ElfiePoo

Oh, and I don't think the food is digesting in the upper pouch. It only digests when it finally slides through to the main part of the stomach where the digestive juices are. I could be wrong, but this is my understanding. .

You may just have temporary swelling. I'd just do liquids (protein shakes and soups) for a few days to see if this resolves. .

Make sure you're taking *tiny* sips of Water, but if you still are having trouble with water tomorrow, I'd call them and get a slight unfill. They may not even need to take out more than .25cc...but you must be able to drink water. We can go a long time without food, but even a few days without water can lead to death. I think I read somewhere that 3 days without water and the body's organs start shutting down. .

My doc only required a one day clear liquid diet preop and then 2-3 days on each phase (clear, liquid, puree, etc.) postop. I was back on solid foods by the end of the 2nd week. .

Shoot...I'd just rather eat the food and enjoy it. Even though you aren't swallowing, you are taking in quite a number of calories despite that. If I'm going to get the calories, then I want my tummy to be satisfied too. I can't eat regular pizza because the dough gets stuck, but my son loves those Totinos pizza rolls and I had about 6 of those this weekend. Satisfied my craving for pizza, had an acceptable number of calories, and filled me up. .

Congratulations...and you without restriction yet, too! Way to go! .

I was never overweight until I hit the age of 13...and then I put on 30 pounds in one year because I was always ravenously hungry. I now know it was because that was when the hormones went crazy and my lifelong journey with hypoglycemia started. At any rate, during those crucial early teen years I saw myself as 'fat'...even though I have some pics of myself at my aunt's wedding when I was 15 and all I can say is, "man, was I hot!" When I was at my top weight of 330, I knew I was grossly fat but was still shocked when I saw pictures of myself because that was not what I saw when I looked in the mirror. Even at 260, I never 'felt' as fat as pictures portrayed me. .

Congrats on hitting goal!

From your mouth to God's ears. It's nice after 2 months of yo-yoing, first with restriction, then not, then with. This one may be 'it'. .

Thank you...my point exactly. .

I'm putting this here because I didn't want to derail the thread it was in. Also, I am not arguing against the merits of exercise or, alternatively, an active lifestyle. I am merely exposing a myth that one *must* exercise to lose weight. Recent research has proven that's not totally true...and plain logic shows it's not true. Losing or gaining has to do with calories in vs. calories expended. Now, there's no denying that exercising will help you burn those calories faster...or allow you to continue with the 2 lb a week weight loss but be able to eat more. But you can lose without exercising. For example, to maintain my weight of 229 pounds at my age, height and activity level, I would need around 1700 calories per day. To maintain a weight of 140 pounds, everything else being the same, I would need 1550 calories per day. So if I eat 1550 calories a day *now*, I will lose weight but slowly. If I want to lose weight a bit more quickly without exercising, I can drop my daily calories to 1200 and lose about 2 pounds per week. As I get closer to my goal weight, the amount of calories needed to maintain the current weight vs the goal weight becomes less, which means I will lose more slowly...but I will lose...and without exercise. I can still lose weight faster without exercising though...keeping in mind that I think of 'exercise' as as a formalized regimen such as aerobics, Pilates, going to the gym, walking 30 minutes each day, etc. Instead I could just increase my daily activity through gardening, lawn mowing, leaf raking, snow shoveling, washing walls, scrubbing floors, backpacking, cross country skiing, hiking, dancing, etc. But if I choose to do neither, I will still lose...just more slowly. . .

I'm not going to argue the definition of exercise vs. healthy active lifestyle but there is a difference in most people's minds. When we talk about an active healthy lifestyle, we don't talk about target heart rates, cardio, how many minutes a day, times a week, etc. That is all beside the point. Exercise or a healthy active lifestyle, while beneficial in many ways (which I agreed to in my OP), will only help you lose faster by burning more calories, building muscles that burn more calories and increasing metabolism...but it's not *necessary* to lose weight. Losing or gaining is simple math (assuming there is no medical reason such as hypothyroidism, etc.) -- calories in vs. calories out. It's just not logical (nor possible) to be 200 pounds and eat the calories necessary to sustain 140 pounds and say you won't lose weight. Yes, inactivity slows the metabolism. That's why, when figuring daily caloric needs, it's important to note the activity level...but a slow metabolism doesn't stop you from losing weight. It just means you'll lose more slowly...but you will lose. Even if you go on a starvation level diet, you will lose weight even though your body becomes very efficient at conserving calories and you'll lose more slowly. Just look at the walking skeletons in areas of the world where famine is a way of life. Calories in vs calories out. Exercise or any activity will only accelerate the process. I'm not trying to convince anyone to *not* exercise. More power to those who do and even enjoy it. I merely am trying to blow this myth out of the Water because I believe it actually hinders people's weight loss. Too many people give up before they start because they're told that unless they curb their eating *and* exercise, they won't lose weight and they don't want to exercise. When the truth is that they only need to reduce their calories to lose weight...exercising just gives a bonus. Only when we understand that our weight is directly related to what we put in our mouth, will we be successful at taking it off.

I have those. My husband jokingly named them after my 3 sons...with the deepest and longest being named after our third son. The stubborn child with the will of Iron. .

Congratulations!

