mary101678

I am 7 weeks out.... Surgery date was July 10,2012. I am a band to sleeve revision patient andorra 24 lbs in 18 months with the band. I've lost exactly 20 lbs since beginning my pre-pp diet for a total of 44 lbs. I'm running out of clothes now....

I tried these tonight and they were amazing! Thanks for posting!!

I just used ham instead of salmon and Baby Bell instead of the shredded cheddar. I shredded the Baby Bell by hand and baked it as usual. All the other ingredients are the same.... Very tasty!!

Hope you enjoy! I tried it today with ham and Baby Bell lite cheese... It was great

I'm 5'2" and currently weigh 175.5. Start weight with band 215, start weight with sleeve 191. Goal is 125. Also, I'm 62 years old and have been fighting this battle since I was a teenager....

Stall ended today.....down one pound this morning....

So true.... It's just frustrating......I may go back to shakes and clear liquids if it doesn't move in a few days....

Can't move beyond a 15 lb loss in 4 weeks.... I've been stuck for 6 days now... Suggestions????

You can substitute soy milk or lactaid milk if you wish. I added Kefir because it has more protein than milk, 11 grams per 8 oz for Kefir and 8 grams per 8 oz for milk. This recipe can be adapted any way you want. You could use ricotta cheese instead of cottage cheese as well, or substitute ham that has been finely chopped for the salmon.

Just tried this and it's good! 1 cup cottage cheese 1/2 c shredded cheese 4 eggs 1/2 c low fat plain Kefir 3 Tablespoons corn starch 4 oz Nova salmon 4 oz grated Parmesan cheese Mix first 5 ingredients in a blender for about 30 seconds. Pour into individual tart pans (aluminum pans available in baking section of grocery store). Chopped up salmon and mix one ounce each into each tart pan so that all pieces are submerged. Grate one ounce of Parmesan cheese on top of mixture. Place pans on a baking sheet and bake at 440 degrees F for 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown and puffed. Serve warm. Each serving: Calories-351 Carbs-13 grams Fat-16 grams Protein-35 grams

Yes, when I made these during my Weight Watchers years, I always substituted different fruits. Try canned peaches or any other fruit. I've also used fresh strawberries and blueberries. Good luck! Mary

Prune juice works well as a laxative as well....

Just had one this morning, after chilling all night and it's to die for.... Actually, I can only handle a half at a time.... But they are really tasty!

I remember this from Weight Watchers but I could not find it in my recipe files. Luckily, I came across this metric version online. I had to weight the ingredients which were in grams. 225 grams of cottage cheese ( one cup) 4 medium eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 Tablespoons lemon zest 125 grams crashed pineapple ( about 1/3 cup) 45 grams sweetener ( I tried Truvia) 20 grams of corn flour about 3 Tablespoons corn starch) Mix all ingredients in blender and blend on high until thoroughly mixed. Place in 4 individual pie tins, buttered and bake in a 440 degree F oven for 20 minutes. When done pies will puff up in the oven and slightly brown around the edges... Very good recipe and good for mushie stage as well. Each pie has about 18 grams of Protein.

Hi: I have the same issue. I believe it's a result of the intubator tube, as my lips were also battered in certain areas. The discomfort in the back of my throat definitely affects my ability to swallow, as that is where most of the intake gets stuck.... (I'm currently 6 days post op).... Good luck and I hope you are better by now... Mary

Luckily I had one of those hand held emulsifiers... What a way to begin!

Hello again, everyone and thank you for all your helpful and informative posts. A few people from my workplace have had the sleeve procedure covered by United Health, so I am pretty confident that being covered won't be a big issue. My surgeon told me he will write United Health a letter explaining the band failure and the need to switch, as my co-morbidities have not gone away, and neither has about 65 more lbs.. I have been seeing a nutritionist pretty religiously for the last year, just about every other week. The weight is coming off, but at a painfully slow pace. I'm not into instant gratification, but after one year, I should be progressing a bit faster than at the rate of a little over 2 lbs per month, especially after undergoing a surgical procedure! I'm so glad to hear all your stories and comments because I am feeling a bit hesitant about "going under the knife" again as they say....but really need to move on with this process. Thanks so much for your support! Mary

Hello Everyone: Slow, slow weight loss over the last year has disenchanted me with the adjustable gastric band. I discusssed this with my surgeon and he jumped right on plans to remove the band and perform the sleeve procedure. When I had my lapband installed a year ago, my insusrance did not cover the sleeve. Now, we are covered by United Health which does cover the sleeve procdure! It's scary, but it has to be the best decision for me. After one year with the band, and only 28 lbs lost, I'm ready for a change. Any thoughts are welcomed! Cheers! Mary

