A Month Out.... with a side of whine.

It's been a month that I've been banded now.
Things are going well, as a matter of fact, we postponed my first fill because I, luckily, have decent restriction now even with nothing in my band.

I can eat between 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup of food before I'm full.
Thats great!

This learning process has been more difficult that I expected.
I have learned that there are some things that my band does NOT like.

• Bread (gets stuck and makes me slime every time!)
• chicken (even when it's tender and juicy gets stuck)
• taking big bites. (even when I don't think they are big)
• eating too fast. (it should take about 30 min for me to eat my 4-6 oz of food)

Now for the unpleasant stuff...

1. Getting stuck.... This is not fun. I know as soon as I swallow if it's gonna be a problem. It is painful. Kinda like your having a heart attack... pain in your chest and it's difficult to take a deep breath. This lasts about 20-30 min. Once you've been stuck, you are 100% convinced that it is something you NEVER want to let happen again!
2. Sliming... Yeah... This is as gross as it sounds! When I get stuck or eat too fast, I slime... You know right before you throw up and you start to salivate like crazy? Well.. thats what happens. I guess it's my body's response to thinking something is stuck... when you swallow the (what seems like) gallons of saliva it gets really REALLY thick... kinda snotty and stringy... and if you burp it up or throw up, it's just nasty! (I warned you it was the unpleasant part!)

It's all part of the learning curve.
I do NOT regret getting my band.

I do, however, wonder if I will ever really "enjoy" food again.

Right now, I have to be so totally aware of every aspect...
- did I chew it well enough?
- did I take a small enough bite?
- Am I eating show enough?
- is this a band-friendly food?

I miss just enjoying the food...
But, I guess thats part of the reason I needed to get my band in the first place...
I enjoyed food TOO much!

I am down 46lbs this morning...
I'm wearing clothes that haven't fit in years!
so I ain't complaining!

...well, maybe just a little bit...
But it's all gonna be worth it!


More soon.....
Thanksgiving should be interesting....

Two week Update.

It's been two weeks since my band was put in place.
I feel great!

I was surprised at how long it took me to feel "normal" again.
I got tired really quickly, But that makes sense...
My body was working on healing and I wasn't getting a ton of nourishment during the liquid phase of the diet.

I started "Mushy" foods yesterday, (one day early)
You have no idea how wonderful it was to eat real food!
I had oatmeal for breakfast, half a cup and I was stuffed.
Blended tuna salad for lunch, half a cup.
and for dinner....
Homemade meatloaf and mashed potatoes! 1/3 cup potatoes and 1/4 a slice of meatloaf....
I was in heaven!! and I was stuffed!

Everyone is telling me to prepare for my weight loss to slow, stop or for me to even gain a pound or two while my body adjusts to food again and I get to go for my first fill.
We'll see.
I have been losing and gaining the same 1lb over the past three days and that is not much fun!
But I expected it, I'm excited for the weight loss to begin in earnest again after my first fill.

so far I'm down 40lbs in a little over a month!
I can't complain about that!

More soon....