Drasan

Gingerjane, I'm sorry you had such a painful experience but now I'm happy to see that you've worked through it. I just wanted to thank you for starting this thread and to thank all those who have posted such wonderful responses. At first, I was dismayed and a little shocked at how many people knew about my surgery. Apparently, those I told didn't have any second thoughts about sharing this information with anybody and everybody. Silly me, I just assumed they would keep it to themselves. Now I get the sympathetic, pitying droll, "How are you?" I smile brightly and tell them that I am fantastic! (I really am fantastic!) And I love the surprised looks. What are they expecting, a sickly, deprived, whimpering dupe? Educating one curious onlooker at a time!

I went to a Mexican restaurant while I was on mushies and ordered a side of refried beans. It had a little cheese melted on top and tasted like a bit of heaven. mmmmmm

I understand the inability to say no to sweet treats. They've got my number! I like sweets and Desserts. I'm not going to deny myself sweets the rest of my life. What I'm hoping to do is to control the amount of intake. I can't keep sweets in my house. That can become an instant problem for me. Since my surgery, I've thrown away pies, easter candy, Cookies, etc that people have brought into my home and left behind. Oh, not ALL the jelly Beans made it into the trash. But like vlp mentioned, choose something lower in calorie and fat content. Jelly beans = 2 calories each. What I am finding that I'm able to do successfully, is to have a taste or two of something when I'm with somebody. I think having another pair of eyes on me helps me check my sweet tooth. Lots of good suggestions in this thread. I plan to use them too! Thanks for your post and good luck!

I'm still laughing! Loved your story, I shared it with my husband, now he's laughing too. Thanks for making me smile! :thumbup: Congrats on your wonderful progress!

Before surgery, my surgeon told me that I should be able to eat anything when I moved to regular foods as long as I ate it correctly; eat slowly and chew it well enough. I don't want to go without the occasional pancake or french toast for the rest of my life. I haven't had my first fill yet, but so far, I have been able to eat everything I've tried by following my surgeons instructions. Please, say it isn't so!

Hi Timbergirl I was banded on 3/10, we're almost twinsies. Something that has helped me is to remember that my new pouch is about the size of a lemon. I was told to imagine that amount of food when I eat. I'm trying to keep my meals around 1 cup of food or less. That helps me to avoid that uncomfortable feeling. I have had the full feeling which has brought me close to what you are describing. The posts I've read to your thread make a lot of sense to me. There are good people on these boards. Good luck! :confused:

Glad to hear you're repaired and doing all right! You can and should add Protein shakes to your full liquid diet. I only had to do full liquids for a week, then to mushy, pureed foods the next week, then soft foods for the last two weeks of the month. Good luck to you! Gentle hugs

Thank you Betsy! I had a salad for lunch and for dinner today! I was in heaven. And you're right, it was like the best thing I ever tasted! I didn't know how much of it to eat. But it worked out most excellently. I concentrated on eating my Protein first and then the salad. My lapband told me when I was full. I'm still always so amazed by that. When I stopped eating, I looked at how much I'd eaten and it was about the equivalence of 1 cup. Awesome! I chewed the heck out of it, cause I'd read that lettuce could be difficult in another thread, and it worked very well for me. Thanks again! Salads rule!

Today is stabilization phase!! I am CRAVING a salad. But I still don't know how to measure it. Please .. how do you measure your lettuce? kll724 I'm sorry to hear that you have so much trouble with lettuce. That's a sad thing in my book. Thanks for posting!

Thanks for the replies! They made me smile. Since I first posted I went to lunch with two girlfriends. They both knew about my surgery and I felt like their eyes were on me. I think they slowed their eating down to make me feel more comfortable. What great friends. But after dinner they ordered coffee. I'm thinking oh no, I can't drink anything yet. So I ordered dessert. They both looked shocked. I ordered creme brulee. I slowly ate 3 small bites while they drank their coffee and I felt completely satisfied. That is the first time I have EVER left any dessert on the plate. And that was my first diet deviation in over 40 days and I feel no guilt. It was awesome.

Thank you everyone for the replies. I'll fly through security with more peace of mind.

