Is there anyone out there with a February surgery date? I found out last week that mine is on February 1. Was shooting for December 06, then hoping for January 07, now thankful it's finally set for February! My surgery is scheduled with Dr. Malley in Kansas City.

Hi guys..

Babyg, i already do food journal! i dont mind sharing though. ive been brutally honest with it since my nutritionalist keeps tabs on it too...but so far its been a free riegn.

sofar ive made great decisions with food until now.

heres mine:

http://www.fitday.com/WebFit/PublicJournals.html?Owner=Lizrbit

as far as excercise goes...i went to the gym daily! im.."ill" right now and heavilly ill...if you know what i mean..so im not going back until THAT is undersome kind of control too...but i will asap. Has anyone else started being .."ill"...twice a month since surgery?

Hi everyone.....about 2 weeks ago I was so discouraged. Going through all of this to lose weight and the scale wasn't moving even though I was eating so much less than before surgery. I just couldn't even believe it. I was very depressed about it. I read a post from someone who's lost over 200 pounds and took his advice.

I've dropped weight everyday and feel great....not hungry.

He says: eat only these foods in small amounts up to five times a day, plus your Water and exercise. I admit to very little exercise .

Do this for 10 days and you will surely see a difference.

You may consume 3 oz. of the following foods, 5x a day:

beef

pork

chicken

trudey

lamb

fish

eggs

low fat cheese

cottage cheese

plain yogurt or artificially sweetened

Peanut Butter

bean/legumes

you may also have:

sugar free popsicles

tea or coffee

sugar free Jello

broth

crystal light drinks

If it's not on the list, you can't have it for 10 days!!!

I tried it and lost the 8 pounds I kept bouncing plus a few more!!

Just wanted to share because we are all so much in the same boat.

Love you guys!!!

Michele

Babygrl..........you look great!!!!! I can really tell the difference in your before and after pics!!!! GOOD JOB!!!!

Okay lizrbit I am going to be honest with you...please don't get mad because I really do want to help. Firstly the Isopure shake. Is it neccesary for all of your protien that you have a full one. Your body can only absorb about 25 grams of protien at one time. If you cut that down to half you will get rid of 150 calories. If you do need the whole thing to make your protien requirements it would be better to have half a shake in the morning and another half before you go to bed. Then you will be getting the full benefit of the protien. Is the flaxseed oil for anything in particular? (I am bad about knowing supplement things and whatnot so forgive me if it is for some underlying health issue. If it is not then there is another 240 calories you can eliminate. Your portion sizes are a bit big and a fill wold probably do you good. Don't be discouraged that your band is already halfway filled. I felt a huge difference between 2cc and 2.25cc. Sometimes just a lttle bit goes a long way. And I know at least for myself if I have food in the house I am going to eat it. I don't buy treats anymore, I only buy treats for the kids that I don't like. If DH wants something he can buy it but he must hide it high up in a cupboard and not tell me it is there. I know if I just try one things it will turn into 4 so I fight the urge like mad to not try it. How quickly are you eating? Try and eat for a full half hour, if you have to count while you chew 30 times and count 30 seconds between each bite.

Like I said I am not trying to be a jerk or self rightious or whatever, I really do just want to help. I am here with you, I know how much it sucks going through it but you can do it.

Hi everyone.....about 2 weeks ago I was so discouraged. Going through all of this to lose weight and the scale wasn't moving even though I was eating so much less than before surgery. I just couldn't even believe it. I was very depressed about it. I read a post from someone who's lost over 200 pounds and took his advice.

I've dropped weight everyday and feel great....not hungry.

He says: eat only these foods in small amounts up to five times a day, plus your Water and exercise. I admit to very little exercise .

Do this for 10 days and you will surely see a difference.

You may consume 3 oz. of the following foods, 5x a day:

beef

pork

chicken

trudey

lamb

fish

eggs

low fat cheese

cottage cheese

plain yogurt or artificially sweetened

Peanut Butter

bean/legumes

you may also have:

sugar free popsicles

tea or coffee

sugar free Jello

broth

crystal light drinks

If it's not on the list, you can't have it for 10 days!!!

I tried it and lost the 8 pounds I kept bouncing plus a few more!!

Just wanted to share because we are all so much in the same boat.

Love you guys!!!

Michele

The key thing here is the Protein. Like you I upped my protein. iSince Saturday I have lost 4lbs. It was purely Fluid retention due to protein deficiency. I feel much less bloated now than I did and will never make the same mistake again. Chicken/Salmon and salad for lunch not wheat crackers with a tiny bit of cheese!

BabyGirl!,

Thank you for looking and trying to help! it really does feel like you know where im coming from on this, and i totally feel that you are trying to help! i cant tell you how much i appreciate it. I cant say thank you enough for writing and trying.

I have an artificial ankle, i take flax seed oil to keep it moving well, and surprisingly it works. (it also does amazing things for hair and nails too)

While its very high in caloric content, its worth every bit of it.

I never thought about dividing the shakes in half. days where i do the shakes are better all the way around calorie and carb wise than when i start out with a solid food Breakfast. I dont know why other than the head thing...If i tell myself "liquids only" i can stick to that...but if i dont it seems to be a free for all. (all or nothing) I will try cutting the shakes in half though, it sounds like a good idea...a GREAT idea really.

the portions..i KNOW...thats what gets me. The Snacks are brought into my house by my sweet but enabling husband...and we are already in discussion about this. the portions are what im most concerned about though. I can eat a LOT of food at one time, BUT ...i do hear you.. My surgeon said the same thing, that Im "close" but not at the "sweet spot" yet. He does say that it exists. Im hopeful, and im back on liquids today to try to get my stomach back in control...and i will try cutting the lunch shake in half and see if that makes a difference.

