Wordsmyth

I've written here before about forcing stuck food down with water, which is a no-no. I have done it if I'm in polite company at a lunch or something, but at home I try not to. Lately, in fact, it seems my band has a mind of its own and wants to push the food out more than it seemed to before. I have struggled to figure out how to work well with my band. I try to let things come up more if they need to, and watch how large a bite I'm taking, how thoroughly I'm chewing, and what I'm eating. I don't know why I'm struggling so much. Lately, I have a new issue. This past week and once the week before I've been seized by painful gas pains. I've been walking A LOT and my abdomen was distended for quite a while. I went on a liquid diet and things seemed to calm down. The gas pains were infrequent, but I felt a sort of low-level nausea. Gross alert: my stools have changed color in the past few days. They are now an oddly pale clay/putty color. I looked this up on the web and there are all kinds of scary things, except that I don't have the accompanying symptoms. Then I saw a post on OH that seemed like it wasn't that uncommon for RnY patients. Have any of you bandsters had this problem? I'm going to my doctor's office in the morning. The doc on call seemed remarkably unconcerned. It's weird to feel nauseous and hungry at the same time. For some reason, the thought of my protein drink makes me queasy. Any advice you can offer I'd appreciate.

Thank you! I did not know...

Hi Everyone, I cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong. My food routinely gets stuck and I'm nervous because I know i have to either drink to force it down or have it come back up again (usually I drink). I conciously take smaller bites, chew more, but it seems that I keep getting stuck around the third bite. I'm wondering if it's the type of food. It seems to occur more frequently with any kind of bread (bagels, tortillas, crackers, etc) than with anything else. Has anyone had that experience?

Hi Everyone, I cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong. My food routinely gets stuck and I'm nervous because I know i have to either drink to force it down or have it come back up again (usually I drink). I conciously take smaller bites, chew more, but it seems that I keep getting stuck around the third bite. I'm wondering if it's the type of food. It seems to occur more frequently with any kind of bread (bagels, tortillas, crackers, etc) than with anything else. Has anyone had that experience?

Okay, so I know I'm over a year since this was posted, but you SO made me laugh! If you are like me, weight loss is a personal choice and a personal issue. It feels invasive when others try to get too intimate or want too many details (in my case, that's my mother-in-law, and yuck). People who say "don't gain it all back", I think, are negative people trying to dump their "stuff" on you. If it were me, I'd say (only half-jokingly) "Wow, that's really...supportive?" to through them off guard and discourage their future dumb comments. My mother in law, who is heavy, has harangued me about my weight for years. I was thin when first dating her son, then gradually gained. She started, no kidding, within the first 10 lbs I gained, and got progressively worse in her intrusion and nagging. I finally had to have a 'back off" conversation with her. So now, she tries to back off which makes it slightly better. I didn't want to tell her I was getting banded because I knew it would open the door, but she watched our son the night before surgery, and he knew, so I told her. Now it's "how much have you lost?" "Are you still losing?" etc. Ugh. Now, I have to put up with her. You shouldn't have to put up with coworkers who are full of insensitive remarks. Good luck to you. Kick those turkeys in the rear.

Thank you so much for the encouragement. I'm glad to know that I'm not alone. I have started exercising again--albeit minimally--and that does seem to help. Although yesterday, I ate 1/2 sandwich at lunch and put the other half away because I recognized my full signal...but then ate a big cookie. Errrgh. My body feels heavier in fatter areas. I miss that light feeling. I considered going back on liquids, and I might, but I'd really like to conquer this problem, because it will always be there if I don't. Like you, I do notice that I don't get as punished on the scale when I blow it with the band. I either gain a pound which disappears when I get back on track, or I stay the same. I do hope it works in my favor when getting the fill. I am embarrassed, though. I was such his model patient, I hate to let him down. But, the reality is, there is a reason I (and all of us) gained all the weight that lead us to have surgery. Those reasons don't dissapear with the band. I just have to be smarter about coping with them in healthy ways. Thank you for telling me not to beat myself up. It does help to hear it from someone. Good luck - and keep me posted, okay? :wub:

Unfortunately, this is not a positive blog. I haven't exercised for about 3 weeks because I was hit with a nasty cold, and I started slipping back into old food habits, not journaling, and giving myself way too much license. What I have to show for it is 4 weeks with essentially no loss - what a waste. I'm determined to start back today. I've been under stress at work and working 7 days a week, so I think I reverted back to my old coping mechanism: food, and plenty of sugar. I also stopped logging my food, which is another important thing to keep me on track. I will pick that up again. I recommend sparkpeople.com as a great free site to track online. I go in to get my second fill the first week of April. I'm embarrassed. Here's hoping the next blog will be a positive one. I do not want to go down this path again.

Unfortunately, this is not a positive blog. I haven't exercised for about 3 weeks because I was hit with a nasty cold, and I started slipping back into old food habits, not journaling, and giving myself way too much license. What I have to show for it is 4 weeks with essentially no loss - what a waste. I'm determined to start back today. I've been under stress at work and working 7 days a week, so I think I reverted back to my old coping mechanism: food, and plenty of sugar. I also stopped logging my food, which is another important thing to keep me on track. I will pick that up again. I recommend sparkpeople.com as a great free site to track online. I go in to get my second fill the first week of April. I'm embarrassed. Here's hoping the next blog will be a positive one. I do not want to go down this path again.

