stefgray

Yesterday, I went to an all-day event that featured Dr. Oz and Dr. Roizen (they wrote the "you" books and are on Oprah all the time). It was a great day and I got to ask Dr. Roizen a question when he autographed my book. He told me that anything that has no sugar and less than 15 calories is OK as Water. So, that includes coffee, crystal lite, regular water, etc. I also drink something called FUZE. I buy it at costco or Safeway. I get the low carb, slenderize variety and think it's wonderful. I always have something to drink with me. Steph

I also have trouble slowing down and taking small bites. Chewing is not difficult, but I can't seem to slow it down at all. I haven't been sick or PB'd at all. My first fill was 7/9. Maybe I need another one? steph

Might be time to find a more supportive doctor. It's important to have one that's on your side and will support and encourage you as you go forward.

I just got Viactive multi-vitamins. What a wonderful chocolate treat. I also have to take calcium, so will get Viactive calcium chews - have the multivitamin at night and calcium in a.m. Yum!

Some of my family members were less than excited about me wanting to be banded. But, I did my research, took them to my support group and, now that I'm banded, have shown them that I'm serious. Getting banded was the best thing I ever did for myself and I'm so very glad I did it. My husband has always been on my side and supported me, but it took the rest of the family a little while to come around. It IS a fantastic tool and helps keep you from falling too far off your line (if you fall at all). Personally, I'm terrified of hurting my band, so can't see me doing too much in the way of cheating. My own problem is slowing down my eating. I try, but I can still blast through my meals quickly. Gotta figure that out. Steph

I agree with Dawn. Try GNC since you can go the store and buy it. I like the whey protein. Make a shake with that. My favorite, though, is Unjury. That's on-line at unjury.com, but takes a few days to receive it. Carnation definitely isn't going to cut it to get the 60 grams in. I still have an unjury shake for breakfast on work mornings because I can drink it on my way in and knock out 40 grams very quickly. I don't eat as much at work as at home, so it helps to get that done first thing. My usual food during work is cottage cheese or tomato soup, so definitely need the protein the shake. I'm 5 weeks post op and -26 lbs. stephanie

If you can have pudding, try crushing them into that. Or, if you're OK on shakes, try blending them up in that.

I haven't had any protein yet that I've tried in hot foods. I think I remember hearing something about not mixing in protein at high temperatures, though. Someone else will likely have more info on that, but just wanted to throw it out as a caution. steph

You can also get samples from Unjury. I think it's called an office pack. I got that before I started and also the sampler pack from bariatriceating.com that MysticstarD mentioned above. That one is actually really nice because it comes with a book that I read cover-to-cover. The book had some shake recipes in it, too, that I've tried.

I prefer unjury Protein. I generally either use chocolate mixed with 1/2 c. skim milk, handful of ice and about 3 T of DaVinci SF chocolate syrup. Or, I use vanilla mixed with the milk and ice and about 1/2 banana. I use two scoops of protein because it gives me 40 grams in one shake and makes it easy for me to meet my goal of 60-80 grams a day. I'm 1 month post-op. stephanie

I don't know if I was lucky or not that I didn't have to do a pre-op diet. I'm glad I didn't because I had a chance to get all of those last times in that I wanted. But, on the other hand, I also probably ate way more than I should have. I can tell you, though, I did not want ANYTHING to eat for about a week after surgery. I had to force myself to take in liquids and protein. It was really about a week before I felt anything that remotely resembled hunger and even then it wasn't really. Now, I actually do get hungry. My hardest thing now is slowing down and not drinking when I eat. But, so far, so good. My husband is my cheering section. He watches how I'm eating and offers advice to help slow it down. And, we go for walks together. Great motivation.

