BetsyB

I like PURE unflavored whey protein isolate from bariatriceating.com. It's really, really good.

Since I hit the solids phase, it's pretty much been lean Protein (3-ish ounces) and nonstarchy veggies (1/2 cup or so at a time). I make sure to incorporate some heart healthy fat in, each day, too (omega supplements, avocado, olives, olive oil, etc.) Sometimes, I have fruit, but I really prefer vegetables, and try to get a good variety. I've lost more than 75% of excess body weight (according to my doctor--my goal is lower than his)--so I'm now "allowed" to have starches/grains. I find I lose better when I don't incorporate them routinely. (I'll have brown rice sushi now and then, and I don't feel compelled now, to eat around every crouton in a restaurant salad.) When I get to maintenance, I probably will have more wiggle room.

First of all, congratulations on your great loss so far. With that success behind you, you've got to know that you have what it takes to succeed! Motivation ebbs and flows. I have made a commitment to myself not to rely on motivation. If I waited until I felt "motivated" to do things, half the things in my life would never get done. Think about it. Are you ever motivated to brush your teeth? To empty the dishwasher? To mow the lawn? No. They're things you do because you have to do them. Well, if you want to lose weight and maintain the loss, then there are things you just have to do, too. For me, accepting them as non-optional does the trick. There is no choice involved---I don't require motivation to take a Vitamin. I simply need to do it. If it were something I routinely forgot, I'd find a way to remind myself---set an alarm, place the bottle in a place I can't miss, something. Getting enough Water? I have a liter-sized bottle. It sits next to me all the time. No way to forget about it then! As for not eating things that were brought into the house by/for other people? I just don't do it. It is a non-option. I remind myself I am making a choice---that while I could choose those foods, I have limited space, and prefer to give my body the foods it needs to be healthy. This became A LOT easier once I achieved proper restriction! Sometimes, rules are good. If you can define the way you wish to eat, those guidelines can be more helpful than limiting. For me, this means following a low-carb regimen. I know that each meal will consist of 2-3 ounces of Protein and some nonstarchy veggies. That I will limit grains, and when I do eat them, choose whole grains. Having these "rules" helps me choose foods that give my body what it needs to stay healthy. But mostly, it removes the brainwork. The focus is removed from food, planning, obsession. I've defined how I eat, and that's that! That's how I eat. You don't have to conquer everything at once. It's a process. Pick an aspect to focus on first. Vitamins, water, exercise, food---pick one, and embrace it. Incorporate it daily. You'll find that it gets easier each time you commit to a new habit. They'll become routine. And then, so much less energy will be devoted to it--and you can let go of the worry

I had a small salad with ginger dressing (less than a cup) and 3 pieces of nigiri sushi made with brown rice.

There's nothing wrong. I didn't experience anything untoward, either. Some people do, some people don't

Added weights are not recommended--they throw gait off and can contribute to orthopedic injury. Walking is my primary form of exercise. I do other things, too--but my everyday cardio is walking. When I need to up the intensity, I work on increasing both speed and duration. For example, when I started walking eons ago, I began with a half mile. By the time I had surgery, I was doing 3.5 miles, in about an hour. Then---because my dog loves me more if I do---I made this a twice-a-day thing. Eventually my body said, "MORE!" So now I'm back to doing an hour at a time. Some days I'm able to do this twice, other days I do an hour in the morning and my 3.5 mile/40-ish minute walk in the evening. I'd recommend also adding weight training, and something that improves flexibility--but those are more for health purposes than weight loss purposes. A well-rounded regimen includes all three. And of course, all added activity will contribute to good weight loss.

Also an RN, and also thinking first, "Is she getting enough Fluid?" Vicodin can, indeed, cause headache. It, too, may be the culprit. It may also be the aftereffect of anesthesia and even surgical positioning (extension of the neck for intubation).

It is exciting--congratulations!

I have turned into the Princess and the Pea---every little wrinkle in the bed linens or nightgown is like a boulder to me! I do walk differently--but it's more a measure of confidence than loss, I think. Well, except for the speed. I walk a lot faster than I used to walk! I think I move very differently, in general. Again, it's indicative of feeling better about myself more than because my body is so different--though good posture is certainly easier to maintain when you don't have the pull of gravity on pounds of flesh. But my bones---well, ow. I have a bunch of orthopedic issues anyway, and while my joints are tremendously happy with the loss, not everything is. The bony prominences really can be pretty painful.

It really is surreal, isn't it? I've been blown away by the things that I'm suddenly noticing about myself. It takes a while for the mind to catch up with the body!

How has it backfired? Making the thread go away does not remove the moral imperative to let her surgeon know that he is about to operate on someone who is likely to suffer severe consequences on his watch. You don't like the answers you received. You wanted to be told, "You're right! She shouldn't have the surgery!" And you were. All of us know that you can't do a thing to influence your friend. She will drink---it's what she does. You are not expected to cure her alcoholism. But when you are in possession of important information that jeopardizes not only her, but those caring for her---and the hospital---you are morally obligated to let the appropriate people know. Having a thread deleted will not remove that responsibility.

Hypnosis can be helpful for some people--though it sesm to be more effective during the maintenance phase. For those of us with significant amounts of weight to lose, the only proven method to do so--and maintain at least a significant portion of the loss--is weight loss surgery. It is simply the most effective, most successful route to take. That said, it takes most of us a long time to reach the point where we accept this. We all want to do it "on our own." We don't want to so very openly admit "defeat." But it's not defeat. It's taking charge. It's making a commitment to succeed. It takes hard work---but that's true, no matter what route you take. (There are NO magic solutions--none.) But it's the path that is MOST likely to result in lasting weight loss.

I tapered my caffeine use over a couple of weeks---when I was down to one cup/day, I stopped. And the headache still was bad for about 3 days before it tapered off. If you like sweet tea, Crystal Light's peach tea is really good---and it's decaf. I think they also have one with lemon. Worth a try. For what it's worth, I feel so much better without caffeine that I haven't returned to it, even though I'm now allowed.

I was concerned about the same thing last year. (My surgery was just after the new year.) Your HR people should be able to give you the information you need. I was reassured that there would be no changes to coverage, but that since I'd started the process already, even if there were changes, I would get the coverage that was in effect when I was pre-approved. (Each policy is different, but mine gives preapproval at the very beginning of the process; then, if you jump through all the hoops and get clearance from the right guys, it's pretty much green-lighted.) Try to get some peace of mind from the people who manage your benefits

If the pharmacy closest to your house doesn't carry it already, the pharmacist will happily stock it for you if you ask (Usually a transfer from one chain store---CVS, Walgreens, etc. to another takes about a day.)

After 6 months postop, my doc okays a cup a day.

I understand your concerns--but while the preop and immediate postop diets often do require artificially-sweetened or higher-sodium products than you might ordinarily choose, banded living in general does not have to. I do use artificially sweetened products some, but never exceed what is traditionally thought of as a low-sodium diet, unless I eat out. Even then, my intake is well within recommended levels. One of my favorite Protein supplements is unsweetened and flavorless. It bumps up my protein without adding stuff I don't want. That's helpful. (When I was doing the preop diet, it also was a nice change of pace from sweet, which got cloying after a few days. The unflavored stuff in broth was great.) I think it's wise to be cautious, but don't think you need to feel as though you're backtracking; once you're a bit out of the gate, you will be able to resume a whole foods lifestyle in which you choose or avoid the foods you want.

It's the period of time between the time your band is installed and the time you achieve good restriction (after a series of one or more adjustments). During this time, people often become frustrated because they expected the band to control their hunger---and instead find themselves feeling as though they are dieting and hungry! It's time-limited--and if you eat carefully (and remind yourself that it will be the last time ever you will be hungry in the name of weight loss), it's not that big of a deal. It's just part of the process.

I have reached restriction, so I don't always weigh my Protein. I would recommend that you do, at this point. When I was where you are, I was "allowed" 2.5-3 ounces of protein. It wasn't enough! I was hungry, but I stuck to that amount (and therefore lost even before I had restriction). Now that I have restriction, I can now "hold" between 2-3 oz. of solid protein and 1/2 cup or so of nonstarchy veggies per meal. If I'm having something like chili, I usually can tolerate 4-6 Fluid ounces. A thinner Soup, maybe a cup. You're right, the sensation of FULL is totally different now. It really is a so-so feeling, like you've described. You're not hungry. You're not stuffed. ("FULL" is a really unpleasant feeling for me now--and one bite too many can mean the difference between just right and ill.) What you're aiming for is a state in which you have that so-so feeling (which you will come to recognize as being satisfied) for a period of a few hours before you are again hungry. When you reach that point, you will be approaching good restriction :smile2: You will get used to this--but it is a real adjustment, psychologically. It sounds like you're doing a wonderful job adjusting to the new feelings, though. As for the drinking rule--I am "allowed" to drink right up until I start eating, but my doctor recommends not drinking until 90 minutes after eating. I do try to adhere to this--it does help prolong satiety for me. But if I am exercising or very thirsty, I sometimes cut it a bit short.

I've consistently lost on 800-900/day since banding. I've had a couple of very brief stalls (no more than a week or so), and always resume losing. It's just the way my body works--adding more calories doesn't do the trick for me. What does do the trick, when I am stalled, is changing my exercise a bit.

I have pretty consistently lost 2.5 pounds/week since banding. Some weeks, a bit more, some a bit less. But the average has been 2.5. I stuck with my doctor's (low-carb) postop regimen even before restriction, so my loss was not slowed by a wait. I do follow a pretty stringent eating regimen, and exercise daily at least once (usually twice--my dog loves me more if I do).

14 ccs to close your stoma??? Did I read that right? 14 ccs--then trying to have you swallow barium? I have never heard of a doctor doing that! Even just as a test, before withdrawing Fluid to an appropriate fill level. (ETA: I just read your profile, and Dr. Curry has a really excellent reputation as a surgeon--but wow. Is his group doing your fills, too? I am really surprised at this approach.) To those who have not yet had fills, please don't be scared--this is NOT TYPICAL. Most doctors start out with conservative fills. Even if they use fluoroscopy, they do not close the stoma, then observe as they remove fluid. Rather, they put a conservative amount in, observe the flow of barium through the stoma, then add/remove a tiny bit as needed. My first fill--and all subsequent fills--have been non-events. A swipe of an alcohol swab, a needlestick, infusion of a reasonable amount of saline. Then, the doctor observes, fluoroscopically, as I swallow barium--and if he believes a little more/less saline would be best, he adjusts. That's it! No biggie.

Bariatric Eating has an unflavored Protein (it's called PURE) that is outstanding. Add it to broth---but stick to liquids if that is what you were told to do. My doctor has his patients start on pureed protein on Day Three--but there's no way of knowing if my doctor's surgical technique differs from yours. Your surgeon gave you instructions based on what he did to your body--and you need to follow them. Find a way to stick to it. (The bullets are made of protein that is not as bioavailable--readily used by the body---as whey protein isolate. It's better to find a low-volume whey protein option; bariatriceating.com's Inspire and PURE lines require just 4 oz. of liquid--and are very good. I happen to like them with more liquid--but that's just me. I drink the Dutch chocolate protein warmed and it's something I look forward to rather than dread--and I never wanted to see a protein shake again, either. These changed my mind.)

Nah, they're no biggie. It's like getting any other injection--over before you know it.