Well ABC (August Band Crew) members we have made it to the end of our banding month. Each and every member has been very supportive during our procedures and the post-op period, but now is when we will REALLY need to lean on each other for support more than ever. Now the real work of working the band begins and I am sure we will all run into a hurdle or two or three (you get the point) along the continued journey. So, here we go!

Please post your short term weight loss goal for October 1st. I think little goals are where we should start for now so we don't get too overwhelmed.

:gluck: and to all.

I totally agree with the thought of some of the "fun" of eating slipping away because of all the chewing. I actually started to feel a little bummed about it last night at dinner. The small bites and chewing was getting so tedious and I was really hungry! I wanted to shovel it in like ol' times! It's wierd right? If you are getting to eat tasty food, and your stomach is satisfied, why is it such a loss to have to take small bites and chew?

Confession: Do you guys find yourselves wanting to push it at all? I don't have much restriction and I have this disturbing urge to try to eat more or chew less...to see if I can do it. Isn't that awful?! Bad girl! I don't want to have the golfball or PB ever! But some twisted part of me wonders if I can tolerate less chewing and more food. Why do I have to battle this "cheater" mentality?

I'm not even supposed to be on solids yet...not until Friday. I'm such a rule-breaker. But seriously, I couldn't do the soups anymore. I was weak (and weak-willed) and I'm sticking with easliy chewed and mushy stuff.

Ok, and one more thing. I have growing stretch marks and I hate it. I have lost 15lbs, why are they still reaching out across my belly? Should I try the Strivectin stuff? I realize there is NO evidence to suggest it works. I don't know why I'm obsessed with the stretchies. Lord knows I have enough cellulite to pave my driveway. But I'm 30, no pregnancies. and hoped maybe someday I could wear a tankini and show a wee bit o' belly.

I guess I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed by my body and things changing (for better and worse) and kind of vain today...thanks for letting me vent.

I guess I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed by my body and things changing (for better and worse) and kind of vain today...thanks for letting me vent.

Every single thing you stated is exactly how I am feeling right now. I tried a bagel for breakfast the other day because my head hunger really wanted it. Chewing and chewing and chewing the bagel turned each bite into a huge ball of mush in my mouth. I kept spitting out the bites because the texture was beginning to make me gag. Needless to say, there will have to be a cow jumping over the moon before I do that to myself again.

Some of my desires are gone and some aren't. I haven't had any bad experiences with pasta yet, well if you don't count being hungry 1.5 hours later.

Every now and then, I forget I am banded (how? I have no idea, maybe my mind is starving too) and accidentally take a huge bite that I don't chew very well. It ends up hurting all the way down. Each time I do this, I have to take about 10 mins before I can resume eating.

Everything I eat, if it isn't perfect I am mentally beating myself up over it. Like your "cheater" mentality you were describing. Sometimes I can't sleep laying there thinking about what I shouldn't have eaten for the day. Laying there mentally picturing it turn to fat on my body. Typing it on here does seem to help me sometimes.

I almost feel more obsessed with food than I was before banding. I am just crossing my fingers that all of this is just me mentally adjusting to my new lifestyle and maybe a little bit of unconscience rebellion. meh... I don't know, but I know exactly what you are saying....

I got my first fill today, so maybe the ticker & scale will start moving in the right direction again. The doc. (who I met for the very first time today) put in 5cc. It was done under fluoro and I had so much fun watching the screen. I even saw my spine...it's nice to know that I actually have one. Now I'm on clear liquids for 24 hours and then on full liquids for the rest of the week (until next wends.)

I got my first fill this afternoon, in the clinic, no flouro. He put a folded pillow under my back, injected a bit of lidocaine, told me to do a partial sit up and simply injected the saline. 5cc in a VG band. Then he had me swallow (over several minutes, in small sips) half a glass of water. My stomach feels a bit strange, like I'm aware that it's there. Otherwise, no problem.

Then I came home and walked to the library on this beautiful, crisp fall afternoon.

I'm supposed to be on liquids/pureed foods for the next three days. Then I take my band for its first real tryout. I'm plateaued at 23 lbs down from my preop visit, so I'm very, very anxious to get this show on the road!

Faybie, I'm glad I'm not alone.

I just had dinner and I'm not full. OK, well a little, I guess. Yet, at lunch I was full from a cup of soup. SO ... I don't know about a fill yet. My restriction is there sometimes and then poof, it goes away. I know everybody posts about this stuff. It's funny how you read and read and read and then you're like "hey, how about that. It is happening to ME" and then you want to write about it! Even though we've all read it before, somehow once it happens for me, I want to share!

Wait, so kutia got 5 ccs and GE Mom got .5 cc ? That's a huge difference for a first fill.

No, I got 5 cubic centimeters, too. That was a period at the end of the previous sentence, not a decimal point!

I can tell that I take each day as it comes. Today I was able to eat beef fajita meat - chewed slowly, but yesterday I PB on chicken which has never happened before. Sometimes I feel the restriction, other times not, but my hunger is definitely less than pre-fill.

Faybie, I'm glad I'm not alone.

I just had dinner and I'm not full. OK, well a little, I guess. Yet, at lunch I was full from a cup of soup. SO ... I don't know about a fill yet. My restriction is there sometimes and then poof, it goes away. I know everybody posts about this stuff. It's funny how you read and read and read and then you're like "hey, how about that. It is happening to ME" and then you want to write about it! Even though we've all read it before, somehow once it happens for me, I want to share!

Hey guys, sory I haven't written in awhile, I moved this weekend and I havent had internet until last night and it took me till this morning to catch up! Its great that everyone is still checking in and posting their experiences! I have my first fill scheduled for Oct 2nd but I'm not sure I'll end up getting it. Right now I can eat anything except bread but I can't eat a lot and I'm losing consistantly. I had my 2nd post op visit on Monday and I had lost 6 lbs in 3 weeks. So I only have 2 lbs left for my Oct 1st goal! I don't remember who asked if anyone else was considering waiting for the first fill but I am....

I felt that way too for about a week. I'm down 25 lbs since pre-op but then all of a sudden it stopped and my hunger increased. I actually woke up starving (with stomach pain) at about 6:30 am one morning and had to eat something. I talked to my doctor about it and she said that's common and that it was good that I didn't cancel my fill.

I got 1.2cc in my 5cc band and I'm a little scared of going to normal food. I haven't PB'd or slimed or anything yet. I've had a normal experience since being banded on 8/8 and I'm nervous about getting stuck. I don't plan on sticking to soft foods because my reasoning for getting the band was to eat normally (modified for healthier choices) but in smaller portions. I just can't help but feel nervous.

Don't know how you guys are doing it. I just need to get some mental toughness going and I can't seem to muster it right now. I'll try stopping at 1 cup of food and letting myself set there for awhile before I decide to eat any more. Now that I'm officially on solids I need to be living the bandster life - that means protein first, eating and not drinking my calories AND keeping to 8 or less ozs per meal. I guess until I do that consistently there's no way to know if I need a fill or not.

I'm going to try to do better this week and see how things go. My doc's office recommends eating beef jerky for a snack - I can't imagine being able to chew this enough to get through the stoma....? I feel a very small and swiftly passing golfball with the first few bites of almost every meal. I had mushies for breakfast and was only full for 2 hours, but I just can't eat really solid stuff in the a.m. I've started having a cup of hot tea in the am and think I'll hold off on my actual meal until later in the morning. You all are doing wonderfully and you're really giving me strength right now to keep working to do things right. Take care and I'll check in Monday - I'm working the weekend so I should have a loss on Monday - can't snack at work!!!

My doc's office recommends eating beef jerky for a snack - I can't imagine being able to chew this enough to get through the stoma....?

I have been eating a .5 to 1 oz snack of unsalted peanuts or a small teaspoon of parmesean cheese. I like both of these and they are pretty much keeping me from "losin' it" between meals. That and lots and lots of water (when I am suppose to I don't drink during meals)

1 scrambled egg in the morning seems to keep me full until lunch much better than yogurt, fruit or oatmeal. To mix it up I will add some lowfat cheese and a spoon of salsa, make deviled eggs or boiled eggs with morton's lite salt.

Is anybody finding it difficult not to drink liquids while eating? I cannot seem to eat without at least sipping some water. Otherwise I feel an uncomfortable dryness with swallowing. Anybody else experiencing this?

I also found my band seemed tighter this week than last even though my fill was on 9/11. I lost 5 pounds last week then stopped; it may be because I really upped my exercise this week with some light weight training.

Is anybody finding it difficult not to drink liquids while eating? I cannot seem to eat without at least sipping some water. Otherwise I feel an uncomfortable dryness with swallowing. Anybody else experiencing this?

I haven't had a problem with not drinking between meals... At first I would reach for the glass out of "habit". I do get dry, thirsty and count down the minutes until I can drink, however I have never really just HAD to have a drink. It was more just uncomfortable thirst, wishing I could drink something.

I probably obssess more over pasta and bread than I do not being able to drink with my meal. LOL.

I find if I really load up on the water before I start eating then I feel less thirsty during the meal. I have to remind myself to drink a bunch before I eat. But overall, I think I'm not getting as much water as I used to with the new rule. I used to drink two or more large glasses of water with everything I ate.

If something is especially spicy, I take a little tiny sip. Like a straw full. What is that, 1/2 a teaspoon? I doubt that will wash out the contents of my stomach.