Wendydarling19

Well I'm on an LCHF diet and I also work overnight shifts. I drink small coffees at a time and put 2 half and half packets and 2 sweet and lows..: haven't had any issues yet. I was never a fan of sugar in my coffee drinks because you can use a boatload and to me it's never sweet enough and it doesn't dissolve well. I prefer equal or Splenda but the hospital only carries sweet n low. Some people don't like artificial sweeteners but I do hear wonderful things about stevia extract which is non sugar, and not bad for you (supposedly). I figure a few sweeteners a day isn't as day as overdosing on sugar like I used to with soda and junk like that.

How is it going so far Tracy!?

I had no pre-op diet other than not to eat from midnight the night before and that was even hell! Depends on your surgeon but you must listen to your surgeon either way. Also, I had no actual post-op diet other than 24 hour liquids. I put myself on liquids/ puddings/ soups for the week after my surgery until I saw my dr for my post op appt a week later. Then he said I could go on solids as long as I chewed well! Solids!? To me this was unheard of a week later! But I was hungry so I ate 1/2 a small sandwich chewed for about an hour or 2 and was okay. I was also back to work in exactly a week but still needed pain meds because I'm a nursing assistant so my job is physical. I call my dr speedy Gonzales, he is all about getting me back to seemingly normal life and having the band start working quickly! I just had my third fill to finally be at my green zone on Friday. I will be 4 months post op on the 23rd and I have just lost 40lbs. I call that a success so far!! The bottom line is listen to your doc because he/she knows best!

So I'm a night shifter. On my days off, I am still awake at night! The only thing on that I find entertaining to watch is the food network. Sometimes it's super torturous but I still don't want to stray away from diet (I'm low carbing and I know how annoying it is to get back into ketosis). Does anyone else have this issue or indulge in the guilty pleasure of watching food network even though it can sometimes be torture!?

You may not need a whole lot more so I wouldn't like I said before def take your time, I know you are excited but it's healthier to lose slower. I feel like I am losing sooooo slow but I have lost 40 lbs in just under 4 months. That's a pretty okay rate. Just 10 away from onederland, I can taste it so I want it so bad! Hang in there hon! You got this too!!!

Thanks everyone! I hadn't really been seeing a difference but people keep mentioning it to me and I would kind of actually get mad in my head and say "they are saying that to be nice because they know I had surgery". Last night however, a co-worker who started shortly after I had my surgery, did not even know I had surgery and she said "wow Wendy, you look like you are really losing weight." Then I took a step back and realized that maybe I am visibly changing! I had to put these two pix side by side to see and now I can see it!

-40 today (the first was taken the morning before my surgery) yes I'm wearing scrubs lol. 65 more to go until goal... What a journey!

Wow gowalking! How much did you lose? How long did it take? I want to lose close to 1/2 my weight also. I started at 250 and want to be at 145 ideally

The boyf has miserable restless legs (so bad to the point where I had punched him a few times in my sleep because he was waking me up) and I was on neurontin for migraines and then switched to something different. I gave the rest to him and it seems to be helping. I know I shouldn't share meds but we were desperate. He's going to talk to his dr

I don't know if I have a long drawn out answer but mine I believe is simply because I like food. Food tastes good. I have Borderline Personality Disorder and food is safer than a drug addiction.

Tylenol is allowed and so is Aleve. No Advil or aspirin

Some people require a lot more than that. I just had my hopefully last fill yesterday at 6.5-7ccs I remember at 3ccs I was still in bandster hell and could not wait to get another fill! You definitely need to get another fill or else the band is unable to correctly do it's job.

I am kind of over the whole novelty of "partying" now which sucks because I'm so young. I suppose I can have a few if I'm with friends but no longer will I do what I did the other night. I'm not really that sad about it!

I was always disgusting by so many strange things with eating like people who shove food in their mouths, I could never stand it! Even being as heavy as I am, I was always made fun of in my family for being the slow eater. I will just be a few bites in when the man will be finished (he grew up in a large family in Iraq so the faster you ate, the faster you got seconds before anyone else). I don't watch that show but I can feel your pain and disgust. I suppose I have always been that way though, now I eat even slower than before!

You have mentioned a few times that your surgeon does that. That would drive me up a wall!! I'm glad it's working for you though! I feel a smidge too tight but generally I have noticed that the "too tight" sensation goes away in a week or two. I'm still able to eat solids and water though which is good I just get very uncomfortable if I drink water laying down.

To eat**

Exactly what 2muchfun said. Once the swelling goes away you don't have as much restriction before your fill so you feel like the band has already failed you so early on. It's extremely scary and frustrating and you wonder if you went through it all for nothing. Once you are able to get some fills and start losing though you will feel much better. What I mean by my reply is that the swelling will subside and bandster hell may take place and you will long for that taking two hours two eat lol. I know I did.

I have never heard of fat fasting but it sounds interesting. I am low carbing and I am in ketosis but I am starving!! Last time I was in ketosis I actually forgot to eat. IDK whats wrong. I had to end up getting another cc in my band yesterday because of hunger pangs... I'm STILL hungry!!! and NOT just head hunger...stomach growling hunger. So frustrating! Sometimes I just wish I had the sleeve!!

Well I don't count calories, I count carbs. I was told by my dr that the band doesn't work on junk food so I strictly eat Protein and veggies, right now I am not even eating fruit but I plan to change that in a few weeks. I just try to stay away from processed foods, never any sodas, rarely if I want a treat I'll have an SF ice pop or candy. I am new to all of this though, but so far so good.

You know I just was filled my third and hopefully final fill today and my Dr said I seem to be a little bit tight but I needed more restriction I feel. I usually drink in my sleep because my meds give me dry mouth. I made the mistake of doing that today, I took a sip laying down as I usually do and it started coming back up sounding like a drain.

You are newly banded so you have yet to experience bandster hell. You might feel like this is all great right now but you are 10 days post op and still swollen. Wait until the swelling goes down and bandster hell kicks in. You won't really have that sensation of things are hard to swollow anymore until you start your fills.

Wow!! My surgery was $26,500 total cost!!! I only had to pay 20% of my surgeon's fees because my insurance is through the hospital where I had my surgery (I work for them). OOP cost $509

I call my dr speedy Gonzales because everything he does is fast paced. 1 appt before the surgery, back to work 1 week after the surgery, back on solids 1 week after the surgery, large fills. Anyway, even HE wouldn't fill me before 3 weeks in between. I know you are anxious but just give it time and adjust yourself. You will get there. I just went for my 3rd fill today, hoping I'm finally where I need to be in between 6.5-7 cc and my dr said I seem to be kind of tight but I felt like where I was with 1 cc less was too little.

So I had between 5.5-6 ccs and wasn't totally where I wanted to be and I went in for another fill today. Now I'm between 6.5-7 ccs. Out of a 10 cc band. My dr said I seem pretty tight so make sure I chew everything really really well. Just wondering if anyone out there has finally found their green zone with a higher amount of fluid.

Yeah by responsibly I mean that I stay in at a friend's house or my house for the night and make sure not to drive or put anyone in harm's way. Anyway, I'm glad I didnt end up in the ER. I thought I would have because I couldn't keep any liquid down. I work at to hospital so that would have been embarrassing