RestlessMonkey

If you have such powerful willpower, why not just "diet" and lose? We "cheat" because we're human, because our docs don't educate us properly, because we don't see a direct causality between an ice cream cone and weighing 300 pounds. The band helps, but it doesn't solve it. But I think it's presumptuous to assume all people "cheat" to self sabotage and IMHO this type of "why cheat" thing is as damaging as the opionion, in the old days (sat the '50's-60's when I was a kid) that fat people are morally weak. Are you? I'm not. Not more than the next person anyway. I'm not fat because I'm weak. So ... when you've gone a year or so and never slipped, then I say BRAVO! But you'll be in the minority. All most of us can do is try. And we can educate those who don't know what, for example, cheating on the post op diet can do. I think being fat is too totally fraught with emotion and judgment and "why would you do that to yourself" (well duh, isn't that a good question) etc...the more we can remove all that baggage and just address the issue, the better I think most of us will be. That's just my 2cents.

Better safe than sorry...it's probably too late but fast is you can.

How many incisions depends on your surgeon, usually, and whether or not you'll scar depends on your skin type, ability to heal, and your surgeon's skill. S/he should be able to address this with you.

Actually carbohydrates provide "quick ready" energy but when your body burns stored fat the end result, ATP, is the same. HowStuffWorks "Breaking Down Fat and Losing Weight" That's one reason people lose well on an atkins type diet. i will say some of us probably convert fat more efficiently (and no I don't mean lose faster, just convert stored fat more efficiently) and so feel better cutting carbs...but when you have stored fat and are losing you don't "Have" to have 130 gm of carbohydrate or lose cognition. In fact the brain uses Protein, not carbs.

That is not true, though. Not everyone needs 130 grams of carbs. I actually do better and run smarter on way less. For this reason I say ask your surgeon and nutritionist. If they didn't put a "limit" then don't worry about it. AND do what works for you...follow a "diet" that makes you feel energetic and good, and allows weight loss. We aren't cookie cutter.

Ask your surgeon. And..you may not need B12. I didn't. Not everyone does.. Although my surgeon recommended it as "it can't hurt" it is bypass patients who need it (because of their malabsorption issues) and not bandsters. So talk with your surgeon and wait and see what your blood work looks like. And you can't get ANY injectible medicine legally without a prescription.

I know you're just healing and I'm no band doc but it just doesn't sound right to me. On the bright side, if you did "slip" or whatever you've caught it super super early and it can most likely be easily fixed! Good luck!

Then if I were you, I'd call my doc on Monday and agitate to be checked out. If you had a fill in since surgery and vomited/PB'd a lot etc you might have had a slip. Or not...don't panic. It could be normal healing... but tell your doc your symptoms.

you were probably given a fill during surgery and are "stuck". Call your surgeon monday, find out if you were filled during the operation. If so, you can either 1. chew well, small bites, small portions, listen to your body, don't eat so fast, so much and/or 2. get unfilled.

You did really well, going out and not eating! :cool: You should be proud of yourself. I'm sure you'll be a band success story! Good luck!

I think 2-3 weeks post op is a little early to start drinking because alcohol can impede the healing process and you ARE still healing during that time. Check with your doc. I can drink beer at almost 1 year out (with my surgeon's ok)...but not everyone can.

Don't buy a bunch of soups and broths unless they are something you would normally use anyway because once you're past the liquids stage you won't be eating them often. More important for me was to get rid of stuff...popcorn, Pasta, rice, chips, Cookies, candy, ice cream, crackers, etc. While I can have rice and pasta (well cooked) and in fact CAN eat any of that stuff; I prefer it be a special purchase and treat, not just "stock" if that makes sense. After the first week or so odds are you'll be able to go to the grocer's just fine, so buy what you want/need for week 1 and or week 2, then take it from there! And remember...no one "needs" cookies etc so if you have family it won't hurt them to do without for a while. I felt great from the start and you may too (it does vary) so you don't need a lot of "invalid" food...just stuff to get you through the post op Initial diet, and feed your family without you going postal on them! :cool:

It is important to 1. find out why your doc limits it, if s/he does and then 2. decide if the reasoning pertains to you. I'm lucky in that I don't appear to have issues with caffeine. I love my iced tea, my 1 cup of coffee (about 12-14 oz) in the AM but on days when I can't have it (or for example pre and post op when I avoided it because my doc said to) I had no issues; no headaches, no anger or short temper, no "jonesing" for a glass of tea or a cup. I'm glad...(I have my issues but caffeine isn't one, apparently) but we all have to use judgment.

You know what we traditionally think of as tea (orange or black pekoe for example) also has caffeine, although usually 1/2 or so of what a comparable amt of coffee would have. You should ask your doc if it's the COFFEE he wants you to limit, or the caffeine. OR maybe you meant you drink high-quality decaffeinated tea. I drink high quality Lipton myself. :cool: Which has naturally occuring caffeine, and anti-oxidants.

I guess if you trust him enough not to ask why it hurts, then you have to trust him enough to assume it will quit. OR you could call him and find out why it hurts, what if anything you can do about it, and when he thinks it will start to let up (which is what I would do, but that's just me)

May I say...get the surgery that you want, once you've researched it? If you really want the sleeve, go for that, wait until your ins will cover, appeal, whatever. They are both BIG steps requiring big changes. For years my ins would only cover bypass. So I waited. Do I regret it? NO. I still don't want bypass for myself (works for many, but it's not for me) So don't sell yourself short.

We stopped for chicken strips and a big mac, ok? Geez you're meaner than my surgeon.

Until you get restriction (and once you're through the post op healing phase diet) eating out won't really be a problem...some people make a production of ordering of the kid's menu etc...but you can just eat like a female and it'll work! Not drinking with meals is NBD for me..if you don't mention it most people won't even notice. Sometimes I'll even say "this iced tea was so good but I'm stuffed...can I have a "to go" glass for it? One thing though; when we eat out I eat more slider type foods...I don't pick something that I think might get stuck. So for Mexican I go cheese enchiladas (I can eat most of one) , no fajitas (for example) but you'll find what works for you! OH get some Papaya enzymes (if you haven't already heard of them) They are tablets with papain (and some, like my formulation I have, has cellulase and lipase) it aids in digestion and can help resolve many "stuck" episodes (depending on how badly you are "stuck") without you having to PB or vomit the food back up. So if you are out and feel "irky" discreetly chewing a couple can really really help! Just be careful not to be talking and forget to chew well! It'll become second nature fairly soon!

Well I advanced to mushies and I feel better now. K?

damn...only 2 out of three. Oh well I've had it 8 hours now and I love it.

My doc "strongly recommended" EAS Carb Control AdvantEDGE shakes and I use them...I don't LOVE them but they are just a Protein shake...I didn't expect to really like any of them! My "secret" is I don't snack (boy was that hard!) I eat anything I want to during a meal (lasts 30 min and no more) then no snacking. It is working so far! And I am a "teller"...I've told everyone. It was a little hard because I didn't really start losing until this May when i hit my sweet spot, but it's just not in me to keep it to myself. Everyone has been great, supportive, some have been curious (for themselves or a loved one) no one has been nasty, hateful etc. That's my personality though. I can't imagine anyone saying, to my face, that this is the easy way out etc (and some other BS I've read people are told). I'm a friendly outgoing type but pretty smart and usually the one people ask advice of, not give advice to! LOL So telling works. But it's individual!

exercise is great for our health..and can be another great tool. BUT skin is an organ...exercise exercises muscles underneath the skin. They can pump up some and fill areas where we've lost some fat...they can tone and tighten and look better underneath the skin, but exercise will not diminish skin. Time and whatever inherent elasticity will do that, if it's going to happen. AND losing slow won't make a difference....people may think that but the skin will tighten up on it's own schedule. Say you lose 100 pounds in 2 years and are tight, or lose 100 pounds in 1 year and then the skin keeps on tightening...at 2 years you'll be the same. Slower loss may let your skin "keep up" but it won't end up any tighter than it would if you lost more quickly. (think of a brand new balloon. Blow it up. let the air out fast or slow...it's still stretched some and won't ever be like it was)

Does your mom REALLY think that it's healthier for you to weigh 268 than to have some loose skin? REALLY? Or is that masking another worry of hers? Loose skin depends on many things including age, genetics, general health, life style, how fat you WERE, how LONG you were that fat, etc. The younger you are, the healthier, the less likely you are to have bad issues. However if you are like many of us, weighing 269 at age 29...(I weighed 186 at age 28...just as an FYI) means that unless you are one of the rare ones who diets and it works, by age 39 you'll have gained, and so on. So things probably won't get better...you won't get younger, your skin won't get more elastic. This is primo time for you; the tide is in right now, jump on the boat! And as to easy...just wait. It is a tool, the band. Not a panacea. You must make healthy choices and modify not just your eating habits but the mechanics of eating, or you'll end up with a pricey plastic insert. The band can be a miracle, just like a hammer is wonderful for hammering nails. But if you don't use it, the nail just lies there. Same with the band. You'll work. And as to the skin...maybe you'll have some, maybe you won't. (probably you won't, or not enough to matter)But it beats open heart surgery which may face you down the liine, or knee surgery, or diabetes II...or many of the other comorbidities of being heavy.

What did he say causes it? I'm glad I don't have that; I slept on my stomach from night 2 with no problems.

You have to overeat consistently and that's kind of hard (not impossible though) to do, with the band. If it does stretch I believe the treatment is generally to do an unfill and leave it that way for a while (month or so) to see if the pouch goes back to normal. Your doc can tell you more.