WASaBubbleButt

Kim... I don't like it when docs do that, give you two sets of instructions. I will tell you two things: The longer you stick to the post op diet the better things are for healing and your band. If you are starving on the clear liquid phase you will experience head hunger and stomach hunger and then things don't work well. We all end up caving and gorging on the wrong things just out of hunger. That can mess with your band today or maybe it won't happen until a year from now. So I would stick to the week long phases if you can. If you are so hungry that you can't do it then go with the shorter clear phase. But that's just my opinion from your doc's post op diet.

Question for you, since you had a TT once and regained, is another TT an option for you? I have never had a lot of experience with plastics so I don't know much about it. Great response, btw. You sound like a nurse.

We have all been researching this a great deal. Trying Biotin, Calcium, Vitamins, Minerals, added Protein, various shampoos, conditioners, and an assortment of other tips and tricks. It appears that if it will fall out it will fall out and it will grow back when it grows back. I can't really advise on the perm. I was going to do it just so it looked like I had more hair but honestly, cutting it shorter makes it look so much better so in my case it wasn't necessary.

Is post op pain from a TT typical this long out? Or are you extra super duper special? I'm hoping you are extra super duper special because I'm gearing up for a TT. I don't do pain well.

So glad this thread was started, I've learned a great deal. I swear, I am THE worst cook EVER! I've wondered about tofu before so I'm thrilled about this thread.

Now why in the world wouldn't you want to feel all pretty in those sexy hose called TEDS? They are so darned pretty for goodness sakes!

It's true. If someone has a need pretty much anyone would do anything they could for the person. If someone needs to hold a hand and there is a person near them, they will meet in real time. If someone has info that would help another everyone here is willing to share. There is a camaraderie here that is amazing. Just really inspiring.

I have probably averaged about 10lbs a month. It was more like 14-16 pounds a month in the beginning and 5 pounds a month today. But average, probably 10lbs a month. It really depends on you and your willingness to maintain the fills, get to your sweet spot, follow the caloric intake your doc suggests, and exercise. Fat MELTS away with exercise. If you honestly want to speed up the process, exercise is the #1 thing that worked for me. food choices are #2. Cutting out white carbs makes a huge difference. If you are exercising 2 miles every morning then every week add another block to that. Always increase but do it slowly. Then eventually walk 3 blocks and run 1/3 block, walk another 3 blocks and run 1/3 block, etc. Slowly increase that too. The more you exercise the more you can do tomorrow. Keep in mind, lets say you burn 200 calories walking those 2 miles today. As you lose weight doing the same exact exercise with a smaller body means you'll only burn 100 calories. (I pulled those numbers out of the air, they are not literal examples)

My doc requires 800 calories a day and 30 minutes of daily exercise minimum. If I were to stay at 2lbs weekly I'd have to break a rule somewhere, either increase my caloric intake or cut down on exercise. I agree with you, people tend to lose a lot faster in the beginning. The more you have to lose the faster it can go.

Fat people are very cool. :eek:

I disagree that there is not a difference in cost, however I'm thinking of Mexican surgeons as that is what I am familiar with. I'm looking at a cheapo surgeon's ad right now as I type this and a band is $6800 and a sleeve is $9800. With a sleeve there is double or triple (or more) OR time, a longer hospital stay, etc. I haven't seen anyone doing bands cheaper than sleeves. No, not insulting in the least. People work their band or they don't. Many people get to a normal BMI and they are happy with that, they don't want to work towards a BMI of 20, they are happy with a 25. So I beg to differ with you, it is not ignorant in the least. It's a fact. Look, just because you disagree with someone that does not make the other person ignorant. Perhaps we need to be adults here and agree to disagree. I never said it was a will power issue, with the band we can lose weight. That's why most of us GET a band. I also did not make 'across the board' comments either as you would like to imply. I never claimed it wasn't a personal choice, I asked a question which you declined to answer.

I eat about 15-20% of what I used to. Before/Breakfast: Jack in the Box super sized breakfast meal After/Breakfast: Protein shake Before/Snack: Candy bar After/Snack: Nothing Before/Lunch: Wendy's Single Cheeseburger, FF, Mega size Diet Coke After/Lunch: Protein Shake Before/Snack: Candy Bar or assorted candy/chips/whatever After/Snack: Nothing Before/Dinner: McDonald's Quarter Pounder w/Cheese, Large FF/Large Diet Coke/Dessert After/Dinner: Mega huge salad (Chinese chicken Salad, Tuna Salad, or Veggie Salad) Before/Snack: Soup, crackers, M&Ms, Corned Beef Hash, or other assorted crap foods After/Snack: A cookie, 10 Neccos, piece of fruit, protein shake (depending on protein and calorie count for the day), or Bell Pepper slices, but usually I finish the salad I couldn't eat at dinner.

That doesn't make a lot of sense. If someone can afford $11K+ for a sleeve then they can afford $8K + fills. None of the procedures are typically advertised as promising you'll lose 100% of your excess weight. It's a tool and it depends on how much people want to lose weight. If you want to lose it all, do. If you don't, don't. How would it have been better to get pregnant with a sleeve or bypass?

I usually buy Da Vinci from here: Netrition's Da Vinci Prices But they've been out of peanut butter for weeks. Bodybuilders.com - The Largest Bodybuilders Site Online. For Bodybuilders, By Bodybuilders. has Da Vinci the cheapest but I don't believe they carry that flavor, might want to check. Then there is the most expensive route, Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, books, DVDs & more or eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices. Or, the Da Vinci website which is also quite expensive. Make sure to search for the sugar free because they have "Natural" and "Classic" and those are 100 and 80 calories per serving just for the syrup and somewhere around 25gms carbs per serving. S/F is zero calories and zero carbs. Hi Health has them but not many flavors. GNC might have them, I'd call first. I've been looking for Peanut Butter too so I had the links handy. :eek:

Sadly, erosion does happen in about 1.3% of patients. It is usually from the band being too tight. They used to think it was NSAIDs that caused erosion, then they realized not everyone that eroded took NSAIDs. Then the same thing with smoking, reflux, etc. Now the current thinking is that too small of a band was placed or the fill was too tight. There is another theory of what sterilization chemicals are used to sterilize the band. But that's just a theory and certainly nothing that has been proven to be factual. My personal opinion is that it is the doc. There are docs with a 0.00016% erosion stat vs. others who are seriously dangerous with a 3-4% erosion stat. The only common denominator in erosion seems to be the docs. Either docs have high or low erosion stats, they are not equal with all docs. Sorry about your problem, I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now.

You'd have to give more information. Have you ever had a fill that stayed? How do you know you have a leak? Was the fill done x2 under fluoro? Did the doc prime the band during surgery? How much did he prime it with and using which needle? You have to prove it is a manufacturers defect vs. the common misconception that there is a leak upon going for a 2nd fill. You have to prove it was not the doc's error for using an incorrect needle assuming he primed the tubing during surgery. It's really quite hard to prove. :eek:

Rumar... Just be careful about how much protein you get in one sitting. Don't consume more than 25gms or so per 2-3 hour time frame. Your body can't absorb that much at a time and what you don't use you either have to burn or it turns to fat. 150gms of protein is wayyyyy too much for us. People that need that much protein are body builder types, professional athletes, etc. People who are working out doing hard cardio and weight training 8-10 hours daily non stop are the type of folks that need mega huge doses of protein. If you consume too much protein it is very hard on your liver and kidneys, you have to burn it off, and studies show that huge amounts of protein lead to colon and liver cancer.

Here is a good link regarding protein. The one issue I disagree with in this link is that meat protein is superior to plant based protein. The only plant that has all required amino acids is soy, but if you take a combo of veggie sources the protein is just as good of quality as meat Proteins. Protein

Sorry about the daughter crisis. Hope all is well! Hang in there!

