addelapp5

I'm 3 days post-op and yesterday I dry-heaved once and that was it. Today I got a metallic taste in my mouth and produced a little extra saliva (what I would consider "sliming" from what I've read on this site). Thennn I proceeded to dry heave about 5 times in a row. I HURT now. I didn't eat anything. I am on straight liquids and hadn't had anything other than Water for the 2 hours before it happened. Was sipping slowly and carefully as well, so I don't think I did anything to cause it. Anyway, I'm still hurting from it and I'm trying to figure out what it was from. I felt gas in my chest (that's where it has been since my surgery) and I felt like I needed to burp, but then the burps just went into dry heaving. Blah. Anyone else have this happen? I did a search and couldn't really find what I was looking for. I am going to call my surgeon in the morning but it is too late to do so now. Any input is appreciated.

It definitely varies from person to person. My definite no-no's are most breads (I've got a gluten/wheat allergy anyway so it would make me feel like crap even if I could get it down), all forms of lettuce which sucks because salads are one of my favourites, and chicken unless I put it in the crock pot so it's super moist. My easiest meats are definitely steak (I go medium-rare) and fish. My best veggies are green Beans, snow peas and asparagus oddly enough. Meals kind of depend for me! I'm one of those folks that can't eat in the morning regardless of my restriction level or how much Water I drink so I usually manage a handful of nuts around 10/10:30 in the AM and then do a later lunch around 1 so I have a little more time to loosen up. Lunch at my work is kind of hectic. I have a limited amount of time to eat and it's a rushed environment so I tend to stick with smoothies, Soups and things I know I can get down for sure. I will have some nuts or yogurt or something mid-day as well. dinner is better! I can eat most anything (other than lettuce grrr). I typically do some sort of meat (steak, fish, etc.), a veg and sometimes rice or some form of potato though I do it in that order so I typically don't get much of the starch but that's alright. A few favourites: Spaghetti (either without the actual noodles, or with some that I can tolerate... surprisingly tasty just with sauce and meat!) Shepherd's Pie Wraps with whatever kind of lunch meat, cheese and some kind of dressing/sauce just to be safe! Really with the exception of the bread/lettuce stuff, I can eat anything just fine. Sometimes you just have to find a recipe that sounds good and make a few substitutions or alterations.

Depends on your job and you! I took a week off total (7 days), but let my boss know that it could be a bit longer just because I hadn't ever had any sort of surgery before. The band was fine. But I had a pretty gross reaction to the anesthesia and was super sick for about a week. I also had a job that required me to move around a lot. It ended up being 10 days. If I had a desk job, I probably would've been fine after the originally planned 7 but I decided to play it safe. I'd plan on a week just in case you're not feeling up to snuff. You can always go back earlier than expected.

Throw something in the blender. A few days post-op I was super shaky and I put some chicken/veggie Soup in the blender so there were no chunks and ate it like that. I literally felt better 10 minutes later because I got some Protein in my system. One of my favourite foods (even a year post-op) is straight up spaghetti/meat sauce (Pasta and I don't get along). For you, you could make it extra saucy, add in some mozza cheese and ground beef obviously and throw that in the blender? Make sure there's enough sauce to keep it from being too thick though. I know it doesn't sound great to put something in the blender but really, you'll feel better once something is in your system. I'm that person who didn't drink a Protein shake after I was banded because I had to drink them 2 weeks before surgery and I literally can't handle the smell or taste anymore... even now!

Ah I am definitely trying this tomorrow night! It looks and sounds awesome. I can't tolerate bread at all, but I've found that I can handle a lot of the gluten free stuff without issue. There's a pizza place here in VA called fireworks and they have a pizza for folks with gluten allergies and the dough is some sort of italian "caputo" flour and I have absolutely zero issues with it. I don't eat the crust part around the edge because I feel like that's pushing it! But I can't tell a difference and it's the one "bread" product that I know I can eat. Not sure if other pizza places offer this (I know zpizza has a gluten free crust too), but just a thought for you guys who crave pizza hardcore!

My surgeon requires all of his patients to stay overnight after surgery. I definitely would have been able to drive home from the hospital the next day if needed but I'm really glad I didn't have to. I had some super bad side effects from the anesthesia for about 4 days after surgery but was driving after that. If I were you I'd definitely make arrangements for someone else to pick up from the bus stop for you, just to be safe. You can always call them and cancel if needed. Better to be safe than sorry! Good luck!

