cheri52

Oh! have you checked out the "mushies stage receipes" forum?? some good stuff in there.

I hope you DO at least call him or even his nurse. I can't believe he would expect you to stay on liquids through christmas just because they are closed! My Dr./ asst. sent me home with instructions to start the muchies before my post op. apt. I should think that if all feels well you should be able to start SLOWLY before you see him. BUT Do call his office! Good Luck and have a good holiday regardless.

what is a WII ? Am I showing my age?

I just realized that it's been some time since I've seen a post, you OK? or just having too much real time life to be smoozing around here? I hope that is the case! In the event you are "checking in" , and are just TOO busy, hope you have a great Christmas and New Year! , and that goes out to the rest of the "family" too Cheers!

welcome, I hear your pain! I've been a bit on the slow side too. after my 4th fill , granted it was all around Halloween and Thanksgiving, but that is not really an excuse, I went in for my 5th thinking I was the same, and actually gained a couple! :faint: My 5th though seems promising, lost that plus a couple more. not ready to put it on the ticker though, need to make sure it will stick! I like Curves, how are you in ladies sweats? :biggrin1: I hope everyone has a great holliday:angel:, and may we all be merry :party:and "lucky";) how bout ....:confused:

:rambo oh ya, now that's a goal....Xena , love strong sexy women. I am strong..........the rest is a work in progress welcome Anthony!!

That would be a yes! with a BUT attached. more ok with this stage because of the limitations of the mushy stage, but always to have it after your protien . protien first, then veggies/ fruit, and if and only if there is room , then a limited amount of starches if you band will let you eat it. Some of us have issues with certain starches. NancyL, sweet potato? I did , just make it soft and wet enough to go down smoothly....

yes and more! things like cottage cheese, ricotta, loose mashed potatoes, blenderized oatmeal, just keep it wet and soft. I think you will get the idea if you read back some. your food chopper will be your best friend! what ever you want , just put in in there! I found that adding a little chicken broth will help with the consistincy and add a little flavor to most things but of course change that to what ever seems best. beef broth, fish stock, tomato juice ,milk, etc. congratus on your surgery:clap2:.

Oh my, we all sound so serious .Actually, I only thought of the scale as a fun thing! never gave the "ramifications" a moments thought. I got too many other serious things in my life to be worried about that. but, so long as we are on the subject, I was officially a "late life lesbian" ( I guess) but was "getting busy" with women (gay or bi) when you were in diapers. Currently, now that I am married to a women in a state where it is legal, we are very much in love and here for the long term. My interest is zero in other women, but my appreciation for all women is still very much there!:whoo: It's all a very odd thing, our attractions to people. My niece was very gay from day one. had serious relationships with women, even bought a house with one. then one day ( in her mid 30's) she decided to move in with her best male friend and has apparently been happy everafter. Go figure!! arn't stright women who get "busy" with other women Bi? I think that should disquallify them from being stright! lol....just having fun now so please don't anyone get your panties in a twist.

Sorry, I should have forwarded where I was back trackin so far. I'm soooo.......bad.

So , I'm still pondering the rating thing, little slow here on more than one front! I would like to think I'm a very strong 5.9 for the same reasons as Eddie, the marriage thing. But I stayed a bit too long, even though I my reasoning was for the kids. So, maybe it's closer to a 5 . Does it count that he is now in process to be a she and has changed his, or rather, her name legally and all that goes with it??? I think it must have been the (very well hidden) fem qualities that I was attracted to! However, there is one of the male professional dancers on "dancing with the stars that I do find very Hot !!! very cute tight buns and knows how to work them! But, I do find all the women VERY sizziling HOT HOT HOT, so I'm not worried As for wt. well....I'm not moving either which is why I haven't signed in in a while, I just feel like a dud. I'm not gaining but dammmm.... I do seem to have the maintaince thing down. I cancled my fill nov. 19 and reschuled for Dec. 10. I just didn't want any unforseen problems at the table on thanksgiving. I haven't told my family about the band and don't intend to. Did have a nice dinner, didn't feel much restriction. I'm getting a little discouraged with my insurance. it covered most of the surgery,only a fairly small deductable. But now they are sending bills for all kinds of other services. they call the fills "out patient surgery" which has a hefty deductable and I got nailed for the extensive blood work they ordered on my last fill. never got a bill for blood work before. So, not wanting to go back!!! anyone else getting them? I got blue cross, I don't 'get it' .:pray2: I'm so glad you are all here, even if I do just kibbits for a while...Still think of you all as family :kiss2:.

