Katy517

Congratulations - your achievements are great and you should be very proud.

Maybe just retaining a lot of fluids for some reason? In any event, I wouldn't worry too much. My understanding is that the primary goal of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver for surgery and not really to lose weight.

What liquids are you consuming?

I wouldn't be too disappointed as you're ahead of the one pound per week estimate that my surgeon suggests is typical. Congrats on the weight loss.

Just click the 'quote' button in the post you want to respond to and then edit the original post if you want to as I have done in your post below. Type your response and then click the 'submit reply' button.

Congratulations and happy anniversary. Well done!

I wasn't aware of that and thought hair loss was solely a symptom of protein deficiency as it relates to lap band - thank you.

Thank you for the reply. Congratulations are in order then for both your weight loss and hair regrowth.

Thank you for the quick response. Was it finally just adequate Protein that resolved the problem or something else?

I've heard of this as a side effect of not getting sufficient protein after surgery, but am not aware of anything other than adequate protein to resolve the problem. Curious what other methods you used to reverse the hair loss?

So far, it's the liquid diet. I didn't think that the five day pre-op diet was all that tough, but it was definitely short term. My post-op full liquid diet is a different story. It began the day after surgery and will last for six weeks. I've made it for two weeks now and have exactly four weeks to go. Very, very tough. Giving up caffeine has been pretty tough too and I've got four more weeks of that to face as well.

Agreed, maybe a good candidate for a sticky thread.

My swelling under my left breast from the internal bleeding and hematoma hasn't gone down at all. The pain hasn't subsided either. I saw my surgeon today for my initial post-surgery appointment and he tried to aspirate it assuming it would be full of blood. The aspiration did nothing. He said that we'll follow-up in a week and that it should get better on its own. I've also got to follow-up for a c-diff test since the diarrhea hasn't gone away yet either. He didn't approve me to return to work. Leave it to me to have complications I guess.

Chicken broth and various cream soups - just don't get the soup to boiling or it will turn into a gooey thick mess. Also with Crystal light, milk and juices. I've even added it to my yogurt and apple sauce. Unfortunately, I've got a full six weeks of full liquid diet so I've not been able to experiment much. The sky is the limit though and the powder is really quite easy to work with and mixes well with almost zero taste added.

Agree completely on the herbal tea - it's so comforting and soothing to sip on and also helps to stay hydrated. Chewable multi-vitamins, whey protein powder, Crystal Light, no sugar added clear juices, blended light yogurt, sodium free broth and sugar free jello were also on my shopping list. Also, keep your walking shoes and comfortable clothes nearby and handy to take plenty of walks. It will definitely speed the healing process. Good luck.

That's really sweet that your husband wants to stay home with you for after-care. I stayed overnight at the hospital and was pretty much cared for by family the day I came home from the hospital. After that I was on my own and dealt with it pretty well. Good luck.

I want renewed good health, but that's a very general thing and encompasses so much. Something specific that I've wanted for a very long time now is to be able to visit the Grand Canyon (for the 2nd time) and this time be able to ride the mules down into the canyon. They have a 200 lb weight limit so that wonderful experience was lost to me on my first visit.

All insurance companies have their individual standards and guidelines. The bariatric coordinator I worked with told me that many follow the lead of Blue Cross-Blue Shield though.

Does anybody use soy protein powder instead of (or maybe in addition to) whey? I've been alternating between the two and find that they're both equally digestible for me. It just seems like a good idea to me to mix it up a little between the plant based soy and dairy based whey. Anybody else try both?

I tried the Jillian Michaels vanilla too, but it only had 20 grams of protein, which for me is just too low. I really want to get at least 25 grams for each protein serving that I digest.

Very close! Pretty sure that's where my boss lives now. Cheers.

You used to be able to get an energy powder supplement at Starbucks, but no longer. I don't believe they've ever had Protein powder. Absolutely, Starbucks, Caribou, Peets and many of the mom and pop coffee houses sell espresso options sans milk too like doppios. I miss my Starbucks so much. Haven't had my daily five shot espresso 'Starbucks doubleshot on ice' with sugar free vanilla syrup and skim since 4/9/10. It was practically calorie-free, but my doc says no caffeine until six weeks post-op. I think I may miss that beverage more than even regular food.

I received a letter from my insurance company (copying my surgeon's office) notifying me of approval.

I've tried a few protein supplements and really like the Ultimate Nutrition ProStar Whey Natural flavor best. It blends very well with both hot and cold beverages and adds very little taste at all to most things. With some things like Crystal Light it adds no flavor that I can detect at all. Has 25 grams per serving Ultimate Nutrition.