RestlessMonkey

May I say...take a deep breath! It's a process. They probably won't band you during that first appointment! (although you may wish they would!) You'll have time to ask more questions, figure it all out. It is a BIG step ... a big change, and even the most brilliant of us wouldn't/couldn't absorb it all at once!

get a cut? Woman you are going in with me!

Welcome and good luck! If the band is right for you I think you'll find it a marvelous tool! :biggrin:

Welcome! I hope you find the band to be marvelous; I love mine. Truly. (can one love silicone?) As to unsupportive family...my husband (long term RN who confused this with gastric and after years in a GI lab was imbued with horror of all WLS) went with me to the seminar, asked a LOT of questions, and came away on board. Surgery is scary but so is obesity. Education can help them calm their fears, if they are worred about you. Anyway Nice to meet you RHepting!

I haven't yet but I'm going to! We may have to rob a bank but i'm getting things tightened and skin removed all over! (do they do an ear lobe tuck? LOL)

I eat a variety but have always felt physically energetic on low carb (and realize lots of foods have carbs...peas have carbs. Apples and watermelon has carbs. There are simple and compound carbs and they impact us differently) ANYWAY I do low carb and feel great but some feel faint, nauseated, etc. I think that's why your surgeon said to do what works for you. In the vast scheme probably a balanced moderate diet is best. I do have 1/2 a baked potato or a small serving of pasta occasionally because I don't diet any more. I just live. Seems to be working for me so far! :biggrin:

This post is true to a point and I'm sure resonates with many. It's a good thing! BUT for years I felt disfranchised because I had a happy childhood, when angry I spoke up (still do) had healthy self esteem, and still was hugely fat. I'm the fattest person I know and so when I turned to message boards and read "you are stuffing your emotions" or "food can't be your best friend" (food's never been my best friend; her name is Julie and we've been BFF's since we were 6) I felt lost. I did go to a therapist for about a year before I got the band, on my own. I thought I might have repressed how terrible my life had been, or how truly emotionally empty I was, to not even realize that I had issues. Well, come to find out, I didn't have those same issues. Mind you I HAD issues...I was a reward eater, I am self indulgent, I have my problems and don't meant that I got to 405 overnight as a fluke. BUT We aren't one supersize fits all. If you read this and think "no, it's not the answer for me" like I used to, it doesn't mean there isn't an answer (or at least some help) in therapy for you. It just means you may have a different reason or reasons for overeating than the ones listed. You don't need to have to think of food as your friend to benefit from therapy, in other words. Again let me be clear....for those of you with whom this post resonates I say BRAVO! Good you face it, and hope you lick it! I know it takes courage. But for those like me who feel differently, I say...BRAVO! Good you face it, and I hope you lick it. Your emotional baggage may be different. It may be lighter. It may be one little suitcase. :biggrin: The point is we all have to find our own way through this and unfortunately medicine doesn't have the whole answer. The band doesn't have the whole answer. But we can find the right answers for us if we work at it.

I agree with HH! Besides, who willingly tortures him/her self? Those liver shrink diets are harsh! :biggrin: Ask your surgeon if you're worried, as I said...but you are kind of in his/her hands during the preop and postop phase. You need to communicate with him, follow his rules. You'll make it through and heal well that way!

50 oz of water/crystal light probably isn't enough, honestly. (especially for those of us who are larger). That's only about 75-78% of what you should be getting...too low! Your body needs it! Especially as you lose! You have stuff your kidneys need to flush! :biggrin: besides the intestines needing their portion! And...did your doc say it was ok to substitute crystal light for Water? (mine won't allow it, some do) It evens out if you do what you need to...hydrate, fiber, etc. If you don't, you'll have the problem again (as would a person without the band who doesn't get enough fiber and water in his/her diet!) SO get 64 ounces of liquid. If you are too tight to consume it, get an unfill. If you just forget, figure out a way to get it down. And check with your surgeon about seeing whether crystal light is an ok substitute or not. Your internal structure is a little different, your diet is very different, so you just need to make a few adjustments and all will be "smooth" again! :thumbup:

Funny how great the band is. My surgeon, for example, is adamant about NO SNACKS OR THE BAND WILL FAIL!!! This is patently NOT TRUE because many bandsters who are very successful have healthy snacks But I used to graze at night (never during the day, not at work, not on road trips, etc but get me home and let the sun go down and it was a free for all. Again I think probably related to insulin resistance) He even asks at our montly or 6-weekly check ups if we've snacked! I hate to lie, I hate to squirm, and I realize that I only had an issue with it at night, so I don't snack. If I want a treat like chips or candy I honestly either have it with my meal, or I don't have it! But that isn't the only way people have to use the band. Just what I've found works for me so far. :thumbup:

You maybe should check with your surgeon? I just say this because mine said "If you are constipated check with me, don't just self treat it" but then they are all different. You probably need something like benefiber or one of those things (just fyi we need about 28g of Fiber a day. A dose of benefiber has I think 3 g so you can see you'd need a LOT of benefiber) and colace. If you aren't putting enough solids in, nothing solid is coming out. ALSO you need adequate hydration or you'll just make the problem worse. Do you get at least 64 oz Water daily? Check with your doc to see what is recommended for you. Good luck!

