Melissannde

Where to start. First of all, the band is around our stomachs, not our mouths nor our brains. You are going to have to work on the dis-connect between wanting to eat as we did before and the desire to lose weight. Getting a fill will only fix the stomach part.. the brain and mouth part will take work on YOUR part. The wait for a fill for 6 weeks is recommended by the band manufacturer, this is to allow for good seating of the band. Your doctor may or may not agree to an earlier fill. You can ask, but IMO you would probably be doing yourself a disservice. Are you supposed to be on solid foods already? Every doctor is different in their progression for their patients, so I'm not scolding about what you chose to eat.. just wondering. At 2 weeks out I was allowed regular food too, but at 18 months from surgery I still haven't had regular pizza. I haven't missed it all that much either. Who is putting pizza in front of you anyhow? This isn't very supportive behavior for a new bandster (again, just my opinion). Next time your family is having pizza, consider making your own, bandster style. Look at the website Flatout Bread – Better Than Sliced Bread for some ideas on how to make a healthier pizza. You can use the flatout bread or just a low carb tortilla. If no other choice than regular pizza, I've read other bandsters blot the grease off the top with napkins and then just eat the toppings..leaving all or most of the crust behind. Another option is that next time something is served that you know you are going to have trouble with portion control is to take a bandster portion (3oz Protein, 1/2 cup veggies.. OR meat size of the palm of your hand, tennis ball size of veggies), eat yours slowly and then remove yourself from the table. My church often has a coffee hour after services. I get a small portion of whatever and then when I'm through, I go do something else. Last time I put myself in the kitchen washing dishes so I wouldn't eat. Try going for a walk or putting away the clean dishes, fold clothes, crochet, knit.. something to keep your hands and mind busy. Does your doctor's office offer a support group or a nutritionist support? Please call and find out and get yourself to a meeting. Take whoever is buying the pizza too. So you fell off the wagon.. get back on and try again today. DO NOT GIVE UP!! :thumbup:

I agree it will vary. Depends on your activity level, your weight, height and some other things that aren't so easily measured. I like to use The Daily Plate on LIVESTRONG.COM - Calorie Counter, Weight Loss, food Calorie Counter, Nutrition Facts | LIVESTRONG.COM and use the calculator there to determine my caloric needs to lose 2lbs a week.

I like Ross. I found a pair of the famous Not Your Daughter's Jeans there ..usually 100.00 or so.. for only 20.00. I also like the Gloria Vanderbilt line of jeans, esp. the "Amanda" cut for my body type. She has other cuts for differing types. GV jeans are available at Bealls (which might be Stage other places.. and maybe Fashion Bug?). My support group has clothing exchanges from time to time. Ask your coordinator if they would have one.

Try not to stress over family visiting. Let them come, but tell them you will be adhering to your doctor's orders regarding food and exercise and hope they will be supportive. And someone I know, who has been banded 12 years, says "progress, not perfection". If you should make a poor choice or two while family is visiting, it's not the end of the world or the end of weight loss. Just get back on track and try to do better. Congrats on your banding. P.S. Is there an error in the stats re preop diet & date of surgery weights?

I have no idea if you're causing yourself harm. Don't know your medical history or exactly how your doc secured your band. I can tell you that some people get stuck on salad. Popcorn is a slider food and will tend to make you HUNGRIER in the long run. Try as hard as you can to stick to the program your doctor has set for you.. and call the office on Monday for guidance on these foods. I know it's tough.. hang in there as best you can.

smoked salmon (forget if it's chicken of the sea or starkist) in a pouch. Mix with reduced fat philadelphia cream cheese (in the mini tubs). Spread on crisp & light wasa crackers. top with thinly sliced veggies of your choice.. suggestions, onions, cucumbers or tomatoes. Salmon is 120 cal, cream cheese, 80, wasa, 20 each. I usually eat 3.. so whole meal (NOT counting veggies) is 260 calories. The wasa contributes some carb, but also Fiber. John Soules fajita chicken slices, with 1/4 cup gebhardt fat free refried Beans. heat for a little bit, then lay a slice of 2% cheese over the beans (I like pepperjack.. ) and heat another 5 seconds to melt it. Add green veggie of your choice. eat the chicken and beans together.. the refried beans helps the chicken go down. I agree with the poster who suggests moistening things before heating. That helps enormously. You could also try drinking a cup of hot Water with lemon, hot tea or hot coffee before your meal. That should loosen the band just enough to let you eat without problem. The last thing to consider is that you might need a tiny unfill. I had one of .2cc back in May when everything hurt to eat. Solved the problem for me. I got the .2cc put back in early September. Good luck!

I would definitely try another doctor before I went for another surgery. 3.5 cc's is probably not enough for you. I've had to be unfilled too because of being too tight, but they only took out .2cc's... 2.5 cc unfill is pretty big, IMO. It can also make a difference in which band you have, the realize band seems to take more fill to achieve dimming of appetite than the lapband. This is a general observation, and not necessarily true of all people ~ disclaimer. Good luck on finding another doctor. In the meantime, push the fluids to help with appetite.. I know, not easy. Hang in there!

One of my nurses said that popcorn is considered a "soft" or slider food. In general, not recommended as something that will keep you full. Are you getting stuck on it?

