terrydumont46

I would just try and answer truthfully all questions they asked. One of the reasons why some individuals gain weight is due to psychological issues. They are just trying to identify any issues that may prevent you from being successful with weight loss surgery and life thereafter.

I wouldn't say pain is normal. If you are feeing pain, even after a fill, it means that your bites are too big, you are eating too fast, or you are trying to eat foods that your band doesn't tolerate.
Right after a fill, it would be prudent to stay on liquids for a couple of days so you don't further irritate the stoma. This area becomes a bit sensitive after a fill and you want to let that settle.
The pain you are feeling as food passes over the band is a sign you need to go back to liquids for awhile.

When I get down on myself and verbalize it with my husband he always says the same thing to me. You aren't gaining wt are you? The wt. will come off. I look at shorter goals instead of goals a long way away. I second that if you are not seeing a therapist than you really need to. when I feel the way you do right now I feel the need tohurt myself and struggle not to. that includes feeding those thoughts away. So I ask you are you gaining wt. because remaining the same is a plus for us. I used to gain 10lbs a month before surgery. Keep to your plan one time you are going to feel joy about how your clothes feel, how you are able to bend over without being out of breath. wanting to take the stairs instead elevator. not sweat when you move. all these things will go away in time. I wish you lots of Luck please take care and do what you must to be successful.

I was challenged by my surgeon to go 1 month finding secret calories in my diet. I am revising from lap band, ( sorry to see it go) to gastric bypass or sleeve. He said that ppl that revise sometimes don't have success especially after having a lapband. so I am on the hunt. This will help those that have been having trouble with their wt. loss as well. I got out the measuring spoons and my scale. I have been finding secret calories hidden in most of what I eat. I eat healthy and prepare most of my food but weighing and measuring has kept me honest. I have been surprise about tomatoes being 50 calories, I won't go into avocados, perfectly healthy but between whole wheat bread and lite mayo, my oh my. my half and half in the morning. I still use it but measure serving size. salad drsg. I thought I was dieting. Hell no. I have already lost 9 pounds in a week and half. it takes a little more time but I challenge you to a find your secret calories.

When I get down on myself and verbalize it with my husband he always says the same thing to me. You aren't gaining wt are you? The wt. will come off. I look at shorter goals instead of goals a long way away. I second that if you are not seeing a therapist than you really need to. when I feel the way you do right now I feel the need tohurt myself and struggle not to. that includes feeding those thoughts away. So I ask you are you gaining wt. because remaining the same is a plus for us. I used to gain 10lbs a month before surgery. Keep to your plan one time you are going to feel joy about how your clothes feel, how you are able to bend over without being out of breath. wanting to take the stairs instead elevator. not sweat when you move. all these things will go away in time. I wish you lots of Luck please take care and do what you must to be successful.

I could not eat that if I wanted to. I haven't had a real burger in 2 1/2 years. I have grilled burgers and had just the burger no bun with lettuce and Tomato on the side. Hubby and I went to a movie today and out to eat at Cedar River which is a seafood restaurant here, I ordered shrimp, slaw and some applesauce. I only ate about 4 shrimp a little slaw and a spoon full of applesauce. watching other people eat was amazing and I was one of the volume eaters, could out eat my husband and 6'4" son in law. but the portions are huge in most restaurants and it's obvious why Americans are obese. We live in the land of Plenty and most of it is plenty unhealthy for sure. Eating out is not my favorite thing because I can cook better than most of the restaurants . plus it's expensive. I am anxious to try Pannera bread though it's supposed to be healthy. They just opened one up here. I heard their turkey chili is good. might have to go there next week.

Only 1 fried egg? Ridiculous!

I was challenged by my surgeon to go 1 month finding secret calories in my diet. I am revising from lap band, ( sorry to see it go) to gastric bypass or sleeve. He said that ppl that revise sometimes don't have success especially after having a lapband. so I am on the hunt. This will help those that have been having trouble with their wt. loss as well. I got out the measuring spoons and my scale. I have been finding secret calories hidden in most of what I eat. I eat healthy and prepare most of my food but weighing and measuring has kept me honest. I have been surprise about tomatoes being 50 calories, I won't go into avocados, perfectly healthy but between whole wheat bread and lite mayo, my oh my. my half and half in the morning. I still use it but measure serving size. salad drsg. I thought I was dieting. Hell no. I have already lost 9 pounds in a week and half. it takes a little more time but I challenge you to a find your secret calories.

I love orange and lemonade crystal lite and vanilla Protein mix. add ice and shake real well. reminds me of a 50-50 bar

Stand like a Superhero and rewire your brain:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-superheroes/201107/superhero-stance

Isn't it GREAT??
Sometimes when I look around at the amounts that other people are eating, I am astounded that I used to eat that much and then some. It just goes to show how little food we need to actually survive and thrive on!

I remember a time I could eat a whole plate of food, finish my daughter's food, and still have room for desert. But since the surgery I take a few bites and I'm done. I used to get frustrated but now I enjoy it because I feel like a normal person that knows their limits. I know that this isn't a NSV but to me it seems like it. Just wanted to share. Oh, and now my daughter finishes my plate...NICE!!!????

keep away from anything carbonated. you don't want to all of the sudden without warning spit up. my doctor didn't want me to drink alcohol at all but did at 6 mos. allow me to have my Christmas drink of bailey's . I suggest asking your doctor all doctor's are different. and sipping on a white wine may not be off their list.

@@Soonergal91 The key is to not drink "with" your food. You want to chew, swallow and give the food a minute to pass through the stoma before taking that sip of beverage to avoid "stacking" the food above the band.
There are several reasons for this. If you think of your banded stomach like an hour glass, things move from the top through the narrow opening at the middle to the bottom seamlessly. If you exert pressure on the contents at the top they are forced more rapidly through the narrow opening in the center to empty quickly into the bottom. In the case of the band, the too rapid movement past the band does not allow the nerve stimulation of food passing to signal satiety to the brain. So our Dr.'s try to get us into the habit of not eating and drinking at the same time early on.
Stacking of food and or drink above the band can also create a pressure above the band that can cause a back up and stretch the area above the band to accommodate the extra. This can cause several issues including a dilated pouch and or esophagus which you want to avoid at all cost.
This is why they tell you to take your time between bites, chew and eat slowly so that food passes the band before the next bite. When you have food above the band and take a sip of liquid often the liquid will move around the food particles to the bottom and can even cause the food particles to be pushed back up and out as they can't move fast enough through the stoma. (not fun)
Once you master the band eating techniques you will be able to have some beverage with your meals.

So it's summertime and I'm craving what else? None other than ice cream and milkshakes! Ugh! This was becoming a problem. Until I remembered how I used to make a nice little chocolate smoothie from Protein Powder, ice, and a little bit of milk during the early post-op period. So I decided to try something similar. I used 1 scoop of Quest Peanut Butter Protein powder, 1 cup of Silk Cashew Milk, and some ice. Threw it all in the blender and WOW! AMAZING! It's just like drinking a peanut butter milkshake. You could do a little less milk and more ice to make it thicker too. Anyway, it ends up being something like 135 calories for the whole thing AND you're getting your protein in :-)

RANT: So, this morning, while checking in on my bariatric peeps, I see eight (8) posts from more low numbered posters just throwing useless non-bariatric links at us. I am expecting recent posts from forum members and just see crap except for a couple of folks. WTH?

@@LipstickLady, I am speechless. That guy is a royal PITA (pain in the...)!!! Your first answer to him ("He's at work") was priceless, even if it was unintentionally brilliant.
What sticks out to me in this story is that woman standing near you who tried to come to the rescue, saying she'd "found" your lost weight. What a display of sisterhood!
Instead of carrying around your perfectly understandable anger -- which is also an unwanted weight! -- I wonder if you could say something to him next time you see each other. Maybe something along the lines of "I know you were genuinely curious, but it's a private issue and I don't like to talk about it in public." Or, if you're feeling less generous, pick out his worst flaw and broadcast it publicly .
xoxo

So the other night I was totally thrown for a loop and for the first time in a long time, I was actually rendered speechless. I was at a parent dinner meet and greet for a new sport my youngest is part of. I knew only 3 or 4 people (out of about 40) as this is my daughter's first year on the team.

I have known the woman who organized it (as well as her husband) forever. Her husband has always been very friendly with me, but we rarely see each other because they are both the most boring people on earth. Nice enough, but not people I want to hang around.

The husband came over to me and in front of about 15 people I've never seen in my life said, "Hey! How are you? And where is the rest of you?". Truly oblivious, I assumed he was asking about my husband as there were MANY dads there and I said that he was still at work. I've not been fat for over a year and a half and NO ONE mentions it anymore. People I've never met would have no idea I was ever fat.
He goes on to say, "Well, you've lost at least 100 or more pounds, right? I mean, you've lost at least half of yourself. Where did it go?" Immediately all eyes were on me and I had no idea what to say. (Weird, I know. I ALWAYS have something snarky to say. Long day, I guess.)
What a freaking beast. It was completely uncomfortable and awkward for me and I could tell a few of the ladies around me could feel it. Someone tried to make a joke that she "found it" and a few people f***ng congratulated me on something they know NOTHING about. I've left my fat life behind, how could this one jackhole completely throw me back into that world with a few sentences? One of my biggest reasons for losing the weight and my only real insecurity about being obese was how much I hated being "the fat mom" at every event. Leaving that world behind has been the best part of this whole experience and he brought it all slamming right back into the present.
I'm still pissed. I am going to see him endlessly throughout the summer and the season. I want to kick him in the nuts really bad. ARGH!!!

4 weeks of the post op diet, then my first fill of 4cc's....I then began to loose weight.
Relax...your band is doing absolutely nothing at this point...all you did was have it installed...it has not been "activated" so to speak with a few fills (adjustments)
It is as though you did not have the surgery, and you are at the same place as before...struggling to loose weight by your own will.....and lets face it...we had this surgery because we could not do it on our own....
Of course you will fail....we all did...that is one of the criteria for being a WLS candidate....failed at every diet we tried.
Your post, everything is I did this. I cannot do this..etc., etc...I, I, I.......what about the band? ask if the band is doing anything, and if not, why??? Ask your Dr. why the band is not making a difference....I did, and got an education about all this.
And the answer is it has not been adjusted yet.

it's not mucus but slime created by your esophagus. you are eating to much at one time. your pouch only holds about 4 ounces at a time. So my advice is to eat much much smaller amounts at a time, chew each mouthful thoroughly, and take time between bites. all of this allows the food you are eating time to process through your band into the stomach.

it's not mucus but slime created by your esophagus. you are eating to much at one time. your pouch only holds about 4 ounces at a time. So my advice is to eat much much smaller amounts at a time, chew each mouthful thoroughly, and take time between bites. all of this allows the food you are eating time to process through your band into the stomach.

I was challenged by my surgeon to go 1 month finding secret calories in my diet. I am revising from lap band, ( sorry to see it go) to gastric bypass or sleeve. He said that ppl that revise sometimes don't have success especially after having a lapband. so I am on the hunt. This will help those that have been having trouble with their wt. loss as well. I got out the measuring spoons and my scale. I have been finding secret calories hidden in most of what I eat. I eat healthy and prepare most of my food but weighing and measuring has kept me honest. I have been surprise about tomatoes being 50 calories, I won't go into avocados, perfectly healthy but between whole wheat bread and lite mayo, my oh my. my half and half in the morning. I still use it but measure serving size. salad drsg. I thought I was dieting. Hell no. I have already lost 9 pounds in a week and half. it takes a little more time but I challenge you to a find your secret calories.

I was challenged by my surgeon to go 1 month finding secret calories in my diet. I am revising from lap band, ( sorry to see it go) to gastric bypass or sleeve. He said that ppl that revise sometimes don't have success especially after having a lapband. so I am on the hunt. This will help those that have been having trouble with their wt. loss as well. I got out the measuring spoons and my scale. I have been finding secret calories hidden in most of what I eat. I eat healthy and prepare most of my food but weighing and measuring has kept me honest. I have been surprise about tomatoes being 50 calories, I won't go into avocados, perfectly healthy but between whole wheat bread and lite mayo, my oh my. my half and half in the morning. I still use it but measure serving size. salad drsg. I thought I was dieting. Hell no. I have already lost 9 pounds in a week and half. it takes a little more time but I challenge you to a find your secret calories.

Get yourself some hummus. on my mushy stage I was allowed corn tortilla chips to go with the chili I was also allowed to have. I can see you sitting in front of the campfire with a little bag of chips and your hummus laughing and talking and being social. make yourself a little ice chest that you have made several dips like stuff. use your blender and get creative. never mind all the food going around. you have determination on your side and can have a great time without food.

I had popcorn about two weeks ago for the first time post surgery. I asked the dietician at my 3 month post op visit if I could have popcorn- she approved it. My husband and I "shared" a small size at the movie theater, I think I ate about a cup. It was delicious and I tolerated it just fine. Here's to happy popcorn eating (occasionally)!