bigtom1948

IT really is good I just posted another recipe in the Mushies thread for homemade tomato Soup you might like 111 cal per serving with very low sodium and it makes a great base to Spaghetti Sauce and Chilli too

Isa is right you do have to establish a calorie deficit to lose weight but we all already knew that. The consistancy of your body mass and your relative activity and your age will all affect the weight loss progress. For me at age 62 it's going to go much slower than someone in thier 20's or 30's your metabolism does slow with age per all tyhe doctors I have talked to so it takes more time to lose weight and more work (exercise) to maintain my hoped for new body. I am sure you will do fine and you don't have to spend the whole day working out and starve yourself on top of that to lose. Because if that's the case I will probably fail (I don't intend to do that though ) Wishing you Good Luck and Steady Progress Julius

Homemade Tomato Soup Here's a nice low calorie low sodium Homemade Tomato Soup for you when you progress from Clear liquids. This is a nice soup with a little more flavor than the typical canned ones. Vary the consistency by changing the amount of Water or leave it our completely for a condensed tomato soup you can use in recipes. Note the Campbell's condensed tomato soup has 550mg of sodium per serving (2 servings per can) 1/2 c Onion,Chopped 1/2 t Garlic,Minced 1/2 c Celery,Chopped 1/4 t Red Pepper Flakes 2 T Olive Oil 4 cups No Salt Added Tomatoes I used the diced variety (available canned in most grocery stores) 1/2 cup Water Saute the onion, garlic, celery and pepper flakes in the oil until softened. Add the tomatoes and water, bring to a boil and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Puree in a blender or food processor. Yield: 4 Servings Servings Per Recipe 4 Nutritional Facts per serving: Calories 111 Total Fat 7 gr Saturated Fat 1 gr Polyunsaturated Fat 1 gr Monounsaturated Fat 5 gr Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 43 mg Potassium 517 mg Carbohydrates 12 gr Dietary Fiber 3gr Protein 2 gr Start with the condensed option listed above and this makes a base for a nice mild spaghetti sauce. Just add to it 1 pound of cooked 93% lean beef add 4 oz can of mushroom stems & bits (drained), and one chopped and sauted bell pepper plus 1 T Italian seasoning allow to simmer on low heat for 30 minutes or more to marry flavors and serve over whole wheat Pasta. It's tasty, low cal and without added sugar and salt of store bought sauce. Because of the low salt it may seem a bit bland to the taste to some of us but if you usually salt your pasta while cooking, you probably won't notice. For us bandsters 1/2 cup of pasta with 1/4 cup sauce is a reasonable serving. (my banded daughter that that amount makes her feel full) Whole wheat pasta takes longer to cook, doesn't swell as much and is dense enough that it stays above the band long enough for you to feel full. You can also make Chili from it to substitute chilli powder (amount varies based on your taste but no less than 1 T) for the Italian seasoning and add 1 can of drained black Beans and one can of drained pinto beans add Cheyenne pepper and jalapeno to your taste. As chilli should be hot and sweet 2 T of sugar is optional and not included in nutritional calculations. Makes 8 - 1 cup servings Nutritional Facts per serving: Calories 240 Based on an average of 2 oz beans 2 oz beef per serving Total Fat 12 gr Saturated Fat 2.5 gr Polyunsaturated Fat 1 gr Monounsaturated Fat 5 gr Cholesterol 61 mg Sodium 300 mg Potassium 517 mg Carbohydrates 22 gr Dietary Fiber 6gr Protein 21 gr This soup is a very versatile base.

Already posted this earlier on another thread. This is a meatless meal served to my wife and I by my banded daughter and her husband, also banded, they had no problems getting it down and it was very tasty too: CRUSTLESS SPINACHMUSHROOM QUICHE Sodium Per Serving 112mg Serves 6 as an entrée, 8 as a side dish This recipe was given to me by a vegetarian friend. It is so good and no one will ever know it contains tofu . . . unless you tell them! Optional - I add 2 level tablespoons of Oscar Mayer real bacon bits but it does increase the quoted fat and salt levels a bit. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (This is also know as sweet butter) ½ sweet onion, diced 2 shallots, chopped 4 ounces mushrooms, chopped (about 1½ cups) 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ teaspoon dried basil ¼ teaspoon garlic or onion powder ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 eggs, beaten, or ¾ cup egg substitute 8 ounces firm tofu ½ cup lowfat ricotta cheese 2 ounces no-salt-added Swiss cheese, shredded (about ½ cup) They used slices diced into small bits. ¼ cup lowfat milk 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (ground spice may be substituted but flavor is not as intense) Preheat oven to 350oF (180oC). Coat a 9-inch quiche or pie dish with nonstick cooking spray. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat; add onions, shallots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes; add garlic, basil garlic powder, tarragon, thyme, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until you smell the garlic, 1 to 2 minutes; remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix together the eggs, tofu, ricotta, Swiss cheese, milk, and spinach; add to onion mixture. Pour into prepared quiche dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until custard has set and top is lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve. NUTRITIONAL INFO PER 6 SERVINGS: Calories 200 Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 5g) Cholesterol 125mg Carbohydrates 9g (Fiber 2g, Sugar 5g) Protien 20g Sodium 112mg