I worried about this for a while before my surgery but I got to the hospital and was like "whatever." They see bodies for a living. Like an above poster said, it's nothing they haven't seen before, and you are really very minimally exposed. You'll be done and through it before you know it, and someone seeing you naked will be the last thing on your mind once you're there. No worries! Don't stress yourself out! I was more annoyed after surgery when I woke up and got to my room. I was allowed to put underwear on under my gown but not a bra. That annoyed me more than anything because I had to do my walking laps around the hall without! :eek:

This is totally what I've been needing! I'm definitely in. I'm 233 right now and would like to be 218, so 15 pounds for me. I almost feel like that's a little too much (works out to 3lbs a week) but I have been on a lovely little plateau for a month and am planning on taking it up about 10 notches because I need to get rolling again. Good luck everyone!

Ehhh it just happens! My best advice is to not let it get to you (I know, I know that's difficult!). You'll push out of it. What kind of exercise are you doing? Last time I hit a plateau I changed up my exercise a little and that seemed to do the trick well. I was running 3x a week and doing yoga so I swapped out to running 2x a week (I love it to much to cut it), added a spin class and then went hiking with my dogs once a week at a local park. Not a big difference but I think it was enough for my body to be like "oh... mmkay" haha. Sometimes it helps to change your eating as well. Example, I find foods that agree with my band and tend to stick with them and don't vary because I'm worried I'll get stuck. Then if I hit a plateau I try rotating in a few new things and that tends to help. Try something different. If it works, great. If not, you'll know better next time. Just be careful and make smart choices!

I hiccup after I eat. Every time. No matter if it's one bite or thirty, when I do that, it's time to stoppp. Usually after about 10 minutes I can eat a little more if I didn't get far the first time. It's my "you're about to get stuck" signal. Though if my nose starts running? It's time for me to start scoping wherever I am for bathrooms. I definitely don't PB every time but that's my "you got stuck and went a bite too far" warning and sometimes it's not good... At least we've got some signals. I feel like it's having training wheels on your bikes. I've never been a regular weight and don't really know how to eat without stuffing myself to the point of being uncomfortable. Now I do.

Ohh I definitely have this problem! I literally cannot eat in the mornings. At. All. I used to drink either a Protein drink or a yogurt or something but since my last fill, I have trouble with them (not because I'm too tight... but apparently my body just doesn't like dairy in the form of liquid anymore). Sooo now I wake up and drink about 6oz of orange juice at home, drink a full bottle of Water when I get to work (around 8:30), and then usually by about 10am I can handle a handful of nuts. Then I usually just do a soup for lunch around 1-2 (I work at a veterinary practice and everything is on the go. I tried real food for the first month working there in december and everyone there probably thought I had some sort of eating disorder haha... it did NOT go well!). Then I'll do another handful of nuts around 3-4. When I get home by around 7, I can typically eat whatever I want (other than bread and lettuce), and usually fix myself a pretty decent dinner. Unfortunately even without much fill, I have trouble in the morning and early afternoon, so it doesn't matter for me to have an unfill, etc. God knows, I'd probably eat a house at night if I did! It's a struggle, especially since it's hard to regulate my food intake at night. It'd be nice if it were reverse so I could get a good breakfast and lunch in and then not be able to eat much at dinner!

I find that anything with a super fast beat will keep me on track. I typically listen to kind of indie stuff, oldies, punk rock but I can't really listen to any of that when I walk! Running, yes. Walking? No. For walking, I tend to dig up dance songs, club stuff, techno, etc. Stuff with a fast, steady beat that keeps me walking at a rate that will get my heart going. My pre-op weight was 320 so I feel you on that, but walking is a great way to get started. It's a little too soon after banding for you to do much else anyway. Though I do recommend the couch to 5k once you're cleared to do a little more exercise by your doc. Even if you don't think you can run, I started out walking at my "regular" pace for the walking intervals and then doing a really fast speed walk during the "run" intervals. After two weeks of that I started running and I haven't stopped since. Anyway, I'd be typing for the next hour if I listed too many song recommendations but check out some club/techno stuff (you can just google or itunes search it and some pretty good stuff should pull up). Good luck with everything. My doctor always pushes to get as much done the first year as possible, because it's harder after that. I'm a little over a year out and now I totally believe him. I'm still working on the weight (it's slow and steady), but I'm glad I got into a solid exercise routine early because it's made all of the difference.

Hi everyone! I've been banded for about 8 months and am down around 65-70 pounds (woo!). Anyway, up until now, my job allowed me to wear either a t-shirt or polo shirt, and jeans (very laid back!). I just got a new job and I need to be wearing some... nicer things! Think khakis and sweaters or button up shirts, etc. I'm not a fan of dresses (I'm still kind of uncomfortable with my weight), so that rules out a lot. I buy my jeans from Lane Bryant but their dress pants do not fit me very well... and their tops just aren't overly work-friendly... too flashy for me. I've found a few tops I like at CJ Banks but I don't know of any other stores that carry plus-sized clothing! I'm still a solid 22/24 in tops (thank you gut). Any suggestions? I've found a few tops I like online but really would prefer to try things on in a store to make sure they fit well. Any help would be greatly, greeeeatly appreciated!!

Got to mine and then some. I'm stoked! Good luck to everyone that's not there yet. You've still got time!!

There's really no easy way to go about it. I'm 8 months post op and haven't had a drop of soda since the night before surgery. And I do mean night. I was that kid that drank 6-12 cans of soda a day. I had my last one at 11:55 (I couldn't eat or drink past midnight before my surgery), and haven't had any since. I don't miss it at all. The first week was ROUGH. Headaches were bad from the caffeine withdrawl but I suffered through. Around 2 months after surgery, I started longing for soda. Any time I saw someone with one I just wanted to take a sip! I knew a sip would turn into a can and a can would turn into a case though. I have one of those addictive personalities. A sip never would've been enough. Now I drink Water, crystal light and I do mix it up with some fruit juice and Vitamin water, which aren't great choices but I water them down and drink them in moderation. I am not a person that can just wean off of something because I'll drag it out and never get around to that day where I don't drink any. I just had to stop cold turkey. I had a sip of one of those bicardi fruity "fake beer" things the other night, not realizing that it was carbonated. I took one sip and immediately felt a huge amount of pressure in my chest from the carbonation. I realize now that even if I wanted to drink soda, it probably wouldn't agree with me. Perhaps that's the reason that I haven't missed it. You have to be ready to quit. Be that now or in two months when you have surgery, or some time in between. I know there are a lot of people who drink soda after surgery without issue, and there are some doctors who are fine with it. I'd rather just be done with it. No point in introducing it back into my life after 8 months without it. It's not worth my health. The only real advice I have is to try and avoid soda. Don't keep it in the house at ALL. Out of sight, out of mind. Good luck! :thumbup:

I've done 21 between the 9th and today. Gives me 31 total and 9 more to get done this week. Definitely not a problem. Good luck everyone!

I too have always been big. I just gradually gained the weight. I was normal...ish until I was about 6-7 and then I got chubby and then fat. I played sports all through high school and while not "huge", I was definitely the biggest on my teams and one of the biggest girls in my school. I just steadily gained about 10-20 pounds a year for my entire life. I'm 25 and was 320 when I had lapband surgery. I'm down to 248 today (Been banded 8 months), and it's the lightest I've been since my FRESHMAN year of college. You're definitely in bandster hell. You will hopefully begin to notice a difference once you have a fill. Keep with the exercise. I noticed that the first 2-3 weeks I exercised, I lost a LOT of inches, but my scale didn't budge at ALL. Measure yourself and keep track that way for now. You should start to notice some change with the added activity. I'm one of those people who has absolutely no idea what I'm going to look like once I lose my weight. I've never seen myself skinny, so I have no idea what to expect. It's a little scary, but exciting too. Use your band like you should, and you'll start to see the changes. Good luck!

You stopped at the appropriate time. It's a hard thing to learn. heck, I overeat sometimes even now (almost 8 months post-op) even when I know better. I'm learning, and it happens less and less, but I still do it. You've been eating the same way for most of your life. It's a tough thing to change. My philosophy changes per day... because my band changes from day to day. Some days? I get full after three bites. At that point, I give myself a few minutes and if the feeling passes, I will eat a little more. Restriction doesn't help me if I can't get Protein and nutrients into my body. Other days... I eat and NEED my band to tell me when to stop. I stop when I begin to feel uncomfortable, and know better (mostly) than to go beyond that point. Most days (though just recently I can say that), I eat until I feel satisfied and I stop. I don't let myself go to that point of uncomfortable/restricted feeling, because it's actually too far. It's taken me a long time to learn that, and there are some days that I don't do the best job of it, but for the most part, I'm learning! While you're learning though, keep a mental count in your head and aim for somewhere around a cup of food. If you've had that much and are still going, I'd put the fork down and wait and see how you feel. if you're truly hungry after a few minutes, I'd say take a few more bites. You're not going to change your eating habits overnight, but if you're paying attention when you eat, it's a lot easier. I used to just plow through my food (we're talking 2 double cheeseburgers and a large fry), eat it all, and then feel sick later (but still probably opted for a few Cookies or something). Now I think as I eat. And I can tell a huge difference. Kudos to you for stopping when you did. That's a pattern you want to keep up! :w00t:

