ElfiePoo

Oh...like my underwear actually falling off my hips as I walked across the living room. Gotcha (and thank God I chose to wear dress pants instead of a dress :thumbup:). .

My .02... I was back at my desk the day after surgery and back working in my warehouse the next day (albeit with lift restrictions). Two weeks after my surgery, I had to remind myself constantly about the lift restrictions because I felt really good. However, after a couple of hours walking around my warehouse, my port would get inflamed just from the movement of walking. This actually continued for almost another 3 weeks. That said...there are others on here who didn't bounce back as quickly and you won't know which you are until that time. You may find after an hour or so of walking around that you're exhausted. Also, remember that your port has just a couple of stitches in it to hold it while it's settling and you are healing. Even the most innocent of rides, ones a pregnant woman could ride safely, might jerk you in such a way that you rip your stitches, increasing the risk of your port flipping and needing further surgery. I'm not trying to scare you but you should go into this with eyes wide open (which it sounds as if you're trying to do). Final thought. I would tell your friend about your surgery in case something happens and you need medical care and are unable to speak for yourself. Cover all possibilities. Personally, even knowing how well I felt at 2 weeks...and by the way I had started back on regular foods so you're also going to be most likely dealing with lower stamina since you'll still be on a liquid diet...I wouldn't go.

ROFL...what an image. .

Frog, I also hope you'll stick around, but hope you will also seriously consider some counseling for your issues regarding fat people...because *you* are a fat people and that same disgust is aimed towards yourself whether or not you consciously recognize that. .

I agree...call your doc. I'm only 8 weeks post op and I rarely notice my port anymore.

If you are sliming and PBing, you have restriction and just ate too much...assuming you are taking small bites, chewing well and eating slowly. If you did none of these things and that's what caused the sliming and PBing and now you're worried your band is stretched, then not according to my doc. You'd have to seriously abuse your band and pouch for some time before doing that kind of damage...and I would think, seriously masochistic, to deal with the Pbing, slime and pain that would involve. .

A food journal is a very good idea. Sometimes we get it into our heads that we didn't eat much on a certain day when we've actually just grazed all day and the calories add up whether you sit down for 3 meals or eating standing up throughout the day. Also, try not to weigh yourself more than once a week. If you weigh yourself every day, your weight can go up and down by several pounds like a yoyo. Don't let that scale become your enemy. I'll bet you 'feel' like you're losing weight even though the scale isn't saying so. This is a journey. We didn't put this weight on in a few days and it's going to take more than a few days to take it off. If you're doing everything right, then the weight will come off. Just have patience :thumbup:. .

"Disgust" is such a strong word...and no not all normal sized people are disgusted by fat people because not all normal sized people are intolerant or supercilious, unable to walk a mile in the other person's shoes. You have an advantage. You've walked that mile and you know that without the band you weren't able to do it either. Now...imagine that other person who maybe doesn't know about the band...who doesn't have insurance that will pay for it...who doesn't have any kind of income that allows them to even save for it. Instead of being disgusted, feel blessed that you were not in any of those positions. :smile: .

On Christmas Day I lost my underwear. Yep, I was walking across the living room when all of a sudden I noticed my underwear had slipped down off my hips and the only thing keeping them on was the crotch of my also too loose dress pants. Thank God I wasn't wearing the dress I originally intended wearing or they would've been around my ankles!

Happy, I'm sorry to hear that. Hopefully, she will come around over time. I have the same problem with my mom. She's always been proud of the fact that she's weighed less than me ever since I was 15 years old. I only have to lose another 4 pounds to be under her weight and it's creating a real problem between us. I'm not sure what the answer is but it's sure not for us to stay fat. :smile: .

ROFL...no flat belly here. I had a buddha belly, but the inflammation around the port caused this sort of distorted look...like I had a tumor growing. Add that to the buddha belly and blech. I am glad to say that both the port inflammation and the buddha belly are gone. Oh, I still have a belly but it's now in proportion to the rest of me. .

I've only lost 6 pounds since my first fill (about 3 weeks ago), but then I was losing 2 pounds a week before my first fill. My body says differently. Since I'm not losing any faster, but my body shape is changing drastically (for the better), I think perhaps it may just be redistributing the fat for now. As a diabetic, I held a lot of fat in my belly which was disproportionately bigger than the rest of me. When I was younger, I had an hour glass figure, reminiscient of Marilyn Monroe...albeit on the plus size. :smile: Now that my blood sugars are closer to normal and I'm taking less Insulin meaning my body is less insulin resistant (and less prone to turn sugar into belly fat), I'm getting that figure back. I'm saying 'hello' to my waistline again! Of course that does mean I'm also having issues right now with my underwear sliding down my legs. Must be time for a shopping trip! .

There have been a number of posts from people wondering when they'll reach restriction and how will they know. The clinic told me that I have restriction as long as I'm not hungry. Well, I don't get hungry so that doesn't help. I never ate because I was hungry. I ate because I could and my body didn't seem to have an off switch like normal people. If you are PBing or sliming...you have restriction. Now, it may not be your optimum restriction because you may just be taking too big of bites or not chewing enough. If you are taking small bites, chewing thoroughly and taking 20-30 minutes to eat about a cup of food and you're satisfied for about 4 hours after a meal...you have good restriction. Keep in mind that we are all unique and there will be some foods you may not be able to tolerate even with good restriction. Many people have a problem with bread, for example. Good restriction does not involve PBing, sliming or pain unless you do something stupid like taking too big of a bite or not chewing well or continuing to eat past the point of common sense.

Devin, Most docs require an 800-1000 calorie diet (or less as I'm seeing around here recently) and, let's face it, without restriction most people are going to feel hungry on that. It's normal. With restriction you'll eat less *and* be satisfied with it. .

Congratulations on all your NSV...whatever the heck that is, although I get the idea. :smile:

If they're Pbing or sliming, then they aren't chewing well enough, eating slow enough or taking small enough bites...or perhaps their band is too tight. In either case, they have restriction, as Jachut said. .

Maybe they're harder to digest? I dunno, but I do know that eggs, even soft boiled ones are a no-no for me right now because they get stuck but I can eat oven roasted carrots with no problem.

They told me it takes about 8 weeks for the port area to completely heal. In two days it will be 8 weeks for me and as of about a week ago, I haven't had any more issues with my port area although up to that point it was constantly sore and sometimes even hurt if I moved or stretched abruptly. I had to LOL at the 'funny shaped tummy' thread title. For several weeks after surgery, my tummy had a warped look to it and I was horrified that this was the new permanent shape of my belly. I did get some peace of mind at my 2 week visit though when the doc mentioned my port area was inflamed...a not uncommon occurrence. They just suggested warm compresses if it bothered me and reminded me of the lifting restrictions. It will get better. .

Congratulations to all of you! I also feel pretty good about getting through the holidays. I had a fill just before the holidays that's left me just a bit too tight so I can't eat most solid foods but, believe it or not, there's no problem with cookies! I had a couple Christmas Eve and a couple today and am feeling pretty proud of myself because I could've eaten a lot more (self-justifying it as compensation for having to pass up all the other good food ) but I didn't. .

I have a theory that the reason why most docs make their patients take a month to get back to solid foods has less to do with healing and more to do with controlling, as much as possible, how (and how much) their patients eat...knowing their patients haven't shown much common sense in that regard in the past or they wouldn't be in need of WLS. My doc had me back on regular food within 2 weeks...but I was told to chew everything to mush, take small bites and eat slowly. He trusted me to do that. I think many docs don't (or perhaps the band makers don't since it is their recommendations that most doctors follow). .

Ditto. Think about what you said you ate *all day*. 3 brownies 1 cookie 2 eggs, 1 Tbs of each dressing 2 slices of ham green Beans, mac cheese, baked beans, hash brown casoreole, broccli cassrole Unless you piled your plate high with the last few items, that's not an awful lot of food. Move forward. .

They can't tell by fluoro whether you have restriction. That's based entirely on how you and your band handle food. Two people can have the exact same type of band but one may reach restriction at 6 cc's and another may need 8. None of my fills have been under fluoro. Their experience with my Realize band is that most people reach restriction around 6-8 cc's. I didn't have any at 6 but now at 8 I'm just a bit too tight because I can only drink liquids...although have to admit that the broccoli cheese Soup I had for dinner tonight actually appealed to me more than the dinner I made for the family...even if it was a bit fancier. .

Ok...the reality is that every doc's preop and postop requirements are different and vary wildly. My doc had me on each phase 2-3 days each and by the end of the 2nd week, I was on regular foods. Their recommendation was that I eat 1 cup 3x a day or 1/2 cup 6x a day. I told them it wasn't going to happen without any restriction because what would happen is that I'd end up bingeing. They were happy with my compromise which was to just eat less and make good food choices. To be honest, I was pretty happy with Protein Shakes during the day and then a normal (for normal weight people) dinner in the evening. Oh, and we're all food addicts here. .

You will...in time. Stay focused on why you got the band and just be committed to keeping a good attitude. I had an additional 2 cc's put in my band 2 days before Christmas (for a total of 8). At this point in time, I pretty much can only drink liquids and I've decided to be 'okay' with that until the clinic opens next week...despite the fact that I'm missing out on the 'traditional' foods. They'll always be there next year. You can still enjoy the most important part of the holiday (family and friends) without the food. If you can't, this is a good time to re-examine your attitudes towards food. This is what I have to do on a regular basis. .

Sounds like a diet to me and I've vowed never to diet again. We can have *all* of these things...in moderation...just like people of normal weight can. Now, obviously, if your goal is to lose as much weight as possible, as quickly as possible, then avoiding the above foods will certainly help you do that. As for me, I'm happy with 2 pounds a week and the ability to eat like a normal person. .