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I don't like the taste of artificial sweeteners, so I drink dilute Lifewater, dilute Vitamin Water, dilute 100% no sugar added fruit juice, and herbal decaf teas (both hot and over ice). I have figured out can stand to drink things like crystal light, Mio and Dasani water drops, and propel zero if I add a little bit of real fruit juice to mask the artificial flavor. Basically, I dilute everything I drink (including my Protein drinks) because everything tastes too sweet and strong to me. And warm things always felt better to me early on (herbal tea and broths)

Garden of Life Raw Protein and Raw Fit are sprouted seed protein. Spirutein is rice, pea and soy protein. Jay Robb has egg protein powders. Those are just the ones I've used. If you google pea protein or soy protein or egg protein or hemp protein, you will find dozens of products. I also think there's a vegan subforum on here you could check out.

Mine was a barium flouroscopy done 3 days postop. You swallow a radio opaque liquid that you can watch go down your esophagus, through your sleeve and into your intestines. It was very cool. Other surgeons may do a more basic barium swallow radiograph. You swallow the liquid and a radiograph (or series of radiographs) is taken to see that the liquid is passing through the sleeve and that nothing is leaking out into the abdominal cavity. The fluoroscopy is like a video, where the radiograph is like a single picture.

Needed no help... 2 hour flight and 5 hour drive home on my own. Came home to a driveway that needed plowing, 4 dogs, 3 cats and 2 horses that needed fed, watered and walked. (only 2 of the dogs are mine...I was pet sitting the other two ). I went grocery shopping, got my nails done, and back to work day 7. I was tired, but had no problems taking care of everything.

As for the types of foods you can eat, Just because your surgeon says you can do it, doesn't mean you can. Everyone heals at different rates. I was on full liquids for 3 weeks and it was still hard at that point to eat puréed food. It was closer to 5 weeks before I tried anything that required chewing. Definitely talk to your surgeon. It is concerning that you can't keep down liquids now, Maybe the avocado/puking incident caused additional swelling that is creating a bit of a stricture. Good luck. Keep us posted.

So to answer the OP's question, I thought I'd look at what I normally eat to see if there were any surprises. I guess I'd have to say the Protein smoothies I make. One of my favorites is a Premier chocolate, 10oz 1% milk, 1/2 banana, 1 scoop GOL Raw Fiber, and enough ice to bring it to 24oz. Total 465 calories and 49g protein. I actually made a whopper of a smoothie today.....1 scoop Muscle Milk cake batter, 1/2 scoop Syntrax nectar apple, 1 scoop GOL Raw Fiber, 16oz 1% milk and enough ice to bring it to 24oz. Total 560 calories and 51g protein. And tasted like apple streusel.....mmmmmm. The biggest surprise component is the fiber supplement I use...120 calories per scoop! All those seeds and sprouts sure add up it sure works, though. But since I have been drinking these every day for the last 9 months and am 11 pounds under goal, I'm not about to stop just because I all of a sudden know the calorie count.

The weird thing is I seriously can't remember how I initially found out about Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Obesity Control Center. It was before I ever joined any WLS forums and I can honestly say I've never seen an advertisement for them online. I did, of course, research several options both in Mexico and within 200 miles of where I live and went with the one I felt safest with. The reasons I chose OCC over all of the others are too numerous to list and I couldn't be happier with the entire experience and results. Just ironic that I can't even remember how I first heard about them!

The insurance company sent me a copy of my policy when I enrolled and I just read through the whole thing. The weight loss exclusion (which included therapy, counseling, diet programs, surgery and any complication) was listed. Ask for a copy of your husbands policy and check for yourself. When I was forced to purchase an Obamacare plan, I requested the written policy from every company. None of them included WLS. Turns out whole states can opt out of the WLS inclusion and mine is one of them.

Depends on what state you live in....I am self employed and pay for an individual health insurance plan. It specifically excludes WLS. In fact, once Obamacare kicked in, it is impossible to purchase an individual plan in my state that includes WLS. My new "affordable" care plan costs more and covers less than the old plan. But that's a whole other rant...... So I researched the hell out of the procedure and surgeons...both local and in Mexico. I went with the most qualified ones I found and felt the safest with, Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez at OCC in TJ. I used the money I had been saving for two years for a down payment on a new truck. VSG was the best money I ever spent and I happily drive my 15 year old truck everyday. If you really want this surgery, you should keep your options open, and make it happen.

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I'm with VSGAnn on this one. We all knew we had to make changes postop for this surgery to work. The number one rule is Protein first...carbs last. You've already figured out the why...protein fills you up, carbs do not. You've got plenty of restriction, you are just choosing to eat the wrong things. It's all about choices and if you are feeling bad about the ones you are making then you need to make different ones. You need to figure out how to deal with your guilt and anger besides eating more carbs. I may be in your shoes one day, but at just over 9 months out I'm still dedicated to the commitment I made when I decided to have this surgery. If you don't have a support group or counselor to talk to, I suggest reading "The Emotional First Aid Kit - a Practical Guide to life after Bariatric Surgery . It really helped me prepare mentally for this new lifestyle.

It's called the 3 week stall. In fact, it's famous. Use the search function on here or visit the stall forum. You will see that EVERYONE goes through this and the answers to your questions have already been posted dozens of times. But in the end, the best thing to do is stick to your diet plan and STAY OFF THE SCALE!!!!

Thanks guys, but I really didn't feel that bad. It was pretty much business as usual as soon as I got home. My neck fusion surgery was way worse and there were LOTS of pain meds involved. I had my mom come stay with me for 10 days for that one.

I drove myself home 5 hours three days post op...I wasnt taking any pain meds. I live alone and was able to take care of myself, 2 cats, 3 dogs and 2 horses by myself just fine. I was a a little sore and tired, but there was nothing I needed help with. The the 20 pound lifting limit was easy to manage and work with....just took a couple extra trips to get the horses fed.

I kept a variety of shake flavors on hand....chocolate, vanilla, banana, cake batter, coffee, cherry, apple and lemonade. I added even more variety by using Torani syrups, Mio and Dasani Water flavor drops, PB2 and puréed fruit like bananas and peaches. Even 9 months later I still have a Protein smoothie everyday. Some of my favorites are chocolate banana, coffee hazelnut, cherry lemonade, pumpkin pie cake batter, vanilla Peanut Butter and dreamsicle (vanilla powder with OJ or Mio tangerine drops) For a more savory option I added unjury unflavored Protein Powder to every kind of broth and cream Soup I could find...chicken, beef, tortilla soup broth, hot and sour broth, wonton, miso, French onion, lobster bisque, asparagus cream, butternut squash, cream of shrimp, spinach, mushroom, etc. I diluted and strained any of the soups with little chunks. Hardly ever had the same thing more than once or twice the whole time. I used milk instead of water to mix a lot of the protein powders and drank diluted fruit juices instead of zero cal stuff because the artificial sweeteners upset my sleeve. The carbs in the milk and juice and fruit as well as the fat in some the cream soups helped with my energy.

I'm just over 9 months post op and I don't track, so I don't know what my total protein intake is. But I do have a 30-40g smoothie every day. And M-F I have a whole grain or protein bar (5-20g protein) as a snack/lunch at work. Besides the smoothie and bar I eat 5-6 times a day. Because I know I'm getting a good amount of protein with the supplements , I feel OK about eating more veggies, fruit and grains for some of my meals. I think a well balanced diet is important for long term health.

I started out with soft, less acidic fruits....pears, mangos, peaches. I didn't try any citrus or fibrous fruits until about 5 months out. I didn't have any problems at that point. In fact, frozen pineapple chunks were one of my goto summer treats. Maybe it was just too soon for you, whether it was the sugar or texture or acid. Wait a month or two and try again.

