My surgery was 4/24 and so far I'm feeling great. I lost about 22 pounds in the first week and have stayed within a pound of that but haven't lost any more.

I start mushies today... I tend to over analyze so I need some opinions. What are mushies to you? To me pretty much anything could be misjudged of you chew it enough, though I'm sure that's not what my surgeon had in mind lol.

Also, I used to be a big pop drinker, obviously I've given that up. Does anyone have any suggestions for tasty low-calorie non-carbonated beverages? I drink a lot of Water but it would be nice to have some variety. I tried some 'diet' fruit juice and it was terrible! Any help would be appreciated!

My insurance is Medicare and medcal , and they approved the operation , just this doctor that I only talked to twice refused me but the nurses I'm sure that I'd seen for the whole year talked to him . So he had to know something's about me , it's in the medical records right? Idk ? Just wish I would of went else where . The hospital was great there they was wonderful and very nice tho,

I'm now down to 271 that from 300 lbs on 4-24-12 when I got my band . Today's date is June 6th -12. I call another doctor and he wants metro come in and see him , yahoo I may be getting my bypass after all even tho I've been losing very very slowly with the band , I much rather lose faster with the bypass , the band make the food get pluged , come back up, acid reflux, port sticks out , and I've read so many megatives things about the band , I'm allergenic to plastic , idk if the band is plastic or not but I'm worried myu body soon will start rejecting it. Just the hosp tape makes me break out really bad and burns , so yeh worried about that, all the class I took and test and studying I did was for gastric bypass then 1 and half weeks before my operation the nurse tells me that I can only have the band , because I'm bipolar and have depression problems which I take Meds for and see a doc once a mth for . Whom wrote two letter saying that it would benefit me more to have the bypass then not, I had my heart set on the bypass. Lapbabd us so slow and I'm starving the doc don't believe in fills so that's one reason I'll call a diff doctor , if he says I can ge a revive or band removed and a bypass then at least he would be able to give me fills , I didn't go thur all this to not get fills just don't make sense .

Hookieluv...congratulations on your weight loss. 29 pounds in just a little over a month is awesome and not slow. That's an average of 4+ pounds a week. That's great! I don't blame you about the doc that won't give fills. That's just crazy...why have the band at all if they're not going to fill it? Hope you get some answers.

I am getting ready to go on mushies in the next couple of days and was told by my doctor that mushies consist of cooked vegetables, applesauce, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, tuna, ripe fruit that nudges easy, eggs, soups that aren't chunky. One thing I would definantly not do is to start pureeing food. My doctor told me not to even start it because you then think you can eat anything and that is not what this surgery is for, it is to teach you what is good for you and to work on portion size.

I haven't been asked for a food record, not yet anyways. I started mushies & I mushed cooked carrots, mashed potatoes & cooked a turkey burger. Believe me it was good!!!!!!!!!!! I made 3 meals ahead of time & froze them so all I need to do is put them in the oven or micro wave them. I saw a recipe on Facebook lastnight on how to make your own vitamin water. I bought a clear plastic carafe today, filled it with spring water, cut up fresh rasberries & sliced fresh limes. Put it all in the water in frig & let it sit for 4 hrs. Its refreshing & so good. There are no preservatives in it, no fake sugar (which I hate). Its a great thirst quencher! You can also do it with fresh pinapple & coconut, add som mint leaves, use your imagination!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My surgery was 4/24 and so far I'm feeling great. I lost about 22 pounds in the first week and have stayed within a pound of that but haven't lost any more.

I start mushies today... I tend to over analyze so I need some opinions. What are mushies to you? To me pretty much anything could be misjudged of you chew it enough, though I'm sure that's not what my surgeon had in mind lol.

Also, I used to be a big pop drinker, obviously I've given that up. Does anyone have any suggestions for tasty low-calorie non-carbonated beverages? I drink a lot of Water but it would be nice to have some variety. I tried some 'diet' fruit juice and it was terrible! Any help would be appreciated!

Another thread which has multiple opinions about how to approach mushies...I pureed everything I ate during that stage, with the exception of scrambled eggs and cottage cheese. To me, pureed cantaloupe was divine...followed by pureed strawberries. (Not in the same meal, just in order of preference!)

I have to disagree with the statement that pureeing foods may lead you to believe that you can eat anything, and that you will not change the foods you eat. I was advised to focus on the nutritional value of everything I ate. Cottage cheese and apple sauce are slider foods, and not necessarily the best nutritional choices we can make. My surgeon does not count any cheese towards daily Calcium needs.

I was advised that the less processed the food was, the better the nutritional value. I still try to keep all meals as simple as I can. I try to stay with fresh fruit and veggies, roasted chicken, turkey and baked fish. In the early stages, post mushies, it's important to keep your Proteins as moist as possible...so eat the dark meat chicken to begin with. During the mushie stage, I pureed roasted dark meat chicken with a little low sodium broth included to add moisture. I steamed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots in the microwave, and then mashed them, and did the same with yams. A simple rule to follow is to only shop in the perimeter of the grocery store, where you will find the meats, produce and dairy products.

Basically, I was advised to avoid anything which came from a can (only exception was tuna). This is a great time to become a "label reader", if you have not already been doing it. Get to know which proteins and complex carbs give you the most good nutrition for a small portion size. That usually means the most Protein with the lowest carbs, or sometimes just to know what foods have "hidden carbs" in them.

I try to avoid anything which has added sugar in it, but there are some carbs which occur naturally and they are alright to have in moderation. Re-fried Beans tend to lack on the nutrition side, and if they came from a can, then they probably have fat added to them. Ick!

Continue to ask questions, and then find which foods and approaches work best for you...you're off to a great beginning!