I like the EAS Ready-to-Drink shakes - they're individual servings. I used them before when I was low-carbing it. After surgery, I would add in a scoop of protein powder to make a 37 g shake. Wonderful! I also prefer Unjury protein over any other powder that I've tried. I've heard Isopure is good, but haven't had it yet. If you go to Unjury.com, you can order individual packets (I think it's called the office size) of the different flavors. I use chocolate and vanilla and just got some unflavored to try. I use two scoops of powder, 1/2 c. skim milk and either DaVinci SF syrup or 1/2 banana. Wonderful! I'm 3 weeks out and feeling fantastic. Good luck!

I like the EAS Ready-to-Drink shakes - they're individual servings. I used them before when I was low-carbing it. After surgery, I would add in a scoop of Protein powder to make a 37 g shake. Wonderful! I also prefer unjury protein over any other powder that I've tried. I've heard Isopure is good, but haven't had it yet. If you go to Unjury.com, you can order individual packets (I think it's called the office size) of the different flavors. I use chocolate and vanilla and just got some unflavored to try. I use two scoops of powder, 1/2 c. skim milk and either DaVinci SF syrup or 1/2 banana. Wonderful! I'm 3 weeks out and feeling fantastic. Good luck! Stephanie

I like the EAS Ready-to-Drink shakes - they're individual servings. I used them before when I was low-carbing it. After surgery, I would add in a scoop of Protein powder to make a 37 gram shake. Wonderful! I also prefer unjury Protein over any other powder that I've tried. I've heard Isopure is good, but haven't had it yet. If you go to Unjury.com, you can order individual packets (I think it's called the office size) of the different flavors. I use chocolate and vanilla and just got some unflavored to try. I use two scoops of powder, 1/2 c. skim milk and either DaVinci SF syrup or 1/2 banana. Wonderful! I'm 3 weeks out and feeling fantastic. Good luck!

I also re-thought before my surgery. But, my concern centered on my recovery and how long it would be before I was able to get back to doing the things I wanted. I am also a bread eater, so thinking about not being able to eat sandwiches again was a little disheartening as well. But, when I thought about how much good I was doing myself and how much better off I'd be, I couldn't change my mind. I'm three weeks out now and loving life. I admit I'm a little tired of pureed food, but every day is a new adventure because my clothes are already looser and I feel fantastic. I can't wait to get on soft food and start trying some other things. I'm walking every day and would never go back! Hang in there, but you need to do some serious thinking to make sure that you're ready for the changes you'll have to make and the changes that you'll notice as you lose weight!!!

I also re-thought before my surgery. But, my concern centered on my recovery and how long it would be before I was able to get back to doing the things I wanted. I am also a bread eater, so thinking about not being able to eat sandwiches again was a little disheartening as well. But, when I thought about how much good I was doing myself and how much better off I'd be, I couldn't change my mind. I'm three weeks out now and loving life. I admit I'm a little tired of pureed food, but every day is a new adventure because my clothes are already looser and I feel fantastic. I can't wait to get on soft food and start trying some other things. I'm walking every day and would never go back! Hang in there, but you need to do some serious thinking to make sure that you're ready for the changes you'll have to make and the changes that you'll notice as you lose weight.

My friend came to visit me in the hospital the day after my surgery. Not the most pleasant thing, but didn't impact my recovery at all. I was up and around quickly and apart from being a bit yucky, no issue. The dr. said sometimes anesthesia can bring it on! steph

When I had my first consult, both the dr. and nurse practioner discussed the band with me. They gave me the statistics and the pitch and said the band was not as "sure". I promised I would research it and I did. But, at the end of the day, I'm a bander and always will be. The thought of bypass doesn't sit well with me at all. I don't think they were being closed-minded or anything, just telling me everything in the interest of full disclosure. I would think that any dr. worth their stuff would do the same. If they had concerns about the band and any legit reasons why you should go with bypass, that's one thing, but it doesn't sound like it. I think that for every fantastic dr. and office staff who understands the band and us, there are several who are old-school and just don't get it. Hang in there, though. If you're sure this is what you want and have done all of the research you need to do, then go for it. If this dr. is not the one for you, there are many others out there! Steph p.s..I would think the pre-op is about the same. I had psych visit and nutritionist and sleep study.

