aubrie

I weigh every morning when I get up. I don't get upset if it's up a couple pounds and it's never gone up beyond that. But it does let me know if I need to rein in my eating for that day or I can relax about it and eat normally. I just make some minor little adjustments. I won't get depressed and bummed until I'm up like 5 pounds. (then I think I would FREAK.) Most of the time it's the same or a little less. It makes me accountable. Some mornings I'm so groggy and in need of coffee I forget all about weighing. No big deal. I'll get it the next day.

Ask about pre-op diet. Every doctor is different on this. You need to know what to expect and what to prepare for. I didn't have one. Many have very long, stringent liquid diets. cost of fills, so you know what to expect. What is included in your doctor's fee. Does it include 6 months of fills etc. Ask for any brochures, pamphlets or packets of information. Ask for a tour of the hospital you will be using. that sure put my mind at ease. How long will you be missing work. How long will you be in the hospital. I've seen everything from 12 hours to 2 days. what is your doctor's policy on fills. what size band does he usually use. Where would you go in an emergency situation. Can anyone add anything else?

hold on to chair and do one leg arabesque (sp?) Keep your head up. Try to use your back muscles for balance. Just lightly touch chair. OR down on all fours on floor and put leg straight out and lift. tiny small pumps and release. repeat. It will firm your fanny too.

I made cream of wheat with half skim milk and half vanilla slim fast. I added vanilla, cinnamon, touch of salt, and some protein powder. I thought I died and went to heaven. It's so good, I still make it, and my husband always asks for some.

EEEeeewwwww.... that makes my skin crawl. Call your doctor immediately. God, the person who it belonged to could have hepatitis, a nasty infection..... Gross. I would also call the health department and report it. I think the states keep stats on stuff like that. You also might want to call the grocery where you bought it so they can pull all of it off the shelves. the news media wouldn't be a bad idea either..... YUCK.

You'll have a lot less room for air. If you swallow extra air, it can be painful or uncomfortable. You would want to avoid that. If a straw causes that, then discontinue use.

Things like soup (especially bean soups) and oatmeal stay with me for a good while. I don't have any problem with it. A thin broth goes through me, but not a heavier soup with chunks and beans. My doctor HIGHLY recommends any kind of beans. They stay with me forever. I LOVE black bean soup. It's spicey, has veggies and is very nutritious. I also make lentil stew a lot. I put left over leg of lamb in it. Delicious.

Make a "lasagna" without the noodles. Use fat free cottage, ricotta, mozarella and a little parmesan. Pour sauce over it and bake it in a single serve dish. You'll get the flavor and not so many of the calories. Just a tip. The "no boil" lasagna noodles are very thin. Almost like a crepe. It cuts down on the amount of carbs tremendously. (not to mention the prep time is cut in half) I now like them better than traditional lasgana noodles.

I have gotten the blues recently. I was bummed and gloomy all weekend. I don't know what's wrong with me. For 6 months I've been so good, and now I'm starting this crap. I've been eating my and my band hurts. I've been getting stuck more often, but still haven't PBd. Thank God. My hair is falling out. I'm stressed out, not sleeping, getting headaches, my bones and joints ache, I just feel crappy. What is up with that. I'm so down too.

I wish!!! I have two adult sons living at home for the summer. My bill doubled..... Damn.

Do you have a lawyer? I would have him/her sitting in the waiting room and handling this for you. Maybe no advertise that you're doing it, but have one on hand anyway. I think Inamed wants to be present for liability issues. If that's the deal, you should be represented too. I would think you have a say so on whether they are allowed in the OR. Make it worth YOUR while.

Let's see. I just got back from Vegas. I remember eating lobster bisque, shrimp at some Chinese place, fish and steamed veggies, scrambled eggs and melon, some kind of really fancy chicken stew (it was moist and went down easy, and easy to chew). I picked at a cheese blintz, that was really good. It was very soft. At the buffet, I could see the food first and size up whether I thought I could eat it. At the restaurants, it was a little trickier. I got the soup, ate a little and if I couldn't eat the meal very well, I'd finish the soup. But I did pretty good. Don't be afraid to ask the waiter how things are prepared.

I did. Went to Vegas. the little short puddle jump flight to get to Houston didn't have any effect at all. But the long 30,000 ft. flight did. I could actually feel it tighten and get uncomfortable. It lasted for many hours after landing. I was skeptical about all this, but it was true for me...... I just sipped water.

Can't..... I'm addicted......

When in my mushy stage I made this and loved it. Get some of the herbed chicken stock. Poach the talapia in the broth along with sliced onions, summer squash and bell pepper. Add a splash of lemon and some pepper. Simmer until the veggies are tender. If the talapia is thin, start the veggies first, then add the fish. don't overcook the fish. It's VERY low calorie, moist, tasty and good for you. I can't eat dry fish. It sticks in my stoma and kills me. This recipe cured that.

The term, "supersize" says it all.....

I'm experiencing some increase in joint pain. My arthritis hasn't improved. I was a little puzzled by it, but I read that a high protein diet does indeed cause gout, which is crystals in your joints. I don't do "high" protein diet, but it is more than I'm used to eating. Somehow I think that's what's causing it. I'm not sure. I've read that carbs have an anti-inflammatory effect on the joints and I've cut back on them. I don't know.

I don't know about your surgeon, but I'm not allowed to drink protein shakes. I'm required to eat solid food. The only time I'm allowed protein drinks is if I'm sick or the 24 hours after a fill. That fact would make your dilemma even harder for me. Do you eat fish or shellfish? My surgeon told me that was the very best source of protein. Easily digested and lean. If you can't stand red meat, maybe you could do that???????? I have to say, I don't do a high protein and no carb diet. My doctor didn't recommend it. But the protein at every meal does in fact curb hunger and cravings for carbs.

I know a LOT of beautiful, shapely women who because they are so mean, cruel, bitchy, hateful and snooty, truly become ugly to me. Their sour demeamor puckers up that face and makes them look like the ass end of a baboon.

My doctor asked me to attend the support group meetings as there are VERY FEW lap banders and mostly bypass patients. I have been successful, so he wanted me to go and give a postive voice to the merits of lap band. I go. The bypass patients can be viscious. (I think they're jealous....LOL After being subjected to that hell, I would be jealous of someone with a band who lost just as much as I did, and didn't have to get their stomach cut out, take B-12 shots monthly, get the runs if you eat sugar, etc. etc. etc.) I too don't mind public speaking, and would do it if asked. But it would have to be an audience that I would never see again. I'm kind of private about my band.

the church member who works at the doctor's office and let the cat out of the bag, BROKE THE LAW. Not only state and federal law, but as a "Christian", she pretty much broke rules there too.

I've tried a bloomin onion.....while it tasted pretty good, the coating of thick grease stuck to my teeth just about made me gag. I like little baby onions boiled in my stew. MUCH better. My dissapointment???? P.F. Changs.... Crap, that was one of my favorite restaurants. As for lamb..... I LOVE it. Being a Texas girl, liking lamb is like being a traitor or sacriledge or something. No one eats lamb in Texas much. I got some wonderful lamb chops for $2.99 a pound the other day. They practically give it away when they can't sell it. I like it grilled, in lentil stew, roasted and curried. I'm the only one in my family that will eat it. Their loss, my gain. :thumbup:

Good God. If you went that many days without treatment, you ARE lucky you didn't die. Be grateful your angels were watching over you!!

God knows I tried to keep it a secret. People have big mouths, and some are very nosey. I told my husband and kids, my best friend who had already been banded and one close business associate. I told NO ONE at work. About a month ago I was invited to a luncheon/party/ departmental celebration for someone I didn't even know. I protested but this one person kept insisting. I bring my little bandster lunch with me and figured I would just sit in the corner, eat and observe the festivities. Well a man from another department was having bypass surgery the next morning and they were having a congratulatory luncheon for him. (???? luncheon for a bypass patient? With food? He was on liquids for goodness sake!!) Well, the guy who invited me announced to everyone in the room that I had had this surgery and thought it would be nice if I could put his mind at ease and give him some assistance and support. I WAS SPEECHLESS. How rude. What an invasion of my privacy. The whole room was silent. I pulled the guy off to the side and explained I didn't have bypass surgery, but wished him well just the same. My band was a bit different from what he was going to do. It turned out he had my same doctor and lap band surgeon. I haven't seen him, but the fact is my privacy was severely invaded. I felt violated and humiliated. Not to mention PISSED OFF!! Obviously my husband's secretary had overhead him talking to me or something. she confronted me about it when I called him on the phone. I never cease to wonder at the gall of some people!!

I've been a little upset as some of my really expensive nice shoes doen't fit me anymore. My little strappy, silver sandals for evening wear literally fall off my feet. My feet just swim around in them. I have a pair of leather shoes to wear with jeans that I can't wear anymore either. They just fall off. So I guess shoe shopping is in order. I no longer have swollen ankles and feet and it it marvelous. My DH told me a couple nights ago that he didn't realize Ihad such long toes.