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[ruthyfisher 1]

hi yana

greetings from Sydney.

Well i think you sound as though you are doing well and its a huge lifestyle change and ofcourse there will be concerns and worries as it all new ground isnt it, as you know Im going to get banded I hope in late september as I'll need to have time off work and have already booked holidays for that time. Im enjoying reading everyone's experiences and learning more all the time keep up the good work and try I think to keep on the liquids as much as possibe you dont want problems with the band through eating too early,just enjoy the weight loss.

I wanted to ask can you drink Meal Replacement drinks that people use for diets as they would really fill you up wouldnt they are these ok?

take care

Bye for now Ruth

[Yana 0]

I thank all of you for your concern and advice.

I don't think I could possibly go back to liquids now and as I haven't had any adverse effects I feel it is O.K. to continue?

I chew the food really well and follow the "rules" about not drinking with food etc.

I seem to be able to eat quite a lot though...

Today I had to have chocolate and ate 100grams. I felt really sick for 3 hours afterwards but wasn't sick...

I have lost 6 kgs in the 12 days since I got my band. That is about 14 1bs.

I am eating one crispbread with marmalade for Breakfast and a fat free yoghourt with fruit in it but not "bits". For lunch I have been having either chicken or fish with vegetables and vegetable Soup. Sometimes followed by some fresh fruit without skin. For dinner I have similar or tuna with tomatoes or cottage cheese and small potatoes.Today I had a small tin of baked Beans, 3 tiny boiled potatoes and 2 crispbread with cottage cheese and gherkin followed by one fig and apricot. I then kept looking around for things to eat all evening but didn't! Today I have had more carbohydrates than before today but I am getting fed up with the Protein as it has never been my favourite and I am virtually vegetarian in that I eat chicken and fish but rarely before this week.

Tomorrow hopefully they will take my stitches out as I am longing to get rid of them. I usually heal very well after surgery but this time the wounds are less healed than I would expect at this stage. I think it may be to do with the food.

I tried a Protein Shake but it was really awful and I relegated it to the bin.

It is no good trying to have them as if I could do that type of thing,I wouldn't have needed the band in the first place......

The Dr said tomorrow he is going to give me one that is odorless and tasteless so I'll see but I am not keen on so much dairy and definitely not used to sweeteners or added sugar. Until now I have had a very healthy diet apart from the chocolate and have been used to eating that way for many years so just cannot tolerate the very sickly sweet stuff! Likewise the Vitamin Syrup they gave me...Yuck! I only managed one dose. I will buy some tablets.

I know it sounds contradictory to say I had a healthy diet and be this whopping weight but it is only the last 7-10 years I've been gaining and gaining due more to immobility and zero metabolism because of other health problems.

Obviously I ate more than I am now and lots of bread and other carbs so I hope this band will help me lose but I am already fed up with it!!!!!

I am not immobile by the way but have been a lot of the time.

[ruthyfisher 1]

hi again

do you have much follow up care - here we can take a whole package which includes dietiens(excuse spelling) psychologists and on care help a whole team that provide after care follow up as they reckon you need it otherwise you wont know what to eat, and I am defintely going to only do solids for the first month as id be afraid of a slippage or something going wrong.

I was told a while ago that oranges or citrus can cause a heartburn type feeling so some people need to avoid these and ive read that bread is hard to tolerate?

Well I am looking foward to getting my band on and now just have to wait

take care and take it easy

Ruth

[New Hope 37]

Wow, Yana, the drs. want us to stay on liquids and soft foods at first so that the new band can get anchored. Scar tissue has to develop to hold it in place. Running food through too soon risks that very important healing process. When I got hungry for real food, I just ran whatever I was eating through the blender. It satisfied my craving for "real foods."

[Yana 0]

Yes Ruthy,they have that sort of team in the U.K. too. Here,they have the dietitian and they know I see the psychiatrist in the U.K. once a year or so for my ongoing treatment and she supported the idea of me having the band. I see the Dr here who heads the hospital and has overseen all the band ops done by the Belgian surgeon who comes again in a week or so so I'll see him when I get back from the Maldives.

I am pureeing in a way but in my mouth! I am not swallowing "chunks" of food.

In any case according to the literature I have here which seems to be put out by Johnson and Johnson I would be starting solids next week anyway...they only advise 1 week liquids and 2 weeks purees. Also the surgeon(and in Belgium they've been doing this for over 15 years) is the one who organises the dietary literature to be given to patients.

In the U.S. it is a much newer procedure and I know in Oz they do a lot of it but have you been told to be on liquids for a month? It's not much more than 3 weeks anyway.

I also read someone in Europe eating like me after 3 days.

If it slips or doesn't heal I shall hate myself but I don't think I could cope with having to have pureed food and would end up eating ice-cream and melted chocolate probably!!

Today I had my first PB,only it wasn't really. It was my own fault as I swallowed some fish without chewing it because I was distracted at the beginning of my meal and I had the most terrible pain and feeling I couldn't breathe. I knew what it was but nothing moved so I walked up and down as I've read people do on these pages and sat down and walked again.

It was agonizing. Eventualy I forced myself to cough it up and then I was O.K.

I finished eating,soft grilled fish,mashed up broccoli and a small potato which I mashed with a fork and it was fine but I feel a bit sore and definitely wont do that again!

If the Dr finds any adverse reactions to my eating I will let you all know after I see him around the 20th/21st this month.

Thanks for the concern :-) to you and Marie

[Yana 0]

By the way Ruthie,I haven't attempted eating bread at all as I read everyone has problems with it..nor citrus fruit.(I do squeeze fresh lemon on my food). I have had very simple food really and as far as fruit only peaches,apples,apricots,pears and yesterday a fresh fig.

I don't eat meat only chicken breast and soft white fish or tuna, grilled. Vegetables I have had only runner Beans,broccoli,artichoke(once) and tomatoes(skinned and seeded).Potatoes I have only tiny new ones boiled and skinned,so not too dangerous really!!

I also have fat free cream cheese and fat free cottage cheese which are like puree anyway!

I also have the crispbread but chew it to mush! The difference is not having to see mush before it goes in my mouth!

I am not advocatinmg anyone else do what I am doing of course.