enterprise01

Hey, Julie, How have you been doing? Are you back at work yet? I think we're all anxious to see more photos now that you are further along in the healing process. You just look so great! Are you happy with how the scars are healing? That's probably my biggest fear with plastic surgery. The scar from my lap-band is still red and slightly raised and I hate looking at it every day. Of course, it's better than looking at all the fat that I used to have. I guess every thing is a trade-off. Give us an update when you can. Thanks.

I'm also on Nutrisystem and love it. The portions are the right size, it has sufficient protein, and most importantly, it's convenient. I eat Nutrisystem for breakfast and lunch and then usually have a home cooked dinner (meat and veggies). I eat their snacks, too. Yesterday, my snack was a peanut-butter cookie - 160 calories and 10 grams of protein. If it works for you, stay with it as long as you want. A lot of naysayers will probably post that you need more protein (even though you get about 40 grams a day on Nutrisystem) and that you need to learn how to eat without dieting, but this is your life and your health, so do what works for you. I know that Nutrisystem is the best choice for me. Without those prepackaged meals, I'd probably be eating a Whopper every day for lunch because I will not take the time to make my own lunch and bring it to work. I've been consistently losing 2.5 to 3 pounds a week, so I'm sticking with Nutrisystem.

I've heard grits referred to as maize porridge, so maybe it's porridge in Australia. Do they even have porridge in Australia? Isn't porridge in Britain what Americans call oatmeal? Personally, I eat polenta (the Italian cousin to grits) all the time and never had a problem with it. I also eat a lot of beef and venison. They go down fine as long as they are not overcooked or dry. A rare filet mignon slides right down and is very, very satisfying. Shrimp, crab, and lobster all work well, too.

The Muslim cab drivers are also refusing rides to people accompanied by dogs, even guide/service dogs, because they consider them to be "unclean." Sunta said it all.

I'm 12 weeks post-op and seem to be getting the shoulder pain more frequently as time goes on. For me, it's usually later in the day when I'm tired and hungry. It goes away as soon as I eat.

Where's Sunshine2 (Tonya from Oklahoma)? She hasn't been on here in weeks. Anybody know what's up with her?

Yes, that photo of her is truly grotesque. I'll take being fat any day over that. If it weren't for the tan, she'd look like she was just freed from a Nazi concentration camp. I haven't shopped anywhere other than Lane Bryant for the past 15 years, so I don't have any personal knowledge of the sizing situation. I do have a lot of clothes from high school and college, so I'll use those as the measure of my success with weight loss. At my thinnest, my waist was 24" so maybe one day I'll fit into a zero. Yeah, that's wishful thinking on my part, but it's OK to fantasize every once in a while.

This is for 1 slice of a large Papa John's pepperoni pizza, which is what I've been eating -- 13 grams of protein, a little bit of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. This looks fine to me. This is more nutritous than most of the Nutrisystem meals I eat for lunch. Yes, the fat is a little high, but on days that eat pizza, I skip my afternoon snack to make up for the extra calories. Again, it's all about moderation. Pepperoni Pizza Nutritional Information for Original Crust Pizza Serving size: 1 slice (1/8 of an order) of a 14" Papa John's pizza. <TABLE cellSpacing=2 cellPadding=0 width=438 border=1><TBODY><TR vAlign=top align=left bgColor=#ffffcc><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%"> Serving Size </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Calories per Serving </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Calories From Fat </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Total Fat (% DV**) </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=left><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">1 slice (128g) </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">310 </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">120 </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">13g (20%) </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=left bgColor=#ffffcc><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Saturated Fat (% DV**) </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Trans Fat </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Cholesterol </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Sodium </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=left><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">4g (20%) </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">0g </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">20mg (7%) </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">800mg (33%) </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=left bgColor=#ffffcc><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Carbohydrates (% DV**) </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Dietary Fiber (% DV**) </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Sugar </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Protein </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=left><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">38g (13%) </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">2g (8%) </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">5g </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">13g </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=left bgColor=#ffffcc><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Vitamin A (% DV**) </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Vitamin C (% DV**) </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Calcium (% DV**) </TD><TD class=nutritonalbody width="25%">Iron (% DV**) </TD></TR><TR vAlign=top align=left><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">(10%) </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">(6%) </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">(15%) </TD><TD class=nutritionalbodynumbers width="25%">(20%) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

I was surprised by the overwhelming nausea after surgery. I've had nausea from anesthesia before, but that was nothing like this kind of nausea. Overwhelming and debilitating are the only words that come to mind. I wish I would have known that I wouldn't be able to bend over for at least 4 weeks. Shaving my legs was impossible and I needed help putting my socks, underwear, and pants on. In general, I needed more help than I was expecting. I should have had my mother come stay with me for a few days. Household chores -- everything from unloading the dishwasher to cleaning out the litter boxes -- were excruciating for the first 2 weeks. I could not comfortably (and therefore safely) drive until day 6 or 7. This surgery seemed to be rougher on me than most people, and I think it's because I'm both short and short-waisted. I'm 5 feet tall and only have about 3 inches between my ribs and my hip bones. That's not much space for all the swelling that you get from the surgery. I also was not prepared for the extreme hunger pains that accompanied the return of my appetite on post-op day 3 or 4. Bandster Hell is right. The time between surgery and that first fill is torture.

