vegasgirl44

OMG Karey! I bought that last year after I noticed a co-worker's lashes that were just so long. It's definitely helped me get rid of my scrawney lashes.

I was only banded on 8-14 but I'm familiar with restriction. I don't know how long it will last before my first fill, but the pressure in my left rib cage is right on! Sometimes it's hard to breath in after I've had something to eat (drink really). A pressure and tightness would be how I describe it. In fact, I just had a vanilla protein shake a couple of hours ago, must have drank it too fast, and wha-la!, restriction pain.

pj, there are so many, but to start, if you like dreamscicles, just use orange crystal light mix in with your protein powder and it's one of my favorites. Yummy!

Yeah Paula, I went to WalMart the other day and discovered that Jello brand has a whole line of sugar free puddings....dulce de leche, rice, chocolate this and that. I bought like 8 packs of 6. Then I went Gung Ho, and ate four in one sitting. Trust me, I will NEVER do that again. Plus, I don't want too many empty calories, so I balance them out with my protein and other things.

sassy, I agree with all the previous posts. Right now, you have had to let go of all your crutches and you are mad and grieving and detoxing. It's hard, I know. But when I go to work and my employees are eating In-N-Out (good, but I'd rather have FatBurger anyway), I like to go smell and look....or not, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE myself for making this decision. And even though I haven't lost a significant amount of weight, I feel soooooo self-confident now and I don't let the food bother me. Sure I get those cravings, but like everyone has said, it gets better. Also like they implied, it's very important to surround yourself with positive reinforcement. Remember, you chose to do this for YOU, not everybody else. They don't want to hurt you. They may be jealous or may not agree with your decision, but I'm sure they care for you and don't want you to come to any harm. Stand up straight, be confident, and revel in your decision. Act like it's YOUR project, YOUR secret, YOUR own little thing that is yours. You can do it. You WILL do it!

Paula, I actually get yogurt and puddings, which I love. So I will be doing that. I also bought some of that Select Soup in the Gold Box-Southwestern Corn. OMG! I can't imagine how it will taste, but I'm looking forward to finding out. I really enjoy Mexican spices since it really heightens and adds flavor do otherwise dull foods. I guess I will have to put it in the blender for cream of corn soup. LOL! Maybe some tomato soup with some chili seasoning in it? I don't know yet. I think tomato is BORING, so I'm going to have to spice it up a little. I have to get some V8 too....need my veggies. I bought cream of rice cereal but I've never had it before. I hate oatmeal. Any suggestions to spice up that? LOL!

Bella! You hit the nail on the head with your post. The reason we adhere to the diet the doctor gives us is to help heal our stomach from the inside and food will most likely go down, but there is a reason to the madness of the food stages. Thanks for reminding us! Good luck to you. Bonnie

ANWA, you shouldn't be swallowing ANY pills. You need to crush them and put them in your food. Don't be swallowing whole pills. My doc actually told me to get liquids if possible, but now I crush and get chewables. Those liquid vitamins are some of the nastiest stuff I've ever had in my mouth. Your doc should have told you that several times. Good luck to you!

Debski, thank you for keeping it real for those of us who have not experienced situations like that....yet. I also am still tending to eat too fast and before I know it, I'm full and feeling pressure. I'm just used to eating fast and know I need to slow down. I'm amazed that I have a band with no fill yet and if I eat food that is a little thicker than thin liquids, I do feel the restriction/pressure. Thanks for reminding me I need to slow down. Good luck to you! Bonnie

Mimi, I know. Sometimes dreams are all we have. Sigh.....LOL!

Paula! Shut Up! I had a protein drink for breakfast and potato soup for lunch also! Wow! I bought some Campbells Garden Harvest soup, threw it in the blender and added a ton of pepper. It was really terrific. I think I'm going to be able to top off my day with just liquids also. Great minds think alike, I guess. LOL! Good luck to you! Bonnie

Joanne, AMEN, girlfriend!

I get oatmeal also. But since I'm not an oatmeal fan, I bought cream of rice, which is also allowed for me starting next week. I figure that Hey! Maybe it will taste like rice pudding, which I LOVE!!!! I could OD on rice pudding. Thank God Kozy Shack has a SF version. Whoohoo! Am I just dreaming that Cream of Rice will taste as good as rice pudding? LOL!

robint, I was the same way. Hiatal hernia found and fixed during surgery. Congratulations on your surgery!

jmegirl, I lost 21 pound preop, gained 6 the day of surgery, and then lost that 6 plus 5 more recently. I just can't believe I gained during surgery and then it took 4 days+ to take it off. But the scale is moving again now.

littlefroggy, I believe everybody's postop instructions are different. I just don't like people putting words in my mouth or implying that I am telling someone what to do. I would NEVER tell anyone to go against the advice of their physician. If someone asks advice, I give them my side of the story. My side of the story is that week one, I do clear liquids. This includes SF Jello, Water, crystal light, Isopure, etc. Week 2 is creamed liquids including yogurt, pudding, creamy Protein Shakes, etc. Week 3 and 4 I add creamed Soups, and purees. Then I move on from there. I believe every surgeon has his own reason for recommending a certain regime. My brother had gastric bypass last year, and his diet was pretty much the same. I tend to think that since my surgeon does other surgeries that he uses similar diets for all of his patients. What I DO know is that the stomach must heal after the band is put on, and some doctors want healing in different ways. I think some foods immediately after surgery probably are not tolerated by the body. For instance, eating a stage 3 food the day after surgery might cause more gas, bloating, diarrhea...etc...and you know, milk can cause diarrhea. When someone is sick with the flu, etc, usually a doctor will prescribe clear fluids and plenty of rest. Good luck!

I don't know where you live, but that sounds like an awful lot for lapbanding. I thought my fee was big. Normally, most of those charges are lumped together. However, if you feel this is the best doc in your area and you like and trust him, I say go for it if you can. My doc is a GREAT surgeon. I just would NOT go with a lapband doctor who ONLY does lapbands. Mine does gallbladders, hernias, etc...you know, many different abdominal type surgeries. Plus he has trained with the best lapband surgeons. I think that one of the best things you can do is to go to the doc's support and talk with some of the others who had him. Good luck!

$175-Pyschologist $225-Nutritionist $16,500-Cash Pay for Surgery and one year follow-up with free fills $1200-I financed a portion of it with CareCredit, and my doc charged me an extra amount for this service) Plus, I must have spent almost $300 on protein powders, vitamins, a few initial doctor visits (I had to get a cardiology consult and some followup there), and some miscellaneous items. ___________________________________________ $18,400 and worth every penny.....say hello to my new car!

Princess, your chili recipe reminded me of some I made preop. All I used was one can of black beans, undrained, 1 lbs of ground turkey breast, and one can of those stewed tomatoes-Mexican style and undrained. Then I got one of those low sodium chili mixes like Lawry's or McCormicks in the little package. I basically followed the instructions on the back of the package and it was soooooo good. And very easy. I can't wait to have it again in a couple of weeks. It is chock-full of protein and the tomatoes are good for source of potassium, which I have been lacking. I can tell because I'm prone to leg cramps and usually eat a banana, but I can't have bananas now. Yummy! You made me so hungry. LOL!

I do not advocate drinking milk one day post op at ALL. I'm following the instructions of my surgeon. Clear liquids does not include milk. However a clear liquid does include Isopure or IDS whey bullets or some other source that I don't know of. Therefore, I absolutely stand by my advice. Plus, I don't see what advice you are disagreeing with. Walking, drinking clear liquids and protein are all part of the healing process. Perhaps you ladies should go back and look at your postop instructions. I said ABSOLUTELY nothing about weight loss being a priority and I don't believe DEBSKI did either. I would NEVER tell someone to go against the wishes of their surgeon. I have lost 26 lbs in this process. I must be doing something right. Good luck!

I so feel your pain.....at least the big belly thing. I feel about 6 months pregnant, if not more. It's so annoying because I've lost 26 lbs so far and I still feel fat. I just want it to go away. Plus the pain in my shoulder is horrible at times. When I toot, I want to throw a party.

Insurance companies don't care if you lose all your co-morbidities, etc., and don't have to take meds anymore or save them money "down the road" because they are banking on the fact that somewhere soon down that road, you won't have that insurance anymore. If you have surgery, they pay for it, and then you get another job, and they are out that money. I have BCBS of Tennessee and I suppose my company, PSI Solutions Inc. decided to opt of of that. Bummer! I had to go self pay. I got an account with CareCredit and I am already having to make payments starting Sept 10th. I don't care. To me, it's like a car payment. Say Hello to my new car, people!

I had surgery on 8-14 and my postop was today. I came home and "celebrated" with 4 of those little sugar free pudding cups for lunch. Needless to say, I have had nothing the rest of the day. This is the first day I have felt was restriction feels like. The pressure and tightness bordering on being uncomfortable and near pain. I'm sure I ate them too fast, and of course, I should have stopped at 1 or 2. I think the idea is to try new food little by little. A little bit at a time and slowly. I honestly think that if I ate roasted chicken right now, I would have to stop soon. But I'm with the rest of you about the refried beans. I bought a couple cans of those, some sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes, and some other things yesterday. I can't WAIT for week 3 to get here!

My stomach is still poofy from surgery, so I would give anything to be able to pass gas right now. It's not leaving my body and then travels up to my left shoulder, no matter how much I walk. Is this gas still leftover from having your surgery, or is this just a new condition that has resulted from the surgery? At least you guys are laughing about it. LOL!

I would suggest some more concentrated protein drink that doesn't add a lot of calories. For example, Isopure and IDS whey bullets. They are clear liquids. I think you need more protein. That was my problem a couple of days ago. I was ravenous. Also, I have been walking vigorously each night, at least a mile. Doing that and drinking water while you are walking pretty much diminishes your appetite. Trust me. I had gained 6 lbs in surgery and I had NO food for 2 days, being hooked up to an IV the whole time. I still have a gas tummy, but I don't feel gassy. I must have gas though, because I have had intermittent left shoulder pain that gets quite painful. Whether I walk or not. Good luck. I think we have all been there at one time or another.