BabyGotBack

Yeah!!! It is the kind they use on boxers when they split their faces open. It is great. I have had surgery before with staples, stiches, steri strips and the crazy glue leaves a lot nicer scar. Three of mine just look like a little read bump! Audree

I am going to do it too, when I can in a couple weeks!!! Let's do it together!!! Anyone else want to join us???? Don't feel bad about posting what you eat. We are here to support each other. The great thing is, I am not hungry. Also, if anyone has any awesome recipes for South Beach, please post them. I remember another good one was Whole Wheat tortilla pin wheel wraps. You slather on cream cheese/skinny cow cheese, put any cold cut of your choice, mustard, roll and cut. Audree:hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry: :hungry:

Tami, you are an inspiration!!! I plan on doing a South Beach type thing which sounds a lot like what you are doing!!! Thanks for the great advice!Audree

That is what kept me going. I believe that all the circumstances that led up to my banding were ordained by God. So many things went so smoothly. Everything fell into place. If it is His will, nothing can get in the way!:amen:

Dr. Ortiz stiches on the inside and uses surgical crazy glue on the outside. My little ones, the glue has been off for a few days and are completely healed. The two bigger ones still have the glue. Audree

You can also get a lot of info on Prevention.com South Beach Diet Recipes Once you get to Phase 3, you will be eating all the foods listed. The following recipes are sample of food you can eat. Feel free to explore new recipes by referring to South Beach Diet foods list. Breakfast – Tex Mex Style (South Beach Diet Menu) ½ grapefruit 2 scrambled eggs mixed with Monterey Jack cheese and salsa 1 slice of whole grain toast Decaffeinated coffee or tea, fat-free milk and sugar substitute if desired Mid-Morning Snack 1 hard-boiled egg Lunch – Roast Beef Wrap 1 ¼ cups reduced-fat cream cheese 4 flour tortillas (9” or 10”) ½ red onion, sliced 4 spinach leaves 8 ounces roast beef, sliced Spread a small amount of cream cheese over the tortilla. Layer the spinach, onion, and roast beef, roll up, and fold. Serves 4. Mid-Afternoon Snack 4 ounces Dannon Light ‘n Fit yogurt Dinner – Lemon Couscous Chicken (South Beach Menu) 1 ¼ cups water 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 cups broccoli florets 1 package Near East Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil Couscous mix 1 ½ chopped cooked chicken 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice ¼ teaspoon lemon peel In a large skillet, bring water, oil, broccoli, and spice from couscous mix to a boil. Stir in couscous, cooked chicken, lemon juice, and lemon peel. Simmer until heated through and then remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Using a fork, fluff lightly, then chill and serve cold. Serves 4. Dessert – Lemon Peel Ricotta Crème (South Beach Diet Menu) ½ cup part-skim ricotta cheese ¼ teaspoon grated lemon peel ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 package sugar substitute Mix the ricotta cheese, lemon peel, vanilla extract, and sugar substitute, served chilled Link to some more: http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/recipecollection.html

SouthBeach Diet Tips and Guides The SouthBeach Diet is different from the Atkins diet in that it is not a low carbohydrate diet. Regardless of which phase you are currently in, you should follow these recommendations: Drink a minimum of 8 glasses of water, decaffeinated beverages such as club soda, tea, coffee, or decaffeinated sugar-free soda every day Limit your intake of caffeine-containing beverages to 1 cup each day Take one multivitamin and mineral supplement daily Take 500 mg of calcium for both men and women under the age of 50, and 1,000 mg for women over the age of 50, each day Eating can be both pleasurable and healthy as long as you eat the proper foods. All the meals in the SouthBeach Diet consist of healthy combinations of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Dishes can be made by anyone and the ingredients can be found in most grocery stores. These foods will satisfy your hunger without depriving your system of the low-quality starches and sugars that caused problems with your blood chemistry in the first place. The SouthBeach Diet does not involve counting calories, fat grams, or portion sizes. This plan was designed to be simplistic and will help you understand the principles of metabolism and put it to work for your own body. A major key to success with the South Beach Diet is the Glycemic index (GI), which ranks carbohydrate foods based on the effect on blood sugar levels. When you start adding foods back into your diet in Phase 2, keep your focus on low-GI foods such as apples, berries, grapefruit, high-fiber cereal, and whole grain breads. Preparing For The Rest Of Your Life Mindset Change for South Beach Diet You have learned what the South Beach Diet is, how it works, and what to eat. Now, you need to get prepared to change the way you eat, for life. Start by accepting that the first couple of weeks will be a big change but one you will not regret. The first morning of this diet, you will eat a breakfast that may consist of a two-egg omelet with two slices of Canadian bacon, cooked in either spray canola or olive oil. In your old life, you may have toasted bread or a bagel and had fresh fruit or fruit juice to go along with your omelet. However, with the South Beach Diet, the bread will have to wait. Most people have been conditioned their entire life to add bread to meals. You have toast with breakfast, sandwiches on bread for lunch, dinner rolls with dinner, and cake, cookies, or pie for dessert. However, during Phase 1, you will have to forget about the bread. It may take a few days to leave old habits behind but keep in mind that it is during this time that your body’s inability to process sugars and starches is being reversed. After trying numerous diets, most leave you feeling hungry, is one of the most difficult aspects of any diet. A common denominator seen with overweight people is that most of them skip eating breakfast. When this happens, blood sugar drops, which then increases the desire for bad carbohydrates to escalate until lunch when the entire meal is blown. Planning for South Beach Diet Planning will help you stay away from snacking or substituting things that are not healthy and could cause weight gain. Remember that once you start into Phase 2, carbohydrates will start being introduced back into your diet along with fruits. You also need to remember to eat your mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, even if you do not feel like it. Some of the greatest low-fats foods to incorporate into your planning include cheese and yogurt to replace the fats since they have no bad carbohydrates. In addition, the sugar is found in the lactose, milk sugar, is one of the things you can have with the South Beach Diet. The South Beach Diet is a lifetime change, lifetime commitment, and a lifetime of health and vitality! How Does The South Beach Diet Work? As mentioned, the South Beach Diet is unique, successful, easy, and works in a three-phase process. Unlike many other so-called diets, with the South Beach Diet, simply substitutes your bad carbohydrates and fats for good ones. After trying this, you will be amazed by how well and quickly it works. South Beach Diet Phase 1 South Beach Diet Phase 1 lasts for two weeks. During this first phase, you will eat normal meals of chicken, beef, turkey, fish, and shellfish, lots of vegetables, eggs, cheese, nuts, and garden salads using 100% olive oil for your salad dressing. Each day for 14 days, you will eat three, well-balanced meals. While eating until your hunger is satisfied may go against most diets, with the South Beach Diet, it is part of the plan. Trying to lose weight and become healthy by depriving the body of food makes no sense. In addition to the three meals each day, you will also eat a snack between breakfast and lunch, and then again between lunch and dinner. Even if you do not feel like eating these snacks, for the South Beach Diet to work, you need to, and after dinner, you will even have dessert. Additionally, during this phase, you can drink all the coffee and tea you want and be sure to drink lots of water. You may be thinking that this is a lot of food - it is! With most diets, you deprive your body, eating only small portions of foods that are unappealing. The change you will make during this phase is that you will cut out all bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, baked goods, fruit, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, or sugar. Keep in mind that these eliminated foods will be added back into your diet, starting in Phase 2. In addition to taking these foods out of your diet temporarily, you will also need to avoid beer, or any kind of alcohol. Once you start Phase 2, reasonable amounts of wine can be added back in. Instead of feeling overwhelmed about the foods that will be taken out of your diet during the first two weeks, stop and think about this for a minute. To achieve a life of health and lose unwanted weight, two weeks is a small investment to make. After all, you are worth it! The first two or three days will be somewhat challenging, but breaking any bad habit starts out a little bumpy. Once you pass this small hurdle, the rest of the time will go by quicker than you think. When you see the results that these changes bring, you will be glad you did not give up!

Allowed Foods in Phase 2 (Foods you can reintroduce to your diet) <TABLE cellSpacing=0 borderColorDark=#ffffff cellPadding=6 width="80%" border=1><TBODY><TR><TD width="100%">FRUIT </TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%"> Apples Apricots-dried fresh Blueberries Cantaloupe Cherries Grapefruit Grapes Kiwi Mangoes Oranges Peaches Pears Plums Strawberries </TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%">DAIRY </TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%"> Milk-light soy, fat-free or 1% Yogurt-light, fruit-flavored, plain, low-fat or fat-free </TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%">STARCHES (USE SPARINGLY) </TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%"> Bagels, small, whole grain Bread-multigrain, oat and bran, rye, whole wheat Cereal-Fiber One, Kellogg's Extra-Fiber All Bran, oatmeal (not instant), other high-fiber, Uncle Sam Muffins, bran-sugar-free (no raisins) Pasta, whole wheat Peas, green Pita-stone-ground, whole wheat Popcorn Potato, small, sweet Rice-brown, wild </TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%">VEGETABLES AND LEGUMES</TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%"> Barley Beans, pinto Black-eyed peas </TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%">MISCELLANEOUS</TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%"> Chocolate (sparingly)-bittersweet, semisweet Pudding, fat-free/sugar-free Wine, red </TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%">FOODS TO AVOID OR EAT RARELY!!! </TD></TR><TR><TD width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%">STARCHES AND BREADS Bagel, refined wheat Bread-refined wheat white Cookies Cornflakes Matzo Pasta, white flour Potatoes-baked, white instant Rice cakes Rice, white Rolls, dinner VEGETABLES Beets Carrots Corn Potatoes </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> FRUIT Bananas Canned fruit, juice packed Fruit juice Pineapple Raisins Watermelon MISCELLANEOUS Honey Ice cream Jam

South Beach Diet Food List During Phase 1, the foods eaten will be in controlled portions to include chicken, beef, turkey, fish, and shellfish. These types of foods along with vegetables, eggs, cheese, nuts, and salads can also be eaten, although all of it will be in controlled portions. Refer to the following list to see the types of foods that are acceptable in phase 1, 2, and 3. Remember that bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, baked goods, fruit, candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, or sugar will be slowly added back into your diet in Phase 2. Foods to Enjoy Phase 1 <CENTER><TABLE borderColorDark=#f2f2f2 width="80%" bgColor=#ffffff borderColorLight=#c0c0c0 border=1><TBODY><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Boiled Ham</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Canadian Bacon</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Canola Oil</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Chicken Breasts (skinless)</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Cheese (fat-free or low-fat - American, Cheddar, cottage, cream substitute, feta)</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Cornish Game Hen</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Eggs (whole)</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Fish (all types)</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Green Vegetables</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Lunchmeat (lean)</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Peanut Butter</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Peanuts</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Pecans</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Pistachio Nuts</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Olive Oil</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Seasoning/Spices (broth, butter sprays, pepper, anything containing no sugar)</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Shellfish</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Sirloin</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Sweets * (chocolate powder, cocoa powder (baking type), hard candy, sugar substitute (sugar-free)</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Tenderloin</TD></TR><TR><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Tofu</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Turkey Bacon</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Veal</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7>Vegetables (artichokes, asparagus, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, eggplant, legumes, lettuce, mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini)</TD><TD width="20%" bgColor=#f7f7f7></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER><CENTER></CENTER>Quick Shopping List for South Beach Diet Starter - Phase 1 A lot of eggs! (at least two dozen. I ate 3 a day) Turkey and Canadian bacon Sugar free Jell-O Lettuce & whatever else you want in your salads (buy enough for the week) Salad dressing (balsamic vinaigrette is good) Veggies (no carrots)(broccoli & zucchini are good) Chicken breasts and whatever other meat you like Nuts (for snacks) Low fat string cheese & shredded cheese (I use it on my salads) Part-skim ricotta cheese Splenda or other sugar substitute

Yeah, South Beach lets you have carbs, like whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread, brown rice, wheat tortillas. There are a lot of good substitues for South Beach. I will post them on here just in case anyone wants the info. Thanks Silry! I am glad I can help you by what I am going through. I am one of those who research to death also. I even bought Dr. ORtiz's book and read it three times, underlining all that apply to me. I also heard that they younger you are, the easier to lose and your skin has a better chance to no sag! I am using some cream I bought with cocoa butter, shea butter. It is supposed to be for weight loss and pregnancy. Audree

Today I am tired. I am not getting enough calories and have been cleaning the house and organizing, etc. This is what I have eaten so far: Breakfast: 1 cup Gano Mocha Coffee with soy milk; 200 cal, 6 g. protien Lunch: Creamy split pea, 1 cup: 120 cal, 9 g. protein Snack: Nectar Protein Shake, Strawberry Kiwi (90 cal, 23 grms of protein) with 1 cup soy milk( 100 cal, 6 grms protien Snack: 1 drinkable dannon light and fit;60 cal, 5 grms protien Dinner: tortilla soup with shredded cheese; 250 cal, protien; unknown Total calories; 820 Total protein: 43+ I have not had any extra liquids as of 4 pm. Maybe that is why I don't feel so good. I also was doing too much around the house and find I get tired easier. I will definitely be going to bed early. I still also have not weighed myself yet. I would be disappointed to not lose much, so I don't want to set myself up for failure, even if it wasn't. I'd rather wait to see a bigger loss. I think I will wait until I can "See" a difference. I can now somewhat.

Today I am tired. I am not getting enough calories and have been cleaning the house and organizing, etc. This is what I have eaten so far: Breakfast: 1 cup Gano Mocha Coffee with soy milk; 200 cal, 6 g. protien Lunch: Creamy split pea, 1 cup: 120 cal, 9 g. protein Snack: Nectar Protein Shake, Strawberry Kiwi (90 cal, 23 grms of protein) with 1 cup soy milk( 100 cal, 6 grms protien Snack: 1 drinkable dannon light and fit;60 cal, 5 grms protien Dinner: tortilla soup with shredded cheese; 250 cal, protien; unknown Total calories; 820 Total protein: 43+ I have not had any extra liquids as of 4 pm. Maybe that is why I don't feel so good. I also was doing too much around the house and find I get tired easier. I will definitely be going to bed early. I still also have not weighed myself yet. I would be disappointed to not lose much, so I don't want to set myself up for failure, even if it wasn't. I'd rather wait to see a bigger loss. I think I will wait until I can "See" a difference. I can now somewhat.

Madden: I will keep you in my prayers. Let us know how you are doing. Silry: MOre info the better so you can come and share!!! Any you will lose a lot more than 20, especially if you listen to the bandster rules. I for one do better with a low carb. Carbs leave me feeling cloudy headed and my stomach feels like a bottomless pit where I have no cue of being full. I am sure that will change now, but I don't want to hurt my band by eating too much. I always feel healthier doing a South Beach type thing. Audree

Since we both have the same type of post op eating plans, what did you eat? I am so tired of creamy Soups and shakes, I dont even want to eat anymore. The drinkable yogurt is the only thing I kinda like and I am running out of ideas. I made tortilla Soup with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese and that was good. I just don't know what to eat and feel weak because my calorie intake is too low. I am feeling weak and sick to my stomach from only having about 400 calories today and it is already 4pm. What can we eat that is not a mushy? But, then creamy soup is a mushy technically isn't it? She said not even oatmeal because it has chunks in it and no applesauce. Did they say why??? Thanks,Audree

Did they explain why we don't get a mushy stage? It doesn't really make sense. I agree completely with what you are saying. I will do mushies instead of straight solids for a few to transition. I am going to be really afraid of chicken. What about ground chicken and turkey? I bought some chicken meatballs stuffed with cheese at Sams Club. It is ground chicken. They have no preservatives and are supposed to be natural. I was thinking of eating them with spaghetti sauce when the time came. I also heard that crab or salmon patties are a good source of Protein. When are you up for a fill? If I lose restriction, I was going the weekend of Feb. 16.

Where do you live?? I live in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I want to get a few of us together so we can meet up for fills and stuff!!!

Thanks MiniPearl!! I will make sure I post pics when I show some weight loss. I have also taken my measurements and post what I eat daily on my journal. I even started cleaning my closet, only keeping the really nice thinner clothes, since I am sure I am going to go shopping once none of my clothes fit me!!! Dr. Ortiz told me to get ready to burn ALL of my clothes!!! I would rather donate them though. I love this group and spend a lot of time here. I tell my husband it is my therapy. Audree

Where do you get your unjury protien shakes??? I emailed my nutrionist and she said, no mushy stage, not even oatmeal because it has chuncks in it. I think that sucks! I am going to call Dr. Ortiz and ask him. He told me to call anytime for anyting, so I am. I am having trouble getting enough calories. I just have a lot of restriction still and it is really cold these days and it makes me feel even tighter.

I am glad to hear you are doing well! When were you banded? I was banded Jan. 5th, 2007 Audree

I will be praying for you and your son. Audree

Obesity Control Center is Dr. Ortiz's center. Dr. Ortiz is one of the top in this field, with over 4000 under his belt. If your surgery is at OCC, you are in good hands. Dr. ORtiz would not be affiliated with anyone who was not good! Audree

I am off to church guys and then we are having a family day!!! I will see you all tonight!!!!! Much Love, Audree

Congrats on the weight loss!!! At least you know though, that if you wanted to you could lose the weight faster, sticking to the bandster rules. It would be scary to be doing all right and not lose, that was my fear. In the dieting world, I always felt like no matter what I did, what diet I did,how much I worked out(actually had a personal trainer for 1 year and didn't really lose), I couldn't lose. The problem is, I didn't realize how MUCH I was actually eating or didn't want to. I was a volume eater. It took a lot of food for my stomach to signal full. Not anymore!!! Thank God!!!!! We all have to take things in stages to what we can take on mentally. I heard somewhere you can only take one major life change at a time. Just see your surgery as one major life change. Then, when you feel ready, follow a certain eating plan you feel comfortable with and exercise. The great thing about the band is, you know you will lose no matter what you eat!!!!! My doctor told me that I could lose 28 or 58 pounds in 6 months. It just depended on if I listened to him and the bandster rules or not. I for one, have a major goal, to lose 50 pounds in 6 months, by summer. That will be all my weight, more than I ever thougth I could lose on my own. I don't want to hide this summer with wraps. I want to walk proud along the beach!!! I have a visual in my head. I also heard visuaizing yourself at your goal, seeing your self in that dream outfit, is supposed to help you too. My dream outfit, one I have seen myself in for many years, I don't know why, is a snug fit pair of light brown/tan suede pants and a matching halter top. I have never even seen one, but I had a dream of me in in once. Most importantly, congrats on the weight loss. Even if it is slow, it is going in the right direction, down!!!!!:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: Audree

Thanks Boo!!! Man, I feel like calling Dr. Ortiz himself and asking him to explain to me why I don't get a MUSHY STAGE!!!!!!!!!!! I am supposed to stay on liquids for three weeks and day 22 go to solids. WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The nutrionist says I can't even have oatmeal because it has chuncks in it. At least I am not hungry, but the thought of the ricotta spaghetti thing, major head hunger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Audree

Yes, you sure are a lower bmi!!! Welcome and any question is a good question. I refinanced my house to do this and am glad I did. Also a small portion was on a credit card, anyway I could do it. I think flying in, you need a passport by jan. 28, 2007. I would ask wherever you get passport about the name change. You may not need a new one. I had to take my birth certificate and it had my maiden name on it. I also wasn't asked to show it. I actually drove in Thursday night, had my pre op and surgery Friday and was going to go home on Saturday. But, heck, they paid for three nights at a VERY nice hotel, so my mom and I decided to have a little more vacation time. You can also coordinate with Dr. Ortiz patients on Lapbandforum.com and meet up with some nice ladies. I met a really nice lady on there and she held my hand and comforted me while there when I needed it. :welcome: We are glad you are here!!! Audree