WonderWmn

We are only a few blocks away... I'm on Westpark and Wilcrest... when is the meeting?

Hello all... I just moved to Houston and I'm in the Westchase District, off 10 and Beltway 8 and would love to meet some bandsters in the area. Please let me know if there will be any other meetings/get togethers... Feel free to add me on facebook as well, wonderwmn2004@yahoo.com Thanks, Jenny

Hello all... I just moved to Houston and I'm in the Westchase District, off 10 and Beltway 8 and would love to meet some bandsters in the area. Please let me know if there will be any other meetings/get togethers... Feel free to add me on facebook as well, wonderwmn2004@yahoo.com Thanks, Jenny

Well I said to myself when I started this blog that I would keep up with it and I just realized it's been a few months... well here are some updates... I moved to Houston a few months ago and having fun getting to know this new city. San Antonio is not a small town but it sure feels like it compared to Houston. Thank God for GPS, I'm loving Google Maps on my IPhone so much... have only been lost a couple of times, lol... So I've had a total of 3 fills now and I think I'm at a good place for now... I am tight in the mornings and can only get down my protein shakes so I'll have coffee but usually hot cocoa to be able to have food for lunch. So far I have not gotten sick although I have had a few close calls if I forget to chew, chew, chew before swallowing. I am trying to get in all my water although I have to remind myself all the time. Other than that, I'm feeling good and healthier everyday. I've lost a total of 45 lbs and went from a size 47 waist to 40 today :ohmy: but not ready to go shopping just yet. I have plenty of old clothes that I can fit into again so I'm glad I didn't throw those out. But as soon as I get into size 12/14, it's off the the mall :smile: I am also looking for a new job here in Houston and that's going well so far. Luckily, I have the best boyfriend and he wants me to not take the first thing I'm offered unless it's an awesome job. I'm lucky to be able to weigh out all my options before jumping into anything right away... So other than that, everything is going well, I'm enjoying my new city and I'll have more time now to stay in tough on this site

Well I said to myself when I started this blog that I would keep up with it and I just realized it's been a few months... well here are some updates... I moved to Houston a few months ago and having fun getting to know this new city. San Antonio is not a small town but it sure feels like it compared to Houston. Thank God for GPS, I'm loving Google Maps on my IPhone so much... have only been lost a couple of times, lol... So I've had a total of 3 fills now and I think I'm at a good place for now... I am tight in the mornings and can only get down my protein shakes so I'll have coffee but usually hot cocoa to be able to have food for lunch. So far I have not gotten sick although I have had a few close calls if I forget to chew, chew, chew before swallowing. I am trying to get in all my water although I have to remind myself all the time. Other than that, I'm feeling good and healthier everyday. I've lost a total of 45 lbs and went from a size 47 waist to 40 today but not ready to go shopping just yet. I have plenty of old clothes that I can fit into again so I'm glad I didn't throw those out. But as soon as I get into size 12/14, it's off the the mall I am also looking for a new job here in Houston and that's going well so far. Luckily, I have the best boyfriend and he wants me to not take the first thing I'm offered unless it's an awesome job. I'm lucky to be able to weigh out all my options before jumping into anything right away... So other than that, everything is going well, I'm enjoying my new city and I'll have more time now to stay in tough on this site :thumbup:

So I am 2 wks post-op and started the mushy food today. A few months ago I was shopping for dinner (I miss cooking real food) and noticed something called Bacon Salt in the seasoning aisle. So last week I was buying my baby food type foods for my week 2 and remembered the bacon salt for my mashed potatoes. It is fantastic! The one I found has no calories and is low in salt and gluten free. I have been sprinkling it on everything, my cream of chicken Soup, baby food, and today in my refried Beans. Being Hispanic I know that the only way to make authentic refried beans is to use bacon fat. Well of course that's a no-no now so the bacon salt added a great authentic flavor. Unfortunately I got full so quickly and couldn't even finish my 1/3 cup serving. So now I'm looking forward to eating the rest for dinner. Now I'm trying to figure out how to make a bacon Protein Shake, lol. :frown:

