Parvathi

hehe.. you helped heaps! Thanks Kathy mmmm.. tuna *g*

Hi Kathy, The can was one serving. 100 grams roughly translates to 3.5 oz. So I should go by the nutritional info, rather than the actual weight of the idea, yea?

I'm not a patient of Dr Ortiz, but I've been around several message boards for the past two years and have only heard good things about him.

This may be a silly question, but in an earlier post re hitting a plateau, several people said I needed to make sure my Protein intake was 60 grams/day. I picked up a small can of tuna yesterday for lunch and noted that it was 100 grams and thought gee, that's an easy way to get my daily protein in. Then I noted the nutrition info on the back said that it contained 20 grams of protein. Sooooo, I'm guessing I shouldn't be going by the weight of the food, but rather, the nutrition information. Am I correct in this assumption?

I had the sleep test too. Was a pain in the arse and took about a week to get all the gook out of my head afterwards - washing 2 and 3 times a day. In the end, I found out I was stopping breathing about 90 times an hour, on average. I didn't think I had sleep apnea at all LOL. My doctor said since I was so close to having the surgery (the test was done 2 weeks prior), that I didnt need to be on a CPAP and that as soon as I lost even 10 lbs, I'd see a difference. I've now lost 40 lbs and my hubby says I sleep heaps better now (I don't wake him with my snoring either). Go have the test. While you won't get a good night's sleep because of being hooked up to so many wires (and honestly, the bed's aren't comfortable at all lol), atleast you'll know all the gory details and can take necessary steps to fix the problem. Good luck with it all

Hi all, Was just reading on another board about a WLS Conference being held in Canberra, Australia in October. Thought I'd give other Aussies a heads up, in case anyone wanted to go. The information for it can be found at:- http://users.tpg.com.au/adsl50pe/ Anyway, it looks like a good fun way to meet other Aussies going through the same thing, while getting informed by some of leading industry professionals. Maybe I'll see you there

Hey Micki, Being nervous is so totally normal. This is a really big step on your part. My husband must have been sick to death of hearing bout the surgery before I had it done. It was all I talked about. To be honest, that hasn't changed much though, cause now days, I'm so excited about what the surgery has done for me, that I still talk about it heaps. Like Kathy, my life has changed alot post-banding, but I'm still me. Only, I'm slowly letting go of the parts of me I've never been fond of, such as my low self esteem. I can now walk down the street with my head held high... and it feels good. You'll be fine .. congratulations on taking this step to a better life.

o0o thanks for the reminder, Sam!

I used some when I'd put on a bit of weight but didn't want to sink in money for a new bra lol. Worked like a charm.

Depends on how bumpy the rides usually will be. I know even speedbumps after surgery hurt for a while in my case. Probably best to pose the question to your surgeon though, as he'd have the most reliable info for you on this one Good luck with the surgery!

Thanks folks Went to the doc today and found out I've lost 4.3kgs in the past two weeks. Guess my plateau is over for now and I'm happy as can be LOL.

Hi Glenda, Welcome to LBT. I'm sure you'll find heaps of info and encouragement here - I know I sure have!

Hi Mae, I too, found your website when doing my initial research online. It was stories like yours that helped me make the decision to finally do something, so I thank you. Good luck with your revision, as well as your trip to SA

Since re-evaluating my diet last week (thanks to everyone who helped with that), I've been doing meat/protein first, veggies next and have rarely had room for starches afterwards. That said, I'm not extremely strict on myself and if I feel like having a potato chip or two, I do it. Just in moderation - which is a word that I didn't know before being banded hehe

I work for a website. Once a year, we have a party, for the anniversary of the company and invite members from the website. Last night was this year's party. Most of the people, I hadn't seen since last year. I ended up having about 8 people comment on how much weight I'd lost. My coworkers, don't really notice, as they see me everyday - so it felt pretty darn good! It was the first time since the surgery that people who didn't know about it (the surgery), commented on my weightloss. *dancing a happy dance* hehe

Hi stevie, I did basic stuff, like meatloaf in small aluminium bread tins, spaghetti sauce, vegetable fritatta, lasagna. Pretty much any kind of baked caserole type dish will turn out okay like that.

Not in the US, but I'll add in my situation anyways LOL. I'm in Australia - insurance covered the band, apart from $3000 surgeon and anesthesiologist fees. Medicare (not the same as in the US, its our socialized health care system here and everyone is on it) covers all of the fills. In the US though, I think some of the earlier bandsters went to Mexico for it because it wasn't approved by the government yet. Barbaraann, your story about Mexico sounds excellent! I'm sure that made it much more comfortable and you probably made a few life long friends

Oh, meant to add - one other thing I did pre op was to make up meals that could be frozen, for the family. I knew I wouldn't feel like cooking afterwards and didn't want my husband to be stuck doing it. Then I'd just thaw out in the morning and reheat for them at night.

I lived on soup, v8 juice and these drinks we have here called Nudies, which are a really delicious fresh fruit juice blend. Heinz makes a really tasty range of pureed soups that were my saviour post banding - especially after I went back to work, as they come in a convenient lil microwavable cup. Another thing I used alot post banding was strappy tops with shelf bras built in. It was quite uncomfortable trying to wear a real bra for about 3 weeks.

I feel the same way. I've seen some ladies walking around in the mall recently and thought - would they get offended if I gave them Dr Crosthwaite's card? heh.. but I'm sure they would, just as I would if someone would have done that to me.

LOL - thanks heaps, Bobalooey! You're a funny man

LOL littlebigfarms - cute!!

Well done, vinesqueen!! Makes you want to go shopping more, doesn't it hehe Just out of curiosity - what is NSV?

Not sure if this will help or not, but found this list of Cali bariatric surgeons doing a basic google search:- http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/bariatric+surgeons+in+california.html As for the information evenings, here in Aus, I think most surgeons are doing it now, to make sure you've got plenty of information before you go in for the initial consultation. It was really helpful for me.

Coyotegirl, Congratulations!!! That's fantastic news. You made me go look mine up too LOL, as I haven't actually done that since being banded. It was 41 when I started this journey (morbidly obese), now its 35.2 (severely obese). A few more kilos gone and I'll be just plain ole obese. I can't wait hehe