Or Ultrasound. No radiation. My NP used U/S to find mine until I lost enough weight for them to find it easily.

I can see that point of view. There's another way I might use this idea though.. I recently needed to make something for a bake sale and contributed things that were low fat & low sugar. If I had known about 100 calorie cupcakes, I might have made them for the bake sale. The recipe I found said it made 14.. that would be just about right. One to mess up, one for me to eat and the rest to the bake sale. ::grin::

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Hi Gracie, While it's very common to still be hungry on small meals before your first fill, there is something else going on here. You might consider rethinking your vegetable choices. Both corn and potatoes tend to be high glycemic foods. In very basic terms what this means is that these foods tend to make our blood sugar spike and then when the levels drop down again, we're hungrier sooner. :smile2: I'm not saying you can never have these foods, but if hunger is a problem.. making a change might help. Are there some green veggies you like? Broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, green Beans, brussel sprouts are all lower on the glycemic index. Here's a list that might be helpful: Low Glycemic Index Vegetables This gives a basic explanation of the GI and it's effect on hunger: The Glycemic Index Hang in there, it gets easier with fills.

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My nutritionist says winter squash is ok, but to take it easy on it as it is higher in carbs than summer squash. Instead of 1/2 cup (like I do other veggies), I'd eat 1/4 cup or less. Moderation in all things. :smile2:

I'm just about to finish my 64oz now. I drink 16 oz during my morning workouts, I make myself drink another 16oz before I let myself have lunch. Then 1 hour after lunch I start on the next 32 oz. Then there's the other things I drink, Powerade zero, hot tea, iced tea, crystal light.. etc. However, I am 18 months out from surgery. If you are recently banded you are not expected to be able to drink the whole 64oz right away, or at least, according to my doctor "it may be a while before you can get the whole 64oz in". Do your best and it will eventually get easier. Keep a bottle or glass of Water with you all the time. I like to play online computer games and make a point to take a sip everytime I score. Silly, but it works for me.

Who told you you could only have cup of soup? If it was your doctor, call and clarify. Are you still in the liquids phase? You didn't give us much information. :laugh: I had campbells soup from the can, thinned with chicken broth and whirled in the blender till there were no lumps. As time passed, I progressed to thicker n thicker soups. If it hurt to eat them, I knew I hadn't thinned them enough and back I'd go to the kitchen to add more broth. None of us know you or exactly what your doctor has in mind for you.. so your best bet is to call the office when they are open and ASK!!

Take your measurements now.. and then again in a few weeks. You might be compacting and not realize it. Even though the scale is barely moving, sometimes our bodies are reshaping. Exercise is also good. Hang in there.. the graph of my weight-loss looks like rick-rack.. but overall it's downhill.

Would you say cut some slack to a person who brought in alcohol when there was a recovering alcoholic in the house?? I'm not saying they can't eat it, there's plenty of places other than the house they can have it.... just don't bring it home.

re "naughty bag" (love that name): Just say thank you and then throw it away when they've left or are not looking or re-gift it to someone w/o a weight problem. We're lucky in that we live out where no one trick or treats. Buying stuff you don't like is a good idea. Could you stash it somewhere you wouldn't have easy access to it till the big night? My dh brought home tortilla chips today.. I yelled at him to put them out of my sight .. mad that he bought them in the first place!!

Do you mean Sept. 30th or were you banded almost a year ago? In either case, call your doctor. I know it's Sunday, but there should be someone to take call.

It's not uncommon to gain a little bit when we return to "real" food. Don't beat yourself up if the scales do have numbers you don't like. I fight the tortilla chip demon too.. and saltines and any kind of crispy crunchy carb. The only solution for me is to not have them in the house. Doesn't work too well with 3 other people here who aren't trying to avoid carbs... LOL The only saving grace I have is that I'm the one who does most of the grocery shopping .. and I don't buy them (most of the time). If DH buys them, I ask him to put them in a cabinet out of my sight. Helps, but doesn't work 100%. Congrats on making through the liquids/mushy phase. When you start getting fills, and start getting some dimming of the appetite..it will be a little easier to fight the food demons. Keep in mind it may take more than 1 fill to get really good appetite control. Most of us have been where you are and made it through.. you will too.

I was going to suggest the C25K program but Mariasha beat me to it. I wish I would've started it a while back, there's a 5K today I could've run if I had prepped for it. (and no, I can't even walk it yet.. walked my 3 dogs 1 mile last week and spent the next morning with awful cramps) Oh well, I'll get started for the next one.

What did you mix the Syntrax with? I find it's too weak in flavor using Water. I have to use Powerade zero or crystal lite or something to give it more flavor.

My doctor advises against straws to prevent swallowing of air. Says swallowing of air will increase discomfort from gas pains. This is his recommendation only for the immediate post-op period. After we quit having incision and gas pains we can use straws or not as we please.

www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate.com is where I log my food choices. If you want to see my food journaling, email me for my user name there. I find the dailyplate to be the most comprehensive.. rarely do I have to add anything like I've had to at fitday or sparkpeople. It also has apps for blackberry, iphone and I think the droid now. Most of the things you'll need to use at dailyplate are free.. I've used it for over a year at the free level and has met all my needs.