honk

My doctor said Flintstone Chewables with Choline (look for that not all versions have it). I buy store brand at Costco for a lot less. I also take Caltrate Plus chewables (2), Vitafusion D Gummies (2), Vitafusion Fiber gummies, Iron 65 mg (from drug store), Biotin 5,000 mg (drug store). FYI I was told not to take vitamins the two weeks prior to surgery and the two weeks after.

You may like premade shakes better. Premier brand is pretty good 160 cals for 30 g of protein. Some like Muscle Milk Light (make sure it light, the regular is super high in cals.)

Please note I am not saying this to be mean spirited. The band is not meant to stop you from eating foods like rice or snacks. I am at restriction and can basically eat any food I want. At least half of this battle is making a new relationship with food. There's nothing wrong with eating rice say once a week. The issue is when did you eat a high calorie food everyday. It took me 6 months to get restriction so your first fill may not do a lot for you.

I have been overweight my entire life; except for for when I lost significant weight at 13, and over 100 pounds at 18, and 30. There was a British study done a while back that showed in families where the men are alcoholics the women are obese. That is certainly true in my family. I think it shows a propensity toward addictive behaviors. I had to attend mindfull eating sessions as part of my preop. These sessions were really helpful to me. I have to actively decide not to eat fatty/high calorie foods; probably like an addict has to actively decide not to have a smoke or a drink. This is why my diets never worked in the past because it is mentally exhausting to constantly be chosing only healty foods. With the band if I do make poor choices it helps me eat less of them.

Nope.

I take Benefiber and fiber gummies couple in the morning and at night. I also add unflavored benefiber to my morning yogurt and have no problems.

Could ya loose my parking tickets?

1) Couch Pillow for the ride home to prevent the seat belt from hitting your incisions. 2) Liquid Tylenol-did'nt take any perscription pain killers once I got home- Look for store brand much cheaper. 3) Some premade protein shakes-day 2 I was out and about but since you are on liquids you get hungry at odd times. Got ravenous and had to stop at Target for a protein shot because I could'nt wait the 30 minutes to get home to eat. 4) Stock for clear liquid stage- broth has less flavor. Don't bother with low salt versions they taste horrible. 5)Pacific Brand tomato/sweet red pepper smooth soup. 6)Mrs. Dash no salt herb flavorings - Add to Stock and smooth soups before heating adds a lot of flavor. 7)Hamilton Beach Personal Blender - Mixing container is a travel cup, excellent at blending ice for in protein shakes. $15 at Walmart and Target. 8) Unflavored Benefiber. You can add it to your liquids. Should help with constipation. I buy large containers at Costco still use it everyday. 9) Some people eat jello. I think I had 1 mini container. I HATE jello. 10) When you can have sugar free pudding buy name brand. Store brands just did not taste as good (I am a cheapskate thus I bought store brand).

Not sure if you are counting pre Op loss if you were on a liquid diet. The first 10 pounds or so is Water weight now is the hard part. I would stay with egg whites no yolk. There are a lot of fat and cals in one egg yolk. Veggies should be less than 75 cals per serving. Are you doing any exercise? Most doctors say minimum of 30 minutes per day. I'm at restriction do 1.5-2.5 hours moderate cardio a day and loose let than 1 pound per week.

For breakfast I have the following: Greek yogurt with fruit; half a scoop vanilla whey isolate protein powder; unflavored benefiber; walnuts; 1/3 cup high protein Kashi Go Lean. Greek yogurt is a great protein and with the add ins you get the extra crunch.

During mushie stage I was allowed 8 oz (volume) of veggie soup (smooth like tomato) and 3 oz by weight of mushie protein like egg whites. This is why it's called bandster hell. You can eat more you just should'nt.

Never heard of it. I do take 5,000 mg of Biotin daily. I don't think any vitamin is going to prevent saggy skin.

One thing I must say is that when you get to post op you can't cheat. PERIOD. You can do serious damage to your body. The sugeon is going to SEW the band into place. Your stomach Can NOT twist and grind while those stiches are healing.

Most weight loss sheet are too low in protein. Look for protein shake with at least 20 grams of protein for less than 200 calories. Premier brand found at costco and Sam's are very good. 30 g protein for 160 Cal's.

I was on clears for 7 days. When I moved to full liquids on day 15 that was tomato soup. Yogurt was not until day 21! I would back off to smooth soups for now. You are only 5 days out.

It was a joke at work years ago that I would have pizza for lunch everyday if I could! I still love pizza. It is just high in cals/fats. I don't eat pizza if I am alone. However if my college age nephews invite me to the movies (I'm super fun Aunty Honk!); I don't feel guilty going out for pizza. I do order a side salad eat that first and then have one slice of thin crust. Being as one goes to college out of town my pizza nights are far in between.

My doctor says fills can take 2 weeks to take effect so 3 weeks between fills.

That's a lot of fill. Make sure to do full liquids day one and mushies day 2.

I realize your fat intake is low. You may want to switch to egg whites. You can buy them in the freezer section. Also as mentoned above most doctors want at least 30 minues of cardio daily.

Yes there are people who cheat as mentioned above I don't recommend it! Not sure if these are urban legand but some claim to have known people that the doctor stopped the surgery because the liver was not small enough! If one were to "cheat" plain (and I mean plain) chicken breast no skin would be a good option since it is solid Protein. The point is not the liquid the point is the protein. The doctor is trying to force your body to burn protein and fat. Your body tries to avoid buring fat. It will starts out with carbs then moves protein and then fat. If you don't eat carbs you are forcing your body to burn the protein you are consuming and then body fat.

First six months or so I had a period like every 20 days; month 4 I had two periods. Almost 2 years out I am more regular. I also was like clockwork. I'm more regular now but can be off by up to 5 days. I wonder if Mirena (sp?) might be a good option for you?

How much have you lost both pre and post op? Most doctors say you can loose up to 2 pounds per week. I am a slow looser and while I am at restriction do up to 2 1/2 hours of moderate cardio daily; I loose less than 1 pound per week. Some people loose faster than others. How realistic are you weight loss expectations? Are you weighing your Protein? My doctor says 3 oz of solid protien lunch and dinner. For now this is a will power diet. Not only do you need to eat smaller portions but will probably need to chose low fat/cal foods.

FYI, blood that has touched stomach acid is black and looks like coffee grounds.

My period was messed up with come every 20 days for about 6 months, month 4 I had 2 periods. When I asked both my weight loss and Gyno if it was due to weight loss they said "you're not loosing fast enough for that" Gees thanks.

What are the cals/fat levels of the foods you are eating? Baked chicken (no skin) with low fat laughing cow cheese is going to be a better choice than a cheese burger. Are you eating any bread? Even wraps have carbs. I made "sandwiches" out of romaine lettuce leaves; put the food down the spine and then fold the sides over. Do any of your beverages have calories? Unless you have having Protein shakes none of your beverages should have more than 10 cals for 8 oz. That leaves you Water, chrystal light, black coffee, diet soda. Depending on your Protein shake they can be pretty low in carbs. My powder (whey isolate) is really low in carbs like 2-3 grams. If you made it with water that would be a very low carb option (though would not taste as good as those made with fat free milk).