voiceomt2002

I am on to solid food tomorrow! Its been hard but damn it I did it!

Congratulations, Bella!! (Throwing confetti in the air!)

Lena

Swellmom and I are very alike. I have severe sleep apnea, and I had to bring my machine to the hospital. Due to other problems caused or made worse by my obesity, I had to stay overnight in the hospital and my CPAP machine was a godsend. (Patting the little black box that saved my career.)

Since surgery, my apnea has already improved in just one month. I went in to get some supplies for my machine and brought the SmartCard. A download from the card revealed I have less than one episode per night now! That's an amazing turnaround.

The test isn't painful at all. The sleep center where I took my test was decorated like a small hotel room and very comfy. They do want you to sleep well, after all. (grin) If you do end up diagnosed with apnea, be grateful they caught it. The pleasure of that first night with an adjusted machine set just for you is wonderful and refreshing. Okay, so you feel a bit like Darth Vader. The restful sleep is well worth feeling as if you'll say, "Luke! I am your father!" (giggle)

There is a great website called caloriecount.about.com that I use to keep track of everything. Then I can get a month worth of analysis. I looks like this:

Date Calories Grams Fat Carbs Protein Grade

2009-01-22 1,178 1,550 24 182 56 B+

2009-01-23 1,252 1,425 32 182 53 B-

2009-01-24 1,028 1,211 19 121 90 A-

2009-01-25 901 1,051 13 93 89 A-

2009-01-26 1,260 834 66 173 96 B-

2009-01-27 980 678 41 122 79 B

2009-01-28 939 383 25 94 71 C+

2009-01-29 640 284 22 39 61 C+

The grade is for the choices of food during the day like too many carb or fat.

Well, it's great to hear form you all. Take care.

Wow, Glenda!! That's a great site. Thank you so very much. I've been very, very naughty the past two days and deserve a D minus. While I did try to choose wisely, I ended up both days in situations where I gave up and ate carbs. Bad Lena! I could sure use those carb grades.

Hi! I had surgery on 1/16/09 and am on the mushy stage but I'm finding myself getting bored. What are you eating? I'm having a little bit of a hard time getting my Protein in because, frankly, I can't imagine eating pureed meat.:bored:

1. Meal Replacement shakes

2. Scrambled eggs, omelets and fritattas

3. Baked fish, chicken or turkey. I did use a mini-food processor, but only to chop the meat into tiny chunks, not all the way to a puree.

4. Lean ground beef, finely crushed. (I didn't manage this until toward the end of my mushy phase. It wouldn't stay down.)

5. Dried Beans, peas, and lentils -- well cooked to mush

6. Cottage cheese and ricotta cheese, mixed with Splenda and flavorings. (No fruit except well-processed berries)

7. Egg, chicken, tuna, or turkey salads.

Hi there everyone,

I'm Tiffeny and I was banded on the 7th. I'm doing pretty well. Some days I'm hungry and some days i don't have cravings at all. It is all pretty weird. I'm down a total of 47 pounds so far. 22 presurgery and 23 post-surgery. I'm anxious and a little nervous for my first fill on Feb 10th. When is everyone getting their first fill?

I'm getting my first fill on the 5th. I'm soooo nervous! I'm scared of needles. (grulp)

i'm so jealous! I have 4 weeks of liquids after my jan 14th surgery. Wednesday I finally get to add in yogurt, sf pudding and thinned oatmeal. Then it'll be a week of pureed food, then a week of minced and then, finally solids. I'm so aching to chew that it's ridiculous!

Think of it this way, TK -- You'll lose more weight than I in your first month. I spent most of last week yarking over a toilet finding out what I could and couldn't eat of solid foods, and most of the time I ate mushies anyway. You're likely to lose twice the weight in the first few weeks than I.

Now that I can eat solids, my weight loss has slowed down to nearly nothing, and I'm constipated as H***. I've got to pull together some serious self-discipline in a hurry! In fact, I'm going back to some Meal Replacement shakes as of today. My body doesn't care what I put in it, as long as it's filling that tiny pouch. So, I'm skipping Breakfast (I usually do anyway) and having a Meal Replacement shake for lunch, then a low-carb meal for dinner. If I do get hungry, I'll make some deviled eggs or crudites for Snacks.

Lena

I'll be serving a Cajun Stir-Fry instead of a high-carb chili.

