Lanakila

Darn! Now I HAD to take "before" pics. I can see such a difference for lellow that I sucked it up (not in) and smiled for the camera. I did the panty & bra thing just because I wanted to have a record of all of the fatty mcfattiness. I have a BMI of 49+, so you can imagine.... I also took a pic of my face from two angles. I have a "round" face so I'm hoping that losses will show up quickly there too. I took pics of my hubby too. He and I are only about 5 lbs. apart. We'll see how thing go

Well, you have alot of options. There are the regular extracts that you can get in the spice section of the grocery, and there are DaVinci sugar free syrups in a zillion flavors. I like a little extra vanilla flavor and mix it in with baking spices like apple pie spice. I sometimes add Splenda if I need a little sweetness. Another thing you might want to try especially if you are getting tired of shakes, is a New whey Protein Bullet. It's kind of like liquid Jello in consistency. Now some folks can drink it straight, but I have to mix mine in with my Crystal Light. I love the fruit punch in all of my crystal light flavors. You can get them at GNC and some other brand sometimes at WalMart. Be careful if you get the 42g Protein bullet because you should only consume 20-25 g at a time. Your body will not absorb more at once, so no sense spending money on protein that you won't use.

Health4Life, you might want to switch to Tylenol now instead of later. Once you are banded NSAIDS are a no-no.

I knocked it off pre-op so that I wouldn't be insane when I was post-op, in pain, and hungry. I didn't need withdrawals from caffeine on top of that!

Yaaaaayyyy...we're band buddies! I'm on the 28th I wasn't put on any kind of pre-op diet, but I've self-imposed a 2 shake-decent dinner regimen on myself. I don't want to have the fat liver thing and have to be split open, you know? I know that folks here have lost LOADS of weight on their pre-op diet, but I'll be happy if I can just maintain. We'll see at the Friday Morning Weigh-In! Men lose faster (note I did not say "easier"), and you are getting banded instead of bypassed, so no wonder your materials were different. Did they say anything that you hadn't already figured out with your own research? I cannot imagine having to sit through 4 hours of that stuff! A week from tomorrow!

I haven't been banded yet, but I lurk the boards nearly constantly! Try liquid Tylenol for the pain, those chocolate flavored calcium chews, and two flinstone vitamins. Just be sure that you only take one calcium chew at a time, because more than 500 mg won't absorb at once and will just be wasted.

The shoulder pain is not gas in your actual shoulder. The gas is pushing on your diaphragm and all of it's nerves. One of those nerves goes up to your shoulder, so the squeeze on the nerve hurts there. The only thing you can do is walk off the gas in your tum.

I like all of the flavors of the Atkins Advantage...just drink them cold! I also like the slimfast low-carb. Don't get the high-protein because they actually have less Protein than the low-carb. I also enjoy the New whey Protein Bullet in my crystal light. I only use the fruit punch, and it's a great way to sneak in the protein without having to keep drinking shakes. They get boring after awhile. I have 2 Flinstones Vitamins daily :thumbup:

Peaches, If you are just looking for personal support...I'm here for you. We can email or chat personally anytime, we don't have to just keep it to this board. My BMI is way higher, and insurance is covering me, but all of the rest of the issues may be similar. I get banded on the 28th. Just offering :biggrin2:

Darn! I just realized that Friday is coming! I better steel myself for the scale...since I'm still pre-op and not really restricted diet-wise.

Hi there, and welcome to the board! Am I correct in guessing that you are in Atlanta? Tell us how you are doing.

So we've finally settled on Stanley! I ordered a silver baby feeding spoon with his name and birthdate engraved on it so that I will eat itty-bitty bites and not make him sick. :tongue2: Some day I'll have that spoon mounted in a shadow box with a before and after picture (of me, silly, not Stanley )

I sent an email to Rosie so that she could find us again. We love new friends!

Hey Reno and Lukesmom, welcome to the board! If you will check out the 2nd post on this forum, the sticky one that is called August 2008 Bandsters, you can see who else is from your area. Not everyone comes to the board daily, so you might want to Private Message them!

The reason for the dietary restrictions after surgery aren't for the band...they are for your stomach. You do not want to put food into your stomach that will cause it to contract (digest) because that will pull on your stitches. I would recommend against the applesauce and mashed potatoes. Both of those are basically pureed foods (mushies). The yogurt and pudding liquify almost immediately once they get into your hot body, so your stomach doesn't have to squish it up. As always, every doctor is different so you may want to ask your doctor for his/her opinion.

Happy Birthday Sweetie! Make this a NSV (non-surgery victory) and treat yourself to a new pair of earrings, or a dangerously seductive color of lipstick!

It's not so much about swallowing it as it is about swallowing all of the air when you chew it. You don't realize it, but you are swallowing air. Just like you don't realize it, but when you drink through a straw you are swallowing all of the air that was at the top of the straw.

Come On Honey...you can do it! It will be a rough road, but you should stop the sweets dead in their tracks. I agree that you will crave them much, much less after a week or so. Once we eat those carbs, we WANT them BADLY! Once you get past that week or two, if you get the sweeties go for those chocolate chew Calcium thingies. Just remember that your body can only absorb 500 g of calcium at once, so don't go eating a bunch of them, k?! Chomp down that Protein first, then non-starchy veggies. Once the weight starts coming down again, you'll get your motivation back on track. We're here for you :thumbup:

LOOK at that shrinking BELLY! Whoo-hoo for you That's just 3 weeks too...I can't wait!

Interesting...I was told that potatoes and eggs and such are considered "soft foods" and not "mushies" even if they were pureed. My doctor said that mushies were things that were thin enough to drink through a straw (even though we can't use straws). I was told that it was things like applesauce, puddings, baby food, thin oats & cream of wheat, etc. That pureed stuff is off limits to me until the "soft foods" stage and :biggrin:

I like the grinning part! I might be miserable after surgery, but I sure plan to grin for the rest of my life Make yourself sip at least a bit of water every 15 minutes, even if you don't feel like it. Dehydration will be bad, bad, bad.

I can't believe that your time has come already! So many of you are regulars here and I've felt like we've been "waiting" together. Go get 'em!

Wow...this is REALLY UGLY! What's your problem you jerk? This site is for support, sharing and, yes, even debate. You certainly have the right to disagree, but you do not have the right to be verbally assaultive about it!

DON'T FORGET! Your body can only absorb about 20-25 grams of protein at a time. If you are going to use this drink, be sure to split it throughout the day. No sense paying for protein that isn't going to be absorbed!

Bon Voyage Stace!!! Spooky will be ready for The Mommy to get back :wink2: