marieforme

That is AWESOME! Levi's size 10!!!!!!! You rock the NSV casbah:clap2: ~

How could food be stuck between the band and the stomach? I am confused! (not suprising though!) Anyway - re. alcohol - I have had flat beer. Not great but I'm not gonna lie about it. I went to Bunco and it's just sort of a habit I guess. I just opened a beer and poured it over ice and let it sit out about 10 minutes and I was fine. I know its not great for the calorie count but its my one night a month to be wild and since all the other girls were EATING taco salad, I had my little indulgence. I don't think wine would be bad. Or some something smooth with juice or water. Have fun and relax!

Well I had my 2 week checkup today and I have lost 4 lbs (I didn't know b/c I don't weigh at home). I thought I had lost more, but the nurse said 2 lbs a week is perfect. I was just eating SOOO much before the band (trying to cram it all in I guess) and now I am probably taking in 1/4 of the calories I was, so I thought I would have dropped some water weight quickly (or something!) My doc HATES weighing - he says we should only go by how our clothes feel. But I haven't been weight lifting or anything so I know its not muscle weight gained or anything. Anyway, if these 4 lbs never come back ever again and this is the last time I see those numbers on the scale I will be happy! I have my 1st fill in 4 weeks so we'll see! Anyway, anyone else feel this way? My doc says my body may need more calories to lose weight (the starving body theory). Who knows? I will just keep on what I'm doing and now I can add exercise so that should help~ Hope everyone is well!

Barbara - that "lasagna" sounds awesome! My bday is tomorrow and I love italian food but couldn't think of what to have ~ so I think I'll treat myself with a little! I watched Rachel Ray today and she made a shepards pie and I was inspired! So this is my mushies version - it is awesome and no probalems going down (I am 15 days post op). In a large saucepan, Begin to brown 1lb. lean ground beef Add 1 bag frozen seasoning mix (it is just onions and bell peppers chopped) 1 can black eyed peas I can veg all (both with about 1/2 the liquid) Let cook unitl meat almost done - add I pkg fresh mushrooms chopped fine (or I can of mushrooms) In a seperate saucepan, mix up 4 cups of brown gravy (Tony Chachere's Creole Brown Gravy Mix in a can has 0 grams of fat and is just made with water) When gravy is ready, add to meat/veggie mix and let simmer. (I also added some of that new Fibersure at this point - it has no taste and is a great way to sneak Fiber in when not having grains) At this point I added salt, pepper, garlic, and worchestire (sp?) to taste. Make up instant mashed potatoes ~ about 4 servings (I then mixed with a little beef broth to thin) When meat/veggie mix is cooked to the consistency of a stew, pour in casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes Broil for 5 minutes in oven - YUMMY! It was pretty soupy but I loved it and my family did too! Bon Appetit! Let's keep the ideas coming!

This thread is really helpful for us newbies. I still have 4 weeks until my 1st fill but it is great to know what to look for. My dr said when he does the 1st fill he fills it up all the way and then gives me Water to drink and he unfills until I can feel the water go down. He said the amount is different for everyone. Is this how ya'll did it? Do you mind telling me how full you were and how much was added? I am really curious if this was your first fill or what. I too sympathize with the money issue as I am a POOR college student and only my first fill is included in the surgery cost. My nurse suggested after I finish the first fill to sit in the waiting room for 30 min to an hour drinking liquids and make sure I feel OK before I leave. I guess if I hadn't left yet they wouldn't charge me for an unfill! Anyway - any details on fill levels, size of your band, and how many fills you had would be great. I am trying to be an "educated consumer!" Thanks!

Linda, I am one of those newbies! Will you please explain erosion to me? I assumed people meant the band started disenegrating or something! Please explain!

Do you mean you have a headache? That may be from being dehydrated. Clarify for me and we'll see if anyone can help ~

