ladybug3

It really feels more like pressure is put on it and it's pushed at a funny angle. I don't mind that I can feel it through my skin, it's the discomfort that bothers me. I can see that it might get better as I lose weight, but at what point? Unfortunately, my belly is where a lot of my weight seems to have gathered, so it might take a while to get rid of it all. And since the girls aren't exactly high and perky, where my underwire hits is actually kindof low on my torso. Gah. I'll see what the doc says. I'm sure it's not a big deal, I'd just like them to know this is an issue. Thanks for the replies!

I don't know if this is the right forum, but I just have to say this: I love having a band! I was just banded on Nov. 16 and I have lost almost 30 lbs! I haven't had a fill yet. I feel so awesome! Christmas was easy, I didn't overeat, I was asked by someone who doesn't know about my surgery if I'd lost weight! I haven't heard that in years! I can wear clothes I haven't worn in a while! I'm at my lowest weight since I got pregnant with my third child, who's now two! Anyway, there were a lot of starchy foods at the Christmas dinners, so I was really careful about eating only a few bites of those things (potatoes, stuffing, etc.). I had only a couple bites of my favorite Desserts and mostly ate the meat. I was talking to my dad last night about how finally, for the first time in my life, I feel like I'm in control of myself. I can finally decide what I want to eat and how much I want to eat of it. I still deal with head hunger, but not nearly as much as I did at first. At first, I thought about food ALL the time, but now that I'm on soft foods, I really don't think about food at all until I'm hungry. Wow! And I enjoy the food I do eat SO much more because I'm eating it slowly. Being banded is really changing my relationship with food and I'm so happy that it is becoming normal. I'm just so happy I did this and I feel for the first time ever that I can actually succeed at losing weight. I feel like I have a chance to really take care of myself and can stop wishing that I would somehow get my act together. I know that this might prolong my life (I have health issues that precipitated this surgery). I will probably never be old because of my other health issues and I really look forward to enjoying the life I have. I even have more energy now. On Christmas, even after a long day at my parents' house, when we got home there was such a beautiful snowfall that we all bundled up and went for a walk through the neighborhood! It was something I'll never forget, being with my husband, watching our kids in their Christmas clothes and boots climbing the snowhills and just enjoying it instead of thinking about how tired I was. I am so grateful for this band and this chance at a much healthier life than I ever could have had on my own. Sorry this is so long, but I just had to share it with people who'd understand! :confused:

I was banded on Nov. 16 and am down 28 lbs! Yay! That's much better than I expected, given that I was a fairly low BMI to start with. My first fill is Jan. 15.

I want to keep this one going. Sometimes there are so many complaints as we all get used to this new way of life. But there are some really wonderful things about it, too. I notice how much more people eat now, too! I was out for lunch yesterday and was amazed at how much other people ate. I'm not being judgemental, because I know that I'm not eating very much, but it was still pretty amazing. We know serving sizes have gotten bigger in America. But eating a much smaller amount really makes you notice it. And I'm really horrified that *I* used to eat that much (or more!). Ugh. I've loved walking through stores knowing that by my birthday in six months, I'll be able to wear those clothes comfortably. My dad usually takes us kids (including my cousins and SIL) shopping, but I haven't wanted to go in years because I've been so uncomfortable with myself. It's just not fun. But he already knows I expect a major shopping trip for my next birthday! I've always liked fashion and used to be really unique in my style, but that's become impossible. I used to get most of my clothes at thrift stores, not because I didn't have money, but I like vintage and offbeat things. I've become so "vanilla" since being heavy. So I'm really looking forward to discovering myself again! And I'll have more time to discover myself, since I don't spend so much of it eating anymore! LOL!

Thanks. :eek: I just had to gush a little because my Christmas eating experience was so different than any other year. And it was great! It wasn't hard, I didn't feel deprived. I was just able to enjoy myself without all the things I used to think I needed - the mounds of potatoes, the wine, the Cookies, etc. And I wasn't exhausted by the end of the day because I hadn't loaded down my body with too much food. My experience has been very positive. I'm sure there will be bumps ahead, but so far, I am totally happy. I think everyone should have a band! LOL!

