illuminationlady

I don't have any answers for you except that you might be swollen from the reflux. Feel better soon! Call your doc and communicate. Don't be afraid to be a pest!!! Best wishes!!!

Try some creamed soups! They really helped me feel better. Best wishes!!!

I only wish I had done it sooner!!!

Less than a cup of food at any one sitting. Stretching your pouch is a myth. Best wishes!!!

When a piece of food gets stuck at the opening of your band you feel a very sharp pain and slime comes out of your mouth. Usually by bending over the sink you can get it to come up. It's not like throwing up at all. I don't get stuck very often but sometimes when I eat too fast it happens. It happened last week and I couldn't get the food unstuck, so there was a lot of sliming action. Hope this helps. Best wishes!!!

Getting stuck does not mean you're at your sweet spot. I can barely eat a cup of food and stay full for 3-5 hours. Dry meat does get stuck easily. But that doesn't mean anything. You are probably not quite there yet. It took me 4-5 fills to get there. Hang in there! You'll get there...Hugs

I weigh myself in the morning, everyday. I, too, have trouble staying away from the scale but feel it is valuable to keep me in check. Twilight lover here too!!!

Nothing really bothers me unless I eat too fast. Bummer about the yams. I bake yams all of the time for me and DH.

This is normal. The doctor filled you with a special gas to inflate your stomach for surgery. Even though they try to take most of the gas out some still remains. They are gas pains. I found that walking and GasX strips helped the most. Also, take your pain meds. Best wishes on a speedy recovery!!

The Presurgery diet may be very effective however one cannot sustain it for very long. In the long run it is better for our bodies to eat normally and lose weight slowly. I tried liquid diets before the band and lost, only to regain the weight again. Losing weight slowly is a much healtier way to lose. So, no, I would not consider going back to the preop diet and am happy with the way I'm losing now.

I was fat from the start. I was a big baby and like Hummingbird genetics was against me. My mother and father and sister all were heavy. So, I came from a fat family. My family glorified food. We had big Sunday dinners with roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy and so on. I can remember eating steak and eggs for Breakfast. We were always eating, eating, eating. Finally, when I found an interest in boys I begged my mother to take me to a specialist who put me on a very strick diet with pills. I lost most of the weight and sustained it through my teens. I dated and married at age 23. Then I went through three pregnancies getting fat and then losing the weight. I yoyoed up and down all through my adult life. I have always been able to lose weight; just can't keep it off. I even lost 80lbs. once and sustained it for 2 years, only to regain that and then some. I sometimes think the band will do the same thing. I'll lose the weight but regain it. I don't want to believe that this is it. That I won't regain this weight that is coming off now. My daughter was banded in March. I hope and pray she'll lose the weight and not have a yoyo life like me.

Try some creamed soups, cream of wheat or some greek style yogart. I know these are mushies but I had to advance to them early on and it helped a lot. You may find that hunger is part of your life for a while until you get some restriction. I didn't get full restriction until 4 months out. Best wishes!!!

Read the article posted by Gloria. I even highlighted it, copy, pasted it into a Word Doc. and printed it out! It's on my frig. and I read it periodically when opening the door! Best wishes!!!

Weight loss comes after you reach restriction. I didn't get there until 4 months out. I am just now taking off weight. During the "waiting" period (for restriction) it was everything I could do to just maintain. Best wishes!!!

Like JoJo said, I have restriction now also. This really helps in our journey. You can see I'm 4+months out now and finally have restriction. It has been a long wait but sooo worth the ride!!! It is normal to be hungry and I cheated too but don't do it often. Every once in a while is okay...just be careful. Best wishes!!!

As stated above greek yogart is an excellent source of protein and is low in sugar. It is an aquired taste but I, too, now love it. Dribble some honey on top and you're good to go...Best wishes!!!

If your going to snack...do it right and have a cup of greek style yogart with some honey dribbled on top. It has a 16 grams of protein and hardly any sugar. This usually satisfies me. Best wishes!!!

Usually if I get sick it's because I ate too fast. It's usually my fault if I get sick. My band has been very predicatable, thank goodness. Best wishes!!!

I agree, don't go in hungry. I also prepare myself mentally and tell myself before going in that I'm going to smell the popcorn but can't have it. Since being banded I get stuck on popcorn. So, I just prepare myself prior to entering the building for the popcorn smell. I bring a bottle of water also to sip on. Hope this helps! Best wishes!!!

Your words are sooo true!!! Inspirational!!! Thanks I needed to read this right now....Hugs back...

I have a snack at about 8 pm of greek style yogart (loaded with protein and low in sugars) with some honey sprinkled on top of it. I also drink more than 64 oz of fluid every day. I find both help with hunger. Protein and filling up on fluids. Perhaps a light snack as the one mentioned above will help. Just remember to measure it out so you don't have too many calories. Best wishes!!!

I was well informed by my doctor to no expect any weight loss at first and not until I reached restriction. My doctor rocks!!!

I don't consider myself a "pro" yet but when I do get stuck (which isn't very often anymore because I follow the rules) I think the most important thing is to not panic and ride it out. Don't drink anything or eat anything else. No, getting stuck does not mean restriction. Restriction is when you can eat a half to a cup of food and stay full for 3-4 hours. I am just about there and it has taken many months to get there. When I eat out, I eat Soup for fear of getting stuck. I eat all my food slowly, and chew, chew, chew. I have not gotten stuck in about a month now but know that it will happen again because it just goes with the territory. I avoid foods that I know will stick also. Hope this helps. Best wishes!!!

Congrats on the weight loss and the attitude. I was a teacher and always posted a big banner in the front of my room; "Attitude is the Mind's paintbrush, it can Color ANY situation". It's so true! Best wishes!!!

I have Fibro and deg. arthritis in both knees. The pain after surgery was difficult but I was able to go off the pain meds after about 4 days. They kept me overnight and had me on a pain pump. If I needed pain meds I could give it to myself. It took longer to recover from the surgery for me than others. I didn't feel really myself for two weeks. I couldn't lift heavy objects for about 2 months. Hope this helps. Best wishes with you surgery. Keep us posted!!!