Sheila, I'm worried about you. I remember that you were scheduled for a fill a couple of weeks ago. Did you get the fill or did the doctor decide to wait because of the problems you're having? If you did get a fill, you might want to consider taking it out. If you didn't get the fill, then it really sounds like you're still having a lot of swelling and irritation just from the band being in place. You may just be one of those people who is really sensitive. I don't believe that sliming is a daily occurrence for most bandsters. I only slimed a little bit when I had a piece of roast beef stuck that one time. Other than that one incidence, when I eat, you'd never know I have a band. I wouldn't think that drinking with meals would cause the slime, but I would recommend against it because of the chance of pouch dilatation. You might want to cut out drinking and see if your condition improves, though. I could be wrong about the sliming/drinking connection. Keep us posted.

That kind of pisses me off that the nurse said that to you. Pizza is NOT a bad choice -- it's basically meat, cheese, veggies, and some bread. Thatgirl, on another thread that you started, I mentioned that I was eating a slice of pizza every night for dinner for the past few days. And last week I had dinner at a friend's house and we had deep dish pizza, so I've been eating a fair amount of pizza lately. Now if I were eating a whole pizza, instead of 1 slice, that would be a bad choice. I think this nurse is another example of how people can become fanatic and militant about banded life. Sorry, but I didn't get the band so I could be on a diet forever -- I got the band so I could eat like a normal person, i.e., eat in moderation. And doing so has allowed me to lose 2-3 pounds a week consistently (yes, even with pizza).

Hey, Julie I'm glad to hear you're doing so well. Do you know why they use regular sutures instead of dissolvable ones? Can you wear normal clothes and go out in public with the drain tubes still in? Have there been any surprises in the post-op stage? After my lap-band surgery, I was surprised at how long it took before I could bend over again. If I had known it was going to take 4 weeks, I would have had my legs waxed before the surgery. Are you encountering any of those "I wish I had known" moments? That is so exciting that you're down another 10+ lbs. I'm so happy for your success. It's such an inspiration to those of us who are still fairly new to banded life. I find myself constantly checking this thread for updates on your condition.

Maybe you should consider eating something more solid for breakfast to make you feel full longer. I know a lot of people do the Protein drinks, but I stay away from liquid calories (with the exception of my chocolate milk once a week, which I recognize as an indulgence). You might want to try a Protein Bar or granola bar instead of the Slimfast.

Thatgirl, I'm sorry to hear you're having such a difficult time. Although I'm losing steadily, if I see the scale go up even 2/10 of a pound from one day to the next, I start to get panicked. I can only imagine how frustrated you must be. For breakfast during the week, I usually eat a bowl of granola or bran cereal with 1 cup of 2% milk. If it's bran, I also add about 3 teaspoons of sugar. Breakfast on the weekends is pancakes (4 small ones with 1/4 c. maple syrup and a little bit of butter). lunch at work is a Nutrisystem meal (comparable to a Lean Cuisine). Lunch on weekends is usually scrambled eggs with parmesan cheese or some grilled ham and a small veggie, like zucchini. dinner is 3-6 oz. of Protein (shrimp cocktail, salmon, chicken breast, steak) and lots of vegetables (roasted red/yellow/orange bell peppers, asparagus, steamed artichoke, sautéed mushrooms, yellow squash, etc.). My boyfriend ordered a Papa John's pizza a few days ago, so for the past 3 nights, I've had 1 slice of pizza for dinner. I always have 1 or 2 Snacks during the day, like a banana or small apple or a Nutrisystem snack like vanilla wafers or a piece of biscotti. If I'm hungry at bedtime, I'll often have a glass of chocolate milk (2% milk with real Hershey's syrup). I am consistently losing 2-3 lbs a week, and I am not exercising. I try to keep my 3 main meals between 200-250 calories and my snacks around 100 calories. On average, I take in 800-1000 calories per day. I do try to keep it closer to 800 than 1000, though. I drink about 24 oz. of Water a day plus 24 oz. of diet Snapple Ice Tea. Unlike a lot of other bandsters, I'm not fanatical about high-protein, low-carbs, and I don't avoid sugar. I have no desire to go into ketosis. Years ago, I did a liquid fasting diet, the goal of which was ketosis. I did not lose weight any faster in ketosis and was miserable the whole time. Felt like absolute crap. For me, sugar and breads are fine in small amounts.

