bogiesmom

I am also in Southern Cali and I am 35 with 1 son. I agree with Angie, returning to work the Tuesday after you will be fine. I had mine done at the OCC on a Saturday and was back to work the following Monday (actually I did 4 loads of laundry on Sunday which was a lot more physical then my desk job). One sugestion I would like to offer is that if you can get something to wrap around your mid-section like a loose gurdle or adjustable elastic band or tight teddy/cami slip the more comfortable you will feel especially when you are sitting down. I felt so uncomfortable sitting since my incisions were sore and they bothered me touching my clothes and I just felt like I needed something to hold me in since my insides just giggled like jello amking the incisions and port area feel worse. I actually caught myself a couple times holding my stomach in place.

WW POINTS® Tracker entries Friday, January 22, 2010 Morning 1 item(s) Fiber one toaster pastry, brown sugar cinnamon 3 1 tsp coffee, instant or regular, powder 0 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar 1.5 2 Tbsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Creamer 1.5 Subtotal 6 Midday 1 serving(s) Weight Watchers Smart Ones Chicken Enchiladas 6 1 serving(s) Sonny's Butternut Squash Soup 1 cup 2 Subtotal 8 Evening 2 Taco Soup 6 Subtotal 6 Anytime 1 cake(s) Carrot Cake 1 Subtotal 1 Food POINTS values total used 21 Food POINTS values remaining 2

Thanks for sharing this Donna. I will file this one away for future reference. It is good to know. BTW, you updated your pictures!! You look like a totally different person! How cool! You lost a lot of weight and re-invented yourself in the process. Great job!

WW POINTS® Tracker entries Thursday, January 21, 2010 Morning 2 Tbsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Creamer 1.5 1 tsp coffee, instant or regular, powder 0 1 item(s) Fiber one toaster pastry, brown sugar cinnamon 3 1 Tbsp sugar 1 Subtotal 5.5 Midday 1 item(s) Select multigrain sandwich thins 1 1/2 cup(s) Chunk light tuna in water 2 1 1/2 Tbsp Light mayonnaise 2 1/2 cup(s) store-bought pasta salad 3 Subtotal 8 Evening 2 Tomato Pie 7.5 Subtotal 7.5 Anytime 1 serving(s) Mishima Miso Soup Mix 1 1 cake(s) Lemon cake with lemon icing 1 Subtotal 2 Food POINTS values total used 23 Food POINTS values remaining 0

Now that we're well into winter, we thought you might enjoy some INCREDIBLE new soup recipes to warm up your life. WE LOVE THESE SOUPS SOOOO MUCH! The Whole Enchilada Chicken Soup PER SERVING (1 cup): 105 calories, 1.75g fat, 641mg sodium, 12.5g carbs, 2g fiber, 4g sugars, 11g protein --POINTS® value 2* Extra-special thanks to Pam, who inspired us with her swap for Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup. YOU ROCK, Pam, and so does this soup! Ingredients: 3 cups fat-free chicken broth 1 1/4 cups finely chopped celery 1/2 cup diced sweet yellow onion 3 cups green enchilada sauce One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin 10 oz. cooked boneless skinless lean chicken breast, chopped or shredded 1 cup frozen white (or yellow) corn Optional: dash hot sauce, or more to taste Optional toppings: shredded fat-free cheddar cheese, crushed baked tortilla chips Directions: In a large pot, bring broth to a low boil on the stove. Add celery and onion, and simmer for about 5 minutes, until slightly tender. Stir in enchilada sauce and pumpkin. Once soup returns to a low boil, add chicken and corn, and mix well. Cook for an additional 3 - 5 minutes, until soup is heated throughout. Add a dash or more hot sauce. (Or not. It's your soup.) Serve and, if you like, top with shredded cheese and/or crushed chips. Enjoy!!! MAKES 9 SERVINGS Wowowow! Wonton Soup PER SERVING (1 cup with 2 wontons): 115 calories, 3g fat, 541mg sodium, 12g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 1g sugars, 9.5g protein -- POINTS® value 2* This soup is so good, you may become addicted to it. No worries -- there are worse things to become obsessed with... Ingredients: For Wontons 9 oz. raw lean ground turkey
 2 tsp. reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce
 2 tsp. dried minced onion
 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
 1/8 tsp. black pepper
 16 small square wonton wrappers (often stocked near the tofu in the fridge section of the market) For Soup 6 cups fat-free chicken broth
 2 cups dry broccoli cole slaw
 1/3 cup canned bamboo shoots, drained
 1/2 cup canned straw mushrooms, drained and roughly chopped
 1 tsp. chopped fresh ginger
 1 tsp. chopped garlic
 1/2 cup chopped scallions Directions: To make the wonton filling, combine all wonton ingredients except the wrappers in a medium bowl. Mix by hand until evenly combined. Set aside (and, duh, wash your hands). In a large pot, combine all soup ingredients except scallions. Bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce heat to low and allow soup to simmer for 10 minutes. Lay three wonton wrappers flat on a clean, dry surface. Scoop a spoonful (about 2 tsp.) of filling into the center of each wrapper. Moisten all wrapper edges by dabbing with water. Fold the bottom left corner of each wrapper to meet the top right corner, forming a triangle and enclosing the filling. Press firmly on the edges to seal. Set aside, and repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Stir scallions into the simmering soup. One at a time, carefully add wontons. Make sure they're submerged, but don't stir. Simmer for 5 minutes, adjusting temperature if soup begins to boil, until wonton centers are firm. (Don't worry if the wontons fall apart a little. They'll still taste delicious!) Carefully serve up wontons and broth. Slurp 'n chew, people! MAKES 8 SERVINGS Mmm-mmm Minestrone PER SERVING (1 generous cup): 105 calories, 0.5g fat, 512mg sodium, 19.5g carbs, 4.5g fiber, 4g sugars, 5g protein -- POINTS® value 1* Need a big pot of soup PACKED with veggies (not calories!), but don't want to spend forever chopping? This recipe is a DELICIOUS shortcut to Soupville! Ingredients: Two 14-oz. cans (3 1/2 cups) fat-free vegetable broth
 Two 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained
 One 15-oz. can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed One 10-oz. package frozen spinach, mostly thawed
 1 cup frozen cut green beans
 1 cup frozen peas and carrots 1 cup uncooked whole-wheat-blend rotini or penne pasta 1 tbsp. dried minced onion 
 2 tsp. chopped garlic
 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
 1 bay leaf
 Salt and black pepper, to taste Directions:
 Combine all ingredients in a large pot on the stove. Add 1 cup water and stir it up. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and allow soup to simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve! MAKES 10 SERVINGS

Thanks Beth, I needed that! I agree, it is probably 50/50. I like your ideal of journaling the foods that work the band. I REALLY need to do that! So far I have found 2 incidents that involved a hamburger (I never want to look at another hamburger for as long as I live) and pasta salad (the cold spiral kind). As far as taking a day to have fun...I just can't bare the guilt and depression that would follow afterwards. I would beat myself up about it and that is the psychological stuff I have to work on. This was an issue that came up when I first joined WW actually. My leader basically told me that I needed to seak professional help. What happens is I can not live with myself if I eat something that tastes sinfully good but is low in calories. For example the Hostess Mini Cakes that are 100 calories a pack. The Weight Watchers side of my brains says go for it...it is only 100 calories and the other side of my brain says oh no...this tastes way too sinful and you should NOT be eating this! Then I end up fighting with myself. The resolution that I have come to is "One Meal At A Time" since I obviously can't do one day at a time. If I have 1 pack of mini cakes a week I am okay or if I have 1 sugar free frozen yogurt once a month I am okay but a whole day of indulgence would just kill me emotionally. It has gotten to the point where I just can't buy it like I used to becuase they act like triger foods. I bought a bunch of Slim Fast Snack Bars last month (like 8 boxes) that taste like real candy bars and I have eaten like 4 per week to the point that I am having fights with myself over those now. They are 120 calories each but I swear they taste like 500 calories each and I just can't take it any more. I am thinking of just leaving out by the dumpster so the homeless guys can have them. Oddly enough this left brain/right brain stuff only happens with foods that are sweet and rich. I guess it is because that is the only type of food that I could justify eating every day (sort of like dessert being a fourth meal or an afternoon snack on the go). Thanks again Beth, Starting tomorrow I am journaling my restiction when I actually get it with the foods that I get it with. I think this is going to be key with my next fill. You are an angel for suggesting this! BTW...EVERYONE on this forum it seems is talking about this Wii Fitness thing and how "fun" it is. I do not have the money for it right now but maybe I will pick one up with my tax return. You guys are making me very envious

I think I might try this recipe with fat free ricotta cheese instead of mayo and do what Bragman sugests by adding the oregano and basil to the ricotta like I was make a lasagna. Or maybe even fat free cottage cheese with the basil and oregano. I will let everyone know how it comes out. I am sure it will be devine either way. Deeeevine! I made it tonight with a low fat ricotta instead of the mayo and it is good. According to WW Recipe Builder by subing light mayo with the low fat ricotta and using 2% reduced fat mozzarella I was able to bring the recipe down from 6 points per slice to 4. I am going to make it again in a couple days but this time I want to try using the fat free cottage cheese as the consistancy will not be quite as thick as ricotta. Will let you know how it comes out.

I have had 2 fills at the OCC. Both fills were at 3cc each for a total of 6cc. I have not gone anywhere else due to price. Since I live in Los Angeles I take Amtrak round trip. Total cost is $175.00 for fill & transportation, & parking. That is the cheapest rate around. I am not sure about this 3 fills for life thing. I am pretty sure I am going back to the OCC the week of 2/15/2010 for my third fill and I still have 47 pounds to loose. That means my band should be getting looser at some point in the future which will require a fourth fill. Maybe most people do need only 2 or 3, then again I am not like most people and that is why I got the band to begin with. My matabolism is different then most others'.

TOM as of yesterday and gained 1.1 pounds and am at 173.8

WW POINTS® Tracker entries Wednesday, January 20, 2010 Morning 10 nut(s) almonds 1.5 1 bar(s) Chewy Granola Bar - 90 Calories Oatmeal raisin 2 1 tsp coffee, instant or regular, powder 0 2 Tbsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Creamer 1.5 Subtotal 5 Midday No entries for this meal time. Subtotal 0 Evening No entries for this meal time. Subtotal 0 Anytime No entries for this meal time. Subtotal 0 Food POINTS values total used 5 Food POINTS values remaining 18

Howdy, HG! I have been hearing a lot lately that the nutritional facts on many food labels at the supermarket are OFF by around 15% and that it's totally LEGAL. I am so upset and feel betrayed (and defeated). How can we trust the labels of anything we eat? What do we do, Hungry Girl? Gloomy in Gainesville Dear Gloomy, As long-time HG subscribers know (I have been writing about this for ages), the stats on food labels can LEGALLY be off by as much as 20%. It's not great news, but it's not HORRIBLE news either. While some foods have more calories, fat, etc., than the labels say, some have less. Plus, we're way better off knowing this information than NOT knowing it. Think about it... Now that you're aware that packaged foods could have more calories than the labels say, you can make adjustments to account for it. Here are a few tips: 1. If you count calories, pad your numbers a bit. What I mean by "pad your numbers" is that you can round up -- if something says it has 280 calories, count it as 300. Small changes totally make a difference. 2. If something tastes too good to be true (especially if it's from a small mom-and-pop company), it may very well be -- so don't kid yourself. If you start eating some new treat regularly, and then you notice extra pounds creeping on when they shouldn't be, you might wanna ditch that snack or count extra calories for it. 3. The nutritional stats for all types of food -- even fruit and lean protein -- vary due to size and weight. So weigh your food once in a while to see if the actual weight matches the given or assumed amount. The bottom line is that no matter how hard we try to pin numbers down, they're always going to be a little off. It won't help to become outraged. Just keep those tips in mind, and you should be fine!

