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Ok, I might get blackballed and lose my MAN CARD for admitting this, but here goes. I was cleaning out the closet, looking for smaller pants to wear. I started rummaging for something that would fit, found a nice pair to try on. They were a PERFECT fit, better than any pants I've put on. Looked good in the mirror too! All that walking is shaping my butt up! Did I really say that last line? Up till recently, you could lean me up against a flat wall and there’d be no gaps anywhere from the top of my back to my calves. My butt was so flat… How flat was it? It was often mistaken for an end table when I lay on the floor. I looked at the tags only to find that they weren’t men’s pants at all - but a ladies size 16 that got left behind from a previous girlfriend! They must’ve mistakenly gotten mixed in with the tons of other pants and shirts that were put in the “I’ll be able to wear that again someday,” wishful thinking pile. For the MAN Committee, I know you have no knowledge of this, but, a 16 is the 1X Women's Plus Size according to Overstock.com. And I DID have to look that up; it didn’t come from memory or previous experience wearing women’s clothing! (So MAN Committee, please take that into account when voting.) This means that I now have the body of a woman with voluptuous hips! P.S. Blackball or not, I'm KEEPING the pants!! Keep Pimpin that sleeve!

To the weight loss surgery patient slider foods are the bane of good intentions and ignorance often causing dumping syndrome, weight loss plateaus, and eventually weight gain. Slider foods, to weight loss surgery patients, are soft simple processed carbohydrates of little or no nutritional value that slide right through the surgical stomach pouch without providing nutrition or satiation. The most innocent of slider foods are saltine crackers, often eaten with warm tea or other beverages, to soothe the stomach in illness or while recovering from surgery. Understanding Slider Foods The most commonly consumed slider foods include pretzels, crackers (saltines, graham, Ritz, etc.) filled cracker snacks such as Ritz Bits, popcorn, cheese snacks (Cheetos) or cheese crackers, tortilla chips with salsa, potato chips, sugar-free cookies, cakes, and candy. You will notice these slider foods are often salty and cause dry mouth so they must be ingested with liquid to be palatable. This is how they become slider foods. They are also, most often, void of nutritional value. For weight loss surgery patients the process of digestion is different than those who have not undergone gastric surgery. When slider foods are consumed they go into the stomach pouch and exit directly into the jejunum where the simple carbohydrate slurry is quickly absorbed and stored by the body. There is little thermic effect in the digestion of simple carbohydrates like there is in the digestion of protein so little metabolic energy is expended. In most cases patients in the phase of weight loss who eat slider foods will experience a weight loss plateau and possibly the setback of weight gain. And sadly, they will begin to believe their surgical stomach pouch is not functioning properly because they never feel fullness or restriction like they experience when eating protein. The very nature of the surgical gastric pouch is to cause feelings of tightness or restriction when one has eaten enough food. However, when soft simple carbohydrates are eaten this tightness or restriction does not result and one can continue to eat, unmeasured, copious amounts of non-nutritional food without ever feeling uncomfortable. Many patients turn to slider foods for this very reason. They do not like the discomfort that results when the pouch is full from eating a measured portion of lean animal or dairy protein without liquids. Yet it is this very restriction that is the desired result of the surgery. The discomfort is intended to signal the cessation of eating. Remembering the "Protein First" rule is crucial to weight management with bariatric surgery. Gastric bypass, gastric banding (lap-band) and gastric sleeve patients are instructed to follow a high protein diet to facilitate healing and promote weight loss. Bariatric centers advise what is commonly known among weight loss surgery patients as the "Four Rules" the most important of which is "Protein First." That means of all nutrients (protein, veggies, complex carbohydrates, then fat and alcohol) the patient is required to eat protein first. Protein is not always the most comfortable food choice for weight loss surgery patients who feel restriction after eating a very small amount of food. However, for the surgical tool to work correctly a diet rich in protein and low in simple carbohydrate slider foods must be observed. The high protein diet must be followed even after healthy body weight has been achieved in order to maintain a healthy weight and avoid weight regain.

Wow I can't believe I actually did it. I just hope it is all worth it. I didn't expect to have so much pain. I also didn't expect to gain weight in the hospital (6lbs). The weight has now come off and its only day 3. My cuts are itchy. The good news is that I found a comfortable position to sleep. Everyone has told me that the first weeks are hard. I can't wait to see my doctor so we can go over my diet. I'm looking forward to eating more normal foods and not just optifast.

I'm going to lay out some thoughts I've been having. My intent is not to minimize the experience of anyone else, but simply to offer my own thoughts and beliefs. I know this journey is different for all of us, but I am always saddened when I see a post about how a pre-op person can't wait to "be skinny" or "look hot" or "feel good about myself again". Skinny does not equal happy. Skinny does not equal hot. Skinny does not equal feeling good about ourselves. There are just as many skinny people who are unhappy, unattractive, and down on themselves as fat people. Happiness, feeling attractive, and feeling good about oneself are characteristics generated from within, not without. A few years ago, at a very low point in my life, happiness seemed to me like a foreign concept. I could not remember the last time I had felt genuinely joyous or happy about anything. Intellectually, I knew that there were many things in my life that were desirable. I had a good job, a comfortable house, a dependable car, some money in the bank, food in the fridge, etc. But despite these things, I was unhappy. Now, I had good reasons to be unhappy, or so I thought. My marriage was failing, I was coming to grips with the fact that I would never be a mother, I wanted desperately to change my life but felt completely stuck, and so on. I remember reading somewhere that happy is a verb...it's an action, not a passive condition. I began to wonder...if I truly felt that there was no spark of happiness or joy in my life, who's fault was that? Who was responsible for my happiness? The answer, of course, is me. I was failing myself. I was not loving myself, or being kind to myself. I decided that if happy was an action, I was going to try and exercise my happy muscle. I was going to try and find one thing to feel happy about for a few minutes every day. My goal was 3-5 minutes a day of active happiness. I thought that would be super easy. After all, I had been able to identify good things in my life, so how hard could it be to think about them for a couple of minutes every day? Well, it was actually harder than I expected, but I stuck with it. I had to set a timer in the beginning, but I made myself do it every single day. Gradually, I noticed it got easier. Some days all I could come up with was something like the weather, or the fact that my bills were paid on time, but damn it...if that was all I had, then I was damn well going to focus on it & feel happy for 3 freakin' minutes. I eventually began to notice that I felt happier overall. I'm not sure why, because by this time I was just divorced and trying to figure out dating at 270 lbs & maintaining my new house, etc, but regardless, I felt happier. After meeting the man who has become my 2nd husband, he said that one of the things that attracted him to me was that I always seemed happy. I'm not saying that this is somehow a magic bullet against bad stuff happening, but holding happiness in my mind for a few minutes every day helps me to deal with the inevitable downs of life. It seems to me that consciously taking time to feel happy each day has somehow made a state of happiness more accessible in my brain. It's been almost 7 years since I began my happiness quest, and I can honestly say I feel happier today than I ever have in my life. To quote Charlotte in the Sex and The City movie, "I feel happy every day. Not all day every day, but every day I feel happy." In choosing to have the sleeve, I absolutely do not expect it to make me happy, because I'm already happy. I feel pretty good about myself today, this minute, at 300+ lbs. Yes, there are things I want to do, but I can't right now. Yes, I have pain every day & difficulty walking, but I still feel good about who I am and what I have to offer in my small corner of the world. I am aware that I am probably judged negatively by some people because of my weight, but I don't even really notice that. Today, I find it so much easier to find things in my life that make me genuinely happy. I am definitely looking forward to weighing less and seeing an improvement in my mobility, but I don't think it will make me somehow better or more acceptable or a more worthy person. I am enough, right now, just as I am. We all are, and we are all so very precious. Today, right now, at this very moment, we are beautiful, and we are valuable, and we are enough. I believe that with all my heart, and I hope you do, too.

