Oregondaisy

Hi all! Audree you brought up a very good point, about goal weight. I have no clue what my goal weight is. Right now my goal is not to have to shop in the plus size department. You are all much younger than I am, so you don't have to worry about wrinkles. I have seem some thin older ladies whose faces are all wrinkled up. I know I will never be a little tiny size, but I will be much happier with myself when I look in the mirror and know I look better than I did before. I guess I am not putting very big expectations on myself, but right now all I can do is try not to look too much in the future and concentrate on eating the right way for today. I felt really depressed and angry with myself for blowing it over the weekend, and I hate that feeling!

I was not at all at the beach this weekend. I went to a friend's house yesterday and they were all eating candy and I gave into temptation and had some too. Today at the super bowl party I went to, everyone was snacking and there wasn't anything there that I was supposed to have. I told myself before I left the house that I would be fine just sipping on Water. But I ended up eating some cheese and crackers. I will do better now that the weekend is over and I am back on my regular routine. I hope once I get my fill that snack foods won't look appealing to me because I will feel full. It's just so hard to watch other people eat bad things!

I am excited! I weighed myself this morning and finally dropped 3 more lbs. That makes 18 total. I find myself not being able to finish the portion that I thought I could eat. I don't have a fill yet and I am eating tiny portions. With not eating carbs except for the little bit in veggies, I am never hungry either. I am excited to get a fill. I am leaving for Arizona on 2-17 and I hope the fill is right. I would hate to be out of town and have problems when I am not near my doctor. I am sure he knows what he is doing though and will give me the right fill. He does so many of these. I get to meet two other girls that were banded by him on the same day but they had to drive 5 hours to go to him. People come from surrounding states to go to this doctor. He was surprised when I told him I lived here. Anyway, I am very excited that I'm down a little more. I don't have a goal weight because I know people that are my age and lost weight and look all wrinkled on their face. Right now I just want to keep losing slow and steady. Those plateaus are hard!

I have been emailing with Sandy the nurse for quite awhile. She is from Oregon, like me. I value her opinion since she has been banded quite awhile and has been at her goal weight for 3 years. I plan to order those CD's she talks about. She said they were extremely helpful in helping her with head hunger, planning ahead in social situations, etc. I know from the past, that I can be good all week and go to some sort of social event on the weekend, and blow a weeks worth of good eating. Even with the band, I am sure I will eventually give in to the "goodies and just one won't hurt" type of thinking. One turns into more. I just have to wait to pay off some of my doctor bills. Even though I paid for the surgery upfront, there is lab work and the psch eval, etc that weren't covered. I can't stand owing money to people. I just wonder if you have to order all of them. I have to go back to the web site and see if they are listed individually, and what is on each one. Too bad we don't all live closer. We could share them and report back to each other on our opinions of them.

Hello all, I have been really sick. I finally went to the dr. and got antibiotics and feel human today. I tried to post yesterday and typed a big long post but then I got a message saying it was timed out. I couldn't get anything to post yesterday. Audree, I have been looking for the laughing cow cheese. I can't find it! I looked by the cream cheese, by the string cheese, and all the packages of grated cheese. What is it anyway? Is it like a string cheese? As far as low carb Protein shakes, Slim fast has 20 grams of protein and I think 2 or 3 grams of carbs. You have to buy the ones that say low carb. There are others with higher protein but tons of carbs. I really like it. Is anyone else having trouble with constipation? I have tried those Fiber caplets and they do nothing. It's getting old. I hope I feel better soon so I can start exercising. I am sure I won't lose unless I exercise.

I would love to hear if anyone else is on hormones. I hope I start to lose again when I get a fill. I know someone that got banded and hardly lost any weight. I have read on the boards about that happening to others too. I am really afraid I won't lose as well as everyone on this thread loses because of hormones. I haven't been cheating, but I haven't lost anything since I moved off liquids.

I was wondering if anyone in this thread takes hormone replacements. They say hormones make it harder to lose too. I take them because I just can't sleep without them. I have lost 15 lbs but I seem to be stalled right now. I am going to have a fill on 2-12, but I have been careful watching what I eat, watching portion sizes, but no more weight loss. I wonder if the hormones have anything to do with it?

I know everyone is different. I had no pain what so ever. I had my surgery on a friday Mon. was New Years day and I went back to work Tues. The day after surgery, I was out walking the dog and doing everything I normally do. The only time it hurt ( and it was mild) was getting out of the recliner. I never had any gas pains or any other pain. Now if I I just start losing! I have my first fill scheduled for 2-12 and maybe then I will start losing again.

Hi everyone! I have a cold and didn't feel like going to a party that I was invited to. Plus I didn't want to deal with all the forbidden foods that would be there. Wouldn't you think being on a liquid diet would be the same as Phase 1? While I was on the liquid diet, I was using Slim Fast Low Carb which has 3 grams of carbs. I need to go grocery shopping to start the South Beach diet. I am having a problem though because my doctor doesn't want me to eat fresh veggies until 6 weeks post op. And no red meat. But I can still do meat and cooked veggies. But that means no salads. I don't know what his reasoning would be for no salads for 2 more weeks. The problem is I don't feel well from this cold so I don't feel like going grocery shopping. So far today all I have had is a slice of deli turkey and a slice of Provlone cheese. Last night for dinner I had a lean cuisine chicken that had chicken and cooked spinach. Besides that, I had a can of slim fast. I got 64 oz of Water in. I haven't lost any more weight in the last week. I am not happy about that. It was so nice to see the scale moving down. Audree Congratulations! I knew you would have had to have lost at least as much as I did, from being on liquids. I am anxious to get my first fill. I have a medication that I sometimes take for sleep, because I have horrible insomnia. It is known to cause weight gain. It makes me crave sweets horribly. Well, another weekend here. I am glad I don't have little kids in the house eating sweets in front of me. I feel like I don't have much willpower left. Yesterday I wanted a cookie really badly!! I hope I lose another lb soon. If I don't, I get in that mood "I might as well eat since I am not losing anyway" That's old thinking. I am glad all of you are here. It's encouraging to have all of you, and being able to read the board.

Thanks Audree, once again for posting the SB diet right here for all of us to join in. It says we can have nuts in Phase 1. I love peanuts in the shell. I bought a 5lb bag at Costco and I can finish that bag really quickly. I have a new bag that I never opened because of the surgery. Don't we have to limit portions of anything on South Beach? I know with the band, it will help us limit our portions. Because of always being an overeater, I don't even know what the right portion of nuts even is. Also, what about low fat mayo? I am thinking of bring deviled eggs to the pot luck I will be going to. I bet you will really be surprised when you finally do weigh. You have to have dropped a good amount of lbs because your calorie intake has been less than 1,000 most of the time!

I ate like I was never going to be able to eat again, right up until the day of surgery. I have been on a liquid diet for the past 4 weeks. The first 5 days were kind of hard to get used to, but 4 weeks of liquids were so much easier than I ever thought they would be. The best part of it is, I have lost 15 lbs in 4 short weeks!:mad:

BikerGirl, I ate like a pig right up until my day of banding. I got banded right after Christmas, so the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas I just ate whatever I wanted to. My doctor never said I had to do any kind of preop diet, so I didn't. Audree, when in the heck are you going to weigh??? You have us all in suspense!! Also, please direct us to the South Beach thread. I am very computer illiterate. I don't even know how to do a link. I didn't weigh today. I weighed myself most days since banding though. I just couldn't stand it. I've lost 15 lbs since 12-29 but I am really afraid of gaining between now and when I get my fill on 2-12 The last two nights I have really had no appetite. I already had my protein in for the day, so all I have had for dinner was a dannon light and fit liquid yogurt. I hope this continues until I get my fill. It is kind of scarey to think about eating and the thought of PBing. I have read so much about that, and about foods that aren't band friendly. I don't want to have to find out the hard way about what's not band friendly. I only have one more day on liquids. I would have never thought I could make it through 4 weeks on liquids. I remember telling the nurse right before surgery how afraid I was to be on a liquid diet. I am happy to say it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I can't wait for all of the rest of you to get your bands. I love this group. You are all the greatest!:biggrin1::biggrin1::biggrin1::biggrin1:

I am doing great Audree. Thanks for asking! I am wondering- what is Spirulina Oats? I need some kind of fiber in my diet. I think I am coming down with a cold too. I have a very sore throat. I am going to take some airborne in a minute too. I took echinacea this morning and it helped a lot. But I forgot to take some to work with me and it was really hard to work and even harder to drink water. It hurt to swallow. I took some when I got home and it's a lot better. I am a very firm believer in that stuff. It always helps me so much. Friday I can start on my doctors approved list of solids/mushies. He says no red meat until 6 weeks out but that's okay. I am not big on red meat anyway. You keep talking about chili so I think I will make some with ground turkey. I bet you will be really surprised when you finally weigh yourself! I've lost 15 lbs. I can't wait to get into some of my old pants. All my pants are too big right now, but I tried on the some old pants from before I gained some of my weight back after my last Atkins attempt. They were still too tight. I refuse to buy any new clothes until I have lost a bunch more. I am really excited to have my first fill. I feel like that's when I will really be able to tell how the band is working. I don't think being on liquids really counts. Anyone would probably lose weight drinking 3 or 4 cans of slim fast a day. I hope everyone that is waiting for their surgery date gets banded soon. I feel like a walking advertisement for lap band surgery!:biggrin1::biggrin1::biggrin1:

LBT is extremely valuable to me. I don't have anyone else to talk to about this. I love reading everyone's posts. It feels really good to know that I am not alone in this. I was swayed by something I read here but I don't think it's that bad of a thing. I read that Dr. Ortiz lets people go off their liquid diet on day 22. My surgeon wants us on a liquid diet for 4 weeks. I think Dr. Ortiz must be a great doctor from everything I have read about him so I ate a soft piece of white fish today. I've lost 15 lbs since surgery which I am absolutely thrilled about. I would have been too afraid to have the lap band done if I hadn't been able to come here and read extensively before I made this decision. It's very comforting to know if anything comes up, I can come here and get answers to my questions by many people who have had their bands a lot longer than I have. This board is the greatest!!

Silry, That's too bad that they want so much for your loan. My house was paid off so I took out a loan against my house and I think it's 6%. Only you know if the payments are an amount you can swing. I hope it turns out the way you want. Everyone who wants to be banded should have the opportunity, as far as I am concerned! I didn't know that when you lose weight the band becomes looser. That makes sense though. I haven't been following my doctor's advice. He wanted me on liquids for 4 weeks. His list of mushies is white fish, thin sliced deli turkey, soft cheese, as well as the usual list of mushy foods like cottage cheese. I was at 3 weeks post op last friday and I just got to thinking about Dr. Ortiz who has done SO many bands letting his patients be off liquids at day 22. So today I had a piece of grilled fish. It was small. I went out to lunch with friends and I didn't see anything liquid ( besides water) or clam chowder on the menu. I felt stupid asking them to blend clam chowder and I didn't want the potatoes in there anyway. So I ate the fish. I started chowing down forgetting about the band, like I have heard others have done. I was quickly reminded. I had to stop for a few minutes and even take a sip of water cause I thought it was going to come up. But then I was okay and ate tiny bites really slowly. My plan after that was to try really hard to make it until friday like I am supposed to. But then demons in my head took over again . I was at Walmart and Provalone cheese sounded so good. It's really soft so I got a little bit and ate a piece of that too. So now I have tues. wed. and thurs. and I am going to try really hard now to just be good and do the liquids. I couldn't believe how full I felt after that little piece of fish. It's going to be really interesting to find out what it feels like to be filled. I have to wait until 2-12 Does anyone else have these big huge burps come up? Sometimes I get a stomach ache and I kind of rub my tummy and bend over and a huge burp will come up. I don't feel like I am swallowing a lot of air, so I don't know why this happens. I am glad when it happens because right before that, my stomach really hurts. Audree, thanks for posting the South Beach diet again. You are so good to all of us!! We will be starting foods the same day. ( even though I cheated today) I am glad I don't have a family to cook for. I am going to try to make this as easy on myself as possible. I don't like cooking just for myself, and I hate doing dishes even more. It's probably a good thing I have to work tomorrow. I'll be stuck at work with no food and I will just take a can of slim fast so I will have no choice but a liquid lunch. Only 3 more days to go!

Hello all! I am really glad I never got used to drinking coffee. I gave up pop quite awhile ago when I decided all the atificial sweetners were just chemicals that aren't good for me. I am supposed to drink 64 oz of water, so it would be really hard to drink anything else. It's really hard sometimes to wait an hour after eating to drink though. I only had to be on clear liquids the first 24 hours. After that it was anything I could get through a straw. I used a lot of low carb slim fast since it's the cheapest. My doctor's office sells a lot of stuff too. The sugar free hot chocolate is really good but you could just buy sugar free hot chocolate at the grocery store and add protein powder to it. The important thing is getting in all the protein you're supposed to have. I have had some sugar free popsicles in the evenings if I felt like I wanted some sort of treat. Most evenings though, I really don't think about it. I have heard a lot of people say the protein powders at www.unjury ( I think that's how it's spelled) is really good. If anyone wants the exact address address I can email my friend for it. One protein drink I like is low carb vanilla slim fast, a little bit of orange juice and vanilla yogurt all blended up. They even have orange juice made with splenda so it's pretty low calorie. Those yoplait liquid yogurts are really good too. I have been on liquids over 3 weeks now and it really doesn't bother me. It was hard the first 5 days but I am completely used to it. I have lost 14 lbs. since 12-29. I just hope I keep losing when I move on to mushies then solids. I don't have a fill scheduled until 2-12. I agree with everyone else. This board has been a life saver for me. I definitely would have not been able to make it through this without all of you. I haven't told my friends or anyone at work, so that's why this board is such a lifeline. It's very comforting to read everyone's posts and have all the support we have here!:nervous:):biggrin1: I love you guys!

Audree, I want to start South Beach in another week when I can move to mushies. Anyone have any good ideas for a name for my band. I was thinking of Brandy, but that's too close to Audree's name. I had a bad day today for the first time. I really wanted to eat. My doc wants four weeks on liquids and I am feeling sorry for myself. It's because a lot of other people can move to mushies after 3 weeks. I am at 3 weeks tomorrow. I am going out with my daughter tomorrow. I am tired of being cooped up in the house. I haven't wanted to be around anyone else eating in front of me. She had gastric bypass. She knows the only thing I can have right now is egg flower soup. I may fall off the wagon and eat a bite of chicken. I really want to do as my doctor says but I don't see why he thinks he knows more than Dr. Ortiz. Part of me really wants to try really hard to do another week on liquids because I am so afraid I'll stop losing. I don't get a fill until 2-12. I am sure I have no restriction because I can down a can of low carb slim fast in nothing flat. I looked on the can and it's 11 oz. I don't know what kind of band I have other than my doc said it's medium sized. It's funny that there isn't a standard price and a standard diet for this. I paid 10,000 but there was lab work that was required not included in that price. It didn't come to much though. Well I am so glad all of you are here. You are all what is getting me through this!!!!!!!

Hi everybody! I have been trying to think of a good name for my band. I can't think of one. I have been worrying too that once I move on to mushies that I will stop losing. I am perfectly happy on liquids now. I have gotten so used to them, it's kind of nice. I never have to think of what to buy or what to cook. I am never hungry. I can't remember who said it, but I am sure they are right. It was about the Atkins diet and being in Ketosis. I know from my many trys on Atkins, that as soon as I start eating carbs, that's when I start craving sweets and feeling hungry. I am 5'2'' too. and had a lot of people tell me I wasn't fat enough to have a lap band. In fact, the nurse a few minutes before surgery told me that. We know ourselves so well, and I know I was headed in the wrong direction. It was getting really hard to not gain a couple of pounds every week. I have been exercising for almost 3 years almost every day and it was really frustrating to do an hour of cardio every day and never lose one pound, but instead gain a couple pounds every weekend. It's kind scary to think about getting the fills right. I was at the support group last night and a lady there couldn't even drink Water. She said she was PBing all the time. I simply can not afford to have any problems with band slippage, etc. $10,000 was enough money to put out. I want to follow the rules and be a success story. I've lost 14 lbs now and it will be 3 weeks this friday. I think even after I move to mushies, I will just have a mushy dinner. It is sometimes hard to get the water in, since we are supposed to wait an hour to drink. I usually drink a bunch as soon as I get up because I don't feel like anything else until mid morning. Audree , you should really be proud of yourself for doing such a good job of staying off the scale!!!:clap2::cool: I am so glad all of you are here!!:biggrin1:

Audree, I am sorry you weren't feeling good this evening. Here you are, feeling like cr@p and still posting recipes for us. I did that one time too. I was really sick of the protein drinks so I blended cottage cheese with cream of tomato soup and ate all of it. All evening long I felt like I was going to be sick. My doctor told me today I am supposed to be eating/drinking 3 oz at a time but I thought that only applied after we have had a fill. I know the cans of slim fast low carb are like 12 oz cans. But I don't feel restricted like you do. I think it's all going straight through to the bottom of my stomach. It will be interesting so see what it feels like after being filled. I hope you feel better tomorrow!

