Journey482

I am a 52 y.o.f., 6 days post banding. I've been reading posts and noticing weight loss goals in the range of 130-140 pounds. I started at the December consultation at 299; when I went in for the banding on March 16, I was down 23 pounds. My surgeon asked what I hoped my goal to be. I'm a bit taller, and I felt like if I could get to 180-200, I'd be happy - down 100 pounds, still "too big" by most standards, but compared to 300 pounds, I'll take it! They felt like that was a good goal for me, as they said usually with lap band it's 50 pounds the first year, and 100 by the end of the second (barring complications, doing everything "right"). They also said that if you need to lose 150 pounds, you don't usually actually lose 150 pounds, but 75% of that, thereby making my 190-pound goal right in range. So I wonder, with all the posts with goals of 130-150 pounds, should I rethink my goals and work towards that? I didn't want to get bogged down with expectations and if they weren't reached, feeling like this had been a wasted effort. I want to be realistic, but I don't want to not push hard enough either.

I'm about six weeks out, had a 2 cc fill at my two-week postop check, and I can basically eat anything I want, and as much as I want. My only issue is if I don't chew well, it just sits there and has to come back up (the equivalent of spitting out a bite of food, not vomiting per se). But other than that I have no restriction, and I do get hungry. Plus the usual overeating cravings are still there. I've done okay with not giving in to cravings overall, but it is frustrating. I've said before, I thought I was well educated before the surgery, but really didn't know it would take possibly three or four fills (hence three or four months!) to get to the point that the band is doing its stuff. I have my second postop check this Wednesday, 4/28, and hopefully will get another fill. I haven't gained but the scales aren't showing much of a loss either... although my clothes are really showing signs of being too big, so I'm taking that as a positive sign. Hang in there - at the very least you know from reading all this that you're not alone.

WOW at y'all being 300 lb and wearing a 22/24. At 5'6" and 299, I was wearing a 30-32 top and felt that showed too many "rolls." On the bottom - jeans, etc. - I needed a 26, or even a 24. But anything like a dress I'd have to buy larger because I'm busty and my upper arms are fat. I am wearing clothes now, after losing about 30 pounds, that I wore before I lost... it takes a good 20-30 pounds for me to tell a difference in clothes size. Things are more loose, but I still don't think I could actually go down a size and be comfortable. Is that because I lose in such an even distribution as opposed to some people where it all comes off their butt, bust, etc., first? I remember dieting once with a friend at work; I'd lost about 40 lb, she had lost 30'ish, and EVERYONE noticed her weight loss daily because it all came off her butt, which was her biggest (literally) "asset."

I'm about four weeks out from banding, had my first postop check at two weeks. A few days before I went for that visit, I developed this really hard bulge right above my belly button. I had an open cholecystectomy in my early 20s, and the port incision was over that incision, so I was really afraid I was getting a hernia. When I got to the doctor's office, he said I was feeling the port. I got a fill that day and he found it with no problem (although I had a couple of coughing fits, he said they actually helped push he port up into his hand; no clue where they came from). Anyway, I think your doctor will probably be able to find it, and worst case scenario is that you might have to have your port filled with the help of fluoro. The doc will find it, don't worry!! Might be a little more trouble for you, but worth it in the long run!

I've only had one fill and don't have any restriction at all, really, but I have noticed if I eat too quickly and/or don't chew, I get the hiccups. I mean LOUD hiccups, like if I'm outside they echo so I'm sure the neighbors can hear! I assumed I was swallowing air when I ate too fast.

This isn't a powder, and not sure if it's available in the U.K., but at my support meeting this week, some "veterans" said Sam's has a ready-made protein shake called Premier that has 30 gm of protein and 1 gm of sugar (they didn't mention calories). You can get it at premiernutrition.com (I just googled). Actually it might come in a powder too, not sure. I use Unjury; the unflavored can be added to pudding, Jell-O, etc., and changes the texture a bit but not the flavor. The chocolate and vanilla shakes are much better than the whey protein I had bought before surgery.

Does anyone know which - if any - "Cool Whip" type toppings are good to use? I saw a recipe somewhere for the cottage cheese/orange Jello-O dessert, with crushed pineapple. The sugar-free Jello-O is okay; I could figure out how much cottage cheese and pineapple would be in each serving and incorporate that into my daily requirements of dairy and fruit, but the recipe also calls for a container of Cool Whip. Not sure what to do with that, if there's another recipe somewhere that doesn't require the Cool Whip, or if there's some Cool Whip-py topping I could use in this. I don't see my nutritionist for another month and can ask her then, but meanwhile I figured one of you veteran bandsters could help me! I don't know if the "light" Cool Whip is okay. Again, if I can just find a recipe for the Jello-O, cottage cheese and pineapple without the Cool Whip, that would suit me fine!

