arex

I just finished my two weeks of liquids, and yeah, it's hard. However, you gotta tough it out so you can heal up properly. The time passes quicker than you think.

I've lost 40 pounds in the last 10 weeks, and I don't think anyone who didn't know I had surgery has really noticed. I don't think I look any different yet, even though I feel the difference.

This very thing happened to me tonight, at our favorite Japanese restaurant. The owner is a good friend, and she was quite dismayed that I only ate half of my tofu teriyaki. I had to repeatedly assure her that it tasted great, but that I'd had surgery recently and couldn't eat very much.

I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with spicy, as long as you don't go crazy with the Tabasco.

If you tolerated it, you're probably good. I put some hot sauce in some pureed bean Soup and tolerated it just fine. Some people might not, especially if they've been having trouble with nausea.

My bari doctor doesn't even do lap bands anymore, because of the high failure rate...just not a worthwhile option.

Scooping out most of your stomach (to make it smaller) sounds scary and painful and unnatural, but I'm on my 10th day post-surgery, and it's really not bad to get used to. Yes, there's pain, yes, there's nausea...but it passes soon enough. It's treated me pretty well so far. The most difficult part has been ensuring proper hydration, given that you can't just chug Water down when you need it...you have to do little sips.

I've been losing about a pound a day since the surgery.

1. IsoPure drinks are pretty burly. Try one first before filling the cupboard with it, like I did. Fortunately, GNC happily refunded my money...they're good to deal with.

Plain whey powder has an unfortunate cheesy flavor that is very pronounced in a lot of fruit-based drinks. It blends in well with chocolate or vanilla flavors, however. Plus there's the lactose-intolerance to consider.

I've been relying heavily on lassi, an Indian yogurt-based drink. Very refreshing in the summer, and high-Protein. It can be made with simply spices and a little sweetener, or with fruit...a "salty" lassi can also be made using cucumbers or bell peppers (strain before drinking). There's recipes out on the web for all of it.

There's soy Proteins that come in many forms...tofu, tempeh, miso, and powders. More neutral in flavor than whey. Not sure why soy has the stigma it seems to suffer from...I've always liked it, and it's easy to work with. Miso broth tastes good, and has lots of Protein.

If anything, I've had drier skin post-surgery.