2muchfun

I was told that carbonation can expand our stomachs and pouch causing dilation. I still drink beer and an occasional soda pop but rarely over 1 a day and maybe only 2 a week?

I don't take mass transit but I do fly and it's so nice not to have to hold my arms inside the armrests due to my large body.

You think you should be eating more? Is it because of your history with eating or do you think you should be eating more like your post-surgery manual indicates? We usually just suggest that people do the best they can. You never want to force more food or Water than you're comfortable with. If you get to a point that nothing goes down, that's another story, call the doc. Unless your BMI is under 25 you should have enough nutrition stored to last a few weeks. You were also pumped full of fluids during surgery so you won't need to drink 64 ozs for a week or more. Congrats and hope your appetite takes it's sweet time coming back

OK, so I had to go to 3 grocery stores to find something similar. Marzetti's makes this Otria greek yogurt dip but it has over twice as many calories. No Oikos. I'm going to email them. The Otria is delicious. It has the texture of mayonnaise? What is the texture of Oikos? Texture can be one of my thumbs down criteria. When I first started my journey I tried every greek yogurt in the dairy section and some of the textures were grainy and bitter. I dipped some veggies in my new Otria red pepper dip and it was good. I bought some mesquite smoked deli turkey and spread some on a slice and threw some veggies on it and rolled it up. Fantastic. Still searching for Oikos though?

Of course, Fluid intake is always a concern for WLS patients. That would be one of my first questions? Sometimes we subtly make other changes in our gait or movements too? Could you be shielding your surgery by moving differently? tmf

Trikes can be a very good source for exercise. They don't move as easily as a bicycle so you may have to work a little harder which is good for an aerobic exercise. The increased stability is comforting too. I've crashed a dozen times on my bike in the last 3 years. But, I'm a klutz as my wife points out. I seem to get myself into these jams where the only out is to dump the bike or tip over Take a picture and post it when you get it K? I think any kind of cycling is a great form of exercise and definitely beats a stationary bike from home or gym. tmf

You may be over-thinking this a little? Here are 4 videos that fully explain how this works. Keep in mind Dr. O'Brien's protocol may differ from your own surgeons? And the purpose of the liquid diet is to make sure your stomach remains fairly quiet during the healing stage. Your stomach is pulled up over the band and sutured into place. Excess stomach movement such as vomiting and food getting stuck could cause the sutures to tear away. There are many youtube videos demonstrating this if you're interested? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa3Lwt6ElIs&list=UL Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4jYJipQ7vc part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbdhf44ZweI&feature=relmfu Part 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF3TCKUn3YI Part 4

How many weeks are you stalled?

What Terry said. And, you won't know until your surgeon diagnoses it as a slip. It's rare and seldom happens to newbies.

Such will power? Good for you. Keep up the great workout ethic.

I got my 15 miler in today. Mostly flat except for one half mile hill. But, something I ate made the ride not so comfortable. I'll spare you the details but no more huevos rancheros for Breakfast for a while

Well, fortunately there's not a lot of excess celebrating for over 30 days post op. I got banded on 11/28/11 and the 30 days of Holidays + after surgery were very difficult.

Ribeye might be problematic but tenderloin chews up nicely and passes the stoma easily for me. I miss my occasional 12" Subway turkey on whole wheat with the works on it. I tried a six incher and no way. Too much bread. Mexican food is the easiest for me to consume if we're going out for dinner and I feel like a little calorie cheating. Chinese not so much. Italian is hit and miss, mostly miss. Seafood is by far the easiest to eat. LOL...For you, this will be like getting married and waiting 6 weeks to consummate the marriage What do they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger? You have my total respect as I don't think I could have done what you've done. Kudos

Pink, I'm sorry to inform you that you have contracted the dreaded disease known as "Bandster Hell". This disease afflicts about 90% of all bandster's and can go on for several months. It's imperative that you follow your doctors orders and continue receiving adjustments until the symptoms disappear. Many bandster's avoid excessive weight gains by eating healthy foods and obey "mindfull eating" habits. This is a disease few doctors or nutritionists inform their patients of. Sucks don't it? Welcome to Bandster World.

There are only 2 people other than you who are watching this thread. You would be better off starting your own thread/topic. But, did you read my post. It applies to your question too?

You should start your own thread where hundreds of eyes will see your post. There are only 7 other people following this thread. If you have no insurance and no money, I don't see how you can get the band removed. Your best bet is to find some doctor to unfill you so that you feel no restriction any longer. You're going to have to cough up the $250 or whatever they charge, but then you can go back to your previous life. tmf

Had a couple of drumsticks with Frank's on them myself today.

Just looked at your pics. You look 12 years younger now. But you should have shown more of that beautiful baby??

Yay for long necks!!! So glad you posted this. Hope to recall it so I can show it to other newbies who are scared to pull the trigger!!

6 weeks? Egads! I always recommend people follow doctor orders but more than 2 weeks is too extreme, imo.

^5

Costco Rotisserie chicken. Yum. Maybe that's what we'll have for dinner tonight?

Yeah, just reducing calories causes a flood of Water to evacuate our bodies but Atkins takes it a step further. I'm all for low carb diets. It's the only way I can lose weight. I just don't go for the slab of bacon or 24 oz porterhouse anymore. And the stick of butter on my scrambled eggs is long long past.

Very interesting! OK, I'll fess up. 1. Huh? I think so? 2. Agree with Parisshel. Don't sit me down in front of a stack of baklava, chips and quac or a taco bar. 3. Still working on this one. 4. 75% there on this one. 5. Nailed this one 90% of the time. 6. 100% A+ 7. 90% of the time. Sometimes triscuits sneak into the pantry for a short stay. 8. 100% OK. 9. 80% OK 10. Easy one for me since I work from home. 100% 11. Not sure I agree with this one. I'll go for an extra 5-10 miles on the bike if I overdo a meal. 12. This one's kindof mushy? What'r they talking about? 13. I still fight this one. Not when I'm home, but dinner with friends, going out, traveling? 14. 75% most of the time.

Usually it's people with excessively tight bands who end up dilating their pouch or esophagus. Both seem like it would be very uncomfortable and you would have to do this day after day. Just a few times here or there shouldn't affect it. The troubling part of dilation that I've found is that people don't know they're dilating their pouch or esophagus? That's always concerned me. Some people just don't have the sensitivity down there that most of us do? If you eat too big and too fast and you can feel that buildup just under your sternum, does it make you stop? If not, that seems like it could be problematic. For me, I think I'm fine since I still get that hard signal that I'd better wait a few minutes before I take that next bite. It's the pressure under the sternum. Not the golf ball sized bolus of food backing up, but it's more like an uncomfortable pressure that says whoa!