JustWatchMe

So happy for you! It will get easier. Stay hydrated and try to walk every day. Every day got better for me in every way. I'm so happy I got banded! Good luck and keep posting!

And I tried the like button on my phone for your posts, but I might have accidentally unliked some of the comments. Please know I "like" them all! Darn phone. Time for an iPhone.

Thanks to all who responded. It's so individual. I might have made a different disclosure choice when I was younger. But I've been through a huge weight loss (130 lbs) once before, 26 years ago. It was when I was in OA, and for the reason of my 12-step privacy, I only told a few people in my social circle, and my immediate family. I was the star for a couple of years with everyone commenting and complimenting me. My life took a fast forward then as I started to date, met my husband, got married and had two kids. As the weight came back after I dropped out of OA, the shame of obesity came back with it. I was only at a normal weight range for less than two years. I call it the "bounce" syndrome. Many people in my life now only know me as fat. What I learned that first time is that many, many people felt no reservations about giving me advice, questioning my eating plan, commenting all the time about how I looked in this outfit, that outfit, how my neck looked, my arms, my ass, etc. And don't get me started on how many people were judgmental about the 12-step program 26 years ago (including my husband, who called it brainwashing), and asking, "How long do you have to keep going to those meetings?" And always asking how much now? What's the total now? Granted, it was mostly family doing this. But in retrospect, I realize that I contributed to it because in the beginning, I was so happy to share the numbers. Then the numbers got really big as I was getting small, and I felt like I couldn't just be a thin person. I was forever answering people as an obese-turned-thin person. I hope to lose this weight one last time with my band. And then I want to live as a thin person, and stop talking to outsiders about the obese person I used to be. Just let me be thin and go look at somebody else's body. Hope this makes sense.

@@2muchfun, or in my case yesterday, eating while angry/stressed. I made a lovely piece of chicken, and sat down to eat. I was 3oz in when I felt like I shouldn't take another bite. Only then did I realize I'd been inhaling my dinner. Literally two minutes had elapsed. Moral of the story: don't eat while arguing. Fortunately, I stopped, felt all right but a little "full", gave some to the dog (he really likes my band) and left the room to chill out. No harm done, but I was surprised how easy it is to forget to slow it down.

I can take a bubble bath comfortably now. And there's more water in the tub because it's not all being displaced! I can get out of the tub without pain. Used to take me several minutes of maneuvering, and lots of grunting and groaning. Love me my bubble baths.

Darn quote feature is way too touchy on my phone. Sorry. "We try to look for soft satiety signals such as hiccups, burps, runny nose. These are signals we've eaten enough. Of course, losing the hunger feeling is also a satiety signal that it's time to put the fork down and stop eating." Meant to say that I concur with @@2muchfun, and add that I don't feel these signals in time unless I eat much more slowly than before. If I don't slow down, I still feel these signals, but after I've eaten too much.

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Lee, that's fantastic! Congratulations!

@@Teachamy, LOL quoting text is dicey on my android. Anyway, meant to say no trouble. It was an eye opener, and I love reading your posts, so keep them coming!

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Welcome to your new life! Good luck and keep us posted!

I'll call Monday if it's still noticeable. Meanwhile I'll cut back on the dairy* and see if that is a factor. My brother always said milk made him mucousy and he eliminated it from his diet. I never noticed a problem with dairy before, but people here say that after banding you tolerate some foods better than others. I always assumed that meant in your stomach, not your nose. *"I'll cut back on the dairy". I almost typed, "I'll cut the cheese."

*hopes she responded to all her responses*

I'm not PB'ing or having any issues with food backing up at all. It's all in my nose.

Has anyone who's ever been too tight felt nasal mucus?

No, I'm actually very happy with the way my stomach feels and don't even feel tight. I took my Tylenol easily today. I just notice the soft stops if I eat slowly, and I'm not hungry between meals and not tempted to eat slider foods. They actually want to do my second fill at the end of May, but I'm waiting to see how my upcoming vacation goes first. It's just the back of my nose. Not even my throat really. I'm not clearing my throat. Just this nasal gunk. No headache, no cold symptoms, clear nostrils. And it's not related to a meal. It's all day. Maybe it is allergies. It's been raining in Chicago all week. Ugh.