Recipe courtesy Kulita’s Hubby Prep Time:10 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time:55 min Ingredients: 1 ¼ quart water 1 ½ pounds smoked Ham Hocks ( can substitute with smoked turkey legs) 2.5 lbs collard or turnip greens 1 ½ Tbsp salt, plus extra if desired 1 Tbsp sugar 2 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes Directions Place the quart of water and ham hocks in an 8-quart pot over medium-high heat. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to low and allow simmering for 10 minutes. In the meantime, remove any large stems/thick veins from the greens and wash them thoroughly; do so in a sink with at least 8 inches of ice water. Moving the leaves around in the water and allowing them to sit for a few minutes to allow the sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the sink. Once clean, thoroughly drain and chop pieces in half. You should have 2 pounds of greens once they are stemmed. Once the ham hocks have simmered for 10 minutes, add the greens, salt and sugar, reduce the heat to low, cover, and allow to simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add in the vinegar and pepper flakes at the 20 minute mark and break up the meat from the hocks. Start moving the greens around every 15 minutes. Once the greens have been cooked for at least 45 minutes check if they are tender ( not mushy). Taste and season with additional salt, if desired. Serve immediately with or without pieces of ham. Serves 4-6 people

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes when cooking for my family. It it taken straight out of my cook book. I had to make this many times and finally have tweaked it enough to where everyone really like the flavor and texture of this version. Prep time: 30 min Total time: 90 min INGREDIENTS 2 cups finely chopped onion 2 Tbsp freshly minced garlic 1 celery rib, chopped fine 1 carrot, chopped fine ½ cup finely chopped scallion 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 2 tsp salt 1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 2/3 cup ketchup 1 ½ pounds ground chuck 5 strips of uncooked bacon cut into 1/8 inch strips 3/4 lb ground pork 1 cup freshly toasted bread crumbs 2 large eggs, beaten lightly 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves DIRECTIONS The key to this meatloaf is to make sure that the ingredients you get are fresh. Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large heavy skillet cook onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and scallion in butter over moderate heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Cook vegetables, covered, stirring occasionally, until carrot it tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 cup of ketchup (reserve the other 1/3) and cook, stirring for 1 minute. In a large bowl combine the vegetables, meats, bread crumbs, eggs, and parsley. In a shallow baking pan, form a mixture into one 10-by 5-inch oval loaf and spread remaining 1/3 cup ketchup over loaf. You could also form this onto a cookie sheet. Bake meat loaf in oven for 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted in center registers 155°F Serves 6

I said at the start of this journey failure was not an option. I was not going through this to revert back into old habits. While I haven't totally reverted back, over the last week I have noticed old thoughts and desires coming back into mind. I am not sure if this is because of my exhaustion and busyness of late or what. I had my blood work done this week to see how I am on that front. Seems I am very low on Vit D and my B-12 is low even though I am taking a supplement as is my iron. So I am going back on multiple suppliments and increasing the B12 even though I was already taking the perscribed amount. I know that these things being low can increase my exhaustion level, so I am getting back to taking them right now! My weight is still hanging at 188-189, but I still feel like a failure currently. Last weekend, Mother's Day- which is hard due to losing 3 babies- I went to my mom's for a family dinner. While I made sure there were Kime friendly foods there, there were also some of my fav desserts. I made my mom's fav cookie, which is also mine, Carmel Pecan Crunch. I ate 2 cookies- they were heaven. Then I took some Strawberry Cloud home. My mom's Strawberry cloud is a layer dessert consisting of angel food cake, crushed strawberries and a vanilla pudding/cool whip mixture. Mom does use the no sugar added pudding and cool whip due to my Dad's diabeties. But, still this was a dessert. Then yesterday a co-worker brought in her famous Pineapple Upside Down cake and I ate a slice. Normally, cake and me don't a long, but for some reason yesterday it gave me no issues. Then last night my hubs and I had some errons to run and some things to pick up so rather than cooking at home and having to clean up we went out to dinner. We needed something fast, which I should know better than that- fast and the band don't mix. We went to Chic-fil-a I order a kids chicken nuggett. (I use to eat two adult Chick nuggets). I ate the 1st nugget and bam- stuck. Took me 20 min in the bathroom to dislodge that sucker. I managed to eat a couple more nuggets and got stuck again so I gave up. I had not gotten stuck that day before that night, so I know it was from trying to eat to fast. But, part of me felt like this was my band telling me I shouldn't be eating this. I know chicken nuggets aren't exactly health food, but I haven't had them in forever and really wanted them and I did opt for a smaller size. Maybe I am just trying to justify my choice. The first of the week my weight bounced up to 190 and then back down to the 188-189 marks. The failure feeling come in that I am 11 months post of next Wednesday. I have gone from 244 to 188, while I am happy 56 lbs is gone, I still feel like a failure and I should have lost much more by this point. All the negitive things people told me before banding are swirling around in my head- "you will only lose half of you excess weight, if you want to lose more do gastric", "you should just do gastric, you will lose more", "your to fat for the band", "why do this, you will just gain it back", "you've always been big why change now". Yes, people said that to me, which pissed me off at the time, but now I am feeling like they were right. I know it's great that 56 lbs is gone and I have kept it off. It took 4 months for me to lose 10 lbs- that is so ridiculas. Many people on this site who had surgery at the same time as me have weight still melting off, so it's hard when the doctor tells me this is natural this far out for the loss to slow. I realize I should not compair myself to others, but it is hard not to. I am second guessing myself, wondering if I should just stop worrying about and live, if I lose more fine, if not fine. I didn't want to get to that point until I got to the 150's, which is almost 40 lbs away. I don't want to gain anything back, but I feel like if I don't lose more it still makes me a failure.

Have you experienced a stall in your weight loss? Has it been 2 weeks or more since the scale has moved? If so read on. Chances are really good that IF you are following the Dr's guidelines you are most likely having small body adjustments and have lost size. Start by measuring your thighs, upper arm, forearm, neck, waist, hips, chest. I encourage everyone to do this twice a month. It a true stall is when all of your numbers, including the scale doesn't move. That is something you can show the Dr and NUT and you can work on figuring out how to solve the issue. The scale can give discouraging (and misleading) numbers, but cover up the numbers with a piece of masking tape and put your goal weight on the tape. Only find out your true weight from your Dr. at check ups because that is the weight that is going to matter when it is jotted down in your record. It is stressful enough trying to readjust to life post op and enjoy foods one at a time, why add more by constantly worrying about stalls? In addition to measuring yourself I found out in my San Diego support group that many have experienced stalls/plateaus. Almost all of them swore by eating avocado with every meal for a week to break the plateau. View the .pdf file that explains a bit more about this and the science behind how this works.

As some may know, I have been trying for WLS since August of 2005. Finally my time came and I was sleeved. I was a very active member on ObesityHelp until I found this site. Enjoy the info and videos... The word bougie means "candle" in French. "F or FR/Fr" following a bougie size=French Its just a guide that the surgeon uses to butt the stapler up against, when forming your VSG. The closer s/he gets to the guide the 'tighter' /truer to guide the sleeve is. During surgery the bougie is inserted into your mouth down your throat, towards the end of yer stomach where it meets the pylorus via an esophageal dilator. After the new stomach is formed, the bougie/guide is removed out of your mouth, possibly why some VSGrs complain of a sore throat post op. Some surgeons will use an endoscope or other "guide" to size ones new stomach. I read an OH post of a VSGr who's surgeon explained an endoscope is the same size as a 32F bougie...Im not sure. Bougie size determination is between YOU and YOUR surgeon. Discuss size, rationale for size chosen, type bougie and technique used when sizing your new stomach........ PRE-OP!! Some surgeons may "oversew" the staple line giving one a 'tighter' than bougie sized sleeve. In order for an "oversewn" staple line to affect stomach size it MUST be running or continuous oversewn suture line across majority of staple line not intermittent oversewn nor merely at intersected "junctures" where the surgeon has reloaded the staple gun as majority of "oversewn" techniques (to prevent leaks) are done today. Make sure your surgeon explains what his/her "oversewn" technique is. Do not assume because a surgeon "oversews" you have a tighter than bougie sized sleeve. A bougie is 1/3 mm PER french. i.e to calculate ~ inches 40F bougie 1/3 x 40 = 13.33mm convert to inches = ~.52 inches or ~1/2 inch in diameter. Below are diameters of bougie/ "guides" in inches 32F = .40" 34F = .425" 36F = .45" 38F = .476" 40F = .5" 46F = .576" 60F = .75" Video 1 This VSG surgery video shows a 'red' 34F bougie, one technique in sizing stomach, exised stomach, testing for leaks etc .http://www.orlive.co...eight-loss-surg ery-gastric-sleeve Red bougies are older mercury filled ones. FDA is tryin to ban em because of disposal issues (mercury). More surgeons will use SINGLE USE disposable sized bougies Video 2 In this surgical video Dr. Alvarez shows a disposable 32F bougie and use/technique ~9-2012 In another Forum, this member's bougie pix is from hospital she works at 1st: 36F, 2nd: 38F on left, 32F on right General/ crude comparison chart created by another Forum member Standard sized bougies in the US and Mexico are 32F. 32F is the smallest guide a bariatric surgeon in the US may safely use in forming your sleeve. Your surgeon may prefer any size bougie from 32-50F, based on YOU, your height, weight, or perhaps the need for a malabsorptive procedure in the future, inc. 1st step of 2 part DS. Discuss what to expect, rationale for size chosen with your surgeon if this is a concern. LapSF/Dr. Criangle on their routine use of 32F bougies in VSG "Optimal weight loss may require the smallest possible pouch, which may yield the highest leak rate" . Some surgeons will welcome discussion and your input on bougie sizes. After reading a published journal on the higher incidence of VSG surgically induced GERD (acid reflux/heartburn) in use of 28-32F bougies, it may be wise to request a higher bougie size. However, like all surgeries, we will need years of data to support whether or not this claim is actually true. The History of using Bougies In 2000 the use of 50-60F bougies were standard for VSG when it became a stand alone WLS, as they were the standard sizes of DS bougies, which VSG was modeled after. As the years went by, bariatric surgeons thought..smaller bougie, better restriction, less regain. So in ~2005 an adopted 32F bougie became the VSG standard. Rarely, if ever are 28-30F or 50F and over bougies used in the US for VSG as stand alone anymore. Many many VSGrs do EXTREMELY well with 40F-48F bougies as the guide to sizing their new stomach, losing all the weight they need to. In 2008 study (small poll 135 pts) on Bougie Sizes in VSG seems to indicate at 6 mos and 12 mos post VSG .... 40F and 60F bougies with no significant difference in EWL (eventual weight loss) 2008 Bougie Size Comparison In 2009 study (a large poll) on Bougie Sizes in VSG seems to indicate at 5 years post VSG ... 32F and 44F bougies show exactly the same EWL (eventual weight loss) 2009 Bougie Size Comparison In 2012/13 study (a very large poll) on Bougie Sizes in VSG seems to indicate at 3 years post VSG, a LESS than 40F bougie and GREATER than 40F bougie show no difference whatsoever in EWL (excess weight loss) 2012/13 Bougie Size Comparisons VOLUME/GASTRIC CAPACITY in VSG: PRE VSG: Average stomach holds 32-48 oz or 4 to 6 cups per meal POST VSG (~6-8 months out FOR LIFE) ..new stomach holds 8-12 ozs or 1 to 1.5 cups per meal (depending on weight/density of foods you eat! can be much less or much more) The length of an adult stomach is 10-12 inches. DNA affects the length of our stomachs, as well as variations in shape. Tall people, for instance are known to have longer stomachs..so makes sense they have a bit more capacity, short people have shorter stomachs therefore less capacity.... so volume/capacity can be influenced by the length and physical anatomical variations of an individual's stomach. Dr. Alvarez explains in this You Tube video about length of an individual's VSG stomach and how it relates to volume. This limited 2009 study is interesting in looking at gastric capacity in VSG, just 3 days post op (120 ml=~1/2 cup) compared to 2 years post VSG (250 ml=~1 cup) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19533260 At the end (8:28 mark) of this LapSF VSG surgical video shows 1 DAY old (pod) sleeve Xray and a sleeve Xray at 4 years out. It is not clear to me if same pt. or solely to impress the new "normal" sleeve size. Note the "new normal" 32F tightly formed sleeve has dilated/stretched naturally to perhaps triple in size...The video also shows one technique of sizing the sleeve, as well as reinforcement of the staple line (to prevent leaks) This VSG video shows the speed with which LIQUIDS/FLUIDS empty from the sleeve. In normal stomachs fluid empty rate is 5 minutes or less due to space creating a reservoir for large volumes of fluids. In VSG stomachs: fluid empty rate looks MUCH faster than that... youdecide! The COTTAGE CHEESE TEST /CCT (link following) may be helpful to VSGrs that are curious about their new stomachs capacity. It was developed for RNY but an effective tool in VSG as well! I'd suggest waiting until you are on a regular diet before checking. When doing this test PLEASE eat to sensation of satiety - no longer hungry, and absolutely not full. A simpler method, following the basic guidelines and time frame in the link provided... is to place 1 level cup (8oz) of small curd cottage cheese in a bowl and eat from that. Using a measured tablespoon to eat any remaining cottage cheese from the original container. Add or subtract any cottage cheese eaten or not finished using the measured tablespoon. 2 TBS=1oz. Total...the amount consumed = your sleeve's capacity. http://www.bsciresourcecenter.com/proddetail.php?prod=A4 STRETCHING in VSG: YOU CANNOT STRETCH/DILATE out your sleeve to anything remotely close to its original size. From LapSF/Dr. Criangle: The removed section of the stomach is actually the portion that stretches the most. The long vertical tube shaped stomach that remains is the portion least likely to expand over time and it creates significant resistance to volumes of food. The fundus (inc. majority of stomachs 'body' up to pyloric canal) of the stomach is ALL but removed with VSG. The fundus is the upper most part of the stomach's greater curvature. The fundus is: 1) the stomach's stretchy/expandable tissue, capable of expanding 2-3xs its resting 'unfilled' size 2) the pre-op 'mass quantities' of food, waiting to be digested, storage section 3) where 70% of the body's grehlin a "hunger hormone" is produced. Stretching, due to overeating is most common in RNY because more of the stretchy fundus part of the stomach is retained to make the 'pouch', and is usually NOT covered by insurance to correct. Re-sleeving or a need for a malabsorptive surgery post VSG may or may NOT be covered by your insurance plan. Anecdotally, Ive read from select OH VSG members, or according to a/their particular surgeon..overeating will cause your sleeve to stretch out. Ive read/found no scientific data, published or otherwise, to date that says this is a TRUE statement. Since food stays in our stomach less than ~ 3 hours after a meal..common sense tells me food doesn't stay in our stomachs long enough to create 'stretching'. Food once ingested, immediately begins to be churned into a liquidy sludge called chyme through peristalsis in the stomach. This liquidy sludge must be small enough to pass through our very small pyloric valve and into the small intestine for further digestion /breakdown and absorption of 'micronutritents' ...so there cannot be enough pressure for long sustained periods of time in our stomachs to cause it to stretch. Post op VSG ... depending upon the amount of swelling/inflammation you have..even a little 'thick/er' dense liquids or pureed foods/mushies may or may not feel restrictive, as you pass through the progression of texture dietary phases ( to promote healing) and onto your regular diet ~2mos post op. ... swelling/inflammation has naturally reduced. Density of meals becomes a key player in restriction. By 1 year out you'll find you can eat more than you could at 2 days post op, at 2 weeks post op, 2 months post op, and 6 months post op. Your sleeve has naturally and fully matured. Depending on the food..you can eat more or less than the 8-12 oz capacity of a fully matured sleeve.......at any particular meal. Toleration of a food, does NOT make it a good choice! "just because I CAN...doesn't mean I DO" --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The bougie size controversy/wars are ridiculous imo.. 'get a smaller one, you can stretch it out, you're not going to have any restriction, that bigger one is all wrong, you'll re-gain easily years out, my surgeon made mine smaller and I got to goal in 6 months' ...all nonsense DO NOT PAY EM NO MIND!! This is YOUR story! YOUR journey! ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS TRUTH: YOUR WEIGHT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SIZE OF YOUR STOMACH, altered or not! Most important is the quantity and quality of the food choices you ingest post-op

Hi, folks!! So I returned to work on the Monday after my port replacement. Only phones on Triage (I'm a nurse) because I didn't want to overdue it. I actually felt really good. I saw my doctor 5/7 (it was the Bariatric Fellow who has been following me along with my doc because my doc had an emergency.) Everything looked good, no additional fills, appointment for next fill in 5 weeks. Liquids for one week (yuk!) So that was a Tuesday, and all was good. Then I returned to the floor on Wednesday, and we were soooooo busy, that I think I overdid it with bending, etc. I was in pain Wednesday night and noticed a bright red ring all around my incision area, and it was swollen and tender. Took pics of it, because it didn't look right. I had off Thursday & the area looked a little better but I figured I better call the doc just in case. He is such a doll that he let me e-mail him my photos. Said it looks like a possible seroma but to be on the safe side, he put me on an antibiotic for a week. The redness, swelling and irritation went away. But now I notice that if if overdue it a little (or actually whenever. . . there's really no rhyme or reason. . . the area under my incision will actually hurt, especially if I kind of hunch over like when sitting and then straighten out. It's really weird & didn't happen with the first surgery. I think I'll just keep an eye on it for now. As far as losing weight goes, I've lost about 25-27 pounds so far, depending on the scale, lol! I will tell you though, I thought it would be a lot easier, and that the weight would kind of just fly right off. I really have to "diet" (oh, how I hate that word!) and watch what I eat. I had 3 family members who have had gastric bypass, and their weight just flew off. My brother-in-law told me that he would weigh himself before bed & in the morning he would have lost 3 pounds! I understand that it was because they didn't absorb the calories or nutrients, blah, blah, blah, but I was hoping not too have to put this much thought into losing weight. I'm pretty sure I haven't hit the green zone yet, because I don't feel that restricted. Maybe 3 ccs isn't enough for me. Also, I can eat, and then be really hungry again 2 hours later. Not sure what I'm doing wrong. I know losing 25-27 pounds is great since March 1st, but I guess I was looking for an easier way out. Anyone have a food plan can follow for lap band?? The only downside about my doctor, is I'm not too crazy about his dietician/nutritionist!!! Later, gators!!