Shamrockgirl60

You can get the EAS Advantage in Chocolate at Wal-Mart in the pharmacy section with the other weight loss foods. It's enough to last a week and it's under $9.00 and it's Soy protein which is easy to digest. I buy Hershey's sugar free syrup and add some to make it more chocolate flavored. Also I blend with 8 oz skim milk, and 3 ice cubes. Blend and Blend till all the ice is gone. It's best very cold, and sip at it.

Hey I am a "young" 60 and feel great, I was banded on August 7th this year. Most people tell me I look around 45 or so. Very few wrinkles and good skin and not much gray hair ( I do color it dark blond). Even though things are going to sag and bag at my age, I do think this was the smartest decision I have ever made. I am progressing to real food this next week. A little scared but happy and my first fill is in 3 weeks. I have finally hit around 200 and hope to be 199 by next week, haven't seen that number in 3 years. My clothing is bagging and I had to buy a belt to hold up my jeans. I have a pair of size 18 I can get in but can't quite breath in them, my stomach is still a tad swollen from the surgery, I am losing in my legs and arms and face right now. I am so surprised at so many young people doing this. I used to be very thin when I was young around 110 - 120 pounds till my 30's. Then a fluky thyroid and eating badly made me gain 100 lbs in abut 5 years. Finally got on thyroid pills and was able to lose some weight, but I gained it back. This operation was suggested by my PCP who I adore. Next time I see him he will get a hug.....and he will be surprised at how I look. Pati

Hi I am a new Lap Bander, I was banded on August 7th, 2008, so far I am doing well, getting nervous because I am going into eating "real foods". It's been comfortable eating liquids and soft foods for 4 weeks. Now is crunch time. I am almost afraid to eat anything. :tongue2:I would like a buddy near my own age of 60, other than that I am married, swell guy who is very supportive, have one grown daughter and one new 4 month old granddaughter who I adore. We have 2 rescue Golden Retrievers, and 3 rescue cats. We live about 15 miles north of Boston and I was banded at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA Any help getting over my fear of eating would be appreciated. Also this is wonderful idea so that if we get discouraged we can go to someone who knows what is happening and can support us and answer questions no matter how silly some may seem. Thanks again and look forward to having a buddy/mentor. Pati

Congratulations Phil, I am 4 weeks post op and so very very happy, Every day is an adventure. I am feeling 100% better than I did before the surgery, just the small weight loss has made me feel so much better, so I am looking forward to the future and being a normal sized person again. It's been 20 years since that. You won't regret it

Opps I forgot to do it on Friday. So did it today down just a bit. Going slowly but losing.....have my first fill on Sept. 19th. Can't wait for that. I start on semi-regular food on Thursday, and promise myself not to go crazy. My neighbors came over with fresh green Beans, cucumbers and tomatoes yesterday. Oh it was hard to make that salad and steam those beans for everyone else's dinner last night. I am going to take the tomatoes and make homemade Pasta sauce later today. I am so looking forward to eating meat again, I'll start with ground meat since that seems to be the one thing that goes down better. take care and hope I can break the 200 lb. barrier soon. Pati

GasX strips and getting up and walking around for a few minutes helped. I wonder why your on strong painkillers 11 days after surgery. You should be off them by now. I only had the liquid stuff for 3 days supply. Wean yourself off it and take extra strength Tylenol. Good luck.

Hey me too, me too, just saw my doctor last week (he had been on vacation for the two weeks after surgery, but I had seen the NP) He told me he repaired my Hiatal Hernia also. Never knew I had one. Didn't see any photos thought darn it. Seems like a lot of bandsters have them.

I was told that you would feel fuller on less food it you drink right before eating. Or drink while eating you flush the food out faster and get full faster. You have to eat the required 3 oz of Protein at every meal. So they want you to have an empty pouch. This is especially true I heard after your fill(s). Same with an hour after to let the food slowly go down into the real stomach, you feel fuller longer. Hope that helps

Thanks for the idea about ground beef and turkey. I think I'll stock up on them. Also I wonder if veggie burgers are OK when I get to the solids. I like them. You can have low fat cheese on my diet and that would be good on the burger. Take it easy with some of the condiments. They have sugar free catsup and BBQ sauce now which I will get next time I go shopping same with the fat free mayo. Walden Farms has no calorie (and I mean it) salad dressings, they are in the salad section and are refrigerated. The ranch and blue cheese are excellent. One more week of liquids and on to the mushies can't wait. LOL

Hey go to Brigham and Womens and go to Dr. Julian Pribaz he's the best there is. Did surgery on my daughters leg when she had an accident in 1988 and did her nose job and breast surgery in 2005. He's top notch in the Boston area.

I haven't smoked pot in years and years, gave it up when I had my daughter she's 32 now, no desire to do it now. It's up to you and your doctor. As for cigaretts I quit almost 3 years ago and am very happy I did so. The wouldn't band me if I smoked it's a rule, you have to be 2 months plus off the smokes or they won't do it. It interferes with the healing process. I just feel so much better with a clear mind and a body that doesn't smell crappy and no cough and I can walk and not huff and puff. JMHO folks

My husband was let go due to the company downsizing. We had 3 months of company paid insurance then Cobra and we had a minor problem when they accidentally canceled our insurance and I had to postpone some of my pre-op stuff for a month till they got it fixed. It set my surgery back about a month. After it was fixed we had no problem at all with any of our medical stuff, in fact hubby had open heart surgery in July. I had my Lap Band 3 weeks ago. We will continue Cobra for 12 more months then figure out what insurance to get here in MA that is less expensive.

I am pretty sure it's one oz of cooked egg. All my information is the food must be weighted after cooking, including meat and poultry and fish. Same with veggies and starches. I was told one egg per serving. And to cook the scrambled eggs soft. Not to puree them. I go on mushy stuff next week and got my egg beaters in the fridge all ready to go. Have to get some low fat cheese, I can have that with the egg. I am so looking forward to it LOL

I am waiting for my first fill in Sept. I am getting a big hungrier and now eat or drink something every 2-3 hours till bedtime. I space out my protein drinks and my small meals. I have a small fat and sugar free yogurt before bed that makes me able to go to sleep. It's only 60 calories. I find doing that works. Good luck.

You can also have mashed potatos with your chicken and fat free gravy. I did some instant ones tonight with garlic and skim milk to make it a bit runny and some butter spray and it was pretty tasty. You can also puree veggies and eat them with the chicken. Tomatoes would be good and squash. I have squash in the freezer to cook and puree with some splenda and apple/pumpkin pie spices. Good luck.

Found this forum, I bought some new shoes today and was in a size 9W and not a 9 1/2. It depends on the shoes I think. I don't wear heels and haven't for years due to food problems, I hope with the weight off I can get some nice small heels.

I was told to buy a food scale and measure all my food. Once I start eating solids. I use a measuring cup for my liquids, and a 1/4 cup for my semi solids like cottage cheese and pudding. I buy the pre-made puddings and Jello so I know what I am eating. I have had no fill yet, but feel pretty full after a half cup of anything. Or a cup of cream Soup sipped slowly. I don't have the mushier food like eggs till next week when I start my 5th week since the surgery. I am losing maybe 2-3 lbs. a week. I can start riding my bike this coming week. And doing more exercises . That should speed up the weight loss. But I am happy with 2 lbs. a week now. I get my first fill the middle of September. I am hoping to hit a sweet spot by my second or third fill.

Hey saw my surgeon yesterday for the first time since surgery. He was on vacation in Israel for two weeks. The first week I did go in and see the NP. He told me yesterday that I had a hernia and they repaired it. Could be why it's taken me 3 weeks to feel back to normal. And why I had a bit more pain than most people seem to have. He said it's quite common to have hernias when your overweight. I can start more vigorous exercise now and riding my bike is fine. Just don't overdo it.

Love it a sexy Red Dress is the first item I will buy when I hit my goal. Same with sexy shoes. Been ages since I had them. What is cool about where I had my Lap Band done, Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA is they have a clothing swap every few months, you bring in your clean and not too worn clothing that is too big for you and you can exchange it for smaller sized clothing. What a good idea when you are getting slimmer, saves you tons of money till you get down to goal. Have to go through and find a few things that are getting big on me and bring them in. Also a spa treatment and hair and face being done would be a nice mid-weight loss pick me up. Maybe I can get that for Christmas LOL They were also talking about swapping food addictions for others and well we do have to be careful of that. take care all Pati PS I was thin most of my life, I even wore a size 3 at one time....I don't think I will ever be that small, but a size 10 would be super. LOL:tongue2::smile2::tongue2::tongue2::crying::tongue2::crying:

LOL I was checking out the new clothes at Kohl's and they have Vera Wang stuff that is very very nice. I just got banded so I won't shop for any clothing till I have too. I have my "skinny" clothes that I had two years ago when I lost 50 lbs. So those are fitting me now. I ended up buying some baby jammies for my granddaughter. I also love Coldwater Creek stuff, I am saving $20 a week into a little slush fund in my dresser drawer and when I get to goal weight, I will hit all the cool outlets in Kittery Maine for new stuff. I love to shop too. Hubby says "you are dangerous" LOLLOLLOL Guess so.

Wow maybe in a year I will join the club, I was banded 3 weeks ago and my "apron" is getting strange looking already. I had a rash under my left breast also from the skin on skin touching when not wearing a bra. I was told to report every little rash or skin problem so that if and when I decide to look into TT. The insurance might pay for that and a boob lift. I have very very sensitive skin and do get rashes in the hot and humid weather on my stomach and breasts. Glad to hear it hurt less than the lap band. Maybe I'll get it done next year at the end of the summer.

I got the scale at Wal-Mart that is digital goes up to 375 lbs. and records weight and BMI and hydration. It was about $39. You can program it up to 4 people and it saves your weight if you want and keeps track of weight loss and gain. I love it.

Read the backs of the pudding snacks and they will let you know the fat content. 60 calories is not a lot for a snack. Good luck

Gee I didn't get any cards. I'll check this week when I go to my support meeting, my first after getting banded. We haven't gone out to eat waiting for me to eat solids. Then I think our favorite restaurant gives huge portions, I will eat some of hubby's Protein, meat and order a side of pureed squash or mashed potatoes. I am craving meat mostly now. Only thing I can eat and feel good is tomato Soups LOL with Italian seasoning and parm cheese. I put some on my skim milk ricotta last night and nuked it. It was pretty good.

Just after surgery I was on a clear liquid diet. The broth and jello, but still have to have that 60 grams of protein. Three EAS Advantage shakes a day. Even now till I start eating solids I have to have those 3 shakes for healing and well being.