Success in lapband

BINGO! But can I add please without disrespect to anyone; I have the band which is a tool, no matter if it is the reason I NOW go to the gym 3 days per week, or the reason that I eat smaller meals or don't eat the entire pizza by myself. This is why my Dr. looks at the whole picture and asks us to use fitday.com for his review of our progress.

Tammy!!!! Tomarrow it is all about you Babe!!!! Woohooo! You you have been reading these posts long enough and have posted long enough you think you are ready right? During surgery somehow the dr. has the ability to erase everything you think you have learned and you will be full of questions and concerns. Let me reassure you that we are hear for you and will help in anyway we can. It is amazing at how when you personally are on the hot seat it is a little different than just saying "it will be okay"! But truly you will love the surgery and love the control the band gives to us. Please post ASAP after surgery because the inquiring minds need to know....

Sue my staples in the first week were bad bad bad, they were what a thrid week post op person should be eating. If you really want to know I will PM them to you but don't want anybody to follow me lead. They weren't really bad they just were in the wrong week of eating them....

Synical I would consider offering you money to post more often, I do love to laugh! Dannon Yogurt? Yeah I have heard of dannon but they don't offer the prune thing here. No biggie anymore it seems that my "bathroom" issues are becoming more regular since I am eating more of a variety of food, which last night was a couple real prunes! So I will have the calories with the yogurt and just pop a couple prunes. Just to make you REALLY jealous, I am going to Sea World today, and I will be walking, walking, walking and more walking. I pray I do not gain weight! I have resisted to go on vacations because even though I am a BBW; I have kept to the lower end of the BBW sizes by trying to be healthy etc. work out, personal trainer, eat healthy, but my main problem was always volume eating and binging (when my DH was not a darling husband but a d**k husband)~ yeah it is all his fault! LOL! So back to the issue.... I would not go on vacations or out to dinner with friends or etc. because I would overeat (be out of control per se') so I am sooooo very excited to see how I handle this little 5 day escape from the comfortable surroundings of my house. Whatever food issues I encounter I will post and just for synical I am going to do the eliptical in the hotel gym for 30 minutes each day for cardio, because she is walking on her lunch hour, that is the only way I can personally praise her for doing an incredible thing for her health and for being such a great sport about sharing all her trials and tribulations!! What do you think synical, are you walking today?????hmmmmm???

OH! Walmart has Activa! I will check today. To answer a previous post... I love prunes and another nice bandster said she was eating prune yogurt and she told me to go buy it at a store we don't have on the east coast. Best tidbit of adivice I got lately is to go to fitday.com and log your calories and the foods you eat. I tried it last night and I love it! I (IMHO) will be able to predict my weight loss based on what I have eaten and my activity level for the day. I will keep you posted!

Right on Glogirl!!!! You know..... everytime I look in my closet or everytime I "fit" better into a pair of jeans, "I" in the back of my mind think ...."hmmmmmmm" how long are these going to fit until I gain my weight back". What a horrible conscious but true all my life I have always bounced from being fat to fatter back to fat again then fatter. I have clothes in my closet from size 16 to 26, and have never thrown them away until a couple days ago I donated some of them. I always kept them because I am logical about my weight, and this time I am logical too, if they are too big for me now I will never be able to wear them again. (I just need to repeat this to myself at least 1000x)

Sue: Read my last post about how my Dr. got grumpy with me eating the way I have....but to answer your question about the chicken (deep fried General chicken) that got stuck..... Uhhhhhhhh I was maybe 2-3 days post op, but in my defense I don't have any pain to speak of to remind me that I was banded and it was totally out of bad bad bad bad behavior I stuck that in my mouth. I have eaten chicken in a controlled environment since and I have had no problem.

Hmmmmm I don't know ANYTHING about fills.... I would email your Dr. and ask him if he has any insight (and then share it with us)

What about a delicious French Asparagus Soup, or french onion soup. But!!! The sodium in your broth soups is what could be causing your swelling!just a thought. I know I swell when I eat too much salt Your creative soups sound delicious, please post them on the cookbook lapband recipes thread.

When you get that golf ball feeling you need to say to yourself that you either did not chew as well as you should have or you ate too much. Not only go no further!~IMHO I think you need to back it up just a touch.

