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I'm not a Dec. Bandster, but I thought I could help! First of all...do some spring cleaning. Throw it all out. If you have kids or family that still wants them, tell them to put them somewhere you can't find them. If you have to go out and purposefully buy them, you are more likely to have a moment of sanity and put it back. I am going to copy and paste a post that I wrote for someone else. Maybe there is something in there that will help you. Are you ready for some tough love? If you are not ready at this time, that if fine. Put it away in your mind that someone has given you some and come back here when you are ready. By the time I get to post this you will probably have 100 other replies, but I want to take my time and post what I really want to say. Okay...here goes the tough love. And this will be a long post! Nope the Cookies were not a good choice, but you ate them and now you need to move on and NOT do it again. You can't change what you have done but you can make better choices in the future. So the question is HOW IN THE WORLD DO I DO THAT? Well I will tell you that the answer is NOT going to come to you when you have a "cookie" (will now stand for anything that is not healthy for us for the remainder of this conversation) staring at you in the face. You have to have the tools and the mindset BEFORE that temptation ever comes up. We have to be ready to turn around at any particular moment and have a piece of cookie shoved in our face and realize that we are stronger than the calories, fat, sugar and peice of inanimate object that we are looking at. It gets harder as we have lost the weight and become a little more comfortable with our bodies. At first we were hell bent on getting losing, losing, losing. Well the newness has worn off and now we are just stuck with the realization that we will always have to fight the "cookies". Alright I am all about being practical so here are some suggestions that I have. 1. Take a piece of paper (one that you can fold up into your wallet/purse/pocket ) and divide it into sections. You may have to write down everything and then rewrite it to get it to all fit. a. Write down all the reasons that you had MAJOR, LIFE THREATENING SURGERY. Not the reasons that you wanted to just lose weight, but what caused you to make this drastic change in your life. b. Write down where you think you would be health wise in 10 years. What disesases, illness would you have? What meds would you be on. Look at your family for "inspiration". For me my mom died at 53 weighing 350+ pounds and had heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea and a whole host of other disorders. Within 10 years, I was going to be there. c. Write down why you are more powerful than a cookie (this one is tough!) d. Find some typical foods that you would love to eat (your cookies) and look up the calories and then find out how much time you would have to spend working them off in the gym. e. Write down what about you makes you important enough to overcome your demons. f. Now you are going to want to fit all of this on a piece of paper in bullet form so when you are faced with you cookies you can look at it and allow you to mentally fight the war that has just come up. If you can justify eating that cookie after looking at your paper, then eat it, but have no regrets, and do not dwell on it. Instead you have faced the problem UP FRONT and not looked back on it. 2. Another possible tactic. I know that you are having a tough time getting your calories down. One thing that I have found that helps me is by eating the same foods that I like but with some simple substitutions and by finding ways to remove some unneccessary ingredients. For example. I make this dessert that had 1/2 cup of frozen berries, 2 TBSP of Cream cheese and 1/2 cup of granola. The cream cheese had 60 calories and I thought..."I wonder how this would taste if I didn't put the cream cheese in it". I tried it and guess what, I couldn't even tell that it was missing. Same thing with meatloaf. Instead of eating it with ground beef now I substitute grond chicken. As long as I keep all of my veggies and other healthy fillers in, I can't tell the difference. I really learned this from Subway. I found that if I went in and ordered a foot long sandwich (obviously pre-band) and got all this deli meat and cheese and then pilled it with my favorite veggies that I all I could really taste were the veggies anyways. So first I got rid of the meat and then the cheese, and the taste of the sandwich hardly varied at all. This is what I do all the time now. I will always fix something first and then think what can I do to lower or eliminate the calories without harming the integretity of the dish. 3. This is the one that everyone is going to hate. WE JUST HAVE TO HAVE WILL POWER SOMETIMES. Yep the age ol' dieting nightmare. (And believe me, I REFUSED to diet in my entire journey, so I use that word loosely) Our will power will not always be perfect, but we have to be able to stand up to ourselves and tell ourselves no. Before this surgery I couldn't tell anyone NO, including myself. So when my stupid head told me that I needed to go to Carl's Jr and get 2 big hamburgers and eat them in the 4 minutes it took me to get home so that I could look famished for dinner that was going to be served in 30 minutes...I never said no. NOW, I am comfortable saying no. It has helped me professionally, personally, and mentally. I thought that everyone would hate me if I said no, but now they no longer just expect things out of me. And I don't just give in to all of my brain's wishes. That is making me a better person. 4. Talk about your surgery. I have to honestly say that one of the greatest factors to my success is the fact that I have been open and honest about the surgery. I don't care what other people think about me. Go to 1A of this email and that should show you why there is nothing to be ashamed of. The more you talk about the struggles and successes of your surgery the less likely people are to shove food at you. We have one lady in our science department that brings in treats every week. After the 2nd week of school I told her about my surgery and not ONCE has she come in and offered me the food. She told me, if you ever want it, you may have some, but I don't want to push something on you that you obviously don't want. Yesterday at the staff meeting, the administration gave little food baskets to everyone for all there hard work during scheduling. However instead of a food basket I got a nice card signed by all the administrators, because the know that a food basket is pointless to me. I don't feel singled out, I feel very blessed that these people care enough about me to know what I need. Some people can't make these connections on their own and they need you to school them. Iknow this is tough, but I had to do it with my dad, my BF, and my brother. I asked them if they would offer a beer to a recovering alcholoic. All of them said no, and then I said then why in the hell would you offer me a cookie! If there is any advice in here you don't like. Think about why you don't like it. Is it because it is hard...well guess what CHANGING is hard, but maybe just try part of it. If you don't like it because it goes against all of your moral beliefs, then ignore it. I will never know and it will not hurt my feelings. Even if you came back and said "Salsa you are full of crap and are an idiot" I would think " her loss!" and keep on lovin' ya. This is what friends are for. We have to be here during the good times and the bad. We have to be able to look (or type) at the other person and say "stop being an idiot" If we don't do that as friends, really we are no better than an enemy.

I had my first fill today after my Dec 18 surgery. I am sore at the stent area and some in my back, but not really bad. It was a painful but not unbearable experience. Good thing, as I will be doing this many more times in my life! Now back to liquids only for 48 hours. Doctor said I can eat any foods I want to now with of course the limitations that go along with the Band.I am about 3 weeks post surgery and have done fine with very small amounts of shrimp cocktail and grilled chicken chewed many many times.So far, so good. The doctor said I am doing well and I am about 20 pounds down from the first day of pre-op shakes.This is my first time responding to anything but I have been reading and benefitting from these forums for several weeks.

My surgeon said that the liver is the first place that your body puts on weight, so I would presume that just about anyone who is overweight has a fatty liver. He said that makes the liver hard, and therefore more difficult to work behind for the surgeon. But he said it is also the first place your body burns the fat from, so the 2-week pre-surgery diet was to burn off that fat and give me the "liver of a skinny person" and make his work easier.

Just to update, I did call the Dr and was able to get in today instead of on Jan 7 for my follow-up after my Dec 3 fill. I was able to eat over the holidays and did eat more than I should have. I was so afraid to step on his scale this morning. I thought for sure I would have gained 3-5 pounds but, to my surprise, I was down 1 pound. It doesn't make sense to me that I lost because I know I ate more than I had been eating right after surgery but I'll take it and run with it. My Dr is very conservative with fills he tells me so he added .75 to my already 3.5 filled band. So, I'm at 4.25 right now. He wanted to see me in 6 weeks so, I guess I'll see how this one works out. Happy New Year! I'm excited for this new start.

I was sleeved Monday the 21st. I haven't eaten anything jello or broth since Tuesday. I can't stand the smell or taste of them anymore. I'm so ready to move to full liquids on Sunday! I'm 10lbs down since surgery and 17 since my 1 week pre op diet.

I food prep for the week but since surgery i am Finding that I make too much for my family and often have to throw food out. Part of the problem is we are not always eating the same thing so I still cook as though I am feeding 5 people in stead of 4. Anyone else find this an issue? And if so were you able to eventually stop over preparing as tome went on? How many you vets still food prep???

Weighed this morning and I'm down another 2 lbs despite the fact that I ate BBQ and a slice of cake on the 4th!!! I know I'm still in the "honeymoon" phase so of course I'm back on track this week with tracking every morsel that comes across my lips and keeping my caloric intake at 900 or less. But I can't help myself I can't say it enough I love my Itty Bitty Belly!!:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: Just wanted to share! Toodles!

well, after stressing all week about how this weekend was going to go....i came home and weighed myself, and i'm so happy to say I have lost 3 lbs this weekend! :thumbup: yay!!!

Yes, you lose fast at first. After 2 - 4 weeks, you may hit a stall for up to a week. After about the first month or six weeks you will lose about 2 - 2 1/2 pounds per week. All totally normal. You should make sure that you are getting whatever Protein intake your NUT recommended. For many people it's around 80 grams per day. Also make sure that you drink plenty of Water, and focus on getting in a good bit of exercise.

I am on my second band right now. Both bands were 4.0 cc max fill. Right now I have 3.4 cc's and have no restriction. I am very upset/nervous. With the first band the most I ever had was 3.0 cc's and I had a very hard time getting fluids down and I PB'd every time I ate which is what I assume caused my band to slip eventually. I also went from an empty band up to 3.0 cc's within a few weeks because I went to several different fill doctors. I just wanted to get the show on the road and lose weight. I am sure that might have contributed to my slip. So, I lost my band, but I got a new one. Things have been different this time around and I don't know if that's because I weighed 196 when I got the first band and I weighed 134 when I got the second band. I guess time will tell! All I want for Christmas is RESTRICTION!!!!!!!!!!

You think they could switch your meds for a couple of weeks. I was told that it would be around 3 to 4 months out before I could have big horse pills..but they should be able to change your meds to maybe half doses that can be swallowed easier..Just some ideas..good luck

Okay, my hubby has a lot of friends and he belongs to a club. The club always seems to have something going on. When I was on my liquid diet they had a big event with music/outdoors/food/drinks I told my hubby I did want to go since I was on liquids. I told him to go if he wanted. Then last week his friend had a BBQ- I went even though I couldn't eat or drink. So this weekend there's a pig roast -really-WTH? I am starting to get a little mad. My hubby asks when I'll be on regular food-I said not for 2 more weeks. So my hubby asks me if I want to go. I said "I am not going and I don't feel supported because you know I can't eat or drink" He was fine with me not going but he went (supposely to talk to a guy about work we need on our kitchen." He said he wouldn't be long-I think he sensed that I wasn't thrilled. Before he left he asked me if I wanted to go o the movies later -he knows I want to see Bridemaids. So I guess my real concern is that so much of our weekends revolve around eating out and food/drink events that this is going to be a really big change. I wish he didn't feel a need to go to every event-because I feel left behind. At the same time I do realize this is my burden to bear-not necessarily his. I guess it's worse now that I am in Bandster Hell and could eat anything. Just needing to vent-sorry!

Today I'm actually feeling GREAT! I still have some pain in the abdomen around where the port is. I still get those gas bubbles, though they're not nearly as painful as they were initially. It feels good to start to feel normal again. I'm still in stretchy pants though -- don't think I'm quite ready for jeans! LOL! Now I'm on the "full liquid" portion of my diet. I'm finding that everyone has different post-op diet instructions. Kinda wierd. My first week was clear liquids only, now I can have full liquids -- though the dietician wants it consisting of 3 protien supplements (I use Premiere Protien shakes. You can find them at Sam's Club and Costco) and 2 snacks (I have been drinking a lot of tomato soup). Next week, I move to pureed foods, so then I will get 2 protien shakes and 2 pureed meals each day. To be honest, I'm really struggling getting in all the food/liquied I'm supposed to eat now. I'm just not that hungry, which is AWESOME in my book! I'm usually only getting 2 protien shakes and 2 cups of soup in, along with whatever liquid I can drink throughout the day. I definitely know I need to drink more. How are you feeling?? The 2nd and 3rd days for me were kinda rough...

I think I would tend to go with the folks suggesting the acid, I had the same problem and got a RX for omeprazole too which is the same as Prilosec but twice the dosage and costs me less with my RX insurance coverage. Try and stay away from traditional ant-acids like Tums, too much Calcium carbonate and not enough Water can lead to kidney stones. I found that I still got a little twinge mid morning and the doc suggested what pregnant women do when they get an upset tummy, white crackers. I eat two and feel fine till the next meal. A lot of my problem is stress, I was on vacation last week and hardly had to eat any crackers, back to work today and I have eaten 3 already this morning.

45 g of protein is very much on the low end. What kind of carbs are you eating and how much? You would need to eat a whole lot of "good carbs" to consume about 800 cals worth per day. Eventually you loose all the water weight and then you are working on true fat. Fat takes a 3500 cal deficit to lose 1 lb of fat. How much exercise are you doing? My doctor says at least 30 minutes 7 days a week. I do up to two hours daily and I am a slow looser.

Hi All! I've been lurking for almost a year and still don't know what to do. I'm a Mom of 4 oldest 11 youngest almost 2 and i'm FAT!! lol No surprise there then! I went for a consultation at the begining of the year and although I didn't meet the actual Dr (he had been called to an emergency) I did meet a nice Dr who said I could have lapband but thought I should give health and fitness a try again, she made me all sorts of promises of help and support including a lowcost personal trainer to come to my home three times a week. Well she never followed up.... I came out all fired up but I didn't hear from her again. So here I am fatter than ever as miserable about it as ever and wondering what to do next! I have only managed to lose 31lbs in the past (three times) and then I put it all and more back on. I lack the willpower to resist once I get a few lbs off as I am feeling better about myself and clothes are not looking soo bad. So if you have got this far have you any advice for me?? Thanks in advance. Gilly. 5'7" approx 245lbs.

How about looking in the mirror and welcoming the new you. Sometimes saying hello to and welcoming something good, like a wonderful new future, is better than saying goodbye. I think it's great what you are doing though. The best suggestion I have for someone before the pre-surgery liquid diet is to cut out as much as you can BEFORE having to do the liquid diet. The more carbs you get rid of pre-liquid diet, the easier the liquid diet is. Also, those that spend the week before the pre-surgery liquid diet feasting or doing "last meals" seem to suffer more during the pre-surgery liquid diet. Weaning is the best way to go usually. The day before the liquid diet, the lower your carbs the day before the liquid shake, the easier it is. Remember the first three days is usually the hardest.

I have my pre op appointment with my surgeon tomorrow. He will tell me then when my pre op diet starts. My surgery isn't until Feb 18, so I will probably be starting the liquids about a week after you. Yea!!!! Best wishes to you!!!

I just couldn't stop myself from calling my insurance to see how the process was going for my paperwork that was sent in earlier in the week, and I'm approved! Of course I call my surgeons office to let them know and my case coordinator is on vaca until Monday. I really really needed that good news!

Last week I said good bye to chicken wings (they were so gross) and yesterday I said good bye to movie theater popcorn. I look at it as if loosing a loved one. Its easier as I have a chance to say good bye. Lol crazy I know but I only have 2 weeks until liquid diet starts. I don't really have anything else to say good bye too (:

Never thought I would savor 1/4 c. mashed pintos with 1 T. melted jack and a little salsa. Wow, that's what 2 weeks on liquids will do. It was sooooo good!

Hi everyone. The minutes are ticking down - I'm so excited about getting banded on Friday. I've been on Optifast for 2 weeks with a few slips like a salad here and there. Clear liquids are going to be a little hard to manage at work on Wed/Thurs - any ideas? Thanks

I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for your incredible inspirational stories! You help me when I feel down. I had my sleeve done June 2012. After a year I am down from 308 to 168. I will never miss those 140 lbs. I lost another person!!! I am proud of myself but I am also so proud of each and every one of you! You're all an inspiration to me! Never lose hope because you're incredible!!! Love yourselves and enjoy your new lives Here is a before surgery picture and one from last week!!

I have good days and bad days still swallowing 5 weeks later after band removal. My doctor thinks that he may need to go back in-another surgery-and take out the stitches attached to my stomach. I dread another surgery and I wonder if I will ever be normal again. Thank you for thinking of me. Private Dancer7

Its been 7 1/2 weeks. I'm feeling more normal, except there is nothing I feel like eating. Nothing is appealing to me. I love seafood...sick of it...veggies...eh, carbs I have been dying for...eh too, don't even feel like it. Nothing seems to have flavor that is "IT" lately. I am eating because I have to...biting things and tossing them cause I don't want to eat something that doesn't seem good??? I can only eat a little...don't want to waste it on what I don't really want. I have literally not eaten hardly at all 2 days this week cause NOTHING appeals to me. I am hungry...but ehhhh. Whats with this ehhh feeling. I would eat anything if it seemed good...no mind to calories or carbs or whats bad for me if I thought it would bust through this ehhhh feeling. But I got nothing!!! Any ideas ohhh wise ones? I'm at a loss! HELP!!!