Jann

I don't have anything to constructive to say on this as I haven't lived it but <comforts and warm hugs>!!!!

Yup, you are crystal clear! I went seven days on clears (I think I had a protein drink when Shrty clued me in on day six?) and the rest 'til the 30th for me is creamies. NO BLENDER FOODS Dr. O is adamant about that.

My biggest concern about this behaviour and not staying with the guidelines is it sets you to a trajectory for future cheating. You have to get your headspace into band thinking not rationalizations that 'It probably won't happen to me'. You made an awesome decision for banding now work it baby!

Hola Jeremy and 'gratz on your big decision. Surgery is a piece of cake <- sorry hadda! hehe

OMG that's so funny! Bad bad Cedar!

WOT she said! hehe -- go girls!

Yay for you! See you on the other side! Take good care!!

hehe -- oh well, guess I can't have it then! Thanks for the explanation.

Good for ya, Julie! I don't have solids 'til the 30th but I'm still good with that. No real cravings other than that damned boiled egg. I'm still good with creamies although I think all the milk in the soup and the yogurts are not playing nice with my system. (Never was a milk drinker) My ab region is pretty bloated but the weight is still falling on a daily basis. Hubby did measurements this morning and I'm down an inch in chest, waist, and hips. (Once the bloating is gone waist might even be a little more!) Today we decided my first meal would be a lobster tail. Just the lobster tail because I'm not sure that I could eat more than that if even that much. Something to look forward to but I'm not obsessing yet.

Hehe -- nope, I'm fine. Just emotionally scarred! ROFLMAO! I'm OC where food is concerned. No harm no foul.

:lb12: Okay, so here I am thinking to myself, 'How in the world do people drink this shit? It's SOOOO gross but clearly it's good for me so suck it up and drink it!' Hubby had gone out and purchased six or seven of them for me. This morning I'm working away and I glance at the bottle on my desk and there is my answer clear as day. He bought stuff that was THREE WEEKS past it's best by date! I think I'm forever scarred! There's like only one left. I'm going back to the protein drinks -- hehe

You only have two more days of liquids, hun -- if you absolutely have to bump to a split creamy/clear to get over the hump but absolutely no solids. A protein shake will probably help if you absolutely have to.

Oh Paula Bear! Look at you go with the calorie counting. That is so major! I make notes when everybody does that. Thanks!

Although we don't have a mushy or blender stage with OCC I'm curious, does the chili qualify as a mushy?

LOVE IT! WTG! =D>

I hear that!! You have a great wekend too!

I looked this up and it does say that it tends to regularize cycles on every single website I went to.

I couldn't have said it any better than that!

Love that acronym! Thanks! I'm gonna post it on the fridge! =D>

Thanks for sharing your experiences. Even though I've been there, done that, I really enjoy these posts the most. I had to keep reminding myself not to compare TJ to our system because of the more laid back cultural approach. I said before and I'll say again, it felt very production line to me with no personal service. I had no telephone conversations or emails with anybody prior to surgery with exception of the economic piece of the process and flight schedules. I never had more than a five minute conversation with anybody at OCC but Dr. So did stop by a few times. He really is just a nice man. I don't feel that I learned anything there and I'm glad I did my own research on what to expect, what to eat and post surgery expectations prior to going or I'd be lost right now no doubt. I would have expected some indepth conversation but it didn't happen. Having said that, as long as my band is healthy, I follow the guidelines and it works, I made the right decision. They've done their job now I have to do mine. I do believe Dr. O and his team are very competent surgeons and that they do probably set the gold standard for banding. Amazon just sent me Dr. O's book (had been ordered for two months). It's well written but I did notice that it completely contradicts what Dr. Miranda told me. I can only assume that OCC has changed some of their information since the initial writing and Dr. O did tell me he was rewriting it.

What is wrong with eating too much protein in a day? It all depends on how much is too much. A very high protein diet can cause the kidneys to work harder and cause the bones and teeth to excrete calcium since protein foods (meats) are usually higher in fats (depending on your choices). This can increase the unhealthy saturated fat and be a risk factor for heart disease, certain cancers, weight gain and high blood pressure. High protein diets are sometimes low in fiber which is associated with intestinal disorders such as constipation, diverticular disease, and cancer. It all comes down to how much is too much and what else you are eating. A healthy diet should be made up of 10-35% protein. For someone eating 2000 calories/day, that is 50-175 grams daily. From Sparks

How do you get rid of excess skin from weight loss or prevent this problem from happening? Extra skin on the belly, arms or legs is a concern for individuals who have a large amount of weight to lose. This extra skin experience seems to happen more in people who lose a large amount of weight in a relatively short period of time. It takes longer for the skin to "shrink" than to lose the weight. In most cases, when you are losing weight slowly and consistently (about 1-2 pounds a week), the skin will naturally "shrink" so to speak, along with the loss of fat. So you’ll need to give it some time. Exercise with weights, which helps to tone your muscles, can also help with the skin. "Special creams" really do not work and can border on being rip-offs. However, you can use a good moisturizer to hydrate the skin. Written by Dean Anderson, Certified Personal Trainer

HOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Poor boys --

Like I said earlier I feel more empowered. That whole fat girl in the room really messes with your self esteem. Although I know I'm good at what I do with my company I always had that "I'm not good enough" thing going through my head and I would devalue myself as a person. When I have to have face to face meetings I cringe at the very thought. No matter what quality your clothes are (from Walmart to Holt Renfrew) you still feel frumpy and awkward and I'm sure that's how people have perceived me over the years. Before as I said, I would have quietly acquiesed and just gone on with something that wasn't viable to keep the girls busy. I guess if you are strong enough to drink liquids for ten days you have a sense of being ten foot tall and bulletproof! hehe I was pretty emotional, angry actually and I just thought, 'Well, on this one you have to go all in and if you lose it you lose it but you've made your point. The work will stand on it's own' and it did! I like this new feeling! hehe

=D> LUCKY GIRL! Enjoy!