Monday I went to my “transition” class at the surgeon’s office to learn how to move from the liquid diet to mushy foods and beyond. There were only four other patients there with me, we were all banded on the same day. I was so excited to get away from drinking those shakes finally!

The PA went over what our typical meal should look like and had lots of great suggestions about how to prepare it or order it. She had fake rubber food in the right portion sizes so we had a good idea what a portion actually looked like. I expected the portions to look tiny, but they were actually not too bad.

She went over nutrition information on packaged foods and made some suggestions for healthy choices. She told us the most important thing to remember is getting the required amount of protein in every day, 60-80 grams. We were told that these next two weeks were not so much for losing weight but for getting back to eating real foods. After two weeks is over, we should be able to eat anything we want and then it will be time for our first fill. The hardest part of the class was when she passed out menus from various restaurants and we had to order something that was healthy from them. I got the Jonny Rocket’s Restaurant, which is a hamburger joint. I ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad with the dressing substituted with vinaigrette, on the side. A for me!

When I got home I tried several things for dinner. My husband had ordered pizza to eat while watching Monday Night Football and I was able to eat a sliver sized slice of it. IT WAS SO GOOD! I find that the band does not restrict my eating at all so far, but it does curb my appetite and definitely makes me satisfied earlier. Yesterday for lunch I had a Starkist Tuna Lunch to Go and wasn’t hungry for the next five hours.

My problem has always been snacking during the day while I’m at work. I am committed to not snack anymore and I know I can do it with the help of my band. I need to work on getting that protein in, so I’m going to go to GNC on my break today and get some protein water to try it out. If it tastes good and isn’t too expensive, I think that would be a great thing to incorporate in my new daily diet plan.

Kimberly