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So I'm not sure where to put this post since it covers several different topics I guess Before I had my gastric bypass last year, as you all know 1 of the things that you have to do is see the psychologist. So I went & seen her, and she basically took the wind out of my sails. I had a binge moment before my surgery & I made the mistake of telling her about it. She then told me that I had to read a book called End Emotional Eating. I don't emotional eat, but she told me that I had to read this book before she would give me the green light. So then I tried several times to read the book & I just could not get into the book at all. I ended up writing her a letter letting her know that I don't usually binge eat, and that I am NOT an emotional eater, and all that good stuff. Anyway she ended up giving me the green light, and I had my surgery last August. What really upsets me is that I was doing great with the way that I was eating, and had lost weight, even with having quit smoking (I'm still smoke free & at the writing of this post I'm at day 456 (1 year 3 months). Thus far my lowest weight was 235, down from 281 on the day that I started my weight loss plan from the hospital. I had quit smoking on March 8, 2017 & I started my hospital diet on March 27, 2017. When she told me that I had to read that book, and she criticized me with stuff, she honestly threw me into a tail spin & I started cheating here & there, then fell off the wagon totally. Now don't get me wrong, when I had to do my pre-op & post-op diets I did them, with the exception of like the last 3 days of my final stage of my post op diet. We went out for Chinese with a friend of mine who's like my little brother. Unfortunately I guess that I had eaten too much & got sick. Fast forward to now & I'm back up to 250, I'm having more chronic pain that I had been having, and I'm extremely depressed. Trust me, I'm not going to do anything dangerous to myself or others. We also have been having money problems, though as of today things will get a little better since my husband will be back to working 6 days a week, not sure how long that will last, but we will take advantage of all the hours that he's getting. Plus he's working for cash filling sand bags for a pipeline. I NEED to get back on track. I can't keep doing this. We just got back on our medicaid insurance, and now that I've been approved for social security disability I'm just waiting to get on medicare. I want to find a counselor to talk to, but it's almost impossible to find someone that is taking new patients, or that will take medicaid. I just don't know what to do or how to do it. I sleep a good portion of my day, plus I'm drinking cappuccino for Keurig, way too much of it. It's 70 calories per 8oz cup, and I'm drinking 6 or more per day because I'm sitting home constantly. My car is in the shop & hubby is using the car for working. Monday I have to get up at 7 to make sure that I get him to work by 7:30a.m., and I have no clue when I'm going to get my car back from the shop. I'm beginning to feel like I'm a prisoner in my own home & am just really frustrated. We don't have public transportation. Needless to say, all in all, I just feel down, lonely, depressed, and frustrated with so much & I don't know which way to turn anymore. Maybe i f I can find a buddy that I can be accountable to that would help me to get back on track? And I can help them to stay on track as well. Thanks for hearing me out! Lauri

Good evening. I am getting the band on 12/17/08. I have been on liquids only (three Slim Fast and soup each day) so it is not quite a shock after surgery. I met with the nutritionist and who said that the Slim Fast had too much sugar. The four items above give me the Protein required. I am wondering if the sugar is such a big deal when I am taking in only 1,000 calories per day. Any advice for alternatives. I thought sugar was a big deal with the bypass. Thank you.

