Pammy S Lewis

i can't feel mine at all. but i can feel the band itself. i have a sensation of pain and feeling something in my chest. drives me crazy. hope it goes away.

i'm 2 weeks post op and i still have band pain in the middle of my chest. not all the time but often enough to bother me. also, i can feel that there's something there, especially when i'm laying on my side sleeping. when does the band pain and sensation of there being something there go away? or after you've had it for a long time, can you still sense that there's something in there? i hope not.

i've read it and did it for several years. i know it well. on their diet is deep fried pork rinds and bacon. on schwarzbein and south beach are lean Proteins like skinless chicken breast. all i'm saying is to check out those books/diets. i've been on all of them and read all the books and those 2 stress healthy fats (avocados) and lean proteins (chicken, fish).

if you're going to do low carb, please read schwarzbein principle or do south beach. atkins is super high in fat and kind of extreme IMHO. schwarzbein and south beach are low carb but stress health and balance (i.e. lean Proteins, not a pound of bacon a week). http://www.amazon.com/Schwarzbein-Principle-Healthy-Feeling-Younger/dp/1558746803/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301496353&sr=1-1 http://www.amazon.com/South-Beach-Diet-Delicious-Doctor-Designed/dp/031231521X/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301496375&sr=1-4

for some reason, day 3 was my worst day. i kept wondering if i had made a huge mistake (totally normal and common, apparently) and i was just shocked by how difficult the surgery was. i did it as outpatient surgery and didn't think it would be a huge deal. but by day 4 and 5 i felt dramatically better. it's hard to sit around and do nothing. i couldn't even concentrate enough to read. couple of good movies and some magazines helped. you'll feel better soon!

i think my point of view on protein bars is that eating fake, manufactured, quick and easy food is what got me into this mess to begin with. so i decided that protein bars would only be an emergency food if i really needed it. but i'm trying to focus on eating real foods that are healthy. my mantra is: if it grows, ok to eat it (funyuns and taco bell and balance bars don't grow...) :-) that's just my take. i figure if i'm really going to change, i really need to do it.

breakfast: carbmaster yogurt snack: cottage cheese with blueberry applesauce (yum!) lunch: 1 small can of chicken over 2 oz of black Beans snack: 2 pieces of turkey lunch meat with a baby bel light cheese dinner: crock pot salsa chicken with 2 oz black beans: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=243136

good idea to check. i'm going in early next week for follow up blood tests so i'll make sure they test for anything that could be related to fatigue. thanks

i'm 2 weeks post op and have great restriction still. hope it lasts. would rather forgo a fill if i can.

my dr's plan is exactly like yours. i thought about staying on the liquid diet for another week so i could lose more but by the end of that week, i was dying to start on food. if after a week you think you could do liquids longer, ask your dr. i kind of wish i could have done it longer.

yeah, i'm just 2 weeks post op so i think it's going to take some toying around with things to see where the best spot is for me. thanks for your input.

i've stopped losing though at 600-700 so i thought i might need to increase to get out of starvation mode? maybe i should go see the nutritionist again.

are you tracking your food? (2 weeks post op i wouldn't think you should be eating luna bars. they have a 1/3 of your daily carbs). i have a big problem with food addiction and binging and the ONLY thing that has kept me sane and on track is tracking my food on fitday.com. tracking is the only way you can really see what you're eating and gain control. if you are able to maybe go to therapy too to explore why you use food to feel better, that's definitely helpful and worth your time. but most of all, don't beat yourself up. just recommit and try to track your food. really helped me not only be honest with myself but to be able to plan my food and nutrition.

cool, thanks all. yeah, i ate some applesauce today. my carbs and Protein have been around 60 each per day, which is what they're supposed to be, but i could only get up to like 700 calories, which might be why i'm still weak (not losing either because cals too low). so i tried to up my food intake today a bit and got up to 1000 calories but my carbs and protein were at 100 each!! i don't know how you're supposed to get to 1200 calories with only 60 grams each of carbs and protein. thanks for your input appreciate it!

hi all i'm 2 weeks post op and am still really fatigued and slow. i had to go to target and the grocery store today and also took a walk with my dog and it totally wiped me out! i guess i'm just surprised because i expected to be pretty close to 100% by now. i'd say i'm at 70%. does anyone remember how long it took to feel completely healed and normal?

that's bizarre. my psych eval was one visit. about an hour and a half. sounds like they're trying to milk it for insurance??

i think what i'm confused about in this couple weeks of post op non-weight loss (i lost on liquid diet but not since i started food) is that i've only built up to about 650 calories a day and i have good restriction now with no fill. if anything, i am going to have to build up to eating more calories, not less with a fill. maybe i'm not losing because i'm eating food but not eating enough calories yet? i will be adding chicken and fish next week so maybe that will help.

hi all i'm 2 weeks post op and started on soft mushy foods middle of last week. i am really sleepy all day and lacking energy. i'm not a hugely energetic person normally but i feel like all i can do is lay on the couch. i'm only up to about 650-700 cal a day so maybe it's just that. am getting 60 protein and around 40-60 carbs per day and am drinking enough water and taking proper vitamins. only thing i can think of is that i'm without my coffee and that the calories are still low?? is this common?

ok, i've been going crazy this morning and this reminder put me over the edge and i'm making a cup right now. i'm 2 weeks post op and drink a ton of water every day, so it should be fine. can't wait til it's ready!

most dr's say to avoid it so i asked my dr and did some research as to the WHY we need to avoid caffeine and it makes sense for the early stages right after surgery. caffeine is a diuretic and when you are trying to get in 64 oz of Water a day, that's the last thing you need. also, caffeine can increase appetite and irritate your stomach, which at first you need to be gentle with. i've heard a lot of people say they drink it with no problems, but i'm trying to hold off for a couple of weeks at least. it's driving me crazy though! i have had some black tea, but that's a pretty poor substitute for the real thing! i miss you, coffee

totally normal! sugar free popsicles can really help.

well, we explored the reasons why i overeat when i'm stressed or depressed but beyond that it didn't really help much. i have bought 3 books on amazon about emotional overeating (they had good reviews) but one said that i should eat whatever i want and then i would eventually get tired of it. haha! yeah, right. the other one told me i needed to go for a walk and distract myself. thanks. since being banded last week though, i am definitely aware of the differences between head hunger and real hunger. so that helps. my hope is that it will just get easier with time.

i just bought regular popsicle brand in sugar free. they come in a box of 12 or 24 and are in orange, cherry and grape (mixed). http://www.eons.com/...95792_610w.jpeg

they told me to avoid v8 unless i was really jonsing for some veggies. it's very pulpy and they said to just drink Clear Liquids or milk. here's what mine were, in addition to Protein Shakes and water: - chicken, beef or vegge broth. buy a carton instead of cans, tastes better. you can also put a splash of milk in it to make it creamier. - sugar free Jello - watered down clear fruit juice (has a lot of carbs so just take a couple of sips of watered down juice, don't drink a lot of it). i used watered down WHITE grape juice. - sugar free popsicles (definitely have these at home for right after the surgery too, will help with the scratchy throat). - non fat milk (i bought non and 1% and mixed because i couldn't tolerate nonfat alone). - crystal light

i wish i could find a book or something about how to deal psychologically with head hunger. i bought one on ebay and it was terrible. if anyone knows of anything, please post. talked to my therapist about it and she didn't have any ideas either how to deal psychologically with head hunger (it is psychological, i believe. not chemical).