Cherrybomb

I'm a little over one week since my surgery and I feel fantastic. I'm actually anxious to start working out. Surgeon says to concentrate on walking but hate walking - always have. I want to use some of my workout tapes, just going at an easy pace. What do you guys think? Couldn't I do a little salsa workout if I steer clear of the abs?

I have the Homedics glass one as well and I wish I hadn't purchased it. I haven't been thrilled with its consistency.

Make that "film of a prototype" - not the prototype itself. Couldn't edit in the box for some reason.

My geek husband just showed me a prototype for the Wii called WiiFit. Apparently, when/if this game is released, users will be able to use a pressure sensitive foot pad for exercise, virtual hula hoops, yoga. It was demo'd at the E3 (electronic entertainment expo). Sounds like it will be a lot of fun.

I have a long way to go to get down to my "goal" weight, but I have a list of things I'd like to do that will be so rewarding. Here they are: 1) Get down below 300. My first priority 2) Wear the cute SJP Bitten jeans hanging in my closet as motivation 3) Cross my legs easily and comfortably 4) Buy bras at Victoria's Secret 5) Take up new exercise activities - running, bellydancing, ballet aerobics; get active and like it. 6) Go skiing 7) Be smaller (alot smaller) than my husband 8) Fit easily in all chairs, rides, booths - in fact, not have to even think about whether I will fit. 9) Wear calf-length boots 10) Lose my bustle butt 11) Lose 100 pounds 12) Bring my blood sugars down to normal range

I have a long way to go to get down to my "goal" weight, but I have a list of things I'd like to do that will be so rewarding. Here they are: 1) Get down below 300. My first priority 2) Wear the cute SJP Bitten jeans hanging in my closet as motivation 3) Cross my legs easily and comfortably 4) Buy bras at Victoria's Secret 5) Take up new exercise activities - running, bellydancing, ballet aerobics; get active and like it. 6) Go skiing 7) Be smaller (alot smaller) than my husband 8) Fit easily in all chairs, rides, booths - in fact, not have to even think about whether I will fit. 9) Wear calf-length boots 10) Lose my bustle butt 11) Lose 100 pounds 12) Bring my blood sugars down to normal range

I'm wondering if people are using bodybugg for more than a few weeks. Has it been worth the price? I don't want to pay that much for a gadget that I won't use after a few weeks.

I tried this last night and found it tasty. I took a can of refried beans and mixed it with a can of enchilada sauce to thin it out to the consistency of soup. I mashed any beans to oblivion. It was really tasty. A little spicy but I like spicy.

Good advice, Pinenut. I am feeling quite frisky but I shouldn't let that get me into trouble by overdoing things. Really, I am surprised how good I feel so soon after the surgery. The only thing that has been a problem has been my hunger. Thanks for the advice!

Oh, Pinenut - another question for you. When did Dr. Michaelson give you the all-clear to exercise? I want to start using my aerobic videos again but I bet I am a few weeks away from being allowed to use them. The thing is that I really don't like walking, but that seems like the only thing we are allowed to do now. Thanks, Cherry

Thanks, Pinenut. I thought it might be wishful thinking. I thought that I would try thinnning down refried beans to a watery consistency (with enchilada sauce) and see if that works. Thanks for the tip with stuffing. I will try to hold out the full two weeks for the mushies...:-(

I see Dr. Michaelson on Thursday for my one week post-op follow up. I am really hoping he gives me the all clear to add some soft food to my diet. Mashed avocado or hummus sounds like heaven to me right now.

27 pounds until I can join you all in beautiful twoterville. That's my goal by the end of the summer! (I was just banded on 7/5/2007)

I'd like the answer to that too. I love couscous.

the boxing burns the most calories, but I have found that I can get some good swings in on the baseball game too. If you are looking for another video game that does exercise, check out Yourself Fitness. I play it on the XBox but it has other platforms, I think. It customizes your workouts, gives you different scenery based upon your performance level and even offers a yoga session. The desert spa is fun scenery for exercise.

Yesterday, I was hungry. I mean full fledged, nauseous from the rumbling, hungry. Nothing seemed to help. Not protein shakes, not yogurt, not popsicles, not soup, not juice, not a latte - nothing. I was so sick by the end of the day from not eating something solid that all I could do was lay down on the sofa and wish I had never had the surgery. Not even a week since I received the band and I felt so low I didn't know if I could get up. Of course, factor in the fact that my grandmother's house burned to the ground the day before and I had been exerting myself trying to help her deal with it all. If ever I wanted a time for "comfort food" it was during this ordeal. But the comfort wasn't there. Not with pizza or french fries, or mashed potatoes. Just liquid. I know my hunger was physical, I simply was crashing from the lack of calories and the energy expended. But it was mental too. I was mentally hungry for the foods that make me feel better. I was physically hungry and I wanted to fill that hunger with feel good foods - not pureed bean soup. There is nothing appealing about pureed bean soup. Especially when you just want to feel full and warm and ok as you watch the ashes of a home smolder and almost 90 years of life go up in smoke. We are so grateful that my grandmother survived the fire but the trauma is still very real and very scary. I find myself worrying about my own home. I looked carefully at my son's nightlight, I unplugged our outdoor water fountain, I slept fitfully thinking of smoke. This kind of turmoil is rare for most people, thankfully. But here I am dealing with it in full force and I can't even eat with my family, can't even comfort myself with those foods of my childhood. Yesterday, I was hungry. Hungry in my body, my mind and my soul. I can't remember ever being this hungry before, but most of it had nothing to do with the protein shakes and the jello.

Yesterday, I was hungry. I mean full fledged, nauseous from the rumbling, hungry. Nothing seemed to help. Not protein shakes, not yogurt, not popsicles, not soup, not juice, not a latte - nothing. I was so sick by the end of the day from not eating something solid that all I could do was lay down on the sofa and wish I had never had the surgery. Not even a week since I received the band and I felt so low I didn't know if I could get up. Of course, factor in the fact that my grandmother's house burned to the ground the day before and I had been exerting myself trying to help her deal with it all. If ever I wanted a time for "comfort food" it was during this ordeal. But the comfort wasn't there. Not with pizza or french fries, or mashed potatoes. Just liquid. I know my hunger was physical, I simply was crashing from the lack of calories and the energy expended. But it was mental too. I was mentally hungry for the foods that make me feel better. I was physically hungry and I wanted to fill that hunger with feel good foods - not pureed bean soup. There is nothing appealing about pureed bean soup. Especially when you just want to feel full and warm and ok as you watch the ashes of a home smolder and almost 90 years of life go up in smoke. We are so grateful that my grandmother survived the fire but the trauma is still very real and very scary. I find myself worrying about my own home. I looked carefully at my son's nightlight, I unplugged our outdoor water fountain, I slept fitfully thinking of smoke. This kind of turmoil is rare for most people, thankfully. But here I am dealing with it in full force and I can't even eat with my family, can't even comfort myself with those foods of my childhood. Yesterday, I was hungry. Hungry in my body, my mind and my soul. I can't remember ever being this hungry before, but most of it had nothing to do with the protein shakes and the jello.

I had my surgery on Thursday and by Monday, I was starving. I am on two weeks of liquids now and honestly, I don't think I can make it. I was nauseous most of the day from being so hungry. I hope my doctor lets me move to soft foods early.

Lynette, Unfortunately I can't have cottage cheese or anything "soft" yet. My doctor requires a two week liquid phase then a two week soft phase. Last night, I liquified some clam chowder and that helped. I've been drinking the extra protein Slim Fast shakes to up the protein levels. Living on liquid has been much harder than the surgery itself.

I have been so hungry today that I have been nauseous most of the time. I know the band isn't filled yet, which makes this "bandster hell" but come on - this is going to be a nightmare until I get to mushies. I see my doc on Thursday, I'm praying that he'll let me skip ahead a week and start eating soft foods. When scrambled eggs sound like heaven, I know that I am in trouble...

Physically, I'm feeling great (only three days out from surgery) but mentally, I had a hard time last night. I started doubting again. I wondered if I rushed into this decision. My hubby valiantly tried to reassure me but honestly, I was scared. Scared of what, I really can't say. I guess I was afraid that I would have a bunch of complications and need surgery again. Or that I would be some kind of freak, having to eat jello the rest of my life. I know none of this is likely but Fear and I have a long standing relationship. I worry - a lot. I sweat the big stuff, the small stuff and the impossible stuff. I'm the kind of worry wart that won't touch egg salad at a picnic for fear of food poisoning from the heat. So take someone with major anxiety and plop them into the situation where they now have a device inside them and a whole new way of living to learn. I guess it is no wonder I kinda freaked out. Strangely, this morning, I felt calm. I made a cup of tea, and really didn't think about the band. I guess each day will be unknown for awhile, until I settle into this new lifestyle. Some days I will be feeling great - both mentally and physically - and some days my old friend Fear will pop up for a visit. I guess this is all part of the journey. I will know I have turned the corner on my new life when Fear no longer factors into my thoughts. "A life lived in fear is a life half lived"

I tried a Soup listed in the Eating after Weight Loss Surgery cookbook. It was Cold Shrimp Soup. I have never been a fan of cold soup but the recipe was super simple and I thought I would give it a try. Actually, it wasn't half bad. If I were someone who liked cold Soups, I think I really would have enjoyed it. There is something about eating shrimp that have been liquified though... Has anyone found some good "bandster hell" recipes to share?

My surgeon made me feel at ease that slippage and erosion aren't problems anymore, so I'm wondering if these things happen more to people who have had the band awhile? What generally causes slippage?

The new Fruit Punch flavor is great - but it is a little sweet. I add a bit more water to tone it down. Good stuff though. And the Sunrise "Classic Orange" crystal light tastes like Tang to me. Good for an AM pick-me-up.

In my classic OCD way, I am always impatient for things to get going. I focus on what I want to have happen and then I keep fixating on that until it either happens or I finally realize that it isn't going to. Well, no suprise that I am impatient to be fully functional after the surgery. It is day three and even though I have made remarkable progress - no nausea, no narcotics, able to walk around and do things - I still want to be ready for everything. I want to start riding my bike. The bike that has been languishing in the garage for seven years. I want to sleep through the night without feeling the soreness of my stomach wounds. I want the weight to just fall off of me like so much magic. This morning, my weight was up four pounds from yesterday. Now I know there is no way that I gained any weight - it is fluid for recovering from the surgery - but the old voice of impatience rings out and wants the weight to hurry up and come off. Part of this journey is going to be getting my head to just go along on the journey and not be fixating on the end. I need time to relearn how to be me - how to eat again, how to exercise, how to relate to my family and friends as the "new me". Patience is going to be my watch word for awhile. This journey is just beginning; I better settle in for the long haul.