I always loved to cook the whole works and then some! But, last year and this no one wants me to cook, actually, no one wants to help and now they all feel guilty about it , so the excuse is that I "work too hard and shouldn't have to do it" so we are all going out! actually, now we don't have room in the house anyway. My DW as a new plant addiction and has filled every inch , table, nook and crany with potted house plants. It's a freaking jungle! I mean, I love them too and had plenty already, but now......:faint: there are over 40 and many are huge. anyway, I'll probably have lobster:hungry: :whoo::biggrin1:.

So wouldn't it be really great if all these Drs. could get it together and establish a fairly set guide line for all of us?! I could see how they might individualize it for some special conditions, but a basic plan should be established!!! So, for me and my Layhe Clinic banders,post op is: 1 week of clear liquids, (inc. protein drinks)then: 2ed of Full liquids, this can be smooth soups, tomato, what ever, just blenderize it , I made fish chowder and blended it , OMG it was good, it got me through! ALSO to include 3 protein drinks per day made with 8oz skim or 1% milk day 1 through wk. 5 . Wk. 3 & 4 add chewable multi vit. , cottage chees, ricotta, "thin" mashed potatoes, cream of wheat or blenderized oatmeal, & pureed fruit (smooth applesauce is good and easy). Wk. 5 start adding slowly, 1 egg 1st day, 2ed, the egg & 2 or 3 oz tuna,3rd day, egg, fish and ground turkey breast. Here you can start to get creative. you should still keep it fairly "mushy" or soft. WEEK 6:whoo:lose the protein drinks, add chewable calcium , cont. multi vits. and go to regular diet!!! as always, eat your protein first , etc, etc. I found my mini chopper EXTREAMLY helpful in getting me through. you would be supprized at how good something can taste even if it is mush! So...... at the risk of upsetting anyone, this is a detailed plan of what my drs. wanted, use what you can , check it out with your Dr. and for god sake, give your stomach time to heal! They don't want you eating anything that needs chewing even if it is soft just so as to not have any accidential passage of any lumps that could cause a problem. one thing that you don't want to do is triger one of the side effects that could cause damage before you heal. ie, "productive burping' "foaming" (that's one you DON"T want), sliming, etc. :cry trust me , it ain't fun! I discovered this after my 1st fill, didn't believe the Dr, cuz "I" was different , "I" was a great healer with the cast iron stomach that never had a problem!!!! Wrong! So, some of us have to learn be experience! maybe it won't have to be you;).

Here goes, I think, I got it but not exactly sure at this point. I know while on the ticker page at the end there are 3 codes to use. while on there high lite the code that seems right (can't remember) and then go to edit on your tool bar and click cut( or click cut and then high lite! this is where I get confused!) then, go back to the signature page and put the pointer where you want it and click paste from the edit drop down. I remember I thought I lost it too but when I did a post it just showed up! Good luck ............again.:cry

Kele Kana, I wish I weren't so tired, I'd get into this a little more, I have in the past but couldn't find my post..... Yes, mushy is after full liquids and generally , by my understanding , is anything you don't have to chew! puree is mushy, the above "mushy tuna casserol with canned peas and carrots only drained I don't think should be "mushy"( unless you are then putting it in the mini chopper) so you need to be carefull! you should be hooked up with a nutritionish with what ever program you are on. She/he could and should be giving you more complete info on this. mean while I'll try to find what I previously wrote and redirect, Enjoy the new phase! I did!

Juli, Eddie , You ARE what the Dr. ordered!:amen:

congrats to all you newly banded ! This is just the beginning and I'm sure we will all make it to our goals:car: full speed ahead. Janet, I think that you sound determined !!! and thus I have no doubt that you will be a success:whoo:. I think the band may be used by some that for what ever reason, is a poor choice. maybe they don't understand just what it is meant to do, or maybe their family are more wanting it for them than themselves, or maybe it's just a huge case of denial. who knows! this is not a magic bullet, it takes hard work and real life style changes. It encourages us to change by way of some very unpleasent side effects. BUT, you can certainly override it with poor food choices and over indulging in things that slip through no problem. We STILL have to exert some controll over our behavior. Making shakes with "Ben and Jerry's " and sucking down chocolats won't get you there. What the band does that the other programs don't though, is some real help with the physical hunger. It won't come till you start getting fills, but be assured that it will. That will control the volume of food and satisfy you will much less. Now, the head hunger ....well....that's another story, But I am confident that given your honesty with health issues and your apparent will to make this work, I'm sure you will be one of the success stories:clap2:. You GO girl!

