mrsto

My neighbor just sent this this website to me. I found some good recipes, and thought I'd share it here..... http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com

That is a beautiful thing - congrats!!

I had it really bad after surgery. I rumbling and rolling was VERY painful. The nurse at my doctor's office told me that they hear that a lot, but it passes. And it did. I thought it was from the plication, but apparently, band alone can cause it.

It's amazing when you feel the band start to do its job. I'm happy to hear you feel hopeful :-) When you are at that "sweet spot", it's wonderful! Less and less do I worry about getting out of control with food. My little "friend" keeps me in check, and it's a very secure feeling.

Yes, that fear will pass. I felt the same way for a long time, and now I have to force myself to remember to take small bites, and chew well. I've never had a stuck episode, or PBs, but sometimes I don't pay close attention, and realize that I'm veering off track. FYI, I also started on ground turkey with refried Beans. I didn't puree it, but I took tiny bites and chewed to a pulp. To this day, over five months later, it's still one of my favorite "band-friendly" meals. I make it at least once a week.

I never saw that post, but I'm interested to have the recipe, too. I just looked online, and there are tons of them.

Good for you.....congrats on the surgery, and the best of luck in your continued success FYI, some of that tiredness is from the surgery. It's a major assault on your body, not to mention the anesthesia.

Same here.....

Some of us aren't clear on this comment. It says, you shouldn't drink 15 minutes before a meal, then says you should? I don't know that your fingers typed what you were thinking

Fee - if you look for a NUT on your own, make sure they know the guidelines for bariatric patients. It's different than any Joe schmo walking in off the street. If you surgeon cannot refer you to one, maybe call a bariatric surgeon around your area & see if they have one there. Explain your situation. Since you're self pay, they may let you get nutritional counseling, independent of anything else they offer. Just a thought

At my doctor's seminar, he thoroughly covered each of the three surgeries. He no longer does the duodenal switch, so he touched on it, and explained why he no longer does it. Anyway, with all of the detailed info at the seminar, he flat out said that the band isn't his favorite, and explained why. He wasn't selling any one surgery in particular. He laid out all of the info; pros and cons to each. When I had my initial consultation, he felt that I'd do well with the bypass. There wasn't any "bait & switch" tactics, because he wasn't selling any one surgery at the seminar. I live in Southern California, and I can tell you, the barrage of call "1-800-Get-Thin" advertising was ALL over the place. I don't doubt for one second that there are many "bait & switch" doctors; not just in CA, but everywhere. But as mentioned by a poster above, it's up the the patient to do THEIR homework, to avoid getting sucked in to unsavory practices.

Wow, you look great! Thanks for putting the 50 pounds into perspective. I'm close to that number, and sometimes I have to remind myself just how much weight that really is. Congrats!!!

I'm white, and have had stretch marks since I was a young kid. I started gaining weight at the age of 6, and had many high to low swings since then. Even at my thinnest point, the stretch marks were still there. Although, they did shrink (because they weren't so stretched out), and faded. Still, lots of thin squiggly lines all over my thighs and butt. I now refer to them as my battle scars

I totally get it! After my two week post-op diet of liquids only, I was craving cottage cheese as if it were a fricken pizza! And I LOVE greek yogurt. At 5 months post-op, I still eat some almost every day. My favorite is Fage with the fruit in a separate little side cup.

PS: my doctor didn't put me on a fill schedule. They pretty much go on how I'm feeling, weight loss, etc.

My first fill was pretty hefty; a little over 3 cc's. That brought me to 6.2. The 2nd one (about 4-5 weeks later) was another .8, bringing me to an even 7. My 3rd fill (also about 4-5 weeks later) was very small, but brought me right into the green zone. That fill was .25. I'm pretty sure this will hold me for awhile, and I don't plan on anymore fills, anytime soon. I'll see how it goes. When I lose another chunk, maybe I'll need a small one.

There are so many, I can't really recommend any one in particular. If you go to The Vitamin Shoppe or a health food store near where you live, they can show you the different ones. I've taken liquids in the past, but have been on Celebrate chewables for awhile.

Jim, you've done a phenomenal job! I agree with Sojourner; try & set a more realistic goal, and take some of the pressure off. It's true that exercise needs to become part of our daily routine. Easier said than done, I know! If it weren't for my dog giving me "the face" every morning, I'd probably plop down at my desk, and not surface for hours. I used to take her to the park; play catch, then sit my butt down on a bench while she plays. Now, I take her out for a good 40-45 minute walk through the hills about 4-5 times a week, which has made a huge difference in my progress. I know I "should" (hate that word) do more, but for now, this seems to be "enough". You're doing great, Jim.... Keep it realistic, and try not to get down on yourself for not living up to your own expectations. As my father always says, just do the best you can :-)

I know how good you must feel. Congrats on a job well done!

We're going to my BF's house for Rosh Hashana, and I'm sure she mentioned it to a few people who will be there. I'm already anticipating what I will say, if anyone brings it up. At this point, as much as I don't really care what others think, I just don't have the energy explain it. Nor do I care to educate anyone who might have a negative opinion about it. Geez...another glass of wine, please!

I don't think you can delete posts. I've tried, but it doesn't seem to be an available function of the site.

Me, too......I tell them the answer. I'm proud of it, and it rolls right off my tongue, without hesitation.

You can also find liquid vitamins, which by comparison, have a higher level of vitamins AND minerals, over gummies.

I'm concerned that your doctor agreed to set you up for weekly fills. IMO, it's way too fast, and doesn't give you or your body time to register the FIRST fill. If you pass green, going straight to red so quickly, you will have undesirable issues. Please keep in mind that the band is for life; not the quick fix that so many of us sought in past attempts at weight loss. To set such an unrealistic December goal, I fear that you're setting yourself up for a major disappointment. What's the rush? I'm guessing that you didn't gain 60 pounds in three months, so it's highly unlikely that you will lose it in 3 months. I don't know what you've got planned at year end, but just try and relax with this. As mentioned by posters above, if you rush the fills, trying to force rapid weight loss, you can have serious complications.

Pre-band, I was on a low dose of blood pressure meds, my cholesterol was elevated, and I was pre-diabetic. Happy to say, I'm off the blood pressure meds, and my sugar and cholesterol are now in the normal range. Side note: If it weren't for the blood pressure meds, I don't know that insurance would have approved my surgery. For that, I'm glad that I was on them, and even happier to be OFF them