minidriver

Dang! I forgot about pork rinds!! I should have had them while I had the chance, cuz I sure would like something crunchy and salty right now!! Shelbi, if you're feeling too hungry with your oats/no red meat thing, maybe you should go back to doing what you were doing before and then work on your cholesterol AFTER you're able to afford a fill. Everybody's body responds so differently, and I know that I feel STARVED when I don't eat red meat. It just seems to be something I need to feel right. Just my opinion, but something to think about. I'm sure dee will forgive you

I took beverages in a bag with my medications. At first the TSA folks were planning to take away the beverages, but then I explained that I had to have them with my medication so they let them through. I think it will depend on how reasonable the person is at security at a given time. I would just try to make sure that you are plenty hydrated before you get on the flight and, if they do take away your fluids, buy a bottle of water when you're past security and sip it on the flight. AND!!!! If you wake up with a headache and feeling nauseous the day of your flight, call Dr. K. BEFORE you get on the plane. Don't be silly and wait until later like I did. I could just kick myself. I'm sure he could have given me something different for pain and nausea and the whole problem would have been avoided. Sometimes being stubborn is a bad bad thing.

I was SO where you are a few weeks ago. Started my preop, started feeling unprepared, scared, thinking I would fail, etc. What you're feeling is absolutely normal IMHO. Then the two weeks seemed to just draaagggg by, then all of a sudden it was here and I was having surgery and AHHHHH!!! You're gonna' do great. You're gonna get through the preop the best you can (try not to eat carbs that don't come from green veggies. That's really about it). Don't drink alcohol. Make sure you drink lots of fluids. Ask Dr. K. any residual questions you have when you go for your preop. Expect gas pains (more annoying than anything and they respond well to walking) and remember that any discomfort, etc will be well worth it in the end. Even my wretched headache experience, while totally SUCKY, is really nothing compared to the endless misery of continuing to be obese. I'm six days out now and feel really good and am so glad I did it and didn't put it off. I'm six days closer to health and that's a wonderful feeling. GO JILL!!!

Well, post those baby pics!! Sounds adorable.

Thanks, miss dee! I teach at Westminster College, and the students call the school Westmini, so my license plate is WSTMINI. Your ticker is just flying! Mine is just sort of . . . .crawling. I still feel pretty puffed up.

Why thank you. People usually can't see it on the roof unless they pull up next to me in a tall vehicle, then they look down and smile.

Okay, here are some pics of my MINI when she was a baby. She's a bit more grown up now than in these pics (fancy shoes and socks, some sporty side stripes) but you get the general idea. Her name is Penelope Anne Cooper, but we call her 'Nelope.

That's so funny. At least you didn't ask for Mini. That would have been even funnier. Yesterday I wore a pair of stretch knit pants and rolled the waistband down low. I just couldn't figure out what else to wear. I think tonight I'll wear a high waisted dress or something. I know what you mean about missing everybody. I haven't had this many friends at one time since grade school! I swear!!:biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:

Hey Deb. It was fine going to work yesterday, but I only went for a few hours. I'm teaching a science camp class tonight, but I think I'll be fine too. I feel really good today. A tiny bit sore if I move wrong, a little bit of gas, etc, but that's it. I've been walking for about 30 minutes every day but could do more. It's just so hot that I don't want to go outside! I ordered the Omron HBF-500 body fat monitor from Amazon for 58.00. It keeps track of weight, bmi, body fat%, resting metabolism, etc. and seems very very accurate to the tenth of a pound.

That's so funny. I know what you mean. I talk about you guys all the time. Yes, the internet has definitely changed how we live our lives. I can't figure out quite how I functioned without it. Yay about your hubby. That's fabulous news. If I remember, I'll post pics of my MINI. She's a cutie.

To really bring out the nutty taste of the irish oats, I like to spray the pot with butter flavored pam and roast them until they're nutty brown before I start cooking them. I just love the texture of them. Woof - wow, you do need to go back to work. House guests for 3 weeks? I would have moved out or something. I must try the Greek yogurt, that sounds so good. I love dairy. Man, my abdomen is swollen. I look even rounder than I did before surgery. I'll be glad when it deflates a bit.

I've not had a problem with that at all. I just dish some up in a bowl, add a splash of lowfat milk or whatever, then microwave for a minute. It took me awhile to get the right consistency, cooking time, etc. but it was worth the experimentation. Can't wait till I can add them back into my diet!