Hi Janet,:welcome:to band land! you can get the ticker by clicking on anyone's and it will take you to the site to create your own. then go to the user pc at the top on this page to edit the signature. It can be a little tricky but if I can figure it out anyone can! if you have any trouble just yell. Good luck.

Very interesting............! You are the 1st I've read with my main issue, that 1st bite can be a . someone told me to take a sip of warm tea, I thought it helped but now not sure it really matters. The really strange thing is how after recouping from the 1st I can then go on to eat a fair amount with no problem. almost too much! I do love how the chicken wings go down!(pizza too!) but my list is a bit different as some veggies don't do well and fish was, but not always, one of my worst nightmares. spare ribs went well.sorry, So, got a ? when you say "stuck" do you mean just on that 1st bite, or the whole thing?? I don't think there is really anything that I can't eventually eat if I wait long enough for the initial knot in my throat to clear and then eat very slowly. If only I weren't so damm stuborn I'd give up,stop eating , and lose wt. faster!

Babs, you must be thrilled and relieved that it's finally over and you are on your way to a new you!!! Yes, the sore spot is most likely the port. That seems to be the worse for everyone pain wise. it will get better. So, welcome and congrats!:whoo:

Oh My:p we girls do love boobies! I'm so bummed though cuz mine are shrinking faster than anything else:(. I'm sure you don't care Eddie, but ..............think the gym will help ?LOL I'll be hiking up my thighs to fill in the boobs ! actually, can they do that.....hum.....

a slight continuation! It occured to me over night that maybe the Drs. have an another motive in some of the seemingly excessive (to me:glasses ) weeks of clear liquid diets that some are given pre and post band. Could it be that the individual is more of a health risk due to their higher BMI'S and /or other medical issues and the Dr wants them to lose at a higher rate as long as possible:confused:. Except for my wt. and a few minor aches and inconviences of being large, I really had no other health issues. (just spelling issues, lol )Thus time is on my side. any thoughts out there???

:whoo::whoo::whoo: Juli! I just joined curves today, hoping to catch up to you :rose:........................ they said the band was like a 3 leg stool. exercise is one of them and I was definately missing that. My job is fairly active and I argued that it was enough, but you know what? sometimes I'm wrong! Dana and Caresa, happy to hear from you , you will both be great (and skinny!) in no time!!:clap2:

Linda, this is definately not a mind game. the band does help but you have to work it. it is a tool, not an instant cure. I found for me that I wasn't hungry at all the first week on the clear liquids. I think your stomach has been through so much that it's not hungry. that changed about 6 days out though and I was definately ready for full liquids then. (I looked back on my previous posts and I was wrong on my list of what when ) all the Drs. are different and that may have to do with you also. I'm thinking, but don't really know, that maybe it has to do with how large you are to begin with. I was in with a group of others (we had to go to class) and the ones with a larger amt. to loose were on a different protocol. On my post op plan it was 1 week clear, 2ed week full liquids, which was GREAT I might add, never though I would love tomato soup that much!!! week 3&4 the same plus the addition of a few very specific things , cottage cheese or ricotta, 'thin'mash potatos, cream of wheat or blenderized oatmeal, and pureed fruit such as applesauce. :omg: OMG I though I was in heaven, and I wasn't all that hungry. week 5 started slowly adding small amt. of protein and other 'mushys' wk. 6 NORMAL food with lapband life! It really did seem to go pretty fast. Just about when I though I'd die if it continued I was on to a new week. I have found my portions difinately decreased from my past preband life. I fill up fast and the lasting power is getting better. I have no will power! but..... I do try to make better choices and if I crave pizza I have 1 slice and I'm FULL and satisfied, in the past I could eat at least a half pie myself and have been know to eat the whole! I know I am losing much slower than some, but I also know that with out this band, I would NEVER , NEVER have lost the 37 lbs. that I have. My top wt. in life was 80 lbs. more and the wt. I lost in the past was never easy nor was it lasting. I think the best thing about this is that I really feel in my heart that this will be lasting. I know I can get rid of my big cloths and never need them again! and that is very cool!!!:rose::whoo: You need to look at the longer bigger picture, we didn't get to this point over night. The few months of adjustment is just such a small thing when you think of the rest of your life! and I don't think you could do liquids the rest of your life! even Opra couldn't!!!

Caresa and Dana.....TOMORROW IS THE BIG DAY!!! GOOD LUCK TO YOU BOTH . I'm sure you'll do great, nothing to be nervous about, it's just the 1st day of the rest of your new life :whoo::whoo::whoo: