your house so it's not so readily available. If you're like me, I can actually hear the damn stuff calling my name when it's in the house.

Oh geeze.. I'm so sorry to hear this. Did they tell you what caused it? And were you put on liquids again? I pray you heal quickly and completely. This can't be comfortable!

Aww Kabeerah.. bless your heart. Chin up girl. You, like many of us here, got down pretty low but the good news is that you're getting taken care of and will soon be on a brand new journey to a much healthier, happier you! *hugs*

I'ts Monday! How's everyone doing? I want to hear from more of you.. Please?? Everyone just say hello so I know you're all alive and kicking, ok? :confused:

Sorry to hear you were sick Kathy. I wonder if this loss isn't a product of your hard work from the previous week finally showing up. I'm sure that your new activitiy at Curves and your healthy food choices are paying off. :confused: Might I suggest weighing once a week rather than once a day? The body's weight can fluctuate as much as 5 pounds in from one day to the next. Weighing only once a week gives us a better overall view of our progress. I know that's hard - trust me, I'm a scale junkie, I'd be on it everytime I walked in the bathroom if Dawg didn't hide the batteries from me! LOL Once I'm at my goal weight.. honey, I'll be on that scale everyday and if I see more than a two pound gain, I'll be on liquids for a few days! I'm serious about this being Gone For Good!

Leener.. you mentioned Soy Protein. For what it's worth, I've learned that this stuff can cause a lot of gas problems. Soy is a vegetable, and the body doesn't break down and absorb vegetable Proteins as well as it does animal protein (whey is animal protein). So what happens is the undigest protein goes on to the large intestine where it rots and creates gas and GI discomfort. From my post about protein: "Although considered complete proteins, the human body does not possess the necessary enzymes to break down vegetable proteins and most of it ends up in the colon where bacteria gain access to it. Research has shown that most of the gas once thought to come from the Fiber found in vegetarian sources of protein such as Beans, is now known to be caused by the undigested vegetable protein instead." http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14199 You might try switching to a whey protein. And, as I mentioned before, there are clear Whey Protein drinks. Nature's Best, Zero - Ready to Drink. And I completely agree with GeezerSue about not drinking Metimucil. Have you tried Milk of Magnesia? I was so stopped up I hadn't gone in days. I took the MoM a couple of nights in a row and it finally worked without a lot of gas, cramping or diahrrea. I hope you feel better soon. Hang in there.. it does pass. I promise :confused:

Hey Jana, Just wanted to give you a hug before I head to bed, and to tell you that what you're feeling is so normal. Some folks spend hours writing letters to loved ones, many make sure their wills are in order. It's a normal thing to want to be prepared for anything. But find hope in the fact that there are so many of us here to comfort you and encourage you - for we went through the same surgery and are doing just fine. I'm sure you will too. I will remember to keep you in my prayers, along with your family. The anniversary of the loss of a loved one is always emotional. I can understand why you are feeling the way you are. Just try to look past Tuesday and on to all the wonderful things you have to look forward to in your life. Oh, and by the way.. Tuesday, the 21st - very special day/date for Dawg and me. We met online and the first time we saw each other face to face was a Tuesday, the 21st (of April) and we were married on a Tuesday, the 21st (of September). Its a great day for special anniversaries. Now it will be for you as well. *hugs*

Hello Sky. Did this sudden restriction begin with a PB? Did something you eat get stuck or come back up on you? Quite often, when that happens, things will become irritated and swell a bit. It's recommended that you go on liquids for a couple of days to give things time to relax again. Are you still trying to eat regular foods? If so, you should stop trying and just relax. Try some Water tomorrow and if you still cant get it down tomorrow, perhaps request to see your doctor a day early with an explanation about whats going on. Let us know how things go. But most of all.. please try to relax. Sometimes being stressed can cause you to tighten. Oh, and many women say that when it's that time of the month, they also become more restricted. Just a few guesses about what could have caused it.

Hang in there Jan. Everyone goes through this and it will pass soon. Try some gas relief medication and walk as often as you can. Also, a heating pad helps a lot. But dont be thinking of giving up the band over something temporary. This kind of pain is very normal with any abdominal laproscopic surgery. It doesn't just pertain to the band. Woops! Where are my manners? *chuckles* Welcome to LBT! :confused: :scared: :rose:

Heyas Pam - Its not uncommon to feel hungry in the first six weeks, prior to your first fill. You wont have much restriction other than the swelling, which goes down in a few weeks. It might even take a few fills to find just the right restriction for you but when you do find it you shouldnt be hungry between meals, which will be about every four hours. I hope that helps. Good luck with your surgery. Let us know when you get home and how it all went!

I strongly disagree about giving up the protein drinks. No offense, GeezerSue. Leener, if you are to be on clear liquids then try Nature's Best Zero, ready to drink protein drinks. You need that protein more than ever now. It promotes healing and fights infection. Check with your doctor tomorrow to see exactly how much protein he wants you to be getting. If its less than 60 grams from the get-go, I'll be very surprised.

Hi Christine. Welcome to LBT. As you can see in my signature block, I'm in Boise, Idaho, USA and have been banded since Jan 9 this year. I've been coming to LBT since December and I dearly love it. There is so much information and encouragement here! You'll make friends in no time at all. Tell us a little bit more about you when you can. Like, where are ya from and when were you banded.. all the usual stuff. It helps people get to know you better. Again, welcome.. and I look forward to hearing more from you. Have a look around the different forums. There are hundreds of posts filled with any kind of information you can think of.

Dog.. and here I thought you knew me better than that. *winks* Fireman! Hello! *waves arms*

This site has been S-S-S-L-L-O-O-O-O-O-W today. And we have cable.

Hey Leener, I just read through this thread. Dang girl, sorry you're having such problems. Sounds like things might be getting better now though, right? Sure hope so. You've gotten good adivce and are surrounded by such a great group of wonderful friends. I'm guessing the bad pain you had after taking the medicine was from washing it down too much Water at one time. Now that you see its working, try to find some of those Prevacid Solutabs that dissolve under the tongue. I'm thinking about ya girl. Keep us posted on how you're doing. *hugs*

Hey Kristin, I'm not sure how or what to do with those group things on the profile. I just put mine in my signature line. Go to Quick Links at the top of the page, then select Edit Signature. You can put whatever you want in there, including tickers. I'll be thinking about you tomorrow and praying for strength and wisdom. *hugs* Oh, and don't carry those books if they are over 10 pounds! Get a pull behind luggage thing for a while if you need to. The first six weeks are critical to your healing.