Andy Liz

Don't know how you guys are doing it. I just need to get some mental toughness going and I can't seem to muster it right now. I'll try stopping at 1 cup of food and letting myself set there for awhile before I decide to eat any more. Now that I'm officially on solids I need to be living the bandster life - that means protein first, eating and not drinking my calories AND keeping to 8 or less ozs per meal. I guess until I do that consistently there's no way to know if I need a fill or not. I'm going to try to do better this week and see how things go. My doc's office recommends eating beef jerky for a snack - I can't imagine being able to chew this enough to get through the stoma....? I feel a very small and swiftly passing golfball with the first few bites of almost every meal. I had mushies for breakfast and was only full for 2 hours, but I just can't eat really solid stuff in the a.m. I've started having a cup of hot tea in the am and think I'll hold off on my actual meal until later in the morning. You all are doing wonderfully and you're really giving me strength right now to keep working to do things right. Take care and I'll check in Monday - I'm working the weekend so I should have a loss on Monday - can't snack at work!!!

Ditto for what these ladies have said. I was banded on 8-17 and have only wonderful things to say about him and his staff. Best of luck to you and I'm sure you will not regret your selection! Andy Liz

Pebbles you really out did me - I had a tumor on my ovary but it was only the size of a modest cantalope! I hope everything is going well for you now and concentrate on getting healed up well. Be sure you're eating the protein - that will help your tissues heal faster! I've been working a lot and out of town and I thought the scale had finally moved in the right direction, but alas - when I got back from visiting friends and family it was back where it was at the beginning of last week. I am also having to postpone my first fill until the 11th because the doctor will be out of town the week I originally scheduled it - craaaappppp! I'm eating about everything but bread and dry chicken breast as long as I chew well. I did have 2 golf ball episodes when I was dining with my family because I got all caught up in the conversation and filled my mouth and forgot to chew. I can't remember who said eating was work, but that's an understatement. It's a plain ole pain in the ass! If I don't get rid of my double chin from all the work my jaw is getting I'll be really upset. Is anyone finding that they can eat substantially more than a cup of food without a fill? I feel like I'm pigging out but compared to the way I used to eat I'm not pigging at all. In the evenings I can eat pretty much a "normal" serving of food before I get really full. Earlier in the day I'm much more limited. But I'm worried that I'm going to be stretching my pouch because I'm eating way more than a cup, probably closer to 2 cups of food. I just don't feel full until I've had more... Sounds like the scale is moving for some - way to go! I would not get a fill if I was losing and I think the longer we wait for that first fill the better, but I'm just not "feeling" it right now so I'm anxious for a fill! Take care everyone and I'll be back in a few days. Andy Liz

Leenerbups - this is totally off topic, but I love the cowbell thingy!!! I have a t-shirt that says, "I've got a fever and the only prescription is MORE COWBELL!" I laughed my buttocks off when I saw that and had to e-mail it to a friend of mine that finds it equally hilarious! Thanks for making me laugh today! As far as the whole sandwich goes. I'm almost 4 weeks out now and can eat a pretty good amount of food. I haven't been measuring but I have been stopping when I'm comfortably full - I'm sure I'm eating more than a cup and can so far eat everything but soft bread very easily - as long as I chew well. I've had 2 very small PBs on canned chicken breast that were immediately relieved with a very small sliming and urp. I'm not eating that crap anymore, but I have had pizza, shrimp and smoked sausage without the casings. My weight was pretty well stalled but has started to slowly drop since I've been eating regular food. I just chew until there's nothing left to chew so I figure it has to be going through the band pretty quickly. I worry about stretching my pouch because I'm a quantity eater and I like to feel full, but I'm really trying to listen to my stomach and not my head! It's so hard and I fully understand that the band is a tool and not a free ride to slim and healthy - sucks though!

Oh, you guys kill me! I can't believe we're so in sync with each other - really strange! I finally had the scale move too and that's AFTER I ate the 3 slices of pizza! WTH? I've heard that increasing the calories prevents the old bod from thinking we're trying to starve it so it plays nice and drops some weight - ok by me! I'm finally back down to my lowest post-op weight - I think my signature still has that weight on it so it's actually correct now! I'm very proud and impressed with those of you that are sticking with your liquids and mushies - I'm sure you'll be better off in the long run for it but I just don't have that much self control. Once I discovered that most things go down just fine there was no turning back! The only thing I'm noticing that I have trouble with is soft breads and if I don't chew my meat well enough - other than that it's a free for all! I do still try to eat oatmeal or scrambled eggs for breakfast but the rest of the day I haven't been very compliant! The quantity I'm eating is much smaller than I used to eat but I know I'm still eating way too much - I'm just not feeling the fullness. Chrissie - don't give up yet, give yourself at least 8 months because the first few fills may not even be right for you. Finding the right amount is going to be very individual and you can't compare yourself to anyone else. One of the doctors also told me that even if I find the perfect level of fill for me now, as I lose weight I will probably need adjustments. She described this like a watch I wear around my wrist loosens as I lose weight and so will the band - makes sense to me! You might try weighing once a week or better yet, once every two weeks so you don't see those same few lbs up and down every day before you have a drop. You'll do well, just give yourself some time! TTFN - take care and talk to you soon!

Faybie - regarding the "BM" - you should definitely have "moved" by now. If I didn't have a "release" at least every two days I'd take some Milk of Magnesia. It's gross but it works great! You will feel so much better. You'd be suprised how much poop the body makes even when there's not much going in and that all needs to come out! I'm a nurse so yeah, I know all about poop - and believe me any nurse worth the title doesn't even bat an eyelash at a poop question! For all of us - my friend that was banded in April said she gained about 5 lbs when she started back on "real" foods. So until we get our first fills, we need to be very careful... man, I can hardly wait for that fill!!! I've pretty much been on a regular diet when I should still be on mushies. I just chew everything to mush before I swallow it. I ate 3 pieces of thin crust pizza and believe me I was full but I didn't feel bad or anything and it all went down fine. I was at a craft festival today working in the first aid booth and I ate a hot dog. I pulled most of the bun away and it did feel kind of heavy on my stomach like it was having trouble going down, but it did. Several hours later I had some kettle corn - not a problem at all. I'm sure I ate a lot of calories but compared to what I used to be able to put away I did very well - I just hope I haven't done any damage to my stomach by not eating mushies for this last week. Talk to you all soon! Take care! Andy Liz

I don't know if this has been mentioned yet but I'd love to see a daily food journal that would keep track of our calories and %protein, carb & fat, etc. I've been using FitDay and it works great but that's just another place I have to visit... I'm lazy!

I for one have stalled on mushies. I thought I had lost another 1.5 lbs but somewhere along the way I gained it back - that sucks! I'll be pleased if I can maintain this until my first fill on 10-2 and I'm hoping that the doctor I'm going to uses fluoro and isn't too cautious! Also, in the grand scheme of things think about everything our bodies have been through! Compared to our old eating habits, we've been in a virtual starvation mode and that's bound to whack out anyone's metabolism not to mention the fact that we had surgery. I personally think that the longer we can maintain or lose weight without a fill the better for our bodies but I obviously can't do that so I'm going to be right in the office when my 6 weeks are up waiting for my fill! I was really hoping that the amount of restriction I had last week would be how I would feel all the time but alas that is nothing but a fond memory.... We'll get there girls - let's hang together and keep trying to make the best choices for ourselves! Andy Liz

Sherry, Pat, Dianne - Wow, you all look fabulous! I'm sorry if I left anyone out I didn't go all the way back. I did however see the darling dachshund named Clare having her birthday party. I'm would like to post a picture of my "weenie" Otto. He's going to be 10 in October and we try to have a party of sorts for him. We usually get the "boys" a McDonald's hamburger on their birthdays and take off the bun. Those hats though are hysterical! By the way, my mom's name was Clare with the same spelling and everything - what a hoot! I love to give my pets people names! Okay, I can't figure out how to post a picture - it's telling me my picture is too big to upload - can someone tell me how to adjust the size so it will load? Thanks, Andy Liz

Yeah, that's how I am too. Just a few days ago I felt like I had perfect restriction, today however - watch out cause I just might bite your arm if it passes in front of my face! I imagine I'll probably have a few more days that I feel like my restriction is good but as the swelling continues to go down the restriction becomes less and less. I've also noticed I have better restriction in the morning and am wide open in the evenings. I've read here that many people experience this so I'm just trying to battle the same demons that were in my head before the band. They stayed away for awhile and I'm hoping the fill vanquishes them for a good long time but I understand it may take several fills to keep those evil things at bay! There's a lady that was banded the same day I was and she still cannot even eat a cup of food and we're 3 weeks out now. My doctor told me that all his patients he banded the day I was got the same sized band and it wasn't the large one. I don't know if there's S, M or L...? Talk to you all soon! Andy Liz

Dear Mom, That cracks me up - and the men around here pee off the porch too - I'm just glad it's the back porch!!! The 14th is my MIL's birthday so when we're wishing her a happy birthday I'll be sending you good wishes too! It will all be over before you know it and the liquid phase will pass like a bad dream. I'm doing fine on mushies and don't feel a great need to tear into anything solid. I think I'll make it another week! I can't believe how quickly time passes! Good luck and enjoy the time in Monterrey! Hey, if you feel like it the driver at the hotel can take you to the mall. It's the same as any other mall but they had some nice souveniers. Oh, I guess there was one big difference I noticed.... they have many stores that sell beautiful evening gowns and fancy sequined dresses. Nothing like that around here except for prom time or specialty wedding shops - interesting..... You can also get some ice cream to give you a nice change of pace from the other liquids! That alone is worth the trip! Also worth the trip, getting 1 scoop of ice cream and not being able to eat the entire thing! FYI - the driver from the hotel was late picking us up so we took a cab back to the hotel. Be sure to take a card with the hotel address on it to give the cab driver and some extra cash. I think it was about $6 so not a big deal. Have fun and best of luck! Andy Liz

Hey Everyone! Sounds like there's lots of great losses! I just wanted to check in and let you know you can take may name off the roster the next time you update. I may be back in the near future but right now I concentrating on a few threads and I'm crunched for time so I needed to cut out a few of my stops. Hope this makes a little less work for you too! Best of luck to you all and I hope to see you around here somewhere!

Isn't it funny how we didn't think we ate that much! I've heard several long-term bansters say how much more they enjoy their food because they savor it really get to taste it. I've noticed that a little already and am so excited at how wonderful that will be.....! I still eat probably faster than I should but when I had lunch with my friend yesterday, I finished after she did - that was a first for me! Right now, on mushies, I really don't feel deprived either and I think that's the wonderful thing about the band. I always thought, "If I could just eat a normal amount of food I wouldn't be this fat." Well, I think this is going to work! It may take a little longer this way but I'll probably eat a healthy breakfast and lunch and then just eat a small portion of whatever I fix for dinner. Sounds like heaven doesn't it? I'm very glad I did this and am so looking forward to the future! I had what I thought to be quite a lot of remorse after I was banded and didn't feel well - feelings of being a failure and why did I have to have someone cut on my body just so I could be a "normal" size. I'm so glad I did this now and I just hope and pray that we all get through this with success and no problems! Take care and enjoy your day!