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Finally had the follow up, Dr put in for my approval today! I got through a lot of the crap really quick, quit smoking, lost the 16 lbs the dr told me to for insurance, saw the food shrink, saw the nutritionist, sleep clinic.... Long story short I finished all those requirements in less than 6 weeks, and finally had my follow up with the surgeon today. I weighed in where I needed to and the Surgeon said he was going to submit the request to insurance so we could set a surgery date, Hell Yeah!! The office girl that works with the insurance company's told me that with my insurance acceptance letters usually come within three weeks and often before two weeks is up! I'm so frigging happy I could just explode! I really want to get this done before September, and be on my way to looking and being healthy next summer. The only problem I'm gonna have is maintaining the weight loss I have had to get this far, I lost it quickly by eating between 800 to 1000 calories per day, and I'm not sure how much it'll take to maintain this weight. I may take a couple practice shots at this liquid diet while I'm waiting out the rest of the process, does everyone use slim fast or Opti Fast? I tend to like the EAS Protein lite, it only has 100 calories, Same with Muscle milk light, and BJ's sells them both by the case.

I use the Wheybolic Extreme Protein powder from GNC; I have never felt a sense of bloating with it. I only use 1.5 scoops per 8 oz of 1% milk, and tolerate it well. Everyone is an individual, so we won't have the same experiences. But it is important to find a good quality Protein shake that you are able to tolerate. Perhaps this is a topic to discuss with your surgeon or their staff... Best wishes...

Thanks guys ....... I did ask the nurse at my Drs ofc and she suggested switching to different brand until I found something that didn't bother me......I also was reading that protein shakes mess w hormone levels and that could be causing the bloating.....gonna try water instead of almond milk or reg milk and see how that does......really don't want to keep switching they are not exactly cheap. Thanks for the advice!

PMS? Lots of exercise the day before? Not enough food the day before? Not enough protein? Not enough good nutrition? Not enough water? Good luck unraveling what's going on for you. When that happens, I try to drink lots of water...sometimes it works (sometimes a little bit of extra carbs also works for me--careful, though, that's a slippery slope for sure!)

So here I am on day one, week three of post op. Dr.'s rules are that now begins the 2 week period of pureed Full liquid Stage. I did fine on the last two weeks of Clear liquids with no hunger and getting most everything in every day. Funny thing is that I have this huge list of things I can have, but due to working midnights and having a really hectic schedule, I am not sure how to eat or when to eat. I have three breaks at work, 2-10 minute and one 30 minute lunch. Tonight I took Cream of chicken Soup (4oz.) I had this at lunch and loved every minute of it....lol. I also had a sugar free pudding at a 10 minute break. But I am not sure if I am doing it right or have enough time to eat correctly even though I managed tonight with no problem. Can anyone help me on what they eat in this catagory that is easy so that I could take it to work and make it all right. Should I stick to Protein shakes for work and then eat only when home....not sure and so confused. I thought I had this all worked out until day one appeared out of nowhere... I have done really well with my weight loss so far since surgery and have lost a total of 24 lbs..... maybe a little of the fear comes in thinking I will gain that back if I eat differently. So not sure about this..... Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks bunches

I believe my protein shakes.are causing a lot of bloating...very uncomfortable bloating at that.....anyone else experiance this or find a product that does not. Currently.using premier and unjury.

I got the recipe from allrecipes.com, it's called Slow-cooker buffalo chicken Crockpot/Slow Cooker Chicken pieces (thigh, legs, wings, breasts, etc) 1 oz. dry ranch dressing mix Buffalo Chicken Sauce (12 oz. bottle) 2 Tbs. Butter/Margerine (optional) Put the chicken in the crockpot/slow cooker. Sprinkle 1/2 oz. of the dry ranch mix on the chicken. Cover the chicken with the entire contents of the buffalo sauce. Optional: Add the butter to the sauce Turn on to Low heat for about 5-7 hours, the chicken will come apart easily the longer you cook it. For a faster cook time and more firm meat, cook on High heat for about 3-4 hours.

Sorry if this is in the wrong forum, I had a few coupons from the first paper of the year (when everyone goes on diets!) but was wondering if anyone had a good site or source for coupons on these items? I like both shakes equally and prefer the pre-made vs. powder but will buy whats on sale.

unjury (find it online) makes a flavorless Protein powder that u can add to almost anything. The first couple months after surgery, I added it to Soups, yogurt, pudding, OJ, almost anything! And it's got lotso protein! Good luck! Marci

Hi all! I'm just starting my journey with WLS! I am planning on having surgery in May! My doctor is having me do my pre op diet on and off until the surgery. ( pre op consists of protein shakes and veggies) has this happened to anyone else?

I really hate that I'm having to post this, but I don't really see that I have a choice. And sorry for the long post. I signed up with True Results for my gastric sleeve surgery. They did fine handling the insurance verification part, if a bit slow. Once I got approval from my insurance company, they told me my surgeon would be Dr. John Marsden here in Dallas. I set up an appointment to meet with him prior to surgery only to find that it was a group session, with a quickie 5-or-so minute personal time to ask him questions. He seemed nice, so I didn't think much of it. I worked with his scheduler, Jodie, to get my surgery set up for August 25th, and arranged all my work/medical leave/training/vacation around it. A week later I got an email from Jodie telling me that now Dr. Marsden was going to be out of town on the day of my surgery, and I would have to pick a different date. This meant moving my surgery up to August 11th. Okay, no big deal, I'll just rearrange my entire schedule over again, now having to attend training in Houston instead of Dallas (more on this later). The day of surgery, I arrived at 11am at Baylor Plano like I was told. The nurse had me get in my gown and socks and wait. Only about half an hour later did we find out that Dr. Marsden's office had messed up his schedule, and he was two hours late arriving that day. My surgery, originally scheduled at 1pm, did not happen until 4:30pm. I spent five hours in a hospital gown, in a small room, starring at the ceiling. I saw Dr. Marsden once, about three hours before my surgery, when he peeked his head in my door for about 5 seconds to make sure I was there. My anesthesiologist, who had not communicated with me AT ALL prior, showed up about ten minutes before my surgery to make sure I had signed the consent forms, not seemingly to actually care about my condition. I never saw Dr. Marsden again. I woke up in the recovery room briefly, and I was only really aware again when I got to my room. My parents said that no one had ever told them how anything went, they never saw Dr. Marsden, never saw any promised surgery pictures, and they hadn't seen the anesthesiologist. The only way they knew I was going to my room was from a computer screen in the waiting room. The surgery had taken half the time everyone had quoted. My nurse checked me when I rolled into the room, but didn't come back for the next 2 hours. In the meantime, the Dilaudid they gave me wasn't really cutting any of the pain, so the next hours are a bit of a blur. My nurse finally came back and got me on some different pain medication around midnight, and I did well getting up to walk as soon as possible. I was feeling much better by the next morning. Around 7am, I was told that I needed to do a swallow test to check my staple line, and couldn't go home without it. The only problem? The imaging center took ER and ICU patients first, and I would have to be fit around them. That meant my test wasn't until 11am. Meanwhile, I had been asking for "Laura", the nurse practitioner who was my ticket to discharge. She was always too busy to come to my room. Finally, around 4pm, we managed to get a visit. I asked about my surgery, since I hadn't seen hide or hair of Dr. Marsden at all, and she said she had no idea what had occurred, other than a sleeve, since his operating report wasn't posted yet. To this day, I could be missing a gallbladder or have had a hernia repair, and not know it. I called Dr. Marsden's office as soon as I was able once I was home, as I was told to schedule my post-op follow up appointment. The receptionist told me that I was to call True Results, not them, as I would not be seeing Dr. Marsden again. Nice, huh? True Results was completely booked up, except when I have to be in Houston (due to Dr. Marsden's scheduling problem), so I'm now wondering what the point is of going to a post-op appointment almost a month after the fact. So basically, after the pretty bad assembly-line experience I've had, basically being left alone to figure everything out, I'm thinking I should just find someone outside of True Results to work with going forward. I'm actually healing very well, but I would love to have a nutritionist or someone to talk to. Anyone have any suggestions? Something I haven't thought of? And is it normal for your surgeon to ditch you as soon as the stitches are knotted and the steri strips glued?

I am getting a revision next Monday. I had what I believed to be an Allergan band placed in 2006. Well I have had a slip and the doc wants to replace it (the port is fine). He was going to just change it out for a Realize band but at my pre-op appt he asked me what I wanted. 1. Replace the allergan band and reattach the old port. or 2. Put in a Realize band and new port. Originally I thought I should just go with the 1st option, seems less painful(less stitches) and I'm not a doctor but a lower risk of infection maybe?? Now I am having second thoughts....I have read up on both bands and don't really see a difference..should I just stand by my decision or call and have it changed?

Hey everyone! It's been a few weeks since I've been on here, I've officially had the worlds craziest work month (the life of a nurse.) Anyway, I was banded on 7/25/12 and I'm feeling really great. Just had my 2nd fill yesterday, so I now have a total of 7cc in my band. I'm feeling so close to my "sweet spot", Dr. Thinks my next fill should really work wonders. Yeah! I haven't weighed myself since 2 days before my last fill, in which I actually did 2 days of clear liquids& Protein shakes prior to the fill and I'm going to do an extra2 days of it as well...sooo a total of 7 days of stage 1. I feel that its jumpstarting my diet again. My last weigh in at the doctors I was 209/210 (myscale said 209, his said 210) which was on the 20th. I've given myself a challenge. I told myself I want.to be out of the 200s by Oct. 1st, and its driving me nuts that I am not weighing myself everyday BUT guys, its so much better this way! I feel like I'm losing, I've been exercising everyday and burning a good amount of calories and my diet is awesome. Please please please pray that this can happen!! Even if the scale reads 201/200 on Oct 1st, I'll still feel great. I will update you guys on that day. I hope you're all doing well, I'm so grateful on my weight loss journey so far! Thanks!!!!XOXO -Melissa M.

