NCLisa

I drink tea and coffee every day. I stop at Starbucks once a day for a iced skinny surgar free vanilla latte. For Breakfast I have either Morning Thunder tea or Rasberry White Tea as I need caffeine in the morning to get going. The rest of the day I drink herbal teas without caffiene. I'm sure I keep Celestial Seasons in business. It hasn't hurt me at all. I love teas, and I love the fact that the herbal teas are a pleasantly flavored way to get Water without artificial sweetners!

I like the Isopure unflavored whey protein. It has 25 grams per scoop. I put it in my Starbucks latte every morning, it disolves easily. I'll put a partial scoop in yogurt or some foods, any more than that and the taste of the food changes.

I have a Starbucks Venti sugar free hazelnut latte with 2% milk everyday. I bring along my little baggie of Isopure unflavored protein powder, and add 1 scoop to my latte which is 25 grams of protein. I get my coffee and my protein for breakfast every morning. I can't eat foods until about 1pm, so this gets me going in the morning.

My Dr. said that I need at least 50 grams of protein a day, but he'd be happiest with 60. So that is my daily protein goal One week when I had the flu, I didn't get more than maybe 10 grams of protein a day for about 5 days, I lost a lot of hair about 2 weeks later.

I didn't lose much in the mushy stage either. The mushies tend to be higher in sugars and carbs. Once you get back to solids and have a larger selections of foods to eat, you will lose more.

Breakfast - Starbucks - Venti sugar free hazelnut latte with low fat milk and I add 25 grams of unflavored protein. Snack - organic mozzarella stick Lunch - scrambled egg Snack - organic mozzarella stick Dinner - Kung Pao stir fry (all organic) with asparagus, water chestnuts, mung bean sprouts, yellow pepper, green onion, garlic, broccoli and extra firm tofu over a small amount of organic brown rice.

I eat rice all the time, in very small portions, along with my indian food, thai food, or a stir fry. I can't eat a big mouthful of rice, but I can eat little bites, with the other foods. I can not eat most breads, except for some indian breads with are very thin. I can't eat most pasta's either. I still eat carbs, but not like I used to. I'm not going to cut things that I can still eat out, but I am going to eat them in smaller doses. Carbs in moderation are not bad for you. Tonight I will have a stir fry with tofu, asparagus, broccoli, red pepper, mushroom, mung bean sprouts, Water chestnuts and onion with terriaki sauce and brown rice (all organic).

Pilates, I've gone from a size 22 to 12 with doing nothing but pilates 2 to 4 x a week since July. I love it. I just bought an elliptical, and will add that in over Xmas.

I've lost 40 pounds and gone from a size 22 to a size 14 now. I'm doing pilates 4 days week, so I've lost lots of fat, and built a lot of good muscle in it's place.

I do have problems with some foods, and some foods I can eat one day, but then can't the next. I've found though, that I never have a problem with Indian food with or without rice. So now I'm getting take out a couple times a week. One order of Saag Paneer and Chicken Tikka Masala feeds me for 3 to 4 days.

I was wondering if it was the spices. I haven't had problems with Thai or Greek either.

I've had reflux since my last fill 2 months ago. I read that taking Tums all the time is bad for you. So I bought Papaya Enzyme and Super Digestive Enzymes from GNC. Not real expensive. They really do seem to help. I take the papaya enzymes (chewable) before I eat or exercise. The Super Digestive enzymes are for after meals. It's made a difference so far! I'm not sure if it's the fill or just me. Prior to banding I'd started having heartburn the last couple years. I read that as you get older, it is harder to digest Proteins which causes heartburn. I think I'm eating far more proteins now that I did pre-banding. I'm thinking that part of the reflux is so much Protein.

I made my decision without talking to my primary care doctor. I went to see her for a blood pressure check at the end of February, told her my decision, and asked who she recommended as a surgeon. She gave me a name, and was very supportive, said my HBP could eventually go down to normal, the kidneys problems may stop, and I'd get healthier. But then, I have an awesome Doctor!