Prepackaged foods help too. I used to never buy them because i thought it was a waste of money instead of making it yourself...but its weighed out and measured and in the right portions. When i go back on solids, ill start out here first. I dig south beach diet meals, and lunchables.

Thanks for writing to this babygirl. It feels like a friend who knows exactly what this is like, came and talked to me about it. I appreciate it very much.

Anything I can do to help. We're all in this together right?

Meijer (supermarket, I don't know if there is one near you) is having a sale right now on those 100 calorie snack packs. I jsut bought up a bunch of those and they are really good for a sweet tooth. One thing I notice though is that if I have a little bit of something sweet I want to have more and more until i eat the whole box of something. I will take one of those 100 calorie packs in my car and drive around and eat it and stay away from my house until the craving passes. Drastic but helpful. Thanks for the info on the flaxseed oil. Is there any way you can take it in a capsule or gelcap form that would have fewer calories? I found these on GNC... I don't know if it is the same or if this and what you take have different potentcies or whatever. http://www.gnc.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2648699&cp=2109068&sr=1&origkw=flaxseed&parentPage=family

I don't know if they would be too big to swallow or anything just trying to put some info out there.

Liz: I'm ready to clarify this band size thing. Mine is called a MID-Band (not to be confused with mid-sized band). The MID stands for "Medical Innovation Developpement (it's from France and that's how they spell "Development"...go figure!). It holds 10 cc of saline. At my 1st fill I got 5 cc and at the 2nd and 3rd fills I got another 1.5 cc each time, for a grand total of 8 cc. Does that info help at all?

I agree with everyone who said that upping the protein is REALLY important as you get more restriction. I often split my protein shakes .. 1/2 at breakfast and 1/2 at lunch.

Hey, everybody! I ordered the New whey liquid Protein vials...they have 42 g protein per vial, and at 3 oz each, I can drink 1/2 of it in the morning, and 1/2 of it in the afternoon, and then I don't have to worry about not getting in all the protein I need... I've been really paranoid about that lately... And FYI, your body will only absorb about 25 grams of protein at one time, so you should try and spread out your protein, so your body can actually use it.... Just thought it was good information to have. And if you're interested, here's the link for the New Whey liquid protein: http://www.affordablesupplements.com/newwhey_42.asp

Have a great day, everyone!

I had to go to a funeral today, but i plan on calling my doctors office tomorrow because i really feel like i need a fill.

I am just not feeling as full as i used to. I'm still exercising and drinking lots of Water, but I don't know!

I am in a size 18/20. So that's a good thing.. Down 2 sizes.

Anybody else experiencing a mood change? The WLS handbook that my clinic gives out does mention watching out for signs of depression post-op, so I’m asking my fellow February Bandsters!

I'm not sure if that's what this is or not, I just am in such a funk! But I'm suddenly so ... so ... disinterested in everything! Even in LBT -- and I assure you that is a CHANGE! This forum is my lifeline! It’s been getting progressively worse over the last 3 or so weeks, this lack of motivation. :tired

I’ve got PCOS, and had not had a period since Jan – until April, so I was chalking my funky mood up to A) wicked PMS, and my “3-months on a diet” burnout syndrome. And maybe it is just that – I’ve been banded for 12 weeks. But neither PMS nor Diet Burnout have felt quite like this before... This is different -- a complete lack of motivation to do anything, including surf about WLS (my "obsession" of late). I mean, I saw one of those Cymbalta commercials tonight, and I actually related! Sure, I've had the blues before, but I’m not usually what you’d call a “depressed” personality. It’s just so strange how BLAH I feel lately! I’m snippy at my 4-year old, grouchy with my husband, bored in general ... and I can’t seem to shake it off. :bored

Maybe I just need a vacation :heh:, but I’ve started to look at everything in terms of my Band. I guess it’s only natural that I would start to wonder if this funk is related to the surgery itself, or hormonal changes caused by weight loss, or a nutrition deficiency, or something like that.

I thought I’d pose the question to the rest of you ...

Suzanne

Suzanne,

Hi. I have noticed mood SWINGS and my cycles have increased to two a month.

I was going to say though, that sometimes when we go through a high energy or something that takes 100 percent, like WLS or for me as well, an art exhibition for an artist...there is at first a HIGH...then a leveling out...then a low...I go through this every time i show. I went through it a bit on this too, the lapband surgery process. When i got home i definitely fell into a funky low. Maybe its that?

I dont know.

Suzanne,

Hi. I have noticed mood SWINGS and my cycles have increased to two a month.

Ha! Maybe I should appoligize...looks like my missing cycles made their way to Maine & your doorstep! :heh: I've gotta say PCOS sucks, but the one bright side is that Aunt Flo doesn't visit ME nearly as often as she's scheduled! :scales:

(Not to go there, but I've got to ask...have you been to your GYN about repeated visits? A whole host of things can cause mid-cycle bleeding...)

Hey everyone,

I was banded on 2/23/07. I was a little discouraged because I had only lost 13 pounds before my 1st fill, and then 18 before my 2nd fill. I could pretty much eat anything like before until last week when I got my 2nd fill. Wow, what a difference. This thing really works now. I have lost 6 pounds since last Tuesday and am so encouraged now and hopeful. I just wanted to tell everyone to hang in there, I had NO restriction, and now I don't think I could take one more drop of Fluid or I'd be too tight. I simply can't eat much, and so I have to make good choices etc. so I feel good and have energy.

Good luck to everyone, and thanks for all the encouragement along the way.

Gretchen