Very interesting! The opposite has happened to me actually. Before surgery I had cronic heartburn brought on by every liquid from Diet Coke to Crystal Light & coffee and since surgery I have had no heartburn whatsoever no matter what I drink.

Thanks Beth, I am not sure if I am over thinking the band? That is something to chew on. I do know I am a bit of an analytical control freak so there could be something to that. Not much restiction as of yet. I had a slice of cinnamon swirl bread for breakfast and that went down fine. For lunch I had a Smart Ones Fettacini Alfredo with a cup of basmati rice and 1/4 cup lentils poured over the rice and I could have kept eating since I did not have any soft stops but I stopped myself anyway since that would have been too many calories for me. For dinner I am going to have a tuna melt panini with 1 ounce of Popchips. The only thing that causes major restriction issues are hamburgers, thus I never want to look at another hamburger for as long as I live. Other than that I have had very little restiction. I am eating slowly just waiting for a soft stop to hit. Mine are gurgles that come up my esophogus and back pains combines with chest pains. I agree that slowly finding my sweet spot is ideal, however, I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around the idea that the reason I have not experienced restriction up to this point is because I have not used (is'nt there a fine line between use and abuse?) the band. I just think that I have not had restriction do to not finding my sweet spot, that simple. I know I will get there soon enough I just hate the fact that Dr. Acosta acted like I should already have restriction and it is my fault that I do not. No, pardon me I need another fill. That is too bad about your mom. I have not had any issues with bread yet but I do stay away from 90 percent of most breads anyway. I think 8cc's might be a bit too much for me but then again who knows.

WW POINTS® Tracker entries Tuesday, January 19, 2010 Morning 1 slice(s) Quick Bread & Muffin Mix Cinnamon Swirl Bread Mix, Prepared 4 2 Tbsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Creamer 1.5 1 tsp coffee, instant or regular, powder 0 Subtotal 5.5 Midday 1 item(s) Smart Ones Fettuccini Alfredo 4 1 serving(s) 1 Cup Cooked Basmati White Rice 3 1/4 serving(s) Tasty Bite Madras Lentils 0.5 Subtotal 7.5 Evening 1/2 cup(s) Chunk light tuna in water 2 1 serving(s) Sarah Lee White Bread 2 2 Tbsp Light mayonnaise 2.5 1 slice(s) Singles American cheese slices 1 3/4 serving(s) Popchips 2 Subtotal 9.5 Food POINTS values total used 22.5 Food POINTS values remaining 0.5

WW POINTS® Tracker entries Sunday, January 17, 2010 Morning 2 Tbsp Coffee-Mate French Vanilla Liquid Creamer 1.5 1 tsp coffee, instant or regular, powder 0 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar 1.5 Subtotal 3 Midday 3/4 cup(s) fat-free egg substitute 3.5 1/2 cup(s) Low-Fat 2% Milkfat Small Curd Cottage Cheese 2 1/2 Taco Soup 1 Subtotal 6.5 Evening 1 item(s) cooked skinless, boneless chicken thigh(s) 3 1 serving(s) Kitchens of India Paste For Curry Chicken 1 1 serving(s) 1 Cup Cooked Basmati White Rice 3 2/3 serving(s) Tasty Bite Madras Lentils 1 Subtotal 8 Anytime 1 serving(s) Sonny's Potato Leek Soup 2 2 Weight Watchers Carrot Snack Cakes 2 Subtotal 3 Food POINTS values total used 21.5 Food POINTS values remaining 1.5

Single incision is in the US only. OCC does 5 incisions. I found a Doctor in Beverly Hills (Dr. Feiz) who does 3 incisions with the main incision through the belly button.

1/16/2010: Today I received my second fill at the OCC since getting my first on 12.17.09 (surgery was 11.13.09). I have an 11cc Realize band by J&J and the first fill was for 3cc and my second fill was for 3cc as well for a total of 6cc. Dr. Acosta did my fill today at the OCC. I told Dr. Acosta that I was disappointed that I did not have restriction yet since I rarely am ever "full" after a meal and that I literally stop myself from eating any more food even though I could keep going. He asked me if I could eat as much as before I had the surgery and I answered that question like I always have (including on this forum): "I COULD but I will NOT." In other words for the last 60 days I have been running on free will (according to Dr. Acosta this has been by choice since I won't utilize the band but I tend to disagree, knowing my own body signals better than anyone else and paying close attention to them. He asked me what my meals were like and I went through a list of what I eat and he said that the reason I have not been experiencing restriction is because I have not been using the band.. What he means is I have not been eating solid foods like I should. I told him that I simply gravitate towards foods like Oatmeal, Cottage Cheese, yogurt, and the mother of all foods SOUP and he said that is my problem since most of this goes straight down and that is why I do not feel "full" or experiencing restriction. He reiterated over and over again that he wanted me to "test" the band and this is something I do not feel totally comfortable doing. By testing the band he wants me to eat "solids" until I get full. Well, that is like telling a horse it can have as many apples and carrots as need to be satisfied and is it not an old adage that a horse will eat itself to death if given the chance? I cannot allow myself to test this band to the extent where I am having 5 tuna sandwiches instead of 1 for lunch. I do not trust it, I do not love it and I must be in control at all times. Yes, these are issues I need to work on outside of the OCC but for me it would feel like a tremendous step backwards if I "tested" the band and it failed me and that failure came in the form of seeing a gain on the digital scale. My self esteem frankly could not handle that (case in point detailed below). I agreed to lay off the semi-solid, mushy foods for my 3 meals a day. But frankly that is all I can commit to at this time. Plus testing the band by playing the game of how much can I eat is not worth gaining what I have lost back.) First ah-ha moment: Dr. Acosta then asked me what my definition of "full" was. I am so glad he asked this. This is a question no one has ever asked me including myself and I needed to say it out loud and define it in words. I told him that full for me is being able to walk away from a meal totally satisfied and maintaining that satisfaction for an extended period of time, specifically 3 - 4 hours before eating again. He agreed that was also his definition of "full." On to the fill: - As I was drinking the barium he asked me to tell him if at any point I felt like it was difficult to drink and I told him no after I gulped it all down. He then had me drink some more barium and again I gulped it down with no issues whatsoever. Even though at no point did I ever feel as though swallowing the barium was an issue and that I could have drank a gallon more Dr. Acosta stopped the fill at 3cc. Weird...why would he stop it if I could have swallowed more barium on top of what I already drank? I know I could have had a 4cc fill and I would have not been overfilled but he is the learned Doctor and I am not so I just reluctantly trusted him when he said I was at my threshold and kept my trap shut. My friend of 20 years came with me to the fill and he told us we should both go get some lunch at that point. My friend who lives in San Diego, fluent in Spanish and has relatives who lives in TJ also came with me to the OCC for my first fill and so mentioned to Dr. Acosta, "Oh, she needs 3 days of liquids right?" and he gave us a big fat "NOPE." He said no more liquids for me going forward he wanted us to go have a lunch packed with solids and he wanted me to see how much I could eat (crazy, but he's the doctor right?) Carla and I walked over to Costco and she ordered the pizza (doctor said he suggested I order the pizza but I refused) and I ordered the turkey wrap (it is huge too). Well guess what, I ate ALL of it and I was still NOT FULL. I know, I wasn’t surprised either. What I was feeling at the point was disgust, guilt and disappointment but DEFINATELY NOT SURPISE or SHOCK. Second ah-ha moment: I told Carla I wanted to walk around Costco to experience the Mexican