I completely agree with Betsy. Let me bring to mind the pictures you may have seen in a National Geographic of naked people of all ages. Do you recall seeing breasts on older women hanging practically to their knees? As women age the fatty tissue in the breasts break down and what women are left with is loose skin. Gravity can be such a downer. :biggrin:

I'm 4 weeks post-op and I've had hiccups, burps and that uncomfortable feeling but more in the center of my chest, not mid abdomen, which I've learned means I'm full. I've never hiccuped so much or burped or had my stomach make such funny sounds before. :biggrin: I read a thread on here about the sounds in our stomachs. It was pretty funny. Sounds like your right on track.

Tomorrow I get to begin the stabilization phase of my post-op diet. I cannot wait to eat a salad! But I don't know how to measure fresh leafy veges. They chew down to nothing right? Help please?

JDG - I'm just a newbie too but here's what I try to do. I'm in the soft food phase. In 3 days I go to the stabilization phase and I can't wait to eat salad!!! Yay! At each meal, I try to get 3 - 4 oz of Protein (greek yogurt, eggs, LF cheese, fish, meat) 1/4 c vege, 1/4 c fruit (sometimes replaced with starch). I've found it really helps to get the 20 oz of Water in between each meal. Occasionally I feel hungry between meals, so I have a small banana. My old habits of eating at night still haunt me sometimes, so I have sf/ff hot chocolate made with water or herbal tea, so far that's working. Like Kay, I sometimes supplement my protein with Isopure Protein Drink. This was recommended to me by my surgeon. btrieger - How you doing? Haven't seen you on the boards lately! I got the number of 60-80 grams of protein from the information that was given to me by the Director of Bariatric Surgery at the hospital where I had my surgery. I always want to learn more. If you have other information I'd really like to read about it. At support group we were told, this isn't an exact science. Everybody will have different needs and finds ways that work for them.

Wow! I'm sorry you've missed all the posts on here about Protein. My 'former' NUT put me on a diet that was too low in protein. I worked up the numbers and they came out around 45 - 50 grams a day. This was only 1 of many questionable recommendations that my 'former' NUT came up short on. So I took the initiative of finding another nutritionist. I knew from reading all the posts on here and the other literature that I was given at seminars, pre-surgery and post-surgery that we should be getting 60-80 grams of protein a day. I've come to the conclusion that I am the project manager of me. I am taking responsibility for my diet and my health. I use the information that I'm given by my NEW nutritionist and my surgeon. But I've also done my research and if something isn't jiving, I ask questions until I'm satisfied. Good luck on your journey and don't take any wooden nickels.

Fun video! Helps to motivate me even more!

Nobody else feels rushed when eating with others?

I should add that I'm flying out of the country which means increased security and also different regulations for security in other countries.

I do! I so understand. People brought potluck to Easter dinner. I was able to usher most of the leftovers out the door, but desert got left. A Peanut Butter pie and a key lime pie. How cruel is that??? Everyone is aware of my surgery and how hard I am working to eat right. I didn't eat desert at dinner, so WHY leave desert at my house? I actually felt a little pissed off. So, I took my anger out on the pies. I dumped them into my sink with running Water and mushed them into the garbage disposal. This time, I win! One day at a time, one piece of food at a time. Throw it away! Throw it away!

Have you tried calling your surgeon's office and leaving an emergency message? Even if he/she is away, there should certainly be a means for emergency contact and consult, even after hours. I hope you feel better soon. Keep us posted.

chew, chew, chew .. right? I went out to dinner with a friend and my husband and I felt like I was in a chewing marathon trying to eat my 1 cup of food and finish in a timely manner. I didn't feel like I could engage in the conversation but instead had to concentrate on chewing. And I didn't want to keep them waiting while they watched me chew. I've heard that we should be able to eat 1 cup in 20 minutes. I've always been a slow eater. Maybe I'm chewing too well, because I can't get 1 cup of food down in 20 minutes unless it's already a mushy food. Is my timing off or am I possibly chewing too much? This beginning chewer needs help ..

My surgeon told me the pain could come and go for up to a month. I believe it's from the gas the surgeon uses to inflate the tummy while doing surgery. In the meantime, I found walking and a heating pad applied to the area helped. I hope you feel better soon.

What a great accomplishment! Your posts have been so inspirational. It makes me very happy to hear you've accomplished your goal! Congratulations!!!

As bearers of lap-bands, do we need to carry a medical card to get through security at the airport? Any information about this will be greatly appreciated. I plan to travel soon.