Bet you could eat this homemade blueberry/pomagranate/watermelon pop while the stomach heals they look yummy. http://www.everwell.com/food/meal_makeovers/watermelon_pomegranate_pops.php

On day six of Optifast, real hungar pangs have relented thankfully. My bowels while still noisy have stopped making me feel like I just returned from a trip to Mexico eating what the natives eat. BTDT before . Ten days to go and I have meals till the 8th and my surgery is the 10th seems we missed a day or perhaps it's on purpose for pre-op. I meet the hospital team on 02/07/2011 and I'll see then. It's funny though I am not excited, thrilled or anxious at this point, like everyone else here seems to be. I feel indifferent about it, like I am an observer not a participent, It's bewildering, I'm not feeling at all emotional about it. Perhaps next week, when it's closer, that'll change. Elle, I am a terrible list maker. If the items on your list aren't too personal, could you share them? It's always easier to inprove the wheel then to invent it. thanks Been researching healthy meals that you make from scratch that don't take forever to make for when I finish with the mushie stage. This is a good site to check out: http://www.everwell.com/recipes/

On day six of Optifast, real hungar pangs have relented thankfully. My bowels while still noisy have stopped making me feel like I just returned from a trip to Mexico eating what the natives eat. BTDT before . Ten days to go and I have meals till the 8th and my surgery is the 10th seems we missed a day or perhaps it's on purpose for pre-op. I meet the hospital team on 02/07/2011 and I'll see then. It's funny though I am not excited, thrilled or anxious at this point, like everyone else here seems to be. I feel indifferent about it, like I am an observer not a participent, It's bewildering, I'm not feeling at all emotional about it. Perhaps next week, when it's closer, that'll change.

You are absolutely right on the low fat ad scam a tad lower fat but more salt and more sugar mostly as high fructose corn syrup. Getting away from processed foods as much as possible would be good. There are anecdotal indications that the obesity explosion was helped along by three main things since the 1950's Processed food (made with cheap high calorie fillers, read in SUGAR) the obscuring of what a normal portion size is by the Super Size Crowd and our increasingly sedentary workstyle. This dosen't absolve us of personal responsibility but it does make it harder to succeed. Well you and I and all the rest of us past, present and future bandsters are aware and working on the problem. As far as the food goes, I am planning to eat the foods I like and with the bands help control portions and avoid feelings of constant physical hunger. The mental hunger issue also has to be met square on and dealt with by honest introspection whenever it rears up, I think that this will be the hardest part. I am not going to go on any regimen that severly reduces or elimanates any food class such as carbs and fats. We all know that fad or trick diets don't work and fats and carbs satiate hunger. Like your desire for a bit of cheese most of which do have substantial fat contents. The real skill is balancing your nutriants and contriolling quantites while keeping physical hungar at bay. Sadly, up to this point, I have failed multiple times. None of us are deluding ourselves by thinking the band is a cure all and no work is required but the assistance of not being able to engorge ourselves like a bloated tick ready to drop off the dog will help . So I think you are doing it right by researching and knowing whats in the food you are about to consume and then making the appropriate choices. So easy to say but so hard to practice in our lives, I guess thats what the doctor means in the phrase " changing your lifestyle " So what are you eating now 3 days after the surgery? clear liquid or onto mushies? Are you healing up OK?

Yeah it does sound strange but once you get below about 1,000 calories the body shifts to starvation mode and weight loss can actually slow. Weird Huh? You want to avoid very low calorie plans in weight loss because you can set your set point too low and then you'll gain more weight than you may expect when you establish a new normal intake point for yourself with your dietitions guidence. To get an idea of the amount of calories you will need try this site: http://www.freedieti..._calculator.htm just remember to put the goal weight in the calculator to reflect how many calories you need to maintain the goal. You can also put in your current weight just to see approximately how many calories you needed to maintain that size. Good luck and a 2-3 pounds a week is less likely to result in regaining than 5 or more we all didn't gain overnight and even with the band we shouldn't expect to lose it too fast.

We need to be mindful of fat only because it is the most calorie dense food. However, some of the more essential Vitamins are only in fats. In the qieche 5 grams of saturated fat per serving is really very low. For example a 4 oz slice of Bon Appetit pound cake shown above has 430 calories and 24 grams of fat, 49 grams of carbs and only 7 grams of protein. Notice that the calories and the fat are more than double the values for the same weight of quiche and it has more than 5 times the carbs. ( I showed that because I love those things) The choice of low fat swiss cheese helps keep it that way. This particular quiche was really good and even though it has onion and shallot and garlic those ingredients do not overwhelm the meal. The mushrooms can be white button or the more flavorful portabello's the choice makes no difference in the nutritional values. I made this when I got home from visiting my daughter and added the bacon, just cause I like it . Once you can eat solids again I am sure you will enjoy it.

Creamy Dill Ranch Dressing over Chick Pea salad This recipe is from EatingWell.com They say it's a side salad but I can see it as a mid day meal a serving is about a cup of food and that's about all we will be able to handle, for myself I would add a piece of thinly sliced ham, chicken or turkey breast from the deli. Those meat options are not included in the nutritional tables suppied in the recipes. Cottage cheese blended in a food processor to a creamy texture, while not traditional in Ranch dressing, delivers unbelievable richness with minimal calories and fat. Serves: 10 Prep Time: 10 min Total Time: 10 min Ingredients: 1 small shallot, peeled 3/4 cup(s) nonfat cottage cheese 1/4 cup(s) reduced-fat mayonnaise 2 tablespoon(s) buttermilk powder 2 tablespoon(s) white-wine vinegar 1/4 cup(s) nonfat milk 1 tablespoon(s) fresh dill, chopped 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt 1/4 teaspoon(s) freshly ground pepper Procedure: With the food processor running, add shallot through the feed tube and process until finely chopped. Add cottage cheese, mayonnaise, buttermilk powder and vinegar. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary, about 3 minutes. Pour in milk while the processor is running. Scrape down the sides, add dill, salt and pepper and process until combined. Note: I don't have a food processor so I used my blender. I hand minced the shallot and put it in en masse with all the other ingredients except for milk. Don't remove lid while running to add anything! Turn it off, then add the milk and restart blending till smooth. It worked fine for me and the dressing came out rich and full bodied. The only problem is that the dressing, being freshly made wo/ preservatives, does not keep more than a day or two, but has a very nice lite flavor and is easy to make. Nutritional Information (per serving) 1/10th of mixture Calories 19 Total Fat 1g Saturated Fat 0 Cholesterol 1mg Sodium 125mg Total Carbohydrate 2g Dietary Fiber-- Sugars-- Protein 2g Calcium0 Try it over this Chickpea Salad for a light band friendly lunch: This recipe was also from EatingWell.com Feta cheese and chickpeas lend a Mediterranean flair to this satisfying side salad. The Creamy Dill Ranch is great with it, but would also be good with a tangy vinaigrette. Serves: 6 Total Time: 10 min Prep Time: 10 min Ingredients: 1 can(s) chickpeas, rinsed 3 cup(s) cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced 2 cup(s) grape tomatoes, halved (or cherry tomatoes) 1/4 cup(s) crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese 1/4 cup(s) red onion, diced (I substitute w/ sweet onion) 1/2 cup(s) Creamy Dill Ranch Dressing, see recipe above Freshly ground pepper, to taste Procedure: Place chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, cheese, onion, dressing and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix until coated. Nutritional Information (per serving) 6 servings Including Dressing Calories 90 Total Fat 2g Saturated Fat 1g Cholesterol 3mg Sodium 238mg Total Carbohydrate 14g Dietary Fiber-- Sugars-- Protein 5g Calcium 0

