CurvyCat

This. This. This. Banding is not an easy choice. It requires sacrifice, determination, and dedication. And, it is permanent. The decision to band is one for adults to make for themselves, not one for a parent to make for a child.

Here's the whole list from CR. I attached the chart too in case the link changes sometime in the future. Protein Drinks: What's in them? Consumer Reports I use an Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% whey powder, which looks to be pretty low (and is pretty tasty, as powders go), but I think I might check out the Hydro Whey they have as it seems to be even higher in protein and lower in heavy metals.

I'll have to remember that when I get a chip craving! I'm still on mushies for a couple more weeks, so it's not something I can try yet. :frown: I do wish there was a transport medium for salsa that was healthier - but just as tasty!! - as tortilla chips. :tt1:

Good to know about the cycles changing! I'm about 4 days overdue right now and no chance of being pregnant, so I'll stop worrying and be grateful for the reprieve, however brief it may turn out to be.

I don't know about Mexican places elsewhere in the country, but here (I'm in Texas) I can almost always find a chicken breast or tilapia fillet entree on the menu that's a healthier choice. Ranchero sauce is always better than queso or cream sauce, and often the dishes will simply be topped with a peppers, onions, and tomato saute instead. yum! I'm just going to have to hope my band will help me avoid my Mexican food nemesis -- tortilla chips! I used to be able to easily go through at least 2 baskets all by myself while waiting for the food to show up, eek!!

I've heard it can take a few fills to get to that 'sweet spot' where your hunger is managed well. I'm starting to get hungry too, but I've found that when I manage to really get my Protein in it helps a LOT. I got moved to pureed/mushies early so I've been experimenting with ways to get my protein in with food instead of powders. 1% Cottage cheese and fat free ricotta cheese, eggs, pureed Beans, pureed chicken and very soft-cooked fish (I can't bring myself to puree it, but I chew the heck out of it before swallowing) work well so far. I haven't had any trouble swallowing anything so far so it's kind of hard to believe there's anything around my stomach at all! But I haven't pushed it past about 1.5 cups of soft food at a sitting, because I'm afraid of hurting myself. I also take my time eating, which is hard, but seems to help. I am finding that I'm getting hungry sooner between meals, though, so maybe my pureed/mushy stuff is passing through faster than it was at the beginning? hrm. Just trying to stay busy and distracted and OUT of the kitchen! hehe I'm going to hit the gym tomorrow, I think, to start back to exercising slowly. I've been walking, but it's too hot here to do it any time other than WAY early in the morning.

I like the 100% whey Protein from Optimum Nutrition in Vanilla Ice Cream. I make it with Soy Slender Vanilla flavor, which would be considered a full liquid. I also have the unjury unflavored which is OK for a change, but definitely turns my broth sort of frothy when I blend it in with my hand blender. I haven't tried it added to anything except soup/broth, so it might not do that if I mix it in with Crystal Light or something similar.

It doesn't seem to like to load on the first click. I just reloaded the page and it came up fine. Just added myself and my goal, btw! 40# by Christmas, but I think I might already have some headway as I haven't weighed since being banded 2 weeks ago.

I'd have to say that I think electively adding anything permanent to one's anatomy before the age of adulthood is a bad idea. I do wish I had known about the band in my mid to late 20s, but teens - especially boys - aren't done growing at that age. Their bodies are still in such a state of flux that I would bet the risk factors go up. I'd wait until they're done with puberty, are adults, and can really make the choice for themselves. I went (on a hardship program, I'm not rich, LOL) to a ritzy college prep high school, and I remember seeing plastic surgery gone awry on teens, girls getting their jaws wired shut to lose weight, girls all bruised up after lipo, etc. They're KIDS. And while it is HARD to be a fat teen, I know, they have time to reach adulthood before committing to something like this for LIFE.

The original diet I was given was 1 week clear liquids 1 week full liquids 2-3 weeks pureed 1-2 weeks mushies However, when I went in for my post-op at one week, he told me I could start on pureed and mushies as I was comfortable. Stuff like cottage cheese and eggs I didn't have to blend. I'm 2 weeks out today and have been mostly doing regular mushies (with the aforementioned cottage cheese and eggs), but I've also had fish a couple of times that I've just made sure to eat very slowly and chew very well. I haven't had anything feel painful or uncomfortable at all. I seem to feel full at about 1-1.5 cups of whatever I'm consuming. My friend who was banded the same day by the same doctor was not given the go ahead to start food - she was told to stick with the full liquids stage. So I'm not sure what his criteria are for moving forward, but it seems that I'm in one category and she's in another. ??

I don't know whether you're right or not, Jacqui, but it does make a kind of sense. This is the first time I've said that I WANT to get all the way into my ideal weight range. Every other time, I've stopped within 20-30 pounds of the top end of it, and then started gaining again. This time, nope. I don't care if my family and in-laws say I look too skinny at 140-150#, which I know is what's going to happen. But I want to be slim, and fit, and NOT overweight at all for once in my adult life, and I want to stay there. That's not to say I don't have some fears about getting there. I am not going to enjoy the negative comments from my family and in-laws. I don't actually like the heavy come-on attention I start getting from guys once I get below 200#. I'm nervous about the loose skin and saggy boobs. I worry about future potential complications with my band and whether or not I'll have foods that I can't eat forever. But I've definitely made a mental shift to get here that hadn't occurred with any other time that I've lost weight. It feels very strange to be *this* determined about doing this, but it's a good feeling that's carried me through all of 2010 so far and hasn't let up yet! :ohmy:

I cleared mine out the last time I lost 100 pounds, so I don't have nearly the amount that I used to have, but the collection did start growing again over the last year or so, as I expanded past what was left of my fat clothes and into my maternity clothes -- ack!! I'm still wearing the clothes I was wearing at my high point for now. Actually, I'm glad I have them, as everything except my jeans are easy to wear on my hips right now as my incision heals. After that? Well, they're just going to have to be baggy until I get into my 12/13/14s from when I lost last time. I don't see me being ever getting below a size 9/10, even at goal, because of my hips. So I'll wear those 12/13/14s baggy until I get there! Fortunately, a couple of different social circles I'm in do clothing swaps a few times a year. There's often a shortage of plus sized clothing, so it will be good to bring that and come away with stuff to fit my new shape. Everything not swapped at these goes to one of the women's shelters in town. :scared2: My Torrid collection I will probably sell on Ebay, though. I managed to net a few hundred bucks off Torrid/punk/goth/etc clothes the last time around.

Good to know! I was wondering about this too. :scared2:

I've been enjoying the 100% whey Protein from Optimum Nutrition. So far I've only tried the Vanilla Ice Cream flavor, but it's better than most other powders I've tried! I mix it with a cup of Soy Slender soymilk in vanilla flavor and it's sweet and creamy. Combined they have 5 net carbs, 190 calories, 3g fat, and 30g protein. I usually add my Benefiber to it too and serve it over ice! I got it at GNC and they have a lot of other flavors. I think I'm going to give another one a go too when this container is done.

Haha you are awesome!! I'm not interested in bungee, but I would SO do everything else you've listed, in a heartbeat! I've wanted to skydive for years, and I have a friend that can't wait to take me.

Like Lauren, I can't see it when I look in the mirror, but I can totally see it in photos. When I lose (I've been up and down the 100+ loss path before), I have definite points along the way where it seems to jump out at me. 225-ish, 200-ish, 170-ish -- all are places where I can typically see a real difference. The range between about 230 and 280 all seems about the same to my perception, though I can very much see a difference in photos between the two ends of that range, especially in my face.

- I don't drink coffee, but I was told no caffeine until 6 weeks out. I miss my tea. I've been getting in plenty of Water so it probably wouldn't be an issue, but I think I can hold out a bit longer. - My husband and I had an appointment with our attorney that we could not miss, the day after my surgery. I didn't take any pain meds so I could be clear-headed, but I was not comfortable. I took a dose as soon as I got in the car to head back home! No driving myself until about 5 days post-op, even though I was supposed to wait a week, but I was off the meds during the day by that point. - I agree that you need to ask your surgeon about your post-op eating/drinking instructions before surgery so you know what to expect and know if there's anything you'll want/need to have on hand. I got instructions from my surgeon and then a totally different set of instructions at the hospital, so I had to double-check with him afterwards to make sure what he wanted me to do. - I think a lot of people have the procedure done on an outpatient basis. I had my surgery at 10am and went home by 6:30pm, it would have been even earlier if I could have peed sooner... hehehe! Good luck and congrats!!

I totally agree that we should focus on healing, BUT that does not mean we should just take this as an opportunity to get in a bunch of slider foods we won't get to have after we're healed. There is no reason why we can't use this time to both heal AND make healthy choices. I don't even have a functional scale right now to check my weight, so I'm not focused on my weight. I'm focused on both healing AND making the changes in the way that I eat and think that will carry me through for LIFE. There is no way that I'm going to lose time or headway on my progress just because I'm on mushies. I'm in this for the long haul, but I'm not going to sabotage myself by making that haul any longer than necessary. Just my take on it.

I'm about as far out as you are, and was also switched to pureed/mushies. I'm still taking in 1-2 Protein shakes per day right now, and then eating 1-2 meals per day. Getting the protein in on mushies is hard, but I'm experimenting a bit and so far so good. I definitely add powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury unflavored Protein powder to any Soup I have, and I'm either going homemade, or I searched for ones that were gentle on the diet. pureed chicken breast has been good in some Soups to add some substance and protein. I also took about 1/2 cup fat-free refried Beans and topped it with seasoned pureed chicken breast (I had to add broth to the chicken until I got it to the right consistency), then added a packet of Taco Bell sauce on top for flavor, a little dollop of fat free sour cream, and a sliver of avocado. Yum! One other that I think I'm going to tweak some, but is pretty tasty as-is is a noodle free lasagna of sorts. 1/2 cup fat free ricotta cheese, topped with pureed healthy spaghetti sauce with browned ground turkey in it. (all pureed together). I think I need to season the ricotta some, though. I've eaten soft-cooked salmon too without pureeing it, but chewing it VERY thoroughly. 1% cottage cheese or WW fat free vanilla yogurt for Breakfast. I think I'm going to give mushy-cooked scrambled eggs a shot soon too. So far, I've definitely felt full at somewhere between 1 and 1.5 cups of food, though it's not lasting as long as I hope it will once the food is not totally mush. My toaster oven has definitely come in handy for cooking up small portion sizes - I can see it getting a lot of use in the months to come! Meals like the pseudo-lasagna were made with leftovers from me feeding my kids spaghetti. They get the Pasta with non-pureed sauce and meat, I get it my way. I'm sure I'll find more things that work for me as I get farther along, I've only had a few days to start my food science! *laugh* Good luck, and check the mushies sticky post in the food section here too! Even some of those recipes that are looking to use butter and heavy cream (what?!?) should be easy enough to modify to be healthier.

I created one too, but I might end up moving off Blogger if I can't figure out how to customize it more. I'm used to running Wordpress blogs, and can add/remove my own elements with ease on those. Blogger is easy as far as posting goes, but it's all XML, which is not something I know how to tweak. :smile: So, we'll see how it goes. I'd prefer not to host this one myself if I can get away with it. heh Fed up with being overfed

Ok, so I called his office and spoke with someone, who is going to email him the details and get back with me later today. Here's hoping it's easy. I don't mind going in to my GP if I need to, but I'd rather not do that if I don't have to do so. Dragging my kids to a doctor's office is not high on our list of fun summer activities! *laugh*

I was banded on June 15, and have been feeling (and healing) pretty well. My surgeon moved me to pureed/mushies ahead of schedule at my post-op visit on Tuesday, so I'm experimenting a bit with those. My incision seems to be healing well, but man I do not like swabbing out my belly button with rubbing alcohol 3-4 times per day, hehe! I am becoming a bit concerned about a mild cough that I've had since 2-3 days post-op. It's not all the time, but it is worse in the mornings, when I bring up anywhere from 1/2-1 tsp of green/yellow phlegm. I don't know if this is just my lungs healing up from irritation from the oxygen tube down my throat during surgery or what. If it was constant throughout the day, I would have already contacted my surgeon's office about it, but it's just here and there, mostly in the morning. I don't want to make a mountain out of a molehill, and my surgeon is out of town until sometime next week. Does this sound like something I should be concerned about? I don't have any sort of fever, and am otherwise feeling pretty perky! :thumbup:

I was banded June 15 too. :smile2: I'm glad my scale broke the week before I got banded, as I haven't been able to even be tempted to peek yet. I think the mood swings are part of the whole thing that we don't read about as much beforehand. I expected some soreness and gas pains, but the gas pains have been worse than I thought. I definitely have had to have pep talks with myself and remind myself that I feel better today than I did yesterday, and better then than the day before that, as I've caught myself in some downward mood spirals that I really didn't anticipate. I'm sure that things will continue to get easier and better the farther out we get from surgery, and I know that the pounds will come off down the line as we work on things day to day.

Agreed! Definitely 4oz is a minimum. I'm not hungry at all yet, but I have not limited my Water intake in any way. I just take small swallows all the time, and I'm taking in probably close to 2 gallons a day. Staying hydrated is really important, and if you're feeling thirsty, then you're probably already a little dehydrated -- drink more! You don't want to guzzle, but frequent small swallows get that Fluid in pretty quickly too. :thumbup:

Woo, I hope so! My incision area isn't too bad, I just keep walking and walking hoping the gas will get outta here! Someone reminded me yesterday about a pair of concert tickets that I had purchased months ago --- the show is this Saturday night --- and I had completely forgotten that I'd bought tickets!! I don't want to miss it, but somehow I don't think I'll be up for dancing the night away. heheh Here's hoping that most of the gas pains are gone by then. The pain meds manage the incision/abdominal pain very well, so I'm not worried about that. :devil_smile: Hope all the other June Bugs are doing great today!