May 2007 Banders

[cs5646 0]

Deb 24 wrote***I lost 17 lbs in 10 days but now I really have to be careful of what I eat. I dont want to back pedal. I hope I can be strong!***

Ha, me too. I felt like as soon as I was able to eat, even though it is so little--like every calorie was catastrophic! I really need to calm down!

[deb24 0]

I feel the same way. But I have to say I feel like a new person being on mushies now. I had a half serving of cream of wheat for lunch and did not feel hungry again until 7:00 pm. The cream of wheat really kept me full. I am scared of the calories too. My Dr. said not to panic if I gain a couple lbs. back before my first fill since I am going from not eating for 2 weeks to eating again. Just to make good choices. I have to say that losing 17 lbs is motivational! Good luck and keep in touch!

[AshevilleEddie 14]

Wow, I feel like the pampered prince, eating anything I want (well, not anything). My doc only had me on Clear Liquids the first 24-48 hours, then clear liquids until my 1-week checkup. Then he skipped mushies altogether and said I could eat whatever I was able to tolerate. I still do eat a lot of soft (a little more solid than mushy) food, but I'm also eating real solids...chicken, ground beef, soft-cooked veggies, etc. The only thing I've attempted that I couldn't handle was a piece of raw pineapple last weekend.

[cmacinga 0]

So many people so much younger than me appear to have had a rough time of it....or....is it just that us old folks are more acclimated to "pain and discomfort" as a way of life now and we don't sweat the "small stuff"....(could be that too...

Kacee: I think you are right about not sweating the small stuff. I have had a life of pain in one way or another, so my pain tollerance is very high.

:help:

I do have a question for anyone out there. Since I am stuck on 6 weeks of liquids, and you are sharing with me that creamed Soups are high in calories, then what would you recommend as a daily menu samplier combining clear liquids and full liquids to give a good menu. I am drinking the Protein Shakes and I do have in the house, sugar free pudding and Jello and popcicles. What else do you think would be okay? What would YOU eat in my situation. I don't want to gain weight at this point. I'm too close to the 200 mark to go back towards 240! :nono:

thanks!

Carol

[METALBAND 0]

cmacinga.... One of the things I liked was the campbells select Soup. Tomato and basil with some lowfat, high Protein ricotta cheese mixed in. It reminded me of lasagna. Mostly what I had is the same thing you are....soups, pudding made with whey for the protein, popsicles, shakes etc. Everyone agrees that the Liquid Protein from GNC tastes horrible but I mixed in Propel packet and it tastes great. It helps get the protein and Water at the same time. I was not very good at getting in all of my protein or my water but there are only so many hours in the day!

Good Luck,

Maureen

[METALBAND 0]

I was so excited to get to mushies......yesterday a piece of canned pear got stuck, not a good feeling. I had a shake for Breakfast, tried to eat a very soft baked potato and knew after one bite it was not going down!!! This morning I tried and egg beater that worked on Thursday but today after a couple of well chewed bites I could feel the tightness like it was getting stuck so I stopped eating.

I guess this is what the band is supposed to do....it is working but I can't get over the people that can eat anything already. I am not doing so well with mushies!!! I do not know if this is normal for the the early stages or not??

I am not complaining.....it is doing exactly what I hoped it would do, stop me before I eat again!!!:clap2:

I hope all is well with the rest of the my May bandmates!!

[violeteyes37 0]

Im still on full liquids until 6/20 and than I get to do pureed foods for 2 weeks. Start soft foods on 7/4 for 1 week and than regular food on 7/11.

Im already planning on what I will get to eat on the 4th of July. I was thinking last night that once Im able to have a solid food, Im going to be scared to death to swallow it. Last night my kids had Stake and shake and I just had to take a small piece of meat and chew it to get out the flavor. Though Im kinda scared to swallow it, I cant wait to get to chew something.

[AshevilleEddie 14]

Here's a low-carb, low-fat, low-cal (but not low-flavor!) Soup to try. No measurements, just eyeball everything. Steam some cauliflower (fresh or frozen, not important) until it's very tender (I just nuke it in the microwave). Heat up equal parts undiluted double-strength chicken broth and Hood Calorie Countdown milk (I use the 2%, the fat-free makes it too watery) on the stove. While the milk is heating, puree the cauli in the blender. Add it to the milk, along with fat-free cream cheese, 2% sharp cheddar cheese (don't use no-fat cheddar, it doesn't melt!) and whatever seasonings you like. I like salt, white pepper and a little dried dill. When you eat it, you can stir in some Protein Powder. I use Any Whey (don't remember the manufacturer) - it mixes pretty much instantly and doesn't change the taste or texture. Just make sure you don't try to mix it in the whole batch while you're cooking it. I learned the hard way that it makes it clump into hard little bits. :girl_hug:

[Wenjea 1]

Finally! after two weeks on the plateau, the scale dropped 2 pounds. Hopefully I will continue on the downward trend a ways before the next plateau. That holding thing is really hard on the psychi. All the old failure tapes start to run again. At least I know with the band that it will go down again sometime.

[jobyone1 0]

I looked at it and it's much better! Thanks.

[jobyone1 0]

I dont know if it is any better than those two but I use Sparkpeople.com You still have to search for foods?

Thanks, I love the site!

[ljuht115 0]

Hello fellow bandsters....

OK - Today I woke up and made a Protein Shake. for breakfast (with the magic bullet) I put the right amount of ingredients in, blended it up, I was only able to get half of it down which means I didn't get all the calories I needed and Protein in. I am 2 1/2 weeks out from surgery so I am not sure if I am still slightly swollen or not, but I WAS SOOOOO FULL. I only ate half of it. 2 hours later I managed to get a cup of Soup down and am still stuffed.

I don't think I have hit bandster hell yet, Maybe I just can't do shakes in the morning but they go down just fine for dinner.

Will this fillness like this last?

I am still stuffed and afraid that I won't get in the nutrition I need today. I suppose I can make up for it tomorrow, but I always try to get in at least 800 calories..

Port soreness still tender by the suture but getting better every day...

Hope everyone is doing well today!!!

[sue11 0]

LJUHT115...

I've heard that some long time bandsters start thier day with a drink of warm Water to "open" the band in the morning before they eat. Not sure if this is the issue, but could have something to do with it?

[PineNut 0]

I have heard the comment that the band can be "tight" in the morning also. Maybe a warm liquid first, like Sue mentioned. I have heard that some hot tea prior can allow your muscles to relax.

[AshevilleEddie 14]

I'm 3 1/2 weeks out and I'm also much more restricted in the morning than at night. I generally have a shake for breakfast, rather than solid food, simply because it's more convenient. I drink mine over the course of about 30-45 minutes. The only time I can drink more than about 6 oz at once is from mid-afternoon until bedtime.

So let me reverse the question: If drinking something warm in the morning helps relax the muscles and lessen restriction, has anyone heard of anything that will help bring about more restriction (i.e., at night when I'm able to eat a little too much)? Other than a fill, of course...