orea15

Rutabagas? How does she cook them? Inquiring minds want to know...

Thanks so much! Your prayers are very appreciated. And I really needed them. :Dancing_wub: I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts! :Dancing_sorry:

I'll stick to primarily Protein and produce. Iamy stick to tyhe dark meat since it is moister, and I may not need gravy with it. I'll probably make some butternut squash, not sure what other veg I will make. With a little stuffing, maybe a quarter cup max. I don't think rolls and potatoes are worth it. Maybe I'll do the mashed cauliflower. Partly it depends on whether we have friends joining us. BTW, if you are cooking, I always put lots and lots of chopped veggies in my stuffing. Makes it moist and flavorful, cuts the calories, yummy!

Google it and you will find many sources. And you can compare prices! :Dancing_sorry:

I was on full liquids immediately after leaving the hospital. (I stayed overnight.) No problem. Each of us must follow our own surgeon's instructions. If we trust them to cut us open, we need to trust their directions. But keep it simple and slow and in small quantities. Start easy. And SLOW. See what you tolerate this early. If full liquids do bother you, it won't hurt to spend a few days on clears. The important thing is that you get liquids in to keep hydrated. Sip. sip, sip. Good luck!

They are probably concerned about you swallowing rubbery chunks of egg white. If you mash it all well with a fork and make egg salad I think you would be okay -- but if in doubt, clear it with your doc.

The thing to remember is, most people have no trouble with the band, particularly if they are vigialant about getting their fills, following most of the rules most of the time, and getting a speedy unfill if they do find they are too tight. You have every chance for success with the band, without the permanent malabsorption problems, and strictly regimented supplements for the rest of your life that go with bypass. I took the bypass class instead of the band class at the hospital (they signed me up for the wrong one) -- and I came out of it more convinced than ever that it was not the path for me. I'd rather do it more slowly and leave my digestive system intact.

When you get to goal. it won't matter a bit that you took a few more months to get there. It'll still be awesome, and you'll be there for the rest of your life. :tongue2: We are going to develop the virtue of patience whether we like it or not!

Wow! I've dropped seven pounds in eight days! I could just kiss Dr. Tran. :-D And better yet, no PBing, no problems eating (carefully) even in the morning. Just a subtle decrease in hunger level that allows me to not eat quite as much and as often. :tongue2::thumbup: I'll be darned, this thing actually works! :tt2:

Wooohooo! Congratulations! :thumbup:

Usually it is repeated vomiting that causes a band problem. So chances are you did no damage. Often "liquids in, liquids out" is the case, unfortunately. And many protein shakes can cause that side effect.

33 pounds is really great! The expected weight loss is 1-2 pounds a week. You are well above that. Men lose faster. That is a sad fact of life. Don't compare yourself to him and make your self miserable. You have accomplished a lot! Way more than I have since my banding 7/30.

Stress does tend to tighten us up. {{{hugs}}}

In a weird for m of reverse psychology, we actually bought full sized candy bars for the trick or treaters, and DH got Them a month early! What with all my hunger and cravings, I never touched them until the box was opened on Halloween. I could have justified a mini bar, but never a huge one! They scared the hell out of me, so I was able to resist no matter how they called my name. On Halloween evening, I made a conscious decision to have two candy bars. I didn't enjoy them, they were good but not that good. i didn't get sick afterward, but I didn't feel all that great either. I had not had sweets in any quantity for quite some time, and my body told me in no uncertain terms it did not appreciate them. That was what I wanted to know. Message received. The next day, my stupid body still asked for more sugar regardless, but fortunately the candy had gone with DH to work, to poison the rest of the staff! :thumbup:

That might be a factor. I was only told to do 24 hours of liquids with my first fill, 4cc. in my 10cc band, by Dr. Halmi. The second time, last week, Dr. Tran added another 2 cc. and said 48 hours. This made sense to me because I was definitely tighter, and I couls see how my stomach might object to the sudden squeeze.

It is to give your stomach time to adjust to the new pressure on it. Your flesh may get irritated and swell up a bit initially, so you don't want to irritate it further, or get stuck possibly, by eating something too challenging too soon. That said, when your 48 hours are up, and I was practically counting the minutes:wink_smile:, take it slowly. Each new fill level is a learning experience, so it behooves us to be cautious and start with the relatively easy stuff at first, to see what we can now tolerate. I kind of enjoyed my two day sojourn with yogurt and protein drinks, etc. And I dropped a couple of pounds of water from the lack of sodium in my food choices. :laugh:

Eating sweets and simple carbs definitely turns up the throttle on hunger and cravings for me. That's the whole crux of my hunger problem post-Optifast. Part of it is a screamng craving for carbs -- not the good ones! The only way I know how to deal with it is to allow myself to eat when I need to, but I must choose protein/veggies/beans and the like. I have known for years that I cannot tolerate eating fruit by itself. I must accompany it with protein or fiber no matter what the food combining people say. As long as it takes to get the weird gnawing starvation sensation to go away. Before the band, I used to eat huge chef salads, but I can't do that now. I have no choice but to hang on and ride it out no matter how long it takes, but believe you me, it makes me very careful about what I eat, pretty much always. Things are getting better. I'm trying to graze less, but it is hard. I have added a second ticker to differentiate between pre- and post- band weight loss. I thought that might make things clearer.

What are you eating, how long does it satisfy you, and have you been going in regularly for fills?

As one of my psych professors loved to say, "Correlation is not causation!" You know what you need to do to eat healthy. Don't kid yourself. Orea

One of the biggest mistakes we can make, is not going back to the doctor because we didn't lose, or gained weight. That is when we need them most! Good luck.

Just about anything you can run through a blender and get a mushy consistency. I don't recommend it, but I've heard of people blending lasagna and a Whopper Jr.! Better choices include things like egg, chicken or tuna salad pureed with low fat or fat free mayo, cottage cheese, applesauce, pureed bean Soup or low fat chili or stew. Or how about some low fat quiche with soft things added? Once I treated myself to some soft Stouffer's mac & cheese, but again, that wasn't the best thing. (I was on mushies for 3 weeks so I needed a break that day.) My dietician also allows a few saltines or club crackers, as they pretty much turn to mush in your mouth. She is also pretty lenient about foods, as long as you chew them to applesauce consistency. Hope this helps!

That's good news!

Great work!

Vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet. The basis of our eating should be Protein AND produce. After that come high Fiber carbs and two servings of low fat dairy. I started eating this way before banding -- lots of veggies! --I lost 67 pounds and never felt better. Frankly I am shocked at how many people here aren't eating vegetables. IMHO they are making a huge mistake. After all, this supposed to be about our health....

Remember, the first six weeks are really about healing, not losing. Some folks don't lose until they have a fill or two or three.