CurvyCat

Betsy's comment is dead-on on this, as usual. :thumbup: When I first started considering surgery late last year, my youngest was still nursing a few times a week. She self-weaned while I was doing the 90-day diet required by my insurance, at 29mos old (she went 2 months longer than her big sis did!). But, if she hadn't, I would have held off on getting surgery until she was done. A few months extra waiting is no big deal when considering how brief the nursing time is in a child's life. That said, I'm still producing, so while my production is low, I don't think it would be hard to get it back up and running. I'm going to be giving it a try soon, in fact, as my sister is having a very hard time producing for her 5-month old and has asked if I would be willing to pump to help keep my niece on breastmilk for as long as possible.

I'm doing lots of bean soups, fat-free refried Beans, pureed chicken and ground turkey (mixed in with other stuff), and soft fish. 1% Cottage cheese and fat-free ricotta cheese too. If I'm not getting enough Protein, then I'll add a protein shake, or add unjury unflavored to my pureed soups. So, for example, last night I made one of my old Weight Watchers standy recipes, taco Soup. I left out the corn and added extra beans. Frozen pepper/onion mix, canned mexican flavor tomatoes, and browned and drained ground turkey. Packet of taco seasoning and that's it! I pureed my serving (and added a scoop of unflavored Unjury) and topped with a dollop of fat free sour cream and some diced avocado. The rest of my family ate it too, without pureeing it, of course. :thumbup: And I had a leftover bowl made the same way today for lunch! Tonight's dinner will be fish fillets baked in foil with some light sesame dressing for marinade, and a side of butternut squash soup. The rest of the family will get the same thing, but with rice on the side too. :thumbup: I'm in a sort of pureed/mushies combo stage until my first fill. This isn't what my surgeon's diet was originally, but it's what he moved me to at my 1 week post-op for some reason, and I'll be on it until 5 weeks post-op, when I have an appointment to get my first fill. However, I'm going to Chicago in about a week (will be just over 4 weeks post-op), and will probably have to do some solid food at that weekend, but I'm going to try to keep things as soft as possible. Of course, my MIL is all excited about taking us to get Chicago pizza and steak, and she doesn't know about my surgery, so dancing around it should be fun (not!). :

Mine just started thinning, but I've been expecting it, so I'm just going to weather it through. My hair is pretty thin and fine to begin with, but my current cut makes it look thicker. I've gone through this already once this year in late February, a month or so after I started my 90-day supervised diet. Eventually it slowed down and my hair started to grow back in. I was at about 1100 cal per day during that most of the time, and since surgery I've been at between 800-900 calories per day. So, yeah, I figured that it would start happening again soon. I went through it a couple of months after both my kids were born too, in 2004 and 2007, so at least now I'm not quite as devastated about it as I was the first time it happened. It does come back, or at least it did for me, every time. It's just hard to be patient when you're having to clean out your hairbrush daily or scoop wads of hair out of the drain after every shower. Hang in there, it will get better!!

The not drinking during/after meals thing is probably the hardest thing for me so far. But I've been getting in my fluids throughout the day by always having my Water bottle or drink mug with me and just sipping all the time. I've been making myself start immediately when I get up and getting in one full 750ml bottle as I go about my morning routine. Then I wait 15-20 min before Breakfast, usually working on making my kids' breakfast, doing some dishes, checking email, something. It gets a head start on the water for the day, that's for sure! I love teas, so 30-45 min after breakfast, I'll have a cup of tea with my Benefiber (generic) in it, as it dissolves really well in hot beverages. And then it's just working on it across the day, and leaving it in another room while I'm eating so I'm not tempted to drink then. I also get in some extra before bed. I'm used to having to get up to pee once a night, so it's no big deal to add some water then too. It all adds up!

This. This. This. Banding is not an easy choice. It requires sacrifice, determination, and dedication. And, it is permanent. The decision to band is one for adults to make for themselves, not one for a parent to make for a child.

