I've got a date! 10th February Surgery! Thank you LBT members!

[megsy101 0]

Thanks Guys!!!

All shall be revealed on Tuesday.

Keep me posted on how youse guys are doing :rose:

[shaggs 0]

I'm suffering. My husband is away and the general activity in this house when my husband is away is to have a few drinks and some nibblies and watch some chick flick or another with a few of the girls. Since I no longer have these fun times to offer I am sitting here alone, bored and hungry! I want chips and wine and nibblies. Is this social hunger or real hunger? I cant possibly understand what I have found ok about only being on liquids and or Optifast for the past 3 weeks!!!??? I stump myself! Help!

[Emmsie 0]

Shaggs - stick with it hun. A lot of what we are doing is about retraining our brain and breaking some of the old habits. I was the same and would always have wine & nibblies. Why dont you have a goal to have a glass of wine when DH comes home (as long as he isnt gone fo weeks :tongue2: )

[shaggs 0]

Ohmigod someone's out there! Thank you Emmsie!

[Sunshine23 0]

Ohmigod someone's out there! Thank you Emmsie!

Hey Shaggs,

How is it all going ? Don't panic about the wine and the nibbles we do that on a Sunday with friends. I to struggle so you are not the only one. I tend to make myself diet cordial and have it in a wine glass sounds stupid but it works. I do have to odd glass of wine now so it is not so bad.

As I keep saying remember the big picture and stick in there.

Sunshine23:thumbup:

[megsy101 0]

Hey SHaggs,

I tend to give myself what I want so I dont obsess over it anymore. have a glass of wine and some cheese - then throw the rest of the bottle out!!!

[lellow 1,713]

Shaggs,

you're only healing for a while. Pretty soon you'll be able to have wine and nibblies again.

I'm 6 months post op and I still have wine now and again, and nibblies if I feel like it. But instead of potato chips, I get flavoured rice crackers and sunflower seeds. That way, I'm still joining in with the activity without eating too many 'empty' calories.

PS plus they're yummy!

Edited February 18, 2009 by lellow

[Emmsie 0]

Shaggs - How did you finish up last night? Dont be too hard on yourself. I still love my wine but have the low calorie one. I dont know if you drink red or white. I like the Lindemans Early Harvest SSB. BB (before band) I would have 3 - 4 glasses of wine every night of the week. Now I have 5 glasses over the week. Normally 1 glass on Thursday nights and 2 glasses on Fri & Sat night.

Remember that this isnt a diet and you need to still enjoy life :blushing:

[shaggs 0]

Thank you for all of your great support and advice guys, I really appreciate it! I made it through the night but found myself in the same situation tonight. I think I go too long between lunch and dinner and while I'm not actually physically hungry my mood nose dives and I feel yuck about drinking anything. I also find it very hard to sit and consume a drink and treat it as a meal. I tend to sip and sip over time and never really get full or feel completed. So tonight I didnt blend my Soup and I chewed it into a mush instead and it felt great to chew and have control. i was very careful that is was soft and only tiny mouthfuls and I conquered the crap mood! My mum was worried about me and god love her, she bought me a bottle of wine and I shared it with my neice, she had most of it but I had two little glasses and yes, it has taken the edge off alright and I dont feel the least bit guilty! Another day down 3 to go! I'm such a sook! its such a small amount of time but it does do your head in!

[Leah28 0]

Oh Shaggs, don't feel guilty about 2 small glasses. I had 5 big glasses the other night (one of my best mates was leaving town) - I tell you what, its true what they say about the alcohol going straight to your head! I also had the worst hangover I have had in a loooong time.

I'm not feeling guilty because before I would have downed a bottle of scotch in a session and god knows how much coke. But now when I socialise I am drinking low-alcohol white wine so I still feel social, but without all those empty calories before. And it hasn't hurt my weightloss, I lost 1.3kgs this week!

One other thing I wanted to post here - I had the worst, most terrible shoulder tip pain for 2 weeks after the op. The only thing that would help would be panadiene forte but I wanted to get off pain killers after 2 weeks on them! I went to my local massage therapist and she did some bowen therapy on me. The pain was instantly gone and hasn't been back so if anyone is having trouble with shoulder pain, find your nearest bowen therapist!

Bowen therapy also helps with detoxing the body, which is good during weight loss.

[shaggs 0]

Hey Leah! I actually didnt feel guilty at all (LOL) but it didnt go to my head like I expected it to??? Bummer. I usually like chardonnay and it was my old favourite brand and it tasted quite gross so I drank it really slowly and didnt finish the second glass so maybe thats why I didnt get a buzz. Or maybe its because I also could down a bottle of spirits on my own in one session not even a couple of months ago????? I think my taste buds lean more towards sugar now because of all of the fake opti crap and juices etc. I actually feel like dessert wine. Must give that a try one day soon!

Thanks for the Bowen idea, I know the residual gassy pain I'm getting could be easily fixed with the right pair of hands and some trust from me (tummy still quite sore) - just dont know if I'm ready for that yet. Also, some Bowen therapists are very hands on and some are almost Reiki, I really like being touched and kneaded into submission (LOL) I've got a great masseuse and chiro but I really didnt want to tell anyone about the band,not even them and I still cant lay on my tummy yet so I dont know if I'll really enjoy it? I dont know, just whinging again I guess but I can definitely feel a massage of some sort coming on this pain is dragging on too long now.

Anyone else got any ideas? The pain is definitely gas related and goes from my left hip up through every cut on stomach, into my chest and through my left shoulder and ribs. I can handle it, I have to brace myself when I want to burp and it quite often hurts when I take a breath, but i would really like it gone now! I'd be interested to anyone else's tips, massage is winning at the moment.

[Leah28 0]

Shaggs, perhaps you could tell them you had abdominal laparoscopy for a different reason. Perhaps just an investigatory one - my sister had an investigatory one for abdominal pain (turned out to be her appendix). That way you don't have to tell them about the band?

I can't roll over on to my stomach yet, I sort of have to lift myself up and manuovere myself so I am comfy. It probably looks really ridiculous to myboyfriend lol

Ditto with the changed tastes... I hated white wine before the op, but now thats all I am been drinking - mainly cos I can't have bubbles and its too hot for red, but I am actually enjoying it. Weird!

[shaggs 0]

Saw the chiro today and wow, that feels better! Although I havent eaten much today so the gas pain hasnt really been an issue, we'll see as the day goes on! I fessed up on the surgery also, chiro was very happy about it and knows the SIOS pyschologist - its a small world! I can lay on my tummy now so a massage is on the cards! Cant wait! Thank you everyone! First check up tomorrow!

[lellow 1,713]

shaggs,

The thing that worked for me with gas pain was peppermint tea (which I loathed but, damn, it did the trick) and walking. Exercise, to this day, helps me get gas out. And as you get more fills and get tighter, burping becomes harder to do without exercise.

As for the alcohol - hell, it used to take a LOT to get me tipsy. Now it takes 2 glasses! And try to stick with not giving in the the sugar cravings if you can - you get over them soon enough, believe it or not. Now if I have something too sugary, I feel a little ill.

And don't be surprised that things you used to love the taste off suddenly don't taste the same. There was a thread about it recently and I think a lot of banders go through it - and it may well mean the end of your love affair with food (and drink!) and that's not such a bad thing, trust me!

[Leah28 0]

You are so right, lellow, about the changed tastes. My favourite food before the op was spag bol but now the thought of it makes me feel a little queasy!

And as for alcohol, I really don't feel like it often at all.