2muchfun

Cazzy, have you really lost 237 lbs? OMG! And in 1.5 years? You're my new hero! Screw those guys going up Mt Everest. What you've done has got to be harder? tmf

Read the label. I've never had a low carb Protein shake but I'd bet they taste bad? The higher carb ones taste awful.JMO. Low or no carb means just that. You really can't screw up and drink or eat anything with carbs in it. Just make sure you read the label. tmf

Like a kid waiting for Xmas morning eh? We get it. Been there. tmf

I ate mesquite smoked turkey deli slices. They're quite soft. Also some ham as long as it wasn't dry. tmf

I too went on pureed about 4 days after surgery. If you can't eat the pureed yet, substitute a Protein shake and count it as a portion of your liquids. Here's a manual the Grandma(her handle here) posted. http://www.peachtreebariatrics.com/docs/Gastric-Band-Patient-Manual.pdf Now, this is a manual by a different doctor and you should follow your own doctors advice but this is a basic outline that many of us followed. tmf

Looks like we're the only ones around tonight Maddie. Man I love fast food. I know it's crap, but a big juicy bacon cheeseburger and fries. Yum. And taco bell, love it. A footlong subway double meat!!!! But, everything in moderation eh? Tell yourself you'll reward yourself once a month with a trip to a fast food shack and get back on track with eating right. You don't want to spend money buying fat clothes again do you? If you did it in 2011 you can do it in 2012. Richard Bach (Jonathan Livingston Seagull) wrote a book called "Illusions". Here's one of my favorite quotes from his book, and I highly recommend it for bandsters. "Ask for your limitations and they're yours". In other words, If you say you can't, you won't. Enjoy the rest of your holiday and eat right K? tmf

Here's a pamphlet that may help and I agree with gotto. Seminars are great. Go to as many as you can to find the surgeon who fits you the best. Click here: http://www.peachtreebariatrics.com/docs/Gastric-Band-Patient-Manual.pdf tmf

You are still in the healing phase of your journey and shouldn't be worrying about weight loss just yet. How can you be stalled when you've lost 11 lbs in 3 weeks? And stalled to most of us would be one month with no downward movement. You are doing just as well as most anyone who posts here so continue on as you are. You can only expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week after your stomach heals. And even then there will be weeks when you may not lose weight. tmf

I've had 6 unfortunately. As long as you feel like you're satisfied after eating a small meal and that satiety remains for 3-4 hours, why rock the boat? If you're already in the green zone wait till next week and cancel the fill? Or, go in and brag how well you're doing? tmf

OK, so I had to peek. Wow, I'm so jealous, I was banded two weeks after you and look how well you've done. I may be stepping out of turn here but where the hell did your butt go? It's like you just shaved it off. tmf

Dumb rule but the best way is to go on Atkins. Most of the weight will be excess fluids but if it makes your Dr happy so be it. Plus, you won't starve to death since you can eat a lot of Protein. It's only 3 weeks so you may not miss the carbs all that much. 2nd option would be Paleo. Nothing white in your diet. No flour, no sugar and no dairy. But for the quickest amount of weight loss(not necessarily fat loss) would be atkins. imo tmf

Hang in there. It will happen. tmf

This may sound corny Eli but this is a song lyric from the Doobie Bros from back in the late 1980 that always kept me from giving up: From the song, One by One... album, One Step Closer Even when you're close to a dream It can still let you down You'll always have a chance to give up So why do it now tmf

Severe cravings but do you get restriction or satisfaction after a small meal? I have too much restriction and can't eat much but I'm still hungry most of the time. tmf

How many calories are you consuming a day? If you don't know you might want to keep a journal? If you keep gaining weight, what kinds of food are you eating? tmf

This is not uncommon. Much will depend on what you eat but the bottom line is this: Many if not most bandsters have surgery and lose a few lbs after surgery. 2 weeks after surgery you may enter bandster hell where you're hungrier than a May bear. It's all you can do to not gain weight during this stage of your journey. Usually 4-8 weeks out you will get a fill. This may or may not give you enough restriction to slow down your drive to eat lots of food you shouldn't be eating. By now many bandsters will have plateaued and are concerned they are doing something wrong. Maybe they are? For many of us the road to restriction and satiety can be 3-10 fills and 3-12 months and losing weight depends on how good a dieter you are? I lost 12 lbs after surgery(I had no pre-surgery diet) and then plateaued for 3 months. Remember, it's still a diet till there's restriction. And you said nothing about restriction or how much or what you are eating? tmf

You may have restriction simply because of the swelling. Most of us realize some sort of restriction right after surgery and usually within 2 weeks the swelling goes down and then it's bandster hell for a few weeks/months. X your fingers and hope you're one of the few lucky ones who needs no fills? tmf

Banded, Slime is when you take a large bite, or don't chew and the food is struggling to go through your esophogus and pouch. You'll feel a lot of pressure around your diaphragm and some discomort. Your body secretes a thick slippery mucous to aid the food through your stomach but sometimes it backs up into your throat and it's not a bad idea to visit a sink or toilet nearby to remove it. It's disgusting and after a few episodes you may not want to go back there again. It's not a good idea to try to swallow this stuff as it only adds more pressure on your pouch and can increase the pain. Spitting slime out relieves the pressure and the discomfot/pain that comes with it. tmf

Pain meds like oxycodone can cause your digestive track to slow down to a halt with some people. I already knew this before having surgery so I skipped the powerful pain meds and went without. tmf

shakes are sliders, you shouldn't still be drinking your food unless the Dr orders it. I lost 12 lbs my first month and then nothing for the next 3 months. It's not unusual unless you're in the green zone already? How many calories do you consume per day and how much are you exercising? tmf BTW-For those of you who are new here, it helps the rest of us if you fill out your profile so we know when you started and where you are in your journey. Also, adding the ticker is instructive.

If you want to prepare for the band, cut out the fat free ice cream, milk(1/2 maybe?), cheese(1oz tops), Pasta, soup, wraps. Once you have the band and reach the green zone you probably won't be able to eat most of that stuff. If you eat 1800 calories a day you may lose but very very slowly. salad is fine as long as it's not mostly iceberg lettuce. Spinach and darker greens have much more nutrition than plain lettuce. LIke someone said earlier, we all eat much less than 1800. I eat about 1200-1400 but I'm very active and exercise about 45 mnutes a day. tmf

Slime, not slim. Sliming not slimming. tmf

Anthem BCBS out of PA.

I have bcbs but I like bsbs much better.

I don't get it?