Hey folks.

I need to 'fess up and be honest here. I am really, really struggling. I had surgery on Feb 9, less than 2 weeks ago. I have not been able to stay on my post op diet. I think I worked so hard to follow my pre op diet - 3 1/2 weeks of misery. I didn't cheat once. I only had the prepackaged junk they gave me. It was awful. But I did it. Why can't I find the same strength now?

I'm supposed to be on pureed foods. But I was so sick of them, and so hungry. I felt restriction for only about 3 days. I have ate: a grilled cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese, cereal, and <gasp> a McDonalds cheeseburger. I can say for sure I am eating less than I did before the surgery.... much smaller portions. But I know I am not supposed to eat these foods. I'm afraid I'm going to cause my band to slip, or stretch out my pouch or something. I need to get control.

Please tell me, am I the only one who cheated on the post op diet. Does this mean I'm doomed to be a lapband failure? Please help.:thumbup:

Thanks so much.

..........

Edited February 22, 201016 yr by Humming Bird

Yes, yes, you are the only one EVER to cheat!!! I was supposed to be on liquids for 2 weeks, about day 9 I added crackers with a pureed spread on them....I shouldn't have but I was starving (or so I thought). I was careful, ate small amounts and chewed thoroughly and was fine...THEN...because I was doing fine, I started adding mushies early, scrambled eggs, creamed or scalloped potatoes, etc...I didn't do anything too crazy, no hamburger for me. My nurses advice (pre-op, I never confessed post-op) was if you slip-up, brush it off and get back on track the next day. As long as you don't get something stuck and have to have it removed no permanent damage done BUT, you are taking a risk. You know you're doing things you're not supposed to and even though you're not eating as much as before you are falling back into bad behaviors, the exact behaviors that got you here in the first place. SOOoooOOo STOP! You know what you need to do, start doing it, find something healthy (and safe) to replace the burger and get back to where you should be. Once you're fully healed and back to "normal" there will be lots of time to nibble on a burger, a couple weeks without will suck but it's all about the end result. Good luck!

10 days post op and your eating foods that will NOT promote healing.. The point of the mushies is to give your stomach a chance to heal and not churn.. And you're looking for justification and or others experiences to make you feel better... You need to call your surgeon and inform him/her of what you have been eating.. Why chance complications.. I'm sorry if this is not what you want to hear and If I didn't care I would have never responded!!!

Good luck!

This band is a tool. How you use it is up to you. You can eat things you know are not right or you can tough it out to eat things that you are suppose too. You can't justify cheating. You just have to admit to yourself "okay, I blew it today" and then start over tomorrow. Your body needs time to heal and eating foods that make the stomach work/churn is NOT good for you.

Are you keeping a food journal of everything you put in your mouth? Are you exercising at all...even a little bit. Drinking your Water. Getting in enough protein/carbs/fat. All of these factors will help determine your failure or success.

Re-think the WHY of having surgery. It's not a weight loss program per se, it's a life changing lifestyle to better health. The weight loss is a side effect of getting healthier.

I hope that you will get a new grip on things and stay away from the things that are harmful to you right now. You can have a burger later om...just not right now. Good luck.

I got banded feb 9th too, and yesterday i had some real food. but im going to try today to start again. im hungry but i noticed warm creamed soups seem to make my tummy happier, cold stuff just gives me a chest ache. i would stick to more mushies and fluid, they do say if we are hungry sometimes its because we are not getting enough water.

I think we are far enough out now to start having scrambled eggs, blended tuna. (great for protein)

I just keep reminding myself, between now and the fill that finally gives me restriction, its going to be rough, I plan on sticking to a 1200 calorie diet, no junk food, no fast food. and i think we should allow ourselves some kind of treat atleast once a week, even a little one.

hang in there,

good luck

susan

Hey folks.

I need to 'fess up and be honest here. I am really, really struggling. I had surgery on Feb 9, less than 2 weeks ago. I have not been able to stay on my post op diet. I think I worked so hard to follow my pre op diet - 3 1/2 weeks of misery. I didn't cheat once. I only had the prepackaged junk they gave me. It was awful. But I did it. Why can't I find the same strength now?

I'm supposed to be on pureed foods. But I was so sick of them, and so hungry. I felt restriction for only about 3 days. I have ate: a grilled cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese, cereal, and <gasp> a McDonalds cheeseburger. I can say for sure I am eating less than I did before the surgery.... much smaller portions. But I know I am not supposed to eat these foods. I'm afraid I'm going to cause my band to slip, or stretch out my pouch or something. I need to get control.

Please tell me, am I the only one who cheated on the post op diet. Does this mean I'm doomed to be a LAP-BAND® failure? Please help.:thumbup:

Thanks so much.

i had my surgery on 2/12 so we are pretty close in our progress. Your question above is, "where can I find the strength" to get back on the right track and your answer is right below your question. I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH. As a fellow believer, I must give over the control of my life to ONe who is able to keep me from falling. Please spend some time in prayer, asking God to help you and he will. I am praying for you right now. This is not an easy journey and we only get out of it what we put in. Please don't give up- you can do it. I will keep you in my prayers because this is a hard journey.

First of all, stop beating yourself up over these mistakes. I was banded on 2/3. I did great, also, with the pre-op diet and for the first week after surgery. My downfall was when my surgeon told me I could start incorporating real food since I was feeling so well. I also started eating things I shouldn't - I ate a Burger King whopper jr., part of a bagel and numerous other things. Nothing ever got stuck, but I can tell you that the last two days I have not felt well. I spoke to my surgeon yesterday and he said to go back to a soft diet and see how I feel.

Remember - it's not too late to start over. Let'e start over today together. I'm happy to support you and would appreciate your support for me. Remember - we didn't get in this position because we have lots of will power. Will power is something we need to keep working on. Failure is not an option - that's my motto on this journey.

You went through a self-described hell (preop diet) in order to have a band wrapped around your stomach to help you lose weight. Think about that. You willingly subjected your body to general anesthesia, allowed another human to cut your body open, and had a foreign object designed to limit your stomach capacity wrapped around the organ.

Doesn't it seem absurd to abuse that tool so early in the game? Seriously---think about what you went through to be banded. Think about the surgical risk---and the risk your doctor took, taking you on as a patient. (I know that last part sounds odd, but really---think about it. Another human put himself, his reputation, and his license on the line to provide you with this tool; don't you owe it to him/her to at least follow the recommended protocol during the immediate postop period, when your body is still healing?)

Aren't there OTHER foods---foods on your doctor's approved eating plan---that would fill your stomach just as nicely as a grilled cheese?

This isn't about hunger. Not bona fide hunger. It's about something else.

You'll find the strength to fight it when you are honest enough to identify it for yourself. When you can say, "But I really just WANTED a grilled cheese (or cheeseburger or cereal or macaroni and cheese) instead of, "I was so hungry and deserved it after weeks of preop diet torture," you'll find the strength to stop.

It's not about what you want or deserve. It's about what your body NEEDS. Give it that. Given what you've been eating, your cravings are very understandable; they self-perpetuate. Give your body a few days of good Protein (it doesn't have to be gross!), listen to it when it says, "I'm full," tell the devil on your shoulder to hush, and just white-knuckle it out until you become aware that, hey! you no longer are craving those things because you really ARE satisfied! (Even without restriction, you will have periods of satiety---and can make good choices when hungry.)

(Sorry if it feels as though I applied a 2x4 to your head with my response; it really was done gently and with love; I just happen to be pretty forthright. Everyone wants for you to succeed!)

The honest truth is that every doctor's postop requirements will be different...just as their preop diet requirements were.

My surgeon had no preop diet other than the day before surgery. By two weeks postop he had me back on regular foods. Based on that I doubt you've done any harm.

Right now, I'd just try to make good food choices (McDonald's wouldn't be considered a good one :redface:), make sure you drink your liquids and try to start creating good habits along the guidelines you'll have to follow when you start getting fills and restriction.

Make good food choices. Drink your Water. Try to avoid snacking on junk food. Contrary to some opinions, there is nothing wrong with a mid-meal healthy snack. I eat 3 main meals and then between my meals (and mid-evening) I have 3 more small 'meals'. Usually these are just a low carb, low cal Protein shakes, but sometimes, in the evening, if I really am wanting to chew on something, I'll eat 2 oz of cheese with a couple melba toast rounds. Basically, my mini-meals are protein boosters. They keep my blood sugar stable and keep me from being hungry and/or craving.

.

I had a desperate need to chew something and I am a week plus 2 days post op. I ate a very soft whole wheat cracker and chewed the heck out of it. I felt kind of bad for doing it as I know liquids are what my surgeon said for two weeks post op. I am back to full liquid, doubt I did any damage and realize I should have followed directions, but I am not going to dwell on that. You should tell your surgeon or Nutritionist just so they can make any adjustments to your diet--with little to no restriction you most likely are hungry and need more calories than the liquids provide--they can evaluate if there is any damage from the food you consumed. Today is a new day, start fresh and do not dwell on your mistakes, just learn from them. Our old habits are ingrained in us and it will take time to completely purge them. IF failure on the band is not an option for you reign it in now and move on.

"There is no better taste in the world than the taste of me being thin again."

Someone at my support group said that. And I think that is an awesome quote. This band is a tool. It's NOT going to automatically make you stop eating. An alarm isn't going to go off if you eat too much or the wrong things. If there is anyone out there that has already been banned that thought this was going to be easy, honey you are in for a failure. This is not an easy road to follow. How you use the band all depends on how badly you want to be healthy again. And how badly you want to lose that extra baggage that you carry around all of the time. If you want it bad enough, you will work for it. Sometimes we all have to step back and examine our metal state of mind. We have to take a stand and not let food control us. Yes I know that's easier said then done. Believe me, you are talking to the number one muncher in the world.

The doctor gives us a food plan to follow for a reason. Once and awhile we might step off that path but we have to be strong and pull ourselves back onto the track. Or else the rose thorns will take over and you will be so far in, you won't be able to pull yourself back. You ARE human. And everyone makes mistakes. We all have to learn to make better choices. And that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy the better things in life once and awhile. EVERYTHING IN MODERATION.

Don't take big chances that could ultimately set you back for awhile. Talk to your doctors or nutritionists. That's what they are there for. NONE of us can do this alone. Use the support that you have infront of you.

Best of luck to everyone. Here's to a healthier you. :redface:

I think that the most important thing about working with the band is being prepared, having the right foods with you at all times. I bet you didn't just casually get the McDonald's. I may be wrong but when I have made bad choices it was because I let my self get too hungry. If you will be sure and eat something every 3-4 hours you probably wont get into the "I got to have something now!" stage that leads to bad choices.

When I was in the mushy stage my go to meal (when I was so hungry that I couldn't take it anymore) was mashed potatoes with lots of cheese, sour cream, milk and butter to make it very thin. Not very healthy but it hit the spot and killed the HUNGRY monster, without any danger to the band. I am not recommending this on a daily basis. This is for emergency use only.

Oh, and by the way, once you start getting fills it will really help with the hungry part. :redface:

Find your strength in knowing that eating mushies is not forever! You will eat again. The time point post-op that you are in now is, in my opinion, the absolute pitts! I felt angry, hungry, deprived and thought i would never eat real food again! I think that's when I posted my very first thread. I called it "pity party". SO true. I was feeling sorry for myself wondering if I made the right decision.

Some facts:

1. You WILL eat real food again!

2. You WILL survive this awful period of Soups & mushies.

3. You WILL always have the choice to eat McDonald's.

4. You WILL lose weight IF you follow the rules of the band!

5. You WILL NOT regret your decision!

Get yourself back on track! You can do it! It's only a little bit longer until you can start adding solids! On the bright side....at least you know you'll be able to tolerate solids when it's time!:redface:

Hey folks.

I need to 'fess up and be honest here. I am really, really struggling. I had surgery on Feb 9, less than 2 weeks ago. I have not been able to stay on my post op diet. I think I worked so hard to follow my pre op diet - 3 1/2 weeks of misery. I didn't cheat once. I only had the prepackaged junk they gave me. It was awful. But I did it. Why can't I find the same strength now?

I'm supposed to be on pureed foods. But I was so sick of them, and so hungry. I felt restriction for only about 3 days. I have ate: a grilled cheese sandwich, macaroni and cheese, Cereal, and <gasp> a McDonalds cheeseburger. I can say for sure I am eating less than I did before the surgery.... much smaller portions. But I know I am not supposed to eat these foods. I'm afraid I'm going to cause my band to slip, or stretch out my pouch or something. I need to get control.

Please tell me, am I the only one who cheated on the post op diet. Does this mean I'm doomed to be a LAP-BAND®® failure? Please help.:redface:

Thanks so much.

Yes, you are truly the ONLY person who ever cheated on the post-op!! :redface:

I remember the post-op hunger well. If my dog hadn't been able to move faster than me, I'm afraid he'd not be with us any longer!

My surgeon once told me that my eating habits were 43 years in the making, they were not going to change over night.

But, during the healing phase, it is very important that you allow your body to do just that, heal.

Hamburger is very hard to chew enough and to digest. My absolute worst stuck episode was on hamburger. I was sliming, heaving, and vomitting for 5 hours. NOT something you need while healing from the surgery. You'd think it would be easy on the stomach because it is ground, but not so. It is brutal.

If you are really not able to stick with your instructions, call your doc and ask if you can move on to the next stage.

I was doing so well 3 days post-op that when my surgeon called to check on me and I reported my desire to eat my dog he let me move from Clear Liquids to mushies instead of full liquids.

Best wishes in your recovery!

Everyone gave you great advice, get back on your post op plan and move on. Really you did it move forward it is too late to look back. lets go. You have got the power with in you. I believe in you. Scotty D