Here's the whole list from CR. I attached the chart too in case the link changes sometime in the future. Protein Drinks: What's in them? Consumer Reports I use an Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% whey powder, which looks to be pretty low (and is pretty tasty, as powders go), but I think I might check out the Hydro Whey they have as it seems to be even higher in protein and lower in heavy metals.

I'll have to remember that when I get a chip craving! I'm still on mushies for a couple more weeks, so it's not something I can try yet. :frown: I do wish there was a transport medium for salsa that was healthier - but just as tasty!! - as tortilla chips. :tt1:

Good to know about the cycles changing! I'm about 4 days overdue right now and no chance of being pregnant, so I'll stop worrying and be grateful for the reprieve, however brief it may turn out to be.

I don't know about Mexican places elsewhere in the country, but here (I'm in Texas) I can almost always find a chicken breast or tilapia fillet entree on the menu that's a healthier choice. Ranchero sauce is always better than queso or cream sauce, and often the dishes will simply be topped with a peppers, onions, and tomato saute instead. yum! I'm just going to have to hope my band will help me avoid my Mexican food nemesis -- tortilla chips! I used to be able to easily go through at least 2 baskets all by myself while waiting for the food to show up, eek!!

I've heard it can take a few fills to get to that 'sweet spot' where your hunger is managed well. I'm starting to get hungry too, but I've found that when I manage to really get my Protein in it helps a LOT. I got moved to pureed/mushies early so I've been experimenting with ways to get my protein in with food instead of powders. 1% Cottage cheese and fat free ricotta cheese, eggs, pureed Beans, pureed chicken and very soft-cooked fish (I can't bring myself to puree it, but I chew the heck out of it before swallowing) work well so far. I haven't had any trouble swallowing anything so far so it's kind of hard to believe there's anything around my stomach at all! But I haven't pushed it past about 1.5 cups of soft food at a sitting, because I'm afraid of hurting myself. I also take my time eating, which is hard, but seems to help. I am finding that I'm getting hungry sooner between meals, though, so maybe my pureed/mushy stuff is passing through faster than it was at the beginning? hrm. Just trying to stay busy and distracted and OUT of the kitchen! hehe I'm going to hit the gym tomorrow, I think, to start back to exercising slowly. I've been walking, but it's too hot here to do it any time other than WAY early in the morning.

I like the 100% whey Protein from Optimum Nutrition in Vanilla Ice Cream. I make it with Soy Slender Vanilla flavor, which would be considered a full liquid. I also have the unjury unflavored which is OK for a change, but definitely turns my broth sort of frothy when I blend it in with my hand blender. I haven't tried it added to anything except soup/broth, so it might not do that if I mix it in with Crystal Light or something similar.

It doesn't seem to like to load on the first click. I just reloaded the page and it came up fine. Just added myself and my goal, btw! 40# by Christmas, but I think I might already have some headway as I haven't weighed since being banded 2 weeks ago.

I'd have to say that I think electively adding anything permanent to one's anatomy before the age of adulthood is a bad idea. I do wish I had known about the band in my mid to late 20s, but teens - especially boys - aren't done growing at that age. Their bodies are still in such a state of flux that I would bet the risk factors go up. I'd wait until they're done with puberty, are adults, and can really make the choice for themselves. I went (on a hardship program, I'm not rich, LOL) to a ritzy college prep high school, and I remember seeing plastic surgery gone awry on teens, girls getting their jaws wired shut to lose weight, girls all bruised up after lipo, etc. They're KIDS. And while it is HARD to be a fat teen, I know, they have time to reach adulthood before committing to something like this for LIFE.

