AlysonRR

I use the Theraflu Cough/Cold strips. They have cough suppressant and decongesant and dissolve in your mouth. If my head aches I'll also take either chewable or liquid children's Tylenol or Motrin. I used to regularly take 600-800 mg Motrin and up to 1000 mg Tylenol when I took it - now that I have to use children's versions I tend to use 300-400 mg and I always wash it down with a lot of Water. HTH -

I couldn't be bothered for at least a month after surgery because of the port pain. But it didn't matter to me because it was December! The good news is that it's much easier now because I don't have as much fat to reach around or as much leg to shave

Yeah, I'm thinking of opening the waistband of a couple of my elastic waist pants and pulling the elastic tighter to try and stretch out (in!!!) my wardrobe a little longer. But I know I'll feel great when I go into a store and buy a pair of size 24 (or less?) pants. I don't think I'm there yet, but probably in another 20 pounds, when I imagine nothing I can do will keep my pants on me, lol. One of my NSVs would be to be able to buy from a regular catalog. I don't care if it's in the plus-size range, but I'd love to be able to order from Land's End or LL Bean instead of Making it Big and Junonia (though I really appreciate the latter two retailers for clothing me for the last 12 years).

MsHooper - My doctor's guidelines are to eat three meals a day, with 1-2 smaller Snacks if necessary. That usually translates to eating every 3-5 hours for me. When I'm well-restricted I have to remind myself to eat and only manage meals. When I'm looser I eat five times a day... My meals are usually 2-4oz Protein + 2 oz veg. My snacks are usually 1-2 oz protein + 1-2 oz veg or fruit. Your plan sounds good to me - good luck!

yesterday, still on mushies: B: 1/2 c grits and a barely cooked egg L: 1/2 c chive cottage cheese D: miso soup with tofu and a couple ounces of mushed up teriyaki salmon S: two SF fudgesicles today, still on mushies: B: 1/2 c chive cottage cheese S: 1/2 c chive cottage cheese L: 3 oz mushed up teriyaki salmon S: 2 SF fudgesicles D: 1/2 c chicken salad Craving veggies and fruit!!!

Still on mushies for another few days... B: cottage cheese with chives L: baked ricotta S: 2 pudding pops D: mashed potato and chicken

If you're still on liquids, realize it will be over soon. It's a little easier to get enough Protein on mushies - just make the highest protein choices. And once you're on solids it's very straightforward! My typical solids day would include an egg and a (veggie) sausage patty, a roll-up sandwich with 2-4 oz meat or fish, and a dinner meal with 2-4 oz solid vegetarian/meat/fish/shellfish entree. Hope that helps!

Oh, and the other thing that was recommended to me was that I only eat for 20-30 minutes, then stop. Generally I won't be hungry within half an hour of stopping, and if I am, I drink 2-3 cups of liquid then I don't feel hungry again :-) Hope that helps!

Your doctor really should have given you some more guidelines! My doctor's definition of mushy includes: Yogurt Cottage cheese Mashed canned salmon or tuna Mashed tofu Ricotta cheese Very soft cooked egg whites Nonfat refried Beans Hummus Mashed potatoes or yams sugar-free pudding pureed Soups Applesauce (add Protein if desired) Pureed fruit Cream of wheat type cereals (including oatmeal) Soggy dry Cereal (no nuts, seeds, dried fruit) I was advised to keep my portion sizes should be 4 oz or less, so 4 of your oz cups. I found it convenient to use those little Pyrex custard cups from the grocery store - the small ones hold 6 oz and the larger ones hold 10 oz, so I could judge my portion sizes easily. I know that I was up to 6 oz servings by the end of two weeks on mushies, but then I got to start solids and went back to smaller portions. It's hard to get enough protein (for me, 60 grams) when you're eating mushies, so I typically have a 20-30g Protein shake for a snack, also. To help with hunger, pay attention to the protein content of your mushy foods. There are yogurts with 3 g protein and yogurt with 20g protein - the latter (Fage, Oikos) will keep you feeling full longer. There are oatmeals with more protein, like Kashi. Mashed fish will have more protein than applesauce, etc. My favorite mushy is cottage cheese with chives - after days or weeks on Protein shakes I'm dying for something that's not sweet. My next favorite is baked ricotta - mix 1/4 cup (2 of your little cups) ricotta with an ounce each of eggbeaters and shredded mozzarella cheese, top with 1-2 oz of pasta/pizza sauce and sprinkle with a little parmesan. Microwave for 1-2 minutes. I hope that helps - best of luck with your journey!

I haven't started exercising. I have lots of excuses (we're building a house, I'm afraid of hurting my knees like I have numerous times during my progression to a non-athletic person, time, etc.) but I know that I'm just lazy. Lots of people manage to incorporate exercise into their lives regardless of stress or pain or perceived lack of time. I told myself when I got the band that I would start doing leg and core-strengthening exercises by date X, then kept changing the date. My most recent vow was that I'd start when I'd lost 75 pounds - I passed that level recently, so I need to either start or find another excuse. Lets see - when I hit 100? When the house is finished in late September? Those of you who are exercising really inspire me. I know I won't make it to a "normal" weight without exercise, and I know I'll have support when I finally break my exercise fast

The first time I tried sushi after having lapband surgery it just didn't seem right, somehow. I wasn't very restricted, but it didn't taste as good as it used to. It doesn't bother me at all! It's just like bread - I used to love it but now it just doesn't appeal at all. I can manage a bite or two of rice or bread, but that's it.

