Hello,

I was just banded last Friday by Dr. Felts. I lost 6 lbs during the pre op diet and I am trying to enjoy these shakes and broth. I am not necessarily hungry but the thought of thin liquids (broth and shakes) is depressing me a bit. I feel like the options are so limited for now. Was this hard for anyone else out there???

Grace

It is hard in the beginning, you just had surgery tho' and realizing what you've done, mourning the loss of your old friend, food. Most of us have been there and felt the same things. It will get better.

Once you move on to other foods, when you Dr. recommends, you'll have more choices. You might want to check out the "food and receipe" threads for ideas on food choices during each post op stage.

Oh and stay away from the food network on TV for awhile! Some days, I still have trouble watching that!

Yes, this is normal. It is only a few weeks of your life and then you will be able to eat most foods again. Hang in there!

no kidding!!!! My hubby watched food tv for a few hours yesterday and it killed me. I was dying for something to crunch on! And this is one of my favorite channels. Food was my good friend and I need to let that go. Thanks for the reply! Good advice! Maybe I will get some other projects finished!

You really don't think about how hard it is going to be until it is gone....It was amazing how much of my life revolved around food....going to restaurants, etc. My activities revolved around food mostly. You will probably go through the mourning stage and then your life gets soo soo much better....I guarantee it. But you have to realize this is like the death of a very, very good friend that has been there any time you needed it.....redirect your energies and honey hold on because the miracle is going to happen.....happy journey! Welcome to band land!

You'll be able to use all the free time ( not eating or thinking of eating) to pack up all those clothes that don;t fit anymore and spend some of the time shopping for new ones. I just cleaned out my closet ( it's almost empty now), even though I always complained I never had anything to wear, I really hated how everything looked. Once I lost a few pounds I wore anything in my closet I could get into again and now all that got big.

I boxed up over five boxes of stuff, but have only bought a couple new things because I know I'll lose more weight. I generally wear what I have until it's hanging and baggy before I buy something.

So really I still have not much to wear for the time being, but what I do wear looks so much better on me!

Instead of the food network, we'll all be watching "What not to wear" And project runway or something!

And I just discovered yesterday, that the sky doesn't fall in, if I go to the movies and not buy anything to eat. I just didn't know the world as I had always known it would continue to revolve, if I didn't get popcorn and candy at the movies. Who knew?

Hi Grace,

I know how you feel... I was banded on Wednesday and I am already getting tired of the choices! But hang in there.... we can do this! I changed protien drinks (chocolate to vanilla) to give a little variety.

It's not easy cooking for the family either.... they had cheesburgers tonight and it was looking pretty good! But I keep thinking about the new clothes and how good it is going to feel when my clothes get baggy.

I quit smoking almost 6 years ago and that was real tough for me.... but I had to remember that cigarettes should not rule my life (which they really did!) and now I have to use that same mentality to not let food rule my life.

I wish you the best!:drool:

Thanks for the encouraging words. Congrats to you, too! Yes, I can do this but it is hard. Today is better than yesterday. Trying to drink more water/ juice. Hang in there... we are gonna look great!

Grace... it's hard... very hard. I know people talk about using your extra time to do things... but, eventually you will need to use your extra time preparing good healthy foods for the whole family. Your whole family is going to need to learn to eat healthy. Also, even though it's probably the HARDEST things you will ever do... the results are worth it. If I could give one piece of advice to all people just getting the band... stick with it. Even when you can eat regular foods, stick to small portions... be hungry for a while.. in the long run it will pay off. It takes a long time for the band to be in it's sweet spot. You have to have dedication now. I've lost almost 100 pounds in less then a year. When people that I work with say... "I didn't recognize you"... it's worth ALL the stuggles.