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I am 10 days out and it would be no problem for me. I work at home so I don't have to get ready and go out. Love that!!! I don't even feel like I have had surgery. Feeling great

I like caloriecount.about.com Free and personally I like the way that I can enter food. For almost every food there is serving, ounces, grams, tablespoons, calories, etc. And for foods like say "pretzel sticks" if the package says a serving is 48 of them, you can click (in cc) and change that to 10. Easy peasy. There is also a free phone app that connects directly to my account so I can add foods from anywhere and there is a bar code scanner on the phone app to scan and enter a food that way. (Not ALL foods are there but a lot are.) Also I've been using them since Jan. 2010 and I guess it's kind of like a grocery store the more you go the more you want to go back because you know where everything is. I tried MFP a while back and wasn't a fan but I probably was too used to the way CC does things...

Felicia, Yes I had to do it also! My surgeon said 10 days of mostly clear liquids. I could have 3 cups of skim milk a day also. But my surgery was put off for 4 days so I had to do a 14 day liquid HELL! It was very hard but I did it!! Didn't even cheat once. I just knew that if I did cheat that my surgeon would find out and cancel my surgery. Who knows but it helped me!! You can do It!!! Just think of the weight you will lose before surgery? I lost 11 lbs in that 14 days. You can do it!! You can do it!! YOU CAN DO IT!!! Good luck on your new Journey!! AGAIN, YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Don't sweat it. No, your band is NOT working for you yet, and won't be until you get proper restriction (could be several fills into the process before then). Eat if you are hungry, but eat low cal stuff to fill you up. Being hungry doesn't give us the license to down three chocolate milkshakes.... I loaded up on jello cups and every time I had a hankerin' for some food I would eat one of those...or maybe two. Well, Fat Free that's only 10 cals per cup. Go with stuff like that and fill up. You are supposed to be hungry. You are healing. Do nt be disappointed. Weight loss will come later!

I am post op at 10 days and have not been able to sleep past 6am even with my Ambien.

Hey guys. This is my first check in since surgery and today is 5days out and I feel alright today. A little tired and sore but good. The night before my surgery i could barely sleep. I cried the entire way to the hotel and that night. What if i died? I have a wonderful husband and a precious six year old daughter that i cant leave..... just because i dont want to be fat anymore. The morning of surgery i sent a text messege to my husband and told him he couldnt read it until i was in surgery. They weighed me and i was exactly 130 kilograms... (286 pounds) (i started this jouney at 304 pounds) they put me in a pre op rooom and took my vitals, inserted an iv, and pushed medicine into my iv that would stop stomach acid and a mustle relaxer that would numb the mustles in my stomach. My mouth was so dry! I have a dry mouth anyway and i guess nerves were making it worse because it was terrible! My lips were sticking to my gums it was so dry. They let me suck on a wet wash cloth just to wet my mouth. My dr came in and said they would give me something for my nerves before they took me back. My surgery ran about an hour and a half so my daughter got to sit in my lap and watch tv w me. She didnt really understand but the whole time i was playing w her hair.... rubbing her back.. because i wanted her to remember that if i died during surgery. Crazy i know... but that was my actual thought. The anestesiologist came jn and pushed some milky looking stuff in my iv and said it was time. My family left as they were wheeling me out. I watched my husband walk away... i just knew i wouldnt see him again. Once i got into the surgery room i saw my surgeon and some nurses... the room smelt weird and they were listening to sweet home alabama lol... my surgeon said hey beautiful! And i smiled...they moved a bed next to mine to move me over onto and thats the last thing i remember. I woke up in recovery pacu with a morphine pca (pain pump where u push a button to give yourself pain medicine) and the nurse said i had been there in pacu for 3 hours. They were waiting for a rokm to be cleaned for me upstairs. I know my husband and family saw me in pacu but i dont remember seeing them. They were worried that i was there for so long. Once i got into my room i heard my dad talking and instantly felt at ease. I still had my pain pump and i noticed i had a jp drain (little drain bag yhat sucks blood out of your incision) and a little internal pain pump called an on-q (this lityle ball delivered numbing medicine strait into my tummy likr every 10 minutes automaticly... it was awesome) i really didnt have much pain at all! Of course i used the crap out of my morphine lol. Its there for your pain guys! USE IT! I dont remember much of that day but i do remember being npo...until the next morning for my swallow study. That night i also remember having a reaction to the morphine and started itching like crazy. So i got benedryl thru my iv every 6 hours and that helped alot! They brought me mouth swabs that u can dip in like diluted mouth wash? They made me feel much better. That night my pca was changed every 6 hours so i was really pushing my button! Lol... but i wasnt feeling any pain! My nurses let my iv beep for an hour and that was annoying but oh well. I was walking the hall and going to the bathroom to pee i did NOT have a cathater. The next morning i had my swallow study and it was a lityle uncomfortable... the stuff u have to drink did fill my pouch and i was scared to drink it but it was cool to see my stomach and the staple line on the big screen. My test passed i had no leaks and was cleared to have Clear liquids. There was a misshap in the kitchen and it was 8 hours later before i got anything so i made my own damn broth from packets i had brought. It was going on 56 hours since i had had ANYTHING in my stomach except barriam and i was very weak. My beef broth was fantastic lol. I was instructed to take in 2 oz of clear Fluid every hour plus Water. I couldnt do this... The second night in the hospital my husband kept our daughter in the hotel and i stayed in the hospital by myself. My blood pressure got down to 90/40 and my oxygen was staying around 84% without the nasal cannula on. So if i wasnt walking and was in bed i had to wear the 02. I had to ask the nurse to retake my bp because it was low and that took hours for someone to take it. I work in a hospital... i wasnt vety pleased w my service at this one. Anyway it was retaken 3 hours later and was better. The next morning i had a big wave of nausea come over me and i went to the bathroom. It was actually gas and my first bowel movement. It was very runny and dark and omg i was sooooo glad no one was in my room because dude... that was some impressive gas lol. i was cleared to go home by my dr... we were walking the hall together and i got on the scale again and this time it said 133 kg (293 pounds... i had gained 7pounds being in the hospital) he said that was normal... i was like wtf? I havent ate in 3 days! He said it was all surgical fluid and iv fluid that floods your tissues after surgery. It would come off. I told him my urine was dark and i wasnt peeing as much as i was taking in thru the iv.. he gave me a bolus of fluid and my urine was clearer before i left. My jp was taken out as well as the internal pain pump and honestly guys it didnt hurt at all. The 3 hour ride home was ok with my pillow between my tummy and the seat belt and i took a nap. I went home with liquid tylenol 3 and chewable zofran. Ive only used the tylenol 3 times. Since being home i have to shower everyday not scrubbing my incisions but letting water run over them. There is one incision that had the jp that i have to dress and cover before my shower so it doesnt get wet. I have also noticed that i dont really get the FULL feeling in my tummy that i would like with just 4oz. And im pretty starving! But i was able to start Protein shakes today and that has helped a little. 4oz every hour. So inportant things to remember after surgery... use your pakn pump!! Walk walk walk... and if u hear something in your room that sounds like a growling bear fixing to attack... its prob your stomach. (Seriously.... me and my husband were on the couch watching tv and he said wtf was that? Lol i said its my stomach.. maybe i need to go the the bathroom and pass some gas... his exact response to me..... "babe... your gonna tear that bathroom up" lol ass Starting weight 304 Surgery date 286 Leaving hospital 2 days later 293 Home 4days after surgery 288

I was approved thur bcbs al the first at the age of 19 due to have two medical conditions

My surgeon said that you should lose 10% of your surgery weight in first month and then about 8 pounds per month and total usually lost is around 50 to 80 pounds. I am starting week four and down 25 pounds and expect to lose about 70 total from the surgery. During this I have to do what I was doing before, control diet and exercise. I started at 305 and dropped down to 235 just through proper diet and exercise. You cannot expect the surgery is the cure all, it is just a device to drop major weight immediately and it takes long term diet and exercise to maintain. Remember you stomach is tissue and you can eat your way out of the surgery. Eat carbs before working out, you will burn the carbs and then start burning fat. Eat protein after. Get rid of fatty foods - use nonfat milk, cheese, cottage cheese. Eat lean meats - chicken, turkey and fish. Limit red meat, potatoes. Substitute fruits and vegetables for snacks. The other posters were correct, your body will react to starvation mode and stock pile fat for future use.

hey there. I had a hernia repair at the same time as my surgery, but only because it was emergent, as they found out when they got in there. I will have to have it fixed with mesh later on, but for now am babying that spot. It doesn't hurt, just itches. IDK if you had a drain, but that incision is where I had the most of my uncomfortable feelings. Your doctor should have told you to look out for pancreas pain, which is in the upper left quadrant and the doctors should be monitoring that, because they move stuff around, and your pancreas is right there. constant pain, fever, pain up to like a 10, go to the er. No one will fault you for it and insist on a cat scan of your pancreas. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/pancreatitis good luck and feel better!

go to the emergency room they have to take care of you. Then set up a payment plan. Most hosp. are great with this. They will take $10 a month if thats all you can swing

unjury has been my friend since 2010. I've tried all of them, the cheese went into the trash, didn't think of sending it back to get a refund it was more like I won't order that again. If using Unjury in something cold make a slurry first with it or until you get a smooth paste then start adding your liquid and continue stirring, shouldn't clump. The chicken broth for me is way to strong with 8 oz of liquid so I went to 16 oz and like it that way better. I use unflavored in smoothies when using sf syrups otherwise with flavored they are way too sweet. My morning wake me up is 10 oz of decaf with either a scoop of vanilla or chocolate and I prefer the classic. Think that is because when I first started using it Unjury chocolate splendor hadn't come out. Tried it once and it was too sweet for me. Also I mix strawberry sorbet in with lemonaide crystal light, also have strawberry watermelon. Vanilla I use to make a PB2 or PB2 chocolate banana smoothie. When fruit is in season I buy on sale and then freeze bags of it, including banana's. I slice them and place one sliced banana in a sandwich bag, roll it up and then place them in a freezer bags. Thus I know I'm only eating either a half or a whole banana depending on how much I use. Also it is easy to break in half. Also frozen fruit is great to add to milk about 1/2,cup I use original almond 15 calories for 1/2 cup, scoop of Protein and then the frozen fruit. Blend until smooth and it is almost like a soft serve ice cream. I think the reason I like Unjury is for its smooth texture. Anyone that likes Almond Joy candy bars, you can use your milk or even coconut milk, coconut exact or sf coconut syrup, chocolate protein, and about 1 tablespoon of cocoa (if you like dark chocolate), add ice cubes, blend until smooth and you have an almond joy smoothie. Smoothies are my Desserts plus I'm getting my liquids in. Unjury website also has recipes on it. I also drink Cocotein which has 20 gm of protein and is 16 oz. of Fluid. It is sweet but I pour it over ice which helps cut the sweetness somewhat. Can't you tell I love coconut? But think this is how I got into this shape, I love almost everything , especially the bad stuff.

Hi, I was banded on 12/19/13 and you sound just like I did! It will be fine, I promise! I was a nervous wreck , then had several bad experiences, trouble getting I've going, woke up after surgery thinking I was having a heart attack, it was gas ! Then real bad reaction to the anesthetic , nauseated for days and puking! I cried to my husband what in the hell did I do to myself!, Lol, I was one in 10,000 to have this many problems I think! All in all you just have to remember as Jesus said "And this to shall pass". Lol today I'm fine, down 19 #', still adjusting to the band life , learning how to eat all over again, what I can and can't eat, remembering to take little bites, chew chew chew and drink that WATER, I was never a water drinker, but boy howdy I am now it makes all the difference! You can do it, it will be worth it! Just keep thinking about all the good that will come out of a few days of not so much fun! Stock up,on Gas-X strips and a heating pad will help too! Remember also laying on your left side helps a whole lot too really gets rid of the gas! Think positive you can do this!

Wow, I'm a very lucky person, some of you have had hard hard lives and I'm really sorry for that. My food issues arent so extreme, I'm not really a binger and I dont have any real problems, I'm just a chronic overeater. I've always been 10 to 15 kilos overweight, but never obese till the last seven or eight years. Most of my excess weight came on inexplicably - whilst I was breastfeeding each of my three kids I just piled it on and on and on, without noticeably eating more, but that old adage that breastfeeding makes you lose your pregnancy weight wasnt true for me, luckily I actually lost weight during the pregnancies to give myself a bit of leeway, lol. I'm a disorganised eater, meaning, I hate grocery shopping with a passion, I'm frantic and flat out and trying to raise 3 kids and do a university degree and I suddenly raise my head at 6.pm and realise I have nothing for dinner and its either bundle them all up in the car and race out or order in and for a while we've been ordering in an awful lot. I get up and am busy getting the kids ready for school and dont find time for breakfast and then suddenly get starving at 11 am (when I'm normally out) and so then its a huge muffin and a big cappucino so of course I'm not hungry at lunchtime so I dont eat and then when I've gotten the kids home from school that afternoon is yawning before me and I"m hungry again and so are they so I eat more crap. If I actually ate at mealtimes I would eat appropriate food. I dont ever sit down to eat an entire packed of biscuits, but I cant eat one or two, I have to eat till I"m full as if I ate a meal so its four or five or even six and then I'll just pick at them one by one over the course of hours and voila! whole entire packet gone. I like good food too much too, I love entertaining and cooking up something gorgeous but then I feel because it took so much effort I have to eat heaps of it, and then I'll serve a cheese platter and eat a ton of that, washed down by lots of (very good) wine. I eat when I'm bored and I reward myself with food too. I eat without thinking about it first and I eat too fast and dont even taste it half the time. I dont think my bad habits are really a case of any underlying disorders, I think I just need to slow down and think about it a bit. I find it hard to maintain changes in habits because the pressures in life that cause me to be like I am dont go away and I suspect if I did have a band I'd still be doing the same bad things only in smaller quantities.

It's been a few weeks since I've posted but I've been trying to keep up with everyone. These days go by so fast. Here's what I'm thinking about today... I haven't lost a pound in three weeks. In fact, I've gained and lost the same 5 over and over. It's time to get back in the game. I get my secong fill on Thursday, so hopefully, I'll have more restriction. I love that it's almost Fall even though it's still in the 90's here in Texas. The Fall decorations are out and High School football is in full swing. So much fun. My mom had her 76th birthday on Friday and we celebrated. What do you do when you know it's probably the last time you'll get to blow out birthday candles on your cake? I had a real hard time with it but managed to make it a fun time for her. She was beautiful with her makeup and her wig - always putting her best face forward despite the cancer. I wish I could do more. My husband entered a 100 mile canoe race this weekend with a friend. He finished in 19 hours, and it'll take him 19 DAYS to recover. I crave popcorn but I'm scared to try it. I keep forgetting not to drink with meals. The flu bug is really bad here. Wash your hands people. And if you're sick, for gosh sakes - stay home. Think about how nasty and germy the handles of a grocery cart are. Then wash your hands again. I have people ask me all the time now if I've lost weight. It's a great feeling. New season of Ellen started today - have it dvr'd and ready to watch. Any idea when Grey's Anatomy is back on??? This doesn't have much to do with the lap band, but I guess my point is that life is still very normal for me. I don't think about the band as much and that's nice. Have a great week everyone. Pray for my mom and all the others who need our prayers. Hook 'em horns!

:thumbup:today was my two weeks post-op checkup i have lost 19 pounds so far. my scars are well. i start soft foods tomorrow.i still don,t have much of a appetite.my starting weight since i started april of 08 was 324 during the six months before surgery i lost 40lbs.that was sept 08,now its january 09 the total is 59lbs. i feel so wonderful.the doctor say i can do any exercise i want so i start back on my stationary bike tomorrow..i cannot believe that i lost that much weight.wishing everyone well on your new journey in life. sil.:ohmy:

Hello glad you're feeling well. I'm on Day 9 and feeling great too. I have lost a total of 10 pounds for sure and had a "peeka boo" weigh this morning that indicated it could be down 13! Good luck to you! Ollie:thumbup:

Wow that is crazy! 10 lbs wow. Have your measured yourself? What is your daily calorie count? Are you getting enough calories in for the amount of working out that you are doing?

this is exactly how i feel today.. surgery was 10/23. just feels bad.