I was banded 1/14/10 and have been doing well, except for the last few weeks. I got a bad cold and stopped exercising, and ever since then it has been very hard to get myself back on track. I'm eating the wrong things and feeling really badly about that. I haven't been able to get back to exercise. I am also under stress and working 7 days a week on a special project, which I think I've used as a reason to relax the diet. I have a 10 cc band with my current (and first) fill of 3 cc's. I am scheduled to get another in the first week of April, and I'm not looking forward to the visit because I haven't done well. If anyone could offer me support I would really appreciate it.

Loved it! Thanks for sharing.

Hey, all. I am making myself record the good, the bad, and the ugly. I believe this would be the latter, and I want to make a record of it. I believe I am soon to get a visit from "Aunt Flo from Redlands", and yesterday I was seized with the urge to eat sweets. I was at a meeting, seated right next to the lounge where there were every manner of bready sweet things. I had had a protein drink, but I was hungry. Or at least I told myself I was. So, I had 2 pieces of the only protein source there - string cheese (full fat). The person next to me was eating pan dulce (sweet bread), which is something I love. So, I went into the lounge and took a piece and sliced off a small corner and put it back. I knew that even though it was a small portion, I was entering into dangerous territory letting myself have it. I later went back for another small piece. For lunch I went with a friend to Subway and had a under 6 fat gram sandwich. I ate the protein first, then had some of the bread. Then I had about 2/3 of the macadamia white chip cookie that I ordered with the combo. Sugar bug again. When I returned to the office a few hours later, I was struck by a strong craving for sugar and specifically chocolate. Several of my coworkers routinely add chocolate treats to their desk dishes, so I didn't have to go far. There were very few at the office because they stayed at the meeting. So, in essence it was just me, the chocolate, and my craving. I did not make good choices. Okay, the ugly. I probably consumed the equivalent of two candy bars, perhaps even three. I actually wanted to kick myself while I was doing it. Afterwards, I felt so disappointed, like I'd fallen off the wagon, which I had. My body didn't feel good, either. I felt bloated and yucky and mad at myself. When I came home, I ate the other 1/2 of the fitness meal I brought home from a restaurant the previous evening. I was saited. Then I saw the garlic cheese pretzels and thought, "oooo. I want something salty." I ate them. There was probably about 1/4 - 1/2 cup left. (I want to record the amounts so I can figure out the damage I've done.) I went to sleep feeling absolutely defeated. I've been doing very well on the diet up until now, but I see that I must prepare. Food wise, in terms of meals, I did fine. But I failed the craving test. This morning I feel very bloated and am going to make myself get on the elliptical to get in exercise. Curiously, yesterday morning I felt great about my exercise because I worked up a sweat and stayed on 30 mins. I feel somewhat like I sabatoged that progress. :frown: I want somehow to keep sugar cravings at bay, even when Aunt Flo is on her way. I've heard that cinnamon helps stabilize blood sugar, so I may try that. I'm determined to make today a postive day.

Hey, all. I am making myself record the good, the bad, and the ugly. I believe this would be the latter, and I want to make a record of it. I believe I am soon to get a visit from "Aunt Flo from Redlands", and yesterday I was seized with the urge to eat sweets. I was at a meeting, seated right next to the lounge where there were every manner of bready sweet things. I had had a protein drink, but I was hungry. Or at least I told myself I was. So, I had 2 pieces of the only protein source there - string cheese (full fat). The person next to me was eating pan dulce (sweet bread), which is something I love. So, I went into the lounge and took a piece and sliced off a small corner and put it back. I knew that even though it was a small portion, I was entering into dangerous territory letting myself have it. I later went back for another small piece. For lunch I went with a friend to Subway and had a under 6 fat gram sandwich. I ate the protein first, then had some of the bread. Then I had about 2/3 of the macadamia white chip cookie that I ordered with the combo. Sugar bug again. When I returned to the office a few hours later, I was struck by a strong craving for sugar and specifically chocolate. Several of my coworkers routinely add chocolate treats to their desk dishes, so I didn't have to go far. There were very few at the office because they stayed at the meeting. So, in essence it was just me, the chocolate, and my craving. I did not make good choices. Okay, the ugly. I probably consumed the equivalent of two candy bars, perhaps even three. I actually wanted to kick myself while I was doing it. Afterwards, I felt so disappointed, like I'd fallen off the wagon, which I had. My body didn't feel good, either. I felt bloated and yucky and mad at myself. When I came home, I ate the other 1/2 of the fitness meal I brought home from a restaurant the previous evening. I was saited. Then I saw the garlic cheese pretzels and thought, "oooo. I want something salty." I ate them. There was probably about 1/4 - 1/2 cup left. (I want to record the amounts so I can figure out the damage I've done.) I went to sleep feeling absolutely defeated. I've been doing very well on the diet up until now, but I see that I must prepare. Food wise, in terms of meals, I did fine. But I failed the craving test. This morning I feel very bloated and am going to make myself get on the elliptical to get in exercise. Curiously, yesterday morning I felt great about my exercise because I worked up a sweat and stayed on 30 mins. I feel somewhat like I sabatoged that progress. :tongue_smilie: I want somehow to keep sugar cravings at bay, even when Aunt Flo is on her way. I've heard that cinnamon helps stabilize blood sugar, so I may try that. I'm determined to make today a postive day.

Thanks for the advice. "Protein first" is a mantra for me. Running potatoes? Did you mean runny?