marfar7

I got my band 2 yrs ago and my first "real" meal was a Burger King cheeseburger. So yes, I know what it feels like to not eat quite so healthy and be disappointed in myself. For the first 4 mths or so after I had the band, I felt no restriction whatsoever. And I ate just the same amt I had eaten previously. It took till my 3rd fill to get some restriction. I've now lost 100 lbs with about 13 left to lose with perfect restriction. And I still eat quite a few things I shouldn't be eating. If I could eat perfectly, I wouldn't have needed surgery! I agree with the others - stop beating yourself up and understand that it's ok to blow it occasionally. Once you have restriction, it'll become easier to say no to certain things and pass by certain things. Good luck to you! Marci

I physically CAN'T drink anything for about an hour after eatng or I'll throw it up. I can feel when the food is low enuf for me to drink. Makes it hard eating spicy foods. I've heard to the reason not to drink while eating is that it pushes the food past your pouch faster, making you hungrier longer. Marci

I drink up until O eat and then usually about an hour afterwards or I vomit. I can tell when the food is down, depending on what it is is how long I have to wait. Marci

I'm going on a 7 dau <Mexican cruise on te 18th. I went on a 4 day one in March and ended up losing weight (was seasck so I threw up almost everyting I ate). This time I have a presription for a patch for behind my ear. Hope I don't gain any weight! I also plan on having a margarita (I have about 2 a years!) Glad you had a good time. I can't wait to go snorkeling in Cabo San Lucas! Marci

My doc requires a 24hr clear liquid diet - then regular food. I can't even do 24 hrs of the liquid diet! It reminds me so much of the post op diet when I coud only have Clear Liquids for 4 weeks! I just had my 5th fill about a month ago. Marci

Thanks to everyone 4 your kind responses. I hope to be at 135 by my wedding in Dec. Today I feel fat. I had a docs appt today (my primary, not my wls doc) and he told me it looked like I gained weight! Uh, I've lost about 8 lbs since I've seen him. My fiance thinks he's crazy, but it made me feel really bad.... Marci

I also can't physically drink after eating or I throw everything up. I have to wait for at least an hour - most of the time more than an hour. So I can't wash anything thru too soon. I can drink up until I put that first bite of food into my mouth, but after that, it's a no go. I've read that this is called the "cork effect" - that the food makes a cork in my esophagus and when I add liquid, it comes back up. I haven't read too many people that this happens to. It really sucks when I eat spicy foods! Marci

Hi! I see alot of topics on why you can't drink while eating and most people say it's because the Fluid will wash the food out of your pouch sooner. I physically CAN'T drink until well more than an hour after eating (sometimes longer) or I'll throw up. It sucks while eating spicy foods. Does anyone else have this problem or am I the only one? It sucks if I forget to take a pill that I need to take and then I eat. I can't take the pill for over an hour later. I can drink up until the time I eat, but then forget it - even yogurt. Marci

Hi! To be honest, there are times (like Thanksgiving for example) where I wish I could eat more! Or watching some people eat, I wish I could eat more. But no, most of time I'm happy with eating less, much less than before. When I think back to almost 2 yrs ago and the portions I used to eat - whewww. My fiance gets jealous sometimes of my "contraption" (as he calls it) and hates to count carbs (I don't count anything, I just eat whatever I want, just much less of it) Good luck with your surgery. Once the weight starts dropping off, you won't miss anything - except maybe at holiday time! Marci

I'm one who doesn't measure either. Sometimes I put too much on the plate (my eyes are always bigger than my stomach!) and I just leave most of it. I had a frozen meal the other day and I put it in a measuring cup just to see how much there was. Exactly 1 cup. So I think I'm doing well. I don't usually finish a frozen meal. Marci

I had this same cough for about 5 nites a few weeks ago. I read somewhere that it's a sign that your band is too tight. Mine went away tho. I noticed it also after eating nuts, the first nite, then 4 consecutive nites without eating nuts. I'd call your doc. Chances are if you haven't noticed this before, your band isn't too tight. Good luck! Marci

I also take all my meds. Never had a problem with em. And I take a handful of them. Even right after my surgery I took them. Marci

Wow! Congrats! Yeah sizes definitely vary. Yesterday I went to try on wedding dresses (my 2nd wedding so I'm going with a simple pink short froc, not a full on wedding dress) and the lady measured me. Last weekend I tried on a pair of size 8 Levi's at Macy's and they fit. That's definitely the bottom half of me. The top half is still XL. At least it's not 3XL like it used to be. Anyway, after the lady measured me, she told me the top half of me was a size 16 and my hips were a size 4. Wow. A size 16. Now she explained to me that wedding dresses are usually 2 sizes smaller than regular sizes which would actually put me at a 12. But I'm very unhappy with that too. So, while I weigh 151, I wear an 8 in pants and shorts and an XL on the top. Not sure how you fit into a 6 at 155. Maybe you're taller (I'm 5'5"). But good for you! I can't wait to be in a 6 on the bottom and maybe a L on top! Marci

I guess I'm one of the "bad" ones who drink an occasional soda. I rarely drink diet anymore tho - because I usually have about 5 sips of the stuff maybe once a week, I figure might as well have the real stuff. And I read that most people who drink diet soda are fat. I do miss it with a burger or pizza (yes, I still eat those things, maybe about 6 bites) but since it makes me throw up if I drink after eating, I do mind that rule! I'm not sure what soda is sposed to do to the band, I pictured my band exploding during the first 6 mths after having my band in which I was terrified of trying soda. I've never finished a whole can of soda tho. A few sips does me well - give me the burps really badly tho. Good luck! Marci

Congrats! I couldn't believe when I hit 199. It was so wonderful! You're doing great - keep up the great work! Marci

I also take a handful of pills every day. From thyroid meds to antidepressants to pain pills. I'm also still on 1/2 my dosage of blood pressure pills (hoping to be off soon tho!). I've never had a problem taking them. I have to remember to take them about an hr before I eat tho - just in case I get stuck I won't throw up my pills also. Plus I can't take them after I eat because I can't drink anything for an hour. Ask your doctor tho. My doc says as long as I can tolerate them, then go ahead and take them. Good luck! Marci

If it were me, I'd take whatever pain meds I needed. I don't think you'll get hooked from a couple of weeks of taking meds as prescribed. People who get addicted to them take them for long periods of time and more than the prescribed amount. Good luck to you! Marci

I spent one night in the hospital and was released at 9 am the next day. It was required for my insurance. I think most peoples is outpatient tho. I was instructed to have only Clear Liquids + Protein shakes (1 oz every hour) for 4 weeks! I think my doc required a little too long and I was bad and didn't follow instruction. By the 2nd week I was eating tomato Soup 3x a day along with my chicken broth, Jello (I can't even look at jello anymore!), popsicles, and crystal light. By the 3rd week I was eating cottage cheese, mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs. By the 4th week I was eating everything - and I mean everything. My first real meal was a cheeseburger from Burger King. I know that's bad - after having wls, but I wanted it so badly. It went down fine. So did everything else for the next 4 mths. It was at about 5 mths when my band was adjusted correctly and I've now lost almost 100 lbs. Oh, and my doc did give me liquid vicodin. I needed it as I was pretty sore. I refilled the script once (2 bottles) over a weeks time. They gave me morphine in my IV in the hospital. That was pretty nice! Good luck! Stock up on jello, broth, popsicles, and crystal lite! And I found that the whey Protein Shakes with 52 gms of protein from Walmart tasted better than the $50 stuff from GNC. Good luck to you! Marci

Wow! Congrats! You're off to a great start! Keep up the great work! Marci

I tried on a pair of Levi's the other day at Macy's and I thought I'd check the 8's to see how much further I'd need to go to fit into them. They fit perfectly! I didn't buy them because they were $60 but I went home and ordered a pair of Gap white pants size 8 from Ebay. They arrived today - didn't expect them to fit. Figured they'd hang on my door until I could fit into them. Just need to hem them a little! They fit perfectly! In almost 2 yrs I've lost 97 lbs - with about 16 left to the 135 goal I have. I'm getting married on Dec 3 and would love to lose it by then.... Marci

I'm 16 lbs from my personal goal of 135. My docs goal was 150 - and I'm 1 lb from that! It's been almost 2 yrs (Oct 1, 2009) and I LOVE my band! My 4th fill lastest over a yr (just got my 5th 3 weeks ago) and I've started losing again after being stalled for about 6 mths. It's so nice to eat a few bites of something and be satisfied. I don't usually go for the childrens menu tho cuz it tends to ne chicken nuggets, hot dogs, etc. I'm going on my 2nd Mexican cruise next month and I'm not worried at all. In fact the last one I was on in March, I ended up losing a lb. I do feel bad for wasting food at buffets tho. I love, love, love my band! And to think I started having doubts about it when it wasn't working the first 5 mths I had it - until it was adjusted correctly! I tried on a pair of Levi's the other day at Macy's and a size 8 fit! A single digit! I can't even remember when I wore a single digit size. Congrats to everyone on their successes! Marci

You don't necessarily have to quit eating your favorite things. Like the poster above, I occasionally also go to Olive Garden. In fact, I went this past Monday nite for my fiances birthday. I had seafood alfredo. And chicken gnocchi soup. I ate about 4 bites of each, about 1/2 of a breadstick and the rest is still in my frig. I* can eat whatever I want - just in much smaller quantities. And I love that about the band. If I could eat a perfect diet, I wouldn't have needed the band to begin with! You're totally normal. The night before my surgery (I didn't have to be on a pre op diet at all) I went to Outback and had ribs - thinking I would never eat them again. I ate about 1/2 a rib just last weekend at a bbq. Something weird happened tho recently - yogurt started tasting better than ice cream!!! Good luck! Marci

Little Teapot, The first 5 months after my band was like I had not had surgery at all. I could still eat large portions and not feel full. It took until my 3rd fill before I felt "it". I started out at 248 and almost 2 yrs later, I'm down to 151 with about 16 more to go. I love my band. I just had my 5th fill 3 weeks ago (my 4th lasted over a yr) and that's boosted my weight loss again. I have a 14cc band and I didn't feel anything until it reached about 8cc. I had to have 2cc removed in Dec because I irritated my band and couldn't keep anything down. He put back 1cc 3 weeks ago. I'm now at 8cc and it's perfect. I'll be extremely happy if it lasts another year like the last one did. You're just starting this journey. Most people take a few fills before they reach their "sweet spot". It's very rare that I see someone on here with no fills or just one fill and they lose all of their weight. You could be right around the corner from your sweet spot right now! Good luck to you! Oh, and I do have a Realize band also Marci