NJGirl32

I had a bowl of Italian Wedding Soup -added a few dollops of LF ricotta cheese for extra protein. It was delicious!

They say it can take a few fills-hang in there!!! It sucks really bad when you don't lose but a plateau can be overcome!!

I am the same way-if I didn't lose I don't want to get on that scale!! The secret is to keep refocusing and having dialogues with yourself! You'll have days you feel fat and days you feel like your losing weight-the trick is to make the losing days more often then the gaining days

Wow!! That's awesome- I can only hope that I will be able to report the same in 2 months time! How many fills did you need to feel control over your eating?

Great job!!!! That gives me hope!

I am hoping this icreases my sex drive if anything!

Yes, the pain pump is for the hospital-they aren't goingto let you walk out of there attached to a morphine drip! lol And it goes into your IV. No drains of any sort on this surgery!

Your pouch is fine-don't worry! I am in the same boat. I feel like I never even had surgery (appetite-wise). I pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I will be dieting 'On my own" for the first 2 months unless my first fill magically does the trick. It seems it could take a couple of fills to get it right. It is a difficult period of time "Bandster Hell" indeed. I'll tell you what works for me. I have set times I eat and I can't eat unless it's that time. I eat at 8am (before work). 1pm-lunch, 6pm dinner, and then I have a big snack at 9. You could program snacks like jello or yogurt if you want. Having set times really helped me. Let us know how your first fill goes-I will be VERY curious to know if it helped with your hunger. Don't forget you might be on shakes for 1 day after. Good luck to you!

On week two I could eat Peanut Butter, have ricotta cheese (LF) in my soup, and here are some other options (keep in mind you won't be able to have all these yet-but most! : Fish Most fish fillets or steaks are about 22 grams of Protein for 3 ½ oz (100 grams) of cooked fish, or 6 grams per ounce Tuna, 6 oz can - 40 grams of protein (use 3oz fo 20 grams) eggs and Dairy Egg, large - 6 grams protein Milk, 1 cup - 8 grams Cottage cheese, ½ cup - 15 grams Yogurt, 1 cup – usually 8-12 grams, check label Soft cheeses (Mozzarella, Brie, Camembert) – 6 grams per oz Medium cheeses (Cheddar, Swiss) – 7 or 8 grams per oz Hard cheeses (Parmesan) – 10 grams per oz Beans (including soy) Tofu, ½ cup 20 grams protein Tofu, 1 oz, 2.3 grams Soy milk, 1 cup - 6 -10 grams Most beans (black, pinto, lentils, etc) about 7-10 grams protein per half cup of cooked beans Soy beans, ½ cup cooked – 14 grams protein Split peas, ½ cup cooked – 8 grams Nuts and Seeds Peanut butter, 2 Tablespoons - 8 grams protein Almonds, ¼ cup – 8 grams Peanuts, ¼ cup – 9 grams Cashews, ¼ cup – 5 grams Pecans, ¼ cup – 2.5 grams Sunflower seeds, ¼ cup – 6 grams pumpkin seeds, ¼ cup – 8 grams Flax seeds – ¼ cup – 8 grams

You don't have to tell your employers what kind of surgery it is -just say it's personal. You need proper time to heal. My doc said no driving for 5 days and no heavy lifting. Everyone recovers differently, but you will be sore for at least a week. You'll have stiches too-so you don't wantto lift things and risk popping them open. I am almost 2 weeks past surgery and some of my stitches are still in. Plus you don't have a surgery date yet-you are assuming that it will be right away and that's not always the case. Some people have to wait 6 months for insurance reasons and your doctor may not have an opening any time soon. I am wondering if it would be better to have it done when you are goingto school, since you won't be working. If school means sitting in a classroom-you could do that much sooner and then you won't have to worry about lifting-plus school might be more understanding about you just having surgery (just a thought). Good luck!

If you are just starting out I would advise you to do a lot of research. Definitely go to the seminar. Get the book "Bandwagon" which is pretty informative. It's time to put yourself first. If you keep giving and giving without replenishing yourself you just get very drained and burn yourself out. It's nver too late to turn your life completely around and take the wheel and steer it in a new direction. You owe this to yourself and you CAN do this! Best of luck on your journey!

Great job!!!! Congrats!