Hello all! It's so hard to post to each individual person, but I love everyone's posts. It's so great to have everyone experiencing the same things I am and having a place to come and share about it. I have been reading about everyone and their experiences with eating with others. - When the time comes that I get to eat lunch or dinner out, I plan to just say I am dieting, really counting calories, and being very careful about portions sizes. I have read in my many diet failures about a portion being the size of a deck of cards, and I will just have to remind anyone that's what I am aiming for. I had my 2 week post op check and everyone was amazed that I never experienced one second of any kind of pain. I guess I was just lucky. They were very happy about the 12 lb loss in 17 days. They said people usually start losing well at 6 weeks, because the first 6 weeks your body is traumatized from the surgery and it thinks it needs to hold weight. There was a man there for his 6 week check and he had lost 30 lbs. Men always lose way faster than women do though. I am excited to have my first fill scheduled for 2-12. I read another thread in the general discussion part of lapband talk, where people were asking about the success rate for people over 50. I have been worrying about that too, because they say the older you get the harder it is to lose. There were a lot of people who wrote that they are steadily losing, even if they are over 50. I feel so lucky that lapband talk is here for all of us. I can't imagine doing this alone. Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow!:clap2::biggrin1:

Thank you Audree for posting your doctor's post about erosion. That is something I have been worrying about. I just can't afford anything to happen. I just had my 2 week post op check. I was worried my surgeon was going to charge me something because he removed polyups when he did my banding. He said pathology probably would charge for their examination of them, but he didn't charge anything. I was glad to hear that. I was afraid some doctors want money for every little thing they do. I should have known he wasn't like that because he really is sweet, but you never know. Where do you find this Skinny Cow cheese? Is it near the cream cheese?

Thank you for posting this thread. This is something I have been worrying about. I am 54 and just got banded 2 weeks ago. My biggest fear is that I won't lose weight. I know someone who got banded and hasn't lost an ounce. I made exercise a habit 3 years ago though, and that was really frustrating to exercise like crazy and not lose. I have lost 12 lbs but I am still on liquids and I have been afraid that when I go back to food, I will stop losing. So thanks again. This thread is very encouraging!

Audree, Dr. Ortiz's place sounds wonderful! I came home in less than 4 hours, so I didn't get all that luxury treatment. :phanvan It's funny how being on liquids doesn't really bother me anymore. I had to go to a funeral today and afterwards they had a huge buffet and I was watching everyone stuff their faces while I had a glass of water. I was so annoyed to be on liquids at first. Now, I just don't feel like eating and I am so happy:p I am really afraid to go to the mushy stage because I am afraid I will quit losing. I am perfectly happy most of the time drinking chocolate protein drinks. I love chocolate anything.There really isn't anything mushy I like anyway. I hate cottage cheese. What in the heck is Skinny Cow cheese anyway? Is it like string cheese? Audree, you are an inspiration to all of us! I almost completely quit posting on Dec. bandsters because I love reading your posts. Do you work? Seems like getting through the first few weeks of being banded is a full time job. I have been really happy that it snowed here for the 4th time in 30 years on the Oregon coast. (100 mi past the Calif. border) I got 2 days off of work because they closed the schools. Tomorrow is a holiday so I had 5 days off in a row. I have hardly told anyone about the banding. My daughter had RNY, so she knows, but I haven't told my dad, or hardly any of my friends. I know my daughter really hated it at first when every person she saw said "so how much weight have you lost now" I didn't want to go through that. I wasn't able to stay off the scale all weekend. I gained a lb yesterday but I think it's because the egg flower soup is pretty salty. So I am at 12 lbs lost in 2 weeks and 2 days. Hey I have a friend who got banded by your doc and she said she can't even get water down. I don't have any trouble getting my 64 oz of water in every day. I am going to call her tonight and find out if it's just because she hates water or if she got too tight after her first fill. She got banded about a month before us. Thanks so much for posting all about the South Beach Diet. I grew up using Atkins off and on and have always been curious about SB. I am like you though. I can't hardly lose if I make carbs a regular thing. Good Luck to everyone tomorrow with happy eating/drinking!!:biggrin1::hippie::dance:

Does anyone know where you can order the things we need without paying really high shipping costs? I can buy Isopure and extreme smoothies from my dr. but I am getting bored. I checked out a few sites and I was shocked to see how much they add on for shipping.:help: thank you!

I got the egg flower soup at the Chinese restaurant. There is a food thread on the main page that gives a recipe for it but I am too lazy to make it from scratch. Not that it's hard. :phanvan Where did you get your Nectar Protein Drink? I went to Bariatric Eating but I was really surprised at how much shipping they added on. It comes out cheaper for me to buy the Isopure from my dr.'s office. I bought the hot chocolate from him too. I would imagine you could use regular sugar free hot chocolate and add a scoop of Protein powder to it. I have been advised that the best protein powder is at unjury.com. I got mine from my daughter though. She had RNY a year ago and had lots of stuff left over. I would like to find a site that doesn't add so much for shipping. I don't think I got enough protein in today but I am just not hungry. Have a good tomorrow!:):girl_hug: