Lanakila

I'm up 1.2# this week. I'm back to eating all regular food now, and have no restriction, so I'm really only surprised that the gain was so little. I have concentrated on eating smaller portions than I ever had before, but I figure that I'm still recovering from "starvation mode", so my body is holding on to everything. I'm ok with this. Heck, I probably fluctuate more than that on a day-to-day basis! I get a new boss on the 1st and was supposed to get my first fill on the 6th. I called the coordinator and begged to be filled a week early because I didn't want to be out of the office right after the new guy started. They are taking me early, so I'll only have had to wait 5 weeks instead of 6. I'll sure be glad for ANY restriction. I know that alot of people are only restricted from the swelling at first and then are the same as before until their next fill. They tell me that my doc is "conservative" on the fills, so I'm probably going to have to get a few before things really start coming off, you know? :thumbup:

What??? Less than 10 Minutes??? He's nuts! No wonder you are eating too fast. I usually say that you should do whatever your doc says, but I've gotta disagree this time. If you chew your food correctly, which is really, really, really well, then it will take 20-30 minutes to eat. Actually, my dietician suggests 20-30 minutes for a meal. I can't wait to hear what everyone else says on this one.

Neomie, It is absolutely normal for your weight loss to slow, or even stop, when you transition to mushies. Think about it. Since surgery you have been surviving on what, 300 calories of liquids a day? Now that you are on mushies, your body is going to hold on to absolutely EVERYTHING that you put into it because it has been in starvation mode. Don't worry. Stick to the plan and things will pick up again...promise! On another note, it sounds like you might be eating too quickly. Try to eat a bit more slowly so that you can better gauge when you are full. Sometimes it takes a bit for the message to get through to us and then we end up feeling overfull. It's miserable, isn't it? I have to start with a 1/4 cup, then slow way down as I eat whatever else is left. I have a baby spoon that I use when I am eating foods thicker than pudding and that really helps me to concentrate on not shoveling food in like I used to. Try to stay off of the scale and just weigh for Friday weigh-ins. Don't forget to measure then too, because often you may lose size without losing weight. It's not good to focus so much on how much you weigh each day. Weight changes all the time, and its not related to how "good" or "bad" you were the day before. Obsessing on food and weight is what got us into this situation in the first place, isn't it? I was banded the day before you...and we'll both make it through this and come out stronger and healthier in the end! :thumbup:

I'm back on regular foods and have no restriction. I won't get my fill until the 6th :tt1: It is taking absolutely every ounce of my will to keep from eating more than about 1000-1200 calories a day, but I'm darned sure trying. I figure that I've dieted a zillion times and generally didn't truly give up each time until a month or 6 weeks in...so I'm trying to treat this like any other diet and pray that I can hold on until that fill! Add that to the fact that I've not lost much overall, and it's really, really, really, really getting challenging!

I didn't properly chew a chunk of boiled egg white and immediately felt the pinch under my breastbone. I tried to keep it down, but heaved it up in about 5 minutes. Next time I know not to fight it, since the PB itself wasn't bad. It's not like when you used to throw up and it just kept coming and coming. Plus, no bile burning your throat. All-in-all, not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. BUT, I'm not interested in doing it again.

JeanBean had surgery from Dr. Enochs, and is obviously a HUGE fan, but I don't think the attack was very nice. That being said, I think that she totally missed the point of my start of the post. Dr. Enoch's gets alot of press, and Dr. Moran gets slammed all of the time for his bedside manner. I just thought I'd post my positive experience with him. It wasn't a slam on Enochs so the defense of him was really not needed. A suggestion: thoroughly read all of the posts on a thread before you post.

You'll discover that you'll hear a HUGE range of answers on this. In all cases you must realize that experiences are highly individualized. I had surgery on a Thursday, stayed overnight because I use a CPAP and they monitor you after anesthesia. I went back to work and school on Tuesday (Monday was a holiday.) Take a week off of work, a full 7 days! Go back to school after about 3 days, or as soon as you feel that you can. You will NOT be able to carry a backpack or laptop bag, so invest in a rolling bag or work out an alternative. The post-op gas appears to be 90% of the reason that people suffer after surgery. I told my doc to "squeeze me like a Ziploc" before he closed me. Turns out, none of his patients have the gas problem 'cause he's really good about that anyway! The pre-op diet is really important for two reasons: 1) to shrink your liver so that the surgeon can move it out of the way well enough to not have to do an open surgery (open is when they actually open you like a c-section scar size) and, 2) to begin your mental adjustment to leaving food as you now know it. I thought that the mental adjustment was the hardest. You have to figure out how to recognize "head" hunger and develop some strategies for working against it. Along those same lines, you will need to learn how to quit focusing on food and drink being such a focus on your socializing. You will eventually be able to eat nearly anything you like. Everyone has foods that they, individually, cannot eat such as Pasta, bread, steak, tough veggies. You'll figure yours out. Whenever you are out, just stick to things that you know are "safe" for you. The drinking isn't out of the question, you just need to come to grips with the fact that it isn't worth it. First of all, booze is all carbs so it really is an awful waste of nutrition. Personally, I take a half glass of wine once a week or so, and have had a shot. No point really in the shot. Not fun, and socially not really satisfying. Remember that you will be chewing whatever you eat a LOT. Order a very small portion (appetizer or kids, or share) and as long as you are chewing properly it will last the entire meal. That's assuming that you stop when you get full too. You believe that you've made a good choice for yourself, so you'll be able to make the band work. It'll be hard for the first two months or so, but it will get easier after that.