I have to agree with everything I've read on this board about the band, however, there are some people for whom the band works very well. My surgeon also states that he takes out more than bands than he puts in, but that he does have patients who lose all their weight with the band, and never have to return for any problems. My surgeon also does the band removal and sleeve procedure in the same surgery. I pointedly asked about this, and he said seldom does he have to do the two procedures separately. He mentioned the risk of leaks, but said that there have been no leaks in his practice thus far. I am still a bit nervous, and dread going through all the post op healing a second time! I've had the band just over a year! Cheers to all! Mary

Hi Everyone: I just saw my surgeon today regarding a revision from the band to the sleeve. I've had no issues with my band whatsoever, except that my weight loss has been extremely slow, only 28 lbs in one year! Not that I want those pounds back, but I expected better results after undergoing WLS! I've stuck to a diet, exercised and have been weighed by a nutritionist once every two-three weeks for a year! Interestingly, my surgeon did not hesitate for a second, and immediately brought me the consent forms for the revision! He also immediately arranged my endoscopy on the spot! I'll see him again once that is completed, and then on to the next step. So, yes, I would definitely use the same surgeon, he understands the issues involved and wants to see his patients succeed. I'm glad he was so helpful. Cheers... Mary

Hi everyone: I was also banded this past week, on Tues, December 7, My incision sites are painful, especially one larger one where we think the port may be located. I don't have pain unless those ab muscles on the right side are engaged. So far, I've learned to use my left side more and to also use my legs more than my abs in moving. I also don't have a lot of energy and feel tired a lot. I was concerned about losing weight, and so far I have lost one pound, after the initial 7 or so due to bloating and gas. I am now one pound less than when I went into the hospital. I am using my own shake recipes since I have a WLS book and the surgeon and the dietician both approved and I am intolerant of lacotose, sorbitol, sucralose, etc. I have difficulty in swallowing the vitamins, even crushed, so now I wish I had the chewable type, which I didn't want to invest in initially. They taste so bad, I may just go out and spend the money on the chewables today. A pedicure is also tempting right now, too! I see the surgeon in two weeks and the dietician next week. I wish everyone good luck and lots of weight loss success!!

Got there at 6:00 AM. Everything went on time. I got the usual IV, heperin, etc. Was loaded on the gurney and into the OR. Remember nothing of the OR, except being lifted on and off the table. Spent some time in recovery and got naseaus which they treated with dilutin. Spent the night in the hospital, and didn't sleep due to usual hospital noisiness, and interruptions. Next day I was given two shakes and jello. No one could say if the shakes or the jello had lactose, sorbitol or sucralose to which I am allergic, so I skipped them. Hubby retrieved real jello from hospital cafeteria. Doc ame in and said I could make my own shakes, since I have a recipe book for post WLS diets. Came home starving and slept and began to deal with diet....

I resonate and sympathize with all the posts here. I am also one of those people who gain on Weight Watchers and stop losing on really low calories. I also have low blood sugar, so as much as I need to keep carbs low, I must have at least the equivalent of one slice of bread a day, or I start passing out, as I did on the pre-op shake diet. I am recently banded, only a few days ago, December 7, 2010. My opinion is that the band is a tool to help achieve weight loss. I intend to follow a diet similar to the old "Scarsdale" diet ( on which I lost a lot of weight years ago), using the band as a tool to deal with the hunger and smaller portions. I know I also need to exercise, and that's hard with my current schedule. I guess the bottom line is the band is only one tool in the weight loss arsenal, and it can't be relied on as the only answer to achieving a significant weight loss. With the help of the nutrition staff at my surgeon's office, and possibly a trainer, I am looking forward to a new body within the next year or so. Losing weight has always been a struggle, and I don't expect it to be any different now.

I had a lot of trouble with the prop diet. First, I tried Herbalife and since their shakes contain psyillium, I had the worst naseau and loose stools. That set me back several days. Then I switched to GNC shakes and started blacking out. The dietician told me to add a bit more carbs to the diet, and then I came down with the stomach flu, and threw up both ends for three days. Then I was able to eat just light foods like cream of wheat, and did that for almost a week before the surgery. Two days before, I did shakes and one meal, then the day before I did shakes only. The dr still told me my liver was enlarged and he had a hard time seeing what he was doing.... The biggest issue I have is I am lactose intolerant and also can't tolerate splenda, sucralose, or sorbitol. Most of these shakes contain these things and it makes both the pre op and the post op diet challenging.....