TracieCat

I love so many of the ideas here! I'll have to try the hummus in hard boiled egg halves, sounds great! I have Greek yogurts when I'm extra hungry or I have a Wasa cracker topped with tuna salad, soy Protein crisps ( I like the BBQ flavor), smoked almonds, a Protein Bar, Protein shake made into frozen smoothie in the blender, teriyaki flavored beef Jerky, cottage cheese, a cold piece of grilled chicken. Those are some off the top of my head. BUT that being said, I happen to have a lapband doc that is hugely against snacking as a rule and would prefer I make one of those things a meal instead of a snack. He says I should rely on Protein shakes if I feel some true hunger between meals. I need to start living by that rule again, I have sadly been slipping where that rule is concerned.

Want you to know that I am wishing the best for you. And I don't think that anyone here meant to be deliberately cruel verbally. They speak out of concern and care for your health and many I'd them have been there so they speak from experience. I will likely have to have some of my Fluid removed as well soon as I have been having some "stuck" issues lately with many foods. Anyway, best wishes to you....

It was the vanilla for me too, maybe that is the problem but I also didnt like how it changed the consistency of the food I was eating, seemed to make it too gummy for me and I didnt like that at all. Maybe will try to invest in some unflavored, add it to things here and there and see how it goes.

Hey you never know, you might like it. The nurse at my Lapband Doc's office was the one that recommended putting it in the yogurt or oatmeal. Obviously not a good idea for me personally but some may enjoy it.

Don't order anything, you can find out all the info for free by Googling 5 day pouch test....

Thanks so much, will keep my eyes peeled for them!

Congrats to everyone that was recently banded!

EVERY flavor of Cho makes me happy. My current favorites are the Passion Fruit and the Pomegranate, I love the little pop of the seeds in there. Raspberry, Peach and the Apple Cinnamon Flavors are wonderful too. I DO always put a little packet of splenda or a bit of agave nectar in each cup to up the sweetness a bit or I have been known to put a teaspoon of sugar free Jam in with a particular flavor. I tried adding some Protein powder to my yogurt, ugh, will never do that again, also tried it in my oatmeal, horrid. lol. Lesson learned the hard way. Anyway, some sugar free jam in a plain yogurt would be good, I also liked the suggestion above to add some sugar free pudding powder into it for flavor.

I measure same as zinhaa, although I also add in measuring my upper thigh. I haven't done it in quite awhile though, this is a good reminder for me to get the tape measure out and see the changes.

Congrats!!!

I think the nutritional info on that one looks fine. Only one carb, less than the protein shake powder I use here even, and you are getting a higher protein amount.

My surgeon currently has my protein level at about 80 to 90 grams a day. I TRY getting in at least two protein shakes to get this amount up, along with chicken or whatever other food based protein I am eating on a particular day. I dont always succeed at the higher protein amount I am supposed to get, but am working on it. My metabolism has slowed dramatically and my surgeon says that the higher protein, along with some weight training I will soon be starting should get the ball rolling again weight loss wise. I sure hope so, am tired of staying at the same weight for months now.

You're doing great, congrats!

I've lost 17 bags of sugar, whooo hooo!

Thanks for the heads up on the NewWhey product, I sent the link for the main site to my Lapband Dr. to see what he thinks of it and discuss it with him at my next visit. Kind of pricey but I am amazed they pack that much protein into such a little shot....

What I do is to toast some Steel Cut Oats with a bit of olive oil in a pan, just till lightly toasted, then I cook them as directed on package and freeze them into little serving size portions. If you make alot at one time, you will have a quick and easy Breakfast on days where you dont feel like cooking, can just pop one from the freezer to microwave for a few minutes. The Steel Cut variety take longer to cook, about 45 minutes or so but the taste is SO worth it and you can customize it any way you want to once you go to serve it. Add some fruit or Agave nectar or a bit of natural Peanut Butter. I also like them with some sugar free Maple Syrup mixed in. LOVE my Steel Cut Oats! Someone recommended that I try adding my Protein powder into my oatmeal. MISTAKE, I wont ever do that again, ruined a perfectly good bowl of oatmeal. lol.

