Babe

it took about a week for me, thank to benefiber and drinkable yogurt. and then it was mostly liquid for at least another week after that.

hedostar, this totally sucks! it sounds like you're in bandster hell. i should be joining you there pretty soon since i'm starting solids in a day or two. from what i understand, it's not likely that we'll lose much weight till after our first fill since there's no restriction yet. i attend a support group for fellow bandsters and what i've learned is that (a) make sure you're getting in enough Protein right now (about 50 to 60g a day); (b)get in at 1200 to 1500 calories daily; and © drink you water. the added protein helps with hunger pangs and energy. the higher calorie intake is important because otherwise you body goes into starvation mode and starts conserving whatever calories you have instead of allowing them to burn off. and we all know why you should drink more water. the people in my group who followed this managed to avoid gaining anything during bandster hell (some even continued to lose) and avoided being hungry all the time. we'll survive this!!!

hi brianne, welcome to the boards. There are a lot of us canadians on here. check out the Canada Support Forum in the local support section. there's a number of alberta threads there.

i love using my hand blender... i've made some great soups and blended them down right in the soup pot. the best part is the easy clean up :cursing:

lol i am definitely going crazy. unfortunately, my doc requires 21days total on liquids - one week Clear Liquids and two creamy soups. 5 more days to go for me... thank god!!!

derbin, i'm also still on liquids (day 16 for me), so i totally feel your pain. please stay strong! i'm fed up of liquids too, but like my doc said to me, this is the time where you can really kick start your weight loss and set the foundation for your future banded life. you're doing so well, i know you can make it one more week. some things that have helped me: adding goat cheese to my tomato Soup, it melts down and adds richness and Protein making it for filling. having an activia yogurt everyday (i'm supposed to have the drinkable kind, but i switched to the little cups just so i could feel like i was 'eating' again) having a Protein Drink or two a day. mixing up different flavours everyday so i won't get bored (ie. if i have tomato soup for lunch, then i'll have potato soup for dinner or order in some thai soup and strain out the veggies) good luck! we can get through this!!!

i've lost about 7 lbs since banding. i'm bummed that i haven't lost more since so many people end up losing a lot on the liquid diet. it's hard not to compare! Shelly i think i'll follow your advice and up my Protein. i just started exercising again this weekend too. nothing strenuous, just power walking, but it feels great. how does myfitnesspal compare to other sites like dailyplate.com or sparkpeople.com? there's so many options out there... totally confusing!!!

7.6lbs down since banding 2 weeks ago... not as much as i'd hoped for, but still pretty good!! Name___________StartWeight___CurrentWeight______Goal_________ToGo *****:cool2:************************:tt2:***********:thumbup:* ********* :thumbup:*** AmethystJade.......231.8..........212.........150.......62.0 Babe...............308............286.4.......199.......87.4 Bellaperdente......196............189.........150.......43 Bklyn1984..........317............261.........165.......96 Bostongurl.........190............190.........133.......57 Brandy.............198............189.........166.......21 Cappy..............240............231.........130.......105.5 Chocolate_Snaps....244............224.........175.......49 CubsGirl17.........147............138.........130.......8 Clarebear08........192............176.5.......160.......16.5 Donna113...........183............177.........126.......51 Ebonie.............307............307.........200.......107 FalloutGirl........282............278.........165.......112 FeliciaLevy75......200............194.........140.......54 FlordiaPete........413............391.........300.......91 GratefulHeart......226............206.........135.......71 GuyMontag..........325............295.........200.......95 health4life........279............239.........150.......89 janesays...........225............214.8.......160.......54.8 kimaly.............194............185.........160.......25 Lindar172..........246............228.........150.......78 Linksmom...........234............234.........145.......89 LocomotiveEngineer.311............311.........220.......91 Long2BThin.........216............199.5.......169.......30.5 lotzasunshine......270............262.........180.......82 Loveislovely.......216............210.........175.......35 ltgordon...........284.8..........250.5.......185.......65.5 lucyavery..........205............205.........140.......65 Mair...............231............222.........140.......83 Mamanmidwife.......264............260.........200.......60 mdgarcia31665......220............220.........165.......55 MissNilsa..........180............180.........132.......48 Rhea2d.............283............233.........185.......58 Sandra267..........220............220.........165.......55 Tabithan...........240............240.........200.......40 Tuger..............192............192.........130.......62 Under200...........242............199.........155.......44 vzghj3.............202............202.........150.......52 Wendy_Wo...........242............218.........142.......76 WOWOX7.............173............161.........125.......36 *************************************************

I was just banded, and i'm thinking of trying out of these sites to track my food, exercise, etc. A lot of people here have talked about Sparkpeople and Fit Day. Why did you choose one over the other?

OMG... I am STARVING!!! i don't know if i can handle one more week of liquids! I am this close to going to McDs and getting a big milkshake. At least its yummy and will be filling. Having healthy liquids is like a depravation diet all over again. Must push on... argh!

Patricia, thanks for the reminder to stay hydrated - that really helped! i'm feeling almost back to normal now... a bit tired, and my shoulder is occasionally sore, but no more gas or incision pain. i can't wait till i can eat solids again (i was never much of a soup person and i miss texture in my food). btw, how did the guest speaker go? was it a good turnout? i'm sorry to have missed it. babe

Way to Go Everyone!!! i've chosen to weigh myself only once a week, so i'll report in on monday. i did have an NSV of sorts today, i pulled on a top for work today that used to hug my body a lot and today it was hanging on me. love how that feels!!!

got some good news to report... i can finally sleep on my tummy again, YAY!!! last night was my first comfortable sleep since the surgery. i'm feeling generally pretty good now, although my left shoulder is achy and i'm still a bit tired. i'm planning on making some home made Soup tonight - i just home my hand blender doesn't conk out on me ... a nice broccoli cheddar if i can find a decent recipe. how are the rest of you doing?

hi angel, i've got PCOS and get very bad cramps too. most things don't work for me, but i've found recently that those gas x strips relieve some the pressure. the pain doesn't really go away, but it's a bit more tolerable. of course, the standard hot Water bottle and chocolate help too. i really wish there was away to make this torture disappear for good. i hope the band helps this!!! sorry i can't be of more help :thumbup:

hon, i was banded last week and let me tell ya, you won't need half that stuff. you'll want to keep things as simple as possible (you'll still be too groggy after anaesthesia to care) just stick to the basics: meds, new undies, toothbrush/paste, i pod, lip balm, cleaning wipes for your face (cleanser takes to much effort), socks, pjs (if you hospital allows it) and a book or magazine. make sure to wear lose fitting clothes the hospital and a sports bra (no underwire - trust me you'll be thankful post op), and some easy to wear or slip on shoes. you'll end up wearing the same clothes back home the next day. i know its easy to freak out pre-op and imagine you need a whole bunch of things, but after the surgery you won't really care how you look. you'll be out of it or at the very least drained of energy. good luck

Wow Teach! i was banded on the 16th too, but i've only lost 3lbs so far. i guess the liquid diet works differently on each bander. way to go!

i'm a week post op, and so far so good. however, the last couple days i've had a horrendous sore throat and have been sneezing - i've coughed a couple times too, but i don't want to encourage it. i'm a bit worried that i'm getting sick. should i be worried? my band is so new that things i used to take in stride make me nervous now.

hey shelly, i'm impressed that you're getting so much Protein in so soon. i'm still on Clear Liquids, and there's only so much broth and protein Water i can have. i get really tired in the afternoons but i hope that will change once i start having Soups, Protein shakes and yogurt in the next couple of days. the first few days were fairly tolerable... not too much shoulder pain or gas. but today, i feel so gassy and my stomach has gotten really bloated. thankfully i still have little shoulder pain! the gas and bloating makes me feel like i'm pregnant. walking and gas x aren't helping like they used to. i hope this will pass soon!!!

i was told no carbonated drinks until 6 months out

i was banded 4 days ago and i'm curious when i should start putting vitamin e oil on them. i don't want to do it do soon. they're hard and obviously not healed yet so i'll wait a while before treating them. when did start treating them (vitamin e, mederma, other scar fading tricks)?

i've got a day on you, and i'm just starting to feel hungry a bit. although, i'm not really sure if it's physical hunger or mental hunger because i'm just so sick of the taste of broth LOL :tt2: hang in there, hun... we'll get through this together!

i was banded on monday, so i totally understand to what you're talking about. what's worked for me is walking. i try to walk for about 10 minutes every hours. for some reason that helps break down the gas trapped in my shoulder and back area and alleviates the pain. also, take gas x. the strips are nice and minty (a nice change in flavour from broth) and really help lessen the stomach gas. also, use a hot Water bottle or pad on your stomach. from what i gather, the pain can last anywhere from 2 days to a few weeks and is different for everyone. most of my pain has dissipated but the gas is still rumbling around in my tummy. hope you feel better soon.

snowy, i'm really liking the kelloggs protein water. its not too sweet and its great for taking away the hunger pangs when you don't feel like a protein shake. i'm still on clear liquids, and this really hits the spot (can't stand the broths).

hi ladies... at least i'm assuming we're all ladies.. just wanted to pass along a tip that's helped me with the shoulder pain. my mom has been massaging my back and doing a light (but strong) tapping motion along my upper back and shoulders and that seems to help break up the gas and alleviate the shoulder pain. that combined with a couple gas x strips a day and i'm ok. my incision scars are painful and i have to be careful not to move to quickly when i get up or sit down. i'm flying to seattle today from Mexico and really not looking forward to it. i hope it's not too uncomfortable. i'm glad to hear you're all doing really well considering...

kirsten, i had my surgery yesterday and was pretty nervous too. everything went so smoothly. they´ll give you some anti anxiety meds which will help calm you down tremendously. one minute i was babbling to my mom and the nurse the next minute i was in post op. i've got some shoulder pain, but walking and talking gas x has helped alot. the incisions - especially around the port - are painfull too, but a little pain meds will help that. good luck tomorrow!