Kaydotrn

(((Ariel, you will be missed!)))) I hope you are feeling better soon.

I too have the flaky face going on. I tend to be dry but never this flaky. I am amazed to see there may be a link to the Protein I have been drinking. Interesting. I will wait to see if it changes now that I am on mushies and can eat animal Proteins. Can anyone recommend a good face moisturizer that won't break my bank? Something from a drugstore and not a beauty counter. Just wondering what you all use for dry skin. How is everyone getting in all their Fluid when you can't drink with meals? I am curious. I try to drink at least a bottle of Water in between eating but it is harder to do when I am supposed to stop drinking 30 minutes before eating (I don't usually do this) and not drink for an hour after (I do this step). I am finding I wake up and drink water before even thinking about eating. I am definitely struggling to get 75 or more ounces in a day. UGH!

Can you make a little chicken salad that you can snack on. What about cottage cheese? I know you said you overdo it with cheese but I am thinking you meant regular cheese. Maybe some black bean Soup. That is hearty and filling without pushing the cals too much. My Snacks tend to be small versions of a meal (which is pretty small too). It is harder when I can't just have my usual apple and Peanut Butter snack that I have always relied on to tied me over til dinner. I understand. What about a shake? I like Matrix vanilla with a little peanut butter thrown in and that actually keeps me satisfied. Good luck finding what works for you and if you find anything new, please share.

It's quiet here girls! BK-I am so sorry about Dad. I hope he is as comfortable as possible and on the road to recovery. I am also sorry about the feeding tube. Do you have help or are you his primary caregiver. It is so hard to imagine how you must feel. I would be very overwhelmed. Just please know I am thinking of you. Steph and Kirsten-You know, I do think I am doing a bit of a disservice to the band by not being honest about what I have done and by letting people believe I am using sheer willpower. I hope someday I have the strength to be honest about what I did. I am just not there now. I did tell my friend that she needs to understand that for some of us, the losing weight part is not the hard part, it is the keeping the weight off. That our body just fights us to gain it back. She doesn't get it. Maybe someday she will. I made a version of Nat's Buffalo Chicken whip and it was sooo delicious!I added some banana peppers which I love and really enjoyed my 1/2-3/4 cup of food last night! This morning I had a poached egg (to die for) and a low fat turkey sausage that was soo yummy and I was so satisfied. I definitely would have had 2 eggs and 2 sausages before and still craving some toast to go with it if I were doing this without the band. So even unfilled, I am getting some help. My scale read 234 this morning but I don't count it until I weigh in on Tuesday. At any rate I was afraid I would automatically see a gain because I am eating more so I am relieved to see at this point I may still be losing.... Have a great day everyone. I am going out for a walk and then meeting some fellow banded people from this area. I am anxious but it should be fun. Tomorrow I think I'll take the kids to the movies and then it is FOOTBALL time. woohoo. C'ya later.

Kirsten-Thanks for sharing your fill story. I find it helpful though I am still not looking forard to getting one for myself. When I was at my MD's office yesterday for my post op visit, I was transitioned onto mushies and told to stay on mushies for 4 weeks. I then go back to transition to solid foods and if I am not losing weight still and starving, then they will give me a fill. If I am not starving and still losing weight, they will hold off on the fill. 4 weeks from now I will be almost 2 months post op, no fill. Interesting. To be honest, I am not starving. I never feel "full" but I eat my portion and then carry on. It is a weird feeling because I do feel like I am just dieting and using my willpower more than the band. Hmm. We'll see how long it lasts. I am a little terrified of the visual of you sitting up with that needle in your belly. Is that how everyone's is done? Were you put on liquids for a few days? I know my MD makes you do liquids for 24hrs then mushies for the next 5 or so days. I don't know what is right or wrong, just that everyone's experience is so different. My port site has been really sore the past 2 days. I don't know if I am doing too much, but I am uncomfortable. I took some Tylenol last night and felt better but I find it weird that these feelings come and go. I think I am healed and then it starts to be sore again. ugh. I was out with a friend today and she was talking about her friend having been banded. She has no idea that I am. She was very disturbed by the whole thing and not understanding why her friend just didn't try harder to do it on her own. It was tough for me to not blurt it all out, but I tried to educate her on what "little" I knew and to be more open minded. Man that was a tough one, but in some ways it reaffirms why I am keeping this to myself. Happy weekend everyone.

I llloooovvvveee the Red Hot Chili Peppers! :r&r: I am so jealous. Have a blast! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :lost1.5lbs: :huggie:

Hi everyone! Nat-have a good couple of days if you are not on here. I look forward to you getting back though and will be waiting!!! Sweethot-I forget who started the yahoo group. Kirsten maybe...I think she can send the invite out to you. There are not too many posts, but we can post pictures there which is cool. I had my post op appt today. I can officially eat food! wooohooo. I was told to make things soft and diced but not necessarily pureed. I am told to start with 1-2oz a meal for 4 to 6 meals a day. I just don't know how you get in all your liquids if you are eating 4 to 6 little meals and then waiting to drink. Hmm. Any help out there? I will have to be diligent. My first official meal was a boca burger with a slice of LF cheese, 1/2 a chopped pickle on top and a little ketchup and mustard. I cut it in half and ate 1/2 (about 1.5oz). It was soooo yummy and great to actually chew something. Okay, I am off to my final. I will be back later or else see you in the morning. Have a good one.

Oh Brandi! I am not going to say I am so sorry for you-because you do not need anyone feeling sorry for you! You are a strong woman and I will say that I am sorry that something like this happened to you. I am sorry that this world has people in it that do these things. I imagine it may have been less painful to have him cheat, but to have him disappear without explanation is beyond explanation. I hope you believe in your heart that this is not something you did wrong. I will not believe for a second that you are anything but the wonderful girl we have learned to love here and I know you will find true happiness. I am so proud of you for sharing this story and letting us in. We love you and support you and are here for any vent you need to get out. Please do not hesitate. Like Kirsten said, someday you will look back and realize that you are a stronger person in the end. I know it is cliche but what doesn't kill you truly makes you stronger. I too have learned that the hard way (story for another day). You can have all the quiet days you need, but know we will still be shouting out and looking for you because you are such a vital part of this thread!

It seems that I have been fortunate that most people around me talk behind my back and don't say these things to my face. hehe. I can't think of any comments at this point, but maybe something will come to me later. I do have a sad story though. A few months ago at dinner, my 4 year old came and sat on my lap and whispered in my ear "why is your tummy so big mommy?" I told her it was because I had to babies and that my tummy stretched out. She thought about it a minute and said "but Liz (my skinny neighbor) had 2 babies and her tummy looks like this" she then proceeds to pull up her shirt and suck her tummy in. She then went on to tell me that she doesn't want to have babies if it will make her tummy look like mine. uuuuuuggggghhhh. It crushed me. I tried to explain that everyone is different and blahblahblah but my heart was broken. I felt like I was failing my baby and teaching her by a poor example. I still want my kids to believe that people come in all shapes and sizes and that this is not a bd thing. I want to teach them to be tolerant of people's differences. I have been successful with my 10 year old, but my 4 year old is sadly very body concious-despite me controlling what they are exposed to on TV. It scares me for her future since this is what she is so fascinated by.

Bkwalling-I am so sorry about your dad. I am praying for him and I hope he does better soon. Keep us posted. Nat-I am off to check our thread. I will get back to you. Hang in there. You are not failing your son. Parenting is so tough sometimes and even tougher when you are on your own. Just hang tight. It will get better. Have that glass of wine like Steph said. Make it a small glass, sip it slow, and relax. Steph-have fun at the movies. I never go, but want to take my kids to see CHarlottes Web-maybe tomorrow after school. That would be a nice surprise for them. Anyway, let me know how the movie is.

Congrats on your approval. My surgeon is also requires an overnight hospital stay. The next morning after surgery I had a barium swallow test, then they progressed me from water, to clear broth, to protein shakes over the course of about 2 hours. If I could tolerate that without any complications, than it was okay to be discharged. I went in for 10:30 am surgery Monday and I was discharged around 4pm Tuesday. I struggled to get up and around until Friday, but didn't feel like myself for probably another 5 or so days. By 1.5 weeks out I was fine. Everyone is different so it will be a wait and see for you but plan to take it easy. Best wishes on a great surgery and speedy recovery.

nat-why the grump-a-lumps? Sorry work sucks. Go home and get some sleep. ::hugs::: btw, did you really like that book you mentioned. I am thinking of buying it. bkwalling-i am so glad to hear dad is doing okay. Are they using those compression booties on him? What about Heparin? Keep an eye on things if you can. Hopefully he will be up moving soon but I know with the hip replacement, they generally are laid up for a bit. Sorry about the Parkinsons, that is tough. I wish they would find a cure for that. you are in my thoughts and prayers. sweethot-that seems wacky about the fill. Truth be told, I am planning to go as long as possible without one. I have no idea how long that will be. I am not starving yet, I am eating more than a 1/2 cup at a sitting though..granted we are talking liquids. I will not survive on a half cup of food and still get all of my necessary nutrients. hmm, we'll see what the doc says, but I was losing weight before surgery on more food than this, I exercise, so I hope I can still lose weight without starving! I would love to go without a fill for a couple of months but only if it works, we'll see. I would definitely be a squeaky wheel.. If they are saying "stupid american" who cares. They will say what they want, and you will get what you want. Keep annoying them!!!! chubbygirl-congrats on the transition to food. Just take it slow. I have no other advice but I will be looking to you in a couple of weeks. haha. mystique-sorry about the test. Don't worry, a lot of people get nervous and fail the first time. Just relax and take it again. dawnae-I am not at home but I will look into the calories for you when I get home tonight and post tomorrow. claudia-did you figure out what it was that made you feel sick? was it the crackers in your soup? I hope you are feeling better. VA-did you end up eating the cheeseburger? Curious how it went for you. I guess we have to make choices and a cheeseburger no bun is better that a BIG MAC and fries. I would like to think I will never eat "bad" food again and only fuel myself with healthy things, but I know I am human so it will be more about making the best choices MOST of the time. Anything is better than what I used to eat! I am at school-last class, final tomorrow and then my next semester starts next week. I will always come here to read, but I hope I can post as much. I know life is going to get crazy around here again. I am off to MD tomorrow-I know I have said it 100 times but I am excited to get off of these liquids!!!!! Tonight I cheated a bit and had a little mashed up chicken and some mashed pea and potatoes for dinner. It totalled less than a cup and was soooo good. I find it hard with the whole not drinking thing. I didn't but I really wanted to have something to drink after my meal. That will take some getting used to.

:):Banane20: :huggie: :Banane23: :huggie: :Banane21: :Banane10::Banane20: :Banane35: Happy Birthday Brandi!!!!!

Hang in there Gerbera! I know how you feel as I too am mourning my "friend" food. It is an adjustment to learn how to deal with the feelings you are having without comforting yourself in the way we all learned how and eat! I totally understand. All the years I dealt with stress by eating and now what? I need to learn to stop, take deep breaths, relax...exercise. And if not, cry. I really think a good cry is cleansing and helps to get all those hurts out that we stuffed down with a bag of chips for the past 20 or more years. Know that we feel you, and don't hesitate to come here and share that! It comforts some of us to know we are not alone in feeling this way.

HERE I AM!!!:wave: I am far from queen of liquids but I have been getting by. My favorite tricks are to use cans of evaporated skim milk to add to soups to make them creamy without being fattening. I will blend anything-including chili and top with a little LF sour cream and LF cheese. I use mashed potatoes, add good amount of milk, garlic, LF cheese and microwave them to make a mashed potato soup. I have had more potatoes the last week than I have in a year since I usually stay away from them. I am still barely getting 700 cals so I am not worried about them. I also eat a lot of cream of wheat that I thin down and add Protein powder to. I drink Protein shakes and sometimes blend them with frozen fruit or Peanut Butter. There is a lot of variety if you experiment. Granted, I am dying for real chewable food, but it is tolerable. I am hoping to transition to mushies at my appt tomorrow. 3 1/2 weeks of this is enough! That being said, I am rarely if ever physically hungry. I drink all day long and never really get hunger pangs..I just want food. It isn't as bad as I wanted it pre surgery though. Since the holidays ended, I actually find it a lot easier! Best of luck to all of you on liquids, the time definitely will be over soon!

Congrats Nanaviv! I am glad your appt went well. I hope the protein shakes agree with you. Bariatriceating.com has a lot of samples you can order, so you may want to look there. I have my post op appt tomorrow! I am looking forward to it. Wish me luck.

((((Leigh Ann)))) Thanks for the info! I am sorry to hear what you had to go through. I hope you are feeling better soon and I am glad you and baby are doing fine! Congrats and best wishes for a wonderful pregnancy.

Phew-I think I am caught up. I have a few minutes and then I HAVE to go to the gym. I am no way going to meet my goal if I don't get my butt out the door. I have been so busy with school and the kids that I have not had time to reply. I am glad to see so many are doing well. Bkwalling- am praying for your dad and hope he recovers quickly. Hip replacements today are much less scary then they were in the past and I am sure he will do great! StephC-haha about the mom jeans. I love it! I swear I got so used to low rise, that I would feel weird having anything go up that high. That being said, I do remember when I first tried lower jeans and they freaked me out, so it is all what you get used to. Is your port are feeling better? Mine is hit or miss depending on how much I do in a given day. It sucks when it is hurting though! Nat-I have talked to you enough. I am done. Just kidding girl! Kari-thanks for pointing out that we are too hard on ourselves. I had this idea that when I had this surgery it would be an on/off switch. I now realize it is a learning experience and I too have to give myself a little slack (just no too much!). shoot-I have to run, it is getting late. Hello to everyone-sorry if I did not respond directly. I will try to be back later. Quick question, how quickly does that MOM work? I feel like I am FULL of IT! I had not had a problem until the past couple of days. I am bloated and gassy. Wondering how that stuff works. I don't want to have it explode when I am away from home so I am curious what the time span is on it. Your answer is appreciated. My post op appt is tomorrow. Finally! I thought it would never get here. woohoo.

I am reading the boards but wanted to post a quick hello- I cannot believe all the fills we had over the past day or so. Congrats and I am glad to hear they were not too bad! I don't think I get one for a bit. I am having my first post op appt tomorrow. after I finish reading, I will respond more!

LOL skinnymom- I answered this post on the December thread and said the same stuff as Nathalie (minus the olive oil-good idea btw). Please let us know how it turns out!

sweethot-I too would rather have a period than gain weight. I would definitely try another method of BC. I too conceived baby #1 while on the pill. It is amazing how many people do.. I then stayed pregnancy free for 5 years, using natural family planning, got pregnant with #2 on first time "trying" and NFP has been working for me since (4 years ago). My fear is that I hear after being banded, people get pregnant more easily-maybe due to hormone regulations. I am afraid that will happen to me so I am really trying to figure out what othee BC method I should use. I hate hormones, so I don't think I will use them. Maybe back to yucky condoms. I hope they have improved since I last used them in the early 90's.

Until about 10 days after surgery, I felt like someone hit me with a bat in my stomach. I don't think I would have liked to have an exam. Plus, as mentioned before, the getting up and laying down on the exam table woulld be really uncomfortable.

(((skinnymom)))) Relax. You are not insane and I am sure you are not the first person to pop something in your mouth without realizing it. I understand that aloe vera juice also helps with this. I have not tried it but it can be found in health food stores. I would also keep sipping some warm water. If you are still feeling pressure, call your MD. Don't be afraid. You are not a 'bad girl" you just are human and made a mistake. I will share a story that a friend of mine, who is a gastrointerologist, shared with me. He had a lap band surgeon call to say he had a pt with a similair story. My friend did an endoscopy, found that there was a piece of turkey stuck in her esophagus that she had accidentally swallowed without chewing enough. He used to scope to push it through the stoma, and that was that. It was painless and a quick procedure and she was home that afternoon. Hopefully your situation will not even progress to that point but at least you know there is a cure. Best of luck and please keep us posted! I hope you feel better soon.

Not to hijack the thread, but what is the difference between mushies and soft food? I see the nutritionist Thursday so I am sure I will find out then...just curious. I am 3 weeks post op and am still full liquids as I was 2 days post op. I also can have yogurt, thin oatmeal or cream of wheat, and blended cottage cheese.

(((sweethot))) Just a hug for you and hubby. Iraq...what does he do there? I know he is in the military, just wondering in what capacity. Please tell my family says thank you. Nathalie-I tell you-if I hear you mention that buffalo chicken whip one more time I am jumping through this computer to get it from you and eat it all! It is all my favorite flavors and I am definitely buying that on Thursday to eat after I transition. Sorry to hear about you lil man. I know how heartbreaking that is. Don't be afraid of being pushy, I swear that is the only way to get anything (i suck at being pushy). Sorry you are so wiped today. I feel the same way today-totally dragging. I tried that NEctar Fuzzy Navel today. Pretty good. I will definitely have it again. Did you like it? Steph-I think my next step is anything mushy but I will know more after my MD appt. I am so dang excited!!! I will then go back to journaling my food a la weightwatchers style just to keep track of my intake. And btw, I in no way outdid the B-man! She is queen of all things liquid and had that pre-surgery diet that she kicked ass on. I would have lost it without my little bit of restriction. But thanks for the compliment. BKwalling-you are so pretty. BTW, I have my 20 levi's and love them-though they are getting awful dumpy in the bum now yaya! I was looking at Old Navy size charts to see if I should get a new pair of 18 jeans but I think there sizing is different from what I am used to. All of my 20's now are getting big, but I still don't think I will fit into 18. hmph. Maybe in a few weeks. Guess I will have to live in dumpy bum limbo. I can't wait to see some more pics. Keep them coming. You and hubby make a nice, happy couple. Ok girls-get those butt shots in. It makes me giggle that we are sharing them. It also adds some decor to the page. hehe. I need to get in the shower and pick up the kids-see you all later.