Nancy Rivers

I can't have raw fruit yet and am 6 weeks out. I would contact your dietician or surgeon.

Tonight I ended up making a single serving size of chili. I wasn't sure exactly how it would come out, but it wasn't bad at all! I'm a single person, so it's tough to find recipes for just one to make. I'm sure you could multiply the ingredients to size it up if needed. 4 oz lean ground beef (I used 96/4 Meijer brand angus beef that I found on sale a week or two ago) 1/4 cup Ragu Old World Style Sweet Tomato Basil Pasta sauce 2 ounces left over chicken Soup sans chicken (chicken broth, diced onions, diced tomatoes, diced bell peppers - green, red, yellow and orange that was part of my crockpot chicken soup that I made a couple of days ago - but I didn't cut up the chicken, so it was without chicken) 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp Mrs. Dash salt-free fiesta lime spice 1/4 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese Brown the ground beef, add in the pasta sauce and chicken broth with veggies. Let it simmer for a while and then add the spices. Continue simmering until liquid is reduced to about 1/2 of original. Serve in a bowl and top with the cheddar cheese. I'm sure you could substitute any meat for the ground beef. But I wouldn't use anything that would have more fat.

My dietician said we could use either. I use cow's milk only because that's what I have always had. Although, I haven't had that much milk since the surgery.

I miss being close to my brother because he always goes deer hunting every October through November and seems to always get at least one deer and would share it with the family. Sadly, he had a spat with my parents and I never see him anymore. I guess I'll have to try to find someplace online for venison if I want it again (I'm not about to learn how to hunt so I can have venison for a single person).

I can't handle a lot of spice - although the Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime spices has as the first ingredient Chili Powder. I absolutely LOVE the taste of cinnamon - that's why I included it. With that combo of spices though, it was hard to taste the actual cinnamon. But it was really good.

Here is what I had yesterday. It's pretty easy to get 60 g of Protein in at this point - just takes a bit of planning is all. Sorry if it looks goofy - copy & pasted from my tracking program (realizemysuccess.com). food Diary Entries for August 22, 2011 Meal/Item Qty Cal Fat Pro Carb Breakfast Cottage cheese: nonfat 0.5 cup 80.0 0.0g 12.0g 8.0g Morning Snack lunch Egg: large, boiled 1.0 ea 77.5 5.3g 6.3g 0.6g Afternoon Snack Lunchmeat: turkey 4.0 oz 118.0 2.0g 19.2g 4.8g dinner Ragu OWS STB Sauce 1.0 serv 70.0 1.5g 2.0g 10.0g Meijer 96/4 Ground Beef 4.0 oz 130.0 4.0g 24.0g 0.0g Evening Snack Totals - Planned Food: 475.5 12.8g 63.5g 23.4g

I was told to use the 30-30-30 rule. 30 minutes before the meal, stop drinking Water. The meal should last for 30 minutes. Then start drinking water 30 minutes after the meal. That's been working well for me. You should be getting 60+ grams of Protein a day plus at least 48 (preferably 64+) ounces of water a day. Depending on the food, it could measure out a bit differently. I'm now up to 1/2 cup of cottage cheese and usually 3 ounces of meat (chicken, fish or beef) and be filled up. If it's a super brothy Soup (not much substance) then I can actually manage about 1 cup. If there's substance to the soup though, about 1/2 cup.

Ok, that's cool. I'll season it like I do with beef then. Since it's a "new" meat to me, I just wanted to make sure. Thanks.

Congratulations on your surgery. And, yeah, this is normal. The hives maybe not so much - I'd call your surgeon about it to make sure it is a reaction to the meds and not something else though. I'd hate for you to think it was that and it end up being some sort of bug picked up in the hospital (unlikely - but slightly possible). I didn't weigh myself until 1 week post op because of the Fluid retention. Don't sweat it yet. My surgeon and dietician recommend weighing at the very most once a week.

Congratulations! You are my hero!

Based on the feedback here, I ordered some bison meat and am waiting for it to be delivered now. I've never had it before. Just wondering what seasoning goes best with bison? Of course I'll try it plain, but plain gets boring so quickly... LOL

Good luck LMD! Personally, I'd love to be able to go braless and have no one notice. I hate bras since 99% of the time it's the straps that stretch out and never stay put! I have rather rounded shoulders, so the straps would have a tough enough time without having to worry about the girls. So, if I go from a C to an A or less - I'll be a happy camper!

Well, TOM just came for another visit today - a week later than I thought it would. I hope this is not the new norm - I was a clockwork 28 day cycle before which I liked because well - it was clockwork. This is a 35 day cycle this time. Just a note for those who are curious: July 12 - surgery (I was supposed to start period then, but did not - probably because of the surgery). July 18 - TOM came for his normal visit of 6 days. August 4 - a 4 pound weight gain that stays for 1 week. August 11 saw a 4 pound drop and then an additional 3 pounds in the next week came off. August 18 - a 1.5 pound weight gain and a migraine (normal timing before start of period). August 22 - TOM returned. I had cramps and migraines before the surgery that always came with TOM. Unfortunately, he has brought them back this month. That was something that I was hoping would change. Oh well...

You're best bet will be to contact your insurance company to find out if they cover the procedure or not. If they do, then ask what are their requirements for covering the surgery. Every POLICY is different - just because BCBS covers for one person does not mean they will cover for a different person. I have BCBS and any type of wls was specifically EXCLUDED with my policy. I had to pay out of pocket for the whole thing. Once you know if the insurance will cover and what their requirements will be, then your surgeon's office will follow those guidelines at the very least. He or she may require more depending on your medical history.

It varies depending on the person. I lost 11pounds the first week.

I was never put on a PPI. I've never had any problems with acid.

Yeah, you should be fine to go back to work unless you have complications. Just don't overtax yourself.

Your surgeon or dietician should have given you a food plan of what foods you can eat and when. Follow that. Otherwise you could end up damaging your new stomach. I had clear liquids for 2 days after surgery, then 3 weeks of full liquids and pureed foods and am currently on 3 weeks of soft/mushy foods. I won't be able to eat solid foods until at least Aug 29 when I next see my surgeon again. Just make sure you are getting in all of your fluids and then concentrate on getting Protein in. Once you can do those 2 things on a regular basis, then you can move on to incorporating other healthy carbs.

Tylenol is always a safe bet. If your surgeon allows, and Tylenol doesn't work, you could take an Advil - but double check that with your surgeon first. Some won't allow NSAIDS for a specific amount of time after surgery and Advil is an NSAID.

It will last as long as you are on a liquid/pureed diet. Once you start having soft foods, it will subside. My surgeon said that unless I was going like 7 or 8 times a day to not worry about it.

What tests that are done before surgery really depends on the medical history of each individual patient. I had to do an EGD because I told my surgeon that I had the occasional acid reflux and he wanted to make sure there wasn't an ulcer or something before surgery. He ordered a complete blood panel and Vitamin levels before the surgery - but had my PCP do it because that way insurance would cover. The hospital required an EKG and blood typing before the surgery because it was a different hospital than I had used before. Some doctors order more tests than this, but I didn't have to because of my medical history.

I should have started my period the day of my surgery. However, I started it a week later and it lasted the normal time. I should have started a week ago, but nothing yet. So, I'm screwed up yet again....

You folks are lucky in my book. I have not experienced the cold and wish that I would. I would love to cut my air conditioning bill....

Congratulations! I'd go for a fish bake instead.... LOL

Largest: pants: 28W, shirts 3-4x Now (just 5 weeks later): pants: 26W, shirts 2-3x (I actually have a 2x on right now and it is large on me).