georgia girl

I second that motion! There, it's set in stone, no one leaves the board, okay! We do have a really good support system going on here and I love talking to all of you Bagnato Bandits......so keep posting!

Hey AllyKat! My left side is what hurt the most too. I wonder if it has something to do with running the port from the band to the left side of the chest? I'm not sure, but I remember being really sore there. I am glad you and DH are on the same page now, it really helps to have that support. Once you get to the next stage, there will be a lot more you can eat. Rest up and take care of yourself!

Hey Mia! I buy them from Walmart, in the frozen section. They are not in the closed freezer section but in the middle of the aisle, where they have the other frozen foods. They are Sam's choice Brand and they are delicious! It comes in box (2 per box), and I think there are 4 different flavors. It's my favorite type of protein!

ParaGirl If it was me, I probably would not get an unfill. I don't usually get stuck anyway and I would be sooo worried about gaining weight back. You can still enjoy the food, just in moderation. Cruise ships are all about food and have many varieties, just eat tiny portions of whatever you want. Are you prone to getting food stuck?

Hi jbhband! Congrats on your surgery! I'm glad you are feeling well. Your experience sounds similar to mine. The first week after my surgery, I felt a lot of pressure in my chest. I don't believe mine was gas. I think I was just very swollen on the inside and drinking created pressure. Once my swelling went down, the pressure in my chest stopped. I also was not hungry for a long time. It was probably at least 4 weeks before I began feeling hungry. Just count yourself lucky. Some bandsters are hungry immediately which makes post-op diet really tough. Hopefully you will continue not being hungry for a while. Good luck to you and nice to meet you!

Hey Jennifer! Congratulations, you'll be having surgery on my birthday! I'll be sure to say a special prayer for you that day. I was banded about 5 months ago. This is absolutely the best decision I've ever made regarding my health. I've lost 72 lbs so far and I feel so much better. Having started out at 330lbs, my exercise was a little limited. Now that I lost weight, it's much easier. I do not exercise like i should, but now that I feel so much better, I am going to start it back up again because I do think it is an important factor in this process. Before my surgery, I started practicing taking very small bites, chewing until my food was pureed, and not drinking with my meals. I think this really helped me after I was banded. These things have become second nature to me and I don't even notice them anymore. More than anything, this band has helped me with portion control. That is the one thing I could never do pre-band. Somewhere along the way, I have developed much healthier eating habits. After my surgery, I tried counting calories, tried low-carb, etc. Those worked temporarily for me, but now I find myself just trying to eat a healthy balanced meal and so far it is working. I still stay away from bread, mainly because I don't think I can stomach it. This is a "learn as you go" process and you'll soon find out what you can and cannot handle. Congratulations and good luck in your lapband journey!

Congratulations!!! You'll definitely make it. Good luck with the pre-op diet!

Hi everyone! Just thought I would post some progress pics. The first picture is me at 330lbs (sorry it's fuzzy) and the second picture is me at 260. All I have right now is a head shot, but I'll eventually do a full body shot. Me at 330lbs Me at 260lbs

Hi Sharon, it's nice to meet you! I a lucky PCOSer too! I actually didn't take metformin before I had the surgery. I went years untreated, which was probably a big mistake. I went to an Endo back in November and she put me on Actos plus Metformin, apparently it's both medicines in one pill. I have to take my pill at night because I am sooo tight in the mornings. I usually cut it up into about 3 pieces too! If you cut it up, just make sure you don't have the time-released pills. I really feel like the Actos Metformin has helped with my weight loss a lot. I am also blessed with facial hair :eek:. I shave everyday and it can be soooo depressing. From what most people have said, it may get a little better as you lose weight, but it probably won't stop all the way. There are a few who have gotten laser hair removal and that seems to be our best bet! Once I make it to goal, I am definitely getting laser hair removal!! Good luck with your surgery and nice to meet you!

If you can tolerate Pasta, this is a good healthy recipe you can feel good about eating. 1 box whole wheat pasta (spiral shaped) 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 small onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated 1 can diced tomatoes, drained a little 2 cans tomato sauce tomato paste (optional) about 1 cup of spinach, thaw and squeeze liquid out with a kitchen towel dried parsley and dried basil Parmesan cheese Cook pasta according to box instructions and drain. While pasta is cooking, in a sauce pan, heat oil and sautee onions until almost translucent. Grate in the garlic and let cook for a few minutes. Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir. Add squeezed spinach and stir together well. Add dried parsley and basil (to your taste) and stir. Let simmer for about 10 minutes. You can add some tomato paste if sauce is not thick enough. Add pasta to sauce mixture and stir. Add parmesan cheese and stir together well. Enjoy!

I use the store-bought kind. It's called Buitoni Pesto with Basil. It's very good and it's less work for me, lol!

Mine has went from 54.9 to 42.9! I haven't checked it in a while so I was really surprised!

Hey Brina! I count myself lucky, I didn't get hungry for at least 3 or 4 weeks (lots of swelling I guess). Other than your "earthquake" growls, how are you doing? Are you still in pain or anything?

Losing, I am soooo happy for you!!! You already look FAB and you haven't even healed. Congratulations!!! Take care of yourself and hope the fever goes down soon.

B'fast- Sugar free apple cider Lunch- 1/3c. cottage cheese, 3oz. light blackberry yogurt, 1 pkg. no sugar added diced peaches Snack- 7 almonds, 8 grapes, 3 strawberries Dinner- Bacon & cheese stuffed chicken breast

AllyKat I am so glad things are starting to look up for you. He is probably just scared and worried. It will pass, once he starts to see how much better you look and feel, he'll forget all about it. Hang in there, okay. You know, I couldn't drink broth by itself either. I absolutely hate it. I strained chicken noodle soup on liquids, so you should be okay. Once you get to the next stage of eating, you should feel more satisfied. I'm glad you are feeling better today, hang in there, it's gonna get better.

I liked that one better too! Never thought about the Rachael Ray thing.........but it's true, they did look alike!

A Saturday is okay with me as long as I can find someone to keep my son. My DH works almost every Saturday. I am fine with either one. Someone earlier had mentioned Tuesday's or Thursday's, but Saturday may work too. What does everyone else think, weeknight or Saturday?

AllyKat, if I could give you a great big hug, I would. How bout a cyber hug ((HUG)). Sorry you are having these feelings. These first few weeks are the hardest and I promise you, it does get better. You will most definitely be able to eat out once you are on solids again. We don't eat out as much as we used to (which used to be 6-7 times a week :w00t:), but we still eat out 1-2 times a week. The only difference is, I order healthier foods and I also have leftovers a lot. Nip is right, this is for your health. We all want to look better too. For me, I did this mainly because of health reasons, but I also did it so I would look better. My DH is freaked out by my port a little too, not because I am cut up or anything, because he can feel it. When I was first banded, I couldn't feel it all that much, but after losing weight, it is definitely more prominent. IMO, it's a small price to pay for becoming healthier. My DH has also always loved me and accepted me the way I was. We both knew that if I didn't do something now, I may not be around much longer. I hope once your DH sees how much healthier you are and how much weight you are losing, he'll change his mind. I think within a year's time, you'll both be happy with the decision you made. ((HUGS)), we are here for you.

My doctor recommends 3 meals and no Snacks as well, but I usually don't do that. I seem to do better with 4-5 very small meals. B- 9:00 L- 12:30 S- 3:00 D- 5:30 S- 8:00 (I only do this if I am truly hungry)

Losing, I'm soooo glad to hear your surgery went well! I'm soooo excited for you and I hope you have a speedy recovery. I can't wait to see pics too!!! ((HUGS))

I am way too tight in the mornings to eat. I usually have a low carb slim fast or a glass of skim milk with Moo Magic added to it. I am able to eat by lunch also.

I like to mix a 6oz. yoplait light yogurt (any flavor) with 1/2c. lowfat cottage cheese. I haven't tried mixing it with salsa, taco seasoning, or dry Jello mix, but it sounds really good!

B'fast- low carb slim fast Lunch- 1/4c. chicken salad Snack- 6oz. light strawberry yogurt, 1/2c. cottage cheese Dinner- 1/4c. chicken salad, 2 Roma tomatoes

I've heard of that one! I've also heard about a similar one where you spread different kinds of baby food in diapers and the guest try to figure out what flavor of baby food it is by smelling it. This would definitely make some colorful diapers, lol. Sounds gross, but could be interesting...........