Although that's a VERY personal decision that only you can make I know you want some input. I would say go with the band. When you are banded you are not getting your stomach cut and re-routed. My I went for my nutrion meeting there was a woman there that had Gastrict by-pass 7 yrs. ago and gained everything back and now she wanted the band. But I am sure there has been banded people who wentto gastric bypass. Personally, I would try a less invasive procedure first and especially since your BMI is not that high. The band take a big committment and it's only a tool. You won't lode as quickly as with gastric bypass-but for me that's okay. There are diffently pros and cons to both but I know I really didn't want to undergo major surgery if I could avoid it. Good luck with whatever you decide!!

I am consciencously planning any of my snack foods. If it's not planned I don't eat it. SF pudding with a teaspoon of PB 1/2 sliced banna and a dollop of cool whip is sinfully delicious! If you are going to have this I'd make my other snacks that day SF jello or a SF popcicle. I try to buy snacks that my family likes, but I don't like enough to have one. I bough SF choc. syrup and it says on the directions you can add it to coffee-that sounds good! I will also pour a chocolate protein shake into the blender with ice and a 1/2 banana. I have an exact time that I eat my snacks-even if I get hungry earlier I will wait until that time comes around.The secret to avoid binge eating is not to have the triggers in your house and to plan for your snacks. Also fill up on water. Remember you can't let food have that much power inyour life anymore.

Congrats on such a great achievement and thanks for sharing a snapshot of your day!!

PS- you look smaller than a size 12 and 180 pounds-you look so tiny! That gives me SO much encouragement! I remember when I weighed 185 (when I met my hubby) and I looked great. I can't wait to get there! Thanks for sharing!

Sexy Moma!!! Wow!! A completely different girl! Awesome job!!

Thanks for the detailed experience! Love yr. blog!

I was banded on May 25th and my appetite is as strong as ever. I really feel like I could go out to a restuarant and order hatever I wanted. I have to think of this time period as "dieting on my own" I am sort of sticking to weight watchers (maybe a little less). I know I need a good fill and when I see my surgeon in 2 weeks I am going to request one asap. I agree that you should tell your doctor that you feel no restriction and your appetite hasn't change. We, as women, don't like to sound pushy but we didn'tgo through surgery to still feel hungry all the time.. It might take some time ( a few fills) until the band acts as the tool it was meant to be. Until then you need to diet on your own by counting calories and exercising until you reach the Promised Land! BTW-congrats on such an awesome weight loss thus far!!!!

My doc said 3 weeks

Awesome!! That has got tobe a great feeling! I wentthrough my summer/winter clothes yesterday and made a drawer of clthes that are oo small-I can't wait to go to that drawer and try thinhs on down the road

You will do great!! Don't worry!! I agree, you will have such great years ahead of you being skinny and happy! I struggled with my weight all through my teens all the way up to my 40;s on and off. You have such an amazing futrue ahead of you! Keep positive thoughts in your head and good luck to you! The first week you will feel sore, but after that you will be fine!

Gas x strips and try to walk alittle every hour. I think everything you wrote sound normal. Gas pains are very difficult to deal with. As far as eating so little-just make sure you are getting as much protein in as possible because it does help with healing. I had the same appetite the first week after surgery-I could barley get anything down. On my second week my appetite came back full force (after the swelling went down). Hope you feel better!! PS- you might get more responses if you posted this on the post-op site rather then the Intro site

Okay, my hubby has a lot of friends and he belongs to a club. The club always seems to have something going on. When I was on my liquid diet they had a big event with music/outdoors/food/drinks I told my hubby I did want to go since I was on liquids. I told him to go if he wanted. Then last week his friend had a BBQ- I went even though I couldn't eat or drink. So this weekend there's a pig roast -really-WTH? I am starting to get a little mad. My hubby asks when I'll be on regular food-I said not for 2 more weeks. So my hubby asks me if I want to go. I said "I am not going and I don't feel supported because you know I can't eat or drink" He was fine with me not going but he went (supposely to talk to a guy about work we need on our kitchen." He said he wouldn't be long-I think he sensed that I wasn't thrilled. Before he left he asked me if I wanted to go o the movies later -he knows I want to see Bridemaids. So I guess my real concern is that so much of our weekends revolve around eating out and food/drink events that this is going to be a really big change. I wish he didn't feel a need to go to every event-because I feel left behind. At the same time I do realize this is my burden to bear-not necessarily his. I guess it's worse now that I am in Bandster Hell and could eat anything. Just needing to vent-sorry!

Thanks!! On a happier note we just came back from the movies and I highly recommend "Bridesmaids" it was So funny!!!