vickyd

IMHO, You shouldn't have to censor your questions in fear of being flamed on the forum...I, too, have read a lot of the posts that have gotten a bit heated lately and I will say that there is a BIG difference between moving from mushies to solid food a few days early and going out a few days post op and eating a Big Mac. I would be willing to bet that there are many people on here who moved from one stage to the next a few days early (me included ). I agree with the posts saying that this is the time for you to heal and to figure out how to make the band work best for you. Since I was banded I have tried different calorie levels to see how many calories I need to eat in order to lose weight (I don't lose at anything less than 950 calories). That said, I will also say that I am one of the lucky ones who has felt some sort of restriction from the beginning but I am finding that I don't feel full in the same way I felt before - I weigh and measure everything I eat, put it on my plate and eat that and only that until it is time for my next meal/snack and I journal everything I eat. I never feel full, but rather satisfied and I normally don't feel hungry until time to eat again. If I do feel hungry then I have a small high Protein snack. I know that some people eat 3 meals a day and that's it...some days I do too but other days I find that I need a mid morning and mid afternoon snack. The point is, everyone is different and has a different experience with the band. Don't beat yourself up about it, just take this time and figure out how to make it work for you... Good luck - I'm sure you will do great!!!

My weight today is 289.4 (name on the chart is Vicky) - down 4 lbs from last week and 9.6 lbs from the start of the challenge...and all this with no fill...WOO HOO!!! :D

It sounds like your NUT is saying the same thing my NUT says regarding what to eat. When I went for my appointment last week she asked what I was eating and when I told her 3-4 oz protein and 1/2 cup veggies she said that is exactly what I should be eating. I can also tell you that my weight loss stalled for almost 3 weeks after I went to solids...I found through trial and error that I have to eat around 1,000 calories a day to lose weight (which I wasn't during the time I was stalled) - if I eat fewer calories I stay the same or gain a bit. For example, yesterday I only had 725 calories and I exercised for 30 minutes...when I weighed this morning I was up 1/2 lb. Today I have to make sure I get in my calories no matter how crazy my schedule is!!!

I would also say that another thing I have found is to not be distracted when you are eating...the other day, I got stuck because I was in a hurry to go into a meeting at work and didn't pay attention to what I was doing. I put a small bite of food in my mouth (much smaller than pre-band) but only chewed it a couple of times and swallowed like I used to do and BOY DID I REGRET IT!!!

I feel something similar...not painful, just a twinge when I move the wrong way. Also, the other day when working out I was doing crunches and I felt a slight pulling sensation where my port is. Again, not painful but just a slight pulling...

My only regret is not doing it sooner...but, honestly, I don't know if I would have been ready to do it sooner. By the time I had my surgery, I was in a very good place mentally and I think that has made the whole banding process so much easier.

My favorites were egg salad, tuna salad and ricotta cheese with spaghetti sauce on it sprinkled with mozerella cheese and microwaved.

My NUT wants me to eat 3-4 oz protein and 1/2 cup veggies and that fills me up and I always eat the protein first. Personally, I have to take in around 1,000 calories to lose weight (any less and I stay the same or gain a little, if you can believe that) and there is no way I could eat 1,000 calories just eating 1/2 cup of food per meal. In a normal day, I drink a protein shake for breakfast, have my protein and veggies for lunch and dinner and then eat at least 1 snack (sometimes 2 depending on the day). My snacks always are protein -driven like string cheese or turkey deli meat rollups with laughing cow cheese. This completely satisfies me and I'm not hungry between meals...I was just banded in December and was told at my first fill appointment that I didn't need one because I'm not hungry between meals and am still losing weight consistently...so far, I'm not complaining

I have only told the few people I felt I had to tell - my husband, sons, mother and mother-in-law. Initially, I had only planned to tell my husband but my mother-in-law came to visit while I was on my pre-op diet and I realized that I had to tell her because she would have wondered why I wasn't eating...and since I told her, I had to tell my mother (she would have had hurt feelings otherwise). The only thing I feel guilty about is not telling my dad - I have asked my mom to keep it a secret from him because he is just one of those people who is open with everything and it would be impossible to get him to keep it to himself. I have other family members I would have liked to tell but there is a part of my family who is VERY judgemental and since I didn't want them to know (I just don't want to deal with the drama it would cause) then I decided to just not tell anyone. I live in another state than the majority of my family so none of them have seen me since the surgery. It will be very interesting to see what they think (and say) when I do see them...

My current favs are sliced cucumber dipped in hummus, turkey sandwich meat with LF laughing cow spread on and rolled up, Sargento Light string cheese and if I want something sweet then I reach for sugar free jello pudding cups.

My weight yesterday was 293.4 (I'm on the chart as Vicky) - I'm down 5.6 since the challenge started!! Also, can you please correct my starting weight? It was 299, not 289

Yea for the smaller jeans!!! Isn't that a great feeling?!!

I use Fitday. I love that it tracks Calories, Fat, Carbs and Protein with my daily totals at the top of the screen so I always know where I am with both calories and protein.

I second the vote for EcoDrink. The chewable Vitamins make me gag but this drink works well for me (and I don't mind the taste)

It's interesting that you said your doctor wouldn't even consider not doing a fill...when I went in for my appointment, I met with the PA (who does the fills) and was asked a series of questions to determine if I needed a fill. She said they don't just look at weight loss, they also look at how much you are eating and if you are hungry between meals. Based on all of that, I didn't get a fill because I am loosing well, not hungry between meals and am eating proper portions. She said that we will go through these same questions each time I come in...my next appointment is in 3 weeks so we'll see if I need one then...

I agree with the others that you aren't eating enough. Also, you didn't mention how much protein you are eating...my NUT wants me eating between 80-120 grams per day. If you are tired, chances are you aren't eating enough protein. I don't know how you are tracking your food but I found that using an app on my iPhone really helps. I use fitday.com and enter everything I eat as I eat it...it tracks calories, fat, carbs and protein for each day and you can see your daily totals at a glance which I really like...just a suggestion...

My suggestion would be to start "test driving" Protein shakes now. As you can see from the responses, not everyone likes the same thing when it comes to Protein Shakes and the only way to find out what you like is to test them. One thing I have found that might help make the protein shakes easier to drink is Torani sugar free Flavoring Syrup. A lot of coffee shops use this in their flavored drinks - it has no calories and comes in a ton of flavors. I like to do vanilla shakes and then add the syrup to get different flavors...but that is just my preference. You will figure out what you like as you test them. Other than that, I can echo what other have said - Gas-X (I started using them in the hospital) and Liquid Tylenol were necessary at the beginning as well as soups that can be blended (if your doctor allows them - mine wanted me only on protein shakes, broth, popscicles and Jello for the first 2 weeks after surgery). Good luck!

Hi Jess~ One thing you might try is adding a protein shake at night on the days you have trouble getting in your calories. I had one of those crazy days a couple of days ago and realized after dinner that I had only had about 800 calories (and not enough protein) so I mixed up a protein shake and drank that a couple of hours after dinner. If you don't eat enough, your body thinks it is starving and will hold on to every lb for dear life! You might want to call your NUT and ask about that...then if your mom says anything you can say "my NUT said that I need to increase my calories". I don't see how she can argue with that . Good luck!

I completely agree with you! I realize now that my addiction to food isn't unlike people who are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs. There are certain foods that I have decided that I just need to not eat anymore...some people who are banded can eat bread and pasta, some can't due to restriction...I can't because they are addictive substances to me. I told my husband the other day that, for me, giving me a slice of bread is like giving a drink to an alcoholic. I haven't had any bread or pasta since I started my pre-op diet in November and I really don't miss them anymore (my NUT says I have detoxed my body and that is why I don't crave them as much). All I can say is I am so much happier now that I am starting to feel more in control as far as food goes.

Hi Lori~ I had that same issue too. When I started solids my weight loss stalled for almost 3 weeks. What worked for me was journaling everything I ate and paid close attention to the total calories and protein i was eating. I found that I was only eating around 700-800 calories a day. At the suggestion of my husband I increased my calories to around 1,000 per day and since then I have lost 4 lbs (in 6 days). At my appointment today I talked to the dietician about it and she said that people don't realize that too few calories can be as bad as too many as far as weight loss goes. I don't know if you are keeping a food diary but if not you might want to give it a try.

I have arthritis in both of my knees...Zumba looks so fun but I haven't tried it because I worry that it might be hard on my knees. What do you think? Is it hard on the knees?

I went to the doctor today for my first fill and ended up not getting one...but I'm not upset about it at all. They said that I was eating the perfect amount of food per meal, my calorie count was perfect, I'm not hungry between meals and my weight loss was on target. I am down 30 lbs since my pre-op diet and 20 lbs since surgery so, all in all, I am very happy with the way things are going.

My current weight is 297 (down 2 lbs)

I was banded the same day as you and also went about 3 weeks without losing. I started journaling everything I was eating (800-900 calories a day) and with some advice from my husband I actually increased my calories to 1,000 a day and started losing again (3 lbs since Friday). As others have said, drinking enough Water and exercising are also key but don't stress out too much about it...this is a process for all of us and it takes time to figure out what your body needs in order to lose weight. Good luck!

I'm a bit chilly today too so for lunch I'm having a 1/2 can of Hormel Turkey Chili (just found it at the store this weekend and I love it). For dinner I am thinking about having grilled grouper and sauteed veggies. Breakfast was 2 hard boiled eggs...not sure about snacks yet - I will figure that part out as I go along.