Nikki Riviotta

yep I am ALWAYS cold lol guess it's a good thing

yellow squash (the frozen kind in a bag) has been one that has been really easy for me and I have found I love it! Also fresh spinach, wash it throw it in a pan with a lid and steam it goes down easy, also good source of fiber. oikos greek yogart (dannon) has 12 grams of protein per cup and depending on the fruit between 19 and 21g of carbs per cup. I have found Slim fast protein shakes are amazing (low carb diet chocolate) they have 20g of protein per bottle. walmart carries these. Turkey burgers are great too. Just a few foods that have helped me get back on track when I have strayed from my path a little. Good Luck to you!

I would have to ask you How much protein are you taking in daily? How many carbs are you taking in daily? Are you keeping a food journal? Then the big question, How much are you exercising? If you are doing all these things the way that your surgeon has advised you to do it then you may need a fill. OR maybe your too tight, are you vomiting alot with meals? Do you seem to get stuck everytime you eat? I too was banded 11 months ago and that is a problem that I had. I plateaued because I was too tight and threw up every meal I ate. I actually started turning to slider foods for a bit because I felt like I was starving. Unfortunatley during this time I was out of town for 6 weeks and could not go see my surgeon. So when I got back he did an unfill and then I have had to work back up on my band fluid a bit but have now seemed to have hit my sweet spot. I am losing steadily. I eat 3 small meals a day. Usually a yogart and a half of a banana for breakfast, then I go to the gym for 45 min for and hour Mon-Fri. Come home from the gym and drink a protein shake and shower, then eat tuna or chicken on pita bread for lunch and a veggie if I still feel hungry after the sandwhich. Dinner is usually a recipe from lapband.com something also high in protein low in carbs and a veggie. snacks in between if i get hungry are string cheese, cottage cheese, fruit, or light popcorn. I also drink 4-5 16 oz bottles of water daily. I would definately go in and talk to your surgeon or give him/her a call, or if they have a dietician in their office that you can speak with do that. Also if you have any bariatric support groups in your area those are so helpful and you meet and can talk to people that you can relate to and you can set goals together. I hope this helps. Good luck to you!

I have occasions where my port will hurt really bad. I have gone to my surgeon and to the ER before worried that I had really messed something up to find that everything was just perfect. The only explaination that I can offer you that seems to make the most sense is that when you were exercising you may have tweaked the muscle that your port is attached to. If the pain becomes unbearable you may want to have it looked at but most likely if you take it easy for a few days the pain should go away on its own.

My Doctor never told me no soda so I allow myself one soda per week. That for me is good. Before the band I drank soda like there was no tomorrow. But allowing myself to have one a week is like my weekly "treat" It is all about what your doctor tells you and what your preferences are.

Was 179 right before Thanksgiving. Went to 188 at Christmas. Down to 186.5 at my appointment on Jan 10, now down to 177

I hit a plateau in July/Aug. Called my nutritionist she told me to go back to the pre op diet. I did it and with in a couple of weeks it helped get the ball rolling for me again. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Great Job! Very happy for you! Keep up the good work!!!!

Thank you! I will head over to google

For those of you that have Tricare. Will they cover a Tummy tuck after WLS? I am 35 lbs from my goal and I have skin sagging around my stomach. I hate it and its very irrating...thats really the only problem area I am seeing, well that and a bit of lipo in my thighs wouldnt hurt anything LOL... But if anyone can offer any insight I would greatly Appreciate it Thank you!

So I am hosting a Thanksgiving dinner at my house next week. I bought the Turkey and am now wondering how to cook it so that it is healthy. In the past before the band and all the changes I have made I would just Soak it in broth and smear it all over with lots of butter. Now that is just no okay for me to do. So does anyone have any good Turkey recipes or cooking tips for me??? Also if anyone has any ideas or healthy recipes for the leftover turkey ( Soups salads, casseroles etc. ) I would love that too! Thanks in Advance and hope everyone has a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

My doc told me the painful hiccups and burps are from not chewing good enough. So I started to watch how well I was chewing my food and the hiccups stopped. As for the rumbling, I didnt have an issue with that until recently and I have been banded for 8 months. Mine is accompanied by Sharp stomach pains. I have been to the ER a few time and to the Doc, test and xrays even a cat scan showed everything looked fine in my stomach area and port, so I started a process of elimination with my diet and realized I am lactose intolerant/sensative. May not be the case here of course, especially if there is no pain with it, but if it starts to get that way you may look in to

This week has been full of slips...Dang Halloween! BUT I have taken control. My husband is in the military and works with a bunch of younger guys, anyway he leaves for a week every other week, so I have bagged up what is left of my kids (I have 3) Halloween candy which equaled out to an entire walmart sack full to the brim and I am sending it with him to feed to all of his co workers!!!! It was a hard thing to do, as I love Chocolate....this is something I would have never done a year ago. I am so proud of my will power.....I just feel like I am ruining the fun of eating all of their candy (cause normally they get it very seldom throughout the year) but hey if they want something sweet they have fruit they can snack on just like Mom right? I am proud of this like I said there is no way I would have done that before I decided to change my life! So I thought I would share this accomplishment!

I was banded on 3/21/11 and since have lost 70 lbs. It has been quite a journey but I can do this just 35 more to go!!!

thank you. That puts my mind at ease.

About a week and a half ago I felt a popping sensation when I leaned over the arm of the couch to pick something up. I shrugged it off to me popping, as I sometimes do but as time goes I feel very uncomfortable sensation as if my port is moving around. Today I feel like its kind of off to my side....not a great feeling. I called the on call doc since it is sunday and he said if I do not have fever nausea or chills I should be okay to wait until Tuesday for my appointment I already have for my surgeon. (The doctor I talked to is not a lapband surgeon just a general surgeon) But I can call and talk to my surgeons nurse tomorrow if need be. I am really scared. Each day that goes by I get more and more uncomfortable. Has anyone else had this issue. Does this advise sound correct? Any advice?

About a week and a half ago I felt a popping sensation when I leaned over the arm of the couch to pick something up. I shrugged it off to me popping, as I sometimes do but as time goes I feel very uncomfortable sensation as if my port is moving around. Today I feel like its kind of off to my side....not a great feeling. I called the on call doc since it is sunday and he said if I do not have fever nausea or chills I should be okay to wait until Tuesday for my appointment I already have for my surgeon. (The doctor I talked to is not a lapband surgeon just a general surgeon) But I can call and talk to my surgeons nurse tomorrow if need be. I am really scared. Each day that goes by I get more and more uncomfortable. Has anyone else had this issue. Does this advise sound correct? Any advice??

I was curious if anyone has experience discomfort in the area of their fluid port once they got closer to their final goal weight? I am about 35 pounds from my goal and my port area is really uncomfortable now. I t seems like when I lay on it or sit one the couch and lean on it it is very irratable and tender....Never had a problem until the last week. Also having stomach pains and everytime I eat just alittle I get nauseated. But an hour later I am hungry again. I had fluid taken out of my band 6 or 7 weeks ago due to Gas in the pouch. I went to see the surgeon last week and had lost 10 pounds since the band was loosened so he didnt add any fluid. Why do I feel this way now? I havent done anything different. Any advice...suggestions or anything would be appreciated.

I was curious if anyone has experience discomfort in the area of their fluid port once they got closer to their final goal weight? I am about 35 pounds from my goal and my port area is really uncomfortable now. I t seems like when I lay on it or sit one the couch and lean on it it is very irratable and tender....Never had a problem until the last couple weeks. Any advice...suggestions or anything would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

First Congrats! 31pounds is awesome. Then Second, I lost 10 pounds on the pre op diet and then another 10 pounds the week after surgery and it never came back. So most likely you will keep it off! Good Luck with everything!

I was banded 3-21-11...so your day will be my 7 month mark....I love the band. No regrets here! you will do fine! Go in with the "I will nail this" attitude and give it your all! You already took a HUGE step by joining the YMCA....If you get into going there EVERYDAY like Monday-Friday at a certain time it will become a routine and you will just do it. That is what I did as soon as the doctor released me to exercise. Good Luck to you. Friday will be the first day of the rest of your life! Run with it and you will soar!

Same here! I am a total night owl LOL! I don't work, but I am a stay at home mom and WOW the kids keep me hopping...They got to school all day BUT while they are gone I take advantage of it and do almost all of my daily house work, Grocery shopping, and of course my daily workouts at the gym. I also squeeze in my school work...They come home and its homework, cooking dinner and then baths and bed...after bed clean up the dinner mess and maybe fold laundry if I have some to fold...but by 9pm I am usually curled up on the couch with my laptop and enjoying a good sitcom....I do believe I will be investing in some melatonin myself.

No I work out in the morning the only caffeine I take in is my coffee first thing in the morning which is only 2 cups....I basically just sit and try and relax in the evening after my kids go to bed. Thats why I am stuck...not sure why the sudden change....