LOL! I just posted on the general forum about how much I love my band! I've lost almost 30 lbs with no fill yet! And I feel great! My NSVs are pertty similar to all of yours - baggy clothes, wearing my awesome knee-high boots without them being tight, etc. I think my biggest one is the confidence that I know people can see. I feel awesome. I feel in control. I feel like I can do this and I can be healthy and I can be attractive and I can be ME! I have more energy, I don't think about food all the time. I'm only eating when I'm hungry. I'm paying attention to my body instead of punishing it. I had the picture experience too! All of a sudden, I'm not paraniod about having my picture taken! I was afraid that if I suddenly died, there would be no pictures for my kids to remember what I looked like, which didn't seem like such a bad thing to me. But not anymore! Now if I could just get my husband to actually take a picture. LOL! I still can't get my wedding ring off, but I know I will soon. It hasn't come off in three years. That will be a major NSV! Yes, I love my band, too.

Ok, I just started soft foods yesterday and I have a dillema. I ate an egg yesterday and was not hungry for seven hours! Today, I had some soft chicken from an asian salad and again, not hungry for hours. I ate about three bites of sloppy joe (just the meat) at dinner, but I really wasn't hungry, so I quit. I know we're supposed to have regular meals and I'm sure in a few weeks this won't be a problem, but do you all eat when you're not hungry so that you don't skip meals? It's weird, because I was so hungry while I was still on liquids and now I'm so not. I'm sure this goes away, but I really am wondering how other people handle not being hungry once they're eating real food. Thanks!

I think I'll look better (although with more wrinkles and lots of saggy skin!), but when my mom had her gastric bypass, it was really weird. At 53 she had virtually no wrinkles, but she was 150 lbs overweight! Now that she's about 130 lbs, she's had a couple of face lifts and other various plastic surgeries to get rid of wrinkles. It's not that she's vain, but that instead of always looking younger than her age, she looked older! The really funny part of it to me is that people always asked me if I even recognized my mom since she'd lost so much weight (she was overweight for most of my life, expect for short times when any given diet was successful). The truth is that now when I look at pictures from when she was heavy, that's who I don't recognize! To me, how she looks now is how I always saw her, even when it wasn't how she really looked. I think that looking and being healthy (and then dressing the part!) always looks better than being overweight.

I'd probably opt out of the party if I could. That's what I did for Thanksgiving with my hubby's family, since I haven't told any of them that I had surgery. If it's a party you can't miss (some companies are like that) I'd take my own food and just say that I'm under doctor's orders for a health issue I don't want to discuss. Lots of people have to have special diets for one reason or another. But I wouldn't risk eating something that you're not supposed to. The party is one night, but the band is for the rest of your life. One bite here and there probably won't hurt you, but a whole dinner? I don't think it's worth the risk. You could certainly call your clinic and ask their advice, too. Good luck!

That's too bad you don't like it. I put it in practically everything I eat - which has mainly been soups and mashed potatoes at this point. I would never mix it just in Water. Yuck. I put the vanilla and the chocolate into my coffee. I like carrying some of it with me so I can mix it into foods when I'm out so I don't overeat and I get enough Protein to not be hungry. I have the travel packets which I keep in my purse. The unflavored could also be mixed with a fruit smoothie or something. They should have sent you some recipes when you ordered it. Some of those look good. I hope you find a way to make it work!

Yeah, I usually eat seperately from my kids during the day for sure. I think one thing I'm having a hard time with right now is that I'm both trying to think up interesting things I can eat (I'm still on full liquids) and thinking up meals for the family. I'm so bored with liquids and it's hard for me to find enthusiasm for two sets of meals every day. I know this will get better with time, but it is an issue right now. Fortunately, we were given a lot of food by friends, so I haven't had to think too much, but we've been doing a lot of sandwiches and pizza lately. That's not normal for use and it will change, but... ugh. I'm glad to know this isn't such a burden later on.

I have a question about eating with family. I'm married and have three small children. It's been really weird while I've been eating my Soups and watching them eat all sorts of things I can't eat. I start on mushies next week, but even afterwards, I wonder how I'll handle some of our normal dishes. We eat a LOT of chicken, hamburger and shrimp at our house. While we don't eat a lot of Pasta, we do occasionally have spaghetti (whole wheat pasta) and we eat a lot of sandwiches and wraps. We don't eat mac and cheese or hamburger helper (I mostly cook from scratch), but I've found my interest in food is so low right now that I barely remember that dinner is still my responsibility. I do use my crock pot often, especially now that it's winter and that will help with softening the meat. I guess I'm just wondering what people have found to work for them when cooking for a family with small kids, especially. I'm also wondering how people with small kids handle the needing to chew a zillion times and eating slowly. Even before my band, I was always the last one at the table because I'm such a slow eater, but I found that I ate more than I wanted to because I was so busy talking to (and correcting!) my children that I barely noticed what I was eating. I would hardly even taste anything until the second serving. But it's hard when I'm in the middle of chewing and someone's about to spill his milk or has fallen out of her chair. Ideas? Thanks!

