BetsyB

You're describing the same thing you say your doctor recommends :thumbup: Low-carb and high protein tend to be synonymous. It doesn't have to be meat, but meat, prepared properly, isn't dry and unpalatable. For me, both calories and carb content (and when it comes to carbs, quality, as well) are very important. I need both low-calorie and low carb to lose well. And a good deal of exercise, as well. A typical meal for me involves 3-ish ounces of protein, and 1/2 cup (or thereabouts) of a nonstarchy veggie. I do use sauces and gravies with relative impunity; when you're eating so little, a dollop of something really does not make a tremendous difference, calorie-wise. (I track on fitday.) But really, you can prepare foods in a way that doesn't require much adornment, and you can choose sauces/condiments that have very little impact.

Ha! That's funny. I never noticed the drooler--now I want to use it!

I was told to chew until nothing was larger than a pencil eraser. You don't have to chew to disgusting mush; something the size of a pencil eraser can move through the stoma.

In your shoes, I would reconsider moving to shakes---do you really want to treat yourself punitively when you're already having difficulty?

I buy myself a charm/bead for a Pandora bracelet for every 10 pounds I lose. My the time I reach goal, the bracelet will be full. I've also started with massages, manis, etc---but not attached to any particular weight goal. I just realized I deserved the good treatment :thumbup:

Time-release meds aren't great with the band. In general, they are intended to pass from the stomach and open in the small intestine. The band allows them to remain in the stomach too long. Removing the little balls of med affects their rate of absorption. I'd ask the doctor (or better, pharmacist; they are more attuned to bioavailability issues than most physicians---my doctor never hesitates to pick up the phone to pick a pharmacist's mind when making med choices for me) whether the bioavailability/absorption of the particular medication you take is affected by the band/opening the capsule/dissolving in the stomach rather than in the small intestine as intended. There may be a med that would be a better match for a banded patient.

I don't have any; the signals I get come when I'm past where I am comfortable. I have to really listen to my body and assess satiety after every bite.

I did have postop pain, but nothing that wasn't manageable with meds. I would not invest in a recliner; your discomfort will be awfully short-lived. I would imagine you'll be okay with your furniture---I'd recommend lots of pillows to support you in bed, though. (I love Bassetts!)

I was so excited when I discovered that a regular bath towel wrapped around me with inches to spare--that was a great day! I also love being all the way submerged in the bathtub. But the size 8 petite jeans I bought yesterday were probably the best NSV to date.

I'm not a great believer in "starvation mode;" there really isn't peer-reviewed research to back up the notion, even though it is very popular. That said, everyone does have different caloric needs, and it may take playing around to figure out what works best for you. I like to journal on fitday. That way, I get a good idea of what does/doesn't work. When I hit the wall, I change things one at a time to see what does the trick. My first change is usually to switch something up, exercise-wise. At only one month postop, I think it's probably premature to worry about long-term effects on metabolism. Your body's just getting the idea that there's something new going down. That said, metabolism can be affected by long-term deprivation; I am convinced that my ridiculously low caloric needs are because I had a crazy mother who put me on insane diets when I was a very young child (and not overweight). The body can get awfully good at conserving energy. But when you have lots of excess fuel stored on the body, it's less apt to do so. So try tracking what you're doing. It can't hurt to bump up your calories; I'd try adding just 100-200/day to see if there's any change. If not, go back to your baseline, and try switching something else (more Protein, fewer refined carbs, more cardio, etc.) I bet you a bazillion bucks, though, that the weight loss ball will start rolling without much adjustment, once your body realizes that the band inside it (and your new way of eating) aren't going to cause you to starve to death. It will decide, "Hey, okay--we can use this fat after all!"

Uh-oh...the sheet went kablooey!

I was cleared to exercise without restriction after my 4-week check. Until your doctor specifically tells you, stick with walking.

The higher Power can even be the group---working with the support of a group gives us greater power than if we struggle alone. (I'm Unitarian Universalist; many members do not believe in God, but we all believe that as a group, we have power to make great changes. If I were in a 12-Step program, I would choose to view the "higher power" in this way.)

Trish, I'm sorry you are having a rough time. Big setbacks in life do tend to trigger our old behaviors. Thing is, you've made tremendous progress. Even though you reverted to old behaviors, you recognize them---and that is winning the battle. Being aware is 99.9 percent of the battle. And you are aware. So next time, you may be able to nip it in the bud. Or, you may find that it takes more practice. Either way, you will be gaining experience, and practicing. Mastering new skills does take practice; be sure you don't beat yourself up when you are, in fact, making good progress.

The first fill is likely to be pretty anticlimactic; your belly might be a little tender at the insertion site of the needle, but beyond that, you aren't apt to feel a great deal of ...well, anything else. It wasn't until the third fill that I ran into food issues post-fill. From that point on, I really did have to take it easy post-fill. But the first two fills were simply stepping stones. My big advice would be not to get discouraged if you feel as though there is no real change. Keep in mind that the fill does, indeed, get you closer to where you want to be, even if its effects are imperceptible.

It's really common for there to be some dissipation of fluid; at this point, I would not be too worried about leakage. The tubing and band sometimes just don't "give up" the whole amount injected. And sometimes, the amount instilled is not recorded with ideal accuracy. It's also not unusual to be 2 fills in to the process without feeling significant restriction. I'd give it a couple more fills before getting concerned. You'll get there

Different bodies have different needs. In general, starvation mode isn't a huge issue if you have excess body fat to lose. The body occasionally says, "Hey! Wait a minute!" but then "remembers" it has the fuel to offer, and allows you to lose body fat. (It's important to get enough lean Protein so that your muscles--including your heart---are not raided for that, though.) I eat 800-900 calories a day. I have to, in order to lose. I was told, for years, that I had to have 1200--and the only thing that did was add the last 50 pounds to my body. (The whole time, I was treated, by professionals, as though I must be cheating--when, in fact, I was meticulously adhering to their recommendations.) If you track your intake, and have a good idea of what is NOT working for you, you have a baseline. For me, I knew that 1200 calories wasn't working. I took mine down, and found that I lose when I eat 800-900. (This is what prompted me to be banded.) Some people find that they need to add calories; like I said, everyone's different. All you can do is make a change, and track progress. If the change doesn't work, re-evaluate, and head in a different direction. I also determined that I lose (and feel) better if I get 80-100 g protein/day. Finally, I learned that I lose (and feel) the best if my carbs come from fruit, veggie, and legume sources (and are in the <50g/day range.) Journaling gives you the information you need to tweak to get what works best for you.

I do weigh and measure. I eat 2-4 oz. (by weight) of lean protein and 1/2 cup of nonstarchy veggies at each meal. I sometimes add a fruit. And because my protein intake veers toward 2-2.5 ounces, I supplement with 1-2 protein shakes/day to be sure I get enough.

And don't forget: if you were given meds for pain, there's no shame in taking them to relieve pain!

I take a Vitamin capsule I buy at my doctor's office. It's powder within a Gelatin capsule, so it dissolves easily. (I have real problems with pills, too--so if they work for me, they'll likely work for anyone.) I order them from bmisurgery.com. I also take fish oil capsules, Biotin (Bariatric Advantage), Co Q-10 (at my doctor's recommendation; I feel a big difference with it), and Vitamin D. On days when I don't get enough from my food, I take a cal-Mag supplement, too. I like the Schiff softgels; they break down easily with a warm drink.

I don't know if it's the case for you, but eating fruit alone (rather than in the context of a meal that also contains protein and fat) spikes my blood sugar too rapidly, then when it plummets, I am ravenous. If you're unable to eat good, dense protein, can you at least get some protein supplementation? It just doesn't sound as though you're getting enough--not just from a satiety standpoint, but from a health standpoint.

I wouldn't worry, and I certainly wouldn't do a liquid diet even a minute sooner than required; there's no "getting used" to that!

I didn't set a 1-month, 3-month, 6-month timeframe, but I fully expect to lose 100% of the weight I want to lose. The psych who did my eval did not like this response; he believed me to be overconfident. (I asked him just exactly how confidence was a negative--he couldn't answer. Needless to say, when I went therapist shopping a few months later, he wasn't on my list.) I think I will be at or very near my goal by my one-year anniversary. But again, I am not sure; my rate has been consistent until now, but things are slowing down as I get closer.