chrissylu

I like the chocolate EAS 100% whey protein. I mix it with unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

walking every hour is good. I've read that some have used a heating pad to help with the shoulder pain. Gas-x yes. Other than that, you just gotta give it time to work itself out of your body. All liquids post-op. Your doctor should have given you some guidelines/meal plan. Some want clear liquids for a day or two and then just liquids (like protein shakes, milk, soup, etc). The time-frame depends on your doctor. My doc had me back on real food by the end of my first week. I've read where others have had liquids for two weeks, purees for two then mushies for four, then solid food. Check with your doc and nutritionist. God bless and congrats on your surgery!

Oh my...it does seem like we are all going through very similar things right now! Let's just keep encouraging each other and listening when one (or more) of us needs to vent. On the upside, I FINALLY hit the 50 lb. mark this morning! yay! Now if it will just stay off. Since its TTOTM, I don't know if it will or not. Trying to stay active to keep it from coming back. Also trying the "alternating calorie levels" to see if that will help. I haven't had any red meat in almost two weeks. I DID have a VERY small slice of pizza (my very favorite thing) last night...first time since January. I was worried about getting stuck on the crust. However, I chewed and chewed and took small bites...really enjoying the taste of that cheap frozen pizza. LOL. Amazingly, that one little slice was enough to satisfy my craving for it. 3 1/2 months ago...I would have eaten at least 3 large slices of pizza. And my food tracker (i use the Lapband.com tracker) showed that the stats weren't horrific..so I don't feel bad about having it. Today, I'm wearing one of my very favorite skirts...and it will probably be the last time I wear it because I keep having to pull it up! JDI...you may be getting a really pretty black, front-pleated skirt soon! LOL.

I have a chocolate flavor that I mix with unsweetened almond milk. I also use a tablespoon of instant coffee dissolved in no more than 1/4 c. of water and add that to my shakes. Nectar brand protein powders have a multi-pack you can buy and there's all kinds of flavors in that. You could also get unflavored protein powder and add it to chicken or beef broth, or tea or something like that. I haven't tried that myself but have read of others who have. Best wishes to you and God bless!

I generally do the same as hedder14. However, I think in terms of what the size of that pouch is. If my doctor says no more than a cup of food, I picture my pouch as being the size of 1 c. measuring cup. If I look at it that way, the weight of the food doesn't matter as much as the volume of food. I know now that my pouch will not hold more than a cup of food. If I go over a cup, I'm miserable. But it might've taken four ounces of fish and a 1/4 c of green beans to get to that cup. That's a lot of food on my plate but, I'm satisfied and not too full after I eat. May not work for everyone that way. I dont know.

not sure JDI...I've never had that done. One would think so though.

Jenn1214...that is such an awesome NSV. I have to admit...I still get perturbed at comments and actions like that. I just want to scream at people..."You don't like the way I look now??? You shoulda seen me 3 1/2 months ago!" But...it doesn't do any good to get angry over it. We only hurt ourselves when we react rather than respond. I may need to have tattooed on the inside of my arm so I don't forget what I just wrote. LOL.

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day! We were pretty lazy after I returned from the gym yesterday morning. However, had a good NSV over the weekend. My mom gave me a pair of jeans from a friend of hers. 18s! Yay! They were a little snug...but they won't be after this week. woot woot!

It sounds like the doc wanted to get the $$$ for the surgery and doesn't really care what happens afterward. If you had insurance coverage for this, I would call the insurance company and find another reputable doctor that has references of good aftercare. As far as the surgery goes, it does not count you out for converting to by-pass. however, there might be an insurance issue. I would check some websites for referrals of other doctors in your area and check with your insurance to see if you can switch to someone else. This doc is unlike anything else I've read on these forums. Best of luck to you and God bless! Hang in there...the hunger pains are normal but you are also in what is known as "bandster hell"...not restricted yet and trying to pretty much do it on your own. My doc filled after 3 weeks post surgery. keep us posted.

Wow hookiluv! 18 pounds in 2 1/2 weeks is great! I hate to say this but your doctor sounds mean! My doc never asks for food records. I just fill out a sheet when I go in as to the kinds of food I've been eating. As for the feeling hungry...I did too. Someone on this forum explained to me that even though the top part of your stomach may be full, the bottom part of your stomach has not yet adjust to the change of eating habits and still "feels hungry" until the food moves from the upper to the lower part of your stomach. It didn't take long after that for me to stop feeling that way. Now if "its hungry"...I know its true hunger. Plus your body is still healing from the surgery and that will affect a lot of things. God bless!

I know what you mean JDI! My band is at 4.9cc (i think...10cc band) and I was doing okay...until this week. Maybe its just psychological...but I feel like I want to eat all the time! I'm trying to keep water on my desk to drink if I get an urge. The SF Hawaiian punch mixed into it is helping to stave of the sweet cravings for a bit. But I'm struggling this week too. I think I'm going to call and see if our dietician is in today.

I don't remember having race to the bathroom issues either. Gas-x also has chewables as well. Post-op...the bathroom issue is iffy. I'm over three months out and still trying to figure out how to get "regulated". Trying to add more fiber and water to my diet.

Well just remember Scarlett O'Hara..."tuh-marrah is anutha day"...well...today is another day. Start over my friend! As I sit right now, two people have brought in baked goods from a bake sale at one of our ad agencies. So far I've had 1/4 of a whoopie pie and a sliver of a toll house cookie bar. ugh! I have two weeks to wait for a fill. I had protein shake this morning (started right after my workout this a.m. and finally finished it 2 1/2 hours later. Then about an hour ago I had a 1/2 c. of scrambled egg w/a mushroom in it. I still feel like I'm hungry. I don't like it...no sir...not one bit. Okay...now that we've hashed it out and vented...Time to start again. I'm tired of the scale not moving this week so gotta figure something out. I might do a protein shake diet again for a few days.

126dee...welcome. Wow...I am so far behind on catching up with everyone's posts...so I'll just say "Great job Everyone!" Even if the scale isn't moving,we can still find things to celebrate. For instance, all my rings are spinning around my ring finger. I'm having to wear some on my middle & index fingers. I put on a size 20 skirt this morning...and honestly...I think I could wear an 18 right now! So my point is...whether the "metal monster" is moving or not, look for those NSV's to keep you going....and come back here for honesty and encouragement. We're all in this together!

Nicole...NSV is Non-Scale victory....things that have nothing to do with what the scale says. Like your buying a new size capris at GW, or getting in a mile and a half on the treadmill when you thought you could only do a mile, etc. BIDIA is But I Did It Anyway. I've been using that one a lot lately! Congratulations on your success! We are very close in where we are. I've got one more pound to 50 but it just doesn't seem to want to go away. LOL. Meredith...I wish I could go for hours at a time without eating. I'm barely making it to the 3-4 like the doc wants. However, he seemed pleased at my last appointment two weeks ago. However, if the scale doesn't start moving again soon, I may have to ask for another fill.

Whew! Thank you for putting it all into black & white for us! I am so glad I found a great surgeon (I'm in Tennessee also), and he has a wonderful staff. However, I have experienced a lot of the same things from prior doctors. In fact, my general practitioner would change the subject everytime I mentioned possibly having LAP-band surgery. I finally took the matter into my own hands and made appointments and got information, until all he had to do was write a letter to my surgeon and the insurance company. I think at that point, he finally realized I was serious. Again, thanks for writing this.