Jodi_620

You can get a kitchen scale if you want. You can get them in most stores that sell kitchen supplies. I don't really measure, I did at first so that I could figure out how much food I could handle but after a while you get a feel for it and are able to serve it up without weighing and measuring, and your band will let you know when you've had enough. It takes more than 1/4-1/2 cup for me though. I guess I am eating around 1-2 ounces of meat and 1/2 cup of veggies maybe a little fruit for a total of 3/4-1 cup max per meal but my needs vary from meal-to-meal and fill-to-fill. Also the type of food you eat makes a difference. A softer mushier food is not going to fill you up like a denser heavier food. I never used a scale, I used measuring cups or just used tricks to eye up my portions. Here are some handy hints: 1 oz meat=size of matchbox 3 oz meat=size of deck of cards/bar of soap 3 oz fish filet=size of a checkbook 1 oz cheese=four dice

I can not lie down soon after eating, haven't been able to since banding. I have always needed a minimum of 2 hrs. to digest a bit. Maybe you could nap first then get up and eat, for weight loss that is the better way anyway. Since my last fill two months ago, I can't sleep on my stomach at all, no matter how long ago I have eaten or had a drink. I can have dinner at 5PM and at 1AM I wake up to find that I rolled over in my sleep and my pouch contents came up. I don't wretch but the undigested food or drink just works its way up into my throat (no stomach acid).

Are you taking a calcium supplement in addition to your multi-vitamin? I take either Caltrate chewables or Viactive both have extra vitamin D as well. When I get cravings, usually for plain milk, it is a sign that I need more calcium and have even doubled the dose.

Personally I am not "hungry" as in tummy growling but more like hungry as in I need nutrition, kinda feel run down or low on energy. My nutritionist said that it is important to "break your fast" by eating breakfast within the first hour of rising. I am always tight in the morning. I have always been able to manage solid food for breakfast (as in eggs or oatmeal) but some mornings it really takes work to get it down.

First, she should have never let you leave until you could swallow properly! 3cc's seems a little high 5 weeks post-op. I am not surprised that it was too much for you. I had my band put in empty, did not get a fill until six weeks post-op and that was only 1cc. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Fills need to be taken a little at a time, that is the safest way. You will be able to build yourself up to your sweet spot, just don't let your doctor be too agressive and never leave the office if you are feeling pain after a fill. After this incident you probably have swelling so be sure to take it easy for a few days.

That is fantastic! Way to go!!!

I can eat pretty much anything but some things take more work than others and some things just aren't worth the work. There are foods that I can handle sometimes and then other times I just too tight to handle it. As you get fills your tolerance levels will change back and forth. There are a couple of items that I got stuck on or slimed on and I just can't bring myself to try them again; broccoli (mainly just the stems), brussel sprouts and dried apricots come to mind. But for the most part there is no food that I can never have again. I was also told that most people can't do shrimp but I don't have any problem with it. I can do all meats, but again depending on where my restriction is and how it is prepared, some things take more work than others. I can do bread and other doughy stuff but it takes more work than it is worth (bread just isn't as enjoyable when you have to take tiny bites and chew it to slime). I can handle whole wheat flat or wrap bread just fine though. I can do Pasta and rice just fine. All of the starches are very limited in my diet right now, at least until I lose the rest of the weight, but I have eaten the whole wheat pasta and brown rice without any issues. I chew gum...it is my vice since I quit smoking. Also, since surgery I haven't been able to burp properly which gets uncomfortable, mint gum helps settle my stomach and the chewing seems to actually help me to burp. I even accidentally swallowed it once, the day after a fill! Based on all the warning about no gum, that had me worried. But nothing happened, that was several months ago so I think it is safe to say that I am fine. Not saying you should go against your doctors orders just telling you my experience with it.

Yes, some of those frozen dinners can be quite high in sodium, that is why I prefer to buy fresh meat and produce and prepare my own meals which can be frozen. The RDA is 2400 milligrams of sodium a day. I go by the AHA rules which are 1000 milligrams per every 1000 calories (If your meal has 200 calories then I try not to let the sodium be too much higher than 200 mg).

I had to do two weeks liquid Protein prior to surgery. Two weeks liquid post-op then two weeks mushies. But many surgeons have different requirements. Yes, I have done great with the help of the band. It is truly the best thing I have ever done for myself; I hope for the same with you!