My dietician told me that lattes are ok. I know she'd prefer if I used SF flavor, but I really don't like it (I used it when I was doing Atkins). I have always put half the flavoring in anyway (eg. two pumps in a grande, vs. the regular 4 pumps), so that's what I still do, although I get talls now instead of grandes. I've also added vanilla unjury to my lattes with no flavoring and that's not too bad (I wait for them to cool!). I do get decaf, since now that I'm off the caffeine, I really notice how it affects me. I used to be a big-time coffee drinker, and I do still have it occasionally, but it's not every day anymore. This band is making me healthy in more ways than just the eating! I've cut caffeine, I quit smoking, I'm moving more, the list goes on! Yay band! LOL!

I'm just going to add, I tried this with coffee. I waited for the coffee to cool down a bit so it wouldn't clump. I used the chocolate, but I'm going to try the vanilla next time because my favorite drink is a vanilla latte. It's not bad at all and I love that I'm having coffee and that it's helping me not be hungry and get close to my Protein goal! I'm definitely getting more of this!

Once I was on full liquids and able to have more Protein it got a lot better. Now I just have to deal with head hunger! I have a Protein shake in the morning. I add protein powder to practically everything I eat, which is all Soups at this point. I like tomato Soup with milk and protein powder. One thing I'm really liking is canned chicken and cooked brocolli blended with the chicken soup unjury and Water with just a tad of cream of chicken soup so it's not quite so runny. I've also added saueted mushrooms to it for more flavor. I eat about a third of a cup and I'm full for hours! I have a magic bullet too, which I love, love, love, so I just make several servings and keep it in the fridge. If you're still on Clear Liquids, try the Isopure drink. It's a little tough to get down, but it has lots of protein in it. But if you can have mashed potatoes, you're probably on full liquids. Add protein powder to the potatoes so they stick with you more. Or put unflavored protein powder in any blended soup. I also have these packets from GNC that are a drink mix like Crystal light but have 10 grams of protein. Those are nice for when I don't want to eat, but am feeling a little hungry. I'm personally not big on sweet things like some of the shake recipes, but I know other people like them. There are a couple of threads on here with some recipes that I've tried and liked. I've also found 0 calorie flavored waters to be a big help for me in getting my water in, since I really don't like plain water. Good luck!

I just got some samples and so far have added the unflavored to my soup and it seems to be ok. It has much less taste than other "unflavored" protein powders I've tried. I haven't tried the others yet. When I have some $ I'm going to order some unflavored since I'm still on full liquids and am having a hard time getting enough protein.

I suggest the Isopure clear protein drinks. They're a little tough to get down (they leave a weird feeling in your mouth), but they have 40 grams of protein in the whole bottle. I also got these protein packets from GNC that you mix into water like Crystal light. They have 10 grams of protein. I don't know how many calories they have. But day 5 I was so weak, I was miserable. I saw my dietician and she told me I needed protein. Those to-go packs of protein really helped. Obviously, check with your clinic about whether things like that are ok for you. It gets a lot better once you move to full liquids.

I was still on Clear liquids, so I think I had some chicken broth while everyone else ate, but I was ok with that. My family is so supportive. We had a ham dinner at my parents' house this last Monday and I did have some mashed potatoes (now that I'm on full liquids) and a couple very small, well-chewed bites of ham. I am also enjoying not feeling stuffed after a meal, although I rarely feel full, either, which I don't enjoy as much. I'm supposed to eat only up to 1/2 cup of whatever Soup or liquid I have and I am often still hungry. Sometimes I have more because I find I need just a little more to feel satisfied. Sometimes I wait the half hour and drink lots of Water to try to fill up more (or I'll have a Protein drink, since I find it hard to get enough protein in the soups). I am looking forward to being able to eat small amounts of almost everything at Christmas, but not overdoing it for the first time in forever!