The more you walk, the better you'll feel.

I ordered a whole bunch of stuff to try out before I was banded, too. I actually prefer the unjury chocolate mixed with an EAS AdvantEDGE low carb shake. That shoots me full of 38 grams of Protein and it tastes pretty good - blended with a couple of ice cubes. Now that I'm 2nd week post-op, I can use fruit in my shakes and yesterday had 2 scoops GNC vanilla 100% whey protein, 2/3 c. skim milk, 2 inches of a banana, 1/4 t. vanilla and 1/4 t. cinnamon. Handfull of ice and YUMMY!!! Like a Dairy Queen. Bariatriceating.com has stuff too - they actually have a 42g. whey "bullet". It's like a little juice thing that's pretty good. 3 oz. of liquid (refrigerate it and/or drink over ice). It's a little thick - sort of like liquid Jello. But, tasted OK and is a quick way to get a huge shot of protein. steph

I had my surgery a little over a week ago (May 25) and feel fine! I was sore for the first couple of days, but I think the answer is WALK, WALK, WALK! I had an extra day in hospital because I got sick, but once I was home, a little soreness and all was well. I never needed Gas-X or the pain meds. I also am a big fan of the spirometer that they give you in the hospital. I feel pretty confident that this played a huge role in helping keep my lungs clear and me feeling good. Had my first cottage cheese yesterday and boy was it yummy! I'm so very glad I did this!

I can definitely relate! My dr. does not require a pre-op diet and my insurance accepted me with no diet history (BCBS Federal). So, ever since I got my date for surgery, I've been having "last suppers". I've tried to rein it in, but it's awfully hard to do that when I know that I will not ever want to eat this way again! I enjoy food...I mean REALLY ENJOY FOOD! I am anxious to get started and change my bad habits to good, but I've eaten this way all my life and it's only a little difficult to think of changing it now. I'm banding today! Yay for me. Steph

He has stretched everything out so much that he can do whatever he pleases. It's crazy. I am scheduled for my surgery on May 25. I don't have any pre-op diet to follow, so I'm pretty much eating whatever I want. But, I'm trying to start making some of the changes that I'll have to make post-band like cutting down my sodas so I can give them up, taking vitamins, working in protein, etc. I'm also trying to get some exercise in, but these days are pretty hectic and it's usually the first thing to drop off the schedule. One big thing I have to work on!

Hi Janine. I can understand about your DH getting nervous when he saw the video. When I told my mom about it, she was all for it until she saw the video. But, she's come around now to understand that it's a good thing and it's my decision. My husband supports me all the way. I think you really need to have a good support group behind you to help when things get hard. I took my parents and DH to the band support group at my hospital so they could meet people, ask questions, etc. Made a huge difference. As for the life commitment, it definitely is a lifetime commitment. It's a tool that you will use to help you as you change your eating habits and begin a healthy lifestyle. I kind of think of it as my net for if I fall and eat something I shouldn't. In the past, if I did that, I sabotaged myself for days, weeks, months, before I could get it together again. This band will help me pick myself back up and get back on track. It also has the benefit of limiting how far off I can fall in the first place! One of my friends has a brother-in-law who had the band done, was self-pay. He told everyone he chose the band so he could cheat! He lost more weight on his pre-op than since he got the band and he's had it for two years. She told me that when they get together for family meals, he eats as much as he did before and shows now sign of slowing down. This is NOT how you should use your band! Good luck, Janine. I hope that you get all of your questions answered and feel good about the band. I know I can hardly wait. Steph

Hi Everyone. My drs. office says I don't need to be precertified by my insurance - BC/BS Federal. I have met all of my prerequisites and they're ready to schedule me for surgery (YAY), but I'm worried that if it's not precertified I'll end up with a monstrous bill that the insurance won't pay. Anyone else have that happen? Thanks. Steph