Still not banded myself but my daughter and son-in law have been for about a year. According to them: Because they don't want you to drink anything 1/2 hour before or during or 1/2 hour after your meal to insure that the meal isn't just washed through meat density and dryness are issues for us to be aware of. Fish is the easiest meat to take with the band, shell fish and shrimp/lobster next. Sushi hangs up in both of them so be careful with that. Next is chicken moist dark meat is ok breast and wings sometimes causes problems cause it's denser and dryer. Leave the chicken skin on the plate it too can block in the stomach hole left by the band and besides thats where almost all the chicken's fat is. Turkey and other fowl pretty much follow the same guidelines. Next is pork they introduced me to Mrs. Dash lemon & herb in the George Forman. 1st build up the front feet to eliminate the slope to the drain. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil building up the edges for a tray effect. Brush the Mrs Dash on both sides of 3/4" thick boneless pork loin chops and lay in a single layer on the Forman. Then cover them with another sheet of foil crimping them lightly together. cook for 12-15 mins. The meat retains more juices with the Mrs Dash cause it's salt free (Salt pulls Water from meat). They cooked it for us and it was yummy. One 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" chop will equal approx a 4 oz serving of protien. Do not expect a crisp chop it'd be too hard to pass anyway. Last on the common meats is beef. Whole meat like steak and roast will tend to block the band leading to pain and or PB Productive Burp, Sliming (if something gets stuck or hangs up the body produes great quantities of thick saliva to try and wash it through if you swallow this then you are on a sure and fast track to expelling the meat into the toilet). They advised that meatloaf and ground beef are less of a problem but chew well and wait a minute or two between bites. This will be tough for me, I've always eaten too quickly and not chewed my food as much as I should have. It's one of those enforced behaviors brought on by the band and I truely hope I don't forget that when I get to eat. Finally eat the protien (Meat, Beans Tofu) first then the veg, They also served this as a meatless meal and they had no problems getting it down and it was very tasty too: CRUSTLESS SPINACH–MUSHROOM QUICHE Sodium Per Serving – 112mg Serves 6 as an entrée, 8 as a side dish This recipe was given to me by a vegetarian friend. It is so good and no one will ever know it contains tofu . . . unless you tell them! Optional - I add 2 level tablespoons of Oscar Mayer real bacon bits but it does increase the quoted fat and salt levels a bit. 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (This is also know as sweet butter) ½ sweet onion, diced 2 shallots, chopped 4 ounces mushrooms, chopped (about 1½ cups) 1 garlic clove, minced ¼ teaspoon dried basil ¼ teaspoon garlic or onion powder ¼ teaspoon dried tarragon ¼ teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 4 eggs, beaten, or ¾ cup egg substitute 8 ounces firm tofu ½ cup lowfat ricotta cheese 2 ounces no-salt-added Swiss cheese, shredded (about ½ cup) They used slices diced into small bits. ¼ cup lowfat milk 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (ground spice may be substituted but flavor is not as intense) Preheat oven to 350oF (180oC). Coat a 9-inch quiche or pie dish with nonstick cooking spray. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat; add onions, shallots and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes; add garlic, basil garlic powder, tarragon, thyme, and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until you smell the garlic, 1 to 2 minutes; remove from heat and let cool slightly. Mix together the eggs, tofu, ricotta, Swiss cheese, milk, and spinach; add to onion mixture. Pour into prepared quiche dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until custard has set and top is lightly browned. Cool for 10 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve. NUTRITIONAL INFO PER 6 SERVINGS: Calories 200 Fat 12g (Saturated Fat 5g) Cholesterol 125mg Carbohydrates 9g (Fiber 2g, Sugar 5g) Protien 20g Sodium 112mg Hope this post is helpful but our doctor's and your nutritionist's will surely go over the warnings post op if they havn't already done so before the surgery.

Into day 5 of OptiFast and it's getting a little less hard to bare weight loss seems to be slowing down and my gut is basically empty except for some animal that growls a lot . 9 days to go and I have developed ketosis breath that even I can detect. Peppermint toothpaste helps tone it down but ketosis breath comes as a byproduct of fat burning and comes out in your breath and also in your urine. It happens when you don't have redily available carbs to convert to glucose the stored fat is metabolized from the liver and from muscle first and then from those adipose tissue deposits we'er all trying to shrink down to somewhere near normal size. Once we can eat normal food even though in modest amounts the breath should return to normal. I have noticed good night kisses are a bit quicker than usual. Good luck to all of us and I guess you all can expect those pangs of the first few days to wane as the body becomes used to less food coming in.

Your story, unfortunately, is all too common. I felt just as ticked off at that guy in reading your story as if I had experienced it personally. One can only hope that he gets treated the same way he treated you in the future. The only worse situation is Old & Fat (my recent experience) wherein after 200 applications I got 1 interview from a pitite young lady whose face telegraphed disgust the minute I entered her office she tried to recover but failed. I look at myself in the mirror every day and even though I am heavy I am not a blob I work out just like you do and the only machine I use less than 150 pounds is the vertical press so my body habitus is firm I am well groomed and I dress well. 390 pounds stacked on a muscular 6'5" frame is a tad different than someone with the same weight 8-10" shorter with poor muscle tone. Even so, it hurt and I was angry. I was already in the lapband program so the event didn't cause me to seek help. But this mid 20's girl was out of her depth as a hiring manager she needed to act accepting of all types of people even if she loothes fat folks.

Icequeen Huh, I suppose I'll at least get an ice chip to melt in my dry parched mouth after I wake up. Thats all I ever seem to want after surgery. See you there on the 10th of course I won't know which one you are. The doctor has me scheduled for an overnighter and I promise I will be a good patient as long as I can press the magic button when needed for pain. Yep, none of that brave stiff upper lip stuff for me, no siree bobbycats.

I have been using a bi-pap and the mask did take some getting used to. sleep apnea is a serious problem and my cardiologist sent me to a sleep specialist after I had my stint put into my circumflex artery. Both the cardiologist and the pulmonologist have told me that not using the device can stress your heart so much that it can percipitate a heart attack and that repeated episodes of reduced oxygen can damage brain tissue or lead to a stroke. After 8 years of using the device I don't know if I would sleep well without it I kinda like the noise it makes as it negates the tinitus (Too many loud Rock Concerts when I was young I guess ) They also both advised me that this is mostly a fat persons disease so losing weight will most likely cure you. Please note the hedging in that language, so be sure to check with your sleep specialist prior to hanging up the ol mask as another relic of our formally fat selves.

Its not too bad you get to choose chocolate, vanilla or strawberry. I chose to get all chocolate and I'll probably hate chocolate after two weeks on that diet. I finished day three today and the day wasn't bad, I was hungry mind you, but not too unbarable. The second day real hunger pangs set in and today thay are abating. I'm still hungry though... Do keep in mind that an all liquid diet without Fiber will zip through you so if you are working do not assume that gas is only gas . I think that the main reason I wasn't in any distress on the first day was because my wife took me out for a nice 12 oz. prime rib dinner with salad, bread and a medium sized baked potato for my last dinner and I was still full the next morning. My daughter and son in law (both 1 year lap-banders) joined us and neither can do steak very well he can't eat lettuce or bread and she has a problem with potato skins. They both shared and ate a salisbury steak making sure they mashed it to bits before putting it in thier mouths. He lost 150 pounds from 410 and she has dropped 125 from 305. They are both still losing weight though its taking a bit longer now. Looking at thier success inspired me to go for it too. You can believe me that they had no will power at all when it came to food and they believed a half gallon of ice cream only had two servings at most. I am really happy for thier accomplishment and hope to do just as well as they have done.

Just finished day three of the 14 day pre op diet unfortunately I don't get anything to chew on just the 5 Optifast shakes and 1/2 gallon of Water. It's getting better the hunger pangs are abating so the only thing thats a real bother is the need to be near a bathroom (this stuff is not stick to your ribs food if you know what I mean). I have noticed that food ads on TV are making me salivate and this is even for stuff I don't like . 11 more days of this to go and I have lost 7 pounds already, yepper near starvation is an efficient diet. I am going to sneak a surgar free Jello and tell myself it's a steak. Do you guys think it'll work? Well I knew what I was getting into and I hope the reward is a healthier me even if I look like a Shar Pei in the process. Well, I am saving up my allowence for a possible tummy tuck down the line so, right now, my confidence level is high. Good luck to us all.

Glad you made it through surgery ok except for the shoulder blade thing. Please keep us up to date on your progress.

