Andrea20405

Thanks for all the cooking suggestions. I know its better for me but on a typical day I leave the house at 7 am and I return around 9pm. I tried cooking and packing a ice chest with food but after a while it became too cumbersome and I stopped. I am really trying to come up with ideas I can do while on the go, yet are still good choices for my band.

Thanks guys! These are exactly the kinds of things I was looking for! Keep em coming!

I don't cook and I don't have a lot of time to do prepping of food ahead of time. I mostly grab stuff on the go and I need help with this from you guys! Its going to be my downfall if I can't find a way to get this new food plan into my current schedule. I've tried to get my schedule to fit around my food restrictions and failed miserably. Snacks on the go? Meals that are premade and only require heating? Fast food ideas? Convenience store food ideas? dinner out at a restaurant ideas?

New trick I learned today... Scotch tape over the mouth of my glass. I have a glass of something always at my desk. Water, tea, whatever. I am in the habit of drinking all day long. (Arizona=desert=hot!) What usually happens is that I eat, then go back to my desk and without thinking, I start drinking as I work. About 20 minutes later I look down and realize what I've been doing! Now, when I leave for lunch, I tape off the top of my cup. It prevents me from just picking it up and drinking without thinking.

Yay me! To make up for my poor choice in dinner I went to the gym and rode the bike for 10 miles.

I guess we just come from heartier stock! :rolleyes2: If the end of the world ever came, we'll live the longest! If I am not giving up, you shouldn't either! A few more fills and we'll beon our way, we're just taking the long route. So... that being said... I bombed on my dinner selection. Carne Asada Torta and tacos de pastor... any ideas on the caloric content in that? And horchata? :thumbdown:

Well with all this encouragement I am being good. I signed up on livestrong.com For breakfast I had a Lean Cuisine For lunch, Healthy Choice Steamer (One sip of unsweetened tea when I got back to my desk out of habit, and then almost spit it out because I had just eaten) I am HUNGRY! I go to the gym 5 days a week. 3 days of weights to tone up, and 2 days of cardio only. I also do cardio on the weight training days, just less of it. My Dr. is great about getting me in for fills. I have never had an issue about getting an appt. The problem I have with the fills is that the makers of my band recommend a slow fill process and so thats what my Dr. does. I have to wait at least 2 weeks between fills. They will only do 1 cc max per fill. Frustrating. My first year of fills are free, you'd think they would save themselves some money and just top me off to start with :wink2: Next fill is 10/21/08 Tuesday. I hope I can stay as disciplined until then! Thanks Guys! You Rock! :laugh:

Thanks guys! What a great thing to wake up to this morning. I really appreciate all your support! I am going to check out the livestrong.com site. I had been on fitday.com but never with any consistancy. Maybe this will be different. Perhaps you are right and I should go back to liquids for a few weeks. That was really hard for me, but I may not have much of a choice. How do you all fight the head hungries? I was never much of a snacker before surgery, but now I find myself wanting something sweet between lunch and dinner. And I overeat at Breakfast too. Breakfast is my biggest meal, and I eat it fast, like if I dont shovel it in fast, I'll starve. And I am still eating what I use to eat pre-band for breakfast, bad quality foods and too much of them, and way too fast. OK, thats the new question... head hungries cures? food ideas? size of meals? Maybe my 3rd fill will get me to that sweet spot finally and I wont be interested in food anymore.

I am not ready to give up. I think the band works. I think it may someday work for me. I am just getting discouraged. Its taking longer than I thought it would. I am disappointed in myself for not making the best decision 100% of the time, and for not remembering stupid things like eating/drinking together. I guess I just need some cheerleading. I need to know I am not alone in my struggles and that they will pass. I will be thin... someday.

I haven't been online in a while. In fact, there is a little message at the top of my screen saying I haven't posted in several weeks, asking me if I am getting shy. I guess I just haven't wanted to see everyone else's success stories. I was banded 8-15. I have a 14cc AP band. I still dont have restriction, even after 2 fills. My 3rd fill is next Tuesday. Sometimes I will have a PB if I dont chew enough, but other than that, nothing. No food amount restrictions, no food type restrictions. I try hard to make good food choices. Not always successful at that. I sometimes forget not to eat and drink at the same time. Old habits are harder to break than I thought. I go to the gym every week day. I hired a personal trainer once a week. I am trying. And yet my scale hasn't moved in over a month. I get so upset. It hurts when people ask how much weight I've lost. I feel like a failure. I feel like I did all this for nothing. I feel like I am the only one who isn't succeeding. WTF else can I do? I want to lose this weight! PS. most of my weight loss was pre-op diet on the ticker.

You need to have surgery, no matter what. You cant have a slipped band. Since he is going to be in there anyway, he might as well repair it.

I take Caltrate 600mg + Vit-D Chewables for my calcium. There are 3 flavors in the bottle, cherry, orange and fruit punch. They are pretty decent and I chew one after lunch and 1 after dinner. I also have Centrum Chewables Multivitamin/Miltimineral in orange flavor. Also not bad. I only take one of these at lunch time. I got both at Wal-Mart. ETA: Those Viactive Caramel calcium chews are full of calories and carbs and you have to eat several of them for your recommended daily allowance. Not worth it IMO.

I was banded last Friday the 15th. My incisions are still healing. I noticed however that the skin below the port incision is kinda numb. I can feel pressure when I press on it, but the skin is numb, I can't feel my fingernails scratching it. Anyone else? Do you think this will subside as my wounds heal?

