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Me and my battle with the bulge (Gastric Band)

Thanks all, im still not sure if its restriction.

Today i made myself some flax cereal (flax meal, peanut butter, cinnamon and hot water - its very low carb, got protein and naturally very good for you) and after a few teaspoons got the tighness.
5 hours later i managed 2 chippy chips and a 'soup for one' in a mug and felt full and got a bit of tightness.
9pm i was starvin in work to had a bowl of soup followed by a piece of sponge cake and custard - no restriction at all but i did feel very full.
Right now im having a small tin of beans & sausages and getting the tightness again, but its passing after a few minutes.

im going to try more solid foods after my sleep today and will try salads, fish and meat and see if this tightness really is restriction.

If it is, i wont be booking a 3rd fill as i would be very happy with the amounts im consuming. I know im still early days after my 2nd fill, but so far this extra 0.5ml is having an effect!

Thanks to everyone who reads my diary and help me stay on the straight & narrow!
 
Tamgredan said:
Thanks all, im still not sure if its restriction.

Hi Tam - yes it is restriction, its your new tums way of telling you thanks Im full.

Today i made myself some flax cereal (flax meal, peanut butter, cinnamon and hot water - its very low carb, got protein and naturally very good for you) and after a few teaspoons got the tighness.
5 hours later i managed 2 chippy chips and a 'soup for one' in a mug and felt full and got a bit of tightness.

Your tum liked the cereal and wanted to hold onto it but the soup and chips - not so much, they would have passed through quicker.


9pm i was starvin in work to had a bowl of soup followed by a piece of sponge cake and custard - no restriction at all but i did feel very full.

Again this type of food will slide through but as you are on sloppies (at least I think you are?) should be fine.

Right now im having a small tin of beans & sausages and getting the tightness again, but its passing after a few minutes.

Saucy foods combined with protein food that breaks down quickly will also slide through quicker. Those sausages mush up quite easy when you chew them dont they?

im going to try more solid foods after my sleep today and will try salads, fish and meat and see if this tightness really is restriction.

Be careful Tam, if you are still meant to be on sloppies that is (if not ignore me lol)

If it is, i wont be booking a 3rd fill as i would be very happy with the amounts im consuming. I know im still early days after my 2nd fill, but so far this extra 0.5ml is having an effect!

Thanks to everyone who reads my diary and help me stay on the straight & narrow!
Click to expand...


I hope this helps x
 
Red meat is a 'no no' - this morning when i got home from work, i really fancies a nice piece of rump steak. I managed about 5 bites fine then the 6th got stuck, and it just wouldnt shift until i was very sick.

I have been working really hard this week (13 hour shifts) and doing lots of walking and feel slimmer. Im looking forward to my weigh in on sunday.

Tonight in work i was very very hungry so went to the canteen and got a bowl of veg soup and a tub of fresh fruit salad. After the 1st spoon of soup i felt it wasnt going down right, but as i was hungry i tried a few more and it still wasnt going down very well so i gave up and went onto the fruit, which went down slow but better. I may still have been a bit tight after the red meat yesterday morning. Ive just tried a kitkat and that was ok and a packet of crisps which were ok. Thats all ive eaten today.

Hopefully, i wont have to work this weekend so im planning to do a good weekly shop and try lots of different foods and see how well my band is working. The weather is also meant to be nice, so i may finally give into my husband and go orienteering !

I also bought myself some new tops in the 'yours clothing' sale at a size 22/24 and guess what...they are too big!

Also, tonight in work i saw a polish manager who i havent seen for about 4 months since ive been on nights and when he saw me, he asked "where you disapper to?" he said i looked really good. That was nice of him and it also made me realise that the weight is coming off and now its starting to show. I definately feel better and more attractive. Im making more of an effort every day to look good and make sure ive done my make-up and hair.

