bethm

I'm so excited (and nervous!). Anyone else getting banded tomorrow?

Hi ladies, I have alot to lose and I'm a littel worried about how I'm going to look after I'm done. Is there a lotion recommended to use that can maybe help a little with giving skin elasticity? I'm also an exsmoker and I'm worried that I did a number on my skin. I'm not sure it bounces back after you quit. Does anyone know? Thanks so much!

hi all! I'm at 272 this morning

Okie.. I'm on day 22 and I am starving. Like ghandi starving. Beyond a regular diet starving. I am HUNGRY. Since the 22nd of this month I've been on mushies. I have not lost 1 pound since then so not only is the scale not moving but I'm just ravenous all day. I am limiting my portions to 1/2 cup or so of mushy food but it is by sheer willpower alone and frankly it's getting too much for me. I feel like it's been a month since I got a meal. I have tried drinking a Protein drink to feel full. It's not working or if it does only for an hour or two. I know that this is considered bandster hell but I thought I lucked out the first couple weeks because I wasn't hungry at all. Either the scale has to move or I'm going to be found face first in a vat of mashed potatoes with 2 tons of butter on them. Is anyone still losing on mushies? Please tell me what you're eating and why it's moving for you? I am getting my 64 oz of Water in.. My protein is between 60-70g.. My calories average about 800-900. I currently weight 288 when I wake up in the morning. Given my high weight theoretically I SHOULD be shedding my fat on what I'm eating and the small amount of walking I'm doing a day (about 1-2 miles). Is anyone this hungry? It's not even head hunger. I'd eat cardboard at this point if I thought it would just fill me up. HELP!

Cool :tt2: I had my first fill today and I was a wreck worrying about it but it was a piece of cake. Lidocaine hurt less then getting blood drawn. Then the pressure while he poked at the port which was uncomfortable but not unmanageable and I know now what to expect and think next time will be fine. I won't be nervous. I got 3cc in my band today. Not sure what restriction feels like but I'm on liquids today.. mushies tomorrow.. normal food cautiously on sunday. I'm not super hungry and all I've had today was a coffee and some Water. Now YESTERDAY and the day before I was eating like a champ.. all bad for me stuff. So this came none to soon!

I keep trying to sleep on my tummy but it feels uncomfortable and swollen still and it's been 20 days.. anyone else? And i find myself holdig my tummy in a certain area when I walk for extra support.

2 of mine are healing just fine. I can't see the port one because it still has the butterfly bandages all raggedy around it. I *think* it's okay. The small one about an inch above my belly button has faired crummy though. The scab fell off and it's a bit open (looks like a deep cut ) probably from the waistband of my pants. My swelling is down a lot but I can notice a little lopsidedness around where my port is on the left. I keep imaging the tubing and port and freaking myself out. Anyone else feel this way or am I a total poodle? I'm trying to close the little open incision with a little hello kitty bandage but dunno how well thats working. It's TOTALLY grossing me out though and worrying me because I'm 20 days out and not all the way healed yet. Are all of you completely healed on your incisions?

I'm on solid foods now. Here's what I ate today: B: unjury vanilla Protein shake L: Smart Ones 180 calorie thingie S: 1/2 an Isopure Protein Drink D: 5oz filet mignon with an onion. <-------- The filet mignon went down fine. I'm not uncomfortably full. Nothing got stuck. It would have fit on the little plate my doctor told me about but it was 5oz. I figured I would be full before I finished but nope. Is this bad? Normal? I'm getting a fill in 2 weeks so I'm hoping it will help restrict food a bit. For now though i feel guilty I ate that for dinner. But I am hungry *all* the time now. I'm not drinking with meals or any of that. The smart ones dinners don't fill me up at all either. How are you all doing?

I weighed 280 this morning so down 9 pounds.

Hi Singing.. I'm not sure when you can partake of the communion altar bread wafer. I'm sorry to admit it's been a long time since I was last in church. I'd be interested in hearing the answer but my guess is as soon as you go on solids. Ask your doctor for the liquid equivalent of all your meds. The ones that aren't in liquid for you can usually cut in half or a quarter if you need to. I went right off my gigantic diabetes pill the day I left the hospital from surgery. My other 2 are small enough that I don't have a problem.

It's not the easy way out for me. I lost 31 pounds from Dec 1 to Dec 22nd (preop to mushy phase) then stopped. I walk. I don't drink with food. I was eating 500-700 calories a day. I'm always hungry. I have no restriction. I moved my calories up to about 900-1000 a day now. I am a newbie but I'm following the food choices my nutrionist recommended (bland and unexciting for sure). It's by willpower alone. I'm proud of myself for what I'm doing but I did expect the band to be a more useful tool. Right now it's not doing anything. (I hope/expect it to change with fills!) So my opinion is this is definitely not the easy way out.

Today so far: B: 2 scrambled eggs with a slice of cheese, 3 bites of sausage S: coffee with nonfat milk and splenda L: 4 pieces of turkey and 4 pieces of cheese rolled up and dipped in grey poupon I went on solid foods yesterday so I'm not really sure what I should be eating yet. I haven't gotten anything stuck or been uncomfortable at all eating. I don't have a fill in yet. I get one in 2 weeks but I don't really think I feel restriction? I haven't eaten until I was hurting anyway so I don't really know. I eat about 1/2 to 1 cup of food a meal.. sometimes a little less.

The grande (medium) is 270+ calories. If it was me I'd avoid that like the plague. Drinking your calories is bad.

The band goes around your stomach forming a small pouch above where the band is. Fills restrict the band so it tightens around your stomach narrowing the hole that food passes through into the larger part of your stomach. Restricting the hole from your pouch to stomach makes you feel full with far less food. Your stomach has fat on it. Say you go to get a fill and it works great for you for a few months and you've lost weight.. you've also lost fat around your stomach and will probably need another fill to restrict your stomach again. I was banded Dec 11th with no restriction. But because my stomach is big to begin with I still get full on less then a cup because the band is restricting my fatty stomach naturally. I'll probably go for a first fill to maintain a full feeling longer then I have now when I hit between 6 and 8 weeks. I'm not an expert but I hear that it can take a few days for the liquid to settle properly in your band to feel the exact restriction from a fill. You also will probably go on liquids for a day or two then mushies then solids after a fill to let your stomach/brain adjust. There are far more experienced bandsters then me but this is what I've learned from all my reading.

maybe try benefiber?

Hey :thumbup: Don't sweat it. I'm sure everything will be fine. I don't even remember being weighed when I went in for mine. You could be retaining Water. I gain around 5 pounds in water weight around my period and a couple/few around ovulation. Just nest and get your space ready for when you're home and recovering.

Do they knock you out for a port revision in the hospital? Or do they operate on you in their office?

Your band was put in 4 days ago? I can't speak for your doctor but I know allergen says only liquids for 1-2 weeks so I'm guessing no. Here's the deal. You don't want your stomach to chyme (or whatever it's called) which is churning to digest food while the stitches are healing or you can run into slippage problems down the road. So you're healing now.. which means mild liquids.

I'd like to join please! surgery date 12/11/08 heighest weight 318 preop diet starting weight 319 surgery weight 301 current weight 289 weight loss since surgery 12bs total weight loss 30lbs my end goal is to be 165 my goal for january is 15lbs

oh phew.. you're going through the same thing. I mix it up.. today I had: breakfast: chicken Soup unjury shake lunch: pastina with low fat butter and parmasan dinner: tuna with miracle whip 2 coffees, 2 waters.. The chicken with riccotta sounds good.. how do you make that? Went out today to Barnes and Noble to pick up a few books and I almost burst through the Cheesecake Factory wall like the koolaid man to get some pumpkin cheesecake. I refrained but I'm a hair away from the frustrated looney bin for sure!

I'm crossposting this because I posted it in my december 2008 forum but it's a small audience and I could really use some help or advice. Okie.. I'm on day 22 after getting banded on December 11th and I am starving. Like ghandi starving. Beyond a regular diet starving. I am HUNGRY. Since the 22nd of this month I've been on mushies. I have not lost 1 pound since then so not only is the scale not moving but I'm just ravenous all day. I am limiting my portions to 1/2 cup or so of mushy food 3x a day with 1 or 2 Protein drinks in between but it is by sheer willpower alone and frankly it's getting too much for me to keep being this hungry. I feel like it's been a month since I got a meal. Actually it has been since Dec 1st is when I started my 10 day liquid pre-op. I want to clarify I have no intention of not following doctors orders and attacking a living cow to chew on it. Though at this point that sounds SO GOOD. I have tried drinking a Protein Drink to feel full. It's not working or if it does only for an hour or two. I know that this is considered bandster hell but I thought I lucked out the first couple weeks because I wasn't hungry at all. Either the scale has to move or I'm going to be found face first in a vat of mashed potatoes with 2 tons of butter on them. Is anyone still losing on mushies? Please tell me what you're eating and why it's moving for you? Is anyone this hungry? It's not even head hunger. I'd eat cardboard at this point if I thought it would just fill me up. HELP! What am I doing wrong?

I love my nature's plus adult's chewables. They taste like pineapple. You chew one a day. You can buy the 180 count for 23 bucks on amazon right now from 40.

Hi All :laugh: How are you losing weight? I lost 30 pounds pretty quick from dec 1st to the 22nd. I haven't lost a pound since then and I'm following my mushy diet and getting around 800 calories a day so I'm not sure how to kickstart myself into more weight loss. Any ideas?

Dexter is creeeeepy. I like Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, House and Bones. :laugh: I'm currently reading Matthew Reilly's Seven Deadly Wonders which is a cool action novel. I like James Rollins alot so it's like that but only more action less science. Also read The Pact by Jodi Picoult a few days ago.. Sad but her books are always well written. Highly Recommend. Going to reread all the sookie stackhouse books. those are a definite fav.. so is Laurell Hamilton, Kim Harrison, and a billion others. I read too much lol

And I'm sure that you've followed your doctors orders 100 percent from day 1. I haven't disregarded my doctor but I'm only a few weeks out. I PLAN on following what he says exactly. However, I am human and I expect I will slip at some point. Hopefully not facefirst into a bag of chips but I was HOPING this site was a place to go to for support (not to excuse my behavior but gently adjust) not get whacked over the head with a mallet like your group seems to be doing because someone posted asking a dumb question in your thread. My original point is.. one post saying "step away from the taco bell. are you nuts?" is fine. TEN+ posts ranting is called "flaming" and I don't think it should be here. Guess that's just me so carry on.