I do Pilates, and my Dr. is all for it. My surgery was May 8, and my first pilates class was July 21.

Thanks Bandie! I really like the papaya enzymes, its good that they taste ok too. The super digestive enzymes work well to. I use those after I eat a dinner with lots of meat. I also take the enzymes before exercise, I do a lot of pilates, and I notice that sometimes I get heartburn durning the ab series. I'm sure my stomach is churning away while I'm working those abs! I'll have to check your blog out. I'm not much of a blog person though.

I have been to my surgeon since the reflux started. I do not need an unfill. I've got a 10cc band with 5cc's filled. I was told that the reflux might come back. It was never so bad that I needed a prescription, and it's never kept me up at night. It does happen after I eat high Protein meals. After 40 our bodies start losing the ability to digest complex Proteins easily, and I'm at the end of my 40's so I get heartburn. I don't get it everyday. And my surgeon did not give me a prescription for anything at this time. I still have the bottle of tums in my desk drawer that I bought prior to the surgery, and there are only about 15 tabs missing out of it. I'm asking if anyone else has tried enzymes for heartburn and reflux. I am asking because I like to try more natural remedies if I can than prescription drugs.

I've been craving a turkey rueben so bad I can't stand it! I am going to wait a few more months before trying bread.

Reflux can be so weird, I didn't get it all today until I drank water this afternoon. I had a latte, yogurt for breakfast, beans for lunch with chicken soup. Then about 3:30 I decided I needed more water, and that is when the heartburn started. Popped 3 papaya enzymes, and gone.

The Dr. told me there was a chance I'd still have the reflux after I got the band. And I did. As I said, I had it before the band. Taking the enzymes after I eat stops the reflux and heartburn instead of tums.

I chose not to lose the weight too fast. I've only lost 35 pounds since May, but I've gone from a size 22 to 14. I've been doing pilates, which has built lots of nice long muscles, strengthened me everywhere, and totally toned my abs. I have no loose skin at this point and I've also had a C-section. Now that I'm going to Pilates 4x a week, I'm ready to add some aerobic exercise to my days. I bought an eliptical. Now to go upstairs and put it together!

Muscle weighs a lot more than fat. While you may have gained weight, did you lose any sizes?

I use All One Original Vitamin & Mineral formula. It is a powder. I add it to my yogurt, juice, latte or whatever I'm having for Breakfast and lunch. I love it! You can see all the nutrients in it here: http://store.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=allone&StoreType=BtoC&Count1=277294337&Count2=194434762&ProductID=4&Target=products.asp

I was banded in May 2009. I've got all the horrible side effects, first bite syndrome, I can't eat solids until after 3pm. I may not be able to eat the same foods 2 days in a row, etc. It takes me 3 weeks to heal from a fill and so on. I said at one time I didn't know if I'd do it again, but as of today, I would do it all over again. I've never lost so much weight this quickly and worked so hard at exercising. The band is the tool that got me motivated while just dieting won't. The band is what is going to make me live longer, while dieting goes up and down and I can forget my diet anytime, I can't forget the band.

I started taking Pilates twice week in July, and am not taking classes 3 days a week now. I LOVE Pilates! Every now and then I get slight port pain, but my surgeons asst. says that is normal, and pilates is one of the best exercise programs I can do. I can't believe that I actually look forward to the classes! I've decided to buy a couple videos so I can do it 5 days a week in a couple months.

I started out with private instruction, which is a little pricey, but it was worth it, and I prepaid so I'd have to do all the them. Only way I'd commit to any type of exercise. The privates made taking the classes easier as I knew some of the moves. I take at least one reformer class and one tower class and one private a week. I like the tower and reformer work outs equally. I did my first mat class yesterday, it was ok, but I prefer the tower & reformer classes. I will continue to take the mat when I just can't get to one of the other classes with my schedule.