newdicarlo

I flew to Miami and went on a cruise in the Bahamas for 4 days--8 weeks after my surgery. I did not make a 4 hour drive to Kansas City 2 weeks after my surgery, but I did go an hour away to my in-laws. I could have done the cruise at 6 weeks, but wouldn't have done it any sooner. I did get "stuck" for the first time on the cruise...which was two weeks after my first fill and after a 2-hour flight...

My weight finally caught up with what my body is doing every day! I lost a pound a day the last three days...

I'm sure you were on the liquid diet before the surgery too--I remember my Dr's nurse saying "what goes in liquid will come out liquid...", so once you get on more solid food, this will happen. Now the problem is the opposite with eating so much protein every day!

I would love to have any of the 16's that are for the winter. I too have passed on all my size 24, 22, 20, and now I'm in between an 18 and 16, (some 16 pants fit, others not yet) so I'll be needing 16's very soon...PM me!

Are you drinking enough water? Make sure you are getting at least 64 oz a day. i can have a 5 pound weigh fluctuation (loss) overnight with just upping my water for a few days. Also, it's best to keep your heart rate up for 30 minutes or more at a time to really burn cals. Your body may not be ready yet, but just upping your walking/biking minutes 1 by 1 would help too.

:thumbup:They are good. I've had the whole grain white and the whole grain wheat. But they get stuck, so no more for me.:thumbup:

Soups, salad, ice cream, chips and salsa...salad and ice cream are the tough ones for me to avoid.

do you still have your gallbladder? this sounds like a gallbladder attack to me. Your gallbladder produces bile to digest the food you've eaten, thus the timing would be right. And the pain is right in the middle of the chest. I had mine out 9 wks postpardum with my first child. Worst pain ever! :thumbup: You might want to make an appt with a gastroenterologist, as they can do an ultrasound to see if you have stones. There are a couple threads on LBT about all the people with gallbladder probs after getting the band, you might want to check those out...

Thank you. I was only 7 when it happened, but my sisters, my mom and I have all experienced side effects from it, (I used to "swallow the wrong way" at least once a week and cough my head off, things like that) it just makes sense that a smaller esophagus wouldn't need to be "tightened" so much...

My MD said the WW Smart Ones are the best in terms of calories and Sodium, so if I need them for convenience, I get those or Lean Cuisine. I always look for the ones with high Protein and low carb count, although I'm a Pasta lover so I sometimes get ones with noodles. I like the chicken parmesan (eat the chicken first and then a few bites of noodles) and others that have chicken and veggies. I found that since I've hit my sweet spot I cannot finish a whole meal.

My first fill my MD put in 4 cc's which was too tight (immediate heartburn, sliming on my saliva, chest pain). He took out 2 cc's and we did fills slowly after that. Now I have 4.4 cc in a 10 cc band and I have hit my sweet spot. I can only eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food and I'm full for hours. A small esophagus runs in my family (my grandmother died from choking), so I think this might have to do with why I don't need a lot in my band...

I finally hit 75 pounds! Just yesterday, and today, another pound. The scales seem to have caught up with what I'm doing, and I think I finally hit my sweet spot--I can only eat about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of food at a time and stay full for 5 or more hours...so THIS is what it's supposed to feel like! well, it's a DAMN good feeling!!! :thumbup: I might actually make my goal...

Hungry for me is feeling that gnawing feeling of emptiness in the pit of my stomach, complete with growling. Usually I can tell if I'm really hungry because I get grouchy and snippy. All the girls in my family are the same way (mom, sisters, daughter...). Usually if I start to feel hungry the first thing I do is check the clock. If it's only been a couple hours since my last meal then I know it's probably head hunger or thirst, not true hunger. If it's been 4-5 hours, then I know I'm truly getting hungry, not just bored. I got the way I am by eating when I was bored and boy, it's a tough habit to break!

I also don't deny myself if I want ice cream--but again, it's all in how much you eat. I can get by on one or two bites if we're at home, and if I go out I get the smallest (usually kiddie) size and have that with lite ice cream if possible. And that almost daily habit has turned into a once or twice a week bite or two rather than a daily bowl. Certainly more manageable and definitely satisfies without ruining a whole day of hard work. I have found though, that since getting the band, things with real sugar seem SO much sweeter than before, sickly sweet even. Just a nice side effect to keep me away from treats!

