qtney1

I haven't had the surgery yet (date is Thursday), but I met with my surgeon's office on Friday. In their packet that we went over, they said they have had patients who still have gas pains after taking Gas X, but seem to do much better after taking Mylanta or a generic version. As long as it has 40mg Simethicone, it should be effective. You may just try switching it up to see what works best for you. Good luck!

I, luckily, do not have any co pay at all. I did have to pay for the nutritionist out of pocket and just my copays for my PCP on my 3 month diet. Everything else was covered 100%

Thursday is the day and it is coming quick. I will be soooo glad to be banded and get eased back on to food for meals again, although, I think I will keep up with the protein shakes for breakfasts. I had a class I had to take at my surgeon's office Friday. They have such great support up there! They went over everything with the lap band, why they want you to shrink the liver (I had no idea those with 'apple' body shapes seem to have larger livers compared to 'pear' shapes--thus the difference in pre op diets!), what you can have/when you can have it, etc. The nurses are all on call 24/7 and encourage phone calls for anything. The nurse who gave the presentation said sometimes, when you get 'stuck' for the first time, it can be scary and they want to be there to reassure and give tips. It was nice to hear nurses who are actually wanting to be there for you. My surgeon's office also does a support group once/month, meetings with a dietician in a group setting once/month. They even offer bootcamp--which is 2 hours, 3x/week, for 6 weeks where you meet with a personal trainer at the gym, workout, and then meet with a nutritionist....all free. I can't wait to be healed up and do that! Anyhoo, I am getting more nervous the closer that it gets but really wanting to get this done and over with. It's amazing how much I miss just having even healthy food. I would have killed something over the peaches sitting in my fridge for the kids! The sugars and carbs are very much missed. I do pretty well with the protein shakes in the morning and for lunch. I haven't had any soup and have cut out the jello now, too. For dinner, I usually have a Lean Cuisine or another small, healthy meal. The other night, I made hobo stew with lean hamburger, sliced carrots, onion, potatoes, mushrooms, corn, basil, and V8. It was actually very good. A cup of that and a small side salad with mushrooms and a small amount of fat free dressing made a good meal. Well, onward I go towards the countdown. I truly can't wait.

Uh oh....oops...guilt, then not feeling so well is what you feel like when you "cheat". Although, cheat is a relative term, given the situation, it still doesn't make you feel good at all. Yesterday, I got up, drank my protein shake, had some coffee...all was well. For lunch, another protein shake stomached, all was going good. I didn't even need Jello to help tie me over for dinner. Life was good and I was feeling great. Usually, by the time I make it home for dinner, I have consumed around 380 calories for the whole day, so I'm ready for some chicken! Wellllll, shortly before the end of my work day, my husband called in excruciating pain from a headache. He has a shunt that was put in as a child, revised in his teen years, and revised about 4 years ago. He said this was the exact pain he had 4 years ago. So, I booked it home and got him to the hospital. They decided to admit him. We got at the hospital at 5pm (with nothing but my water bottle and a bowl..ahem..for him). By the time they admitted him, it was 11pm with storms rolling in. By this time, the cafeteria was closed, my water bottle empty, my energy nonexistent, and I was not feeling to hot. So, I ventured out to see what was open. The local Applebee's kitchen had closed for the night. My options were....eeeek....McDonald's and Taco Bell. I wasn't thinking to clearly as I was tired, had no energy, felt so drained, and really ready to eat and sleep. I got a burrito and a couple tacos to go. I ate most of it, besides a few bites of the burrito and maybe a half a taco and the guilt set in. I knew, in the back of my mind, there wasn't much I could have done, given the circumstances and no dollar bills to get something healthy out of the vending machine. I did kick myself for not looking on my sparkpeople.com app and finding the most appropriate choice at Taco Bell to keep somewhat on my my diet (if there even IS an appropriate choice..lol). But, I found that the Taco Bell didn't really taste too good at all and my tummy was actually upset at the morning. If it could talk, it would probably say,"What the hell where you thinking?" or "Ewwww, gross." This morning, after a few hours of sleep, I drove about 35 minutes home, where my mom was staying with the kids. I got my son ready for school and dropped my daughter off at daycare. I downed a protein shake, which made me feel good, and went to my preop appointment with the surgery center. We went over what is going to happen before, after, and during surgery. They did blood work and took a urine sample. I was asked if I was doing okay with the diet. I confided that I followed it PERFECTLY until last night mishaps (she was familiar with my husband as I almost cancelled this morning with my surgeon because I didn't know what HIS surgeon was going to do). She was understanding and didn't seem to think that was going to endanger the surgery or anything, which was good. I did have a Starbucks coffee this morning at the hospital with real sugar, which I have not done since the "diet". Also bad. So, I have made the firm resolve tomorrow, when i am back on my normal Mommy/Work/Wife schedule, to get back on this routine and finish this sucker out. I am actually excited to get back on the firm routine and do it. I swear, after last night's carbs, my body is calling for them and I have to shut those voices up again (hello, day 2!). But, at least I know, in a couple more days, with the help of protein shakes, jello, and Lean Cuisine, I will get back to the 'no cravings'. Ahhhhh, thank you if you were able to keep up with my rantings. I feel incredibly guilty and can't wait to get back on the schedule I am supposed to be on to get to the life I so desperately WANT to live! Btw, DH will hopefully be released today with no surgery and hopefully no surgery for sometime **fingers crossed**

