honk

In regards to food options when you are tight; I quite like Chombani Fruited Greek Yoghurt. I add a little vanilla whey protein powder (which ups the protein level), Spendra (and for breakfast about 10 g of granola). Greek yoghurt, esp with protein powder is pretty think and stays with you a while. Nutriton wise I think you would be further ahead instead of having Cereal. Just a thought.

I would agree that some of the Misc. discussions can be nasty. I once responded to a comment made about people that hand out samples at the mall food court. The thread starter railed at me saying I was the thought police and that I should NEVER again respond to one their threads (talk about thought police!). I have to admit their comment really upset me. I have not gone back to the Rant section again. I do think that most of us come to both give and receive advice; to be mentors and be mentored.

I was meeting with the Nutrionist presurgery and she asked if I was using a food scale. I had bought one but was not using it. She said "How do you know if you are eating to much if you don't weigh?" I kind of shrugged that off. After surgery I dug it out; and started weighing my protein. Clearly I was having more protein presurgery than I realized. Not terribly bad since I primarily eat roasted chicken breast no skin. You mentioned being able to eat 6 oz of steak. That is twice what my doctor recommends. And steak is a lot higher in cal and fat than chicken. I have had two fills and only have minor restriction. I weigh my food and put it on a small plate. When the food is gone my meal is done. Even it I still feel hungry. Often times in 10 minutes or so I feel okay but not what I would call full. Until you have restriction you may need to accept that you will still be hungry after eating the recommended amount.

If you go back to liquids you will end up being hungrier. Think of your pouch as a funnel. After surgery you were swollen so the funnel was smaller. Now that you are healing the funnel will be more open. If you pour liquid it will just slide on through to the big stomach. You will be hungrier much soon than if you stay on more solid food.

Even though you doctor said you can be on full liquids; if you cant get them down I would go to clear liquids until you feel better. I was on clear liquids + protein shakes for 7 days and for the first couple days I was'nt very hungry. I do think you need to get the protein shakes down because your body is trying to heal. It can't really do that by burning fat. It needs protein. If I were you I would try ready to drink protein which tends to have a better texture and have more the consistency of milk. You need to stay hydrated and you need protein. The ready to drink protein that I keep in the house is Premier Brand from Costco 160 cal for 30 g of protein. They are only 11 oz. and three of them would give you the required protein for the day.

I did short walks the first couple days after surgery. Day four I started back at the gym on the treadmill slowly working up time and speed (started at 30 minutes), kept the incline flat. I normally do the elliptical but was'nt sure how the motion would be after abdominal surgery. I did an hour a day until I could go back to swimming on day 15. I do an hour of lap swimming dailey (moderate) continuous no stopping.

Since surgery I noticed how big my mugs were vs the coffee cups from my dish set. When I have soup I put it in the cup which is about 8 ounces. At that point of recovery I measured everything either using measuring cups or with a food scale. I would then put the food on a Salad/lunch plate. I always thought it was a crock but by putting your meal on a smaller plate it makes you "feel" like you are getting more food. I still don't have "perfect" restriction and I measure my food and when it's gone that's it. If you are'nt measuring you don't know whether you are getting to much. Even if you are earting a much smaller portion than before there is a good chance it is still to much.

My surgery was delayed like 3 hours while I lay waiting so I probably would not have been in the best mood either. My hospital is a teaching facility so there was a document I signed giving them permission to have medical students in the room (some of whom came to see me before and after surgery) and to film the procedure (with a guarantee that my face and name would not be used).

Both Lands End and LL Bean have Waterproof/Resistant outerwear and I believe they carry plus sizes.

I add Flavorless Benefiber to water, coffee, yoghurt which has helped me a lot.

I don't see them changing the policy because it would need to be company wide. I would however call the insurance directly and see whether the entire surgery is excluded or as you mentioned staying over night. As you enter open enrollment usually done in the fall see if the company has several insurance companies to pick from. The exclusion could be different between insurance companies.

You might want to go to a Vitamin Shoppe or GNC and ask which brands if any have Stevia. Most are going to have "equal" or maybe slendra. I ran a quick search on Google: "Protein powder" space stevia and got several hits. One was for the following Jay Robb chocolate whey Protein powder. Run a search and see what you find.

I would call your doctor. Your body has long ago digested that food. Not sure if overeating could cause slippage. When you say overeating was it "I am supposed to have 3 oz of protein but I had 5oz or was it like a large restaurant meal that should really be two servings? Are you able to swallow spit? I have read that slippage can stop you from doing that. Please keep in mind I am not a medical professional just recalling what I've read.

I met two friends today for lunch and found an outfit to wear that actually fit (most of my clothes are from up to 100 pounds ago. One of them has seen me in process and knows about the band; the other last saw me 75 pounds ago. Not sure if it was professionalism (he's in HR) or if his wife has him really well trained but he did not mention my weight loss at all. In the course of the conversation I did tell him about the surgery; but it felt good to "dress up" (I work from home which means I can wear my reallllyyy baggy clothes) and wear a nice outfit.

My doctor's office said to take Flintstone's. I found a version at Costco that is the same as Flintstones but much cheaper. It also says for children to take half and for an adult to have a whole one. Since they are shaped like dinasaurs I don't know exactly how you would cut one in half evenly. FYI I do have to take a Calcium supplement. I have had my blood done since the surgery and it fine.

I work from home so I don't need to "dress" for work. I also go window shopping and try on clothes to see what size I'm at. It can really make your day to fit a size that you have'nt worn in 10 years. If I get an onsite gig I will have to buy some clothes. 98% of my shirts are 3 sizes to big. :wink2:

When was you fill? My doctor requires 24 hours full liquids and then 24 hours mushies. If you try to move to solids to soon that could be causing your problem. If it has been several days and you still can not get solid Protein down call the doctor for a small unfil. For the 24 hours full liquids I have Protein shakes and tomatoe red pepper Soup. For mushies I do greek yoghurt, and canned chicken (made with low fat laughing cow cheese). If it has been several days and you think you need an unfil then eat along the lines of full liquids until you can get in to see the doctor. Use protein shakes to ensure you are getting enough protein. Keep in mind I am a recovering carb addict. Get rid of the crackers.

24 hours full liquids 24 hours mushies.

At my first meeting with the nurse she said I needed to loose 30 pounds prior to surgery. A month later I met with the doctor having lost 10 pounds and asked if there was going to be a presurgery liquid diet. Having felt my belly he believed the surgery could be done that day but if I wanted to go on a liquid diet he recommended HMR 500 (500 calories a day that's it). Since my surgery date was iffy (due to a blood clot) and I was loosing weight on my own (dieting and exercise); I decided to hold off on this very expensive liquid diet that you had to buy from the hospital. Fast forward 2 months to my second meeting I've lost 25 pounds and he says "So you've been on the HMR diet". To which I said no you said it was voluntary and I have been loosing on my own". He was a bit irritated and I went and bought $250 in shakes that were not covered by insurance. I used them for 5 days (worst 5 days you can imagine) and there were two results: NO LOST WEIGHT, and they were giving me allergy like sensations in the back of my throat (my brother has life threatening food allergies so I know all about them). I went to see the nurse and told her I was very concerned about allergy; I am in a horrible place mentally with food (which was not true on my own diet), and I was not loosing weight (when a 300 pound person does an hour of moderate cardio a day and only eats 500 calories they should be losing weight!). She said you were loosing on your own go back to your diet. So I did. Sorry to be long winded but I find the liquid diets to be very arbitray; some doctors don't require one and others make their own rules. About two weeks prior to my surgery I started to had a Protein shake for Breakfast and one for dinner made with fat free milk. Look for recipes on here. And then had a modest lunch. Calorie wise I was around 1,300. I had no problems during the surgery.

The first seminar I went to had a 400 program fee. I found another program. They said it was to cover the hands outs (Yes photocopies. Voluntary support meetings with no professionals just patients getting together; which were held at the hospital (so they owned the rooms). Some people say it covers fills but if you have insurnace they will probably pay for that. I have to wonder if because this was a local hospital that they figured people would think this is my local hospital I'll have to just fork over the money. I live north of Boston so many hospitals within driving distance. I went an additional 10 minutes to a MUCH better "magnet" hospital and there was no fee.

For on the go moments I like the Premier Ready To Drink chocolate Protein shake from costco 160 cal for 30 grams protein. I think it tastes pretty good. I admit I don't think I've had CIB since I was a kid. Is the reason people like it because of the sweetness? I use splendra so don't take the question as a knock. If one were to sweenten a Protein Shake with spelndra to the same sweetness as CIB would people like them more? I add things to my protein shakes to make them taste better so I don't mind the taste like a lot other posters.

Fast Disco and 80's tunes; Big and loud Broadway (show) Tunes

I know a lot of people will disagree with me but it could be that you are at a weight your body likes. Have you ever taken a much smaller size than 10 for a long period of time as an adult? If not then I would learn to enjoy the size 10. I have two sisters one has always been a 8/10 and the other about a 12. The one who is slightly larger has been a yoyo-er though to me a 12 is pretty thin. Last year she got down to a 4/6 but has gained back to a 12. She's disappointed and unhappy. I think she should embrace being a 12.

For a couple weeks presurgery I did protein shakes for breakfast and dinner with a reasonably sized lunch. My surgeo did not have a presurgery diet (But I had lost 50 pounds since my consult so that may have had something to do with it.). I made my shakes with 2/3 cup fat free milk, 1/3 cup frozen milk ("milk cubes"), ice cubes, Whey isolate protein power, fat/sugar free pudding powder (2 tablespoons), sometimes Davinchi sugar free syrup, splendra. Mixed in a Hamilton Beach Blender.

I buy Vitamin Water Zero if I am out and want a drink. You can buy it at the grocery or walmart for a dollar. I would rather have something with flavor than plain water for the same money (oddly I like it room temp rather than ice cold). I would agree that you are really not getting much Vitamins in the product. I suppose the down side could be that your liver and kidneys are having to process the coloring they add; which has to be harder on your organs than plain water. I once had a boss (who was the ultimate #$@$#% ) who lashed out at me for adding to much sugar free ice tea mix to my glass. One of my coworkers who I think was dumbfounded said "it's sugar free what's the problem?" She would not back down! "You should not add so much flavoring. That's bad!" To quote Welcome Back Kotter "Up your nose with a rubber hose."