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Love my chili, for sure - also great with plain greek yogurt, btw. I use plain greek yogurt on whatever I'd normally put sour cream on. So good. The avocado doesn't add Protein, but I love avocado, it's a "good" fat, and adds to the creamy texture, along with taste of course! P.S. Premier Protein (from Costco) is different than Pure Protein (from Trader Joes). 30 gr vs. 15 gr.

I'm on my first day of mushies today after 20 days of clear/full liquids. It feels like forever! The first two things I made were: gazpacho soup - great with avocado and plain greek yogurt and hits my cravings for salad; and CHOPPED LIVER!! I'm a Jewish girl and grew up on it - delicious and extremely high in protein and (fanfare) IRON. Having a 30 gr. Premier Protein shake every morning for breakfast, I've been able to get in the rest of my protein through food pretty easily. In the last couple days I've decided to try and up the iron content of my meals as well. I found a recipe for lentil/spinach soup that should be good. Lentils are another great source of iron as well as protein. I hope this might be helpful!

I had bad plantar fascitis at one point and was able to cure it with the stretches, and never going barefoot or wearing flats for a period of time. I think all the non-drug remedies people have spoken of here are excellent. If I were in your shoes (haha), I'd do all of them! It may have taken several months for mine to go completely away. I think prednisone is a very heavy drug and should be avoided if possible. I had to take it after a thyroid procedure and it totally screwed me up. Granted, I was probably taking higher doses than you are talking about. Nevertheless, I gained weight, became severely depressed after going off the prednisone, and developed early cataracts because of it.

I did plenty of binging before surgery. My BMI was less than 40, and, because I was having my surgery in Mexico, there was no pre-op diet requirement. I feel fortunate because I really doubt I could have coped with some of the pre-op diet and other requirements I see written about here. I probably gained 5-10 pounds pre-op, but it came off very quickly post-op.

Congratulations! Tomorrow is my 21st day and I'm feeling good too. I don't have the same results you have, but I'm pleased and if the trend continues, I'll be satisfied. I like this tool!

I'm totally dependent on the Costco Premier Protein Shakes; have it for breakfast every day. They're supposed to be starting a promotion and carrying their vanilla flavor starting this week! Hope it's as good as the chocolate.

I don't necessarily volunteer the information unsolicited, but if the context is appropriate, I tell whoever is there. I'm an open book as well, and feel like people are free to take it however they want. I've found almost everyone to be supportive and happy for me. I can provide info to people who are interested, and get info that I may not have found in other ways. For me, it's a win/win to tell.

Isn't timing an amazing thing? If I'd been in your position at the time you were sleeved, you can bet I would have "stuffed" the pain and stress. Not only were you unable to do that because of your procedure, you came out of all of it with a giant positive! Congratulations and may your success continue and rub off on us all!

I tried cpap 10 years ago, and then again last year. I never could adapt to any of the masks. I turn over when I sleep and always had to adjust the hose, the mask etc., whenever I did. I gave up. It was disappointing, because I did really like the feeling of increased air flow into my nose. Best of luck to you.

Best wishes to you! I'm sure you'll do great. I left two young children behind when I went for my surgery. They'll be a comfort to you when you're back. Their love and concern will warm your heart. Not the highest quality "me" time, but nevertheless a little "me" time is good for your family!

I had a terrible episode last night. I think I may have eaten a bit too much for dinner (bean soup with some cheese melted in). At bedtime, I decided I needed to do something about the constipation that showed up after I started being able to get in all my required protein. I drank a glass of 1/2 lite apple juice, 1/2 crystal lite mixed with Miralax. Ka-blam. 2 hours later I was in the worst pain ever. I tried to vomit, but couldn't. After a few hours of intense discomfort, it subsided enough to go back to sleep. Wow. I certainly learned my lesson. Now I have to figure out when it's safe to get the Miralax in...

When you're considering your health, you have to be very careful about how you choose to economize!

Love me some good potato salad. It was on sale yesterday at the supermarket. I tasted one bite - very good. Bought a small container "for the kids". Naturally, it started calling my name tonight around 8pm. I gave in, and thought I'd just see what would happen. One tiny bite - okay. Second tiny bite - not a chance. It stuck in my throat and wouldn't go down. I just stood, bent forward, for a few minutes until it finally dissolved. Then I had a few little sips of water. All's well that ends well, but I won't be experimenting again, at least within the next week or maybe two! Darn that sleeve! It works as advertised!

You may be right about not chewing enough. Nonetheless, I'm just as happy to pass on this food for the time being since I was basically done eating for the day and didn't need the extra calories. I was just giving in to head hunger!

I tell, tell, tell. More often than not, either the person I tell has something helpful to tell me too, or I find that the person I tell wants to know more for themselves, or a friend who may be interested in the procedure. I want positive people in my life, and this is just another way to confirm it, imho!

I know you'll get a thousand responses to your post that say "go for it". I did the same as you and could not find one negative post anywhere (and I'm a great researcher!). His staff are the best. You will feel well taken care of. They respond quickly and personably to any concern you may have. He charges more than some in Mexico, but for me, his level of credentials and the level of confidence inspired by his staff are well worth it.

This is how I make homemade broth. Super-easy. I made it every other day when I came home. Delicious and soothing. Ingredients: 1 carrot, peeled 2 ribs celery 1 small onion, peeled small bunch of parsley 1.5 lb. of chicken - any part will do, cooked or raw 5-10 peppercorns salt to taste (usually quite a lot) Put everything in a pot. Add Water to cover. Simmer on low minimum 2 hours, max ? hours. Simmering on low will prevent froth from developing. When done, you can just throw the whole pot into the fridge and ladle from it what you need as you need it. Enjoy!

Sleeved on the 22nd. I am feeling reasonably good, with a little fatigue and nausea here and there. Enjoying the "full liquids" phase and glad to be getting my Protein in with 1 Protein shake a day and the rest with food. Calories consumed are a little high right now, because I've been getting my food protein in with bean Soups + melted cheese. Around 1000/day. Hoping to get the calorie count lower when I hit the puree phase. Congrats to everyone here!

I have not had any problems with this at any point post op,

does it blend up well for us "full liquid" folks?

My sister's best friend went to Dr. Joya for lapband about 5 years ago. She's an RN and was happy with her experience and her outcome. I was considering him, but he wasn't discussed widely enough on the web for me to feel comfortable choosing him for my own procedure. Also, for surgery with him you fly to Puerto Vallarta, which would have cost me considerably more money than flying to San Diego. Although if there'd been enough info on the web to put him above the others in MX, the flight cost wouldn't have been a real factor.

You can make just about any soup into a cream soup. Get yourself an immersion blender and go to town. I'm just getting started myself and one of my faves so far is clam chowder. Yum! Also doing lentil soup and tomato. Only problem so far is that the carb count starts getting pretty high. But I figure for Stage 2, being a little flexible in that area will work itself out. Add a little nonfat milk or broth if it's too thick after giving it the immersion blender treatment! Have fun!