jmegirl

hahah "sticky saran wrap" - i love it! that's all i had on my 5 incisions. i was instructed to peel them off, left to right, at 7 days post-op. since i was an out-of-town patient i had to remove them myself because i wasn't going to fly back to the surgeon to have him remove them. anyways, i was scared to do it (i'm a wuss) and ended up waiting 10 days to remove them. they just peel right off, albeit they are really sticky and it will take a little force to peel them off totally, but after 7 days you should be good to go. certainly your surgeon gave you instructions on when to remove them? if not, call and ask.

i've always just gotten the chai tea. gosh i love that stuff. but now i think i'll try that cinnamon dolce skinny latte thing you're talkin about! :drool: gonna go compare calories... EDIT: when you say skinny, do you mean nonfat milk? also, do you ask for sugar-free syrup? it says a tall cinnamon dolce latte with nonfat milk and sugar-free syrup is only 90 calories!!!

Would you put water in your new car's gas tank and drive around? :drool:

I have found the 42g liquid protein bullets to be really helpful. They are 3 ounces and about 170cals. No sugars or carbs. Granted, they're a little bit thicker in consistency than water, and they taste like a cross between Crystal Light and Dimetapp cough syrup - but they work for me! I have a Protein shake for Breakfast, half the protein bullet for lunch (in one quick swig) and the other half of the protein bullet at dinner time (in another quick swig). They're a little expensive, but it helps me get my protein in each day without having to drink so many 8oz Protein shakes. Once I'm able to move on to solids, I imagine I won't use the bullets as much since I'll be able to eat mostly food to get my protein (my doctor recommends you get as much solid protein as possible once you're able). In stores, they're about $3.50/ea. I did a lot of research before I bought them online, and this website is the cheapest I found them. I've had both Grape and Fruit Punch, and I won't say they're great, but they get the job done. :drool: Ids New whey Liquid Protein 42 Gram Grape - 12 Btls by IDS at DPS Nutrition - The Nation's leader in Discount Nutrition They just came out with a multi-pack, which is 4 of each flavor (Grape, Fruit Punch, Orange) so that seems like a good deal if you want a few flavors.

I'm glad you're taking the rest home to blend it up. I can't believe you would try to eat chicken and rice! :drool: We were banded the same day, and I can't say I would risk eating something like that today. Rice isn't considered a mushy according to my doctor.

No apologies! I've seen longer! :drool:

Hi CL! I was banded 11/5. I had two weeks of Full Liquids, one week of Mushy/Puree (which I started yesterday) and then one week of Soft food before being let loose in the world! My first fill is currently scheduled for Dec. 5th. :drool:

YAY I'm glad you enjoyed it! That's the good thing about recipes - you can mix and match and make your own creation. :drool:

In completely non-food related news - I can't stop burping!!!! Am I drinking too fast? The burping doesn't actually bother me, it's just annoying. I'm drinking Crystal Light, but that can't be the culprit. What's up - any ideas??? I had thought it was bad to burp during the first few weeks, because of healing and all that jazz. :drool:

Oh, they make low carb ketchup now and it's actually good! Aside from the obvious not-as-sweet flavor (which isn't a bad thing), I can't tell a difference! :drool: That settles it, I'm having scrambled eggs for dinner. Oooooh, and I'm gonna throw in some chopped peppers and onions just for flavor. And cheese! I'm on mushies, so I promise to chew chew chew those veggies. Or should I skip them and give my tummy a break? GOSH I can't wait to be on solids - I want a big leafy green salad like you wouldn't believe!

Oh my, I just realized how far away NY is from CO! Duh. How are you going to handle that? My mom had crazy empty-nest syndrome when I moved into my dorm at NC State, and I was only a 20mins drive from home! You poor thing! Food Network is fabulous. I just love watching Rachael Ray and Paula Dean. Paula's southern accent just gives me the giggles. And I swear, it's like almost everything she makes is deep-fried! :tt1: The other night she made these sweet potato balls, with a marshmallow center and covered in shredded coconut. :drool: Now, I'm on mushies and I could definitely eat that - but in all honesty, I've not been craving sweets at all since being banded. Even ice cream and sherbert, which would go down easily, just aren't appealing to me. This band is a miracle worker! :w00t:

WOW, the Culinary Institute in NY??? That's freaking awesome!!!! Give her a big old hug for me!!! I have been addicted to the Food Network lately. If I can't eat a lot of food, then at least I can watch all those TV shows that show how to prepare really awesome meals! Tonight, I'm having some refried beans for dinner I think. Though I have some tuna salad left so I might have to eat that. And I still haven't tried scrambled eggs with ketchup!!! (Does that sound gross to you guys? LOL) Gosh, I have all these leftovers, and I can't eat them all. HAH! Who would ever have thought that would happen??? You poor thing Dee, I'm so sorry about the bank situation. Is there any way for you to get that money back?? Is it going to take forever? It's the Holidays for crying out loud, how can they let someone do this to you??

Dr. K had performed like 420 lap band procedures when I talked to him during my consult in October. At this point he's probably closer to 450. And with only 3 erosion/slippage scenarios, I'd say that's pretty good!!! :thumbup: YAY for no leaks, but BOO for your husband losing his job. I'm so sorry! I hope things work out for you, keep us posted!

Hi Ginny, I just wanted to touch on one thing you mention. You talk about food issues. I have to share my dinner experience tonight. I was banded two weeks ago yesterday, which meant that today was my first day with something beyond full liquids. I was so happy to finally be at that point post-op, so I actually cheated and started last night. Anyways, for breakfast this morning I had Weight Control banana bread oatmeal. I was soooo enjoying it, but after like 4 bites, I was full. Oh well, I threw the rest away, but was sorta bummed I couldn't finish it. Lunch time rolled around and I had some creamy tuna salad from the local grocery store, and I LOVE this stuff. Then, after 4 or 5 bites - BAM, I was full again. Talk about pissed! For dinner, I brought home my leftover tuna salad from lunch, and I heated up some of the ricotta bake that I made last night. I sat down, and I was really really looking forward to eating. I mean, all day I'd wanted to eat food. But being full after a few bites just makes it not possible to keep eating, you know? I took maybe 5-6 bites of each part of my meal, and I was full. In fact, I was a little more than full - I was uncomfortably stuffed. And I got so upset I started crying. I wanted to eat! I didn't want to eat a few bites and be done, I wanted to clean my plate! After a few minutes I realized I was crying because I couldn't eat, and I got mad. Obviously, I got the band so I could lose weight, and losing weight means eating less. I'm so happy that I am on this journey, but it made me realize that I truly do have an addiction to food. Before, I always used to tell myself I just eat because I'm bored, and that I don't have a problem. But crying over not being able to eat a lot of food is definitely a sign that something is wrong in my head. But I'm ready to tackle the problem and face the issue and work through this. Eating less is going to do so much more for my life! Anyways, I got sorta long-winded there but I just wanted to make sure you know - you aren't alone, we are all going through similar struggles, and we will all make it to the other side.

Congrats to all you losers this week!!! I hope to join you on the bench next week! :cursing:

I just ate dinner. I made myself a little of the ricotta bake from last night, as well as some creamy tuna salad that I got from the store today. I was really looking forward to my meal, and after about 6 bites of each, I was stuffed! :cursing: Now let's just see how long this feeling of fullness lasts....

I'm on Day 13 post-op and I get to start my Mushies phase on Thursday! I lost 8lbs within the first 5 days post-op, and nothing since. And I've been on full liquids! I'm scared that when I start the Mushies phase I'm going to gain it all back and then some. So I'm determined to make healthy choices! The only thing I ever hear about is mashed potatoes, refried Beans with salsa and sour cream, and that no-noodle lasagna thing, which is just Pasta sauce, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, and mozzarella shreds. I was wondering if anyone had a list of healthy mushies?

Oh yes! One of the local grocery stores (the expensive one I try not to shop at, haha) has tuna salad that is soft and mushy with no chunks in it. I think I'll go get some of that! Gosh, I used to love that stuff, but stopped eating it because it was just so gosh-darned expensive. I think it's time to splurge, haha. There's also a local deli that has won awards for it's chicken salad, and it's also the soft and mushy kind. Looks like I know where I'm going for lunch! :thumbup:

I might just do that! I'm craving meat! Which is weird, because I don't think I've ever craved meat. I'm also not really feeling the sweet stuff either! It's amazing how your tastes change post-banding.

Do you think Stouffer's Creamed Chipped Beef is considered a mushy? :thumbup: STOUFFER'S® Products | Creamed Chipped Beef

Boy do I wish I had time to cook that kinda breakfast in the morning!

I'm not a loser this week. But I'm not a winner either, hahah. OK, that didn't make much sense! I've been back and forth between +1 and -1 this whole week, but today I'm dead even with where I was last Thursday. :thumbup: Last night I started my mushies phase. Hunger is really starting to effect me. I'm trying hard not to let it get to me - only two more weeks of this before my fill and I can't wait! So, put me down for EVEN STEVENS this week Mini! I promise I'll try to lose a pound next week!

would Stouffer's Creamed Chipped Beef be considered a mushy? i love this stuff but haven't had it in forever! STOUFFER'S® Products | Creamed Chipped Beef

oh yea, i forgot to mention - i tried lulu's ricotta bake last night. i had the ricotta cheese, spinach, and i added a can of diced tomatoes with vidalia onions. it was fabulous, and even though i feel like i've been starving lately - after a half cup i was full! :thumbup:

I hope I can tolerate bread! I just started mushies, so in about 3 weeks I'll have to try a piece of toasted hearty bread in the morning. I've been doing protein shakes for breakfast and now that my swelling has gone down, the stuff goes right through me and I'm hungry within 2 hours - which sucks. I hate being hungry. Lucky for me, at the office if I get hungry I can busy myself with something else and sort of forget that I'm hungry for awhile. But on the weekends this doesn't work, and last weekend I found myself grazing on various full liquids all day (I'm only 2 weeks post-op) and by the end of the day I felt like I'd consumed close to 2000 calories! I probably didn't, but I sure felt like a whale. I'm anxiously awaiting my first fill on Dec 5th! :thumbup: