Lola Granola

I am so glad that I saw this thread! I am into week 3 of the post-op diet. I could not take the liquid diet for one second longer and pretty much started on the thicker liquids (pudding, Soups, etc) around day 4 post-op. I ate the pureed foods for most of the 2nd week. I have tried to eat some solid foods over the past 4 or 5 days. In short, I skipped I step in the post-op diet. That made me wonder if I was hurting myself just like the rest of you all. I have noticed one thing, however. I think that I chew my food way better than the average person or something. I have always had a fear of chocking on a piece of food, so the chewing thing comes natural for me. This is what caused me to start in on some "tame" solid foods like bits of chicken, soft cooked veggies, soft noodles, soft cheese, toast, crackers, eggs. I have been able to chew all of these things up into a mush and have had no issues swallowing the stuff. The one thing that I have noticed is that I do seem to get full much fast on the more solid foods. The other stuff just went right on through and I was left starving!! That is probably another reason why I moved on faster than I was supposed to. I needed find something that was going to stick to me a little longer. I have had a couple of occasions where I felt really full to the point of discomfort. I think that I too fast. I can chew food down to paste really fast because I have done it all my life. The ironic part of that "good habit" is that I think I can still eat too fast as a result. I am going to have to keep an eye on that. Also, I have noticed that when I am eating something that does not fit into the tiny 1 cup bowl that I purchased for myself that it is harder to visualize the 1 cup serving. My doctor told me to visualize what the food would look like mashed up in a 1 cup container. I guess I will get better at that with time.

Anyone else feel like they have not really lost anything since the first week post-op?? I lost 4 pounds the first week post-op and have not lost a single pound since that time. I have also started walking regularly, so I know that I am "trying". I wonder if my body is just protesting or if I am eating way too much. I use My Fitness Pal and have noticed that I tend to eat between 1200 and 1500 calories each day. The program estimates that I am burning about 400 calories walking to an from work each day, so that is good to know! I just wish the scales would move a bit. Even one pound a week would be great!!!

I was banded on 05/25/12 and have lost 12 pounds (including pre-op diet). Sort of worried that I have not lost more. At least I have not gained! That is a good thing, right?

I also have walked to work every day for the past 2 weeks and am working on getting into the habit of using MyFitnessPal.

I am at the end of week 2 post-op and also experienced a decline in my desire for carbs during the pre-op diet. I was also worried that the post-op diet would trigger some cravings because of the textures and also the fact that the majority of the food choices seem to be higher in carbs. Guess what? It did trigger some wicked cravings!! I agree with the folks who suggest going "cold turkey" for a while. This has worked for me in the past. Eventually you learn what carb rich foods trigger you to want even more carb rich foods..... then you avoid eating them! For me.... Soups, mashed squash, pudding (even no sugar/fat free varieties), etc.... are triggers. Been eating a lot of stuff like that in the post-op phase. It just takes a little will power to go cold turkey! That's all..... The good news, I guess, is that it really doesn't take that long to get the carb monkey off your back. It is keeping it off that is a little more tricky! Triggers! Those are the key! Learn to avoid those trigger foods!

Yes! I had something similar happen. I tried to eat a piece of red bell pepper thinking that I could chew the skin up really small. It was more difficult than I thought to do so and I ended up with a feeling like something was still "in there". I also drank a little Water and it did seem to help. Probably because it was still a very small amount of food. I held off on eating anything else for the day. I just had Soup, yogurt, stuff like that. The next day the feeling was gone and I have not had anything like that happen again. I feel lucky that I did not have something really big get stuck!! I can tell from this experience that something large stuck in there would probably be more than just a little uncomfortable!

Glad I found this post. I have the same thing. I had surgery on May 25th, so I am just a little over a week out. I noticed the pains in my chest/diaphragm area once I stopped taking the pain medication. Now I am starting to understand why they gave so much pain medication. The incisions really didn't hurt much at all, but the chest thing is sort of uncomfortable. I notice it more in the evening and at night when I am trying to fall asleep. I thought that it was gas for while, but I noticed that I had the pain when I was certain that I had no gas at all. It is not really bad pain. I would say that it is more like a dull ache than a true "pain". Now that I have read everyones posts and have reflected back..... the pain probably had to do with swallowing a large mouthful of something or the other. I can recall doing more or less just that a few hours before noticing the pain/ache. Glad to know that should be short lived.

Hey! I just had my surgery this past Friday and am also on the liquid diet. I REALLY wanted a salad..... so I got out my juicer! I put in all of the stuff that I would have put into the salad (except for the dressing... GROSS). I used some lemon juice and a dash of Splenda to dress it up and bit. It is really good! Sort of like going to Booster Juice or something. It is also loaded with B Vitamins because I used lots of lettuce and spinach. About 6 cups of tightly packed veggies made about 1L of juice. The only fruit that I included was an apple. I want to keep the calories and carbs low.

My surgery is on the 24th!! I am having the EXACT same feelings that you are!! Like so many others, I too have been mulling it over in my mind for over a year now. I have also been sort of blown away by how much I have lost on the pre-op diet, but I also know that cannot keep this up alone. I would fall right off the wagon and gain it all back. There are some risks, but the risks of being overweight seem to be greater than those associated with the surgery..... or even the possible long term complications! The band can come back out again if it needs to! Just remember that! You are not stuck with it like you would be stuck with gastric bypass or the sleeve.

BEST OF LUCK!! Get well soon!!

Yup! Feels sort of like when I stopped smoking many years ago!! You keep finding yourself searching for something and then realize you are searching for food. Obviously we are all really hungry during the pre-op diet, but sometimes I am looking for something to eat even after having the shake and the "naked" salad that I am allowed. In other words, I think I am looking for food because I am bored and nervous! I suppose they say that the first step is to admit that you have a problem. Gotta start working on accepting that I have a problem, too - I suppose!

I am on day 9 of my 14 day "liquid" diet. I have three of these high Protein Meal Replacement shakes and then I can have up to 250 calories worth of low glycemic index veggies. No fat, dressing, starch, sugar, meat, etc. Clearly it is a very low calorie version of a very low carbohydrate diet. It makes the Atkins Diet seem liberal!!

At any rate, I felt really crappy the first few days. In fact, I cheated a small bit the first 2 days. I made a thin Soup from chicken broth (acceptable item) and pureed butternut squash (not a low glycemic veggie). I did this because I figured that my headaches and dizziness were probably from low blood sugar. It worked to curb the headaches and totally did away with the dizziness. After the first 2 days, however, I did not feel to bad and have not "cheated" since. Pretty lame cheat, huh? Who would ever think you could "cheat" by eating a steamed and pureed veggie with no oil, butter, etc...? All-in-all, I have lost 6 pounds in 9 days. I imagine that a lot of it is Water, but at least I am sticking with the plan. How are you feeling these days? You have been on the liquids for a few days now.

I have PCOS, too! It totally sucks! I do have to admit, however, that I did enjoy not having periods..... I eventually had to have a hysterectomy, so I guess I still don't have them. I have had facial hair since highschool. I used to bleach the hair, then I started to pluck the hair because bleach wasn't enough, then I began to use cream hair remover because the hair was too coarse for the hair remover cream. Now that I am in my 30's the hair is dark and nasty just like "man" whiskers. I actually have razors all over the place. In the bathroom, in my purse, in my car.... because the !@#$ grows back in less than 24 hours!! I have had a few lazer hair treatments over the last year. I still need to have a few more to get it all, I think. I found that the procedure was painful, but not so much so that I won't go back for more. Once you get a look at yourself without the little stubble things that you can see under your skin (even after shaving)..... you realize that you would go back even if it DID hurt really bad!!! At any rate, I was really hoping that someone would say that the Hair growth gets better. I can see that the only person who stopped having hair growth doesn't have PCOS. That's not what I was hoping to hear....... Oh well....

It does look like several of you have lost some weight! How has that been for people?? Difficult? Easy? Neutral? Just curious.....

HOLY COW! That is terrible.... not the part about the lap band being "bad", but the part where everyone you have told is feeling like pointing this out to you!! I am scheduled for surgery on May 25th and feel pretty much the same as you do. I think that the earlier bands had a lot of issues and I also think that some people don't follow the rules and end up gaining, not losing and/or hurting themselves with over-fills or by overeating, etc... We have all done a lot of homework on this thing and feel that it was the right choice for each of us. Try not to let them get to you!! You are just getting started..... you need support!!

Lilbelly, my surgery is on May 25th. When is yours?

Honk, thank you for your input.

Thanks for all of the help! I actually took Jean's advice to eat some Protein with my "food" and it worked out just fine. I had my Ensure drink with some lettuce that had a little balsamic vinegar in it. I think that I will try to eat something solid with the Ensure from here on out because that seemed to help me a lot. I am allowed to eat lettuce and cucumbers and few other low glycemic index foods, so it should all be okay so long as I stick to the prescribed food list.

Thanks again folks!

Hey folks!! Anyone experience "the shakes" (no pun intended) after they started the pre-op liquid diet? ? Today is my first day and I feel sort of sick/shakey like I have low blood sugar or something. I am allowed to eat low carb veggies like lettuce and cucumbers, but they are not really helping me much..... I'm thinking maybe I should pick up some orange juice or something so that I don't make myself sick. what sort of experiences have you all had with liquid "fast".... as it probably really should be called.

My doctor has the same sort of "deal". I can eat up to 250 calories in low carb veggies with no dressing or anything like that.... just maybe a little lemon juice or season/herb, in addition to the liquids. Of course, I would have to eat a 5 gallon bucket of lettuce, cucumbers, etc. to get 250 calories!! hahahahhaha

Good luck on the pre-op diet!! We are going to make it!!!!

Yes! My teenage daughter is 19 years old now and I had the realization the other day that I used to be SMALLER than she is!!! She looks really tiny to me, but she wears larger pants than I did back then. I asked her how much she weighs the other day, because I honestly had no idea. She says she weighs 149. She is EXACTLY the same height as me. The biggest difference between us, apart from she is thin and I am fat... hahaha , is that we are shaped different. She has very narrow shoulders, a tiny chest and holds most of her weight in her bottom. I, on the other hand, have broad shoulder, JUGS and carry all of my weight in my torso. I look sort of like a California Raisin (or Mr. Peanut)!! hahahaha Anyone remember those guys?? I always wished I was shaped more like Zoe (my daughter)..... she is so lucky that she didn't get the "fat" gene. If I could anywhere NEAR 149, it would be fantastic!! Doubt I will ever be able to steal Zoe's cloths, however..... we are just totally different shapes!! It won't keep her from steeling mine, however..... She gets into my closet and wears my cloths. They look so funny on her because they are HUGE. She wraps the @#% around herself a few times and comes out looking super cute..... and I'm like, "Hey!! Give me back my tarp!! I need it!!!" She is so excited about my surgery..... because she says that maybe I will shut up about being fat! Sounds like a teenager, doesn't it?? hahaha :wub:

It takes awhile sometimes to get your head and your eyes to see the same thing. I could tell I was losing because my clothes fit differently, but sometimes i wouldnt see it in the mirror. Now that I am kinda close to goal, I can look at myself in the mirror and see the difference but sometimes my head is like, wow, that cant really be what I look like. I dont feel that skinny.

I have not had my surgery yet, but I can still identify with your comment about "I don't feel that skinny". I have always felt "fat".... even when I was not. The really weird thing? My goal is to get down to around 130 -140 after surgery. That would make me about the same weight that I was before I had my daughter (back when I was 18 years old!!). The other day I decided to pull out some photos of myself from way back when. As I was looking at them, I could remember everything about where I was, what I was up to in the photo, etc.... but I could also remember disturbing things like not liking the shorts I had on or the shirt or whatever...... because I felt "fat"!!!! Looking at those photos from my 225 pound vantage point, I can see that I was in no way fat, but it clearly didn't keep me from "feeling" fat. I wonder what sort of weird emotions I will have if I ever do make it back to that weight?? If I thought I was fat the, how will it feel to remember what it was like to actually BE fat??? Anyone have any idea what I am talking about??

May 25th.....

Another consideration is that you are probably not eating enough right now. I am just about to go on my pro-op diet and have had a good look at what the food plan is for the first month post-op...... Getting enough calories is going to be difficult during the first month after surgery. More to the point, sometimes not eating enough can cause the scales to not move. Take the advice of the others and focus on healing and following your prescribed meal plan. It's not a race, it is a journey! Get well soon!!

Sojourner's thing with the coke bottle is good, too!! I totally forgot about having done that. It is a similar idea to the sock that I mentioned in my other post. The tendons are the problem, for sure. Stretching them (gently) was a huge part of the solution. The other part, unfortunately, is time.

Yes... I have looked at the costco here in Saskatoon and they do not have the shakes that several of you have mentioned. It must be because I am up here in Canada or something.... Thank you all for offering up suggestions, however. We are spending a lot of money on travel and lodging for the surgery. Having to buy the rather expensive Meal Replacement is just pushes us over the top financially at the moment. If there is something cheaper that I can substitute, I will. I will let you all know what my clinic has to say about Ensure. I will be surprised if they have a huge problem with it.

I am right in there with you..... plantar faciitis really hurts and is really a pain (no pun intended) to get rid of. I had to do many of the same things that mommykristie had to do, but I also went out an purchased something called a "strassburg sock". It was bascially a really long knee sock made out of super tight spandex. There was a nylon strap attached to the toe of the sock that ran up to the knee and looped into a little d-ring. I would put the sock on when I was just sitting around watching TV and crank up the tension on the thing to pull my foot up into something approaching a 45 degree angle with my shin. The thing sort of looked like a torture device, but it sure did help. I think it helped more than anything else that I tried.

I wish I had an answer for you. I have not had my band yet, but I did have a really nice woman send me a private message describing "stuck" episodes. I worry about that very thing, myself. At any rate, I sort of got the idea that maybe it is best to go back to liquids for a short while to let the irritation/swelling go down. It won't make you "unstuck" right away, I don't think, but it is supposed to help. I just wish that I could tell you for sure that this will help you to eventually find relief. The gal I chatted with sure seemed to think it didn't hurt anything. That is for sure! Best of luck to you.

I have not had my surgery yet, but I have had something called a "belt lipectomy". I went from 130 to 230 while pregnant with my oldest daughter and have stuggled with losing and gaining the same 30 pounds ever since then (19 years now). My skin is really crappy.... very little elasticity. At any rate, after I lost 30 pounds (the first time) my skin was not too bad, but after having done that a few more times.... the skin just hung there like an "apron" around my waist. I was getting weird skin infections under the flap of skin due to "hanging" nature of the skin and wanted to have it removed. My insurance considered it to be "cosmetic" while my doctor considered it to be "reconstructive". Long story short, I ended up getting some financing and paying for the surgery myself. It was not cheap, but it was doable. I think I paid about $140 per month for about 6 years. I was really glad that I did that. I do worry about what will happen if I really do manage to lose the 90 or so pounds that I still have to lose. The doctor claims that I could still have that same surgery again and that it is not a problem to do the procedure more than once over a life time. We'll see how that all goes.....

Oh..... Good luck in surgery, by the way!! I bet you are all finished by the time you get around to reading this!! Please let us all know how things went!!