aubrie

Watcher.... In answer to your question, anything carbonated is difficult for bandsters. The bubbles and gases in carbonated liquids expand in your tiny little pouch and it can stretch it, and hurt. It's very uncomfortable. It's a big no no for us. Beer has even more carbonation than a soda so it's REALLY bad. I had to have gallbladder surgery a month ago and they took all the fill out of my band. The first thing I ate when it was emptied was a few sips of beer. I do miss it.

More than likely your surgeon will probably alter your diet to 6 small meals a day, rather than the standard three with no snacks. That will keep your blood sugar consistant throughout the day, so your sugar levels don't bottom out. You can be successful, you just have to approach it a little differently.

YES!!!! I eat them all. Of course I try to limit my intake of starchy veggies like beets, sweet potatos, carrots, peas, etc. But everything else is fair game. Some bandsters like to follow a very low carb diet. I do not, and my doctor doesn't recommend it. So ask your doctor or nutritionist. But I do eat fruit. for several reasons. It's packed with Vitamins and nutrients, it's low fat, it satisfies my sweet tooth and it definately helps with irregularity. (Some bandsters have an issue with this) "Raw" food is just better for you, so I eat it 3 times a day. Lo calorie fruits like strawberries and melon are my standard. My doctor recommended grapefruit with the pithy skin taken off each section so it doesn't get stuck. Pluots and nectarines are my favorite.

Personally..... I can't stand artificial sweetner of any kind. It gives me terrible head aches. I dislike the aftertaste, and I personally think it's poison. I've read way to many bad things about it. Plus, it tricks your body into releasing insulin. Your tongue doesn't know the difference between real and artificial. The same signal is sent to the brain, to activate an insulin response. When there is nothing there to process, it puts a strain on the body. Eventually you become insulin resisitant. I'm sorry.... but that's just not good for you. I avoid it like the plague. So if I want something sweet, I usually reach for a piece of fruit. On special occasions, I go ahead and eat the real sugar treat. I just severely rectrict my portion. A 2" square of cake is more than enough to feel included, taste it and keep the calories down. In things like tea and coffee, I'm learning to do without it. I usually just drink water.

Beer. I loved an ice cold beer on a hot summer day. There are some foods that just aren't good without a beer..... BBQ, fried catfish, Mexican food..... I don't mind giving up the soda, but the beer has been a hard one for me....

After a loss of 65 pounds, my hands are so much thinner I can't even wear my wedding ring anymore. The last time I had it on, I was talking with my hands. I threw open my arms for emphasis and my ring went flying across the room. I had to stop wearing it for now. I will get it sized when I'm finished losing. No sense in paying for that twice!!! But my husband is heartbroken. He's already a little unsure about men noticing me, so my not wearing a ring to "ward off the hounds" (LOL) has him a little uneasy. Yes, my fat feet have disappeared to. They were always so swollen with Water retention. Not any more. I can see my ankles, my shins, and the bones in my feet. Even my DH remarked that he couldn't believe that I actually had skinny toes. I now wear toe rings and an ankle bracelet and am enjoying getting regular pedicures!!

what a sweetheart, and what a wonderful gift to give you.... your self esteem back. That has no price tag!! I'm fortunate to have a DH that says much the same type of things. It makes all the difference in the world! I'm enjoying catching him staring at me. When I catch him, he winks and grins. I'm getting little naughty emails during the day. He's my biggest cheerleader....

I weighed 135 when I married my husband at age 31. It was my second marriage, but I had known him since I was 16. We were high school and college sweethearts that found eachtother again. So he had almost always known me thin. I gained weight rapidly after we married from undiagnosed thyroid problems. I went from a size 8 to a 20 in about 18 months. It was horrible. He never complained. Once I got to a size 24 or 26 over the years, our sex life dissolved altogether. It was non-existant and it broke my heart. We discussed it, and he was finally honest and said that sex was a "visual" thing for a man, and It was difficult for him at my size. My health was deteriorating. I was on meds. My arthritis forced me to avioid things I normally loved to do. I was lethargic and no fun. I knew it. It's when I watched my husband cry at the thought of pushing me around in a wheelchair that I decided to have surgery. he was supportive from the get go. I have lost about 65 pounds, and our marriage has improved 110%. We do things together. Travel. Dance. have sex constantly. hike. kayak. fish. It's like being in a new marriage. Actually, it's getting my old one back. He has the love of his life back, I have my health back and we have eachother back. It's been a God send. For me, WLS saved my self esteem, my marriage, and my health. I'm a lucky, and very happy girl. He is a little worried about me cheating, but he trusts me. I think it's more that men will come on to me!!! Not the other way around. At first he thought it was funny. He doesn't laugh about it so much anymore.

I've been a democrat for YEARS. a staunch democrat, but if you handed me a million dollars to vote for Obama, I wouldn't do it on principle. He scares the living shit out of me. I don't trust him and I don't like his politics. His background is questionable. His experience is non-existant. He's a terrible speaker, and can't even ad-lib when his teleprompter breaks!!! Boy he's really got strong feelings about what he speaks about doesn't he? He can't even follow a train of thought. Scarey!!!!!! I literally tremble at the thought of him leading our country. I can't beleive I have the choice I do. We couldn't do better than that? WHERE IS THE INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE?????? GOD HELP US ALL!!

I think having him accompany you to one of your doctor visits is in order. Tell the doctor what he's doing so the DOCTOR can explain how dangerous the vomiting is and that it's hurting you not helping you to eat more. That way if he has concerns or questions, they are being answered by a medical professional and not you. Then he has no way to argue about it. Let the doctor be the "bad guy" and settle this for you. I think hubby will feel better about the whole thing afterward.

Hummmm...... Can I do this unique position???? Will my arthritis allow it? will I get dizzy? Will my husband humor me? Knowing my husband.....He'll think it's an "invitation"...... LOL

I had a BMI of 43 pre-op. I did not have to do a liquid diet except for 2 days before surgery. I had one week of low cal, low fat and two days of liquid. After surgery I had 3 days of clears, two weeks of full liquids and two weeks of mushies.

Melon, bananas, blueberries, pineapple and strawberries are okay. I just chew really well. things with a skin..... I have to be really careful like peaches, plums and apples. sometimes I peel them. Citrus fruit like grapefruit and oranges, I have to peel each indivicual section. that pithy stuff gets stuck really easily. But I make the effort. I have a constipation problem since banding, and if I don't eat my fruit, I don't go.... Simple as that.

You can buy a stack of those aluminum T.V. dinner trays. Cook as usual and then make up trays of pre-measured food. cover it and freeze it. Then you have ready meals. You can just heat them in the oven, or pop the food out and heat in the microwave. If you don't have time to cook, make Beans or lentils in the crock pot while you are at work. Stews and thick Soups are good too. I love lamb and lentil stew! Then you can eat right when you get home and avoid snacking. I have bought turkey and roast beef at the deli, and just have a couple slices of that with a vegetable at night when my hubby is away on business. No cooking necessary, and it's easy to eat.

Doc fusses at me BIG TIME for snacking. No snacks allowed. But, when I mess up , I usually eat string cheese, or those little triangle shaped,lite, foil wrapped cheese that comes in the round box. A handful of almonds or a small piece of fruit.

My husband is Cajun French so I cook red Beans and rice quite a lot. I LOVE red (kidney) beans. I don't have a problem with rice, so I have about 1/4 cup with my beans..... But I do mine in a crock pot. I throw all the following stuff in before I leave for work and cover it. When I get home, it's done and all I have to do is make the rice. half to 3/4 of a bag (1/2 pound dry) of rinsed kidney beans 1 onion chopped 5 cloves of fresh garlic smashed 1 tbls. thyme leaves 1 tbls. parsley leaves 3 bay leaves 1/4 cup cooking sherry 1 tbls. sugar 1/2 cup cubed ham or a leftover ham bone salt and pepper dash of tobasco sauce fill crockpot half full with Water Set on high and cover for the rest of the day. C'est tres bon!!!!

there are several people on this site who are your age. Just start looking at their profiles down the left side of the screen. Most have their ages. When you see one, ping them a private message. I'm sure they would love to hear from you. I got some private messages from a young lady away at college. She was a hoot. She was going to the school my son attends and the school I graduated from many moons ago....... I enjoyed her youthful messages!!! Just start looking. The support group I belong to here in Corpus Christi has two or three very young girls that come. All college students. Have you tried some of the local support groups?

LOL... I can't beleive you swallowed the wax!!! The warmth of your body temperature should melt it or make it soft enough to go through your stoma. What a nightmare. You poor thing. I hope all is fixed soon...

I get hiccups much more often now that I'm banded, and have noticed I only get them when I eat to fast and need to SLOW DOWN. If I ignore it, I will get stuck and be in horrible pain. I just have to listen to my body. The minute I start to hiccup, I put my fork down and walk away. This prevents the pain.

Dry meat will get stuck very easily. If it does, moistening it with something is the way to avoid that. I keep fat free gravy on hand, and also different kinds of salsa. For roast pork or pork chops, unsweetened applesauce works great. I like my steak medium rare, so it's moist enough and doesn't cause me any problems, but pork and chicken I reach for the sauce......

I told my parents initially, but they were so upset. They were very stressed over the whole thing, and at their age, I was worried about it stressing them out to much. I lied and told them I changed my mind. They were better, and then I went ahead with it. A month later I went home for Christmas and told them then. That way they could see that I was healthy, happy and okay. It spared them the frantic worry. My mom is okay with it now, but I had emergency galbladder surger 4 weeks ago. My Dad has demonized my band, and blames it for the problem. He hasn't seen me since Christmas. I flew home last Friday for their 50th wedding anniversary. When I walked in the door my dad stopped mid stride and just stared at me with his mouth hung open. He was stunned at the transformation. All he could think to say was "WOW! you look like a movie star!" Bless him...... He then said he expected me to look drawn and sickly. God knows what goes on in their minds when they don't fully understand.... but he was delighted that I looked so good and was genuinely happy for me. He doesn't have a problem with it now!!

I used to LOVE to go kayak fishing with my husband down here in south Texas. Well, it got to the point that I couldn't get in and out of a kayak. It broke my husband's heart. I'm much more flexible now, and when the redfish start running the end of next month, my goal is to be right there next to him with pole in hand and a huge grin on my face!!

I can and do eat everything. BUT I'm much more careful with certain things, and really listen to what my body says. Some things just give me more problems if I'm not careful, and I tend to avoid them, but do eat them if I REALLY want it. My doctor said that they whole point of this is to enjoy life and have quality of life. Quality of life includes being normal and joinging in the family celebrations, and traditional foods for our cultures etc. It doesn't mean we can do that every day, but we can be active members of an extended family. That is important to me. I did this for quality of life for myself. I am achieving it, and I'm happy with my choice. My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past weekend. While I probably ingested more calories than usual, I particpated in the celebration along with everyone else. This included the cake and traditional foods I grew up with. These are the times that make life worth living. I won't trade that. But that's just me. I can go back to low carb, or liquids or exercise more if I need to tomorrow.

I told my mom initially, and she was frantic. She spun out of control, and bacause of her age, I got worried about her stress level. So I lied and told her I changed my mind, then went ahead and did it. I didn't tell her I went ahead with it for about a month. I went home for Christmas, and wanted her to see me 20 pounds lighter and healthy, and happy before I told her. For me it was easier that way, and I spared her the needless worry and stress.

I don't think Lap Band surgery is considered "cosmetic" surgery. Most of us have very real medical problems as a result from our obesity, and are having this done to lengthen our lives, and help us become healthy again. The improvement in our physical appearance is just icing on the cake. Most of our medical insurance policies would not cover it if it were purely cosmetic. I took off of work for a week and a half 10 days total. It was a little more difficult than I thought, and needed all 10 days, but everyone is different. Make sure that you can take the extra time just in case you need it. You will be very sore.