transformer

My motivation is that I'm sick and tired of fighting to be thin! I've been at war with my body since I was 8 years old, and my body usually wins! :think I think the straw that broke the camel's back was this summer when I attempted to go hiking on an "easy" trail in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I huffed and I puffed and I finished the thing, but I thought I was going to die! As the famous quote from the movie "Network" goes: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!" :angry

That's wonderful! I think he's very sweet!

I would definitely talk to your doctor. I'm taking two chewable multi-vitamins and biotin daily. I haven't added any additional iron, but now I'm wondering if I should. I'll be interested to hear what your doctor has to say!

Another idea when you're in a pinch could be to get a container of yogurt at a 7-11 type of store. Even if it isn't lowfat and low-sugar, I think it would come closer to fitting in with your prescribed diet. Some fast food places even offer yogurt now, too!

I was banded on December 19th and can't go to the mushy stage until after my post-op appointment on January 3rd. We'll see what the doc says!

I still enjoy cooking since I've been banded. My Christmas dinner was a ham, lowfat Au Gratin potatoes, peas and tiny whole onions, and a sugar-free apple crisp. Even though I didn't eat any of it, I still had a good time preparing it and I was happy that my guests liked it. I challenged myself to find healthful recipes that would still taste good. I have already seen some wonderful changes in my hair, skin, and nails since going on the high-protein liquid diet. I already feel healthier. My vision doesn't get blurry any more and I don't seem to be puffed up due to Water retention either. My blood pressure was even 110/70 the other day! My son got candies and other sugary treats in his Christmas stocking, but I haven't craved them at all (yet...)! :evil: Maybe I'm not having as much depression over giving up the foods I was used to eating because I'm feeling so much better already. I went into this knowing that I had to change whether I liked it or not. It was just time to get the job done! I was just banded, so what the heck do I know at this early date! You never know, I could just totally fall apart tomorrow and stick my head in a bag of cookies!

I bought a Magic Bullet prior to surgery and am enjoying it so far. A regular blender would work just as well I imagine! I like that fact that it doesn't take up much counter space.

I'm interested in hearing what everyone else is (or will be) doing for exercise as the healing process continues . I guess I should start out by walking...perhaps I'll take up fencing!:fencing:

Hi there! The shakes are definitely not the greatest, but I think they taste better when I blend them ahead of time and chill them. I've been experimenting with making my vanilla Protein Shake mix taste better. So far, these additives have worked pretty well for me: two small spoonfuls of lowfat, low sugar yogurt (various flavors) two small spoonfuls of sugar-free, fat-free pudding mix powder (various flavors) one small spoonful of Splenda sweetener one soup spoonful of sugar-free jam (strawberry) I agree with others who have suggested that you try the unflavored protein powder. I'm allowed to have tomato soup, so I think that would go together well. I need to go out and buy some and see how it goes! I really hope you find a combination that doesn't make you gag so much! :spit:

Just wanted to offer everyone a word of encouragement! If we can make it through the next week or so and really stick to our program, we will be SO far ahead of all of the people out there who are putting on a bunch of weight! This could be one of the first times we all actually lose weight during the holidays!!!! Keep your eyes on the prize!

RESIST THE EVIL COOKIES! Your new svelte figure will thank you for it! Weren't you just a little bit proud that you didn't actually eat a cookie? I think it's fantastic! :wow2:

If you have a product like "Gas-X" in the UK, it really seems to help a lot! Anything chewable that contains "simethicone" would bust up those nasty gas bubbles!

You go girl!

I am SO jealous! :cry I can at least stand up and sit down now...sounds like I'm a two-year old or something.

Nathalie-- <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->Thanks for the tip about bodyforlife.com about the high protein, low calorie, low fat recipes! I just bookmarked it so I can go back to it once I'm able to be off of liquids. Cool!

KayDotRn--stop being so funny or my own band will sproing right out and land on my Christmas tree! Oh God! It hurts to laugh! :hurt

Hi Everyone! I was finally banded on December 19th! The surgery went very well--they took excellent care of me! The worst thing I've experienced since the surgery was muscle pain all over my body! :faint: I did not take any of the Vicodin they gave me (need my wits about me because I'm doing the single mom thing...). I did take Tylenol every 6 hours on days 2 and 3 though. I didn't need any Tylenol today and I'm finally starting to move better! The saddest/funniest thing that's happened since my surgery was trying to sit down and get up off of my very soft living room couch! I'm so happy it's just my son and I at home because it must be quite a sight watching me try to wriggle and jiggle my puffed out belly and big fat butt over to the edge of the sofa. To make matters worse, my stupid arms wouldn't push me up at all because of the muscle pain, so there I was, laying there like a beached whale. It must have looked like an old episode of The Carol Burnett Show! The one "bad" thing I've done was to drive to work on Thursday. :opps2: I went in for a few hours to answer e-mails and pick up holiday gifts. I told a couple colleagues that I had surgery and they were mad at me for keeping it a secret in case I needed help. When I explained that I didn't want any bad karma before the procedure, they seemed to understand! So far I haven't gotten the "hungry horrors" yet. :hungry: I've been taking in about 64 ounces of fluids in various forms and 90+ grams of Protein every day. A lot of people posted about having horrendous gas pains, but thank God, I haven't experienced that yet either! I've been taking one Gas-X chewable four times a day. I also have to take two chewable multi-vitamins, two chewable TUMS for Calcium, and one Biotin pill every day. I've started working on making food for our Christmas dinner and I haven't had any trouble with that yet. I decided to make one part of the meal each day from today until Christmas so I don't get too worn out. :lunch: I was lucky to get a sampler package of different high-protein foods from my doctor's office, such as hot chocolate, Protein shakes, drink mixes, and Soups. Most of those have tasted pretty good. I've been experimenting with making my vanilla Protein shake mix taste better though. I threw in two small spoonfuls of sugar-free, fat-free pudding one day before blending it and that seemed to help. Today I tossed in a couple spoonfuls of low-sugar, low-fat strawberry yogurt and that was pretty tasty, too.:lick I've decided to avoid the scale until I go for my post-op checkup on Janaury 3rd! Although I'm not supposed to be focused on losing weight during the first month, I'm secretly hoping that all of these liquids are just passing on through so I'll be a little skinnier when I go in to the doctor! I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas!!!

Hi there! We were specifically told to avoid Slim-Fast and Carnation Instant Breakfast due to the high sugar content and to stick to high-protein powder, such as Champion Nutrition whey Protein, blended with skim milk. Our nurse suggested Champion Nutrition from the Vitamin Shoppe because the taste is the best she has tried (she had gastric bypass herself, so she has had to actually drink the stuff herself). My doctor and nutritionist never mentioned that the powder could get stuck.

Hi there! My doctors said no carbonated beverages, but we can have decaffeinated coffee or tea. I'm going to have the worst caffeine withdrawal headache ever! :help:

Hi there! I'm so glad you didn't have to wait too long for your surgery to be rescheduled! Mine is tomorrow (Dec. 19th) so we can compare notes! I'm glad to hear from some of you that the pain wasn't too bad. I figure I can handle anything that's less pain than childbirth! :omg:

Welcome, Mary! I have Anthem BC/BS of Virginia and they won't cover any obesity-related procedures. I guess they prefer paying for asthma medication, cholesterol medication, diabetes medication, etc. The lack of foresight by the insurance industry is just remarkable to me! My self-pay was around $16,000. Good luck with your insurance company!

Hi Jim! Welcome to the site! I've met a lot of people who have had success with both procedures. Whatever you decide, you'll be on your way to feeling healthier than you have in a long time! Good luck!

Hi Lydia! I'm very happy that you've got the process rolling! I bet it feels good to start taking control. Good luck!

Hi! I'm so excited for you! You're on your way! Good luck with everything!

Welcome! My insurance company (Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of VA) are a bunch of scrooges--they wouldn't pay! :angry My surgery cost $16,250 self-pay. I paid an additional $500 for as many "fills" as I need (to restrict the opening from the small stomach pouch). I hope everything works out for you! Good luck!