Cindy C

I pretty much lived on jello, yogurt, carnation instant breakfast and broth. The week before surgery I put chicken and vegetables in the crock pot. When it was done, I strained it and threw away the solids. Then I put the broth in small containern the freezer in preparation for my 2 weeks of clear liquids.

Steroids will cause weight gain. If you can only eat unhealthy foods are you too tight? Discuss it with your surgeon.

I wouldn't worry about it getting stuck. Just don't make it too thick. For flavor, try stirring in some applesauce and cinnamon. Great job on the weight loss....You're off to a good start! Congrats!!

Lemon is the cure. Suck on lemon flavored hard candy or drink lemonade. Minute maid makes a light lemonade in 2 liters or 12 packs. It's non-carbonated and only has 10 calories. I still remember how horrible that was in the liquid stage!

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/topic/132729-finding-the-green-zone/

179.4!!!

Hard to say. If you were newly banded, I would say absolutely. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to, but I see that you were banded last November. How much have you lost so far?

I love mozzarella sticks but every time I eat them I get stuck! That's not to say that you will. We're all different. You have to experiment and see what you can and cannot eat.

Im 3 years. My best friend is 8 years. She was banded in 2003. About 6 weeks after surgery, she was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer. She just went back into remission for the third time last month. Throughout it all she still has been successful with her lapband and went from over 300 pounds to 160 which she has maintained. She is such a trooper and the love the heck out of her.

My favorite thing at that stage was pintos and cheese from Taco Bell.

Try rubbing alcohol.

Count your blessings. My surgeon's post op diet was 2 weeks of clear liquids followed by 2 weeks of full liquids. After that 4 weeks I was required to attend a nutrition class and then could slowly reintroduce solid food. Plus he won't do the first fill until 8 weeks!

I've never been a huge fan of yogurt but I do like Dannon light and fit Cherry Vanilla and Raspberry White Chocolate.

NOPE!!!! The band is a tool designed to help you lose weight. It is not intended to do the work for you and by no means is it "throwing in the towel".

It's much easier to remember after you've been stuck a few times! After 3 years, I still have to remind myself occasionally!

Instead of paying for shipping, it might be more economical for you to try Salvation Army or garage sales.

I use my lapband journey on Allergan's lapband.com website.

The general rule about cutting or crushing pills is if they are scored its OK. As for the taste, some of them are just nasty. When my siblings and I were little our mother didn't want to risk us choking on pills so she would put them on a teaspoon, dissolve them with a little hot water and add some sugar.

Whether you eat or not I think you should sit with your family while they do. Family meal time isn't about the food. Its about time spent with each other. I see you live in Texas. Does that mean you will be vacationing with people you don't see on a regular basis? If so, all the more reason to spend as much time together as possible.

My doctor doesn't numb the area at all. The first time I heard that some doctors do it kinda shocked me. It's really less uncomfortable than a mosquito bite. Seriously, whats the point of sticking a needle in to numb it for the next needle? Your gonna feel one of them!!

If you can only get down 2 or 3 bites without getting hiccups and feeling uncomfortable I would say you are in the red zone not green. I think you should get a slight unfill before your trip and leave it out.

Good for you, Joleen. You're at the beginning of your journey and in the honeymoon phase of your weigh loss. Some of us are far past that and realize that an occasional treat isn't going to hurt. A guilty pleasure doesn't mean you eat a half gallon of ice cream every night in front of the TV. (It's behavior like that that got us into this in the first place.) But a scoop here and there is OK. One mistake I think many people make is thinking that a lap band means they are on a diet for the rest of their lives. It's NOT a diet...its a lifestyle change. If you feel like you are always being deprived of the things you love you are more likely to fail. Everything is fine as long as it's in moderation. I listed dark chocolate as my guilty pleasure but my one true passion is Baklava. It's a gooey Greek pasty of phillo dough swimming in butter, honey and walnuts with about a million calories. There's a little bakery downtown Detroit that makes the best. When I find myself in that neighborhood a few times a year I don't hesitate to get one, although it takes me several days to eat it since I only take a bite or two at a time. In the 3 years since my surgery I have never once not gotten one if I wanted it and I've lost 146 pounds!

Isn't that a great feeling? Enjoy your old favorite but don't get too attached. Before you know it, it'll be too big for you. Last week I came across an old pair of favorite jeans that I had forgotten about. I put them on and the darn things were hanging off of me!! Seriously? I'm smaller now than I was 33 years ago when I was 18!?!

There's nothing like a good workout first thing in the morning. Keeps me energized all day long! Keep up the good work!

Only after my first C-Section!