Soybean

Hello. I also just had a fill. I hadn't come back for a year after my second fill and had gained a lot of weight between visits. I just thought the surgery hadn't worked for me. Then four days ago I had my third fill going from about 5cc to 8cc. Big difference! I don't know if it's a little too tight but I don't mind and am able to manage a combination of liquid foods and solid foods, but just a little at a time. When I drink cold liquids, I tend to feel a slight pain in my chest, as I do when I'm eating but not the horrible heartburn I've been reading about. It's like the beginning of a heart burn pain but it passes quickly. It seems to happen more when I eat and drink a cold liquid at the same time. For the person whose band feels too tight, I read that cold liquids tighten the band, while warm ones loosen it. I haven't had any problem with hot Soups and when I ate some hot Soup I was able to eat a lot more solid-ish food like hummus and crackers and tomatoes. However, I overate by accident and the pain and discomfort was really awful for about an hour or so after and I knew I was eating too much when I was doing it. Today I had some warm soymilk in the afternoon and it went down without any discomfort as long as I sipped moderately, without any big gulping. So, my experience to share is to try having some hot liquids prior to trying to eat anything. And I read on a web site that if you drink cold liquids first it will help to restrict your meals since the band gets tighter. For me, the small pain helps me keep on track but I'm definitely getting enough to eat. I also read that the band is tighter in the morning, which seems to be my experience. I can't eat much in the mornings but by late afternoon and evening I feel less pain or tightness. Well, good luck to you and thanks all for writing your thoughts. I found this info at this site: http://drsimpson.net/fills/post-fill/post-fill.htm

Hello. I got the band 10 days ago and will transition to soft foods on Friday. I've checked out a lot of posts on recipes but I'm having trouble finding exact quantities of food people eat in the week 3-5 transition period and I'm scared that I'll overeat because I just don't know how much to have. I figured that I can have about 1 egg for breakfast but is that all? Also, how much do people eat for lunch and dinner? Do the quantities stay the same for every meal? Real examples would help. Or please direct me to some sample lap band menus for this time period! Thanks in advance.

I totally cheated on the 14 day liquid diet prior to surgery, and though I wouldn't encourage it, my liver was fine to operate on. I was great for first three days and then each subsequent day I began eating small things like a salad, or a little bit of chicken, or some seafood. The problem was that once I started cheating it was so hard not to do it again the next day. 3 days before surgery I ate some burger (no bun) and noodles, a regular sized meal. I got so freaked out that I put all my effort into the last two days and really did only clear liquids. I suggest you try to get back on track but don't worry too much about not being fit for surgery. Many doctors prescribe different kinds of diets pre-op from what I read, and some are just low fat, low carb for part of the week or so before surgery. Being guilty won't shrink your liver either so don't sweat it just try and think of the purpose you have. Good luck.

I'm also in the post op diet phase, day 10 after surgery. My surgeon and hospital gave me literature that said I could start eating soups with Beans (thoroughly blended to a pea soup consistency) and I just started eating that today which REALLY helped. I made my own white bean soup with lamb, carrots, white beans and a few potatoes and instead of blending it I thinned it (but not too much) with tomato sauce and Water. I ate the brothy stuff and mashed some of the beans, tossed out the bean skins. Having that was heavenly! I felt like I was eating real food finally. I have to say that I haven't followed the no sugar rule with the post op diet because I think that's only supposed to help your weight loss, but it's not protecting the surgery itself like not eating solid foods does. I was getting really naseous and needed some calories and felt better with juice and juice popsicles. Anyway, that's what I've been doing. I also feel like I'm getting ready for the soft foods which I'm kind of scared of because I'm afraid I'll have a miserable feeling if I eat too much of them so I'm going to tighten up my food program in order to prepare for the transition at the end of this week. Also, staying really busy with work or outside helps distract you from the hunger. And maybe going to a support group like Overeaters Anonymous or a Lap Band group.

Hello. I just got the band and now I'm recovering. It went well and although I was in some pain for about a week or 10 days, I feel just about normal now. I'm pretty hungry still, especially these last few days and am sticking to the post-surgery diet for the most part. It's been a tough 3 weeks for me not eating much and being on the liquid diet for about 10 days now but I take it for granted that I'm not eating the way I used to. I am just trying to figure out how much to eat when I go to soft foods at the end of this week. I'm looking forward to eating a little more normally than I have been going through the surgery experience. I'm glad this forum is here.