1 T. olive oil

1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes

1/3 lb. smoked turkey kielbasa, cut into 1/2" slices

1/2 c. chopped onion

2 cloves of garlic, pressed (I use the minced from a jar instead, about 1 tsp.)

3/4 c. chopped green bell pepper (about one pepper)

3/4 c. chopped red bell pepper

3/4 c. chopped yellow bell pepper

1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 med. Roma Tomato, diced

3 tsp dried basil

3 tsp dried oregano

3 tsp. dried parsley flakes

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning (I recommend Tony Chacere's, if you can get it.)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper (fresh ground is best)

***

1 T. cornstarch

2 T. cold Water

Heat the oil in a skillet (I used my electric skillet) set to medium high heat. Stir fry the chicken, kielbasa, onion, and garlic until onion is transluscent and tender. Add the peppers, mushrooms, tomato, herbs, and seasonings, right up to the stars in the list. Cook and stir until the chicken is cooked through.

Take a small jar (baby food jars are great for this) and put in the cornstarch and Water. shake until you make a slurry. Add the mix to the skillet. (Wash that jar now!) Bring it all to a boil; cook and stir constantly until the sauce is thick. Serves 4, immediately.

Note to bandsters: cut that kielbasa up into tiny bits or you'll be very, very sorry.

Per serving:

235 calories

8g fat

25g Protein

17g carbs

4g dietary Fiber

89 mg cholesterol

875 mg sodium.

Miralax has been recommended by a lot of doctors. It's not a harsh laxative. Benefiber helps a little for me, but not much. It gives me gas. I take a stool softner every day and try to eat a lot of veggies and a couple of prunes every day.

Hi Oregondaisy!

Thanks for moderating, and congrats on reaching your goal. Mine seems so far away, right now. (sigh)

Lena

Okay, I just talked to my doc's office. When Metamucil is ineffective, try Benefiber or Miralax. Also, keep yourself well hydrated.

While Miralax is much more expensive, I think I'll go for that one. I've used it before and know it works well with my system. Why monkey around if you know something works?

But, while I'm there at the pharmacy, I think I'll buy a bottle of milk of magnesia, just in case.

Lena

I was band on the 8th. I am eating soft foods now, exercising at least 4 to 5 times a week. I also went back to work about a week after my surgery. I am down about 25 lbs now and one size. I am feeling really good.

If I eat a egg I get full with only one. Before I could eat about three to four eggs. Wow! This is so great.

I am so happy everyone is doing really good and losing the weight and see the results. Keep it up NEW YEAR HOTTIES!

I can manage one whole egg, depending on how it's cooked. Two ounces at a time of just about anything is it. I just managed to keep down an ounce of beef this weekend.

I've been back to work since the Monday after my surgery, but I put myself on a light schedule that first week and had my wonderful assistant do a lot. Now I'm back in full swing! Woohoo!

I was banded on Jan 20th and came home on the 21st. Some pain in my chest area and the incisions but nothing unbearable. I don't know if the chest area pain is a gassy pain or not. I am on Clear Liquids until tomorrow and then I start full liquids, any ideas on the different types of things to eat?

While at first I could barely manage the Meal Replacement shakes, eventually I could have things like Diet V-8 Splash, thin Soups (strained), broth, and SF Jello. That was all I wanted for most of that week. However, toward the end I did want something a little more. Then I started drinking the broths when I made roasts or similar meals for my DH. I cooled the broth to get the fat to congeal, removed it, and warmed up the rest for a taste similar to what my family ate.

For instance, we have an old family recipe that starts with saving all the leftover juices and small bits from when you cook canned vegetables. We save it in a freezer container layer by layer. When the container is full, we add bits and bones from beef roast leftovers we also save. I made up this "Pot Liquor Stew" and strained it with a collander so I could have just the broth. It's thicker than plain old Soup, and a lot more savory. Helped me make it through those last few days until the doc said I could have mushies. Those Depression Era recipes sure are relevant for us right now.

Lena

Okay. I used to take Miralax in my morning beverage and that worked reasonably well. (Took me awhile to find the reference in my old notes.) I've called Dr. Baptista and left a message.

Lena:

Good Idea!! Thanks for starting this topic!

I asked my doc on my pre op consultation. He said that was very likely to happen and plan ahead with your liquid Fiber products like metamucil, ect. He perfer that first before the harsh chemicals. Now that said I have used and read on the band sites someone drinking tea. I have used deiters tea it works but be prepared for cramps.

I have some Metamucil. I'll give that a try. The tea I have is Smooth Move. Normally, that's reasonably effective but lately hasn't helped much.

Lena

Has anyone from January yet started on solid/regular food? If so, how are you doing??

I'm doing fine, Bee. I've been eating solids for over a week, and while there have been challenges like learning to eat VERY SLOOWWWLLLLY, but overall it's easy to adjust. I blogged here about it.

Weight loss did slow down. I'll warn you about that. However, let's be reasonable. The phenomenal loss we experience at first is somewhat unhealthy.

Lena

In another thread, the problem of Constipation has come up. I decided it needed its own thread.

My doc warned me constipation was a possible problem, and this has proven to be very true. No matter how much liquid I consume, I'm stuck until I take a strong laxative.

Has anyone's doctor commented? I'm ready to call my doc soon as business hours start.

Lena

re: Constipation

I think it's time for a new thread so others can either participate or not. I'll start, Bee.

Hi, I got banded on January 19th in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. Feeling good........What type of post op diet was/is everyone on and for how long liquid/mushies/regular food??

I was on liquids for a week, mushies for a week, and now I'm slowly introducing solids. Some still don't stay down, but that's okay with me. I'm not hungry, so I don't care.

Lena

Yeah, but mine was Constipation --a problem I have battled for years and years, so no surprise. Doc warned me it's a fairly common problem.

It has been over three weeks for me and I still don't get that hungry like I use too. I am like you bellabean. I eat three to four bites of some type of food eating very slowly and I am good to go for couple more hours.

Whew!! Thank you, Peanutband. I was worried there because I still don't feel hunger anymore, but above my band gets a little growl going in there to tell me it's time put something in.

Only problem I have is Constipation. Now that's getting annoying. My usual methods aren't as effective.

Lena

Try this, Bella:

Mocha Ricotta Creme

1/2 c. part-skim ricotta cheese

1/2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1 pkg sugar substitute (like Splenda)

1 dash espresso powder

Mix together the ricotta, cocoa, vanilla, and Splenda in a small dessert bowl. (If you have a storage container with a lid, use that.) Serve chilled with just a dusting of espresso powder.

Ricotta Creme can be made in many, many flavors-- depending on what you have for flavored extracts. A little sweetening, some Splenda, and you have a creamy dessert! You can also whirl up a few berries and some Splenda in the food processor to make a fruit sauce for your ricotta creme if you don't have carb restrictions.

I couldn't eat 1/2 a cup, so a lidded storage container made it possible for me to save my "dessert" for the next meal.

Lena, you are doing great. I am up for the band on 27th. I worry about the gas because when I had my gallbladder out I thought I was going to die with my shoulders hurting so. I have all my supplies ready. I just have one more day of waiting. I hope I am ready for this.

Carolina Mom

You're ready, Carolina Mom. The gas is different every time, I think. I've had gas in my abdomen three times, and none were the same. Just take your Gas-X strips and chant, "This too shall pass." (grin)

Lena

I am being banded on 25th January, this Sunday as this is the first working day of the week where I live in the UAE. I'm an expat over here from the UK. I guess I will be on my own on that day but I am glad to be part of the New Year Hotties! I also hadn't heard about the hiccups so thanks for that too!

Good luck to you, Hope09! May your day tomorrow be full of joy and no pain.

Lena

Oh oh oh, sorry for all the spelling errors in the last post. Its gatta be the pain meds.

ughhh

It's just the pain meds, honey. It's okay.

Lena

Hi Lena,

I was banded on January 14Th ,and I'm doing soo much better the first 4 days were the worst for me . I'm still on my clear liquid diet ,and go to see my LB Doctor on the 27TH. I have one more week of liquids then I move on to mushie foods (I can't wait ).I am surprised at how well my incisions have healed up I've been putting Vitamin E on them . I hope everyone else is doing as well ,and hope to hear of all your good news .Blessings

Glad to hear from you, Ronda. Enjoy this month when the weight falls off you like melting snow. My loss has started to slow down now that I can have solids, so treasure this time.

Lena

Been home since about 1pm on the 15th. My first and second day were tough with (what I'm guessing) was the CO2 gas used in surgery. I've been "eating" my three meals a day and getting lots of liquids in. Not been hungry and not felt full yet. the incisions are itching and the port one is still fairly painful.

Been out walking (okay, so usually shopping) everyday!

Hope you all are doing okay:smile2:

Glad to hear from you, Donna. Better now?

Lena