Im also looking for a last minute holiday abroad for maybe september, but as much as i want to go, i want my next holiday to be a much nicer experience in that i can put the table down on the plane, wear nice dresses and not feel a big fatty in my swimsuit. I may just book my 2012 summer holiday in the new few week and have something to really look forward to. Me and hubby agreed that in 2012 we will go on a real nice, luxury holiday for 2 weeks to somewhere quite exotic. How nice would that be to be a 'normal' size, look good and feel good.

Anyway, im off to bed now and i may just have to pop on those scales when i wake up.
 
A holiday is a great thing to look forward to. It sort of keeps you going through the winter doesn't it. I haven't looked forward to a holiday for years. Where do you fancy going?

(BTW, the red meat incident sounded awful :( )
 
2.5lbs off!

Im so desperate to get to 40lbs loss, and fingers crossed ill get it this week.

Restriction is definately upon me. This weekend i learned something else.......Im extreamly tight after exercising to the point that i struggle with liquids.
I went for a 3 mile walk on saturday, it was pretty flat but it was through forests so the ground was bumpy and you had to be careful with your footing. I drank my water regular and by the end my stomach was rumbling for food, so we stopped at a pub and i ordered homemade vegetable soup. When it came it was very thick and had a few croutons on the top. After my 1st taste i knew it was going to be hard, but as i was hungry i continued. After a few more tastes, i knew i would have to be sick...and i was!
For the rest of the day i wasnt hungry and about 9pm my hubby made a comment that i had not eaten anything today and that i should try something. He made me some fish goujons with sweet chilli sauce and they went down fine.
Sunday i was real excited as the 3 of us were going to have a nice family BBQ and for me to have a drink. By 12 noon i was hammered (sorry but i dont drink very often and work had been terrible last week). When hubby made the BBQ nothing would go down :-( i didnt want to push too hard, but yes, i was very gutted.

So, note to myself:-
1) dont eat after exercising
2) dont eat after alcohol
3) when you feel something sticking - STOP!
4) Very thick, stodgy foods have to be watered down

I cant seem to tolerate meat very well since my 2nd fill either.

4 months post op and ive almost lost 40lbs. Do i regret having my band.....certainly not!

No developments on the holiday as yet.
 
2 weeks after my fill and ive noticed that im able to eat more these last few days.
Last night in work i had some garlic mash with a sausage for my dinner, and the mash got stuck!!!!! so i had to go to the toilet and fetch it back up. I then took my half eaten plate back to my office and inbetween sending emails and checking the internet i managed to eat the rest with no problems at all. I then started to think why this was. I then realised that by being in my office i didnt feel like anyone was watching me eat and as it was doing something, i was actually eating very slow. So, when i got home i made myself a salmon sandwich (yes bread as its been getting stuck every time recently) and i put on the TV and began to catch-up on my soaps - and guess what, it went down fine. Dont get me wrong, i couldnt finish the whole sandwich and didnt even try the crusts, but occupying myself whilst eating is working for me.
I think if you are sat alone, and just eating, you tend to rush more and thats not good for a bander. If im with people chatting then im 'usually' fine.
I must start to read a book if im going to be alone or just go back to the office.

This week i feel slimmer again, my work trousers are now starting to hang. I remember not long ago how i had to breath in to fasten the button, now i can fasten the button and got about 4 inches gap, loose clothes definately making me feel slimmer, but they are not looking nice, so this weekend im going to dig out some of my smaller clothes and see if i can get into them. Any big ones now (no matter how expensive they were or how nice they looked) are going straight into the bin and ill only keep anything which can be modified by my mother, and of course 1 set of trousers for my final photo so show how much weight i lost.

If i eat ryvita or any other cracker / crisp bread, yes im getting restriction pretty much immediately, but im also experiencing a sence of 'guttedness' as i can eat as much as i would like to. This is my latest battle with my mind!

Got some nice walks planned for this weekend with the family, and i may even attemp..........ready for it...........SWIMMING! OMG!
 
