am I slipping??

[BellaPerdente 0]

Froggi, I am from the northern panhandle of West Virginia!!!!

[Froggi 4]

Awesome Bella, I'm bordering Ohio in Wood county. Close to Parkersburg.

[bombaman 0]

I was put on soft solids at 4 weeks and told to gradually move into solids. I think lots of doctors do things differently. I was told that I could eat anything but had to stay with 1500 calories a day. I feel guilty with some of the foods I eat. I sure hope I'm not slipping the wrong way.

You're not alone.

[coltonwade 27]

Hang in there and do the best you can to make the best choices.

I do eat "Crap" on occasion and im ok w/ it . I dont feel guility when i do it . Why ? Because i eat pretty darn good the rest of the time.

Do i do it every day ? Every week ? NO I Bet i do it 2 times a month .

You can do it we all can !

Mindy

[emily111 3]

hmm lets not fight ppl lol... Im 3 weeks post op and I am not on liquids anymore. Now I am allowed soft foods :biggrin: Yum I eat alot of fish tilapia. Well anyways I just wanted to say.. yes we all should follow our dr. I am one who tries to follow 100% I am very scared to pb or throw up or slim.. But we all mess up at some point so lets all calm down this forum is here for us to help each other and upbuild one another I think everyone knows that pizza is off limits but it happened and now she just needs support. So lets try to give some support and not so much

criticizing :smile:

[coltonwade 27]

hmm lets not fight ppl lol... Im 3 weeks post op and I am not on liquids anymore. Now I am allowed soft foods :wub: Yum I eat alot of fish tilapia. Well anyways I just wanted to say.. yes we all should follow our dr. I am one who tries to follow 100% I am very scared to pb or throw up or slim.. But we all mess up at some point so lets all calm down this forum is here for us to help each other and upbuild one another I think everyone knows that pizza is off limits but it happened and now she just needs support. So lets try to give some support and not so much

criticizing :w00t:

We have all calmed down a long time ago my dear !!

:smile:

[Froggi 4]

Indeed we have. lol

[Angelsma 1]

I believe every person's experience is different and every doctor's instructions are different. There's no need to project into the situation in order to get them to follow instructions. Simply put, if a person goes off plan and has doubts as whether they have caused damaged to their band they should always consult with their own doctor. Otherwise, fear-mongering and brow beating only offers guilt and shame vs. encouragement. I hope this helps.

[coltonwade 27]

I believe every person's experience is different and every doctor's instructions are different. There's no need to project into the situation in order to get them to follow instructions. Simply put, if a person goes off plan and has doubts as whether they have caused damaged to their band they should always consult with their own doctor. Otherwise, fear-mongering and brow beating only offers guilt and shame vs. encouragement. I hope this helps.

That's NOT what i was doing . She asked if she COULD have damaged her band and I answered HONESTLY . I ALSO Told her as i ALWAYS to do consult her doc !

Mindy

[Froggi 4]

Don't worry mindy you didn't say anything wrong. -hugggg-

[orea15 0]

I agree that it is confusing and even tempting that every doctor has a different protocol.

When I get tempted to stray, I remember what my mentor, Jessie Ahroni says:

"Do you really want to be the one to tell your surgeon that you broke his rules because somebody on the Internet told you it was okay?" That says it all for me.

As for pizza, I love it dearly. But my understanding is that breads are difficult for most bandsters and also not conducive to weight loss. I knew this when I chose the operation and I choose to do my best to lose weight until I get where I want to be.

Which is more important, tiny pants or pizza? We each get this kind of choice every hour of every day. Let's make the most of our opportunity.

Hugs,

Orea

[pjd3253 0]

My doctor told me I could eat real foods after 3 weeks - he said I would be able to eat them but may not want to or may not be able to eat as much as before but just to chew - I do think every doctor is different, every person's situation is different - I don't think you can judge by your experience you have to listen to what your doctor tells you for your own body and my doctor told me I could eat fish, chicken, veggies, whatever I wanted as long as I chewed into a mushy state first - if a piece of fish is chewed into a mushy almost liquid state then what is the difference between that and thick Soup? My band is not damaged, have had no problems and am fine. I think you are right, you should not condemn someone for doing something different than what you did or were told to do. I need to lost about 45-50 lbs at the most. I know it has to do with healing not the amount of weight to lose, etc. but on the other hand I do think that goes into the doctor's thought process when he is telling you what to do. My husband went to another doctor for a consultation than I did and he is considered the top doctor in Dallas and he told him the same thing - 3 weeks post-op you can eat whatever you want within reason if you chew it up enough. Thanks!

[Shamrockgirl60 1]

Wow what a discussion. I am getting banded this Wed. I plan to follow the doctor's orders to the max. I went through months of pre-op meetings on how to eat properly, what the whole banding process is, that it is not nirvana for fat people, it's a tool to lose and keep of the pounds, It must be used properly and respected for what it is a piece of medical equipment sewn into your inside to restrict your eating. You have to do the work, of eating properly to make it work.

I know every doctor has different procedures, I cringe at some of them. The program I went through at Lahey Clinic in Burlington MA has an excellent record on banding and gastric bypass. Zero deaths in over 10 years of doing the surgeries. So I go with what they say. They stressed that the reason for the 5 weeks of eating this way is the band has to heal inside and become one with your body. It takes about 5 to 6 weeks to do it properly. Most operations require a healing period of at least 6 weeks. So why not this one. Eating real "solid" foods at 3 weeks to me would be like running a marathon after open heart surgery.

Week 1

Clear fluids for the first week - broth, Jello and Protein shakes (3) per day and drink plenty of Water or crystal light type drinks

Week 2, 3 and 4 - strained low fat cream Soups can use blender to make smooth. In fact if you can blend any Soup into a puree you can eat it.

thin mashed potatoes or cream of wheat

part skimmed milk ricotta cheese

pureed fruit like applesauce ( Mott's makes a sugar free with flavors, like blueberry and strawberry.) I think mixing that with the cheese might taste pretty good)

3 Protein Shakes a day

Week 5 Weaning off liquids to mushy solids. Low fat cheese, ground turkey and chicken. cooked with broth to make very very soft.

Low Fat Cottage Cheese, very soft scrambled or soft boiled eggs or eggbeaters. tuna with low fat low calorie mayo. chicken salad with low fat cottage cheese.

this is the mushy stage.

Don't drink 30 minutes before you eat and 60 minutes after you eat continue this for at least one year or beyond for maximum food absorbs ion.

As you increase the portein in your diet you can discontinue your Protein Shakes. You must have at least 60 grams of Protein a day, and when you eat, you eat your protein first, then your veggies, then a small amount of starches if you are still hungry and not full. This must be done forever with the band. As they say a whole new way of eating.

They stressed no snacking and to make sure that foods are a good consistancy so it won't make you uncomfortable or make the band slip.

We have to totally change our eating patterns. OK we are all human and we will "slip" and get that dish of ice cream once every few months or have something fattening, in very small amounts. Don't beat yourself up over it.

If I had eaten a pizza like that my doctors would have gone through the roof. I went through enough to get this done. I don't want to mess it up. I picked the right doctor and the right hospital to have my surgery I have every confidence in them. And they only asked me to fast one day before surgery My pre-op diet was my own, they only wanted me to lose 12 pounds. As of last week I lost 13.3 and have been dieting the past week and a half, I want to be at least 15 lbs lighter so my liver will be nice and de-fatted. LOL

JMHO folks

Pati

Edited August 5, 2008 by Shamrockgirl60

[orea15 0]

Pati, you have a great attitude. You'll do well! Congrats on your upcoming surgery. You are a week behind me. :-)

This is day 5 for me and I am actually starting to feel like myself again. <doing the happy dance>

Pati, if you have some rough days early on as I did, remember me and tell yourself it won't last long.

Hugs,

Orea

[Shamrockgirl60 1]

Pati, you have a great attitude. You'll do well! Congrats on your upcoming surgery. You are a week behind me. :-)

This is day 5 for me and I am actually starting to feel like myself again. <doing the happy dance>

Pati, if you have some rough days early on as I did, remember me and tell yourself it won't last long.

Hugs,

Orea

Thanks, that was so nice of you. I think that staying on a restricted diet the few weeks before surgery sure helps you after. I know I will have good days and bad days ahead and will concentrate on the good ones.

Hope your doing good. Only craving I have is ice cream LOL. Being good and not having any, even the fat free, sugar free kind LOL.

I want to make this work, I am 60 years old and want the next 20 years of my life or more to be happy productive ones and that I can spend them enjoying my granddaughter grows up. I want to boogie at her college graduation and wedding. I want to be the "cool" grandma. A real Auntie Mame type of gal. With my sexy purple dress and red hat. LOL