Bklynike

If you are on pureed foods, tuna fish with lite mayo - put it into your food processor or blender and it is delicious. I also ate light-dark chicken in a can, shrimp in a can and salmon in a can. Puree them with lite mayo and you'll get a lot of protein and feel full longer. I am actually able to eat full foods now, but I still puree my tuna fish. I actually found I prefer it that way. Good luck.

I was at my first post-surgery support group last night. There were a lot of people there. I must say I was a little suprised by the turn out. My husband came with me, and was the only husband, the only supportive family member, the only man in the meeting. I was so happy he came with me, although he felt a little out of place. But the meeting was very informative and everyone seemed very nice, although some of them were a little nuts. Read on and you'll see what I mean. Some of us were "newbies" under 6 months, but there was also a woman 4 years out. Many of the women around a year, and 1 woman who is not scheduled until next month to have her surgery. I learned that I was probably not really ready for my first fill. I am still content between meals and not overeating. Still losing weight and feeling great. I postponed my first fill until next Thurs. There was actually a woman there who found out her band had twisted so she needs to have it replaced. She was so angry about it that she started eating anything and everything just to see what would make her sick. Throwing up and feeling horrible, she did this for over a week. Crazy? You bet. She is having the band replaced next month. Others were talking about how they have found ways to cheat. What? R U kidding me? How do you think you became the size of a house???? One woman said she had taken "time off for herself" and gained back over 30lbs. Maybe it is because I paid for the surgery myself, or maybe it is because I am just so excited and jubliant about how I am feeling, but the thought of cheating or eating something I know will make me sick is not going to happen. I go out to eat with my husband a couple times a week. I always try to make the best choice for me, and have been successful. I have waited 3 long years for this surgery; my health and happiness is more important to me than a bowl of spaghetti or a slice of cake.

My surger was also on 6/21 and I am scheduled for my first fill on Thurs. I am not sure if I am going to have it though. I think I might wait a week. I am not over eating, I am not hungry in between meals and I'm consistently losing. Please let us know how it went. Don't be afraid of the needle, my friend had been banded a year ago and she said it feels as if you were giving blood - nothing more. And, don't skip meals. You don't want to become anemic.

I am so sorry that you are having such trouble. It is not fair, but life is not fair. OK, first I would run to another doctor. Your surgeon sounds like an ass. How dare he not be jumping through hoops to find a solution. Writing down everything you put into your mouth is a great suggestion from blossoming. Perhpas you are eating something that you have a food alergy to or too greasy? I would suggest you go back to liquids or pureed food until you get another doctor to check you out. Please do not give up - there are answers out there and with the right doctor, you will find an answer. Good luck to you.

Happy Birthday, my Friend. I am so proud and excited for you. You are my idol! Keep up the good work, and as you said, it is not easy but look how far you have gotten. Enjoy your birthday and many, many more healthy ones. May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.

You did the right thing - had a taste, made a mess and got rid of it - now go plug in your Wii and work it off! lol

Sometimes you just have a taste of something that is calling your name. Getting right back on track is the important thing and you did that. You Go Girl!

Welcome and thanks for posting. It is not only in Canada. I had to pay for my surgery as well. I live in Florida. While a lot of insurance companies will pay for the surgery, a lot of them have a exclusion to the benefits offered their clients. A lot of it has to do with what your employer is willing to pay for and if there are only 1 or 2 people that might beneift from the surgery, it costs the employer a lot because they have to cover every single employee to get the waiver. I am hoping one day the insurance companies will realize this is not a choice, it is a desease and covering the co-morbidities monthly instead of the surgery is ridiculous.

Have I mentioned to anyone that I am one happy puppy? I don't think I have been this motivated and excited in years! I am seeing some changes, and it has only been 1 month tomorrow. My starting weight right before the lap-band was 254lbs. As of today, I am 235.8. I was as heavy as 268, but lost some weight before the sugery, as everyone does. It is funny to say, but I never felt that "fat" until I saw pictures of myself. Then, I wanted to run and hide. Keep in mind, I am only 5'3" tall. Most of my height is in my legs, and most of my weight is in my upper body so I was up there. Today was my second day lifting weights at the gym. I did a half hour of cardio and then the 5 machines that are part of my rotation. It feels so good to be participating in life again. I am giving myself permission to sit on the couch and watch TV as long as I keep up my exercise program. On days I am not in the gym, I do lift 3lb dumb bells and use a tension band. So far eating has not been a problem for me. I may postpone my fill from Thursday to next week sometime. I don't think I need it yet. I'll decide by Tues. I posted some photos to my "album" showing the start of my journey through today and I will continue to add pics monthly. Now instead of running from the camera, I am looking forward to a monthly record of my progress. I am so proud of myself and anyone who is on this journey too. It is a lot of work, sweaty - hard work, but it will be worth it in the end. This is a new lifestyle for us and I for one am so up to the challenge. I can't wait to see where I am a year from now. Once I have lost all of the weight I have to lose, I am going to have my breast reconstruction (mastectomy Jan 5th of this year), and tummy tuck. GO ME - GO US! Have a great Sunday and keep on trucking. We are all in this together.:rolleyes2:

So glad you are feeling better. Everyone heals differently and from reading these blogs, everyone's surgery was done differently. Some of us had 3 incisions, others had 1 to 7! I know you are sore, but while watching TV, get up during commercials and walk as much as you can. You must get up and move - it will make the healing easier. Welcome to the rest of your world and the greatest journey you will ever be on.

It is so hard for us to notice changes in ourselves. Listen to your friends who saw the difference. Take photos monthly because I believe that is the only way you will notice the difference is to see it in picture form. You did great on your trip, so keep it up.

I am so happy for you. Getting back to singing is great. I used to love going to the gym, and now that I have to go I am really enjoying it again. I love to dance, but my husband has 2 left feet, so as long as I can get him to the gym with me, I'm happy. Keep singing!

You were down 5lbs and not overly excited? You should be jumping for joy. 5lbs is terrific. Every ounce you lose is a triumph - 5lbs is amazingly wonderful. Keep up the good work.

Making behavioral changes now will certainly help you later on. Exercise will make your recover easier as well as help you continue to lose weight. I hope you get the approval quickly and start on your very special journey.

As promised, I have attached a new avatar photo my husband took today. I am so shocked at how different I look already. We had a late lunch with friends today and they were very complimentary about my weight loss. Everyone says I look like I am losing, but I couldn't really see it until we compared some photos today. Yahoo! I will have a new photo taken every month to track my journey. I am so excited and happy about the small changes I am already experiencing. The top I am wearing in this photo is a 2X - I have been wearing 3X and 4X tops for the longest time. I can't wait to report that I am in an AL and able to shop in a regular store. As much as I always liked The Avenue and Lane Bryant, I don't ever want to have to shop there again. I want to wear some cute clothes for a change. I am so tired of old lady over-size garments. Aren't you? Why can't someone make some cute things for larger women? Just because we are larger, doesn't mean we don't want to wear the same clothing normal-sized women wear. I am not talking about mini-skirts, short-shorts or crop tops. But everyday tops and jeans would be nice.:rolleyes2: Hope you like my new photo. Have a great weekend.

Hi, Blondi: I was banded on 6/21 and I am supposed to get my first fill on Thurs, but I am not sure I'm ready yet. I've lost about 19 lbs so far and I really don't count calories. I eat the right things, and when I feel satisfied I stop. I have not gotten sick or felt over-indulged at this point. I only get hungry sometimes between breakfast and lunch at work. I have my breakfast around 7:00 and I don't get to lunch at work until about 1:45 or 2:00. If I have my water, I am fine. But like you said, I get so involved that I slack on the water then the stomach grumbling starts. Have you been going to the gym? I really love it and I think it will help keep me motivated and on track. I will decide by Tues if I will wait a week for the fill, or do it on Thurs. Good luck and keep up the good work.

My trip to the gym last night was so much fun. I started off doing my usual cardio workout - I walked a mile in 19 minutes, 3.1 mph at the random mode, meaining the floor of the treadmill goes up and down randomly. It starts at 0 and goes all the way up to 1.5. Then I experimented and put the incline up to 5. That was hard, but I enjoyed it. After about 30 minutes, I met with my trainer and got my first lesson in weight lifting. I did 5 different machines, 3 sets of 12. I was so excited that I was able to do everything he asked me to do and today I am actually able to lift my arms! I know that by adding new machines and keeping the workout new and exciting, I will not lose the "eye of the tiger". I have lost about 19 lbs so far and am due to get my first fill on Thurs. I am just not sure I need one yet. As long as I drink my water, I really don't get hungry between meals.I am afraid if I get a fill, I will be too restricted. The doctor said I could postpone another week or two if I needed to, but I'm not sure yet. I'll decide by Tues. Meeting friends today for an early dinner. they are visiting from Orlando, I'm in North Miami. They have to drive home, which is about 4 hours away hence the early dinner. I am always worried about eating out because you never know how the food is prepared, even though I always ask. Have a great weekend everyone. :thumbup:

Stay excited because the lap band will be the best gift you will ever give yourself. Go for it and keep blogging and let us know how you are doing. We are a family here and wish each and everyone of us the best of luck and support.

I don't think it is really about your eating habit. We are all heavy and now that we have the band and are losing weight, we are just afraid that we will gain it back. It is a normal thing. I know I do EXACTLY what I am supposed to do. I eat what I am supposed to eat, I drink what I am supposed to eat, and I watch everything I put in my mouth. But when I step on a scale, which I only do at the gym, I always think I will have gained weight. So, I think it is normal. Enjoy your weight loss and try not to obsess.

I really disliked the chewable vitamins I got from my nutritionist so I take a one a day, 2x a day! Also, liquid calcium.

I am so happy I chose the Lap-Band and not gastric bypass. I originally thought the gastric bypass was the answer. I went to the meetings but was very nervous when I heard not reversable, hair loss, dumping syndrome, 6 weeks no work, only 1 year to lose your weight and $25,000. My insurance company was going to approve it, right? Wrong. The day before I met with the surgeon, I got a call from his office to say my insurance company had an exception to my coverage and wouldn't pay anthing for weight loss surgery. So I went home and cried. I thought I would have to live my life miserably fat and on every medication you would imagine a fat old broad would have to be on. The sleepless nights caused by my sleep apnea, the diabetes, the high blood pressure, the high tri-glicerides and high cholesterol, knee and back pain, and on and on. I was heartbroken. But I decided to start saving and hoped that one day... I started hearing about Lap-Band and actually knew someone who had it. She was so happy and excited and started looking and feeling really good. So, I went to some meetings to see what I could learn about it. I met my surgeon and decided this was the surgery for me. I started saving every penny I could. Then, in May of last year my mom passed away leaving me a small inheritance. So I was scheduled for December 21st for lap-band. Well, as you all know I had been diagnosed with breast cancer in October and had my mastectomy in January. Which of course meant I had to postpone my lap-band. I rescheduled it for my birthday. The greatest gift I could possibly give myself on my re-birthday. Yes, I was sore the day of surgery, but got around pretty well on day 2. By Wed I was up and moving without very much discomfort and the rest is history. I never looked back. Well a young woman who worked for me scheduled her gastric bypass for the week following my surgery. She spent 4 days in the hospital, in pain all of the time. Then after getting home, she ended up back in the hospital because she was dehydrated. When I spoke with her today, she was still having trouble drinking water! Lap-Band - life saving tool. A couple of days of discomfort and a lifetime of good health, normal weight, and happiness. I am so glad I made this choice.

Most surgeons don't see you much after the first time because they spend most of their days in surgery. I have a 2-year follow up, which was included in my surgery. I will see him if needed, but he has many other nurses and doctors in the office for fills. But he is only a phone call away, if needed. Good luck to you.

You are doing great. The liquid diet gets old really fast, but the pureed diet is just around the corner. Enjoy your new life and the journey. Keep posting!

I think all the time - I had surgery just a short 3 weeks ago. I actually chose to have a band wrapped around my upper stomach giving me a small pouch that will make me eat less or I will get sick. I will have a few more incisions in my stomach, but I am not a bathing beauty to start with, so short tops and 2-piece bathing suits have been out for years. And by doing this, my entire life is going to change. I paid over $13,000 for this surgery out of my own pocket, after saving several years. I actually took this money away from my family - perhaps a special vacation or new car? After so many diets and dumb programs, is this actually going to work? Heck Yes It Is!!!! My life has already started to change. First of all, I am losing weight. I have always been able to lose about 25lbs and then it was over. No matter what I did, I couldn't lose more than 25lbs. I am at about 17lbs right now. I have no doubt that I will break through that 25lbs within the next weeks to come. You bet I will report it here. Secondly, my medications have been cut down. I am actually sleeping better. I have much more energy and am walking with some pep in my step. Thirdly, I have met so many wonderful people on this site. I wish each and every one of you lived in South Florida - I want hugs! I will keep reporting my progress and I love reading about all of yours. I try to respond to as many blogs as I can because there is nothing like finding messages in reply to a blog I wrote, so I would imagine you like getting responses to. I will be taking pictures this weekend, and will try to post them. I see the difference already and am loving it. Good luck to you all - I love our friendship.

You are now a Bandster-Sister! Welcome to our club. We are glad to have you. Don't worry about the pain meds because by tomorrow, you will probably not need them. I wonder why the doctor didn't give you liquid - odd. Did you have stitches - is that what was bleeding? My doctor used some kind of glue, so I never bled. If you are watching TV, everytime a commercial comes on, get up and walk. Drink plenty of liquids and get as much rest as you can. Walking is the best thing you can do for yourself. Let us know how you are doing.