Sorry, this was posted in the General Weight Loss Surgery Forum. Didn't notice it was a lap bander discussion. You're right, your meal plans are probably different. But good luck to everyone. "Make it work" (ok, so I watch Project Runway )

The article started out quite interesting. Nailed it on the head why I don't bother dating anymore...too many games. But then the article turned down right insulting......"The first problem is people who never feel a “Fuck Yes” for anybody they meet. If you are lukewarm on absolutely everyone you meet, then either your demographics are way off, or you suffer from a lack of vulnerability and are protecting yourself by remaining indifferent and unenthused by all of those around you." The author basically says there's something wrong with those of us who are either not in a relationship or are not looking to be in a relationship. Sorry, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be single. It is the lifestyle I choose and I am very happy with my choice. I am confident and self -reliant. I do what I want when I want and don't have to worry about someone else's wants and needs that may not particularly correspond with my own. I'm happy more than I'm not happy. I can't say that about the periods I have been in relationships. And it sure isn't true about a lot of married couples I know. So all you singles out there.....fuck trying to find someone. You don't "need" to be in a relationship to be happy. But if you do choose to find a mate, make sure that he/she makes YOU happy and compliments your strengths. don't settle for someone that makes you less of your potential.

I don't see peanuts listed in the ingredients, but there's a big black warning on the package that says "contains soy, milk and peanuts". I think a lot of the quest bars contain almonds or walnuts, but not peanuts. They are a good source of protein and fiber...I'm just not a fan of the texture.

I guess you guys would cringe at my maintenance diet. First off, I've never weighed, measured or tracked my food. I know I'm getting 30-40g Protein in my smoothie everyday and I mentally keep track of my liquids so I know I'm getting at least 64oz. Other than that I simply eat when I'm hungry and just until satisfied, not full. I have no idea how many calories or carbs I consume. I simply try to eat a healthy, balanced diet of protein, veggies, fruit and whole grains. Never limited fat and have had all of the "bad" stuff IN MODERATION..... Alcohol, chips, ice cream, cake, bread, Pasta, etc. in fact, I had a pancake with butter and maple syrup and sausage for Breakfast this morning. And a 1/4 pound bacon-Swiss burger with guacamole and mayo and fries last week (of course it took me 3 days to finish) I didn't have surgery to be on a diet the rest of my life. If I wanted to keep track of everything and restrict what I can and can't eat I could have stayed on weight watchers. I read a lot of threads on here about people stressing over numbers....number of calories, grams of carbs, losses/gains on the scale, minutes at the gym, etc. Postop life really doesn't have to be that complicated.

When you can eat solids again, the GNC Lean Bars are pretty decent, too. I like the banana, strawberry yogurt and blueberry yogurt. I hate the gummy gooey texture of most protein bars (including the infamous, beloved quest bars) but the GNC bars are textured like rice crispie treats.

That sucks.....WTH kind of blood tests is he running? I had preop labs to check CBC, kidney, liver, cardiac, thyroid, hormones, and vitamins levels. I've had 2 followup blood panels for CBC, liver, kidney, and vitamin levels. I also had a number of fecal tests and cultures when I got diarrhea 6 weeks postop. All of that lab work came to around $1200. I am self pay so it's all out of pocket for me, and it's regular lab fees, not "in network". I can't image what is costing so much.

I use Premier Protein, Muscle Milk, Syntrax a nectar, Syntrax Matrix, Spirutein, unjury and Garden of Life Raw Fit and Raw Protein. The Spirutein, Raw Fit and Raw Protein are the only ones the have any fiber. The rest I have to add a supplement to. The key to adding fiber for constipation is it has to be insoluble fiber. Things like benefiber, Metamucil and most of the fiber chews are soluble fiber products that actually slow down our GI tracks, which doesn't help constipation. It's harder to find insoluble fiber supplements, but the two I use are Garden of Life Raw Fiber and ReNew Life Triple Fiber. I also make it a point to eat foods naturally high in fiber.....fruits, veggies, Beans, whole grains, etc. I found one Kashi Go Lean Cereal variety that has 13g protein and 10g insoluble fiber per serving. I mix it in plain Greek yogurt and flavor with Torani syrup or Protein powder for a yummy pudding desert.