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I had training today (and tomorrow) off-site. This facility has awesome catering. I was able to eat morning tea and lunch and only ate a snack I has brought for lunch. Here is what I had and I didn't feel sick at all. Breakfast at home: 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 small banana Morning tea: a tangerine and about 1/3 of a sausage roll Lunch: a prawn, a few bites of baked chicken (pretty moist and I took tiny bites), a crouton, a bit of boiled egg, half a thin slice of salami, a couple noodles from a noodle salad, small piece of tomato, small piece of capsicum. And one bite of strawberry cake. I logged all this and it was about 130 calories. Afternoon snack: 2 cheese sticks (instead of a timtam) I will probably just have the last of my purée chicken with some gravy for dinner. I will end up just over 800 calories. I listed this to show people what they might be able to look forward to. I know some people don't tolerate this stuff. One thing is that I have been able to tolerate Water but now that I'm on solids water tastes bitter.

I tried the carbmaster, uhhhhh, the taste, not so much! Got a slight un-fill today .2 cc's (it was hard to drink water after the third day) I feel much better. b-tide me over protein water l-1/2 cup cioppinno d-1/2 of a grilled salmon burger (wrapped in lettuce) topped with a yogurt, lemon, dill sauce, tomato and grilled onions *exercise, started back with my trainer today, he kicked my butt, my legs feel like rubber bands

Hope the meds work, Luluc. Yesterday B: 1/2 bowl of oatmeal with mixed fruit L: 1/2 cup egg salad; ff yogurt S: 1 tbsp peanut butter with 1 apple D: 1/2c sweet and sour pork with 2 tbsp rice; ff pudding S: ff pudding

Yeah, you need to come down here. It's COLD in FL and we're having the best winter since we've been coming down here, I think. See... weatherman just said.. warmest weather here in the whole continental US! Temps hit 80 in most areas of So CA.. We were at least 75. NO.. Food Cop doesn't scare me! I just had a busy day. We went shopping after water aerobics. Michaels, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, bank, Walmart, back to the bank (!), then Costco! Oh, yeah... and the hobby store to pick up all the parts for the two broken airplanes!! Then we had a glass of wine, a little cheese, watched some Judge Judy and had some grilled steak. Tilapia never go finished yesterday. In fact when I posted that I was half done and having trouble... I quit. I was eating so slow that Earl was finished with his dinner before I took my first bite! Then he kept trying to take my plate away because I was eating slow. After a while, I just let him take it because I was obviously not getting anything else down. Tonight... filet.... somewhere between 3 and 4 oz. I ate it all... but VERY slowly. Had a few peas with it, and sauteed mushrooms and onions. BF was a nature valley granola bar... 190 cal. Lunch... snacks at Costco... taste of Healthy Choice chicken noodle soup, small piece of a chicken burrito, little piece of cheese, 1 cracker w/dab of cream cheese and sm piece of smoked salmon and 2 bites of yogurt. I think that was it. I guess there was chicken sausage there somewhere, but I missed it. Oh.. I had a couple of bites of curry chicken at TJ's. It was pretty tasty. I might try making that. They were serving it over rice... that kind of rice that starst with a "b" that I can't think of right now. Down 2 lb at TOPS today. I'm getting so annoyed with them I don't think I'm going to let them elect me leader again. I had a frustration last week when I showed up with all my stuff and was told, "Oh, we decided we'd just have a weigh in this morning"... no meeting because it was New Years Eve. Excuse me?? Our meeting is at 8 a.m.!! And if they were going to decide that (while I was out of town Christmas week) someone should've sent me an email or called me on the phone to let me know! So this week... I get there a little before 8 am. to get weighed. We have a basket we put fruint and healthy snacks in... everyone is uppsoed to contribute something and then the best loser of the week gets to take it home. So I go to put something in the fruit basket and it's empty! So I said, "didn't anyone else bringh anything for he basket today???" Weight Recorder says... "Oh, I already gave it to Betty. She lost 3 lb and I didn't figure anyone was going to beat her>" Betty had already left. The fruit basket is supposed to be awarded during the meeting. You don't give it to someone who is "probably" going to be the best loser before the meeting even starts! And it's not supposed to go to someone who isn't even staying for the meeting! I was sort of ticked off but kept my mouth shut. But, I'm abut ready to be done. All summer when I was gone I kept asking them to email me copies of the minutes and they never communicated anything! Okay, enough about that!! It's killing me not to have any Papaya when I have problems like I had last night with the tilapia. But if it's here... once I start, I just keep popping them in like M & Ms! So... no more! Cut back on my wine. Now am addicted to Challenge Sudoku on FB! HELP ME!! It's time for bed.

Yesterday's menu B: bowl of oatmeal - plain. S: ff yogurt L: bowl of lentil soup (about 1c) D: cubed chicken with chopped tomatoes, scallions, olives, peppers S: 2 ff puddings (oops...)

Morning all! I was so lazy yesterday with the cold and rain and didn't get a single walk in. Today it's gorgeous so I plan to take two 30-minute walks. I'm still working on my Breakfast so will take the first one after that. It's hard to believe that my two weeks are almost up! I go back to work on Monday and start the purée phase Tuesday. I've been told to eat 6 times a day during this phase and only 1/2 cup at a time. That means I need to eat 3 times at work each day. Does anyone have any recipes? For breakfast I will have porridge or semolina, or ricotta blended with fruit. For morning tea I can have yogurt and puréed fruit or mashed banana. For the other 4 meals I have been told to have something that is half meat and half veg/starch (rice or pasta), with a good amount of sauce and blended smooth. I think I would like to make 3 different-tasting things that I can freeze in half-cup size portions. That way I can just toss them in my lunch bag in the morning. I have a small fridge in my office at work and there is a microwave. I have to drink one Protein shake a day as a liquid, not a Meal Replacement. I am very busy during the work day and I go straight from work to band rehearsal on Tuesdays and don't get home until after 10 pm, so I need to make this as easy and organized as I can.

Wasn't that yogurt wonderful? I had one week of clear liquids, one week of full liquids, and today I started on pureed foods. I tried 1/2 cup of egg beaters and I sliced a string cheese into it, then nuked it. It was awesome and quite filling. Today I went shopping and bought instant mashed potatoes. Hope it's ok to make them without the margarine cause I don't have any. I am eating really slowly. When we out to lunch the other day, I did eat pureed soup and apple juice at the same time, just to ensure it all went down ok. I was only nauseous one time, when I tried coffee in the hospital. Other than that, I burped for 5 days before I had a toot and a BM. You sound as though you are doing great!!!

I guess I would just go back to basics...concentrate on Protein, veggies and Water. Cut out the fruit and Pasta for now. I only started eating those once I was at goal and only in moderation. That's what I cut out immediately if I bounce up a couple pounds. And as for veggies, no corn, peas, potatoes, etc. Have you ever hit protein goals? There's just so many ways to get there....protein shakes/bars, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, cheese, chicken, steak, pork, burgers, eggs, turkey, seafood, fish, tofu, etc. Use Protein powder to flavor Greek yogurt for a double helping of protein. Add bacon bits or ham and cheese to eggs. Cottage cheese with Muscle Milk cake batter is a super yummy protein packed cheesecake. I also eat a lot of nuts, but they do add a lot of fat and calories, so maybe you should monitor that. I can easily gain 4-5 pounds in a week eating too many carbs (like over the holidays or on vacation). But 2-3 weeks of going back to protein and veggies will bring them back off. Try and drop your calories to 1000 and move away from the carbs for awhile. I bet that will get you back in the right direction.

B'fast- 1/2 can low carb slim fast Lunch- 3/4 c. cottage cheese mixed with weight watchers yogurt Snack- 1/2 can low carb slim fast Dinner- 1 cup homemade spinach chicken salad

Hi guys, I was scheduled to have surgery on October 28th, but on my way to Mexico I got stuck at Newark and had to turn back due to my flight being cancelled. So I'm rescheduled for November 8th, the surgeon was super nice and agreed to fit me in even though he was full that day (I'm going to see Jaime Ponce de Leon in Tijuana). So I get to do the 3 day yogurt fast again, ugh. It was so hard the first time, I'm not a huge yogurt eater and that's a bit much! I would have done anything for something salty towards the end! Chicken broth would have been heavenly. Anyways, so now I guess the stress starts again, it built up the week before my first scheduled surgery and now it's building up again. I tend to have panic issues in hospitals so I'm hoping I can make it through this without a panic attack (they're not triggered by pain, but more by feeling tied down, I'm claustrophobic and being tangled up in IV wires and not being able to be comfortable in the bed etc, they all add up to me hyperventilating and thinking that I'm going to die, fun times!). So a bit more about me, I'm 35, have 2 kids, a 6 year old daughter and a 3 year old son. I've been married for almost 14 years now (wow, can't believe that long!). We live near Montreal, Canada.. I'm a graphic artist, my husband is a scriptwriter for a video game company. We both spend way too much time in front of our computers! I'd love to lose about 160 pounds... I'm lucky in that I have no comorbidities (that I know of!) right now. I may have sleep apnea, who knows, I've never been tested for that. No diabetes though, and I figured I'd rather lose the weight now before I destroy my joints and develop other problems. I have for a long time told myself "I don't need WLS, I can do this myself", but I can never lose weight long term. I can lose it fine over a short term, but I just can't keep it off. Really hoping this is the solution!

