newdicarlo

Yep, I think you are too tight too. You should not be drinking your meals with the exception of maybe breakfast. You should call your surgeon and see what they say, you might need a tiny unfill.

I had to do a full week of CLEAR liquids, no protein shakes, no soups except broth. And worked full time. I had one egg with a sprinkling of cheese on days 3, 4 and 5. I lost 16 pounds that week and surgery went fine.

I have Anthem and they did not require the 6 month Dr approved diet. I submitted paperwork last January 3 and had approval in about 2 weeks.

I had my "Last Meal" ummm, maybe a dozen times before being banded? It does happen, you aren't alone, you only have a week to go. Don't go crazy, try to make healthy choices where you can, but just know that it's normal. My last supper lasted oh, a month, but I lost 16 pounds on the week-long clear liquid pre-op diet, and it was a great jumpstart--I just remembered thinking "I didn't use any willpower before this pre-op diet, I'm using it all NOW" and trust me, I needed it, but those last meals made the pre-op diet doable for me because I knew I hadn't missed out on anything I wanted. I was starting the hard work.

I also prefer morning because I get weighed and because I'm tighter. I'd rather experience the "most tight" I'm going to get right away instead of regretting it the next morning!

At 285, I was a full C. I've had two children. With a 95 pound loss, I'm a B. Last week when working out in my living room, my sports bra rose above my ta-ta's. Thank goodness I wasn't in the gym that day...I don't even fill out the sports bra anymore...

I'm in the middle of day one--can anyone tell me, can I have as much liquids as I want or are they supposed to be like meals with snacks--like, should I try to wait four hours to eat another bowl of soup or can I have as much as I want?

I like the Slim Fast High Protein chocolate peanut butter bars and the Special K chocolate peanut butter bars. They are both a tad high in carbs, so I only eat them every once in a while, but they are the best I've found. Atkins was really dry and flavorless, but low in carbs...

I'm talking you take 5 bites of something, it sits weird but eventually (after 20 minutes) goes down without an issue. Do you eat again? Do you consider that you were full and try to not eat again?

I have noticed over time that these bugs affect kids and adults differently. I've stayed up with my kids at night, cleaned up the sickies and never felt ill at all and also have had the bug and never given it to the kids. sometimes the kids get it and we'll feel a twinge of something, but not get it as bad. Thank God for small favors!

I'll bite. I have lots of reasons, but I want to look good, dammit! :smile2: I really want to be able to play with my kids and not get tired. I want to have energy and not be a couch potato. I want to go to the beach and not get looked at (in a bad way). I want to have self-confidence to assure myself that I didn't get the job/promotion because I was unqualified, not because I am fat. I want to walk places and feel like people are looking at me because I'm hot, not because I'm fat. I am only 32 and felt like I was 60!

I contacted my doc when my daughter barfed on my bedroom floor a couple months ago and started feeling bad the next day and had to get on a plane at 4 pm. The nurses there had no idea about doing an unfill, prescribing meds, nothing and said to call my general physician. Not a help. I had Zofran (an anti-emetic) leftover from pregnancy a few years back and was able to ward off the pukies, but it was amazing that my doc does nothing in these situations. I have a few Zofran pills left and they are like gold to me! My husband took two when he started feeling bad and I scolded him because you only need one...:smile2: Forgot--the purpose of my post was to see how you are feeling today??

Most pain meds are hard on the tummy and will make you nauseous if you don't eat when you take them. Are you swallowing liquid pain meds? My MD prescribed a nasal spray which was great. Once you can handle simply Tylenol (liquid) for pain, rather than the hard-core stuff, your tummy will handle it better. ETA: the dizzyness is probably from lack of calories, i got that way on the pre-surgery diet and the lack of sleep definitely contributes to that. Nap as much as possible, your body has been invaded and needs to rest to heal.

Congrats on your success! If the doctor feels like it's a success, then by golly, take it! It feels good to have the doc proud, even when you don't think you're doing the best you can. I also maintained over the holidays and wasn't deprived by any means. I took a two-week hiatus from exercising, but I'm back on the ball now and hoping that the lack of exercise will help my body get back on the losing track quickly!

B-chocolate Protein Shake made with 1% milk, Peanut Butter and ice, 350 calories, 35 g Protein L-chicken breast stuffed with fresh spinach and 1 Tablespoon Boursin cheese, two bites of cauliflower, 300 cals, 18 g protein S-1/2 string cheese, a handful of Doritos, 200 cals, 8 g protein D- salad, 4 toasted ravioli, 1/2 cup spaghetti with meat sauce, approx. 600 cals :thumbup:, 14 g protein Water, water, water throughout the day and I walked at 4 mph with a little jogging for 45 minutes...

Just be careful with the Crystal Light. I found that after a few months of being banded, I had to rid myself of even artificial sweeteners as they were halting my weight loss. I mostly drink water now with an occasional iced tea if we go out. After stopping the Crystal Light and other sweeteners (in July of 09), I broke my plateau and lost much faster.

I am at my sweet spot now, 5 cc's in a 10 cc band. My doc started with a 4 cc fill, but I could barely swallow, so one unfill and several small fills later, I am finally to a point where I can only eat a little at one time. I do a shake pretty much every morning for breakfast and lunch is usually a 4 oz fish filet (grilled Gorton's tilapia) and a 1/3 of a Green Giant frozen veggie. This usually keeps me full until dinner. If I have to have a snack it's a string cheese or a handful of goldfish. At dinner if I can I eat 3-4 oz Protein and some green veg and a little starch, but many nights I cannot. I still have a problem where I think "one more bite" and then I end up regretting it and PB or have to feel that stuck feeling until the food goes down. I'm trying to limit myself to 1200-1300 cals a day and since my last fill in the middle of December, this is much easier. The holidays were rough though because I didn't exercise for two weeks, and it was too easy to "graze", but January is here and I'm back on track! I maintained though, I didn't gain, but I didn't lose either...

Does anyone work out more than once a day? I work from home and walk/jog for about 45-50 minutes in the morning before Breakfast, and then sit at a desk the rest of the day. Could it hurt me to do a DVD or the Wii Fit in the afternoon too? I want to ramp up my work out to lose 20 pounds by March 6 when I leave for Jamaica, and I need to purchase a swim suit before I leave... :blushing:

Well, I'm thinking that even if i can't do it every day, I will do it on the days I can. I just did a Sweatin' to the Oldies DVD for 30 minutes, and now my body is definitely tired! Cingulus, why would you recommend splitting cardio and weights? Also, do you have to get your heart rate up for 30 minutes during the second work out of the day?

I'm also a fan of the GNC Whey Unflavored protein. I recently purchased some powder at a grocery store because they were discontinuing it, it was cheap, and I was out of the GNC brand. Mistake, mistake, mistake. I hate this new one--it's gritty, doesn't mix well and stinks! GNC is the way to go!

I also love this protein! My doc has never recommended Protein Shakes in any fashion, but I started with these after being banded for a bit and it really helps me get my Protein in and it's usually what I have for breakfast. It's also good right after a work out--I try to work out in the morning and then have this for breakfast afterwards. I mix 4 ice cubes, 1 to 1.5 scoops of chocolate powder, 1-2 tablespoons of Peanut Butter and 8-10 oz of 1% milk. I tried the French Vanilla flavor, but, UGH, it's WAY too sweet for me! I used it in smoothies and mixed into yogurt and oatmeal, but I just couldn't get used to it. I'll stick with chocolate! ETA: don't forget the 1st week of the month you get a discount if you are a GNC member, and a few times a year they have buy one get one half off--perfect for buying the big jugs of powder!

newdicarlo...............187......................187...................135...............52

Has anyone ever tried the Contour Core Sculpting belt? It's the one that you put on and the electric pulses contract your tummy muscles like doing crunches, but better...I ordered one in the hope that I can lose some more of this belly fat and possibly avoid the dreaded PS...and I abhor crunches, but have no problem with doing cardio... https://www.trycontour.com

I bought some Shapewear from Kohls (made by Flexees) that is from over the knee to just under the bra line. I wore it for our Christmas pictures to control my belly roll under a sweater. I never had problems with it rolling at all and I really thought I would. It certainly did the job and wasn't cheap, but definitely did the trick and I felt so good about myself!

I've been banded since March of 09 and have a few tricks that usually work. I hate vomiting, so I try to avoid that as much as possible, but sometimes it's the only thing that works and I only let my body make that call, I don't force myself just becuase of my complete aversion to it. I've tried raising the arms, walking, sitting in a chair with my head as far between my knees as I can, practically kissing the floor-for whatever reason this makes food go down, not come back up! I've done the papaya enzymes, those are specific to Protein dissolving though. I try to "burp" myself by smacking my hand on my chest, drinking warm to hot Water, spitting as much as possible until the food goes down, sheesh, I didn't realize I had tried so many things! Goes to show different things work for different people...there is no magic thing that will work every time though...