GuyMontag

If I'm hungry I eat. If I'm not hungry I don't eat.

My psych eval was just some standard questions. I'm sure each doc is different but my psych eval was pretty low key and we just kind of talked and laughed about stuff in a very conversational way.

Wake up, get out of bed, grab a comb across my head. Oh wait, that's a Beatles song...I start the day with decaf coffee w/splenda all morning until lunch time. I eat a small lunch and then eat dinner around 7pm. Usually a small snack around 9pm and bed by 11pm. About an hour after I eat I drink nonstop until the next meal. I drink either water, decaf coffee, or diet decaf tea.

I mean this in an encouraging way so please read it in that tone. If you are having this much trouble pre-band then you will probably struggle post-band. That's not to discourage you from getting banded but to advise you to seek help now before you get your band. I too eat for emotional reasons and crave many foods that are bad for me especially when I'm stressed and the longer the day goes the worse the cravings get. If you can get into some therapy and serious support groups now perhaps you can get a jump on why you are having such a hard time with food choices. We've all struggled with the pre-op diet but it is important for two reasons, the first is to shrink your liver to make the surgery safer to perform, and secondly it's a good test to see if you can go a short period using your willpower to restrict your diet. Make no mistake, the band is not a magic bullet. You will still need willpower with the band. The band makes it easier to make the right decisions but it doesn't make them for you. Again, not to be discouraging, but if you do this on the pre-op diet you'll do it post-op and the sooner you can begin to explore reasons why you make poor food decisions the more effective the band will be for you. Good luck and don't give up hope! As everyone knows who's gone through it, the pre-op diet SUCKS and is HARD but necessary.

For some people the types of calories matter more than how much. For me any types of carbs slows my metabolism and causes me to either stall in my weight loss or gain. Also, many people subscribe to the theory that too few calories can cause your body to go into starvation mode and hinder weight loss. Anyway, those are just a couple of ideas. Good luck!

I was dying on the pre-op and asked my doc if I could have some snack food and he said since I had lost 10lbs in four days I could have olives, almonds, or baked chicken. That was a life saver but I only did it after consulting him first and because I had lost so much already on the pre-op diet.

For long term heartburn I'd recommend Prilosec on a daily basis. I did a lot of Tums early on but for true relief I have to take Prilosec once a day. Realize that Prilosec doesn't work instantly and does its best after it's built up in your system over a couple of days. Lastly, make sure you know the difference between acid reflux and heartburn. Acid reflux usually happens at night and can be indicative of problems whereas daily heartburn is usually more benign in nature and can be solved with simple OTC solutions.

Hair loss is common with any type of rapid weight loss. Getting in your protein and supplementing with products like Biotin can help but there's no guarantee you won't have some hair loss. The good news is it usually only lasts during the rapid weight loss period and your hair goes back to normal afterwards.

Your band can lose fluid but that's not necessarily your problem. When you lose weight your stomach can become leaner and the band won't put as much pressure as it used to. I went through this several times with my weight loss and had to get fills to compensate. When you say you have acid reflux is it acid reflux like at night or heartburn throughout the day? I get acid reflux at night if I eat less than 2 hours before bed. However, I always have heartburn and have since almost day one with the band and have to take a daily Prilosec for that. If you have them check the fluid in your band be wary because just having the fluid pulled out, checked, then put back in can have the same effect that an actual fill can and cause you to swell. I made the mistake once when I just needed a little bit of a fill of having them check my fluid AND add some at the same time and I paid dearly for it in extra swelling.

Keep on rockin' it!

Does it happen on the first bite or subsequent ones? As a rule of thumb I take a smaller first bite, chew very well, then swallow. I then put my fork or spoon down and wait in between bites. I no longer get my next bite ready and on its way to my mouth before I swallow the bite I'm currently chewing. By putting your utensil down and waiting until you are ready for the next bite before you start getting it ready on your plate you will force yourself to slow down. Also, bites need to be WAY smaller than before you were banded. Not to mention it can depend on what you're eating. If I take a bite of pizza it can hurt. If I take a bite of mashed potatoes there's no way that will hurt unless I'm trying to wolf it down. Fruit is another one for me that can give me problems and cause pain if I don't take it VERY slow.

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The cool thing is I guess you really can't max them out. While they say that you have a 10cc or a 14cc band that doesn't mean you can't fill it past that. At one time I had over 14.5cc in mine but after a bout of dehydration brought on by not taking in enough fluids and running a 5k in 95 degree heat, I decided to back it back down to just over 14cc. Some people just have leaner stomachs (at least on the inside) and require quite a bit more fill than others. The good news is the band is basically just like a big balloon and you can put a LOT of saline in them!

I lost 11lbs my second month. But guys usually lost fast and also, the bigger you are the faster you tend to lose.

For some reasons salads and fruit can really go down slow for me. Maybe that's why they gave you the dietary restriction.

It took me 18 fills to fill up my 14cc band. I started out getting 3cc then 2cc and 1cc fills after that. The tighter I got the lower the amount of fills. I was pretty loose at first so getting .25cc would have taken forever!

Yeah. Just a lot less of it than I used to. I lost a lot of weight eating sausage and bacon because it's on the Atkins diet. My one concern is the fact that it's processed meat.

I cough after eating sometimes. I think nasal drainage might play into it some but I'm not really sure. You're definitely not alone.

Current favs are any kind of breakfast meats and eggs, crab cakes, tuna salad, mini quiches, regular quiches, hearty soups as some examples.

I eat pretty slow so for me it's rather obvious. I sometimes get mild hiccups as well that signal that I'm full.

Sometimes you just have to keep on trucking and bugging them until they get you approved.

+1 for too tight.

Best things about my job...1) Paycheck and 2) Going home.

I love almonds, pistachios, cashews etc. and they are very filling. Even beef Jerky is a great snack with lots of Protein.

I can hear stuff sometimes if I think about it but people around me can't. Speaking of staplers and tricks like that I've found myself asking my coworkers elaborate questions to make them eat slow so I don't look weird taking an hour to eat. Lol. Tricks of the trade I guess.