I am three weeks post banding and I'm not losing much either, a pound or so. Tarajim, I don't think it's that we newbies are expecting a miracle or think that we won't have to work at it. I honestly didn't realize that real restriction doesn't come until two or three fills later. I thought I was well informed, and I have a great support system with my doctor and his staff; but I didn't realize that in the beginning it IS basically willpower. I'm not complaining! And whatever I lose before I hit my "sweet spot" will just prove my determination, so I'm actually good with that.

You've had major surgery!! Just because you have teeny tiny incisions on the outside, your insides were still probed, prodded, cut, sutured, etc. They still had to go through the same layers of tissue to do the banding as they would through an open incision, but just through a smaller cut lengthwise - depthwise, it went to the same place.

I just posted about this same thing a day or so ago! I was banded March 16, had my postop check March 31. Most of what people think is restriction (according to my doc) the first couple weeks after surgery is really just the fact that you have a lot of swelling in the tissues. I apparently healed pretty quickly, because while I am never really hungry, I was like you - I could drink down a Slim-Fast or protein shake, followed with a bottle of water, etc., without any discomfort at all. So on day 15 post banding, since I wasn't feeling anything at all, I got my first fill of 2 cc. I still feel no different at all, although when I failed to chew really well I did have a "spitting up" episode yesterday morning. I don't feel full when I eat, but I don't feel hungry when I don't. I'm just trying to eat the meals they've told me to. At this point I'm having trouble imagining what it must feel like to eat something and know I can't eat any more, but I guess that day will come! We're pretty much on the same track here, timewise and how we're feeling. It will be fun to watch our progression!

I was told not to take anything bigger than a birth control pill. My directions were to crush them and take them in a couple teaspoons of applesauce. That was quite a treat during the two weeks of liquids only! I think a big part of crushing them is to make sure it slides through the band and gets into your digestive system instead of sitting on top of the band and dissolving there. Some meds might not make you feel "stuck" but could cause problems (ulcers, etc.) if they sit at the top of the band and dissolve there. I worked with a doctor once whose son had an ulcer in his esophagus from dry-swallowing an aspirin at night. He didn't know it didn't go down, it ended up sitting there and causing a perfectly round little ulcer. And check with your pharmacist or Google your meds; not everything can be safely crushed, but is made to dissolve slowly in your stomach.

Okay, so I'm day 17 post banding. Had my first postop check this past Wednesday; told my surgeon I could drink anything I wanted, as much as I wanted, never felt like the liquids weren't going down; literally I could drink two cups of bouillon and follow it with a glass or juice or water, no problem. So he said since I had no restriction at all, he'd do a fill a bit earlier than his normal 4-6 weeks out. I got 2 cc in. So I'm supposed to be on "mushies," right? Except I am was still feeling nothing. So tonight I had 1/3 cup chicken salad (store bought, that was a serving size) on a tortilla. I was careful to chew thoroughly, but ate it and didn't feel at all like I was uncomfortable (and with a tortilla??); then one of the things I've craved since I couldn't eat was kosher dill pickles (not pregnant, I just love 'em). So I had a jar of baby kosher dills, each one no bigger than your little finger, and most of them smaller than that. I ate six - SIX - with no problem, right after the chicken salad. Again, I chewed carefuly, but still!! Is this normal? I'm not hungry at all (but then I didn't usually eat because I was hungry anyway), and I've been careful what I eat (the chicken salad was kind of a test, though calorie-wise it wasn't bad, and gave me a good amount of protein). I mean, I'm not chowing down on stuff I shouldn't, but is it normal to not feel ANYTHING after all that food?? (Okay, 1/3 cup chicken salad in a tortilla and some baby dills = "all that food"... YES it does!!)

