Poodles

Another question that has been bugging me... Can you stretch your pouch when you are on liquids before your first fill? I can drink a 16 ounce bottle of Water, and eat a whole can of Soup with no problems. Just hope I am not screwing things up. ***If I had nothing to worry about, I would worry about that.***

Thank you Jack. I know I can over-react sometimes, but my first fill is scheduled for July 11th, and I won't even be on solids then. I wish I could figure out if I am restricted by then, but don't want to venture onto solids without permission. Honestly feel full with mashed potatoes as long as I follow the "drinking rule" but Soups just go straight thru, and so do Protein shakes. And then I am hungry again. So who knows??? Guess I am frustrated and confused at the signals I am getting. But guess I will get to know my new tummy in time. My first fill was scheduled for me before my surgery. Is this common?

So I have read, and read, and read about fills... but I still don't know how to tell if you need one. I will be 5 weeks out and still in the "mushie/soft solid" stage then. Sometimes I feel as if I am restricted now (due to swelling), but other times everything goes thru and then some. I figure this is due to not being on solids yet. Yet at the same time think we are to chew until the mushie stage anyway right??? So how do you know? Right after being banded, I was terribly restricted, and not hungry but now I am not restricted and eating way more than I think I should be. But I am not on solids yet. If I am not on solids then, how will I know if I need a fill? and just an FYI... I will have my first fill under floro..

Bump... :love: I am feeling the exact same way. Mushies go straight thru and I feel like I am eating/drinking way too much, even with the Protein shakes. Would love to see more answers to this...

Welcome Candy! You will be feeling better in about a week. Regarding restriction for those banded 10-14 days ago: At first I felt really restricted, and could not eat much. Then as long as I drank my shake first thing I felt fine, but today I have been off and feel like I have eaten way too much. Really feel stuffed. This is what I have had. 1 can cambells chuncky mexican soup, 1 Isopure Shake, 1/2 cup pinto beans, 3 large cups of tea, 1 Frosty from Wendy's (yeah, I know) and 1/2 cup of blended Chili from Wendy's. Anybody else eating this much???? I feel like such a cow... but that other 1/2 cup of chili is calling my name.

Premade you can blend anything I guess. I have had the most fun blending the chunky Soups. They come out about mashed potato consistancy. Clam chowder is great, and so is the mexican chicken soup. Other threads recommend the bacon and bean soup. Don't forget about refried Beans, great right out of the can with some cheese on it. The only other thing that I can think of is grits, and baby rice Cereal. Keep your servings at 1/2 cup or under, my doctor says to keep it at 1/4 cup. Sometimes I can eat the whole can of soup, but most of the time I half it. I admit that I am getting a little bored with the mushy phase, but I have 2 more weeks of it, so better get used to it. Good luck!

Janelle- From my understanding we are to try for 60 grams of protein a day, so that we don't lose our hair. A little Biotin in our multivitamin helps with that too. So with my 50 gram shake, I can pretty much relax the rest of the day. Even though there is not a ton of protein in my soups, I figure it adds up to over 60 by days end. You will do great! If that protein powder works for you then go for it. Just take it really easy the day before surgery. I think that helped me to only do liquids, and mostly clear liquids that day. And bring a big MuMu/Housedress type outfit with you. That makes getting dressed easy.

Oh my goodness! My tummy woke me up this morning! I think that is pretty cool. I have not had that happen in years!

Insurance fraud is never good. It only hurts those that truly need the surgery. True insurance companies try to get out of everything, but two wrongs do not make a right.

Jana- Keep your head up! You are going to make it. What on earth have you been doing to lose so much since the 7th??!! I was banded on the 5th and have not lost near that amount!! Great job!

zexxah- It really depends on the job you do. I know we have lifting restrictions. I tried to do some grocery shopping and hurt my port side (sound like a boat ), so we are restricted for a reason. Check with your doctor. BTW: Blended clam chowder tastes like fishy mashed potatoes... pretty good!

I have not tried the strawberry... I am allergic to artifical strawberry flavor! Being upgraded to mushies is such a blessing. All those wonderful flavored soups... Just put in a blender and YUM! I think I may try the Clam Chowder tonight... wonder how those little clams will blend??? Each can make about two meals! Yummy for the tummy!

I like the vanilla, and the orange pineapple one. I get mine from vitaminshoppe.com go to www.currentcodes.com to see if there is a discount code first. Then I order from them. I got the 7 lb bucket for $60.00 with shipping. It is a huge bucket!!! I have found that Isopure is a little more expensive that other drinks out there, but when you compare the protein/carb ratio it is the best. I get 50 g protein and 0 carbs. Works for me!

Your political compass Economic Left/Right: -3.13 Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -0.92 Same section as Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and The Dalai Lama. Peace!!

I like the feel of you websites. The only suggestions I can offer is that on your trufolk site you need to make each page fit the theme you are going for. Think about three objects you can put on each page to make it "flow". For example: Have the same background/buttons/links in the same spot, etc. I understand that you want the pages to match the feel of the objects you are selling, but the "store" needs to have the same background/feel. Use your images to set the tone, but keep some things the same. You have a very good eye, you just need to make the pages flow better for the reader. That way they won't get confused. Just an FYI: So you don't think I am just blowing smoke or something. I teach a webpage design class, and have reviewed many sites professionally (most recently the Yahoo TV site). So take it for what it is worth. Also to get more hits: in your meta tag be sure to include any/all words that a search engine may be looking for. You can also check with the major search engines and see how much it would cost to be a "sponsored link". If you know of a website, for example LBT, you can ask if they have a sponsors page, or a links page that you can add your links too. It never hurts to ask. www.davesite.com is also a great place to learn HTML and find resources for adding and making money on your site. He offers great information and I often refer my students there for after school "tutoring" if they can not meet with me one on one. Here is the link to the making money with your site chapter: http://www.davesite.com/webstation/html/chapG1.shtml Good luck!

:hungry: Beans??? Where???:hungry:

Thanks Janelle. I really needed that too. tiime4change: I told my son (7) that mommy needed surgery on her tummy because she was sick. And now, since I can not eat, he doesn't really ask about it. My surgeon had said he would fix my hernia, but then said it was too low to fix, so I am going back in for surgery next week. (yeah!) Going to be a druggie for sure with 3 surgeries back to back... bring on the codeine! P.S. to everyone in liquid phase. If I don't drink my Isopure shake in the morning I am hungry all day. That shake has 50 grams of protein so it gets me off to a great start!

I hear we all get the "last supper" syndrome. I had mine for 6 months. Then, I knew it was coming and stopped. We know what we have to do, even if we don't want to. Just do it. I started my "pre-op" diet a month before being banded, and only lost 5 lbs. Had surgery and my liver was just perfect. You know what to do. You can do it... So DO IT!

Well, I think it is better to have a big ass, than to be a big ass. :love: Honestly, I meant to put donkey (like above). I will go edit it.

Well, proves my point then. Everyone thinks they are human... even if they are a monkey or a donkey.

KIM: Please don't eat beyond your "phase" you could tear your stitches, or hurt yourself really badly. They have these rules for a reason. Read my previous post today regarding what my doctors office said. It really worked for me. I have eaten less today than yesterday. We need to let our poor tummy heal. Be careful.

You know, just another thought. No one ever thinks they are paid what they are worth, and no one ever is. Sadly, I went to a financial counselor for some advice and they can come up with a "value" of what your life is worth to help you plan for life insurance and stuff. Well, seems my hubby is worth somewhere around $770,000.00 and I am not even worth over $450,000.00 because of the jobs we have and the income we bring in. I am a college educated public school teacher, and my hubby is a high school graduate that works in the telecom industry. Well at least I am not totally worthless!

When I had my psyche eval, my doctor told me that I was not crazy but that I think every one else is. :love: But I can't be the only one, right? There is a commercial on t.v. where this man is at work with a bunch of monkeys and he is the only human there, and he is looking for another job. (They also have one with a bunch of donkeys.) This leads me to believe that I am not alone in my conceit. Then my hubby came home late last night, because he had been put upon by another co-worker that lacks the ability to meet his deadlines. This made my hubby mad, because the way he sees it is that he does his job as well as the job of others and is not compensated for it (he is on salary). Then we did some comparisons, and it seems that our work ethic is the same, and we get put upon more than others because of our ability to do OUR job effectively. We discussed the "doing things halfway" approach, which would not work for us (damn work ethic). Then we discussed the "quit our jobs and live on welfare" approach, but I like hot Water too much. We even thought about changing jobs, but think we will end up in the same situation somewhere else. My theory is that everyone feels the same way. And, thought it would be interesting to "poll" my LBT friends on their work ethic and experiences to see. Also thought this would help in our "grass is always greener" attitude. Because it must be the same in every job. Comments? Suggestions?

Ok guys and gals, I called my doctors office and they have moved me to the mushie stage because I am hungry. They said to start with a 1/4 cup of mushies and to follow the band rules. So drink what you want, wait 15-30 minutes, eat your mushies, and wait 30-60 minutes before you drink. Yep that is right 1/4 cup. ONLY. Said if you eat too much at one time it will make your stomach work and we don't want it churning and ripping the stitches out (ouch!). I told her I have been drinking WAY more than 1/4 cup at a time (sipping, but can drink 16 oz glass no problem), and she said that was fine. Liquids will go straight thru as long as we don't drink too fast. Mushies will sit on the band for a bit to help us feel full... if we don't wash it down. So 1/4 cup girls! Follow the band rules. Sip, Sip, Sip,................. wait.............., chew, chew chew,........................... wait,.............. sip, sip, sip...

Janelle- I wore a MuMu and flip flops. Worked really well. Over my head and poof, I was out that door. Good luck!!