Melissannde

Do a search for an ad-blocker for whatever browser you use.. ie, firefox, etc. I have one and I do not see 99% of ads. :crying: Love it. I was one of the lucky ones who did not have to do a pre-op diet. I had absolutely no trouble adjusting to less food after surgery. The swelling from surgery (and therefore lack of hunger) is the same for most of us. I've observed that we all lose at about the same rate.. but those who have to do the pre-op diet lose a good percentage before surgery and then are often frustrated when it doesn't continue at the same rate afterwards. Those who don't have to do pre-op, lose the same percentage-wise after the surgery. I've asked a nurse I know who works in the bariatric field if this is a true observation.. and she says she sees these types of results too (she works for more than one doctor). Not an official report.. just an unscientific observation. Good luck on your pre-op. Your sense of humor should serve you well.

Have you looked at all the sugar in Lucky Charms? 42% sugar. None for me thank you. Percentage Of Sugar In Common Foods

I hear ya on that. Since being banded I've lost most of my anxiety symptoms. Weird that eating less could affect anxiety, but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth!

One of my favorite bandsters says food addiction is really hard to deal with. If you're addicted to alcohol or tobacco or drugs, you can put the tiger in the cage and leave it there. With food addiction you have to take the tiger on a walk at least 3 x a day. I will copy what I just wrote to another person considering being banded: I would try very hard to give up the cokes. I was a diet coke lover. I had one every morning when I woke up instead of coffee.. and diet coke was all I drank all day long. I've only had sips of it since I was banded 20 months ago, and really I don't miss them all that much. I occasionally miss the tingle at the back of the throat.. and a sip every 8 months or so satisfies me and I can go on without more. There are some surgeons who say that carbonation isn't a problem, etc. but most of them say that carbonation can lead to dilation of the pouch and over time to possibly a band slip. I just don't think it's worth the risk myself. It's like giving up any other addiction.. you give them up one step at a time, one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time. :crying: There's lots of other good things to drink besides DC. Water, crystal light, tea, water, coffee, Powerade zero (my current fav), Vitamin water zero, water, fuze slenderize (in moderation..has 20 cal. a bottle), Diet V-8 Splash (moderation), water, Diet oceanspray drinks (in moderation). If you want something in a can so you don't feel left out when others are drinking out of a can.. I've found sugar free lemonade and s/f tea in cans... both non carbonated. You can do it!! Just keep thinking.. what do I want more.. smaller jeans or a diet coke? Smaller jeans usually wins for me. :w00t: I didn't give up white foods right away after banding, but I have slowly phased them out of my life. There are awesome substitutes/replacements for most things. It is a bit scary to think about making such major changes in our lives.. but what have we got to lose ? except weight.

I would try very hard to give up the cokes. I was a diet coke lover. I had one every morning when I woke up instead of coffee.. and diet coke was all I drank all day long. I've only had sips of it since I was banded 20 months ago, and really I don't miss them all that much. Alien is right, there are some surgeons who say that carbonation isn't a problem, etc. but most of them say that carbonation can lead to dilation of the pouch and over time to possibly a band slip. I just don't think it's worth the risk myself. It's like giving up any other addiction.. you give them up one step at a time, one day at a time, sometimes one hour at a time. There's lots of other good things to drink besides DC. Water, crystal light, tea, water, coffee, Powerade zero (my current fav), Vitamin water zero, water, fuze slenderize (in moderation..has 20 cal. a bottle), Diet V-8 Splash (moderation), water, Diet oceanspray drinks (in moderation). If you want something in a can so you don't feel left out when others are drinking out of a can.. I've found sugar free lemonade and s/f tea in cans... both non carbonated. You can do it!! Just keep thinking.. what do I want more.. smaller jeans or a diet coke? Smaller jeans usually wins for me. :crying: I don't know about the medicare question. I do know someone who is having their surgery under medicare and they are having to do a 3month supervised "diet" before their surgery, but I don't know if they could've started it before getting on MC or not. One step at a time.

Thanks for posting this question & pics. I'm in the over 50 group too and the more weight I lose, the unhappier I am with the extra stuff on my belly...so I think I'm headed for plastics too.

One thing you could consider is to go ahead and have the band put in.. and then you don't have to get fills until you are ready to work it. Not the usual choice people make.. but it is a choice. The no white foods isn't an absolute "written in stone" rule.. but it does help to drop weight faster if they are eliminated or cut way way back. Again, it is a choice. The diabetes, hypertension & cholesterol issues will not go away on their own. And there are worse things that can visit us via obesity. It was cancer that came to me ...and made me finally do something about my weight. Talk to us some more.

You should introduce her to Jessie Ahroni, a nurse educator who works in Bariatrics.. who's been banded with the same band.. never replaced.. for 13 years now. Jessie has also written a book on banding that's very good. I like the idea of telling your friend "Thank you for your concern, but this is what I've decided is best for me".

Actually, my surgeon says that the Gastric Bypass (or RNY) is reversible. It's an involved surgery, not often done, but it is possible to undo it and return the patient to almost presurgery status. The sleeve truly is irreversible. At least in it's current form. If the Gastric plication turns out to be effective, then the sleeve could possibly be reversible too.

Just makes me VERY glad that I chose a surgeon who did not require a pre-op diet at all.

Yep.. mine uses the green zone chart. I find it helpful to take in a week or so of my food journal, that way whoever I end up seeing.. doc or pa.. can see that I've been compliant to the best of my ability. And they can counsel me about poor choices too.

Apples that have been (usually) peeled and cooked and mashed up. Most recipes call for sugar. If I were making my own, I'd find some acceptable sugar sub. Here's some recipes: Applesauce Recipes - Allrecipes.com (Pg. 1)

The only things I've ever had trouble with are the large non chewable calcium. I never thought about crushing them and no one ever suggested it to me, but I did break them into 4ths and take with yogurt or applesauce. Even doing it that way made my band ache. I finally went to chewables on the calcium and immediate improvement. I've never had any issues taking anything else.. and I take a bunch of supplements that come in capsules and caplets. I do prefer chewables when available. Round pills have always been hard for me, even pre-banding, but oblong shapes are just fine. I'm glad you are going to ask your doctor as all we can do is share our personal experiences.

OMG.. I had forgotten about the HB egg thing. In fact, I ran across a forum where they had posted the old hb egg diet from the 50's... sounds like starvation without a band..LOL

Are you back on solid foods yet? The reason I ask is that I lost practically nothing (2 lbs ) during my post op period.. but once I got back on solid foods, I lost 20lbs in 9 days. After that it slowed down a bit, but has been a consistent drop (with tiny upward deviations.. but never for very long). Are you weighing/measuring your food? Are you keeping a food journal, either on paper or online? Eliminated (or at least cut way back) on the "white" or high glycemic carbs? Tell us more about what you are doing and we can give you more concrete suggestions to try. And yes, sometimes it's just a "one foot in front of the other" until you get there. Be strong.. this will work for you if you work the band. (there are a few, very few medical/physical situations that make using the band a bit harder.. but it can still work for those folks too..most of the time.)

LOL One of the body pump leaders (she's not a trainer, just a class leader) said something to that affect the other day.. "if we hadn't eaten Breakfast we would've burned X number of extra calories". I just thought.. yeah, right.. and not eating breakfast also keeps your metabolism on low instead of kicking it up into gear by eating. The absurd ideas about eating/drking that abound out there are numerous. I read somewhere recently "eating before a run could lead to appendicitis" huh??? WHERE do they come up with these theories??

I *think* I understand where the OP is coming from.. I think she's talking about the apron some of us get when we lose weight.. Or sometimes it's called FUPA in slang (fat upper pelvic area). My belly is somewhat flat, but not perfectly so because of my apron. And the more weight I lose, the worse it looks & more it bothers me. I will probably need plastics, but haven't committed myself mentally to that yet.

U go girl!! have some tylenol available in case you get sore. Push your Water to avoid muscle cramps. Love that you're doing this for yourself!!

Great and inspiring post Fran. Thanks so much for sharing!

No reason you can't have other things for Breakfast.. as long as they keep you full long enough (3 hours or more). Not all Cereal is bad, the amounts we tend to pour in the bowl .. now that's another story. ::grin:: I love my oatmeal in the morning, but if you're tired of it.. and can't eat eggs.. try plain greek yogurt (non fat if possible) and some fruit of your choice, fresh or frozen and 1/8 to 1/4 cup of some kind of cereal. I like grapenuts or Bob's Red Mill Muesli. Try to avoid cereal with the word "honey" in the title. Take one of the 100 calorie thin buns, use just the bottom or top half, toast it a bit. Place a slice or two of reduced fat ham (or other deli meat) on it. Put a slice of 2% cheese on top. Run in microwave or broiler or toaster oven long enough to make cheese melty.. and enjoy. Could also use one of the 100 calorie bagel thins halves. Make sure you toast the bread first, especially if you have issues with doughy bread. Sometimes I have leftovers from supper for breakfast. I make meatloaf in muffin tins.. each one comes out somewhere between 3 & 4oz, depending on how much I stuff in there. One is perfect for a meal. I could probably think of more, but I just woke up and am still getting my coffee down.

Excellent idea, wish I had remembered to post about that. I'm thinking of doing a Turkey Trot TG day.. and a Gobble Wobble the Sat. afterwards.

Usually coffee with 1 or 2 tablespoons of non fat dry milk (not creamer.. it's not that good for us, imo) or fat free evaporated milk and a tablespoon or two of sugar-free Torani or DaVinci. I'm fond of a combo of 1T chocolate & 1T Peanut Butter.. it tastes like I'm drinking a reeses. :smile2: If not coffee, then it's some kind of tea. I like Bigelow's constant comment .. but there's tons of good tea out there.

Dehydration is more to be worried about than lack of nutrition at this stage. We have plenty in our fat stores that going without nutrients for a short time isn't a concern. Yes, call your doctor tomorrow and let them know where you are now. I'd really want the rest of the "starter fill" (what they often put in during surgery) taken out. I do have a friend who had two bands put in.. 3 days apart. So having your smaller one removed and a larger one replaced is a possibility, but I'd try to work with what you have for now. Provided there's more Fluid that can be removed. If the doctor has already removed ALL the starter fluid.. then you probably need a bigger band. Call the doc.

Fantastic. I'm happy dancing for you here in Texas!

um.. no idea why that posted twice.. sorry.