Froggie D

Sounds great. I just ordered one. It will shrink with me as I lose more weight, too!

I had an unfill today and my doc said liquids the rest of the day, soft foods tomorrow through Sunday and regular foods starting Monday. I was having some gettig stuck and vomiting episodes so I am taking it very easy. Have been on liquids since last Thursday.

When I am stuck, I don't have any choice - it comes back up and violently. It is so violent I get reds spots areound my eyes (petechia) and see stars. I have tried to hold back but can't.

Hearing that one of my employees said when I lost 73 pounds I lost 73 pounds of attitude too!

I haven't heard much from April Bandsters. Would love to hear from you all! I have lost a total of 73 pounds (51 since surgery day). I am off some meds and down from size 22 to 14 petite. I feel great! Weight loss has slowed down but still going the right direction. Still love my band.

I have not lost much in the last month - only 2 pounds, but I got some wonderful feedback this week. One of my employees told another that when I lost 73 pounds she noticed I lost 73 pounds of attitude too - I am so much better to work for! That makes me really happy!

Yes I eat peanut butter but I have to be careful because it goes down way too easy for me!

I was banded April 7 and have lost 74 pounds since I started my preop diet. I am off my Nexium, off my diabetes meds, off half my cholesterol meds and down from a size 22 to a size 14. My A1C went form 6.8 to 5.9. Suddenly I am having trouble with getting stuck a lot, vomiting up meats and foods I should eat. I am suddenly eating a lot of slider foods and not losing. I get stuck on the first bite or two. I do not eat slowly enough or small enough bites sometimes, but I have pretty violent vomiting 2-3 times per week. It is violent enough that I get petechia around my eyes. I have not gained, but I am not making progress either. I spoke with the surgeon's office and they said to have only liquids until next Thursday when they can see me. I have done two days of liquids. I have pains in my lower stomach and intestinal area and a LOT of gas. Maybe the liquids? I wonder if I am over restricted and need an unfill. Any insight?

Thanks for sharing. Each stage with the band is a whole new experience. I just get to thinking I have this thing down to a science and something new comes up. (and this time "coming up" is pretty literal) My band has been a Godsend for me, but I guess it always is a foreign body in my body. I think I just got frustrated and started eating slider foods rather than deal with the problem. I have to eat slower and take smaller bites. It is a lot better when I do that, but still get stuck sometimes. I guess the thing I miss most is not certain types of food or eating more, but not getting to eat my food while it is hot. The first bite or two is hot and moist and tastes so good, I swallow it too fast and take another bite. Once the first bite or two is down and settled, I can eat fine, but by then it is cold. Live and learn. I think maybe part of why I have been pretty stable is I am post menopausal so I do not have to deal with hormone fluctuation. However, I have been under a lot of stress at work and I wonder if that causes changes in the band? I am on day 3 of liquids and doing better. I am now having a lot of growling and gurgling in my stomach, but the pain is gone. I am really not hungry, just feeling sorry for myself because I cannot eat. I have had a lot of gas and bloating for several weeks I think maybe the getting stuck once and then not letting it settle and starting that viscious cycle is what happened. Maybe I will not need an unfill. I will see what my doc thinks. It helps to hear other's stories! Thanks

I am having only liquids. I had my Protein drinks as instructed, and some thin Soup and lots of Water. I did talk to them directly and she said Thursday would be fine if I did only liquids as long as I could get water down with no problem, and I can. She told me cottage cheese and really soft foods are ok too but I am not risking it. My pain is gone today and no vomiting as I am on liquids only. I have actually lost a pound for the first time in weeks. I know that is not the goal right now but a nice side effect! I will do exactly as I am told - do not want to have a major problem. Thanks for responding. When you have a problem like this, it does not really help to talk to friends and family as they have no ideas and sometimes sort of panic. My husband tends to think I am a bit of a hypochondriac and that I over react to everything. Needed someone who is in the same shoes to support me. Thanks

I weigh daily because for me losing is like winning the lottery - and if you don't play, you can't win!:wink2:

If you did a preop with high protein and are 9 days postop and not eating much, you may be in ketosis. This is a state where your body burns more glycogen in your liver and if you eat low carbs - the desired state in the Atkin's diet. You can read about it on the internet for more info. You lose well in this state.