I know how you feel. Every month it happens for a few days I eat everything in sight! Puts such a pinch in the weight loss to retain all that water and eat things you wouldn't normally even look at. I can always count on the start of a plateau during that week. I did find that upping the amount of water consumption does help a little, but it takes about 5 days to get the body to pee it all out!

I am noticing a pattern of being tighter at dinner time than I am the rest of the day. I am getting stuck on the first few bites of protein and don't want to eat after that at all. I know typically people are tighter in the morning. Has anyone else experienced this? Anything I can do?

In the past week I've gotten stuck on tilapia, chicken and lobster. Hamburger with no bun went down fine, as did very tender steak and pork. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the foods. Sometimes I do fine with them, and others I'm PB'ing the same foods. Ugh, it's just so hard to know what's going to work. And I don't know about the fill next week. I'm staying full (if I can get rid of this head hunger) for 4-6 hours if I eat a good meal--and if I can dinner down...if I can't get it down, I'm looking for a snack a couple hours later...:biggrin:

Hmm, this makes sense, I do drink most of my water before 5:00 and then not as much in the evening. We usually eat around 6:00 though and I'm having trouble getting stuck on things that usually dont' bother me like the solid proteins. It's troublesome to have to miss most of dinner with my family because I'm sliming in the bathroom! I'm supposed to get a small fill next week, and I'm not sure if I should?

I was banded on March 2 and cruised the last week of April. I had never cruised before and didn't know what to expect, but it was easier than I imagined. We tried to go to restaurants where I could order off the menu to be sure I could get lean Protein in. We went to a lunch buffet one time. I also would ask for the starch to be replaced with a green veg at mealtimes. I had a bite or two off my hubby's plate if I couldn't resist something. One thing to remember is that you will have restriction by then. I only had a little. Just stick with your regular routine--protein first, the green veg and then carb if necessary. Just because the food is there, doesn't mean you won't be able to watch people eat. If you are satisfied, it shouldn't matter. I do think it would be a little strange to have someone leave the table when the meal is served...

Most people don't feel any restriction with one fill. do you know how much was put in your band? I didn't start to get restriction until the 3-4th fill...my MD said to eat until you are full, you can't hurt the pouch at this point (as long as you are following his menu guidelines). There's no way to stretch it because it is basically emptying right through the band into the stomach as soon as you eat. With no restriction to "hold" the food in, it wouldn't be possible to stretch the pouch--unless you are consistently overeating. As everyone will say, this is "bandster hell"--it's the time from surgery where you can still eat as you used to, and until you get restriction, you can't expect to lose weight--if you do, it's an added bonus!

I couldn't agree more with the pp. I started walking about a month out of surgery and started with about 20 minutes every couple days and now am up to about 40-45 minutes 4-6 times a week. I feel guilty when I miss it! Keys are to start slow and increase 1-2 minutes at a time. Pretty soon you will want to do it because you can see how good you feel and how muscular your legs and butt look :w00t:! I've even bought some walking DVD's for this fall and winter and have used them when it's blazing hot outside.

I'm really surprised no one on here has mentioned Craigslist? I've sold all my old clothes there to one woman. I was lucky enough to find someone who loved everything and I would call her has I lost more weight. She ended up getting a REALLY nice wardrobe for about $325 overall--but I also could use that money for new clothes that I needed. I'm lucky enough to work from home, so I'm in big T's and shorts all day, but I did get a few outfits for when I have to go in the office or out to dinner. I just bought 4 pairs of yoga pants for the fall at Old Navy, and spent $12-15 on each pair. It is fun, but I feel the same--it's hard for me to spend money on clothes I know won't fit next year. We don't have a Ross, but I have also tried Goodwill several times, but everything I find seems to be off-season and I don't know what size I might be when the next season rolls around. I've gone from a 24 to an 18 which is now getting to be a little too big. I also bought the yoga pants in an XL, put a pair on the other day and they are going to be too big soon too, I might have to return some and just get a L...haven't been in a Large size in like...14 years...since i was a freshman in college!

I'm having the same problem, but I also feel like I'm close to my sweet spot...I'm scheduled for a fill in one week, should I be concerned with only getting a little fill, or do you find you need a bigger fill with this issue??

I'm in! But, I have two weeks left of my Labor Day challenge...I have 7 more to go, and although I'm pretty sure I won't make it, will those pounds count towards the Turkey day challenge? I'm wondering if I should up my goal a little or not...

Halloween is next, but we should do a Thanksgiving challenge! it's always hard to maintain/lose over the holidays, it would be good to have a goal to work towards...