MissChristina

Hi! I am approx 7 months post op and have been at my "sweet spot" for about a month. Believe me you know... my doctor always tells me the goal is for you to NOT FEEL HUNGRY for 4-5 hours AFTER you eat. Right now that's exactly where I'm at. I eat breakfast and don't look for food until 4-5 hours later for lunch- it's like clockwork. Then after I eat lunch- I don't eat again until 4-5 hours for dinner. If I eat in between, lets say 2 hours after lunch- I try to eat a snack, I get full SUPER, SUPER fast-- which tells me my food from lunch is still there (in my stomach) and has not finished moving passed my band. I know then, that I have to wait a couple more hours before eating. It's so amazing how it works! It really is "sweet!" lol...

I've been banded for about 2.5 months. I'm learning alot more about the band post-op recently, and mainly learning about slider foods and things that will help me feel full the longest. What are you favorite meals now that you've had the surgery?

OMG that FREAKS me OUT! I'm so scared of that happening to me. What are the indications of a stretched pouch? How can you avoid it?

I'm having the same problem with hair loss. It's starting to freak me out. I'm very interested to see if anyone else is dealing with this and what they've done.

My doctor gave me the ok to execise right away- just no weights. I was able to add weight training after my first fill- which was about 5 weeks post op. I had my surgery on a Friday, and got on the eliptical that same Sunday. As for the swimming- I swam after one month post-op. My scars were healed up, no open wounds, so my doctor gave me the "ok" A lot of things you just make a sensible judgement if you should do it or not. When in doubt, call your doctor!

Of course!! That's the whole reason for the band to begin with. That means you're on the right track! :thumbup:

It's all in how you view it. I know I panicked the day I was having surgery wondering if I was making the right decision. My boyfriend told me- "It took you months to get here, and you could have backed out a billion times before this- but you didn't- which means you know in your heart you're doing the right thing." So I say to you the same thing- you knew what you were getting into, you know in your heart it's the right thing for you. It's for your health. Think of all the reasons that made you choose to do the band to begin with- focus on that. Everyone is a critic and unfortunately not everyone understands why you made this decision, but you can't allow that to deter you from your personal goal and reasons. The band is a tool, not a solution, it's going to be difficult and there are still going to be struggles, but if you keep your focus you WILL succeed like so many of us. Good luck!!

wow! Great job JulsJourney. I'm hoping for 2 pounds a week. My weight loss has slowed down a bit, but I just signed up for the gym again, so hopefully that'll bump it up some!

I use straws all the time without any discomfort- it doesn't give me gas either. I really don't feel any difference?

Great question! I'm eager to hear what everyone else does. This is my biggest battle.

Morning!!!!!!!!!! Have a fabulous day!

I am so ready to get to my "sweet spot"! I hear once you're here you really start to feel the restriction and lose the weight. Is this true? I have 9cc's (or is it 8cc's?! I can't remember! eek) in a 14cc band so far. I feel the restriction SOMETIMES if I eat too quickly or take too big of a bite. I'm eager to get to that point where I really feel it... :tongue2: When did you find your Sweet Spot? How long after your surgery?

I was scared to eat salads, but had my first one yesterday and it was just fine and SUPER delish- I missed it! Like everyone else says- just be sure to chew- small bites and CHEW! It's all trial and error, everyone's body reacts differently to different foods. I hope it goes well for you.

I can have white bread and pretty much anything else I want too. What are "slider foods?" I've never heard of that? Maybe that'll make a difference if I understand the different types... It is trial and error... I ate fast today and BOY did I feel it! Woo... It was so uncomfortable. I have been lucky to have nothing "stuck" longer then 45 seconds, and I don't want to!

Interesting! Thank you! I think I'm going to try to write things down. I don't really pay much attention to the time frames of when I ate last- which I should! I eat and drink at the same time- that has been a HUGE battle for me, but I hear that it causes you to feel full for a LESS amount of time? Is that true? Or does it depend?

I can eat the size of a salad plate right now- and the doctor told me this is fine. I eat at the same pace as before and can eat anything I want- and I have 9 ccs' in a 14 cc band- I'm so ready for more restriction- but I too am curious if I'll ever be able to eat that 1cup and be good for several hours. How long does it take?

everyone's body is different. I know for me- I weigh 300 but wear a size 20. Some women are in a size 20 and only weigh 220 pounds. I know that for me a size 12 will be at a higher weight- I will never be 120 pounds, even though I'm 5'2- the doctor even confirmed this. with my body structure I would look like skeleton at that weight. So my goal weight is around 175 too.

My doctor told me week 2 I can eat mushy food/pureed, so I can begin this tomorrow morning. I am NOT going to be eating any meat pureed- gross. However, I'm curious to what others did for this week? What's acceptable? What were you able to eat? I'm so glad I made it through the Liquid Phase! There were days I thought I wouldn't!

I was banded last Friday and took off 7 days of work. I am glad I had this week off cause being on liquids you feel very tired and have limited energy. I feel I'm healing well and though I don't WANT to go back to work, I know I'll be ok once I'm there on Monday.

I had my surgery last Friday (the 17th) and don't feel hungry unless I know I haven't had anything for a couple of hours. I am still on liquids until tomorrow. I can drink about a cup and a half worth of broth and I also drink protein shakes and herbalife shakes- only about 16 oz though and I'm stuffed. If you're hungry, eat. Don't starve yourself. Drink water or make yourself a smoothie.

i had to crush tylenol today for the first time, I chased it down with a small bit of juice- that helped cover the taste. Hope you have a speedy recovery! Congrats!

I'm 5 days post op and I'm feeling a bit shaky. I've been drinking my fluids so I'm not sure why. Could it be the lack of sugar? I was on the pre-op diet for 4 weeks with no sugar/ light carbs and now post op I'm going into the 5th week of the same thing. Are we aloud things like juice? An ice cream milkshake? for the sugar? or no? Or could there be another reason for this weakness feeling? :smile:

I was banded on April 17th and by the 19th I was in the gym- I;ve been doing 30 minutes on the elliptical. Today I went walking in a park. As long as you feel comfortable, why not?

I made it! Like you Deb, I'd never had any surgeries and the thought of the anesthesia freaked me out alot. I had a panic attack at 4:30 in the morning yesterday and cried my eyes out about how scared I was. I have an amazing boyfriend who calmed me down. I was at the hospital by 7:30- originally had my surgery scheduled for 10 but for whatever reason it got pushed up to 1pm. Talk about a Long wait! Luckily I had my family there (more like an entourage) and great nurses that really helped me keep my mind of it and reminded me I had nothing to worry about. Afterward, the surgeon told my father and boyfriend that I did "beautifully" and my liver was very small, which meant he could tell I was dedicated to the pre-op diet. Despite my minor easter cheating I stuck to the diet BIG time the last week- which obviously helped. I feel good now, no major pain, walking around and slowly drinking a Protein shake. I can already feel the tightness when I drink too much or take too big of a gulp. I am so excited. My family and everyone on here is right- there's nothing to worry about. If you follow the directions it all goes smoothly. :tt1:

Thank you all so much. I have 2 more days... tomorrow I have my pre-op testing- blood work, ekg, chest xray, and of course i have to sign paperwork. I also have my FULL day of all liquids- AHH! I have been feeling on edge all day since it was my last day at work- I'll be off for the next 11 days. I'm so nervoussssssssssss