crabcake

my hubbling of 18 years gave it to me early on...wanna guess why? :guess

I had a nutrition class this past week. They told us 60 gms protein/day. Also told us to try VHT Extreme smoothies. 1 serving of the 'chocolate dream' has 170 calories, 6 g carbs and 35 g protein. We were told to use as we liked. Hope this helps!

that's good to know. my knees are killing me! :omg:

for those of you who've been banded a while, have you noticed an increase in your energy? i can't help but think you have since moving around must be easier now. i hope so. i'm tired a lot of the time and don't even feel like doing a little light housework (ok, when have i ever felt like doing it, right?).:tired

Wow! That gives us 50-something soon-to-be banders lots of encouragement. Congratulations!

Carlene, thanks for sharing that. I don't think I've laughed that hard in a long time! :biggrin1:

My theory is just because you can have children doesn't mean you should!

I saw a funny quote recently. "Friends are God's way of apologizing for your family"! Hahahaha! :roll:

Go for it!!! I will always be the fat kid in my hometown. To this day, if I go back, I'm the fat kid. Yeah, I know, I am fat now, but even when I was my thinnest, I'd go back and people would make comments like 'wow, you must be on the hunt!' 'ON THE HUNT???' :angryWhy would you say something like that? However, when I lived on the west coast and was thin, I once had a guy hang out the passenger side of a car and scream 'I want you to be the mother of my children' at me as I walked by!!! Give those folks the finger and never look back!

Tami, at the banders4life website, it says the 3rd floor. Which is it? Isn't this the same group? I'll be there this Saturday. Thanks.

Good luck Stacy!!! We're pulling for you!!! :success1::cheer2:

:grouphug:Hey y'all, let's keep mnkbrly in our thoughts and prayers tomorrow. It's her big day! :cheer2:

Thanks for the encouragement! I hope I do as well as you have.

Dang, 2 before and 2 after? I'd be gnawing the woodwork by then! How'd you do that?

I would think your doctor would tell you what tests need to be done. For example, mine doesn't require a psych test or a sleep test. Have you met w/ a doctor yet? I went for my initial mtg last week and was told I needed some lab work done and needed to have my primary care physician write a letter clearing me for surgery and told me I had to go to a nutrition class and a support group meeting. They were very specific about what I needed to get done, but there was no particular order for it to be done in. After I get all of that to them, then I can call for an appt. I'm sure everyone is different though. Hope that helps!

Thanks Kim! I envy you your close date. I went last Wednesday for my first consultation. Now I'm trying to get the labwork and paperwork done. I keep vacillating back and forth, but I also know I haven't been able to do this myself and need some help. Thank goodness we have this board to encourage each other. I don't think I could do it by myself. My family is supportive, but I don't think they really understand. Good luck!:gluck:

Laureli, I also had my first visit last week and I too have to attend a nutrition class on 3/28. They really want to emphasize that the band is only a tool, not a magic bullet. I met w/ 4 different people when I went for my visit last week and everyone of them asked if I understood this. Good luck to you! :gluck:

Does anyone here follow a specific diet like the Atkins or South Beach or even just counting calories? I've been trying to 'adjust' now to a few (hopefully) soon-to-be post op rules such as no diet cokes, drinking more water and not drinking with meals. My reasoning being if I can't do it now, it won't happen after the surgery either. So far, I've been ok w/ everything. So I thought maybe I should try a diet I'd could use post-op as well. Any suggestions? What works for you guys? I know BJean says portion control, which may be all I end up doing. I really don't want to not be able to eat something unless my tummy dictates it.

Try going to your User CP at the top of the page then to edit signature. Scroll down towards the bottom and there's a place for a URL (it says Enter URL to Image). Maybe it goes there.

Alaverde, I just googled that and see it on Walgreen's website. Why don't you ask your pharmacist to order it for you? If nothing else, print out the info from a website and take it in and show it to them. My pharmacist is good about ordering OTC stuff that's not normally on their shelves. Good luck!

thanks losingit! that's great to hear. how long were you on liquids afterwards? how long before you started eating regular foods again?

Hey Laura, where are you and which doc are you using? I'm in Deatsville (bedroom community to Montgomery/Prattville) and had my first consult this past week w/ Dr. Schmitt in B'ham. Gotta get some blood work and paper work done before I'll get a band date.

Well, I had my initial visit last Wednesday. I had planned on seeing Dr. Miles in B'ham, but he had an emergency surgery. So, I saw Dr. Schmitt. Not knowing either of them I figured half a dozen of one, six of the other. Has anyone used him? He seems nice enough (well I guess so...these guys are making money hand over fist from us fat folks!!! they should be nice! :tired) I'm wondering about how long after the surgery before I can exercise (I would've never thought in a million years that I would ever be concerned about this!) and what the eating schedule is post-op, i.e. how long on liquids, how long on mushies, etc. I'm self pay, 'cause good ole bc/bs gives you the choice of bypass or stroke, but no banding! However, at least this will allow me to push the date up a little.

I've been wearing nothing but Crocs since last fall and talk about ugly!!! But boy do they feel good on my feet!

no girl, i'm quaking in my boots as it is!!! i'm really just going through the motions right now and hoping i won't chicken out when it's time! :biggrin1: but i'm scared of being crippled and my doc told me the more weight i took off, the longer i could put off the surgery. bjean, thanks for the encouraging words, this is what i need to hear. i know you've probably said this somewhere before, but how long did it take you to lose those 40 pounds? btw, this cracked me up!