Cocoabean

Are you under a lot of stress right now? That plays a big part in how tight I am from day to day. Keep working with your surgeon to find the answer. Sorry I don't have any grand ideas for you.

Ask if you can see an endocrinologist and have a full thyroid panel run. Just running the TSH level doesn't always tell the full picture of thyroid function. But just a note, my thyroid was radiated and barely works, my dosage of hormone puts me on the hyperthyroid side and I am always cold. The only time I was warm was when I was well and truly hyper just before my treatment with radiation to kill the gland.

Thank you! For me, soft, doughy breads can get stuck easily. A bread with more"parts" to it, like a multi-grain is easier to eat. Even if chewed well a doughy bread seems to reform in the pouch and becomes a plug. Toasting it makes it crispier and does away with that doughy-ness. I do not have blood sugar issues, but my doctor monitors it. If it does become an issue, then I might have to watch carbs. I lost pretty slowly, but I lost, that is what mattered the most to me! And it has stayed off. I'll be banded 4 years in February.

I still eat sushi, but I eat the smaller rolls. Sometimes I deconstruct them, so I don't have to shove the whole thing in my mouth at once. "Chewing well" doesn't always count if the bite started out the size of baby's fist. A small roll, I can eat 6-8 pieces. I do not eat a low carb/no carb diet. Toast is definitely not off my menu. One piece with one or two eggs for breakfast? Yeah, that is do-able. Or a sandwich on one piece of bread? Yup. If the bread is really soft, I might have trouble, so sometimes, I'll toast it.

What are "solid liquids"? If it were me, I'd be calling my surgeon's office for clarification. One thing I've seen over the years here at Lap Band Talk is that doctors have a varied post-op diet. What mine ordered, yours may not like. If you list says 3 days clear liquids then FULL liquids, you can do a search for what a full liquid diet is. It allows you to add in things like pudding, yogurt and runny oatmeal.

This is not the end of life as you know it. Just a new chapter. You will be able to have a bit of cheesecake again if you choose to. I don't do buffets now, because it is a total waste of money, but I do have Chinese food. There are those who've gained a significant amount of weight due to "last supper syndrome." There are no foods that I cannot have. I don't eat white meat chicken now, because it tends to get stuck. Doughy breads are pretty much off my menu for the same reason. But everything else? If I want it, I work it into my diet in smaller portions.

And insurance companies in the US have only been approving it since 2007/2008. Some other countries might have longer history of bands. But we just don't have the time here, yet.

I HATE exercise, too. Along with the great suggestions so far add in, just being more active. Take your daughter to the zoo (if you have one) or the park on the weekends. Go to the mall and do a lap around before starting your shopping. Go to the touristy areas near you and sight see while walking around. Anything that gets you off your couch (where i love to be) is a good thing. Look for unconventional ideas. I got into martial arts of all things. I did it for 6 years. I'd have never guessed I'd love something like that. But I found a great teacher and class and went through to black belt. Tai Chi or yoga could be fun. Community Colleges often have classes for little to no money in many different things.

That's wonderful! Congratulations! I think people sometimes just don't know what to say, so they say things like, don't lose any more! It's a kind of approval of where you are now and encouragement. Talking about someone's weight is a slippery slope. I have been maintaining for nearly 2 years now, and people still ask me if I have lost more weight. I say no, they say really? I say yep. They say, well, your face is changing. Gee thanks, does that mean I am looking old??? People are not used to dealing with someone successfully losing weight and keeping it off. It doesn't happen much. So, I try to say things that put them at ease if they put their feet in their mouths.

Yay!!! Congratulations! I love your attitude towards food. I feel the same way. I did not track food, nor do I still. WAY TO GO!!! Celebrate!

Yeah, drink and drive is a way better idea for bandsters. Oh, and I was not laughing AT you, I was laughing WITH you! Many of us keep ziplock baggies in the glove compartment for such events. I do think it could be dangerous in a bad "stuck" situation where you could not get to the side of the road. I broke the eat and drive habit years ago when I was working for a major weight loss organization. We were talking about being aware of what you are eating, being in the moment, and enjoying your meals. I was driving down the road and saw a very obese person eating a huge gooey hamburger in his tiny car. His car was so small and he was so large that the car tilted to the driver's side. He looked over at me with burger guts all over his face. UGH, that was enough for me to say, "you know, Denise, you really don't need to eat while driving." I know we need to multi-task sometimes, but that is not one of my multi-tasking choices.

Is this in the area of your port? I am thinking that perhaps a nerve got caught up in the placement of the port. So that it is out of place and getting stimulated in the wrong ways when you move. I am not a medical person. This is just a thought that came to mind.

Yes, I've gotten that before. My response is that people are used to seeing me overweight, so their view of normal for me is an unhealthy view. When I get to a healthy weight and am there for a while, people will look back at pictures of me now and think, WOW, look how uncomfortable you looked then! Or, "thank you for your concern, but my doctor and I have set a healthy goal within my proper BMI range." Done, end of discussion. "You'll be too skinny" is not a diagnosis of any disease. And unless you are truly underweight, it is not a fact, either. Everything is relative and a matter of perspective. When I used to do my laundry, my size 18 to 20 pants and 2X shirts were normal. As I lost to size 10, they seemed so small. Now the size 10s are normal and when I see a size 18 they seem so large because I am used to the 10s.

If nothing is going down. Call your surgeon ASAP. It could be a slip. If you cannot get liquids down, call now.

Eating slowly and taking small bites comes with practice after being banded. I tried and tried to get used to it before surgery. There was no way to prepare for it until I had some feedback from the band. Please don't let this scare you, as I don't mean it to, but if you take a bite that is too big, and it hurts, you learn to take smaller bites, because it DOESN'T hurt. If you eat too fast and it causes you to get stuck, you learn quite quickly NOT to do that. Pasta? Yes, I eat it. Sometimes lasagna gives me problems, it's just a little too doughy for me. But other pasta dishes are no problem. Some doctors have a very strict diet for you to follow. Mine does not. I am not on a low carb diet or anything like that. I do not have any foods that are "illegal" or "bad"...I eat what I want. I don't want to eat eat white meat chicken--it gets stuck, and I had a very bad break up with bagels, they are just way too doughy. I try to make healthy choices, eat to where I am satisfied (note...I did not say full), and shocker to many bandsters--I sip liquids with my meals. And my doctor is aware of it. He is so pleased with my results, he's asked me to come speak at his next Pre-op Educational Seminar next week. So, don't let all the rules scare you. But, until you are sure, don't proceed. I am quite sure you are not the first to stop or delay surgery to think things over!

p.s. 50 pounds in about 34 weeks is a fantastic average of about 1.5 pounds per week. Don't sell yourself short. You are doing VERY well in the weight loss phase of your journey! We often feel we are not losing fast enough. But remember, the band is a purely restrictive procedure. The losses occur due to the deficit we create. I think you are doing GREAT!!!!

Do you track your calories? I don't and did not all the way through my weight loss. At one point, after I'd been maintaining this weight for a while, I got curious. I estimated I was eating 1200-1400 calories a day. Which meant I should weight a bit less than I do. I used an ipad app to track everything for about 4 days. I was shocked to learn I was actually consuming about 1700 calories a day. With the amount of exercise I do (very little), that puts me spot on for this weight. So, if I want to lose more, I'll need to create a deficit. Either eat less or burn more. It was an enlightening experience. After so many years of dieting, I thought I was pretty good at estimating what I was consuming. But it is easy to gloss over a bit here and there, and they add up.

Nearly 4 years banded, I feel exactly as Sparkplug does! Congrats on the 90 pounds!

I am very happy you were seen for it and they checked you out! It sounds as though they are treating a possible infection even though the ultrasound was negative. So, the doctor may think there might have been something brewing that he wanted to stop. You are still healing from the surgery. So it isn't odd for the incision to be red. But I say, if something doesn't feel/look right, call your surgeon. That is what we pay them for. After nearly 4 years, my port site sometimes gets irritated by my waistband. It is a very minor price to pay in my book. It is just due to the location my surgeon chose to place it. But it works well fo rme in that it doesn't stick out or show in any way. I am just aware of it at times. And staph infections are NO fun at all. I had one on my extreme lower back (read "backside"). I couldn't sit for 2 days. I don't blame you being worried!

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Congratulations!

If your port site is red or warm to the touch, get to your doc ASAP. It's a sign of infection.

4 lbs per month is a good rate of loss. The band's average is 1-2 pounds per week. When I was actively losing, my average was 3/4 of a pound per week. I wasn't happy with the rate, but it was coming off. We always wish it were faster, but the #s are going down! It's a good thing.

Like Shirley said, the swelling from your surgery is gone. The first fill often does not provide enough restriction either. So be prepared for that, as well. Being banded is a process, not an event. For me, it took two fills before the band started doing its thing. I woke up from surgery hungry. So I worried about it for a few months before my fills finally kicked in! You should get that feeling back as your fills take effect.

I lost 8 pounds during the pre-op diet, then 4 pounds the first week post-op. And that was it for about 3 months. Your body has been through a lot. You've been through surgery, and are coming off a crash diet. It's frustrating to eat so few calories and not lose, isn't it? My losses went in fits and starts. I'd hold steady for a few weeks, then drop a bunch, then gain, then steady, then lose 1, then steady, then get a fill and lose a bunch. So it went for 70 pounds. It was annoying and frustrating, but then all of a sudden, there I was at a normal BMI! It is a journey, not a sprint. You are doing great! As to week 4 diet. By then I was allowed to be adding all foods as tolerated. Just to go easy. Each doctor is different though.

Highly processed foods go down soooo easily, don't they? It's a bandster's trap. Healthful foods don't go down, so we resort to milkshakes and Cookies to get some calories in (plus for some of us, we love them!). We don't want an unfill for fear of gaining weight due to the ability to eat more, so we stick with the slider foods. As others have suggested, you might consider a slight unfill to allow for the more dense Protein foods. Or try to get more protein with cheese, dark meat chicken, tuna, canned chicken, Beans, and Protein shakes. Upping your protein intake can help hold off the cravings for the junk.