susidivah

I liked the Unjury chicken soup for a protein change of pace... I tried a lot of different brands of protein powder liked Click's mocha flavor the best... Isopure drinks in fruit punch and grape... and the same as some others said broth, SF popsicles, etc... and the heating pad is a MUST!!!!

Ohhhh yeah, the chews are sooooo much better!!! I had started out choking down... errr I mean taking Tums daily then I had a breakdown of sorts cuz I thought I HAD to take the nasty things the rest of my life So I researched and found the chews (not listed in my bariatric guidelines, mind you)... but now I'm being told by my dietitian that with all the dairy I consume I may not have to take any additional supplement. They'll see my level with the next blood work... I digress, but thanks Dave for bringing up that find, I know many others will appreciate it!

I ate mostly pureed "regular" food during that stage, but did have some baby food fruits and veggies on hand to take to work for lunch if I hadn't had time to puree my own... heck, I used to eat baby food in High School for a snack after school before ball games!!!

Today was: B: 1/2 cup light blueberry yogurt, one mini choc Protein donut (homeade ) L: 1/2 sandwich with arnold's multi grain thin, deli turkey, RF colby jack cheese, mixed fruit cup Snack- Protein Hot chocolate D: medium lo carb tortilla w/ 3-4 oz grilled chicken, RF shredded cheddar cheese, FF sour cream, and mango habanero salsa Snack- 10 bing cherries Lots of H20 also throughout the day!

Congrats Nicole!!! You look great!!! We were at about the same starting weights as well (I was 303)... I appreciate your post and encouragement to everyone and keep up the great work!!! Susan

Name, real or screen~ Susan Age~ 41 Weight on January 3rd~ 266 Goal Weight for January 31st~ 256 Exercise Goal for January~ 30 minutes cardio (combo treadmill/elliptical) 5 times a week Dietary Goal for January~ get at least 60g of protein in a day from food Personal Goal for January~ journal with FitDay at least 5 of 7 days/wk Date Banded~ November 29th, 2010 Total Weight Loss Since Banding~ 22 lbs since banding; 37 lbs since beginning of pre op liquid diet Good luck all and wtg on your journey thus far!!!

Hi Joan et al... My first fill was today as well and I thought it was a breeze too! They did mine under fluoroscopy also (I'm sure that's what you guys are going to have)... I could see everything which I was concerned about the band slipping, port flipping, etc (over anxious the first few weeks lol). Everything was fine... now I have 3.3 cc's in my band whooo hooooo!!!! It only takes a few minutes if your bariatric team is efficient of course and the needle to inject the saline didn't hurt me at all! Hope everyone has as smooth an experience Keep up the great work! Susan

Congrats Chavez on your wt loss!!! 67 lbs with no fills that's great! I had my first fill today after doing pretty well the past 6 wks with no fill- about 22 lbs down (my stats indicate loss with pre op liquid diet also)... Anyway, everything is going down well so far knock on wood! How much did your dr. put in initially before you got the unfill, if I may ask? Keep up the great work! Susan

WTG Trish!!! Congrats on your success and Happy 2011 to you! Thanks for your inspiration to a relatively new bandster

Congrats on your 25 lb loss, muelle! Sounds like your fill went well... my first is a week from tomorrow (1/5) and I too am a lil nervous! They have already told me I would not have to go back to liquid or puree for any length of time after the fill. My restriction now is much less than at the beginning (since the swelling has obviously gone down) but I still feel some if I eat my protein and eat slowly Good luck to everyone with their first fills!!!

Hey HokieMama, I've had Click's Mocha flavor and I really like it My sister ordered it for me off Amazon... I don't drink it as much now that I am on soft foods and trying to get my Protein from that. But I used to mix it with skim milk for a cold drink, or decaff coffee for a mocha drink. It was my main thing for breakfast during the liquids stage Putting a lil SF irish creme syrup in it tastes good too! Hope you like it! S

When I was in the mushie stage my faves were the ricotta cheese/ragu sauce/mozz cheese too as well as I scrambled up an egg and put it in the food processor with a turkey sausage pattie. A lil bit of milk and whirred it for about 30 sec and voila breakfast!

