Frederic

I would hypothesize they were seeing if the fill was too much. The "wet cracker" was to test how well the opening would deal with a specific amount of digested matter. More specifically what the physician considered to be a reasonable amount of digested matter for her/you currently. Better to remove the fill then than have to schedule you for a second visit in just a few days. Theoretically as your stomach continues to heal and adjust to the band it will eventually be able to handle the cracker easily.

To clarify without the bracelet they might hold off on certain drugs for fear it is a cancer port or some other type of device.

I'd say it's a good idea but not mandatory. If you're unconscious an EMT would appreciate knowing why they feel hardware in your abdomen.

The ban on liquids is to slow the digestion of the food. Your body makes liquid to help with digestion naturally drinking water speeds the process think of the food in your stomach as dirt trying to go down a drain (the hole created by the band). Naturally we turn the dirt into sticky mud because we don't add much water but if you drink quickly you get more food mud but it's also thinner. For some people it will speed up how quickly it goes down the drain for others it just overflows the sink.

I wonder if it was a test of her stomach muscle strength and they didn't want to give her a fill if she could get stuck that easily.

I only decided to band after I lost 60 lbs, was eating as recommended and exercising as much as possible, my only to remaining options were weight loss pills or surgery. My doctor and I decided the surgery was a better option since I'm young and healthy whereas if I took diet pills and they only worked for a few years I'd be that much older and a less optimal patient for surgery. My advice is wait to get the surgery until you're ready to make the long term lifestyle changes. The surgery is just a tool if you're not ready it won't work as well. My surgery is tommorow but I've been practicing eating slower and not drinking during meals for months now and for years before that I calorie counted my food and paid close attention to my nutritional I formation while getting in as much exercise as I could fit in my schedule.

For pre-made shakes I prefer the EAS ADDvantage all of their flavors are better than Atkins are usually lower calories and have better protein content (17g). I also find they're more filling.

I tried the fruit punch Protein 42g protein shot today. For me was a bit like drinking cough syrup but without the medicine flavor. So I'd drink them if I need to but will try to get my protein elsewhere first. I'm pretty fond of light vanilla soy milk and the strawberry protein powder. If I mix it in a blender (or ninja) it's frothy and tastes like a strawberry shake.

I got no results with low weights high reps but this could simply be a case of different body compositions. I'd suggest choosing one type of routine and sticking with it for 2-3 months if you don't see any results or plateau quickly try something different but keep trying.

My experience with toning in the best was that HIT (high intensity training) worked best. Basically your goal was to do 10 reps at the heaviest weight you could manage. What I did is each time I went to the gym I'd record my weight and reps for each exercise. If I couldn't do at least 8 reps the next time I came in I'd reduce the weight if I could do more than 12 reps I'd increase the weight next time. The other factor was don't take long pauses between exercises move to the next one as quickly as possible. Immediately after this kind of workout I'd usually feel sore but energetic and the soreness would quickly fade but even at my heaviest this method always gave me some definition within just a few weeks. Another advantage was it was a quick workout the disadvantage I found was if the gym is crowded it can slow down how quickly you get to the next exercise.

As a diabetic with high blood pressure my weight losses and gains were well documented and my BMI was high enough it took longer to fill out the paperwork and schedule the Psych appt. than get approval.

Farina is very similar to cream of wheat or plain malt-o-meal.

To clarify I don't think I'm better than my wife I appreciate many of her strengths and recognize our strength as a couple is in our differences. I assume our difference in perception are rooted in our very different upbringings.

No going to the gym together didn't work since she's a morning person and I'm a night owl compounded with the fact my workout is so radically different from hers since we have different body types. She's practically phobic about going to the Dr. for any reason (she's had some big scares in the past) so that wasn't an option. She sees me as an active heavy set guy whose respected at work and surrounded by friends with an active social life. Since I manage my health she doesn't appreciate how much work I put into it just to maintain it. We don't have children and she doesn't like competitive activities because I often win and when I don't she either assumes I let her win or that beating me was too easy. Ideally she would go see a counselor to talk out her problems but she's said she doesn't want to pay someone to tell her she's wrong.

She thinks she's overweight but she isn't; she runs marathons and jogs over 10k every morning. She's just used to being the runner and me being the fighter. She had speed I had Strength I believe she's afraid she'll lose her identity that I'll become faster and more active than her. That I'll simply be better than her at the things she feels she's best at. She seems to be in denial about how obese I am and would rather wait until my diabetes and high blood pressure are out of control rather than doing the surgery now when I'm relatively stable with my meds and more likely to benefit from the surgery.

I believe you're referring to a prolapse. Imagine strangling a water balloon when the fluid suddenly shifts and one end of the balloon gets bigger that's what it's like.

My wife isn't very supportive I think she's tied alot of her identity to being the physically active one in our relationship. I think she's also afraid that if I'm physically attractive (since I'm already have such a captivating mind and irascible charm dwarfed only by my modesty) I won't be able to resist the waves of women she imagines throwing themselves at me.

First of all try drinking taking smaller swallows and see if it helps; think of sipping from a thimble.

I would encourage you to use MyFitnessPal.com to calculate the protien in your meals. Ounces of protien are less important than total grams of protien. If you're getting full quickly you might want seek some higher protien options as snacks.

Having worked with people on purée diets professionally my primary advice would be "don't purée your food" focus on foods that have a purée consistency naturally. Cream soups, mashed potatoes flavored/smoothed with broth instead of water or milk; cream of wheat, yogurt. Heck if you like spaghetti try a bowl of your favorite spaghettit sauce just eat it like soup.

As long as your stomach didn't prolapse it's pretty elastic, 1 incident shouldn't be a huge deal but watch for signs the band isn't working and be sure to tell your surgeon anything you notice.

Actually Caffeine (like most stimulants) is an appetite suppressant the problem is that it's a diuretic so it dehydrates you which slows your metabolism. I'm always mystified by coke soothing people's stomachs since it's actually highly acidic (that's why it works great for cleaning car batteries) but I know several people who swear by it.

I was told to stop 5 minutes before and wait til 30 minutes after. The reason to stop before is important during post op to make sure you don't feel full before you get your Protein eaten. The wait is so your brain fully registers your satiated; making it less likely you'll be hungry sooner. It's true Water will flow easily but the hole for the band is only so big and your digestive track only applies south pressure think of a sink drain. Big hole means fast drain small hole means slower drain. Right after surgery the swelling means it's a pretty small hole.

Speaking as a purely amateur chemist with a zany theory. I would suspect the issue with yogurt is how it's consistency is affected by your stomach's unique digestive bath. Even though pudding is the same consistency as yogurt outside your body it's Protein chains are much different pudding liquifies almost instantly in your stomach where as yogurt stays thick longer if you have weaker stomach acid that thicker yogurt might as well be a lump of glue that not only resists passing the band but also stops the natural exchange of fluids through the band. Adding kashi or blending the yogurt keeps the yogurt from lumping together so it breaks down more easily for some but possibly still not enough for everyone. Like I said pure hypothesis.

If you check with your local museums (both historical and art) and galleries they often have special events in the evening. You can also look into taking some classes together or doing something active like golf (full size or put put) or bowling. And of course there's always sporting events if there is something both of you enjoy watching.