GayleTX

The 'machanics of eating' is a very important part of using your band. Sounds like you haven't had to practice that method before....you're a newbie all over again!! Many doctors say 'you can eat anything you want....just in smaller quantities.' Well, I'm sure that is so for some people.....but very few. Every is different and it takes a few months of experimenting to find out what you can eat, how you can tolerate it prepared.....don't give up, just keep working with it.

The manufacturers of the band say do not drink for an hour after a meal. That is to keep the pouch full as long as possible and to help you control hunger. I think their guidance is the most reliable source of information.

Be sure your pantry is stocked with a good variety of liquids for the next couple of weeks.....SF jello, broth, popsicles, water, tea, and, very importantly, some good protein supplements that you really like. Best wishes to you!!

You feel like there is a little alien in there trying to communicate with you? If so, that's normal!! From what I hear it's a lifetime thing so guess we might as well get used to it.

Louise.....could it be the problem is being caused by the type of food you are eating? There are just some foods a bandsters cannot eat...period. They are not the same for everyone, but not many of us can eat bread without discomfort...some people can't eat beef or chicken.

SF jello pudding; homemade SF custard feels very warm and soothing on a new pouch. Yogurt, cottage cheese (small curd)....mix a little SF jelly in it; refried beans (vegetarian) ricotta cheese (mix a little spaghetti sauce in it to make it tasty); well-cooked cauliflower (mash it up).

sleep apnea?....that's always a possibility.

Kyn......if you are an ice cream lover, I'll tell you something so good it tastes illegal. Do you by any chance own one of those wonderful little ice cream makers (the kind that you put the bucket in your frig freezer for 8-12 hrs, then pour your ice cream mix in it, and it turns either by hand or by electric every 5 min, and then in about 20 min you have ice cream)....anyhow back to my story. If you you have one of these freezers....pour a carton of Micellar Milk or a 2-cup mixture of good Protein mixed up (Cookies and Cream Matrix is great1!)......and make you some great hi protein, low cal, low carb ice cream!! I got my Donvier freezer from eBay for about $14....they come in quart and pint sizes. Great gift for yourself (take it and hide in your room!!)

Another new one on BE.com is the Peanut Butter and Chocolate....by Whey Gourmet. It is wonderfulll!!!

I hope this is not a nutritionist that your surgeon recommended. If it is sounds liike she's trying to test your resolve, see just how badly you want this. Because she grossly exaggerated post -p life......well, after the first couple of months anyhow. And those two months you don't care if you ever eat again or not. My surgeon required the pre-op diet to be two Protein Drinks and one sensible meal a day for 2 weeks. I chose to do it for a month. After two weeks of no sweets/no starches my cravings and appetite were greatly decreased and it has remained that way ever since. Getting my body de-toxed (de-carbed) has made the whole process much easier. After a year I am eating 3 normal meals (small, yes, but fairly normal) and sometimes a coupe of Snacks a day. No carbonated drinks but lots of other liquids. I make sure I get 80-100 grams of Protein (about 1/2 from supplements) and less than 40-50 grams of net carbs.....both those things keep the hunger at bay. Whether or not you can make the lifestyle changes depends on how badly you want to lose weight....how much you will help your LapBand. If you'll help it as much as it help you, you'll do great!

I can have a heckuva lot more fun on vacation now that I could 120 lbs ago!! Unless you count sitting in the hotel room and studying roomservice menu's as fun.

Sounds like you're right on schedule. Just don't let yourself get dehydrted.....try some Immodium and keep on sipping. Protein supps will help keep you from having such loose bowels also.

I would never want to do without my protein drinks again.....they improved my health even before my surgery. I get about half of my 100 grams/day from supplements....I would never get enough if I depended on food. Besides, I love them....I fix them a dozen different ways and I never even think about eating or drinking anything sweet.....they satisfy any need for that I might have. Of course, I use the one for bariatric patients, not the foul tasting stuff made for jocks.

