Jump to content
×
Are you looking for the BariatricPal Store? Go now!

Lap Band....First Episode!



Recommended Posts

Hey Gang...

Today is my first day on puree food. Day13...lol.

So... I figured it would be a good time to try and make a meal and enjoy some good.

I made roast beef, mashed potatoes, and cream corn.

I was out all day... so didn't really eat today. Was still doing the liquid diet. Boost, Water, coffee in the morning, blah, blah, blah.

So anyway...I was so excited about this meal. Sat down and I think I forgot I had the lapband. Has a couple bites, didn't really think about it.

Well all of a sudden, I get this feeling like something is stuck.

Well... didn't the food get lodged. All the discussion groups I read about this. The stuck feeling.

I wasn't expecting it. I figured I would have to see the surgeon in 6 weeks, get 2 cc's into the port to tighten it...lol.

Is it possible... I'm already at a good setting. The green spot, The sweet spot....lol.

Does anybody have any info for me please.

I read we have to chew 20 times, 20 bites of food, for 20 minutes.

I'm kinda excited....lol. In a weird sort of way....lol.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

You could be....but maybe not. I felt restriction my first couple of weeks, but learned it was likely swelling. By four weeks I only had that stuck feeling if I didn't chew well enough. I'm not yet at the sweet spot, I have my second fill on 12/27. My understanding is that once I'm in the sweet spot I will feel full at between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of food per meal. In about a year at the 1 cup mark. I believe it is a feeling of fullness versus feeling something is stuck. I could be wrong...

Banded 10/12/16

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think it will take some time to tell.

But hoping I don't have to wait too long into the new year to find the sweet spot.

I did sign up for the gym today...so I will go about this the same way as I have I past.

Eat healthy... work out, lose weight, and hopefully figure this out.

I'm usually good for 3 months or so... then the wheels fall off...lol.

2017.... has to be different.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Maybe, maybe not. It's too soon for you to know how your band is. You really goofed, scarfing down chunks of beef and corn, especially since you were to start purees. It sounds as though the food went down after a while rather than coming up? In either case, the feeling is miserable. For now, slow down and focus first on eating properly and developing new habits. When your band is an ideal dance partner, you'll know for sure and we'll all rejoice..

Keep in mind that it's not about "fullness." "Full" means "too much." That's how we got obese. People who live at a healthy weight aim for satiety, not fullness. Satiety means eating and reaching a point where you think "I can eat two or three more bites," but you don't because you're satisfied. Learning and living it is a good goal among the other good goals.

"I'm usually good for 3 months or so... then the wheels fall off." -- Always carry a wrench.

Small bites, chew to smithereens, pause for a slow count to 20 before the next bite. hen the band is well-adjusted, you'll get the "enough" feeling. Know, however, that some foods go down endlessly and, of course, they are the ones to be avoided or greatly limited -- crunchy things such as chips and sugary things such as Cookies and cake are among the culprits that we can keep eating without feeling much of anything.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Oh it was puree'd....lol.

Roast beef, and it was cream corn...lol.

All good... I just got a little ahead of myself yesterday.

Part of the learning curve.

Puree foods until Tuesday... then to try whole foods for a couple weeks, then chat with the nurse and surgeon about my first fill.

They only do them after 6 weeks from surgery.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

@@jimmc77 So you hit a little bump in the road.... We all do it.... But take this as a lesson, remember what you have learned and try your best to avoid it again.

No one is perfect at this.... we have all messed up in one way or the other whether we want to admit it or not. I doubt you are in the green, not saying you can't be, but your most likely just still swollen. Stick to the food schedule... it's there for a reason. I know your hungry and every thing you see on tv, driving, at work... is all about food. but this will pass.

Im sure you heard this before but in case you haven't.... this is what I did when i introduced food back.

I know everyone told you about the small plate. I bought the kids plate.. you know the ones that have the cartoons on them and the three sections, it also came with a fork and spoon. I took my 1/8cup out and measured it all... I made sure before i took the first bite that i cut everything up in bite sizes. For me the nail on my pinky finger was a good size. I ate my Protein first... always. then the greens and then what ever else if i was still hungry. After EVERY bite i put the fork (kids fork) down.... closed my eyes and really concentrated on what was in my mouth.... i savored each bite. It became a game for me to try and figure out the different spices in the food. I NEVER sat in front of the tv, read, or held a deep conversation while i was eating. These things are distracting and you will forget what you are doing and before you know it, you didn't chew enough and bam... problem. NEVER NEVER put a glass of anything in front or near you while eating. Again, out of habit you will forget and bam... problem.

I know some people wrote everything they ate down and logged it in and weighted out on a scale.... i didn't. I fixed my plate with what i knew was my limit and only ate that... even if i was still hungry, i never got up for another bite. Waited my 30 min or more and than drank something.

congrats on joining the gym. I tell every person that ask, one of the biggest parts of a great outcome is exercise. And i don't mean 2-3 day for 30 min..... I mean.... 5 days for no less than one hour. I started with walking after surgery. then i moved on to zumba, bodypump, combat.... I also mixed in some treadmill, elliptical.. and then some weights. When i first started i could only do 5 min on the Devil.... Aka Elliptical, but i worked my way up to 45 min...... Remember Eat Less and Move More...

NEVER NEVER reward yourself with food.... NEVER!!!! Only with positive stuff... things you like... for example Fishing, for every 5-10lbs. buy a new fishing lures.... or pole or something... Like i told another girl, some people put a $1 in a jar for every lb they lose... if they gain, they take it out and put in another jar, when they lose it again, put it back. Then at the end year treat yourself to something big.

I hope some of this helps you...

Chris

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

For the puree phase I would take meat broth and put whatever Protein I wanted in a food processor and ground it down to a thinned paste. Worked well enough. I certainly understand missing food and feeling hungry but you'll get through it.

I had a very hard time getting most things down the first 4 weeks post-op because of the swelling but I was pretty well back to normal after I healed.

I'm a year post op and I'm still not at my "sweet" spot 100% but I'm almost there! Even though it's been slow-going for me I'm very pleased with the results. Before on standard diets I'd lose 10-15 pounds, get excited and regain it back plus another pound. At the rate I was going I'd probably weigh somewhere between 320-330 by now. I was literally killing myself with my food issues. 42 pounds may seem modest a year out but my numbers have greatly improved, I've lost a couple sizes, and I just *feel* better.

Point is: be patient. You're already better off now than you would've been if you didn't have the surgery at all so there's a reason to be happy :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was fat - Obese becausaeI ate all the wrong foods, and ate the wrong way.

Diets never helped, tried and failed 100 times.

Lap Band surgery changed all that. It FORCED me to change what I eat, and how I eat.

I once ate like a glutton, now I eat like a bird.

Not going to guess what your episode was, but be ready. The lap band will change your life.

Why else did we have this surgery if we do not want it to do something???

I am 6 years out. What and how I eat has become routine. But in the beginning while I was learning my lessons (the hard way) I sometimes got stuck a few times a day until I finally broke!

Even today, every now and then without thinking I will take too large a bite - swallow, or gulp a drink and immediately I will be strongly reminded I did have surgery once.

People who get stuck, have food - slime come back up immediately think there is something wrong....(Maybe there is but not with the band)

I say seize the moment, think about what you did to cause the episode, and learn from it....eventually you will break all those habits you never knew you had and change your life for good.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Trending Products

  • Trending Topics

  • Recent Status Updates

    • Prdgrdma

      So I guess after gastric bypass surgery, I cant eat flock chips because they are fried???  They sell them on here so I thought I could have them. So high in protein and no carbs.  They don't bother me at all.  Help. 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        It's possible for a very high fat meal to cause dumping in some (30% or so) gastric bypass patients, although it's more likely to be triggered by high sugar, or by the high fat/high sugar combo (think ice cream, donuts). Dietitians will tell you to never do anything that isn't 100% healthy ever again. Realistically, you should aim for a good balance of protein, carbs, and fat each day. Should you eat fried foods every day? No. Is it possible they will make you sick? Maybe. Is it okay to eat some to see what happens and have them for a treat every now and again? Yes.

    • NovelTee

      I'm not at all hungry on this liquid pre-op diet, but I miss the sensation of chewing. It's been about two weeks––surgery is in two days––and I can't imagine how I'll feel a couple of weeks post-op. Tonight, I randomly stumbled upon a mukbang channel on YouTube, and it was strangely soothing... is it just me, or is this a thing? 
      · 1 reply
      1. NickelChip

        I actually watched cooking shows during my pre-op, like Great British Baking Show. It was a little bizarre, but didn't make me hungry. I think it was also soothing in a way.

    • Clueless_girl

      How do you figure out what your ideal weight should be? I've had a figure in my head for years, but after 3 mths of recovery I'm already almost there. So maybe my goal should be lower?
      · 3 replies
      1. NickelChip

        Well, there is actually a formula for "Ideal Body Weight" and you can use a calculator to figure it out for you. This one also does an adjusted weight for a person who starts out overweight or obese. https://www.mdcalc.com/calc/68/ideal-body-weight-adjusted-body-weight

        I would use that as a starting point, and then just see how you feel as you lose. How you look and feel is more important than a number.

      2. Clueless_girl

        I did find different calculators but I couldn't find any that accounted for body frame. But you're right, it is just a number. It was just disheartening to see that although I lost 60% of my excess weight, it's still not in the "normal/healthy" range..

      3. NickelChip

        I think it's important to remember that the weight charts and BMI ranges were developed a very long time ago and only intended to be applied to people who have never been overweight or obese. Those numbers aren't for us. When you are larger, especially for a long time, your body develops extra bone to support the weight. Your organs get a little bigger to handle the extra mass. Your entire infrastructure increases so you can support and function with the extra weight. That doesn't all go away just because you burn off the excess fat. If you still had a pair of jeans from your skinniest point in life and then lost weight to get to the exact number on the scale you were when those jeans fit you, chances are they would be a little baggy now because you would actually be thinner than you were, even though the scale and the BMI chart disagree. When in doubt, listen to the jeans, not the scale!

    • Aunty Mamo

      Tomorrow marks two weeks since surgery day and while I'm feeling remarkably well and going about just about every normal activity, I did wind up with a surface abscess on on of my incision sights and was put on an antibiotic that made me so impacted that it took me more than two hours to eliminate yesterday and scared the hell out of me. Now there's Miralax in all my beverages that aren't Smooth Move tea. I cannot experience that again. I shouldn't have to take Ativan to go to the lady's. I really looking forward to my body getting with the program again. 
      I'm in day three of the "puree" stage of eating and despite the strange textures, all of the savory flavors seem decadent. 
      I timed this surgery so that I'd be recovering during my spring break. That was a good plan. Today is a state holiday and the final day of break. I feel really strong to return to school tomorrow. 
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • BeanitoDiego

      Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I'm getting a into a routine for my meals. Every day, I start out with 8-16 ounces of water, and then a proffee, which I have come to look forward to even the night before. My proffees are simply a black coffee with a protein powder added. There are three products that I cycle through: Premier Vanilla, Orgain Vanilla, and Dymatize Vanilla.
      For second breakfast on workdays, I will have a low-fat yogurt with two tablespoons of PBFit and two teaspoons of no sugar added dried cherries. I will have ingested 35-45 grams of protein at this point between the two breakfasts, with 250-285 calories, and about 20 carbs.
      For second breakfast on non-workdays, I will prepare two servings of plain, instant oatmeal with a tablespoon of an olive oil-based spread. This means I will have had 34 grams of protein, 365 calories, and 38 carbs. Non-workdays are when I am being very active with training sessions, so I allow myself more carbohydrate fuel.
      Snacks on any day are always mixed nuts, even when I am travelling. I will have 0.2 cups of a blend that I make myself. It consists of dry roasted peanuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. This is 5 grams of protein, 163 calories, and 7 carbs.
      Breakfast and snacks have been the easiest to nail down. Lunch and dinner have more variables, and I prepare enough for leftovers. I concentrate on protein first, and then add vegetables. Typically tempeh, tofu, or Field Roast products with roasted or sautéed vegetables. Today, I will be eating leftovers from last night. Two ounces of tempeh with four ounces of roasted vegetables that consist of red and yellow sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, small purple potatoes, zucchini, and carrots. I will add a tablespoon of olive oil-based spread, break up 3 walnuts to sprinkle of top, and garnish with two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. This particular meal will be 19 grams of protein, 377 calories, and 28 grams of carbs. Bear in mind that I do eat more carbs when I am not working, and I focus on ingesting healthy carbs instead of breads/crackers/chips/crisps.
      It's a helluva journey and I'm thankful to be on it!
       
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
  • Recent Topics

  • Hot Products

  • Sign Up For
    Our Newsletter

    Follow us for the latest news
    and special product offers!
  • Together, we have lost...
      lbs

    PatchAid Vitamin Patches

    ×