We need a place where we can support each other through our "more than most" journey. Just as turtles don't get much out of hearing us talking about fast we're losing, maybe it would give us a nice break from "I'm getting banded because I need to lose 60 lbs".

I think we have our own unique challenges, expectations, baggage, etc. -- and we need our own little niche to support eachother. We all have a very long journey ahead of us, and need to band together.

What kind did you try, and how did you make it? I'm going to guess you mixed it with Water...? I cannot tolerate them unless I mix then with milk, even if it's the Carb Countdown fat free milk. It really makes a big difference. (And I don't like milk... up until I tried mixing a Protein drink in it, out of pure desperation, I'd not had any for nearly 15 years). I don't know if something like that milk is allowed on your pre-op, this kind has something like 90 cal, 0 fat, 3 carb.

Part of it (IMO) is the texture. Something that's watery, but tastes like chocolate or whatever, just isn't right. It's like drinking a non carbonated drink out of a can. Part of it is taste - the milk "creams" out the flavor a bit - sort of blends things together.

For me this made 100% of the difference.

If you can't find one with a flavor you can stand, try "Six Star". It's by fat the best I've found, and I've tried A LOT. Well, let me specify. The EAS whey makes the best chocolate. The Six Star makes the best vanilla, and second best chocolate. IMO.

Thanks for the tip...I'm not a milk drinker, but as I've been choking these things down, I've been thinking...this would be SOOO much easier if it weren't so watery!!! I've tride Six Star vanilla and chocolate, unjury chocolate, vanilla, strawberry sorbet, unflavored (in jell-o - BLECH!!!), and chicken broth flavored blended in with chicken broth and water (most tolerable so far), and I've tried Myoplex pre-mixed chocolate fudge.

I am down an additional 9 pounds since I started...

I'm gonna get some of the carb countdown "milk" today. I'll let youknow how it goes.

I am a texture and smell person when I eat...if it smells bad or feels bad, I have a really hard time eating it...since I've started on this Protein shake portion of my preop, I smell whey in EVERYTHING!!! I fixed the kids some tortilla pizzas yesterday and could smell it in the cheese...I smell it in yogurt...I'm ruined!!! LOL

Well, today is a new day...7 days til surgery!!! Surely I can make it til then!!!

Thanks again for the encouragement!

I have never been able to drink any kind of Protein shake and trust me I have tried them all. I can smell it and it ruins it for me.

I drink the Carnation Instant Breakfast No sugar added made with skim milk. I love the taste and it has 13 grams of protein (with the milk) - not as much as most Protein shakes but I can't choke any of those down anyway.

EAS AdvantEDGE. chocolate Fudge flavored...I got it down and it actually was okay tasting...it's gonna be a good day!!!

17g Protein, 3g carbs, 11 ounces premixed...

WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!:clap2:

EAS AdvantEDGE. chocolate Fudge flavored...I got it down and it actually was okay tasting...it's gonna be a good day!!!

17g Protein, 3g carbs, 11 ounces premixed...

WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!:clap2:

That's great! It was HARD post-op to get down those shakes until I found one that I actually liked. Well, perhaps I should say until I played around with one until I liked it!

I was not a huge coffee drinker pre-op, but I have started adding instant General Foods International coffee powder to [Zero Carb] Isopure Protein Powder. "SF decaf French Vanilla Cafe" works well in the Vanilla powder with milk or Water or both -- makes a latte that is pretty yummy. And the "SF decaf Vanilla Cream" is good when I blend my Vanilla protein powder with 1/2 c. orange juice & water or milk -- makes something close to an Orange Julius.

Aslo, adding SF daVinci syrups to your shakes is an easy way to change up the flavors. I actually buy mine at TJ Maxx & Marshals.

The 2 worst protein things I ever made were:

~ unflavored powder in cheddar cheese Soup - JUST AWFUL!!

~ strawberry protein powder blended with crystal light Pink Lemonade, which I really thought was a brilliant idea because I love flavored lemonades. Oh, sooo bad!!!!!! :clap:

Hello everyone I've been reading this forum for some time now and because of what I have read decided to proceed and get "banded"

I was a candidate for gastric bypass 18 months ago, had jumped thru

all the necessary hoops, geared myself up for it,got a surgery date,and failed the last cardio exam.So I lost the surgery date and my enthusiasm

and gained another 20 lbs.

My PCP recently suggested Lap Band and my HMO has a Lap Band surgeon

so I decided to go for it. I meet Dr Fusco (Melbourne,Fl) on the 12th

and I'm scheduled for surgery 4/30. To say that I'm excited would be

an understatement.

I'll keep you posted.

________________

If I knew I was going to live this long

I'd have taken better care of myself

Mickey Mantle

Add-ins help too. I can do the Six Star & EAS chocolate with just milk, but I'll usually add a blob of low fat peanut butter. That, too, makes all the difference. Or some DaVinci sugar free "Khalua" flavoring. Mmm. Or even some "Butterfinger" flavored cocoa mix, but just 1/3 packet or so - a little goes a long way.

With the vanilla, it's great with about half orange juice, half milk, and a pack of Splenda. I use the "Light" orange juice (half the calories). It's not as sweet as real, but the sweetner makes up for it.

EAS AdvantEDGE. Chocolate Fudge flavored...I got it down and it actually was okay tasting...it's gonna be a good day!!!

17g protein, 3g carbs, 11 ounces premixed...

WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!:clap2:

Hey Christy,

If you like the EAS - you might like the Atkins pre-mix also. (chocolate royale)

I actually prefer the Atkins to the EAS...

