Hi everyone.

I was banded on the 29 th of august.On monday the 15 th I started the mushie diet. Last night for supper a has potatoes, carrots and ham all mushed up but couldn't eat it all as I thought I was going to vomit but took some deep breaths and it finally settled down but I felt really full all evening . Tonight I also feel realy full since I ate does everyone feel like this. Also my weight , I go down a couple a pounds and up a pound even thought I know I'm not eating too much......

I've lost about 10 pounds since banding but I seem stuck there.

Are things like this for anyone else?

Please tell me I'm normal...........

Keep going strong.

Neomie,

It is absolutely normal for your weight loss to slow, or even stop, when you transition to mushies. Think about it. Since surgery you have been surviving on what, 300 calories of liquids a day? Now that you are on mushies, your body is going to hold on to absolutely EVERYTHING that you put into it because it has been in starvation mode. Don't worry. Stick to the plan and things will pick up again...promise!

On another note, it sounds like you might be eating too quickly. Try to eat a bit more slowly so that you can better gauge when you are full. Sometimes it takes a bit for the message to get through to us and then we end up feeling overfull. It's miserable, isn't it? I have to start with a 1/4 cup, then slow way down as I eat whatever else is left. I have a baby spoon that I use when I am eating foods thicker than pudding and that really helps me to concentrate on not shoveling food in like I used to.

Try to stay off of the scale and just weigh for Friday weigh-ins. Don't forget to measure then too, because often you may lose size without losing weight. It's not good to focus so much on how much you weigh each day. Weight changes all the time, and its not related to how "good" or "bad" you were the day before. Obsessing on food and weight is what got us into this situation in the first place, isn't it?

I was banded the day before you...and we'll both make it through this and come out stronger and healthier in the end! :thumbup:

I had my surgery August 28 and I just started pureed foods today - which is like baby food consistency they said. I am only to supposed to eat 1/4-1/2 cup food per meal. I too lost 11 lbs the first week and two the second week - but nothing the third week - I was down another pound on Monday but then today I was up 2 lbs - no way possible I really gained two pounds on about 700 calories of food. I have decided not to weigh every day as it is frustrating me. It sounds like maybe you ate a little too fast?

Hi

Thank you for taking the time to encourage me , today I'm eating less and maybe more often as I still feel full from yesterday. My surgeon suggest that we take no more than 10 min. to eat a meal so that we feel full faster.

Have a nice day.

What??? Less than 10 Minutes??? He's nuts! No wonder you are eating too fast. I usually say that you should do whatever your doc says, but I've gotta disagree this time. If you chew your food correctly, which is really, really, really well, then it will take 20-30 minutes to eat. Actually, my dietician suggests 20-30 minutes for a meal.

I can't wait to hear what everyone else says on this one.

I've never heard less than 10 minutes either. You've probably eaten too fast and maybe a little too much, slow it down and stop a few bites before you're really full and see if you feel better.

Also, if you weigh daily, you WILL see the scale go up and down, that's entirely normal and happens to every person in the world, on a daily basis. If it upsets you dont look, but otherwise, as long as your weight is on a downward trend over reasonable periods of time, then there's not a problem. Plateaus do happen though and particularly when you come off liquids and go onto solids. They break eventually, you've just got to keep doing what you're doing.

I want to say thank you to the one's who came back to me about feeling to full. I'm doing better, I start soft food tomorrow to gradually go on to regular food.I talked to the nurse this week and she advised no pieces of meat yet so that the fibers of the pouch wont stretch too fast. I'm going to go to omelets and overcooked veggies with mushie meats for a while yet. I will be having my first fill on the 15th of october.What has everybody else found that fills you up when your on soft food. I have oatmeal in the morning and that seems to satisfy me quite well.

I will eventually get the hang of thisl

hi i ws banded on 19 august, and i am allowed to eat now a small cup of food, but it takes me 25-30 mins to eat that, i have not experienced the over full feeling as yet, and i hope not too. take care

Hi!

I was banded on 8/13. I am constantly amazed when I read about how quickly some people are allowed to progress through food stages. My bariatric center wants us to go two full weeks at each stage. I am getting to week 6 now, which means I will be ready for "unrestricted" textures, including, at long last, raw veggies, fruits and veggies with skin, and nuts. I'm not in such a hurry to have them, but it is nice to reach this stage. I'm pretty contented with the soft food stage as I can eat almost everything I want anyway. But a good salad - oh yum! I've been craving it for weeks now.

I have to say I cannot say thank you enough to everyone who posts and replies here. I was beginning to worry early last week as my weight went up another pound. Then someone reminded me (duh me) that I haven't had a fill, and with each new food stage I'm likely taking in more calories again.

I am due to see the Dr. on 10/2 and find out how much he wants to do for my first fill. Because of thinning in my abdominal wall from previous abdominal surgeries I've had, he's sending me to a radiologist to have my first fill done under the fluoroscope. I can feel the outline of my port, but have NO problem with this. It may even mean less time for me to wait for a fill - the average is about 1 1/2 hour right now if you go to the office.

My point is, right now my pouch is unrestricted, and I'm clearly healing well. I can eat MUCH more quantity of food than I thought in a meal. Still less than before I was banded, but much more than the nurses led me to believe. So I was getting concerned about it. Now I feel much more relaxed and am lightening up on myself.

I did feel, for the first time, the sensation of food getting stuck yesterday. I think I took too big a bite & didn't chew it small enough before swallowing. I didn't bring any back up, but there was a minute there when I was quite uncomfortable. Lesson learned! One reason (in my top 10) for choosing banding was because of the low purge incidence. I am not a purger. So PB's are not something I want to experience - EVER. Compliant little brown-noser, that's me! LOL.

Thanks to all. I really appreciate your willingness to share your experiences and support one another. It makes me feel quite pleased that I chose this route to help me lose weight.

Hi Everyone,

As to the scale bouncing around, it is normal for there to be a 1-2 pound difference day to day. This is Water weight and it can relate to the amount of sodium the day before (retain fluids), exercise (loss of fluids), hormones (retain or loss of fluid), etc. It is better to weigh yourself only once a week and follow the general trend. I know myself that I can't weigh just once a week but I only count Wed morning as my "official" weight. The rest of the time I realize when I get on the scale that there may be a 1-2 difference and I am OK with that as long as my general trend is down.

As for how long it should take to eat, physiologically your stomach begins to empty at around 20-25 mins. If it is taking you longer to eat than 20/25 minustes you are just adding more food on top of what has already begun to emptiy. 10 minutes is also a little quick though. You should always follow YOUR doctors instructions but realize how your body works.

Amy,

I was banded 8/13/08 also. I can't wait until Wed to go back to a regular diet.

I also think 10 minutes is too fast. We are supposed to eat slower in order to feel full faster. If that makes any sense. It takes 20 minutes for your stomach to alert your brain that you're getting or are full.

I'm back to regular foods now. This week, I've been bouncing UP in ounces. No loss so far although official WI is Friday. It's not looking good for a loss this week and looking like a GAIN! I've lost about 8lbs since the day of surgery (15 if you count the 7lbs of surgery gain that took a week and a half to lose!!). I've always been a slow loser. Can't see why this will be any different for me.

Speaking of the surgery gain, do you include that in your post-surgery loss or just the other weight?