I'm 62 and was pretty fit even though overweight all my adult life. I worked out AT A GYM 3-4 week and was able to eat moderately well into my early 50's but the excess baggage slowly gained over time and I went from 250 pounds at 52 to my max of 390 pounds, my current weight of 365 and I am 6'5". What Changed in my life from 52-62? I went from an active on my feet job to a desk job that demanded manditory overtime I stopped going to the gym as often and I continued to eat like I was still exercising like before. My life became a cycle of Eat sleep Work and I became too tired even to have fun on weekends. This was a true downard spiral. My company downsized and my job, the one that seemed so important and demanded so much time from me was gone. I was unable to find work and lived on the severance, unemployment and a small pension. At 62 a fat man even with experience and degrees will probably never find work. I was even turned down by McDonalds, guess they were afraid I would eat the product...Picture frosty day in hades for that. In that one year after being laid off till my 62'nd B'day I gained 35 pounds to reach that all time high and I was Miserable. I had to have a heart stint put in, The ol blood pressure went through the roof and deep dark depression set in. Why do I say all this because if you see yourself where I was then you realize No Job is worth what you are going through. If the band didn't work for you then you must make time to LOVE yourself and go to a fitness center or gym. Don't bother with buying equipment you will use for a clothes rack and take up space in your home. Do 1/2 to 1 hour of cardio limit weight training to 6-8 exercises for chest arms and back the legs will be ok with the cardio at the gym and ask the gym to set up a routine for you. Let them know weight loss is the goal not massive muscles. Go 3 times a week do not weight train the same muscle groups 2 days in a row except for walking thats what we were made to do. Park as far from your office as possible and get some extra walking in, Do the same at the stores you go to, walk. Never take the elevator for 1 or 2 floors, great exercise. You can stand up at your desk to work, it burns more calories. This follows in the suggestion of an under the desk leg exercisor is a good one. Your legs are 40% of the average mans muscle mass and a pedeling device with resistance also is better than sitting and doesn't keep you from typing on a computer or answering the phone. So you see and I am sure already know that theres lots of exercise opportunities you may be overlooking or avoiding. Talk to your nutritionist, find out whats going on, you are taking in more calories then you are burning the same as the rest of us. Do a follow up with your surgeon perhaps they can work with you to get you on track. Do all of this today, don't wait another day passes and another and pretty soon, if you'er lucky, you are 62 and perhaps in ill health and then the task will be that much harder. I'm not trying to be preachy, I'm just trying to show you a future that would be a lot harder than it needs to be. Let us know how it goes for you and I for one wish the very best for you. All of us here know it's not easy. Ask for help, work less play and laugh more. I finally realized that no matter how much I love food it doesn't love me back. Good Luck.

Dr. Aguila is doing mine on 02/10/2011 I wish I had the had the will power he had to lose weight. He's trim now but I couldn't seem to keep pounds off like he has and like he says this is just a tool to help you succeed you still have to work at it and be aware of your real nutritional needs. But right now... at only day two of the 5 shakes a day thing...I'd love a salad - plain, no dressing, no meats, no cheese - just a feeling of something in the ol' tummy.

14 grams per 8 oz serving (160 cals) 20 grams of carbos (almost all from surgars) 3 grams of fat and no Fiber or cholesterol at all. It gives you the equivalant in 5 shakes to almost all the Vitamins, minerals and electrolytes but it really misses in the something to chew catagory. I've been taking my lasix and just weighed myself and (per my health-o-meter scale) I weigh in at 365, after two days on the OptiFast Shakes so I think the gain was mostly retained Water cause a 12 pound loss in 3 days seems a bit unlikely. Some lost, much more to go and I am already HUNGRY!

I'm on the same regimen and it's rough and i'm only on my second day. Nothing to chew on I wish my doctor would allow the veggies a cup of green Beans would tame the snarling beast in my stomach. 12 more days of the diet then the big day and 2 weeks of Clear Liquids to look forward to. It's gonna really take the pounds off, thats for sure cause starvation works really well for weight loss. Then we get to eat and with a bit of care and luck I, all of us really, can control the constant need/desire for food. At the very least that's what i'm hoping for.

I hope that you enjoy your last pre band meal with a special night out. I took my wife to her favorite resturant (I like it too) and had a nice reasonably sized (not the queen or king sized but normal) prime rib dinner. Yesterday I started the pre op meals all liquid all optifast and today I can seriously say I am hungry but coping. I hope the pangs relent some over the next couple of days though otherwise it's going to be a long two weeks till Feb 10th surgery date. My dr. also requires a 7-10 pound reduction by then just like yours but I get nothing to chew on except my gummi bear vitamin . I do envy your plan it sounds more humane. This is almost like quitting smoking cold turkey. BTW you will notice all the food ads on TV as you get hungry but without the relief of hitting the fridge for a little snack. Heh Heh but I guess that's what got me to where I am today and I am working had to change that outlook. Good luck to us both on the 10th.

I had a optifast shake and 4 oz of OJ (for the added potassium). I am on day two of this and my stomach is talking big time. I am hungry! I'm sticking to it though but it's gonna be a really tough two weeks.