damalove

Hi Dwayne! Youve almost made it! Dr. Miranda will meet with you to establish a healthy goal weight to work towards, as well as give you tons of insight into the post op diet. She'll actually give you a list and calendar. In the meanwhile, here's what I did- PHASE ONE -- clears gatorade, tea, coffee, broth, boullion, apple juice, crystal light. Youll get sick of chicken broth pretty fast, but You can get creative here - call your fave chinese restaurant and tell them you've just had surgery, see if they'll sell you wonton soup broth. you can try the same tack at a vietnamese pho place, as well as udon broth at a japanese place, etc. When I was in TJ I went to the grocery store (Comercial Mexicana) and cruised their boullion aisle, got some interesting flavors to play with. PHASE TWO -- yogurt Introduce drinkable yogurts - dannon, activia, etc. make sure you're getting the yogurts that are in the bottle form, its gotta be a pretty loose liquid. If youre adventurous most grocery stores (and trader joes) carry Kefir, which is very similar to a drinkable yogurt. I didnt like the ultra sweet drinkable yogurts i found in stores, so i made my own -- thinned out my trader joe's greek honey yogurt to a very thin consistency with skim milk. PHASE THREE -- full liquids Any sieved soup - tomato basil, clam chowder, minestrone, whatever. Just dont be tempted to throw those soups into a blender and puree - OCC does not recommend that. You can also introduce milk, thicker juices like pineapple or mango juice, sieved smoothies, protein drinks, lattes, whatever. Every day I would mix my Carnation Instant breakfast (sorta a protein drink) in with my lattes and loveeeeeeed it. kept me full for hours. When in doubt, email dr. miranda. i told her i was going on a business lunch and had to order SOMETHING, i asked if I could eat the tomato basil soup if it was pretty well pureed and she said yes. I guess it was a situation-specific concession? She will also let you know how long she needs you to stay on each phase. There are some interesting recipes in the food/nutrition forum; also, amy's organic as well as trader joe's make soups in quart cartons that are sieved and pretty tasty - cuban black bean, roasted pepper and tomato, butternut squash and apple, etc etc. I often ate the cuban black bean with some parmesan stirred in and a dash of hot sauce, awesome. Oh ya, one last thing, room service is free for you and your guest while post op at the hotel. order up that broth and tea!

Bummer about the unfil Heidi, and Im sure its a drag having the cross the border again. Good thing you don't live further, right? Thats primarily why I am staying the night for fill #2, just in case... it costs too much to haul my ace down to TJ. Good luck with the unfill, when you heading in? Today?

Shelby, so sorry to hear about your grandpa. Ive gotten lax about journaling my food - so here i go - trying to get back on the horse: B - andouille and peppers quiche L - 4 oz tri-tip (the santa maria kind from Trader Joes, yummy), 1 cup mixed greens, 1/2 cup grape tomatoes, 1/2 oz feta D - bunless burger with pepper jack S - cottage cheese with blueberries totals: 1050 calories, 85g protein, 22g net carbs

Yikes. This thread has gotten me scared. I havent had much in the way of restriction so I guess fill #2 this Saturday is taking me into BandLand for reals this time. It seems gluten causes problems (bread, pasta) which is ok bc I havent been eating hardly any bread or pasta in the last four months. No biggie there. Having to give up beef is making me sad, but Ive been eating loads of it in anticipation I think the morning after my fill (im staying the night) I will have coffee first then try something sorta slidey, maybe cottage cheese or soft fruit. I want to make sure I can get at least slideys down before leaving. Nervous now...

hi crazymomma. ill be there saturday (the 26th) too for a fill (#2). i think im the first appt in the morning.

Hi BT. I am on a low-carb diet and I always eat protein first. I eat nothin but protein! However, if I dont stop myself, I can eat just about as much as preop. The band only speaks to me if I eat too fast stuff that is harder, like a bite of pork chop or a chunk of cheese. Bread doesnt bother me, but then again, I dont eat bread anyway. But the band doesnt stop me from eating too much. And thats its job, isnt it? Ive lost 35.5lbs incl preop, but I can't be sure if its bc of low-carb diet (which ive never tried before) or bc of the band...? I hope the band is doing its part, otherwise it was an expensive experiment and my savings is blown for no reason. i've read lots of boards, not just this one, and the concensus is that most ppl lose the majority of the weight once they get proper restriction, ie after the second or third fill. I needed to lose 78.5lbs and ive lost 35.5lbs, almost half of it. Even if I got this far just relying on low-carb diet, I need the band to help me with the rest. I'd like to eat a more balanced diet, I dont need bread rice pasta but I dont like that this diet doesnt allow me to eat fruits other than berries occasionally. I miss yellow and orange veggies too, corn sweet potato squash parsnips, etc. Long story short- no I dont have much restriction, I can still eat a lot. I find I overeat at restaurants, so i need the band to TELL me when to stop. Thats what I paid for. Right? As far as the fill, I believe they ask if youve been feeling any discomfort, if you've been able to eat less, if you feel any restriction. The needle-prick hurt me, but according to most peeps, it doesnt hurt. Dunno, maybe this time will hurt less. If youve had any PB/stuck issues, I'd be sure to let them know. Its pretty rad to see your pouch and band on the screen. I was told to stay on liquids for 3 days following my first fill. I felt restriction for maybe a week and then gradually, nothing. Any questions you have whatsoever regarding your band, write em down and ask, cuz the fill happens pretty quick. Dont expect answers too specific on diet, unless you can manage to see the nutritionist. I think shes off on saturdays though. Good luck and be sure to post back here how it went!

Im having my second fill this Saturday and I have a few quesitons -- 1) Im staying overnight bc were making a weekend of it, and also, want to make sure I am not too tight the next morning. The last time I was @ OCC for a fill, they told me to go back to full liquids for 3 days, but I want to make sure Im not too tight, so should I attempt solids the next morning before departure? 2) Sorta random but... for surgery, I stayed at the Lucerna and the food was included. Is that so for fill stays too? Im guessing NO but thought I'd ask anyway 3) Other than going shopping or to the movies, any other suggestions for fun/safe things to do on a warm Tijuana afternoon? Thanks!

Just scheduled myself for fill #2 on Sat. June 26th ~ not sure where we're staying, etc...

After a three week plateau, BAM! I suddenly gained 1.8lbs from WEDNESDAY of this week to TODAY. Im so pissed! There is no rational explanation for this; I am NOT eating more, I am eating more healthily, maybe I am eating too little? ARGHHH maybe I'll bump up that next fill for next weekend, if I can swing it...

I just got home from a ten-day vacation to Kentucky/Tennessee.. ate very healthy for the first week, but after that sorta lost my resolve for the last four days. Oops! I came home and weighed myself, exactly the same weight as when I left, so I think I probably lost some the first week but regained it in the last few days. Regardless, as long as I haven't gained thats ok. I think Im due for another fill. I didnt realize how much I could eat until I was looking at pix and I saw my portions.. Omg! I am obsessed w barbeque, so while in memphis i had a brisket sandiwich. it was HUUUUGE and the first time i ate bread in a while. I had absolutely no problem scarfing it down in five minutes flat. When I first had my fill, I felt some restriction but Im guessing its gone now. I got stuck twice while on the trip; once on a pork chop i was eating in a rush in the car, and another was on a big piece of really kinda hard sausage at a breakfast place. both were chewing issues. i guess since i dont feel restriction, i havent felt it necessary to chew properly. This week is meant to get myself back on track food wise. Im lazy to start with the food journal again, but I probably will have to. Looks like fill #2 will be some time in July, maybe third or fourth weekend.

hi shelby, thanks for the pic! urs are hardly visible.. mine are still very visible, theyre almost reddish. it doesnt help that im so pasty white, i think.. my belly has never seen the sun, so there aint no chance its getting tan. i tried posting a pic to my gallery, dont really know if i did it right bc it wont come up. argh.

Kevin - glad ur fill went well, and Im with you, lets all be honest here folks, that damn needle hurt! BT- Dr So advised me to be on liquids the day of the fill, and the next two days, so think about that when ur planning Vegas. Margaritas and Bloody Marys are liquids though!! yahooooooooo

Brekkie: Pizza Quiche Mid morning snack: string cheese L: roast beef slices and green giant just for one broccoli/chz sauce D: the last of the leftover ribeye steak from the BBQ. and the last of the broccoli slaw evening snack: slice of homemade flax bread with butter, splenda and pumpkin pie spice Totals: 939 cal, 56g fat, 18g net carb, 73g protein, 16g fiber (woohoo fiber!)

Hi Kevin - the fill is pretty easy. Its cool knowing 1) you DO have a band and can see it and 2) its working fine! i would suggest letting dr so know you have already had a few PBs, just so he can take that into consideration when administering your CCs. Let us know how it went! ps) hahaha erica it doesnt help that dr so is a cutie, does it? someone else at the occ called dr so the 'pillsbury dough boy' and im like, what! if that guy is fat, then what the hell am i? besides.. i kinda like a chubby guy. im a chubby chaser!! hahaha (and thank the Lord there are guys out there that are chubby chasers too or else id never get any love!!!)

Up 0.4 lbs, no doubt due to a very rich meal out at a moroccan restaurant this week.

Hi all. I am exactly two months post op, and Im wondering what your scarring situation is like? My incision sites are dark pink, Im wondering does that lighten with time? If you wear a two-piece bathing suit, do people notice your scars? When would you stay they lightened or went away? Im hoping since im still pretty young they will go away, but curious if theres anything i should be doing to help it. my mom says put vitamin E on the scars, Ive seen commercials for scar cream, etc. Thanks. Random story: when I was 19 I went to Australia/New Zealand for a 5 week find-myself-and-find-my-path sort of backpacking trip. i had just gone thru a breakup, my parents were getting divorced, my sister had just gotten married and moved away, had a falling out with my high school friends, etc. the trip was amazing, came home changed my major, quit my job, got on track, all that. anyway i had gotten Scuba certified the year before, so while in northern australia went on a dive of the great barrier reef. i got paired up with a random guy who was also travelling solo (you always have to have a dive buddy just in case) but he turned out to be obnoxious. as we were diving, we approached a cave. i was going in first but as we were entering the cave i guess he wanted to get in before me, so he sped up and swam under me, shoving me into the roof of the cave. i felt my leg scrape, but was more pissed than anything, what a jerk! when we got back onto the boat, my leg was streaming blood, even though it didnt hurt. I ended up with a really rad scar, i liked to show people my 'great barrier reef hardcore scar' something kinda badass about it. well, after a few years, it was gone. no cool jagged scar to show off anymore!!! anyway long story short, i have a history of scars fading, even against my wishes so im hoping my incision scars fade too... ok, storytime over

I know im new to this band thing, but having to stand to eat? Really? Doesnt that seem excessive? Im prepared to make necessary sacrifices, tiny bites, chewing a lot, no drinking after meals, but having to stand seems a bit much, doesnt it? You are at a restaurant and have to stand to get your food down... If this were me, I'd consider a slight unfil. Seems too tight. Just my opinion...

Hi Erica. I cant, and wont, live without my espresso When I was on post-op diet, I would stir in Carnation Instant Breakfast packets with my milk, and that would keep my full for HOURS. Its not a solid, but at least you're getting vitamins and protein... Otherwise I might suggest you try eating before your coffee?? I have my breakfast right when i get to the office, and then after an hour, or however long you're waiting, i get my coffee. you have to be patient, but it might be the only way for ya.

I first heard about this article on NPR, found it interesting so I found it and thought it would be helpful to share it. It talks about willpower, as relates to dieting, quitting smoking, whatever and why we struggle, especially in the evenings. Its a lengthy article, but the end talks about what we can do to try to improve willpower. Here's an excerpt: "The brain area largely responsible for willpower, the prefrontal cortex, is located just behind the forehead. While this bit of tissue has greatly expanded during human evolution, it probably hasn't expanded enough. That's because the prefrontal cortex has many other things to worry about besides New Year's resolutions. For instance, scientists have discovered that this chunk of cortex is also in charge of keeping us focused, handling short-term memory and solving abstract problems. Asking it to lose weight is often asking it to do one thing too many. In one experiment, led by Baba Shiv at Stanford University, several dozen undergraduates were divided into two groups. One group was given a two-digit number to remember, while the second group was given a seven-digit number. Then they were told to walk down the hall, where they were presented with two different snack options: a slice of chocolate cake or a bowl of fruit salad. Here's where the results get weird. The students with seven digits to remember were nearly twice as likely to choose the cake as students given two digits. The reason, according to Prof. Shiv, is that those extra numbers took up valuable space in the brain—they were a "cognitive load"—making it that much harder to resist a decadent dessert. In other words, willpower is so weak, and the prefrontal cortex is so overtaxed, that all it takes is five extra bits of information before the brain starts to give in to temptation. This helps explain why, after a long day at the office, we're more likely to indulge in a pint of ice cream, or eat one too many slices of leftover pizza. (In fact, one study by researchers at the University of Michigan found that just walking down a crowded city street was enough to reduce measures of self-control, as all the stimuli stressed out the cortex.) A tired brain, preoccupied with its problems, is going to struggle to resist what it wants, even when what it wants isn't what we need. " If youre interested in reading more... here's the link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703478704574612052322122442.html?mod=article-outset-box "Blame it on the Brain" by Jonah Lehrer, Wall Street Journal, Dec. 26, 2009