I'm almost a year post op. There are times when I am in "LOSS mode" and times when I'm not. Loss mode is like this: Shake, 16 oz water, and cup of coffee with sugar free coffee "stuff" in it. Lunch is the same. Snacks are water. Dinner, 2-3 ounces of meat (usually grilled rib eye steak) or poultry and a veggie. more water. I also have iced tea (no sugar) but make sure I get 64 oz of water in. (this is austere but my doc is keeping an eye on me, blood work etc.) I take multi vitamins (a pack of 6) along with prescription meds for blood pressure every day. I have no trouble taking them. When I've done that a while and get bored, I'll usually still have the shake/water/coffee thing for breakfast, not because I can't eat (I can) but because I'm usually not really hungry. Lunch I'll have whatever I want. Sometimes it's something like 1/2 of a chick fil A and a few waffle fries, or a frozen dinner, or 1/2 of a sandwich and some chips. Whatever. Bean burrito? Chile and some crackers Dinner is usually the same but I'll have 1/2 of a baked potato or some pasta instead of the "veggies". I don't measure. I don't weigh I don't count. I know I eat about 2-3 oz of steak only because I was curious once, dug out my scale, and weighed the whole steak, then weighed it after I ate to satiety to see how much was left. That was a science experiment and not for dieting LOL I try to eat lunch and dinnner at the same times each day because my doc said if we can train ourselves to do that it helps with hunger in between. He's a really smart guy and he's right so often that I've finally learned to really give his ideas a good attempt. Upshot now that I'm healed (and after my preop fiasco I did follow my surgeon's post op directions exactly. not necessarily the nutritionist, but the surgeon's) I can eat anything. I usually eat what my husband is having, I dine out, Whatever. Even when I'm in loss mode I don't have a diet mentality EVER. I have lost 46 pounds since 5/7 (almost 73 total) and feel wonderful. On my "non weight loss days" I don't gain back everything I lost when I was dieting. I maintain. It is wonderful. I LOVE my band.

Welcome and good luck! Just fyi...many surgeons prefer you don't get pregnant for a while (like a year, but it varies) after banding, for your safety and that of the baby. But also losing weight helps many many get pregnant, so that's the total upside! If you decide you want the surgery, since you want to get pregnant (I assume?) ask your surgeon what his "wait" limit is! :biggrin: (something to check into at the seminar!) Hope you enjoy your seminar! Mine was a gas! (not the bad kind LOL)

LOL!!! at Cantb2noty2 (i think that's the right way to spell it going on memory bad idea) Actually I've had 1/2 of a chick fil a once. (not while I was healing though!) Nothing happened (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, end of the world) and I still lost weight that week. I LOVE the band! But I'm glad to know you're sneaky and not saintly. Sneaky is much easier to live with! :biggrin: I was not so smart as you! :thumbup:

Actually I think that it isn't in your heads. That's the point. There's that old emotional "head hunger" that many of us deal with (bored, sad, tired, lonely, happy, whatever) and then there is true physiologic HUNGER that our body uses to tell us EAT SOMETHING!!!! That's the hunger many of us do not have post op because of the surgery, swelling etc. But for others of us, like me, we don't have that luxury and are truly HUNGRY from the start. Head hunger is easier to handle than the body saying "feed me or I will make you regret it!" :biggrin:

Don't know if this will help...my nutritionist said to eat Pasta AND rice WELL DONE because it continues to absorb liquid and can swell in our pouch. Maybe that happened? Broccoli and chicken are both major offenders for being "stuck" too. I can eat lemon chicken with rice and this happens to me. When it does, it is invariably because I didn't chew well enough. Normally I can eat 1 cup of food; but a few bites and "full" means "woman you did not chew that well". I wait and if the feeling doesn't subside, have a couple papaya enzyme tablets and try again next meal. Don't know if that will help you. AND...if you have to work and eat maybe pick easier foods? (not being pissy...we all have to work this out our own best way) because otherwise you're grazing and can overeat that way. OK I have to LOL at myself because overeating is so NOT your problem right now! But I think you know what I mean! :biggrin: (my doc said eat in 30 min, 20 is pretty fast!) Anyway I'd take some papaya enzyme tabs if you have them. If not, pick some up (local large grocer or drugstore) They really help this type of thing where it isn't really stuck but not really going on through either. And just wanted to say you've lost a good chunk of weight so you are apparently doing something right! WTG!

I have one and she is as vital as my surgeon! I don't need her all the time but she helped me get back on track right after graduation... and I'm going through some family crud now that I am handling WAY better than I ever would, thanks to the band and my therapist! A good therapist is golden! :biggrin: IF you need one. :thumbup:

Clinical depression shouldn't stop a person from getting the band. Especially if you work with a doc or therapist; Losing weight is a very postive healthy thing even if, for some, it causes some emotional issues that need to be dealt with. Working with a therapist during the pre- and weight loss phase can only help.

This is going to sound SO Pizzy! LOL But sometimes I don't post because you did that bump thing and I don't want you to think that's why I did. SIGH! No I'm not ocd, not anal, not adhd. Controlling maybe? Probably! :biggrin: Anyway you push the elevator button lots if you want. I do when no one is around. It's a form of rebellion for me! :thumbup:

Thanks for clearing that up! :thumbup: I think you voice some very valid concerns and it is smart of you to think ahead to life with the band. I don't know if you are a worry wart, or a good planner! The liquid and mushies stages are FINITE. I stress that because, having been on a huge variety of diets before (with the caveat that you must eat cardboard for life, or whatever) liquids and mushies are NOT how you will always eat. They are for healing. If it helps, think of it as if you will be on a 4-6 week (or however long your post op diet is) course of medicine that is composed of certain foods. Fine distinction, but vital I think. They will not be a way of life. We are all different, but as my surgeon says, a huge chunk of your post band life starts between your ears. How tight you end up will be totally under your control. For example, I can eat a cup to 1 1/2 cups of food at a time. Could I be tighter? YES. Are people tighter? YES. However I know myself; tell me I can't have something and I MUST have it (and even with that I got thru the post op diet!) Staying where I am allows me to occasionally eat bread, pizza, enchiladas, Pasta, rice. I eat chicken breast or steak almost daily. I have had fried okra (talk about a veggie that has fiber) Having restriction makes, to me at least, it easier to choose healthy things. I can eat 1/2 a sandwich and some chips and be hungry in 3 hours. I can have some chicken breast (unbreaded or fried, whatever) and be full for 6 hours. Since I don't usually eat to be hungry, I pick the food with the most bang. I didn't used to do this, preband, because it seemed to me like preband I was always hungry. I probably was, and it probably had to do with insulin resistance (not head hunger)....the band has mostly stopped that for me. So I can eat anything, I am losing well (46 pounds since 5/7 when I found love and happiness and the sweet spot with that fill!) and feel wonderful. The band is my friend, it is my tool. I can tighten or loosen it as I see fit. Looser and I can eat more. Tighter and I will be able to eat less. I am in control. You will be, too. Some do have issues. The psych consult is supposed to catch those unlucky ones (at least the ones with issues adapting) but it doesn't always work. AND yes there are complications...but they are rare. Follow the rules your surgeon gives you and the odds of a complication diminish. There are no guarantees in life; there are no guarantees without the band. At my age, with my health, the band became the healthier more logical choice than remaining without it. But we all must weigh the odds and come to our own decision. It isn't for everyone. But for some of us it is a miracle.

I think, like pushing an elevator button 100 times instead of once, this doesn't really HELP...but if it makes you feel good then I guess you go, girl! :biggrin:

Yes, according to my surgeon and the few things I've read, eating "ahead" of a post op diet is a major cause of slips. I've read posters on here who "cheated" and were back in the OR for repairs. If you don't "pop" the band loose immediately, you can cause the bond it forms to be weakened and subject to slips on down the road. OR you can "get away with it". It's a roulette wheel spin. Most of us, once we realize how darned important that ONE diet is in all the diets we have had in our lives, manage to stick it out. I think many people "cheat" because they just plain were not educated about why it matters to much.

:smile2: Glad I could help. I think I just realized that being interested in what they were doing and why helped me not be scared out of my mind. (as I had told my husband, "People DIE in hospitals. I'm not going there" LOL) It was fascinating and I was blessed to have medical personnel all down the line who explained everything to me. That didn't convince me, but it got me thinking about it! No one wants surgery (well I should say most mentally fit people only want it in dire circumstances!) but you'll do great, feel great, never miss that gall bladder! Keep us updated, ok? :crying:

Just wanted to say welcome! Sounds like you already have a winning attitude! Good luck! :smile2: (Oh and take some lip balm for post op; they give you something to dry you up and your lips will be miserable!)

Broth? BROTH? MY lands woman are you a saint or something? I wanted a HAMBURGER! LOL It's nice to know I was not the only human to come to starved to death. Sad, but nice! So many on here say things like "I'm 42 days post op and still not hungry" Bless them, I hate them! :smile2: