Corridor72

Raw vegetables ( Celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, bell pepper) Cooked carrots, cauliflower, and/or broccoli Hummus Greek Yogurt Protein bars (Quest bars are my favorite) Sweet Potatoes Squash(I love all the different varieties of squash now but would've never eaten any of it pre-band) Ranch dressing ( Pre-band I always ate honey french) Almonds Whole grain crackers(I don't eat them very often but was recently encouraged by my surgeon to start adding a few carbs back into my diet so the crackers can now come out when the tuna does ) I think it's also interesting to consider what I DON'T eat anymore. I DON'T eat these things: Bread Pasta chips And things like Cookies, cake, candy, crackers and fried foods are RARE treats for me. And I've found that, as I try these rare treats for the first time in more than a year, most of them don't taste as good as I think they're going to and I have now added a lot of those items to the "I don't really care for those things so much anymore" list.

@@Bandista, That's what I was thinking with the cold weather! I thought the oatmeal might be something quick and hot for a cold morning!

So glad that you got in to see someone and that you're okay. Take care!

I don't eat salads because my surgeon told me not to. Salads are usually mostly iceberg lettuce, which has very little nutritional value and is mostly water so it can leave you feeling hungry sooner than necessary. The biggest reason he says no salads though is even if you have a healthy salad with mixed greens, spinach, and veggies, most people will make it unhealthy by smothering it in croutons, salad dressing, cheese, bacon bits, etc. I DO eat lots of raw veggies such as green & red bell peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I frequently dip them in ranch dressing but I measure it so that I don't overdo it. I either eat those things as a snack or, if I have them with a meal, I eat some sort of protein first.

Best of luck to you! The waiting is the absolute worst part of this whole process!

Ohhh the waiting is the WORST!

I'm exactly the same way! One of the strangest things for me is that I used to love potato chips. I HATE them now! I can't stand the feeling of the grease on my tongue. And vegetables- I used to HATE vegetables. Now, I LOVE vegetables and crave them the way I used to crave potato chips!

If you have a Kroger store near you, you can also buy Smooth Move Herbal Teas there. It isn't with the regular teas and coffee though. It is in the organic section of the store. I live in a really small town and our Kroger is pretty small and they have it so I'm thinking that this is something they probably have in all of their stores.

I'm sorry you're struggling so much. I agree with the others though that the best thing is probably to find a way to see your surgeon and talk to him about it. It may be that you need more/less fill to be in the green zone. Or, it may be the types of foods you're eating or some other habits that can be changed. I know that, for me, my surgeon and the support I've gotten from him throughout this process has been the key to my success. There have been so many things along the way that I was doing or eating that were potential road blocks to my success but he was able to coach & counsel me on those things, helping me to identify them and helping to find alternatives that work better with the band.

This is one of those things that varies widely from one person to the next. Your doctor is the only one who can advise you properly on this particular subject due to the complexity of the variables involved. Having said that, I can tell you a little bit about my experience. I had only been on blood pressure medication for about 3 yrs when I had my lap-band surgery. I was on 4 different medications to control my blood pressure at the time of my surgery on Dec. 20, 2013. My doctor monitored my blood pressure closely and had me monitor it at home between visits and slowly weaned my BP meds. I had only lost about 20 lbs when he started weaning the meds and I was off of all of those meds by July. My blood pressure actually runs low now in spite of the fact that I am on no medication for it. My heart rate is also low. However, I work out, run, and exercise more now than I ever have in my life AND I'm at a normal weight so that's why they're low. I don't have any issues related to it so it's all good.

I do some sugar free stuff. I like the crystal light drink packets. I also eat sugar free hard candies, jelly Beans, and gum but none of them in large quantities. I DON'T do fat free stuff for the most part because, in most cases, the fat has been replaced with sugars and carbs so why bother? If you look at that stuff, the calorie count is usually pretty close to the same in both the full fat and fat free versions. I'm more interested in reducing the sugar and carb content so I generally don't do fat free anything. There are a few exceptions but not many and it's not stuff I eat often.

Umm, well...depends on who you ask! I can see the loose skin. I know it's there. However, it isn't as bad as I imagined it would be and quite frankly, people are always surprised when I tell them how much weight I've lost. I've gotten used to the jaw drop-moment of silence-"OMG! You are kidding?!" response which is always followed by comments about how good my skin looks. People always talk about how you can usually tell when someone has lost that much weight, especially in a short amount of time, but that you would never guess that by looking at me. My WLS surgeon even commented saying that, if he hadn't known me when I was fat, he would never guess by looking at me now that I've ever had a weight problem. I went in last week for a hysterectomy. When they transferred me from recovery into my room, there were about 6 nurses in the room to get me moved to the bed and help get me settled. As they were all working, they were asking questions regarding previous history and when I told them I'd had lap-band, the entire room fell silent. They all turned and stared at me with their jaws on the floor for a minute before one of them finally said "Honey, I don't think you need one of those! You're little enough as it is! You get any smaller and you'll be invisible." I LOL'd and then told them I have lost 135 lbs. They were stunned and went on to tell me they wouldn't have guessed it and told me how fantastic my skin looks. They really made me feel good about myself too because here I was, immediately post-op, no makeup, hair in a ponytail, not feeling the best, and the whole time I was there they kept telling me how beautiful I was Love those girls!

We have some of the Just Dance games but I've never tried them. Perhaps I'll do that once I'm released by my doctor to exercise again. My favorite exercise is simply running though but this sounds like something that would be great for those cold, bad weather winter days :-)

My starting weight was 283 lbs. I have done all of the fad diets over the years including multiple attempts at Weight Watchers, Atkins, South Beach, Slim Fast, just to name a few. The most I ever lost on any diet was about 70 lbs and I gained it all back(and then some). I had reached a point where my health was really beginning to suffer as a direct result of my obesity. I had hypertension, heart palpitations, type 2 diabetes, and was on multiple medications. I decided to look into WLS in January 2013. The only 2 surgeries I was willing to consider were lap-band and gastric sleeve. I ultimately decided on lap-band because it is less invasive, reversible, and can be revised to the sleeve, if needed, at a later date. The reverse is not true. I was also very uncomfortable with having part of my stomach removed, concerned with leaks, and other post-op complications that can happen with the sleeve. I was banded on December 20, 2013, so less than a year ago. My current weight is 148 lbs. I have lost a total of 135 lbs. I have gone from a size 24 to a size 6 in pants and dresses, and from a size 3x-4x down to a size small in tops. The best part is that I am off all my cardiac, blood pressure, and diabetes medications. The only meds I take now are synthroid because I have hypothyroidism(and even that is only 1/3 the dose I was on before), zyrtec for seasonal allergies, a multivitamin, and calcium supplement. This was absolutely THE best decision I ever made and I would do it all over again! The only regret that I have is that I didn't do it sooner! Best of luck to you in whatever you decide to do!

@@Beni I have asked him many times and his answer is "I can't...." He thinks that he can't do the things that I do. I've tried reminding him that there was a time that I couldn't do those things either and that you have to start somewhere but honestly, he's really just not interested. He doesn't want to change his lifestyle. He enjoys laying around on the couch, watching tv, and stuffing his face. He has no desire to lead a healthier lifestyle and he doesn't want me to do it either.

I actually just had a total laparoscopic hysterectomy on Tuesday. I have 8.25 cc in a 10 cc band. I did NOT have an unfill. I always have severe nausea and vomiting post-anesthesia so that was my main concern. I spoke with my bariatric surgeon at length prior to having this surgery. He suggested that, as long as I wasn't too tight, that I leave the Fluid in my band. He wrote me an Rx for a scopolamine patch and instructed me to put it on the night before surgery. I had also spoken with the gyne surgeon who performed the hysterectomy and explained to him how important it was that any nausea and vomiting be controlled. He started me on scheduled doses of reglan pre-op. We also spoke with anesthesia and, since they were aware, they also medicated me with steroids and anti-emetics in the OR. These guys did a great job planning my care and I had NO issues with nausea or vomiting. I did notice my band being just a wee bit tighter for a day or two but i was able to tolerate liquids and soft foods okay so I stuck with things like Jello, greek yogurt, and mushies for a couple of days. I'm back to being able to eat like I was pre-surgery now and no issues. Good luck to you!

Congratulations! You are rocking this thing! Keep up the good work!

Immediately post-op, my favorite thing was Gas-X chewables!lol... Some of my faves are: *Quest bars- I have boxes of these things in almost every flavor because I love them so much! I eat one every day! *Prunes-A new favorite, not for the flavor, but because they keep me regular *Isopure Protein shake mix in dutch chocolate & vanilla *Dove dark chocolate pieces- I keep a bag in the freezer for those times when I just HAVE to have some chocolate. *Greek yogurt-I LOVE the Chobani flips & Dannon Oikos. I also like the YoCrunch! in lemon with cookie pieces, vanilla w/dark chocolate pieces, & raspberry w/dark chocolate pieces *Nature Valley Protein Granola- I frequently add it to my morning cup of yogurt *Crystal Light *Electric Pressure Cooker- I use it to cook my meat and it always comes out so tender and juicy! No more stuck episodes from meat that was too dry! *Raw vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and celery dipped in ranch dressing * Green Giant single serving veggies * Brooks running shoes * I also like the shaker bottles for my protein shakes. To be honest though, mine don't really get a lot of use because I usually eat quest bars rather than drinking my protein. Same goes for the Isopure I mentioned earlier. * sugar-free instant spiced apple cider * Almonds- I keep 2 bags of them. 1 bag is roasted, salted almonds for when I want something crunchy & salty. The other bag is cinnamon roasted almonds for when I want something sweet.

Today was my 9 month bandiversary. I've had many NSV's along the way but none as good as the one I experienced today. You see, 1 year ago this weekend, I participated in my very first 5K race. My teenage son talked me into doing it. I reluctantly agreed. I walked the entire race and it took me almost an hour to finish it. And I was walking as fast as I could. The race is held annually so we decided after last year's race that we would return this year. So today, we did the same race that took me almost an hour to finish and I was able to finish it in about 31 minutes. Not only that, I placed 3rd in my age division! I've been doing 5K races about once a month since spring and I run 3-4 days a week but I've never been able to finish a 5k in 31 minutes and I've never placed in any of them. Needless to say, I got all teary-eyed when I was walking up to get my medal! I have an appt. with my surgeon on Wednesday and I intend to take my medal with me so I can show him what he's done for me and thank him for helping me to get my life back

@@B-52 You are SO right! At this time last year, I was just finishing up all of the stuff required in order to submit to my insurance for my surgery approval. I wanted this surgery so bad I couldn't stand it and yet, as much as I wanted it and felt it would be life-changing, I had no idea just how much my life was about to change. In the last 9 months, I have gone from being as unhealthy as I've ever been in my life to being healthier and more fit than I've ever been. I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Just an update...I went out and bought some prunes after reading this thread the other day. I've been eating about 3 of them a day and I already seem to be much more regular AND I'm not having to take any stool softeners or laxatives! WIN!!!

It is very common for relationship issues to arise for people who have undergone such dramatic changes. My surgeon even asked me how things were going between me and my hubby once I started getting close to my goal. I was a little surprised but once he explained why he was asking, it made sense. He basically said that it was quite likely that my hubby had grown comfortable with the idea of me being heavy and that, now that I've lost so much weight, he's probably uncomfortable because he knows that I've always been beautiful but that he knows other people can see it now too. He said that regardless of whether I've changed any or not, the fact that my appearance has changed so much can be unnerving for my husband and that men tend to worry that we will leave when they perceive that we may be getting more attention from other men. He also said that he may be feeling left out because my lifestyle has changed and his hasn't. I spend my spare time running, exercising, and being active while my hubby still wants to sit at home on the couch and watch tv. I'm not willing to waste my days in front of the tv and he's not willing to join me and the kids in our active lives so we're struggling in our relationship right now. I'm not even sure what to do about it. I can handle the attention from other men. I know how to walk away and I know how to let them know I'm not interested. That's not a problem, at least it isn't for ME. I'm sure it still bothers the hubby but I can't fix that. I can only reassure him that my love and loyalty are for him and him alone. However, the fact that he flat out refuses to move off the couch and go do things with the rest of us IS an issue. He gets upset with me for leaving him home alone and expects me to stay at home and sit on the couch with him. I will NOT do that. I will NOT let any more of my life pass me by while I sit and watch it go. I WILL live my life to the fullest with OR without him. But right now, it's his choice and he chooses to stay on the couch :-(

I am sorry you are going through this. I don't think you're being shallow at all. I would feel the same way if I were in your situation. In fact, I am constantly in fear that something will happen to my band and it will have to be removed. I have no advice for you. Just wanted to offer my support. I hope you get some answers soon.

I count protein first, NET carbs, and total calorie intake. My surgeon recommends staying under 50 grams of net carbs per day.

Yes, it is scary. I work in a hospital and actually had a physician tell me the band doesn't work. When I disagreed with him, he said "It doesn't work because you learn how to cheat it." And he proceeded to sit down and tell me that he's been banded for more than 10 years and that his love for food hasn't changed and that, even with 10 cc's in his band, he could eat anything he wanted. He said it wasn't because he didn't have restriction either. He said he just learned how to eat "around" it. And he told me exactly how he did it. I was shocked. And I'm actually a little mad that he told me those things because I almost feel like he was trying to sabotage me. I refuse to be like that though. I will use my band the way it was intended and I will make the right choices for myself and for my health. THAT will be the difference between me and the doctor who tried to teach me how to cheat my band. I care more about being healthy than I do about eating a bunch of garbage. Health obviously isn't very high on his list of priorities.