I feel like a dummy

[Phoenix]

Banded, liquids for 3 weeks. Okay.

Then -- gingerly, you try solids for 3 weeks. Cool. No restriction, but you're testing the waters, so to speak.

First fill. Okay. Saw band, saw pouch, saw port. Everything looks good, just like it's supposed to.

Liquids for 3 days. That's a snap.

Now it's time for solids and I'm afraid of them. What if I don't have restriction? I can't deal with a mere 7 pounds lost for another month! It's too frustrating.

More worrisome: What if I do? What if after all this time, I mess it all up?

I know it's stupid. I'm not one to twist in the wind normally. It's time for the band to work like a tool now, as long as I do my part. What if it doesn't?

Sorry, being a worry wart. It's showtime for my band and I have some weird performance anxiety about it.

[iamworthit]

Banded, liquids for 3 weeks. Okay.

Then -- gingerly, you try solids for 3 weeks. Cool. No restriction, but you're testing the waters, so to speak.

First fill. Okay. Saw band, saw pouch, saw port. Everything looks good, just like it's supposed to.

Liquids for 3 days. That's a snap.

Now it's time for solids and I'm afraid of them. What if I don't have restriction? I can't deal with a mere 7 pounds lost for another month! It's too frustrating.

More worrisome: What if I do? What if after all this time, I mess it all up?

I know it's stupid. I'm not one to twist in the wind normally. It's time for the band to work like a tool now, as long as I do my part. What if it doesn't?

Sorry, being a worry wart. It's showtime for my band and I have some weird performance anxiety about it.

I hear you about worrying. I am in the same boat. I had surgery on 07/01 and I am still kind of afraid to eat. I met with my dietician this week and we went over my food journals. One thing was for sure, I am not getting enough calories (average 800 / day). She also indicated that I should focus on getting my calories from food and try and stay away from the protein drinks which is what I use to supplement.

Psychologically, I am so afraid of failure, or losing control that it is just easier for me to not eat, or eat tiny, tiny portions and tell myself I can't have anything else. I stop eating before I am nearly satisfied and tell myself I can go back later if I want to which I never do. I am going to work on upping my calories over the next 2 weeks to get to 1,000. I have committed to not drinking the protein shakes anymore and trying to get my food through food.

Hang in there, I think we all go through the period of being afraid. I have been lucky so far, not having anything stuck, or PB or anything and that frightens me as well. I just don't take any chances with anything new...

[happygirl02]

i hear ya! i'm at day 14 and everyone says "you must be really excited for your first fill!" i don't really know! i'm also scared of solid foods after that first fill. stories of doubling over chest pains and pbing doesn't exactly excite me. but... i know that these are just a few stories! usually you hear more about problems than good things kind of like the news! they're not listing all the places that are doing well - just letting you know where there are problems around the world! i'm sure there are a gazillion stories about life after the first fill. it seems to me that if we just tread slowly and cautiously our bodies will let us know when to stop. dr. o has said that we should test our band... not by seeing how much we can fit in but by seeing how little can satisfy us. good advise, i'd say

[Paula Bee]

Remember that the band is not a quick solution; it is a permanent one. Don't be afraid to eat.. do the divided salad plate idea that Dr. Miranda drew on your instructions, and follow that. The hardest part is remembering to chew and to eat slowly enough for each bite to "go down." Food is still your aquaintance, but it is no longer your lover and Master.

[Kittycat]

Hi know whatcha mean...when I started on solids 4 weeks after surgery, I was afraid of PBing and was really careful with taking really small bites and chewing like crazy...I still do that and so far so good.

I had my fill on Wednesday and started eating a little bit of solids today, small bites and chew like crazy and so far no problems. I think it's trial and error.

I figure if I can gulp water and have no problems, then if I eat small bites and chew chew chew, I should be fine.

Just take it slow, eat easy foods and graduate to more solids, small bites and chew chew chew.

Good Luck!

[denisem]

I wouldn't worry yourself too much about eating solids, just yet anyway. I had my first fill done this week and started back on solids yesterday. So far, so good. Nothing has gotten stuck and I'm very aware to chew my food extra good. I haven't noticed a huge amount of restriction yet, but I'm definitely eating less than weeks 4-6, which were my Bandster Hell weeks. I had absolutely NO restriction and could've eaten just as much as I did before being banded, but I managed to stop myself by sheer willpower. I didn't lose 1 pound during those weeks and was very frustrated. However, I'm happy to say that since my fill on Monday, I've lost 3 more pounds! Yayyyy!

Hang in there and try your solids. You'll be surprised how easy it is once you try it. The goal is not to overdue it and gain back what you've lost before getting filled. If you can accomplish this goal, that's half the battle!

Good luck!

Denise