tiggergramma

OKOK It technically involves a scale, but not really lol
I weighed in this a.m. at 150.2. I had a fill scheduled for this morning and so I go in and get one done. It's customary for them to weigh you in, so I weighed in clothes and all minus the shoes. Don't you know..that scale said 148. I wanted to focus more on the fact that this was the FIRST time in my life, I've ever weighed less at the docs office opposed to at home- and that's DRESSED! Ok, I think this high will keep me happy for an entire week ahhaha

Hi tiger, thanks for sharing.
From what I am reading, here are some recommendations.
#1 From fill to fill we all have to be cautious and aware that what went down the day before may not necessarily go down after the fill. We need to hyperfocus on every food again and eat it slow to make sure it's passing. I actually eat foods by themselves (meat only, or veggies only for example) so if I do have issues I know precisely which food it was. As you get closer to green, this will become more and more of an issue because some foods <may, but typically> become no foods..they simply don't pass or they cause too much discomfort.
#2 Some people don't experience much restriction, and as they get closer to green they are feeling restriction for the first time. (This is more of a generalized recommendation). So if you think a fill will allow you to eat big bites, same foods like before...remember that green will give you restriction and the experience of eating is a different sensation. Food will gather in your pouch. Depending on the type of food, it can sit there for a few seconds and slide through (like soft or watery foods) or it can sit there for much longer (denser foods). Treat every food like it's going to sit in the pouch for a 1/2 hr. Avoid drinking which can cause discomfort when there was none before.
#3 Timing. We never know whats going to happen when we eat. Even if we are well established from our fill, one day can be tight or maybe we didnt chew as thoroughly as we thought. Don't see yourself up by eating right before a meeting, or laying down to bed, or when you need to be active. When at all possible give yourself at least 1/2 hr AFTER eating before doing something that could be impossible to juggle both the activity and the regurg. You definitely had food/water in the pouch and aspirated. Very tricky stuff because that can lead to lung infections.
I'm glad you are doing better. Go slow and keep us posted

So I had another fill on Tuesday and have been very careful all week to let that settle and not get stuck on anything. At lunch yesterday, I tried to eat a sandwich with pastrami and found that I could not chew it enough to get it down, so out that went. I didn't actually get stuck, but the rest of the day I found I really had to go slower than usual to get even mushy stuff down.
FF to last night at bedtime: I let the dog out, grabbed a small handful of nuts, chewed and chewed and chewed and chewed, and swallowed. Let the dog in, go upstairs and get a drink of Water and the second sip won't go down! So that stinks. But I don't feel any distress like being stuck feels, and I go to bed.
As I'm laying down, I feel water in my sinuses...like after using a neti pot and lying down...I didn't think anything of that and went to sleep. I suddenly started coughing, hard. Coughing like I had inhaled food or water. The only thing I can think is that I actually aspirated water when I laid down. Anyway, I coughed and coughed, to the point it felt like I was going to throw up. I have been banded a year and have never thrown up, but I never, ever want to! I cannot imagine what hell that must be. Anyway, it finally subsided and I was able to go back to bed.
My purpose for sharing this is that I don't want anyone to go through this if you can avoid it! If you feel like you have stuff in your pouch...don't lie down until you have given it time to move down!

Alright, I admit I am not know for being the most mild mannered person. I have a bit of a temper but have always taken steps to ensure my temper remains in control (breathe in, breathe out). I do not normally lose the plot. Then there was the incident today....
I went into the office today (been working from home for the last two weeks). Three of the women I work with stopped by my office together to tell me how great I was looking. Was enjoying the ego stroking immensely!!! I have been very open about the fact that I have had band surgery. No reason to hide it. While we were chatting another female colleague walked in.... lets give her a name to protect her privacy... Broomhilda.
Broomhilda ( the _itch that she is) listened to the gals feed my ego a bit and then decided to give her unsolicited two cents worth. And I quote "Amber I can see you lost some weight. You were so huge before. I mean it was time that you did something about it right? I just would have expected you to have lost more by now. I mean bigger people are supposed to lose weight faster right? What exactly are you eating? Are you getting out from behind your desk at all? You know diet only wont move those pounds. You have to exercise to. I don't understand why it took you so long to do something about it. I have been tempted to say something to you about your weight for awhile. I guess even a little weight loss is better than nothing right?"
The other 3 gals got quiet and waited..... The old self conscious me with the dented self esteem might have nodded and smiled and ignored her. Possibly taken her to the side later to tell her she hurt my feelers. The new me..... not so much. Watch out world the Amazon princess is in the house. If she felt it was okay to be rude to me in front of others why should I be the one to restrain myself?
My response:
"Broomhilda I appreciate your candour. Your right I am overweight and am taking steps to ensure that I healthier and happier. Since we are being honest here I just wanted to mention that no one has ever been so rude as to approach me in the way that you have and give such demeaning feedback. Did you have a horrible childhood? Was your dog run over on your way to work today? Honestly the only reason I am asking is that I am trying to come up with a reason as to why someone feels the need to make others feel bad in order to feel better about themselves. Did your parents teach you manners and you just chose to ignore them or were you raised by wolves? Yes I am fat and in time I will lose the weight while my friends support and encourage me. You on the other hand have allot to learn and I only hope that people choose not to be as honest with you about your faults as you are with them. Now get the hell out of my office I want to have a donut!!" (I of course did not have a donut was just pissed off) Needless to say she scurried out of my office. One of the three gals that were still there just looked at me and said good on you!!
What did I learn from this?
1. My anger management skills suck
2. I am no longer willing to allow others to demean me simply because I am fat
3. True friends will encourage and call you out when your getting off base - the secret is understanding true friends will do it out of a place of love whereas _itches are doing it for their own benefit
4. I have value and worth regardless of whether I am fat or thin. Allowing someone to take potshots in order to avoid conflict does not help the situation. It simply makes them feel that their comments are acceptable.
5. Maybe I am a bit of a _itch myself
I saw her in the car park as I was leaving. I did not run her over. All of you are my witnesses/alibi. If anyone asks I was writing this post. The red stains and bad blonde hair dye on my bumper are from a poor unfortunate cat........ Lets stick to the story people.
Thanks for letting me vent.

I'm not anywhere near goal and am a year out from surgery and that damned 5 pounds is killing me! Thank you for your honesty and good luck!

I'm not anywhere near goal and am a year out from surgery and that damned 5 pounds is killing me! Thank you for your honesty and good luck!

I'm not anywhere near goal and am a year out from surgery and that damned 5 pounds is killing me! Thank you for your honesty and good luck!

Because it seems completely clear to me, I often make the mistake of thinking it must seem obvious to others. So here it is:
If you are over-weight and don't have a band, losing weight without eating well/exercising is damned near impossible
If you have a band and don't eat well, don't exercise or have no restriction, you're pretty much as above
If you have a band, don't eat well, don't exercise and have some restriction, you may still lose, but probably not much, and eventually you'll probably start regaining
If you have a band, eat well, don't exercise and have no restriction, you might still lose, but slowly
If you have a band, eat well, don't exercise, and have restriction, you will lose steadily but may not lose ALL your excess weight.
If you have a band, eat well, exercise and have restriction, you now have the trifecta and have given yourself the best chance of success with weight loss.

I am a realist. If I don't exercise, I don't expect to lose fast. If I drink alcohol, then I expect that I will have to burn that off. If I don't have restriction, I expect to GAIN. The responsibility of how well I do is in my hands. No one else, and certainly not the band's alone.
People say the band is a tool, and this is what it means.

Got really really irritated today.
There was a discussion on a fb group that I belong to about effective appetite suppressants. I posted that as far as I was aware surgery was the most effective tool that we currently have for losing and maintaing weight loss although it is not a magic wand.
A lot of the posts on the thread were very flippant and unsympathetic but the one that really got to me was some guy that posted this "I think surgery is a stupid idea. Free up some hospital beds and poor overworked staff and go for a run".
A bit further along one of the mods then came out and said she had had lapband surgery and that a lot of the comments upset her. I responded that I thought that there were a lot of nasty bigots and geez then the **** really hit the fan. Apparently it is far worse to call someone a bigot than it is to say a fat person should just go for a run.
At no point did any of the other people in the group come out in support of me and what I had said .
So in summary.
When discussing weight loss and effective appetite suppressants it is ok to :-
be flippant
suggest smoking
crystal meth
tapeworms etc
Imply that a person is fat because they are lazy
Imply that weight loss is easy , all it takes is to eat less and move more
Imply that fat people are parasites that are clogging up the hospital system
But it is not Ok to call someone a bigot for having those opinions.

Yep, I was terrified of failing before surgery. I am almost a year out, and only started to be somewhat more confident of succeeding about 3 months ago! I am what is called a "slow loser" and learning patience, along with actually getting to the restriction part of the band journey, so that it truly acts as the tool I was told it would be, were very difficult for me. Now that I have the tool dialed in to my needs, I am finally changing my eating habits and feel like I am on solid footing as far as future weight loss.
So, fearing failure is normal, based on all the posts I have read here and on my own experience. Just like you say, some folks who have the surgery will lose 100 pounds in an hour, the rest of us will lose very slowly, don't let that intimidate you. The healthier you will absolutely love you for being brave enough to go ahead with surgery and start the journey!

Yep, I was terrified of failing before surgery. I am almost a year out, and only started to be somewhat more confident of succeeding about 3 months ago! I am what is called a "slow loser" and learning patience, along with actually getting to the restriction part of the band journey, so that it truly acts as the tool I was told it would be, were very difficult for me. Now that I have the tool dialed in to my needs, I am finally changing my eating habits and feel like I am on solid footing as far as future weight loss.
So, fearing failure is normal, based on all the posts I have read here and on my own experience. Just like you say, some folks who have the surgery will lose 100 pounds in an hour, the rest of us will lose very slowly, don't let that intimidate you. The healthier you will absolutely love you for being brave enough to go ahead with surgery and start the journey!

Yep, I was terrified of failing before surgery. I am almost a year out, and only started to be somewhat more confident of succeeding about 3 months ago! I am what is called a "slow loser" and learning patience, along with actually getting to the restriction part of the band journey, so that it truly acts as the tool I was told it would be, were very difficult for me. Now that I have the tool dialed in to my needs, I am finally changing my eating habits and feel like I am on solid footing as far as future weight loss.
So, fearing failure is normal, based on all the posts I have read here and on my own experience. Just like you say, some folks who have the surgery will lose 100 pounds in an hour, the rest of us will lose very slowly, don't let that intimidate you. The healthier you will absolutely love you for being brave enough to go ahead with surgery and start the journey!

Powdered eggs and white chicken meat are the worst for me, I absolutely cannot force the eggs down, no matter how slowly I chew and swallow. Chicken is usually only a problem if I take too large a bite or don't chew enough. The eggs have only ever been in public, as part of restaurant buffet lines in hotels.
So, the first feeling is tightness, like you swallowed an ice cube whole. Then, you cannot swallow your spit. What happens with me is an involuntary swallowing action and panic because I know nothing is going to go down. At that point, if I can get up and walk around a little, sometimes that helps. If not, I sometimes have to get into a bathroom and hope what was stuck comes up. It isn't like vomiting...but it isn't pretty. Think of a bird regurgitating for a chick...that pretty much nails it for me.
After a stuck episode, I usually am very tight for a day or two. My surgeon recommends going on a liquid or slush diet for 24-48 hours, but I can't always do that. I just am very careful until all is well again.

I went through some of that with my surgeon's office...it was like watching the Keystone Cops at times! I was very concerned about going to a doctor whose staff appeared so inept, but it all worked out and the staff really do know more than they came across. In my case, it was because one person handled all of the insurance details and she was only in a couple of days a week. Nobody else really knew where she was in processing anything.
Good luck!

For me, I get a distant look in my eyes (hubby ID'd this) with a slight pain in my chest, then I get the feeling of a rock in my sternum, then the slime starts. If I stop eating with the slight pain, I can be OK. If I keep eating until the slime starts...there is no going back. Slime means what went down must come up. If I swallow a couple ounces of Water, that will often trigger it to immediately come back up without wretching.
If you are in a public toilet, put a toilet seat cover in the water, this helps with backsplash when the stuck item hits the bowl. Yes, I've had the splash hit me in the eye. Also watch out for self-flush toilets. My hubby once asked why I'd washed my entire face, including my bangs and removing my make-up.

Powdered eggs and white chicken meat are the worst for me, I absolutely cannot force the eggs down, no matter how slowly I chew and swallow. Chicken is usually only a problem if I take too large a bite or don't chew enough. The eggs have only ever been in public, as part of restaurant buffet lines in hotels.
So, the first feeling is tightness, like you swallowed an ice cube whole. Then, you cannot swallow your spit. What happens with me is an involuntary swallowing action and panic because I know nothing is going to go down. At that point, if I can get up and walk around a little, sometimes that helps. If not, I sometimes have to get into a bathroom and hope what was stuck comes up. It isn't like vomiting...but it isn't pretty. Think of a bird regurgitating for a chick...that pretty much nails it for me.
After a stuck episode, I usually am very tight for a day or two. My surgeon recommends going on a liquid or slush diet for 24-48 hours, but I can't always do that. I just am very careful until all is well again.

Powdered eggs and white chicken meat are the worst for me, I absolutely cannot force the eggs down, no matter how slowly I chew and swallow. Chicken is usually only a problem if I take too large a bite or don't chew enough. The eggs have only ever been in public, as part of restaurant buffet lines in hotels.
So, the first feeling is tightness, like you swallowed an ice cube whole. Then, you cannot swallow your spit. What happens with me is an involuntary swallowing action and panic because I know nothing is going to go down. At that point, if I can get up and walk around a little, sometimes that helps. If not, I sometimes have to get into a bathroom and hope what was stuck comes up. It isn't like vomiting...but it isn't pretty. Think of a bird regurgitating for a chick...that pretty much nails it for me.
After a stuck episode, I usually am very tight for a day or two. My surgeon recommends going on a liquid or slush diet for 24-48 hours, but I can't always do that. I just am very careful until all is well again.

I am going to be going soon, specifically to shut down midnight hunger. I am a night owl, and by 11 or 12 I am hungry again. I know that when I can manage not to eat that late, I lose weight, I just don't manage it often enough!
Best of luck with yours!

So this past Monday I took my daughter and my two granddaughters out to a horse rental outfit on the side of Mt. Rainier. We rode steep mountain trails for an hour and had an absolute blast! The last time I was on a horse was about 5 years ago, and it was a miserable ride; I could barely fit in the saddle, a trot made me want to die...etc., etc. This time I fit just fine, I am 30 pounds under the maximum weight limit, my core strength is strong enough to keep me balanced during the roughest up and downhill trotting...I was ecstatic for the entire ride! The only thing that hurt was both knees, which have ached for years with any stress on them at all. Hopefully that will improve as the weight continues to come off. I am so thrilled to finally be back on a horse, I cannot contain myself!
This is one of the many reasons I went through WLS...Yay me!

Try this one. bake/micro squash, scrap into bowl and let cool- add 1 T chopped fresh thyme,2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 C good quality Parm cheese, 1 t cracked pepper- mix. On greased/sprayed cookie sheet make ping-pong size balls. bake in 350 oven, ten minute or till golden brown brown on top. These spaghetti squash bits are ez and are best served warm. Tell me what u think.

So this past Monday I took my daughter and my two granddaughters out to a horse rental outfit on the side of Mt. Rainier. We rode steep mountain trails for an hour and had an absolute blast! The last time I was on a horse was about 5 years ago, and it was a miserable ride; I could barely fit in the saddle, a trot made me want to die...etc., etc. This time I fit just fine, I am 30 pounds under the maximum weight limit, my core strength is strong enough to keep me balanced during the roughest up and downhill trotting...I was ecstatic for the entire ride! The only thing that hurt was both knees, which have ached for years with any stress on them at all. Hopefully that will improve as the weight continues to come off. I am so thrilled to finally be back on a horse, I cannot contain myself!
This is one of the many reasons I went through WLS...Yay me!

I will never in this lifetime be able to get 64 oz of Water in a day. That is just a fact of life. What I have had to teach myself to do is get AT LEAST 20 oz a day or I stop having BMs, which is miserable! The only way I can get water in most days is to make weak Crystal Lite and then I will drink enough to keep regular.
So, the short answer is: You need water to keep your system working smoothly.
Dehydration makes me tighter, too.

I will never in this lifetime be able to get 64 oz of Water in a day. That is just a fact of life. What I have had to teach myself to do is get AT LEAST 20 oz a day or I stop having BMs, which is miserable! The only way I can get water in most days is to make weak Crystal Lite and then I will drink enough to keep regular.
So, the short answer is: You need water to keep your system working smoothly.
Dehydration makes me tighter, too.

So this past Monday I took my daughter and my two granddaughters out to a horse rental outfit on the side of Mt. Rainier. We rode steep mountain trails for an hour and had an absolute blast! The last time I was on a horse was about 5 years ago, and it was a miserable ride; I could barely fit in the saddle, a trot made me want to die...etc., etc. This time I fit just fine, I am 30 pounds under the maximum weight limit, my core strength is strong enough to keep me balanced during the roughest up and downhill trotting...I was ecstatic for the entire ride! The only thing that hurt was both knees, which have ached for years with any stress on them at all. Hopefully that will improve as the weight continues to come off. I am so thrilled to finally be back on a horse, I cannot contain myself!
This is one of the many reasons I went through WLS...Yay me!

I just learned that you can bake them whole! I did one last week, baked for 1 hour, let cool about 20 minutes while making a sauce, sliced open and scraped seeds out, shredded the meat out and topped with a spicy pepper sauce with portabello mushroom chunks and extra firm tofu chunks...yummo!