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broth decaf unsweet tea italian ice I strained a lot of soups and still got the flavor. not sure if u can have yogurt but smoothies are good just watch ur sugars carbs etc. . . and if u haven't tried milk go slow bc I instantly developed a lactose intolerance to it and sat on the toilet for nearly 8 hours.. i so wish I were joking. Also, watch movies from dvd and not tv.. food porn can kill u..

Today is gonna be easy peasy! Ok so I am so sorry for all of you out there who have to do several weeks of liquids prior to surgery! My nut wants me doing high protein, low cal, low carb, no fat... I need at least 10 ounces of meat per day and up to 4 veg, 1 fruit, 3 starch, 0 fat. Yesterday I cooked all my chicken for the next 10 days. I cut bnls sknls chicken breast into 2 ounce strips (approx) Cooked them in the oven with some cooking spray. Next I put 5 strips in each ziplock bag. 7 in the freezer and 3 in the fridge. Went to the store last night and got Sargento low mozzarella string cheese. I also have V8 splash for my 1 serv of fruit and 1 of my veg servings. Vitamin Water Zero is my new fav drink since I quit Pepsi Max. I am also taking a women's multi-vitamin every morning. I will switch to a diff vitamin source the last couple days before surgery so that I will be used to it. I don't have a date yet but have submitted to fep blue for approval. After approval I want to be scheduled asap so I decided to go ahead and start the pre-op diet since it's not taking away any of my protein shakes I have stocked up for after surgery. I LOVE chicken and cheese so I think this is gonna be quite easy for me. I am not going to be eating much else. Going to a cook out Sunday but I will be taking my chicken, cheese stick, and vitamin water and avoiding the chips and soda!! I am super excited about the prospect of surgery in my near future!!! I am praying for an approval and a speedy one!! My children, friends, and most family know about my decision. My husband is SO supportive!! Alot more than I thought he would be. But he sees all the work I am putting into getting prepared mentally and physically. I have lost 30 pounds this year and I should include that in my ticker... Thinking I may change it. My mom was very skeptical at first but I sent her to vertical sleeve talk on FB and she started reading there and now she is so excited for me!! I am going to be BLOWING UP fed bcbs phone lines checking my status LOL I love reading this board!!!! I feel like I know so many of you and I have met a couple. You all are fantastic!!!

Well we have our appt for the nutritionist on August 13. I wish I didn't have soo long to wait I made these appts for my hubby and I in June. This is the getting crazy my hubby is in the hospital again with cellulitis and they told him that this will keep on happening until the surgery!! I am going crazy since I really want to do the surgery already!!! My hubby and I want to loose weight I have tried sooo many things and nothing has worked and I am just fed up with feeling this way and being depressed about my weight since I don;t feel like I am worth looking at. I also have going crazy since I am married 7yrs and I really want to have a child I am already 30 and I always wanted a big family I guess that won't happen at least not as big as I wanted. Otherwise my hubby and are really excited about doing this together since we both are really overweight and know that as a team we will do really well!! That is it for now! I will write more after my appts. thanks for listening.

I have BC/BS w/ the state, my husband is a probation officer...so I have the state health plan, it was great and approved quick and easy...although they haven't made payment yet...I guess I don't want to jinx it...I had surgery on Wed am took the w/e off work and returned on Mon pm---a 12 hour shift---I am a nurse in labor & delivery. I probably should have taken Mon off cause I was still feeling poorly, but by Tues I felt great. The first 3 days are the roughest, but that is typical w/ any surgery, not just banding...anyway, hope this answers your questions. And all, thanks for the well wishes. I hope to lose another 20 by Thanksgiving, but it will take some real work at Curves and my walking track...we'll see...

I am super frustrated bc I cannot seem to get a roll with losing the last 40! I upped my working-out and now I am hungry more often. I think I need a fill but when I went for a scan they said it was perfectly balanced! FRUSTRATION is taking over and I need a little support- anything?

Day 6 yesterday and a bit tired. Got a bit of brainwork done so that was good. We did lamb in the slow cooker with fennel, potatoes and onions and when I had carved for everyone else I put some in the Magimix for me...which was fine until I chucked in some peas which did not really improve the appearance. Still it tasted good. I blitzed the remains of the meat and veg later in the evening and froze it in small amounts to take to work next week. I got a bit worried and fed up with this pain/ache thing in my chest when I take deep breaths, stretch or just get it out of the blue. Not that bad but annoying. Went on the post-op forum here and typed "chest pain" into the search field and read about a million posts describing exactly what I feel and that was really reassuring, to know that everyone else that has had it got better with time. These forums are really a fantastic resource!

Well the basic whey protiens in the market , i just found an organic grass fed i think i will purchase that egg ad hemp and drink betwwe. All of those its just nice to hear what others have to say

Have you received the e-mail that starts of with(?): You gotta love Robin Williams...... Even if he's nuts! Leave it to Robin Williams to come up with the perfect Plan. What we need now is for our UN Ambassador to stand up and Repeat this message. "I see a lot of people yelling for peace but I have not heard of a plan for Peace. So, here's one plan." It Is Another HOAX But even if Robin Williams had said it, it is still BS. 1) "The US will apologize to the world for our "interference" in their affairs, past & present. You know, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Tojo, Noriega, Milosevic, Hussein, and the rest of those "good 'ole' boys", we will never "interfere" again. Hitler and Mussolini declared war on the US. We did not defeat Stalin. Noriega and Hussein were tools of the USA who had outlived their usefulness to the USA and most of the rest of the world was not concerned about them. The USA only did themselves a favor by ousting them. Oh, they also did Iran a big favor, by disposing of Hussein. Now Shiites dominate the region. Maybe if BuSh had read his father's book, instead of blaming his father for 911, Iran wouldn't be in such a strong position. 2) We will withdraw our troops from all over the world, starting with Germany, South Korea, the Middle East, and the Philippines. They don't want us there. We would station troops at our borders. No one allowed sneaking through holes in the fence. I wish we would withdraw our troops. The USA has troops in over 130 nations. Can you name 130 nations? Can you name even 100? But your tax dollars are going there. If we stop the Mexicans from coming in, who is going to pick your fruits and vegetables? Either we will be faced with tripling of produce prices or we will get our produce from overseas, putting farmers out of business. That also goes for chicken and other meat-packing operations. 3) All illegal aliens have 90 days to get their affairs together and leave. We'll give them a free trip home. After 90 days the remainder will be gathered up and deported immediately, regardless of whom or where they are. They're illegal!!! France will welcome them. It is estimated that it would cost $20,000,000,000 (that's 20 billion dollars to deport all the illegal aliens). I would rather see that 20 billion TAX DOLLARS used for rebuilding New Orleans or so many other important projects. And what do we do with illegal alien mothers who have American children? Do we split the family up and put the children into our overtaxed foster care system or do we send these American children to a live of poverty in Mexico? Punish the children? 4) All future visitors will be thoroughly checked and limited to 90 days unless given a special permit!!!! No one from a terrorist nation will be allowed in. If you don't like it there, change it yourself and don't hide here. Asylum would never be available to anyone. We don't need any more cab drivers or 7-11 cashiers. I guess the person who wrote this had not been in an hospital lately or else he would know that the USA does not produce enough doctors, so many of our doctors are now from terrorist countries and many other countries. The USA is also raiding other countries to get nurses to move here to relieve the nursing shortage. I guess the author also did not know that because the USA does not graduate enough nuclear engineers, that the USA imports over a quarter of a million people from (terrorist) Pakistan every year to do our nuclear engineering. As far as cab-drivers and 7-11's are concerned, the next time you need a cab or want something late at night, I bet you would rather have a cab with a driver of any nationality than to stand waiting for hours. Same goes for 7-11; better to have a foreign clerk than find the 7-11 with a sign, "Closed". Not many "real" Americans want to ruin there health staying up all night for minimum wage. 5) No foreign "students" over age 21. The older ones are the bombers. If they don't attend classes, they get a "D" and it's back home baby. #5 is too stupid to even comment on. 6) The US will make a strong effort to become self-sufficient energy wise. This will include developing nonpolluting sources of energy but will require a temporary drilling of oil in the Alaskan wilderness. The caribou will have to cope for a while. The USA was making an effort to become energy self-sufficient under under Jimmy Carter, but Ronald Reagan canceled all of Carter's programs. Drilling in Alaska will not produce enough oil to make a dent in our energy problem and it will be 10 years before that oil will reach the market. There are ways to start becoming energy self-sufficient today. People do not need 300 horse-power trucks to drive around in for pleasure. Brazille is energy self-sufficient, because it's government had the gumption to pass laws to push business in the right direction. Using vegetation to make fuel can help make the USA energy self-sufficient and it will reduce the green-houses gases causing global warming. 7) Offer Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries $10 a barrel for their oil. If they don't like it, we go someplace else. They can go somewhere else to sell their production. (About a week of the wells filling up the storage sites would be enough.) This e-mail must have been written by a man from China or India. China and India would love the USA to do that. Hey, I have a way to put drug dealers out of business. Tell all the junkies to offer their dealer $1.00 for a dime bag. When I stop laughing, I will refute #8. 8) If there is a famine or other natural catastrophe in the world, we will not "interfere." They can pray to Allah or whomever, for seeds, rain, cement or whatever they need. Besides most of what we give them is stolen or given to the army. The people who need it most get very little, if anything. I guess no one read the news about all the countries that contributed money to the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Mexicans were helping before FEMA got there. The author should not be so flippant about Allah. Allah is the same God as the God of the Old Testament and the New Testament (the Bible, to those less informed). Allah is the Arabic translation of "God". If you travel to Italy and land at Rome's airport, you will not see signs saying Rome. The signs will say Roma. If you travel to Venice, you will not see signs saying Venice. The signs will say Venezia. If you are in Spain, and are thirsty, and someone offers you aqua, do you refuse it and say, "No thanks, give me some water"? Aqua is water, Roma is Rome, Venezia is Venice and Allah is God. 9) Ship the UN Headquarters to an isolated island someplace. We don't need the spies and fair weather friends here. Besides, the building would make a good homeless shelter or lockup for illegal aliens. Then why was BuSh so adamant about enforcing UN resolutions against Hussein in 2003 that he invaded Iraq? Then why was BuSh so adamant about enforcing the UN's Gulf-War treaty against Hussein? 10) All Americans must go to charm and beauty school. That way, no one can call us "Ugly Americans" any longer. The Language we speak is ENGLISH...learn it...or LEAVE...Now, isn't that a winner of a plan? "The Statue of Liberty is no longer saying "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses." She's got a baseball bat and she's yelling, "you want a piece of me?" If you agree with the above forward it to friends...If not, and I would be amazed, DELETE it!! No, the language of this country is not English. It could have been if the original 13 colonies had not stolen so much land from Spain and Mexico. Did you ever wonder why so many cities have names like San Fransisco, Las Angeles, Las Vegas? Because we took them from Spanish speaking countries and they were full of Spanish speaking people. Maybe if we hadn't brought so many Chinese to the USA to build our railroads, we could be a English speaking country. Maybe the Statue of Liberty should also say, "No WOP's allowed". Isn't WOP (With-Out Papers) the same thing as an illegal alien? WOP is what my Italian ancestors were nick-named. How soon we forget. I saw a border guard complaining on TV about the "illegals" coming over the border. His name was Gonzales. I wonder how his ancestors got here. Maybe, instead of forwarding this e-mail, the people who are so dissatisfied with the problems in the USA should have just packed up their belongings to go back to where there ancestors came from. If you are Irish/Italian-American, well then cut your head off and send it to Ireland and send your body to Italy. Sounds stupid? Not much more than the e-mail being forwarded. Love to all, TOM PS: BS means Balogna Sandwich

I am almost 2 months out, 1 week away from being cleared for all food. Last night around 9pm I had a thin slice a pastrami (cold cuts). I woke up at 3am nauseous, and still now 7pm feeling the same way. I am exhausted too. Could this be bc my body didn't agree with the pastrami? I've taken my medicine so not to be nauseous and it's hasn't subsided. My stomach is making weird noises. Any ideas??? Sent from my iPhone using VST

thanks ladies... it really freaked me out bc normally I have no problems with cravings. But boy oh boy what a difference a period makes LOL!! amy

Went back to work last Monday, got told had company trip and needed to reschedule, called and they tell me it 6 weeks out to new appt. So IM 3 weeks out, plus 6 weeks = BS. Anyone else have to wait 9 weeks? Do not go to rocky mountain save. Physicians... They treat you like they could careless.

Hey i was banded 5 21 09 and i only had one incision. but not only that it was in my belly botton so theres no visible scarring. my recovery was prolly the same as everyone else maybe even less bc there was only one scar. im thrilled!

Cuban chick that is EXACTLY whats going on!!!! U explained it word for word. I have gained 3 lbs but haven't posted it on here bc im so embarrassed. I can basically eat anything right now. And you called it bc for a few days right after surgery i was never ever hungry. Now im hungry all the time. I know i should be chewing my food more but i forget some bites and it still seems to go down fine. Thank you so much for posting that! U literally described what im going thru exactly thank u!!

It took me several fills before I really felt any restriction. A fill would make me feel 'tight' for a day or two and then it would disappear. Wasn't til I had about 6cc before I got my first stuck episode. I still could eat a fair amount between fills. I finally got to the green zone at 8.5cc in a 10cc band. I ate according the the band rules mostly in that I ate slowly, ate only a small serving and stopped after I finished my serving. I used to take out a small serving and then halve it and put one half in the fridge. I told myself if I was still really hungry after 30 mins I could go back for more. I only went back once in all the time I did that (coz it takes about 10 mins normally to stop feeling hungry, and longer if you have a band). That was a great tip that was told to me that worked for me, so consider this me passing it on. It has worked well for friends who aren't banded either. The good news is that for the majority of banders, the time WILL come where you get enough restriction in your band to only be able to eat a small amount and be satisfied for hours. If it works like it should, it should also stop you feeling hungry most of the time. When that will happen is different for every bander, though. Also I remember when I first got banded, my tummy made these AWFUL rumbling sounds all day. I figure it was because for 20 years it was used to being filled to the brim and it was grumbling at the huge reduction in food. But after 6 months or so, it settled and it nearly never growled. It got used to be being 'drip fed' food from the above all day, I guess!

I was ok two weeks after surgery. The first week was rough and the second week I was tired, but back to work full time. At the start of the second week I started feeling almost normal again, although not being able to eat real food kinda put a damper on that. If you have the ability to cook for yourself and have a kitchen where you can stay hydrated and well-fed, you'll be fine on vacation. I don't think I was really crazy about the heat for a few weeks after surgery. My procedure was done at the start of Sep and I live in Florida, so also miserably hot at about 2 weeks post-op.

Ordered some Unjury cheese-flavored protein powder. Everyone's tastes are different, but I'm not a fan. Ate it on some steamed cauliflower and used the rest with some cream of broccoli soup. It was better in the soup bc the soup hid the taste a little. My main issue with it is that it is sooo salty--more than 700 mg of sodium in 1 serving. I try to stay under 2000 mg (2 g) of sodium a day bc I know it's healthier (I don't have high BP or anything), so that eats up a lot of my allotment. I'll probably finish what I have and hide it in stuff, but I won't be reordering it. It's also more expensive than the regular protein powder per serving. I give them credit for trying something new but I'm going to have to disagree with the reviews saying that it's so good they could eat it straight with a spoon....

Hi I read your post with interest. I had my band put in Aug 2008. In April 2014 I had further surgery to readjust it as it had slipped. I am no longer losing any weight. Almost back to where I started. But I can't swallow properly. Everything you described is how it is for me. 2 hours to eat a meal. Rushing to the toilet to purge all the time. Sometimes even fluids hurt like hell. Im thoroughly miserable & fed up with it now. I've had 2 episodes of the severe pains under the ribs that you described. I was crying in agony. It's got to point where I'm avoiding solid foods completely. I'm living on Soup. Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you & wish you a speedy recovery. I have an appointment tomorrow with my Bariatric nurse. For the second time in a month. Last time she removed 2ml but it made very little difference.

Appetite Increased By Action Of Ghrelin Hormone Leading To Accumulation Of Abdominal Fat 5/21/09 Appetite Increased By Action Of Ghrelin Hormone Leading To Accumulation Of Abdominal Fat The ghrelin hormone not only stimulates the brain giving rise to an increase in appetite, but also favours the accumulation of lipids in visceral fatty tissue, located in the abdominal zone and considered to be the most harmful. This is the conclusion of research undertaken at Metabolic Research Laboratory of the University Hospital of Navarra, published recently in the International Journal of Obesity. Ghrelin is a hormone produced in the stomach and the function of which is to tell the brain that the body has to be fed. Thus, the level of this secretion increases before eating and decreases after. It is known to be important in the development of obesity, given that, on stimulating the appetite, it favours an increase in body weight, explained Ms Amaia Rodr?guez Murueta-Goyena, doctor in biology and main researcher of the study. However, researchers at the University Hospital of Navarra have discovered that, besides stimulating the hypothalamus to generate appetite, ghrelin also acts on the tabula rasa cortex. They observed how this hormone favoured the accumulation of lipids in visceral fatty tissue. In effect, it causes the over-expression of the fatty genes that take part in the retention of lipids, explained Ms Rodr?guez. It is precisely this accumulated fat in the region of the abdomen that is deemed to be most harmful, as it is accompanied by comorbilities, visceral obesity being related to higher blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. Moreover, being located in the abdominal zone and in direct contact with the liver, this type of fatty tissue favours the formation of liver fat and increases the risk of developing resistance to insulin. It is associated with hypertension, high levels of triglycerides, resistance to insulin and hypercholesterolemia: visceral fat favours the metabolic syndrome, the researcher pointed out. Ghrelin can show itself in acylated or deacylated form, the difference being in the octanoic acid present in the composition of the former, according to Ms Rodriguez. Previously it was thought that only the acylated form was active in the process of weight increase, but many studies point to both hormones being biologically functional. Future development of pharmaceutical drugs This discovery of the twin action of ghrelin on the organism opens the door to future treatment for obesity and which, for the time being, is limited to in vitro studies in cell and animal models, the University Hospital researcher pointed out. This inclusive perspective of the functioning of a hormone is necessary in order to design effective pharmaceutical drugs. There are many hormones that intervene in the control of appetite in the hypothalamus and, at the same time, can act on other organs, such as the liver, the muscles or fat, for example. Thus, the medication developed should block the action of ghrelin both on the hypothalamus and on the accumulation of abdominal fat. At the same time, stated Ms Rodr?guez, it has to be taken into account that this hormone also acts on the liver and favours the capturing of glucose in the muscle. They observed that the concentration of acylated-form ghreline in the blood increases amongst obese persons and particularly when these, moreover, suffer from diabetes. Thus, obese persons with diabetes have greater tendency to accumulate visceral fat than normoglycemic obese persons. This is a little-studied field which has to be investigated in order to develop pharmaceutical drugs which annul this action of ghrelin. Blood analysis and stimulation of adipocytes The research undertaken at the Metabolic Research Laboratory of the University Hospital of Navarra principally involved the analysis of the blood of 80 patients, both obese and thin, and in the stimulation with ghrelin of the fatty cells from surgical operations. First they analysed the ghrelin levels in the blood. Then, based on the biopsies of visceral fat obtained from 24 patients subjected to various operations, the adipocytes or fatty cells were separated and subsequently stimulated with hormone, which enabled the researchers to evaluate the changes generated in the genes that favoured the lipid accumulation in these isolated adipocytes, explained the researcher. Source: Oihane Lakar Elhuyar Fundazioa

I can put away 2oz of pumpkin pie filling only w/ whipped cream. It was awesome & my bday "cake" bc I was on pureed then. Enjoy but measure bc the pie is sooo yummy it'll sneak up on you. allons-y

This is a rant and a rave. Firstly I would like to say that I have always found the people here to be in the most part helpful and supportive. The same cannot be said for all other sites. Some of the sanctimonious BS from some peeps is unreal. Example Wow reading this thread is depressing. So many people saying never to drink alcohol again. Absolutes ( never )are very hard to accept. I got my band 9 years ago and was never told I had to give up alcohol. I enjoy a glass or 2 of wine a couple of times a week. Maybe I'm lucky I didn't become an alcoholic! Now looking at revising to RNY so I understand that I am going to have to give that up, at least for the foreseeable future but I would hate to think that I could NEVER have a glass of wine again. alcohol is pure sugar. The body uses that pure sugar to function instead of burning your stored fat for energy. Maybe ifvyou had not used alcohol you would be at goal weight and not looking for a revision. You are a perfect example of the truth of what those who are saying about alcohol use are saying. Alcoholics and drug abusers in recovery use the never absolute every day. They have to, no other choice. Not using absolutes, like never is often just an excuse.

I had surgery 8 days ago. Tried to thin baby oatmeal and potato leek Soup but was full for like 6-8 hours after 1.5 oz. I can get down unjury Protein chicken broth easier bc it counts as a clear liquid. I found that oh yeah shakes and GNC total lean are thinner, more like milk consistency and go down much easier. The only place I can find oh yeah around here is gas stations but they retail nationally and online. When I went to the surgeon they told me to forget about the protein for a little while and just focus on hydrating so back to clears for a few more days. She said I will be fine for a few more days and then start again.

Ok here goes...I just joined this forum to get answers as well but I feel unless I say something someone else won't get answers.....I had the lapband inserted march 2008....started at 237...5'8" (recorded but incorrect) so I met the guidelines. After a baby I went up to 259 then down to 193...lowest with band....I started having complications with the band....leaking....didn't feel Anything until three months in when started having severe pains. In and out of hospital resulted in the removal of my band.....we were waiting first for the insurance comp to approve fixing the band but they denied..."not medically necessary" since I was now not "morbidly obese"anymore..... Then tried for the sleeve...denied again..."experimental bc my bmi was below 35.....I had the band removed to find out the tube cracked.....the band was literally cutting up my insides. Since surgery on October 2, I have gained 17lbs and now meet the 35 bmi but the insurance company wants a letter of medical necessity. Normal you would have to go under supervised weight loss program monitoring for 3 months but my internal medical doctor is hopeful that his letter showing my past six year struggle will suffice. If I don't get approve under my insurance I will try my husbands and if denied under his ill end up paying for it.....I find it ironic that they knew I had a weight problem approved the first device, then when it became defective I'm no longer a candidate. Nothing within my control.....I'll be patient and wait my turn. Hopefully all goes well by the summer.

I am post op about 2 weeks for a lap band removal/revision to rny gastric bypass. I have Anthem bc/bs. I had them for the original surgery in 2007. Really didn't have any trouble, once the communication was open from my Surgeon's office and Anthem. I don't recall any lifetime max on my plan, but maybe others do.

Oh, my Lord....I ONCE (and I emphasize ONCE) flew on a foreign airline that shall go unnamed (not even a third world country), and I wanted to kiss the ground when we landed. I swore NEVER to repeat that experience. Overhead storage doors flew open and banged up and down throughout the flight. The FAs would shut them and they would just pop open again. The whole plane shuddered like it would fall apart from metal fatigue at any moment. The tray tables didn't work, seats didn't recline....it was AWFUL. Worst of all, I couldn't understand the announcements. I told the friend who was traveling with me, "For all we know, they could be telling us 'The plane is crashing; bend over and kiss your big, over-fed American asses goodbye'."

So, I have Highmark BC/BS and my policy has the bariatric and reconstructive surgery riders, so I just found out I was approved for both a panniculectomy and abdominoplasty, which is AWESOME!!! But they denied my request for the brachioplasty, and I have medical documentation of the same issues on my arms as on my stomach. The stomach was approved but not the arms. The surgeon's office said I would receive my denial letter for the arm lift and it would include an appeal process. I will definitely appeal. I'm just wondering if anyone has had any success with appealing for a brachioplasty or really appealing a denial for anything. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.