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Here are the lists that my nutritionist gave to me for the different stages of eating after having surgery. The moderator may want to make this thread a sticky for those who don't get defined lists, as I've noticed a lot of questions about this topic in the past. *STAGE 1 - liquids START: When you return home from your surgery DURATION: For 2 weeks post surgery, or until your next dietitian appointment. DIET: Clear and full liquids GOAL: Aim for at least 64 ounces of Fluid for the day by continuous sipping. LIQUIDS RECOMMENDED: Water 100% fruit juice (No sugar added) Bouillon Strained Soups or broths Skim or 1% milk Soy milk Milk shakes - thinned Gatorade or equivalent sports drink Yogurt smoothie drinks - not including homemade Crystal Light sugar free beverages Herbal or decaffeinated tea or coffee Popsicles (Pedialyte) LIQUIDS TO AVOID: Citrus juices (orange, grapefruit, pineapple) Acidic liquids (tomato juice, tomato Soup, buttermilk) Caffeinated beverages (coffee, tea) Carbonated beverages (any soda pop, seltzer, or tonic water) Homemade fruit or yogurt smoothies Anything that seems liquid but is not (Jello, yogurt, pudding, ice cream) *Do pour test* *STAGE 2 - MUSHIES START: 2 weeks post surgery DURATION: Up to 2 weeks post liquid stage DIET: Soft food GOAL: Aim for a meal capacity of about 1 cup (8 ounces) for 3 meals per day. Aim for fluid intake of 48-64 ounces per day. FOODS RECOMMENDED: Milk (skim or 1% only) Cottage cheese eggs (poached, scrambled or soft boiled) Blended cream soups Yogurt Low Fat Cheese - unmelted Peanut Butter Tofu (silken only) Pudding Applesauce or other fruit sauces Canned fruits Mashed potatoes Cream of Wheat or oatmeal (diluted with milk) *STAGE 3 - SEMI SOLIDS START: 4 weeks post surgery DURATION: 2 weeks post mushies stage DIET: Semi-solid food GOAL: Aim for a meal capacity of about 1 cup (8 ounces) for 3 meals per day. Aim for fluid intake of 48-64 ounces per day. FOOD RECOMMENDED: Deli cuts of meat Canned flake meats such as tuna or chicken Ground meats like ground beef or ground turkey Beans Tofu Baked fish or crab meat Pasta, rice, and corn Fresh fruit - eliminate skins Cooked vegetables - avoid celery, asparagus or broccoli stalks Low Fat melted cheese FOODS TO AVOID FOR MUSHIES & SEMI SOLID STAGES: Caloric beverages - sweetened tea, soda, lemonade, juices Ice cream, frozen yogurt, milkshakes, & smoothies Regular Jello Dry solids like breads, cereals, crackers, high Fiber foods *STAGE 4 - SOLIDS RECOMMENDED FOODS & SERVING SIZES: Protein GROUP: 1 ounce lean meat, poultry or fish 1/4 cup yogurt 1/4 cup pudding 1/4 cup cottage cheese 1 egg, 2 egg whites 1/4 cup egg substitute 1 tbsp. peanut butter 1 ounce tofu 1 ounce cheese 1/4 cup canned flake meat 1 slice deli meat 2 tbsp. grated cheese 1/4 cup shredded cheese 1/2 cup beans 1/4 cup hommus GRAIN GROUP: 1/2 slice toast 1/4 bagel or english muffin 1/2 cup Cereal (cooked or dry) 1/2 cup broth-type soup 1 oblong graham cracker 1/4 cup rice, pasta, or potato 1/2 small baked potato 1/4 cup corn 4 crackers FRUIT GROUP: 1/4 cup canned fruit (in its own juices) 1/4 cup grapes 1/2 piece fresh fruit 1 tsp. jelly or jam 1/4 cup dry fruit VEGETABLE GROUP: 1/2 cup cooked vegetables 1 cup raw vegetables 1/2 cup tomato juice 1/4 cup tomato sauce or salsa OTHERS GROUP: 1 tsp. oil, butter, or margarine 1 tsp. mayonnaise 1 tbsp. Miracle Whip 1 tbsp. sour cream or cream cheese 1 tbsp. salad dressing 2 tbsp. guacamole 4-6 almonds, cashews, or pecans 1 ounce cheese 2 tsp. peanut butter 1 tbsp. tahini 1/4 cup Cool-Whip 1 tsp. sugar, honey, or syrup COMBINATION FOODS: 1 or 1 1/2 cup per meal 1/2 cup per snack CORE PLAN: BREAKFAST: 1-2 Proteins 1 fruit 2 grains 1 other LUNCH: 2-3 proteins 1 vegetable 2 grains 1 other SNACK: 1 fruit 1 protein DINNER: 2-3 proteins 1-2 vegetables 2 grains 1 other SNACK: 1 vegetable 1 grain I hope that this helps those who are researching getting the band, with knowing what your eating habbits will be like after surgery. I also hope that this will help those who are never given a clear eating plan after surgery too. Please know that this is just the plan that was given to me, and I do not expect all bandsters to follow this plan. It is simply a guidline for those who need one/are not given one. Please remember to follow exactly what your surgeon/nutritionist says, even if it is different than this list.

I thought I would post my story here in the hopes that this would keep someone from making the same mistake I did. I had my surgery in February of this year. I didn't hit the 'sweet spot' until the second week of May. Since then I have lost about 55 pounds. I am an occasional marijuana user. By occasional I mean that I will smoke whenever I want for one month out of the year. I do this because I am drug tested frequently for my job, but I have the summer off every year (no, I am not a teacher). In the past I would smoke during the month of June, then quit with a solid 2 months between me and my next drug test. Most literature about marijuana use states that 30 days is the maximum time for your body to process the detectable THC metabolites that are detected by urine tests if you are a chronic every-day user, and/or overweight. Because THC is stored in fat cells someone who is overweight may need extra time to get rid of the toxins. I left myself 2 months every year just to be sure, and I never had a problem with failing a drug test. This year I took my test after abstaining from marijuana use for 8 weeks. I failed the test. I can only assume that due to Lap Band and not being able to eat very much my metabolism has slowed down drastically and 8 weeks was no longer enough time for my body to get rid of the toxins. Another reason could be the fat loss was reintroducing the toxins stored in my fat back into my blood stream, although from the research I have done online that seems a little less likely. Either way, the result was the same. I failed my test, and now I am in danger of losing my job. I am still waiting to find out what my employers will ultimately do about this, but regardless what happens, I will never ever use marijuana or any other illegal drug again. I was stupid to do it in the first place, but years of getting away with it had made me complacent. I hope this information will help someone else not have to go through what I am going through right now.

You hit the nail on the head with this one! I myself am always guilty of making fat jokes about myself, but at the end of the day i am unhappy about it, and i think i've used it as a way to cope, but like you said, its not really helping me. I think we do need to take our power back, especially with ourselves. It isnt funny and i dont know where we decided it was. I'm proud of you for this post, and hopefully it will help us realize our worth.

Yeah, really checking out the BMI's is something.........I have lost 67 pounds, but I think the bmi scale says it all. Mine says "no longer obese" just overweight! I have gotten very addicted to reading them....after all that is what they judge on you for insurance and whatnot!

Thanknyou to everyone. I cant tll you how much your comments mean to me. I need to stay off the scale and keep doing what I am doing. I am glad I am not alone. I need to lower my expectations, or rather, slower them... it will take time. You all rockThanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's normal to not lose or even gain some weight after surgery. The first month or so is all about healing, not weightloss. I was banded Dec 2010, the same happened to me, I lost about 13 or 14lbs the first week and then maybe another pound or 2 until my first fill, 6 weeks after surgery. Once I started getting fills the weight started coming off slowly. The more fills I get over time, the more restriction I get followed by more weightloss. I have months where I'll lose a good amount of weight, and some where I only lose a few or none at all. For some of us it may take a few fills to gain restriction. You have to be patient and be very careful with what you are eating in between fills. If you aren't feeling restriction prior to fills you will have to diet all on your own as best as you can until your band starts helping you. The process of getting the band is so exciting and patience is the last thing we have when we've been through so much. We just want results right now, and that's understandable, I think most of us felt and/or feel that way. But that's not the reality of it (for most of us anyway), results may take a while. So just be patient for now, don't be upset if you gain a few pounds or if you're stuck at a certain weight, it's ok, you're on the right road. Give yourself time to recover before you start pushing yourself or being upset with yourself. The scale will start moving in the right direction before you know it.. Good luck!

OMG Now we have the Lap Band police. Please , regurgitating food with the band is not a huge problem as long as it is not something that you do regularly. Your Dr's tell you that there are certain foods that may not agree with your band. Well what the heck do you think happens when you have a band and you eat something that isn't going to go down - yep you bring it back up. And no I will not say vomit it up because it isn't vomiting, that is totally different. Most Dr's gloss over exactly what happens because I am sure they are trying not to put people off prior to surgery. If you are vomiting then yes that can cause your band to slip. Vomiting comes from beneath the band, and is usually associated with quite a bit of force. Regurgitating the food is like when you have too much phlegm and you have to cough and then spit it up. Seriously this is not going to make your band slip.

I was banded in 2008 at a 'Center of Excellence'. Was extremely happy with the band as I'd lost about 100 lbs my first year. Two weeks ago my band was removed via emergency surgery as the band had eroded so bad it was over 80% inside my stomach. I encourage you to research, research, research and ask a butt-load of questions from your surgeon and your PCP. As part of my research after my band failed I found this article in JAMA from July 2011: Based on a follow-up of 54.3% of patients,LAGB appears to result in a mean excess weight loss of 42.8%after 12 years or longer. Of 78 patients, 47 (60.3%) were satisfied,and the quality-of-life index was neutral. However, becausenearly 1 out of 3 patients experienced band erosion, and nearly50% of the patients required removal of their bands (contributingto a reoperation rate of 60%), LAGB appears to result in relativelypoor long-term outcomes. I also want to add that my surgeon who put in my band (and took it out) no longer performs banding because of the sheer volume of failures resulting in explantation. I wish you luck and if the band is for you, I hope it works perfectly!

Missyt.....I feel like some of these people are being a little hard on you. If you have had your band for 4 years as you say, then it is likely it has become less effective over time, studies show this. So those of you who are being a little insensitive toward Missyt, I sure hope you never experience what she is going through. Also, it is true that the band works differently for everyone, or perhaps not at all for some. As for myself, I have been banded for almost 6 years. My first year banded I lost 140lbs, and the next year I my band slipped and I had to have revision surgery to have it repaired. I was lucky that the slip was not terrible and did not lose my band. However, the second part of my story is not so successful. After having my band slip and seriously starving for two weeks without being able to keep down even one bite of food, and then having to have surgery again....I was scared to utilize my band properly for several more years. I didn't even get another fill until three years later because I was terrified this would happen to me again. Long story short, I gained all but 20lbs back of the weight I had lost. Those of you who say the band is a "tool", maybe that is true for you, but not for everyone. Looking back I feel like I could have lost the weight without the band. At the time, I gave the band a lot of credit, but hindsight is 20/20. I see now that I was working out at least 6 days a week, and I was eating low carb, low calorie, and so on. There were very few times I felt that "full" feeling that everyone describes with the band. The only time my band became that "tool" for me was when it slipped and I was unable to keep food down, but at this point it was too late, and not healthy. Now I have recently gotten a fill, and under flouro, my doctor says I have very good restriction, however when I eat the recommended amount of food, I still do not feel full. I feel no different than I did when I had the band. I do not drink liquids for a period of time before and after eating, yet I still do not stay full for very long. My fills are almost maxed out at this point. I will be able to have one more, and my band will be completely full. I am not saying the band does not work, but for some people it's not the "tool" that they were expecting. I think some people(such as myself) get carried away with the fact that they had SURGERY, and therefor, they MUST not fail....I paid for my surgery out of pocket, so failure was not an option...which is what somewhat motivated me(among other things) So for those of you who the band works perfectly, congrats...I am so happy for you ....But please please be sensitive to those whose bands aren't working quite as well for them. Of course there are people who totally sabotage their own weight loss efforts by not following "band rules", but in our own arrogance, let's try not to accuse everyone of this.....Thanks

My first and ONLY stuck episode was also with chicken. My nurse told me chicken is one of the worst for this problem with band and bypass patients. It is just a VERY dry meat. She recommended always adding something to chicken like salsa, marina sauce, gravy, or spaghetti sauce. I know it was a scary thing to have happen. I cried and told my husband to stay away until I got it unstuck. It was definately a learning experience. Best of luck to you on NEVER experiencing this again!