Obviously it matters to me whether the story is true or not and it seem that it matters to others as well- hence, we gave our opinon. The OP has the right to defend herself and thus far has chosen not to. If it doesn't matter to you, then don't worry about it. Agreed...especially this one!

Nobody is disputing the fact that things are tough at the border. We are questioning the validity of this particular story. The person gives the excuse for this being her first and only post as being because she didn't want to use the user ID that she usually uses here...that doesn't make any sense. Why would a regular here feel the need to create a new user ID just to tell this story??? (btw, she posted, logged off and never returned to this site)

Sounds like you are well on you way! Your BMI is about the same as mine was at surgery. I was able to drive fairly comfortably after about three days, although the seatbelt had to be adjusted so to not rub the incisions and getting in and out of my car was a bit uncomfortable. I felt pretty good after one week. I would say that barring any complications, if you do not have to do any heavy lifting, you will be just fine in two weeks. The drinking thing seems pretty difficult at first but it is mainly habit and once you break the habit it isn't so bad. The biggest thing is to make sure you do not have a drink within reach while eating. Honestly, after about a week I was fine with it....I don't give it much thought at all now.

I am told to wait a week.If you are eating too much, not staying full between meals and not losing then I would schedule another visit with your surgeon.

Worldwide Pure Protein Shakes (Vitamin Shoppe).

1.) Whether you get to choose depends on what type of insurance you have. If you have a HMO you will need to choose from their list. If you have a PPO you can choose your own doctor but you get better rates if you choose one from their preferred list. 2.) If you have to choose from a list, gather the names and research each doctor. 3.) Whether the numbers of surgeries the surgeon performed are vital or not is up to you. There are other things to consider as well. Go to seminars given by each of the surgeons, listen to what they have to say and ask lots of questions.

Happy to hear that you and your doc were able to get to the bottom of it and that you are feeling better!

Yeah, although I wouldn't be too quick to call the OP a troll, the way this was posted still doesn't sit right with me. If you want to get a message like this out, wouldn't it be more trusted using your regular user ID, the one everyone knows you by? While I agree that there is some really bad stuff going on at the border and everyone should be careful no matter where you are, I would be careful not to read too much into this particular story, not the way it was presented here.

Actually, your band is more to the left. The top of your stomach starts on the left side just below your breast/ribs, the bottom is on the right side. If you still had your gall bladder that would have been my first guess because gallbladder problems after weight loss are common. You should definitely see your doctor and get this figured out though.

Both. Drinking before and during meals fills your pouch with liquid leaving less room for nutrition. The liquid passes throught quickly leaving your pouch less full. Drinking during and too soon after washes food out of your pouch. I didn't like this rule at first either, most people drink with their meal so I think most bandsters have a hard time accepting this one. I didn't think it was something that I could get used to but I did. Now I do drink right up until my meal. I do not drink during the meal and I wait 30 minutes to drink after.

Anne, What you are experiencing is perfectly normal. It takes a little while to build up to the right restriction and as you build up, you often lose weight causing the band to get looser...don't worry and be patient, you'll get there!

I have vodka and sugar free cranberry juice when I do drink or an occasional glass of wine. Within reason, there are no health dangers drinking non-carbonated beverages but you need to watch the calories if you are still in weight loss mode.

I make a variety of Eggbeater omlets-very low fat and almost 0 cholesterol and lots of protein. My favorites are: Ham and cheese Swiss cheese, fresh spinach and mushrooms Cheese and salsa (I will roll the omlet in 1/2 whole wheat tortilla if I am not too tight) On days that I don't want eggs I have a high protein cold cereal with skim milk or oatmeal cooked in skim milk with berries or raisins. But cereal doesn't always keep me going all morning.

That is amazingly high. I live in Northern Virginia and my program fee was $475.00. That covered the inital consult, nutrionist evaluation and follow-up, support groups, support staff and use of the dietician, educational material and the coordination and collection of all pre-op stuff (test results, insurance, paperwork etc. )

I am undecided. It is a tough decision that I wouldn't want to have to make. Ideally the children should stay with their mother but they deserve to be cared for properly. I do believe that she went into this fully expecting to "strike it rich" with at the very least freebees and money from the media. It turns out she did not. If she can not find a way to support her children without expecting handouts then the children deserve a better chance at life. I don't think that children need to be showered with all the best and generally think that most kids today are spoiled but if the mother can not provide the basic needs-food, clothing, shelter and medical care then they need to go with someone who can provide it and a truly good mother would make one of these two things happen for the sake of her children.