Bragman

See, now I've had the opposite experience. I, too, have a Braun stick blender, and I find it doesn't do nearly as complete a job as my Oster blender that I bought at CostCo a couple weeks ago. I used a stick blender for my bean soup, and it was not what I'd call completely smooth, but used the Oster for the pea & ham soup, and it could not BE any smoother. Guess it really just depends on which blender you're using... I'd recommend checking out Consumer Reports or Prevention.com to see which blenders are rated highest! That's what I did, and I love my new blender!

Three things to try (all available at Whole Foods Markets): The best chicken broth: Imagine Organic Free Range Chicken Broth (FAR better than any bouillon) The best beef broth: Pacific Organic Beef Broth And why not add a little miso soup to your retinue as well? Whole Foods sells miso soup in packets, and low sodium versions too.

Hey folks, Just wanted to share something I've discovered in my local bookstore (a Borders): http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Well-After-We...6958&sr=8-1 It's a cookbook called "Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery," by Patt Levine and Michele Bontempo-Saray. The author was a foodie (like me) who got really fat (like me) and had the lap band in 2003, to great results. But like me, she didn't want to go through life eating substandard food (let's face it, I like to eat, I like to cook, and I like to use high-quality ingredients!), so she developed her own cookbook specifically for people who've had lap-band implants! Last night, I made a lasagna using zucchini slices instead of pasta, Italian chicken sausage, spinach, mushrooms, and cheese... and it was fantastic. My partner and our guests really loved it, and I put my portion in the food processor (I'm still on Phase 2 diet) and it was flavorful and wonderful even there! All of the recipes have been designed to be appealing and tasty even when pureed! Highly recommended!

My experience was a little different (I had mine done here in the States, at a local hospital's weight loss center program). I started on what they call "full liquids" 10 days prior to the surgery. This means things like soups, oatmeal, polenta, cream of wheat, puddings, etc. The goal is to lose some weight, but also to shrink your stomach and your liver too--some obese people have EXTREMELY fatty livers, and it makes it more difficult for the doctor to get in there & rummage around in between yer organs if your liver is too big. Twenty-four hours before surgery, I was on clear liquids, things like broth, tea, water, sugar-free Jello. Boring, yes, but necessary to make sure you're emptied out. Once you've had the surgery, you're on that same kind of clear liquids diet for about 3-5 days after, so that the band isn't stressed and can heal properly. To me, this was the hardest stage, as I seriously felt bloated & could hear it all sloshing around in my tummy! Don't worry about hunger though, 'cuz by this time, you're just generally not hungry at all while you're healing. After the 3-5 day clear liquids (depending on what your physician or dietitian tells you), you go back to full liquids for about two weeks. It's not so bad, 'cuz there's plenty of variety of stuff out there, and you'll be amazed at how little it takes to actually fill you up anyway! Your focus and attention will start to wander to other things besides food; food just won't be the most important thing in your life anymore. About 3 weeks out, I started a "purees" phase, according to my doctor's rules. Prepares me for more solid foods, gives some bulk back to the diet, but is still smooth & chopped up enough to pass through easily. This is the phase I'm in now, and I just found a great cookbook that is making pureed food eminently tolerable! Last night, I made a zucchini and chicken italian sausage white lasagna using the sliced zucchini instead of pasta; the flavor was outstanding, even after I put it in the food processor! And about 4 weeks after my surgery, I go back to "normal" foods, albeit with vastly different eating habits. And it's working so far quite well, this morning's weigh-in was 31 lbs. lighter than when I started that pre-op diet on June 30! Not too shabby!

A word about the protein bomb! I brought one to the local weight loss center's monthly group meeting (I got my procedure done here in Detroit as part of a larger group that also does gastric bypass), and the staff dietitians has a warning about these things! A few things concern them, they'd just read a newly published paper on the use of these things for patients with weight loss surgery: 1. Some of them have 25g of protein, others have 42g of protein. Might as well go for the 25g ones, as the research shows you typically don't digest more than that over the span of a couple hours anyway. Half of the 42g vial will basically pass out of you before you get a chance to digest it. 2. The protein used in these vials is collagen-based, and is NOT whey protein. The paper they quoted to me said that it does not provide the same kind of replacement protein as whey-based drinks (either milk-whey or soy-whey). So not only can you not really digest all of it, it's not performing as well as other kinds of protein drinks would. In a nutshell, my dietitian said that these things are useful as supplements to your diet, but should not replace all of your protein intake, as they may not work as well as whey-based drinks according to the research. I take one 25g one a day, just because it's quick & easy to do so, and does help guarantee I get more than enough protein. But don't drink three vials a day and think "Okay, now I have my 60g+ of protein a day, I'm out of the woods!" Just passing along what I was told. Good luck!

Should be okay for the liquids stage, but you really should be choosing the sugar-free ones once you're into the "full liquids" phase. You don't want to get full on fudgesicles, as the sugar is just empty calories. It's like trying to lose weight by eating lots of ice cream... which you'll do, but if you're ONLY eating ice cream, that's not what you're lookin for, heh!

I haven't tried that one yet, but I'm rather partial to their cream of chicken. The Campbell's Select Parmesan Tomato is really quite good too.

What's an NSV U-turn?

Just had my first post-op visit to my surgeon here in Detroit, one week after banding. I'm absolutely AMAZED at how quickly my recovery has gone, it hasn't been NEARLY as bad as I'd feared. The incisions no longer itch, the port site is only a little bit tender, I'm moving, sleeping, and generally acting just as I have before... but with more energy than I've had for the last nine months! And the official weight loss tally: 25 lbs. since I began the pre-op diet on June 30! Woohoo!!! This, I gotta say, has really been a fantastic decision!

Are these the condensed soups from Campbells? That sounds really high fat... I may be making my own cream of potato soup sometime this week (from scratch, it's infinitely better!), but I might just try this as a good stop-gap measure! :-)

Heh, no problem hon. I've actually found an interesting way to simulate meat n' potatoes... I used some high quality beef broth to make these instant mashed potatoes, added in a little shredded cheddar cheese & a dusting of garlic & onion powders, and lo n' behold, it tastes like shepherd's pie! It'll tide me over 'til I can have the real thing. Besides, my actual craving for these past three weeks hasn't been steak... it's been fried chicken. Bigtime.

Frankly, if you're three weeks post-op, and it's still painful to the point where it actually stops you in your tracks, I'd go get it checked out. I'm one week post-op, and the swelling & pain has pretty much gone down daily, it's finally not tender when I touch the area there (not too bad, anyway, still feels... weird... tho)... But not painful. Three weeks post-op shouldn't be seeing significant pain, in my opinion. Never hurts to get it checked out by the professionals.

I second what Bobbi says about walking. The more you walk, the more you move around & not just sit there, the better off you're going to be! It seriously gets easier as you do it, it's quite amazing. A good yardstick I measured my progress by was the woman in the hospital room next to mine when I had my procedure done... we had it done just about an hour apart last Monday morning, but I spent a LOT of my Monday afternoon and all Tuesday morning walking around, moving around, doing laps around the hospital ward where we were. She... well, laid in bed, and whined a lot. As a result, I was home 24 hours after my surgery, while she was still just getting up out of bed. Yah, this process does require a little brevity, but the more you master it & make it work for you, the faster the recovery will go, no joke!

I'm now beginning week 4 of the full liquids phase. Two weeks pre-op, one week post-op completed. I. Want. Steak. *growl*

Hey hey, It's been one week exactly for me since I was banded (heh, sounds like I've been tagged by a group of field researchers, like some kind of penguin!), and I understand your fears about pain afterwards. I had mine done here in Detroit at a small local hospital that has a good weight loss center, and was thoroughly impressed with the staff. I wouldn't say that I really felt much pain exactly, but I'd better categorize it as "discomfort". You'll move or stretch a certain way, and it will be tender, kind of like you've pulled a muscle. But this is really just the incisions twinging from the sutures; everything INSIDE you is pretty much invisible. One week to the day after my surgery, and I'm moving almost like it never happened! A little tenderness in spots, but certainly nothing intolerable. When I came out of surgery after the banding last Monday, they had me on a dilaudid pain pump, one of those things where you push a button if it hurts every few minutes, and it zaps you with some serious narcotics. Well, they had to pull me off 'em, 'cuz it was making me sicker than any pain would have! Long story short, I was home the next day with some liquid vicodin, but stopped taking it the next morning. Went to liquid Tylenol, and even stopped that after a day. One thing you'll notice is that the discomfort lessens every day; you'll wake up in the morning and go: "Hey... this is noticeably better than when I went to bed yesterday!" It's that surprising! So don't fear the pain of the procedure; it's really not that bad at all. And having gone 3 weeks now sticking to the "full liquids" diet and having lost nearly 30 lbs. (results not typical!), I can definitely say it's been worth it!

Oooh, this sounds very interesting! If you added some pizza herbs like oregano and basil, might be a very interesting substitute for pizza that so many of us love but can't really have anymore! I'll definitely try it, once I'm back on real food.

By all means, do! For the black bean soup, I'd recommend using a "boat motor" immersion stick blender for a few swipes around the pot, to blend some but not all of the beans. It will help with texture. But for the pea soup, I'd recommend a couple changes if you want to have it non-blended: 1. Don't process the ham steak into a paste. Just chunk it into 1/2-inch dice instead. 2. Switch from russet potatoes to white potatoes or new potatoes. Those are "waxy" varieties that will hold up a lot better to soups, holding their cubed shape instead of dissolving. The russets break down when boiled, which is why they're good for creamy soups & mashed potatoes!

Hey folks, Well, after sampling soup after soup out there from various retail outlets, both fresh and canned/boxed, I've come to the conclusion that nobody does it better than I do. Before my band & the diet that's come with it, I was known among friends & family as being a fantastic cook and a serious foodie (that's a big reason I got to 333 lbs!). Well, I've been trying to focus energies elsewhere so that focusing on food is no longer a primary pastime, and having good success at it. But I drew upon my mad skillz this weekend as I've still got another week or so on "full liquids" until I hit "purees", and that means creamy (but not necessarily cream) soups! So I developed two soups that I made this weekend that fit the guidelines of the full liquids phase diet. Yes, they use a blender (which we've all been warned about), but they can be theoretically drunk through a straw (even tho that's a no-no, as we all know). They're about the consistency of a good milkshake, and definitely NOT a baby food-type puree. They shouldn't stretch your pouch if consumed, and there are absolutely no pieces of anything in these soups after blending. But they both contain good quantities of meat, so that may help with protein intake too. Hope you like 'em! Split Pea & Ham Soup Unlike other creamy pea soups, this recipe uses a meaty stock and an actual ham steak in the soup to boost the meat (and therefore, protein) content. Chicken stock can be used instead of ham base, or even just water, but the flavor will less smoky, less hammy! Better than Bouillon tends to be rather salty however, and combined with the ham in the soup, the result is a fairly salty soup. Alternatives that have less sodium may be more to your taste. ingredients: 3 quarts water 4 ½ tbsp. “Better than Bouillon Ham Base” 1 lb. precooked ham steak 2 tbsp olive oil 1 medium white onion, peeled & diced 2 carrots, peeled & diced 3 garlic cloves, peeled & minced fine 1 lb. dried split green peas, rinsed & picked through for stones 2 bay leaves 2 small russet potatoes, peeled, cubed small, and soaking covered in cold water salt & pepper equipment: two big Dutch ovens or stock pots food processor and blender NOTE: do not use a “boat-motor” style immersion blender for this recipe; it does not blend smooth enough to remove the finest pieces or lumps. 1. Add 4 ½ tbsp of the ham base to 3 quarts boiling water in one of the pots. Stir to dissolve completely, and turn off heat. 2. Trim the ham steak of any excess fat or rind, and chop into ½-inch dice. Place in food processor with a few tablespoons of water, and process until it looks like a paste, at least 30-60 seconds continuously. Scrape down the sides if need be, but make sure there are no pieces left, just hammy paste. 3. Heat the olive oil in a large (4-5 quart) Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add onion, carrot, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt to sweat and soften for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the ham stock from the other pot, the rinsed split peas, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered at about medium to medium-low for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. 4. Drain potatoes and add to the pot, also add the ham paste from the food processor. Continue to simmer another 20 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure soup does not stick to the bottom. Cook until the potatoes are tender. 5. Remove the pot from the heat, and remove bay leaves. Transfer soup to the blender using a ladle until the blender is no more than half-full. Put the top on, but allow for some venting (hot soup + blender = explosion, if not vented). Starting on low, puree for about 10 seconds, then move up to medium speed for 10 seconds, then high for 30. Once completely smooth, pour into the empty stock pot, and continue with the rest of the soup in batches. Black Bean and Chorizo Bisque This is not a typical black bean soup, as it is not chunky in the least. It's completely smooth, which makes it more of a bisque. It uses chorizo, a Mexican sausage, but it's the uncooked, loose ground variety, not the hard salami-type sausage. As for chicken stock, the best kind out there is Imagine Free Range Organic, available at Whole Foods or other specialty markets. Good stock leads to good soup, and this stuff is truly delicious, even on its own! ingredients: 1 lb. package Mexican chorizo sausage 1 medium white onion, peeled & diced 1 tbsp ground cumin 3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced 1 quart chicken stock 2 bay leaves 3 28 oz cans black beans, rinsed & drained 1 lime, squeezed of juice handful of cilantro, chopped extremely fine equipment: two large stock pots or Dutch ovens blender NOTE: do not use a “boat-motor” style immersion blender for this recipe; it does not blend smooth enough to remove the finest pieces or lumps. 1. Brown the chorizo sausage in a deep Dutch oven over medium-high heat until cooked. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon, and set to drain on a thick bed of paper towels. 2. Return the pot to medium heat with the sausage drippings still in it, and sauté the onion until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and ground cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, and drained beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes. 3. Add the browned sausage back to the pot, stir to combine, and simmer another 10-15 minutes to meld flavors. 4. Remove the pot from the heat, and remove bay leaves. Transfer soup to the blender using a ladle until the blender is no more than half-full. Put the top on, but allow for some venting (hot soup + blender = explosion, if not vented). Starting on low, puree for about 10 seconds, then move up to medium speed for 10 seconds, then high for 30. Once completely smooth, pour into another empty pot, and continue with the rest of the soup in batches. 5. Stir in cilantro and lime juice, serve with a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

I'm lucky, sorta. Nearly all artificial sweeteners have a bad effect on me, they taste bitter to me and leave an awful aftertaste in my mouth, so I never got the Diet Coke addiction that so many folks have! However, any sugar-free stuff like protein shakes also taste vile to me...

Drinking lots of water an hour after you've finished eating is probably a really good idea. There likely isn't much food in your pouch; at that point, it's probably all gone through. Drinking the water wouldn't stretch the pouch if there was food in it though, it would simply help wash the food through to the larger stomach, which is what we don't want! But the schedule you've got going on there seems fine! And you want to drink a lot of water too, as it helps in weight loss by flushing out everything you're losing!

Well, a couple of things here. You say that you're not eating like you know you're supposed to be eating. That alone may be what's causing your PBing--if you feel like everything's getting stuck, the first thing I'd look at is exactly what are you eating? No matter what, get back on the diet, hon. That alone may help you to pass things better, you'll start to feel better, and likely regain some confidence in what you've got going on. If, after a few days on the proper diet (or even switch back to mushy foods or full liquids for a few days to "restart" your program), you're still having issues swallowing & getting things down, then you really have no choice but to take the cash out & see the doctor. The alternative is potentially damaging yourself into an expensive hospital stay, and if $400 for an office visit is tough, imagine what a $12,000 overnight stay in a hospital is going to do! You've done great so far, so you know you have the guts to stick with something like this! Don't let a temporary financial setback put your healthy future at risk! Good luck!

Hey bud, I'm new here too, just had mine done less than a week ago through a local doctor here in Michigan. I had a revelation moment like you did too, but didn't result in injury... came when I was driving my new car not long ago and realized that my gut nearly hit the bottom of the steering wheel. Whenever I'd turn the wheel all the way, my gut would get in the way of my arms... not good. So far for me, so good! I'm actually losing nearly a pound a day (which astonishes me), but it's still early yet. Good luck, and welcome from another guy bandster!

FANTASTIC. See, this is EXACTLY the kind of experience and weight loss aid I've been looking for! I can't wait till I'm back on normal foods again, to see what foods will "work" for me, and which ones won't. I tellya, I've been off of my "normal" diet & old regimen since June 30, and I am STILL craving fried chicken of some sort. McNuggets, a KFC Twister Wrap, chicken strips from J. Alexander, SOMETHING. Very strange... I'm not craving anything else but that! But good for you on your McDonald's experience! That Scottish food'll kill ya.

So there I was, lying on the gurney in the OR prep area, IV in my arm, WONDERFUL demerol flowing through my veins (I'd been a bit nervous as zero-hour approached, and my heartrate was 120 bpm, so they gave me "something to relax you," heh), and the nice male nurse came over with the buzzy razor. He got about two stripes on my belly when my surgeon happened by, and said "Oh, that's okay, you really don't need to do that." Sooo, he didn't finish. Heh! I kinda wish he did... because as I was recovering, I came to realize that the pain I thought I was having from the incisions was actually just the surgical tape tugging on my belly hair! Once the bandages and surgical suture tape came off after day two of recovery, I realized my range of motion was actually considerably greater than I thought it was! Heh!

Just joined up myself, I wish you the best with it! For me, it was an issue of basically eating portions that were way too large, and dealing with fifteen years of failing to actually make a diet plan stick! I'm looking forward to seeing the results of my banding (I had it done just five days ago, and am recovering quickly), and buying all-new clothes this time next year! :-) Good luck!