BandaCat

It seems the goal I had set for myself is the same as the next challenge. I didn't get in on the Xmas one, so I'm joining this one. I haven't exercised a bit, so that is also part of my goal. There is a 5K the first weekend in of February that I want to walk/run. I did it 2 years ago and it was super fun! Maybe if I add exercise to the mix, I will start having some of the amazing results all of you are a having!

I got the Bullet right before surgery. It was a godsend to get me thru the first month. Now I use it less often, but I still love how easy it easy to clean up and create individual shakes. For me, it's way easier than a traditional blender.

Haven't posted in awhile. Just checking in. It seems I'm on the slower side when I look at all the great success that you all have had. I was banded Oct. 5 and have lost 27lbs. At first when I started looking at the amazing results all the October Bandsters have had I got a little discouraged. But then I realized, I'm very happy with my progress because to be totally honest I haven't exercised or dieted for one second! So it may be slow, but it's steady and I'm already noticing lifestyle changes that are just coming about naturally. It's been a rocky 6 weeks since my first fill. Lots of PBing due to bad habits, too much stress, eating on the run, etc. But I think I'm getting the hang of it now. I'm looking forward to watching the weight keep melting off. I'm learning to be patient. And when that doesn't work I guess I'll have to get off my butt and start working out. I made my Christmas goal of 225! So now I'm setting a Valentine's Day goal of 210. Slow and steady wins the race! Happy Holidays to all!

Monday night I got very bad food poisoning. I was vomiting for 8 hours. Not PBing but hard core vomiting. I was terrified that my band had slipped because afterwards I had almost no restriction. I did have fine restriction before then. I stayed on mostly liquids for a couple of days but still noticed less restriction. And my whole tummy has been very sore. Today I went to my doctor to get a flouroscopy. They weren't taking appts today, but they made an exception because they were very concerned about the possible slippage. That of course made me more worried because they took it so seriously that they stayed late into the beginning of their holiday vacation. Thank goodness the band is still in place. But he said that the loss of restriction is probably due to the band being jostled around during that long night of food poisoning. He said it's not a slip just an adjustment. So I got a fill and he sent me on my merry way. I just wanted to share my story in case anyone else gets food poisoning or the flu and ends up with a tough night like I had. Definitely get it checked out. My doctors took it very seriously. And apparently it also can effect your restriction level even if it doesn't slip, which is just as important to know. My tummy is still really sore and the fill was difficult because I'm so tender right now. But I'm relieved that my band didn't slip. It was worth it to make the trip down to Mexico to have it all checked. Now I can continue my holidays without worries AND with proper restriction.

I got my first fill 2 weeks ago. I have PB'ed every day since. I don't think that I need an unfill. I just think that I need to slow down, chew, etc. It has been 2 of the most stressful work weeks of my life. I think that is playing a huge part. I had one stress-free day and that day I had very light restriction. I'm having a hard time slowing down my lifestyle in order to accommodate my new eating needs. I'm used to eating on the run and mindlessly. I hope I can get a handle on this before it causes problems.

Soy cafe au lait and one of the following... a bite or two of a bagel with lots of cream cheese (the dogs eat the rest) cottage cheese drinkable yogurt protein drink Breakfast always has to be a warm drink and then something soft or else I'm sliming for an hour. YUCK!

A hot drink in the morning helps me a ton. I've also learned that if I get really stuck and can't seem to get rid of the golfball in my chest, I can drink something hot and it relaxes enough to move on.

I'm only 6 wks post-op and 1 week into my first fill, but so far it has stopped my binging completely. I'm not "dieting" like most of the people on the board seem to be. The band has just completely cut down my portions, so it makes binging near impossible. I have found that sweets go down really easy even when nothing else will. But now a binge consists of 3 pieces of chocolate instead of the whole bag, a pint of ice cream, and a huge burrito. I've been more moody at times because I just want to eat but can't. I am having to find new ways of dealing with my emotions. So far I'm happy with my progress. Especially now that my fill seems to be working so well.

Costco has a yummy one that is sweetened with Splenda. Vanilla or Chocolate. It's called Pro-Rated I think.

Mine is Bird. I don't have a fill yet, but I expect that I will be eating like a bird.

Wow! You lost all that in 3 months. What are you doing for exercise? I want to get on that program!

Denise2: I had absolutely NO appetite the first week I was banded. 1/4 cup of Jello kept me full for hours. It was great. My appetite came back in the 2nd week and that's when I started paying attention to what I was eating. I wish my appetite hadn't come back so soon. But I feel great and was able to go back to work after the first week, so that's a plus.

Today I started soft foods. Yippee!!!! I had a very strange sensation when I ate my yogurt w/ fruit. I felt very full in the top of my stomach (my stoma I guess). Couldn't have eaten another bite. But the bottom have of my stomach felt empty and kept growling. Not gurgling with food, but growling from emptiness. It wasn't head hunger either because I didn't want to eat another bite. Very strange. Also, I just experience "sliming". I was so afraid it was going to come back up. But I lifted my arms and walked it off. Thank goodness. I forgot about the warning that soft foods need to moist. But the good news is that I obviously have some restriction (from swelling I'm assuming). Full liquids were just going right through me with no restriction at all. I'm glad to be on the next phase. I hope the restriction stays for awhile since I can't get a fill for 4 more weeks.

Those are awesome results. What would you say your exercise routine has been over the past few months? I'm just starting and would love to have similar results!

That's awesome!!! You are very inspiring to me! Believe me, I would be excited too if I was in Onederland with a Hot Man by my side! That is definitely a NSV!

I'm on Post Op Day 13. Which for me means full liquids until Friday. I've been pushing the envelope a bit. I can have thinned out mashed potatoes and such. But I haven't always been thinning them to liquid. I find that if I don't thin them enough I get definite warning signs that I need to thin them out more. The only pain I still get I think is from the internal stitches. If I bend or twist the wrong way. Pain in my chest if I eat too fast. Pain in my shoulder has gotten better, but it's still there. I can't wait for that to go away. My friend had her surgery 2 weeks before me and she still has some port area pain. But I don't have any.

I think this was inspired by some early Post-Op Bandsters!!!! http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1295121688

Woo Hooo!!!! I LOVE Sushi. I can't wait until I move into that phase of my recovery. Thank goodness for creativity. I didn't really want to go through life without sushi!

Part of it is just recovering from anesthesia. It effects people differently. It took a full week for me to have my energy back. I would feel fine, take a walk around the block, or go to the grocery store and have to take a nap afterwards from being so exhausted. Now I'm Day 10 Post Op and pretty much feel like my self energy wise.

I'm only a few days ahead of you and just tried mashed potatoes too. I learned that my cue is hiccups. But if I thin them out even more then it's not a problem at all. Maybe you could try thinning them out for a few more days.

The post-op barium swallow is so that they can see how the band is working. Then you get to see the xrays. I thought it was really cool to see it working. A fun way to connect with what you just had done to your body.

I got mine the day after. It was such a bummer because my first day is always really hard. Honestly, I don't know if I felt worse from the surgery or the cramps. But when that went away, I felt like I was a million times better. My doctor never even mentioned it, so I doubt it's a big issue.

I was on full liquids starting day 4 post-op. The first week I could care less about eating. Definitely not normal for me. I got full on 1/4 cup of Jello. But now I'm at Day 10 and on full liquids. I have 5 more days until soft foods. I can't wait! I'm getting tired of liquids. But if I make whatever I'm eating too thick my body tells me. So liquids it is for a few more days. It helps me to drink a hot tea in the morning. Unfortunately my appetite has returned with a vengeance! Kind of a bummer. I liked it better when I wasn't hungry. I guess I understand now why people say that this beginning time is about healing and not weight loss.

I found out what my signal for the "soft stop" is today. For me it's....HICCUPS! Not your friendly, cute hiccups either. Hard, strong hiccups. Today I tried some thicker foods. I'm supposed to be on full liquids but mashed potatoes are ok as long as I thin them out. Well I didn't thin them out enough I guess and I ate them way too fast and yep HICCUPS! Happened 3 different times today. All from eating slightly thicker mashed potatoes a bit too quickly. I can guzzle water now so I forget that I can't eat fast too. Crazy!

I lost 10 lbs my first week. But I didn't have to do a pre-op diet and instead went on a major "restaurant cruise" the 2 weeks before surgery. I gained 10lbs in those 2 weeks. So the first week just got me back to where I was when I decided to do the surgery. I'm only 8 days post-op so I'll start getting excited as I start seeing the scale drop from here.