The original diet I was given was 1 week clear liquids 1 week full liquids 2-3 weeks pureed 1-2 weeks mushies However, when I went in for my post-op at one week, he told me I could start on pureed and mushies as I was comfortable. Stuff like cottage cheese and eggs I didn't have to blend. I'm 2 weeks out today and have been mostly doing regular mushies (with the aforementioned cottage cheese and eggs), but I've also had fish a couple of times that I've just made sure to eat very slowly and chew very well. I haven't had anything feel painful or uncomfortable at all. I seem to feel full at about 1-1.5 cups of whatever I'm consuming. My friend who was banded the same day by the same doctor was not given the go ahead to start food - she was told to stick with the full liquids stage. So I'm not sure what his criteria are for moving forward, but it seems that I'm in one category and she's in another. ??

I don't know whether you're right or not, Jacqui, but it does make a kind of sense. This is the first time I've said that I WANT to get all the way into my ideal weight range. Every other time, I've stopped within 20-30 pounds of the top end of it, and then started gaining again. This time, nope. I don't care if my family and in-laws say I look too skinny at 140-150#, which I know is what's going to happen. But I want to be slim, and fit, and NOT overweight at all for once in my adult life, and I want to stay there. That's not to say I don't have some fears about getting there. I am not going to enjoy the negative comments from my family and in-laws. I don't actually like the heavy come-on attention I start getting from guys once I get below 200#. I'm nervous about the loose skin and saggy boobs. I worry about future potential complications with my band and whether or not I'll have foods that I can't eat forever. But I've definitely made a mental shift to get here that hadn't occurred with any other time that I've lost weight. It feels very strange to be *this* determined about doing this, but it's a good feeling that's carried me through all of 2010 so far and hasn't let up yet! :ohmy:

I cleared mine out the last time I lost 100 pounds, so I don't have nearly the amount that I used to have, but the collection did start growing again over the last year or so, as I expanded past what was left of my fat clothes and into my maternity clothes -- ack!! I'm still wearing the clothes I was wearing at my high point for now. Actually, I'm glad I have them, as everything except my jeans are easy to wear on my hips right now as my incision heals. After that? Well, they're just going to have to be baggy until I get into my 12/13/14s from when I lost last time. I don't see me being ever getting below a size 9/10, even at goal, because of my hips. So I'll wear those 12/13/14s baggy until I get there! Fortunately, a couple of different social circles I'm in do clothing swaps a few times a year. There's often a shortage of plus sized clothing, so it will be good to bring that and come away with stuff to fit my new shape. Everything not swapped at these goes to one of the women's shelters in town. :scared2: My Torrid collection I will probably sell on Ebay, though. I managed to net a few hundred bucks off Torrid/punk/goth/etc clothes the last time around.

Good to know! I was wondering about this too. :scared2:

I've been enjoying the 100% whey Protein from Optimum Nutrition. So far I've only tried the Vanilla Ice Cream flavor, but it's better than most other powders I've tried! I mix it with a cup of Soy Slender soymilk in vanilla flavor and it's sweet and creamy. Combined they have 5 net carbs, 190 calories, 3g fat, and 30g protein. I usually add my Benefiber to it too and serve it over ice! I got it at GNC and they have a lot of other flavors. I think I'm going to give another one a go too when this container is done.

Haha you are awesome!! I'm not interested in bungee, but I would SO do everything else you've listed, in a heartbeat! I've wanted to skydive for years, and I have a friend that can't wait to take me.

Like Lauren, I can't see it when I look in the mirror, but I can totally see it in photos. When I lose (I've been up and down the 100+ loss path before), I have definite points along the way where it seems to jump out at me. 225-ish, 200-ish, 170-ish -- all are places where I can typically see a real difference. The range between about 230 and 280 all seems about the same to my perception, though I can very much see a difference in photos between the two ends of that range, especially in my face.

- I don't drink coffee, but I was told no caffeine until 6 weeks out. I miss my tea. I've been getting in plenty of Water so it probably wouldn't be an issue, but I think I can hold out a bit longer. - My husband and I had an appointment with our attorney that we could not miss, the day after my surgery. I didn't take any pain meds so I could be clear-headed, but I was not comfortable. I took a dose as soon as I got in the car to head back home! No driving myself until about 5 days post-op, even though I was supposed to wait a week, but I was off the meds during the day by that point. - I agree that you need to ask your surgeon about your post-op eating/drinking instructions before surgery so you know what to expect and know if there's anything you'll want/need to have on hand. I got instructions from my surgeon and then a totally different set of instructions at the hospital, so I had to double-check with him afterwards to make sure what he wanted me to do. - I think a lot of people have the procedure done on an outpatient basis. I had my surgery at 10am and went home by 6:30pm, it would have been even earlier if I could have peed sooner... hehehe! Good luck and congrats!!

I totally agree that we should focus on healing, BUT that does not mean we should just take this as an opportunity to get in a bunch of slider foods we won't get to have after we're healed. There is no reason why we can't use this time to both heal AND make healthy choices. I don't even have a functional scale right now to check my weight, so I'm not focused on my weight. I'm focused on both healing AND making the changes in the way that I eat and think that will carry me through for LIFE. There is no way that I'm going to lose time or headway on my progress just because I'm on mushies. I'm in this for the long haul, but I'm not going to sabotage myself by making that haul any longer than necessary. Just my take on it.

I'm about as far out as you are, and was also switched to pureed/mushies. I'm still taking in 1-2 Protein shakes per day right now, and then eating 1-2 meals per day. Getting the protein in on mushies is hard, but I'm experimenting a bit and so far so good. I definitely add unjury unflavored Protein powder to any Soup I have, and I'm either going homemade, or I searched for ones that were gentle on the diet. pureed chicken breast has been good in some Soups to add some substance and protein. I also took about 1/2 cup fat-free refried Beans and topped it with seasoned pureed chicken breast (I had to add broth to the chicken until I got it to the right consistency), then added a packet of Taco Bell sauce on top for flavor, a little dollop of fat free sour cream, and a sliver of avocado. Yum! One other that I think I'm going to tweak some, but is pretty tasty as-is is a noodle free lasagna of sorts. 1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese, topped with pureed healthy spaghetti sauce with browned ground turkey in it. (all pureed together). I think I need to season the ricotta some, though. I've eaten soft-cooked salmon too without pureeing it, but chewing it VERY thoroughly. 1% cottage cheese or WW fat free vanilla yogurt for Breakfast. I think I'm going to give mushy-cooked scrambled eggs a shot soon too. So far, I've definitely felt full at somewhere between 1 and 1.5 cups of food, though it's not lasting as long as I hope it will once the food is not totally mush. My toaster oven has definitely come in handy for cooking up small portion sizes - I can see it getting a lot of use in the months to come! Meals like the pseudo-lasagna were made with leftovers from me feeding my kids spaghetti. They get the Pasta with non-pureed sauce and meat, I get it my way. I'm sure I'll find more things that work for me as I get farther along, I've only had a few days to start my food science! *laugh* Good luck, and check the mushies sticky post in the food section here too! Even some of those recipes that are looking to use butter and heavy cream (what?!?) should be easy enough to modify to be healthier.

I took some pics of my incision for my blog, and thought I'd share on this thread too! I had a single incision surgery (SILS), also known as a TUGB (Trans-Umbilical Gastric Band), so the incision is in my navel. It was kind of hard to get a good pic. The incision is about 1 inch long, horizontal across my belly button. I am 11 days post-op, and the incision is still a bit puffy and raw. It's very difficult in the Texas heat to keep the darn thing DRY, especially as it's between my belly rolls when I sit down. I circled my incision in one pic - the hole(s) it's under are my navel piercing. It looks like my surgeon was successful at going below my piercing (even though I was totally OK with him having to cut it), so I will probably be able to put my ring back in when I'm healed up completely, yay! I believe my port is about 2-3 inches above my belly button, but I haven't been able to feel it. I have a low-profile port, so hopefully it won't ever be very noticeable.