sp70

My first OBGYN appointment was 2 months after being banded and it went just fine. She palpated below the port and I did just fine. I did share with her my lap band journey. Good Luck!

I agree with Steph04, I have one in the morning for breakfast as I'm generally not hungry. If I don't, then I don't meet my protein goals. My nutritionist is ok with it too!

I chew gum, drink water and stay away from the kitchen! Sometimes I'll go for a walk to totally get out of the house and shift my frame of thinking at the moment. It's tough, but you can do it!

I enjoy a spoonful of peanut butter every now and again as well. Like Missy said, you need to be careful as the calories add up quick. I have also gotten stuck on peanut butter before. You might check at the PB2 powdered peanut butter, I add it to my morning protein shakes. Love it!

I've only told one or two close friends at work. When the others ask what I am doing to lose weight I tell them high protein, low carb, lots of water and exercise and I write down everything I eat to hold myself accountable. This is the absolute truth minus a couple details.

Congratulations!!! That is so awesome and what a great feeling!!

I was having daily stuck episodes and my nutritionist kept wanting me to try different things to see if it was the consistency of the protein I was eating. After a week of that and being stuck for over 5 hours one day, I called and made an appointment for a small unfill. I couldn't tolerate it any more and was afraid I'd go to what worked best....the sliders....like ice cream! You know your body best and what is working and what isn't. Good luck and feel better soon!

Congratulations!10 pounds is not too shabby, especially in a months time! My doctor told me that I may not lose much until I start getting some fills. I had gained weight the first couple of weeks after surgery as it was a time for healing. You should not be shy or embarrassed about going back in, they should be your coach and cheerleader! Average weight loss should only be about 1-2 pounds per week. You are doing great!

I did just fine with Tylenol after the 3rd to 4th day. Just keep in mind that the narcotic pain meds will slow your gut down. Make sure you are up and walking to help pass the gas, pain meds don't do anything for the gas pain. Glad you called your doc!

So sorry for your loss! Glad you are taking care of yourself, your sister would be proud!

They used to let the steri strips fall off on their own, but some people's skin react to them and develop little blisters under them. If your skin seems red, itchy and irritated by them maybe pull them of while taking a shower otherwise you're probably ok to wait til they start to peel off. Glad you are on the upswing!

Head hunger is my worst enemy....especially in the evenings if the kids aren't home!

I would call your surgeon and talk to them, something's not right and the quick weight loss is not worth the misery because it's not good for your health. I had my second fill a couple of weeks ago, have great restriction, but get stuck at least once daily. I am going in this afternoon for an unfill, because I have been miserable with the stuck episodes.

There is a lot of swelling right now from surgery and then there will be discomfort from the gas pains as well. Keep taking your pain meds, some people have tried heating pads to help with the gas pains which I had in my left shoulder, I preferred an ice pack on my port area, which was very tender for a couple of weeks. I could almost feel the band in my chest area especially when I took a deep breath and he said it is only about 5 cm from my diaphragm and with the swelling it's no wonder. If you are having difficulty getting fluids in or if you need more reassurance please call your doctors office, that is what they are there for, use them! Good luck and feel better soon!

I like the ones from Target....Market Pantry brand peanutbutter chocolate. They have 20 gm of protein and met my nutritionist requirements of only 200 calories. They have 2 gms of sugar and 7 gm of fat. Tried their chocolate chocolate ones and they are a bit too rich.

You can have some swelling after the fill, just like with surgery so you need to give yourself some time to "heal". Though every doctor is different on the progression post fill. I do 24 hours of liquids and then advance to mushies and on to regular. Plus you never know how you will tolerate the fill. I had to relearn how to eat all over again after each fill. After I have a stuck episode I have gone back to liquids and advanced slowly from there as well. Going in tomorrow for a little unfill as I am a little too tight right now, having lots of stuck episodes regardless of what I eat or how much I chew.

As the others have said, this is a time for healing, weight loss comes later. There is lots of swelling and fluid shifts from surgery. I remember feeling the same way the first couple of weeks and was quite discouraged when my weight increased! I would suggest you stay away from the scale until you've had your post op check. The scale can (and will) drive you crazy. I had the same issue after surgery took me a week and a half to move my bowels. Took some milk of magnesia to get it going and to this day I take mirilax on a daily basis (add it to my protein shake in the morning!). Hang in there....the best is yet to come!

Congratulations! You are doing amazing!! It's got to feel so good.

Congratulations! you look amazing! I knew what my goal was for me and finally asked my doctor at my last appointment what his goal for me was. Luckily, he pretty much agreed with mine.

Congratulations....very exciting NSV!!!

I went in and had my second fill last Wednesday. Did the liquids for 24 hours and advanced on as directed. Liquids go down fine, mushies go down ok too, but solids not so much. After a couple of bites I get the stuck sensation. I haven't figured out what my "soft stop" is yet and didn't know if this is a "hard stop" or not chewing enough or if I am just too tight? I have really slowed down and feel like I chew for a long time. Maybe there's still some swelling from the fill and getting stuck? Thought I would check with the experienced banders here and if it continues next week I'll give the office a call. Thanks!

I've not had the same full feeling since being banded, but I stick to 4-6oz of food per meal as my nutritionist recommended. After a couple bites of the turkey tenderloin the other day and I got the stuck feeling I remembered my nutritionist saying right after surgery that you could feel "full" after a couple of bites. That has never been the case for me and I wondered if I was overlooking that now. I have slowed down my eating tremendously from preop and think I take small bites, but maybe not as much as I should be. I think that after each fill it's like starting all over again on learning how to eat. The last 24 hours has a gone much better. But I am a bit leery to try some things that were ok before.

Thanks Missy! I was hoping that is all it is.

New Whey is a liquid protein that comes in a "shot size" type bottle. It has 42 gm protein per 4 oz. I mix half of it with 12-16 oz of water and that gives you 21 gm of protein. They come in grape, watermelon and acai berry. They taste pretty good and aren't as heavy as the shakes.

my first post op appointment included chatting with the nutritionist and then saw the surgeon who asked some questions and peeked at the incisions. I didn't get my first fill until 6 weeks out. Good luck!