Oh, and just think about your last pre-band plateau. I know the last time I dieted and hit a plateau I was gaining pounds back within a week. By contrast, during my recent 6 week post-band plateau I lost and gained the same 3 pounds multiple times, but because of the restriction of the band I didn't lose hope and eat, eat, eat my way out of the plateau and into another weight gain. So yea, our bands are working the way they're supposed to - helping us lose and keeping our place when we're not losing :-)

If I drop below 60g of Protein per day, I stop losing. If I don't drink at least 100 oz Water per day, I stop losing. If I don't have one day a week that my calorie level is totally different than the other six days (200-300 cal higher or lower than my typical day, I stop losing. I've seen some people say they don't lose if they stay below 1000, 1200, or 1500. I know when I was on pre-lapband diets if I dropped my daily calories below 1800 I wouldn't lose - my body hung onto all it's fat, presumably thinking it was starvation time. You're already exercising - good for you! - but you could try to change up your exercise routine. Maybe add a little time with the barbells or swim some laps (one fast, two slow?) or do a higher level of intensity during your water aerobics. Hope that helps - good luck :-)

That's a good idea, Katie - thanks for sharing :-)

LOL, yeah, I keep looking at my baggy pants and baggy t-shirts and thinking, man, I should really take those in or buy new ones. I don't have a lot of clothes for the 22-26 size range or lower (I'm in very baggy 28-32 now) - just a few outfits I couldn't bear to get rid of. I figure I'll just keep being baggy until the pants start falling off or the necklines stop covering my bras, then morph into a new appropriately sized wardrobe and everyone will say, "Hey, have you lost weight?" and I can answer "Yeah, about 100 pounds in the last year", lol.

I wouldn't say I "love" EAS, but I can tolerate it, and that's more than I can say for my least favorite ones.

LOL, I'm jealous of the sizes, too, Cerrin. I'm still wearing the same clothes as I did in December. They're baggy, but some of these clothes I bought when I was about this weight, so I haven't had the experience of buying a new smaller size yet (oh, except my swimsuit). But you're right, we'll get there eventually, and that's something I was never optimistic about before lapband. Keep up the good work!

I'm down 78 pounds this week, the 7 month anniversary of my surgery. I have a long way to go - I would have to lose a total of 207 pounds to get to a normal BMI - but I feel so much better!!! In December 2007 I was having to use and inhaler several times a day. Now, hardly ever. In December 2007 I was using a cane about 90% of the time and couldn't walk on an uneven surface, or even step up on a stool and back down. Now I leave the cane at home and while I'm not completely stable, I can walk on the pebble beach with my children and handle some ups and downs much better. In December 2007 I had trouble doing some personal hygiene tasks - now I can reach everything I need to. In December 2007 I felt that my children were being negatively impacted by my obesity and I hated to limit their activities because I couldn't/wouldn't do them. In December 2007 I felt hopeless and discouraged, looking at a life shortened by inactivity and crippled by arthritis pain and obesity. Now I am feeling less pain, I'm naturally more active, and I will be able to postpone knee replacement surgery. I also don't have to install a stair lift in the house we're building, quite a savings! I'm looking forward to all the future changes in my life -- finally starting an exercise program? gardening without pain? being active and vibrant and present for my family - yea! I'm so glad I decided to have lap band surgery.

My recovery after c-section was much more difficult than after lap-band. Post-lapband recovery was about the same as post-gallbladder removal for me. I remember having pain from my c-section scar for at least a year after surgery. I still have the occasional stretchy feeling from my port, but no pain from any of the other incisions. Good luck with your surgery!

I didn't feel much like leaving my house (really, my couch or bed) for about 4-5 days. I'm 44 and have a bad back and knees and was 200-ish pounds over a normal BMI, so if you're younger and fitter and less overweight (or just less of a wimp!) you may recover faster. Good luck with your surgery!

Zeama - Are you taking any hydrocodone or other codeine-type meds still? As soon as I stopped the tylenol with hydrocodone I felt 100% better, mentally. I hope you feel better soon!

Well, I don't know if it was something I consumed (the chips? the spicy sauce? the wine?) or something hormonal (I definitely have times of the month when I'm tighter) or the stress of building a house (rent + mortgage + budget overruns - need I say more?), but I went overnight from what seemed like a sweet spot to not being able to swallow Water Monday night... Fluoro on Tuesday showed some swelling, so I had an unfill and am starting back on liquids for a week. B: vanilla EAS with strawberry, lime, and malibu rum espresso syrup (yum!) S: iced chai latte L: cashew ginger carrot Soup S: chicken broth D: chocolate EAS with peppermint SF espresso syrup S: 2 FF mini-fudgesicles

B: 4 pieces of bacon, 1/4 c cherries L: 2 oz baked tilapia, 1/2 c cabbage, 1/8 avocado, 2 T FF sour cream, 1 raspberry D: 2 oz grilled tuna, 1/2 hard boiled egg, 1/4 c lettuce, 3 green beans, 3 slices grilled onion, 2 olives, 1T nicoise dressing, 3 bites of key lime pie S: 9 tortilla chips with 1/4 c refried beans + 1T FF sour cream

B: egg + 1/4 Pilot cracker + 1/4 c cherries and 1/4 c blueberries L: 2 oz roast chicken + 1 c lettuce + FF honey dijon dressing + 1/4 c cherries S: Big Train chai D: 2 oz tilapia + 1 c cabbage + 1/3 c raspberries S: 5 thin slices of deli turkey + 1/2 of a light babybel

fish eggs (poached, scrambled, omelet) cheese chicken/turkey deli sliced lunch meats pork/beef/lamb vegetarian/vegan meat analogs like breakfast "sausage" patties and chik'n cordon bleu and BBQ "riblets" tofu nut mix beans cottage cheese greek yogurt like Fage or Oikos South Beach protein bars Luna bars Special K2O protein/fiber drink mix EAS vanilla or chocolate protein powder in water