Bernadette, Congratulations on the start of your journey! Jewels4tx RNY 01/31/08

Thanks guys- I appreciate all the suggestions. I have been experimenting and found that a bit of SF chocolate sauce goes a long way in making the protien shakes better. To Kim I completely understand. I had to be on all liquids pre-op and it was torture. It is one thing to fill a 2 oz pouch with broth, it is quite another to fill an oversized stomach. All I can say is hang in there. It really will be worth it. You are right food is a drug for us but with the tool of GB we can overcome that addiction- or atl east learn how to live with it in a healthy way. Just remember it is all worth it- I weighed in yesterday and have lost 18.8 lbs in 2 weeks. You'll get there!

Hi Belinda and Barbara, I had my RNY at the same clinic but with Dr Poplawski on Wednesday. Belinda, I'm sure you will LOVE the staff there, they were great to me and to my family!

thanks Seila, i have another ultrasound of just the pelvic area next week just to be sure there is nothing elso going on. I am going to try a regimen of Olive oil and unsweetened grapefruit juice to see if I can dissolve the gall stones. It might not work but is worth the try. Since I have found that I do have stones but the gall bladder is not yet inflamed I might have some time. You are right about the pain though, I think I would have 5 babies without meds before i would like to go through that again. So I am concentrating on low fat foods for now. I usually eat pretty low fat meals anyway and I only drink water in 2 1/2 years since my surgery (an occasionaly SF hot chocolate that I make the mix myself). So I do not drink caffeine drinks etc. I really think the stones formed during my rapid weight loss and not sure just what could have triggered the attack. The WW ice cream I eat is sweetened with splenda and has 6g of fat per bar, that adds up. I have switched to honeynut cherrios for my sweet snack, it has low sugar and only 1 fat is high in carbs but I am going to monitor my weight and see how this happens. I also am oging back to the Quacker Oat Bran cereal, I eat it just dry no milk it was prescribed by my internist after the surgery to help with the constipation and is high in fiber (she told me not to count the carbs in this cereal toward my daily max of carbs) and really taste better and good as a snack. Thanks so much for the info. Judy

I definately don't make these the staple of my diet but one of these here and there have helped stop cravings (which seem to be worse at night): Breyers Slow Churned Vanilla, no sugar added ice cream...I limit myself to 2 small teaspoon scoops as it seems to be a bit "frothy" feeling in the stomach....not bad, just a bit No sugar added chocolate pudding with no sugar added whipped cream and/or Lite Cool Whip (all in the dairy aisle) Edy's no sugar added, all fruit popsicles (I like these much better than the artificially flavored ice pops....can't stand sugar substitute aftertaste!) NO sugar added Orange Juice (only 2 oz at a time) blended watermelon also blended watermelon chunls with one of the Edy's sugar free pops blended in with it to make it more of a slushy tastes great too!