Hola... I finally got my date yesterday and now I"m just getting through the pre-op diet... I've tried Slimfast in the past so shakes are not hard for me, now getting home after driving past all my fave fast food places (there's a Taco Cabana on the corner) will be tough, but I know I can do it. I have BCBS of Illinois and didn't find out until last month that back in July they changed their requirement from 6 month to only 3 months... my surgery center didn't notify me until my last weight loss appt last month so I was pretty upset and thought that I could have already had it done and been recovered. But I figure everything happens for a reason so I'm not going to be upset anymore and just try to be patient for 12 more days :thumbdown:

Well the food went down easy, maybe too easy, lol... but over the weekend I did feel more restriction but not as much as I expected... then today before my tuna lunch, I had some cold water and when I ate, I noticed more restriction... I think the water did it... so from now on, I'm drinking cold water before my meals so that I can't overeat

So this week I had my first fill and it was virtually pain free... I only felt a pin prick when the lidocaine was inserted but no burning at all from the med. Then the PA made sure to go into the same tunnel she had created and I only felt a little pressure but no pain at all... I wasn't sure what to expect but I'm glad it went so well. Now I'm starting to eat 'real foods' and a little scared to eat something and it get stuck... still eating mushy foods but I'm going to try something more solid for dinner today.

I got my first fill on 10/20/09 so it will be a week tomorrow. I had 2cc so that takes me to 5cc in a 10cc band... yes I asked because I always want to know what goes into my body, nurses just love me when I'm in the hospital, lol... anyway I did the recommended 48 hours of liquids and finally ate food on the third day and everything went to easily, maybe to easy... This past weekend is when I finally thought I felt some restriction and only when I eat more solid foods... and then today I had some cold Water before I ate and I felt even more restriction and was able to just eat about 1/4 cup of tuna with 5 small crackers. I felt very full afterward and almost uncomfortable so about an hour after eating I had just a few sips of coffee and now my stomach is growling again, lol... I did read somewhere that cold and Hot drinks can affect the feeling of tightness because they cause your stomach to relax or get stressed. So now I'm going to eat a SF popsicle before I eat my dinner to make sure I only eat a small portion but this time I'll stop when I feel full to avoid the uncomfortable feeling I had earlier... All this experimenting is fun...

I just went for my first fill on 10/20/09 and the PA told me that my surgeon placed 3cc's the day of the surgery so the 2cc fill I got that day put me at 5cc in a 10cc band. I guess I thought that the band would be empty when it was inserted and I didn't know there was any Fluid in it... I was on liquids for 48 hours and finally ate real food for dinner last night, chicken caldo that my dad made, yumm... anyway it wasn't too solid and I didn't eat much because I was a little nervous but a few hours later I was hungry again... I just had Water and a SF popsicle since it was late. Next fill is scheduled for 11/18/09 so I'm going to try to eat a little more food today although it will be tuna which isn't too solid... if I don't stay full for 3-4 hours, should I let my doctor know since maybe I need more restriction. How much food should I be eating after the first fill?

So this week I had my first fill and it was virtually pain free... I only felt a pin prick when the lidocaine was inserted but no burning at all from the med. Then the PA made sure to go into the same tunnel she had created and I only felt a little pressure but no pain at all... I wasn't sure what to expect but I'm glad it went so well. Now I'm starting to eat 'real foods' and a little scared to eat something and it get stuck... still eating mushy foods but I'm going to try something more solid for dinner today.