I had this Protein shake the other day and i almost floated into outer space. You can do this with pumpkin as well! 1 scoop whey Tech vanilla Pro 24 Protein powder ( any vanilla protein you like, 1 serving) 4oz cold, cooked, sweet potato Dash of cinnamon and nutmeg 8 oz unsweetened almond milk Add Ice to suit thickness Blend and enjoy! Sent from my SAMSUNG GALAXY SII Skyrocket using LapBandTalk

Some bandster friendly food bargains I saw today. At Costco through Sunday, Chobani fruited yogurt $1.25 off 12 count (.75 which for my areas is a great price). At Demoulas MA/NH grocery chain Pure Protein brand bars (20 g size) 2/1.00.

Hey Jess! You are able to make all of these changes under your 'user cp.' Click on USER CP at the top of the page on the far left, underneath the before and after polaroids. Once that page loads, you can 'edit signature' or 'edit avatar' as well as other options on the left hand side. No need to join a group per se, although there are groups that you can join on here. But you can continue to post as you have been with no problems.

Any one else like me and getting tired of all the sweet stuff on their preop diet? Muslce Milk, ff/sf pudding, etc? I have a recipe for savory yogurt. My husband is from Pakistan. In the subcontinent, yogurt is eaten sweet or savory. They make lassi and raita from yougurt. Laissi is like a milk shake that can be sweet or savory. If you are going to make it savory, use nonfat plain yogurt, a splash of Water, ice and a bit of salt. Toss it in the blender and blend until smooth. If too thick, add more water. I happen to like mine thick. If you want it sweet, put a bit of sugar or sugar substitute instead. Raita is a side condiment that is used to dip pakoras, or other fried goodies, in or as an accompaniment to curries, tandoori meat, dals, etc. Most have cilantro, mint, or other veggies ground in along with salt, red pepper and cumin. The plain raita is just plain yogurt, a bit of salt, 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. Mix well and enjoy by itself. My Nut suggested the following for portions for yogurt for the pre-op liquid diet: 12 oz ff plain yogurt or 8 oz of ff plain greek yogurt I hope this helps others who could use a break from sweets.

The following is what my RD told me. 3oz. Protein...lean 1/2 cup vegetable 1/4 cup carb vegetable If you are able too eat eggs then a boiled egg is a common breakfast item. Remember to eat 5 times a day....your 3meals and 2 Snacks. Beast of luck.

I was finally banded on Monday WOOHOO!!! Had to stay one night in the hospital. So far everything is going good. Of course I am in a little pain and gassy. But I went to my daughter and son's veterans day program today and felt pretty good for the most part. By the time it was over I was definitely ready to go though. Now it is Wednesday night and just feeling really sleepy. Don't have much energy right now. I have one more day of Clear liquids before I can start back on my Protein shakes and some other liquids. Well i am glad to finally join all the other bandster and to continue my journey on here with all your support and encouragement and hopefully I can give some back.

I recently received a cookbook with recipes geared towards people who have had weight loss surgery. A lot of the recipes call for unflavored or vanilla flavored protien powder. I have only been drinking one kind of protien drink that is premade because I know they are good and haven't ventured past that. But it's time for a change because they are becoming BORING and I'm in the process of getting motivated again and don't want to start out bored already. Would like some ideas of other ones that are also good that I could use in cooking or making my own smoothies so I have more variety than just chocolate! thanks!

doing fairly well. Discomfort is minimal but I'm missing food. Not a hungry feeling more like I want to eat. I have been drinking the protein shakes and was surprised that I can take all 8 ozs with no trouble. I do get a full feeling but that's it. Is this normal?

I had my band for 4 years after having issues and problems( toxic silicone syndrome) my doctor suggested I remove it and revise to gastric sleeve. The day of surgery I backed out on the sleeve because it's irreversible and I was afraid I would have the same symptoms of the band. I removed the band 3 weeks ago and can't eat much I have been in liquids and mostly protein diet. I keep getting stuck with regular food. I lost around 13 pounds. But I have been so depressed and been having panic attacks with anxiety attacks. Don't know why this is happening it just comes on uncontrollably. My body is reacting so weird. Had this happened to anyone? If so, please give me insight will it go away or what's causing this?

Yes you can have those as long as you purée them. I also ate sugar free pudding with protein powder mixed in and apple sauce with protein powder stirred in. Check out the recipe thread, people have posted about puréed already

i would say that at 2 and 3 months, i started noticing more hair (in the tubaround the drain). told my dr, he said its normal and not to worry. he told me to keep up on my Protein and it will get better. and at 6 months out, i have noticed it fuller and growing faster (same with my nails). i do not take Biotin. i did for the first couple months but my dr said it doesnt really do anything (this is my dr only and he is whoms advise i follow). and for the hair on my lip (no chin yet) i just wax that right off....i think it will get better if not, as sojo says, ask your doctor for guidance bee well

Anyone know how far out u have to be to eat them? I'm 4 weeks post op and I wanted to try a pure protein chocolate bar to see if that would help with my protein intake but I'm scared. And my drs nut won't return my calls.