UntamedR

Black Bean Soup I am only on day 8 post op & tired of regular liquids so I whipped this up & actually forgot I just had a lap band sewn in cause it tastes so good! (You can control the stage by adding more Water, blending or not blending). 2 26 oz cans Black Beans 12 oz chicken or Vegetable stock 1/2 scoop of unflavored Protein powder 1 medium onion - chopped 2 tsp minced garlic 1 medium bell pepper - chopped 1 tsp sea salt 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp Garlic powder 1 tbs lemon juice Additional Garlic powder to taste 1/4 c Low fat mild cheddar cheese (optional to garnish) Combine Chicken stock (or vegetable stock), onion, garlic, and bell pepper in large pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 2 cans of beans (do not drain), salt, cumin, garlic powder and lemon juice. Cook for additional 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Puree in blender, food processor or with hand held blender. Add 1/2 scoop of Protein Powder and continue blending until completely dissolved. Return mixture to pot. Add extra garlic powder to taste. Top with 1/4c cheddar to garnish and enjoy. Portion into stage-sized meals & Freeze extras for future use. (I used organic Chicken broth ,Bushs Black Beans and GNC unflavored whey protien powder)

Banded 12/19 down 17lbs total. No fill yet. Its crazy how loud my stomach has gotten! I try to stay on a schedule so I usually eat @ breakfast 7am ' lunch 11ish, snack 3pm, dinner 7ish, late night snack 11ish. My schedule seemsvto help w/hunger & spread out my protein. Was unsatisfied/dissapointed @ my 1st dr.followup. instructions differed greatly from nutritionalist instructions. Wss told I didnt need more than 40g protein &keep calories under 800. Reminded them what I was told by them before & they said no, thst was wrong & didnt need more than 40g protein. Also operative report wasnt back yet so they couldn't answer some of my other questions. Incisions healing ok so I'm focusing on getting protein &water & exercising. banded 12/19 . Louisiana.

At first I pureed the whole batch. Second time I made it I pureed half the batch and left the other alone and combined it. When I prepped the peppers I did a nice chop, not quite minced but not big chunks either. I Chewed really well even if it felt like minimal chewing was required (i try to chew everything to death now). Nothing got stuck. Yes, One serving is 1cup. banded 12/19 . Louisiana.

Hi everyone,I'm new, I'm a 41 year old woman. Im originally from Ohio but & I live in Louisiana. I just found this group/forum, so much info!!!! I've Been discussing the surgery with my Doc since October. Finished all screenings etc (even the psych test ) Did my preops last Wednesday. Surgery this Wednesday (12/19)!!! Just found this website/forum. SURGERY WEDNESDAY>>>YEAH!!! Not scared, just excited & ready to get healthy!!! On the outside i'm calm cool & collected, on the inside I'm doing bungee jumping cartwheels! Appreciate prayers, well wishes & advice. ~Untamed R

What part of swla JoJo? Hopefully your 6week issues have passed. How are you doing now?

About out lbt community page... I joined but I can only access the group by clicking on this link. If I try to go directly through the lbt groups it requires the group password. So I have to keep coming back to this email to access the group page. When i tried to reply to a couple of group posts It says I am not authorized to post to the group. Grrr. Anyone else having problems trying to use the group?

And my gallbladder site wasnt utilized at all. My longest lb scar is about 4inches to the left of my gb scar. Bikini? Never owned one & dont care to. I like the one pieces with the cutesy skirts and that wont change if i am a Size 20 or size 2 . Just not my thing.

Ohh ohh. Me. Me! Finally a question I have experience in! I had laparoscopic gall bladder removal in 2007. Prior to that I had several ovarian cyst removals from lap. Surgery, 2 were lap. One open. In 2009 I had a total hyst that was supposed to be lap and had to be performed Open due to excessive scar tissue from all my laparoscopic procedures so I was CERTAIN he would have to convert to open for my band. I woke up in recovery pleased to discover they were able to do it laparoscopicly. I do have six incisions but I guess he was looking around for room to work. Hmm That could be why I had so much risidual gas pain! So there is a possibility that yours will go smoothly. If they could do mine, there is hope for everyone. I get excessive scar tissue and my belly looks like I was in a war.

Feel free to add me on your mfp. Username: msronnell

Glad you got the results you wanted after all of your hard work. You deserve it!

By all means.share! So Glad you liked it

Ok. Just got banded 12/19/12. I like this thread & these folks, esp Cintucky since i grew up in cincy. Im now in Louisiana. I know what to eat. I eat it & other stuff. I like good food. I like preparing it, sharing it, eating it. I like how food tastes, smells,feels and makes me feel... etc. Im learning to treat it right. Enjoy it. Walk away. Enjoy it next time. Indulge responsibly. Walk away. Try it a different way next time. Enjoy it. & visit it again later... (i am still talking about food right? Lol) I can live life with this band. Looking forward to the redt of my life with "bandie". liquids? Sure, no prob. Mushies? Sounds like reg food you chew correctly (or mama bird it with a machine). Lets see, about me. I'm a divorcee (sorry fellas - not dating at the moment) (sorry ladies , i like fellas). i have a high stress 8-5, teenage twins, a foster cat, about to get some foster teens, havent Exercised seriously since 04. Hate swimming. Looking for a big punching bag to put in my livingroom.. I have a bunch of secret recipes of my own. Im a lady that knows what she wants & can find it (I have my ways). i can spell but if i type too fast & dont correct it -well forgive me now, cause i prob wont go back. So, i was intrigued by your initial post & kept reading. now I want in this group & here I am. & oh great guru I am sure I can tap into your expertise soon. But for now I'm enjoying checking out your corner of the web.

Ah yes that sounds good. Ive spent a little time in Honduras. I'll have to try to remember some of the flavors I've had there. Next time I will add carrots to it! I have a feeling next time will be very soon!

I am so looking forward to my first NSV.

I just might have to. The kids are demanding a make another pot. I did manage to freeze a lil. But I may make it for New years. Using a lil bit of black eyed peas. (Following tradition)

Oh wow. Sorry to hear that. Dont know what I'd do without mine. Ebay, half.com, etc can usually produce great results.

sorry, i forgot to mention, My fitnesspal calculated this: Per Serving: Cal 130 Protein 10 carbs 26 fat 1 sugar 7 I ate this for lunch & For dinner I went to get my4oz & my teenagers were arguing over who gets seconds. Its that good!

Sunshine, your story sounds somewhat like my own. I know plenty of people who have done gastric bypass & that was fine for them, I had NEVER considered Lapband for myself & my Dr. & I tried everything you can think of to help me on my "pre lap band journey". It was only through a program with a research facility & my insurance company that I even began to consider it. I got all the book I could find & educated myself about Lap Band. I knew for a fact after all that reading that Bypass was not anything I was considering. After reading up on it I had a change of heart. It sounded like just the TOOL i needed. After doing the ZONE DIET a while back I already had a good take on using food as fuel instead of for pleasure. I even operated in my GO ZONE (green zone) for a while & it was great! I just had trouble staying there. It would be easier on me if my taste buds didnt rule my brain so much (thats a struggle I'm working on). That is why this lap band and my determination will work well together. When i finally sat down to talk to my Dr. about the lap band, I expected him to fuss at me. We have a GREAT partnership concerning my health and were currently trying a different approach to weight loss. He said he thought it was a great idea, that I was educated well enough to make an informed decision & knew I had already read up on it before mentioning it to him. He gave me his blessing,support, and an open door for aftercare. That was my final confirmation & here I am 8 days later. No Regrets. Looking forward to my future. Currently lowering my BMI and adding days/months/years to my life. I can tell you no matter what happens, this was without a doubt the right decision for me. Sunshine, you my dear will have to find your path as well. Talk with a professional, get educated about the procedure, what it is supposed to do, how it does it. What the surgery entails, what will be required of you before & after. Honestly access if you think this is what is right for you, if you can or want to commit to they lifestyle change it will require. Or even if you want to put it on the back burner & try other things. Each person is different, this may not be for you, just like gastric bypass & marrying my exhusband were not good choices for me. At any rate, you have the entire forum to browse & a world of experts (i mean Dr.s etc) to consult with.

You go girl! I forgot about that - robes not closing. At the hospital, I could wrap that presurgical gown around me three-four times, that never happens! They had to go get me a smaller one, lol. I am so looking forward to ditching the ugly brown (men's) xxxl robe i used to use & replacing it with my favorite black silk ones. Oh, i can't wait! Its been so long! I have my old Kimonos etc boxed away. I am so lookimg forward to having a stone massage & dropping my robe & walking to the table with confidence. Its been soooo long since I had a professional massage. ahhhh. Thanks for sharing your NSV & reminding me of those memories.

I know just what you mean. I am so used to picking things up and moving things around . I've had to catch myself a few times picking things up and even pushing things & had to make myself stop

I have the Wls for dummies & have gotten several recipes from the other. I strongly recommend you get them (if available) from your library first. If it looks like a keep for you, then invest in a copy for yourself. If you only find a couple of recipes just copy/write them down & save your money.

Welcome Chad! Sounds like a great start for 2013!

Aimy, Ive gathered that pain is different with each person I did see someone mentioned they were into day 9 & still feeling pains. . No joke, as I was reading your post I just got a fresh now bout of MASSIVE gas pain in my left shoulder & thought it had finally gone away (I'm 6 days post op), I do have small, tiny, dont really bother to mention them pains in 3 out of my six smaller incisions, I'm wondering how many incisions peopl averaged? I have six small (less than 1 inch) and one big one of 3 inches.

IF cutting them in quarters and swallowing one at a time makes you uneasy, you could also get a pill cutter or a pill crusher. I have both but only used the crusher a few times, I simply chew most things or quarter/half them & swallow.

today was the beginning of the worst gas pain ever!! probably started around 2pm & really hasnt let up. Havent really done anbything different. well, prob walked a little less cause the pain is so bad i'm hunched over like Igor. My daughter's best friend came over today but didnt hug me as usual - she was probably scared of how I was standing, LOL. I actually had to use my stool to cook some Soup cause I couldnt stand up straight. Was rushing to finish & ended up putting protien powder in soup while it was cooking instead of after. Had grainy texture... yuck! I'd have to say today was my worse day since banding. Ive even taken about 4 gas pills, drank hot tea, and swallowed gas x gel pills & chewables to no avail. Praying tomorrow is better.