I never can remember what days I'm supposed to do this... haha. But 1st-8th (today), I've logged 10. A little lower than I thought but I'm on track to hit 40 at this rate, though I'd prefer to blast through it! 30 left.

I yawn, get a runny nose or get hiccups, depending on the day. Unfortunately it's not the signal for "stop eating"... it's the signal for "you've gone a little past the appropriate amount... stop now or hug a toilet." Haha It's a signal that I try to avoid most days. For the past few months it's been my little warning signal that tells me it's time to stop. I'm now realizing that if I pay attention to what I'm eating and what my body is telling me, it's actually telling me that I've gone a little too far. I don't get sick or pb or slime or anything when I get my hiccups or yawns, unless I take a few more bites. But I do feel like it's my band teaching me when to stop. My goal is to eat and realize that I am full and satisfied, without the signal. Regardless, I never eat (even one tiny bite) past that signal. It never ends well!

I kept forgetting to come on the thread for the october challenge to log my miles, but I managed my 30 (barely). I'm stepping up this month though. I'm going to go with 40 for November.

I forgot to post at the end of the month. I got my 30 in, but just barely. I figured it would be a breeze but I really had to push the last week to get it all done. I'm definitely more prepared for november!

Don't get down. Take some time and read through the old posts on this forum. I pretty much spent weeks both before and after surgery digging through them! I can't tell you how helpful all of the older posts were. The time between surgery and your first fill is for your body to heal. You just went through a serious shock for your system. Most folks consider it a bonus to drop pounds during this time period. Your goal right now is not to loose weight (though I know you're probably anxious to do so, as most folks are!). Your goal is to heal and let your body mend so you can use your band properly in the future. Follow your surgeons guidelines on eating and moving around and don't panic about the weight. Honestly, it'll start dropping soon.

I have an extremely hard time with potatoes. I can't do fries at all. I can usually manage a bite or two of mashed potatoes but I live alone and rarely go out for meals so it's not even worth it to me to make them! Occasionally I will make a baked potato with cheese and I can usually eat a half of a potato. I think the cheese helps it go down. But I do that maaaybe once a month. I've just come to terms with the fact that they just don't work for me anymore (which is likely for the best!).

Alright so I haven't been camping in ages but I was stuck home today with no desire to actually go crazy with cooking (mostly because I had just cleaned the kitchen and didn't want to make a mess of it again), and realized that camping could be done at home. By that, I mean camping food. Ladies and Gents, the foil dinner (sometimes called the hobo dinner!). I search around here pretty often for new food ideas and haven't come across this, though I'm sure someone, somewhere has put it on this site. It's super easy. Preheat the oven to 400, and grab yourself a few sheets of aluminum foil (I do 2 layers of the foil to keep it safe!). Spray down the inside sheet of foil with some sort of cooking oil to keep things from sticking. I use ground beef but you can also sub for chicken, etc. I get a few ounces of ground beef and add in some diced onion and ball it all up, and then flatten it out (about a 1/4 inch thick), taking up about a 3X5 space on the center of the foil. I then add in cut up carrots, potatoes (I get the canned, peeled ones that are already cooked just because they take ages to fully cook if you use raw), and corn on top of the meat patty. You can pretty much add anything you want though. Season as desired. I typically add seasoned salt and/or garlic powder. I add two tablespoons of chicken bullion broth (you can also just do Water or something) to keep everything moist, and wrap that puppy up. Leave some room above the food for the steam though! Depending on what you put in, oven time is anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. The hour would be for your raw potatoes, more meat, etc. Unwrap and add a little cheese if you so desire. Voila, easy dinner that literally has ZERO cleanup other than pitching the aluminum foil. Takes a while to cook but putting it together is super fast. You can put anything in it, make any combos, and you can customize depending on your fill level, and what you can comfortably eat. Hope at least a few folks are inspired!