So I am 2 wks post-op and started the mushy food today. A few months ago I was shopping for dinner (I miss cooking real food) and noticed something called Bacon Salt in the seasoning aisle. So last week I was buying my baby food type foods for my week 2 and remember the bacon salt for my mashed potatoes. It is fantastic! The one I found has no calories and is low in salt and gluten free. I have been sprinkling it on everything, my cream of chicken soup, baby food, and today in my refried beans. Being Hispanic I know that the only way to make authentic refried beans is to use bacon fat. Well of course that's a no-no now so the bacon salt added a great authentic flavor. Unfortunately I got full so quickly and couldn't even finish my 1/3 cup serving. So now I'm looking forward to eating the rest for dinner. Now I'm trying to figure out how to make a bacon protein shake, lol. I am so sick of protein shakes already but I know it's a quick protein boost. I found one at Costco that has 30 grams so I have two a day and I get my required 60 grams and everything else is bonus :thumbup: I'm going to have to get the unflavored protein powder soon because I'm sick of sweet shakes. My problem was never craving sweets but fatty foods so I would rather add protein to my foods than have to drink more candy, yuck! And the vitamins and pills are getting tedious as well but they don't bother me when I think of how much better I will feel as I lose weight. I don't miss eating food, even when I had to smell my bf's steak cooking and watch him chew it, God how I miss chewing food... I was okay with my mashed potatoes because I figure that in my lifetime I've had more than my share of steaks, pizza, burgers, and everything else that helped me get to this size. I am fine with having to give it up for now because at this point in my life I'd rather look and feel good than have my food taste good. A lesson learned the hard way...

So I am 2 wks post-op and started the mushy food today. A few months ago I was shopping for dinner (I miss cooking real food) and noticed something called Bacon Salt in the seasoning aisle. So last week I was buying my baby food type foods for my week 2 and remember the bacon salt for my mashed potatoes. It is fantastic! The one I found has no calories and is low in salt and gluten free. I have been sprinkling it on everything, my cream of chicken soup, baby food, and today in my refried beans. Being Hispanic I know that the only way to make authentic refried beans is to use bacon fat. Well of course that's a no-no now so the bacon salt added a great authentic flavor. Unfortunately I got full so quickly and couldn't even finish my 1/3 cup serving. So now I'm looking forward to eating the rest for dinner. Now I'm trying to figure out how to make a bacon protein shake, lol. I am so sick of protein shakes already but I know it's a quick protein boost. I found one at Costco that has 30 grams so I have two a day and I get my required 60 grams and everything else is bonus I'm going to have to get the unflavored protein powder soon because I'm sick of sweet shakes. My problem was never craving sweets but fatty foods so I would rather add protein to my foods than have to drink more candy, yuck! And the vitamins and pills are getting tedious as well but they don't bother me when I think of how much better I will feel as I lose weight. I don't miss eating food, even when I had to smell my bf's steak cooking and watch him chew it, God how I miss chewing food... I was okay with my mashed potatoes because I figure that in my lifetime I've had more than my share of steaks, pizza, burgers, and everything else that helped me get to this size. I am fine with having to give it up for now because at this point in my life I'd rather look and feel good than have my food taste good. A lesson learned the hard way...

So I am 2 wks post-op and started the mushy food today. A few months ago I was shopping for dinner (I miss cooking real food) and noticed something called Bacon Salt in the seasoning aisle. So last week I was buying my baby food type foods for my week 2 and remember the bacon salt for my mashed potatoes. It is fantastic! The one I found has no calories and is low in salt and gluten free. I have been sprinkling it on everything, my cream of chicken soup, baby food, and today in my refried beans. Being Hispanic I know that the only way to make authentic refried beans is to use bacon fat. Well of course that's a no-no now so the bacon salt added a great authentic flavor. Unfortunately I got full so quickly and couldn't even finish my 1/3 cup serving. So now I'm looking forward to eating the rest for dinner. Now I'm trying to figure out how to make a bacon protein shake, lol.

I just tried Greek yogurt last week after reading about it on this site and it does taste just like sour cream. I am still in the mashed food stage so I've used it on mashed potatoes and today on my refried Beans. I don't really care for sweets so haven't tried to make it sweeter. I do like the idea above about straining it and flavoring it like a cream cheese spread. Unfortunately I won't have anything to spread it on for a few more weeks, lol. I miss my triscuits and laughing cow cheese wedges so I'm planning on trying the Greek yogurt spread as soon as I can have my Triscuits again :frown: I was able to find several brands and flavors of Greek yogurt at the HEB grocery store by my bf's (Houston, TX) but only in the stores that offer more of the imported foods. My local HEB store (San Antonio) didn't carry it but I drove down the road and found it in the dairy section. Whole foods does carry it but it was about twice as much. The different brands all had different Protein content so pick one that is high in protein but low in sugar. I might add some berries and give it a try one day.

I found my fave today... my bf got me the magic bullet yesterday at costco (great deal BTW) and we also picked up a rotisserie chicken there as well. So yesterday I blended some of the chicken and had some for dinner with Greek yogurt and tabasco for some flavor. So today I had some more of the chicken mush with fat free refried Beans, added bacon salt (the best invention ever) and some cheese. It was so good but unfortunately I got full so fast that I had to save the rest for later. Today is the first day that I actually got full so quickly... I am only 2 wks post op and have no fills yet, but I guess the band is working for me already :frown:. So I highly recommend the bullet or any other type of blender thingee because I was also sick of the cream Soups.

Sorry you are having a hard time but it does get better... I am now 10 days post-op and the day after my surgery I was thinking what did I just do... but now I know that what I did will save my life :smile: I actually did so much research here and on other sites and felt really prepared for my surgery. I love my surgeon and I went through True Results and they answered all my questions and there were lots of those, I had them on speed dial, lol... of course it's too late for you to do all of the pre-op research but you have every right to ask all the questions you need to, your surgeon and his staff is supported by these procedures. I suggest you write them down as they pop up so that you get them all answered when you call or visit. Hang in there... it gets better

Well I've had a few Starburst here and there... had two today actually but I'm diabetic and its to keep my sugar from bottoming out. I had a bad episode of low BS the week before my surgery because I was still taking my medication on the pre-op diet which was very low carb and I didn't actually need my meds. Well now since the surgery, I've had a few way too low BS days so I carry a pack of Starburst in my purse just in case and today was one of those days. I can't wait to start eating food soon so that I can get my levels back in order... good thing is no more meds for me :smile: Don't punish yourself for cheating... we all got this way and needed surgery because we've cheated on our diets. Just remember what your goals are... health, family, swimsuit season 2010, lol... whatever yours might be and I personally did not go through all this to not reach my goals but I'm sure I'll have some bad days, I'm only human

I felt like I had a monster in my stomach because of all the growling a few days post op. I was banded on 9/22 so it's only been a week and I have been feeling hunger since Sunday so I added Soups and Protein shakes to my liquid diet. My post op appt isn't until Thursday and that's when I would be put on the thicker liquids but I'm also diabetic and had very low blood sugars and no energy so I've added soups and it's helped. I can't wait to go on mushies and have already put my menu together for those 2 weeks. I haven't done any exercise yet and I'm still off of work but I've lost 6 lbs since my surgery I have been eating only sugar free liquids and the soups are low fat and low sodium so I think that's why I've lost weight. I know that once I get to mushies I still have to make good eating choices and not blend up burgers or pizza lol... I didn't go through this whole process to not be successful and I know that the band won't keep me from eating junk... It's up to me to know how much to eat and what to eat :scared2:

I was banded Tuesday and have BMs just about everyday although it hasn't been anything solid if you get my drift lol... Again I've been taking Gas-X strips every 4-6 hours so haven't had too much gas pain other than last night, but it wasn't too bad. I did the bowel cleanse day before surgery and since I'm only having liquids now I was expecting to have significant BMs... I know everyones different but I thought this week would be horrible based on some of my previous forum readings... But I also have to be strong because my bf is having his done in a few months and I don't want to scare him lol... I'm a tough broad hehe