Cpt. Ahab

So I'm week post surgery today. I'm supposed to be on thick liquids, but I've browsed a ton of topics on the Nutrition/Food forum and a lot of people consider anything that will blend a "thick liquid". Up till now I was pretty faithful - sticking to Soups and nothing thicker than pudding. So yesterday I decided to blend me up some meatballs with broth and some mashed potatoes with light gravy. I suppose the consistency was that of a mushy food. Ate it - in tiny bites and slowly. No issues. The next morning I was greeted by the most manly BM in a week. Yay! Today I had some burrata cheese with a tiny bit of olive oil and basil - so consistency of say cottage cheese. Again no problems. I skipped the tomatoes (my favorite food) - but a week into the experiment I think the mushy stuff goes in easy. My portions are about 1/4 - 1/3 cup and I feel satisfied. Since the surgery (7 days) I've lost 7 lbs - so pound a day. Not bad. How many of you have tried to "speed up" your food? Has anyone had any problems? I for one feel great and I think I'm going to continue. As I said in one of my posts - I miss chewing. The liquids, no matter how nutritious - just don't cut it. I wouldn't dare to eat anything chunky w/o asking my doctor - so luckily I have an appt. tomorrow. I'm going to ask if I can progress through the stages faster, so that I can get adjusted and move on with the program. Let me know if you've experimented and what your results were. Thanks, Ahab

Hi, I searched the entire forum and haven't found any info on the topic of Paleo (aka, Caveman diet, Primal Blueprint) lifestyle. I was banded on May 22nd. At my heaviest I was 250lbs - 90+ days later I'm at 210 - so pretty good loss. I feel great. I have read a ton of posts on these forums about what people eat and one thing that struck me as odd was that people continued their bad behavior of craving and eating carbs. In fact the entire post-op diet plan concentrates heavily on sweet stuff: jell-o, pudding, crystal-light, Protein shakes (sweet flavors: choco, fruit, vanilla, etc.) No wonder people are having problems and constantly complaining. So here some things I'd like to share. About a month ago, I completely ditched all guidelines from the nutritional guide and decided that I would only eat things naturally occurring in nature. So, no artificial sweeteners, flavors, processed foods, etc. Instead I started buying organic, grass-fed, sustainable, and all that new age bull. As I did this I still age some carbs: whole grains, crispy/crunchy crackers, tortilla chips - all organic and "good for you." Then someone I know mentioned that what I was doing was close to the Primal Blueprint or Paleo lifestyle. Since then I've read up on the topic and completely made the switch to not eat agricultural products (grains). I am still eating dairy (Greek yogurt, Kefir, butter, etc.) Got rid of all the artificial fats (PAM sprays, canola oils, I can't believe it's not butters, blah, blah) and went primal. Since I've started doing this, my energy levels skyrocketed and my weightloss increased. Before my doctor told me I'd expect to shed about a 1 pound per week. I'm 10cc in a 14cc band - so pretty tight. I get full on a small bowl of food - at that rate I was still losing about 1 lbs per week. After I started on the Paleo, my weightloss from week to week increased to 2.5 lbs. My energy is high, my skin looks better and firmer and my cholesterol actually dropped (despite using animal fats such as lard or tallow or butter to cook with). I talked to my doctor about this today and he was pretty impressed. His comment was that as long as I felt good about it and had no issues with any of the foods that I was eating he was 100% behind and actually mentioned that he supports the Paleo / natural foods diets. Anyway - thought I'd share and ask if anyone out there has tried this and what were your results? I'm not trying to sell or promote something here - just curious. If I read the book first, I probably would have been a skeptic as always, but since it was an experiment that worked out and already had a name - I'm happy with it. Ahab.

This question is for guys. What do you do with your old, now too big, clothes? I have at least 4-5 really nice suits that are waaay too big now for me. I tried to take them to the tailor, but they would have to rip the whole thing apart including shoulders and vents and that costs as much as a brand new suit. Are there consignment clothes for men? Would men actually buy used clothing? Guys don't usually borrow each other stuff and aren't really into wearing used - at least not my friends - so is my only option Goodwill? That's been the costliest part of the surgery so far. I'm still losing pound/week so I don't want to spend money on new clothes because I know they're just interim. When I reach my goal, then I'll splurge on some killer bespoke suits and new jeans, but right now it's all temporary. I know - good problem to have for a change Ahab.

That is killer progress!! Wow! Congrats and keep it up. Yeah - 20 lbs that's an additional size - but I know it's hard to wait. I'm a professional so I have to dress up. Went to a tailor to re-cut my favorite suit and blazer - $320. Ouch, right! But the price we pay for living fat lives in our past. I called consignment stores - no luck. I think I have an idea though - there are clothes drives sponsored by Mens' Wearhouse that donate suits to unemployed, homeless, for interview purposes. Seems like a worthy cause. What job seeker couldn't use a Calvin Klein, DKNY and Boss suits, right?

What turned me on to the Paleo lifestyle (not a diet) was the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson, then I just started searching on the web for various sources of information about food and fitness. That said, for me Paleo is not just diet. The fact that I'm not supposed to eat carbs because of the band only supports the notion. Now, instead of any processed, artificial, etc. foods I eat wholesome, organic and natural produce and meats. Yes it can be pricey at times - but there are ways to buy local and organic without killing your wallet. The best part about the whole thing is the exercise - low impact - simple - cheap and it does give you lots of energy. Good luck!

Hi, I searched the entire forum and haven't found any info on the topic of Paleo (aka, Caveman diet, Primal Blueprint) lifestyle. I was banded on May 22nd. At my heaviest I was 250lbs - 90+ days later I'm at 210 - so pretty good loss. I feel great. I have read a ton of posts on these forums about what people eat and one thing that struck me as odd was that people continued their bad behavior of craving and eating carbs. In fact the entire post-op diet plan concentrates heavily on sweet stuff: jell-o, pudding, crystal-light, Protein shakes (sweet flavors: choco, fruit, vanilla, etc.) No wonder people are having problems and constantly complaining. So here some things I'd like to share. About a month ago, I completely ditched all guidelines from the nutritional guide and decided that I would only eat things naturally occurring in nature. So, no artificial sweeteners, flavors, processed foods, etc. Instead I started buying organic, grass-fed, sustainable, and all that new age bull. As I did this I still age some carbs: whole grains, crispy/crunchy crackers, tortilla chips - all organic and "good for you." Then someone I know mentioned that what I was doing was close to the Primal Blueprint or Paleo lifestyle. Since then I've read up on the topic and completely made the switch to not eat agricultural products (grains). I am still eating dairy (Greek yogurt, Kefir, butter, etc.) Got rid of all the artificial fats (PAM sprays, canola oils, I can't believe it's not butters, blah, blah) and went primal. Since I've started doing this, my energy levels skyrocketed and my weightloss increased. Before my doctor told me I'd expect to shed about a 1 pound per week. I'm 10cc in a 14cc band - so pretty tight. I get full on a small bowl of food - at that rate I was still losing about 1 lbs per week. After I started on the Paleo, my weightloss from week to week increased to 2.5 lbs. My energy is high, my skin looks better and firmer and my cholesterol actually dropped (despite using animal fats such as lard or tallow or butter to cook with). I talked to my doctor about this today and he was pretty impressed. His comment was that as long as I felt good about it and had no issues with any of the foods that I was eating he was 100% behind and actually mentioned that he supports the Paleo / natural foods diets. Anyway - thought I'd share and ask if anyone out there has tried this and what were your results? I'm not trying to sell or promote something here - just curious. If I read the book first, I probably would have been a skeptic as always, but since it was an experiment that worked out and already had a name - I'm happy with it. Ahab.

Hi...one cool thing about being banded and then adjusted is that your food intake will be very very low and way below your daily caloric needs so you won't have to worry about counting calories. After that it's important to eat only the good things. There's a reason bandsters aren't supposed to be eating rice, Pasta, bread - not only these things have the propensity to get lodged, but they are super bad for you. That one switch of completely saying goodbye to grain-based carbs (you still get enough through veggies and fruit) was the turning point. Good Luck!!

Just an update and a word of encouragement to all newbies. I'm 6 weeks post op - and since the surgery I lost about 20 lbs. First few weeks on liquids and mushies were kinda sucky - but tolerable. After that - I've been eating healthy foods, mostly lean seafood, veggies, occasional red meat - but very little. I haven't had a fill yet, so without restriction I've been watching my own portions and there have been days where I've eaten more than I should have. I've started on solids sooner than prescribed but I'm pretty well-tuned to what my body wants/needs and because of portion controls I've been able to eat most things. By choice I've eliminated most white carbs: rice, bread, Pasta. I've had a bit of rice and a nibble of bread here and there and I do have oatmeal - otherwise all Protein diet will screw up your BMs and you'll have to supplement Fiber. I really hate supplements or non-natural things, so I've been increasing fiber in my diet while keeping protein high. So far - only slight constipation - I know TMI 3-4 weeks post op I've started working out: cardio about 3-4 times a week and weights on alternating days. That has helped tremendously not so much in increased weight loss as in energy levels and overall healthy feeling. BEST PART - old pants fitting again!! And shirts and jackets too!! 20 lbs is about 1 size in clothes - so I'm back to L from being XL. Yay! Tomorrow I'm going in for the first fill - really excited about that. And a bit anxious because so far I've had nothing "stuck" as there was nothing to obstruct my pipes - now it's going to be different. I'm just hoping that post fill, I'll have just positive experience as I've head up until now. That 20 lbs of weight loss has increased my energy 10-fold - now I'm hoping that the weight loss will continue at a nice, steady pace. By Xmas I intend to look like a Greek god . So - if you just joined, just had a surgery - the first few weeks are tough but not impossible. After that - things are downhill. Stay motivated!! Ahab.

Not to worry. I had the same pain for about a week post-op. It goes away. It's gas. Gas-X helps but that weird hunger/chest/can't breathe pain does go away eventually. I know it's weird but nothing to worry about. Hang in there!

Hi, So...I'm getting banded in about 2 weeks and I've started my pre-op diet - started it a bit early - been on it about 5 days. So far so good - shakes are tolerable and lean lunches aren't that bad either. My problem is with the fact that in order to do the pre-op right the choices and tastes are rather limited. Yes, I have a list of all the wonderful "shakes" you can make - but I'm not really a shake/smoothie kinda person. I enjoy food, not for emotional or stress reasons, but for the quality and taste (I know - a form of addiction). So my question to those who've been banded for a while is: Will I be able to eat high-end, quality restaurant foods or will a trip to a restaurant be a total waste of time not to mention money? I don't mind eating in small quantities, but I would still like to enjoy the foie gras, good stinky cheeses (bread I can live without), a nice steak (a small one) or really unique and different foods that I have access to while traveling on the expense account I don't care about burgers, fast food, cakes and all other junk - that I can totally give up and never care a bit, but when I'm faced with a chocolate soufflé with grand marnier - it's kinda hard to say no - again I'll only have a bite - it's the taste experience that's enticing. I'm also a sucker for street food - especially in NY. Have any of you thought about this before the surgery? How has your restaurant experience been affected by the band? Did you have to give up all the delicious things and replace them with shakes or meh chicken just to deal with the band? Have any of the awesome gourmet foods been a problem because of the band? Any insight would be great. Thanks in advance!! Ahab

Now that you're starting a new lifestyle - first word of advice: skip TGIF. Skip all chains. Skip all crappy, mass produced, fatty, sweet, short-order crap. When you go out - go out someplace where the ingredients are top notch, have hight nutritional value, taste great - and with you ability to only eat a little - it won't cost as much. Have some fantastically poached salmon or Chilean sea bass...some incredibly tender Kobe mignon, seared ahi tuna, gazpacho, caviar - what the hell! Eating in restaurants will be come a pleasurable rather than painful - watching people around you put away a platter of twice baked potato skins and fried onion rings can make anyone sick to their stomach.

Certainly no shortage of opinions...but calling a Nr. 3 bariatric surgeon in the country an idiot may be pushing it a bit. I think we all know that doctors always err on the side of caution and prescribe plans suited for the masses. Having an individualized approach sanctioned by my doctor and a nutritionist makes me much more comfortable than being treated like just another patient out there. To each it's own. Peace!

I forgot to mention I heal like Wolverine from X-men. I actually called my Dr. today and he said if I felt fine - just listen to what my body tells me. He did stress though: no bread, no rice, no Pasta. No chunks for another week - which is what I expected. I'm pretty much pain free a week after - the port feels just a bit sore - but other than that I'm cool. I even made it to the office yesterday. Thanks for the replies and voices of concern - I really appreciate it. It's great to see people care and respond and give their own perspective. That's awesome. I think I'm gonna like it here Happy 4th of July everyone - sniff them burgers and BBQ cooking in the neighbors yards!! Oh, and one more thought for the weekend: If god dwells inside of us, as some people believe, I sure hope he likes Protein shakes 'cause that's what he's getting!!

I had the same feeling right after the surgery - I'm about a week post op and this is subsiding. Walk a lot, when lying down change sides and lift your legs and your butt upwards. This helps your trapped gas travel around the intestines so that when you do let one rip - it'll be heavenly!! As for chest pain right at the breast-bone - feeling out of breath - slow down your eating (drinking). I noticed that if I drink a bit too fast (old habits die hard) I get that choked up feeling. I miss chewing

And here's a link about Aspertame and Diet Sodas: http://consumerist.com/2011/06/new-studies-say-artificial-sweetener-could-be-making-you-fat.html

Speaking of booze...my doctor, right before my surgery told me: first week you can have all the Clear liquids - I don't care if you drink Vodka or Tequila - as long as they're clear. So if my surgeon says it's OK - it's OK. Not that I've had any - but this 4th of July weekend I will definitely partake upon the all-american margarita. coffee - from now on - no more 7-11 swill or office crap or even Starbucks. As the saying goes, garbage-in garbage-out - I'm going for the java of all java's: Peet's Coffee Sumatra Java - that thing is pure pleasure - maybe even will get the espresso machine.

I'm week from surgery - had me a small cup of coffee today. They don't want you to drink coffee because it dehydrates your body and they (the doctors) want you to get your fluids from Water, however there's nothing unhealthy about drinking coffee. You should probably avoid making it overly sweet or with tons of cream, and definitely stay away from 1000 calorie Starbucks "coffee" drinks like half-caf-half-decaf-no-water-extra-foam-5 pumps-3shots-mocha-frappa-chocolate-chip-macchiatto with a twist - but a cup-o-joe in the AM is how the world makes it through the day! Now that you have a band and should treat your body like the temple that it is - get some killer roast or even treat yourself to Sumatran Kopi Luwak that was pooped out and harvested by the islanders at $50/pound.

Sure, sugar maybe bad for you but so are all the artificial sweeteners in the "sugar-free" products. Aspertame is disgusting and probably dangerous, Saccharin is carcinogenic, Splenda rots away every intestinal bacteria there is and is closer to plastic in its make-up than to sugar. So...Stevia plant so far has been determined to be good as it's a natural sweetener, so is Agave and cane sugar. The goal should be to limit your empty sugar calories - but just because something is "sugar free" does not make it calorie free -- read your labels!!! The sugar-free cup of Jello you're sliding is probably worse for you in the long run than say, home-made pudding made with organic milk and some sugar. That's one of the reasons I really am skeptical of the post-op diet - which is very sweet even if "sugar free." The reason we've all here is because we trusted the labels of "sugar-free" and "fat-free" for way too long. LABELS - READ THEM!! Calories - count them! Choose wisely! My $0.02

So...day 4 post op. Onto thick liquids. What an irony. The post op diet is all based on sweet: Water + CrystalLight, Jello, popsicles - with broth being the exception. Thick liquids: pretty much the same: yogurt, pudding, Protein shakes - all pretty much hits the sweet side of the palate. Soups are the only savory thing that makes it in. It's ironic that all "post weight loss surgery" foods default to the sweet. I would kill for something savory/salty. Had some hummus today - ate it with a fork - what a freak! I freakin' hate sweet things. Sure occasional bite of chocolate cake or something desertish - fine - but why has no-one invented bacon flavored jell-o or steak pudding? I even got the chicken Soup unjury shake - but there are limits to how many a person can drink. The next 4 weeks are going to be weird with all the dairy crap. I need to start chasing the Protein Shakes with some tequila or I'll go crazy. Sorry - just venting. The only way I can now - because gas is just trapped in there hehehe Ahab

Yeah - I guess the question is: Will it blend? I picked up a great cook-book for post weight-loss surgery folks on Amazon: "Eating Well after weight loss surgery" by Patt Levine and Michelle Bontempo-Saray. Has a lot of good soup recipes for Weeks 1-2 and beyond has tons of low-fat, low-cal, high Protein recipes. I'm going to try and make some of them this week and puree the hell out of them. Sipping some great mushroom soup right about now for lunch. I found that anything more than 6oz of liquids fills me up pretty well. I'm also beginning to recognize the difference between hunger pangs and gas. BTW - if there are any Venture Capitalists or Angel Fund people - I'm in the concept stage of a machine that would trap all the gas generated by bandsters and harnessing it as an alternative energy source. It seems it's our only way out of foreign oil dependence. If you know Al Gore - introduce us!! It would be such a waste to all those unrealized farts go to waste Good Times, Ahab

I got banded yesterday. Pretty much what I expected: forms, more forms and waiting. Now I know what my allergy is: being asked if I have any allergies Pre-op procedures were pretty normal and I felt fine and ready. Once they got me in the OR, strapped me down I started to have some anxiety. I remember my last though being: "Oh crap! Maybe I'm not ready for this." Next thing I remember I was in the recovery room feeling groggy and sleepy. I really hate anesthesia - that cotton mouth, woozy out of this world feeling is worse than the pain. Actually the pain in my abdomen isn't big. Feels like I was kicked in the gut a few times, but first rule of fight club .... After getting home, all I wanted to do was sleep. I thought I'd be in more pain - but it wasn't bad. Took my liquid Vicodin and dozed off. In the evening I had some clear broth - but wasn't feeling up to it. The night passed with me waking up every hour wanting to pee, but only a few drops would come out. I guess that's the anesthesia coming out. By morning I could pee a bucketful. Second day - still sore but otherwise OK. Taking this time off to watch some old movies. I'm trying to walk around the house and there's certainly press. I've read on these forums that post surgery one can feel really bloated and gassy - true. Luckily I was able to fart right away - so that eased up the pain a bit. Munching on some Jello as I write - not a fan of artificially flavored things but I'll cope. unjury chicken Soup Protein - surprisingly good and tastes like chicken broth. Had me some of that for lunch. Now I'm really just hoping that the abdomen pain goes away soon so that I can feel normal and do things around the house and play with my kid. One of my incisions is a bit bloody - but I'm going for a post-op check tomorrow - hopefully they can re-dress. Now that the wait and the actual surgery is over - I'm anxious to get back to my normal life. I need a really good story to tell my co-workers of why I'm eating like an anorexic...and no - the truth isn't an option. Back to watching Matrix series Later, Ahab

Some sushi restaurants offer brown rice instead of white - lower level of starch and carbs - plus it's less sticky. Also, for hand-rolls you can request soy paper - which is easier to bite on and dissolves easily. I love sushi and I'm glad it's one of the things I wont' have to give up on. Surgery is tomorrow! Fun.

Hi, So...I'm getting banded in about 2 weeks and I've started my pre-op diet - started it a bit early - been on it about 5 days. So far so good - shakes are tolerable and lean lunches aren't that bad either. My problem is with the fact that in order to do the pre-op right the choices and tastes are rather limited. Yes, I have a list of all the wonderful "shakes" you can make - but I'm not really a shake/smoothie kinda person. I enjoy food, not for emotional or stress reasons, but for the quality and taste (I know - a form of addiction). So my question to those who've been banded for a while is: Will I be able to eat high-end, quality restaurant foods or will a trip to a restaurant be a total waste of time not to mention money? I don't mind eating in small quantities, but I would still like to enjoy the foie gras, good stinky cheeses (bread I can live without), a nice steak (a small one) or really unique and different foods that I have access to while traveling on the expense account I don't care about burgers, fast food, cakes and all other junk - that I can totally give up and never care a bit, but when I'm faced with a chocolate soufflé with grand marnier - it's kinda hard to say no - again I'll only have a bite - it's the taste experience that's enticing. I'm also a sucker for street food - especially in NY. Have any of you thought about this before the surgery? How has your restaurant experience been affected by the band? Did you have to give up all the delicious things and replace them with shakes or meh chicken just to deal with the band? Have any of the awesome gourmet foods been a problem because of the band? Any insight would be great. Thanks in advance!! Ahab

Thanks everyone - that's encouraging. I guess I'm trying to rationalize the whole process. I keep putting things in my + and - columns...but the fact that I have put such a huge emphasis on the "I'm never going to be able eat/drink <fill in the food of choice>" is indicative of the fact that food does play significant role in my life. I enjoy cooking it and eating it. Onward and upward then! One fear is that I will have an episode in public when something goes up rather than down - but I'll deal Good to know that shakes are not the staple - but a convenience food especially when there's no time for breakfast in the long term. No amounts of fruit, yogurts or other flavors can make them palatable. Thanks!

Hi All, I've been scouring the Forum for the past 3 months...ever since I first stepped into the clinic to get some info. Long story short: I'm through my testing and filling out of countless forms and my surgery date is scheduled for end of June. While I was waiting on the insurance decision, this was a bit surreal: reading other people's stories, learning about the band, nutrition, constraints. Glad to say that nothing I've read so far has scared me enough to not continue Now that the surgery date is approaching, I'm starting to feel a bit antsy. Not about the surgery itself - I can handle scalpels, needles and doctors - but about life after the surgery. Food (or lack thereof) I can handle...just the whole concept of integrating my new lifestyle into my daily life seems a bit daunting. At home it's easy: I can chug a protein shake or cook up a bit of something....but I'm on the road 5 days a week. I'm expected to go out and entertain clients, co-workers, etc. I'm not exactly inclined to share with strangers my medical/life choices - so I'm trying to see if there are any road-warriors out there who are in a similar situation. How do you handle the expectations of going out? What can I eat at a steakhouse that isn't going to kill me or ruin the band (besides the mashed potatoes)? Anyway - just thought I'd say hi...ask around.... Thanks, Ishmael