damalove

Sounds like you are too tight but if you really want to avoid an unfill, do a few days of liquids. after three days of liquids and u still cant eat a solid meal comfortably, then you might need to get that unfill. absolutely consult your fill doctor or surgeon, or Dr So if u were banded @ OCC. too tight really really sucks, sorry to hear about your struggles. hang in there.

eeeish i would love to, too bad i live 700 miles away

congrats on four years, pammie! and 136 lbs! damn girl im jealous ~ spoke to dr so, he said it does sound like i could use a few more CCs, maybe even up to one more cc, as he said some of the saline can be sitting in the tubing and not doing me any good. now i just need to figure out when on earth i can go. he said if i want to come down on a friday afternoon it would be fine bc he works 24hrs fridays. we shall see. i did also mention to him that i occasionally have the pill-stuck-in-throat feeling, he said he wants to take a look under fluoro to make sure everything is ok, even if i dont get a fill. so, TJ here I come.

i emailed dr so, he will be calling me today to discuss. here's a pic of the monster pizza of which i had TWO slices and no PB, stuck, whatsoever. fill time!

I have been plateau'd for about a month now. really frustrated.. but have been sticking with it. ~1000 calories a day, min. 70g protein, working out 3-4 times a week, running pilates cardio abs etc. ive been fighting not to gain. how the hell do you gain weight w only consuming 1000 calories? last night, my family decided on pizza, we got an extra large pizza w the works, i had two slices, and so did everyone else. if i could eat 2 slices, the same as my sis, her husband, and my 16 and 21 year old cousins, doesnt that mean I am able to eat too much? The bread posed no problem and I felt full after but not painfully full... Im aware that pizza was a bad choice, but i havent had pizza in six months and I suppose I dont want to hear a lecture on the poor food choice as I have been making excellent choices for the past six mo., but would love your honest opinion on whether or not you think its time for a fill. some people folow the rule that if you plateau, you should get a fill. some gage it based on how much they are able to eat. im experiencing both, plateau and able to eat as much as unbanded. what has been your experience?

Hi there. Quite a few of us did not experience much restriction immed. after the liquids phase, so you can explore a few options but definitely take it easy. Now you really have to learn to chew chew chew chew ! -Scrambled eggs should be fine til maybe after your second fill (im still fine w eggs) -Baked: Quiche/fritatta -Oatmeal w splash milk and raisins -Cream of wheat -plain yogurt with berries and a couple tablespoons of granola (my prev. nutritionist told me to always include something like nuts or a really crunchy granola or ceral with my yogurt, helps with staying full longer. sometimes i use light n fit yogurt with 1/4 cup of kashi go lean cereal. watch the sugar in granolas) -smoothie w protein powder added or flaxmeal. you can put the berries/banana/etc in the blender at night before you to go to bed and in the AM when you're ready for brekkie just push on. milk/soymilk can boost the protein if you dont like protein powder. -low-sugar cereals, like cheerios, kix, total, etc. but these dont keep me feeling full for long. -handful of walnuts (my prev. nut told me this is the absolute best way to start the day, nuts provide protein and get your metabolism off on a good foot. add nuts to cereals or yogurt if you like) every day of my life i eat a crustless quiche for breakfast. ham and cheddar, spinach and turkey, broccoli and bacon, etc. i bake a quiche once a week, cut it into six slices, and have a grab-n-go breakfast always ready. i warm it in micro at work and never feel tempted by the pastries or naughty things that occasionally show up around the office bc im already so full from my breakfast. i always aim to keep my breakfast around 200 calories, with at least 16g protein. lasts me easily 4 hours til lunch. hope this helps. ~Dama

you can branch out to weight watchers or another brand, i prefer the weight watchers ones.. try to stick to 300 calories or less, and look for ones with at least 15g protein. from weight watchers i love the rigatoni with grilled chicken and broccoli, its delicious. i also liked the chicken parmesan one, i think it has the most protein of all of em. the pot roast is really low in cal and high in protein too. just check your labels, you want to try to get as much protein as possible as that will help you feel full/satisfied longer. hang in there

