derbygirl

I'm a little stressed out because my nutrionist has told me that I will need to eventually (still in mushie stage right this moment) reach a 1500 calorie intake. I just don't understand how I'm supposed to do that. Right now I'm taking in as much as I'm allowed and it's 500 calories or less. Even when I'm allowed to eat anything I want, I can't imagine getting 1500 calories...unless it's a Big Mac or something equally bad for me! Am I just dumb? :help:

I'd like to make a goal, but I don't know how to pick one. So I'm going to rip off the last person's goal. Yeah, 25 pounds! We can do it!!!

Mine was 10/5.

I got soft foods at Week Two...so don't lose hope. :clap2:

I got soft foods at Week Two...so don't lose hope.

If your doc says it's okay, try draining the chicken and noodles out of Campbell's Chicken and Noodles. It's waaaay better than plain broth. I bought three BIG boxes of broth before my surgery, tasted it once the day of surgery, and refused to eat any more. I don't know if I was supposed to eat the chicken and noodle (sans the chicken and noodle), but I'm still alive, so I say go for it!!

For me, it would be impossible to hit my protein target if I didn't drink something with a lot of protein. I need 80 grams....can't get that through food anymore.

I was only allowed 4 ounces of water every 15 minutes. And that was hard. But at 7 days, they said to drink as much as I wanted.

Jack, that was very informative. Thanks!

After day one, until about day 7 ot 8...the gas was the most painful part for me. And it was hard to breathe deeply, too. But you'll feel better soon. I'm on Day 12 right now and I feel totally normal again. In fact, I feel even better than before.

Well, I wish I HAD told my boss. Because when I simply told him I was having surgery, he GUESSED it was bariatric surgery OUT LOUD...in front of all of my coworkers!!! I found a vacant office and probably cried for 45 minutes after that.

Kat, actually she did give me a sample menu, and I was surprised that on the Breakfast it said half a bagel when I've heard over and over again that bread is difficult for most.

Em, I love your ticker! And I'm definitely going to check out that challenge because that's the first I've heard of it. My surgeon says 3 meals a day and no Snacks, and the meals can never be over 4 ounces...even once I'm on solids. If I were allowed to eat as many times as I wanted, I would absolutely be able to hit that mark. I haven't had any problem with keeping anything down. I'm really curious how many people here are eating snacks.

Have you tried visiting a dietician and getting a personal coach? It would be much cheaper than the surgery. If you're doing this mainly for cosmetic purposes, I would try this route. I was self-pay, and it's not easy coming up with that kind of cash. It's quite possible that you think you're doing everything right (diet wise and workout wise), but you're not, so find some professionals to go over your routine. There's so much information out there that it's easy to do the wrong thing. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I was just banded and have not yet returned to work, so I'm planning my morning routine as well. Since it takes me a while to get through my coffee nowadays, I am going to have to move the alarm clock from 6 a.m. to 5 a.m. This will also give me time to pack any food necessary for the day, since I'm a commuter. Today I discovered International Coffee's sugar-free Cafe vanilla. Yummmmy yummm. I was never a coffee drinker, so this was a great find for me. For anyone who doesn't really like coffee, I recommend it because it's more like hot cocoa. I'm not exercising quite yet, but I'll probably do it at night because I'm not a morning person.

Well, I won't lie...I was in much more pain than I anticipated in the beginning. For those of you who never took your pain meds after surgery, you are a marvel. For the first couple of days, even drinking an ounce of Water was painful for me, but today (Day Four) is going extremely well. I am weaning myself off of the meds in hopes that I can drive on Tuesday. One problem I've had is that there are lots of discrepancies in the literature the surgeon provided to me. I didn't realize it until I after the surgery. First, I realized that my doc/nutritionist never told me how long to wait between food and drink. They gave me a pamphlet by Lapband (the brand) and it says 1-2 hours. I was thinking that some folks here said 15 minutes. 2 hours is forever. Also...the Lapband pamphlet says to eat no more than 2 ounces of food, but my doc has me eating 4. Additionally, the nutritionist provided me with a handout that says Isopure has 40 grams of Protein in one bottle. It only has 20. I'm just glad I realized the mistake before I went bald. Seems like since this is the only surgery my doc handles, they'd be a little more diligent in providing accurate and easy-to-understand information to their patients. But I'm not bitter. In fact, I'm VERY EXCITED!!! I can't believe I went through with it! Yay! The worst is over! :clap2:

LadyDi, I was just banded on Thursday (17 pounds lost during pre-op diet), so thus far I can only drink the "clear" Protein drinks like Isopure and New Whey. But I'm looking forward to trying others. Some of these sound tasty. Thanks, everyone, for the tips!! :girl_hug:

Smith is my surgeon. I don't think he fills any patients that aren't his, if I remember right. It doesn't surprise me that he offended a patient though. His staff is excellent, but he has come off as arrogant to me on more than one occasion, including the day of my surgery. But since we all have our bad days, I'm giving him another chance to make it up to me. I'm very sorry to hear about the original poster's problems. Sounds terrifying. Please get medical help right away, even if it's not a lapband doctor.

I haven't had surgery yet, but I will tell you what my doctor/nutritionist say: It's about protein...or lack of. I, personally, have been told to consume 80 grams of Protein per day. Since there is no way possible to do this through food once the band is in place, they expect that I'll have to drink some Protein Drink for the rest of my life. I asked about Vitamins but they said that vitamins are micro-nutrients and protein is a macro-nutrient, which is what affects hair. I have no idea if all of this is going to keep me from losing hair, but I'm sharing just in case it might help you. Also, they didn't say this, but some shampoos are less gentle. You might try Biolage from the salon. I've used it when I've lost weight and hair on other diets and it seemed to help after a month or so.

Congratulations! We'll will be in similar stages because mine is Oct. 5. I have already started pre-op and, of course, I'm wishing I could have all of that junk that made me fat in the first place. What you might try is making a list of all of the things you HATE about being overweight. All of the embarrassments, all of the heartaches, all of the pain. I know it sounds negative, but sometimes you need to remember where you're coming from to get where you're going. On the opposite end of the spectrum, make a list of all the things you're looking forward to doing when you're thinner so that you can be inspired when the scale won't move. Don't worry...we're doing the right thing!!! :clap2:

I've been here for a while, and I still don't know what a NSV is. :phanvan

I'm trying to come up with a virual affirmation for weight loss, and I'm wondering if anyone else does this already. If so, what do you use? In my mind, I'm thinking a vase with those glass marble rocks. I would really like to find something that weighs exactly one pound, but it's going to have to be relatively small. Seeing a vase fill and overflow with rocks might help me through plateaus. It's easy to forget how far you've come. Anyone have any suggestions? What weighs exactly one pound?

Neverland, Also check your calories. You may not be eating enough. REALLY. It's possible.

Only two of us kids in the family...and no shortage of food ever that I recall. I do remember getting in trouble occasionally for eating stuff, like Velveeta. My mom wouldn't know I was eating it after school because the carton wouldn't show anyone had been into it. Then she'd go to make a recipe and get all ticked because there wasn't enough left. :straight But in my defense...she didn't tell me NOT to eat it. (But I did every time, even after getting in trouble in the past.)

Cheri, I am in Texas also and was denied because it was excluded. It's my understanding that there are several states which allow employers to add these exclusions to lower the price of their premiums. Some states, like California, DO NOT allow employers to exclude weight-loss surgery (among other things). When I found this out, I was ready to leave Texas. But my family is here. If you are serious about changing jobs, look for a nationwide company that is NOT BASED in Texas. I'm not saying that all Texas companies agree to exclude, but since it saves them money on premiums, they tend to do so. I originally told myself that self-pay was not an option. You might try re-evaluating your priorities. I generally buy a new car every 4 years or so. That's about $20,000. All I have to do is drive a junky car for a few years!!!