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I can hardly believe it, but here I am about 7 1/2 weeks from my surgery on July 13th and I am just about half way to my goal of losing 125 lbs. Overall, it has been a relatively smooth journey, although there have been some difficult moments along the way. Last week, I took my kids on vacation and it was a real challenge to figure out what I could eat and timing it correctly. The trip involved driving about 2000 miles round trip, so eating on the road proved to be a bit of a challenge also. I think the biggest challenge for me has been dealing with the emotional aspects of not eating all the things I want to when I want to. Although I understand intellectually that this is how I ended up here in the first place (duh?), I don't think I had realized how much of a "friend" food had become in my life and how much I would miss it. This has probably been even more true since my wife died and I've had to cope with all of those emotional issues. So, in some ways, giving up my old eating habits has been another loss with which I have had to deal and that has been a little harder to cope with than I expected. The good news is that everyday someone new notices that I've lost weight and tells me that I look great and I feel terrific about that. I need to be better about monitoring my Protein intake and taking my Vitamins, but I am working on that too. If there is someone out there reading this, looking for guidance as to whether or not to have the VSG, I would unequivocally say "Go for it!" Peace, Brian

Hi - this is interesting for me because my Dr. starts us on regular food after 1 week. But, after reading everyone's posts here, I may take it a little slower than the Dr. says. Maybe you should consider mushing stuff up for a little while? I don't know. I haven't had my surgery yet. I have it on the 8th but my Dr. says that she prefers us to start eating real food asap. Only 1 week on clear liquids and then on with the real stuff. We are told small bites and to chew, chew, chew, chew, etc.

I'm glad to hear you are doing well. I was about to send you another PM to check on ya. I hated my Vitamins so my doctor told me to take the "kiddy vitamins". So I am eating two Fred Flintstones per day. I haven't had a chance to look at the individual Vitamin amounts but I heard somewhere along the way that 2 Freds are good enough. Every now and then I get a Barney but I give him to the kiddo. lol. Glad to hear you got to go on vacation. Sorry it was stressful with the food. Have you thought about having a "Daddy's Only Yummy Cooler"? Basically a 6 pack cooler with ice or the compress stuff to keep it cold and pre-make some rolled up different types and combinations of meat and cheeses and other high Protein Snacks. So that when you do find something you "want" you can perhaps get the kids to share it as a group with you getting a bite or two and that satisfy you. Because with kids they will scarf it down and it's gone almost to the bare wooden table as you know. :cursing: Take care and keep in touch!

Progresso Lite Soups! Had the potato/bacon tonight! Blended it in the food processor and it was delicious. 100 cal for 1 cup.

I was the same way, I could eat a lot of pureed slider food. But I bet when you get to actual protein dense stuff, you'll feel it. I know I sure did Sent from my Pixel XL using BariatricPal mobile app

ok, so it's a few days after but today is the first day I've really had the energy to sit down and catch up. My last post was on the 21st so I'll fill in what has happened since then... Sunday, 09.21.08 The 21st was Sunday and I was eagerly awaiting surgery. I was also emailing some of the ladies that were having surgery during the week of the 23rd so that we could all meet up on Tuesday. Monday, 09.22.08 I was a zombie at work today just waiting out the time to go to Denver for surgery. Luckily I was able to get all of my important client requests done so I wouldn't have to worry about anything while I'm out this week. Doctor says I should be able to have surgery on Wednesday and be back to work on Monday. I hope he's right because I really don't want to have to take any more time off from work. I guess we'll see. I'm gathering instant cereal, mederma, gas x strips, pepto, liquid Tylenol (rapid blast), hygeine items, loose fitting clothing, my Burt's Bees chapstick, Atkins shakes, throat lozenges, and a heating pad because someone said it will come in handy. Tuesday, 09.23.08 Steve(hubby) and I go to the airport at 4am to catch a flight to Denver from Las Vegas. I'm feeling really excited and relieved to finally be on my way. I saved $6,500 since April for this and my loving husband paid the rest from his savings. It's been a long road but I'm finally made it. The flight went quick and we were there in about an hour. My mom flew in from Idaho to take care of me because Steve is a full time student and will need to spend most of the week doing his work. So, we meet up with mom and go to pick up the rental car I reserved which was Avis...and please don't rent a car from Avis in Denver. They didn't have what I reserved and instead offered me a Dodge piece of crap minivan with a 25 gallon tank. It smelled like smoke so bad that I went back in to ask for a new car. They obliged and I was on my way. What do ya know... the second van was worse. IT smelled like the Marlboro man smoked non-stop in the car from Michigan to Denver with the heat on. It was definitely ingrained into the seats and carpet and it was totally gross. We promptly went to Walmart to pick up some odor eliminator so we could stand to drive around in it... Anyway, we drove from the airport to Dr. K's office in Aurora for my pre-op appointment. It was pretty non-eventful. The nurse checked my height, weight, temperature, and asked me how much weight I lost on the pre-op diet. The answer was 16 pounds. Ten from practicing how to eat with the band (i.e. sips of water and not with food, as well as, chewing each bite 30 times and putting the fork down in between bites), then I lost another 8 with the low carb diet eating mostly beef and fish with 3-4 ounces of cheese a day, an occasional egg or two with cheese for breakfast, Starbucks latte's made with half and half and sugar free vanilla, and Atkins shakes and bars. Dr. K came in with some of his residents that were on rotation and he did a few checks to make sure that all was well and asked me how much weight I lost and said great. He didn't check my liver , just assumed that if I lost weight then I was fine for surgery. Funny thing, I asked his residents if they knew he was famous on the chat boards and they had no idea. Dr. K was obviously uncomfortable with anyone saying that he was a great doc. He totally downplayed every good thing I said to him which I thought was interesting. He explained the procedure for the next morning, gave me the prescriptions (Keflex is the antibiotic and tastes NASTY, liquid Hydrocodone which is the Lortab painkiller, anti nausea medicine, a suppository for hte night before-use it!, and that was it.) I went downstairs to the community pharmacy and got my prescription filled and was on my way in 15 minutes. I got everything in generic form via my insurance and paid $45. At 6:30pm I met up with the girls who were having surgery the same week at Ruby Tuesday's and we swapped stories of where we work, what Dr. K, Natalie, and Mary had told us on the phone prior to our deciding to have surgery and we talked about who was nervous about surgery. Strangely I was calm for the whole thing. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and I went to bed around 10pm ready for the next day. Wednesday, 09.24.08 Weight 256 lbs. My mom, husband, and I headed to the Crown Point Surgery Center in parker for surgery. Arrived at 7:30am by the receptionist who assisted me in getting my paperwork in place. Within 5 minutes of completing paperwork, I was called back by the nurse to get ready for surgery. Everyone at the surgery center was really nice, my nurse especially. I think her name was Kris. She had me remove everything and gave me some nice warm slippers and a very roomy gown. I was on my period and was completely fine to wear the tampon which was a relief because I hate wearing pads and I was worried about that. Kris took my vitals, wrapped me in a warmed blanket, put on the mini compression stockings and began the anti-nausea medicine. She asked me to take a pepcid and another nausea medicine as well. She also put in my IV and then the OR nurse Carolyn and the Anesthesiologist came in to ask a few questions about history and allergies and to explain the process and then finally Dr. K came in and my husband and mom were able to come in and talk for a few minutes. He said he would call my mom or my husband when the surgery was over and would let them know they could come back in to see me. They wheeled me into the OR and said here we are and that is the last I remembered until some time later when I could tell I was in recovery but I couldn't move, speak, or open my eyes. I could hear the nurses buzzing around having conversations but I couldn't quite wake up. I was basically coming in and out of consciousness. After a half hour or forty five minutes I heard the nurse ask me if I was in pain and I said yes, a 6...take it from me you should say an 8 ..she gave me something stronger than morphine but it barely covered the pain. She gave me some ice chips and then she moved me over to the recliner area to finish waking up. As soon as I was in the recliner my husband and mom came in to sit with me and I was really glad because I couldn't do anything for myself. I was so thirsty and the ice chips were amazing. The nurse also gave me a popsicle as well. After I was fully awake, Dr. K came in to check on me just to make sure everything was fine. Once he stopped by I was wheeled out by the nurse and we were on our way back to the hotel room. I checked the incisions and I had a one inch incision about an inch and half below my bra line with another one that is longer (about an inch and a half) just below that one. Also, one on the right and left side of my stomach parallel with my belly button with one extra one on the left side for the liver retractor. Dr. used clear surgical adhesive and placed see thru dressings on so that you can see the incisions as they heal. Pretty cool. Once back to the hotel room, I went to bed and didn't get up until around 9pm. At that point I did a quick post to make sure everyone knew I was still alive and took some more painkiller and nausea medicine and went to bed. Had to sleep on my back to avoid pain from pushing on the incision sites. I kept the ice pack on all day and night also.

First – I don’t want this to deter anyone from surgery. Everyone’s experience is different. You have to make the decision for yourself. My battle is in no way an indicator of how you will respond, even if you identify with my experience. Don’t let this post influence you to do it or not do it. No one is a poster child for or against bariatric surgery. Anyone who claims to be is doing a disservice to all who struggle with obesity. I was banded almost 4 years ago and I stuck to the program religiously. In 2003 I started thinking about surgery. It took me 2 years to get the courage to do it and was intent on success. Besides being obese I am also a manic depressive. It comes and goes and I have always aggressively perused treatment. I tend to fall in to periods of depression and have to climb my way back. I usually do. The Lapband worked for me. I went from 307 lbs to 230 lbs in just over a year. I was working on the last 20 lbs when my depression returned in the fall of 2007. I immediately increased my treatment so I could stay on course. Treatment wasn’t working. In December of 2007 I lost my Grandmother to a stroke. I spoke to her in the morning, she was fine. By 10PM that night I was in an E.R. She died the following day. Already in the midst of a depression her death coupled with business problems sent me in to a tailspin resulting in the worst and longest depression of my life. This fall will be 3 years and I have yet to come out of it. I changed my course of treatment in 2009 and have improved some, but still have a long way to go. As a result of all of all of my progress has been erased. I re-gained 68 lbs of the 77 lbs I lost. I am back at 300 lbs again, a number that invokes pure horror for me. I am still severely depressed but hopeful my improvement will continue. Logging in to this site is a step for me. I’ve started to consider going back to investigate getting an adjustment. I don’t know if that even is possible after so long. I know that the band doesn’t retain all of the fluid over time, but I was almost maxed at my last fill. I’m not ready to do it yet; any adjustment would be in vain right now. I need to get to a place where I can follow the program. I have also started thinking about a second surgery for a gastric bypass. Apparently this is becoming more common with people who have had not had success with banding. I haven’t made that decision and won’t really consider it until my depression improves dramatically. Bypass is much more dangerous and doing it now would be useless. Either way I am terrified that this will be an ongoing cycle. I have little control of the onset of depression or its severity. I just have to recognize it and fight, but losing a bunch of weight only to gain it back when my brain gets chemically out of whack is a horrible thought. Losing 77 lbs might have been the hardest thing I have ever done. The prospect of doing it over and over is horrifying and does little to motivate me to start again. What’s worse is the new weight came back differently. My waist is bigger than last time I was this heavy. My reflection appalls me. All of that time and effort only to be back where I started, it was so hard to get to a place where I could do it. I don’t even know where that place is now or how to get back there.

I'm 4 weeks post-op and my stomach "talks" to me when it's empty (cuz I can't tell anymore!)- It is my alarm clock in the morning, gurgling and groaning. I also have to burp! WTH?!? Once I take my stomach meds and start sipping a protein shake, it goes away. I noticed on way home from work it was doing it again! I hope once I'm on heavier foods the sound affects stop already!

I had my surgery on March 21st (6 days ago) and the first 2-3 days were hell, i kept asking myself why i did this? I regrettted my decision then but today i feel alot better, and dont regret it. I know its too early to tell whats to come but i hope you feel better soon. Im constantly walking and drinking drinking drinking water all the time. Thats my side kick, i carry my bottle water with me everywhere i do. I know its hard, but trust me the water and walking helps with getting the gas out of your system. Today i woke up craving scramble eggs....but im still on liquids (water, clear broths/soups, and popsicles) so hopefully after my doctors visit next week i can enjoy some mushes. My hardest thing right now is that im missing real food. I have been tempted but im too afraid to eat anything and prolonging my healing. So my advise for you is to stay positive, contact your doctor if things get too bad with the pain, walk as much as possible and drink drink drink your water. Good luck and keep us posted........each day brings us closer to the day we wont feel any pain. Hugs!

Thanks and I agree I much rather eat food to correct the issue than have to take a med like I am now:-)

Wait a couple of weeks and try some different foods in that time. It takes some of us many fills to find that green zone. I didn't have any restriction till fill #3 and then it was only with some foods and only if I wolfed it down. I didn't find the green zone till fill #6. You may find with every fill that you have to relearn how to eat certain foods again. But it may take more fills. Doctors like to sneak up on restriction and it seems like a waste of time but this is a time for you to learn how communicate with your band even if it's not responding yet. It will, in time. Good luck. tmf

Hey all, I had my surgery 8/5/13 and the past couple days when I go to take my crushed up medicine I end up puking. If it's a weird texture or taste In my mouth I throw it up or gag and that def doesn't help with getting protein in. And what is it with everything smelling weird? Food smells make me gag, my bf gives me a kiss and I gag, I go outside and I wanna throw up cause everything smells terrible!! This is so frustrating!

It is my understanding from my doc and Nut that it is for the rest of our lives to hit your protein goals. However as we get further along in our journey our choices in protein are expanded. Whole foods protein is the best option - meat, fish, eggs and so on. Then you supplement with shakes. I feel best during the day if I start out with a Protein Shake. I then try to eat lean meats and fish. I also use double pasteurized egg whites in my drinks. Honestly it is tough to get in all my protein everyday, but I realized through logging it is imperative.

Just a thought: If you are only a week and a half post op, the swelling around the band is probably starting to go down a bit. Since the swelling is going down it is easier for your food/liquids to go through your band, which is why you are hungry between your meals. It is perfectly normal. I went through this same problem. Just eat healthy and follow your diet and this will pass. When you start getting your fills things will get much better. Best of luck to you!

You have been doing so good! every one falls off the wagon at some point" you just have to climb back on and if your going to eat (" Eat healthy food") AND WATCH YOUR food INTAKE YOU WILL BE FINE. tAKE CARE BEST OF LUCK! REMEMBER WEIGHT LOSS TAKE'S TIME. EACH DAY WILL BRING A NEW CHALLENGE AND YOU HAVE THE POWER TO DO IT AND FRIEND'S LIKE US THAT WILL HELP! You go girl you go!!!

You may want to talk to your doctor about a realistic goal for your overall weight loss. I sort of guessed on the high side of what I know my body will carry. As I get closer to that number I am realizing that I may shoot past it because that is what my body is comfortable with. Each of us is very different. You will have to take into account your height, bone structure, and waist circumference as well. I am 5'6" and I am still in a size 10 pants at 142 pounds. I imagine I would be a size 8 at my goal weight. That still leaves a lot of fat and excess weight around my stomach that I should probably work on. I was comfortable in my 20's at 125, but that seems really extreme to me right now. By contrast, our friend LilMissDiva is the same height as me, weighs a little more than me, and fits into size 4 jeans. At some point, the weight is less important and the size is important. You are so early out - talk to your doctor about a realistic goal and stick with it. Don't worry about the numbers right now - stick to the doctors food plan and stay healthy. The weight will come off - it just takes time for the body to come to terms with what you did to it with the surgery.

This is good news at your stage, forestgranger. It means you're healing well! Now comes the hard part, not getting too hungry so that you bolt some food or eat too much before you're ready. I'm guessing you're still on liquids or at least mushies, so don't worry about calorie restriction at this point. Just eat as much as you need to be satisfied so you aren't tempted to overdo it. You'll be ready for your first fill when the time comes. Be thankful everything is in order!

it can sure be funny sometimes. I now have only 2 in mine, the same as when it was fitted and still somedays I cant keep food or Fluid down. The most I ever had in it was 5.5. I get mildly hungry at about 10-11 but dont tend to eat til 12ish. Jo

Here's what I have to do: I measure out 3/4 cup of food at each meal and eat it. I won't eat again for at least 2 more hours if I'm still hungry. That way I'm not going to overeat if I DO have restriction and if I don't have restriction then I can eat a couple hours later and not overdo it. My fills are very fickle and this is the only way to keep some sanity.

So I am 2 months out and eating everything again (by everything I don't mean junk food). I still am feeling hungry and constantly want to "graze" I talked to my dr about acid reflux and he said that is not the problem. I just never feel full. A big problem I have is not getting down all the protein I need. I get about 65-75 g a day.....I CANNOT drink a protein shake for the life of me. They literally make me throw up (I have tried many different kinds). I need suggestions of other ways to get down protein....snacks, meals, etc....??? I'm down about 40ish lbs and about every week have a stall. So frustrated because I'm trying so hard and so confused why I'm not full

I really in a funky mood today, was yesterday too. I've decide to not have any junk food for a whole month and see if that really helps. I have such a sweet tooth. I don't mind the chips and stuff, but I don't let anything sweet set in my house for more than a couple of minutes. I need to wien myself from all sweets. I don't care for ice cream either it more of the cookies, cakes and some candy. Chocolate candy is a big weakness. I will be keep my sugar free candies, they are the cinnimon disks. I have to stay strong. I have not lost any weight for the last month. I really thought maybe I had the way I have been running to the bathroom to void all the time the last couple of days. Maybe it will take the scales a couple of days to catch up. I have been wearing my pedometer the last few day to see how little I walk. I want to a weeks worth of stats and then do a average and see if I can increase my steps by one hundred step per day for the next week. I want to get alot more active. I really disappointed in my DH cause he told me when I start this journey that he would walk with me. It hasn't happen yet. Maybe when it gets cooler he will decide to walk with me. I'm trying real hard to have a really good week this week. I'm keeping track of my food intake and will excerise every day this week. My excerise is peddling on my peddle machine for at least 10 minutes a day. I know that doesn't sound like much, but with my bad knees and my inactivity it is a big thing for me. WILL DO GOOD THIS WEEK. NO JUNK FOOD AND WILL EXCERISE EVERYDAY. THURSDAY 4289 FRIDAY 2345 SATURADAY 2149 SUNDAY 2952

Not having a bad day, just an plain old same day. I have tried to keep busy. I have made up serveral packets for my scrapbooking weekend coming up. I need to make a plan for that weekend. Food of course, so that I don't get taken by surprise with the food. We have a suite I think,but don't know if it has refrig or anything like that. If I eat out I will need to figure out when to go and what to eat before I get there. I know bread is out, so won't be going to any hamburger joints. Need to find some place with good protien sources. Need to find if the hotel has a refrig first, guess I should call the place. If the have a refrig I will just take some stuff to make a salad with chicken or roast beef, or may ham. I don't like breakfast so could take my smoothie maker and have protien shake for breakfast. I really hadn't given this any thought till now. This is the first time that I will be away for the weekend. Really looking forward to that. I go next week for another fill I hope this is the one that really makes a difference. I have 2.5 cc in a 4 cc band. They are so expensive I really want to have the restriction I need. I will try to eat more protien and try to stay away from cheese. I did have a couple of pieces of chocolate last night. No other junk food yesterday. I did peddle yesterday for 11 minutes, I think I will try for 15 tonight. Stay strong, live long.

Had a really busy week last week and I now am recovering. I didn't lose anything this past week, of course not suprised. I ate out most of the time. Didn't do to bad. I had a great time at the scrapbooking weekend. My girlfriend and I got a lot done, I don't believe I will ever get all my pictures done. I got home Sunday afternoon. I was so tired, I still recovering. Its so hot outside, I hope it cools off soon. I really want to start walking outside, but its just to hot right now for that. Maybe I will lose something this week. I'm starting to day with a protien shake. My husband is gone tonight for supper so will have chilli. I think I will make that it goes down good and I will have left overs for the rest of the week. I have to be serious this week about my food intake since I had such a good week last week eating out so much. I still can't have cookies around. I got some to take to the retreat last weekend and of course I ate them. I know better, but did it anyway. No wonder I didn't lose anything last week, but didn't gain any either. Will have a positive week this week. I have figured out that I have more time to fill now that I don't think of food all the time, and I'm not either cooking or shopping for food. That really took up a lot of time. I now have figure out what to do to keep myself busy so I don't want to eat. I find I can now go a couple of hours at time without thinking of food. That is experience that I haven't had in a very long time. I think I will try to make a quilt this winter and get more of my scrapbooking done. I must get busy. This will be a good week.

This past week has just been terrible. Right now I just don't want to diet. I just want to eat. It all started last Wednesday nite when my Husband and I got into a disagreement over the grandkids. He's mad and I don't care, so he's not speaking and I'm not speaking. The least said the better right now. So I'm emotinally eating anything that I can fine. I have gain a couple of lbs and tomorrow is the day I weight at the doctors office and I doubt that I have lost anything again this month. So right now I'm fighting not to eat. I just threw out the cookie dough that I baked into bars yesterday. I did give some to my neighbor and I ate some, the rest is going to the birds. I can't have sweets in the house. I have also ate chips and cheese. I have to get a hold of my eating. I really do want to lose, but why do I punish myself. I'm not punishing anyone else, but me. Well tomorrow will tell how bad I have really been. I will do this. I will not punish myself with food. I have to face the music and tomorrow is the day.

I don't know if I don't want to lose weight or if I'm scared to lose weight, but I just keeping shooting myself in the foot all the time. I eat all the wrong foods most of the time. I know I shouldn't eat it, but I do it anyway. Breakfast is still just a protien shake if its early it just doesn't want to go down. Then around 10 or 11 I eat chips, crackers or cheese. Then when its lunch time I skip it or I'm to full from all the junk that I don't eat. Then around 3 I'm hungry and can't hardly stand it, so I eat something easy like chip, crackers or cheese. I really don't eat many sweets cause I know I can't keep them in the house. I do crave chocolate. My DH is not a sweet person so thats why I have the chips and crackers. I don't usually, in the past, eat ice cream although here lately I can't seem to get enough of it. I guess I'm going to have to not buy that either. I'm lost on what to eat for lunch. I can't eat bread it just doesn't want to go down. I do eat salad some, I've done tuna or chichen salad some, soup alot. I have trouble with chicken and some beef. I think I'm not chewing my food good enough and if I'm too hungry I eat to fast so I need to slow down and eat slower. I really did do good in Texas, but maybe that was because I didn't have to cook or think about it. I was moving more while I was gone. I really need to excerise more, walking is good. I need to find some excerises that don't require me to get down on the floor. I have a really hard time getting up off the floor with my bad knee. I need to work on my stomach it is getting floppy and my butt is sagging. I still am wearing my 3x's and I have lost 35 lbs. I really want to go down in the sizes, but I have this big butt and stomach. My arms are flopping in the wind so need to get some excerise the will tighten them up. I NEED HELP. I WILL DO THIS IF TAKE ME YEARS. I KNOW I HAVE TO PUT MORE EFFORT IN TO IT. NO ONE BUT ME CAN DO THIS. I HAVE TO STOP BUYING THING THAT I KNOW I CAN EAT THAT ARE NOT GOOD FOR ME. I NEED TO GET AN ANOTHER FILL AND HOPE THAT THE AMOUNT THAT I CAN EAT GOES DOWN TO 1/2 CUP AMOUNTS. I MUST KEEP MYSELF BUSY, IF I'M BUSY I DON'T EVEN THINK OF FOOD. THE MORE I DO THE MORE I WILL BE ABLE TO DO. THE MORE I EXCERISE THE STRONGER I WILL GET. I CAN DO THIS. I feel so alone in this struggle. I need to find a good support group that is close to home, wonder how to find a group. I need to find some friends that understand my struggle.