hi paul i do three meals + a snack. the snack is almost always 1/2 cup cottage cheese or 1/2 cup plain yogurt (sometimes w fresh berries, sometimes w sugar free coconut syrup, sometimes w a swirl of strawberry preserves, etc). i usually have it about 2 hours before bed. i think if u can be good about portion control, a palmful of nuts would be a good snack. any of those things will quiet hunger but are not diet busters. i try to make sure the snack has at least 5g protein and is no more than 120 cal.

Thanks Maui i certainly appreciate the words of encouragement. Ive lost 47 lbs and told all my girlfriends on the east coast i wouldnt send updated pics of myself til I lost 50. I swear, these three pounds are taunting me! They just wont budge! Grrr. Im working out hard this week, running 2 mi 3x this week, abs, yoga, pilates, slim in six dvds at night. and really watching what i eat. thanks for the well-wishing, i hope i break this plateau soon ~

this is actually unfortunate for me, wish i couldnt eat bread and pasta and rice -- im on a low carb diet, im plateaued, frustrated and this is the point of the "diet" where I would quit. i know that since im banded i cant quit and it would be rediculous, so im keeping with it, but man is it frustrating. im stuck at 191 i wish my band wouldnt allow breads or at least it would be harder to eat. i know my meals arent as small as they should be, and that i probably need a fill.. i think if you want to still be able to eat bread it has a good amount to do with how filled you have your band. if you have it super tight 8.5+ ccs, you are not likely to tolerate bread, but if its less, say 6 or 7ccs you should be fine w eating bread. ultimately how filled you are, how tight you keep your band, is up to you. but you wont know til you try. everyone is different and 6ccs could be overfilled for you. its an interesting process.

I find that I can eat anything, as long as the bite is not too large and is well chewed. Bread, pancakes, tortillas, pasta, whatever. Maybe I need another fill. Regardless I dont have trouble eating those things. I can also still eat red meat/steak, pork chops, etc. Red meat is cumbersome bc of hte chewing, and if its gristle I spit it out, but if its something like a NY Strip, no gristle, I can eat my 4 oz portion just fine. Ive heard some people have issues with eggs in the AM - again, I have no problems.

Hi Canuk Im a salty not a sweet, too. I got pretty creative with the clears - made some broths, other times I hit up my local chinese, japanese, and vietnamese joints (for wonton broth, ramen broth, and pho broth, respectively). the drinkable yogurt phase posed a problem for me though - the ones they sell in stores are toooo sweet in a cloying way. i thinned greek yogurt from trader joe's with skim milk instead of drinking the pre-packaged ones. you could also try Kefir, which is a drinkable yogurt of sorts, usually sold in bigger bottles in the yogurt section of very big grocery stores. ive seen it at trader joe's too. they have fruit flavors that arent as cloyingly sweet as the little 'danimals' or activia drinkables. good luck and its onward and upward from here! woot!

Wow, bummer! I would be upset too. I think you're doing as good a job as possible at being zen. I'd be crazy mexican bitch for sure! but we all know how far that would get me haha aka kicked out of the office and angrily searching for airfare to tijuana. no bueno! in the meanwhile, another week to wait for your fill. hang in there... when i get into that crazy irritated type funk i have to take a sec to think of someone/something non food/band/weight related to help me find my zen spot. for me, i recall when my dog was a puppy and she'd wake me up in the mornings by licking my ears. it elicits an instant smile, no matter what. i bet for you it might have more to do with your little one or ur hubby as far as the long wait, get a really good book to read and that should help pass time in the waiting room monday. im loving the book im reading right now but dont have much time to read. i know all these frustrations w ur fill center are irritating but at least you didnt hafta fly back to san diego! i wish i had viable options within an hour of me. there are a few places, but they charge $450 per fill and dont all use fluoro and i cant be sure if i can trust them as no one i know has used them. anyway ok now im done rambling. hang in there and just keep on top of your eating as best you can in the meanwhile. think zen thoughts! and keep us/me posted ~

thanks angie! did u have ur next fill yet?

apple juice, cranberry juice, iced green or herbal teas, gatorade. my favorites: sweet: iced jasmine tea sweetened with a little honey savory: won-ton soup from my fave chinese takeout joint, sieved. (my mom loved this, she got hte wontons i got the broth) also yummy: Good Earth brand tea, sold at trader joes and im guessing elsewhere, its sort of a cinnamon-y decaf chai, tastes sweet without having to add any sugar

Kevin! I was wondering how you were doing. 3 lb gain on vacation is practically a victory in my book! considering how easy it would have been w/o the band to put on TEN lbs! I have cautious support from my sister and mother, but Im careful not to tell them too much, getting "stuck" or any other annoyances of the band, bc i can feel that altho they are supportive, they are not 100% behind the idea of me getting banded. so i feel like i need to work my band not just for me but for them too. sometimes i see a raised eyebrow if i reach for a cookie and it can be annoying but also, can help keep u on track, if u look at it that way. try to remember that the unbanded cannot really understand what its like for us to be banded, how much work we need to put into it, how careful we need to be with our food choices, etc. so get on here often like you used to, if possible. and keep your chin up. we miss you around here

hi sabrina, how are you doing since port revision? feeling back to normal yet? hope youre doing well ~ cottage cheese has been my friend this weekend, that and a protein drink for brekkie and pureed chicken-and-white-bean chili for dinner. ive been sipping here and there on soymilk too. im back on solids today and feeling okay.

Erin it will go away. Thats why you're on 21 days of liquids to allow everything a good chance to begin to heal and inflammation to go down, et cetera. I didnt get the pill feeling until after my 2nd fill, but it doesnt surprise me that youre having it now. Be very careful about sticking to liquids for your full 21 days. Maui of course i know there are protein drinks but they are not filling. only first thing in the morning, at best. protein water tastes gross to me. dont like the fake sugar taste.

ok will try. ill be sticking to mushies as best as i can, eggs for lunch, maybe chilli for dinner. im dying for protein and ya just cant get it on liquids so mushies it is.. thnx ~

thanks. i did liquids all day wed and thrs except for dinner where I ate mushies, only bc i was absolutely starving! how the hell did i manage 21 days of liquids?! i was dying after one day! today im starving and still feel a tiny twinge of the pill-in-throat feeling. im going to eat a solid breakfast and hope it helps. work has been incredibly stressful this week, leaving me feeling irritable and unrested, morose. and ive gained one pound in the past week as well. im so damn frustrated. is it possible all this frustration and stress is making things worse with my band?

youll feel some discomfort only from the port incision. wont notice much on the other ones, and def wont feel the band on your stomach. i read somewhere that pain from that area of the stomach can show up as displaced pain in the shoulder/shoulder blade area. I did not experience that. port discomfort will be most noticable but will be short-lived. dont wear high waisted pants, as that puts pressure on your port incision, esp when you sit. bend over slowly. dont hunch over when sitting at a desk (i know thats an always rule, but youll def feel it once banded). it was about one month before i could sleep on my belly again. in the meanwhile, i slept on my side with a small pillow pressed up against belly. somehow the gentle pressure kept things in place and was the only comfortable way i could sleep. now i only "feel" my port occasionally, when doing a bend in yoga, or if i lean over a desk or counter. it doesnt hurt, but every so often u can feel its in there. plus i like poking at it.. initially it was buried pretty deep under belly fat but now i can feel it more clearly (as the belly fat goes away).

i take an adults multivitamin but it does not include zinc or iron. ill see if i can change it up or find ways to increase via diet instead. i hate seeing a huuuuuuuuge mound of hair in the drain after every single shower.