Congratulations Startingover!!! You are an inspiration to me as well as I'm sure many others!!! God bless and keep up the great work

Whoooo hooooo well put, Nevgal!!! Can I get an Amen?!?!? Happy holidays everyone, and please remember the awesome present you have given yourselves that can last your whole life

I have been on Lexapro for 3 years, and gained about 30 pounds within the first 6 months I was on it That tapered off then and now I have no problems with weight gain on it. My goal is to decrease the dose after taking off some of the weight and having my synthroid adjusted accordingly. Ironically, I was at my follow up visit with the surgeon today and have lost exactly 30 pounds since the start of my two week pre op diet... take that medication weight gain!

Welcome, Southern! I was banded the day before you... have my first follow up on Tuesday with the surgeon. I am amazed at how well my incisions look to be doing as well. I am now on puree/mushie stage and it's not too bad. Anyway glad you are here and I think you will find his site to be very helpful... feel free to holler if you ever need anything! God bless, Susan

Congrats Topazz!!!! :thumbs_up: Sounds like you are doing great! Keep on keeping on and I'm not that far behind you! (Dec 29th) :teeth_smile:

Yes, my surgeon had us sign up for the Emmi program at the informational seminar. I was fortunate that I had already gotten quite a bit of info from my dietitian from my 6 mo med supervised diet, but appreciated that the videos are sequential to the banding process. Definitely a good information program for those who want more info and enjoy getting the info off the net

Hey Chavez, I take 6 pills in the morning... two of them are tiny so no problems and I am able to get down two other no problems. I cut the other two in half and take them in halves. My surgeon said pills no bigger than an m and m go down ok, and that I could cut the others in half to take. I hear you about the crushing ugh... but I agree to also check with your pharmacist. Good luck!

Hey fusion, I was also banded on the 29th Actually it was the second surgery in a month cuz of a complication (not related to the banding) previously. That time I had HORRIBLE shoulder gas pain so I feel you, and yes it does get better just keep moving! This time around praise God I didn't have as much gas pain, just some in my belly and on my left side. I have the same symptoms as you in the port area with the "heaviness". It almost feels like a bad cramp or stitch in my side. I can tell there is still swelling over there too but mine has come down quite a bit in the past couple of days. I trust this all will pass and I appreciate your thread, for peeps responses helped me out a LOT. I am not concerned as much about the food as I am about my abdomen feeling better! Take care and send me a message if you want to stay in touch! Susan

I drink the Isopure flavoreds, a half a bottle to a bottle a day. I was just banded on Monday and discovered afterwards I really was starting to get tired of the Protein shakes I had tried the grape Isopure prior to surgery and liked it so I bought the alpine punch and the orange as well. I sip it over the course of an hour or two. Nice alternative right now to just protein powder! Yeah, Patrice I can relate I'm having difficulty getting all the protein in on this liquid stage, but I too will be singing Hallelujahs coming next week when I start on purees

yummmm-o!!! Thanks for sharing, Imma have to try this! I am a lover of all things Starbucks but am aware now I may have to find my own faux treats!

OMG guys, I know!!! I've tried the Bariatric Advantage and even the Flintstones Chewables I didn't like. I have Celebrate bariatric vitamins now (grape) and they are a LITTLE more tolerable

Congrats Hynita!!! Mine was yesterday and doing pretty well so far!!! Keep us posted on your progress and best of luck to you! Susan

Hey Kitten, I was banded yesterday also, congrats to you! I feel better walking around as well, I've been lucky so far not too much gas pain in the shoulders. Some in the back on my port side though. I hear you about the sipping water too! Guess it just takes practice. I've been drinking warm decaf herbal tea too and that's felt good on my swollen belly. I too know it's temporary and takes time to heal, and better to follow dr's orders than to get impatient and do something that may hurt the band and my new stomach. Best of luck to you, and feel free to pm me if you'd like to buddy up Kfranco, sometimes peeps get nauseated by certain types of pain meds. Personally Vicodin makes me nauseated and doesn't do anything for me, so they prescribe me other meds. And it's tough sometimes when you can only drink liquids to take certain meds because "normally" you are supposed to take them with something on the belly. Are you allowed to have Protein shakes or Soups yet? That may help too. And I would check out btown girl's suggestion about checking with your doctor about nausea meds. Even though I've just been banded, I know people who've had this done and read a lot on here about the first few weeks and the overwhelming response is it DOES get much better!!! Best of luck to you Susan