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Congratulations on your date!! I am day 4 since banding so just starting to feel better. One of my last meals was a burger with all the fixings but I was also on my pre-op diet so I did it a couple of weeks before surgery. Good Luck! Maureen

I am ashamed to say I must have had like 10 last suppers. For about 2 weeks before banding I went and ate a huge plate at like every one of my favorite resturants.

Try some papya enzymes (available at any health food store)... I had my surgery in October and the first week on solid foods I decided that I would have just ONE baby carrot... I thought I chewed well enough but noooooooooo.... That was not a pleasant experience so early on.... I had already purchased the enzymes in case of emergency and took them then.... within an hour my painful chest was gone.... It cannot hurt to try and see if they break down some of that carrot to get it past your band... Good luck!

This summer, my eight year old niece came to visit, and my daughter was home, too. My daughter is in her early 20's, and has been my biggest cheerleader for weight loss surgery. She's a microbiology major (microbiologist study viruses, bacteria and fungus) pursuing entomology in grad school....entomology is the study of insects...but with microbio she can apply this to medical research, insect vector spread illness, microbial food science, pharmaceuticals, etc. We had her for a month before she left for her internship this summer:) So anyway...My little niecey was coming and I was loading the grocery cart with "kid food"....spaghetti O's and Captain Crunch and pringles and ginger snaps and pizza rolls...and a dozen other crimes against nutrition.....and my daughter.....put her foot down. "Mom, why are you buying that crap?" "Because little Chickadee isn't on a diet, I am." "Um...we all share genetics, Mom, this isn't a kindness. And watching her eat junk could be a weird pathological transference of food addiction." "So, I shouldn't buy any kid friendly food?" "You're on a serious diet preparing for surgery. You don't need to buy this crap. No, you don't. Why don't you let me handle getting things for her?" I'm always amused when my daughter puts her foot down with me...so I conceded. But my daughter didn't buy anything....which worried me. A couple days later, little Chickadee came for her week long visit, and we went grocery shopping. She adores her big cousin. Two peas in a pod...both biology nuts. They go canoeing and hiking and look at pond water under the microscope and collect bugs and play weird genetics games online together. So we're at the store and my daughter goes..."Chickadee, pick out three things you'd like to try. Any three fruits or vegetables that you want." Chickadee thought this was fun...so she picked out....an eggplant (because it was purple), a starfruit (because it was cool), and a hunk of ginger root (because she wondered what it was). After we got home, my daughter showed Chickadee a bunch of recipes using the three ingredients, and asked her which ones she'd like to try. They decided on a Thai chicken dish because it used both the ginger and the eggplant, and the starfruit could be part of a sweet salad. Chickadee was thrilled with ginger tea. Slice the root up with a little honey and lemon....she was all about it. Yum! Then, they got in this huge discussion about plants and bugs and coconut milk.....and how kitchens are really laboratories....and that tons of chemistry and physics and biology goes into cooking. And they made an Amazing...Healthy...Dinner. Chickadee was proud of it. She learned all sorts of stuff...had a wonderful time with her big cousin....and no one ate spaghetti O's. For the rest of her visit we planned our meals around the produce that Chickadee picked...(with a few gentle suggestions from her cousin) At the end of the week we all went to a farmer's market and Chickadee fell in love. She brought home all sorts of healthy foods to try, and got some succulents and flowers....and spent way less money than I would have spent on junk food...half of which would have been thrown out. I'm humbled by what a cool kid I raised and what an awesome mom she's gonna be someday. Or professor, or researcher, or maybe all three. And I stayed on my damned diet and really loved watching the girls make better choices for themselves.

Starting to freak out a little here! I am exactly 2 weeks post op today, have been given the green light to eat new foods and I feel like I could eat and eat and eat! I read on here that when I started solid protein I would finally feel restriction. Well, not the case. I have a chicken leg (which I was sure to chew very well) and it went down just the same as pre surgery. Granted, I am eating less, but the only thing that gives me any feeling of restriction. Is cottage cheese so far. I even ate a little bit of a muffin today and felt fine and wanted more! What is wrong with me?!

