Teresita

Hi Tanya LOL you know you are more then welcome. I fixed another Sunday and I am loving it. I go to TOPS tonight, you should meet me there and I will bring you a bowl from the freezer. I'm being nice because I only have 3 more bowls in there. Guess what I will be making Friday or Saturday. LOL I use it as a quick, easy, healthy meal. I am loving it. Hey, have you tried the Body for Life Bars. They are actually good.

Brown 1pd ground turkey in olive oil in a pot, add Mrs. Dash, 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbs paprika, 2 tbs chili powder, add garlic, 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped green pepper, and chopped celery. Add 6 cups Water, 2 envelopes beefy onion Soup, 2 beef bouillons, 1 jar spaghetti sauce, 1 head of chopped up cabbage and let cook 15 minutes and add can Beans. Add more frozen or fresh veggies. Cook until cabbage is tender but not soggy. :banana :banana:banana:banana

Go Margo..Go Margo... we are excited for you too. Remember it will help you if you help it. Ok now....I want a bracelet. I wonder if the band will send off a metal detector or a hand held wand.

Kari I belive as nutrition goes, right now your body is holding on to eveything because it is in starvation mode. Are you exercising, you could be building muscles, which weighs more. Are you drinking your water, it is important to try to get in that 64 oz fluids. Are you eating pasta's or fast food? What are you eating?

There is a food stages sticky under the food thread. Check it out it gives you all the stages and the foods you can eat. It's a great site. Good Luck Miki!

I'm baaacckkkk, aunt Flo is my friend. LOL I found the donut you threw out. I was having a sugar attack yesterday. All I wanted was ice cream and cake all week. Soooooo I went to wal mart with my daughter and then stopped at Ruby Tuesday about 11am. Strawberry tall cake please, thank you. Hummmmm I then had to pass Krispy Kreme a little while later, NOT, custard filled please, thank you. OK damage done, back on track. Soup, shake, protein bar and more soup today.

You guys are doing great. I'm suppose to get my first fill August 18 but I have gotten my upper gi done yet so I need to make that appointment first and see if I have to reschedule. I have lost 34 pounds. I also belong to a group called TOPS Taking Off Pounds Sensibly. They are a great support group. You go Swirly, it feels good to get some of the weight off before surgery. Keep up the good work.

You go girl!!!!! I'm pround of you. I had a moment yesterday, I think it was PMS. LOL I dropped my daughter off at home and I kept going. I didn't know where I was going but in the past it would have been to a fast food place. Instead I went to the nail salon and got my nails and eyebrows done. I went back home and she had done nothing but added to the mess. We were suppose to go to an exercise class and I was upset so I left again. I was going to McDonalds and then pick up a girlfriend who goes with us. I went to McD I ordered a bottle of water and that was it. I picked up my friend and then my daughter and went to class. That was hard. Don't beat yourself up, give youself a pat on the back.

No matter what you decide to do you will always have support here. The guys are are excellent with or without a band. You have to do the best thing for you. Keep up your research and you will find out that this is not the easy way out. It is major surgery and restrictions for the rest of your life. If you don't exercise and eat right with the band you will not loose weight. What would be the point of having a band, can't loose weight and still can't eat a whole pizza anymore. Oh I'm sorry that was me with the pizza thing. sorry Good Luck, We All Love You and so does your husband, he is just scared too.

You guys are awesome!!! You are doing a great job. Well I am here to say I have lost 34 pounds and I have also lost 2 medications and have 2 more meds to go. YEAH!! Blood Pressure is finally normal with only 2 meds.

ESTELA ESTELA!!!! I AM RIGHT THERE WITH YOU, I HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING FOR THE LAST 4 DAYS. Ok here is what I am doing. I want a subway sandwich so bad I can taste it but I won't get one for the fear of getting stuck. But I have induldged in Arthur Treachers and yes then got stuck and I think that was from eating to fast. Anyhow, I write down everything I have been eating since surgery. So when it turned into why too much food I began eating other low calorie filling foods. I have boiled eggs, oatmeal, some kind of fruit, Protein bars, and definately a Protein Drink sometimes 2 a day. I still stay away from bread because I know that is just major calories. I stay away from full fat ice cream, I get sugar free or low calorie. I also made a delicious, did I say delicious, pot of Soup. It is made with ground turkey and veggies but mostly cabbage. I think I will post the recipe in the food section. It has really been saving me. Just remember you had to liquids before surgery and after surgery. Get back to some liquids, Jello, Water, popsicles, Protein shakes, gatorade, power ade, CRYSTAL LIGHT. Whew, I needed that. This website is the BOMB!!!!