I had my gall bladder out six weeks after my lap band was put in. And I was a couple months recovering from that. Well its been over six months since it came out and I now have no long term difference, thankfully, except for my skin. My complexion has changed. And darn't, I know its from getting my gall bladder out. I've always been prone to milia, those hard tiny hard little white bumps that don't come out like white heads or black heads. Those are caused, at least in large part, from excess cholesterol on the surface of the skin. But this isn't related to blood levels of cholesterol. For a while I'd done at home microdermabrasion and that has helped me not get new ones and with my skin in general. I have combination skin, so I also used 5% benzoyl peroxide gel on my face in the evenings. I also use face wash, whatever is nice, biore or bath and body works, or something. thats followed by Origins united state toner. love that. Then their white tea perfect world serum. Then moisturizer (st. ives) if I was using the benzoyl peroxide. Of course I wear sunscreen everyday, nice light texture stuff, can't really tell its on. I don't wear makeup everyday. Wash face twice a day, etc. So my skin did just fine under this routine. Then after the gallbladder came out, I got a lot more milia. My pores started getting bigger, especially on my cheeks. I now get those cholestrol bumps on my eye lids, but they are very tiny, I think they are called xanthelasma palpebrarum. My blood cholesterol levels are just fine-- it has always been excellent. That runs in my family-- good cholesterol level no matter what we eat. My liver enzymes behave a little oddly, but they always have, and from what I can tell that doesn't seem to have anything to do with these things. And since its the same odd... I have to say that this is really bugging me. I don't have any more acne, and my skin isn't oilier. But its uglier. Bigger pores, milia, and scaley texture under my eyes. I'm not sure what that is. I think it might either be a bunch of little milia or else the skin is sort of scaley. My skin isn't dry though. If I can't come up with something soon, I'm going to see a dermatologist. I use the home microdermabrasion (exfoliation) every other day. I take my vitamins-- including stuff for skin in them. I get Protein. I get enough liquid. I do a face mask (aspirin and honey) once a week. Right now I am trying both moisturizer and benzoyl peroxide twice a day to see if that helps. Any ideas? Anyone else with the same problem or other gall bladder skin woes?

Hi CarolynMarie, Would you mind sharing how much weight you have lost with the band in three years? Well done!

Liquid is liquid. Cottage cheese, etc., is soft. If you are still in the "liquid" phase, I'd hope your doc didn't say to start with soft foods. Small particles can get trapped in the incision/staple line and you don't want that to happen. Usually the transition is clear liquids -->full liquids [~creamed soup liquid, etc.]-->soft foods, with particulate matter, etc. [If in the liquid phase, what are you, 1-2 (or 3) weeks post-op?] Before starting anything more than true liquids, I'd check with the doctor/nutrition team.

I was banded Dec 16th and have lost 48lbs since before surgery, 38lbs since surgery. Since my 2nd fill I have hit the crap stage I am calling it! I am hungry again I have only lost 2 lbs in 3 weeks and I am waiting for my 3rd fill next week. I was not really expecting such an emotional roller coaster afterwards. I am happy about the weight I have lost but I feel like it sucks that it has slowed. I went jeans shopping and I have gone from a 22 to an 18 so thats something to be happy about but it still hard cause I just want to walk in and whatever I want to fit fit again. Ha ha. The expectations we as women have. Oh well I am done venting for now I hope everyone else is doing good!

I've only had my sleeve two weeks but it really is a whole new world. I've gone 3 weeks without throwing up, which is a record with the band. Even though I'm only on full liquids I could have issues iwth the band when it came to eating something like yogurt. I can have breakfast in the morning without have to down 24 oz of water first to make sure food could even go down. I just feel like this is what weight loss surgery was supposed to be all along. I had my band 3 years but I was miserable with it. Fills, unfills, re-fills, re-unfills...neverending vicious cycle. I will never recommend the band to anyone. Sleeve ALL THE WAY!

Hey Nicole! Congratulations on being banded. I'm so scared but am going through with my appointments. I believe I will find out in 2 weeks if my insurance is approved. How did everything go with the surgery? Were you sore? Did you have any problems? Sorry for so many questions but like I said, I'm scared.

Yeah, there are probably dozens and dozens of threads on this. New ones each week. Try searching up top. People share their experiences and tips.

Great! I was very anemic pre-op. My hemoglobin was only 8.9 (no wonder I was exhausted all the time!) and my ferritin was low indicating iron-deficiency anemia. I was worrying that I wouldn't get it high enough to have surgery by my scheduled date but I did it! Just squeaked by at 10.6. I saw my hematologist just last week and I thought for sure I would be anemic because there are days I forgot my iron supplement but alas I was 11.1..whew! Good luck and I hope you get the answer to why you're a bit pale.

