hopefully soon

Good luck on your surgery and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

I had the same worry about something getting in the way and my date getting changed, but then I actually got a call (was freaking out) 3 days before surgery and they moved my surgery UP by a day (from 4/6 to 4/5)!! So, dont worry, all will go as planned I'm sure. I also only told a few people and so far have only added a few more to the list of those who know since surgery. Its whatever you are comfortable with not what others think. For me, I think in the back of my mind, I was worried about it being another failure in the weight loss attempts and then what??!! Everyone does not need to know (at least not yet). But on the bright side, I am doing very well thus far. I have lost 26 lbs in 7 weeks, 35 overall since I started this process. I have pretty good restriction with ony 1.5 cc's in a 10 cc band....can't complain. Best of luck to you!!

Best wishes for a successful surgery and quick recovery

Wow, thats an aggressive fill!! I had my first fill on 5/16 (surgery was 4/5) and they gave me .5 cc with the 1 cc I had in there for a total of 1.5 cc's. I am surprised they would go up so fast. I think you will be good for a while since most people seem to get restriction after 3 to 4 fills of .5 to 1.5 cc's at a time (total around 5 cc's in a 10 cc band). I am not complaining though because I am lucky to have some restriction already with 1.5

Karon: yay for you!! Its so exciting when you finally have a date to look forward too (i remember it well!) The Bariatric Fusion chocolate mousse is the best shake powder I have found and also the sugar free carnation instant breakfast is pretty good (tates like chocolate milk) and you can add powdered milk to it to up the protein also. Dont worry about that muscle milk restriction, its gross anyways (I've tried chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla and they were all gross....big time protein aftertaste!!) Best of luck on your journey and finding a protein you like!!

I was only getting 300-500 calories a day for the first 2 weeks or so, so I totally understand. I am now 7 weeks post op and I get between 800 and 1000 calories a day which seems to be okay but the weight loss sure slows down after the intial 2 weeks. There are lots of different kinds of protein shakes but I have found the ones that are most tolerable are ones I make myself with protein powder and other ingredients. My favorite is a scoop of chocolate protein powder, 1 cup skim milk, half a banana, 1 tbsp of peanut butter, and 2 ice cubes bended smooth. This has gotten me through since week 3 and has about 300 calories and 40 grams of protein

I think port pain is pretty normal from what I have read....I am 6 weeks out and still get that from time to time (but less so than a few weeks ago)! Good job on losing 23 lbs so far

Love that frozen hershey kiss idea...totally gonna try that

???? I too have never heard of this.....please enlighten us?

Yep yep, become second hand store junkies!! New clothes cost too much to get rid of them in a month! Congrats freelance frog

You'll probably be able to eat pizza again....I just had my first piece since surgery and just did not eat the big end part of the crust...oddly enough, it wasnt nearly as great as I remembered it to be!! I had been craving it and hmmmm, just good but nothing spectacular. Its funny how our tastes change after surgery. Something that does still taste yummy? Arby's roast beef.....just the meat with no bun of course

Sounds pretty typical for your recovery so far So glad things are going pretty good. I too struggled with getting enough of anything for the first week then it gradually got better after that. Hang in there and look forward to the new you!!!

Hey I look at it this way...I had about 80 lbs to lose and if I lose 40 and get stuck at least that is 40 lbs that is gone for GOOD! Unlike any other "diet" I have been on where the 40 lbs leaves for 6 months then comes back with 10 "friends" causing that gradual but REAL climb up the scale. I would rather lose 40 and maintain than lose 40 and gain, lose 50 and gain, etc etc so look on the bright side My doctor also told me the same as above....that I will still have to put in the work and I will get out what I put in. There are many many success stories where people lose all or nearly all of their excess weight but the stats have to figure in everybody including those to "eat around the band" and dont lose. You can do this and so can the rest of us on our current journies

Hang in there...it will be here soon! My surgery got moved up a day and scared the heck out of me. But in the end, all went well especially after the initial soreness in the first couple of days! I am sure you are going to do great

Give yourself a reward for every week that you get to the gym 3 times! Something small and NOT food of course, but like a trip to the movies or a piece of costume jewelry....maybe a new pair of sneakers for a bigger goal say 20 times in a month or something!! Rewards are good and we need whatever we can to stay motivated. Just missing a week will not have a huge impact on the big picture so get your butt up and go to the gym or outside for a walk...you can do it

I started my mushies two days early and had no issues....just ate slowly using baby spoons and forks

I even found sweet pickles made with splenda yesterday!!! They are usually a big no no cuz they are made with high fructose corn syrup (one of the big enemies!!); they are quite tasty. I have used splenda for just about anything sugar would go into.

Splenda....tastes the most like sugar

Yep, me too....tight in the morning so protein shakes for my go to breakfast. By lunch, I can have some semi-solids and by dinner, pretty open to about a cup of food.

Best Wishes!!! I hope you have an easy surgery day and a quick recovery! We will be behind you even if your family isn't. They will come around when they see you getting healthy and happy i"m sure!!

Those peppers look delicious!!!! I will be trying this recipe as soon as I get to the next stage when I can have rice and sausage!!! I am 4 weeks post op so I have to wait about another month or so. You cook them on the grill? Wrapped in foil? Or just directly on there?

Totally get that bit about the scale....I was getting on it everyday and then not always happy when it said the same or 2 ounces less so I finally talked myself into only weighing in twice a week. I still have the fight the urge but dang it I know its for the best! I was four weeks post op yesterday so we are close in our journeys! Best of luck!

Hugs and Prayers coming your way Dawn.....you should be in recovery now

Welcome Jamie....you will love this site and all the great advice and support it gives!! I was banded on 4/5/11 and doing well. I too had to do 6 months of supervised weight loss for my insurance but it had to be through my PCP or another doctor! It goes by pretty fast and you will have plenty of time to research and know exactly what you are in for. Between this site, a couple of books, and a couple of support groups, I felt very well educated and have not even had any questions since my surgery as a result Good luck and best wishes on your journey!!

Hmmm...black beans and chocolate together??? Does that really taste good? Black beans are pretty flavorful