Hi sfeiner: Oh No!!!!:biggrin: You are two months ahead of me in band dates, and you are still hungry? That sucks!!!!!! :eek:Tell me it ain't so. Q: Why did I think that the hunger would disappear? A: That's what they told me. Silly me. I actually believed them. (Thing is, I am hungrier with the band than when I was dieting preband! At least then, I could stuff my pie hole with lettuce and celery-something I can't do now.) How many fills have you had? I am at two fills for a total of 6 cc in a 10 cc band. Doc says they start filling slower now-maybe 1/2 cc addition at a time. Next fill for me is in 2 weeks. kefirchick

I think our problem is we want to lose this weight so bad. I know you have heard this before, but we didn't gain this weight overnight nor are we going to lose it overnight. 8 pds in a month is great and you should be proud of that accomplishment. the first month we lose weight rather quick and get disappointed when we lose only 5 or 10 pds the second month. Like Salsa said its all about making the right choices. yes its hard and if you blow it one day, start fresh the next day. to this day I feel guilty about my potions, but I can tell you, I'm eating 1/4 of what I use to eat probably less. I guess I was expecting the worse, living on a cup of food or less per meal, I know I don't want to live like that. my goal is to be weigh under 200 by the end of the year. I'm not asking for 150, 160 or even 170. maybe 180/190. that will be a miracle. have faith, keep up the good work and you will reach your goal

Becca - how close are you to surgery now? I was reading some peoples' posts last night and it seems like for some it's very fast. I think all told, I am going to be in the program 9 or 10 months before surgery. I hope the new doc is much better than the first for you; I can't imagine having to fire my doc for this and start over! Amaris - Belly dancing sounds like fun! One of the netflix videos I've been doing is dance aerobics. It's kinda fun, but way out of my league right now. I'm so uncoordinated! I spend half the work out going, "you want me to do what?!" and the other half flailing about trying to attempt what they're doing. I'm just glad no one is home during the day to laugh at me!! Good luck with the pre-op diet... my dr just said to me that I needed to lose x number of pounds before surgery, but they weren't forceful about how I did it. I guess that can be a bit of a hindrance because now it means I won't have any eating habits to draw off of once I have surgery. I've just been trying really hard to eat healthy and be active. Have you found a good Protein Shake that you like yet?

I still get sugar cravings especially in the evening, but I have found that I can drink a chocolate protien shake and wait about 10 minutes and the craving is gone and I am full.

Can't sleep...Don't know if its the grumbling stomach, the crazy amount of anxiety I'm having, or the sheer excitement that when I wake up I'll be headed to the hospital after many, many long months of preparation. It's almost 1:00am here in downtown Seattle. I'm 2 1/2 hours from home, laying next to my hubby in this hotel, my mom in the adjacent bed. This is so surreal! The thought of being put under anesthesia is severely creeping me out, but I keep dreaming of all the sexy high heels I'm gonna work it in once this is all over, lol. While Im seriously craving some good ol' Mexican food from LaFuente back home, I can't imagine it will ever taste as good as finally hiking up to the summit of Saddlerock will feel. Ahh, I love this city...Can't imagine a better place to start this journey. The Space Needle glistens just outside our window and it reminds me how much bigger this world will get once I'm a third my size. I will finally fit into the world I've forced myself into for all these years. But this city, unlike my hometown, is one you could lose yourself in. It will swallow you in a sea of hippies, coffee freaks, and computer geeks. It beckons to those free-spirited and ready to embrace change and uphold a lifestyle that is both healthy and efficient. They call it the Emerald city for a reason. From out of the vast ocean of green, pops a city that was never supposed to survive. Burned to the ground, it was rebuilt and emerged victorious. It overlooks the gloomy Puget Sound tonight, and all seems so peaceful and beautiful. The metaphor of this city is a tale I wish to claim as my own. An emerald in the rough if you will. Busy, but down to earth. Quirky, but smart. Healthy, but energetic and fun. Pretty, but full of gumption. Victorious in the face of adversity and ridicule. I will conquer my dreams...One pound at a time.