Need Lap Band Buddy / Mentor Need a buddy/mentor

[annieM 2]

The weather should be great there. Doesn't San Diego have the reputation as the best weather in the country?

Do you get an interpreter to be with you or does everyone speak English? (or, Do you speak Spanish?) We didn't have any trouble communicating in Cancun at the resort where we were. My DH speaks Spanish though and loves to chat with everyone.

It will be a great mini-adventure for you!

[LisaA 1]

ok so i'm here, i made it, today, vey nice facility and docs, i feel good, right now, tv is filled with food commercials. i'm going to walk some.

lisa

[annieM 2]

I've been thinking about you! Don't be nervous, I'm sure everything will turn out fine! Those food commercials are the pits aren't they? I'm married to a foodie who watches the food channel almost constantly, it can get very annoying when you're hungry! Thanks to the band, that's not often...as you will soon see!

Best of luck to you and keep us posted!

[annieM 2]

Are you home? How did it go? How do you feel? Was the great Dr. Ortiz all you thought he would be?

You're probably "enjoying" the liquid phase of healing. I like the french vanilla flavor of myoplex for my Protein Shake. It's not too vile. Keep your simple sugars down though (as in no milkshakes or other sugary snacks) it will make you too moody. You don't need that. (nor will your family :smile2: )

Take care and pamper yourself a bit!

[LisaA 1]

Oh yeah I"m home, the kids are starting to calm down, they were kind of emotional when I first got back. Yeah Dr Ortiz is very nice, he is actually a 3 surgeon team, they were all very nice and all quite handsome. They were also very fast, picked up at the hotel at 7 am surgery done by noon. That's with all of the pre tests the ekg etc. crazy really. Yeah broth and Water and tea right now, monday I can add drinkable yogurt, can't wait. Although whenever I feel hungry I drink and it goes away magically. I"m also doing Isopure which I don't care for because it is so sweet, but it has 15 g of Protein and it's a clear liquid. My pain has been minimul really which is nice, although my 2 year old really wants me to be carrying her around. I've been cooking Soups so I can get the broth. I was down 18 lbs on my surgery date since August, so I was pretty excited about that. I go back to work on Monday and I still feel kinda spacey, but maybe that's the lack of food since I'm only taking Tylenol now. Oh well, thanks for checking in on my.

How are you doing?

Lisa

[annieM 2]

It's great to hear from you; I'm so glad everything went well! Whew! The weight will be flying off before you know it.

You know, I'm sure, from previous diets, that the start is the fastest weight loss and then after the first 50 it slows a bit, then the second 50 it slows a bit more.. . Well, enjoy the fast start!

Come up with a (non-food) reward system for your efforts. Since I'm near the end of my weight loss, each pound is hanging on for dear life. For each pound I lose (and I only started this about 7 lbs ago) I get a bead for my charm Bracelet. If I gain that lb back, I'm not allowed to wear it. It's been three weeks since I've been able to "buy a bead" and I'm trying to be patient. I'll just enjoy hearing about you dropping those big numbers!

Hang in there on those liquids, it will be worth it!

[LisaA 1]

thanks for the info, I hope it goes down that way, you are an inspiration and makes me feel like it's possible. I've been real hungry, still on the liquids, but now I have added drinkable yogurt, Thursday I add some protien drink, yahoo. not walking as much as I was pre surgery, or as fast, baby steps I guess. I'm going to set my 6 week app in mexico, I want them to do my first fill and look at the band and everything. I just found out that there is a lap band clinic at holzer in galopolis, which is further then groveport, but it's good to know about anyway.

Lisa

[annieM 2]

One more day until you add Protein, yea. Isn't it going fast? Do they allow you cold things? If so, those go-gurt yogurts in a sleeve, frozen are a nice treat. They may consider that a mushie though. Did I tell you about my favorite Protein Drink? It's french vanilla by myoplex (eas product). it's not too bad. I haven't been able to tolerate many of the others. They can be rather vile.

That's neat that you will go to Mexico for your six week checkup. It sounds so glam. Great to have them do your first fill too. All you have to do between now and then is heal.

Take care!

[countrycow 0]

hi im paula had lapband july 26-2010 so fare lost 61 lb. i fll when i go to group and ask about food choise thy or so lited about what they eat having trouble with food choise can you helpand i also fill so alone in this prose some times dont get me wrog my husband has ben great with this some times it so hard i also have hard time filling my full point and when i dont i over eat then i end in the bathroom can any hlep me out than you. i and i also live cincinnati ohio

[LisaA 1]

wow, this is so difficult, I'm not on food yet, but I worry about it. Some people say measure, and don't eat more then 1/2 a cup at a sitting, and dont drink.

I am hoping to use some recipes and altered menues from the instinct diet. Seems like many keep track in a food journal, that's the important thing. Have you tried an online food journal like my fit day or something? Sorry I'm not much help, maybe just having support will help. sounds like you are doing great on weight loss. I bet Annie knows a lot about tthis.

[annieM 2]

Hey Paula, perhaps you just need to slow your eating down a bit. Then, as you are eating, really pay attention to cues that your body is giving you so you can learn the feel of what is "enough". You'll know you've past that point if you end up in the bathroom again. It takes time to learn when to stop eating, and it takes patience. You've done a terrific job on the weight loss so far.

As far as what to eat goes, here are some ideas:

Breakfast: Keep it soft or even liquid for Breakfast because most people are their tightest early in the day. A Protein drink, thin oatmeal, cream of wheat, would all be fine choices. I opt for the protein drink myself because I just can't tolerate solids in the morning.

Midmorning: Time to DRINK! Get your Water in, sip, sip, sip...

Lunch: I still have to stay with soft foods at lunch for the most part, but everyone is different. One egg, or cottage cheese and fruit, a small salad, yogurt, or Soup are all fine lunch choices. Be creative, but mind you eat your protein (meat or egg) first, then eat your other foods. It's the most important to get that protein in so you don't lose your hair, or your muscles.

Wait an hour after eating and then resume sipping your WATER!

Dinner: I generally have whatever the family is having except for that I will have it in the amounts a small 3 year old child would eat. Here again, I will eat the protein first and follow with the veggies and have little , if any starches (like potatoes or corn).

I hope this helps. Be sure to write more questions if you have them, OK?

Good luck and keep up the good work,

[LisaA 1]

annie do you have an idea of what your daily calorie and your daily Protein is?

[annieM 2]

I like to stay around 1200cal/day. More or less. I really am not sure of my Protein grams, I just try to get plenty. I have a feeling my maintenance calorie intake will not be much different. I'm certainly not losing very quickly. I know I won't get much of an unfill when I reach goal, if any. One of the moderators who has been at goal for years still gets fills...

You may find that 1200cal feels too severe to start off with and that's OK. You will still be able to lose if you start at a slightly higher count and work your way down. (don't go below the level of 1200 though) You just need a deficit of 3500 cal to lose a pound of fat. If you are one who likes to calculate, multiply your current weight by 12 to get the amount of calories it takes to maintain your current weight per day. (This amount drops as you lose weight which is why it gets harder to lose as you reach your goal) Once you know what you have consumed in a day, you can subtract those calories from your maintenance amount and find how many calories you "saved" for that day. Adding up those saved calories for a week and dividing by 3500 will tell you exactly how many pounds of fat you have lost. If the scale doesn't reflect that, it eventually catches up. I once did a whole diet that way. It was totally OCD but it was very reassuring when the scale said I hadn't lost, but my calculations said I did. Quite time consuming though! I was single then with no kids and too much time on my hands.

Are you on mushies yet?

[LisaA 1]

no mushies really, I can have pureed food this week- I guess that's the mushie phase. basically 21 days of liquids, where the last week is actually pureed Soups etc.

I started yesterday, it's all so flavorful and filling. I think this week will fly by - then onto actual food I can chew. My son (age 6) is like I miss the way you used to eat, when will you eat like that again. I tried to explain that I would be eating normal food next week that I probably wouldn't eat the same as I used to. For some reason this troubled him, he doesn't adapt well to change.

Oh well, at 6 in a few months he likely won't remember the old way. Hope you had a good weekend, this weekend was amazing weather here in Athens.

[annieM 2]

The weather has been beautiful! I just love the warm days and crisp cool nights.

I had a bit of band trouble; last week I just felt I was even tighter than my usual tightness and it made me paranoid about another impending dilation. So I went in for a barium swallow yesterday and , yea!, no dilation. My band was so tight the barium didn't go through the band though so the doc did a .5cc un fill and I was fine with that. So far solids are still a no-go, but I must be very swollen, so I'll hang on liquids for a while.

It's funny, with all the throwing up, basically not eating anything, my weight hasn't budged. I must be very close to a weight my body wants to be.

How are the pureed foods going? Are you feeling OK?