Cocoabean

Hi again, I attempted to eat slower and take smaller bites, but it did not prepare me for reality. Trying Protein Shakes is a good idea. I think one of the companies will send some trial packs, but not sure which (unjury, maybe?). I did a minimum of protein shakes post-op, because I did not really like the ones I had purchased. My surgeon prefers that I eat my calories rather than drinking them, but... I like a company called Isagenix. They are a bit pricey, but I like the taste. I don't use them often though. They also have bars and Snacks. Other folk can probably give you advice, too. I just started using these to change up my Breakfast and get in more vitamins as I seem to hate taking Vitamin pills, and can't remember! I did Medifast for my pre-op diet. I can't say I loved it, but it did its job. They do have a wide variety of stuff, if you are allowed to do the full program, which I was. It also included one "lean and green" meal each day, so I got to actually chew! I had to chug down the shakes. The bars are pretty good. The Soups are bland. The oatmeal..not bad. I lost 8 pounds in the two weeks I did it. The best part was that the surgeon told me after the surgery that he could tell I followed it very closely because my liver was very small. He said that made the surgery very easy to perform, and much safer for me. :frown: Just remember, it is time-limited and for a specific purpose. The only person you'd cheat on it is yourself. Keep asking and learning!

I heard of it at a support group but have not tried it. I do OK with whole wheat or whole grain. Not so good with white or french bread. Forget bagels...ugh!

Hi Beth and Mishay and welcome! This is a great place for information and support. Don't be afraid to ask questions on all the forums. Just because you are pre-op doesn't mean you can't post questions about post-op on the post-op section. Knowledge is power. Learn as much as you can before your surgery. Best wishes on the journey!

Haaaay!!!! I been dissed! tee hee :frown: I'll be picking up a Bob voodoo doll in New Orleans, just you wait! When you least expect it, expect it! Congrats on the century mark! You bring up an interesting point. Before my surgery, I said I was going to take my measurements each week and take pictures and really track my progress. As things went along I found I didn't really have an interest in doing that. I felt totally different about my "diet" and my body. I didn't feel like I needed to do all that because this was my new way of life. I didn't need to document the fact that I was smaller, because I was confident that I would stay this way. What do you all think?

I am sorry you are having such trouble. Is it possible that you haven't totally healed from the port placement? You might need the help of pain meds until you have fully healed. I know it took several months of the pain of my port area to fully go away. Have you checked with your surgeon to make sure that you didn't tear something? Best wishes with your recovery and decision.

I am sorry you are having such trouble. Is it possible that you haven't totally healed from the port placement? You might need the help of pain meds until you have fully healed. I know it took several months of the pain of my port area to fully go away. Have you checked with your surgeon to make sure that you didn't tear something? Best wishes with your recovery and decision.

I don't have UHC, but I appealed my company's 6 month requirement with past Weight Watchers records and personal diet journal entries. The National Istitutes of Health's 1991 Consensus on Bariatric Surgery does not stipulate that a person follow a 6 month program to be a candidate for WLS. I won the appeal. Best wishes.

Glad you are feeling better! That makes the unfill worthwhile. 4cc is quite a bit! Take it slow and steady! You'll do great.

Hi there!! Stuck happens when something you swallowed blocks the stoma (the hole created by the band between your new little stomach and the larger portion of your old stomach). This is often because we did not chew the item enough or took to big of a bite. Or perhaps it is too fibrous. It cal also happen with a soft, doughy item like bread or Pasta that I swear you can chew and chew but will reform once in the stomach. What gets me the most are dry meats like chicken breast and soft breads. I get a pain right beneath my sternum to let me know something is wrong. It feels like I swallowed a rock. As the stomach tries to make the offending item go down, you feel pain and pressure. During this process, the body makes mucous to help aid the item to go down. Only problem is that the item is often too large to go down and the mucous cannot go down either as the stoma is blocked. So it has no where else to go but up, and therefore, out the mouth. This is what we call sliming. Walking helps the pain of being stuck, and sometimes the body can grind the item enough to get it to go down. Sometimes not, and the item will come back up with the slime. It is not really vomitting, to me, it is more of a reverse gravity thing. I lean over and up it comes. Once the item is out, I feel MUCH better. If the episode has gone on for an extended period of time, I'll do fluids or mushies for a day or two, depending on how my stomach is feeling. This can be a pretty traumatic event, and there can be some swelling. Over time, you'll find your best way of dealing with these episodes, and your doctor may have suggestions, too. Now that I am two years out, I rarely get stuck these days. Many stuck episodes are due to operator error, but not all. Best wishes in your journey!!

So sorry you had to go through all that! Are you at least feeling better as far as your stomach goes? I was overfilled once, it is no fun at all. My surgeon has done all my fills and one unfill. He hasn't had a problem finding my port, but I do feel a 'pop' when the needle goes in. Take it easy for a few days and feel better! You might just be very sensitive to fills and need to take them very slowly. My surgeon is very conservative when it comes to fills, and likes to sneak up on the sweet spot. But I still ended up needing a bit taken out. I was able to go back a month later and have it put back in, plus a little bit more. Our bodies are all different as to how they adjust to the fills. Hope you are up to snuff soon!!

Leigha, yay!!! Woohoo!!! Ok, I am down to 150! Anyone wanna buy my used tissues??? :frown: Maybe I should list them on ebay as a weight loss method! I know...groooooooooosssssss! I have had zero appetite. That is a new experience for me. I went to the doctor yesterday. I was worried because the gunk coming out of my nose is brown, and my ears are plugged. We are flying out on Sunday. I have a bacterial infection in my sinuses, so he started me on antibiotics. Hopefully they'll kick in by tomorrow and I'll be right as rain by the time we leave. Just so long as I stay sick long enough to lose one more pound and have a normal BMI! Tee hee!!! Elfie, glad your doc is happy with your loss! I like not being ashamed to get on the scale at the docs office. To all you gardeners, grow something for me, ok? I can barely grow a dandelion! :frown:

Another happy dance!!!! I'm burning calories dancing for you two!!

Oh tuna....yum.... Also, the hand rolls work out well. They are easier to handle when aiming for smaller bites. But be careful not to shove half the thing into your mouth at once. :frown:

Yay!!! (Doing the happy dance for you!!) Keep up the good work!

Taking small bites and chewing a lot is the way of banded life. If you do that and still cannot eat any type of meat, you might be too tight. A slight unfill can do wonders. Some meats are harder to eat than others. I have a big problem with chicken breast meat. I don't even try any more. Being too tight can be dangerous for your band, it can lead to a slip. Also, if you cannot get in enough calories your weight loss will stop as your body goes into starvation mode.

Way to go!! You look awesome!

7 pounds in one week for someone your weight is a lot of weight. Also, if cannot eat solids, you are too tight, in my opinion. You can get half what you had put in taken out. If things go well, you can get it put back in later. That is what I did when I was overfilled.

Congrats!! Walking really helps the shoulder pain. I wore a path in the carpet of my hallway. Keep sipping the fluids and you'll feel better in no time!

14 pounds in 6 weeks is a great weight loss! Keep up the good work!

Forewarned is forearmed! You are doing well by reading here and learning all you can about what to expect. Take it nice and slow. Experience has been a good teacher for me. I learn by doing, ouch! I rarely get stuck these days.

Plateaus totally suck! And you are doing all the right things to combat it. You are already doing everything I had in my suggestion arsenal. How did you change up your work outs? Maybe try changing from weights to all cardio? Or vice versa. Or you could go with my latest method of weight loss, catch a cold and have it turn into a sinus infection. Down 3#s! My bet is that sometime soon you will break through it and you'll show a big loss when you least expect it. Like you'll take an exercise break for some reason and bam! Maybe go ahead and get that fill and do softs/mushies for a few days to see what happens. The closer we are to goal, the harder the fight it seems! Best wishes!

I have read of others being successful at losing without getting a fill. Sometimes just the band provides enough restriction. Or perhaps its just being there serves as a reminder to you to watch your portions. Either way, congrats! Well done on the loss.

Beautiful Leigha!! Ok, I found the silver lining in being sick...... Dun dun duuuuunnn... 151!!!!!! And that was after coffee, breakfast, and water!!! Now if I can keep it off, life is good! Woohoo!!!! 2 pounds to normal BMI!

Oh my goodness, what a story! Most of us can totally relate! Glad it came up in the car and not the booth! I had to urp into my trash can at work one time. Fortuantely my cubicle mate was gone that day.

I had my surgery on 2-15-08. My doctor will do the first fill at 6 weeks, but because I was going out of the country I decided to postpone until the first part of May for my first fill. Doing so will not hurt your band or your pouch. Since you have little to no restriction, things pass through easily. I did not lose much weight during that time, it's true, but my goal was to heal. I'd suggest making your appoint for May now, before the doctor's schedule fills up. I also like the idea of asking the insurance company why they don't follow the doctor's recommendations.