Razorgirl

I've been making bento boxes for a couple of years now...to the point that it borders on mild obsession and it just occurred to me that bento boxes are (luckily) basically the perfect for people with lap bands! Tiny, gorgeous boxes, carefully filled with visually stunning, nutritionally dense, interesting food, and they're designed to be portable- what could be more appropriate for people who rely on portion control and careful nutrition? Bento boxes are practically tailor made for people with lap bands! I had a short period where I was only making my husband's lunch bentos and for some reason I wasn't making my own between the surgery and a few days ago (first fill). I guess I didn't know what do do and had to learn about how to eat again. But after I thought about it I realized that bento-ing is actually what I really need to be doing in the long term... so I'm over the moon because it's one of my favorite things to do and I'm so glad it's so appropriate for my weight loss agenda, so bring on the kyaraben!! I have over 100 pics of my bentos I think I'll start a website about it. Any other bento box people here? Any other "bandits" have an entire section of their kitchen devoted to cute little lunch boxes, ornate toothpicks and little sauce containers from Japan? I'd be shocked if other bandsters weren't bento boxing. It's just..so...perfect!! :thumbup:

Tee hee! I thought I may be the only one! My band has a few names. I call it "the alien", "Sven" (he's Swedish) or "the thing" and my husband and my bandmate call me "borg queen" hehehe. Good to know I'm not alone in the naming of my thingee.

Oh yeah there is some great inspiration on flickr and all over the web! I used "google translate" a lot for the Japanese sites too. I should post photos of some of my boxes there too. I keep forgetting!! Edit! Better late than never!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/36429845@N04/sets/72157623092300551/

I was hoping someone else had already asked this question to spare me the embarrassment but if it's already been asked I can't find it! My hubbie and I are into BDSM and I'm wondering if any experienced bandsters know if we have to play more gently after getting banded (I really, really hope not.) Hubbie and I played rough tonight (I was banded on Dec4) and my port seemed to flip horizontal for a moment and I had to flip it back into place with my finger. Isn't it supposed to be stitched on? I am perplexed by the whole thing. It was definitely flipped onto its side and bulging! I'll elaborate on the subject and the situation if required but leave it at that for now. *Dies of embarrassment*

A corset! Of course! I have a few kicking around too. Why didn't I think of that? Think I'll opt for the cincher I have or perhaps just wear a bodysuit or something. Will probably avoid the heavy duty Edwardian one. hehe. I hope it works and I'll update what the clinic says about it too.

Yep, I'm going to call on Monday. Thanks for the link!

My port is just below my sternum and ever since I got the lapband done on the 4th of Dec, I've been obsessed with it. I can see it, feel it, grip it with my fingers. I get my friends to poke it so they can say "ooooh neat!" The other day when the hubbie and I were fooling around I swear it flipped and went horizontal. I had to sort of guide it back to it's default position. Has this happened to anyone else?

Hey there. Got banded on the 4th...2 days till the "mushies" stage, tonight I ate a green bean and a scrambled egg and I'm freaking out. Could I have caused pouch enlargement or slippage with a green bean and an egg? I feel ok...I think. Every little feeling is making me wonder if something is wrong and I really can't tell. Anyone have any opinions or personal experiences? I could use some input here I'm freaking out. :willy_nilly:

Bravo, Bobbie!!

I don't know how much weight I've lost/gained because I don't actually own a scale!! I should probably get one lol. My husband says I'm "curvier" and my waist has gone down a whopping 2 inches. My face looks slimmer too...so I assume I have lost some weight.

Just Ice, you will probably go through the same thing after surgery. It seems to be what happens! I've always prided myself on a steel will and thought the same as you, Just Ice. I read people's "I cheated" threads and guiltily thought they were weak and there was no way I would do that but boy is it a different story when you're going through it. 2 weeks of liquid gets very hairy for ANYONE. You'll see when you're there and we'll all be here to talk you through it! No need to be proud about it. We are all here to help eachother and even people without weight problems would find 2 weeks of liquids extremely trying. I had my first experience with being "stuck" yesterday and it was horrible. Now I'm freaked out because I vomited a little. Ah. Tis the lapband journey. It's definitely a learning curve!

