FloridaJed

That is some brilliant weight loss since October. Congratulatoins. Good advice on the eat in kitchen. I am going to try to work that angle also. Eating out is definitely a challenge. Best of luck and thanks for the advice.

A mountain adventure at high altitude - now that is a lap band recovery story told with style! I have never been to Colorado but hope to see it someday soon. I will be traveling to San Diego alot later this year and may snag a flight diversion and lay over there to check things out. Recovery still going well with the exception of some very stubborn pain at the port site. That rascal is sore and is really the only pain I feel now 5 days post-op. Happy New Year!

Appreciate the info. Not being able to drink when I eat is tough for me. I have always been a heavy drinker of fluids - Water, wine, soda, whatever - and especially during my meals. Best of luck and thanks for the info. Happy New Year!

Thanks Mr. Boswell, It sounds like you are definitely dialing in on the right formula for success. Half a sandwich... that sounds like a reasonable amount of food to lose weight on. Curious - are you actually eating bread? I was told that bread was probably not ever going to be possible. In fact, my docs have said try to eat an almost exclusive solid diet of Protein, a little dark veggie (but not too fibrous) and a minute amount of starchy veggie (mashed potato?). Probably very healthy but a little boring I am sure. Last question - when you feel full, do you feel satisfied? Are you taking a long time to eat?

Hi all, Congratulations on your surgeries and good luck with the weight loss. My wife and I live in Jacksonville and I am 4 days post-op now. The first couple of days were tough but things are getting much better now. I did liquid Meal Replacement since Aug. 2008 and lost about 60lbs before my surgery so I have already been through lots of hunger and look forward to the next phase of all this. Best of luck!

The first dinner meeting or happy hour or luncheon after surgery is my biggest source of fear. I am afraid that I may eat something that will cause me to really embarass myself. As I am only 4 days post-op, I suppose that I will get more confident with what I can handle once I start to eat regular foods again and will just be extra careful. I don't travel as much as many of you have indicated but the dinner meetings and luncheons are typically as important as the actual business.

Thanks Annie, I appreciate the info. I am not having any difficulty swallowing mushy stuff or liquids but not really feeling hunger either so life is pretty good. I have a lot of questions to pose to my doctor now. Down a couple of pounds already so things are moving in the right direction. Jed

Hi Deb, I live in Jacksonville. Retired from the Navy here in 2002 and now work for General Dynamics. Into my fourth day post-op now and feel like I am recovering pretty well. My wife and I took a drive yesterday down to Interlaken area to look for potential lake house getaway property. After 5 hours in the car, I was definitely ready to get out and rest but it was such an awesome day. I am going to start squishy food transition in earnest now. Having been on liquid meals for so long, I am used to this but want to test out and begin practicing the long term eating habits I expect to adopt once I find my sweet spot. Nice chatting with you. Thanks for the warm welcome. Jed

Okay - so now I understand the difficulty with finding the sweet spot. Can someone offer a description of what "restriction" actually feels like? I am assuming it is just a tightness in the upper abdomen. Also - I have been told that I will absolutely throw up if I over eat. The nutritionist told me that it would be sort of like how a baby chucks up - not alot of drama - just food coming right back up unexpectedly. This is causing me a little nervousness about business meetings and dinners ). I am just a few days post-op, still dealing with gas and not eating mushies yet. Any insight would be appreciated.

Hi Annie, Congratulations on getting back to work and your great successes so far. I have read a few of your posts and was wondering what you mean by being "one of the lucky ones" that has some post op restriction. Does that mean you find your appetite decreased and you are unable to eat much? That may sound obvious but I just want to make sure I am following the discussion. If that is what you mean, is it uncommon to find restriction before the first fill? Thanks and congratulations again. Floridajed

Hi, I am new here - banded on Dec. 26 and enjoying the painful throes of serious gas - which is much less of a concern after reading about the experiences of many others here. What a great site. I have been losing weight before banding for a number of months - pre-op weight was 247 lbs. - down from a pre-LMR (liquid meal replacement) program weight of 317 lbs. I started the LMR in August 2008. This is the second phase of the journey. I appreciate reading your experiences and hope I can help someone also. FloridaJed