thecooley

We're going out for a co-worker's birthday today, and he picked Mexican food. This particular restaurant has a chicken tamale that contains shredded boiled chicken (the kind they simmer in spices for a long time), and has the typical soft masa outside layer, covered in cheese sauce. By the time you mix it all together, it gets quite mushy. I am already able to do chicken and dumplings without a problem, because I chew until the chicken is nearly liquid in my mouth. If I chew really well, do you think this could work? I'm 2.5 weeks post-op and currently on the pureed/soft food phase.

**Warning: novel-length post ahead** I'm a little over six weeks out from surgery, and finally eating regular foods, just in much smaller amounts than I used to. I need help in getting my mind wrapped around a few things. In the two weeks after surgery, I lost 17 pounds. The next week, maybe 1 more. In the last three weeks, I have lost and gained the same 2 pounds over and over. A bunch of people at work know I had the surgery, and keep calling me "Miss Skinny" and asking how much weight I've lost. I've told these people not to expect miracles, and that healthy weight loss would be 1-2 pounds a week, but I haven't even achieved that yet. Now I just tell them I haven't weighed myself in a while. I'm so embarrassed that my body is now under their microscope, and I have nothing to show for it. Besides that, in actuality, I weigh myself every day, and it's frustrating to Celebrate a pound lost only to have it back in a few days. My surgeon told me at the followup that he put 4cc in my band during surgery. Because of that, he won't do a fill until at least three months after surgery. Holy crap, that means I have to wait until January! I don't think the 4cc is enough. True, I am eating WAY less than I used to, but I still eat more than I am supposed to, and can eat any food that seems to be a problem for other people (bread/pasta, nuts, tough meat). I am just concentrating on getting in the basic necessities (plenty of Protein and water), and keeping smaller portions while still walking away from the table satisfied, but not stuffed. Some of my larger meals have probably been around 1.5 cups (meat, veggies, and starch combined), instead of the 1/2 cup I should be having. I know I could eat even more at a time, but I stop myself out of fear that I might stretch my pouch or something. Luckily, I have never had nausea or pain after eating. The strange thing is that I don't stay hungry all the time like I expected. I eat my meal, and it keeps me satisfied for 3-4 hours. If I needed a fill, wouldn't I get hungry sooner? That's the part that is confusing me. Since my next fill is so far away, I've been counting Weight Watchers points for what I eat. In all, I eat anywhere from 18-24 points a day. If we say a point is around 50 calories, that means I have between 900 and 1200 calories a day, which is basically on target. Considering I lost 50 pounds in the past doing 28-32 points a day, something is wrong here if I'm not losing weight. I even bought Wii Fit and have been exercising with it. This is not the result I expected! Dieting and exercising and getting no results is just pissing me off, and that Halloween candy is starting to look better and better every day. This is what caused me to gain a bunch of weight the last time; I hit a plateau, said f--- it, and went back to my old habits. But I can't give up now - it took me too long to get this darn band. Is this still considered the "healing phase"? Should I not be worried yet? What else can I do?

Do you like chai tea lattes? You can use the double milk recipe from a previous poster, and add in some sugar free chai latte concentrate. It's spicy, warm, and makes me happy. You get 16 grams of Protein, too! Here's another thread from a while back that also had some good suggestions: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f178/im-trying-find-shake-i-can-stomach-need-opinions-103171/

I am sensitive to eggs (they make me throw up), so I am really having trouble coming up with breakfast food other than a protein shake. I don't eat yogurt or mayo either. Does anyone have some suggestions about what I can eat?

I specifically asked my doc about "that time of the month" because Ibuprofen is the only thing that works for me. I also get menstrual migraines, and if I don't stop the headache in time, I get quite ill. He said it is fine if I limit it to just that one week a month. Take your drugs girl, and get some relief!! I just did.

Try a ready-to-drink shake instead of mixing one up. I was flat out allergic to the Isopure powder, and was sensitive to the Designer Whey, but I have been able to drink ready-made shakes with no problem. My favorite is the Pure Protein frosty chocolate. You could also try looking for a soy based powder. I found one at Walgreen's (sorry I can't remember the brand), and I think Target carried one as well.

Mmm...it's getting cooler outside, and hot cereal would hit the spot. I looked up the Kashi Truly vanilla, and it has 9g of protein! With a little Protein powder, that could really get me going in the morning! It also has 7g of Fiber, making the net carbs 18g. Not too bad. I am going to look for some turkey sausage this weekend, and a vegetarian friend told me about Morningstar Farms meatless sausage patties. One pattie has 10g protein and only 80 calories/3g fat. Hopefully they aren't gross, but I will try them and let you know. Thanks again for all the ideas! I have a big shopping list for this weekend.

Poor dear, I hope you were able to get some relief. Do you have a printed copy of your dietary guidelines? If so, make sure your mother reads them thoroughly and highlight the things you cannot have. It may have been a simple mistake, thinking that biscuits are soft. Until I started reading about the proper diet for bandsters, I would have assumed bread would be ok.

Dude, just how FAST were you going?? :thumbdown: But seriously, the only problem I have when traveling by car is getting into a comfortable position in which the waist of my pants doesn't dig into my fat roll, thus sqiushing my port area.

I would think that if you are eating Protein (and not drinking anything during the meal), the chewed up mass would stick to your stomach better than just a plain liquid like a Protein shake. I guess it also depends on your level of restriction. This is all pure conjecture on my part of course. I have been known to chew too much, but in a way that causes me to want to gag instead of swallowing my food. I have texture issues. :thumbdown:

I am interested in finding out where this chocolate is, and who is providing it. If you keep it out on your desk for "other people" to stop by and have a piece, move it somewhere else across the room. Or, put some breath mints next to it and reach for those when you get a craving. Chocolate after breath mints is gross. If someone else is putting the chocolate out, maybe you could ask them to move it somewhere out of sight. Or at least get them to admonish you for mooching all their chocolate! :scared2: Good luck, and be sure to try some of those chocolate suggestions from the previous poster if you need to satisfy your craving. I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of a good cup of SF cocoa.

Sounds like you were feeling deprived after your pre and post-op diets, and you just binged on everything you felt like you had "missed out" on during that time. Here's something that helped me after surgery: if my hubby is having something I really want, I will take two bites. That is enough to get the taste in my mouth, and I savor each bite, chewing as much as possible. Usually the craving goes away after that. Maybe instead of eating everything you missed all at once, save the treats and try to have only one per day, only if you're really truly hungry. That will make it more special. Try to keep high Protein Snacks around the house like string cheese or beef Jerky instead of swiss cake rolls. Don't buy any more junk after you run out of it. Knowing that you won't buy any more will help you ration it better. Forgive yourself, move on, and get back on your post-op diet! It's only been 3 weeks; you don't want to hurt yourself by binging.

Now THAT is a beautiful thing! I'll bet you could dip it in a little pizza sauce, or put some garlic Tabasco on it if you like a little spice. Thanks for sharing!

These are GREAT ideas! I am so excited to try some of the suggestions. LOL, I can't believe I didn't think of cheese grits. I'll bet some plain Protein powder wouldn't even be noticed in grits, considering I used to make them with milk. I had a stick of string cheese for breakfast this morning, but I think I will need to supplement that with something in the future, because it didn't stick around very long. What kind of Protein Bars are good? I am always worried about the sugar in those things. I looked at some in Walgreens one day and they had like 300 calories! Maybe I'm just not looking at the right ones. I wonder if there's a way to make high protein muffins? I'm going to do some research on this one. I love to bake.

That sounds very yummy! Does oatmeal have a lot of carbs? Do you only do meat and veggies the rest of the day?

My nutritionist said that overloading on protein at one sitting puts a strain on your kidneys. Those protein powders/bullets that have like 50 grams of protein per serving was her example. I don't know if she meant only to be careful with just the liquid forms of protein or all forms, but I know I couldn't eat that much protein in one sitting anyway.

Have you tried nigiri? It's a clump of hand rolled sushi rice with the fish on top. No seaweed. Super fabulous.

That really helps! I was picturing a dry measuring cup, and it doesn't seem like they hold as much as a wet measuring cup. Good to know I'm not overdoing it.

I agree with the previous poster who said the left side pain could be intestinal. I've noticed that since I don't "go" as often, I have been getting pains in my lower left abdomen. Once I do go, it tends to slack off. It could also be gas. I should try some of that Gas-x, but it's too fun to get rid of it the old fashioned way. :wink2: As for the poster with the right side belly button pain, I seem to remember that was a symptom of appendicitis. Not to scare you or anything. If it's bad enough that you are using pain killers to get rid of the pain, you need to see your doctor. Especially if you begin to feel nauseated or run fever. A burst appendix is bad news. Do not wait if you feel something is wrong. If you are uncertain, have a look at the webmd.com symptom checker; it tends to give a pretty good description of what's going on.

After about 10 days I was able to sleep on my left side for a little while, but I stayed mostly on my back and right side. It's been about 3.5 weeks since the surgery, and now I can sleep in pretty much any position, including flat on my stomach. The only discomfort is if I roll over and end up with my body twisted. That wakes me up enough to reposition, and I go right back to sleep.

My husband grabbed my butt the other night, then got a shocked look on his face. Apparently, my butt is getting smaller! :wink2:

Leftovers have been my saving grace. Right now I really can't have anything but mushy protein, but it's great to bring leftovers from supper for lunch the next day. It's way better than yet another bowl of cream of mushroom soup. I made a batch of chili this weekend that I've been working on all week at lunch. I pulsed the meat in the blender and that made the chili really meaty and hearty, plus I added black and red beans. Yummy!

Dude, that is just crazy! The same product bought at two different stores has different nutrition info. This really highlights the need to check all labels. I bought mine at Target, for the record. I did want to report in on a couple of other brands I tried this week, both purchased at Target. The first was Pure Protein brand Frosty Chocolate flavor. It is an 11 ounce can that contains 21g protein, 110 calories, and 5g carbs. It's pretty mild, with a good chocolate taste and not too much artificial sweetener. The texture is rather thin, almost like drinking a Yoohoo (although I admit it has been about 10 years since I had one of those, so don't rely on that too much). It's pretty tolerable when ice-cold. The other one was EAS AdvantEDGE Carb Control in Chocolate Fudge. It comes in 11 oz cardboard cartons and contains 17g protein, 110 calories, and 4g carbs. This one has a different protein blend from most of the others, relying more on soy, but still containing some milk protein. You can definitely taste the soy - it has an odd plastic-like flavor. The chocolate taste is rather distant, and the sweetener is a little on the strong side for my taste. The shakes are at least drinkable, but I probably won't buy them again.

What serving size are you comparing to? I just pulled my carton out of the trash to confirm that the 8.25 oz Muscle Milk Light chocolate contains 100 calories, 15g of protein, and 5g carbs. I have seen some 11 ounce bottles at the grocery store, so we may be confusing serving sizes. The one I am talking about is like a cardboard carton.

Muscle Milk Light is ok. I've tried the ready-to-drink 100 calorie chocolate flavor, and I consider it drinkable. The actual chocolate taste is good, but it is very heavy on the artificial sweeteners. It contains 15g of protein and only 5g carbs. I'm probably going to try the EAS AdvantEdge shakes next to see if they taste less artificial.