Jewelsm1127

Thanks for that...I wasn't sure if they were freezer friendly. Because I had 2 zucchini's not knowing how many I would need to get a cup, I ended up with 24 zucchini tots. I had 3 tonight with my 3oz of pork but unless I want to eat these for breakfast lunch and dinner for the next 7 days I better give them away or something. So I'm going to bag some right now and chuck them in the freezer. I also have a toaster oven that I use heavily (being single it's faster than the oven) so I figured I could just warm them in there...good to know that works too! Thanks again! And I'm staying away from the enchilada cups for now because of the phyllo cups (I'm low carbing it) but I love Mexican foods and when I get a little closer to goal you better believe I'll be making those! SkinnyTaste has a recipe for chicken enchilada zucchini boats. Might give that a try in the meantime...they look awfully delicious! Ahhhh, so many recipes, so little time! :-)

Don't even get me started on shoes! I have a bunch of 4 inch heel shoes, sandals, and boots that I wore in my size 12 days. Can't wear them now because the weight makes my feet hurt. But I'll be dusting those off again soon too. Don't have a pair of animal prints though so that might be something to add to the list.

You and me both on being a B. :-) The people who know me describe me as sassy now...look out skinny and sassy!

Didn't mean to scare the pants off you. Just when in doubt, check with your doctor's office. My doc gave me a very specific list of foods that I could choose from for each week. I followed his orders. If it wasn't on the list, I didn't eat it. Sounds like you didn't get too much guidance, so again, if you are worried, called your doctor's office. I doubt that you popped a stitch or anything like that but just be careful and give yourself time to heal. :-)

I don't think one meal of cottage cheese will cause your band to slip. But you need to check with your doc before you decide to add foods to your post op diet. What I learned from the vets is eating solid foods causes your stomach to churn and move in order to digest it. You have just been banded and have stitches. Last thing you want to do is pop a stitch. However everyone's doc is different and others on the boards have progressed to more solid foods quicker. When in doubt check with your doc. :-)

Fortunately I have a warm air heater at my desk at work and at home my heating pad and I have become very close friends!

Totally Pretty Women! I'm socking away my cash already so I plan on having a blow out on anything I like and want to buy whether it's $200 or $2,000. Of course, Victoria's Secret is located conveniently next door so you bet your booty that will be my next stop!

I already have that planned. I'm a huge fan of Dressbarn because their clothes fit me like they are tailor made. Saying that, the store manager knows me REALLY well considering how much money I leave in there every month. I told her I was going to have to do a big spree when I got to my goal weight. She offered to come in early or stay late while the store was shut down and let me come in and have at it. Now isn't that great? I'm not sure I want to inconvenience her like that, but doesn't that sound awesome? Having a whole store to yourself? For me, jeans, definitely jeans. I have my size 10 skinny jeans in the closet which I will wear but I've always wanted to splurge on a pair of 7 or True Religion jeans.

OMG I totally agree with you. Sweets don't appeal to me post surgery any more. Not sure why but I'm not tempted. And I do the same thing...I crave real food, am getting adventurous in trying different healthy things in the kitchen and just slowly eating and relishing the flavor of every bit I take. It is a whole new experience for me and I love it. It's almost like everything tastes 1000% better than ever before...probably because I'm not gulping it down. Or maybe because I was deprived of solids for almost a month. Either way, I am truly enjoying it.

Started the pre op diet on 12/5. Lost 23lbs. Banded on 12/21. Just lost another 17.5lbs for a grand total of 40.5 lbs. I don't know why the 40lb hurdle was so important to me...most people shoot for 50, but when I stepped on the scale this morning and I finally made it I was extremely excited. :-). Yipppeeee!!!

I was told by my doc absolutely no carbonation. I can have alcohol, just nothing with bubbles in it. :-) Of course, I'm not sure how much a sip would hurt, depending on how many sips and how often you're talking. One of the more experienced bandsters should have some feedback. I can't do the carbonation because it could stretch the pouch, cause bloat and even cause slippage so I stay away from it.

Hmmm...my doc warned me that when I left the hospital for the first few days when I moved it would cause some bleeding that would come through the tape over my stitches. It did and stopped after about 3-4 days. I just had to shower and keep it clean, otherwise I was warned ahead. I left the tape on per instructions. They said it would come off on it's own, but mine held on for dear life and the doc removed it at my 2 week post op visit. No issues here. But if your doc didn't say this was normal, then give him a call to double check. Definitely doesn't hurt to ask!

My doc didn't ban alcohol...he just said stay away from the carbonated beverages like beer and champagne because it can stretch the pouch, gas, bloating, etc. and count those liquid calories because too many of them and you will be starving and not losing weight. I'm not much of a drinker either, but I do like to bust out a Daily's frozen pomegranate margarita pouch during the summer sometimes. :-)

I have to say I like the "vets". Yes, some of them take a little skin with it when they rip the band aid off (so to speak). But more power to them for not being worried about stepping on someone's toes when they are just saying something that needs to be said. I've only been on these boards for a few months myself and already I'm amazed at how many people come on here posting about testing their band and eating fast food or solids 3 days post op. If they were near me, I would grab them and shake them and scream at them "what are you thinking!!!" So the vets kind of do that via their posts. And, although they are not docs, they are very well informed. And I'm a suck it up, get a grip, quit wallowing and do it kinda girl so their posts do it for me. :-) The other thing I love is the humor we can find about the not so pleasant after effects such as gas (who said they needed a butt muffler???), sex positions, TOM, stuck episodes that resemble and episode of the Exorcist, etc. It's nice that we can have a chuckle sometimes even at our own expense! And I'm loving this thread...curious to see what others will post.

Ditto LuuLuu. Up until the pre-op diet people were taking me out and feeding me like I was on death row! I was so full and disgusted I couldn't wait to start in on the Protein shakes only. Of course, by the day before surgery I almost did debate McD's, but I figured who cares...it will still be there when I'm back on solids - surely they couldn't go out of business just because I wasn't eating there! :-) So I never cheated. And like LuuLuu, I have also never had any surgery so that was enough to scare me into total compliance. I wasn't about to mess with it. Stay strong, find something else to do to get your mind off it (cleaning house, reading, exercise, puzzles, gardening, anything) and you will make it. It's only a couple of weeks which will go by faster than you think. During it's a pain, but afterwards you'll be wondering where that two weeks went so quickly. You can do it!!! :-)

B - Like I said, my band is insurance...just like Terry's Mistress Band...if I dare stray from the rules and overeat the band will whoop my butt. It may make me vomit, it may cause me pain by getting stuck, or it may cause me horrific issues and a lot more money due to slippage and erosion and additional surgeries. Your band is tight to the point that it will stop you right then and there and even though mine won't stop me right away, I know it will retaliate eventually if I keep pushing past it's boundaries. :-) Having a support team like WW's or Jenny Craig is nice, but being cheered on by other people doesn't do it for me. Knowing something is physically wrapped around my stomach and in my body does. Too many wrong steps and I can totally jeopardize my health and make my life miserable. Why in God's name would I want to do that to myself? I'm a surgery wuss so that type of risk is not an option for me. And although I don't have any fills, the band alone has curbed my hunger completely. I eat my 3oz of Protein 3 times a day and nothing outside of that. And I'm not hungry outside of those meals. I don't have plication and I know that's not common for most (from what I'm reading on these boards), but I also fight to not let head hunger or the munchies get the best of me. So I suppose my answer wouldn't necessarily encourage people to run out and get the band because they have to "work" at it, but at least it doesn't tell everyone, "sure, no problem, keep getting those fills and you'll hit the green zone and all your weight will just fly off". (not saying anyone's posts say that - in fact, they don't). But if you are of the type that has no issues following rules if you know someone is keeping an eye on you, then it would be a good option. My band is always watching me...it's with me constantly and I know it so I'm not going to test her limits.

I didn't have any health problems pre-band. No apnea, no hypertension, all my bloodwork came back perfect, EKG, echo, etc. all were a.o.k. I'm 38 and I know that wasn't going to last forever. I was always overweight but his past year (dad died due to West Nile, I broke off my engagement due to a cheating fiance, found out I was pregnant after that and then miscarried at 12 weeks, and found out a very dear friend of mine of 17 years has HIV) my weight steadily went up to the highest it's ever been. My range of motion suffered - I was having issues bathing, using the bathroom, putting on socks and shoes, always huffing and puffing just walking around, back aches, sweating like a pig and just feeling like a pile of crap. I looked into the band years ago, but partly due to cost and partly due to my fear of surgery I dismissed it. Well, the time had come. 2012 was an awful year, but I knew 2013 was going to be awesome. I went to my first seminar in September 2012, went through all the consultations...nothing scared me out of having this surgery so I did it in December 2012. For me the band is insurance. I don't have a fill (yet) and don't plan on having one until I absolutely need one. Right now I'm following the guidelines of portion control and eating high Protein and staying away from carbs. I know I can run right in and get a fill, but I don't want one. Why don't I overeat? Because I know I can stretch the band, I know I can throw up or make myself miserable, or I can make my band slip. I don't push it because I know that band is there like a hot poker waiting to stick me in the eye if I do something wrong. It's like having someone following you around constantly waiting to club you if you do something you shouldn't. I am a "rule follower" so if my doc/WLS group tells me not to do something, I don't do it. I don't "test it" to see if I can get around it. I just take it day by day and do it. Why would I put my health at additional risk? Now fortunately I am tremendously blessed with a very supporting family (parents, aunts, siblings, friends) that are all cheering me on. They even set my small salad plate at the dinner table instead of a full size plate. They no longer offer me extra food or tell me to eat up. They are proud. My doc is also awesome. He slightly discourages the band but the reason he does is because most people are not compliant and they don't realize how much work it really is and how slow it goes. They were very informative and most of the information discussed and asked on this site is info I already knew before I even had the surgery. I am actually astounded (and appalled) at how many people jump on here so mis-informed about how the band works and expecting miracles, and running to get fills because that will solve all their problems and they will lose 10lbs a day. My doc actually made me take a true/false test (written) a few days before surgery regarding how the band works and the myths about how it works. If you failed, you were not cleared for surgery because you still didn't have a very good understanding of what you were getting yourself into. And if you didn't know, how could you have success? As the vets say, it's a tool...the fills will help, but don't expect the band to work miracles if you are not willing to do your part.

Don't worry. I talked to another gal at my WLS clinic and and she lost 27 lbs in 6 days. She started at the same weight I did which was 275. I was actually worried I was going to lose too much on the pre op. Hello saggy butt! :-)

I about wet my pants reading that one! Glad you were able to find some humor in the situation!

Mine was liquid protein shakes for 14 days. I lost 23lbs pre op.

Think of it like brushing your teeth or doing your hair or putting on make up...it's something you do every day because its good for you and makes you feel awesome!

I asked my doc about taking a fiber supplement so now I take two fiber gummies every day to supplement what I'm not getting from veggies.