It's tough when you do not have the at home support that you need but know that once you get healthy.. you will have that much more energy to handle all the things that you do and you will, in the long run, have more time to spend with your babies I am in Kuwait and have no family here and not a whole lot of support from the friends that I have here as noone understands really what I am going through. Thankfully my husband is very supportive but he works 60+ hours a week (on a slow week) so he just isn't home for support.. so that is why I came here.. sometimes you have to reach out for support from others who know exactly what you are going through and the great thing about places like this, is they are 24/7 so you can always come here for support and someone will most likely be online at some point

I think you'd feel better in some clothes that fit. Buy them on clearance if you have to but get rid of the really baggy stuff. I've been on a pretty steady cycle of lose a little, stall a lot, haha, don't lose your focus :-)

I agree on the clothes. Another thing to try is ebay - I've bought a few things there for cheap. About the stall - maybe think about whether you might have let little Snacks and meal additions work their way into your diet over time. If not - and you're still eating pretty clean and under 1200 calories of so - then the scale is bound to move in time. Your body may just be adjusting to where you are.

Hi ladies, I was banded 3 and a half weeks ago. I have a Mirena IUD and had had very light, very minor periods until my surgery. I'm having a really heavy period now and was wondering if that's in any way related to the surgery, anesthesia, drugs....? Did anyone else go through this? thanks sara

I lost 15 pounds in 2 weeks pre-op. Surgery date was 7/9. I've lost 16 more since then. :-)

Well don't weigh the first week or two after surgery! Because you will gain a few pounds. From the IV fluids and swelling. My stomach was massive (more than normal ) afterwards for about a week. I called it frankenbelly

I actually went up 3 lbs in week 7. [emoji35] I was so disappointed because I had lost 7 the week before. Fortunately I am also measuring myself and lost 2 inches from my waist! [emoji2] My wonderful, supportive husband keeps telling me how great I'm looking (even though I'm still > 300)! I'll see what next week brings... sigh... have to keep remembering it's a process. Sent from my SM-N915V using BariatricPal mobile app

I actually went up 3 lbs in week 7. Sent from my SM-N915V using BariatricPal mobile app

Well, I had an absolute DOH! moment today. My scales were stuck at the same weight for a solid week, right down to the ounce. My BF weighed himself this morning and weighed exactly the same as I did. That couldn't happen, he's probably 10 pounds more than me (he's much taller). We took the batteries out, replaced them, reset the scales and voila!!! I was 2 pounds lighter!!! (He was 8 pounds heavier!) These crappy scales have had me depressed for a week! Make sure to check the batteries in your digital scales, folks! It matters! (This commercial message was brought to you by Diane, your BariatricPal dumbass!! LOL)

It's a medically-supervised "crash" diet... It is NOT a sustainable weight-loss option. having said that, I lost 40 lbs in my first 30 days (pre-surgery diet and 2+ weeks post-surgery). Then I halted for a week as I reintroduced food

Learning I love to hike in winter. Still searching for missing person. I've logged 36 miles plus in less than a week! I've gained 3 lbs but whatever. I'm hiking some stiff terrain and my clothing and hiking wear is adding all of 10 lbs.

I know but I just can't stand the way rear views, blinkers, and liscense plates look! lol Its so streamlined and pretty now... Hopefully I won't crash and burn anytime soon. That reminds me thou, everyone be very careful on your bikes this season! Bikers have been dying left and right in the last few weeks, at least in my town. Don't be a "squid", wear your gear!!!

i had some in my band at surgery but when they did the gi test after surgery i couldnt even take a sip it was to tight so they took all mine out and i dont have any i was banded on oct 5th i still dont but your stomach will stay swollen for awhile so i still have restriction just from swelling i lost 18 pounds after surgery the first week :w00t:

Oh my gosh, Val, I just read everything you have posted since your surgery and I'm so sorry, just when I was beginning to feel sorry for myself! I have had a rough first week, and I gues it could eventually turn out to be just as difficult for me, but I am keeping a close eye on you! Alll the advice others have given you have been really helpful for me. I fear dehydration. And I'm SO glad you are getting better. I wish I had found your follow up stuff over the weekend...too self-involved...but I'm so glad there is light at the end of the tunnel for you! You give me hope!

After the hell I've been through during these last couple of weeks, it seems as though this last surgery has done the trick. Although I am still recovering from two surgeries, three scopes and was hospitalized for dehydration twice all in a week and a half, everything now seems to be in working order. I haven't been dehydrated once and I can actually eat and it all stays down! Yeah! My arms may be covered in dark bruises (hope when I venture out of the house, nobody thinks I'm a little druggie!), but I'm feeling so much better. I'm still pretty weak from the second surgery, but I keep telling myself that I'm still recovering from the first surgery too. The soreness and swelling in my throat from the scopes is almost completely gone. I find that staying away from acidic liquids and drinking really cold drinks helps that. I want to thank each and every one of you who lended your kind words and support to me. At a moment when I didn't think I could take any more, you guys showed me that there was a light at the end of that dreadful tunnel. Thank you all. I couldn't have made it through this without you.

Easter is just around the corner and that can only mean one thing...CANDY CANDY CANDY! We have already gathered all the goods for my 3 yr old daughters basket but the hubby has a sweet tooth so he went and bought himself two bags of jelly beans. I am on my last week of liquid diet and then i can go onto mushy foods but its torture to watch my hubby eat jelly beans. I cooked my family barbque chicken and,mac n cheese, and green beans today for dinner and it was torture to sit there and smell real food while i tried to eat soup that looked like something that a Teletubby would eat. I look forward to eating solid foods again but in the mean time i found some solace in fat free frozen yogurt.

I was banded in 11/08 and up until recently only lost about 20 lbs. Restriction up until very recently was hit or miss. I just had my third fill in 7/09 and am finally experiencing a good deal of restriction. I have 5 cc's in a 10 cc band and I'm definitely seeing more weight loss now. Here are a couple of questions now that I'm finally seeing some progress: 1. Is it normal for restriction to "kick in" or feel more pronounced after a couple of weeks of getting a fill? At first I definitely felt the restriction, but it feels even more pronounced a couple of weeks later. 2. How much is a typical amount of food to eat in one sitting? I'm finding that I can only tolerate say a few spoonsful of tuna salad. (Of course prior to having this great restriction, I could eat a lot more...and crackers....so I feel that these "basics" are sort of new to me 9 mos. later.) Thanks in advance for your insight!!

My doctor didn't hide the long needle! I was frieked out for a second but thanks to the local didn't feel a thing. Don't know if you'll feel restriction or how long it will last. Seems everybody is different. My experience was the second fill caused some restriction. My surgeon said I can come back for more if I get hungry. Otherwise, it will be 6 weeks before another fill.

I too was disappointed with my follow up appointments. Everyone was super nice, but I have still not met the actual dietician, always a nurse. Several of them had the procedure done, but I don't feel like I am loosing like I should either...I would like to ask the dietician a few questions. I haven't lost a lb or inch in over a week! I actually went up and then back to the original place, and my BMI is very high, so I thought I should loose quickly. The nurse said I was on the right track, and my body was thinking it was starving so it's holding on. She said likely it will start going back down. I haven't had a single thing that wasn't high in protein or on the list, so I am quite frustrated. I got 2 books (1 from my Dr. and 1 from the hospital) and they don't say the same things about food. She said to follow my Dr. book, but it doesn't go into much detail. It is so confusing and a little frustrating. I keep telling myself that I am heading to be a skinny me, so I need to figure out what works for my skinny version. Did anyone else "stall" for a week or 2? No NSV's either...I haven't lost a single inch in over a week.

When I woke up from surgery, I could feel a 'tightness' that made me think I could feel the band. Now, 2 weeks out, when I wake up of a morning, I have restriction and I can feel that, but it goes away after I drink my coffee. I guess I'm just one of those that is tight of a morning.