Consider avoiding the "shake" consistancy. Here are some suggestions for some Protein mixes that are more of a beverage than a shake. I was referred to unjury brand Protein Powder from another member of this site. They have 4 flavors. They strawberry one I mix with lemon crystal light and it tastes just like a strawberry lemonade, and its like a regular beverage, not thick like a shake. The chocolate flavor I mix with skim milk and its like a great chocolate milk. Some mix in a touch of coffee for a mocha effect (like those Starbucks Frap bottles) but I don't like coffee so I cant attest to that. They also have a chicken Soup flavor which is good for me because I am not big on sweets. I heat it up and eat the "soup" for lunch. They mix well, no chunks, and the flavor is great with no aftertaste. Syntrax nectar is another one to try, available at a Vitamin shop, in tropical fruit flavors. Like drinking juice. Good luck, and just keep trying.

My steri-strips are starting to come loose but the wounds underneath are still healing. I have been on liquids all week but tonight I was able to eat about 1/3 c. of fat free refried Beans with some taco bell sauce squirted on top and a little dollup up of guac. I can lay on my stomach again finally but still a little tender going to/from this position. Sitting up straight in my jeans still uncomfortable so I have been wearing dresses to work. I am a slow healer. :cursing: But I am healing and thats whats important! My follow up is on 9/2... can't wait to see my loss.

I had my surgery at Surgical Specialty Hospital too, but with a different doctor. I also stayed overnight. Mine was on 8/15. How did yours go? I know there is another AZ girl on here who had Simpson (I think) and SSH of AZ. Her surgery was on the 12th or 13th too. Heck you two were probably in the pre-op prep room together!

My surgery was last Friday the 15th. After surgery/recovery room I wasn't in that much pain, but I think that was because all my surgical meds were still in full effect. After walking to my own room and beginning my recovery there, I started to feel the pain. I was promptly brought liquid hydrocodone and that helped a ton! I was very bloated! Uncomfortable too! I stayed this was for Sat/Sun/Mon, Tuesday I was feeling a little better. Wednesday I went back to work and although I was still taking my pain meds, I was able to make it through the whole day. Last night was the first night I slept without pain meds. This morning I discovered I can roll onto my side without much pain. I am still wearing dresses because the few times I did wear my shorts they were tight and restrictive (even my "fat" ones). This surgery does different things to different people. I had pain. A lot of people say it doesn't hurt, thats probably true for them, but for me, it hurt. I was also very uncomfortable, for several days. Here it is Thursday, tomorrow will be 1 week since my surgery, I am finally feeling better. I hope you will go smoothly through with no pain but just in case you do, know that it will pass!

"I take 1 low dose asprin and 3 ibuprofins" Asprins and Ibupro. are blood thinners and you cannot have taken them within 2 weeks* of your surgery. It will cause excess bleeding. Please call your surgeon's office and have everything you are currently taking, even over the counter medications and Vitamins cleared. I know my Doctor was especially concerned with Asprin and Vitamin E supplements, they were a big no-no. *Some are 2 weeks prior, some are 1 week, some are more. If your surgery is within a month from now, ask your surgeon before you take it. As for the headaches, they will pass, I got them everytime I started the atkins diet (back when I was dieting) and its your body adjusting. Especially if you use to have a lot of caffeine before and have cut it out completely all of a sudden. Up your Water intake. Drinking more water will help with the headaches. Hang in there!

While in the hospital I was naked and sporting a lovely hospital gown with snaps at the shoulders and 2 ties in the back. I took an additional hospital gown and wore it backwards as a "robe" for my walking exercises through the halls. Afterwards, I suggest something very loose and roomy. For undergarments I got one of those bras at walmart that was a bigger band width than I would regularly wear, and it clasps in the front. Also, make sure it is not underwire bra. You will have 1 incision very close to where the bottom of your bra will rub. Plus you will be extremely bloated, hence the larger size. Basically, it will keep the girls from roaming about on their own, and that about it. For panties, granny cotton is a good choice. You are going to be extra bloated as I said before, so your normal size will be a bit constricting, and believe me, you dont want that, you will have enough internal constriction with the excess gas. Also, make sure they dont rise up too high. Basically, high enough that they aren't falling down, but still below your belly button. For clothing, a very lose Sundress is ideal. I had on shorts and a tank top the first day and the second I got home I changed into a dress. I didn't want anything around my waist. Hope this helps. My surgery was last Friday.

Tomorrow is the big day. I am a little scared. Keep wondering if this is really where I am. Am I so far gone that I have to have surgery to lose weight, have I really lost all control to be able to lose this myself? But I know the answer to that. Yes I have. My ride to the hospital was supposed to be my mom, she got called out of state for a family emergency, then dad was supposed to take me, but he is having issues now too, so now its my brother, I wish I could just drive myself. There is so much drama in my life right now. I wish I could go into this surgery without all this added stress. Wish me luck guys. 10am MST (PDT) Friday:unsure:

I am in SW Phoenix. Getting banded on 8/15 with Dr. Nirmul

I was SUPPOSED to have surgery today at 8am. But last week I came down with a sever upper respitory infection that I thought would be cleared up by today. I went into the hospital this morning, got my IV's in and was all ready to go when the anesthesiologist said "No." My throat was still too raw, my cough still too strong, my mucus and 'lung boogers' too green and coming up too often. I knew I was too sick but I had been looking forward to this for so long that I had convinced myself that I wasn't that sick. But I am. He convinced me that its an elective operation, and I should elect to do it when I am at 100%. So I have been rescheuled for 8/15. But while I was waiting, I was getting really nervous. Why am I doing this? Is it going to hurt for a long time? Why am I intentionally putting myself into a painful situation? Do I really want to go through all this just to lose weight? I don't have any obesity related health issues right now. Is this all for vanity? Please, someone who has done this... would you do it all over again? Why?