Cherrybomb

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.

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"

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.

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.

I am on day two since my surgery. Yesterday, when I came home from the surgery, all I could think about was things I couldn't eat. I started to doubt myself, doubt that I had made the right decision, doubted that I could stand having this thing in my body. I tried not to think about it and worked on losing myself in something else so I wouldn't dwell. Today though, I really started to settle into the idea of my new life. My sister said to me, "Congratulations, it is your new birthday." And I guess, that really is a true statement. My life is going to be very different from here on out. Not just the change in eating habits (the dos and don'ts) but in who I am. I am excited to start dropping weight so I can find my inner athelete. I want to participate in the Danskin Triathlon next year. I want to be physically strong, I want to run. Those are things that I couldn't accomplish carrying around my weight. Now, those things seem closer than they ever were before. I want to be a better parent for my son - more active, more willing to take changes and try new things. I want to find some inner peace and tap into serenity, improving the quality of my life and decreasing my stress. I don't know if the band will be with me forever, but I hope that the lifestyle changes will be. I am excited to discover who I am behind this mask of pounds. Excited and a little scared.

I am on day two since my surgery. Yesterday, when I came home from the surgery, all I could think about was things I couldn't eat. I started to doubt myself, doubt that I had made the right decision, doubted that I could stand having this thing in my body. I tried not to think about it and worked on losing myself in something else so I wouldn't dwell. Today though, I really started to settle into the idea of my new life. My sister said to me, "Congratulations, it is your new birthday." And I guess, that really is a true statement. My life is going to be very different from here on out. Not just the change in eating habits (the dos and don'ts) but in who I am. I am excited to start dropping weight so I can find my inner athelete. I want to participate in the Danskin Triathlon next year. I want to be physically strong, I want to run. Those are things that I couldn't accomplish carrying around my weight. Now, those things seem closer than they ever were before. I want to be a better parent for my son - more active, more willing to take changes and try new things. I want to find some inner peace and tap into serenity, improving the quality of my life and decreasing my stress. I don't know if the band will be with me forever, but I hope that the lifestyle changes will be. I am excited to discover who I am behind this mask of pounds. Excited and a little scared.

I was just banded yesterday and I'm feeling great. When I got home yesterday though, the first thought I had was "oh my gosh, I can't EAT." My head instantly wanted something. I was finally able to appease it with broth and to distract it with fashion runway shows on TV. But for those of you who get this head hunger, how do you deal with it? Does it get better when you really start to see results? Do you struggle with this all the time? Thanks, Cherry

If you don't have a body length pillow, I would suggest getting one. I was able to sleep pretty much through the whole night using the pillow to support my side. It worked really well. I only woke up twice - once to shift sides and once for some liquid tylenol. So far, I haven't needed my prescription narcotic yet. I hope that stays true. Day two this AM and I am feeling good. My stomach feels sore but nothing like I expected yet. I'm going to try walking outside today if I stay feeling this good.

Hi everyone, Well, I'm back. It was four hours total from arriving at the surigical center to discharge. The surgery itself was probably an hour. I'm feeling great. I've had some chicken broth and popsicle. I've taken one short nap and been up walking as much as possible. Doctor wants me to have four ten minute sessions of walking. Tomorrow is supposed to be the harder day but I'm loving how good I feel today. I realize though that "head hunger" is going to be a problem. I came home and instant thought "oh my gosh, I can't EAT". I kinda freaked out at that and wondered if I had made a terrible mistake. I feel better now after some veggie broth and watching Project Runway (lol). But I'm going to have to deal with the head hunger issue. Thanks everyone for the good wishes! I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.

Hey, you forgot me!!! :cry

I know, that is really difficult and perplexing. I still haven't figured out how I can run a calorie deficit and not lose weight. What gives?

Just received my American medical bracelet in the mail and it looks great! I chose the sterling silver with the figaro chain and the the red ID charm. I hope I never need it but I feel better having it on.