Kat...LOL!!! "Save a horse, ride a cowboy!!" Let's all sing along........

Today is my first surgiversary! So I feel like I've been out long enough I can say I made a good decision. Dont' worry about those first few weeks of deprivation....it's like having a baby - while you're in labor you think OMG...NEVER AGAIN!! but a couple of months later it's all a fuzzy memory and you think "how did I live without this in my life?' Same way with the the lapband. Except I was lucky and never had any pain or remorse at all, but I know some people do at first. If you have to question whether doing without a little food for a few weeks is going to be too painful to make losing a 100 pounds worth it, then maybe you aren't ready. Do like I did.....wait til you are 200 pounds overweight, have diabetes, high blood pressure, and arthritis - then it won't be such a hard decision. Then you will know it's worth it.

Do you post on fitday.com or something similar? That helps me so much! IT's been a real education. I would suggest upping your potein to 60-80 (I myself do 100 grams every day). It's not hard if you find a good supplement you like....and there are some good ones out there if you'll just look. I get about half my Protein from supplements and enjoy every bit of it (shakes, latte's, Protein Bars, etc). Use the ones made for bariatric patients, not jocks. Do you know how many carbs a day you are taking in? Less than 40 net carbs is necessary for me to lose anything (not total carbs, net carbs....look at a label, find Total Carbs; under Total Carbs it will give the Dietary Fibers and Sugars - deduct those two from your Total Carbs- that equals your net carbs). Eliminating all white (starchy) carbs makes it much easier to keep the carb count down. Best wishes to you!!

Rebel attitudes and weight loss surgery are not compatible.

Are you not drinking any protein? If not, you need to add that in to your diet right now and keep it there. It will help with the cravings.

Have you tried drinking warm or room temp liquids? They go down easier than cold. Try some warm weak tea....it is pretty soothing to a touchy pouch. Don't let this go on too long....you do not want to get dehydrated!!

I couldn't use a card.....just cringe at the thought of drawing attention to myself and my eating habits because I'm still big even tho I've lost a lot. I did try just ordering a cup of hot tea while my family ate from a Chinese buffet recently....won't do that again!!! The waiters and cashier all but pulled guns and stood guard around me watching making sure I didn't pick any food off of my family's plates!! Not a comfortable meal for any of us!

I don't think you have to worry about getting a little lump of protein stuck.......most anything smaller than an M&M will go on through. And even if you swallow a lump it will dissovle in your pouch before it travels on thru the stoma.

I'm not sure what a mexi melt is, but it sounds like ground beef and cheese...if so, that's a perfect bandster food! Just leave off the tortilla or chips of whatever comes with it. Refried Beans are a bandster stand-by....go down easy, high Protein. Meatloaf is not bad if it's not loaded with breadcrumbs/crackers, etc and not topped with catsup or sweet sauce.....3 ounces with a veggie would be a good meal for a bandster, but not for a couple of months after surgery at least. Make sure the ground beef/turkey is ground very fine. Egg salad is also a great high protein food (no potato salad, tho....too many bad carbs), also deviled eggs are great to keep in the frig for a snack. Just don't put the egg salad on white bread or crackers (again, empty carbs). Most Chinese has lots of sweet sauces in it.....beware! Egg drop Soup is perfect, tho, and very easy to make at home.

I assume you are still on liquids? Your swelling from surgery should be about gone down by now, so wouldn't think you are experiencing a true PB. When I have one it's sometimes hours after I eat.....usually in the middle of the night, sometimes just as I doze off (I guess when my esophagus relaxes?) I guess that it must happen when the food won't go thru the stoma into the "other"stomach.

Did you explain to him about your insurance? Most doctors hear you when you talk $$$ to them.....call and talk to his nurse. How did you have a 'stuck' episode if you haven't had any fill at all in your band? You shoudn't still have restriction from simple swelling left over from surgery after that period of time.

If you will hit the protein supps as much as possible you will heal more quickly.....it will lessen the likelihood of the fill causing a problem.