TopTier

You and me both! :blushing:

I'm a tea fanatic. Most teas should never be brewed longer than 5 minutes. But I know people have different recipes and tolerance levels. The only "recipe" I know for Iced Tea, unfortunately, is an old "Southern Sweet Tea" recipe. Trust me, it will make your teeth hurt! My step-mother, a grand old dam of The South, taught it to me. Bring 3 cups of Water to a boil. Add 1 cup of sugar. Dissolve. Add 6 teabags (3 if you use the Luzianne Family Size). Let steep/brew for 15 minutes (I shudder at the length!) Then pour the tea "syrup" into a pitcher and add ice and water to fill.

Wow! You ladies are impressive! I hope you guys are still going strong with this when I'm at my stride with my band! You all deserve a solid round of applause! Good challenge! :blushing:

I'm a convert, too, isaviolinist. I had a bad experience with Protein shakes umteen years ago during and after cancer surgery and treatments. Generally the protein powders were bulky, grainy and didn't dissolve well. I won't even mention the taste! (where's the barfing smiley when you need it!) On a lark one day I ordered 4 each of the unjury samples. Wow. I have been impressed. The strawberry sorbet with a banana smoothie is very awesome! I had to actually hide them from my husband! He was using the chocolate for his morning Breakfast drink!

Ditto. Have always loved Tofu.

I agree. My two new "protein" buddies: ISO Pure Plus and unjury. Who knew one day I'd be a connoisseur of Protein Drinks!

No, not really anxious about the surgery, other than wanting to get it over with! LOL. But typically nothing can keep me from sleep. I'm like a rock, in that regard. Even after my cancer diagnosis and surgery, I was not "sleepless." Like. A. Rock. Oh well. It's almost over anyway. One more day!

OoooOOooooOOO Good point! I was already thinking of ways to get out of my first day of exercise scheduled for next Monday! Looks like I'll keep that appointment! :blushing:

Tampa Terri is correct. A couple things you need to be aware of, you are "resculpting" your body as you eat less and exercise. Also, muscle tissue weighs more than adipose (fat tissue) does. So while you may be losing inches, you may be gaining muscle tissue, which is actually great! That means your body will actually begin burning more calories at rest, not just during exercise, since the body expends more energy supporting muscle tissue than fat tissue! So it appears that you are having a very fit weight loss. Good job! :blushing:

That's excellent advice, restless monkey. My surgeon has the same goals for me as well. Eat "normal" just a "new normal" (meaning smaller portions). He used the example of a hot dog. He said one of his patients told him that she removed the hot dog from the bun and ate the hot dog first. He said he told her to stop doing that. To take smaller bites, chew well, and eat a hot dog the normal way, just like everyone else. He said she may only eat half the hot dog that way, but she's not artificially altering her habits that way. She's learning a new normal. He's got this schtick about one of the reasons America has such a high incidence of obesity is because somewhere along the line, we changed the size of "normal." Our fast food meals aren't super-sized anymore because that's the NORMAL for them now! Same with restaurants. The "normal" portion in restaurants is really more than a human should eat in one sitting. But we do it, because that's what we're "used to" as the "normal" meal. What he wants us to do is eat everything we have before (with some minor exceptions), but adjust to a "new" normal.

Oh, how frustrating for you! I think whenever one experiences pain like that especially with the burning, what one really needs to do is contact her surgeon. Hope it's all okay and works out well for you!

I think I will stay away from that thread then! :blushing: I truly believe that things like this are similar to the computer fanatics who either love or hate a PC or MAC (I think I even mentioned this is another thread). People become very loyal to their choices! It's such a personal preference, though, I can't imagine that there's a real, objective difference in them. Not enough to justify the dogma on either side (that goes for both computers AND lap bands! )

Mrs. Mink that must be frustrating! But you appear to be doing well so far, so you are quite an inspiration! My surgeon told me that he will test the band with a fill during surgery, but remove it and not put anything in until the first fill about 6 weeks after surgery. He wants for us during that first 6 weeks to NOT focus on weight loss, but merely healing. I'll take him at his word!

That's a very good question -- but I don't think liquids can stretch the pouch, since they simply just pass right on through to the lower stomach. If you are 11 days post-op, then you probably don't have much restriction, now that some of the swelling has gone down.

I dunno, get a straw and do like in those Dairy Queen commercials where they drink the gravy through a straw! JUST kidding (barf). I have no answers for you, but this time next week I will be in your shoes probably articulating the same sentiment! I told my husband the licking the ketchup part and he cracked up! Then he went in and got a corn dog grrrrrr ! LOL! :blushing: (Oh and I agree with isaviolinist, the unjury products are the best tasting Protein drinks I've found. I ordered the samples, 4 of each, and they are getting me through this liquid pre-op phase!)

I hate to say this, but I don't think I could eat that big of a meal right now, unbanded! You mentioned that you have had your fills and that you are taking small bites, but are you drinking any liquids during your meal? That will definitely allow for greater consumption during a meal.

Ditto! Just take it one day at a time, and before you know it ~~ :blushing:

You just made me snort my Sugar Free Jello Dark Chocolate Pudding out my nose! Dang! I get so little to eat these days, that hurt more ways than one! :blushing:

Every surgeon apparently has different pre-op requirements. Mine alots me 3 dairies a day, 1/2 cup each. The key is the Protein and low carb/low fat. If eggs are specifically disallowed, and they only said no milk products and not no dairy, I might consider it. But. . . obviously, to be sure, call the doctor's nutritionist.

That's very odd. I've never heard of that before. You have "dumping" syndrome and have no previous bariatric surgery? Did they explain in any detail what was actually going on?

Mari, I hate that that happened to you. It sets a bad initial tone. One thing a patient must feel is that the "team" (the doctor AND his staff) are all partners in your health care. I know in my mother's time, the patient just pretty much sat back and took whatever the doctor and staff dished out. But that's becoming less and less the case with us Boomers and younger. But, if you think you can feel comfortable after such a disheartening beginning, that's what's ultimately important. Have you researched any other surgeons in your area? There may be some that are super great and you just don't know it.

In addition I would recommend you call your surgeon. My upper GI showed a small hiatal hernia as well and my surgeon told me that he fixes those as a matter of course during the lap band procedure. He calls it a "two-fer," meaning I get two surgeries for the price of one! I'm self-pay, too, by the way.

:blushing: Congrats and it seems like you are doing well! Are there any local support groups in your area? This forum is great, but my surgeon is really encouraging us to meet face-to-face with other local bandsters for moral support. They meet once a month. Unfortunately, I'll be on vacation the next week they meet, so I won't get to know any of them until the August meeting. On the other hand, I have two friends and two family members who have been banded already, so they sort of make up my informal support circle! Or they will after I'm banded on Weds!

Lori! What a beautiful name. My doctor is keen on stressing that after the band to not think in terms of "diet." Simply remember a few key "band rules," and think in terms of adjusting to a "new normal." We can still eat the same things our families eat, just much smaller portions. As long as I remember to not drink while eating, and to take small bites and chew, I'm going to focus more on eating a nutritionally balanced meal, just a small portioned one!