2muchfun

I do and it's never healed flat. Still there.

I'm banded. I've been successful so far and still losing. However, the band takes more discipline than other WLS simply because of how we have to eat. Not following the rules with the other surgeries means you gain weight. With the band, you can cause band erosion, slips, esophageal dilation and pouch dilation. Some of these are life threatening consequences. I do mean you have to have discipline with this band. Not just kindof, but constant attention. Some people lose all their weight and some lose nothing. Some patients never get over the closet eating, over-eating and bingeing. You can't do that with the band(I'm sure there are consequences with the other WLS too). I think I went with the band simply because I don't want my guts removed or re-assembled. Most of us feel the same way. If not for the band, most of us would not have had WLS at all. The band does not stop you from eating too much food or eating the wrong foods due to cravings. The band can help you feel satisfied with less food. But, it's a very fine line and you have to watch for the signals. It's not like a huge stop sign, it's more like a songbird in the forest you have to listen for. Good luck and you can IM me or reply to this comment if you have more questions? tmf

Should be fine. Just chew to mush. No different than a cucumber.

It's a solid food so if you can eat solid food it's OK. If you're still on mushies, it's not.

If you're on a PC, go to the top of the page and look for your persona lcon and hello Darlyn. Next to your name is a cog shaped wheel. Click on it and look for "My tickers". Follow the instructions. http://www.bariatricpal.com/tickers/

^5

Your doctor is aware of this and is OK with it? Sounds to me like you're way too tight? tmf

You're in Bandster Hell! It's the time between surgery and when you get enough fills so you feel satisfied with less food for 2-4 hours. The Green Zone is when you feel satisfied with a meal for up to 4-5 hours. Your stoma(band portal) could be wide open if the surgeon didn't prime the band. So, you can probably eat anything and as much as you want till you get that fill that closes the stoma and gives you the satiety you need. Until then, it's just another diet. Sorry but almost all of us went through this phase and we all survived. I just ate healthy foods but didn't stick to the 4-8 oz servings. But I didn't gain and didn't lose after the initial 12 lbs in the first two weeks. tmf

Karate chops to the shoulder blades.

OK, now you're just bragging

Of course you can have those foods again. No one makes it to or near their goal weight without falling off the bandwagon one or more days. No one will ever be perfect in their journey and no need to beat ourselves up over a few indiscretions. But that's after surgery. I doubt there will be any problems with your surgery but don't mess up anymore today or tomorrow morning. I've heard of docs who had to back out of surgery because the patients liver was too large. Again, doubt it will happen to you but be good from here on or the forum will have to punish you severely A couple of cyber slaps can be very painful ya know?

Well, you can still inhale a few bites but it's going to be very painful I went to a support group meeting last night and one of the topics brought up by the nutritionist running the class was this: Don't expect to be perfect all the time. Don't think you'll never eat ice cream or cake ever again. And she was right. We see so many people who think they've failed over one day of bingeing or one meal of over-indulging. No one on this forum is or will ever be perfect and every one who is a few months past surgery has slipped up. Her point was, it's OK to have a snickers once in a while. Plan on it and enjoy it. Don't make a habit of it but don't beat yourself up if you do eat that sack of chips/dips or you ate the entire slice of cake and not just a few bites. Sorry, just an intervention in case you have plans on being the very first perfect WLS patient tmf

How dare you post a topic of being confident, cool and relaxed And obviously there's more than enough of us to worry and fret over your stall

Ditto here! I just don't get the drinking before eating rule? It helps me to stay hydrated throughout the meal. The eating while drinking rule is understandable. It's just too easy to gulp Water while you eat and before food passes the stoma. Obviously this can wash food through the stoma and then we miss the satiety stimulation. But, I still sip water if I'm eating dry foods like leftover chicken or pork(or I overcooked my meal ).

Good advice. With the cold weather season coming up here in Colorado I'm always looking for ways to stay healthy and fit without leaving the house.

When I see posts like yours, my fallback is always this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBJziqgrQgk

I work from home so it's not much of a stretch to go to work the following day which I did. Gym workouts were a good 4 weeks out though.

What foods are you eating now? The band won't stop us from eating 10 oz or even 32 oz of food. Your lower stomach is still intact. You're still very new to the band and I'm thinking maybe you're not noticing or looking for the satiety signals like runny nose, hiccups, small burps and loss of interest in food? Are you truly hungry after 2-3 hours? Is it physiologic hunger(true hunger) or is it psychological hunger? Our eating demons(cravings) still lurk and can be very persuasive if you have access to trigger foods? Lastly, swelling from fills can last 2-3 weeks which can give off the impression that we're in the green zone and can just cruise on. This is why small fills every 30 days can help mitigate our hunger. Our esophagus is wrapped in two layers of muscle that massage food into our stomach. These muscles can become stronger and more efficient when we're banded and filled due to back pressure from the stoma being blocked and backed up. Makes sense huh? Watch for those soft stop signals and eat your Protein first. And stay clear of slider type foods if you can. jmo tmf

Some people experience no hunger or very little hunger with your type of WLS. But some patients are extremely hungry till they get enough fills to help them avoid hunger. Many of us took 1-10 fills to avoid being hungry. Depends on your doctor and how much they add during a fill. What you're experiencing is normal and happens to most all of us. Ask for an early fill if you're very hungry?

Not me, but imo, how much is in your band is irrelevant unless it's nearly zero and it's supposed to be 11? I've seen many posts like yours where the amount of saline seems to be a moving target depending on who is sticking the syringe in the port? What matters is, do you feel enough restriction to feel satiety for 4 hours after a meal? If it's less than 4 hours, you need another fill and another till you reach the green zone. jmo tmf

Do you throw up voluntarily or does food come up automatically?

Pictures please!!! Way too awesome!

Easy to get distracted and eat too big or swallow too soon isn't it?

I never heard of the 1.5 hr rule? I'll have to remember this. Many, many people post here about pre-op diets and how hard they are. I never had a pre-op diet so I won't need it but I'll try to pass it along next time I see it come up.

New PCP!! Good girl. So many doctors are so misinformed. Makes me so pissed off I want to go to your PCP and calmly persuade her to WISE UP