Try to keep your Protein in your stomach longer by not drinking for an hour after eating. I know the recommended time is 20 minutes, but I had more success with an hour. The trick is to drink before you eat, wait a few minutes, then eat. I'm guessing you're on liquids the first 48 hours post-fill. Protein shakes like unjury powder held me longer than other foods like Soups. Try not to snack between the three meals. When I snacked, even a glass of milk, it woke up my appetite. The tricky part is still getting your Water in, but aim to do that continuously before, not after, a meal. This is what worked for me and I wasn't hungry. Good luck.

I thought this was a residual symptom of a long lasting chest cold I had post-op (over two weeks long) but that's been gone over a week now. I was banded 7 weeks ago. I got a first fill 5 days ago. 4.5 in a 14cc band. I feel good and can sense some satiety faster than before, and have not had any foods give me trouble. I'm not too tight and my NP even told me I could go back to taking my Tylenol caplets again for my arthritis. (I was either crushing them twice a day or drinking disgusting liquid cherry flavored acetaminophen.) All's well with my band. However, this week I've noticed nasal mucus at the back of my throat all day long. It just sits there and it's not super thick but a little thick. Yuck. I carry tissues with me now so I can spit it out. My breathing is clear. It's just this slimy clear phleghm-y gunk at the back of my nose/throat. I thought maybe it was spring allergies, but I'm not sneezing, puffy or itchy like I used to get years ago. I've been allergy free for many years. I'm back on food after being on liquids for 7 weeks, so I'm eating more dairy (cheese), whereas on liquids I had one glass of milk a day. Dairy never did this to me pre-band. Then it dawned on me.... I read here somewhere that when the band is irritating the stomach, the body makes more mucus. When the stomach is swollen, like it can be slightly in the mornings for many people, the stoma may actually have a mucus glob sitting there when you wake up. For this reason, some people start their morning with a warm drink to flush the stoma before eating Breakfast. I adopted that habit last week myself, and have had no trouble eating breakfast. So my question is, is my body making mucus in response to my new fill, and if so, is it common to notice that nasally, even though my stomach feels fine? Will it settle down after awhile or am I doomed to this back-of-the-throat yuck forever? Anybody else have this? I've ditched several of my zillion meds after surgery already. I'd hate to add Mucinex into my daily routine. Told ya it was gross.

Welcome to Bandland! Good luck and keep posting!

How long do you need off work for a panni?

Name, real or screen~JustWatchMe Goal weight for May 31st~240 Weight on May 1st~250 Age~53 City/State~Chicagoland Dietary goal for May~eat healthily in Italy Exercise goal for May~2 miles on treadmill at home, use hotel gym in Italy Personal goal for May~healthy vacation with no regrets Date banded~March 13, 2014 Total weight loss since banding/pre op diet~52 pounds Favorite Flower? Plumeria

Tmf, don't scare her! Tracy, you go girl! And feel free to rant and rave whenever necessary. (Many of us have.) But stick to it! You can do it!

My doc did not have a set number, but the psychologist wouldn't clear me for surgery until I broke my tv snacking habit. I lost a month there. Everyone's loss is different, and there are a lot of different pre-op diets. You'll lose if you adhere to yours, but you'll probably slightly gain right after surgery from swelling and healing of tissues. It can take 3-4 weeks for your body to drop the surgical weight gain, but it will come off if you stay on plan. I've had a good weight loss, but I've been very compliant. The scale bounced up and down, but now I'm steadily losing. Good luck!

"Will I ever be normal?" Why start now? Sounds funny, but for me, I've never eaten normally. Always, my whole life, I wanted more, the most, the best, the most delicious, seconds, thirds, an extra secret meal at home late at night, etc., etc., ... That was normal for me. I just want a new normal. I am thrilled to trade what was for my new normal. As of yesterday I've been on solid food for a week. Today I went to Subway and bought a six-inch sandwich. I came home, cut it in HALF, sat down and took ten minutes to eat that half. And miracle of miracles, I was done. And satisfied. I almost cried. I want this new normal so bad. I go out to eat with my normie BFF once a week. I eat slowly, and by the time she's done, I'm nearing the end of my meal, having consumed about half of the amount she ate, and about a third of what I used to sock away. And it's all good. Take out containers are my friends. I truly feared missing my old pal, food. Guess what? Food is still my friend. But I'm happy - HAPPY - with way less of it. Don't despair, it starts to turn around soon. At least it did for me. Stay connected to the feelings that come up, but don't eat over them. We all have to learn how to live a "new normal".

Delove32, your profile pic is beautiful and your complexion is gorgeous! I thought the same thing when I saw your photo. Healthy= beautiful! Woo hoo!