UTdigiMOM

Great job on your weight loss. That's amazing!! I, too, was a heavy diet coke addict and I quit cold turkey also. I actually don't miss it at all and that surprised the heck out of me. Before my surgery (10/10/08) I was sooooo worried about the soda thing, but really it hasn't been a big deal at all. The water I drink instead now is healthier and I feel better. No more crazy caffeine ups and downs. Plus, I live in Utah now and everyone here drinks water. Thanks for keeping us posted and keep up the good work!!

Isn't getting dressed so much more fun when you look THAT good in your clothes?? Congrats on the huge milestone and happy Bandiversary!! LOVE the pictures!!

Yay!! Yay!! Yay!! What a great weekend you had. I bet that feels so good. I love the panties story too. We can all relate to having to wear panties that were too tight. Enjoy!

Hey Kristy - Glad to see you're reading this forum and asking questions. Since I just went through this I feel that I can say with a fair amount of authority that it honestly wasn't that bad. Sure you get sick of soup and want to CHEW something by the end, but you're recovering and your body is different after you're banded. Also, for me the money was a huge motivator. I would say to myself, I really just want a small bite of something, but is it a $8000 bite? I'd play those kinds of mental games with myself. I also got pretty inventive with my soup selections. I tried all kinds and really mixed it up. Before I knew it...the 21 days were over. You can do it. Yes, you will be hungry, but it's quickly solved by drinking a small cup of broth or soup. For me, the hardest part was the weak feeling I had in the very beginning. I'm sure I was a bit dehydrated too. As for chugging things, I really don't know if that's allowed. You shouldn't be doing any vigorous exercise during this period any way so that sort of solves your problem. What kind of liquid yogurt did you buy? Dana and I found that those little 4 oz. Immunity Yogurts by Dannon were pretty yummy. I tried Peach and Vanilla. They're super runny and not too sweet. You should give those a try. I've tried other drinkable yogurts that were thicker and didn't like them as much. Also, the 4 oz. size is perfect in terms of portion size. Another thing that helped me during this phase is my mind set. I was super excited to be starting this new phase of my life and VERY committed to healing my band well and following doctor's orders to a T. You'll be good. You have this board and all of us here rooting you on. Here was my list for this phase: powdered soups by Bear Creek - the Broccoli Cheddar and Creamy Potato were my favorites Miso soup from my favorite Japanese Restaurant - I had to strain out the tofu chunks and seaweed, but the broth was amazing!! Campbell's Cream of Chicken and Cream of Shrimp soups (don't knock the Shrimp one until you try it. Really yummy. Lots of Special K Protein Water - tropical fruit is my favorite Gatorade G2 Campbell's Cream of Tomato Soup Bullion cubes in the Mexican Foods section of your market. They're super flavorful and yummy. Chicken was my favorite. Low-calorie, low sugar instant hot cocoa Hot tea Let's see what some others have to say...

Yes, yes!! We need pictures. Congrats on such a milestone!! So happy for you!

Thanks for sharing your experience with us. I'm finally able to eat solid foods and feel great. I look forward to getting my first fill and appreciate this glimpse into your fill experience. Sounds like all is well and that you found good local care. Keep us posted!

Thanks for the laugh. I can totally see it. My sons would be mortified!!

The loose skin dilemma is what drew me to the band in the first place. Because the weight loss is slower...patients generally don't need extensive plastic surgery to repair loose, stretched out skin. This is what I found in my research. I started out at 205 and I'm 5 ft. 4 1/2. My belly fat is my worst area also. I'm only 22 days post- op so I have a ways to go until I can give you an answer from personal experience. Welcome and good luck. This board is great!

I had the port pain thing you described. Thought that would never go away, but now 22 days post-op...IT"S GONE. I even exercised today and felt well.

Great job Trav!! When I was banded on 10/10/08 Dr. Miranda actually suggested chewing things up and spitting them out. I'm on day 18 of the liquid diet and that has saved me this week too. Can't wait to eat solids on Friday! Good job on the success and keep it up.

I'm almost here...anymore ideas for us newbies??

Love your screen name!! I'm a Utah mom myself. How old are your children? Mine are 5 and 8. Welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of info here and having a friend to support you through this is VITAL!! Welcome and I'll be thinking of you this Friday. I was banded on 10/10/08 so if you have any questions about the liquid diet phase...I'm an expert, LOL!

Hello Kim - I'm not in Salt Lake City, but in Draper a suburb about 20 minutes south. You'll love the airport. It's super easy to fly in and out of. Where are you staying? I've only lived here (transplant from So Cal) for four years, but my favorite restaurant downtown (SLC) is Takashi Sushi and Biaggi at the Gateway Mall. That mall is fantastic, BTW. It's really close to the Energy Solutions Center and you can walk from dinner there to the concert. What fun!

Newbie here too (banded 10.10)! Enjoy the drugs from the OCC. They're good. Looking forward to seeing you around these forums.

So excited for you Julie!! That must feel great! I have two boxes of clothes 'waiting' for me in my basement. Size 12s here I come!!

I was banded on Oct 10 so I soooo know what you're going through. Keep your eyes on the prize and stay strong. It does seem like some sort of horrible torture chamber, but it will be over soon. Take a walk, see a movie, do anything you can to take your mind off of the situation. Also, have you tried taking the Metamucil (sp?) as described in your white folder? It does help!! Good luck and feel free to PM me if you need a pep talk or just an ear to talk and vent. I was banded with a great group of people and several of us keep in daily email contact to help each other through.

I totally had those too!! Fun! Thanks for sharing!

You did it!! I'm a newbie (banded 10/10) myself and still in the throws of the full liquid diet. Congrats on your band!!

Hey Arlene - Thanks for the update. I was wondering how you were doing. Long time, no talk! I was banded on Oct 10 and I'm feeling well. The liquid diet is getting old, but 9 more days and I can eat solids again. Looking forward to that!! Good advice about looking at other measures of weightloss besides the scale. So true!

Great post and so timely. I was just telling some fellow bandsters today that the hardest part for me is getting all my water in throughout the day. I printed this out and put it up prominently in my kitchen. Thanks for posting this!

Congrats and welcome. I was banded 10/10 like Liza and we talk via email almost daily along with Dana. It helps to have 'buddies' who are going through this with you!! Take care and REST!!

Way to go!! This is what it's all about...finding that sweet spot!!

It takes true grit to admit when you've done wrong. You're owning your stuff which is never easy, but so healthy in the end. If you ever want to read a great book that helped me tons, read Bad Childhood---Good Life: How to Blossom and Thrive in Spite of an Unhappy Childhood by Dr. Laura Schlessinger. It's an amazing book and you seem like from your posts that you're in a good place to hear the message. Good wishes for you and your future!

Hey Dana - Thanks for that clarification. It's right what I remember her saying when we were down there. It's frustrating, but understandable. I bought some creamy soups today at the market, but intend on making them even more runny with some chicken broth. That also cuts the calorie count down. Good to know!

Good luck to you! I was banded on Oct 10 so this is still VERY fresh in my mind. I over-bought. The seven days goes by fast and you really don't want to eat that much. Bullion cubes to make soup fast and in small quantities Special K Protein Water - a must have Jello - I just bought a six pack of the already made ones G2 - low calorie, low sugar Gatorade in little bottles fruit juice of your choice Gas X strips - a MUST Chewable or dissolvable Benefiber - this saved me!! Liquid Vitamins - You'll hate the taste, but these are ESSENTIAL. I also bought the heating pad based on what was written here, but personally never used it. You might want to wait and see on that one since mine was about $14 at Walgreen's. One more thing, before you're discharged from the OCC the morning after your surgery, you'll be offered the chance to buy more pain medication from them for $8 a pack. BUY IT! It dissolves under your tongue and is great. I only bought one pack, but wished I had bought 2. They were great and no pills to swallow. I also used Liquid Tylenol, but that stuff is seriously nasty so I only took it once. Just curious - are you buying the Ramen noodles just for those little packets inside to make the broth? You know you can't eat the noodles, right? Just asking. Also, NO protein shakes until after the first 7 days. You'll do great. It's a piece of cake. REALLY!!