Jen75

I to have a 10 cc band with 7.5 cc fill so far and I can eat way more then I shoud be able to....I make good choices....but I wish a 1/4 would fill be....I can eat 2 cups of salad easily....but I know we will get there...so hang in !!!

My PA told me that if u was eating salad I could expect to eat 2 cups. This being because the lettuce and such chews to mush equaling about a cup of food.

I have 7.25 cc in my band. It's comfortable for me. I was at 7.5cc and I was bringing everything back up. I really can eat most anything I want but stress' date=' anxiety, time of month, alcohol consumption and so on make my band so fickle! Good luck!

I just have to say' date=' I havent bought any new clothes since I started this journey. However, all my pants are getting VERY big on me (They are all 20-22's). So, I decided to clean out my closed/drawers and have 3 HUGE bags of pants that are all too big. This is great, except I needed some new pants. So, I went to Old Navy last night and grabbed a pair of 18's, tried them on and even those were too big. So, I tought, there is NO WAY that I can be down to a 16......but I tried some on anyway and they fit! not only did they fit, they looked great! I am so happy.....I can fit into a 16 again. I havent seen a 16 in over 8 years!!!!![/quote']

Great job!

Match.com. Met and married my husband. We have been together almost eight years now! Best advice I can give is to go with gut instinct. If you meet them and it's not right, move on...plenty of fish in the sea!

I've really enjoyed doing muffin tin cooking! Will look forward to more recipes! Thanks!

Good to hear!

How are you doing today? Did you see a doctor?

Never thought this would happen' date=' but since I lost weight and am close to goal, my face has changed very drastically. I always has a "thin" face even when I was at 40 BMI, but now at 30 BMI it's very different from I ever remember looking. Even when I weighed this same weight before. I feel in a way I am reluctant to lose more because I don't like my face as much... Anyone feel the same way?[/quote']

I wish this was the case for me... I can't see any difference in my face or body for that matter. I take it that it is changing from input from my husband. Good luck.

Call the doc or an emergency advice number.. Go to the ER if you have to! You do not want an infection! Can be dangerous after surgery! Are you running a temp?!!! You need to know how to deal with it!!! Seek medical attention immediately at least in the am! Do not wait until Thursday!

hi all. Ive posted already about being tight' date=' not being able to eat meat and other issues. WEll, i kept a small portion of smoked cod from last nights tea. i thought i would have it for my lunch today and see how i go with Soup tonight as i seem to be tighter of a night.

I had about five small mouthfuls of fish. Chewed well, waited. Then the discomfort started up all over again. Ive been getting this nearly every meal now...not quite so bad at bfast time but faint in the background.

. The discomfort builds, i feel everything churning around. it comes back into the eosophagus, i start to salivate, get the hiccups,, all that sort of thing. Throughout this i need to swallow a lot. i feel like im swallowing air . its very very painful. i feel quite faint im so unwell.

Anyway... (TMI... im sorry. lol.) ive just been through another episode. It kept getting worse and then projectile vomiting of mucus. i just had time to reach the loo. i just hate to think if it happened to me out somewhere. I feel better now.

O.k.... so do you think id better go get some of the fill taken out? im worried now that my eosophagus may be inflamed. after all, its a daily ocurrance now. this is the first time i have had to vomit though.

Ive decided to ring the dr in the morning. I have to go to the city on the 30th. i will make an appointment to see him then. Meantime its back to liquids i think. I cant got to the city before the 30th... so do you think just liquids from now until then? all input gratefully received. thanks.[/quote']

Judy, several thoughts as I'm reading this...

1. With restriction you are not going to be able to eat as much as you were prior. Also, with restriction, it is quite possible you may not be able to eat certain foods again for awhile. I find on some days I can take a bite or two and feel my "soft Sign" which is usually a burp or a sigh, for me. That is my que that I am full. when you feel these things you need to stop eating. Also, I was told to only allow myself to eat for 20-30 min. Whatever I could consume in that time is all I should eat up to 1 cup.

2. Definitely go back to liquids for 12-48 hours after a vomiting episode. Eating too quickly afterwards can inflame the esophagus and even though you may or may not be too tight. However, inflammation will make you tighter thus repeating the cycle over and over. (I've done this and finally realized what I was doing wrong) Then start all over introducing puréed and Mushie foods increasing to solids... EVERYTIME you vomit!!!

3. Restricttion varies throughout the day and is different for everyone. I personally am tighter in the morning and can eat an entire store at night if I allow myself to. My suggestion if find when you are able to eat and consume the bulk of your calories during that time. I think a soup in the evening is a good idea and try and get the most or bulk of your Protein in the am since that is when you are loosest.

4. 3ccs may have been a bit much at one time as you go from zero restriction to quite a bit. It's a difficult adjustment. You very well might need a slight unfill but certainly not the whole 3 ccs. A 1/4 to a 1/2 cc should be sufficient but that should be up to your doctor.

5. Certianly call the doctor in the am. See what they have to say. Since your far away from the city, I would imagine that staying on high Protein liquids until the 30th should not be a problem.

I do know you have had some stress, and that you have been having a hard time since your last fill. This is going to be an adjustment and unfortunately a lot to take on at once. Give yourself a break...relax and just do what you need to do.

6. As a bandsters, it is a unique situation. We struggle with wanting/needing to get enough calories in vs. feeling hungry. Try and listen to what your body is telling you and eat only whe you are hungry. Good luck my friend!

im interested as well. im 66 and my skin isnt as resilient as it used to be. this is one reason why i dont want to lose more than just over a pound a week. ive noticed though that where my skin was oily... and was a real asset as i got older' date=' that its starting to dry out more now. has anyone else had this?[/quote']

Possibly a change in hormones, diet, dehydration... All could make a difference to the skin... Be interested to know what others think...

Ok' date=' I know this is gonna sound crazy but is it possible for your port to move? I had my surgery on April 20 and up until the last couple of days my port has felt like it has been to the left of the incision. Today I noticed that my incision was very tender and it had a bump in it and it was a little red and warm to the touch. When I felt it it feels like my port is right under the incision. And I can't feel anything off to the left like I could before. Has anyone else had this happen?[/quote']

Hasn't happened to me but I would imagine with the red and war to touch you should contact your surgeon. Don't want an infection brewing... Good luck!

Congrats to all banded in the past few days.

I think I am having my first "stuck" episode or something close to it. I had refried Beans (about 1/2 cup) and apple sauce (1/4 cup) about 4 hours ago. I don't know if I ate too much' date=' or too fast, but I feel like there is a rock in my chest that won't go away. It won't budge. I've been walking & sipping Water for a couple hours and it's not flowing through as easily. Help!! Has anyone experienced this yet??

I can't tell when I am hungry or full yet, and I have been eyeball measuring my food... Stupid me. I am using 1/2 cup measuring cups starting tomorrow and timing myself. I start soft foods on Sunday and I'm worried.[/quote']

Try leaning over a toilet or position your body as you would a baby and try to burp... It should allow some air into the space that is stuck and allow you to move things through. Continue to burp... Arms above your head or sway side to side. One way or another its going to move. Up and out or down and in... Good luck!

yep. chewing about fifty times to sixty times for meat and fish. it ends up with just the fibre left in my mouth.. which i feel like spitting out. lol. I had a little bacon with an egg last night for tea and that went down o.k. it took me an hour to eat it . Very small bites.

Im wondering now. I was away for three days this week. i was at our sons place. He lives on his own' date=' has a mental illness, and needs me there occasionally to help him with various things he needs to do. Id put off going for six months and there was so much going on when i got there. iwas nearly running the whole two days. I came home last night and this morning im wondering if it was stress that tightened me more?? we had big jobs like carpet cleaning, spring cleaning, shopping etc etc. you can imagine what its like when a man lives on his own. Do you think its possible? Has anyone here had issues with the band tightening due to stress?[/quote']

Judy, the stress can be a huge factor. I have found that when I am stressed it is nearly impossible to eat. Just drink your shakes/mushies for now and when you can eat more solid food then do. If you have the pressure (from stress) in your chest before you eat I wouldn't even try. In my experience that's when I PB the most. If you were not having problems before your visit then it's probably not the fill but the stress. Good luck. I understand what you are going through. I work with mentally I'll patients daily. Bless you and don't hesitate to ask any questions. Oh and as for the fibers... Spit them out!

My husband says that all the time!!! Really hardly worth it! LMBO!!!

It may be that because you are already under your psychologists care that he can write a reccomendation for you and you bypass a different psychologist. Good luck with your decisions and I don't think you will have any problems with getting approval For being on Meds.

So we can't chew gum??? Did i miss something???

Gum they say creates air in your tummy... Kinda like drinking through a straw. I would keep both to a minimum initially and follow drs orders but eventually down the road you should be able to chew gum. Remember' date=' gum carries 5 calories per stick so be sure to include in your caloric intake...

Don't be so hard on yourself... Just to add to stephy's comment, a typical eating day for me is a shake in the morning = 30g ( I can't physically eat and I am always in a rush) lunch I hit the salad bar at work and take a scoop or two of each thing= cottage cheese, kidney Beans, garbanzo Beans, hard boiled egg, chopped bacon and beets and peppers if I'm in the mood. I don't do lettuce so this all comes to approx a cup of food. Will last me all afternoon. I would guess approx Protein would be in the 20g range. Then if I add a Greek yogurt with 10-14g you will easily hit your Protein mark and not be hungry. My dinner I am never hungry but do the head hunger thing or the "it's dinner time and I need to eat" so it is what someone else has fixed... Good luck, I bet just tweaking a few things and you will be satisfied and on track.

I say do what you have to do!!!! It will be the last time you ever have to gain!!! I'm liking the sweats with ankle weights though... That is ingenious! I know when I weighed in the PA told me to keep everything on including shoes because they wanted the highest weight possible... :-) good luck!

These are the best bang for your Protein buck. Taste pretty good too. costco is the place to buy them. I need to look for their bars.

The bars are at costco also! :-)

Try a liquid Vitamin. It's what has worked for me... I could stand the chewables! Also, have to take them at night because of food in my belly. Couldn't do on an empty tummy either! Good luck!

I HAVE ONE EVERYDAY. THE TASTE ISNT THAT BAD. I BUY THE vanilla AND THEN BLEND UP SOME STRAWBERRIES' date=' BLUEBERRIES, & BANANAS WITH IT, THEN IT IS FABULOUS!!! EVERYONE IN MY OFFICE LOVES THEM.[/quote']

The chocolate with some vanilla yogurt, a banana and a spoonful of Peanut Butter is awesome! Fills me up for almost an entire day!

*comsume... Darn auto correct!

Ok great soo cucumber Water sounds odd but I will try it !! But it looks like keeping crystallite packages in my purse will be my main go to for the summer .thanks everybody !

Cucumber Water is awesome! Also adding oranges' date=' lemons, grapefruit, stawberries, raspberries, etc. it's very refreshing. The cucumber which tends to be naturally salty also makes me commune more!!!! :-)

Have you tried other Protein shakes? How often do you vary your diet and routine?

Oh as far as options, many on here are doing the iband. Lapband with plication... Check it out! May be another option!