Bandista

So inspiring! Thank you for posting. What a success -- you are amazing.

Hi there! Hope you're feeling better each day and have a nice quiet week. Congratulations on your surgery!

Way to go, Karen! You are inspiring me to get down to the basement and get moving. So cold here in NH we all just want to stay under the covers.

Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! It's so great that you are doing the walking and exercise already. Best wishes tomorrow -- keep us posted on how you are doing!

Oh, I meant to say that I have no Idea how much fluid is in my band. My surgeon does not share that information with me as I think he doesn't want me obsessing over it. He has said that it takes most of his patients 4-5 fills before restriction is felt. I'm glad we are going slow because I'm learning as we go.

I was banded early in November and have had four fills -- will go back for another appointment soon to assess how it is going. The followup schedule is pretty aggressive -- 11 appointments in the first year. I'm feeling hungrier and can tell the duration is not there yet. My surgeon recommends meals the size of a tennis ball and not hungry again for 4-5 hours. We will get there! This is kind of a tough time -- I'm trying not to have dieter's mentality but still lose weight. Goal for me is not to be on a diet, but to eat when hungry, choosing healthy foods in small amounts and waiting the interval before eating again. Good luck to you. In reading so many posts, I think we are at a very predictable stage for 2-3 months out -- healed up from the surgery but not yet at optimal restriction (green zone).

I really like the Hamilton Beach Wave Action blender -- it really does a great job with ice, frozen fruits, etc. Never have to open it back up and stir around, etc. Stainless steel blades, 40 ounce glass jar (I don't like eating or drinking from plastic). Also the seal is integrated so I don't have to fuss with remembering where the rubber ring goes. Top has wings so pries off easily and there's a little hatch to drop more stuff in while blender is processing. Had my other blender out recently -- a Black and Decker. It's taller and doesn't fit under the cupboards as well on the counter and it simply doesn't have the chutzpah. A lot of starting and stopping to get a simple shake made with frozen blueberries. I was wondering whether to give the Black and Decker away or save it as a backup. Going, going, gone!

Good luck Tuesday! And congratulations on all the hard work and determination to get where you are.

Yippee, you got your date. So happy for you!

I chose the band because, to me, it is so much less drastic. I didn't want part of my stomach cut away. And I like it that, should it ever be necessary for any reason, the band is removable. I am glad to have found a surgeon who is a band doctor as so many are going for the sleeve now. The band requires a lot of followup care in the first year and this is expensive for hospitals and insurance companies. I like it that I see my surgeon frequently during this time (I am just three months out). It helps keep me accountable -- I don't feel like I'm on my own figuring it all out. And while I wish I had done this years and years ago, I realize the bands now are an improvement over older versions. So for me the timing was right. Also I knew that I would be able to do whatever it takes to make this successful. It turns out it's not hard. Having my appetite dimmed allows me to make healthy food choices and to live a life that is not ruled by food. I am very happy with my choice. Keep researching and searching yourself for what you feel is right for you. And know that whatever you decide the main thing is you are choosing your healthy future and that is a very powerful thing. You deserve to be healthy and happy!

What a great post -- you have the right attitude and it's very exciting to make this choice for a healthy future. I feel like I've turned my life around. It's just three months since my surgery and my self-esteem is so much better. I think it's because I made this decision to embrace my life and be here for it in a new way -- a healthy way. I'm blathering on a bit (one keystroke at a time) wishing I could put into words the feeling of relief. It's a wonderful thing to be out of food jail. Congratulations!

This is great! It really is about loving ourselves and choosing to be healthy. You will have that reminder every time you see a heart. Happy Valentine's Day! And just think of the Bandaversary parties!

Hi there, all our doctors have differing follow-up protocol. I was told not to worry about protein goals during this time of healing from the surgery and to only have full liquids if hungry. I really wasn't very hungry so relied on water, tea, watered down juice and broth to make sure I was having plenty of liquids. There is swelling after surgery that needs to go down -- some have this more than others. For me it provided a feeling of tightness and a few sips into my potato leek soup, etc. I felt like I was done. I tried protein shakes a few times and didn't want them. I really loved having Popsicles. Good luck to you -- you are still healing up! Best wishes for a nice quiet weekend.

I had my first fill at four or five weeks, a second one a week later, third one two weeks later, fourth two weeks after that. I believe my surgeon likes to do small frequent fills but I don't know the amount as he doesn't share that. I don't think I'm at the green zone quite yet but I skipped my last fill appointment as I wanted to give my body a chance to adjust to the last fill. I am paying careful attention to how much I can eat and duration before next meal. I have one but not the other so will go for the small fill at my next appointment. It sounds like you are doing very well. I loved the feeling of diminished appetite post-surgery. For me the hunger did return, however, and the timing of my fill schedule aligned well for that. It is wonderful to have the dimmed appetite and not to be ruled by food. Yippee!

Some people are successful with carb cycling. I am sort of plateaued, too, af about three months out but I figure it is good for my body to settle in to this and then drop the next chunk. I'm glad I have no issues with thinning hair, etc. Terry, thanks for listing what you are doing for calories, Protein, carbs, etc. That's helpful for me as I've been wondering. I have been aiming for 1,ooo calories a day and 60 grams protein -- have not really mastered that yet.

There was a hilarious thread a while back about a woman stealing candy out of her child's advent calendar. Hard to sneak that back! Does freezing stuff work for you? That might provide a little delay if the kiss is frozen. Just know you're doing great. I see you on MFP! For my family I have Snacks I don't like -- for instance no corn chips or regular potato chips as those might be a stumbling block for me -- but BBQ, yuck. So they get only BBQ chips at home. We have had quite a bit of chocolate in the house since Christmas. My husband keeps the Trader Joe's Peanut Butter cups in his office and that is enough of a deterrent for me. In our spice cupboard we have some bars of dark chocolate. I've had a square or two here and there with no problem. I credit the band for that. But Kisses would be hard to resist. Is there something you could switch to that doesn't provide temptation?

I choose not to eat bread. My husband is gluten intolerant and we hardly have it in the house anyway, so this is not a hardship. Some banders report issues with bread as it swells. I just decided to avoid it as it's not what I should be eating anyway. I thought I might come out lactose-intolerant as I have had some issues with milk and other dairy products over the years. Now I have no issues at all -- can eat cheese, etc. Mushrooms turn out to be a problem for me as they seem to be too rubbery for me to really chew up well enough. Every one has these little individual things that they find over time. Oh, meat must be falling apart for me -- no beef that doesn't really break down well. Just means I need the really good stuff if I'm going to have meat. Good luck to you -- February will be here soon!

Hi there and congratulations on this decision to get on track -- great news that your band is fine and now just to work your program, keeping appointments for fills as needed, etc. I am new (almost three months out) and don't really have any advice except that this forum has been so great for me. It helps remind me of what I'm doing and why, and I feel connected to so many others who are also working to turn around their health. Glad you are here! Only other thought is to look forward, not back -- no worrying over what didn't work before, just making it work now. You are choosing yourself first and your healthy future is in your hands -- very exciting times!

Wow, congratulations -- so happy for you!

Culinary school will serve you well, I think, as banded life is really about "real" food and since we're not having much of it why not have the very best. Succulent meats, for example -- chicken thighs that are really falling apart, beautiful fish, etc. I make a lot of stock and use that in cooking various dishes. Also stewing apples and pears leaving chunks in them -- that kind of thing seems very band-friendly for me. On the not liking foods we used to love, avocado turns out to be something I just don't want now. I used to try to eat a half an avocado with a beautiful balsamic, a little olive oil, etc. and would always end up eating the other half -- couldn't get enough. Thought avocado would be a nice food once banded but I have no interest in it now. Speaking of balsamics, those independent olive oil stores have some amazing vinegars as well. We have a chocolate balsamic that is so intense it just takes a few drops, and some nice white vinegars as well. Have fun cooking! I am so happy that I can continue to love food preparation and just have very small portions or even at times I don't have any of what I make -- but I feel like my relationship with food is very intact and healthy with my band. I think I worried I wouldn't want to be "in" food anymore.

If you're going the pain medication route you might also want to talk to them about something for constipation......best wishes to you! Hope you can get some good walking in, back and forth back and forth, round and round. That will help tremendously. Also if you have a sore port area incision an ice pack light take that pain down fast. Many people find relief from left shoulder pain by using a heating pad. Get your water in and move around -- you will feel better each day. I found liquid Tylenol helpful in that first day or two and it was easy to find that in liquid form. Best wishes!

I wonder if a handful of sprouts would satisfy my desire for real crunch once in a while......I have cut up celery into little pieces and enjoyed that. Got to chew, chew, chew. Any kind of cereal product for me except oatmeal is too slider-y also and kicks off a desire for more. The oatmeal we use is not instant -- we cook it on the stove and it is very chewy and thick in texture. I can tell it is band friendly for me (good esophageal workout). The instant stuff is too processed and falls into the category with gluten-free crackers, etc.

Wonderful progress -- thanks for sharing! I get so inspired by how well people are doing.

So great to be off of two meds! Do a little dance and get that scale out of the house. You are going to drive yourself nuts.......

Congratulations on your surgery and the start of your new banded life. This is a great time to be noticing everything and it sounds like you are doing that. Right now until you start your fill appointments you are healing up, so take good care and try to work on eating slowly, mindfully. That will help later when you have your band adjusted. You will get there -- these weeks post-surgery pre-fill can be tough for some. Focus on healing, introducing and increasing exercise, learning about protein. Drinking plenty of water is important. Best wishes!