Just an alternative in case you can't find EAS or they get more expensive.

Good Luck!

Hello everyone I've been reading this forum for some time now and because of what I have read decided to proceed and get "banded"

I was a candidate for gastric bypass 18 months ago, had jumped thru

all the necessary hoops, geared myself up for it,got a surgery date,and failed the last cardio exam.So I lost the surgery date and my enthusiasm

and gained another 20 lbs.

My PCP recently suggested Lap Band and my HMO has a Lap Band surgeon

so I decided to go for it. I meet Dr Fusco (Melbourne,Fl) on the 12th

and I'm scheduled for surgery 4/30. To say that I'm excited would be

an understatement.

I'll keep you posted.

Hey Alldbill!

Welcome to LBT. I guess it's good that you didn't get clearance for ByPass... cause now you get the option to have a band!

Good luck in the process!

I am almost 4 weeks out and I really don't have much appetite. I also have alot of restriction - I get full really fast on mushies and soft foods. I don't have any fill in my band - is the restriction still just swelling?

I'm going on 14 months out and don't have much of an appetite. Lost it two days pre-op, and never got it back.

It could be swelling, it could also be restriction from the band itself. Not everyone experiences that, but some do. I did.

Nothing sounds abnormal to me...

I am almost 4 weeks out and I really don't have much appetite. I also have alot of restriction - I get full really fast on mushies and soft foods. I don't have any fill in my band - is the restriction still just swelling?

My surgery was 7 weeks ago today...I have not had a fill yet & I'm still nicely restricted (i.e. Three 1" meatballs fills me up for dinner). I couldn't finish an egg or more than 1/4c of tuna salad on the mushie stage before gettign that slight chest pressure feeling, followed by a dry burp. I can eat about 1/3c of less-mushy tuna salad now that I'm on solids, and about 1/3 c of chicken pulled off a thigh. I've got a pattern now of mild hunger at the 3 proper meal-times and I have one snack in the late evening, too. I'm doing really good food-wise, and I feel great aside from some occasional port-pain (which I was told might last about 2 months).

We called off my 1st fill by a week because of it. I'm supposed to go in today for FIll #1, but the dietician I saw on Monday thinks my doc will postpone it again after making sure everythings okay via x-ray.

I think I'm the exception to the rule, however. Bloody well figures!!! The dietician was laughing at me when I said "3 friggin' meatballs -- how much more restricted do ya want me?!?" She thought I was doing wonderfully well, even with my 1/2c. OJ several times a week.

Anyhow...take heart! You are NOT the only one! And that means I'M not the only one either! Haaaahahaha!

I'm off now to my 1st fill...we'll see what happens!

Im 5'10 and Im 377lbs. I have been in denial about how big I am. But 377 holy @#$%, I guess I am fat. I am in the works of losing 30lbs for banding. Im feeling motivated though. I cant believe my mini goal is to be under 320 so I can use my scale accurately. "Accurate up to 320lbs"....Wow not yet. Next mini goal is to be under 300lbs...Wow still large, but not 300lbs large. The next mini goal is to weigh less than my husband...260lbs......wow.....I love this forum by the way.

Hi Linda!

Imagine being 10 pounds less than you weigh - and SIX inches shorter... *sigh* That was me at my lifetime high. When I took my pre-band measurments - I was literally bigger around than I was tall. Talk about mortifying!

Good Luck! We will be here when you need us... and you prolly will.

:]

After I eat I'm full for 4 or 5 hours so I'm having trouble getting in more than 800-900 calories and 65 grams of protein each day. I read on other threads that calorie intake doesn't matter so much as long as you are getting your protein. Do you think that's true?

Since I'm going to start cardio and weight lifting on Monday I figure I'll need more calories coming in but not sure how to do it. I don't want to overstretch my pouch and eat when I'm not hungry...Any suggestions?

My typical day of eating is:

Breakfast: Dannon light n fit smoothie or cottage cheese and a cup of skim plus milk

Snack: natural applesauce cup and a cup of skim plus milk

Lunch: soup at hand creamy chicken soup

Dinner: Lean Cusine entree

Snack: sugar free pudding cup

I supplement my protein with a 42gram protein test tube, and drink at least 64oz of water.

Mini Victory on April 5th! Saw my doc for my post-op appointment and in the two and a half weeks since surgery I've lost 38 pounds. I've been dancing on air every since. Who would think someone could be deliriously happy to weigh 351 pounds!

Thanks!

Virginia

Visit the the before and after pate PIX only. Trust me, when I have doubts or faulter.. this page changes my mind.

Maurdan

It has just really been a discouraging three days thus far...the protein shakes make me gag and heave...it's everything I can do to keep them down...none have come back up yet, but I have to sit quietly for 30 minutes or so everytime I drink one and wait on the nausea to pass.

I am sure everyone else goes through difficulties with one thing or another, but I just keep asking myself if I really want to do this...it's like I'm saying goodbye to a best friend and know that I'll never have the comfort of their presence again...Silly, but real nonetheless! I actually spent an hour or so crying about it today...how dumb is that????

My hubby starts his 7-day preop tomorrow (I had to do the first three days solo), so I will have a partner with me...Maybe that will make it easier.

I realized today that I accidentally cheated...I took a can of vegetable soup and blended it with water and unflavored protein powder and I forgot to add the carbs and protein for the 2 1/2 servings in the can. That means I ended up going over by about 10 grams of protein and 12 grams of carbs. And yes, the soup was equally as hard to get down with the unflavored powder.