jen_1381

I actually just talked with my nutritionist about this yesterday. I'm almost 10 weeks post-op and struggle to get in 600 calories a day. Add in my hour of cardio and my net calories are very low. She suggested that I try to up my calories to 800 a day. I emailed her my menu over a couple days and she made a few suggestions how to add in healthy calories. Do you have a nutritionist you can call or email?

Our bodies take a while to bounce back after surgery anyhow, then add in the huge diet changes that we make and you're bound to be tired and run-down. Sounds like you had a super busy day too!!

Don't limit yourself and your happiness on their behalf. Your friends should love you no matter what you look like. Maybe you losing weight is making them consider their life choices. The fact of reality is that people change, always. I expect my friends to embrace the change, as I do with all of their life changes. This journey can be super tough, as you probably know, and that's why it's SO important to surround yourself with positve, supportive people.

I agree with everyone else...you need to get that checked by a doctor. They look really irritated. Mine were a little pink-ish, but never red like that. Everyone heals differently, but I would get that checked ASAP.

Could that be your port? It's a hard, roundish type lump. Have you gotten a fill yet? Surgeons seem to all differ in where they place the ports. Mine is on my right side just below my rib cage.

My port is becoming more visible/palpable as I keep losing the lbs. Once I hit goal, depending on how it really looks, I think I may consider revising to the low profile port. I've never been able to physically feel my band though.

Jean - Like a fountain - what a visual! I've never tried eating and drinking at the same time since being banded, and thanks to your description it's something I don't think I will ever try!

The theory is that liquids will wash the food through your pouch, defeating the purpose of the band (the help the smaller amount of food stay in your stomach, make you feel more full for longer). Some people even get a cork-like sensation while eating and can't drink. Different surgeons vary on the amount of time between drinking and eating, but so far I haven't heard anyone whose surgeon doesn't suggest/require it. It's a struggle for me bc my lunch break can vary at times - suddenly it's time to go eat and I've been drinking Water all day. If I know I have a planned meal time coming, I literally move my water out of my reach because I instinctly drink all day.

Jim your story is all too familiar to me. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with Lung Cancer, and when they found it, it was Stage 4 and already metastisized to her bones (spine). They found it incidentally on an xray of her back. She had tumors in all 5 lobes so they couldn't operate. After about 6 months they found a brain tumor, and she had surgery on that. She lived for 3 1/2 years at Stage 4. Did every type of chemo she possibly could, countless weeks of radiation. Right before starting our "last option" for chemo, they found she was in liver failure and therefore couldn't start chemo. It was a long, painful journey for everyone involved. Cancer just doesn't touch the patient, it touches whole families. She passed away in 2008 and there isn't a day that goes by we don't think of her. It's such an awful, awful disease and it really does take no prisoners. We've done Relay for Life for the past two years, hoping to raise enough money country-wide to find a cure. One day, I know they'll find a cure but until then people have to keep fighting and praying!

I found it much easier to transition into the Lap Band eating plan by starting about a week pre-op. My surgeon didn't require me to do the pre-op diet, but I wanted to get in the healthy eating habit and prepare myself for the liquid phase post-op, so I went to Protein drinks and Water during the day and a healthy salad at night. When you say you're doing Protein drinks and water, and not getting banded until October...you're not ONLY doing protein drinks and water are you? Keep in mind every surgeon and nutritionist require different things, but my nutritionist suggested at our first meeting, a month before getting banded, that I start a high protein, low calorie eating plan. It's tempting to have you're "last meals" with junk food but really, I think it will make quitting those foods so much harder after surgery. Always check with your WLS team though and see what they recomment for pre-surgery eating.

I use mostly salsa with everything. I also LOVE hummus but transitioned it from a side that I dip veggies in, into my protein portion of my meal because it's higher fat and calorie...I was spending a lot of calories on just a condiment! Salsa is my staple though!

That saved me during my liquids phase. I got the SF Caramel, SF White Chocolate, and SF Vanilla. Just a splash makes a WORLD of difference! I would add them to my Body Fortress powder and skim milk. It will filling and almost tasted great

One of the main reasons I decided on Lap Band was because I was dissapearing from history. I would cringe when someone got out the camera. I absolutely HATED the way I looked. I still have that knee-jerk reaction when someone starts snapping photos, and I'm still not madly in love with how I look, but it's not so bad. Use that video for inspiration. Recognize where you are right now, and know that you're starting your journey so you never have to look back.

Good luck, and congrats on getting back on the bandwagon!! I've only been banded 10 weeks but I feel like I'm finally in a good routine with food. My brain won the battle over my stomach as far as cravings go, but when the rare craving comes along (which is usually for ice cream) and won't go away, I find that just a spoon or two of frozen greek yogurt does the trick. I still struggle with the salt cravings (pre-op I would eat 3-4 pickles a day!) but find that if I just have a very small amount of what my body thinks it HAS to have, and couple it with some exercise, the craving passes. Huge accomplishment considering I used to indulge every craving - - and a lot of it - - whenever I wanted. Good luck again, and know you are not alone in your journey!

Nerves are totally normal. Heck, I almost cancelled the whole thing the day before surgery! I'm so glad that I didn't though, this is one decision I have not regretted for a second. The thought of giving up some of my favorite foods was daunting, but so completely worth it. Going through the process really retrained my brain, and I realized I needed to start eating to live instead of living to eat. Change can be scary but oh-so-rewarding!

Sounds like you need to start back at square one. See the psychologist (great idea!), see your surgeon, see a nutritionist. Back to the basics and build up again. There's a saying that I keep telling myself - - "nothing tastes as good as losing weight feels". Now, my first thought was - yeah right, I bet Sour patch Kids and Salt & Vinegar chips taste just as good....but then the rational me kicks in, reminds myself that if I want to see the scale go down, which I desperately do, junk food isn't going to get me there. Find a niche that works for you. Set small goals and just dive in!!

Realize does have a card also, it just has your band serial number, the capacity, your surgeon and emergency contact info. Very handy to have. I guess it's also comforting that if something tragic happens they could always ID me by my band serial number. Too many episodes of NCIS I guess

Good for you for recognizing the problem, and now fixing it! So many times, we put ourselves into denial and chalk it up to life...but really, we control our own lives! One healthy decision at a time....you'll get there!!

I LOVE my yoga ball. I even have one at work I use for my desk chair. Just sitting on it and staying balanced will help strengthen your abdominals. It keeps my posture straight too (if I slump, it's harder to stay balanced). An exercise mat may help also. My exercise room has carpet so it isn't too bad.

Congrats! I hope you have a speedy recovery and tons of success!!

My husband was very hesitant to eat around me at first, especially when I was in my liquid stage. I explained to him that having this surgery was a choice I made for myself, and that I am fully prepared for the life changes I'm making. I can't expect him to change his routine on my behalf, but I also explained that him eating healthier options would be in HIS best interest. He's changed his eating habits for the most part since my surgery and has lost 8 lbs (he only has about 15 to lose so he's over halfway there).

I've sworn off all carbonation, but I have had popcorn. I get the small bags of 100 cal lightly buttered. I eat it slow, limit myself to how much I eat, chew it well, and have only done it twice. It's not the best choice for "healthy" snacks because it really isn't that filling, but it satisfied the craving I was having for salt!

I just went to a concert Saturday night (Kelly Clarkson and The Fray - rocked by the way ), and there were the hard plastic rows of stadium seats. At 243 lbs, they were not comfortable - I felt like I was crammed into it. It felt GREAT to sit in it and not only feel comfortable (as comfortable as stadium seats are!) but have room to spare. I did feel so badly though for a few ladies I saw that were very large and couldn't fit in the seats (one broke the seat). I wanted so badly to run up to them and share my lap band experience, but I didn't want to offend them.

Checking in, Sunday I was 196.2.

Thanks everyone for your support, it means a lot to me. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in feeling this way. I emailed my nutritionist yesterday and also touched base with my PCP. I think the vision changes was actually aura from a migraine that was coming on. I've never had the aura before but after some research it was exactly what was going on...I used my migraine med and so far have been better. @Zinhaa, I use myfitnesspal to track everything. I make sure before dinner that my Protein intake is on track then adjust from there. I'm hitting 60-80 grams of protein a day, but lean protein just doesn't have that many calories. Maybe I'm just hyper-focused because I don't want to fail. This was a huge decision, one that my husband was on the fence about it, so I feel like I need to not only prove to myself that I can do it, but I also have a leary husband and pro-sleeve surgeon to convince that I can be successful. The concept of "eating to lose" seemed SO far out there before I started this process. Afterall, I was eating all the time and not losing magically!! Cheeseburgers don't count? It's amazing that the right balance of foods can leave you nourished and not hungry.