If you are a foodie, like you actually have good taste in food not just eating lots of crap, you are going to LOVE foodie life post op. Most of the time for myself I have the same simple things all the time. So when I go out, it is a real treat, especially since it is fairly rare I go to a real restaurant now, compared to the past ( I used to eat out a lot, now just a couple times a week maybe). After going through the food stages and adjusting your relationship with food. You learn to love food as fuel. Then when you do eat delicious things out, you can totally be satisfied with a taste. Food to me tastes far better now than it ever did before because since I know I can only have a "little" (and that isn't really true anymore, depending on what it is, I can have a almost normal portions of things that are not dense protein), and what I have has to be good. I won't waste room or calories on bad food. I went somewhere last week, had half a bite of food, decided it was rubbish and walked out (I had already paid my tab before the food came). At least that is my experience. I can have a little bit of everything and just enjoy the taste and the flavors and not try to eat to be full. So all the fancy restaurants that I used to feel starved after I ate there, are completely satisfying now. It is really hard to explain to someone that hasn't experienced it but some of the other vets that used to post here have expressed the same kinds of feelings. I went from first visit to surgery in 8 weeks. No time to get cold feet, plus my BFF bought a plane ticket to be with me and spent her own money so I couldn't back it. I purposely did it all very fast so I wouldn't have the option of talking myself out of it. No regrets about surgery not one second.

My understanding is that a liquid diet is required pre surgery to shrink the liver some. I will be on one for 2 weeks

That is surprising. I am a week post surgery and I can have Protein drinks, milk, cream-based Soups, greek yogurt, sugar free Jello or popsicles and Water, water, water (can be mixed with crystal light). The Protein Drinks that I am drinking have 28 grams of protein each so I drink 2 a day and then have greek yogurt and Soup broth. I can't have food (chicken, fish pureed) until day 15. It's interesting to see the differences.

Hi, I'm a new user. I am now about 265 pounds and am scheduled to go in for my first appointment with the Oregon Obesity Institute to get all my necessary pre-ops done before surgery. The surgery is not scheduled yet, but my insurance has approved it. I'm excited to read everyone's results. Some of you loose quickly and some not so quick. I wonder which way I will go. I've been battling with mononucleosis since December and hope this won't hinder an earlier surgery date. They actually whisked me in since the seminar was only last week and I'm already scheduled for all of my pre-ops. So that's it. I'll be anxiously reading some of the posts.:clap2:

A week out seems too early to be worried about 3 solid meals. Work on the water, the protein ( shakes would be the way to go at this point ) Much more than that will be difficult. Perhaps pudding, a little mashed potato.

My doctor approved 2 tablespoons of food per day right after surgery - approved foods were things that would slide off a plate...applesauce, cottage cheese, sugar free Jello, sugar free pudding and surprisingly, scrambled eggs. But only 2 tablespoons per day. I struggled to get in the Protein and the Water, but actually having that little bit of food felt good, too. I would think that if your doctor's plan OK's real food this early, tuna salad or chicken salad would be very heavy and hard for your new tiny tummy to withstand and I can't imagine you would be able to eat much at all. Scrambled egg was a go-to for me. It never hurt my stomach. (I'm just over 4 weeks out and cannot eat an entire egg) What's on your approved diet?

Wow that sounds unbelievable! I certainly would be worried that she is pushing you to eat so much. At two weeks out I was still on clear liquids advancing to liquids(protein shakes and the like). Maybe you should speak with someone else or your surgeon.

I have to eat out alot do to my travel schedule and this may sound silly but it works for me, I have a tiny glass bowl that I would put on my food scale and add food and most on the time it was between 3-4 oz so I take the bowl with me everywhere and I just transfer the food from my plate to the bowl and I dont eat anymore than that. As far as the wine goes I say DON'T, not only can the sugar amounts be higher than what you can do but you will get drunk very fast than sober but still feel drunk. I havent had a glass yet as I am only 6 weeks out but 2 of my friends did at 3 months and said it was awful. The last thing you want to do is be sick on Valentines day.

@@computercat Egg can be very harsh. I am 28 months post op and still they feel like bricks in my stomach. I get sick every single time I try them by themselves. I can eat a tiny and I do mean tiny amount of a hard boiled egg if it is in a salad. I can pretty much eat everything else but I have found it very common for people to have trouble with eggs. I have also learned that you need to keep trying every couple of weeks or months. I last tried them about 6 weeks ago and I just cannot handle them so I am giving up on eggs.

I made it 2 days short of my 4 weeks before I ate anything not pureed (with my doctors permission). It was St Patrick's day (and my husband's birthday) and I had corned beef and carrots. I could only eat 2 oz of meat and one baby carrot, but it was divine!!! You can do it! It isn't worth the risk of blowing out your stitches, eating before you are cleared by your doctor, and carbonated beverages will fill you sleeve up with gas, and that would be so painful. I am rooting for you!

Hello! I am 3 weeks post op today. I have lost 30 pounds as well. Same as you. I was told by my doctor that every week it may be a pound or two but slowly it will come off. I think your doing great!

I was banded on may21 and have really started to get hungry too! It's crazy how that happens. my first fill isn't until the 25th. In the meantime I am exercising and tracking my calories. I have been on a plateau for the last two weeks and that is making me crazy! Definitely going to be ready for a fill!

Hi, I'm new to this forum and have been busy reading a lot of the different threads. I'm starting down this journey and am a bit nervous but I know I'm doing the right thing. I'm currently waiting through all of the pre-insurance items to be completed before my insurance approval is submitted. Per my carrier, the only requirement is to have a BMI over 40, which I'm at 44.5. I've been overweight every since graduating college. I'm looking forward to eventually getting back down to a reasonable weight, keeping up with my kids, enjoying my hobbies again, and being able to sit in any chair without thinking of how much of my bum is sticking out from the sides :smile2: I decided to go down the lapband route because I felt it was more realistic to have the weight come off slower than RNY patients. Plus, I really was afraid of having such a drastic surgery. Thanks to all who have posted in the past week or so as I'm been eagerly reading thru the threads. I'm an Analyst during the day so I'm big into gathering the info and facts. It makes me feel better about my decision. My family is behind me and supporting me. My mom, well, she says I should try Weight Watchers - which I have - many times - loosing weight and then regaining it again. My friend says the same thing - she doesn't even realize that her words hurt. So, besides 2 other friends who support me, I haven't told anyone else - not even my brother - as I'm just not wanting to have to defend my choice. thanks! Laura

this sounds exactly like me when I ate too fast, or a texture I wasn't ready for yet. I would get a terrible chest pain that took a moment then passed. never nauseous or regurgitated anything, it just HURT right in the centre of my chest. here are my suggestions to you: 1. buy yourself a smaller set of silverware and a small plate to help you adjust to eating small bites. I've heard the size of your pinky finger tip. sometimes you just have to trick your brain with an optical illusion to help you relearn what size bites are really right for your stomach. 2. use a timer to time your chewing. Baritastic is an app that has a "chew chew chew" timer built right into it. use the timer and make sure you are chewing that entire time, even if the sensation starts to be kinda gross. you will eventually be able to chew a BIT more normally, but for now you really need to destroy everything that goes into your mouth. 3. PUT YOUR FORK DOWN between bites. do not chew, swallow, put more in the your mouth, because you'll think you're taking your time but you may be eating wayyyyy faster than you perceive yourself to be. (this is especially true of moms or teachers or nurses or anyone who has had a lifetime of needing to eat fast and get onto the next thing ASAP... those habits die hard lol!) take a bite, put your fork down, chew, swallow, sit and breathe... then take another bite. If you are chewing slowly and small bites and still getting that sensation, take a break from the food that causes that sensation and try something else. the first time i got it was from some mashed potatoes. I stopped eating them, had something else, and didn't try them again for another couple weeks (since they're not that great of a food for you anyway). for something like eggs that fits well into your post-op diet, try them the next day or two days later maybe. you can also try cooking the eggs a different way. some people can't do scrambled eggs but can do poached, etc. tuna, if you haven't yet, try mixing it with some kind of sauce, whether that be light mayo or yogurt or vinaigrette or whatever else you like. I had mine with light miracle whip.

I had 2 ccs put in mine during surgery- I am down 32 pounds- have had no issues with eating or gettig stuck. I am not hungry between meals and I honestly don't think I wil get a fill on my 6 week appointment.