Rachel412

Ugh! That reminds me of a little discussion I had with my mom yesterday-- discussing a recent vacation. Mom: "When Tom told me that you brought your bathing suit from your honeymoon on vacation- isn't that amazing! It's 10 years later and you fit into that suit again, don't you feel great?!?!?" me: "Um... actually I've been wearing that suit for the past 10 years. It never didn't fit me." Mom: "...oh." Anyway, my point is that bathing suits are awfully stretchy so don't get hung up on the fact that you were wearing an 18 120 pounds ago! 120 pounds... holy moly!!

If you're lactose intolerant that seems to cut out a lot of your options I know you don't have a lot of time right now, but have you taken a look at the faux meat frozen products? I'm thinking Quorn, soy nuggets... I'd think that they'd be easy to eat quickly because they're made to sort of resemble junk food, but there should be some good protein... gosh, this is a hard one.

Is the pain where your port is- right by your biggest incision? Your port is attached to your abdominal muscles, and it'll be the pain that takes it the longest to go away. Sitting up twisting, especially bending- that all hurts like crazy in the beginning. I'm a little over 2 months out now and it still hurts if I bend and twist the wrong way, but 99.9% of the time it's totally fine.

Is this the big incision, or one of your small incisions? I didn't have my dressing off at 3 dpo so I can't really compare to how my incisions looked. Is it warm or hot to the touch?

For me, nothing is 100% off limits. I choose not to eat bread but it wouldn't get stuck. It might make me gain weight but it's not like I'm not allowed to have it But... when push comes to shove, call your doctor/nutritionist and ask them why this rule exists.

It's normal and I'm sorry you're having a hard time! Maybe cottage cheese, at least you can chew it...

The band isn't supposed to help you lose weight, it's supposed to help you feel satisfied after a smaller meal, and keep you satisfied for 4-5 hours. I'm not at that point yet, going for my 3rd fill this week. Yes, occasionally I get down because EVEN THOUGH I KNOW IT WILL TAKE A FEW FILLS TO GET TO A GOOD POINT, it's still hard to be 2+ months out and not feeling any help from the band. But the truth is that even when the band gets to my "sweet spot", I am ultimately in control of what I put in my mouth. I can't blame the band if I choose to eat too much, or spend the day grazing on carbs and not concentrating on Protein. I know of PLENTY of bandsters who can eat just as much now as they did before surgery, because the band will never stop you from stuffing your face. food passes through the band quickly, it doesn't sit in your pouch and keep you full for hours. Some bandsters feel full after a small meal- I mean FULL, stuffed, Thanksgiving full. But I think most bandsters just feel not hungry anymore/satisfied. I DO understand the frustration of feeling like the band isn't working yet. Keep working at it. Odds are, once you get to a good fill level, you'll feel a difference. I'm sorry if you were misled before you had surgery.

I could have had the surgery within 1.5 months of my initial appointment, but we found out my insurance required a 6 month supervised diet. I started in October and had surgery April 12th.

liquids in = liquids out!

I've been slipping over the past week as well- eating foods I know I shouldn't because they lead to more and more bad choices for me- and what do you know, that's exactly what I've done. I'm considering going back to a day or two of just protein shakes, to remind myself how far I've come in the past two months and how far I still need to go. I hope someone has good advice for you!

It probably won't hurt forever, but it'll be sore for quite some time since it's attached to your abdominal muscles. The swelling will go down and it won't stick out as much, but many people say their ports still stick out. My Realize Band has a low-profile port so it doesn't stick out at all, but if I ever get skinny, I imagine it might.

Last night my husband wanted to go out for Father's Day, so we headed to TGI Fridays. I scanned the menu and chose the Mediterranean Skewers appetizer for my meal: So it arrives at the table and it's 3 triangles of pita bread, 6 bite-sized pieces of steak, dipping sauce, and about 1/2 cup of coleslaw. Perfect. I eat it, pita and all (mmm) and figure I'll go home and add it to my food tracker for the day. But here's the kicker. TGI Fridays doesn't publish their nutritional information! Grrr! The only thing I have to go on is the little "healthy" sign next to the meal on the menu (yeah right) that means the product is less than 750 calories. Just venting here! I know that in the US restaurants aren't required to make their nutritional info public, but I'm amazed that a company would choose not to. It's like the blind leading the fat...

Sounds to me like maybe you're not eating ENOUGH calories? I know that sounds silly but I also know that lots of people lose better when they up their calorie consumption. Your skinny lattes... are they made with any sweetener? If you're having sugar first thing in the morning it might be causing problems... and I know you know this but you SHOULD be eating breakfast. Even a Protein shake, which so many people have in the morning. If you really want your coffee, what about a vanilla Protein Shake made with skim milk and then add a spoonful of instant coffee in it? I'm thinking that part of the problem might also be you taking in the majority of your calories within a 5-hour window. Perhaps eating your lunch earlier (and having breakfast!) will help your body to process the foods better. Sounds like the food choices you DO make are great ones! And you're never hungry... can I just say how jealous that makes me?

Some people can swallow them and some people can't. I went out and got chewable versions of as many of my Vitamins as I could (multi, calcium, B12, and fiber) and the only thing I have left is Vitamin D which I get in a small gel cap, and my glucosamine, which is a massive horse pill and worries me every time I get a fill I agree that you should talk to your doctor. I've heard horror stories about people's pills getting stuck in their stoma and causing big damage by eating away at the stomach as they sit there.

Make chicken stock but roast all the veggies and the chicken pieces in the oven before you throw them in the stock pot. Cook for hours until the stock thickens up. YUM.

Peanut Butter here too! I've also been known to add a splash of flavored creamer to change it up a bit. But I'm not fancy so I don't have a lot of suggestions I really want to buy this product- it sounds great for shakes. http://www4.netrition.com/bell_plantation_pb2.html

They say it takes 2 weeks for a fill to "settle in", but if you're still having big problems at 10 days I can't imagine 4 more days are going to work miracles for you. If I were you, I'd do in for a slight unfill. Good luck!

Heh. I didn't really feel like a normal person again until 2 weeks post op. This part sucks... you just have to ride it out!

I agree about following what your doctor said, but FYI, I was on shakes made with water from the day after surgery. Made with milk after 1 week.

I agree, I was around 600-800 when I was 3 weeks out. Now I shoot for between 1,000 and 1,200 a day. Congrats on your success!

Sure, that would work! I don't know if the banana portion of the liquids will brown if you leave it in the fridge overnight, but it won't hurt it at all. Definitely worth a shot.

If you're getting in all your protein for the day, I wouldn't worry too much. I'd make your protein drinks with whole milk to get some extra fat and calories, but for now you should be all right.

Well... I hate that your doctor won't be up-front with you about your band and your fills, but even though his bedside manner is horrid, he is right that you need to do the work on your own right now. It's something none of us want to hear because we keep waiting and waiting for this surgery to help us out, but in reality we need to work hard to lose this weight. They say it's not a diet but it is- at least so far for me. So while I don't like how he spoke to you, I do think *what* he was saying was important to hear.

That's not perfect- keep your appointment and get a slight unfill instead of a fill.

I had it for a few days after fill #2, until the swelling went down. I'd eat my food and then not even think about eating again until 4-5 hours later. Unfortunately it's gone now and I'm going for my 3rd fill this week.