JulieNYC

Hi all! I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian. Vegetarian foods are great with the band. I've had no problems at all yet (knock on wood). I do a lot of stirfry. Firm tofu, snap peas, Water chestnuts & carrots cooked with Pam for about 5 minutes is quick and simple. I eat 3-4 Morningstar chicken patties a week as well. Taco salad with Morningstar crumbles and black Beans is another favorite. I've been cooking a lot more since banding, which is great for the pocketbook and the waistline! Let's keep this thread going. It's hard to find a good vegetarian bandster support system. Take care,

Karen, For my esophogram, the technician flavored the barium. I chose chocolate and though I'd never volunteer to drink the stuff, it was palatable. I wouldn't even call it "choking it down" -- it just wasn't that bad. The whole thing lasted about 45 seconds and you don' gulp continuously. It's a swallow "click", you turn, take another swallow "click", you turn, a third time and it's over. I bet I only drank a shotglass full -- certainly not the whole 8 oz cup they mixed for me. Good luck!

Well, I had my first fill yesterday and BOY was it time. I'd been so hungry and able to eat absolutely everything and in large quantity. I tried not to, but I didn't always succeed. I have a VG band (holds 10+ cc's) and they gave me 6.2 (it had 4 in it from surgery, so it was an additional 2.2). I'm on liquids/mushies for 2 days, so I don't really know how this adjustment feels yet. For any of you who are worried about the fill process, it was NOTHING. I'm not sure I'd have even felt it if the NP hadn't said "you might feel a pinch." It was less pain than pulling an eyebrow hair. I'm down 26 lbs -- would have been more were it not for all the nachos :heh: I ate last week. I'm off to the gym tonight to make amends. Take care all,

I'm definitely afraid to be thin, but not so afraid that I'm not giving it my all at the moment. Part of my obesity definitely stems from a fear of the attention I get when I'm thin. I don't like walking down the street and having men leer at me, shout things, etc. One of the few upsides of obesity (at least sometimes it's an upside) is anonymity. It's not the only factor of my weight problem, but it's one of them. I also greatly identify with the posts that suggest it will be difficult to live life without having the fat to blame for your problems or to provide you with an easy excuse for not doing things. It's been a scapegoat for me for too long.

I'm doing great amourette, thanks for asking. I ordered a scale off Ebay and it should be delivered today, so I can't wait to start weighing. I had lost 18 lbs (including the pre-op diet) as of my 10 day post-surgery appointment, but I think it must be more by now. I don't go back to the doc until May 30th, which seems like forever. At least it's finally THIS month! Other mushie ideas -- 1/3 can of vegetarian refried beans with enchalada sauce mixed in is YUM. Also Total Yogurt (all the rage on the east coast of the US right now) tastes like sour cream and has 16 grams of protein, 80 cals and no fat. It's my new favorite food. Also, for those who have a Trader Joe's in town (a grocery store), don't miss out on the Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper soup that comes in a box. It's the most fabulous 100 calories & 5 grams of protein I know of! Finally, last night I boiled a head of cauliflower, mixed in a Total yogurt and 2 servings of fat free cheese. Blenderized it (in my Magic Bullet -- love that thing), put it in a casserole dish and broiled it for 5 minutes. YUM and only 50 cals for 1/5 of the dish, which is more than I could eat.

When I get to 299, I'm getting a kick@ss haircut at a super fancy salon. Might be as soon as next month! When I get to 249 I'm getting 2 placesettings of my china that I can't really afford but love. When I get to 199 I'm getting the watch I'll wear for the rest of my life (I don't have it picked out yet). When I get to 149, I'm taking a 2 week vacation to Fiji. Wahoo! It's all very materialistic, but it keeps me thinking about the future and not being so caught up in the LOOONNNNGGG journey ahead of me.

Teresita! That is so exciting!!! Congratulations on entering the threes!

I had my lap band placed on 4/10/06 at NYU and I had a BMI of 64. It was a textbook perfect surgery and I was voluntarily back at work 3 days later. As I understand it, the increased risk is with the anesthesia. My doc had done at least 250 people larger than me, so I believe it's absurd for someone to tell you you can't be banded due to your size. Follow the pre-op diet religiously (assuming they give you one) to reduce the risks of surgery. Good luck,

At 245 I don't think you'll need an extender. But if you do (as I do), all you have to do is ask for it once. Then "borrow" it and travel with it until you're smaller. Then leave it on the plane the first time you fly and don't need it. We all know that stealing is wrong, but I can't tell you how much easier carrying my own extender makes traveling for me. For me, it was worth it (and I'll return it to Delta in a few lbs!)

Hi April Bandits! I'm Julie in NYC and I was banded on April 10th at NYU. It's been a breeze so far, except for being hungry. For those on liquids, I highly recommend tomato soup with cottage cheese run through a blender. I'm not a cottage cheese fan because I don't like the consistency, but it works well and keeps you fairly full when run through the blender. Also, for anyone battling shoulder pain, I found that one of those "IcyHot" Patches that you get at the drug store, peel the backing off and stick it on the shoulder worked WONDERS. After 2 applications, my shoulder was perfect again. I move to solid food on Thursday and I'm nervous about it because I want to lose weight and I know that will be hard on solids with no fill until May 30th. Take care and keep in touch,

Molly, I think you're spot on with your theory on scale accuracy. I'm hoping to get past that with my new scale purchase that guarantees accuracy for weights more than 100 lbs more than me. Time will tell as it's supposed to arrive on Wed. Take care,

Julie-NYC's Gone for Good Club Spring Challenge Hi all, I'm new to the band and new to the group. This sounds like fun! I was banded on 4/10 by Dr. Fielding at NYU. I'm down 18 lbs and looking to make the most of my first 6 months. I can't think of a better way than through this challenge! Take care, Julie-NYC Points earned for Rule 1 For each day that you drink a minimum of 64oz of Water, you earn 1 point. You may earn a bonus of 5 points for a perfect month. 4-26_n/a_4-27_1__4-28_1__4-29_1_4-30_1__5-01_1__5-02__1__5-03_1__Week's Total__7__ 5-04__1__5-05__1__5-06__1__5-07__1__5-08__1__5-09__1__5-10__1__Week's Total__7__ 5-11_1___5-12__1__5-13__1__5-14__1__5-15__1__5-16__1__5-17_1___Week's Total__7__ 5-18_7___5-19__1__5-20__1__5-21__1__5-22__1__5-23__1__5-24_1___Week's Total__7__ 5-25__1__5-26__1__5-27__1__5-28__1__5-29__1__5-30__1__5-31__1__Week's Total__7__ Bonus earned_____Grand Total____35__ Points earned for Rule 2 For each day that you exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes, you earn 2 points. You may earn a bonus of 5 points for a perfect month. 4-26_n/a_4-27__0__4-28__0__4-29__2__4-30__2__5-01_2__5-02__0__5-03__0__Week's Total__6__ 5-04__0__5-05__0__5-06__2_5-07__2_5-08__0_5-09__0_5-10__0__Week's Total__4__ 5-11_0___5-12__0__5-13__2__5-14__0__5-15__0__5-16__2__5-17_2___Week's Total__6__ 5-18__0__5-19_2___5-20__0__5-21__2__5-22__2__5-23__2__5-24_0___Week's Total__8__ 5-25__2__5-26__2__5-27__2__5-28__2__5-29_2___5-30__2__5-31__2__Week's Total__14__ Bonus earned_____Grand Total___38__ Points earned for Rule 3 For each day that you do not eat foods that contain flour or sugar, you earn 3 points. (sugar substitutes are allowed) You may earn a bonus of 5 points for a perfect month. 4-26_n/a_4-27__3__4-28__3__4-29__3__4-30_3__5-01_3__5-02__3__5-03__0__Week's Total_18__ 5-04__0__5-05__3_5-06__3_5-07__0_5-08__3_5-09__3_5-10__0__Week's Total__12__ 5-11__0__5-12__0__5-13__0__5-14__0__5-15__0__5-16__0__5-17_0___Week's Total__0__ 5-18__0__5-19__0__5-20__3__5-21__3__5-22__3__5-23__3__5-24_3___Week's Total__15__ 5-25__3__5-26__3__5-27__3__5-28__3__5-29__3__5-30__3__5-31__3__Week's Total__21__ Bonus earned_____Grand Total___66___ Points earned for Weight loss For each pound that you lose during the challenge, you earn 1 point Beginning weight 4-26: 340 Weigh-in weight 5-3: 334 Weigh-in weight 5-10: 332 Weigh-in weight 5-17: 332 Weigh-in weight 5-24: 329 Ending weight 5-31: 326 Total lost during challenge: 14 Total points earned for Rule 1: 35 Total points earned for Rule 2: 38 Total points earned for Rule 3: 66 Total points earned for weight loss: 14 Total Challenge points earned: 153 (or 158 if I get the bonus for Rule 1, which I did every day including the first day, but I hadn't seen and signed up for the challenge yet!)

I love this thread so much that I just had to make what is my first post on this forum. Yea for a place for people who have more than a pesky little 100 lbs to lose! My name is Julie and I was banded on 4/10/06 at NYU. My start weight was 358, I'm 5'2, which is a BMI of 65.5. I am down to 340 as of last Friday -- probably lower now but I'm trying not to scale obsess. Speaking of scales, I just ordered one that goes to 440 on Ebay for a reasonable price. The same company has one that goes to 540 as well. Search for "obesity scales" if you're interested and once mine arrives, I'll post on how accurate I find it to be.... For now, I don't notice a lot of changes since banding. I'm quite hungry but sticking to my mushies and 1000 cals/day. I've got my first fill scheduled for May 30. The only change I have noticed at all (which is actually kind of a big one) is that I don't break out in a sweat with simple movement any more. A few months ago even walking 2 or 3 blocks with friends would get my temperature up, despite serious time at the gym. Now, even though winter is over, I don't seem to be having that problem. I can't wait to be able to fly comfortably. My family is a long way away and I'd like to see them more often and not have to worry about always planning ahead enough to make sure I have an aisle seat. Take care all, Julie-NYC