dk4k

LUCK LUCK LUCK!

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you 're right. That's a quote by Henry Ford, and I like it. Keeping a positive outlook makes such a difference. This is a long road and you are just at the beginning of it. You will succeed! I stalled at around the same weight loss as you, for several weeks. But it picked up again, and I'm doing great now. Maybe you can try to change one thing at a time, like having more frequent small meals that are high in protein. I am loving cottage cheese with things mixed in it right now. I usually have 2 protein snacks in between meals. Or you can start exercising. Do what you can, whether it's walking the dog or joining a gym. I started in January where I was winded to walk 1.5 mph, and today I did a 5K. Best of luck on your journey!

Way to push yourself! I got peer-pressured into doing a 5K tomorrow. I'm nervous! It was an already paid-for registration, so I said I'd go for it.

For me it's all about being "satisfied". I don't feel stuffed, but I don't feel hungry. I am satisfied with a small amount of food at meals and 2 small Protein Snacks (a shake, cottage cheese, almonds, etc). If I stay busy, I don't get head hunger. I still do if I'm lounging around the house, so better to stay busy. I DO get hungry if I'm out running around and it's way past my lunch time. My protein monster comes out and growls, "GIVE ME SOME FOOD!" I had read that the band feels tighter during your time of the month, and that was true for me. I would take a bite of certain things (like chicken, which is usually no problem) and I could really feel it. So watch out for that. If I got any more fill at this point, I think the time of the month would have me on liquids.

Refried beans with a little salsa!

I figured out that the lingering soreness I was feeling after surgery was from the hernia repair. But like DaveNW said, I have had NO heartburn since then. I had been suffering from a lot of heartburn in the 6 - 12 months before surgery. So it is worth the temporary extra pain!

I was banded 3 months ago, and have not vomited either. I mostly avoid Pasta and white breads, as they cause a great amount of pressure in my chest, which I think is my first step to being stuck. If I took a bite and felt that pressure, and then ate some more, it would eventually come up. So I just don't do it. You can get adult gummy Vitamins anywhere (in case you don't like yours). I eat 4 a day instead of 2, they are my sweet treat! Jeff, you will just need to be careful with your firm meats and veggies to chew it up well. I've eaten all the things you mentioned. Drier chicken and steak are a lot harder to get down. Chew chew chew!

That is awesome! You can call yourself a runner now. I hope to do a 5K this year.

Congratulations, Amy!!! Your journey is very motivating. You're almost to goal!

Have you lost much on your way up to that fill level? I think I might have found my "green zone" after my 2nd fill, so I'm sticking with it for a while.

Congrats on your surgery! If you're feeling good enough to not take the pain meds, you're probably okay to drive. I took the medicine for maybe 2 days, then just at night for a few days. You're right on the diet-broth, Jello, Protein shakes, and lots of Water. I think the rule with the water is sip it so that you are taking in about an ounce every 10 min. Really take it slow for the first few days.

I'd say congrats, you're way ahead of the curve! Dr's expect 4-8 lbs. a month weight loss. I feel like mine is going slow also, but I lost about 12 lbs. last month, and got a high five at the dr's office yesterday! Remember how long it took you to put on the extra weight, and don't expect it to fall at once. Imagine where you will be in a few months.

I had a different type of surgery just about a year before my lap band surgery, and about 2-3 months later I started losing hair. This time, same pattern. So from my experience, it is more the shock of surgery than the protein. It passed after some time. Protein definitely wouldn't hurt you, though! I heard the SEI Pharmaceuticals Max Protein is great.

A positive attitude is more than half the battle, and you got it! Congrats!

I'm only 2 1/2 months out, but I feel great and have learned a lot. I read a lot on this forum, but then try different things and see how they work for me. I don't feel full, but I realize now that I am feeling "satisfied" on a very small amount of food. Before surgery, I didn't think that could ever happen! Bread and Pasta are about the only things that really bother me, they create a pressure in my chest. So I really just don't want them that much, which is another surprise. I thought it would be hard to go without certain things. Your ticker has same stats on it as mine when I started. Best of luck to you!

Hi Lori, I think we are all scared of failure, at certain times. Before having the surgery I wondered if I should just try again to lose weight on my own, if I would fail with the band, etc. I went through with it, had some quick success and then it slowed down. I started walking on the treadmill a couple weeks after surgery. At first I was winded walking 1.5 miles an hour, and now I'm walking a lot faster and have incorporated weights into my exercise. I found some high Protein things I really like (almonds, salmon, hummus, cottage cheese, greek yogurt used in dips or in place of sour cream--TONS of protein!). My weight loss has picked up recently and I am feeling great. I was (am) a grazer, so I am more successful when I can keep myself busy. Attitude is the biggest part of it for me though, even when I was stuck at 20 lbs. lost, I still was positive that it was 20 lbs. no longer on my body. I don't beat myself up if I want to have a Girl Scout cookie or have ice cream with my daughter. The lap band does help there, I don't need a lot of any food, so I am able to have 1 cookie or a little bit of ice cream. It does curb your appetite, especially when you eat good things that are high in protein. But I DO have to make an effort to have good things, most of the time. It's scary, alright! I'm even a little scared to change so much. But I'm doing it.

I hope it's the beginning of many great things for you!

You will probably be able to taste all of those things down the road. The only things I have had trouble with (not stuck food, but a great pressure above my band) are breads and Pasta. They are really hard to chew up so they break apart. I eat nuts for Snacks, mostly almonds, but I have had cashews. I have had nachos. I have tasted beer. I will eventually try a very soft center cut filet steak, but haven't yet. I'm afraid of pizza because of the crust, but as much as I love it, I don't really miss it. I will eat cake someday, but I haven't wanted to yet. Wow! Don't confuse the fact that you CAN physically eat most of the foods you love, with the fact that you SHOULDN'T MOST OF THE TIME. Please take your time healing from surgery, and trying to stick to the foods that are "allowed", until you have a really good sense of how your body is going to react to different consistencies of food. Hopefully, you will be so pleased with your weight loss that you will want to forego most of the goodies, most of the time. Good luck! El Diva, we were banded on the same day and have lost the same amount...Weird!

I started doing weights this week in addition to my treadmill, and have lost 1.8 lb. since Tuesday! That's a jump start for me--the loss has been slow and steady since surgery.

Rachel, did you also have a hernia repaired during your surgery? I had the same feeling, and figured due to the location it could well have been the hernia stitching. Good news---IT WENT AWAY!!! Sorry, I can't remember just how long it lasted, but could have been more than a week or 2. I'm just 2 months post op and it's a distant memory!

You can mash potatoes so they are smooth, then thin them out with some chicken stock so they are a slurry consistency. I put garlic cloves in the Water when I cook the potatoes. They get soft and mash up, and add a lot of flavor. I am still having a hard time chewing up Pasta enough to make it go down comfortably, so I'm avoiding it. If you are using a can soup and blend it all until there are no lumps, it should not cause you pain. You can also try taking smaller sips. It is an ongoing learning process--lots of times I try something and my band says, "No, that didn't work." Don't think of it as failure. Instead, try thinking of it as "finding out what works". Good luck!

I like the NSV more than the scale, too. The numbers can be too stressful! Yay, you!

That is awesome!

*cue Michael Jackson song* You are not alone!!! I started all the phases of my post-op diet early. I was just so hungry! But like you, I ate slow, small bites, small sips, etc. We just have to figure out what works for us. I don't spend much time on a liquid diet after fills either, just FYI. Liquid for a day, then back to what I want within reason...I am just trying to be reasonable about everything I do. I ate Cookies over the holidays, but a few, not the old 5 at a time. I haven't had pizza or any other fast food since surgery, except chicken strips from Chik-Fil-A. The fills will help, but you are already on the right track by being honest with yourself and your doc, and being sensible with what you eat.