BetsyB

Congratulations!

Check with your surgeon. Many do not okay adding Protein to Clear liquids. The rationale is that clear liquids are intended to give the digestive tract a rest. Protein supplements, though easily absorbed, still require digestive effort. They still produce residue. To my surgeon, clear liquids meant NO protein--just standard clear liquids.

My particular BC/BS plan responds, typically, in 4-6 weeks. But that's once EVERYTHING is in their hands. From start to finish--including a required 3-month supervision and completing all of the requisite specialist clearances, it took about 6 months from start (surgeon's first seminar) to the operating room. I was approved about a month before my surgical date. ETA: Your surgeon will be able to give you a very specific idea of what to expect. A doctor's with a good insurance specialist runs like a well-oiled machine, and they KNOW how to get things pushed through just the way the insurers like it done.

I'm sure mine will be visible once I get the weight off; I'm not sure that it will bother me much--the obvious scar in the area is sort of a dead giveaway that something was done to my body. But I may switch to a low-profile port when I have plastics done.

Add another "F": fair. Fair-haired, light-skinned, light-eyed females tend to be at higher risk, too Fair, fat, female, and forty

Has the position/patency of your band been verified since your vomiting episode? I think a trip to the doc to check things out and/or get a good fill would be a great first step. We all struggle with the head hunger---I'm sorry your head won the battle, but that doesn't define you. Today's another day.

I second the recommendation for Calcet--it's really good. Much smoother and tastier than Viactiv, which I also like. Calcet's supposed to be coming out with chocolate, too.

Where are you, food-wise? A glass of wine now and then won't hurt you--provided you're meeting your body's other needs, too. But at just a few weeks out of the starting gate, it might not be the best option, in terms of using very finite space to give your body what it requires to recover from surgery. Every surgeon is different; mine does not recommend adding alcohol until 75% of excess weight is gone. (Notice that he specifies 75%--while many surgeons are fine if their patients only lose 50% of their excess weight altogether; this will tell you that my surgeon is more stringent than most.) He actually prefers that his patients reach goal before adding starches and alcohol.

When I use Protein powder in hot things, I add it AFTER cooking. It's important to temper the protein--first mix it with a bit of tepid Water to make a paste, then slowly add hot food/liquid, stirring continuously. Once you've got a hot protein mixture, you can stir it into a Soup or chili or whatever with no problems--but you can't skip the tempering. Otherwise, it does clump. I'm not sure that clumping would be all that much of a problem in the lasagna cheese mixture, but it would be a shame to waste all those ingredients---I'd recommend doing a trial run with just a little dish of ricotta, parm, whatever else you like + the protein. See how that bakes up before you do the whole recipe

If you start with Peanut Butter Cookie flavored Inspire Protein powder (bariatriceating.com), mix it with Water rather than milk, and sub PB2 for the peanut butter, you'll knock out much of the fat and most of the carbs. I might also add half a banana rather than a whole one (frozen, for a frosty drink). That'll further pare down the carbs a bit. I can't say enough good about the Inspire Proteins Bariatric Eating offers---and the PB flavored one is especially good. (Note to self: order more!) ETA: If you like the creaminess milk adds to a smoothie, try the refrigerated unflavored Almond Breeze (near the organic milk in the fridge section of the grocery store). It is OUTSTANDING, and adds far fewer carbs than cow's milk.

I'm with you on the coffee--decaf is no substitute! Blarf. And I don't understand the rationale for allowing it if fully-leaded coffee is forbidden. According to my doctor, it's the acids in coffee, more than the caffeine, that contribute to stomach issues. Why decaf is considered better, I have no idea. Some say that caffeine increases appetite, but it has the exact opposite effect on me. In my misspent youth, I lived on Tab and cigarettes--nicotine + caffeine seemed the perfect appetite-squelching combo. (Terribly health-promoting, too, of course!) That said, I decaffed myself preop and haven't yet returned to it. I only drank 1 cup of coffee a day--but needed to get off the massive amount of diet soda I was drinking daily; too tough on a new little pouch. Giving up that lifelong addiction was tough. (But my wallet is way happier.) I'm sort of testing myself to see how long I can last before I return to the coffee, though. That one little cup....

Dude! You've lost 40 pounds! I'd say it's time to get a pair of nice-fitting jeans! I'm not there yet, but I plan on having at least ONE well-fitting outfit at each stage of loss. Most of the time, schlumpy and baggy is okay, but feeling TERRIFIC in nice-fitting clothes is one way to remind ourselves of our progress. And a pair of jeans is a nice, inexpensive (and very utilitarian) choice--even if you only wear them for a couple of months, chances are you'll get your money's worth! If you can't quite stomach shelling out for Gap quite yet, the Gap outlet might be a good place to look. Also, resale shops and even Goodwill stores might be worth a look-see. Does your surgeon's support group have a clothing exchange? That's another good source of transition clothes

If you've got gas moving through, you don't need to worry. There's not much in your gut to move out yet! I didn't poop until my intake moved past Clear liquids. Then, there was NO question in my mind that my bowels were ok---things were frequent and very loose until I hit the eating-solids stage.

I'd give the doc a call--antinausea meds might be in order. Vomiting can cause slippage if unchecked. To all of the naysayers, y'all DO know that a Long Island ice tea is the equivalent of an average of six drinks, right? (It's 4-8 shots of various clear liquors with a splash each of sweet & sour and Coke.) Of course that will hit someone with a small stomach capacity (and therefore no room for FOOD) differently than preop! I don't get the, "Eh, I drink, so you must be okay" mentality so prevalent here. Sure, having a drink now and then once your band is well-established is fine. But saying, "it can't be the drink, because I drink Smirnoff Ice two times a week" is self-serving. OP, this is directed at the responders, not you; you already know this. Please call your doctor for advice about how to handle the fallout to preserve the patency of your band. I hope you feel better fast!

Awesome post, and awesome SUCCESS, Amy---thanks for sharing. You have really done the work, and what a great payoff. (And shoot...I was hoping the hankering for Sunkist would go away. Guess not. Oh, well. LOL)

No! I don't burp at all any more, it seems. I get a soft-stop hiccup, but that's the extent of it. Now, if you want to discuss intestinal gas....

Don't put the cart before the horse. Chances are, you will achieve good restriction with subsequent fills. A lot of people, it seems, really do need to push toward (or even past) their band's stated capacity. Too soon to worry about conversion to RNY, IMO!

I dunno...at four weeks, I won't even have added vegetables back yet. Adding vodka seems a tad premature LOL (Better than broccoli, maybe...but premature.)

The 10 day mark was a biggie for me. From that point on, things have just gotten better and better. If you have pain meds, TAKE THEM. They will help with your mobility, and moving around is the best for getting rid of that shoulder/back stuff. I hope you feel better fast! (I know you will.)

If your surgeon allows some leeway (mine did, as long as the shake had a certain amount of Protein, and did not exceed a specified amount of carb), there ARE Proteins that taste good. Sure, it's something we have to tolerate, and it's short-term. But there's no sense in torturing yourself needlessly! FWIW, I just compared the nutritional info of the Bariatric Advantage shakes with the Inspire shakes from bariatriceating.com---and they are nearly identical. I haven't had the BA shakes--and they may be really good. But I can tell you that hands-down, the Inspire stuff is the best I've ever had. Because your need for supplemental protein will persist for a while, why not choose one that's great? Do you have time to request a sample from BA to see if you can stomach the stuff?

Bariatric Eating has a line of proteins called Inspire that is outstanding. You can't beat them for taste.

It depends. Atkins recommends 25-50 during the ongoing weight loss phase. South Beach, OTOH, is more of a careful-carb than low carb (focusing on carbs from "good" sources such as veggies and legumes in abundance, and fruits/whole grains in moderation)---and it doesn't even give a moment's consideration to the number of grams of carb, but rather to the quality of the carb. Both seem to work well--so it's a matter of personal choice :thumbup: My surgeon recommends a VERY low carb, Atkins-esque approach. I haven't yet added veggies, legumes, or fruits back in, and come up with about 25 g/day from incidental, hidden carbs (the ones in Protein supplements, Vitamins, and so on). I do also supplement with 15-30 grams of Fiber, but that's a different story.

It doesn't look like you're eating too much, but what you're eating is very different from what my doctor recommends. I know they all have their own protocols, but mine recommends postponing the addition of potatoes/starchy veggies/breads until at least 75% of excess weight is lost. His patients do seem to have a higher rate of loss and achieve greater losses than the average. I'm not suggesting that you dismiss what your doctor and nutritionist have told you, but maybe a little tweaking and substitution--at least short-term--would get you off your plateau :thumbup:

I'm still in the baby-portion of protein stage. 5 a.m. Inspire Dutch Chocolate Cake protein in 8 oz. Almond Breeze, warmed 7:30 a.m. 3 Aidell's chicken meatballs (not very breakfasty, but good!) 9:00 a.m. 1 liter Crystal Light lemonade with 1 scoop Inspire Pom Razz Sangria protein (to sip on throughout morning) lunchtime: 2 ounces tuna with a teaspoon of mayo & tons of pepper and Mrs. Dash afternoon: Crystal light + protein (maybe) Dinner: 2 oz. lean cooked pork tenderloin, 1 Babybel cheese I can't WAIT to add veggies to the mix!

Yeah. What he said :thumbup: Good luck! Our heads can really play games with us.