ElfiePoo

OMG...now that's a visual I'm going to have to live with all day. Everytime I start chuckling, my husband is going to give me odd looks and I'll have to reassure him that 'no, honey, I'm not laughing at you.' LOL.

From reading the forum, it's not unusual to get an overfill at some point on the way to restriction. .

I'm sorry if you get so insulted by something so simple No, you're wrong. I would not be insulted. LOL...whatever, HB...whatever. .

ROFL...before or after gnawing on the wings? At 1 week postop I would've eaten the dining room table if it smelled appetizing. Now at almost 4 months postop, and restriction, I have to say that nothing much bothers me anymore. A friend of mine is 6 months postop with restriction but she has a real sweets addiction. Sweets of any kind are not permitted in her home because she'll eat them if they're there. When she goes out, she just keeps telling herself to 'hold on...almost home'. When she's home, she controls her sweets obsession because she lives 30 minutes from the nearest store and having to go out and drive that far is enough to control the obsession. I can't even imagine having to deal with that because as most of us have found out, sweets tend to be sliders so it's all about willpower. The band doesn't help at all. .

I am ROFLMAO. I thought this said 'Crackpot Ranch'. Sounds like a great recipe and if it's a keeper, it will go in my cookbook as Crackpot Ranch chicken. :thumbup: .

Yes, I've noticed that many use the excuse of 'telling it like it is' or 'tough love' when they're being insulting...as if that makes it all better. Telling me (or anyone who feels like me) I'm a food diva and making more out of it than it is, is insulting. I'd bet you would be insulted if someone told you that they lost weight without the band and you could too but you're making too much out of it. We all have issues with food. Your issues are not mine and mine are not somebody elses. If our partners cannot be supportive of us, and we have no expectations of support, it doesn't speak much for that relationship. I'm sad for those people To the OP...you are not being unreasonable or selfish to expect your husband to eat at Hooter's next time. I would very clearly explain to him what that aroma of those wings do to you and ask him to eat them at Hooters, please. I would guess if he's a supportive, loving partner, he'll do so. He probably had no clue how they affected you. My husband didn't until I told him. He still doesn't quite understand my relationship with food, but then his entire family is normal weight and none of them have a dysfunctional relationship with food. .

So now someone is a food diva because a certain food tempts them to the point of having to have it or obsessing about it until they do? We all have issues with food...even you or you wouldn't have been overweight and would not have needed to be banded to lose the weight. This issue is obviously not yours, but let's not be insulting towards those whose issues are different than yours. As for 'not making more of it than it is'...please...someone...feel free to raise your hand and tell me that being banded had nothing to do with health and everything to do with vanity. I would guess that with rare exception, everyone that has been banded did so for their health. And if you think we are not in the same boat as the person who must go on a low fat diet or risk a heart attack, you obviously have not done your research. I would no more think of bringing a bucket of KFC into a home where someone must be on a low fat diet for their health, than I would expect them to bring one of my most favorite foods into my home when I'm also struggling to deal with the same health issues. .

As I said to HB, if that works for you great...but if it doesn't, then not so great. I not only hope my partner will be supportive, but I *expect* him to. Otherwise, he isn't my partner. Partners support each other...that's what they do...and if they don't, they aren't a partner. They're just someone who happens to share my home...like a roommate. No, I don't expect him to forgo food, but I do expect him to not bring things into the house that he knows will possibly sabotage me when the simple thing to do would be to eat those things where he bought them. Again, if your partner had to go on a strict low fat diet because his health was so bad that he was risking early death by not doing so, and he loved KFC, would you bring it into the house knowing that once he smelled it, he'd be craving it until possibly he just 'had' to go out and get some of his own? The same applies to us. If we don't take this weight off, we risk early death. A 'partner' who would blithely bring home food that he/she knows may sabotage you is someone who cares about their own desires more than your *needs*. My husband and I attended a "Marriage Matters" seminar awhile back and I remember the speaker talking about honoring our spouses. That if we honor our spouse, we can be assured of a lifelong, happy marriage. His simple definition of 'honor' was to put our spouse's *needs* above our own *desires*. After reading this thread, I realize how blessed I am to have a husband who honors me and one I honor in return. 'nuff said on my part. .

