btrieger

Katy, I stand corrected. Thanks!! April, signatures don't show in blogs. The groups may be the same way.

Me too. Somebody here coined the term "scale whore" and I love it. I weigh myself multiple times a day but only record my weight from first thing Tuesday morning. I also don't let myself get upset with a little gain here and there.

I think you are mistaken but I may be wrong. I think once you add a signature it will appear on all of your posts. Either way, I see her signature just fine as well.

Don't weigh yourself until at least Tuesday Miler. Your stomach is still swollen from surgery and your body is full of IV fluids.

Congrats!! A journey of 1,000 miles starts with one step (or something like that) Whoa! I'm waxing philosophical.

To fill the sandbags with, right?

Congrats and it's good to see everything went smoothly!! I keep trying to tell people to not overthink things. Your surgery sounds like mine and many others. Uneventful and boring. The fearmongers here keep trying to scare people on their way to surgery with stories of pain and the inability to sleep normally. They have some stocking up on enough supplies for 10 years as though they won't be able to ever leave the house again.

Congrats!!!

Great!! Congratulations!!

Congrats!! Very inspirational!

Ditto! Or as suggested you could sit there watching the clock and take a shot every three minutes. That sounds like as much fun as watching grass grow or paint dry.

Were you recently banded? If not, get to the hospital. I've had a heart attack and my chest felt just fine. I've also had pneumonia and it felt like my lungs were on fire. Dehydration can't also cause your lungs to hurt.

I am 4 months post-op today and 40 pounds down. I think setting goals is great but deadline goals such as three months or 3 years are dangerous. If you make that goal, great!! What if you miss it by a little or a lot? Depression; frustration and a sense of failure set in. Is it worth it?

Welcome aboard and keep reading. Getting stuck is nothing to be afraid of. You should try avoid it but it won't kill you. It's like stubbing your toe or twisting your ankle. It's painful at first but you get over it. Depending on the circumstances you may even laugh at your own stupidity when you get stuck. I do. I usually murmur, "oops!" and then head for the bathroom.

Restriction is a relative term and means something different to everybody. If you are expecting a little guy with horns or a halo to sit on your shoulder and remind you not to eat too much or too fast; it ain't going to happen. If you want to feel restriction now, eat a bunch of fish and rice without chewing well. It's there. I got stuck prior to having any fills and it is no fun, kind of funny but no fun. The first fill following surgery is usually 6 weeks out. You probably won't feel much different after the first fill or maybe even your second but be careful and chew everything very good. If you are careless, the band will remind you it is there.

I had no bandages and got the ok to shower immediately after surgery. I was told to not scrub to vigorously at the scars.

It's normal. As mentioned, you are still swollen and possibly full of CO2. You've also got a lot of IV fluids in your system. I was back to my old self in 4 days.

Stacie, Great news. If I have a slip or erosion I am not going to be able to use heart burn as a diagnosis. I live on spicy food. So, I am just used to it.

Katy, Your missing another popular one. I just can't remember which it is.

Reheated frozen foods are nothing near what they were when fresh and I end up having to use the oven anyways because the microwave dries everything out and makes me get stuck. There is no happy medium. It worked great when I had a roommate because he'd eat anything. I'd just cook; take my portion and give him the rest. Restaurants are working for me. I'm still losing. My wallet is taking a hit but nearly as hard as before.

Journaling is no fun but it helps in figuring out what may be causing weight gain or a plateau. To be honest, I only did it for 7 months. I stopped only after I was confident in my ability to measure the size and quantity of food by eye. Give it a shot and if it proves to be too tedious then try something else. I used the Bodybugg site but a popular free site is Calorie Counter, Diet Tracking, Food Journal, Nutrition Facts at The Daily Plate

Get a Bodybugg and it calculate your BMR for you and be more precise. It will also tell you how many calories you are burning at any time during the day. Downside is that it cost about $250. 1,800 calories is what my nutritionists had me on in the past and prior to getting banded. I have been doing 1,100 - 1,500 since getting banded and it is working for me. My current nutritionist asked me how many calories I am eating instead of telling me a certain number. He is happy with my current intake and so am I. But I am not working out a lot.

Am I the only one that noticed that she said her intestines acted up? Apparently everything went down OK. It doesn't sound band related to me at all. Perhaps a stomach bug. I eat Mexican at least twice a week and have had no issues except with soft corn tortillas. I am super tight at the moment and had a chicken enchilada and refried Beans for lunch yesterday without an issue.

I barely remember being rolled to the operating room. I was watching Private Benjamin on the TV on the prep room and next thing know, I was being awoken after surgery.

I suggest you journal everything for a least a couple of months to ensure yourself that you are estimating correctly. Also, about restaurants. Not all of us have families or others living in our homes to share our meals with. I love cooking but it is really inconvenient when living alone. Who in their right mind is going to waste 45 minutes to an hour cooking a 1/2 cup of food? And if I cook a full meal; should I eat the same thing all week or throw the majority of the food out? Restaurant avoidance is not a reality to some of us. Instead there are different guidelines: Don't eat at any restaurant that has a drive-thru Have the waiter take your glass away when he delivers the meal Ask for a to-go box as soon as the meal arrives Place at least half or your meal in the box before you start to eat I also avoid soups in restaurants because they tend to be a bowl of salt Nowadays, I am getting 3 or 4 meals out of a single restaurant entree.