That's exactly what I have in mind. I have been eating Chinese chicken Salads on a daily basis. I wanted to find something to substitute for the chicken. Tofu sounds like it would be doable. I found two salad dressings I dearly love. One is Ken's Asian Dressing but you have to really love soy sauce before you'll like it. The best one is Girards (triangular bottle) Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing. OMG, that stuff is great. Thanks for the help, I've always seen tofu in the grocery store and wondered what the heck you are supposed to do with it. BTW, had you not told me how to do that I would have thought it was used cut up and raw. I wonder if that is what others do and that's why they don't care for it?

Went up against Pfizer regarding a dog drug that kills dogs. After a long fight and a front page feature story in the Wall Street Journal in 2000, we won. There were four of us that battled them together and we won. April Fool's Day is my favorite holiday. Went desert skiing with a group of people and broke my collarbone. That's when you get a refrigerator box and slide down a mountain. The idea is to jump out before the friction sets the box on fire. Instead, we ran into a tree. I don't drive refrigerator boxes well. I once bought my Shih Tzu a DVD player for the car. We were going on a 2000+ mile car trip and she loves Westerns. Played Westerns all 2000 miles. I have seasons 1-5 of "The Waltons" and I watch them while I run on my treadmill. I watch "The Big Valley" while running as well. Okay, "Little House on the Prairie" too. I hate Cosmo but love love love reading medical journals and studies. I used to model lingerie. I don't care for reality shows. I run like a girl and it shows. There are many different kinds of photographic memories. I have one of them. I just wish it helped with spelling. When I weigh myself I take off 2oz to account for the band. I passed my FAA exam and have my student pilot's license and I have flown a tail dragger (only pilots would see the value in that one). I have two dogs (Alex & Mr. Benson), a fish (Mr. Fish), and a rabbit (Pickles The Bunny). When I'm skinny I plan on learning to parachute.

I would give you the brand name but it's written in Chinese, no English to be had on the packaging. Regardless, I doubt he'll find it anyway. If he brings home baby utensils and you find that you still need more time then just tell him the truth, they are too big. These are about 1/2 the size of baby utensils. If you have had a long enough break then go ahead and use the baby size he'll likely bring you. When you need another break from him, fake being stuck. Clutch your chest, stand up, eyes bugged out and say those utensils were toooooo big! Can he PLEASE find a smaller size??? Heh... men.

How long do you roast it for? At what temp? If you roast it does that get excess Water out or should I squish it between two plates before roasting? Sorry, I'm a tofu newbie in a big way. Never tried the stuff before.

I am almost a vegetarian. I used to live a veggie lifestyle but gave it up to get fat. I am finding that I can't stand much meat at all. Chewing steak to a paste is gross and revolting and I just don't want it anymore. If I wanted baby food I'd buy baby food. (Gahhh) As you know the one big issue you get from dead critter is Protein. One protein = 23 amino acids. You can get the required amino acids from a variety of veggies vs. one piece of meat. As long as you eat a good variety you should be good to go. Most of the time the people that don't get full on fruits & veggies are simply used to getting full on meat. If you are already good to go on a veggie diet you shouldn't have a problem being banded. Do you eat any fish at all? Or are you a strict, full time vegetarian? For some reason chewing fish bandster style isn't as revolting to me as chewing meat bandster style. I'm quite sure eventually I'll give up fish completely, it's coming soon. In the meantime, I do like Orange Roughy.

That's a good question and one I would have to ask as well in your shoes. Since she wants you to have bulky food then bulky must be something that would fill you up better and faster. Okay, I just took a different route and looked up the terms to see the difference. It still doesn't make a lot of sense to me because I tend to think of the two words as being similar. But check this out: This: Definition of bulk - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Vs. this: Definition of dense - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary I'd ask for clarification if I were you.