Good luck to you both with having surgery tomorrow! Papoose, I have been having trouble with that, as well. I started taking fiber tablets this morning and it already seems to be helping

How exciting! You can do this! Congratulations on the weight loss! I am on day 6 of the diet and trucking along.

I've become a scale lover, too. I had it sitting in the kitchen for the first week that I bought it and was weighing myself everytime I walked by it! Now, it's in my bathroom and I weight twice a day---when I get up and before I go to bed. It's highest in the morning, it seems

Congratulations!

LOL! Your post made me hungry thinking about good food! You could have done much worse, so you did pretty good considering the temptations. Pizza is my downfall, too. Everyone at home is under strict order not to get it while I am on this 10 day diet. BTW, Applebees's menu has some Weight Watchers meals on it that are low calorie and really tasty. I can have a Lean Cuisine or WW meals for dinner, after drinking protein shakes all day, under my 10 day diet and the Applebee's meal tasted soooo good the other night. When i looked up the nutrition facts before I went, they were surprisingly similar to the frozen meals....and MUCH better!

Here we are, day 5! Just 9 more to go! Going back to work today on the diet was soooo much easier than last Friday. Day 2 and 3 were horrible for me and i really missed my friend, Food. I have found that today, as was the case yesterday, I am not getting the hunger pains so much. My body seems to be adapting well. I do look forward to dinner at night, but the steamed veggies and chicken are really irresistible after drinking protein all day. I have lost 10 pounds since last Wednesday night and that is a great payoff and motivation for me not to cheat. I can't believe the amount of self control I have pulled out of myself! My energy seems to be returning somewhat, too. I am not feeling weak and in need of an afternoon nap so much anymore. I do find that between 3pm and dinner is the hardest part of my day without food. That is the part of the day when my fuel becomes depleted and my body is calling for actual food. But, I will take 2 hours of not-so-much-fun fighting with my body over years of it! And, so I push on.....:thumbup:

Good luck on the diet! Day 2 and 3 were the toughest for me, but after that, smooth sailing (I'm only on day 5 but I feel a HUGE difference!) You WILL look forward to the dinner every night. Chicken never tasted as good to me as it does now!

Another day down, as day 4 comes to and end! Today was actually easier than yesterday. So far, day 2 and 3 have been the worst. I am not feeling as ran down or have the "starving" feeling as much. I had a protein shake when I got up, had a few bites of sugar free jello a few hours later, and another protein shake for lunch. I made (from scratch) chicken pot pie for the family and made myself a small chicken breast with steamed broccolli and carrots. It tasted so good! The chicken pot pie looked great.....the family loved it and I can only imagine what it tasted like. I am surprised that I have been strong enough to cook food and not even try it! Anyhoo, another day wraps up and I am ready for the next day, as it is closer to surgery day. I have actually lost 10 pounds since the night before I started this diet. Probably water weight, but it feels good to already see the downward turn. Goodnight, lapband friends!

Thank you, Bklynike! I have no idea what I would do without having a piece of chicken or steamed veggies at night. I have to do this until the day before surgery, then it is all liquids.

It is hard! i, too, have 2 protein shakes per day, and a small meal, packed with protein and little carbs, for dinner. Keep strong and just say, "another day down". I'm almost done with day 4 and can't WAIT have a bite of something other than chicken and steamed veggies (although, after protein shakes all day, they taste like heaven!)

Today was much better! I don't know if maybe it's because it's the weekend and I'm home or maybe I'm just getting used to everything. I woke up this morning, had a protein shake, ran some errands, and took my kids to a kids carnival. The carnival was all free with moonwalks, pony rides, games, free food and drinks. It was hard to watch everyone eating hotdogs, nachos, cotton candy, ice cream, etc, but it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought that it would be. I drank my flavored water and just enjoyed being with the family. I didn't get my other protein shake in until 2pm, and I could FEEL it! I felt so ran down. I blended a shake then took a 45 minute nap while my daughter was napping. After that, I felt better. Now, tonight, my husband and I were without the kids as they went to my parents house. My normal dinner, during this diet, has been a Lean Cuisine or a Smart Ones Weight Watchers meal. However, I remembered that Applebees had some Weight Watchers items on their menu. Sure enough, I looked up the nutrion facts on their Italian Chicken and Portabello sandwich and it was very similar to their frozen meals, with maybe 30 extra calories. The protein and carbs were also similar. So, my husband and I went to Applebee's. I ordered that sandwich and an extra side of steamed brocolli. It came with fruit, but I opted not to eat that, since fruit wasn't listed anywhere in my preop diet. (I have been following that to a T!). But, it felt so good to eat actual, non frozen food, and not feel guilty about it. It is a smaller portion sandwich on a whole wheat bun and it was fabulous! If any of you are on a similar diet to mine, I would HIGHLY recommend it! I feel normal, happy, and satisified--with only 750 calories consumed today!

Me, too! Lunchtime at work is the hardest!

Hi, everyone! I am so glad there is a thread on here for KC Bandsters. I am currently on my pre op diet and will be banded on 9/30 by Dr. Malley. So excited!:thumbup:

My surgery isn't for a couple of weeks, but I my nutritionist advised me to go to sparkpeople.com and explore it. I really love it because by keeping track of what I eat and drink, it keeps me in line. It was great on my supervised diet plan with my doctor and it is the only thing I have found to keep my eating in line. Now that I'm on the preop diet, it's keeping me even more focused. Best wishes on jumping back on the weight loss train. You can do it!

I am currently on Day 2 of my diet and determined to follow it to a T. I want you all to know I keep reading posts for support and you all are AMAZING! That you so much for posting and responding....not only are you helping the poster, you are helping the struggling hungry girl, like me :-)

What a fabulous day! It must be exciting to buy smaller clothes!!

51 pounds in 4 months is wonderful! Great work!!!

It's day two, as well. It helped me to blend it with ice and make a thick, frothy shake. They have me doing Unjury. I have the chocolate kind and it's not so bad when blended up. I am having a hard time getting all of the water in, but I figure the ice in the drinks help contribute to what I drink :-) Good luck on your diet!

Today has immediately started off better than yesterday! I swear, I was starving yesterday..lol. I had some coffee in the morning, which actually helped curb my appetite. Then, I had a protein shake for lunch. When I got home, I was lusting after my Weight Watchers Smart Ones Ravioli. It tasted sooooo good! The doctor said I could have sherbert (no more than a cup), so I had that, too. After I had the sherbert, I felt pretty satisfied and called it a night. I had to pick my 15 month old daughter from daycare last night and made a beeline to the grocery store for more sugar free jello (needed some variety!) and sherbert. Badddd idea. The foods in the deli smelled delish. The food looked amazing. And, the fruits were calling my name as we walked by. I was sure to grab what I needed and got out of there asap. I also did great cooking the kids dinner last night. I made sure to warm up my Smart Ones right at the time they started eating. Their food looked awfully good, but after drinking protein shakes all day, mine did, too! Anyhoo, today is better. I can do this!

Thank you all for the encouraging words. I was so thankful to have a Smart Ones meal for dinner last night. Today has been better. I made a protein shake, blended with ice, and it has helped alot. Thank you, Bklynike, for the Isopure suggestion. I may have to try that! I am keeping the attitude that I can do this!!!

Thanks! I have been drinking a lot more today. Today, I'm thinking of making a tutu for my daughter then going to sleep early :-) The morning was a little rough, but the afternoon has been pretty decent