Daisalana

I don't know what class it is, but they shouldn't care if you're approved or not if you're wanting to go learn info. Whether it will count toward your doctor's requirements (if they have one) to go to a class, would be another question.

Kind of sounds like the Atkins diet, which in my experience was the fastest weight-loss system ever. I always put it back on + some. Maybe after the band it would keep it off. Only reason I can think of! My doctor said to be sparing with potatoes. He said they're not healthy, not to count them as a vegetable, to count them as an indulgence. Of course, cause potatos are yummy!

LOL.. don't you think you're clever

I put the full 8oz. I will try using only 6oz tonight, cross my fingers and pray... I really want to like matrix LOL. I have this big 5lb or so bag (I think that's what they are) with only 3 or 4 scoops out of it. I don't want to waste it. So you didn't like the shots, but I was thinking it would be like alcohol to me. I don't like the taste of alcohol, but I've had test-tube alcohol shooters and I can do them alright. I figure I'll do the same with these. Not mix them in anything or drink them on ice. Just shoot 1/2 a tube at once. Chase it with water and be done. Did you try this??

It's nice to hear how you recognized it! Right now with the clear liquid diet, I feel the same way. Everything I can eat really is sweet. Well, drink. I'm not a big fan of sweet stuff in the morning, and it is definitely keeping me hungry. I've been trying to add Protein powder as an extra boost since I was told protein helps curb hunger.. So far, no go. I guess when I'm to mushies I'll learn from your experience and go straight to egg whites! As for gum, my dietician said NO gum. She said if I accidentally swallow it, it can block and need another operation to remove it. But, I'm not a gum chewer and when I did occasionally, I would almost always swallow it without thinking.. So I'm a poor canidate for someone risking it after banding.

No advice, just sympathy. Here's my support going out to you! :clap2:

Due to threads like this I bought the Matrix 5.0 Orange Cream. They also sent me a sample of the Cookies & cream.. BLECH!!!! I mixed the cookies & cream with skim milk.. One sip was disgusting, threw it out.. so I tried the orange cream with water.. disgusting. I've tried to make myself drink it 3 times now, 3rd time I blended it with ice to make a 'smoothie'. They're all horrible to me I hate it, I was really excited from this thread to get Matrix. I've now ordered (and expedited shipping) the protein shots. Hopefully I can just shoot half of a shooter 2x a day and be done with it.

I just started out, but so far I'm not saving $$. LOL. I am having to buy so many supplements, protein junk (since can't find one I like.. and they are not cheap), all the soups and things I get for now, I take the broth out and the rest of it goes in the trash. Fiance is still eating fast food and delivery, so.. it's just additional $$ for now! I'm hoping when I'm on normal foods we'll start saving money.

I heard someone mention this a week or so ago, I TiVo'd it and watched it. The guy who had lap-band I wish they told his timeline. He lost 147lbs, but over what period of time? Gosh darn omittenance! Was an interesting watch though, made me more excited!

Tell him the health concerns for why you're wanting it. Why do you want it? Ta-da

I heard someone on another thread mention doing a clothing exchange. I think that was here! Sounds like a fun idea.. I personally just plan on buying a lot of elastic stuff. I officially outgrew all my clothes pre-op (when I decided to do the surgery), but I get stretchy jeans and my shirts were too tight, so I have a while to think about it. You could get elastic skirts or pants, that are a size or 2 smaller and shrink into them?

wow. You would think even if they didn't know what to do, if they were going to die.. they would cut you open and take the chicken out!

When I came out of surgery, my doctor had talked to my family. My mom told me, he said he put my port 6 inches under the skin and I would not be able to feel it. I have lightly pushed on my incision for the port just for kicks, and it's lumpy but I'm quite certain it's scar tissue/wound swelling and not the port. I don't imagine anyone would be able to 'feel' my port from the outside for a long time to come. And from what I've come to understand, they don't have to be able to feel it to fill it

Kat- I have been staying on the diet the doctor gave me, but today I cut out jell-o and just doing the clear liquids hoping it might help. I feel fine otherwise and I have no fever, it feels the equivelant (to me) of when I get a crick in my neck. You can hold yourself fine, but if you do that one 'movement' that 'hits' the spot, you get that sharp pain that makes you jerk. If this makes sense? I don't want to call the doctor and worry about it yet, I haven't done anything to 'mess up' anything. I'm adhereing strictly to my diet, I'm not lifting anything heavy.. I was wanting to do housework yesterday but decided to wait till Sunday. I wish I understood what gas pains were, so I could compare it.

Hey guys, I posted this on its own thread in complications, but I wanted to post it here too incase any of you know what this is or could be, and have insight.. I've been healing good, the major pains stopped on Thursday.. Last night in bed (I've been able to sleep on my side occasionally, right side.. left side is where my incisions are), I rolled onto my right side, and at some point I realized a sharp pain my left side. I figured it was a pulled muscle or something? When I take deep breaths, it 'hits' whatever it is and causes me to buckle over. When I move certain ways, it 'hits' and causes me to buckle over. I don't know what gas pains feel like? Could this be a gas pain? I've felt through my side, it's not under an incision, but it feels like where maybe my band area is. I don't know what I'm feeling. There's no knot or lump, but I can push a spot and it 'hits' whatever hurts. So I need advice. I'm not panicky yet, just figure it's a pulled muscle (so I stretch it out a little till it hurts too much), or gas (I've been walking around). I *was* really gassy last night. It wouldn't really come out either. I kept feeling it shift around inside, but nothing would come out either end. I also, have not had a real bowel movement since the surgery. That brings me to my 3rd possible scenerio. When I am able to use the bathroom, I really have to strain for the little bit of liquidy movement (sorry for being graphic!!). So maybe I strained myself that way? But its about 3 inches down and 4 inches away (toward my side) from my left breast. Anyone have this happen or have any insight? Something I need to be watching for in case this is something else?

LOL!!! Thanks home

Sorry for posting so much, I went to 'edit' once and the whole thing was full of smilies, it read the code or something and I got confused.. Anyway, another question. I'm 4 days out, and I think Tues&Wed I was 'doing too much' I didn't feel so bad, and I like to take care of things around the house (If I don't, no one will!). I need to clean the house and vaccuum. Anyone know when I should be able to do this again? If I go slow and careful could I do it today? I'm restless. Glad I go back to work Monday!!

I was thinking April Bloomers. This is our new start? April fools kind of contradicts what we've done. We're anything but fools (even though the name does sound clever) Now on to my protein lack. Today I've lost no weight! I'm not fretting about it, but I saw someone talk about you need protein to continue weight loss? Well, also because I'm SUPPOSE to be taking in a lot of protein. Much to my dismay, everything I ordered (and since bariatriceating.com got it to me AFTER MY SURGERY and I didn't get to test them), I do NOT like. I bought the matrix orange & cream, and they gave me a cookies & cream sampler. Both were disgusting. First 2 days I didn't worry about protein, just water.. Wednesday I mixed some supposedly tasteless protein powder in my broth. I did taste it, but it dissolved so it was ok. Yesterday when I made the same thing, the powder would not dissolve and formed disgusting protein clumps all in my soup. I ended up throwing it out. Yesterday I did NOT take any protein supplements. Then today I didn't lose any weight. Hmmmmm. And I need protein, duh. So today I used magic bullet to mix up ice with matrix and water, and it was still horrible horrible, but I managed to drink 3/4 of it before I felt sick from the taste. I need info ASAP on good protein supplements.. something I can mask the taste well or take really quick and not worry about the taste. I think I'm going to buy some of those new whey protein shots, and just shoot half of them at a time.. But now I have to order them. And I can't find the 'sampler' of them, only 1 flavor, and I don't want 12 tubes of 1 flavor if it's a flavor that makes me disgusted. Very irritated right now that it took this long for me to get protein stuff only to find out it's horrible and I'm having a hard time making myself take it. I also have ensure vanilla shakes- too disgusting for me to get past a couple sips. Slim Fast chocolate shakes were ok, but even though it says 'HIGH PROTEIN', it only had like 6g of protein, which isn't high to me??

I don't have any great advice. I'm lucky (knocking on wood!!!!!) I have yet to get 'hungry' so far. I've eaten my clear liquids when I feel sickish, because I know I need something.. but I've not felt the urge to eat yet.. I *DO* have head hunger. I see things (things I don't even like to eat) on tv and just want to feel it in my mouth. My doctor gave me a liquid Rx for head hunger. I only had to use it before the surgery because I knew I COULD eat, so I almost blew my pre-op diet. If you think it's head hunger, and not hunger hunger, I would ask your doctor if they can prescribe something. I figure by next week when I'm healed better I'll be wanting to eat.. so I've got my bottle ready!

I read on another thread somewhere, someone mentioned PMSing can add a couple pounds. Well since they made me go off my birth control, I have a messed up 'cycle'. I will bleed heavily for months and months without stop, if I'm not on the pill. Well I stopped taking them a week pre-op, and spotted.. the DAY of surgery (I'm so lucky...not!!) I started bleeding heavily and it has not let up sense. I called to ask when I can get back on them, they said 2 weeks.. so I have another week and a few days, plus 4-5 days for the meds to start working. I don't let myself have periods anymore, I take my B/c back-to-back, so I'm not use to this anymore. Anyone have any insight on the difference your body feels like while PMSing with band and not PMSing with band? I've been tired a lot, and I think it's from the band, but it dawned on me it could be because I'm PMSing too.

Teach- but remember the 'diet' you're on right now, is not a diet diet.. It's a healing diet. Just keep that in mind Don't get disappointed between now and June 5. You still have more to look forward to! Also, we have an applebee's beside our house that we use to frequent often.. they do have a 'weight watchers' version of french onion soup if you like that. It's very brothy, and you can ask for that, ask them to strain the onions and don't put the crouton/cheese on top. Jennifur- Same as me! Water is the hardest thing for me to get down. Soup and popsicles are fine. Jell-o is a little hard sometimes.

That's a great question! My doctor had me take a quiz pre-op, and it said what are your expectations with lap-band. I circled as an answer 'Lose 100% of my access weight'. They said that was wrong. Then we debated it (The NURSE said it was wrong..) then I said, I have seen people do it, and I think if I stick my mind to it, I will too. And so the other nurse and doctor said they thought I was very motivated to do well with this band. But according to 'statistics', the lap-band does not help people lose 100% of their body weight. My 'goal' weight is 185 I think, which puts my BMI at 25. I'm 6'0 and large framed, so even though that seems like a big number, I should be in a 12/14 and that would make me skinny. I don't want to go below that because I really prefer to have SOME curves (T&A&Hips). We'll see as I get closer, but I think it would be nice to hear why others picked their number!

Just a reminder.. Until the first fill, the goal is NOT to lose weight!! We likely will due to the diet we're on, but if you hit a 'plateau' do not get disappointed.. you're not even suppose to be losing yet! Teach-And on that note, you could be losing inches instead of lbs. But don't worry about it yet! Wait till the first fill! About the person with sex- Eek. I looked how far out you are and I'm a little disappointed, I heard 5-6 days.. Which is tomorrow for me, and I don't think I'd be ready yet. All of my incisions still ache and 'pull' when I move around. Jennifur- Lucky! I hate milk, but I'd love the texture right now LOL. I can't have any normal liquids for another week. I've been taking Flintstone vitamins, if I wasn't I know I'd be malnutritioned right now. I have NOT been 'hungry' since operation yet. I get reminded I need food when my stomach is growling and I get tired.. so I have soup or popsicles etc. Only thing that is bad, is I get cravings.. all in my head I know, because I try to substitute it with something I can have, and then I'm not hungry anymore. It's the damn tv really. Every tv show, every commercial break (I have TiVo and ffwd, but I still keep seeing pizzas and applebees', etc.) and then I go 'I want that in my mouth!'. I hate pizza, and lately I've been wanting a slice just to much on. Crazy stuff. My head needs to catch up with my stomach.

I've heard someone mention before the-- 'try eating like a bandster before you do it, see how you can handle it', and someone who is banded rebutted about how it's not fair to say that.. the band offers restriction and without the restriction a 4oz meal is not going to satisfy someone who has not been banded.. so I DON'T think that's a good idea, if anything it will give you a distorted view of what would be to come if you had the surgery.

My doctor said for a little while ice-cold anything will not be good. I don't remember why?? He said it's not permanent -'just for now'. So I've been *trying* to avoid ice cold.. in drinks I always order 'no ice' my whole life anyway, not a fan of cold cold drinks. I have been eating fruit chillers.. I love em. They're not sugar-free, but there is no added sugar and they are small cups. I eat the strawberry, its like a slush and you freeze it and it hardens up, and melts really quickly as you eat it, so it's not like ice ice. I also have some good sugar-free popsicles (a couple different brands), I eat 1-2 frozen popsicles of some sort every day so far. I'm really craving something salty.. Tired of jello & popsicles. I've been straining chicken noodle soup and just eating the broth. It does fill me up, but I get tired of the same food. It's only been since Friday!! I had an awesome french onion soup strained from some steak house the day before surgery, wish I could get a gallon of that to go. Was just the broth, and it was SO delicious. I have read some liquid recipes, about cooking chicken and veggies, etc. and then just drinking the broth.. but 1. I'm not a cook 2. the food would go to waste (because I would probably cook it bad, so the actual food part would be yuck and fiance is a picky eater) Anyone have any good ideas they've come up with during this clear liquid phase? My doctor told me about straining chicken noodle soup.. I also bought 3 jars of gravy from the store.. chicken, beef, turkey.. I put about 2 tsp of gravy in a sushi wasabi dish (it's a little bowl), and fill it with water (about 2 tbsps) and mix it.. so its a clear liquid with some broth-like flavor.. It's not my favorite though.