2muchfun

Great bedside manner huh? My Doc is shorter than me and wouldn't dare do that. Sorry to be macho but you don't have to take that S***. Stand up to him and tell him you deserve to be treated with respect. If you made a mistake he should just tell you and you'll understand. tmf

I agree on the fills and how each one is like a new paradigm. My last one was last Friday the 11th. #6 for me. So, now foods that passed easily a week ago, get stuck or fill me much quicker. It appears as though this one might place me in the green zone and I'm very excited to see better results. tmf

I highly recommend you read Jean McMillan's article "Restriction, the Holy Grail" in the magazine article section on the right side of this page. Click on View All: http://www.lapbandta...-holy-grail-r51 The oz and cup measurements really shouldn't be your only guideline. Satiety should be your goal. Once you feel satisfied it's time to stop eating. Pay attention to the signs. If you've eaten 2 ozs of meat and feel full and satisfied it's time to stop. If you can eat far more than the oz and cup measurement guidelines, you may need a fill or need to find nutritous foods that satisfy. tmf

You'll have to ask each Dr what their protocol is. Each Doc can be different. I had one Dr visit 1 month before surgery, 1 nutrition consult 3 months before surgery, 1 hospital prescreen 4 days before surgery, 1 Dr appt 35 days after surgery. But my Doc is fairly lenient about appts, fills, pre-op diet. tmf

I think we all have different definitions of "slider foods"? For me, Soups, ice cream, booze, hamburger helper, tuna helper, creamy soups, noodles with alfredo sauce, chips, Cookies, cakes, pies washed down with milk? So, yes you can really get your fill of calories with slider foods. As far as your other question: If you eat too little and take in too few calories(800?), you risk getting sick and other complications. It's not worth it. Your body will react so much healthier if you can keep the calories in in the 1200-1600 range. Of course, exercise plays a large key here. People who cannot eat anything may have a mechanical problem. A small unfill can remedy many of these problems, or a complete unfill. There are so many other issues that can come up(i.e. gerd) there's not enough time there to go over them all. As with any forum, people who have a problem will come here to vent or seek advise. They are a small minority compared to the thousands who have had surgery and remain on the sideline and never visit sites like this. I highly recommend you order Jean McMillan's book, Bandwagon. Google it, it's worth your time and money. tmf

No worries. You have all the time in the world to get back on track. I bought some Protein powder, chocolate flavor, at Vitamin cottage. It tastes OK but I believe you'll have to give up on finding a Protein Drink that tastes like a Wendy's chocolate shake. It ain't gonna happen. This phase goes by so quickly it will be just a memory in no time. tmf

I just ate tomato Soup, egg drop soup, cottage cheese/applesauce, squash soup, chicken noodle soup, Protein shakes(lots), yogurt, mashed potato's, oatmeal, refried Beans. It wasn't all that bad although I was in bandster hell so I did get hungry every day. tmf

What kind of post op care are you talking about? Shouldn't be any as long as you follow the rules and you have no complications. Fills are usually done in a Dr's office and take about 5 minutes. Most of us have never stepped back in a hospital for any post op care unless there's some kind of complication and that's not often either. If your insurance will pay for your fills with a different Dr no problem. If you are self pay, still no problem.

Dhales, I was drinking a beer or 3 every week, latte every morning(1% milk, splenda), bread, an occasional light ice cream. I compromised and cut out the beer, 3 latte's a week and no light ice cream. I also found some other things to cut back with such as only 1 slice of turkey, slim slices of cheese for sandwiches. Mostly I just started to rid my diet of excess calories. Seems like I should have been doing this all along? But, I figured it's only a few calories here and there but when we added them all up, it was 300+ calories per day. 300 X 30= 9000 calories per month or nearly 3 extra lbs. I kicked up my exercise routine a little more and the combination seemed to work. I'm still consuming 1300 or so calories every day so I'm not feeling hungry thanks to the band. Hope this helps someone? tmf

