jayeedee

Try open office for a downloadable one openoffice.org is the website I believe. Or you can always use google docs if you are okay having to be online to update it.

I blended and then popped it in the microwave to heat. Seems safer in case of soup explosion! lol

The only soup I found that was really good blended and had a good amount of protein was a Panera Tuscan Chicken soup. I bought it at Costco.

I hope to lose 60lbs over the first year, and my doctor wants me to go for 80lbs. So I set up a series of increasingly difficult weight loss goals... which has me thinking I should have done it in reverse, but I really love instant gratification. My goal weights where I do something nice and fancy for myself are 15lbs then another 25lbs, then anothe 35lbs. That means if I meet all of my goals I will be down 75lbs over the course of the year. what are you aiming for? is it you or your doc?

I'm laughing at all of us with late periods at the same time. I, unfortunately seemed to have had PMS despite the no period!! I can't accept that I was just that much of an emotional wreck for no reason!! lol

I was on the verge of making an identical post. Mine is late as well, and my surgery was the 13th.

My first goal was to lose 15lbs from the day I walked in to the doctors office, post band... which meant I also needed to lose the 5lbs I gained over the holidays. I made it today My next goal is the next 15lbs.

I felt the same as you for the first... 3 days. I wouldn't allow myself to say regret though. I gave myself a week. I hope you feel better soon!!!!!!

20lbs is the absolute max my doc wants people to lose the first month. Needless to say, that is a huge success! Nothing to feel blue about.

I told my husband, my two best friends, and my Mother & Father In-Law. I told my family that I am doing a medically supervised diet, which is true. It is a personal decision who you tell. Everyone that knows has heard it from me, and they all no I am generally a fairly private person... and we all agreed it is for the best that I never tell my actual family. I wanted to make sure the people I told know me well enough to understand the whys, and loved me enough to be supportive no matter what. I also wanted to tell people that, even after they knew, wouldn't be paying close attention to my weight. You have every right to be upset with your husband. Though you are married, he knew that you were not telling everyone right away and should have consulted with you before disclosing.

Thank you! I download a bunch of pages. Why are the # of servings so many though!?

I had one incision, so I think it was a bit extra sore. I still had a little bit of sorness two weeks out, but I was semi-mobile in 3 days

I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday. He is very happy with how everything is healing. My surgery was shown at a conference, and he said it was one of the easiest/best one's he's done and everyone was impressed, so yay! With how well everything has been going, he let me move my next appointment up by a week, which means my post op meal plan is officially accelerated. Basically, I have to be on solid foods a week earlier than planned, so I get to do mushies AND soft foods in the same week. So, now that I can eat real food, I am trying to determine what makes the most sense for meal planning. Since I am not eating full meals anymore, I am trying to figure out how to make things that are worth all the hassle to cook, that are healthy (I have that part down), but will also be good for a 2 (almost 3) year old, a 5 year old, and a husband that was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism so he's super hungry and can't gain weight. I am also trying to figure out how often I should cook. Etc. Etc. While I do enjoy that we are all capable of living off of Trader Joe's frozen meals, I kind of feel like cooking too. I think cooking will be an important part of this lifestyle change. Also, if anyone has any quick, easy, low amount of ingredient recipes they plan to live off of for a while, please share!

Ha! You got me to finally watch it. I am happy that I will be buying smaller portions of meat with the lap band. I think it will make me feel okay spending a bit more for the local stuff (I try to buy local/grass fed/free range as much as I can but it is pricey). One of the other suggestions I can offer you is to eat Turkey if you can stomach it. I'm not a big turkey fan, but it isn't as massed farm. Another great suggest, organic frozen veggies and fruit. They're harvest when they are in season and softer than fresh stuff so easier for us to chew properly

Did you previous band have any Fluid in it? I also had a small fill in mine post surgery. I am not having any stuck episodes (I'm on mushy and soft food that can be mushed with a fork right now). But as I transition from the full liquids to the thicker food, I'm finding I am having to learn my stop point as well as the right pace to eat. If I eat too quickly it is hard to swallow and I feel something similar to short of breath but not quite. I think the red zone is only when you can't keep stuff down and when you are having trouble with liquids. Maybe try to eat slower and chew a bit more and see if that helps? My doc adds fills at the time of surgery to "prime the band" (his term not mine). It also seems to help with bandster hell, and I am eternally grateful for that.

I made it through my first to weeks!!! I went to the doctor and he is happy with my progress. Between pre-op and the band I am down 15-16lbs. He gave me permission to move on to mushies and I am sooooo happy. I pulled out the food processor and am having frozen broccoli with a very light cheese sauce and powdered egg whites added for protein. He also gave me permission to start using cardio equipment. I will be on my bike tonight! So excited.

My favorite juice combination is apple/beet/ginger! You can add spinach to it if you want, but that is the base. Apple/Green Veggie/Lime is also a yummy take on lemonade. Carrots are also a good base and go well with lots of things. If you like something savory, celery is a good base (also good to help with Water retention) Have fun & Happy Juicing!

I am thinking of singing up for a 5k on my 30th Birthday, March 24th. I am debating if I have enough time to prepare. I can walk it right now... I'd like to be able to do more than walk though. Any suggestions for training outside of c25k? As soon as I get the okay from my doc I'll start resistance training again, and my stationary bike... and then some jogging/power walking would be good too. I think I can be in okay enough shape by my birthday to do it. Anyone else doing fitness/exercise planning? If so, what do you have planned?

Apreezy! I am stalled too! As soon as I added in full liquids my body said... alright we're done. It's been three days now. I'm not going to the bathroom as much either. I'm trying to increase my water intake to see if it helps. My incision is still sore so I can't exercise too much without it hurting for the rest of the day so... I'm hoping once that is over with movement will help too. Up your water is the only suggestion I have... also, I am jealous about the vegetables... very, very jealous lol.

I am a friday the 13th-er too who also HATES Protein shakes!! I was so sick the week before from trying the shakes the doctor wanted me on, I thought I was going to be ... not so good with the first few weeks. However, I found that the Metabolic restart shakes are actually good. I mix the chocolate with skim milk and it tastes just like chocolate milk. I mix the strawberry with some fresh fat free kefir, and the texture/flavor are very similar to a drinkable strawberry frosting. The vanialla one I mixed with a regular via and skim milk before surgery but can mix with a decaf via now for a coffee shake. For full liquids does your doc let you do pureed Soups? Mine does, so I have 1-2 Soup meals a day and 1-2 Meabolic Restarts depending on how much soup I had and how hungry I am feeling. Good luck!

Hi Mish!! I weigh myself daily too, but only when I am working at losing... I know weight fluctuates daily but it lets me know if I am making progress... Plus I have edema so if there is a really high bump I know I need to do something to get rid of the water. I was at around a pound a day on clear liquids. Now that I am full I will consider myself in the good intake range if I am at .5lbs a day. Good luck on two weeks of clear liquids!! I moved to full liquids a day early yesterday because I was getting massive headaches by the end of the day from the week before surgery. Clear liquids made it that much worse. Since being able to cut out the artificial sweetners my head feels normal again... and I am soooooo thankful. I am looking forward to a week of pureed soups and yogurty drinks. Hope everyone is doing well!

I am so happy I managed to avoid the gas pains. I was super scared of them. I took a gasx strip every 3 hours just to make sure they stayed at bay, since the box said I could have 8 a day. I occasionally had some burps that felt a little stuck, but nothing too severe. I'm sorry you weren't able to avoid the gas pains as well. From my few days ahead experience, once the gas started coming out the other end too, the burp stuck pain subsided, so relief is on the way if it hasn't already hit you yet!

I am walking. I didn't realize how much I dance while doing stuff until my husband started asking me, constantly, if I should be doing whatever it is that I'm doing while dancing. Cannot wait for the 6 weeks to be up so I can start weight/resistance training. I had a dream about exercise equipment last night. This inhibition to my mobility is driving me crazy!

We were banded the same day!!! I was only on liquids for a week before surgery, but I did some experimenting before hand for the post surgery diet (the pre-surgery they had a preferred shake that was awful and I couldn't stomach so I secretly switched). The only protein shake I found that was good was metabolic reset, specifically the chocolate. I found that when you mix it with skim milk, it actually tastes like chocolate milk. I bought it at whole foods and amazon carries it too. I also have some unflavored egg white protein that I can mix in with liquidy yogurt or one of the 45 calorie coconut milk things and then I add one of the Archer Farms little fruity flavor packets and have a protein "smoothy". I just have to add liquid vitamins and fiber (or crushed vitamins if you are okay with the vitamin taste).

How is everyone doing? or how did everyone do? I'm rounding out the first which which my doctor prescribed as clear liquids only. I can't wait to make a salty watery yogurt drink come Friday...