Sophie; Where is your swelling, how do you know you are swollen? How much water are you drinking each day? What is your salt intake?

Gas in your intestines or gas in your upper left chest? The intestinal gas~use Gas X The upper left chest~need a heating pad

Glogirl; Did you do mushies BEFORE you were suppose to? Is that why you paniced? Well I DID do the mushies before my one week post op check up and the Dr. was a little grumpy over it.But obviously my band did its' job and I did not do damage. He says that the pain caused by the mushies after surgery and prior to the swelling going down stops "normal fat people" from being tempted to try mushies and I chimed right in and assured him I feel no pain, but IF I had I would have not eaten that chicken.(you should have seen the hair on the back of his neck stand up when I told him I ate chicken)~ then when I told him I ate a scrambled egg before the 10 days post op appointment he started telling me I don't follow the rules. But seriously I did not think I was doing that bad and explained to him my mouth (teeth) do a better job than a blender. He made me sweat a little (got me nervous) and made me promise to stick to the rules and read the rules I need to stick to. My main problem is that I have a unique memory (I learn by trial and error) and I have an unusually high pain tolerance (at least I am told this all the time) people can't understand why I am not in pain when I should be; but in reality I am so frightened by that particular experience that my endorphines are taking over and my game face is on, so pain is not the issue. I am not being a troubled child, I just need to understand why my mouth can't chew chew chew chew just like the blender does, and why sip sip sip when you can drink.

You friggin Easterners! I have never even heard of these small hick stores that carry your PRUNE yogurt!!!!!LOL!!!!! I love prunes, but apparently we on the West coast don't have the same issues that the East has, that would be why you need prune yogurt. But I have to admit I am jealous! I hope you know I am playing with you and appreciate your input! Thanks anyhow

Buy protein powder! Just because you are going to be able to go to full liquids, does not mean you will be getting enough protein, and you need protein (lots of it) to be satiated and to heal quicker. Bariatrix Essentials is great stuff but I also went to GNC and they have fantastic premixed stuff too.. Good luck, are you getting excited???

Woooooohooooo! God has blessed this day for you to enter the land of food control and a healthier lifestyle!! You are going to love it!!!! Congrats and keep us posted on your progress. Get a ticker so we can see how you are doing!!

I was at the Dr. office today and he explained to me I would not be eligible until I was "hungry" and my weight loss plateau'd, and I did not feel restriction.

Hlayne: I want to remind you that the ONLY thing that I EVER got stuck on was chicken that was fried. A tiny little morsel ~just one mouthful size and there was not even any skin on it. And I was stuck and scared and in more pain than child birth~so.... how much of fried chicken do you want? Head hunger is powerful isn't it?

Not being winded when you walk is even better than losing scale weight, in my opinion. We don't have a kroger! LOL! Great for you for walking I wish I was that motivated.

Synical You Rock! But will you pleeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaase tell me where to get the prune yogurt? I am glad your yinfec is under control. You have the right attitude with doing more activites outdoors, when I am heavier I resist going outdoors but I really want to do more outdoors just like you. Right ON! Don't forget the prune yogurt source

Char; Your story brought tears to my eyes. Thank goodness you had the sense to get to ER! I am 10 days post op and had "some" issues; nothing compared to yours, thank goodness they are behind you and they were overcome. Even with those complications in 1 week from now you will still say it is worth it. I eat so little and am sooooo satisfied, everyday I wake up thinking: am I really going to have restriction today or am I going to have to eat like I use to prior to banding and everyday so far I am sooooo happy to say the band it still working!!!! Yahoooo! Go read some of my posts.... I tell it like it really is, and as of today I still say the band is one of the best things in my life.

Chris: Where did you get a "peanut butter shake"~peanut butter is the most heavenly food I know...

Chris: Gail is recoverying but in some pain that she does not want to take loritab for becauase it makes her loopy. She is in her Hawthorne house. Her computer is STILL down so that makes recovery even worse because you don't get the reassurance from other banders that everything is okay. She had hernia repair which also makes things hurt more. She had fleeting thoughts of "why did I do this, and what the heck did I do this for". but I assured her those were normal feelings when you are in pain. I told her to take more loritab and go for short slow walks. What she really needs is some bariatrix so her protein can kick in and help heal her but she is out right now. She is suppose to come to Reno within a couple days and I will give her some of mine.

This is really super important for people who are not banded yet!!! I was banded on March 1st and even though very excited to get banded still there was a side of me that was skeptical that this was still not a "permanent weight loss" and I most likely would have the same results as I had experienced in the past with WW, JC, Atkins etc. etc. etc. But, still with that in mind I was still willing to try anything to be healthy! I am 9 days post op and today I will tell you what I have eaten and my whole state of mind... coffee w/cream 630am ~felt full or rather satiated~did not feel like I wanted to eat, because donuts and muffins were offered to me and protocol habit would have been to eat some, and it is not that I had the "will power" but truly did not want any. 930 not feeling "full" anymore; but not hungry either but knew I should eat something I drank 8 oz. of bariatric essentials = 20 grams of protein 11am family went out to breakfast~I was not hungry but I want to experience the feeling of eating out and the excitement of being waited on etc. I was curious on how I would feel and what I would order. So I ordered a cup of coffee with cream and 2 scrambled eggs SOFTLY scrambled. The waitress looked puzzled (because we are regulars~and she knows what I order usually) We all sat there and chit chatted until our breakfast arrived. DH ordered the Country BIG breakfast, daughter ordered pancakes with peanut butter (my weakness and favorite). I ate 1/2 of my 2 scrambled eggs and I was done! I felt full~satiated etc. (I know this is kinda hard to believe~but I am telling you I am in a learning curve and still in prove me wrong mode regarding the band. I did take 1/2 bite of pancake w/peanut butter with a swig of coffee (praying togod that itwould not get stuck) and with that one bite I was really really really full and SATIATED. My DH finished my egg and we left. I did not feel left out or deprived. I was so full and happy, and tickled that the band came through for me again. We went shopping to an outside Mall because the weather is fantastic on the West Coast right now. About 2 o'clock I knew I needed to drink my crystal light, but was not hungry yet, but knew that I should start thinking about I needed to eat something. At 3 o'clock we were at Walmart and I felt~just kinda puny but didnot think I was hungry and went over to the cheese section and ate a whole "string cheese light" and I immediately felt better and was lively again. It is 415pm and I just had another 8 oz. of bariatrix essentials 20 gram protein and am cooking turkey spaghetti with whole what penne pasta. I probably will not eat any of the penne pasta and eat the spag. sauce like a thick hearty soup. I am having trouble with not cooking as much food and I hate to waste so I am cooking normally and taking food over to my elderly neighbor daily. She is elated and I really don't care if she throws it away, as long as I don't see it go to waste make my child or dogs eat it. Wow I am so happy with this band! I know I am not eating as strict as some of you have to 9 days after surgery, but my theory is this band needs to be a give and take with me. I chew chew chew chew chew everything to a mush before I swallow, so basically I really am pureeing everything just as a blender would do it. I did PB once but totally out of unconsceintious behavior and thinking I would be okay. My blood pressure is down, and now I don't regret having to get my blood pressure taken every time I go to Walmart. I was absolutely normal today. Woohoo!!! When I was at the Mall I was offered "tastes" just like when you are in Costco, you probably know what I mean. And prior to banding I was the one that said I was getting a second one for my child or DH. I don't even have the desire to eat one! I still want to dab my finger for flavor but don't want to swallow. Wow I am so excited..... It is amazing at how little food you eat that makes you feel full. I just wanted to give you my experience, and if you follow my posts I am one of the ones who has a very tight relationship with food. My Dr. said when he looked at my stomach his guess was that it could have held 8 cups of food, I kept warning him I was a volume eater. You guys are in for such a treat!!

Hey guys: I think I will love to shop at the mall when I can fit into clothes sizes that I would like to publicize. But until then; now that I am on losing mode. I get a kick out of going to Macys etc. and noting the top brand name clothes over $50.00 per piece and then go to the higher end thrift store and search for those brands. I love to find deals! Last year when I lost some weight I did this in lieu of binge eating. I really had a good time doing it, but as my weight inched its' way upward I lost interest. And now I am totally into it again. I like to dress up but my size and my shape makes it difficult and a chore verses fun and girly. But soooooooon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!