aubrie

I do just fine with sushi except the black seaweed they wrap it in. I do better if it has a spicey sauce over it. It keeps the rice from being so sticky. Funny though.... my band surgeon IS Asian and he had a fit that I still ate sushi. He said it's dangerous, loaded with creepy crawlies, and even he won't eat it. He was raised on it, but won't eat it now..... Made me think twice before I ate the next time.... But DAMN it's good!!!

I stay FAR away from artificial sweetners, so my tea has to have a good flavor all it's own. My preference? I love peppermint tea, orange spice tea and I also like to cut a few slices of ginger root and pour hot water over it. I love the aroma! I add just a touch of honey if it needs it and sit by the fire. HEAVEN.

I was told only tylenol. No ibuprofen. and only ocassionally. Didn't say anything about liquid, but I DO like the wonderful idea of freezing the gel caps!!! what a GREAT idea. I'll have to do that.

I went to the health food store and was shocked at how many wonderful cream soups they had. Carrot and ginger (my favorite), butternut squash, cream of portabella mushroom, roasted red pepper and tomato, tomato basil, cream of brocolli, and creamed corn. I was in heaven. See if there is anything you like at your local health food store. they had some decent smoothies too.

Oatmeal and cottage cheese keeps me full until lunchtime. I like the Quaker Weight Control instant oatmeal. It's high in protein. It will keep me going most of the day. Eggs tend to stick so they do keep me full for a while as well. I do eat toast, but not regularly. When I do eat it, I have it with the simply fruit spread.

I haven't had any problems. I buy 1% and drink a glass before bedtime. I've tried the Borden high protein and liked it, so I think I may start buying that. Every little bit of protein helps. We ALL need the calcium and vitamin D. I think it's a healthy choice.

I've been losing a lot of hair lately and it's deeply troubling me. I dreamed about it last night. I dreamed I had a very large bald spot on my head. In my dream I thought to myself, oh no!! I forgot to take my biotin! LOL

It took me 11 months and TWO appeals to get approved. Don't give up!! Have ALL your doctors write letters on your behalf. That's what I ended up doing. I elisted the help of my cardiologist, my rhuemetologist, my OB/GYN, a psychiatrist for my psych eval., a sleep study doctor and my family doctor. All wrote letters for me on how the loss of weight would benefit me. Who could argue with all that?

I think I'll follow the suit of your polar bear on that little cake episode..... LOL Obviously, this Fluid doesn't stain, becuase I haven't heard anyone complain about it. thanks for the definitions and explanations. You're great.

Thank you all!!! I wouldn't have done as well as I did without all of the wonderful posters and bandsters on this board. My hat's off to you for all your support.

My doc said to wait until my 6 month check up. that's when he did all my blood work. Once cleared, I was good to go.

Sounds like you're doing fantastic. While you're on liquids and mushies, it's not about losing weight, it's all about healing. Don't worry. Just heal. It would be rather difficult to stretch a pouch now as you have nothing in your band. It's pretty wide open. You won't "feel" any restriction until you are properly filled. That could take a few fills. It's done slowly so you don't erode around your stomach. Once you are on solid food, you will fill up a bit faster and it will be easier. But it won't be hunger free until properly filled so you will have to use a bit of will power until then. Exercise. Go for a walk every day until the doc says you can exercise. It will help more than you know. Constipation in common. talk to your doctor about that as soon as possible. I waited and was miserable. There is a lot you can do. I recommend trying the natural methods first....ie: prune juice, stewed prunes, fresh fruit, etc. If no go, a stool softener. The beans are fine. They are high in fiber and protein so it's a very good choice at this stage. Hang in there. You're doing great.

My situation is/was a lot like Coltonwade above. I married my husband when I was a size 8. I gained 100+ pounds too. My husband NEVER criticized me or berated me or confronted me about my weight gain. It was never mentioned and he said he loved me all the time. We just started having sex less and less often until it was almost non existant. That was NOT my choice. So I knew it bothered him. I didn't know just how much until I listened to him cry his eyes out one evening about hating to see me so unhealthy and how it broke his heart that he was going to have to wheel me around in a wheelchair one day and that I would die young. I was stunned. I went to a lap band seminar the next week and had an appointment for a consult soon after. It took 11 months to get approval but I didn't give up. My DH didn't even know what a lap band was, so he didn't suggest it, but once I told him about it, he was on board from the get go. He is my biggest supporter. And just like Coltonwade's DH, he said the same thing...."I got my wife back!" He's been so happy about it. It actually strengthened our marriage. It needed a shot in the arm. We are closer than ever. Although I know for some it doesn't work out that way. He is a little more concerned about men taking an interest in me, and seems a little more insecure, but as a result, he's a lot more attentive. I respond to the attentiveness with a healthy lust, so it has worked out great. Maybe he's just scared about the surgery itself. Men are so funny about things like that. You would be surprised if you could hear their true feelings.

I've never heard of a mid band. How is it different from a regular band like most of us have? Does it have to do with placement? Is it placed around the middle of the stomach so you have a bigger pouch?

gosh, there really is so much you can do with mushies. creamed spinach or spinach souffle, (Stouffers), guacamole, refried beans, whipped sweet potatoes, mashed banana, butternut squash, etc., hash, egg salad, minced chicken salad, pudding, flan, custard, pumpkin pie filling, (for the holidays...and you can make it with evaporated skim milk), poached tilapia and yellow squash (one of my favorites.... poach it in seasoned chicken broth and mash it), ricotta cheese with spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese, YUMMMMM, brocolli cheese quiche....... There's lots you can eat.

Soup fills me up. I find it satisfying. I don't have a problem with it. I eat all kinds. Broth based and pureed or creamed. It's all good. It's so nourishing and is comforting during the winter months. I would NEVER give up soup.

I've had Cedar Fever. My face will swell up the size of a basketball. My eyes swell shut. My sinuses get totally blocked and I eventually develop a sinus infection complete with high fever. It's miserable. After several years of suffering, I decided to get allergy shots every two weeks from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day. Thank God I moved to Corpus Christi. There are no Cedar trees here, and the climate is dry so I am allergy free. Woo Hoo!!! But I feel for those who suffer.

I haven't tried this yet, but am looking for a place to have it done. I have heard you can lose a good amount of belly weight by having a colon cleanse and then doing something called high colonics. Apparently our colon gets a build up over the years and accumulates. The cleanse and colonc can get rid of up to 10 pounds. Has anyone else done this? It won't get rid of the belly entirely, but will make a difference and of all those I know who have done it, say they feel awesome afterward. They didn't realize they felt "bad" until they had it done.

I have never heard that either. My surgeon sends out a Bariatric newsletter every month, and it has recipes in it. they use spices liberally. I wouldn't do this if I had to eat bland food. I would check around on that. It doesn't make sense. You're right. I would question it.

Funny I should read this..... I too purchased the Bariatric Advantage vitamins. My surgeon was impressed with the breakdown and gave me the go ahead. He had originally put me on Flintstone vitamins, which I thought was very odd at the time. I bought the watermelon flavored Bariatric Advantage. OMG!!! I can barely get them down. they are chalky, and so horrible I want to literally gag. What's worse is the little chalky bits get caught in your teeth, and sometimes I crunch on a bit the next day!! I shudder just thinking about how horrible they are. So I was in Wal-Mart yesterday and was waiting on a prescription. I was near the vitamins so I started comparing them. I was SHOCKED. the Flintstones Complete actually had more in them than other brands. They were as good or better than Centrum and a lot less expensive. So.......... I bought more Flintstones. I felt ridiculous, but hey, if they're better, they're better. Not as high in B12 as the Bariatric Advantage, but I had my B12 tested, and it was fine. No worries. So from here on out, it's Flintstones for me!!!! I also found some petite size calcium citrate. It think they're called Caltrate with D. I take extra biotin for my hair and that's about it.

I ate some of that at a luncheon just this past weekend. It was delicious and went down just fine. I went back for seconds because other items on the buffet were a little "iffy". It was the safest thing on the table, and the best choice.

Precisely why my doctor frowns on low carb diets. I follow a more glycemic type diet. Brown rice instead of white, sweet potatos instead of white, 100% whole wheat or whole grain breads instead of white or plain wheat. I don't eat a lot of it, but I don't keep carbs out of my diet. I feel better when I have some carbs in my diet anyway.

I have to beat my eggs with milk or cream and soft scramble them. Just tossing them around a pan, they come out sticky and they are a bit harder to deal with. I had hard boiled eggs on my salad last night and didn't have a problem with them, but then again, the salad dressing helps stuff go down. Deviled eggs do great. I love them with a little curry..... Yum. I LOVE egg drop soup.

Okay.... what does the "G" in G spot stand for? Does it have a meaning? also, if you get the feeling you have to pee, and you squirt eveywhere, are you peeing or not? sounds to me like..... If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck...feels like a duck... it's a duck. Sounds like your G spot is making you pee. What else would you squirt? Tried the spelunking for the G spot. Nothing. I've only had one orgasm my entire life from vaginal stimulation. That was YEARS ago. I have mediocre, good, and SUPER INTENSE orgasms, and multiples, but always from clitoral stimulation. I think my G spot is broken......

I love mine. It goes where I go when I travel. I've given them to my closest girlfriends as gifts, and they too have loved it. I've tried other things and keep going back to the rabbit. matter of fact, I keep spare batteries and a spare rabbit in my nightstand so I'm never without one!!! LOL I just ordered two on line ( a spare for me and one for a friend) and they were on sale for $17.99!! A bargain!!!