kimk1999

In my opinion (and I'm still new to this, but if you're only going to do it for a month or somewhat of a fad diet, not a lifestyle change the weight may come back. It doesn't hurt to switch it up the food options.

I say, at least for me, be careful if you're trying other substitutes sometimes. I've tried some of the alternatives when I'm craving chocolate pure and simple... In the end, when 1-2 small dark squares would have sufficed; I would end up with a handful of nuts, something else salty and then probably 4-5 milk chocolate squares, lol. Sometimes though there's a tazo tea made from cocoa nibs (I think). It's cocoa mint or something like that and gives me a chocolate taste without the calories.

Sorry but I can't help but laugh at the back and forth feeling that you're having cccv4. It truly is hell. It does get easier but I will be honest and was one of those that cheated. I didn't go all out with cookies and chips but ate more than I should. I teased/fussed at the nurse - they've had us on supervised diets with appetite suppressants for months for insurance reasons and make us stop those pills two weeks prior to surfer in conjunction with this super low caloric diet. It will get easier. Are you allowed Gatorade? That will help keep you feeling a bit better. I drank a lot of water, tea, and coffee during this time.

Yep this is normal. Now is the time to learn to reduce your portions. Even though you can eat a lot, you should limit the amounts to 4oz at a time. Yes you'll be hungry and as others mentioned it's bandster hell. Now is the time to get used to the smaller portions - maybe have 6 small meals throughout the day, up your Protein which will help you feel and stay full longer. mushy stage is hard to find variety. Mashed potatoes was on my list but I tried to stay away from them as they are so good and I knew is eat too much of it at that time. Again, don't be worried. You're normal right now. You won't feel restriction till you start getting fills.

Highest weight 214 Recently went to a wedding and felt comfortable in a dress 40lbs later

Congrats on finding yours. I'm still searching. 5.8cc in a 10cc band. I usually just get a voice in my head saying I should stop but no other signal that I'm aware of yet. Lol. If I eat a few more bites past that it's no big deal.

Band here. For me, I was scared of the drastic internal changes of the sleeve and my surgeon didn't do bypass. I liked that there wasn't anything drastically done to my internals and that it should be reversible if things didn't work out (granted there are bad complications with the band as well as any surgery). Do your research and figure out what lifestyle you want and complications you can handle. I am 33, BMI was at 36 with co-morbidalities and really needed something to help me lose weight for fertility reasons. I hope to get pregnant with the band and that seemed to be one of the better options. This is almost an impossible pros/cons list strictly speaking. You'll probably have to end up going with a gut feel.

With the surgery April 1st, I'd suggest to tell the pre-op nurse, the anesthesiologist and whoever else medically that asks your history pre-op. I'm not a smoker so I'm not the best person to ask but if the nicotine does that to your blood then let everyone know that May have an impact / need to know. I had to take an anti anxiety med that morning. The hospital was ok with it but told me to tell everyone that morning so they could compensate accordingly. Good luck!!

It's mostly (from what I remember) because you are quite swollen on the inside from surgery. You really haven't learned to eat as a bander (or with the sleeve) and it'll be very bad if you get stuck and have to throw up so soon after surgery. I had two weeks of liquids followed by two weeks of mushies and then could progress to solids. Every doc is different though. You don't want to rip your stitches right now, well ever, but I think right now with it being so new and not scarred over is worse.

1day - I was a bit confused too

For me, I only drink cokes/soda when I'm not feeling well - it helps soothe for a migraine and/or upset stomach. Not sure how much of it is due to childhood feelings vs a true chemical reaction. The caffeine, carbonation, sugar, and acid seem to help me. I might (and that's a big might) have 1-2 cokes a month. I really think it's less than that as I do try to avoid them if at all possible. It's a last resort option when my usual medicine isn't working.

I did a simple half-a$$ non-legally binding type 'wish-list' and emailed that to my parents. I did update my beneficiary information online. I'm not legally married so the state would go to my parents as next of kin. So I told my parents what I wanted in a written communication.

I haven't flown with the band yet. I think 17 days is pretty good about getting to know the band and the fill amount vs eating food. I would say that you should be ok. Take some extra shake powder to make sure that you'd be covered if you do swell or get stuck (my doc recommends after getting stuck to go back on liquids for 24 hours). Also, you do have the rest of your life to get fills. 17 days plus your trip isn't that long in the scheme of things. You'll be more so in bandster hell and will probably overindulge. That is a risk. Oh I'd suggest to try to look on this forum for the location specific groups to find doctors that are familiar with the lap band in the location(s) that you're going. I've read about many people here that have gone to the ER due to their band and the ER docs were not that familiar with the band and not that helpful. I'd assume you might run into the same thing over there and should plan accordingly. Good luck and have fun.

I do my best to cut my food up as if I was feeding a tiny toddler. I will then only put one piece of that meat on my fork and wait to swallow before taking another bite. If I try to trust myself saying that I'll chew it well, I never do. Definitely still a learning process. Oh and don't be afraid to see your doc to make sure nothing else is wrong. If he's the type that will yell/get upset, and you're truly scared to see him; I'd suggest to find a new doctor that would be supportive and helpful. Doctors are critical in our little circle of support.

Haha love the Doritos comment. Yeah I'm the worst when it's that time and it's almost that time for me. I'm a bander and my calorie limit per my doc is 800-1000. On 'those' days I might eat more like 1300ish or so. All in all the scale trend is downwards so I let myself go over here and there. I try to keep my portions in check but during that time it's just never enough. Lol. I've tried the magnesium when I'm craving chocolate or eating almonds or whatever but none of those helps me out. Just lots of boring Water keeps me from eating too much. Oh - sometimes I have bought chocolate flavored coffee grounds or even chocolate flavored tea and that sorta satisfies.

Not sure how much help this is... When I got divorced (pre-band) I was not hungry at all. That stress and anxiety made food seem revolting and I had a hard time eating. I called it the 'Divorce Diet'. Once I settled down from that trauma I was able to eat again. If this is a short term issue that you're dealing with, I wouldn't be too worried. Maybe keep up your protein shakes. Go for soup that the previous poster mentioned. Try to stick to the easy proteins. Keep up the eggs but maybe only fix just one when you're hungry so it doesn't seem so huge to eat. Yogurt may / may not work. Sometimes it seems to just grow in my mouth and I can't swallow it, lol. Can you snack on beef jerky? Maybe the hard chewing will help with the stress/anxiety? If you need something crispy, I love kale chips (not protein but salty crispyness is sometimes required for certain stresses).

Mine still hurt / sensitive about 1 month post op. It started feeling better shortly after that point. It's sutured to your muscle and your Berbers are still getting used to the foreign object that moved in. I'm now a little over 3 months post op.

You're not the first and you won't be the last. This is really setting you up for a successful surgery - some doctors will stop in the middle of surgery if your liver didn't change, others won't even start if you didn't lose enough weight. I wanted my surgery to be super easy for my doc so I did my best to behave (I did not comply 100% but did pretty well). Also this pre-op diet is great to get you used to post op diet when it's really tough. Get rid of your cravings now will make post op that much easier. I suggest if that's your trigger, try your best to not go out to eat. You can do this!!

Essentially you're pretty much on some sort of low carb diet with small portions is how I look at it. I've found great Paleo, Atkins, South beach, etc type recipes that work. Breakfast Usually some sort of egg idea from Pinterest. I love the egg muffin tin ideas. eggs, ham and cheese are my favorite I love chicken and avocado (or if I'm lazy - little premade guacamole cups) Chicken and black Beans - or some sort of taco night (I typically avoid the shell but will sometimes eat it depending on my mood and my bands mood). Grilled steak and green veggies lunch - I typically eat out or have leftovers Chipotle - single taco - chicken and black bean, salsa, cheese and sour cream Panera - usually turkey chili Chickfila - kids meal - grilled chicken nuggets with a fruit cup. Snacks - Yougurt Fruit / veggies Beef Jerky Sometimes just coffee with skim milk for Protein

Thanks for sharing your update.

My doc never specified. Just that it's empty calories and will slow down your weight loss. Be careful that you're eating a lot less and it'll hit you harder.