2muchfun

Most of the weight we lose the first two weeks is only excess fluids and not really fat. You may be losing fat but retaining fluids due to the high amount of sodium from Soups and minced meats. You should at least be walking a few miles a day? Obese people can retain several lbs of Fluid. The scale can't differentiate between Water gain and fat. You should be close to or in the solid food stage by now? Consuming slider foods won't satisfy and most have high amounts of sodium and carbs. Eat normal foods and like someone else said, back off on the carbs, especially simple carbs. tmf

Yeah, sounds like some delayed swelling. If you can't swallow water or saliva a very small unfill would be necessary. But if you can give it time, maybe the swelling will go down?

Hard to tell Jim? You need to fill out your profile so we know more about your scenario? 80 lbs in one year is good, 80 is always good. Exercise of any kind is good.

Time is all the works for me.

After my 6th fill I was in the green zone but I thought I was too tight also. So, I had .5 cc removed. I haven't lost any weight since then. But I did realize I wasn't eating properly and that's why I was too tight. Re-educating myself to eat slowly, very small and chew more is one of the hardest things I've had to do with the band. I believe many people dance around the green zone simply because they don't follow the rules, like I didn't follow the rules even though I thought I was. Some even fail because they just can't slow down. tmf

Do you have pain with soft mushie foods and protein drinks?

Or, maybe a spasm when he drinks fluids?

Does food go down OK and what is a normal lunch or dinner for you?

It varies for all of us. All of our bodies react to the band in a different way. For me, I was hungry and could eat anything right after surgery. If you don't know, the band requires the balloon to be inflated with saline via injections through the port right under your skin. For me it took 4 fills(4 months) before the band started to give me the feeling of not being hungry after 300-400 calories. These are called adjustments and some people need none and some need 6 or more. After you get the adjustment that enables you to be satiated with 1/2-1 cup of food, you shouldn't be hungry. There is so much more to it than anyone could post on a forum. There are books that explain it in detail that you should invest in if you're serious about WLS. No, no dizziness, no hypoglycemia for me. tmf

Yeah, that's up to your surgeon and it can vary from no pre-op plan to atkins to liquids only. And they may modify or sculpt your plan specifically for you depending on your psych profile or weight. tmf

I can drink or even guzzle if I want but I never experience what you are experiencing? Does it feel like it's coming from your lower stomach or your pouch or your esophogus? If it's in your stomach, you should also be tasting bile or gastric acids? If it's just saliva or slime, it's probably coming from your esophogus before the stomach? Either way it's something to talk to your surgeon about. tmf

Congratulations! You've decided to pay attention to your dreams and not your fears as someone here once said. Welcome! tmf

I want to add, that I learned the old fashioned way. It was difficult for me to not drink in the beginning but I got used to it and it's really no problem now. Occasionally I'll have(sip) a beer or glass of wine with dinner. Never with Bfast or lunch though. I notice no difference in satiation either way. But this journey is different for each and every one of us so follow your doctors orders. Maybe when you feel like you've got a grasp on how this all works with you, the band and your results, experiment a little. tmf

Here's a different take on the drinking while eating question? This new concept hasn't been around long enough for USA bandsters to even realize if it works or not? For some, drinking and eating do not work at all. I understand this. But Dr O'Brien seems to destroy the idea that sipping one minute after a bite washes food through the pouch. See for yourself: Rule 5 Liquids

It can take up to 6 fills to find the green zone. What you are experiencing is normal but unfortunately we're seldom told about this part of the journey. How many CCs are in your band is irrelevent. I have no idea how many are in mine. I only know I have good restriction and I've been in and out of the green zone a few times. tmf

Sojourner said: "I love having crustless quiche for breakfast or lunch..." So glad I read this post. I used to make this all the time and forgot about it but thanks for the reminder. How do you make yours? I like to use egg beaters and then mix a few real eggs in with it. Low fat cheese and then load it up with veggies.

My doc has no restrictions on gum but I don't chew. But I do drink after and sometimes during meals. food stays in your pouch about 1 minute so the guidelines I follow allow me to drink after a meal. Saliva and Water shouldn't have any effect on feeling full unless you guzzle 12 ozs or so? If your doctor allows you to chew gum I see no reason to wait 30 minutes? Saliva shouldn't effect anything. imo tmf

I eat spicey. Extremely hot green chili stew, home made salsa with the hottest jalapenos and I put sriracha on all my asian dishes. What you can eat really depends on how small the bites are, how much you chew and do it all very slowly. Learning to eat small, chew big and slowly isn't something that comes easily to most of us. It takes months or maybe even years to change a lifetime of obsessive gorging. Pasta seems to be the easiest for me. It's what they call a slider food. Not recommended since it's high in carbs and low in nutrition. But, eaten within reason it's OK. A pasta salad with veggies is quite alright! For me, pasta slides right on through the band without stimulating the vagus nerve, so I can eat too much of the stuff. Now, if I ate real fast and took big bites, it might get stuck and eventually give me that stuck feeling. But that's not how you want to treat your band. Maybe your doc recommends you stay away from pasta since it's a simple starch that spikes your insulin levels causing you to be hungry shortly after? jmo tmf

Not ignoring you, I just have never seen anyone post an infection before but then I don't read all the posts every day. tmf

WW can be a good tool to keep on track and for the support. But simply going by their formula to lose weight won't work for most of us. The band helps you to feel less hungry for longer periods of time. Most programs like WW rely on fewer calories eaten and that includes Soups and slider foods. These types of foods won't help you to feel satiated for long. Just be aware of this and try to stick with solid Proteins with healthy veggies in your meal planning. I'm sure you can adapt and modify their program to work with the band if you look hard enough? tmf

This is just me, but it sounds like you've got one of those anti surgery docs with too little background with successful WLS patients. You should call your insurance company and find out what they cover and what you have to do to be covered. BMI over 40 usually is an automatic qualifier. tmf

Every food you mentioned with the exception of cheese, meat and eggs are loaded with carbs. Beans, oats, flour, yogurt, ice cream, lean cuisine etc are loaded with carbs. There are apps, programs and books everywhere that define and provide nutritional values for all foods. It does sound like you need more fills. And you're pretty much where I and many others were in the early stages of our journey. No worries, restriction and the green zone will come if you continue to get your fills. I would highly recommend you sit down with your nutritionist. It really helped me and I'm a know-it-all who thought he knew-it-all but didn't. Made all the diff in the world for me. tmf

Ditto. I can eat anything I want. Even dry meat if I take very very small bites and chew it to mush.

Drinking and eating? I'm always the odd man out on this one There are some very reputable surgeons who allow you to eat and drink. Watch this video and make your own decision? BTW- If you can find time, watch all 4 of Dr O'Brien's videos. They're each about 9 mins long but well worth it. Rule 5 Liquid

You hijacker you. I think frozen foods can make the lining of your pouch less pliable causing food to get stuck. But it should only be a matter of minutes. Monitor it closely and call your Dr if it doesn't get better. Sometimes our pouch and esophogus gain strength from working so hard and can pulse the food without getting stuck. But it takes time i would think.