judych

..and good on you for bringing it out here, because its here that you will have fellow banders who are/have gone through the same emotional issue. I mean... this is forever... right? we have crossed over a surgical line that DICTATES now, to a great degree, how we can eat. !! ( I know we can still cheat but its nothing like being free to eat anything. !)i have felt the same way ! lots of times ! even now... three months and more out from surgery. !! i have days where i would just like to be free to eat everything i want... you know? .. BUT.... eating everything has a big price to pay for me. Do i want to continue just eating everyday to feed my overweight body and give me a temporary fix? I dont think so. ! the band gives me room to step back (because i jolly well have to now... lol. ) and think twice about what im doing. And, whats more, when i dress myself now, and get undressed, im not hating the person im seeing in the mirror. WE pay a price for improved self image (not to mention the health benefits we get ) ... that price is loss of freedom with unlimited eating. You will get used to this new way of living. The emotional pulls are strong... it makes us realize just how we lived under the rule of our emotions. Good luck. Just take each day as it comes. YOu arent alone in this and you will be really glad with the outcome.

dulcolax is great stuff... it does the job well. i hope you feel even more improved now.... good luck

i still have but not all the time. for example i had a fill about ten days ago, and ive needed protein drinks since then. i take a long time to recover when i have a fill... thats just me. So.. for these times i have the drinks to make up for any dietary loss. i had to do the same the first time i had a fill as well. Sometimes i may just have a drink of it out of the blue, becuase i enjoy them so much. Also if im in a hurry first thing of a morning and cant sit down long enough to eat breakfast i will have one then. they do still have their place... just not everyday.

i dont find it easy to expell gas through belching either. Gas -x is the main thing that is taken here for gas... also, ive found that sitting with my back straight, head back and arms above (my head) bent with my hands touching the back of my neck stretch my diaphram enough to expel the gas. Try some of these things... everyone is different. Maybe this will help you out.

it will go down well. you have muscle swelling on that site from the surgery and that will be hard and possible risen for a while. ive always had that happen on my surgery sites. my port area isnt noticeable at all now. im just over 3 months post op.

this is so true. in three months ive lost 41.38% of my weight.... and my loss hasnt been fast. just slow and steady. this is a great way to look at ones weight loss. thanks for bringing it up. judy

lol.. thats funny. Im glad that its all going well for you. way to go.

i agree... and, you know?? i think this is the only way that was left for me to go...my weight loss is slower but steady and im really happy with that. I dont think i would have been disciplined enough to stick with small portions and eating slowly if it hadnt been for the band. This band has helped me through days when i lacked the motivation of positive mind set to keep going . I couldnt be eating huge amounts now even if i wanted to. Ive just had my second fill.. it was only 1 cc. that was over a week ago. im still feeling the tenderness in my pouch. the dr made an appointment for me for two months time. i dont think i will get any more fills .... if im continuing to lose i dont see that its necessary. I have to wait so long after a fill before i settle down again that im inclined to give the next fill a miss. i guess it will depend on how my weight loss goes in the next two months. we will see. There is no way that i could have been consistent,before the band, like im being made to be now.

ygarza... what great news that finally you made it. congratulations to you and all the best for your continuing journey. im sure it will go really well. Just take it easy and give your body time to heal. all the best. judy

berries im fine with, i havent tried watermelon yet... its not the season for it here yet... bananas, the same as you. im uncomfortable with them, but do try. they are so rich in potassium that i need them. i havent tried apples, peaches or apricots yet. will do when our summer comes around again.

thanks for these tips on how to eat fruit. i will try this with bananas, i have some here that i need to eat.

what a shame you cant eat them....

try not to be stressed over it all... just take is slow and easy with your soups and you will be fine. i know what the mind games are like. In fact id say that everyone here went through those. i feel for you but theres nothing to be worried about. like i said, just take things easy.

...lol... thanks for sharing this humerous account with us... its a refreshing change.. all the best with your new lifestyle.

well spoken. i use the term starvation mode, but i use the term loosely.. ive known that my body shuts down with weight loss very easily. ive never been at that point where i would say i was literally starving, its just that my body kicks into survival mode, whatever you like to call that. i dont lose weight at all when i drop my calorie intake below 1200... i try to move my intake around a lot from day to day. it varies from about 1000 to perhaps 1400-1500 the next day... that does work for me. however, i know that my metabolism is very slow and very efficient. i had so many goes on the Atkins diet that im sure i did something to my metabolism then.

yes, that sounds good. its worth trying out. i agree, we need to eat some fruit daily... i havent had a decent amount for some time now without suffering from it.

Jachut... ive been moaning and parking my backside right in front of our wood heater in southern tasmania.... we had 7. lol.

..more on this comment.. i have a 10 cc band and i have about four ccs of fill.

i have difficulty. ive eaten bananas and another fruit and both of them sit like logs in my pouch. ive vomited after eating banana. the only way i can get away with eating fruit is by literally taking the smallest bite .. as big as my little fingernail... chewing that for at least twenty times, which is hard with fruit, lol, and then swallow and wait. even then i get pain. i havent tried anything else apart from raspberries which go down well.

i would say you probably arent eating enough?? your body may be in starvation mode... just a thought.

so you have noticed cold more?? i agree with you, its hard to know why we get more sensitive to cold, especially as we get older. Our winter temps are lower this year, consistently, and ive really felt it a lot. I can remember though when i was years younger and able to lose weight, id had a lot of weight loss and i was cold all the time. Feeling cold now has brought it all back to me. It is easier though to rug up enough to be warm. i do that now. wear a scarf inside where ive never had to do that before... but, hey, what does a scarf matter so long as im warm? lol. AS for being over hot... its way harder to deal with that one. Fortunately we dont have stinking hot days here in summer. OUr zone is temperate... and its good in summer.

i agree... and this is why im not letting myself get caught up with exercise. Ive never been on for a lot of exercise, i have more than enough with a large house and a huge garden. Even so, we do have beautiful walks here, on the sea shore. i will do that in summer though, and for sheer enjoyment only. I know if i got involved in gyms etc that it wouldnt last, so im not even going to start trying. i do love to swim though. i was going to travel with my eldest daughter to a mineral pool thats naturally heated and swim in this winter, but she hasnt been well so weve not started yet. HOpefully we will. Swimming i just love so much. The Water here is very cold except in summer when its just warm enough. Im very comfortable and confident with what im doing.... three months or more out from banding has shown me pretty much what my experience is goign to be long term i think. im very happy with it. I had a fill a week ago today and my band is still not settled completely yet. im having Soups and mashed veges with a soft egg for meals .... not much else,apart from Protein Drink.

i agree.. and its so discouraging when that happens. im hoping to get some exercise by walking on the beach when the weather improves... its very cold here right now. im noticing the cold a lot more since ive lost my weight....has anyone else noticed the difference with how they manage hot and cold temps??...

could you step up your Protein drinks?? and, as well as .... are you taking any Vitamins? i was washed out for weeks after my surgery but then it all lifted and ive been fine since. i think that just getting over the surgery itself is a biggie... and there is the change of diet as well... a lot has happened to your body at once. im sure you will come right..

thats great .. i hope you do get to share with others on how you are managing it all. My dr is impressed as well with my loss but he didnt go into specifics about my diet. He is just happy that its ongoing weight loss i think.To be honest i couldnt manage if i had to make gyms and lots of exercise a part of my life. its not the way ive always been. im too old to change now anyway, lol, so im blessed that my life style the way it is is compatible with the band and weight loss. Im grateful for that.