Hi November bandsters!

Let's keep this going to support our efforts though out the wonderful we are soon to begin. Let's start with the date we are being banded and where?

Our weight and goal weight...

My date will be November 7

Dr. Aceves

I weighed myself this morning and I have gained!!! :faint:

Starting weight 225 (highest ever!!! )

Goal 150

10/26 Jdru (Jessica) 215/215/125 Dr. Hansen (Honorary Nov Bandster)

11/1 melany72 Dr. Hargroder

11/2 DeniseC (Denise) 226/219/130 Dr. Carbonell

11/2 prbrooksie 252/252/150 Dr. Malley

11/2 Kym828 (Kim) 278/278/175 Dr. Ortiz

11/2 pebbles4388 249/249/150

11/3 Jess333 (Jessica ("Lil" Red)) Dr. Ortiz

11/7 AngelaT (Angela) 225/225/150 Dr. Aceves

11/7 Jackye 225/225/150-45 Dr. Rumbaut

11/8 L8BloomR (Karen) goal: -105 Dr. Francis

11/8 dpingl goal: -92 Dr. Hoehn

11/8 niecyrenee goal: -232, down 8 Dr. Pitt

11/9 Keekahari (Kee) 280/245/175 Dr. Moazzez

11/10 FullofGRACE Dr. Curry

11/10 alix_1 (Alix) 222/222/140 Dr. Garza

11/13 swilborn (Sherrie) Size 22/???/140 Dr. Rodriquez

11/14 ahaizlip (Amy) goal: -129 Dr. Liu

11/17 Asmallerchick (Kelly) goal: -200 Dr. Aceves

11/20 Diana_G 234/234/145 Dr. Huacuz

11/20 Veggestyle 275/?/150 Dr. M

11/20 Laurba

11/21 Jess02 (Jess) Dr. Rumbaut

11/24 aussie_bandit 153kg/153kg/75kg

11/30 Inner_me (Chris) 350/350/200 Dr. Cahill

Goodness gracious... 20 pounds lost??? You have done so well---be proud! :clap2: Remember what we have all heard from this board. Until we have a fill, we are able to eat pretty much whatever so we have to be careful. Some of us eat from emotion and therefore we will have to spend alot of time dealing with those issues. It is not going to happen overnight! Brooksie, please don't beat yourself up over this; you will only add to the problem. Just start fresh as of right now, and try not to have the foods that trigger your eating anywhere nearby. You have done so well, and you will continue to. BELIEVE!!!

Karen

Those of you who are allowed mushy food after just a few days post-op, what can you eat, and does it go down ok? I am trying to sstay with a combo of clear and full iquids including some blended Soups. It makes me nervous to even eat yougurt or pudding even though I have, but I do Water it down a bit.

Also, how much have you lost on the first week after surgery? Does your tummy still feel and look swollen?

---

I was given pureed peaches in the hospital for lunch the day after surgery. They gave me mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner that night. (I'm waiting on a call from the Patient Care Representative as I felt I should have been given a diet similar to what they expect me to be on at home.)

I've had pudding (made vanilla pudding with Protein powder and Peanut Butter added for extra protein), baby food meats and vegetables (go down OK, just taste awful), mashed potatoes, yogurt, etc. with no discomfort.

Tom, wow---they sure fed you differently at your hospital than most of us

got fed!! I suppose if you were able to eat like that there, then what you are eating right now will not be too much of a problem. I don't know about everyone else, but my "liquid diet" list includes yogurt, pudding, and Protein drinks, and was to last for 1 week. Now on week 2 I can have mashed potatoes, babyfood, cottage cheese, etc. You are alittle ahead of most of us! I, too, do not have problems swallowing anything I have had so far. I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad one!! We will have to be very careful until we get a fill so that we can continue to lose weight. Good luck---It sounds like you are doing good so far!

Oh, and I have lost 10 pounds in my first week!:dance:

Karen

Tom, wow---they sure fed you differently at your hospital than most of us

got fed!!

I *DON'T* think I was fed appropriately in the hospital. The order of mashed potatoes was a full size side order and something tells me the gravy was not low-fat. I didn't eat much of it. The surgical staff was wonderful. The floor staff left a lot to be desired.

I did hear today only one more week on the pureed foods and I get to go to Step 3 and start on REAL foods. (They're mailing me the next step since usually the doctor and nutritionist see you two weeks after surgery but I have to wait 3 since the doctor won't be in.) I've cheated a bit the last couple of days and had a couple wheat saltines and a few low-fat pretzel twists as I needed something to crunch.

Tom

I start my 2-week pre-op diet tomorrow. It's yogurt and Protein shakes, 3x a day, a high-protein snack (peanut butter, etc) and dinner is 4 oz of protein, veggies, and a whole-grain starch. I really hate yogurt but I actually like the yogurt smoothies, and they'll be easy to have on hand at work.

My problem is I don't cook - hate to do anything in the kitchen that I have to clean up after. So this will take some adjusting. Also planning meals - how do I know what I'll feel like eating in 12 hours? food is very emotional for me - what am I in the "mood" for? I could eat until I'm stuffed but if it doesn't hit the spot, I'll keep going until the craving is filled. I hope the band works for me.

I was kind of bummed about being on a diet for Thanksgiving, but the nurse at the center told me it wouldn't matter if I cheated the one day. She said they can't tell by looking at the liver - they just know people cheat if they gain weight before the surgery. Not that I'm encouraging anyone to cheat - I'm doing the diet to make the surgery easier, and to have less gas and bloating. But IF I slip, I won't beat myself up, and I hope nobody else does either. "Breathe in, breathe out, move on" (Jimmy Buffet

Thanks to everyone posting - and good luck! I'm so excited!

My problem is I don't cook - hate to do anything in the kitchen that I have to clean up after. So this will take some adjusting. Also planning meals - how do I know what I'll feel like eating in 12 hours? food is very emotional for me - what am I in the "mood" for? I could eat until I'm stuffed but if it doesn't hit the spot, I'll keep going until the craving is filled. I hope the band works for me.

Dani, what kinds of healthy foods do you usually like to eat? If I were you I would keep a large and varied supply of them so that you will have alot to chose from depending on your mood. I would be very careful to not have anything around that is off-diet. Especially at first when you are trying to find your way around your eating issues. Make sure to eat frequently at first and try really hard to keep your Protein levels high. Good luck---keep posting and asking questions and you will do this!

Karen

Is 60 grams of protein really too much? I know you can get too much protein. I've been living off of my liquids now for a week. I'm doing good on pureed soups. I'll be on liquids for another week. I'm actually a little scared to start solids. And now I'm especially scared to get my first fill with all the horror stories I've read the past few days.

My problem is I don't cook - hate to do anything in the kitchen that I have to clean up after.

I have the opposite problem. I *LOVE* to cook but have trouble getting excited about cooking something to throw in the blender. I'm REALLY looking forward to "normal" foods so I can cook again. My bigger problem is I live by myself and cooking in small quantities is an issue. I often long tire of a dish before I've made it through leftovers. I will agree that the clean-up after is not fun. My ex-wife said that I use every utensil and every pot to make dinner. Since I have to do my own clean-up now, I'm a bit more careful but I do tend to make a mess when cooking.

Tom

Goodness gracious... 20 pounds lost??? You have done so well---be proud! :clap2: Remember what we have all heard from this board. Until we have a fill, we are able to eat pretty much whatever so we have to be careful. Some of us eat from emotion and therefore we will have to spend alot of time dealing with those issues. It is not going to happen overnight! Brooksie, please don't beat yourself up over this; you will only add to the problem. Just start fresh as of right now, and try not to have the foods that trigger your eating anywhere nearby. You have done so well, and you will continue to. BELIEVE!!!

Karen

Thank you...I am trying. I went home last night and got it together. It was an emotional day for me and I can't say that I will ever find another solution for those kind of days, but I am trying.

Hi everybody! I was banded on Monday. I have Lupus, and my doctor was nice enough to arrange for a bandster who has Lupus to come talk with me and husband in pre-op. Nice touch! Here's what I experienced immediately after.... I was groggy and nauseous after the surgery and anaesthetic. I had slip on shoes with me, and a pillow. At home, I slept most of the afternoon, and then felt clear headed. I was NOT inteerested in eating, but had a no sugar added popsicle and some Imagine boxed broccoli soup. I couldn't lie down, so I slept in a recliner. I didn't need the gas-x (didn't work), the stool softener, the toilet tongs mentioned eslewhere, or the dressing changes. I've had bad trapped gas and pain, and I do deep breathing exercises and lots of walking-both of those seem to help. I can't bend in certain ways comfortably due to the incision, but otherwise, I'm peachy keen. Not accomplishing much in life at the moment but am really just taking the time to learn....crushed pills go down best with applesauce....getting enough protein is a challenge but I want to not lose my hair later so I'm sipping on protein drink. My best friends so far are my tiny plates and shot glasses, and my tiny cappuccino spoons. I'm just beginning my new relationship with food and am thinking of it more as medicine...making sure I get the right doses and the right balance, even on mushies. I appreciate this site so much, I felt well prepared.

BetsyJane--Glad to hear that you are back and doing well! Thank you for sharing your experience, mine is coming up really really really soon....

Amy--We are almost the same weight! Well, now i actually am 265 instead of 276, yeah for the liquid diet, even though it has been hell. I am having my surgery done in DeKalb, IL!

I hope everyone is doing well!

Well today is the last day on preop and I get banded tomorrow. I still am a bit confused about the diet the next couple of weeks. I am such a picky eater that I am worried. I cannot handle the taste or smell of the protein shakes so I am worried I will have enough strength. I would be grateful if anyone can share what their first couple days looked like in food intake.

My doctor didn't require pre-op testing of any kind, or a pre-op diet. He put me on liquids for 24-48 hours and then on to mushies. I feel like I've really had it easy! I hope I'm not missing something that it would have been good for me to do. I specifically asked him about a pre-op diet, and he said it's too hard to stick with one, and he can't figure how people who are major eaters can accomplish it.

I am starting to not feel that great, I think I may be coming down with a sinus infection and I am totally worried that I may need to have my surgery rescheduled. It is not uncommon for me to have sinus headaches when the weather fluctuates as it does so often in Chicago. However, the pressure and congestion is starting to feel worse. I have been holding everything together so well until this afternoon where I just started bawling at work none the less, luckily another woman at my work who has recently been banded was there to help me! Cross your fingers that I dont have to reschedule this surgery!

Vegge-can you spray some Nasalcrom or get a shot or a pill to knock out the sinus infection???? Might be worth a try.

I went today for my pre admission testing at the hospital... I have never been happy about a surgury before. I just can't wait to get on with things.

My dr never even asked me to do a pre surgical weight loss, I have been doing a pre surgical weight gain. I called today to see if I missed him saying that, and they said no.. see you on Wednesday!

I am glad everyone is going well.

Keep it up!

Misty