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i don't think I was an emotional eater. But I always said that instead of cutting out my stomach, they should have taken my tongue. I am a super taster, a total foodie and I just love GOOD gourmet type food. I am not a junk food junkie. I just eat too much rich food and I eat way too fast, so I could eat a lot and I didn't feel full for about an hour after. Then I would feel horrible. Now I can still eat the foods I love, just little bites, they way that kind of food was intended to be eaten. Like the French! I am learning to eat less, smaller bites, and to not hoover my food. I think I am enjoying it more, anyway? But I sure cannot eat more than about 3 -4 oz of softies right now. I started softies today and I got full really quickly on salmon I had for dinner. I wanted to eat more, only because of the taste. But I sure didn't want to push my sleeve. So I keep telling myself I can eat whatever I ate before, but maybe only 20% of the amount and I must savor my food, not inhale it---a very bad habit I developed over 30 years ago as a young nurse starting out in hospitals. We used to take a bite and run, take a bite and run, or eat it all fast and then run. I chose the latter, which in the end turned into a bad thing to do to myself. But I really can't think of an emotional connection to food. I had that discussion with my preop shrink consult too. And in the final analysis, I just like the taste and since they couldn't take out my tongue, at least they made it painful to taste too much. LOL. gg

I had a few glasses at about the 8 week stage. No problems with it, but it just doesn't taste like it used to. Even the smoothest wines taste acidic and chemical to me now. Reds are probably the worst. Anyone else find that?

In case anyone has questions about traveling & eating with the band I wanted to simply share my latest trip. 4 weeks after surgery I went to Thailand. I had already progressed to normal food (my doctor however wants us to avoid starches, rice, Pasta, potatoes, cereals, breads - etc for up to 6 months). However, it's Thailand and while there's lots of grilled meats & fish - there is a LOT of rice! Yes, I ate rice. No, I didn't have any problems with it. I did talk to my doctor about the trip - we decided that it would be OK to eat what I could. I would then focus on a "proper diet" when i got back. I packed some Protein shakes & protein snack chews in case i had any trouble with the food (ended up throwing eveything out 1/2 way through the trip to make room for things I purchased instead!) In the 2nd week of the trip (5 weeks post-op) I was able to eat more and more. It was interesting in that it was very inconsistent. Some meals I'd eat a cup or more of food. Others I'd be stuffed after 1 or 2 chicken or pork satays (about 2 ounces). Overall I know I ate too much as I seemed to be full too frequently. I think it's pretty normal that as our stomachs heal we may be able to 'handle' more food than we should. Afterall, it's the band and we have to work on our diet more than with some other WLS. I don't think I lost any weight on the 2 week trip (hard to tell as travel always bloats me & it's now that time of the month). My clothing is definitely looser though. Overall, my energy level was fine the entire time. I have my first fill on Thursday so looking forward to continuing this journey.

Hi all Wanting to restrict this to UK people since products on both sides of the atlantic differ....no offence... Just wanting to know what any UK people use as a Protein shake/drink etc Looking at things like whey protein mixes in health shops...they are quite pricey and i wanted to know if anyone could recomend a brand/flavour that you have used .... really looking for one that doesn't require too much in the way of mixing or uses Water rather than milk as i live 5 days a week in an isolated (from shops) office and a hotel. I've been using slimfast stuff before but their pre-mixed shakes a expensive...so looking for something i can bulk buy and mix in hotel room or easily in the office without needing a blender etc Thanks everyone ... please help !!! Jamie

Thank you all so much for the comments and suggestions. Meeting with ob in a few weeks.

Welcome! I think it may vary by insurance. I know mine (SmartHealth) actually wouldn't approve you as is since your BMI is "too low". They require a BMI of 35 with co-morbidities, or 40 or higher for no-cormobidities. I would recommend calling your insurance company directly to see what all they require. I wasn't required to have any medically-supervised weight loss, but there were several people in my class who had to do 3-6 months. Good luck!

Ok, OK, I know everyone is different,everything depends on one's individual commitment, etc, etc, BUT one of the things I want to do for motivation is to get a couple "dream outfits". I've window shopped a bit and that's fun but I want one hanging on the closet door to keep me motivated...maybe more than one so I can swap them out. Now...what size do I pick? I was banded in April and have lost about 2 lbs a week...so on track for a nice sane weight loss. I'm looking for average size differences from those who have gone before me on this journey. I'm starting at the dreaded 2X; what was your dress size change at 3, 6, 12 months...or whenever you noticed it? I have found it hard to even visualize the way my body will look in the future, which I never expected.

This is from my Kaiser SoCal paperwork for Stage 3 - Soft Foods - Days 15 - 30. You can drink all that you had in Phase 1 and 2, plus now you can add the following: mashed potatoes thinned with light milk alternative well-cooked yams without skin steamed or poached fish, moist tuna, ground chicken/turkey soft veggie burgers low fat Beans chicken - shredded and moistened with broth scrambled egg whites or egg substitute, soft cooked or poached (not fried) greek yogurt, cottage or ricotta cheese low-fat or nonfat cheese string cheese non-fat feta cheese applesauce (unsweetened) ripe bananas soft, canned fruit in juice (pour out juice) all soft, well-cooked veggies except fibrous ones like celery and asparagus, corn seasonings - herbs ok

Am 2 days out. Much better today. Lost 11 pounds in 9 days since starting the protein shakes. Very sore abdomen, but sipping away. Got 3/4 of my protein in and working on the water intake. I am so head hungry tho. Everything smells so delish! Scared I will be able to do this once u can eat more.

Hello! I was sleeved on 12/29 with hiatal hernia repair. I was unaware I even had a hernia until after I woke up from surgery when the Dr. said he fixed it. I'm having some troubles getting my 64oz of liquid in and I dread when it's time to drink the protein shake. 3 days out and I'm starting to have that buyers remorse feeling, but after reading alot of posts I know it's just a matter of time before it gets better. Good Luck! Sent from my SM-N981U using BariatricPal mobile app

What people don't realize with exercise is your body needs a day to recoup after exercise. That is why they say 3 days a week. What would happen if you worked 7 days a week for year and never had a day off? You would be exhausted. Same with exercise you have to take a break and give your body time to relax also.

June 13, made one year post op, I lost 73 lbs in the first 6 months, I got my first fill in march after not losing anymore, I've got a total of 3 cc's in my band, went to dr on Friday, she gave me .50 cc, I told her I wasn't losing anymore, she replied that, maybe all your gonna lose? I don't have much restriction, she won't give me much fluid at all, one cc every month, I asked her why so little and she said that I lost all that with no fills and she's afraid that I will get to filled and where she only does fills on Friday that I will be really sick all weekend? What do I do?

Yes unfortunately very normal. You should be taking an antacid (likely a PPI that your doctor prescribed). If you don't have a prescription, call your doctor for it and take Zanctac or Pepcid in the meantime. My understanding is that you take this med for at least 3 to 6 months post-op.

It wasn't bad for me during the pre-op and first 1-2 weeks post op but now I'm starting to crave it big time.

I was just talking to someone else about this, they are about 12 weeks out. Her bloodpressure was actually too low, causing the lightheadedness. We really cut out a lot of salt after being sleeved, it might be your body reacting to that, especially if you have already low blood pressure. Ask your doctor if this is a possiblility. Easy enough to fix if it's that simple. Good luck! Keep us posted, I think sharing these different types of side effects are very helpful.

Hi all! I am so excited that I finally received my Lap-Band! I have been waiting so long for this, and I finally received it. Goodness, I am so sore though. This is my first week. Between my pre-op diet and now the liquid diet, I have now officially lost 25 lbs since beginning the entire procedure...so I am gritting through the pain. Anyone want to give me some advice? I could use anything on what to expect. I am pretty exhausted though and tired most of the day. I am sure that will get better over time. Any suggestions on getting more energy? I am not hungry at all which is great because I was always hungry, but where do I get more energy from?

Paris Hilton was deemed too sick to stay in jail, yet this woman was allowed to DIE on the floor of a county hospital's ER. LOS Angeles - An inner-city hospital is struggling to survive amid a new report of breakdowns in patient care, the replacement of its chief medical officer and an ultimatum to correct long-running problems or close. Newly released tapes of 911 calls reveal that a woman who lay bleeding on the floor of the emergency room died last month after dispatchers refused to contact paramedics or an ambulance to take her to another facility. The woman’s treatment was “callous, it was a horrible thing,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke said Wednesday. Earlier this week, the county Board of Supervisors grilled health officials about conditions at Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital. It ordered them to return in two weeks with a plan to deal with a hospital shutdown if it is unable to correct deficiencies laid out in a federal inspection that concluded emergency room patients were in “immediate jeopardy.” The federal review was based, in part, on a report that a man with a brain tumor waited four days in the emergency room when he needed to be transferred to another facility for lifesaving brain surgery. Hospital given deadline After the inspection last week, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services gave the hospital 23 days to correct problems or face a loss of federal funding. That could force it to close. Burke said the county-run hospital is a crucial facility and that nearby hospitals could not handle its patient load. “I can’t tell you whether it can be fixed but ... the community can not stand to lose another emergency room,” she said. Dr. Roger Peeks, the hospital’s chief medical officer, was placed on “ordered absence” Monday and replaced on an interim basis by Dr. Robert Splawn, senior medical officer for the county health department. Department spokesman Michael Wilson confirmed the change but declined to elaborate Wednesday, saying it was a personnel matter. Health officials are “doing everything in our power to help MLK-Harbor meet national standards,” Dr. Bruce Chernof, director of the health department, said in a statement. In a report to the supervisors on Tuesday, Chernof said quality of care had improved but warned that there was no “roadmap” for what he called the most difficult effort to “reinvent a failing hospital” ever undertaken in the United States. The hospital has served “thousands of patients well and a few very poorly,” he said. The hospital, formerly known as King-Drew, was built several years after the 1965 Watts riot to provide medical care in the South Los Angeles area. It has been cited more than a dozen times in 3½ years for inadequate care that has led to patient deaths and injuries

What are you guys eating and how much? Work outs? Overall how is everyone 7 weeks out and how much weight loss?

Yeah i had that also didnt have any feeling in my stomach in that area for a couple of months. I have 3 fills before i actually felt the needle on my 4th.

I had surgery on 3/23 and have some numbness in my stomach just to the left of my belly button. Has anyone else experienced this?

I hear you, brother. I'm DYING for some weightlifting, but I'm making up for it by walking 3-4 times a day for longer and longer intervals. I don't want to end up with man-boobs! Must... lift... weights!

Dizzy from standing up is likely related to much lower sodium intake, typical during the preop diet....otherwise known as hell week. You will feel much better after being sleeved. For me it was the 3rd week post op, I started feeling like Superman and have felt great every since.

I was given a pre-diet to follow for 2 weeks prio to surgery consisting of: slimfast optima, cottage cheese, yogurt and a small amount of fruit. I am having such a rough time following it and have cheated a few times. Does anyone know if that will hurt anything? My surgery is Friday Sept. 12th. I just don't know anyone to ask. Thanks:smile2: