amshae

i had my surgery exactly one week ago and i have already moved ahead on my diet. (my doc said that if i are feeling hungry on the liquids or the semi-solids= yogurt, pudding, jello- then i could move on.) anyway, i have already started to eat a few things from the 3rd stage, like i ate a meatball for lunch today. anyway, a few things that i really, really liked were: - refried Beans (apparently everyone does) -mashed yams (if normal mashed potatoes are too bland and you like yams, then bake it in the oven until it is super soft, peal, add some butter and mash it... just like mashed potatoes, but with a different taste) -if you can find Nutella in your grocery store (which i think you can), mash a banana with a fork and add a tiny bit of Nutella for flavor. very yummy! - i have been eating a lot of cheeses. string cheese is good, just eat it really slow. like on stick should last at least 10 minutes. i have also had swiss and cheddar cheese and they were both great.

here's my kinda funny story... i was not going to tell anyone. except my immediate family, i was absolutely not going to tell a soul. but my mom was telling everyone she talked to. but that was ok with me, because my mom never talks to my friends, i thought. well my mom is friends with one of my best friends on facebook, and when my best friend saw my mom's status, about how much i had lost, my best friend texted me and asked me what i was doing. so i told her and i was ok with that... than tonight, i randomly decided that i didn't care who knew and what they thought, so i posted it as my facebook/myspace status.

hi everyone! i'm so excited that i found this thread. i am 23 and about to start my 5th year of undergrad. i go to a small state college in southern colorado. edit: oops, forgot to add my surgery date. i was banded exactly one week ago, on July 30, 2009.

i am 22 and i had that same question. my doctor told me that it shouldn't be a problem. he told me that i might get drunker faster and the carbonated drinks might make my feel nauseated. the only other problem i can think of is that alcohol has a LOT of empty callories. one night of drinking could potentially set me/you back quite a bit. but i have decided that if i do decide to go to the bar, i have to work out twice as much the next day.

i don't really know anything about fill doctors in colorado springs, but i go to dr. smith in pueblo. it is less than an hours drive (30-45 minutes depending on traffic). he is simply awesome. you could give him a call and see if he will work with you.

i know you said colorado springs, but dr. smith in pueblo is great. i don't know what his policy about patients he didn't band is. but if you want to travel less than an hour, you could give him a call and find out.

carsonrae, is the doctor from canyon city dr. smith? his office is in pueblo and he was excellent. but i'm not sure if he will do a fill on a patient he didn't band, especially if that person got their band in a different country. (i know he has said he won't work on anyone who went to Mexico.) but you might give him a call and find out.

my doctor and my nutritionist both told me that one meal should be between 3-4 tablespoons. as of right now, i haven't heard of anyone else being given this amount. but it is working for me. one thing i do is that i carry a little tablespoon measuring spoon with me. so if i'm putting food on my plate for a meal, i use that spoon instead of a normal spoon to serve it. definitly helps me know how much i'm eating.

i self-paid in colorado. total costs were a little over $15,000. this included use of the surgery center, anethesia, meeting with a nutritionist, psychological evaluation, and one full year of unlimited doctors visits (including as many fills and un-fills as i need). also, the doctor's office holds monthly meetings that are free to attend. and the doctor gave me instructions on how to contact him directly on weekends and after hours.

Ronni-- i had my surgery with Dr. Smith in Pueblo, CO the day after yours (i think... if i did the math right, you got yours on july 29th, right? i got mine on july 30th) anyway, i just wanted to share that i also lost a lot right after surgery. in the past 17 days (10 between pre-op and operation. and 7 days since surgery), i've lost 26 pounds. i also moved on the diet really fast. my dr. said that you can normally tell when your body is ready to move on. i had surgery one week ago today, and for lunch today i had a string cheese and a meatball.

my doctor said that i could essentially eat anything i wanted as long as i didn't eat any carbs. this did include all forms of bread and pasta, and most sweets. for about 10 days, all i ate was meat and eggs.