Jen, actually in the "banding bible" they gave me, it said something like sip on liquids, you should try to get down 8 oz every hour or so... and I commented to the doctor that I could easily drink 8 oz in five minutes and then another 8 oz, water, Crystal Light, whatever. Obviously he expected me to have something going on rather than to be able to drink continuously with no feeling whatsoever. "Restriction" might have been too strongly worded. You're right, the wrap and pickles weren't "mushy" but I am careful that what I eat is giving me the most protein for the number of calories, and if I were counting calories per se, it would still be too low. I guess I expected to get stuck or something on my first "real" food in almost three weeks. In retrospect, I think I just chewed really well; I posted separately this morning that I had the same thing for lunch and didn't get stuck, exactly, but had a little heaving episode and lost a bit of food - because a dog I'm fostering was trying to get out of the fence, I swallowed quickly to call her back, and had an 'episode.' About 30 mins later I finished the wrap without any problem, just chewed it much better. Thanks for the positive input... I've struggled all along with getting enough protein and calories, and it's harder now for some reason, so I probably have pushed too hard to get to a regular diet.

Why am I eating? Umm, because according to the diet plan given to me by my doctor last week, I'm supposed to eat three meals a day, I'm supposed to be eating 5-7 servings of protein a day in the form of meat, eggs, dairy. Slim-Fast has a lot of carbs and 10 gm of protein; I can't drink enough Slim-Fast in a day to get 60 gm of protein without getting a LOT of carbs in (the low-carb options aren't on the shelves here yet after the recall, apparently). At the risk of sounding whiny, frankly the If you keep it up, you're going to be one of those posts that say, "I'm 2 months post op and have only lost 2 lbs....what am I doing wrong..." comment is a huge - and incorrect - assumption on your part. I posted because I was trying to find out if 2 cc, two weeks post banding, this is what everyone feels, not to have people tell me I'm on the road to failure.

I made a post last night that I seem to have no restriction at all; I ate some chicken salad on a tortilla and then some dill pickles and nothing seemed to give me a problem. In retrospect, I think it's because I chewchewchewed it. Today I had the same thing for lunch sans pickles, was outside with lunch and doing fine. We're fostering a dog for the week and she was trying to get out from under the fence. I swallowed quickly so I could yell NO at her and call her back up to the deck, and immediately got sick. I just leaned over the trash can in the kitchen and immediately got it up. About 30 mins later I finished the sandwich, chewing carefully, and no problem. It taught me a couple lessons: yes there is something going on in there; and yes you do need to CHEW carefully! Maybe I should rename myself Master of Mastication, lol...

I understand the poster who said the first few days are "withdrawal," but I don't necessarily agree. In the beginning you're so revved up and READY, I didn't think about cheating then. I was so relieved to be just two weeks pretop!! That isn't to say I didn't cheat a bit on the postop "liver shrink" I was on... although I'm a sweets freak, I didn't want anything like that, nothing deep fried. I absolutely CRAVED tomato soup and a salad! My two weeks preop consisted of a Slim-Fast for breakfast, one for lunch, then a Lean Cuisine/Healthy Choice for dinner. So towards the end of my two weeks, I finally swapped out the Healthy Choice for tomato soup and a salad - still relatively healthy (compared to McDonald's fries!). The NP at my surgeon's office said if I felt like I had to have something different, the soup and salad were good choices. I would wonder, too, about your wife's commitment to this surgery. It won't make her thin; she is going to have to work hard at this. There is a lot of time, money, and though the surgery is safe, there are always risks. Though eventually we move on to "regular" foods, we will always have to practice portion control, healthy choices - a life change for me, and most of us (or we wouldn't be here). I didn't have to lose a certain amount of weight before surgery, but if I had gained (especially during that two-week strict preop diet) my surgeon would have been postponed the procedure. You could always give in to her requests, let her do what she wants the next two weeks, and let her pay the consequences her final preop visit.

Oh I'm not really eating what I shouldn't. I doubt I'm getting 600-700 calories a day - I'm just not hungry. I saw someone say in a post that they were kind of relieved to have something "stick" a little, because then you know something is really going on... I guess I'm there. (Like when I FINALLY got pregnant, I couldn't wait for morning sickness and to barf the first time, because other than that, I didn't feel any different!) The chicken salad was the only semi-no-no, and I did measure it out. I'm not taking in many calories, but I was so busy today I just didn't have time to eat. I was so careful this morning, made mincemeat (ha) out of chicken and was so careful chewing even then. It just doesn't seem to matter! Oh well maybe it means I'll get another fill at my next visit too. I'm ready to get this show on the road!

So I got my first fill (2 cc) on Wednesday at my first postop visit. Had to wait for mushies for another 48-72 hrs. Okay so I waited 48 hrs (instead of 72). I just made mincemeat out of some chicken breast, added my daily allowance of fat (2 tsp mayo - if it's low- or no-fat, can we have more?), some lemon pepper seasoning, and I have AM CHEWING UP REAL FOOD!! It's like heaven, I'm so excited. I remember a time when a cheesecake would get me this excited, now it's chicken and the simple act of CHEWING. So I'm on my way to the grocery store to get more stuff that must be chewed. Red Letter Day here!!!

You might try something like IsoPure, sold online or at GNC and stores like that; 15 gm protein in a fruity drink (like Sobe drinks, kind of). Also Unjury sells an unflavored protein powder, 20 gm of protein per scoop; you can mix it with sugar/fat-free Jell-O or pudding (with the pudding it keeps the texture from being quite as creamy, but doesn't change the taste at all), or you can mix it with other foods. And BariatricEating.com has a lot of protein supplements, snacks and such, that sound good (for when you're off liquids). I think once I'm on 'real food' the protein won't be an issue... meat and cheese and eggs, OH MY!!! :thumbup:

Congrats to all you "newbies" who are just getting started! I'm an old veteran now, day 17 post banding! My surgeon's office said to count on about three months out from original consultation to surgery date; they were pretty much right on target with me. I thought that was a long wait until I started reading some of these posts! I was lucky, didn't have to lose a specific amount before surgery, just had to do the "liver shrink" for two weeks preop. Just don't get discouraged if there's a wait; stick to whatever "diet" they give you to follow while waiting; :thumbup:the more you lose beforehand, the easier the whole process is on your body. This site is amazing, with amazing people and the support system is, well, amazing!! I'm glad to be a part of all this.

I had my postop check on Wednesday, which was day 15 for me, and I was supposed to start mushies that day. Turned out I got a fill that day instead, so I still had to wait 48-72 hours before I could have mushies. I told my surgeon, I had been REALLY looking forward to mushies! I'm not really hungry, I just want to CHEW something. I have visions of gnawing on a T-bone steak (I never steak like that, lol). If you're truly hungry, wonder if you should have a fill? I told my surgeon I wasn't really hungry, but I kept reading about "sipping on clear liquids, 'try' to get down 8 oz. in an hour or so" - and I could turn up a Slim-Fast and drink it, follow it with another drink. He said since I was apparently feeling no restriction at all, I should probably get my fill a bit earlier. Okay, so here's a question: I got my fill Wednesday, and I can still drink as much as I want. Is that common with liquids? Will I feel different with mushies? And a confession: I actually made a bowl of tomato soup tonight and I could have eaten the entire bowl at one sitting with no hesitation at all. I didn't, because I wasn't hungry, but it was going down, no problem... then I drank a glass of juice. So I'm befuddled!!

I can't figure out how to get my ticker on there either. When I paste one of the codes on my signature that's what you see - the code/link. If I get that far, I'll worrying about editing my weight then!

I had my first postop check today. My surgeon places the band empty and usually does his first fill about 4-6 weeks out. I mentioned to him that I can turn up a bottle of water or protein drink and it goes right down; he seemed surprised that I have no restriction just from tissue swelling or whatever, but said if I was game for my first fill today, he thought I might be ready (I told him, "the book" says try to get down 8 oz. in an hour; I could drink 8 oz. in five minutes, and start on something else!). Sooo... I got 2 cc put in my band today, YAY. Easy port access, easy fill. For the first time ever, when I had something tonight I could tell something is different. It doesn't hurt, but there's a little bit if discomfort (I guess I haven't learned the "slow down" process yet) that is saying "stopppp already." Only lost 3 lb. since banding, but I'm not going to let that get me down. I'm down 26 pounds since my first consultation in December, so I'm still ahead of the game. (Can SOMEBODY tell me which code to use to put a ticker on my signature? There are two boxes, four codes, nothing I've copied and pasted works!)

With the hospital and doctors where I work, if you want copies of your records, yes you are charged. However, if you go to another physician who requests them for continued care, there is NO charge (even a "competitive" practice, i.e. another hospital or physician's group). I don't know if that's policy everywhere, but it's worth a try. Okay so if you move away, you have to make an effort to come back to see him. And if he gets hit by a bus, who will know his "special port procedures" to keep caring for you? That's BS in my opinion. If you have a great rapport with this doctor otherwise, you might want to do whatever you can to stay with him; doesn't sound like you do, though, so do whatever is best for YOU. I can't imagine they don't have room for followup patients, unreal. Best of luck to you!

BariatricEating.com Health & Nutrition - Bariatric recipes This website has a bunch of really good recipes, and has one section for Easter in particular. I'm not sure what you're looking for - sides, main dishes? If not many know you were banded, NOT eating ham (the Easter staple at our house) might be hard, but there are some good recipes on here anyway. Good luck!