I eat in volume and my husband is a snacker. We decided that he wasn't a good candidate for the band. It's perfect for me because now I won't be ABLE to eat the 16 oz ribeye! There is a separate forum on here for the guys. You might pop in there and ask for their opinion. Go to the main menu on the left of the page, and it is called "The Men's Room." A few of the guys from there post alot on the intro, pre- and post- op boards, but you can get a pile of answers from the guys if you go over the that forum too.

You're not eating solids, so don't expect to go nearly as often. Drink alot of water, apple juice works well too, get off the pain meds as soon as Tylenol will work well enough, and try a stool softener NOT a laxative if you start feeling bloated. Don't confuse gas with constipation though. The gas is pretty much a part of the deal early on in your post-op.

The roster at the top of the board doesn't show anyone from the Triad area, sorry. There are many of us in the state. Not everyone is active on this particular board, so you'll probably want to send them a Private Message if you don't see them here. Email anytime: hwnscigirl1@yahoo.com Lanakila (actually my name)

I have the same stuff but generally have to leave out some of it to be able to eat enough Protein first. I did sloppy joes, but had to have it on only half of a bun because I needed the protein and didn't want to waste my precious tummy space on a bun. I usually only get a bite or two of the carbs in general, just because I really concentrate on eating alot of protein first, then having a little veggies before I even try the carbs. There have been days when I ate the mashed potatoes too, but it is definitely not my regular approach.

It may be helping you mentally to think of the # of cc's that were originally put into your band but, in most cases, whatever is put into your band at surgery really just "primes" the tubing. It does not actually inflate your inner band at all. Prime volume varies from about 3-6 cc's. Some docs will actually put in volume beyond priming the tubing to check for leaks, not really for restriction, but that is something that you should ask about specifically the next time you see your doc if you are trying to keep up with your volume. If you have a 14cc band, the 14 cc volume only starts once the tubing is filled. It's also not very practical for you to compare your volume with others. As you know, restriction is a very individual property. It's not a problem to keep track of your volume, but don't focus on how much other people have because the numbers really don't compare.

I thought about it, but I decided not to go after all. I think that I am too soon along on the journey and that I would get more benefit from it next year. Who thinks it is funny that one of the prizes is surgery?

I bought a sports bra that I nearly got stuck in...and a pair of cheeky panties that were, well, not good cheeky holders. I figured that it would be pretty darned obvious as I lost weight. I almost thought I was going to have to cancel surgery because I couldn't get the bra off. Luckily my husband had a crowbar handy! We also took a close-up picture of my face with my hair completely pulled back. One from straight on, and one looking not quite all the way to the side. I remember seeing some incredible before/after pictures of this one girl. She had a cute little semi-formal slipdress that was waaaaayyyyy too small for her in the beginning. She truly did look like a sausage about to burst the casing. In the back pics, you could see that the wide open top of the zipper was almost under her arms it was so small! As she lost weight, you could see the zipper creeping up, the dress actually dropping towards her knees, and the whole sausage look ending up a very cute little cocktail dress. It was a truly inspirational series of pictures, and a very clever idea.

Hang in there sweetie! I am one day past 2 weeks post-op and I couldn't be happier that I got the band. I got banded on a Thursday and went back to work the following Tuesday (Monday was a holiday). To be honest with you, going back to work was the best thing for me. It kept me busy, made me move a bit more by having to walk down the hall to potty, and made me more mindful of concentrating on eating because lunchtime is only lunchtime in our office, so you eat then or you don't eat. No eating at the desk! The first two weeks are difficult, both physically and especially emotionally. We have to find other things to entertain ourselves now that we can no longer turn to food. Paint your nails. Even if they are short-short, treat yourself. It's ok now because you won't smear them by sticking your hand in a Doritos bag while they are still wet. Play real solitaire, not the kind on the computer. Learn to juggle! I taught myself after looking at some diagrams on the web. I had some oranges from before surgery and you should have seen them when I got done "practicing!" Can't eat it if you're throwing it

The sweet spot is a very personal level of how well the band is working with you. It's not about how much your band is filled, or even how much you eat. The doctor considers how much weight, on average, you are losing per week, AND your report about how long it takes you to get hungry again after a meal. This is how they determine whether to fill you up a little more, or let out some. When you are losing 1-2 lbs a week, and are not getting hungry for about 4 hours after you eat...then you'll be at your sweet spot. It may move around as you lose more and more, since eventually you will want to stop losing that much per week...or at all (won't that be nice!)

Nike or Adidas...both are sneakers. Same with the LapBand and the Realize band. Different brands, but both are just adjustable gastric bands.

This is a great example of what is called "head hunger". If you are working your band correctly, you shouldn't be hungry for Snacks. It's not about whether the snacks are "healthy" or not, it's more a behavioral issue that you will need to address.

PppphhhhhtttttttOOOOOoOEEEEEEE! I spit on him and I Celebrate your success!

When I get a similar "pinching" feeling, it is usually because I have eaten both too fast, and not chewed well enough. I don't have any restriction, so it would be super easy for me to eat probably 2 cups of food, or even one of my "old" portions I force myself to keep it down to 3/4 or 1 cup, but I don't know how long I'm going to be able to hold out. I don't get a fill for another month still! My favorite high potassium mushie meal is a spinach tomato Pasta sauce with a dollop of ricotta cheese on it. I actually put the pasta sauce in ramekan with a bit of fresh parm on top, and brown the cheese quickly under the broiler, then plop the ricotta on it while it's still hot. Having a "baked" dish is a real mental treat. Makes me feel like I'm actually cooking for myself, instead of "mixing" for myself, you know? It's about 500-600 mg in 2/3 of a cup total.

:lol:Pulmonary Toilet I want a job naming things!!!!!!

No honey, the salad isn't that kind of salad, thank goodness. That would be yucky! It's a tin of tuna, or chicken, or some chopped freshly boiled eggs, all bound together with a bit of mayonaise. It's actually quite nice because you can add spices to make it taste differently. I like a bit of mustard in my egg salad. Bumblebee Tuna has a new tin that is flavored with sun dried tomatoes and basil. Instead of draining it like regular tinned tuna, I just mix the mayo into the flavored juices too. It is fabulous! I bought the tins at WalMart. They have a Spicy Thai flavor too. Oh, and tinned meats are considered mushies because, well, they really are mushy compared to their fresh version.

I'm with Shelby on Even for the week. No gain is a HUGE GAIN for my health! I've gone through mushies and started soft foods since the last weigh-in, so I'm not at all surprised that I didn't lose anything. I'm just grateful that I had no gain...yippeeeeeee! Oh, and I have NOOOOOOOO restriction whatsoever, so I'm really having to make my small portion, then pack up the entire leftovers and stick them in the back of the fridge. I also had to make a rule that I couldn't get any more until 30 minutes after my last bite. Generally, I'm not still feeling like I am starving by then. I'm still hungry, but not so much that I cannot reason with myself. I don't know if I can hang on for another month until my fill! I'll be on here crying like a baby and I'll be looking for people to beat me up a bit, k?

I have Blue Cross Blue Shield State Health Plan since I work for the state. They required: 1. Meeting w/dietician or nutritionist-to discuss the unique dietary needs that getting a lapband will require. 2. Psychiatric evaluation-to ensure that you are aware of the lifestyle changes and how you may face challenges as a result of learning a new lifestyle. 3. Labwork, like usual 4. For me, since I have high blood pressure, I had to have an EKG. That's it!

Here's my opinion, for what its worth. A yogurt is no where near enough for you for breakfast. Yogurt is essentially a liquid because once it hits the warmth of your body it turns into one. You need something that isn't going to slide right through your pouch and leave you hungry. No wonder you are eating so much otherwise. And to pick on you some...WHY are you even eating spaghetti bolognese? It's so many carbs and not a lick of protein! I know that you think going back on liquids is going to make things easier for you, but that wasn't the point of liquids. You were on that to let your stomach heal. Going back there is just the lazy way out. It's time for you to take some responsibility and actually use the band as a tool, rather than a crutch. Eat Protein, lots! Stay off the liquids unless it is Water, milk, etc., things intended to hydrate you. Control your portions, just like you have in the beginning of pretty much every diet you've ever been on. I know, we've all given up after a few weeks, but just control for a couple of weeks until your fill controls your portions for you. You can do it! No pussyfooting around! Buck Up! Get Mad! Show your body who's boss!