Banditiff

I am 2.5 months post. . .my 1st cycle after surgery was normal and so was the 2nd . . .but it's a week until my next cycle and I'm spotting!!! I am on Nuva Ring (birth control) that I insert and remove on time religiously. . .has this happened to anyone?

I invested in a good blender.....start with 100% whey' date=' then add things like fruit, berries, pineapple, mango, banana & Peanut Butter, chocolate and peanut butter...., coffee...however creative you want to be..there are many recipes on line also.....add ice cubes in the summer...

That's about 25-30 grm of Protein...then I add 30ML of pure liquid protein...medical grade (hydrolyzed)...which gives me an additional 15gm....

Mix with 8-10oz of Water....some people use skim milk...can also add yogurt....

I have been doing this every morning for 1 1/2 years, I cannot eat anything solid first thing in the morning....way too tight...

Went over this with my Dr., agrees there is nothing I could possibly eat in a small amount that can match it.

I am not hungry all day...not sure if it's the band (curbs hunger) or the protein....more than likely both both!

I also go to the gym at 5am most mornings, and they have a juice bar with a large variety of high Protein shakes so I will get one there instead of making my own....[/quote']

Gotcha! juice bar st the gym. . .gotta love it!

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Where's the Protein???

I don't leave the house every morning without 40gm at least....carries me all day...(that and the band of course)

Quick question . . . How do you get in 40 grams of Protein before leaving the house in the morning? This would help me out so much!!

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I had to wait 48 hours to shower, 7 days to actually take a bath and 1 month to swim!

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It's there own brand. I always take all they have on the shelf when I go. Lol

Thanks, I stopped on the way home from picking my babies up from school. . .there were only 2 left, so I snagged them! Evidently, it's a popular item! Thanks bunches!

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Don't know if you have CVS pharmacies there but they have a liquid adult Tylenol. That's what I take.

Thanks, yes they have them here. . .I'm from Texas, too!

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I've had a horrible headache since about noon yesterday. When people refer to liquid pain meds. . .are they talking about children's tylenol? I can't seen to find anything other than that.

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Are you on full solids yet? If so' date=' I would suggest adding more solids to your diet such as Protein (fish, chicken etc) as well as fresh fruit and vegetables. An apple doesn't have many calories but is great at helping me to feel satisfied for longer (plus it is great fibre).[/quote']

Yes, I'm on full solids. . . There is a sample diet of what I eat now in my original post.

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I noticed your diet included tea and your getting your liquids in. Are you drinking with meals? I was instructed to only drink up to the time if the meal' date=' waiting 30 mins after to resume drinking.

I've noticed if I am out, say at a restaurant and drinking throughout my meal, I tend to get hungrier later. I visualize the liquids are pushing the food through the band faster, rather than the food passing the nerves surrounding the band at a slower rate to help give my brain the sensation of satisfaction.[/quote']

No, I'm not drinking with meals. . .nor am I drinking before our after meals. . . BIG NO NO with my doctor!

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This it's my Tervis 24 ounce tumbler and I drink 3 of these daily, PLUS I drink at least 2, 16.9 ounce bottles of Crystal Light and hot tea at night. . .so I think I'm getting enough H2O. . .right?

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Straight off my surgeon's instructions: "if you are on good solid foods like a Subway sandwich and are hungry a couple of hours later' date=' well, then you just need a fill! Keeping your band tight is so very critical to your success!"[/quote']

That's what my surgeon says, but True Results is teaching me a lesson in diet tweaking I think, lol!

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I don't think you need a fill based on you sample menu. You went 4 hours between meals when you ate real food. Try no Protein drink and add some dived ham and cheese to that scrambled egg and a half slice of wheat toast. I was the same way until I went off the Protein drinks. I am nearly 11 months out and one fill. Base your hunger on eating real food. No matter how many fills you keep having' date=' liquid is going to go right through unless you are too filled and that is when you have other problems.[/quote']

Ok, thanks!

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You're definitely in bandster hell' date=' I don't miss that all. Ugh.

A couple things struck me about your post. Don't expect the band to restrict your food intake. You mentioned in more than place how you could eat large quantities without being stuck or vomiting. That isn't abnormal. In fact, that's exactly why it's so important to stick to a cup or less of food per meal to make sure we don't accidentally over-eat. The band is supposed to control our hunger, not control our portions.

Here's a really good link I think may help you: http://drsimpson.net...estriction.html

Now as far as the hunger, that IS the band's job to help you control. Being early in your journey, I'm not surprised right now it's a struggle. The only way I was able to lose weight without starving to death during bandster hell was by concentrating on calories rather than meals. There was no way in heck I was going to be able to make it on just 3 meals a day. So, I spread my calories out throughout the day to allow me to eat every 2 hours. It wasn't always easy, but it did work.

Best wishes to you!

When I say that I can eat large portions, it's when I eat my measured 1 cup portion and then 30 minutes later I'm still hungry! It wasn't like this weeks ago. . .it just started.

I'll try the calorie counting thing, hope it works!

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Thanks for all of your input! Bandster Hell is. . . Well hell!

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I guess I could cut out the Protein shake in the morning and maybe do 2 eggs instead of 1. . .the only thing is, is that I struggle with waiting until lunch to eat after I eat the eggs (hungry)! I do the second Protein Shake for sustainability before a workout, but I could try and cut that out, too! Hope this works!

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I have a 24 ounce filter bottle and I fill it up twice daily with Water, plus I'm drinking at least 2, 16.9 ounce bottles of Crystal Light and drinking hot tea at night.

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So, I've been having some major difficulty the past week and a half! My hunger seems to be out of control and I don't know what to do! I sent the following email to my surgeons nurse this morning and she quickly replied and said that I definitely needed another fill and that I should call the True Results office (my doc doesn't do the fills because he has such a high volume of patients) to get an earlier appointment. Problem is, when I called, True Results seemed very unconcerned with me and basically told me to wait it out! Here is the email. . .what do you think?

I am writing because I am STARVING to say the least! LOL (funny, but not funny) I had my first fill (2 cc's) on Monday, December 10th, and I followed the 3 day liquids, and today I am finishing up the 3 day soft foods. . . but I am able to consume LARGE amounts of food with NO restriction. Yesterday I had the little single serve microwavable mashed potatoes, and I ate 2 of them back to back with no problem. . . no pains, no vomiting. . . and the worst part is that I could have probably eaten another one a half hour later! My next fill is the day after Christmas (26th), but the scary thing is that I'm really afraid of what I can potentially consume during Christmas with my family. I mean, I eat the right foods, but because my restriction seems to be "hiding" from me, even the good things tend to be eaten in large amounts. . . even when I eat VERY slowly. The slow eating with the little "minute glass" helps, but I'm still consuming more than 1 cup of food. Even if I stop before I'm satisfied, I'm hungry within the next hour! This is an example of my typical diet on regular foods:

8:00 Protein Shake w/ Light vanilla Silk

9:30 1 egg scrambled egg w/1 tea. cubed ham & 1 tea. shredded cheese (because I'm still hungry)

12:00 turkey/roast beef lunchmeat w/Laughing Cow Light Cheese & Cucumber Slices

4:00 Protein shake w/ Light Vanilla Silk (before workout)

6:30 Shrimp, tilapia or chicken breast w/ broccoli

8:00 Hot Tea

What am I doing wrong??

Tiffani

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I was banded on 11/16/12 and had my first fill this past Monday, the 10th. After the fill I was on 3 days liquid, 3 days soft foods (where I am now) and then regular foods! I am scheduled to have my second fill on the day after Christmas. Right now, and ever since my fill. . .I've been starving! Nothing that I eat or drink, for that matter, keeps me satisfied for 3-4 hours! What am I doing wrong?

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OMG! Don't feel bad. . . I'm the one that should feel bad. . . I ate 2, yes 2, brownies at a Christmas get together yesterday!!!

I'm doing good! I had surgery on 11/16/12 and I'm down a little over 17 lbs. How about you? When was your surgery, how much have you lost and who was your surgeon? Maybe we can meet sometime for a misto (Starbucks)?

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Thanks! This isn't the post that I saw, but it sure does help a lot! Thanks, again!

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I remember seeing something on here about lemon in your Water. . .but I can't seem to remember what was said about it! Are there any benefits to adding lemon to our water?

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Yes' date=' very normal. My daughter kept saying "what is that noise"[/quote']

My daughter asks if the tummy noises make you straight (straight = skinny, she doesn't say fat)? Lol

Thanks for the warning! I had my first fill today but so far nothing. I've had some Water and am having hot cocoa right now. I am hungry though. They said you wouldn't be after a fill but I am. How many cc's did you get? He put in 1.5 cc's in me. Did you have any in there from your surgery?

My band was empty until now. . .she put in 2.5cc's. Did you have any saline put in at time of surgery?

I had my first fill today and it's been about 4 hours since I last had something in my tummy. I'm on liquids so all I've had is Water, crystal light, chicken broth and a mocha (bad I know). . . I have gas that is moving around and making noises, lol! Is this normal?