ElfiePoo

You can eat quite a bit of variety on low carb - any eggs, meat, cheese, poultry, seafood and non-starchy vegies. I typically start my day with 2 scrambled eggs in .2 oz butter. lunch and dinner varies and I have one of the following: Chef's salad: A bed of romaine with a chopped hard boiled egg, 1/2 oz crumbled bacon and 1/2 oz shredded cheese with 2 Tbs of full fat homemade blue cheese dressing. chicken or tuna salad made with real mayo, chicken/tuna and chopped celery on half a tomato 3 oz Protein (grilled, baked, pan fried, etc.) and a cup of vegies (broccoli, asparagus, green Beans, etc.) I find that a low carb diet free of grains, fruit, dairy and starchy vegies keeps me from feeling hungry. I can live on about 900 calories a day without hunger, although sometimes I get up to about 1100 if I decide to have bacon for Breakfast or cream in my coffee. I wouldn't worry too much about what your doctor wants when it comes to diet. Keep in mind that nutrition and diet are not part of a doctor's medical training. Even the bariatric surgeons have a sad deficit of kknowledge in this area. Bottom line - the best diet is whichever one you can stick to consistently. .

For those interested in learning more about why low carb works, you might check out "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes. Basically, he makes a case that many obese people have a metabolic disorder that doesn't allow them to process carbs correctly. As a result, we gain weight, suffer from hypo/hyperglycemia, become insulin resistant, etc. I do more than just low carb (defined as less than 60gm of carbs per day). I also avoid grains, fruits, dairy and starchy vegetables as they have a very dramatic and immediate impact on my blood sugar. I do not have an allergy or sensitivity to wheat, but it certainly has made a difference. Not only am I now losing about 2 lb per week instead of the 'barely' 1 lb, but all of the things attributed to chronic fatigue (which I think is just a diagnosis given when they've ruled everything else out) are completely gone. Even my arthritis has lessened in intensity. .

Happy Friday Bandsters! Two days postop and I cannot believe how great I feel! I was just complaining to my husband last night that I hate how bloated my stomach feels and the fact that the scales say I'm 5 pounds heavier! Yes, I know it's due to the stuff they pump into your IV and the swelling from surgery...but still. Well, I woke up this morning and the bloat in my belly is noticeably down. The 5 pounds isn't quiet yet, but I can tell I'm still holding quite a bit of Fluid. Best of all, the soreness is to the point where I won't need the tylenol anymore. Still doing very well on my low carb, no grain/fruit/dairy/starchy vegies. I thought I would miss them more than this...not that I'm complaining! Now if my sinuses would just get back to normal. The nasal cannula (I think that's the word) they make you wear for oxygen after surgery dried them up so badly that I've had to use my little Neti Pot several times a day since I got home. That thing is a life saver! I think maybe I'll get my material out today and start on a new lap quilt. I have 3 days where I'm not committed to anything and, since I thoroughly cleaned my house prior to surgery, I have nothing I'll feel guilty over not doing instead. Have a good one! .

Good for you for making the right decision. I know some people advocate that you can't do without the little 'guilty pleasures' and that may be true for some...but isn't that what got us into this mess? We obviously couldn't control those 'guilty pleasures' before...why do we think it's any different now? The band sure isn't going to help since it just loves slider foods. So, before I get flamed, if you can handle them and keep them to an infrequent treat...more power to you. If you find you can't, however, you might have to deal with the fact that, like an alcoholic, there's no such thing as one. .

I had phrenic nerve pain since the day of surgery and, after 17 months, just had my band out this past Wednesday. My surgeon wanted to do a revision to the sleeve. I might've seriously considered it (may still) except I think I inadvertently discovered the source of my hunger. I decided to give it a couple months to see if I could do this on my own now that I don't have the hunger because, the truth is that if I can't control the desire to eat when the hunger is eliminated (basically what WLS does), then WLS won't help either. You might check verticalsleevetalk.com and talk to the people there. There are quite a number of people who had the revision from band to sleeve. .

Are you Type I or Type 2? In either case, they should be working closely with you to make sure their preop diet (which is not required by all doctors) coexists with your insulin needs. If Type 2, it seems as if it might be as simple as reducing your meds, though. .

I'm just wondering what kind of diet everyone is on (that's having constipation). I do Atkins which is higher in fat (60-70%) compared to the usual 'diet' (20-30%), drink my 64 fl oz of Water and never have a problem with constipation. I go every day like clockwork, no struggle. I've often wondered if it had more to do with the 'fat' than the water. .

Throwing up is not normal. Since you were throwing up what is generally a slider food, you might have something wrong with your band placement. Get to your doctor. Find out what's wrong. Recommit. Also, try to wrap your head around the fact that this isn't just about weight loss. It's about improving your health. So you stall for 3 months. If you're recording what you eat in something like Fitday.com or Livestrong.com and you know *for a fact* (and not just a vague impression) that you're eating an acceptable calorie and carb (because they do seem to count for most of us here) range, then you have a foundation for 'tweaking' whatever you're doing until you find something that gets you losing again. It's counterproductive (and you know this) to get frustrated with not losing and then go and eat the crap that makes you gain...yes? .

Denise: Life should be full of problems like a ring that's too big. I'll bet you can remember when it was too small, hmmm? HB: I'm envious. I just can't seem to get motivated to get back into quilting. Can't wait to see your new one!

There are a number of things that might cause bruising. When my brother was younger, they discovered he had a Vitamin K deficiency (didn't even know there was such a thing). Here's a link that might help.

The most important thing you can do is find a WOE that you can live with long-term. That may be Weight Watchers, Atkins, general low carb or just counting calories. Then use something like fitday.com or livestrong.com and record what you eat. Sometimes we think we're doing well but when we record it, are a bit horrified to find how far off we really are. Then start on that plan now. I'm a diabetic and I've found that the only way to get rid of my hunger and physical cravings is to eliminate grains, starches, glutens, sugar (obviously) and even artificial sweeteners. I've always kept my carbs low, but it wasn't until I eliminated everything but vegie carbs, that I finally got the hunger under control, but you do what works for you. Some people aren't as sensitive to the carbs. As many find, even when they get to the sweet spot, they still struggle because while their stomach is banded, their brain isn't and it still takes self-control to choose the right foods and choose to put the fork down. If you can start to make those changes now, you'll be ahead of the game when the band starts helping. .

The only reason to get a fill is because you're hungry...which means your band still isn't working at its peak. If you aren't hungry, as someone previously said 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' Sounds like you're one of the very lucky ones. .

If you're truly eating carb-free (and many 'liquids' are still pretty high in carbs), then yes you most likely are going through carb withdrawal. The good news is that 7-10 days of very low carb and the withdrawal is complete. The physical cravings should go away, but you may still have to deal with the "but I want what I want" desires, although they also lessen quite a bit. However, if you're really eating yogurt or pudding (even the sugar free), then you aren't going through carb withdrawal because they're both pretty high in carbs. Which isn't to say you aren't craving 'real food'. Just keep reminding yourself why you're doing this. Write up a list and stick it to your fridge if you have to. You can do this! .

Thank you for the well wishes, Spartan, and as Elcee said, this thread isn't an exclusive club. .

Elcee, I'll be thinking of you and your son and praying things go well for him on Tuesday! What a nice mini-vacation in Melbourne but I know what you mean about city vs country. Chicago is only 3 hours away and I love visiting for a couple days to go to the theater or museums, but wouldn't want to live there! .

Nope...not going anywhere. I still have weight to lose but, more importantly, I'd miss you all. Apparently the scar tissue was caused by the initial band surgery. Not something they have a lot of control over. The band was initially positioned correctly, but the scar tissue that grew around the liver and stoma pushed the band onto the diaphragm...which is why it got worse over time. Unfortunately, even though they were able to remove the scar tissue, enough damage was done where the band sits (again, not their fault...just what is from the adhesions) that they didn't feel they could safely reposition it. .

Check with your bariatric surgeon's office. Many times they have someone they refer to when people ask and because these PS know exactly how to write the paperwork to get insurance to pay. .

I think that's what I'm going to do too. I always forget to mention it when they ask about allergies, but hey...if it makes us ill, I think it qualifies. .

As everyone else said, if you're eating really low carb (around 30gm or so a day), you're in ketosis. Not a bad thing but you can avoid the dragon breath by just drinking more Water. I drink 64 fl oz *minimum* each day and I'm eating about 20 carbs or less a day and don't have the dragon breath. When I do have it, it's a reminder to drink more water to dilute the ketones in my system. .

Hey ladies...thanks for thinking of me. Yes I went into surgery this morning at 8:30 a.m. I was actually the 3rd surgery of the day but the guy ahead of me forgot to mention that he had a pacemaker. So they had to push his surgery since a rep had to be on site to make sure the pacemaker was operational when he came out of surgery. My surgery went pretty well and yes the band was bumping up against my diaphragm. The reason it got worse over time, rather than better, is because some pretty heavy scar tissue had built up in the area of the liver and the banded area, shoving the band into just the right contact. Due to the amount of scar tissue, it was decided to remove the band since they weren't able to seat the band right and they worred about erosion or slippage. Fortunately, they were able to take care of it all laparascopically and didn't have to open me up. This time around I did need a bit of pain medication in recovery and it never occurred to me they'd use Vicodin. Crud. I'm not allergic to it, but I hate it because it gives me intermittent nausea until it wears off...and this stuff takes 24 hours to get out of my system. All in all though, not feeling too bad...just some sore stomach muscles but I'm handling it with Tylenol. Surgery started around 9 a.m. and I was back in my room by 10:30 and they kicked me out at 3 p.m. because I felt so good. So good, in fact, that I made my husband stop at Sam's Club on the way home (well they did tell me to walk around for 30 minutes to prevent blood clots ) to pick up a few things we needed. Then his mom's for a cup of tea and then home for some lovely lentil soup that my husband made last night just for me. I'm not sure the lentils will be too kind to my blood sugar, but after almost 2 days of clear liquids, that's about all I can handle. This time around I don't have any special diet. They just said take it easy and eat what I can tolerate. So soup it is. Now I think I'll take myself off to bed as I'm going to take advantage of the last remnants of anesthesia still hanging around in my system and have a wonderful sleep! Thanks again for all the good thoughts! .

ok...not sure why you think you can't have cinnamon. I wouldn't classify it as a 'spicy' spice like chili powder and it actually has some benefits for people with sugar issues. 1/4 tsp of cinnamon can have a dramatic difference on blood sugar. One of the things that helps me stay off insulin now is that I put 1/4 tsp of cinnamon in my tea in the morning since my morning sugar does tend to be a bit higher. Works every time. .

Thanks, Jack.

I just read something recently that said gastric bypass patients are able to go off all their meds *usually* the first month after surgery but it has something to do with the malabsorption and the fact that their bodies are no longer processing foods normally. That's not true of banders. Perhaps these surgeons are just using the same protocol without reasoning through it. Then again, I know little of blood pressure problems since I've never had any so perhaps it's different and resolves more quickly than diabetes (which took about a year to get to the point where I was diet controlled). .

I work in my own warehouse and haul around 400 pound drums (on a drum dolly, of course) and picking up 50 lb boxes and cans is common. My surgeon had me on restricted lifting for a month...nothing over 5 pounds the first week and nothing over 10 pounds until my 4 week checkup. At that time he cleared me for 25 lb for the next 2 weeks...rather than just returning me to 'normal' lifting since normal doesn't usually involved regular lifting of 50-400 lbs. I wasn't allowed back to normal (50 lbs, etc.) until 6 weeks postop. His reasoning was to give plenty of time for the port to settle into position so that future lifting would not tear stitches and cause the port to shift. I 'felt' well enough to lift as usual after 3 weeks, but I'm glad I followed his advice after hearing how many people end up back in surgery for flipped ports. .

If you think the Splenda is causing water retention, have you tried putting fruit in your water? I just read this somewhere and tried it and was pleasantly surprised. I've always put lemons or lime in a jug of water for about 30-60 minutes (then removed the fruit) to give it a flavor, but someone told me to do the same with other fruits (strawberries, grapes, melon, kiwi, etc.) or even cucumber. I've done mint leaves as well. My doctor never had a problem with carbonation so I also drank the Faygo flavored waters. No carbs because there's no artificial sweetener. I love the pink grapefruit! .