I have BC/BS of MI and they approved me 2 days after I had my psych eval, which was the only requirement they had. Oh they had the usual 'proof of previous attempts at dieting' (WW, etc.), but my surgeon's office filled out all those details after I told them I'd tried every known diet that came down the pike and had no clue what month or year I tried them. Getting the psych eval took longer than anything else because most psychiatrists wouldn't do just a one time evaluation and there was a longer wait for an appointment at the few who did. However, from seminar to day of surgery, it was only 6 weeks. .

Every doc's requirements are different. Mine did not require any special preopdiet other than liquids the day before surgery. .

At one month postop I felt like I had a tumor growing on my stomach and it was misshapen. At two months, not so noticeable. At 3 months, I can't see it at all. Most days I forget it's even there. .

I moved from Carnation and Slim Fast to EAS Protein shakes because of the protein. Carnation and Slim Fast have a fraction of protein and it's the protein that will keep you satisfied. .

Every doctor is different. Most of the presurgery supervised diets are insurance requirements, not doctor requirements. I had no presurgery diet other than liquids the day before surgery. Same with after surgery. It runs the gamut from 'liquids for one month after' to 'back to solid foods in days'. I was back to regular foods 2 weeks after surgery. I will say that in the 6 weeks prior to my surgery, I lost 14 pounds and without dieting. I just started becoming more conscious about what I put in my mouth. That was also spending a week hitting all my favorite places because I didn't know how soon I'd be able to eat there again. Little did I know that I'd be able to eat there 2 weeks after surgery and until I got restriction (almost 3 months later!). .

I've gone out to 'eat' lunch with friends many times in the past and never ordered anything more than a cup of tea, either because I was dieting or because I'd already eaten but still wanted to get together with them and enjoy their company. Our whole group has gone out and done nothing more than order tea and coffee although we're fairly concientious about not taking up a table if the restaurant is busy. If there are empty tables in the restaurant, then it's no big deal...and we usually tip the waitress quite well for taking up one of her tables in either case. It's not rude at all to expect the restaurant to deal with dietary needs. The restaurant is there to cater to their customer's wishes. If they don't, they won't be in business long. My husband says I'm a high maintenance customer. I don't eat whatever they throw before me. If I order medium well steak and it's not right, I send it back. If my food arrives cold, I send it back. If I've requested that they do not salt my food and it's obviously salted, I send it back. I'm paying...I have the right to get my food the way I've requested it. In a few instances where I had special dietary needs, I called the restaurant ahead of time and asked if this would be a problem. It never has been. As a general rule, they are more than willing to work with you. .

If someone kept turning down my invitations, I'd probably quit asking as well. Keep in mind that they may not totally understand the restrictions you're under now and may have made some assumptions based on your refusals. If you truly do want to go places with them, call them up and invite them to go shopping, etc. Personally, though, I tend to avoid rude, inconsiderate people...even family members. I have little to do with most of my mom's side of the family for this very reason. Oh, I'm polite to them and I don't avoid family functions, but I don't seek them out to do 'friend' things with either. They haven't really acknowledged what I've done except to say, "Oh...you have a band? Good luck with that." in sort of an offhand way. My husband's family members, on the other hand, are always asking how I'm doing, congratulating me on my weight loss and/or asking if there's anything special I need when I'm invited to dinner. Now that I'm coming up on 4 months postop, my band or 'special' needs are hardly mentioned because I've never made a big deal out of it to start with. I just avoid those foods I can't eat and eat those I can. .

Actually, rapid weight loss puts you at higher risk of losing your gallbladder. So there is a 'danger', I suppose. But I agree with you about all the 'experts' saying you shouldn't lose more than 2 lbs per week. Anyone who says you shouldn't lose more than 2 lbs per week obviously has not done the math. The more overweight you are, the faster you will initially lose. The more sedentary you are (assuming you are doing what the experts say and exercising every day or several days a week), the faster you will lose as you begin to move and exercise. .