I notice most people saying they are eating mushy or creamed food. I was told very clearly by Dr. Ortiz's nutritionist not to eat/drink anything but clear liquids for the first week and only add yogurt and protein drinks on day 8. I wonder why the big difference in diets? Anyone know? My stomach is so rumbley, I would love something thick!

Thj, glad to hear you are okay, and hanging in there. Tpagern, this stage will be over before you know it. Well maybe not that quick, but soon anyway. Anything is better than the pre-op in my opinion. Cream potatoes, yogurts, and eggs never tasted so good! Soft cooked veggies if you are a veggie eater (chewed well). I think the real stuff starts the 5th week? Anything pulverized, or chewed to a puree will go for mushies. Lots of sf drinks in different flavors help pass the day too. High protein helps stave off the hunger. LOTS of protein. You have taken all the first steps to being a more secure person. Look at all you have done for yourself! That takes courage! Go for long walks, and hop on that bike (after dark if that makes you feel better) All this exercise will cut your time nearly in half to reach your goals. I think you are going to be surprised how much easier things are going to get each month. YOU CAN DO IT!! Where is Lo2us?? Are you okay? Lisa, would you mind sharing some of that determination with us? We all need a dose every now and then.

((((Steph)))) You have every right to be irritable. Don't push yourself too hard and give yourself some time to feel back to normal (both physically and mentally). Thanks for asking about my dentist appt-it stunk today. only about 15 minutes or so but he didn't give me any novocaine as he was scraping out my root- WTF??? I mean, it wasn't off the wall pain since he had done most of the work last week but I had a couple of those pangs that felt like electric shock when he was in there. I would rather give birth again than have teeth work done. UGH. I did great today on my self-inlficted pre-op diet. Protein shake for Breakfast, Soup for lunch, ww frozen meal (290 cals) for dinner. I may have a yogurt in a little while. All in all not much and I feel okay. We'll see how I am at the gym tomorrow morning. Can we really function on so little??? I think I am just accustomed to my 1700 or so cals a day I have been eating these past 2 months so it seems like a big drop. Have a good night. biggest loser finale on tonight. I love that show. ~Kay

B-man you do not suck! You're doing great! Do you like your new machine? I asked my daughter about it and if I would like it and she said no - you wouldn't use it. LOL ok then I'm going to repeat myself but this is what I ate today. No bkfst 1 scrambled egg, rye toast, cottage cheese and canned peaches went to dinner - cajun seafood alfredo - ate about 1/4 of the huge plate - cut up the shrimp and loved the scallops and the noodles were very soft went to son's for his b-day - had sliver of cake had 1/2 cup of chocolate yogurt before bed - except I didn't go to bed yet. On the one hand it doesn't seem like much but then on the other hand I think I'm eating alot - I don't snack in between because I'm really not hungry. So Paloma - have you ever gotten sick before this? I never ever have felt nausated except right out of surgery and they gave me something for it. Did you throw up. You need to be very careful about that you could hurt yourself. I haven't always made the greatest choices but nothing has made me sick. Do you have a fill yet? Grumpy - I felt the same way, that I should sit up straight. Did you take a shower yet? Once you shower the strips will start to fall off. Siyah - good to hear you are doing better - take it easy for a few days and you'll be back to your old self in no time. Gasx, heating pad

Good grief today has been hard. I must be swollen. I could not even finish a whole yogurt for lunch, but liquids are going down fine. Crazy...

Anyone else banded on the 9th and how are you feeling? __________________ I was banded on the 9th. I'm feeling pretty good. It hurts to get up and down and I'm trying very hard to relax but I notice when I don't do much the gas builds up and hurts, So basically it's off and on with the gas but I'm absolutely not eating enough. All I had today was water (which I need to gulp but can't) 1/2 of the cream of wheat that the instant package holds. 1/2 a yogurt, 1/2 protein shake (nasty) and that's it. Were you also banded on the 9th and how are you doing with it?