Yes Yes Yes, you actually feel full and are not hungry for hours! It is amazing. I thought the band would prevent me from eating and make me sorry if I did eat. It is not like that. It actually has made me stop craving and thinking about food 24 hours a day. I eat, get full quickly and feel satisfied. Sure, I have to choose the right things. I would never get full on ice cream as it melts and slides right through. But if I do what I was taught, eat Protein first, then veggies and fruit and if I have room last I have starches (I rarely have room) I do not need to overeat. I love my band!

I have fallen off the wagon and making a committment tonight to get back on it tomorrow! I was banded April 7 and have lost 69 pounds including my preop diet. I started exercising in June and have done well with that. I even lost weight on my vacation.:smile: But I have not lost since I got back from my vacation (August 30). I continued to exercise until about 10 days ago, and have still lost some inches. Last week I had foot surgery. I have not been able to do much and have been eating like crazy, in spite of having pretty good restriction. I am eating all the wrong things and way more than I need. :sneaky: I went to the gym and did exercise bike and arm bike for 30 minutes. Not to bad, so until I get my stitches out on Thursday, I will do that. I am making a public committment to get back to my high Protein, low carb, all my Water, eating plan. I am determined to lose at least 40 more pounds! :yesnod: Thanks for listening!

Thanks everybody. I ate right today, went to the gym, and I am trying very hard to not eat anything else tonight (eating a SF popsicle!). I get a fill next week so I hope that will help too. Good luck to all of you!:smile:

One easy low calorie thing I fix is shrimp. I found cooked shrimp frozen at Walmart that is very tasty, for a good price. I run water over it to thaw it out, put it in a pan with a spray of olive oil spray and a sprinkle of cajun seasoning. I let it heat for a few minutes with the lid on and it is very good. I eat a lot of chicken, but get tired of it sometimes. This is a nice change.

My doc described the pouch as having wrinkles in it where the band is like when you pull the string on a drawsting bag. N-saids cause irritation and bleeding when they sit on the stomach lining. He said the n-saids can get caught in the wrinkles and sit there a long time. It can contribute to band erosion from the inside out. I avoid it although I was a regular user of Ibuprophen before my band - my favorite drug!:smile:

How small are the Citrical Petites? I looked at them but wasn't sure. I was told not to take anything bigger than an M&M. The calcium chewables are expensive.

I have always been allergic to dairy and use soy. after surgery I have had a continuing problem with gas and never used milk. It might not be lactose intolerance. Try the lactaid products and check it out. If you do decide to go to soy, I use soy Protein powder from Whole Foods health food store. I mix it in soy milk and add Crystal Light for flavor.

Wonderful! You should tell everyone - success should be shared!

I use Propel Vitamin Water mix. I love the Kiwi-Strawberry.

The machine they gave me is a self adjusting machine that records what you need to prevent the apnea episode each night. You wear it for 2-3 weeks. I slept really good with it. They picked it up Thursdayand said my average was almost 13. I was at a 10 before. I did not have a full sleep study. I will insist on one when I lose all my weight. I was able to do this through my PCP. About a month or so ago I started having multiple times at night where air would come into my mouth from the pressure in my nose. I would wake up doing little puffs to expell the air from my mouth. I was waking up a lot and started having headaches, yawning, feeling generally lousy. Getting up in the morning was becoming harder and harder. My mask with the little pillows in my nose does not seem to work any more with this machine, although I used the same mask with their machine and had no trouble. I also had sore throat and very dried out mouth upon awakening, so I must have been breathing with my mouth open. For the weeks on the machine, I slept good and felt good. I also lost excellent weight. Since they took it away, I am sleeping horrible again and feeling worse each day. I also have not lost weight since they took it back. Also feel mildly depressed. I am waiting for them to come out and adjust my machine so I can sleep again. I just can't figure it out as my husband says I am not snoring much at all.

I was banded April 7 and have lost a lot of weight. I have seen really good things with my meds and medical issues. I started having problems with my C-pap so I thought I was needing it less. They sent out a titrating machine and determined my pressure has gone from 10 to 13! I don't understand how losing weight could make it worse! Oh, well. I am off my diabetes meds and would rather sleep with a C-pap than be diabetic! Anyone else have this experience? :blushing:

Steak goes down very nicely in small bites, but sometimes hamburger won't. Popcorn is no problem. Nuts are no problem. Raw veggies are no problem. Everything goes down fine if I just take small enough bites and chew it well. Moist is better.

Huge accomplishment! Great work! :thumbup: