*Love*

The problem is the carbonation AND the sugar / calories. I would imagine flat ginger ale when you are sick would be fine, but I wouldn't drink pop otherwise.

I handle the portions like this: I eat no more than 1 cup of food every 3-4 waking hours. I have 1 egg scrambled with 1 ounce of cheese & some chopped black forest ham (ham & cheese are pre-chopped in baggies in the fridge) or instant oatmeal with skim milk, raisins & ground almonds for Breakfast. I have a plastic sippy cup of juice for a snack. I have a high Protein Boost for lunch. I don't actually take a lunch break, so I sip this as I work at my desk. Now dinner, that use to be the tricky part. I have made up about 9 one pot meals over the last few weeks & frozen them in 1 cup containers. Each day I defrost one for that night, so there is no way too have a larger portion. I have things like chili, spagetti sauce & a bit of macaroni, & shepards pie all made with ground turkey. I also have several chicken dishes made with a little rice or Pasta & cream of something Soup, + beef stew, & a Canadian bacon / potato stew. I even have one Kraft dish made with chicken, corn, salsa & cheese. Since they taste good, it helps to satisfy me. I have it easier than some, as I don't have kids at home often & my husband is very supportive. He either has the 2 cup portions of the same meals I have frozen for him or he works away at my pile of left over Nutri-system meals. We have no junk food in the house anymore. My husband & step sons have their healthier cerea bars. They can also go eat whatever they want when they are not at home. For my evening snack & will have yogurt, or cottage cheese with tuna or fruit, or 2 rye crisps with hummus or Peanut Butter...a hard boiled egg would work here too. I try to get my Water in first thing in the morning, on the drive to & from work, & before bed. I am only getting in about half of what I'd guzzle pre-band. I try to eat at around the same times every day. Routine really helps me. My body always knows when food is coming & I don't get hungry. I do get the odd craving & I remind myself that it is not long before I can eat again. So far this has worked well. I am coming into my 8th week & I don't need a fill yet. :party: -------------------- I eat all of my meals in a small Cereal bowl or on a dessert plate with baby cutlery.

Carbonated drinks - Why we shouldn't have them - Explained See video, about half way through: [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3tYliTpDiY]YouTube - Third Fill Appointment - Part C - Lap...[/ame]

Can anyone help?

Is there a good fill doctor in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph area (Ontario)?

*bump* *bump*

Fellow TLBCers: Where are you at now in your progress?

I was banded May 22, so I am in my 7th week & down 15lbs.

Feel free to check out mine in my profile: www.lapbandtalk.com/members/-love--albums-progress.html

It took me a (surprising) full 4 weeks to get back to fairly regular energy levels without a spacey head & shakey hands.

Putting Crest Whitestrips on your teeth works once a day. :thumbup:

I only put one cup of food on my dessert plate or in my Cereal bowl. When it is gone, I am done. We have pre-made about 8 different meals & I have frozen them in one cup containers. Each day I pull one out of the freezer for dinner the next day.

My denting is almost completely gone. Like I have said before, our bodies will go through a lot of changes by the time we are done losing weight. Worry about dents & bulging ports at the end, if you still have them then. Until then, just consider your funky shape as part of the process.

you are not his 'soul mate'?

I was scheduled for my first fill tomorrow. I have cancelled it because I don't need it. Has anyone else not needed a fill?

I had planned to eat it, but I bought some ahead of time to try the flavours & I did not like them.

I had mine. It has been pretty minor since I had uterine fibroid embolization surgery. So, since I had day surgery, I changed my tampon right before surgery & then again when I got home.

I was banded the same day & was scheduled for my first fill today. Fortunately, I don't need it, so I cancelled. What I do is make sure I eat every 3-4 waking hours. I eat mostly protein. I never put more than a cup of food on my dessert plate & I eat with baby cutlery. I have instant oatmeal with skim milk, raisins & ground almonds or an egg scrambled with an ounce chopped cheddar & some ham, for breakfast. Since I work off hours, I have a protein Boost drink for lunch. A hard boiled egg or a protein bar would work too for something quick. For dinners, we have made up 1 cup freezer containers of about 8 different one-pot meals like chili, stews, chicken, brocolli & rice, ground turkey spagetti sauce with a tiny bit of pasta, etc. Campbells has a bunch of one pot recipes using their soups. My evening snacks are things like cottage cheese with canned or fresh fruit, yogurt, hummus or guacamole with rye crisps, almonds, a spoon of peanut butter etc. I bought almond butter today, so I am going to give that a try tonight. I do really have to work at it to get water in. I use to drink almost 2 litres per day, but with having to wait an hour after I eat, I tend to forget, so I try to drink at least half a bottle each time I get in the car.

I am about 4.5 weeks out. Last week my port insicion dented in, then a day or two later, at my port. I am assuming my shape will keep changing & once the fat is gone around it, it will no longer look dented. It already looks less dramatic than last week.

I bought the 2 for 1, then sold the 2nd one on ebay as soon as they arrived. The shipping was quite expensive.

I do not have insurance, I am self-pay. Finally getting healthy was worth cashing out my retirement fund. I have trouble with my asthma over 157 lbs. I have struggled, yo-yo'd etc for 20 years. I was wasting so much money on diet plans & programs, pills, schemes, equipment, meals, boook, videos, etc. I have been a WW - Lifetime member (up & down) for years. The last 3 years, my body has been in complete hybernation & would not release the weight no matter how well I ate or worked out. I was gaining 10lbs per year. I refused to be near death or willing to get any more life threatening conditions before admitting that I needed help in getting my weigh under control. I imagine many on here wished they had done something sooner. I needed help with portion control & I needed to see progress to keep on track. I am happy with my choice & seeing my scale progress keeps me motivated. :grouphug:

I have discussed all this with my fill nurse.

My doctor was very clear right before surgery that one of his three most important rules is to not to wait until you are hungry to eat, eat every 3-4 waking hours, that way your body is never wondering when it will be fed next & won't go into hybernation mode to store it's energy. My body was in hybernation for 3 years. It didn't matter what I ate or how often I was active, the scale would not budge. I follow this rule & it does now. The other two rules are: eat healthy foods & always eat the Protein first.

It took me 4 weeks to feel close to full energy level. My hands still shake a little.

For those of you that use them, where did you get them? I didn't want Pocahontis, cars, or Mickey Mouse plastic handles, so I bought a sterling plate gift box set from an engraving store. They are great but cost $30 for the 3 pieces & the box. I am hoping to find something cheaper, preferably in multiples, so my honey doesn't have to was my tiny dishes every time I eat. Any suggestions would be appreciated.