Hey Tam if the clothes are nice put them on EBay, that cash can be used for treats! A facial, pedicure, whatever, maybe even towards that "dream outfit"! You are doing great.
xxxxx sharon
 
good work tam. having been on much, busy with the kids while they are off school. have also go a job, yipeeee. so will be starting back in few weeks once they get my references all sorted xx
 
Tam, its the scales which show the lbs but its the trousers which show the weight loss :) Well done. Its a fabulous feeling when you have to sort out your wardrobe to get rid of the things that are too big. Is nice to read your success because it's a feelgood story! Love reading your diary still xx
 
I forgot to mention about another 'good' moment in work on friday night.....

I have to wear white trousers and a white coat when inside the factory and when i first started i was a size 140 coat and xxl trousers which were very tight. I had dropped down to a xl trouser a few weeks ago and a 132 coat BUT on friday they had run out of 132 and 140 coats. There was about 14 of us in the room looking for these sizes and the only option was blue coats which are worn by engineers. I really didnt want to put one of those on as i would stick out like a sore thumb as being a 'fatty' - So i picked up the next size down, a 124 and it fitted!!!! i was very pleased with myself. All night i was comparing myself to the people in 'blue' and realising that i was no longer one of the biggest people in the factory! the 124 is the most common sizes.

I didnt get round to sorting my wardrobe out this weekend so its planned for next weekend.
We did go to a castle on saturday (the place we got married) we visit there every year around the time we got married. The gardens are beautiful, and my son loved running around and hiding from us. I done quite a bit of running that day - yes i can run now!
 
Hi Tam. I really ejoy reading your updates - how have you got on during the last week?
 
Hi Tam. I really enjoy reading your updates - how have you got on during the last week?
 
Im thinking of a 3rd fill!

Ive noticed this week that im able to eat more and have not been getting anything stuck. Last night in work i even managed a cheese sandwich followed by a small pot of tuna pasta. A few days ago half the sandwich would have done me.
It seem to be a pattern with my band after a fill, in that im tight for about 3 weeks then it slackens off. I asked my provider about this last time i saw her and she said that bands do 'appear' to be slack when people loose weight and that what i was experiencing was very normal.
So foods i couldnt even look at last week, are now back on the menu.

I must also admit that my food choices have not been good at all recently. Ive been so busy with work, that mini cheddars, chocolate and crisps have been a big part of my diet. I know i need to get out of this rut, so tonight im going to instruct the canteen to make me a salad every night and i am not allowed to have anything else!
On the weekends, im very good really. Im making lots of salads with either fish or meat, and eating lots of berries plus walking alot.
Last week was TOTM so no weight loss, im so desperate to see the number 16 on the scales and im quater of a pound from seeing it - so with a bit of effort for the rest of this week, i could be a very happy bunny on sunday morning.

Im going to ring my provider and book a 3rd fill, this will be in a few weeks time as she only comes to liverpool once per month and ill just ask for another 0.5ml which will take me to 6ml in 9ml band.

I also got round to sorting out my wardrobe on the weekend, and 3 bin bags of clothes went to the charity shop. I remember buying a very posh dress for the 'ladies' day at the race-course about 2 years ago. Its a size 20 from debenhams and it fitted!!!! yes it was tight, but i got in it. There was also lots of other clothes that i tried on and i could get into them.
I also tried on my red coat, which i wore when i went for my very first consultation, and yes it was huge on me.

So a typical day for me is:-
2pm wake up - cup of tea
4pm in work - coffee and fruit salad
8pm in work - canteen food (jacket spud, hotpot, quiche)
11pm in work - coffee and chocolate bar
3am at home - crisps or some crackers with cream cheese

So in comparison to my old ways, i used to eat

2pm wake up - cup of tea and 3 toast with butter and honey
4pm in work - coffee and biscuits or egg custard cake
8pm in work - canteen food (a full meal of maybe steak & chips followed by a pudding of cake & custard)
11pm in work - coffee and 2 x chocolate bars
1am in work - coffee and crisps and maybe some sweets
3am at home - ham sandwiches with 3 packets of crisps, then some chocolate if it was in the cupboards.