Fear is a good teacher and so is pain. Once you experience some pain it will make you think twice about doing or eating what you just did or ate. I can't believe you didn't get the Protein lecture. If you want your hair, you will eat your protein or drink it. One of the benefits to low carb is that you are able to eat more foods with less calories, therefore, you will loose more weight in less time. Once your band is "filled", as Anne said, you will have room for protein and not much else. Be patient with your body. Soup is a wonderful way to go, just give it a try. I fixed a pot of soup Monday and I was surprised at myself. IT WAS THE BEST SOUP I EVER MADE.

There is nothing wrong with you Loulou. Yes you can eat those things but you are not suppose to. I have learned from the ladies here, it is about letting your body heal. If your stomach is busy working on these foods it can't heal in timely manner. Try to stick to your diet that was perscribed because it is for a reason and guess what.....you will see the weight come off even quicker. You had the surgery for a reason so work with your band, not against it. My doctor told me DON'T eat chocolate. Too many calories real quick. Find some soups you like and use those to reach your goal.

Mercedes and Duckie Great point about a stomach virus. I don't even want to think about it. I need to ask my doctor. During the liquid stage I was told not to worry about the calorie intake. You want to get as much of your 64 oz of fluid in you as possible. We all know it is hard to get that in. You guys should be trying to drink one protein shake a day at this point. It helps with hunger and you can get in your vital protein. I drink Atkins Advantage which has 20 grams of protein and only 2 net carbs and it does not give you as much gas as Slim Fast. Slim Fast only has 10 grams of protein, I recommend that one once you are able to eat more protein foods. Go take a look at th threads for proteins and food stages. SF popsicles, fudgesicles and sf jello and pudding were my friends during that stage. The pudding was good for taking my crushed medicine. I could not eat a whole cup of the pudding, I just got enough to take the meds. (prepackaged pudding) Good Luck you guys

Yes I was given topamax a little over a year ago. It is a seizure medication but one of the side affects is a suppressed appetite. The doctor was probably getting paid to try new drugs. Anyhow, topamax was driving my crazy. I was totally depressed after taking it for 2 weeks so I stopped taking it immediately.

I went to Fair Oaks Hospital in Fairfax Virginia. If you need a hospital I recommend Fair Oaks because the staff was absolutly amazing. From my appointments, test, surgery, recovery, to my overnight stay, everything was great. My prep nurse for surgery was the nicest, funniest women. My recovery nurse a male, Allen to be exact was marvelous. I did not have to touch a cup while in recovery. Everytime I opened my eyes Allen was there with an ice chip on a spoon. When I had to go to the bathroom, pushed my bed over to the bathroom and had someone to help him help me in. I'm in love. My room nurses were amazing. I wish I could do something for each and everyone of them and one day I will. While I was there I did fill out customer cards on each one of them. I left the best for last, my surgeon Dr. Moazzaz is the best doctor anyone could ask for.

You have a right to a copy of your records. Your primary physican can request them if you don't want to.

Anne I like to do the meatballs too but I use a jar of my favorite spaghetti sauce. OK I'm hungry now....where is my toothpick?

I think whenever we are passionate about something, we are consumed by it. It is always on your mind and therefore that is what is going to come out. Especially to your closest family or friends. I know that I sound like a broken record, telling my best friend about what I ate and what I am going to eat. The passion is what will keep you going so stay obsessed. Great job by the way. I am no way near goal so I can't obsess about that one yet. LOL

You go girl, YEAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! The port area will be tender for a while but everything will get better and easier as each day passes. Drink, drink, drink stay hydrated.

Margo I went through the same thing. When I saw my doctor before the surgery he was disappointed that I had only lost 5 pounds. Which I was very happy that I anything. I got it together and focused on one meal a day. I learned a lot about myself during that time. There is a lot more in life you have to deal with when you don't have food to fall back on. As I kept running into life's little struggles I would ask, am I really going to have this surgery. I don't think I shnould do it. Anyhow I did and I now I say periodically "What Have I Done". But I also say " I lost 6 pounds, I lost 1 pound, I lost 3 pounds, my clothes fit better, I can do this. Margo you can do it and no it is not always easy but what is. Get one thing out of your closet or drawer that fits tight right now. Try it on every 2 weeks and it will make the process just a little easier.

Beachbaby what do you mean you haven't lost anything. Did you follow the liquids, soft, mushy foods periods and so on?

Great Idea I will clean up, walk or dance during commercials. During the show you can get cans or handweights and lift in various exercises. Then you don't feel like you are exercising. Just Try It.

Karen potato soup saved me also. sugar free popsicles are good also. Also, I did Hunts sugar free pudding when all else failed. I used the pudding to take my meds. You can do this and it will be so worth it.

I'm with you Grandma9 Atkinis Advantage shakes are170 calories and 20g Protein and 2 impact carbs taste really good. I'm going to try the ice cubes and make it a shake this weekend. Thanks