iwokeupfat

Pillow to 'hug' in case you have pain. Hugging the pillow helps with the pain from surgery. In case you have to cough? Or in case the ride home is not a smooth ride?

That is so fantastic! I'm so happy for you. Ahh.. I can't wait until I can post something like that. You should be very proud of yourself. You have come such a long way. Congratulations and keep up the good work.

Wow! All three of you getting a fill today!! Good luck to everyone. Come back and post your experience!

My dietitian recommended decaf only... so I started drinking decaf. BUT.. I'm not a big coffee drinker.. maybe one to two tops in the morning. So I don't worry about drinking the caffeinated coffee now. I don't get caffeine any other way during the day so I don't think it's a big deal. But if you can't live without your coffee and if you drink it all day long, I'd stick with decaffeinated. I was told because it was a diuretic and they want you to stay hydrated.

I know how you feel. I was banded May 3 and I'm at a standstill. I haven't dropped any weight other than my initial 15 pounds. My body wants to hang on to every pound that it can. It's being very stubborn. I have stayed under 1300 calories every day. In fact.. I'm ready for bed and I've had only 750 calories today. I get plenty of protein (80 grams today). I think I'm making good, nutritious choices but that darn scale is refusing to budge. Actually I had lost 17 pounds.. but gained two back and just can't budge that darn scale. I even had my first fill two weeks ago (26th @1cc) and I'm still the same weight. It is frustrating... but we have to hang in there.

Good luck to you!! You'll do fine. Getting a fill doesn't hurt.. Follow your doctor's orders after your fill. Liquids... then mushies again.. you know the drill..

OH yes... salad!! I'm with you.. I had the worst craving for a salad. I'm SO glad I can eat salads. I was banded on May 3, 2010 and have had one fill (1cc) and no problems eating salad.

I go to the Vitamin Shoppe because I've been to 3 GNC stores in my area and the workers there are ignorant and far from helpful. I found that the Vitamin Shoppe is a bit cheaper, too.

I was told that I can have anything if I need it. Was suggested to lower my Ibuprofen to 400mg instead of the 800 I had been taking... just make sure I have food in my stomach. I have hydromorphone for pain in case I need it.

Oh boy.. has anyone tried this stuff? I ordered it from Belle Plantation. You reconstitute 2 tablespoons of the powdered peanut butter with a tablespoon of water. I think it's delicious. Low in calories, fat and sugar.. Here is the breakdown: PB2: Powdered Peanut Butter Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, sugar and salt. Serving size: 2 Tablespoons (12 grams) Servings per container: 15 Amount per 2 Tablespoon serving (when mixed with water): Calories: 45 Calories from fat: 13 Value and % Daily Value* Total fat 1.5 g 3% Saturated fat 0 g 0% Trans fat < 0.01 g Cholesterol < 0.01 mg 0% Sodium 94 mg 4% Total carbohydrate 5 g 2% Dietary fiber 2 g 8% Sugars 1 g Protein 5 g Vitamin A < 1% Vitamin C 0% Calcium <1% Iron 0% :Dancing_biggrin:

I put it in a chocolate or vanilla Protein Drink. .. sometimes with 1/2 frozen banana.

I was banded on May 3, 2010 and had my first fill on May 26, 2010 @ 1cc, too... At first I was very hungry and thought that there wasn't enough in the band. I mean I was ravenous. I was eating everything. Then.... about a week later I was getting this 'stuck' or 'full' feeling in my chest. I needed to chew more and take smaller bites..... Now I'm doing well.. .. and still losing weight... I'm not hungry all of the time. I stay satisfied on a little bit of food. I'd say give it a week.... and see how you feel then.

That's amazing!! Way to go!!:thumbup:

Ha.. I have the same problem. I'm down 17 pounds, too!! The legs of my pants are big.. but the waist is the same. I can tell I've lost weight in my boobs, too. :thumbup:

I tried eating salad one month after being banded. Just a bowl of lettuce, tomato, hard boiled egg, chopped zucchini and dressing. I had no problem at all and it tasted SO good. So.. the next day I did the same thing for lunch only added some grilled chicken (chopped very small). I was in heaven. I had been craving a salad and it just satisfied me and made me very happy. However, I noticed that I don't enjoy all the dressing that I used to. I used to use about 2 tablespoons of dressing and now that seems like waaaay too much. I've lost my taste for that much dressing and that's a good thing! :Dancing_biggrin: Banded May 3, 2010 Dr. Marc Neff 1st fill 1cc May 26, 2010

My doc told me I could exercise after two weeks. He said I'd know if I was doing too much. No heavy lifting though.... Banded May 3, 2010

Yes.. I journal. Try Livestrong.com. It has a huge database of food. It hasn't failed me yet. It even had the wasabi horseradish cheese that I ate yesterday!! It's easy to use. Plus it's a very informative site. I set my calorie limit at 1350 a day and it counts down for me. It has a spot where I can add glasses of Water. I don't go by their recommended daily allowance guidelines because according to Livestrong I'm eating waaay too much Protein. My doc says 60-80 grams a day and that's what I'm sticking with. If I don't journal I might lose track of calories and get back to my old habits. Don't want to do that... nut uh... no way. I am going to succeed this time. It's my last chance and my only hope. Banded May 3, 2010 Dr. Marc Neff, Cherry Hill NJ Kennedy Memorial Hospital Stratford NJ.

First fill was nothing... They numbed the area... poked the needle in the port.. found the right spot... done... over... No problem at all. You'll be fine!! Don't worry.

Wow!! 20 pounds in 10 days?? I wonder why I'm only down 14 pounds in a month? I guess everyone loses at a different rate. I was hungry from day one.... Well.. day 5 I was ready to chew my arm off.. they moved me onto full liquids a couple of days early. I couldn't stand the hunger any longer.

Banded May 3, 2010 and doing great.. Down 14 pounds. Had my first fill on May 26th. I'm slowly introducing foods one at a time. Tonight is salad!! Whooohoooo!! Glad to hear you are all doing so well.. Keep up the good work!

I was banded on May 3, 2010 and I didn't have a choice. My surgeon gave me the Allergen LAP-BAND®. (10cc). I'm not having any troubles. I trust my surgeon and if that's what he chose for me, that's ok with me. He's wonderful. Dr. Marc Neff, Cherry Hill NJ. Good luck! We're here for you.

Thanks Jen... The fill wasn't bad at all. My surgeon did it under a fluoroscopy for the first time to make sure the band was still in the proper place.. plus wanted to make sure I could swallow liquids so he wouldn't have to come back on the holiday weekend in case I had troubles. lol.. It didn't hurt. He numbed me with an injection first. It took about 10 minutes from the time I got on the table to the time I stepped off. Best of luck to you! You are doing great. Let's keep in touch! Banded May 3, 2010

Hi Jen! I'm a May 3 Bandster... I'm doing well. I'm down 14 pounds. I had my first fill on the 26th (1cc) and I don't feel any different. I'm still as hungry as can be. I try to stay under 1350 calories a day. At this point it's willpower.. I don't think the band has much to do with it. I see my doc again on the 9th of June. Glad to hear all is going well for you. Have you found that you can't eat certain foods? At this point I have no trouble eating anything. I think I need another fill. .. but I don't want to be puking.. We'll see what the doc says.

I agree with BamBam... you are probably not getting enough calories. I try to stay under 1350 calories. Keep some low fat cheese sticks on hand for when you get hungry.... one of them with a few LOW fat whole grain crackers will help. (Triscuits).

Mmm... I took a pound of ground turkey browned it in a pan with some chopped onion... added a can of fat free refried Beans and some salsa and taco seasoning. It was delicious! I also used the can of refried beans and added a can of black beans with a little chicken broth to make a Soup. After the black beans simmered in the soup I mashed them a bit. I added some hot salsa to that, too. Another thing I did was ... I took part skim ricotta cheese. Topped with with some marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese and put it over some well done spaghetti squash. Oh.. so satisfying. Or julienne some yellow and green squash into long ribbons and saute' that and put the ricotta/marinara mixture over that. I also took a pound of super lump crabmeat. .. added 4 tablespoons of low fat mayo, a splash of worchestershire. .. and an egg and dry mustard... maybe a little chopped roasted red pepper.... and put it all in a baking dish and bake for 1/2 hour. Mmm... it's soft and delicious. That will hold you for about 4 or 5 meals.