Gika I hope they get it figured out!! They told me to schedule my 2nd fill for only 2 weeks later...an I can already tell I need more (but maybe not much more). The 1 cc they added has for sure helped but I could use a smidge more to keep me feeling full longer. I'm fairly pleased with the amount I'm eating at a sitting (about a cup to cup and a half depending on what it is) Well, with my fill I had a pretty good day. My eggs with onion and ham (about 20g protein and under 200 cal) kept me full for 4 hours. For lunch I had greek yogurt and granola, which lasted about 2 1/2. I just ate the topping off a piece of pizza and half a side salad and am way too full. I plan to not eat anything else today except maybe some hot tea. Is anyone having a lot of belching going on? It amazes me sometimes that I can belch this much...like a neverending burp pit.

Okay, I had my second fill Monday. I went from 1.6cc's with little restriction to 1.8cc's and can not eat much at all. Yesterday I had 4oz. yogurt, 1 slice of turkey lunchmeat, 1 slice cheese, 5 sunchips. What is the difference in a sweet spot and starvation? On the flip side I have lost 4 lbs. since Monday.

Checking in! First of all I appreciate every single person in this thread! hehe and wish everyone who is getting banded tomorrow a successfully safe surgery and a lot of good ol' burping. Ok so yesterday was a rough rough day! I though I was going to be strong, I walked for about 30 minutes, I literally had to sit down and rest every ten minutes because of my chronic anemia causing me to quickly feel fatigue and out of breath. Then the lack of an elevator made it worst so I collapse as i attempted to reach my FIFTH floor apartment. My bf had to hold me u and encourage me to keep going. I am now using a cane for support! I actually like it. So my diet for the first two days was just Clear liquids. now I am in the full liquid stage. My mom made some chicken Soup and blended it, I only ate 2 ounces because I am not 100 percent sure if I should have eaten that. I also had my Vitamins, Water, water, 2 teaspoons of FF yogurt, 2 sugar free ices which are DISGUSTING lol. If anyone thinks I am doing something wrong please let me know! Also according to my wii, which I find hard to believe, I weight 268, blah, I didn't weight myself on the wii before the surgery so I am not sure what to think. My so fars..... I feel little pain! I have MINOR chest pain/Pressure?, which I was told that its probably due to swelling I feel like I cant eat more then what I have been eating I totally cant and wont believe my BMI is at 39, so I am waiting to weight myself somewhere else. I am thankful that tomorrow is Columbus day and do not have to go to work

Hi everyone...I am in my final week before I have to do the two week pre-op liquid diet. My husband is overseas so I went ahead and began the day he left: Thanksgiving. I discovered after reading through alot of these posts that sugar free cremora is actually low carb. I could not find it but SAW A liquid cremora in with the milk products. I was looking for Hood dairy beverage...well. I looked at the listing on the non-sugar free liquid cremora just to see how bad it was, and it was only about 20 calores and 2 carbs, so I got it. I got coconut creme, and I cannot tell you what a little tablespoon of it does in my liquid prpotein shake. YUM I am going to get the Irish creme one, because I know I LOVE that. With these two, I can go on a long time. I am just about ready to stay on these liquids for the full six weeks after the banding, because I need to drop 150= lbs to get down to my normal weight. I am now walking 2 miles in the gym every day, and doing Water aerobics. Other little stuff in the gym like ab crunches and upper body to help my posture a I walk, to help hold up this fat stomach. I am in my thiurd day of liquid prtoein...loving it. I got the EAS and the Adkins shakes, and also got the Boost Glucose Free. Pricy, but I figure I can use one a day to boost my Protein intake up above the 60 that my Protein Shakes afford me. The good thing about my protein (it is called ProCal, and it has 7 carbs per packet, so I don't recommend it) is that I can take three of these packets, add a cup of yogurt (whole milk plain yogurt has 15 carbs/cup and skim milk fat free yogurt has 19 carbs/cup!!! go figure) I add in the three prtoeins and the one cup of yogurt, and add it to a gallon of water. Yep. A gallon. Then I add the cremora (not too much) and it tastes really good... I drink it as I walk the track...being this much overwieght (330 lbs) I sweat alot on the indoor track... I have to sit down about every 7-10 laps depeneding on how early in the day I get over there...I wear a wet towel around my neck, (which keeps the body temperature low) and I just do it. A month ago I could not even walk 3 laps. I now am walking 32 laps every day...IN ONE MONTH!!! The good thing about exercise is that it rewards you almost immediately. Much faster than cutting food, altho your body welcomes the chance to "heal" itself when we go to liquids. I see the voereating as an illness that the body is trying to constantly rid itself of. Getting on the pre-op is like giving your body a rest from all the digestion gesticulations it has been going through for years, sometimes 24 hours a day, if we eat before we go to bed. I feel really good this thrid day of my liquids. I recommend to everyone to start walking. My knees are bad, don't give me that. I also have arthitis and am going to be 64 years old...I weight 330 lbs and am 5'8". Anyone who does not believe they can do it can write the big engine that could at sara3t3t at yahoo dot com. I will give you lots of encouragement because I am where you are and it is G-d who is pushing me and helping me. love to all of you...Hope to be banded around Dec 14th...getting my firm date in a few more days.

Yea I have had several times where I was so hungry I got light headed. I woke up at 0430 starving, and ate some yogurt. Just a bit ago I had lentil soup, as I was really hungry. I was told to have regular meals and planned snacks, so far though, I have just been eating when hungry. Not sure if your hunger was real or "head hunger". But bacon always smells awesome. What did you do to combat it? I try to wait 30 mins and if I still feel hungry then it must be the real thing.

Hi Guys, I was banded on 09/22 and was very nervous but all went well. I ended up staying for two nights at the hospital because I could not keep anything down but finally Thursday night I could keep in the water and the broth. I am extremely sore and really can't drink too much because I start feeling very sick. I am on clear liquids and doctor said I could have some jello and yogurt but I tried and just couldn't. I've had one sugar-free popsicle and that helped. I also need to have one protein drink a day and I started today and I'm two hours into it and not even close to finishing it. Well I hope it get's better and I am so glad I took the rest of the week off from work... Good Luck to all that are being banded this week and to all that have been banded..... On a good note: I've lost 9 lbs

I'm eating mostly yogurt and cottage cheese since I barfed on tuna (1/4 cup blenderized with nayo). I figured an extra week on semi-liquids wouldn't hurt. I eat 1/4-1/2 cup cottage cheese. Well, at the begining of the week 1/4 cup was all I could do but now I can do 1/2 if its liquidy. Ive also been doing 6 oz cup of greek yogurt 0%. That goes down very easy. I tried a 1/2 cup of lentil soup with 1oz of goat cheese. It went down fine but just didnt float my boat taste wise (mostly water). Hummus goes down fine but gives me heartburn. I need some help menu wise to start getting in more fiber. I am on mushies/soft foods until my next appointment.

I was like you in that I was hungry and could eat sooner than I was suppose to. I ate things that would mush and still be filling. Eggs are a really good filler with the protein you need. I would stay away from the bread for a while. I know you are getting sick of protein drink, pudding, jello with cool whip, and yogurt, but this stage is also about training your habits. If you can eat mushy foods pretty easy, I also would make homemade soups (chicken, turkey, & Beef) and then blend them. I would pack the soups with meat and veggies. Brown beans mashed are great. Feels like you are eating a meal. Also add salsa to the beans with a touch of cheese and you have a meal. Cottage cheese is always good. I also like to make a spinach dip combo with a can of puree chicken. Great. Keep up the good work. You are getting closer to eating small meals. Especially you can eat some food pretty good. Be careful about picking up old habits. It is easy to get back into those patterns. I have had my surgery a year ago, was sick due to drainage from allergies, had to be completely drained, and I am starting over again. Not a bad thing bc I can eat now. However, I am hungry a lot so I am working hard to control the hunger with the right foods, drinking my water, and working out, and eating frequently. Hope these ideas helped.

Hi Everyone, Maria, glad you're doing so well. Tamra, Where is your new chicken place? Ashley, I've been checking out the VSG site and there's more people over there that had some problems with the band and later had revision to the sleeve. In comparison to the people thrilled with their bands here, it seems like just a few. I think that people that have had problems tend to be a bit more vocal about it. I think we're in good hands with Kaiser. Have fun at your orientation on Sunday! Riley, you've said so many great things about those classes. I'm definitely going to look into them in January. Congrats on all this hard work you're doing in the gym. I've had a tough time staying on food plan today. I did well until dinner. I think I didn't eat enough in the morning and then couldn't quite catch up. I did get in plenty of herbal tea throughout the day. b. 3/4 cup nonfat cottage cheese l. plain ground beef s. 1 apple d. 1 apple, 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt, 2 rice cakes, 1 laughing cow cheese I cooked up lots of beef and turkey burgers for easy protein over the weekend. I'm trying to get myself firmly on track before my trip next week. My son is a very healthy eater and he'll make us big salads at his place, but NY is a great place to eat out. We'll be staying in a hotel in Boston for two nights after Thanksgiving dinner. I know I need to get down into the gym and get on the treadmill. This gallbladder surgery really gave me an excuse but now I'm just plain lame about it. Happy Weekend everyone!!