Ok guys - I went to GNC and got the Isopure. It comes in the hugest containers - it is so funny - one of my friends came over and said "Wow you sure have huge jugs!" I laughed so hard my port hurt! Anyway, I have made up a pitcher of Protein shake with SF/FF frozen yogurt, a couple of tbls. of reduced fat Peanut Butter, skim milk, and the chocolate Isopure powder. I am drinking 2 cups a day - which gives me 50 g of protein and I feel much better. I think that was definetely the problem. I talked to my dietician this morning and she still feels 30 g of protein a day is enough but I do not agree. Also - thanks for the heads up about the eggs - I will hold off. Now that I am feeling better I don't feel like I HAVE to have one. However yesterday I did go to a restaurant and I ordered some soup and some baked fish and I had about 5 tiny bites of the fish and it was fine. I think it was because I was also having the soup - which I'm sure helped wash it down. I know that is against the principle of drinking while eating with the band, but I had to try it. I guess when we start real eating we shouldn't have anything liquid like soup with our meal? That would defeat the purpose right? Anyway - tomorrow I go to my first support group meeting and I am looking forward to it. Oh and also I have Bunko tomorrrow night (which is usually a lot of fattening food and lots of alcohol). I am really woried about it so pray for me. Only one of my Bunco girls knows about the surgery so I am going to try to just be laying low. I will say I already ate dinner or something and I guess bring a Protein Shake with me. Any suggestions? Anyway - just wanted to thank everyone for the support and I will keep you all posted. I love your suggestions and I am about to hit the 2 week mark and transfer over to mushies so any advice is appreciated.

Thanks guys! I will definitely up my protein intake and I am drinking 64 oz of water a day (at least). I think it has to be the protein. I just keep hearing all these people say how great they felt and I was wondering what was wrong with me. I will call the dietician again on Monday and if I can't get her I will call my surgeon. I think the Isopure shakes might be the key - I'm hoping I can get them at GNC. Keep the suggestions coming! I appreciate them all ~

Just to clarify - I am supposed to drink at least 64 oz of water a day. The 1/4 cup per hour is for things other than water. I have tried to call my dietician today but she wasn't in. Maybe the 1/4 cup is a minimum and not a maximum? Hell, maybe I've got it all wrong. But I do know it says to add 25-30 g of protein a day. Well when I can't eat meat, peanut butter, cheese, or well, anything that has real protein in it I am assuming to "add" 25-30 g a day would be all the protein I am getting. I have had Carnation Instant Breakfast and hi-protein slim fast, I will definetely try the Isopure shake. I'm still thinking about trying an egg and just keeping my fingers crossed. But I think for dinner I am going to have pureed vegetarian chili and hope that is OK. Thanks for all the advice and please keep it coming!

Sorry guys, it has been 10 days since my surgery, not 8. If that makes any difference. Re. the protein - I have noticed 25-30g is lower than most. But how do you get that much protein unless you drink protein shakes and nothing else? According to my doc I'm only supposed to have 1/4 cup of liquid every hour. Let's say I eat (actually drink) 10 times a day - that only 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Can you get 60 g of protein in 2 1/2 cups? argh.

:help: Ok - I had my surgery 8 days ago and I went through my packet of info I have collected from my surgeon, dietician, PCP, online, etc. and I realized I have about 10 different post-surgery diets and don't know which one to follow. Liquids do not make me feel full - at all - and I am so weak I can barely get off the couch. Seriously, I can't imagine doing anything. It was a lot of effort to go to the computer. Anyway - some diets say liquids for one week, some for 2 weeks, and I've heard on these boards anywhere from a few days to a month. Can I have a scrambled egg? Some refried beans? One diet said in week two you can have soft pasta and well cooked veggies. I have not had any nausea and I don't want to throw up and risk doing something bad. But I'm not sure if I can get enough protein and sustain any sort of life on the liquids I'm drinking. My doc suggests 25-30 g of protein a day(which I am doing) and I take vitamins 2x a day. Any advice?

I notice not a lot of people are standing up and saying "I have had a drug problem too" so I will. Please know that the reason I finally got clean (October 2000) is because of the "Suicide Mondays". I don't know if you have ever heard that term but basically ex is the most famous for causing it. Ex releases a flood of seratonin in your brain an you feel GREAT for a while and then you crash big time. Coke is similar. I got tired of feeling horrible when I was coming down. The high wasn't worth the low. And if you are bi-polar or taking any type of mood stabilizers or anti-depressants taking ex or doing coke will totally screw this up. You might as well take nothing because they completely screw up what the real meds are trying to do. When your seratonin gets out of whack you are in for big ups and downs, highs and lows. as I'm sure you know. If you want to talk please send me a private message and I will help you through this all I can. You have to realize that the lows bring on the desire for highs which bring on the lows again. It is a vicious cycle. I got tired of feeling like I wanted to die after a binge and quit. I had to get away from the people that I partied with and start over. Reach out to some people who are clean - whether it be in a meeting, a counselor, family, whatever. Trust me, it will be the best thing you ever did. It is so great to know I will never feel that crappy again (I hope!) Anyway, good job on getting it out there. Hang on and take it one minute at a time (when I got clean one day or even one hour was way too long a time frame for me). It will get better - I promise.