Whoo Hoo, congrats to everyone!

I would wonder if maybe you are not getting enough Protein in that will keep you adequately satisfied between meal times? I am not sure how much your surgeon has recommended for you. I know that mine started me on 64 grams a day as a minimum but I quickly found that I had to keep that a bit higher in order to feel more satisfied. I am at 80 grams now and that seems to be a good level for me when I get it in properly. If you do not have much in there fill wise at the moment, it would not be too unusual that you would be able to comfortably consume more food at this time, that will definitely change for you the more fill you get in your band.

Thanks kindly, I am so proud of myself and although I tend to have some slips along the way food wise (I am sure we all do), for the most part I am really pleased all around with how well I have done. As a side note, got some great news today. My Mom has been hospitalized, she presented to the ER with extreme respiratory distress and they felt her CHF had gotten much worse, she was put on O2, a bipap and medications, her BP was off the charts, her pulse and respiration were haywire. They felt she most likely had suffered a mild heart attack as well but today they feel she did NOT have a heart attack. She has a leaky heart valve (which cannot be remedied) and if often causes false results on heart tests for her. Today she is out of ICU, off the bipap, just on a nasal canula for oxygen and they say she most likely can go home on Sunday. Really happy about this news, we were all so worried about her. She almost died some years back from a Dissecting Aorta and spent about 2 months in ICU under heavy sedation, this is where the leaky valve issue stemmed from. She does however need to QUIT smoking, which she doesnt seem at all determined to do, I wish she could find the strength though, she will just end up in this same situation before long otherwise. Anyway, she is doing wonderfully today, sounds so chipper and happy on the phone today and I will head up later this afternoon to visit.

Congrats to you!

I am no help on the shopping issue but just wanted to chime in to say CONGRATS to you for getting into such a smaller size, WOW, way to go!

Congrats Jennifer, I hope things go smoothly for you. Hurrah!

I am one of the ones that do my protein shakes with some sugar free pudding powder. Love the vanilla shakes with vanilla pudding, yum. And I almost always make my shakes up as a frozen smoothie. My surgeon approved me doing them that way as long as I dont let them sit and drink them pretty much right after making. I mix up my shake, then pour it into my smoothie maker with a giant handful of crushed ice, the pudding powder and sometimes a splash of vanilla flavoring and process the heck out of the whole thing till it becomes smooth, icy goodness. I then half eat it with a big long soda spoon, half suck up with a big straw. Now I want one. :D

Two days to be exact. It is so hard to believe how quickly that year has flown by for me. For the most part, I am thrilled with how well I have done and how well the band has worked for me. I am so proud of my weight loss and so happy with how many advances I have made in my health. My blood pressure medication I had been on for the last few years, gone. Cholesterol medication, gone. All blood labs, NORMAL for the first time in my adult life. Gained mobility from reduced pain, so I have been getting out more and doing more things with my husband and family. I am better able to keep up with and do things with my nieces, they mean the world to me and I have gotten so spend so much time with them lately, especially this past summer. Getting a sleep study done next month to find out if I still have sleep Apnea, which I am thinking I likely do not, just judging by how I feel when I end up falling asleep without my mask on. I wake up still refreshed with no headaches, etc. I used to have to use daytime oxygen through a nasal canula, even if I was out and about I had to take along a portable. NO LONGER, I was approved by my respiratory Doc to come off of it, and haven't had to use it in months. (although I still have to use 4 liters at night through my bipap) My moods are better (although still slightly off due to perimenopause and moodiness. lol). But I am never depressed, that's for sure. I have a better outlook on life and feel more positive. I feel more like being around other people and taking part in LIVING. I am thinking of possibly signing up to volunteer at either our local Animal Shelter or another local charity organization when I feel up to it (the pain again). I have gone from wearing a 5x in clothing, to now where I am wearing a 2x and can fit in SOME xl shorts, I am wearing some of my hubbys old shorts! lol... And hoping I will be into a 1x by next year sometime. I can still wear some 3x things if they are things like tshirts, etc. However, alot of 3x tops now are too large and hang off of my neck and shoulders too much. What a great feeling. I recently this summer had a dear Aunt pass on which was not such a great experience for me, but as a result, I have been gaining posession of all of her clothing little by little (she was a clothes hoarder) and I have many many sizes, she had great taste in clothes and so a good many of her things, I will be keeping. The rest is being given out where I can give them to those that need them. I mention this because I wont even have to buy clothing for quite a long time unless I see something I absolutely have to get (which is likely to happen soon anyway). I CARE how I look now, which I didn't really much a year ago. I rarely wore makeup, wore my hair in a ponytail almost constantly, hid under giant tshirts, mostly all dark clothing. I still love my dark clothing, dont think I will ever get away from those. But OMG miracle of miracles, I am finding a new found love for COLORS lately, who would have ever imagined I would like something like PINK. And I take care to keep my hair nicely dyed now, I wear makeup, prettier jewelry, etc. And am loving every bit of feeling like a woman again. It is nice to have that pride in myself again that had been lost to me for a long time. And I know that my husband is delighted as well to see me so happy and enjoying myself so much. I got to do some running around this summer activity wise. We went to an Irish Festival last weekend and I got the chance to meet and get a photo taken with one of my very favorite bands (Gaelic Storm), did lots of walking around that day. Went to the annual Folk Festival in town here in late July/early August for two days in a row, more walking walking walking which I am thrilled I can finally do. Saw some other bands live, went and watched my nieces at swim lessons, many picnics with family, went to a local Animal Park. Most of these things I would have never been able to do a year ago because my pain and fatigue would have stopped me and I would have not wanted to take part in them. I still have to walk with a cane some of the time due to the hip pain, but I do leave it at home more often than not these days, even though I walk with a pretty prounounced limp. Next month my husband and I will be taking for us what is our annual Halloween trip to Niagara Falls, Canada, and I plan on doing lots and lots of walking around, and getting together with some friends while we are there to take in a show and dinner together. I will pay for all of that pain wise later in the evenings, but what a blessing to feel better about doing it this year and knowing that it will be easier for me. Where I am not so happy has nothing to do with my band or my loss but with me on a personal level. I am still trying to kick my hiney into gear to get moving as far as exercise goes. I do have severe chronic pain stemming from Osteo/Degenerative arthritis, I have bone on bone pain for which I have been seeing my local pain management center for years. They are helping me med wise as much as can be done but at this point, all that will eventually help is surgery, looking to have that done in January. HOWEVER, I definitely could be doing things that would not affect the hip. I need to start doing some upper body cardio and some weight resistance movement. I am getting the hanging down skin on my upper arms, stomach breasts. And my weight loss has slowed quite a bit, which my surgeon tells me is due to my metabolism slowing up so I need to not only start the moving, but increase my intake of Protein as well (something where I have been slacking a bit). But anyway, I am struggling with forcing myself to do those things. I have babied myself for years and years and trying to break out of that mode of thinking is something I am finding difficult. But I know I will get there in my journey and once I do, even better days lay ahead. Other than that one thing, I am happy with all aspects of this weight loss journey and happy with my band. No issues with food tolerance, no issues with taking pills, no issues with liquids, no nausea, no vomiting. No problems at all band wise. My Lapband surgeon is having me speak the monthly support group meeting next week, so I will get to share this last year's experiences with others who are just starting out or who are awaiting surgery. That is pretty exciting and I am working on putting a speech together because I am not so great with public speaking, I will do better reading from piece of paper and they said that was fine. Overall from my highest all time weight, I have lost approximately 160 pounds, 83 of that has been since my surgery last September. I just wanted to share my happiness in reaching this first year's milestone and let others know that are just starting out what my experience has been like. It has been amazing and will only get more amazing as time goes by. Celebrate!!!!!