Allcdngirl

So I had my 1/2 c of cottage cheese and 1/2 small banana at 8:00 am. Felt full, but at 9:30 started to feel lightheaded and dizzy and now I have a headache. I think I either needed to keep eating at breakfast, or have a snack, but if I'm going to not drink within time allowed for eating, then how am I going to eat and get all my water in? Am I making more out of this that I need to?

Hey Amber.. just starting work so don't have much time. I'm feeling exactly the way you are, must be normal. I just had 1/3 cup low fat cottage cheese, and 1/2 of a small banana. That's breakfast. I could actually feel a little tightening in my chest just as I was finished the banana, so I guess that's all I could eat. Tough part was remembering not to drink after. I usually drink a fair amount in the car on the way to work. I will have to try and have my breakfast a little earlier in the morning, so I can still drink the water on my way in. For lunch I have a 1/4 c of tuna with a tiny bit of low fat mayo, and a small green salad, and a small piece of watermelon. Not sure if I'll have room for the watermelon, but I'll see how that goes. May have to have that for a snack with a small cup of jello. Let me know how your day goes. Good Luck! Anita

Hey Denise... I'm so sorry to hear about your flight problems. I can just imagine how frustrated you must have been. I am going down to Arlington as well, and I think it's about 1 1/2 hours south of the border. We'll have to meet at Timmy's and have some soup when you get back. Let me know how things go. Take Care! Anita P.S. Ladies... I a good to go for July 5th. I've got to book my appt with the ladies. Anyone going to get a fill that day?

I totally agree with Jena... STEP AWAY FROM THE SCALE! Never weigh yourself more than once a day, especially, on different scales. You'll drive yourself crazy (or should I say, you've driven yourself crazy). Remember.... once you start exercising, the scale will not go down, but your measurements will. Keep up the great work! Anita

Thank you ladies for taking the time to help me out. Great idea's. I do love eggs, so I will boil some, and keep some in the fridge. That will make a good chef salad with a small piece of chicken or turkey. I will remember to chew, chew, chew. I love green beans so that works well with the fish and a small amount of potatoes. I don't think I have seen the fruit and cottage cheese cups here in Canada. I will look next time I head down to Bellingham for a few things. Do any of you count your calories to make sure you're getting 1200 a day? Also.. do you find you need to have a small snack between meals? I'm just wondering how difficult it would be considering you can't drink for an hour after a meal, and 1/2 hour before a meal. Doesn't leave much time to get all your water in between does it? Again.. thank's the great idea's. Reneej... I know the time has really flown hasn't it. Hope you're doing well. Anita

Hi All, Well I have managed quite well on the liquid phase of my diet, and am now progressing to solid food tomorrow. I've got all the material from Dr. Miranda, however, I am just not sure what the hell I'm going to eat. This is going to take quite a bit of work to change the foods that I'm used to eating. Sooooooooo many rules. So... protein first, no liquid protein. Can I have soup??? Can I have cereal? With milk? And if so, what kind? By the way... the look of oatmeal will most likely make me puke! Just the texture I guess. I bought some cottage cheese, tuna, eggs and fish. Hmmm... gotta be more on the menu than that. Oh.. and I bought iceberg lettuce and some veggies. I know there's chicken and steak, but chew the shit out of it. Hmmm... is it worth it? After all, you really can't eat very much. Oh.. and... crackers? Can I have low fat cheese and crackers? Anybody know what kind of crackers are high in fiber? You have to have 1200 calories a day. Am I going to be able to eat that many calories with such a small amount of food? I am doing just fine on protein shakes and soups, maybe I could just stay on that??? JK (just kdding) I also need to bring my lunch to work everyday, so the more convenient the better. Breakfast is usually a quick, eat and run as well, but I know I'm going to have to change that. Please let me know what work's for you. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks everyone... > Anita

Congratulations on working so hard at the gym and at home Lynnzz. I envy you for having so much drive and determination. Make sure that you are eating enough calories for all the calories you are burning. If you're not, your body will hold on to the fat it has.

Can I ask a silly question?? How did you know that Dr. O had posted these messages? Is there a special place that they show up? Thanks!

Alana... the ladies at Arlington Pharmacy Fill Clinic state you do not need a floro with the exception of once a year (usually after you've been banded for one year) UNLESS you have good reason to think that the band may have slipped. They say other than that it is not necessary. I'm going for my first fill there early July, and will double check with them again, but based on their experience, if they say I don't need one, then I'm not going to pay the extra $200 for one. Does your cost include a floro? If so, find out how much without it.

Mom 12.. and what you're doing is working very well. I hope I can be as strong as you are. Keep up the good work on the great weight loss!

DO NOT CHUG... :lb12: You will end up having the water coming back up, and end up with your mouth watering, and the water you just gulped, coming right back up. Trust me.. I did it! lol After about 12 days or so, you'll find you'll be able to swallow a little more at a time, and not feel it backing up. Just go with what feels right. It's pretty much all trial and error. I don't want to take the chance on being caught in a bad predicament of having to spit up when I can't. Good Luck!

I do believe we have the pouch, but with the band not having any fill, everything you eat will go right through the band into your larger stomach. That's why you have to be careful until you get your first fill. Try to keep eating small portions, and chew really well.