Wheetsin, I'm glad you described Step 2. (Well, actually I'm glad you described all of it.) I've only had one incident where something got stuck, and I also had to have a BM almost immediately. I haven't heard any other bandsters talk about that, so it's good to know I'm not the only one. The BM did seem to make the situation in the esophagus feel better. Then I drank some pineapple juice and it seemed to clean out what was left of the roast beef in my esophagus. After everything finally went down, I suffered from nausea for several hours. I had another incident when I overate (green Beans of all things) and also had horrible nausea. So far, I've not PB'd, but then again my restriction isn't that great. I've been much more careful since the stuck roast beef because I can't imagine experiencing pain and nausea like that on a regular basis.

I have hypothyroidism and take Synthroid and Cytomel daily without any problems. My thyroid condition is not completely under control, but it's better than it's ever been. And I don't believe that it is having a negative impact on my weight loss. I've been banded 11 weeks and I'm losing about 3 lbs a week, without exercise.

I was cleaning out my closet last weekend and came across my pink polka-dot bikini from my early 20s. I had to throw it away because it was practically disintegrating, but I definitely intend to wear a bikini again one of these days. I've lost 35 lbs, so I'm 1/3 of the way to goal. I'm actually looking much more forward to wearing shorts again. It's hotter than hell in Houston, and it's been years since I've been able to wear clothes that are appropriate for our summer-time heat.

I don't know about clots, but I do know that numbness can be warning sign of a brain aneurysm. I didn't learn this until my best friend died in 2004 from an aneurysm. She had had spots of numbness on her legs, but I could never get her to see a doctor. I myself didn't even think it was that serious. The ER doc told me otherwise. Not a day goes by that I don't wish I had dragged her into a doctor's office for a check-up. However, if the numbness is something new since the surgery, I would suspect that it was caused by the surgery -- a disruption of the nerve pathways. Of course it never hurts to bring it up with your doctor again.

lizrbit, you are cracking me up! Although I don't have kids, I've babysat entirely too much in my lifetime. I occasionally smacked the little boy whom I babysat regularly. When he was a toddler, he'd sometimes have a temper tantrum and get out of control. I'd smack him with my hand on the back of his leg. It was the only thing that would snap him out of whatever mental frenzy he was in, and he'd usually stop crying/screaming at that point and listen to me. Have you ever seen the way Cesar Millan (the Dog Whisperer) will "kick" a dog? It's not really a kick -- he just uses his foot to make contact with the dog to break the dog's focus on whatever it is obsessing about and to correct the undesirable behavior. It's not much different with kids. With some kids, a smack is the only thing that will get their attention. As others have said, there's a huge difference between child abuse and discipline, and the same type of discipline does not work for all children. The government should not be regulating how parents raise their children. That's a dangerously slippery slope.

My favorite episode is the one with the showdown between Paris Hilton and Mr. Slave (Mr. Garrison's boyfriend) to see who the biggest slut is. On stage in front of the whole town, Paris Hilton shoves a pineapple up her twat to prove she's the biggest slut. But Mr. Slave out does her by grabbing her and shoving her entirely up his butt. I think the episode also features Mr. Garrison putting a gerbil up Mr. Slave's butt in front of the class in attempt to get fired for being homosexual. He thinks if he can get fired, he can then sue for discrimination and win a ton of money. The gerbil has a magical journey through Mr. Slave, meets some skeletons along the way, and eventually makes it out through Mr. Slave's mouth. The episode ends with Paris Hilton trying to figure out how to get out of Mr. Slave's butt. I couldn't breath I was laughing so hard. Of course, Mr. Hanky, Chef's salty balls, and Cartman's alien anal probe are classics.

Julie, Good luck tomorrow. I'm sure it will all go well and be over before you know it. Check in with us when you can.

I went for my 6 month dental cleaning today and told my dentist all about the lap-band surgery. As an additional incentive to lose the weight, she offered me free teeth whitening (about a $700 value) if I reach my goal weight. Wasn't that incredibly generous and sweet of her? I'm such a pessimist, and when someone does something like it always takes me by surprise (in a good way). On another note, I had my first "stuck" episode Sunday night. And of course it had to be in a restaurant. I was eating roast beef, and I guess it was a little too dry and I probably didn't chew well enough. OMG!!!! Lesson learned. Has anyone else experienced nausea and diarrhea with the golfball syndrome? As soon as I got that sensation in my chest, I had to go to the bathroom immediately. It's like it triggered something in my entire digestive tract, and everything was expelled from my body. After the beef finally became unstuck, the nausea kicked in and I had a couple of dry heaves. Anyone else have those symptoms?

Sure, as long as you're never more than 30 seconds from a bathroom, I'll send you all you want! :biggrin1:

In my latest order of Nutrisystem food, the Almond biscotti has been making me sick. I've never had a problem eating it before, but this time, it's been giving me horrible abdominal cramps and diarrhea. One piece of biscotti gave me 6 days of the runs! The main ingredient is wheat gluten. Makes you wonder if this stuff is in people food, too, and it's not being reported because no one has had a serious or fatal response, yet. I'm throwing away rest of the biscotti.

We another category. I've told friends and co-workers but not family. I have some really mean, nasty people in my family, so I'm not ever telling them about the lap-band.