Melissannde

Give it time. I had a lap hyst about 16 months before banding, so between that, my two c/sections & banding, you can play "connect the dots" on my abdomen. ::grin:: My hubby says it makes a Christmas tree. LOL But seriously, even though I have a fair amount of scars, they have all faded tremendously. By the time you're ready to wear a bikini again, I bet it won't be all that noticeable.

I struggle with this too. I think I'm at a pretty good fill level because I can go 4 or 5 hours between brkfst & lunch and lunch & dinner.. most of the time don't need a snack between lunch & dinner now. But at night I'm wanting to snack. I try to eat high Protein Snacks, but now & then I do slip over to "the dark side". LOL I read recently somewhere that the reason people are wanting food (esp. high glycemic carb foods) late at night is that they are tired and the body is looking for energy. That makes a lot of sense to me. So when I get that "snacky" feeling I'm trying to 1) eat protein (liquid or soft.. not dense as I get reflux if I eat dense right b4 bed) and 2) go to bed. It's working a little. Good luck to all of us.

Actually, LBT kinda does have a "like" button. Look at the + / - signs near the reply button.. Those are kinda a like & dislike.

I don't think you're a wimp. I was in pretty strong pain for 2 weeks. (I blame the NP who refused to give me adequate post-op pain medication). By the end of 3 weeks it was lots lots better. I remember telling my husband I had new sympathy for those who suffer from chronic pain, because I was so slow to recover.

I got some kohlrabi today. It's really good. raw it's sweet and crunchy. I'm cooking some tonight and we'll see how it is.

Depending on your personal situation and how aggressive your doctor is with fill amounts, you may or may not get hunger dimming with your first fill. Very often it will take 2, 3 or more adjustments to get to where you don't feel like you're dieting. I'm not trying to be negative, just wanted to give you a heads up so you don't come back on January 22nd thinking this band isn't going to work. You have to work the band, the band doesn't work you. Welcome to LBT. Glad to have you here and also welcome to your new life!!

check out the recipes at www.bariatriceating.com The white chicken chili is especially good. I made it when on soft/mushy foods, and put my portion through the blender. My son was mad I only made a single pot instead of doubling it, it was THAT good.

Yes, I would advise asking your surgeon or your PCP what Vitamins and calcium you should be taking. Most, but not all, bariatric surgeons have their patients taking calcium citrate not carbonate because Citrate is more easily absorbed without the presence of food. My doctors want me to have a minimum of 1500 mg of Calcium a day. I take Adult Centrum chewables (multi-vitamin), either Bariatric Advantage Chewable Calcium Citrate or Citrical Petites (when I run out of the chewables and I'm not due back in for another appt anytime soon), Biotin (for hair, skin & nails), Vit. D, and a few other supplements for my particular issues. The amounts and dosages of vitamins should be determined by your health care professional. There are several companies specializing in bariatric vitamins: Bariatric Advantage, Celebrate, Building Blocks, fusion, just to name a few. Look their sites up on the web and email to ask for samples. Most of them will send you some so you can see if you can tolerate their product before buying. Hope this helps

I think so too. New member, joined 7:45am today. And took the time to leave me a personal comment before they changed over to F2F.. ROFL.

Most mornings I have steelcut oatmeal that I made overnight in my crockpot. In the morning I add 1 tbspn powdered milk or f/f evap milk or f/f half&half. 1/4 of a HUGE apple, chopped. Generous amount of cinnamon. Sometimes I'll add 1 Tbspn of chopped walnuts. Splenda or Stevia to taste. (I use bob's redmill steelcut oats which has 170 calories per 1/4 cup dry = 1 cup cooked & 7 grams of protein). I also have 1 Jimmy Dean Turkey Sausage link. (40 calories and 4 grams of protein). Steelcut oatmeal (aka Irish Oatmeal) is a good Breakfast choice because even though it is higher in carbs, the less processing of the oats makes them lower glycemic. Meaning that they do not spike your blood sugar as much as other versions, therefore you stay fuller longer. Give it a try. To make it overnight in your crockpot is really easy. you need a bowl that will fit inside of your large crockpot. I have some bowls that look like oversize coffee cups, they hold about 2 cups in volume. Perfect as this leaves room for the chopped apples. Spray smaller mug/bowl with Pam type cooking spray (not mandatory, but tends to make cleanup easier). Measure 1/4 cup oatmeal into mug. Add 1 cup Water. Place mug or bowl into large crockpot. Put lid on, turn crockpot on low and go to bed. In the morning turn off the crockpot and remove lid and let bowl cool while you take Vitamins. When you can handle the bowl, remove and add whatever sounds good to you. suggestions: chopped apples, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, chopped walnuts (measure these, they are high calorie), dash salt, sweetner as desired. I'm going to try DaVinci s/f pancake syrup on Monday along with my apples. Enjoy.

Is there a Kroger grocery store where you live? Kroger has a brand of yogurt called Carbmaster.. very low carbs in it. Or look for the PLAIN Lowfat Greek yogurt.. not the stuff with fruit added.. that's too much sugar. The plain low fat greek yogurt that I can find (Dannon, Yoplait) has only about 5 or 7 carbs and between 80 to 100 calories in a small container and usually about 15 grams of protein. I add my own fresh or frozen fruit to it. The other poster who made the observation that perhaps it wasn't that you are too tight, but that perhaps it was size of bites and rapidity of eating has a good point. Glad you're going to get in to the doc and investigate all these possibilities. I understand getting things coordinated.. my doc is only an hour away and that seems difficult. Have a good night.

My stomach has made extra noises ever since banding. I think it's just the nature of the surgery. :/ Real hunger.. I don't notice growling so much or rumbling, I just feel hungry. Head hunger: I've eaten, I'm no longer hungry but DARNIT the food tastes good and I want to keep on eating... to me that's head hunger. Another definition of head hunger for me is when I'm not physically hungry or it's only been 2 hours since I ate, but I want something to chew. I want crunch, I want salt. I try to divert myself with some activity like taking dogs for a walk or I will chew gum. two days on liquids is different from what my doc requires too, but then again, I get MUCH smaller fills that 2.4cc's. My first fill was only 1cc and everyone since then has been half that size or smaller. That could be why your doc is being cautious, because of the size of your fill. And sometimes fills can take a week or two make themselves known. I had my last fill on 22 Dec. on Dec. 28, I was having difficulty eating and when I thought about it, I realized it was almost exactly a week since my fill. I had gotten tighter. Hang in there.. I know it's difficult, but it's well worth it.

I've probably had close to a dozen fills (and one unfill, same process, just in reverse) in the 22 months I've been banded. The only one that was really uncomfortable was the first one. And that was likely due to that I was still rather tender over my port area.. and the tenderness due to my being stubborn enough to try to continue to sleep on that side, even while still healing. Even though it was really uncomfy, it wasn't bad at all. I don't get a numbing shot (I don't see the point.. it's an extra needle and the fill doesn't hurt that much). The doctor or nurse uses ultrasound to locate the port, they do a quick stick, pull back to see how much saline is in the band (this is good practice to check Fluid level each time) and then push it all back in with the additional of what they planned to add. Then the needle removed and bandaid applied. All this is done while lying down. Then they sit me up and give me Water to drink. If it goes down OK, then I'm free to continue on my merry way. Water has always gone down fine, but if it didn't, they'd probably want to remove some of the saline just installed. My post fill diet is liquids till that evening, soft or mushie foods (the one time I let myself have mashed potatoes) and back to regular as tolerated the next day. If anything gives me trouble to back down to liquids and advance diet a little more slowly. I've had the nurse not be able to find the port right off the bat a time or two. It's not a stick over and over, they move the needle just a tad while still in your skin. It doesn't hurt, just feels strange. If they use ultrasound or fluoro, it shouldn't be an issue at all. They don't use either on me now as I've lost so much. a NSV for sure!! And I totally understand being anxious. I was asking everyone and everybody about skin numbing preparations.. lol. I was plain out scared! It will likely be a lot easier than you can imagine. Hope this helps a little. P.S. I LOVE answering questions from newbs, oldsters & inbetweens. I learn from everyone and every question.

I know the fear about getting too tight again.. and if you haven't lost any, you are probably right - it's not quite time for a fill. But keep a plugging at it. It should come off if you follow the bandster guidelines most of the time. I had to have a slight unfill in May. It took till September to be ready to have it added back.. but when I did get it replaced.. whoa nelly.. it worked really well, lost 14 in 2 months.

The average time between surgery and getting your first fill is 6 weeks. Average.. meaning some doc's will do them sooner and some later. As to knowing when you need a fill, well, that's kinda subjective. But I know I need one when I'm not losing weight, when I'm hungry more often than every 3 to 4 hours and I'm starting to put larger and larger amounts of veggies on my plate. My maladaptive thinking goes sorta like this: "Veggies don't have much calories, you can have a few more, the nurse even said so". Which is all true, but if I'm routinely needing more than 1/2 cup of veggies.. something needs adjusting.. either my band or my head. Your doctor and nurses can help you figure out if a fill is in order. You can help by keeping a detailed food journal and taking it in with you to your next appt. I do mine online at thedailyplate.com, others like fitday.com or sparkpeople.com or fatsecret.com Hope this helps a little

All it says in her profile is that she works in Oncology. That could be anything from sweeping floors to answering phones to who knows what. I pray she is not an oncology nurse. I told her just recently on another thread that scolding people wasn't helpful. I see it didn't take. :::waits for the flames to begin:::

I was wondering if it was possible to block a member so that I cannot see their posts? I apologize if this information is posted somewhere, I've been looking off and on since yesterday and cannot find that option. If it isn't possible, would the moderators consider making it so? Thanks!

You must remember that most of the people posting here are those with problems. Many of us who are doing well with the band are out living our lives. I try to spend a little time on here repaying the support I got when I was new. While not every band problem is user caused, many are and mainly (I think) for thinking that the band is to do the work. Those folks depend on keeping the band tight and restricting the amount they are able to eat. I don't use my band as a strangulation device (great quote I got from another bandster!!), I weigh & measure my food, eat that and move away from the table. Granted, banding isn't for everyone. I'm thankful that there are different surgeries for different needs. I personally wouldn't want the sleeve right off the bat as I have a personal aversion to removing body parts, but that is just me. If I ever lost my band and was not a good candidate for having another.. the sleeve would be my second choice. Very glad I don't have to make that decision. Good luck with your choices.

Every doctor will have a different schedule for refeeding after banding. Why would you want to go through the surgery to start eating solids so soon? The slow progression to solid foods is to let the band settle in and make a good seating around the stomach. When you eat solids too soon, the stomach works harder (peristalsis) to break it down and you are running the risk of breaking stitches and band slippage. PLEASE try to stick to the post-op diet that your doctor prescribes. 4 weeks does seem like a long time, but surely it's not just Clear Liquids.. Call your doctor's office and try to get in and talk to the nutritionist or dietician. Be honest about what you've been doing so that they can help you. You've come too far to risk messing up now.

Some suggestions: 1) are you journaling your food intake? if not, give it a try. Pen & paper or online, doesn't matter. I prefer online cause the sites have the calorie/protein/fat/sugar info already.. don't have to look it up. I use www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate (and it has smartphone apps too), but there are lots of others out there and many are free for the basic version. I used thedailyplate for almost 2 years before I paid for it. 1a) I also print out about a weeks worth of my food journal when I go in to see my doctor. This helps us both see how I'm doing and whether I need a fill or just to make better choices. 2) I don't depend on the band to work as "restriction". I can always eat more. I measure out my 3oz of Protein and 1/2 cup of veggies and eat that and stop. 3) try not to eat the white carbs or high glycemic foods. These are things like white bread, Pasta, potatoes, rice & corn. At the very least cut down on them. Eating these type of things spike your blood sugar and make you hungrier sooner. I do eat a little bit of bread, but not often and when I do it's whole grain.. like Ezekiel bread. Veggie carbs are usually fine except for corn & potatoes. 4) Are you drinking with your meals? If you are, try really hard to stop. Wait at least 30 minutes after you eat to start drinking again. Keep your fluids very low calorie.. 10cal/ 16 oz or less. Water is even better, but I know we get tired of it sometimes. 5) if you're not doing weight training, consider doing so. Weight training is not to body build, but to sculpt and to build muscles. Done right, you won't get muscle bound, but will get definition. And muscle burns more calories even when you're just sitting around. 6) I wouldn't get another fill right now. If you're already pbing on some foods, you might be too tight. It seems counter-intuitive but we can actually stall our weight loss by being too tight as we tend to eat softer higher calorie foods then. But talk to your doctor about this. And see suggestion 1a. 7) When my weight loss slowed way down, I started taking monthly measurements. I'm still losing, but it's so slow compared to the beginning of my journey that I needed something to encourage me. Seeing the inches come off helps. 8) Make an appt to go in and talk with the nutritionist or dietician who works with your doctor. See if they have any suggestions for you. Hang in there. (I started at a 5 to 6X.. now at 18 or XL or 1X.. I'd be thrilled to be a 14. It's all a matter of perspective isn't it?? ::smile:

Burping is my soft-stop signal. Meaning when I'm eating and start burping, I better stop or at least slow waaaaaayyyy down or else the next thing I know I'm over full or stuck. I think with gastric surgery, increased noises are the norm.

I don't think of it as a "diet". I think of this as a life-style change.

If you have the realize band (and I think you probably do as I don't think the lapband comes in an 11cc band), the AVERAGE amount of fill to start getting really good dimming of hunger is about 7cc's of Fluid. This can be different for all, but since you're now at 5cc's, you are creeping up on where you need to be. Don't be dismayed at your doc only giving you 5. Mine does rather conservative fills because he says that it can take up to 2 weeks for a fill to make itself known. I had a fill 22 December.. and exactly a week later I suddenly got tighter. Why? who knows. Try drinking extra Water (or other low calorie stuff) between your meals, that helps me sometimes. And you may want to reconsider thinking of the band as offering restriction. I can always always always eat .. and I do get hungry, but not as often. What the band does for me is to let me eat a smaller amount of good quality Protein and veggies and not be hungry again for 3 to 5 hours. Some days are easier than others.. it's just the nature of the band. She's known as a "fickle b*tch". Hang in there. It should get easier.

If you're missing the fizz, not much I can suggest. If you're missing the caffeine, and your doc says it's ok.. try coffee or there's a caffeinated Protein drink called "Click" that you might like ( I don't care for it myself). I have become a big coffee fan.. with 1 tbspn fat free half/half & 2 tbspn s/f Choc. syrup (torani or davinci brands). Other things I drink: Water, Powerade ZERO, diet snapple, Propel, Lemon flavored water (forget the brand name.. but it's non carbonated). Try all different kinds of Crystal Lite (and the store brands there of.. Target has margarita flavored !! and I like the Kroger store brand decaf tea with lemon) Ever so often I will have a Fuze Slenderize but not regularly as they are 20 calories a bottle and I try to stay at 10 cal/16oz. Oceanspray has diet versions of its cranberry drinks that are OK in moderation. Keep trying, you'll find something.

I have to agree with ElfiePoo. And even though my surgeon isn't banded (as far as I know... he's never said he was) he recommends almost the same program.. 3oz Protein & 1/2 cup veggies. He doesn't suggest the grains/starches, but I doubt he would have a problem with them as long as they didn't stall my weight loss or make me want more carbs. As to "making this work for you", I'll share my own experience. Even though the doc said 3oz protein, 1/2 cup veggies.. I was SMO (super morbidly obese) at the beginning of this journey and I just could not get by on 3oz. I ate 4oz of protein for a few months until I was comfortable with only eating 3. And guess what.. I still lost really well. I was losing at almost 4lbs a week at the beginning. So fast that I had to almost beg for my first fill. Once I went in for an appointment and told the nurse I had had 1/2 cup of chicken salad for lunch, but that it didn't hold me. She said 1/2 cup is more for RNY (bypass) .. that as a bandster, I should be eating closer to a cup. As always, YMMV. Just some things to consider.