Hang in there, Kels. If you're diligent about getting your fills until you get to restriction, this too shall pass. Your doctor should be able to give you a fill every 2 weeks as long as you can eat to excess and are hungry. I had my 6th (or was it 7th...lost track) fill last Thursday and now have 8.5cc in my band. In the past, by this time restriction would be gone because it was temporary due to swelling. As of this morning, I still have restriction and I can tell you that there is no hunger. Even better, no constant craving for food. Just remember to follow the guidelines and get your Water in every day *and* your Protein. I drink a low carb, low cal Protein shake in between my meals and mid-evening to boost the protein and I think that's been a big help in eliminating the cravings. .

LOL...I went looking for my little Snoopy this morning and couldn't find it. Thanks! .

That's my problem...it gives me time to think...of all the things I could be doing if I wasn't walking on the treadmill. .

Betsy, I am sorry you seem to be offended by my post...but I stand by every word. I was very clear that my definition of *exercise* was a formal regimen such as a gym or program such as you would do with a trainer, etc. I was also very clear that we do not need such a formalized program, but that a healthy active lifestyle was an acceptable substitute. So I am not passing on faulty information, nor shortchanging myself by using 'inaccurate' labels. The math doesn't lie. If you cannot lose weight without exercising, then you are eating too many calories for your body's needs...assuming you do not have a medical condition that is causing it...and that's the bottom line. Also, as I said in my post I was not arguing the merits of exercise or an active lifestyle.

Same here. I bought one for the family back when I knew I was going to get this surgery (November 09) and just started using it in January. It is soooo much fun but I'm telling you, that hula hoop one is a killer! I spent about 30 minutes on it just trying to beat my husband's score and the next morning...whew! Talk about sore hips! .

ROFL...I'm picturing people rubbing my buddha belly and asking about my weight. Oh wait...the buddha belly is gone! Good thing because I'm thinking a punch in the nose would be the only appropriate response. I didn't have to tell everyone. I told my husband, who told his mom, who told the rest of the family including the aunts and uncles in France. I told my mom who told her family and friends in New Zealand. God only knows who they all told. Thank heavens I didn't have a particular problem with people knowing. .

It comes down to calories taken in vs. calories expended. You *could* possibly lose 50 pounds by July but you'll most likely have to go on a killer exercise regimen to do it since you'll just lose slower if you drop your calories below 1200. Leigha gave some great advice. Fast food is a killer. You can eat a day's calorie requirements in one meal! I've found I'm most successful when I keep it simple. No casseroles or fancy dishes. Just 3 oz grilled or broiled Protein, 1/2 cup steamed vegies and *maybe* (if I still have room) 1/4 cup of carbs (Pasta, potatoes, rice, etc.). If you can eat more than 1/2-1 cup of food in 20-30 minutes (the amount of time you should allot for a meal) and you're hungry before 4 hours have gone by, you need to go for a fill. Don't forget to drink your 64 oz of Water a day. That definitely makes a difference in how quickly the weight drops off. Remember...without fills and proper restriction, it's just a piece of plastic...and not even decorative since nobody can see it. .

My daughter-in-law had her gallbladder removed at age 21 and, yes, she has problems if she eats greasy/fatty foods. Sometimes she'll just become very nauseous and will eventually throw up a couple tablespoons of pure grease...other times she gets really bad pain requiring pain meds. Needless to say that as the years have passed (now 5 years), she rarely makes the stupid decision to eat fatty foods because it's just too painful. .

Obviously, with such a small glimpse it's hard to come to any conclusion, but it sounds as if you may both have 'settled' on a relationship because you were both overweight, thought nobody else would want you and didn't want to be alone. His lack of support comes from the knowledge that if you lose weight, you'll no longer have need of this relationship. Your ready acceptance with no worries about the loss of that relationship says you already recognize you no longer have need of this relationship. He's not the bad guy here...and neither are you. It's just that your relationship wasn't built on a solid foundation to begin with. .

We'll see. :thumbup: It's inevitable that we will change. We change on a daily basis as a result of the experiences in our life. The changes don't have to be huge. Some are subtle...but they all affect the relationships in our life in some way. Like you, I've never had a problem with self-esteem. I am an assertive person who knows what I want out of life and goes after it...but I can't say that my weight hasn't factored into some of my choices. For example, my past career choices have all been limited by my weight. Not because *I* limited myself, but because my choices were limited by others as a result of my weight. When I was 18, I wanted to join the military and be a nurse. Neither option was available. Both had weight requirements. So the career path I chose was something completely different...and even in that my choices were determined by the attitudes of others. Do you know how many secretarial jobs and then teaching jobs I lost because I was fat? On the plus side, I would probably never have opened my own business or gone back to get my masters and doctorate so that *I* would have control over my life instead of the prejudices of others. Like you, my core relationships will still be there and they will still accept me and support me *but* they will change because I am changing. I did (and they did) after 70 lbs and they are once again even after only 30 lbs for no other reason than I will have far more choices in life at 130 pounds than I did at 330 pounds just because I am in better physical shape and not limited by my own physical health or the prejudices/policies/realities of others. At 330 pounds I could barely walk across the living room without being in pain. Now, at 229 pounds, I'm taking Tai Chi lessons with my husband (who had to be gently coerced into doing it) and going to aerobics with my mother-in-law (who had to gently coerce me into doing it). The relationships have changed, no doubt. .