morningoasis811

Hi Lindata, I totally get ya. Floating Compulsion or Addiction transfer is what I've heard it called. we're on the same page for sure!

I was banded on 10/25/07 I read Wendall's post while I was home recovering. I think i'm missing something and I want to be part of this October thread. What is the frustration? My first fill is scheduled for 12/12 (6 weeks) I too got the Allergan Lap-Band that he is speaking of. My weight loss has slowed down as I've gradually progressed in calories as directed. I'm following my post op guidelines to a T and not going over my calorie limit. I eat about 6-8 times a day about a half cup at each sitting. I'm getting my Protein in. I went from losing 6 pounds one week, to 3, then 2.2 then 0.4 this last week. I thought I'd lose more with more calories because I was kick starting my metabolism again... who knows. the unknown and starvation mode are frustrating to me. Not sure I'm on the right page here. Thanks for the guidance.

Zicam nose spray is a miricle elixer. A week before surgery I got a crazy cold with the worst head congestion EVER. It's a bit pricey (like $8-$9) but it's the only cold remedy that delivers what it promises. 12 hours of a clear head. And you don't have to swallow anything! I sound like a commercial, but I really was amazed. I hope you feel better.

My surgery clinic recommended 2-3 weeks before returning to work. I took short term disability and was off for 2.5 weeks. I think that was the perfect amount of time for me. I wasn't required to take sick or vacation time. I had my surgery on a thursday, came home friday night. Couldn't keep any liquids or pain meds down on Saturday and went to the ER that night. I stayed in again until the following Tuesday. (I had a lot of inflamation and couldn't handle the pain meds and was super dehydrated) So there is NO way I could have gone back within a week even. Everyone is different though. I tend to heal slower in general.

Hi, What were/are your stats at one month post op? Plus your comments on how you feel about the rate of loss so far? Day of surgery weight: 254 One month post-op : 238 Pounds lost from surgery: 16 Calories at one month: 800 max I feel like I'm in starvation mode. I've been at a plataue already for the last week or so. I can't excercise for another two weeks. I'm carefully tracking everything I eat, calories, protien, liquid and so on. thanks for posting your stats to share.:clap2:

That's exactly what I heard. I was told I can't even drink decaf coffee or tea. 1) Caffiene is a diuretic and it's hard enough for us to get all our liquids in anyway. 2) It's a stimulant 3) Tea and coffee have acid which can contribute to ulcers, gerd, reflux and more... so even decaf still has the acid... The message seems to be consistant.

I got my band about 2.5 months after my 27th birthday. I am so happy with my decision. Since I graduated high school (nearly 10 years now) my weight has gone up and down drastically. I have my education now, I have a great job, I'm married to the man of my dreams, I want to buy a house and have kids... my life is great... accept I was still fat and struggling. I fugure get it while you're young! learn to live a different life, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks right? I'm looking forward to my new life ahead with the band, the ups and the downs. I know for sure that it will be better than any life I had before it. Good luck!

sorry, I don't want to find another addiction, I want to get to the root of why I have an addiction, fix that crap and move on with my life with new coping skills. Why just toss more stuff in your baggage to carry around with you the rest of your life in a skinny body with all the same mental problems. That's not what I want for myself. If my body is going to be healthy, my mind better catch up. I'm too young to have this crap plague me the rest of my life. I have better things to do that battle addiction. The boards are awesome support, I'm so glad I found this website. I don't know anyone else who even knows people who got the band. there is so much insite and wisdom on here, different points of views and experiences to learn from.

For me, my addiction to food is like a disease. I compare it to feeling like a drug addict (my dad has been sober for 15 years now) He stopped the drugs but his disease of addiction (head hunger for us I guess) tells him he can control it, that he can have just one bite, he deserves it. But he knows his life is better without drugs, He says that it is still a daily struggle sometimes to not turn to any substance as a coping mechanism. I feel the same way about food. I did find relief from my compulsion and obsession from food by working the 12 steps in OA. I'm not endorsing this answer for everyone because we are all different. I'm simply stating that this I know has worked for me in the past. I lost 90 pounds on my own and the obsession was completely gone, I was relieved. However, I stopped working the program, life got in the way and I got cocky and thought I could do it on my own and I didn't need help anymore. I had it under control. Well I gained back 80 pounds in one year! Then my Doctor suggested the Lap-Band for me. She still asks that I go to OA meetings. *rant*:whoo: I keep thinking that if there was surgery that would help people quit drugs or alcohol becuase it was killing them, they would be required to go to AA meetings and go to rehab and stuff. Why is food different? Because it's socially acceptable? food is taxable? we are american gluttons? Why is there not stricter mental after care for WLS people? I'm disappointed in the after support that is encouraged or provided by my surgical team. I know my band is a tool. And I need this tool. I had been successful on my own before but I was missing something. I'm hoping this band plus excercise will be my key. I also know that I need to be right in the head. I can't control my food. I'm an addict and I have a problem. Take what you like and leave the rest. thanks.

I was scheduled for an overnight stay so they told me to plan ahead. I brought a light robe (for when you're up walking around to cover your bum and for warmth. *Note too, that when you're walking it helps to hold a pillow to your tummy for support, but you also have an IV pole, so I used the robe belt to tie the pillow around my tummy, I just tucked the pillow inside the robe. It looked silly, but it really helped. Bring slippers for sure. Eye mask and ear plugs, nurses are lound and neighbors are noisy. tooth brush and toothpaste. Your mouth is nasty after you wake up from surgery. I list of phone numbers since you can't use your cell phone, I was bored so I called all my friends. Clean underwear I was too groggy to read any books or magazines. Just mostly TV. Plan ahead in case you need to stay longer. I was in for one night, home for one night then back in the hospital for 4 days due to dehydration and over inflamation, I couldn't keep Water or pain meds down. Good Luck!

I've been taking over the counter Miralax powder each day, mixes clear with Water, and I'm going twice a day like clockwork. My Doctor also perscribed me Colace (Docusate Sodium) which is a stool softener and safe to take every day for weeks at a time. I was advised to stay away from LAXATIVES - Stool softeners are you want. Less gas, less drama, more calm and very "regular". The colace helps you hold more water in your colon to help move things along.

This is a really interesting thread and something I've thought of asking as well... I chose the band over the bypass for a few reasons: 1) I have not had kids yet and it can be adjusted when I get pregnant 2) I have lots of abdominal issues already stemming for a birth defect called Gastroschisis. I have malrotation of my bowels and adhesions holding everything together in the wrong place. So they wouldn't be able to go in and re-route and remove my guts. I already have digestive issues from all of that as well. 3) slower healthier weight loss 4) No dependence on suppliments the rest of my life 5) It's adjustable, so there is less risk of stretching out the pouch, like with the bypass, if you stretch back out you're screwed, we can have our Drs adjust to assist us a long the way. Thank you for all your posts.

My top weight was 46, I think i'm 41 now

Thanksgiving marks my 4 week Bandiversary! I'm on my second week of mushies. All the good soft stuff is loaded with fats and sugars. So I'm making the sweet potatoes and green bean caserole this year with low fat low sugar everything to help me out. I plan on mashing up some white meat turkey 2oz or so. 1/4 c yams & 1/4 c of green Beans and sauce (no crispy onions and mashed up) I'll have a 1/4 of the LF pumpkin pie filling for desert and that's all I plan on. Lord help me!

I'm a Client Services Manager for WebEx Communications. We're an web conferencing service that Cisco owns. Located in Sacramento, CA.

Yeah, My surgeon said NO STRAWS. I'm being very careful and following all the rules to a T, but not with the straw thing. I find that i will forget to drink if I can't just lean down and sip through a straw, especially now that I'm back to work. I got travel Water bottles with the straws, I stick straws in my Protein shake cartons. But the straws help me sip slowly and get all my liquids in (which I struggle with). I used to Gulp water out of bottles. I am aware of the gas and do feel that I may be getting too much air, so I'm trying to be very careful and aware of the air. Maybe i'm being stubborn and need to give them up. I do still get gas, normal I think though. I'll check with the Dr. again on my first fill date 12/12. Thanks for everyone sharing their no air tricks... I do burp and fight back hiccups alot. Damnit! must be the straws.

Hi abckids, How cool! I'd register mine if they told me how... What kind of band did you get (brand name?) I got the "Allergan Lap-Band System" What is this Post-op bag you speak of? I want to know if I can get one...