I just have to add that I just ate the best banana that ever existed in the history of mankind. It was the banana of the gods. Oh and I called the clinic and they practically laughed at me for freaking out over a string bean. All is well. :thumbup:

Ladies! We're all in the same boat here and everyone has different opinions and philosophies on their own lap band journey. No need to squabble!

Well, officially on mushies today and just had the best bowl of squash ever hehehe. Crisis averted!

I do everything in excess. I was a drug addict for many years and I'm 7 years clean after medical withdrawal. That may be a part of it...so many years starving, as soon as I went clean I packed on the weight because I guess my body thought it would be best to store every calorie into fat in case I was to starve again. I also began eating more after I got off drugs, and got diagnosed with PCOS. Aside from that, I've always been chubby on and off except for the times I was "voluptuous" as a teen and young adult. I was an "alternative" model. My mother was a model as well (a very high profile one actually, dare I say supermodel) and had some neurosies about food. We have similar eating patterns now that I think about it. Feast and famine. My problem is that I starve and then binge eat...but unlike her I didn't purge! I am also anxious. I love walking and walking but only do it at night because I avoid people for the most part despite being a bit of a "social butterfly" sometimes. I've heard nocturnal people are prone to obesity and I also "feast or famine" when it comes to exercise. I loaf around all week and then maybe go for an epic 7 hour walk the next week. I guess I loaf and exercise in excess too. Felt good to type that!!

Thanks for all your feedback, guys...all opinions are valued! I just want to be clear about something here. I have insane willpower. I quit heroin 7 years ago and my addiction is what the doctors and I believe to be the source of my seemingly impossible to lose weight. I am saying that to assert in 6 months I'm going to be just fine. I ate a greenbean and an egg because I felt dizzy. I should have made a protein shake instead of eating what my husband was eating but it's not like I ate something terrible. I haven't eaten fast food in over a decade and it's just like me to "cave" on a green bean and an egg! lol. I think everything is going to be ok. Thanks for all your advice, guys. Minor freakout but now that I think about it, I think its all good. :thumbup:

Yeah I'm going to call and tell them tomorrow. I am worried that I'm digesting and the stitches are being stressed. I guess I'll see tomorrow what they say. Until then, probably be worried!

In Toronto here too. Ah, tis a fine city to walk a woof and find little secrets.

I wish I could believe that, Bonmag! But I'd be too paranoid to consume anything that may cause my stomach to move which may endanger the stitches! I think I'll call the clinic on Monday and ask if I can move to puree a day early. I can't wait to eat something that's not soup. Hehe.

Well, I did it! I got banded yesterday. Doc found a hernia and fixed it too incidentally. I'm just wondering how many of you had a generally hard time with pain and difficulty breathing after the surgery. I have to sleep sitting up because I can barely breathe lying down...it's pressure or something and the shoulder gas pains are ridiculous. I took gas x but it doesn't seem to work too well. I take demerol which takes the edge off for awhile between doses, but the pain always mounts. I've spent a lot of time pacing since the surgery. For those of you who had surprise hernia repair, difficulty breathing and insane shoulder pain...how long did it last? As incoherent as this post is I think I'm just looking for someone to tell me this won't last too long. All that aside 20lbs lost from pre-op. That I can be happy about!

Pain is gone...now just contending with the 3 week liquid diet. Everything going down makes me nervous lol. I'm on full fluids now and I wonder if a tiny piece of onion or something is going to unfurl me. Does anyone know...for the full fluid phase, if soup has "bits" in it, is that going to mess my band up?

Thanks for all the replies. It's comforting to know that others had the same kind of pain I am and they lived through it! Lol. I have a very high pain tolerance but hooo boy that shoulder thing is intense. Here's hoping it'll go away soon...until then I'll try the "burping" and keep on the demerol (although the demerol doesn't seem to do much.) Only a few more days is what I'm going to think to myself!

Hey, Kslessar! We're getting banded on the same day. Dec 4th 8am. Nervous and excited as to be expected. Don't forget to give us a shout and tell everyone how it went!

I like December Divas too. Or how about...Decandent Decembers?