Hi Heather. The day after banding I accidentally starting drinking a bottle of water like I used to. Swallowing a few gulps before stopping. Well as soon as I did that, I was in the bathroom spitting up. I didn't get sick, just the water kept coming up. I have just maintained the one drink at a time rule throughout my post-op and it's working great. Somebody in another post here, mentioned that you have to think of your stomach as a clogged drain. If you clog it,, whatever you put in after is going to back up.

Way to go MacKenzie. You're doing awesome! Congrat's.

Hey Rob. I have two more days of post-op. All I plan on doing differently is eating and chewing. I plan to continue to eat small portions and low calorie food, as I want to keep my weight off. I will probably keep drinking a small protein shake sometime throughout the day, just to make sure I get my protein. I also plan on eating a high protein bar maybe for lunch the odd day. Keep us posted on how you're doing.

Woooooohoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's excellent... congratulations Carrie. Can't wait to hear more. Good Luck on a speedy recovery! Anita

It's called... productive burping. I'm 16 days post-op, and haven't experienced it yet, but next Thursday, June 5th is real food day. I'm going to be sure to use all of the advice I've learned on here from all of you, and take little bites, chew well, and don't drink before, during, and after a meal.

They will tell you not even water, but you can have a few sips if you're thirsty. Congratulations on making the decision to get banded.

I was researching on-line about why little restriction after a first fill. Here's what I found. Does anybody have Dr. Ortiz LapBand book, and can you post what Dr. Ortiz states about this in his book. I have also emailed Dr. Ortiz, and will post his reply. Anita Give a fill at least 2-3 weeks to test it Some fills don't "settle in" for a week or two, and sometimes more. Your weight loss is what determines how a fill is - not any feeling of restriction, necessarily. One of the most important things in determining if a fill is good... ...is choosing proper band foods. Soft foods, liquids, junk foods, sweets, etc. will NEVER be well-restricted and will never tell a thing about having a good fill or not. Only solid foods give useful info. A good test meal is 2-4 oz of solid meat or chicken - be sure it's soft and moist - and about 1/2 cup veggies. You should be able to eat about a cup of food (no less) and this should keep you satisfied, not full, but simply satisfied, not physically hungry for about 3-4 hrs. Plan regular meals A good fill will keep you satisfied for 3-4 hours, but no longer. If you are hungry 5 hours after lunch, it is not because you have an inadequate fill. Regular meals at planned times are important for a number of reasons, including avoiding snacking, maximizing calorie burn (which causes weight loss) and normalizing metabolism, which is essential for weight maintenance later on. Please remember that good fills are very elusive... ...even with highly experienced doctors and fill people. There are just too many individual factors involved that the doctors cannot control. Even the fluoro is only a clue, and not entirely accurate - for some of the reasons above. SLOW and GRADUAL is the key! It usually takes 3 to 5 fills to slowly and safely creep up on a good level, and they can be safely given a month apart. Trying to go faster with a bigger fill is not the solution, and the stomach rebels at big sudden fills. The goal of the first few fills is NOT to achieve a good restriction, but to gradually get your stomach used to some pressure so you can tolerate a GOOD fill later. Going slowly with fills can be frustrating but is well worth the wait to avoid problems.

Hey Amber... you definitely need more protein. At least 40 gr a day is what I am aiming for. I start my morning off with a can of the Slimfast shakes. The one that has 20 gr of protein and is low carb. It's really filling. I also have soup, jello, and liquid yogurt through out the day. Every 2-3 hours I make sure I have something with protein in it. Yes.. increase your water intake, and don't drink anything with caffeine, as it is a duretic. Also.. I am not doing any extra walking at all. You need to hang on the calories your getting and not burn them off. Save the walking until after we start solids. (Speaking of which, I had a dream last night, I was eating a granny smith apple, and was puking it up like crazy!! I think I'll stay away from them.. haha) So.... try these suggestions and I'm sure with the increase in protein you'll start feeling better. Also watch the # of carbs in the soups you're having. Too many carbs can make you feel sluggish as well. If you think you're dehydrated, drink some gaterade. Take Care... > > >

That will be the same for me Lisa, as driving down from Vancouver and across the border is going to take me approx. 1 1/2 hrs. I'm planning on staying the night at a girlfriend's trailer just south of Mount Vernon, so I'm hoping that I may be able to tell the next day if I maybe need more of a fill so I can go back. If not, I guess I'll just have to go back another time. I will check with the ladies when I go for my first fill.

No way Kimra! You got them first, they're all yours! lol > And didn't I say I was trying to avoid soups because of the salt, and Dawnie told me to make her soup. Did you know there were TWO freekin cans of soup in her recipe?? Maybe she's trying to sabotage me.. haha.

Hey Dawnie... it looks delicious. I think I'm going to try it! Thanks!

Do you mean "canker" sores?? lol I don't have any.. so yah maybe.. just you.. haha. They're normally caused by too much acid in you aren't they? Rinse with listerine or the bottle of red stuff. (Can't remember the name of it) And no... it's not WiNE! lol

I just don't get some of this at all. It seems like alot of people need another fill right after their first fill. What's up with that??? Why can't they just get it right the first time? It can be very expensive for people who have to travel and pay to get fills. Especially if they want to go back to Tijuana. Or even those of us who are going to use the Arlington clinic. It's not like it's free. It's frustrating to read these comments.