hokiemama

Thanks for your feedback. I know I made very poor choices recently and the guilt is eating me up! I went through this surgery to help change my life. I also purposely scheduled to have it before the holidays so that I would not gain through the holidays for once! I need to get back on track quickly. I come here a lot for support and information and I appreciate it all!

Well, I was banded November 15th and I did great initially. I did everything by the book. I thought I was going to be very strick on myself and do this right! Last week, I stopped measuring out my food and just ate the portion size I wanted to. I didn't eat huge amounts, but definately more than 4 oz. I have not had any problems with anything getting stuck yet and I had 2 pieces of cheese pizza yesterday! At a Christmas party this weekend, I snacked all evening. I am so mad at myself! Now, I'm afraid that I could have stretched out my pouch and ruined everything! I am scheduled for my first fill on Thursday and I know that will help. I'm new to this and am disappointed in myself for not being more careful. Thankfully, I haven't gained any weight, but have been the same weight for 2 weeks now. Did any of you do this before your first fill?

Wow! Great job to both of you! I am scheduled to have my first fill on the 23rd and I'm looking forward to it. The way I got my ticker to show up is after you create your ticker, at the bottom of that ticker page, there is a box with a long paragraph of words/address type thing. Highlight that entire thing, copy minimize and then paste it to your signature. It may not look like the ticker picture until you save it and post something, then hopefully you will see it. This is the way that I did it anyways! Keep up the great work!!!

I have a meatball recipe that everyone loves at parties. I haven't tired it since being banded, but I don't think it would get stuck. It isn't low fat though. I get a pack of the frozen meatballs and put them in a crock pot with ketchup, grape jelly, and lemon juice. It's like a sweet and sour sauce. People love them. Here's a dip that is yummy with tostitos: 2 cans of fat free refried beans. Heat in a saucepan and stir in a pack of taco seasoning. Spread in a 13 x 9 dish and let cool. Spread a jar of salsa on the beans. Spread ff sour cream on the salsa and shredded cheddar on top. It goes a long way. It's quick, easy, and delicious! Have a great time!!

Thanks peeps! It's good to know that I am not the only one and that it IS related to the band and being full. It's hard when you are new to know what all the "feelings" are. I have paid closer attention and have noticed that it's definately when I eat too much or too fast. Maybe I will feel it in my chest once I have my first fill, but for now it's in my back and I DO NOT like the feeling. Too bad it happens a few minutes AFTER I'm finished eating!! Live and learn, right?

Okay, I was hesitant to ask this, because it sounds stupid. I was banded Nov. 15th and initially felt full in my chest area. I haven't had a fill yet and do not feel that fullness in my chest anymore. However, I have noticed that after a meal, I have an achey pain in between my shoulder blades in the middle of my back. Does anyone else get this? It's not a horrible pain, but I'm wondering if that's where I'm feeling my fullness for some strange reason. Anyone else??

Just ordered the powdered peanut butter! I can't wait to try it! Thank you!!

Wow! 100 lbs is awesome! Congratulations on that, but I know you are not at your goal yet. My surgeon says if you are getting hungry in between meals (when doing everything right) then it's time for a fill. Maybe it's time to meet with your nutritionist again also. You could be getting too little of something, causing your body to hold on to the weight. I know the Water is imperative for the weight loss as well. I'm a newby, but I've read a lot of forums and water, exercise, and the right amount of Protein and calories is typically the reason for the plateau it seems. Hang in there! You have come a long way!!

mdscott: I am sorry that your doctor doesn't seem to communicate as well as mine. Mine gave me a handbook, journaling logs, and required that I meet with the nutritionist before surgery for a 3 hour class about diet post op...and I STILL have questions. I was able to start soft/mushy diet on week 2 (8th day post op). I have seen where some surgeons require a full 2 weeks on liquid, but mine didn't. Each doctor is different. I think you should call your doctor today and ask how long you have to stay on liquids. Maybe you are ready to start soft/mushy and that will help, I think. Then you can start blending up some chicken and tuna and other real proteins that will give you some energy. skramer106 posted a good variety of softy/mushy choices, which were very similar to my list (minus the rice and some veggies). Remember that all of those must be smashed up or finely blended. "You shouldn't have to chew" during soft/mushy phase is what my nutritionist said. If you have to stay on liquids for a little longer, try some cream based soups. Cream of chicken (strain out the chuncks of chicken) tasted much better to me than broth and is more filling. The main page of this website also breaks down each phase pretty well for food guidelines. Good luck and hang in there. Advocate for yourself. Demand specific information if they have not provided it!

At my two week check-up, my surgeon said I could start doing all exercises except crunches and sit ups. When he said aerobics were fine, I took that as a green light for sex.

I am on week 3 of being banded and I have noticed that almost immediately after my meal, I do one hiccup/burp combo. It doesn't happen every time, but happens if I have eaten too fast I think. I have wondered what it means as well. I'm glad to hear that it's common.

OMG! These are all great ideas that I had not thought of! THANK YOU! Let's keep sharing on our journey.

I bet that many of your co-workers (even the thin ones) saw the video and did not like how they looked either. We are our own worst enemy. Most of us are very hard on ourselves and do not see all the positives. You are below 200 lbs.!!! That is such an accomplishment. I can't wait to be in the 100's again!! You are doing great and videos usually do not flatter anybody! Try to be proud of yourself and tell yourself you look good. "Fake it until you make it!". One day, you will believe it!! Good luck.

Sounds tasty! My surgeon said coffee is fine to if we use artificial sweetener and skim milk. Well, I LOVE flavored cream and like a little coffee with my cream, if you know what I mean. Since that's the way I drink it, I have to cut it out for now. Maybe I'll like it the "sensible" way at some point.

I am 17 days post surgery. For breakfast, I eat cottage cheese and a half of a smashed up banana. For lunch I eat canned tuna, with pickle juice, and light mayo, finely blended. For dinner I have canned chicken with fat free gravy blended up and a little bit of mashed potatoes. All the meats go in the food processor. I've lost 13 lbs. since being banded! You are doing great as well! Good luck!

I was banded on Nov. 15th and am looking for some tasty alternatives to those fatty foods we have to give up. I have recently discovered that Sugar-Free Cherry Kool-Aid is the best drink ever! I love it! I also found "diet" sugar-free hot chocolate to replace my coffee. I recently found out about powdered peanut butter from a post here and I'm excited to add that to my protein shake. What else have you discovered that's yummy and low cal/low fat? Please share.

Thank you all for the feedback. I'm so glad to hear that most people do eat PB with no problems. I love it and miss it. I have never heard of powdered PB and will definitely check in to that. The idea of blending PB with protein shakes is a great idea! YUM!

Thanks for your responses. I did check with my doctor at my 2 week follow up appointment yesterday. He said no need to measure the protein shakes. He said to just drink them slowly, but to drink the whole shake. As for soup, he said since it is liquid, more than 4 oz. is okay, but to watch the calories and fat bc that won't make you full.

Okay, I love to chew gum but my surgeon forbids it! EVER! He says if you swallow it, it would take a surgical procedure to remove it. What I'm thinking is, when is the last time I swallowed my gum?? I was like 10 years old. But still, I am afraid of the potential harm and haven't yet. Do you chew??

I was banded on 11/15/10. I only have two incisions. For me, it was walk, walk, walk. I hate to walk, but it made the gas and soreness feel so much better. I took at least 4, 10 minute walks. My back hurt a lot and I used a heating pad on it while sitting in a recliner. I'm 2 weeks out and feel much better now. I can feel my port pulling at my stomach muscle, but I haven't felt the port with my hand through my skin. There's a lot of fat there. Anyway, from those I've talked to, it is more noticeable when you lose the excess weight, but I don't think it protrudes out. They can just feel it if they rub over the area. As for the growling stomach, mine does it the worst at night. I don't feel that hungry, but it sure sounds that way. It seems to be settling down with each day though. Good luck!!

I was just banded on 11/15/10 and I am going to start solid foods next week . I am having a peanut butter dilemma. It's soft and mushy, but sticky and can't really be chewed up. I'm just wondering if any of you eat PB and if you have had problems with it getting stuck? I love PB but I'm afraid to try it.

Hello fellow November bansters. I was banded on November 15th. I have lost 12 lbs. since the surgery, 18 total. I went back to work 8 days after being banded, but it was only for a day and a half because we were off for Thanksgiving. The first two weeks were worse than I thought they would be, in a sense of pain and discomfort. Week 3 (now), I'm feeling no pain. I still have to bend over slowly and cannot sleep on my left side for more than 30 minutes though. I'm on soft/mushy until next week and then I can start on solids. I'm scheduled for my first fill on 12/9/10. So far, I have stayed satisfied with protein shakes and 4 oz. of mushy food. I had my 2 week appointment yesterday and the surgeon said I will start getting hungry soon because the swelling will be gone. He seems to be more agressive with fills to help prevent any weight gain. I'm nervous about having my first fill next Thursday. I hope it all goes smoothly! Good luck to all of you and Congrats on your weight loss so far!

You may also need to see your regular doctor to make sure that you don't have strep or other throat infection. I just saw that you are on your second week post op. I'm thinking throat pain from the surgery shouldn't still be that bad. Just a thought.

It's so interesting how different each surgeon is. My surgeon and nutritionist said I could never take Ibuprofen again (or other NSAIDS). They said it would cause ulcers in the stomach pouch and to only take Tylenol. I see that other surgeons say it is okay. That's frustrating that there is so much inconsistency. I wonder if Chloroseptic spray or throat lozenges would help. I also found sugar-free 25 calorie Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate. Sipping on something warm always helps (maybe chicken broth). It's always better to call your surgeon's office and see what they can recommend though.

I was banded on 11/15/10 and I would agree that you should be careful. Every surgeon has different time frames for certain foods, but most that I have seen on here all have at least one week on liquids post surgery. Mine was one week on liquids then 2 weeks on soft/mushy. I am only allowed tuna and chicken (finely chopped) as far as meats go. I don't think the only reason for gradually adding more harsh foods is to see if you can tolerate them, but also to let your stomach heal. If your stomach has to do a lot of breaking down of food, it could cause problems with your band since everything has not healed and is swollen. I am scheduled for my first fill on 12/9/10, which is not quite 4 weeks post op. That's the earliest I have seen. I would suggest calling your surgeon and let him know what's going on. These first few weeks are very critical in everything healing properly and staying in place. Good luck! I'm sure it will get better. Hang in there.