version first hand. She just rolled her eyes and went with it. While in the deli I started foaming at the mouth over these mini frosted cinnamon rolls and the light went on. I promptly told Carla I should have mentioned to Dr. Acosta that my second definition of "full" also include the fact that after any given meal I play this little head game with myself whereby I ask myself "If someone put a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting (or slice of cheese cake) in front of you right now could you eat it on a scale of 1 - 10? If my answer is 6 - 10 then I am NOT full or satisfied to the level I need to be. There have been meals (3 I can think of off the top of my head) where I was finished and I would have refused the cake right in front of me but for the most part my answer has been in the 10-6 range and walking through Costco deli after eating a large lunch made me keenly aware of that. My Theory On A Physical Reaction To Barium: My first fill was the first time in my life where I exposed my body to barium consumption and coincidently went home with a head cold for a week. The tingling sensation on the tonsils is what I experienced after that fill and then I knew, "uh-oh here comes a cold." The tingling was followed by allergy symptoms that worsened into a full blown cold by the next morning. Anyway, I mentioned this to the doctor today and he said that was just coincidence and that barium was just a metal (but since when did ingesting a metal become normal and what rock was I under when it did?) yadah, yadah, yadah... Guess what folks?!? I did not have the tonsil tingling this time around BUT allergies kicked in FULL ON. I have been congested for the last 5 hours since leaving San Diego and the itchy eyes are bothering me too. It is bearable but uncomfortable. Carla discovers a treasure in TJ: Carla is bugging me in the waiting room of the OCC saying, "since there are 3 people ahead of you let's walk across the street to the pharmacy for something to drink, I'm thirsty." Now mind you, I have been on my feet in 5 inch Carlos Santana stilettos all afternoon at this point and dodging traffic in them at this point was not my idea of a good time. I suggested she go get something on her own and I would wait for her. Being fluent and knowing her way around I knew she could handle it. Luckily she took the bait. When she came back she shows me this fantastic cold, bottled, flavored water she got for like a dollar called "Be Light." NO CALORIES, NO SUGAR AND IT IS 1.5 Liters in size!!! Same principle of pre-mixed Crystal Light and it tastes FANTASTIC!! 1.5 liters = basically you total daily water intake! Turns out they sell this stuff in a lot of convenient stores and pharmacies throughout TJ. Not to mention they had 12 packs of this stuff at COSTCO for $6.00 USD!!! (Smaller bottles at Costco (like 20 - 24 ounces). On our walk back across the border we got excited because we walked by a pharmacy that had this stuff stocked in more flavors and we bought 2 more bottles to take home In conclusion: 1. I will devote myself to solid foods for my 3 meals and only choose cottage cheese or soup for snacks as opposed to meals. 2. I will not test the band since I am built like a horse 3. I will patiently wait 2 weeks for restriction to kick in before I pick up the phone and make my next fill appointment at the OCC for February 15th (President's Day & my next 3 day weekend). 4. I now can put "full" into words and know what that means for me. 5. I am going back to TJ for more Be Light and taking some home with me. 6. My body reacts negatively to barium - a warning? God, I hope not! 7. A side note: my parking prayer works again! "Mother God Full Of Grace Help Us Find A Parking Space" and like magic one opens up again. 9 times out of 10 is the guaranteed success rate for a Costco parking lot. One the street where I live this works every 6 out of ten times. Go figure. Thanks for reading my long and detailed journal.

Thanks, I learned something new today. I did not know that Metamucil came in a fiber capsule (although come to think of it I have seen generic fiber capsules before).

Hmmm, very interesting since benefiber is a powder that completely disolves in water and is tasteless and odorless, I wonder why Dr. Miranda would have something against shakable fiber powder but not a sugar substitute that you put in tea or Crystal Light On The Go? As far as the benefiber chewables, did Dr. Miranda say you could not have a chewable daily vitamin as well? Just wondering since she told me both Benefiber and a chewable daily vitamin were what she recommended. I had my surgery 11/13/09 which was only 2 months ago, surely things could not have changed that much.