Hi. I was banded on the 16th and I am starving! I'm only eight days out right now, but man, I get hungry. That bums me out. I was really hoping I'd be one of those people who never feels hungry. I was on Clear Liquids until yesterday, now I'm on full liquids for three weeks. I really needed the Protein. In fact, I think that's what I feel more than actual hunger (which hurts! Weird!). I feel more of an energy lag and then I have some Soup. I have a Protein shake in the morning. What kind of protein power do y'all mix into your Soups? The ones I have make my soup taste disgusting! I'm trying to get as much protein as I can, so I'm mixing it into everything I can, but I'm not a sweets person, so I don't enjoy that many shakes and smoothies. I much prefer warm foods. Hopefully I won't be so hungry now that I'm eating more substantial foods.

Since I'm still in liquids, Thanksgiving wasn't too hard. Other than watching everyone eat what was reportedly an exceptionally good turkey! I did dip a finger in the gravy just to taste it and in the mashed potatoes and just smooshed them in my mouth until they were nothing. Actually, that was Friday. Thursday I was at home alone, having sent my hubby and kids on to his side's gathering, since I just wasn't up for it that day. I'm only 8 days out, plus I got the flu this week, so I was still not ready to be around people. Even yesterday ended up being a bit much for me. Christmas will be a lot harder, since I'll be on mushies and soft solids at that point, but with no fill.

Hi everyone! Well, I was just banded on Friday! Everything went well, better in fact than the doctors had been hoping for. I needed to stay on aspirin for heart stuff, but the bleeding wasn't too bad. They kept me overnight, just to keep an eye on me, and I came home last night. It's nice to be home, although I miss the hospital bed. My kids are still gone (we farmed them out for the whole weeked) so it's nice and quiet around here. My abdomen is pretty sore - I need help sitting up, but the girdle thing helps a ton! I'm also feeling pretty bloated. I had really bad pain in my shoulder from the gas, but that's mosly gone now, too. I'm taking the liquid percoset right now, but I'll start moving to Tylenol pretty soon so I can drive. Anyway, I don't really have any questions yet, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I did it and it went great! Thanks!

I know how you feel. Most of my family and friends have been supportive, but I decided not to tell my husband's family or his best friend, who is good friends with DH's sister. I'll tell them eventually, probably around Christmas, when I'll still be on mushies, but will have had some weight loss. I felt bad, because my inlaws themselves would be fine, but my DH's sister is a gossip and I just didn't want to deal with judgment from her or her husband (who has a history of saying inappropriate things) or her spreading rumors to the rest of that family. I was honest with my DH and he understood and was supportive. His folks have been very good about not asking questions or prying (they had two of my kids while I was in the hospital). I'm sure they'd like to know, and I will tell them, but I didn't want to hear horror stories, either!

I just had my band on Friday. We farmed the kids out for the whole weekend (Thursday night through Sunday) and then my mom has been taking them during the day for this week. I do miss them, but the noise and chaos is a lot for me. I have had some pain and NO energy (I have other health issues that affect this, too), so having the days to myself has been wonderful! I have three littles, ages 6, 4 and 2. The 2 and the 4 year olds weigh the same and I have not felt up to lifting them yet. I guess I would recommend at least having care lined up and if you don't need it, great. But if you do, you want to be sure to be cared for. I'm sorry your husband isn't supportive. That must be so hard.

I was feeling really good yesterday, but last night I started feeling icky. I'm quitting the percoset because I was feeling nauseous. I was having a very hard time breathing last night. Plus, I started having diarrhea, too! I talked to my doc this morning and he told me the breathing might be a reaction to the glue they used to stop my bleeding (I had extra bleeding because I was on aspirin). He also told me to take ibuprofin instead of Tylenol for the pain. I have a bit of a temp, so I'm supposed to let them know how I'm doing over the next couple of days. I'm still pretty weak. I'm really glad my mom has been able to take my kids every day this week! Good luck to everyone else!

I think some apprehension is normal. I mean, you are having surgery, after all. I know that I wasn't sure, even as I went in! I had really considered postponing. I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with the food restrictions during the holidays, my toddler's 2nd birthday is on Wednesday and he never had a 1st birthday party because I was too sick after my heart attack, etc., etc. But my DH really encouraged me to go while I had momentum. It came up fast, and I'm only three days out, but now I'm glad it's over with! That being said, you do have a lot going on and I don't think there'd be anything wrong with your pushing it out a couple of weeks. I would think that your recovery would go better if you were more relaxed going into it. Just my two cents.