I went 3 months and lost no weight. I got fill #5 in March and also sat down with the Dr's dietician/nutritionist. She made some observations on why I'm stuck where I was and what I could do to start losing weight. She was right. I lost 16 lbs in 6 weeks just by getting rid of some silly pet foods I was hanging onto. Take your journal of foods eaten to your dietician and see if she/he can make some suggestions. I've found my Dr. is clueless now that I've had my surgery. I really rely on my nutritionist now much more than my doc. He's only good for fills at this point. I'm sure not all docs are this way but mine is. tmf

Protein shakes are the ultimate sliders. They satiate only for a short time. tmf

Nervous=fear? What are you afraid of? I know for many of us it was the fear of never being able to stuff our faces with so much food and crap that we can't bend over and tie our shoes! That fear goes away in a hurry for most bandsters. Do 100% succeed. Hell no. But you've got a better chance with the band than continuing to do what you do now. Right? tmf

Ditto here for the anti-nausea meds? Doc gave me an Rx for these meds but I was fortunate and didn't need it. Call your Dr or his answering service. He made enough $ to make his Mercedes payment for 3 months so no worries. tmf

I found some 36 slacks and a belt from 1 years ago that both fit. Gotta love the band!!

Roast chicken. For me, the dark meet seems to slide down easier than the dry breast meat.

Yum, I love cheeseburgers. Can't eat a whole one anymore and seldom try, but $1 McD's double cheeseburgers were my comfort food. You're probably in the liquid only phase so drink some Protein powder mixed with milk? Some tomato Soup might work too? Are those on your plan at this time?? tmf

What is the math? I mean, how many calories a day do you consume & how many calories do you expend? Consume 1400 calories and use 2100 should mean you're using 700 calories more a day than you take in, so in one week you should have used 3500 calories which is equal to 1 lb per week. Of course, Water retention and muscle addition will cloud the picture? How long have you been plateaued? tmf

Jean, your wisdom, wit and communication skills have been invaluable to me these last few weeks. With your help and the guidance of my nutritionist I've lost 16 lbs in the last 6 weeks. But mostly, it's helped me to get a grip on this foreign object in my body and use it as it should be used. Still learning of course, but I think I'm heading in the right direction. I read every one of these and take something away from each article. Just need time to read your book now. tmf BTW-You're so right about surgeons not understanding what we go through. I ask questions of my surgeon and so often I see the "Deer in the headlights" face. Fortunately his nutritionist only works with WLS patients.

This problem seems to a common problem with most bariatric surgeon offices. I had signed on with Dr Snyder in Denver and had clearance for surgery but couldn't get anyone to call me back. I went to a different Dr and had the surgery. But even the new Dr.'s office had bad communication skills. It seems to be quite common from what I've seen. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule but it's a low %. tmf

Bean, Your post is quite normal and has been posted by others every week. For me, I took an extra year to pull the trigger on surgery just because I wasn't sure I could give up cheeseburgers, chicken fried steak and overeating. Now, I know I can still eat those foods if I want(and I usually don't), but feeling healthier and wearing some of my old skinnier clothes is so worth it. The fear you have now is only in the now and a month or so after your surgery that fear will be just a silly thought from your past. tmf

What are you eating? You're not eating around your band are you? I've never used this but here's a website that may help you? http://www.5daypouchtest.com/#.T6mnS4jDHzw.facebook Have you done a barium swallow test yet? tmf

March 15th?

What is getting stuck? chicken, breads, rice, mashed potatoes, salads? Are you taking very small bites and eating very slowly? I got stuck a lot at fill 3 but it was my own fault. I ate too fast and put too much food in my face. It's a learning process and I'm still learning. I'm on fill 5 and got stuck at Breakfast this morning but only for 10 minutes. tmf I see we share the same birthday only 41 years apart.

You should still go in to speak to your Dr, even if you don't want a fill. Just because you're scheduled for a fill doesn't mean they will always give you one. I'm assuming this first fill is already paid for? tmf

How many fills and have you spoken to the nutritionist? Seems like your Dr and his staff should have a lot of insight on why you aren't losing? tmf