Ashlea82

For me I may be mildly uncomfortable at first and as the food progresses down it becomes more painful, and then my mouth starts to Water. I am usually okay if I get up and spit instead of trying to swallow all of the saliva. Spitting and burping ususally keep me from vomiting. I am 6 mos post op as of yesterday and have only vomited once(a few days ago).

I expected that I would have to buy new clothes but I was surprised that I am having to purchase new shoes too. I am 6 months out and have had to hand down several pairs of adorable shoes to my mother because I can't keep them on any more.

I have to admit that it sucks. I have always been a big drinker when I eat but I took the 6 months prior to my surgery to get used to it and I started drinking much less when I ate. I am almost 4 months post op and it has gotten easier not to eat when I drink, but getting the fluids in between meals is now a real challenge as I do not have a desire to drink unless I am eating. I really have to force myself to sip between meals.

Hang in there I think that it is good to go slow. I would prefer for the weight loss to be a little slower and not be uncomfortable/sick all the time. I was banded on 12-29-10 and had my first fill on 2-5-11. I had about 1.5 in my band when it was put in and the surgeon added 2 for a total of 3.5. I just had the second fill on 4-5 and as I had lost 13 pounds in 6 weeks my Dr was considering not adding any Fluid but decided to add .5 to bring me up to 4 in a 10cc band to keep me on track. It's amazing the difference that I have experienced from an addition of .5. I can eat almost as much but I have to be much more careful about how I chew food and how slowly I eat. I have had some uncomfortable dinners since the 2nd fill where I ended up on the front porch spitting over the railing to keep from throwing up. So far I have mananged not to throw up so I guess that's a good sign. I am thrilled with my progress, I have lost 39.8 pounds since my surgery and when you add the 15 lbs that I lost pre-op I am down 54.8 pounds and a total of 76 pounds from my highest ever weigh in.

Maybe I am a little spoiled but I just returned to work today after my surgery on 12-29. With my job in a call center it would have been very difficult to work chained to a desk with a headset considering that I had to eat every 1.5-2 hrs when I was on the liquids or I would get so hungry that it hurt. And then I was concerned about getting sick at work from the soft foods diet if I ate something new that did not sit well with me. So I took a couple days after I started soft foods and then went back to work. Everyone's experience and work enviroment is different but for me this worked perfectly.

I started my soft foods diet on Wednesday and it's been great. I was so excited to eat something that I had to chew, lol I am living on softly scramble eggs, cottage cheese, cream of wheat, oatmeal, mashed potatoes(carefully made using 1% milk and a little smart balance)egg salad and that cottage cheese,jello,cool whip salad with pureed pineapple instead of crushed(using sugar free jello and coolwhip) and one protein shake per day. I almost 3 weeks post-op and I feel great and have lost 19.8 lbs. I couldn't be happpier. Best Wishes.

I can completely sympathize. I don't have my surgery date but I got approval from my insurance company after the 6 month diet( lost about 15 lbs ) and after that I feel like I have lost control. I am back to eating fast foods and snacking between meals, which were habits that I kicked during the 6 month diet. My whole life seems to revolve around food. I love a Friday or Saturday night with people over for a dinner that I cooked and sitting around the table for an hour or so eating and talking. I am looking forward to the surgery but I am staring to panic about what I will use to fill this void. I have heard that picking up a hobby may help. Maybe we should all take up knitting. LOL.

I was just approved for Lap Band surgery through Aetna and will be having my surgery in the next 30-45 days. They require a 6 month diet also. I went to the weight loss clinic where the Dr that is performing my surgery is located once a month,weighed in and spoke with their dietician. But I believe that most insurance companies will allow your PCP to monitor you (with monthly weigh ins at their office) for this 6 month diet. You may want to contact the surgeons office that you are interested in and see if they have a plan for this 6 month diet. It is a VERY common insurance requirement and they should be prepared for this. I hope this helps.