shortgal

How about a turkey meatloaf? Ground meat is generally inexpensive and the ground turkey is healthier than ground beef. Easy to reheat leftovers and makes a nice sandwich for the kids or hubby's lunch.

Part of the bloodwork might be LFT test, which is liver function test. an elevated level could indicate a fatty liver. If you have been following the diet carefully and that was a small slip up, you should be fine! Good luck on your surgery.

That's me exactly, Years ago I was five feet and 1/2 inch, I must have shrunk! LOL You have a low goal weight, Not low for your (our) height but low in general. I didn't set my goal low because I dont know if I can realistically acheive and more importantly maintain it. I never weighed less than 128 in my adult life and I was MUCH younger then! Even my Dr told me 150 or 160 is reasonable and I keep reminding him how short I am. a lot will depend on how tight we are willing to be and how much exercise we'll be willing to do... so for me... 140 is much more realistic and honestly, even that number worries me. Did you once weigh as low as 120 as an Adult?

I put it in my flavored Water, like propel or Special K Protein water and I don't know it's in there, at all. It can't hurt to try and I am much improved. Prior to banding, apples, whole wheat bread, nuts and popcorn were my fiber foods of choice, so I had to find something else. The high protein is a killer! I use half of the recommended daily dose and feel much better.

sleep position should only be a temporary problem. some people sleeep in a recliner for a few nights when they first get home, but if you're taking a few days off from work, an afternoon nap will help with any night time sleep deficit. the constipation is a problem, but in the first couple weeks many people are on liquids only, so you will not have much as far as solid material in your colon. Pain meds given at the hospital can cause constipation and Vitamins with too much Iron can bind you as well. Discuss this problem with your surgeon for a solution and remember less food in, less poop out. I now use benefiber regularly, not just if I feel stopped up, as by then, it's too late. I add one teaspoon twice a day to my bottle of Water. Directions say 2 tps twice a day. I only need half that, maybe you'll need the full dose.. A dose of Miralax also helped me a few weeks after surgery before I started the benefiber. Actually, it worked a little too well. All these little problems can be worked out and overall with time, you'll be healthier than ever! P.S. I had acid reflux and had a hiatal hernia that was fixed during surgery and no more reflux now! Your reflux might be greatly improved by a change in your diet. Discuss all this with the surgeon, he'll advise you.

Everyone ends up to be different once post op restriction is acheived. Just like every one has certain likes and dislikes with food. Banders are advised to stay away from carbonated beverages, like soda, beer, seltzer. Some banders can eat chicken, some can't, some eat beef, some can't. Sometimes those same foods will go down depending on the cooking method. If you can't tolerate grilled steak, you might be able to have shredded beef with a little gravy, so it's not dry. It can also depend on how much you are willing to go slow and chew the food. The pureed food is a post op stage of eating, generally during the first few weeks. I cant tolerate regular food pureed, so I just stayed on the full liquid stage a little longer and progressed to soft food and then regular food. Bread is another food that is often mentioned as difficult, but toasted many people can tolerate it. And oranges and grapefruits becasue of the membranes, but I'll bet the mandarin oranges in the can would go down for most people. We just experiment with foods and see which ones work. One recent post was by a woman who says she just can't get bananas to stay down. Hope that helps explain. Read through more threads and you can do a search and you'll find lots of info.

Hey Tyman, you and Trixie have the same goal weight. We are definitely the shorties here, at 4 feet 10 and me at 5 feet even and Trixie at 5 feet 2! You're doing very well on weight loss. Your surgery date was close to mine, but your ahead of me on weight loss. And you haven't even been exercising??? You'll be at goal in no time, if you start. I'm gonna give credit to, it on the fact that you're younger than me.... that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!! LOL this fill feels closer, so far, to my first sweet spot, so maybe a few pounds will fall off a little quicker for me.

I have a dress in the closet, that I never wore. It is about five years old, but brand new! LOL. I want to fit into it!!!!! Not sure I will ever wear it once it fits, as I'm not sure, I'll still like the style after all this time. But I am keeping it until it does fit and then I hope it eventually gets too big. I'll be sure to post, if I get into one day!

That is so funny, I was just about to look up the calories as well. I knew it had to more more than 500 calories You can look up nutritional info online for most major fast food places. Later on, it can help you make better choices if you stop there occassionally.

Benefiber is my new best friend! I add one teaspoon to my Water twice a day and what a nice improvement! Can't taste it at all!

I take a chewable Vitamin from GNC and a chewable Calcium also from GNC. One of the two, recommends two a day, but I just take one each. I get Vitamins from food and some of the bottled Water I drink. They are flavored but kind of sweet.

My Dr. wants two days of full liquids followed by two days of soft food. Previous fills I have done full liquids the day of fill and then full liquids up to dinner the second day and then I try something soft for dinner. This last fill, my stomach feels tighter, just sort of a "feeling" in the midriff area, so I'm following the full liquids for the full two days and I will proceed carefully tomorrow. Maybe I have a little swelling around the band from the fill, not sure, but it feels different and I plan on listening to my body. I also haven't been that hungry. I think at each progressive fill as we get closer to restriction, common sense says to pay attention to our bodies. If your body says it's hungry, you probably don't have good restriction yet and if you did, your body would most likely have sent you the message by sending the sandwich back to you promptly. The one or two days on liquids generally has the added benefit of a pound or two lost for me!

Wow, you're tall!!! LOL I'm only 5"0'. I dont even dream of a goal weight less than 130 and have listed my official goal as 140. Even if I could get to 130, I don't know that I could maintain it. I just don't know I want to work hard enough to get and stay there. But you seem to be working very hard, so for you it might be doable. Have you ever weighed that as an adult? I was never lower and maintaining less than 128 ever. And I was much younger! I had suggested another challenge. Like Valentine's Day to St Patrick's Day or to Easter.

What was your surgery date? I looked back and found it, you were banded one day after me! For the ticker, go to ticker site and copy the ticket itself and then go back to lap band forum and at the top tabs pick the one that says "my account" and then you can paste it into your signature. Each time you update the ticker, it will update on the forum. OH, YOU GOT IT. I JUST SAW IT POP UP!

I hate the head hunger. I can walk through the kitchen and not even be hungry at all until I see a banana sitting there Or I open the cabinet to get my Vitamins and see the nuts... all of a sudden I am craving both of them. The visual clues... that's what marketing is all about. Why do you think diners have those clear glass, revolving displays loaded with Desserts? And the big supermarkets that have their own bakeries inside. I mean what smells better, a loaf of bread baked yesterday sitting in a clear wrapper or a freshly baked loaf just out of the oven? These are all ways we are enticed to overeat. No wonder we needed the band!

Trixie: 16 pounds since the beginning of the Challenge? That is incredible. Notice you have a low goal weight. Are you short, like me? I hope I have some restriction now and maybe next challenge, I can post double digits!

You could explain to your Dr. that you would like to know in case of emergency. If you had a problem and had to go to an ER someplace, you'd know how much is in your band and could tell an ER dr. Or if you were traveling and had a problem, same thing. This is the reason I want to know how much I have in my band. Tell him it's kind of like going to another Dr. that asks what medicines you take and you'd have to say "i don't know my Dr. didn't tell me". Now that's not right. an educated patient is the best patient in my opinion. We have to use the information we gain about something wisely and not to convince Dr;s to do something that isn't in our best interest. They will most likely always know more about the subject that we do, but there could be very valid reasons for us to have certain info. The Dr. might be worried you want to compare your fill amount with other people and ask for more than you need, so letting him/her know why you want the info might be helpful.

Jill, I'm finding I'm not very hungry again today after fill yesterday. My Dr. wants me on full liquids for two days. Usually I do that the day of fill and then by dinner the second day, I try something soft for dinner, but this time I'm not sure I'm ready to do that for dinner tonight. I might have to stay on liquids all day. I don't feel very hungry. I had one Atkins shake and one bottle of Water. It could be just swelling around the band from the fill OR Maybe I'm at my first sweet spot! WENDY: I'm at 5 cc's, too, since fill yesterday. Still on liquids, so we'll see tomorrow when I try soft food first, how it goes down! I'll remember not to eat fried food when drunk! But if I'm drunk would I remember to remember? ______________________________________________________________ I am finding that the first few bites I take are the most important ones to go really slow with and the next few get a little easier. It's almost like I have to "prime" the band to open and expect food to come in. Anyone else notice this? If i mess up the first few bites, I'm more likely to get stuck and then the meal is over. So, the first couple bites are tiny, chewed well and slow.

Glad you got the help you needed and see the Dr WAS willing to help with the fills. You didn't gain as much as you thought either! You're back on track. Now go slow once you start back on solid foods, small bites, chewed well and you'll do fine. Good for you for taking action. I'll bet your post helps someone else struggling, too.

Six months to wait for your first fill is a long time, but there are lots of factors. The size of your band, whether your surgeon put any fill in at time of surgery and then your weigh loss and your hunger. If the food you are eating is satisfying you between meals, then I think you're doing great. If you find you are hungry between meals, then you might need a fill sooner. Are you tracking your daily calories and Protein intake? You might want to do that for a few days to see where you are. Now that you've lost 31 pounds, remember it takes less food to maintain your lower weight, so without giving up your protein, you might want to evaluate, if your 2 Protein shakes could be lower in calories. Can you subsitute one of them for a lower calorie Protein Drink? For example: One can of Atkins Advantange shake (less than a tall glass) is 160 calories, but a glass the same size of Isopure clear would be about 80 calories and over twice the protein. Sometimes a small decrease in calories and a larger intake of protein is enough to get the scale to move again.

Silver: Now you're taking control! Way to go! The RIGHT restriction (not too tight, not too lose) is attainable. Remember, each time you lose some weight the band might need another adjustment, so use your hunger between meals as a guide and as little as .5 cc fill can make the difference. Be sure to check back in with us in a few weeks and let us know how it's going.

Able to post 1.5 pounds down, not a huge loss, but I'm happy with it! I was so conservative with my goal because I know I'm a slow loser, but the band has really helped me to stay on track. I think now I can make it to 191 by Valentine's day, and finally get to a total weight loss of 25 pounds. Waiting to see all the amazing results you guys will post again this week. Name.................Start.....Current....Goal....To Go TxArcher............360.......346..........345....1 Shortgal.............198.......192.6.......192.....1/2 (now I'm aiming for 191)

Here's the update on my fill. liquids went down yesterday, with no problem and I'm surprised that I kind of felt full after them. And really wasn't very hungry. I mean it's just liquid which goes through the pouch anyway, but I think what I feel is some swelling from the fill. Question is will that tightness stay? If it loosens up right away, then I guess I'll be hungry again between meals. I'll know better in a few days, I guess. Bottom line is, I woul prefer not to be too tight, but I would love the feeling of being satisfied longer between meals. Steph: Yes, I have that love/hate relationship with the fills, too! The learning curve after each one can be frustrating. Trying teeny, tiny bites of everything to figure out what goes down and what doesn't, all over again! The best part of the fills for me is, being on the full liquids for two days, generally gives me at least two low calorie days that week, which results in weight loss and because I fear getting stuck, I am so careful with everything I eat once I start solid food, so that keeps my food intake low as well. Maybe this is really just weight loss thru FEAR! LOL.

You can count me as a daily weigher, too! I need lots of accountability! Lots of different ways to get to the same place, as long as we get there, gang, we're ok!

Good way to look at it. Mine is about 11% of my starting weight and yeah I definitely feel better. Oh, don't get worried, I know it's not a race, just a saying, and really as long as I finish, I'm ok! I lost 30 pounds a few years ago, the most I think I've ever lost (of course I gained half back before being banded) but I just want to pass that 30 pound mark. I am still lower than I was when I lost the 30 pounds, so that's a great victory. We're all on our way and doing our personal best.