CarrieBrownsville

Your doc is a low carb guy! Atkins begins his first 2 weeks with only 15-30 grams of carb per day. I doubt your doc would leave you on nothing but protein for very long because even though carbs are not good for people who are intolerant of them, the body still needs some carbs. If you wanted to add a little carb to that diet of his, I would add only veggies that have few carbs, no fruits. You can Google the list, but briefly it would be you staying away from onions, winter squash, starchy veggies like corn, peas, carrots. My veggie choices would be cukes, only a little tomato, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, green beans. I assume this diet is either right before or right after surgery? If it's after, then don't eat the asparagus or broccoli unless cooked mushy. Hope this helps!

My husband and I have always loved ribeye steaks and we used to eat one large one a piece. Now, when I want steak, I only take a portion of his and he eats the rest. Would I ever eat a cheaper cut? I doubt it! I had a sirloin once from Texas Roadhouse and what I went through with it almost turned me against eating steak forever! By the way, we have agreed from here on out that if we want steak, we will buy it and grill it at home - it's cheaper, I get it cooked the way I want, and we share without any questions. I've tried tenderloin, but just don't like the taste compared to ribeyes.

Absolutely! Sometimes if I eat to fast, I will get stuck and it's very painful. I had a couple days where I threw up most of the day; then on Thanksgiving it was as though I could eat anything and no problems at all. Every day is unchartered territory, and I have no idea how it's going to go. I'm trying to eat slowly and with small bites so that some continuity will come about.

The stomach is a muscle and caffeine can cause it to move too much. Caffeeine also will dehydrate a body that doesn't take in enough fluids. For these two reasons, my doc says absolutely no caffeeine. I have replaced my much loved morning coffee with a flavored decaf, and now that my body is used to no caffeeine, I don't even miss a thing. I get to have my coffee, and I get to drink it away from home as well. It's just not worth the possibilities involved, so I broke my addiction to caffeeine.

I recently met a nutritionist who was banded 8 years ago. She told me that for her personally, protein shakes are her mainstays. She eats some regular food, but relies on protein shakes more than anything. She has maintained her weight all these years from doing this, and food is secondary. It just depends on what works for you I guess.

Never ever go short on your protein. It's more important than anything else you put into your body.

I have 5 ccs in a 10 cc band and still am not in the green zone. Everyone is different.

I have a 10 cc. band and at the time of surgery, the surgeon put in .5 cc to lubricate it. I had surgery on 9/24 and first fill on 10/12, at which time he put in 5 cc, so all total I have 5 1/2 cc. I have restriction, but I tend to get hungry in between meals. He told me to eat 5-6 small meals a day and to sip on liquids in between. I haven't quite gotten the hang of that, but am trying. I've lost just shy of 30 pounds, so I'm not complaining, although the weight loss has slowed down considerably.

It's been stuck way too long if it's still stuck this morning! Try drinking something warm and if that doesn't help, I would call my doc immediately! When food gets stuck, it shouldn't take overnight for it to finally clear.

A bariatric nurse who is 8 years out told me recently that it is never recommended to use a straw because of the amounts of air that can get into your system.

Prior to the lap band, I only used Dreamfield's because it had low impact on my blood sugar (diabetic). As in any pasta, however, you need to be very careful about portion size. My doctor does not allow me to eat pasta, so it's not an issue anymore. Over the years, before Dreamfield came along, I found lots of substitutions for pasta, and one of the easiest to digest was putting sauce over french style green beans or bean sprouts or spaghetti squash. I cooked these veggies more than usual so as to soften them more, and they were adequate subs. I'd just be super careful about pasta, as any kind of flour could be difficult to digest, but if you do use pasta, Dreamfield's is great!

I am all the way down in Brownsville, but I sense the urgency in some of the responses you've gotten, so will gladly let you send them to someone younger. I need clothes badly, but am so happy to hit the consignment shops and Goodwills around here, so please be a blessing to someone who is actively working. I don't if anyone has told you or not, but you are definitely a God-send and your unselfishness shows through by volunteering to send someone your clothes. Thanks for your generosity!

Please don't give up! You deserve so much more and I know first-hand that you'll be missing a lot of blessings because of your health if you don't do this now, while you are still young.

Where are you located? I need size 18 clothes and cannot afford to buy. So far, I have been hitting the consignment shops.

Check out my pic - no way is not real!!!!

I've been able to find every vitamin/mineral and prescription meds in either chewable or liquid form. I'm surprised the doc's office didn't educate you on this. Did you meet with a nutritionist? They usually have samples of the vitamins/minerals banders need to take.

I am 5 weeks post-op and had my first fill 10/25. Doc told me to stay on liquids through the weekend and then pick up where I left off. According to the papers I have, I have one more week of puree'd foods. My question is what harm is there in beginning to eat now. I feel good and am just curious what kind of damage could occur if one chews thoroughly, takes small bites and eats the right foods getting in all necessary protein. Has anyone sped up the process and did not regret it?

I appreciate your answers! I still don't have a clear picture of what could wrong. What I see is that every physician has a different philosophy. Mine takes 8 weeks before solids are introduced, whereas others have solids introduced earlier. That is why I'm trying to find out what could go wrong. I really do appreciate your responses, but so far, no one has told me anything I didn't already know. If you have first hand knowledge of what could wrong, please share it with me!

It was my understanding that the primary care physician always has to give clearance to the surgeon for the surgery since the PCP has knowledge of your other health issues.

I had my first fill yesterday and was surprised to find out I had already gotten 2 cc's at surgery. He then put another 2 cc's in and told me to spend the weekend on liquids. He also said that if I required another fill, which I would know if it was necessary, to make an appointment for one; otherwise, I don't see him for another 3 months. I'm not 100% sure I'll know if and when I hit the green zone, but do not plan on getting another fill unless I have no weight loss or stay hungry. I won't know that for a while I guess.

Someone asked if I added water to the "cookies" recipe. No, I did not. I posted the recipe above and it does not call for water.

I don't know the grams and/or calories, but if you add everything up, I got about 20 cookies so would divide by 20. I doubt there are many carbs at all, and calories shouldn't be too high since I used fat-free everything.

Mix fat-free cream cheese (1 pkg) with a package of fat-free, sugar-free instant pudding (I love chocolate); add an egg and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. You won't believe how good those little "cookies" can be. Oh, and be sure to spray your cookie sheet so they won't stick. Pure protein, no fats! Love it, love it, love it!

Good for you! This is the start of something wonderful! Good luck to you!

I'm still fairly new at this, only being almost 4 weeks post-op. I'm scheduled for my first fill next week and am looking forward to it. So far, however, I can tell you that for me, the lap band is a life saver. In my support group I am the only bander, and most of the people have had plications. I like the idea of being in control of how much fill will go into this band, and I like the idea that if anything should happen, it can be removed. So, my vote is for the band, but this is just my own opinion. Good luck no matter which you choose!