waitingpatiently

My thoughts are similar to those of lovetheneme and deblockzprbabii. The thought of 2/3 of my stomach being thrown in the trash scared the beejeezees out of me!!!!there would be no going back!!. At 40 I just couldn't figure out the "exit" plan if 10,15,20 years from now something went wrong and I kept having this voice run through my head sayiing "well if only she had a stomach" maybe things would be different" haha....So I guess I was good with adding something that could be taken out---in the worst case sererio....but not so good with the idea of "what do I do now"....but that me....I'm not a very adventurous person and usually tend to play it safe. I also was fine with the idea a slow weight loss. I had about 70 pounds to loose so at just a pound a week I would be at goal in a year and a half and at 2 pounds a week I would be there in just 8 months!! In reality I started this process in January was banded may 19 (2months ago) and I'm already half way to my goal. I figure I should be very close by the end of summer. But you are right....the band isn't for everyone. Its important to educate yourself and make sure you are able to embrace the band lifestyle. Knowledge is EVERYTHING!!!!

Doesn't necessarily need to be "large amounts"....My friend had stopped smoking and took to chewing sugar free gum. She kept insisting that her body must be going through withdraws because she stays in the bathroom all the time. Finally she mentioned that she had been chewing on sf gum (3 pieces a day) after meals (because thats when she would smoke)....I went and bought her regular gum and told her to see if it made a difference...it stop instantly. She thought I was a genius...I told her I was-haha Some people just seem to be very sensitive to it....It doesn't bother me at all

Just found I site on line that you can buy there products at. http://www.nutmegstatenutrition.com/index.php/cPath/32?osCsid=96e1d9f6d4398d8c6379c3bec289f33b

I just looked up the protein chips. They have 9-11 net carbs (depending on flavor) per serving. Definately something that can be worked in on occasion if the chips are calling your name. was surprised to see they have 10g protein. I tend to try to stay away from these type of foods because I tend to want them more if they are in the house. I do allow myself a day or two each month to enjoy some higher carb foods that I do miss...like an english muffin or a bowl of oatmeal not usually chips and sweets. Just because once I have them...I seem to develop a taste for them again. But once every now and again I will break bad and have a cookie or brownie. I usually keep calories between 800-900 and carbs at 35

Ok... I worked hard theis week to undo the the 4 pounds I gained from the cruise. So I weighed in at 200 this morning. Realy? could it not be 199!!! I have been trying now for 3 weeks to land on this elusive number.....Maybe my scales don't go that low....that's probably it.--haha Anyhoo......200 it is..I better see 199 tomorrow!!

I was told that I should have some form of liquis sitting beside me from the time I wake until the time I do to bed. Sip,sip,sip. Now as for what was "sitting' beside me. After 72 hours, I was expected to start with the high protein liquids. I did the unjury chicken broth and the new whey protein because they are of water consistency and where much easier to get down than the thick protein powders. I found sipping on the protein drinks really helped with the hunger. I slowly added in a little of the thick protein powders as I progressed. If I made the 60 grams of protein in a day, then I would allow my self the sf jello, and sf popsicles (and anything else that was allowed that I wanted) but I tried real hard to rely on the protein products first.

HI gang....Like most of you out there I am learning to embracing the high Protein, low cab diet that my surgeon has recommended. In the process I have found a few foods out there that have really helped me along the way. It wasn't untill adding several of you bandasters to my fitness pal that I was able to see what other people are eating and you have secret favorites too. Several products have become my daily staples others are great when you are in a hurry. I wanted to share a few with you and hope that some of you will do the same. Oscar Meyer Turkey weiners 98% fat free I was very skeptical--I hate chichen in hot dogs---these are nothing like that. calories=40 fat=.5 carbs =3 fiber=0 protein=5 Johnsonville Smoked Turkey and Chedder Sausage calories=120 fat=6 carbs=4 fiber=0 protein=10 Ole Extreme Wellness high fiber/low carb Torillas calories=71 fat=2 carbs=17 (5 net) Fiber=12 protein=8 Daily Chef Mesquite Grilled chicken calories=110 (for 3 oz) fat=2.5 carbs=2 fiber=0 protein=20 Carbmaster Yogurt calories=60 fat=1.5 carbs=4 fiber=0 protein=8 sugar free Syrups These have saved me from a life of nasty tasting Protein drinks..now I actually look forward to making one.

Hi everyone. Tomorrow I will be 2 months post-op and have lost 36pounds(counting pre-op). I'm very excited I am half way to my goal weight of 165. And will hopefully see 199 tomorrow when I step on the scale. I have learned a lot these last few months. First thing I would do is join www.myfitnesspal.com it is a great way to track your food and exercise.....feel free to add me as a buddy, my username is the same (waitingpatiently)But the best advise I can give those about to join us on this journey is to educate yourself....read everything!! That way every pain doesn't freak you out and you have comfort in knowing you are prepared for the journay. To help you on your way I have copied my Pre-op shopping list below. Don't feel like you need to go buy everything on the list, but these are just suggestions of things that made things easier on me after surgery. I have posted these numberous times (sorry if you have already seen it) but I still get about 5 requests a week for a copy. If you have something that helped you along the way, please feel free to let me know....I will gladly add it to the list. As for the stage1-3 food list.....every doctor is different.....it is YOUR responsibility to know if a certain food is not allowed by your physican....they are all different. I would suggest you take the list to your physican and have him mark off/add the things he wants. If you want a more printer friendly copy emailed to you, please inbox me your email. I have tried so many times to figure out a way to attach the list to the thread...but it just keeps telling me I'm not autherized. Good luck to everyone!! If you have any questions feel free to inbox me. General Items to Have on Hand Digital scale Blender (consider the ones that you can blend using a travel mug) I bought this one at walmart for $79 http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_constraint=0&ic=48_0&Find.x=0&Find.y=0&Find=Find&_ta=1&search_query=ninja%20kitchen%20system%20pulse&_tt=ninja Heating Pad Peewee Pillow pet-to hold against your stomach when you cough Chewable Calcium Chewable Daily Vitamin Gas X Liquid Tylenol Benefiber (I mix this with the kellog’s protein mix below)Metamucil Clean and Clear Milk of Magnesia (MOM)-to help with constipation Papaya Enzymes- to help later when if you were to experience a “stuck” episode Stage 1 clear liquids Protein Power: This is just going to be trail an error. Looks like the most popular are (Unjury, Jay Robin, Premiere, NewWhey) Canned Chicken Broth (the night before your surgery, consider simmering it with some veggies like carrots, onions, potatoes, even some of your favorite herbs. I would leave all the veggies in the broth until the next day. Then have someone strain them off, saving the broth for you) Favorite Soups Consider lower salt versions(use the larger size cans of soup if they make them in your band. Then mix a couple of cans of chicken or beef broth with your favorite soup. simmer and strain) SF Jello (both premade for convenience and boxed for when you feel like making it) SF Popsicles Pedialyte Popsicles Kellogs water ready protein mix (link below) http://www.walmart.com/ip/Special-K2O-Strawberry-Kiwi-Protein-Water-Mix-4.7-oz-10ct/10891803 SF Water Flavors (Crystal Light, Great Value, Etc) Gatorade G2 or Propell Hebal Tea Diet Fruit Juices NSA-Carnation Instant Breakfast Mix Skim Milk SF Syrups to flavor shakes Stage 1-Full Liquid -All of the above+ Cream Soups (thinned with water or skim milk) (consider sprinkling ½ scoop of unflavored protein power into soup and blend…watch the temp of the soup….the protein power may clump at high temps.) SF Pudding (premixed for convenience and boxed for later) Yogurt (thinned out) (light or Greek) blend well Baby Foods (add a jar of baby food fruit with your protein powder and thin with water or skim milk) Stage 2-Puree Egg Substitute Oatmeal (thinned) Grits (thinned) Applesauce other Fruit Sauces Canned Fruit- juice packed Instant Mashed Cottage Cheese Stage 3-Mushies Canned Tuna Canned Chicken Ground Beef in a sauce Real mashed potatoes Mashed sweet potatoes Mac And Cheese (consider using the unjury protein cheese sauce) Cooked spinach Cooked and mashed cauliflower Mashed green beans

skim milk was ok with my doctor.

My daughter is a competive soccer player; her team physican willhave her eat about 300 carbs within 12 hours of a 90min intense game. She likes to eat whole wheat Pasta loaded with veggies. And she will down a couple Protein bars as well. She won't eat anything 1 hour before the game. She also drinks gaderade about 2 hours before playing. Hope that helps.

I know this must be a very flustrating time for you guys. Sounds a lot like my husband and I. And NO I wasn't cheating on him!! We actually started dating at 14, married at 18 and will be celebrating our 22 anniversary this fall. I know there were definately periods of time during our marriage where I just wasn't there for him. Sex was the absolute furthest thing from my mind. And it was the #1 thought in his mind. It was very hard to work, raise children, maintain a house AND put out at night. He was so patient with me. He is in the military so it was hard to be away from him for months at a time and then suddenly be connected when he returned. I was under so much pressure to handle everything when he was gone. I know its probably not the exactly the same in your family, but is she under a lot of stress? I think you could definately benefit from some councelling.....I will be glad to share with you what was the changing point in our relationship if you like...I just didn't want to put it out here for all to see. Just inbox me. --just know that there is hope....Me and my husband are more connected now than we have ever been.

I have a long term plan to simply be 5 pounds lighter than my husband!!haha that would be 165. I will be very satisfied at that. As to the short term goals to get there, I was told to think of 1-2 pounds a week AVERAGE as a realistic goal and that has proven to be a good number for me. I have had a few weeks where I have seen 4-5 pounds lost and a few where I saw nothing so it has all balanced out to that 1-2 pound average. Im half way to my goal...I have 35 more pounds to go and should be able to make that hopefully in the next 5 months.

Thats Awesome!! I know you must feel so much better(inside and out)!! Do you have any tips/advise to share? You never know what might help someone else that is struggling.

same here...I never burped before surgery. Now I'm kind of opposite of some others a i have read about that burp after eating. I tent to burp when my stomach is empty. Every morning I wake up with what feels like a air bubble traped....and a strong desire to burp.....but if a force a burp the feeling just come right back until I have something to eat or drink. then it goes away.Same thing happens after about 4 hour after each meal and before bedtime. As for the straw....I think for some people it can be a real issue, for others (like me) its not. My doctor said to use caution the first few times using it and if I didn't have any trouble, it was fine. He also just told me to be aware if suddenly i felt a lot of presure after I was drinking or if anything changed to the negative then to do away with the straw and see if it made a difference.

hi bdb86- I would love to be your buddy! I am always looking for someone to share experiences with. I was banded march 19 so I'm almost 2 months out. I have lost about 35 pounds and look forward to seeing 199 in the next few days. Inbox me and we can chat. Good luck!

I'm so sorry!! I know that is flustrating!!--My girlfriend an I started this journey about the same time. I was approved rather quickly and she was turned down. Insurance decided they wanted a 6 month supervised diet instead of a 3 month...good thing she took my advise and continued her monthly visits until she got word from the insurance company she only had to go 2 more times instead of 4. She just turned in her packet for the second time and just found out they are denying her again because a PA over saw her visits instead of the actual physican. Thats crazy!! why didn't they mention that the first time? Now she is in appeals her gp doctor said he would sing off on the paperwork, but the insurance said it didn't matter she has to start over! thats crazy!!

I had to break the carb (sugar addiction) I went several weeks of depriving myself of the carbs untill finally I realized I wasn't craving them like I was before. For me, I stayed away completely from Desserts for several months. Now I will allow myself a day or two a month to eat something sweet. I have found now that I have broke the addiction sweet things I used to eat/drink now are TOO sweet...like mcdonalds sweet tea!!love it never thought that it was too sweat...now every now and then I will have one but I have them mix it with 1/3 sweet and 2/3 unsweet....and I'm good. Or when I have coffee I would use 4-5 real sugar packs....now 1 truvia and I'm good. I have also found when I eat something too rich...even a couple of bites it turns my stomach. But I have learned to like several desserts that are low sugar/carb and I'm satisfied completely.

I eat 800-1000 calories a day (depending on if I exercise or not) and keep my Protein at at atleast 60grams and my carbs to below 35. I have done this since December and average about 2 pounds a week loss. Once a month I will allow myself a couple of days to eat those things that I have restricted.... like sweet potatoes, oatmeal , english muffins and such....not junk food. and will increase my calories to 1000-1300 (depending on if I exercise) and up my carbs to 100.----Doing this for just those two days, usually stops the scale and I won't loose a pound that week. I know some people eat a lot more calories and maybe if I exercised as much as they do, I would need more. But prior to December I would eat around 1200 calories a day with very little exercise ( walking about 2-3 times a week) and I actually would consistently gained about a 3/4 a pound a month. So......Apparently my body is super effient and doesn't need a lot of calories to maintain itself.

I was told not to use the gummies. I use the vitactiv calcium and flintstones chewables for a daily vitiamin. The vitactiv will actually dissolve in your mouth as you chew them. As for the dehydration---I was on the same schedule. When you leave the hospital they have pumped you up with a lot of fluids to help keep you from dehydrating. The 1 oz every 15 mins is to keep you from gulping the fluids down. Just keep sip, sip sipping all day and you should be able to get the 64 oz in. I rotated between Water, broth, and the New whey Protein (its like kool-aid). I also used the unjury chicken broth....it has like 22 grams of protein in a cup. I also found that I did better with room temp or even warm beverages than I did with the ice cold stuff. The warmer stuff seemed to relax my stomach muscles. Hang in there it will get better....but just remember if you have any concerns....call your doctors office....thats what they are there for.....make them work for their big bucks!!

Just try to take it slow. We all get very excited when we make the dicision to get the band and jump in with both feet first. You are smart to start making changes now so it doesn't feel as if everything changes at one time. Just remember for some the inability to stay on a strict diet is the reason they seek the band. If you are one of those individuals, then you are just repeating the same problem that you have had all along. So don't beat yourself up about it. Try changing just one thing a week. Stop drinking sodas, start making sure you are getting 70g of Protein every day, start cutting out bad carbs, .....if you do these things one at a time you might not feel as if you are dieting so much...but just making life style changes. I will also tell you, from my personal experience....I wish I would have exbraced the high protein/ low carb thing a long time ago. Before surgery. I think I might have been able to keep a lot of weight off years ago. I know for some people it hasn't been as sucessful, but for me...my body loves it!! And responds well. Even the Protein shakes...as much as I don't "love" the way they taste, they sure do help with hunger. They may be something worth trying before you get the band as well. Good luck...if you eve need to talk, just inbox me.

I never found a Protein power I actualy like...so I went to trying to cover up the taste altogether. I now use the sf syrups. Here is one of my favorites. Tastes like the icedd coffees at starbucks. 1oz sf vanilla 1 oz sf caramel 4oz favorite coffee (mine is keurigs butter toffeee) 2 oz milk 1 scoop protein power (I use jilliann micheals vanilla) Bleanderize with LOTS of ice. I can't taste the protein at all!!

Sorry Larry I forgot to check in on Sunday. It wasn't such a good week in the weight loss dept. But it sure was a great week in the bahamas!! So I was 205 on Sunday. Thats about a 4 pound gain....really thought I would have maintained. I tried so hard to be good on the cruise ship. But I guess that isn't too bad....could have been worse. And as of today (wednesday) I'm back to 201 (the same weight I was the day before the cruise)!! So it really just cost me two weeks of weight loss.....It was worth it.

Here's my list: Just remember, every docor is different when it comes to what they consider stage 1 or stage 2 ect. This is just a list f suggestions don't feel as if you need to buy every item on the list.Hope it helps. If you want me to email you a list just inbox me. General Items to Have on Hand Digital scale Blender (consider the ones that you can blend using a travel mug) I bought this one at walmart for $79 http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_constraint=0&ic=48_0&Find.x=0&Find.y=0&Find=Find&_ta=1&search_query=ninja%20kitchen%20system%20pulse&_tt=ninja Heating Pad Peewee Pillow pet-to hold against your stomach when you cough Chewable Calcium Chewable Daily Vitamin Gas X Liquid Tylenol Benefiber (I mix this with the kellog’s Protein mix below)http://www.walmart.com/ip/Benefiber-Kiwi-Strawberry-Flavored-Fiber-Drink-Mix-Stick-Packs-24ct/17325206 Metamucil Clean and Clear Milk of Magnesia (MOM)-to help with constipation Papaya Enzymes- to help later when if you were to experience a “stuck” episode Stage 1 Clear liquids Protein Power: This is just going to be trail an error. Looks like the most popular are (unjury, Jay Robin, Premiere, NewWhey Canned chicken broth (the night before your surgery, consider simmering it with some veggies like carrots, onions, potatoes, even some of your favorite herbs. I would leave all the veggies in the broth until the next day. Then have someone strain them off, saving the broth for you) Favorite Soups Consider lower salt versions(use the larger size cans of Soup if they make them in your band. Then mix a couple of cans of chicken or beef broth with your favorite soup. simmer and strain) SF Jello (both premade for convenience and boxed for when you feel like making it) SF Popsicles Pedialyte Popsicles Kellogs Water ready protein mix (link below) http://www.walmart.com/ip/Special-K2O-Strawberry-Kiwi-Protein-Water-Mix-4.7-oz-10ct/10891803 SF Water Flavors (Crystal Light, Great Value, Etc) Gatorade G2 or Propell Hebal Tea Diet Fruit Juices NSA-Carnation Instant Breakfast Mix Skim Milk SF Syrups to flavor shakes Stage 1-Full Liquid -All of the above+ Cream Soups (thinned with water or skim milk) (consider sprinkling ½ scoop of unflavored protein power into soup and blend…watch the temp of the soup….the protein power may clump at high temps.) SF pudding (premixed for convenience and boxed for later) Yogurt (thinned out) (light or Greek) blend well Baby Foods (add a jar of baby food fruit with your Protein powder and thin with water or skim milk) Stage 2-Puree Egg Substitute oatmeal (thinned) Grits (thinned) Applesauce other Fruit sauces Canned Fruit- juice packed Instant Mashed Cottage cheese Stage 3-Mushies Canned Tuna Canned Chicken Ground Beef in a sauce Real mashed potatoes Mashed sweet potatoes Mac And Cheese (consider using the unjury protein cheese sauce) Cooked spinach Cooked and mashed cauliflower Mashed green Beans

I had two hernias and a lot of adhesions removed!! I think it really did add to my soreness. What was supposed to be a 1 hour procedure turned into a 3 hour one. It took me a good 3 weeks to feel half way good and another week to feel half way normal.

Catherine you look amazing!! You should put your patient stats in. I was curious where you started at and how long it took you to get where you are....the pictures are great!! Keep up the great work.