I meant Schmoe, like a schmuck and average joe. sorry I can't type today. I'm just making words up.

My husband was used to skinny girls, he said he never had a preference, it's just whether he like the girl or not. Guess he really liked me and I'm the biggest he's ever had. He said the sex is better, I'm not very self/body conscious though when it comes to sex though. I figure, he was attracted to me when I had my clothes on, nothing changes size wise when they're off! so I have a good time! Anyhow darling! That guy was a schoe as everyone has already said, but girl, when you have it with the right guy, it will be awesome! In losing weight before sex got way better, I could reach things, bend over further and so on. Have fun and don't let one bad apple spoil the bunch. You're a badass making yourself a better person. Don't let this guy bring you down after all you've been through! go get 'em tiger!

I'm a newbie and find all threads to be very helpful. I never seek advice, I look to learn from other's expereince with the same thing I'm going through. Every BODY is different. It is very hard to find people around me who have had the band. I can name 10 with the bypass, but I had to dig and dig through my network to find people that other people knew to get advice from before I got the band. I didn't find THIS website till a week before I got my surgery. I had done a ton of research, looked at studies and at obesity help... but again, most experience is for the bypass. As a newbie I was asking a TON of questions, even to bypass patients. I was asking about the mental challenges, eating with others or spouses, obsession over weight, is it weird not to be hungry. Some bandsters and bypassers were like "wow, that's really good you're thinking about these things... I just went for it" I was astonished at how many people just jumped in to this. I needed to know everything for elective surgery. I doubted myself, my decision... how do i know I could keep it off with the band? I wanted to make sure I was in good mental condition to make the decision... there is a lot that goes in to this and it is a very serious thing. Thanks to everyone who posts RnR's, inspiration, positive and negative. Yes some is scary for newbies, but you HAVE to know these things before you elect to get this done. Know the statistics, talk to real people! you must. We are all here for support we can't get anywhere else! we need each other on here. Thank god for the internet!

I have a friend who got the gastric bypass, he's lost like 120 pounds so far... and is now an alcoholic. I've heard this put as "Floating compulsions" It's how we cope. If we don't learn how to "really deal" with our issues, we will just transfer our coping drug of choice so to speak.

Hi there. I'm in week 1 of two weeks on "mushies" or pureed foods. I'm just curious as to what everyone else is eating. I'm looking for some variety and just to compare, I'm really curious. This is what I've been eating: Morning - 8oz Protein shake Snack - 1/4 c. low fat ricotta lunch - 1/2 c. bean/veggie Soup with mashed chicken added Snack - 1/2 c. tomato or other low fat creamy soup (squash, mushroom) dinner - 1/2 c. bean/veggie soup with 1/4 c. meat, Beans, or potatoes Snack - 1/4 c. sugar free puddings or popsicle 600-700 calories 60-70 grams of protien I also drink about 3-4 bottles of Water a day I space out the 1/2 c. portions over 30 min or so Thanks for the input.

I have a fast paced desk job and I was told to take off 2-3 weeks. I had my surgery on a Thursday (10/25) and went back to work about 2.5 wks later on Monday 11/12. I'm still pretty sore and don't have lots of energy. I think by this friday I'll be back up to 100%. I stretch and walk around a lot.

Do you know about how many calories a day you're consuming? Im only at about 600-700... Lucky, you get to have coffee and tea? They said no to the caffiene and no to decaf because of the acid... I'm going to start drinking veggie juice for sure. I'm tierd of just Water and protien drinks. A full 1/2 cup at one sitting sounds like so much to me. Maybe I'm babying myself. I should be feeding my metabolism more. I only get hungry at night, but i'm affraid to eat before going to bed. I'm going to modify a little bit to like what you're doing and see how the hunger goes. thanks for the tips.

I was on Protein liquids for the first two weeks, 4 0z per hour Mushies - 1 week - 1/8 - 1/4 cup solid portions with fluids still Soft/chopped - 1 week - 1/4 - 1/2 cup solid portions along with fluids Timeline:They also said that it should take 20-30 min to finish these small portions... whatever, they get too cold. I take about 10 min to eat that small amount. They are all a little different. I'm trying to stick to smaller portions. Like for lunch I have 1/2 cup of bean soup, but I have 1/4 cup each half hour. that helps me. I'm worried about stretching out my pouch too soon.