tiggergramma

I bought a pressure cooker several years ago, just a regular stainless one, nothing fancy. It did not come with any kind of cooking instructions, unfortunately. The instructions I have been able to find online are pretty ambiguous, so I have really only used it once. I just don't know how much fluid to add or how long to cook anything. If anyone has any general ideas, or better yet, any recipes you use yours with, please share! I would like to start using this thing, especially as I am going to want meats tender and juicy from now on... Thanks in advance! Lori

One of the secrets to ungassing dry beans is to soak, soak, soak! Soak them in your biggest Soup pot full of Water at least overnight, but change the water at least twice and more than that if you can. If you can soak them 2 days, even better, just change the water every 8 hours or so until you are ready to cook them. To cook, just put them in fresh water with salt and pepper, onion, diced tomato, green pepper...whatever you want to flavor them really, or just leave them alone with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce and let simmer, covered, for an hour or several hours, depending on how soft you want them. A lot of people add garlic to them, but garlic makes me gassy, so I leave it out of everything.

Beans, cheese, greek yogurt, tofu, lentils, seitan...those and fish are my protein staples. Oh, and eggs!

Wow, unfortunately I could tell you exactly where mine is the second I woke up in recovery! It is the only place I had pain, and still do if I do certain things. It is much better than it was the first week or two, which I am grateful for. I know they generally prefer to place them on the left, unless there is an issue with space.

Jess, yes. Sorry! I totally misread your surgery date as December of this year!!! Anyway, good on you! I can't wait to being losing in earnest.

First of all, 73 lbs and you haven't even been banded yet? How amazing are YOU!!! Wow! I hear you on not being hungry after a workout; I try to at least get a protein drink down afterward, since I am thirsty then. And if I don't, I get ravenous later and have trouble not grazing the rest of the evening.

Not drinking enough fluids actually makes my band tighter. Worse than that is that it makes stools like cement. Without enough fluids, the colon cannot do its' job, which makes passing stools painful and can cause hemorrhoids. I used to get enough (barely, I was always chronically dehydrated before surgery) fluid from foods so this wasn't an issue, but now, since I'm not eating much, I really pay if I don't choke down the liquids!

Thanks! I figured it made a certain sense, but wanted to check.

Interesting! I will have to watch for that when I start working with mine. I don't intend to let him beat me up to start, but as we progress... Thanks!

Does anyone else find their band is tighter after working out? I am 2 weeks out of surgery and just started back at the gym this afternoon. I did a light treadmill workout to start gearing up again, and I feel as tight as I usually do in the mornings. Just wondering if this is a typical thing?

I did that several times the first week! It will pass as you get used to eating this way and how everything feels. Congratulations!

I meant to clarify that asparagus tops are fine, just not the stalks. I forgot to add that to my original post. Hubs and I have decided we will still steam all those things and I will eat what I can and he will eat what I can't; he likes the stalks on everything and of course has no problem eating them.

My surgeon says that fibrous veggies are hard to process unless they are literally cooked to death, which pretty much renders them useless to me. So, broccoli stalks, asparagus stalks, celery, etc. are hard to get down apparently. (I have only been banded 2 weeks, so I haven't tried any of this yet) However, he says that just about everything else is probably going to be no problem, although every individual is different. He has mentioned that white things; white rice, white pastas, white breads, generally don't go down well, while whole grain products seem to do ok. It has to do with gluten content. As I say, I am not at the stage of eating whole foods yet, but I will be introducing my mainly vegetarian diet back slowly, to see what I can and cannot tolerate. I think you will be fine to go back to your normal diet for most things.

You have to do what you have to do. I have had to be brutally honest with my mother over the years and tell her specifically the things I will never discuss with her again, because she is so hurtful to me. She hates it, but after the first several times, I think she finally gets it. {{{Wildrose}}}

Wildrose; Do you belong to a support group in your area? Does your surgeon or medical facility offer one? If so, can you take your mom to a support meeting with you? If not, definitely try to get her to an appointment with your surgeon next time you go...sometimes they have to hear things from a "voice of authority" because we are their daughters and we don't have that authority, or respect. I can't even tell my mother I had this surgery. She is such a cutting, snarky witch that there would never be a nice word out of her about it. My husband is watching me like a hawk, which is getting old in a hurry. I think just about everyone else 'gets' it. It's early yet, so we'll see. Best of luck to you! Lori

You are NOT a failure! Please, please don't let them push those buttons for you. If the losing has slowed down, try jump starting it with a few days back on liquids only, or change up your exercise routine, or add Protein to every meal, just don't give up! You did this for YOU, not for them!

I struggle to drink enough water ever, so I feel your pain. I had some trouble with it the first few days too, but it got better and I can get 8-10 oz down, sipping over an hour or so, with no upset now. Are other fluids going down without the nausea? If so, keep getting whatever fluids you can, other than coffee or caffeinated teas.

My mother lost hair from anesthesia a couple of months after her surgery. It stopped and reversed after a few weeks. 2 friends who were banded 5 months ago both lost hair at somewhere between 2 and 3 months postop, and have stopped now. Not something I am looking forward to, but I do know it will pass.

Other gentle helpers: Papaya enzyme, whether in pill form or papaya fruit or juice, Laci le Beau Dieter's Tea, Smooth Move Senna Tea.

I am still getting dizzy in various circumstances. Not sure if it is related to blood sugar, as I don't have any of my other typical symptoms. If it continues, it goes on my list of questions for the doc next time I see him.

I know there is a full moon coming on, but I have to say, this is the third or fourth thread I have read today where people are taking offense when none is meant and then the fight is on! First time since I joined this site that I have seen this, so either everyone is on the same cycle, or the moon is calling...Please, can everyone just take a deep breath and remember not all posts are attacks on you? Thanks.

And here I am hoping and hoping that I will finally be RID of my CPAP in a few months! LOL. Good luck on surgery!

What a fabulous post! Thank you, from someone who is now 6 days postop. I am battling my mind over exactly what the band means for my life, so to read your joy and excitement is exactly the right thing this morning! Good on you!

My doctor recommends 3-4 oz per hour of fluids with at least 30 grams of protein per day for the first week. costco sells a premade Protein Drink that is 30 or 32 grams of protein, so I drink one of those over about an hour. Yesterday I did not drink enough during the afternoon and could definitely feel a difference when I started taking in enough fluids again. I am learning what true discomfort is, hopefully learning how to avoid it as I move forward down this path!

I'm not so worried about eating, just trying to learn what 'restriction' may feel like so I know what to expect moving forward. I think I did probably drink too much yesterday, but today feels much different than yesterday did. Thanks for all the responses, this is a definite learning curve!