Thats quite a big difference!

Also, food is not a major player in my life at the moment and on saturday night i realised this. I was at my sisters house with both my sisters and they were asking me to go to the cinema with them. This was fine and we decided immediately what we wanted to see. That was as far as my mind went.....but my sisters, then started this huge debate about what food they would eat in the cinema and then where we would go for a meal after, what they fancied to eat and what time we would get there. It was awful from my point of view and i was quite horrified as this is how i used to be - totally consumed with food! The £6k i paid for this band has been worth every penny so far!
 
Hi Tam,
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say a huge thank you, reading your diary is soooooo informative and so live and honest, it is exactly what i needed to have the courage to go ahead and change my life forever. You have proven to me that it is doable and that you still can enjoy some chocolate and crisp as long as you use it as a treat rather than everyday thing. So that was it, I am so grateful i come across your diary. Keep up the good work.
 
miserable said:
Hi Tam,
I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say a huge thank you, reading your diary is soooooo informative and so live and honest, it is exactly what i needed to have the courage to go ahead and change my life forever. You have proven to me that it is doable and that you still can enjoy some chocolate and crisp as long as you use it as a treat rather than everyday thing. So that was it, I am so grateful i come across your diary. Keep up the good work.
Click to expand...

Im glad to help. This diary i do is a very honest account to help people fully understand what life is like with a band, plus it helps me put it all into perspective and keep me on track. It evidently helps as im 5 months post op and im still updating it. good luck with your journey x
 
soon2Byummymummy! said:
Keep it up Tam sounds as if you really know your band well and working well with it. I am desperate to sort my clothes out but keep on putting it off. Must get round to it soon. Only trouble is finding the money to replace the clothes then lol:) good luck for sunday weigh in x
Click to expand...

It does feel good sorting the wardrobe out, and dont worry about buying new clothes because the smaller you get, the more 'off the rail' sale clothes you can buy! I managed this week to buy a pair of jeans from dorothy perkins for £10 and a lovely black slinky top for £4!
 
Hi Tam, I am new to this website and bariatric surgery experiences. I read your diary and want to congratulate you with your progress and goals achieved. It motivates me to follow your path and today I saw my GP to start my own journey. I hope to have the same support and encouragement you are having from family, colleagues and other members of WLS. Good luck with the rest of your journey! Marcelo
 
4lb loss last week so a 3rd fill is off the agenda at the moment.

I didnt manage to eat very much at all last week and i dont know why. Each day i would tell my hubby what i had eaten and even though in my mind i felt like i had eaten a lot, when i actually said it out loud - its wasnt much at all.
I didnt have any crisps or chocolate and seemed to be surviving on cereal, fruit and soup. It must have been the first time in my life that i genuinly didnt want to eat!

It was also a very busy week in work, so i was walking a lot. Plus i went out to a party on the saturday night and danced all night.

I have days when i dont think ill be able to tolerate any foods (i just know that it will get stuck) so these are my 'tight' days and i just stick to sloppy or mushy foods like jacket spuds, weetabix and soup.

Each day i do have my fruit salad and im still only managing about 500ml of water plus tea / coffee. I know im hydrated as my pee is like white wine.

Im definately shrinking and starting to notice it in myself. Im feeling more confident and people are noticing in work how good im looking....even a few boys tried their luck with me in the party, and yes it was a few ;-)

I managed to get into a size 20 dress this weekend and i felt confortable in it....i really need to buy some smaller clothes as everything at the moment feels really baggy and im using belts to hold trousers up.

In 5 days time ill be claiming my 6 months post op badge - that feels good! and yes the motivation is still here.

Until i see my portions getting bigger or my weight stalls im not going to have a 3rd fill. Im still at 5.5ml in a 9ml band and life is good. Im not depriving myself.

I even managed a good few bites of a fried breakfast on sunday which is probably the first time ive had that type of food since the operation.

All is good....wish i had done it sooner

xx
 
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