I *expect* my husband to be supportive, loving, caring and compassionate...and if he can't be, then he can hit the door because a spouse who is none of those things is just a stranger living in my home. I *expect* nothing more from my spouse than I am willing to give. Perhaps that's why I didn't marry until I was 34 and why we've been married for 20 years. Asking your spouse not to bring wings into the house is not asking him to eat nasty food. A husband who brings wings into the home when he knows it bothers his wife is a selfish and inconsiderate person because there is absolutely no reason he can't eat them where he bought them. Nobody is asking their family to drink Protein shakes or eat nasty food. This isn't about 'poor me, I can't have it so you can't'. This isn't about 'why should they be punished because you screwed up.' This is about consideration from our family members. If your husband had to go on a strict fat-free diet because of heart disease, would you bring wings into your home and eat them in front of him, knowing they were his favorite food...knowing you were most likely sabotaging his attempts to get healthy (either consciously or subconsciously)...knowing you were contributing to what will most certainly be an early death if he doesn't control his diet and thus his health? Let's not make light of what we're doing here. We're in the same boat. If we do not lose this weight, our health will (if it hasn't already) suffer to the point of putting us at risk of an early death. By the way, my husband does not have a weight problem either but he eats the way I do...just larger portions. In the end, he'll be healthier for it as well since even skinny men can die of heart attacks from clogged arteries. Oh and neither of us eats bland or nasty food. It puzzles me why you would be. I have restriction and all of my food is just as tasty as it was preband. .

I also have a Realize band and I was told that they usually don't see restriction until somewhere between 8 and 9 cc's. Hang in there. I have 8.5cc and that did the trick for me.

What she said...and the post above her. Genetics, age, how long you've been overweight and how far overweight affect how much skin sag we'll have. Sadly, the only thing going for me is my genetics and I just don't think that's going to help much with being more than 100 pounds overweight for 30+ years and now trying to lose it post 50. :sad: .

The edges of mine kept curling up and I just took my tiny sewing scissors and snipped off the curling ends, per my doc's instructions. I left the rest alone and let it come off naturally. Finally at 8 weeks, he said that I could use by shower brush to 'lightly' wash the rest of the glue off if it wasn't off by then. .

Depends on what I'm eating. It's not only important to learn what foods we can't tolerate, but we need to learn what foods are 'sliders' for us. I made some fried rice tonight with napa cabbage, ground pork, Water chestnuts, onions, egg and various seasonings. I ate one cup...then I ate another cup. Yeah...I overdid it tonight. So I've discovered that rice, when done in this fashion, is a slider food for me. If I had eaten a 3 oz baked fish fillet and 1/2 cup of broccoli, the 2-3 Tbs of rice would not have been a slider food. In fact, I most likely would not have been able to eat the rice at all because, based on experience, I usually am 'full' by the time I finish the rice and broccoli. I do have restriction, by the way. .

HB, I think that's great...if it works for you. However, the OP was stating it was not ok. It was a problem for her to have to smell the wings. In which case, a *considerate* spouse (once he/she has been informed that it's a problem) will refrain. If the doctor had told him his wife was going to die young of complications related to high blood pressure, diabetes, etc, would that spouse help...or continue to fulfill their own desires...cuz let's face it, wings aren't a 'need'...and most of us were banded for health reasons, not because we wanted to go strolling down the beach in a bikini. Sometimes our SO's are clueless. They really don't know what we struggle with in regards to food. They can't be faulted if we don't talk with them. However, if someone goes to their SO and tells them that having wings in the house is a serious problem for them and the SO says 'tough' and/or continues to bring wings in the house, then (and sorry if this offends some), but that is one inconsiderate SO and I'd wonder whether there is any basis for a relationship with someone so self-centered. To the OP...note that I am not accusing your husband of any such thing, but I think you should probably let him know how much it bothers you. A good marriage is built on communication. So communicate :sad: . .

I saw my surgeon at the seminar 6 weeks prior to surgery and then half an hour before the knocked me out on the day of surgery. The office called 3 times in the 2 weeks postop and I went home from surgery with a 2 week followup appointment. That appointment was with the surgeon so he could check my incisions, etc. I haven't seen or heard a peep from him since, although I was told that if I really needed to, that wouldn't be a problem. I haven't needed to. .

Ditto. My husband is always asking me "how can I help?" and wouldn't even think of bringing something into the house that he knows will torture me and make what I'm doing even harder. No, the world shouldn't have to change the way they eat, but my home is my castle and I shouldn't have to deal with the day to day temptations *inside* my castle when they can easily be left outside of it. If my husband's doctor told him that he had to give up certain foods because he had high cholesterol and was in danger of a heart attack, what kind of wife would I be if I brought home KFC and chowed down on it while he ate his salad...particularly if I know he loves KFC. I expect the same loving consideration from my husband. .

I didn't check any because I never had any gas pain. Actually, I never had any pain...just a bit of discomfort if I moved too quickly the first few days after surgery. What a waste of money that pain med was. :sad: