sizzlingseven

I'm having the same feeling with spicy foods. I haven't been tightened for a while, so I know it isn't that. One of my favorite meals is the McDonalds Grilled Chicken Snack Wraps - I throw away the wrap, and just eat the chicken breast with the lettuce, and ask for both the hot sauce and the ranch sauce. Chopped into little pieces, this has been a great staple for me. But, a couple bites of the hot sauce now, and my esophagus is on fire. Will it stop me from eating it? Maybe. But maybe not. It sure makes me eat slower! But I guess others are having the same challenge.

I'd say go buy yourself a gorgeous bathing suit, invite your friends, head to the beach AND! pop open that bottle of bubbly! You should ABSOLUTELY Celebrate losing 60+ pounds! Thinking about what you've accomplished over the last 12 months will totally get you pumped for what you're going to accomplish over the next 12 months. Set new goals, reinvent yourself, visualize your new body and new life. Share it with the friends that have helped you so far and will continue to be there during this journey. CONGRATULATIONS! you deserve it!

so last tuesday I went for my fourth fill. It put me at 6.5ccs in a 10cc band. over the last week, I have hardly been able to keep any food down. This week has been the first time I actually couldn't sleep because I was up with indegestion and had to get up in the middle of the night to PB. Today, I mushed up scrambled eggs, and even a few bites was too much, and I got stuck. PB'd it up, then the orange juice came back up, and decided "ok, that's it, a week of this really isn't fun and i'm actually hungry." Waited til lunch, had chicken broth and a couple noodles, and "blech" - PB again. So I went for a defill at 230pm. I said "i hear that even .2 ccs can make a huge difference." she said "well, if you're not keeping liquids down, then .2 ccs won't be enough." so she took out .5 ccs. well, i got home and was able to eat 3 chicken wings, a 1/2 slice of pizza, small salad and a cup of edamame. Seems like way too much food, seeing as though I couldn't even keep liquids down just a few hours ago. Does it sound like I probably could have a tiny bit put back? I lost 6 pounds last week, which was awesome, but not very fun. I PB;d up some pretty good food! :sad: seemed like such a waste... :frown: But now it seemed to go down way too easily. I've decided to stop eating for the night, but I probably could go eat more. Likely because I've been starving myself all week..... Your thoughts fellow bandsters?

UPDATE: So yes, on Friday, June 27, I went for a re-fill, but only .25 ccs. Its only been four days, but i'm liking how this feels. If i dont chew or eat too big of a bite, I can feel the food get stuck, but it does go down. After a 1/2 can of tuna or three pork ribs, I am satisfied. I've been able to nibble on an omelette all day. Have had prawns, eggs, chicken, peanut butter, fish, etc. this week and no PBing. I'll ride this fill amount out, but I like how this feels.

i start every meal with my protein option, and because I eat slowly, before you know it I'm done. I try to eat low carb, and I definitely find that the weight comes off faster when I control my carbs along with my calories. Give it a shot!! you've got nothing to lose... except fat! :smile2:

i'm having a glass of wine right now! there's no medical reason why you can't drink alcohol. All it does is slows down the weight loss process. I know myself - I am extremely social and like to drink. I've accepted that and I accept that my weight loss will be slower than other who don't drink. But the food was keeping me the same or making me bigger. the band has stopped the food going in. I've been working out 3 times a week, and drinking almost every day, and i'm losing. I had my first vodka the day after my surgery. No, I'm not an alcoholic!!! but if you're gonna have to live on Soup for a while, why not be happy about it!!! oh, and you get tipsy way faster! some worry about alcohol because some people use food as a crutch or an outlet to numb other emotional issues.... and with the food gone, there is a risk that one may turn to food and rely on that to deal with their emotions. That's a psychological risk, and only you can answer whether you believe you have an addictive personality and need SOMETHING to cope with what you don't want to deal with face to face..... if that's even an issue... maybe it isn't. anyways, enjoy your new band and your new lifestyle!

Don't throw in the towel.... pre-op is tough, but the de-carbing is, in my opinion, the most important so that your body will burn the fat around the liver so that the doctor can access your stomach. Here's my experience: I was banded March 20th. Post-op for two weeks, I was barely hungry because my stomach is still aggitated. By week three, i was eating pretty much normally again (despite the fact i should have still been on mushies.) with no restriction in the band, my consumption pretty much resumed to its normal rate. I wasn't worried and didn't feel guilty because i knew it would work eventually. First fill, yes, had some restriction but not enough. Second fill, which is where i am now - much much better. the band will FORCE you to slow down, take smaller bites, make different choices, stay satisfied longer. Otherwise you will feel ill. I may not be losing as fast as some (down 13 pounds) but my challenge is alcohol - i am very social, and that is part of my life. So even without having to take that away, i'm still losing weight.

For Mothers Day, I ordered a big meat-filled egg omelette and ate about 1/4th of it.... took the rest home and nibbled on it for two days after.... Why spend $5 on some tiny meal when I can get a monster meal for $10 and have food to eat for a few days? No waste in our house, that's for sure! :thumbup:

Have you tried the little one-biter ice creams? I can't remember what they're called now, but they are the size of a grape and they are little balls of ice cream coated in chocolate. Why not buy a small jar of those? that way, if you're craving ice cream, you can grab a couple of those and satisfy your craving! I buy these for my daughter because they are easy for portion control..... Some of the puddings and mousses are really great also, and that way you have the package itself controlling your portion. Or the mini-fudgsicles are great too! You can do this Cindi! Enjoy your life and enjoy your band and just love everything in moderation. Laura is right: we spent SO MUCH MONEY on our band and we cut ourselves open to put a foreign object in there to help us with this food addiction. You owe it to yourself to just make a couple tiny changes that will bring you back on track. You can do it and this community is amazing and will help you along! Be tough with yourself, pull up yer socks and get back in the groove, baby!

You Got It!!!! AND! Kissing burns 12 calories per five-second episode and three passionate kisses a day will help you lose one pound in a year!!!!

For lunch today, I chose from the appetizer menu and picked a chicken pate with a berry chutney. Tiny little bites lasted 40 minutes and I was done. Had the soft center part of a little piece of bread, and ordered a Smirnoff Ice but could only drink half of it.

I have a 10cc band and my first fill was 2 wks ago, and I was given 3ccs. I gained 2 pounds over the two weeks and really could eat anything I wanted without a problem. I told my fill nurse this, and she gave me the maximum that they are allowed to give for a second fill, which was 2ccs, so now I am at 5ccs. Yesterday, after the fill, even though I'm supposed to be on liquids, I was starving, and had a small sandwich, and for dinner had some bbq meatballs. The lunch went down fine. The dinner was getting pretty tough - i had to chew and chew. by late evening, I had a piece of bread with a little Nutella on it, and I had to "PB" it up - it was definitely stuck. Today, I had a fat-free mousse and a cup of Soup for Breakfast, and had chicken pate for lunch. Took me about 40 minutes to finish that tiny portion, because I had to go slowly. So, I hope this feeling of restriction lasts. I wish it didn't feel uncomfortable to eat, but I realize now how slowing down to chew and swallow is so important. My lunch date said: "man, at this rate, you're going to waste away!" and I said "I know! I can't believe I didn't scarf that down in five minutes! but if I would have, it would have been from scarf to barf!" and he said "well, then, I appreciate your efforts!" :cursing: Everybody is different, but right now, at 5ccs, I'm feeling good.... Its only been a day after my second fill - who knows, maybe in a day or two the band will loosen up and I'll need another "top up". Time will tell.

I just had my first fill this morning. It was at noon, and I called in the morn to ask about food intake prior and she said to have something light, but try to have nothing about 2 hrs before I arrive. We did a one-hour consult, then the fill part itself took about five minutes, which included weighing in. The nurse inserted the needle into the wrong side, so i had to get poked twice, but it really doesn't hurt at all. Personally, I didn't feel a thing as she was filling it (3 cc's). After, I went back into the waiting room to drink three small glasses of Water to make sure it was going down fine. A little gurgly but no problems. And that's it! I got to go home! I've been told to be on "no lumps, bumps or chunks" for 24 hours. and don't be in a rush to get more food in me. Good luck on thursday!

I'm not saying to follow in my footsteps, but I just wanted to say that I ate real food earlier than I should have and lived to tell - no complications. I was on regular food after about 2 1/2 weeks - I was eating thin crust pizza, noodles, little bites of chicken nuggets, prawns, waffles.... pretty much anything. I'm now 3 1/2 post-op, and last night I had my typical "TOTM" meal - ordered pizza, wings, breaded shrimp, and diet pepsi (I always love how I order diet pop with my artery-clogging meals...) and ate til I was full, waited til there was room again, and had more. I'm not happy about this, but I've lived to tell... (This was the whole reason I got the band - I can eat for an army! But i digress....) I feel totally fine, other than the mental head games I'm playing in my head for eating what I shouldn't have.

I'm not going to lie... but i'm laughing at the thought of using a baby spoon to eat.... I think I was probably using a meal fork and steak knife by the time I was two!!! :biggrin: the thought of eating tiny little morsels seems crazy, like my tongue is going to be yelling at me "this isn't enough to get the tastebuds doing a happy dance!" But I respect that all of you are speaking from experience, and if I don't take your words of wisdom I'll probably be barfing food everywhere as if i was having an exorcism... I'm 2 1/2 weeks banded, and I'm already eating solids that I shouldn't - thin crust pizza, Cookies, chicken nugget, rice.... the first two weeks were amazing - no hunger at all - then boom! starving like i've been living in a cave for the last three weeks... I better start learning NOW how to "be" a bandster or else there's gonna be a price to be paid, and I don't mean the $18K I had to dish out for my band... the whole point of doing is is that I could inhale a pound of wings faster than you could blink, so this will be my biggest behaviour modification... Maybe I'll go practice right now.... I'm hungry. :regular_smile:

i bought a whole bunch of different soups so i wouldn't get bored - cream of asparagus, roasted red pepper and tomato, cream of mushroom, canadian pea, cashew carrot, pureed hearty vegetable, .... there are lots of kinds of soups.... I've also been sneaking in a teaspoon of low-fat cream cheese - no chewing required, so i figured if there's no lumps, then I can get away with it. Plus i've been melting a bit of cheddar or parmesan on some of my soups.... Also nursing a skim-milk latte throughout the day helps. I tried the bariatric protein powder in a fruit smoothie and just about barfed - have never been a fan of protein powder and never will be. I mashed a 1/2 boiled egg into mush and had that yesterday to add a little more protein.

I was banded March 20th and the shoulder pain was pretty excrutiating! I have a gel pad that you put in the microwave - the heat made it SO MUCH better. Heat pad, a couple Advil and a glass of wine.... (wine is a clear liquid... ) Worked for me!!!

One of my dearest friends eats chocolate every day. EVERY DAY!!! She's 115 pounds, and goes to the gym. She wasn't always 115 pounds, but she is now because her active lifestyle allows her to eat what she wants and stay HEALTHY! (notice I said healthy, and not skinny...). Guess what - chocolate is not from Satan. Foods are not bad or good. Carrot cake is not going to give you emphysema. Chocolate will not give you cancer. Potato chips will not make you lose a limb. So eat some in moderation and NEVER feel guilty about that! Have a Kit Kat, and then go run on the treadmill. this is a lifestyle change! Next time your "D"H (and I could come up with a few different words that start with D that aren't "dear") gives you the evil eye for having something that has an ounce of sugar.... you give him the evil eye every time he cracks open a Budweiser and watches an afternoon of football or golf. Sometimes a little tit for tat is necessary. Does he have a six pack and look like Brad Pitt? Does he eat 6-10 servings of fruit and veggies a day? I've had TWO husbands do that to me - look at me like "are you sure you REALLY wanna do that"... and guess what - not only do I eat it, I eat five times more just to piss them off!!! Well, I dumped both of them, and now I'm dumping all this weight, and I don't need any man's "help" to achieve my goal! Do you know how many obese women would DIE to be a size 14? Love yourself and where you are and what you've accomplished, and tell Chachi that if he can't love your new you like this, then he needs to take a long walk on a short dock.... (you think maybe this subject touches a nerve with me??? )

I'm a newbie too, and just got banded last week, but I'll share what I know... I was told that at my clinic, the patients' success rate is 80% that you will attain your goal. Which means 20% will still choose to not change their diet and way of live. The band is a tool, its not a miracle worker. Its like if you were to try to quit smoking, stick a patch on your arm and expect to never smoke again. It takes some effort on your part also. So, that being said, if you make wise choices and dont eat ice cream and potato chips and other foods that are high cal, low nutrient, you should be able to lose 1-2 pounds a week until you reach your goal. However, i was also told that this isn't a diet. This is going to change how you eat. My counsellor was banded and she said "sure, i still have chicken wings, but I only have 3-4 and then I'm full". So unlike other diets where you can't have this and that, you can eat anything you want, but you will be restricted as to the VOLUME of what you choose. If, once you're banded, you can continue to make healthy, nutrient rich, low carb, choices, I would think that the weight will continue to drop, right to goal.... Good luck! :ohmy:

I'm on Ritalin, and got banded last week. I still take one a day in the morning, chew it up good and swallow it down. Actually, taking the Rit really helped me with my appetite control, to be perfectly honest.

hopefully you're taking your pain meds. I pulled out my gel pack that you can heat in the microwave and was like MAGIC!!! Calmed not only my shoulder, which was giving me the most pain, but also my side cramps (they feel like runner's cramps when you can't breathe and just want to stretch it out...) and just relaxed my whole body. Brought it to work today and stuck it under my dress.... A godsend!

Hi guys and gals... so, today is Day Five after being banded. I feel great - tiny bit of shoulder pain and indigestion, but other than that, I'm good. I've been using the ketone strips to see if I'm burning fat and I've never seen the colour so dark - I am fully in ketosis and burning like crazy. I've actually gotten used to my routine of Water, electrolyte drink, Soup broth, a tea, and a crystal light at the end of the day. I wake up the next morning and I'm consistently down 0.5 - 1.0 pounds every day. I haven't been hungry, or if those are hunger pangs, I'm calling them healing pains, and ignoring them. I haven't been lethargic, I haven't felt dizzy, and I haven't really felt hungry. Today was my first day back to work and it was totally business as usual. I'm almost worried about starting to eat again because I'm really loving the fact that I'm losing weight. I almost feel like this is how an anorexic would think. The whole point in me taking this relatively drastic step was because I finally admitted that I have an addiction to food and the volume of food that I eat is disproportionate to what I need. Right now, I feel like if I just don't eat, or give myself the option to eat, that I'm in control for once! And, I'll lose the weight that has been torturing me for years and years.... This is a very interesting psychological situation... I've never felt this way before. Curious to know if anyone feels / felt the same way. What's your "two cents" on the subject? Thanks!

I asked this question at my pre-op consult, and there is no medical reason why you cannot have alcohol. The only reason is that alcohol is empty calories and will go down pretty easy. Add that to the fact that your new stomach only carries a fraction of the food, and you'll be a cheap date pretty quickly. In fact, white wine and vodka are considered "clear liquids" as far as I was concerned... :crying: If you feel that you may substitute one addiction for another, then this is a personal decision. But my understanding is that there's no medical reason why not.

I think this is a great topic.... I'm newly single, and have a crush on a super-hot guy, but we are just buddies and I don't want anything more than that right now because (a) I wouldn't want to show him my body right now anyways, and (:wub: if he rejected me, I would blame the weight, and fear losing the friendship. So, I say to my girlfriend, "just wait til I hit my goal, then things are going to change!" and she says "why would you want to be with someone that didn't want to be physical with you when you were big, but only when you're fit?" My response is "well, I wouldn't want to sleep with me either!" I'll make my move when I'm fit (unless he actually does make a move first!) and then if I get rejected, I'll know that its just because he isn't into me, and not because "you're a really nice girl, but...." the age-old story I've heard since high school... For me personally, I don't have a problem with the fact that men treat women differently based on their body shape. Call me a hypocrite, but even though I am "pleasantly plump" I am not attracted to beer-bellied boys. I'll take a six-pack any day. We women do it too. We live in a very visual society, and people associate strength and admiration and control with the young, tanned, well-dressed man or woman standing on the corner. That's life. My two cents..... :frown:

i was banded 3/20 and my belly is still pretty bloated. i haven't touched any pain meds and feel fine. it feels like indigestion every once in a while. i've been sipping on my electrolyte drink (mixed with crystal light) all day, and had a tea at lunch. maybe you shouldn't worry so much about the volume of what you're consuming - just have something when you feel like you need a drink? oh, and the cold feet - my guess is that your body is going into ketosis and burning fat - I always get cold when i'm in ketosis (my feet are freezing right now) and i'm NEVER cold - I could sweat in a snow storm! :wub: you'll get over the hump... one day at a time....