Hello Shesha. Pleased to meet you! And congratulations on baby Owen! Mal, that list is tooooo funny. I need to lose the world's largest ball of tape!!! Or sh*t a gold brick!! Or have a cow (well, a calf)! You can cook your steel cut oats either in a crockpot or on the stove. They take awhile to cook, so I used to cook up a weeks worth at a time and just keep the rest in the refrigerator and heat up the amount I wanted each day. I'm not a huge fan of sugar (sorry! Nobody throw anything at me!) so I usually just made my plain and then added some fruit. There is so much fiber in them than the carbs are basically zero. Shelbi - good job today for you as well! Night night lap band ladies.

I think you're talking about granita. Here's how to make it: put about 5 cups of cubed watermelon in your food processor and process it as liquid as you can, then strain through a fine strainer so that it's just juice. Dissolve 1/2 c of splenda in boiling Water. After it cools down, add some to the watermelon puree. You can adjust it depending on how sweet you like it. You should make it sweeter than you would normally like because it will lose some of the sweetness as it freezes. Also add the juice of a lime for some tartness. Pour it in a metal baking pan and put in the freezer. Let it freeze for 3 hours, stirring it every hour or so. Yummy yummy yummy.

good job, miss dee!

Hey GBear! Welcome and how very cool that you and Lotza will be band sisters! Yes, I was soooo nervous the week or so before my surgery. I started thinking I was being really dumb, spending tons of money, just needed more willpower, what if something bad happened, etc etc. But it's all over now and I'm not looking back! The preop diet was a breeze. So far, post op diet has been fine too. I'm craving fruit like crazy though so I just made a pan of watermelon granita that should be ready in about 3 hours. I'm quite excited!

Oh no!! That's a bummer (no pun intended)! I do enjoy beef. I think gas masks may be worth it.

Yes, the board is being freakin' weird. Dee- thanks for putting up your ticker again! Look how close you are to 100 lbs! Fantabulous you! I drank a whole protein shake this morning, "watered" down with skim milk. I feel like I ate a watermelon, but I know I need to get some nutrition into my body. My goal is to get down three a day for now. I'm sure I'm going to feel hungry eventually, but for right now the idea of food is just awful. Wow, and is that ever a weird state for me!!!

good luck on your fill today! Let us know how it goes.

Lap - fantastic!!! and congrats again on impending grandbaby. Just got new pics of mine this morning, they are the best! wow, I feel so much better this morning. No headache, no nausea, a tiny bit sore and that's it. I'm going in to work this morning for an hour or so. I even weighed this morning (couldn't resist) and have lost the 1.5 lbs gained during surgery plus 2 more. Woohoo! That's what I was hoping to see!!! Hey newbies - even though the first few days ended up being crappy for me, this whole adventure will be well worth it. Everyone is going to do great, including me!! The oatmeal/no red challenge sounds like a great idea to get those numbers in line. Wow, Shelbi, you are so close! And miss dee, I'm sure it will be really helpful for both your numbers and your weight loss. I think Dr. Oz calls steel cut oats a "miracle food", yes?

Mmmmm, I LOVE steel cut oats. I used to make them plain, then stir in a little splenda brown sugar blend and then top it with fruit of some sort. My favorite breakfast ever.

Deb - I think you'll need to have some anti-nausea meds of some sort. And most people don't seem to have a problem with it. I should have told Dr. k. that I was getting a bad headache . . . maybe he would have switched me to something else. My bad. Sorry about your Dad. Yes, he definitely needs to stick around and see the true you come to the forefront.

Good morning lap band ladies! I awoke this morning and the wretched headache is 95% gone!!! Yay!!! I'm even going to try to get some fluids today from something other than popsicles. dee - you had me all confused there for a minute with your name change. I was like, uhhhhh . . . who's that? LA - it's really hard to concentrate on things like weight loss when you're in pain. You just need to concentrate on feeling better. The rest will work itself out. I know I'm missing lots of people but every time DH sees that I'm on the computer he says "wow, that must really help your headache" so I'm doing this on the sly while he's at the store. sneaky sneaky Thanks for all your support guys. Rough couple of days, but things are looking much better now.

munchkin - that's fab about your nursing supervisor! How cool! dee - I'm so glad that some of that Water is coming off your ankles. That can't feel good at all. And I think your goal is wonderful .. . and doable!

PS- I've gained 1.5 lbs since surgery. I seem to recall some others of you having the same problem . . .