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Hello all my fellow bandsters! I am just about 6 weeks out from my LB surgery and I get my first fill Monday - I've been very good following the rules from the surgeon and nutritionist but I'm looking for a meal program to take the guess work out and give me more structure. In the past, I did really well on Jenny Craig for this exact reason - everything I was supposed to eat was written out for me and it worked - is there any such book out there that gives you a month menu of Breakfast, lunch & dinner that are band safe and spelled out? I've primarily been eating eggs for breakfast, turkey lettuce wraps with hummus for lunch and fish for dinner. If I get hungry I eat either cottage cheese or a Protein shake & to seal off the day one SF pudding. I'm not in the green zone yet and I've only lost about 13lbs since surgery (the 2lbs a week that my expectations are set at) I'm hungry more often however a few bites of chicken or turkey usually satisfy real quick but there's got to be a better plan than this!???? So I'm looking for some good suggestions on menu/cook books out there - anyone?? Of course this is only the food side of the LB solution - this has nothing to do with exercise - I know it takes that side too Looking for suggestions! Cheers

I'm going to discuss this with my doc too - I am one month post op and have little to no restriction and definitely feel better if I drink while I'm eating. I'm following the rules and eating primarily Protein and veggies and it certainly feels better to drink while I eat. I've done both but like the drinking much better. I am apprehensive because I believe that once i get filled this won't be the case - but for now I'm fully aware that this might change - NaNa - I appreciate the articles b/c it's great info to share with my doc to hopefully get his professional recommendations - because as we can all see from this forum - there are endless opinions and methods, doesn't seem like any are consistent across the board. Bottom line - I want to eat a small amount, hunger satisfied and lose weight - all while maintaining optimal health - lol

A month feels like FOREVER... I'm one month out from LB surgery and I'm down 13 lbs but given what I've eaten over this month I feel like it ought to be 2X that amount. Slow and steady that's what everyone says and it will come off and as my wonderful husband reminds me - it sure didn't take me 1 month to balloon to my all time highest weight (that was the day of my surgery). So, keep on doing the right things and breath and I'm sure the weight will come off - at least that's what I'm believing. Cheers!

Hi lovebug! I'm 4 weeks post op today and I also had a hernia repair at the same time as the LB. I suffered with a lot of left quadrant pain and originally, and based on what I read on this forum, I believed it to be gas pains from the air they pump into my body during surgery. When I went for my 10 day post op with my doc he said that the sharp pain in my left side is actual nerve pain. That nerve pain is still a daily presence although it's not all day long and it shoots beyond my chest and shoulder up into my neck and the outside of my ear - it's burning sharp pain. Doc said it will likely take 6 weeks maybe even 3 months to completely heal. Of all the pains, that has been the hardest to deal with. The pain meds to make it feel better but then the hangover and bowl issues isn't really worth it that come with the pain meds ... I have my first fill on Dec. 2nd and looking forward to talking to the doc about the nerve pain - kind of unfortunate - but I knew this wouldn't be easy. Sure enough, not so easy - but the scale is going in the right direction. I hope this helps - I'm experiencing the same and still 4 weeks later. A couple of other things that are a bit extreme for me personally is the pure fact of foreign objects in my body - my incision is still pretty sore and right underneath I can totally feel my port and I honestly believe I can feel the band too - my abdomen is very hard in a few spots. I am still very UNrestricted as far as food going down my esophagus and into my stomach - I can gulp drinks (albeit I try not to b/c I believe this will go away with the fills) - I've gone in and out of different levels of hunger - I've been off all sugars and little to no carbs with no cheating... but feel like I need to be strict with myself until my fills get me to the green zone. I have to say I'm more hungry than I thought I would be but staying strong and mostly eating high Protein dense food like chicken, fish and turkey. so....this is probably more than what you were asking but it's nice to report on my condition at 4 weeks post op. Cheers!

I just read a post from someone who said it was crazy to see someone post, "I don't know what to eat"... but yet that is the most important daily thing and being less than 3 weeks post op, the thing I'm struggling with the most. Yes, I did get a ditto from the doc with a list of foods - all low fat and no sugar: cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, eggs, tuna, baked fish, ground meats, refried Beans and then it includes things like cereals, crisp toast, rice,baked potato, bananas, watermelon and cantaloupe. So, I get that I am allowed to eat the above list, what I want to know is - for those of you who are losing weight - what are y'all eating? I'll go first... Today I had sauteed spinach and fresh salsa - I spray the pan with bakers joy and the salsa is tomato & onion in the clear container found in the deli - not jarred, then cracked two eggs and cooked for 2-3 minutes so the egg is cooked but the yolk makes a sauce, it's very good and I've been having this daily for the most part. For lunch I had tuna made with celery and a little light mayo and greek yogurt and Dijon and a dab of Franks hot sauce - I had about 4 oz total For dinner I'll have salmon and broccoli and in between I will have a 30 grm chocolate Protein drink with 5 grms of carbs - no sugar. I'll eat about 1/2 cup of SF Jello and one SF Jello pudding. That's my day... please critique critique critique but more important post what you ate yesterday (or today if you know ) THANKS!

I found Peace Love and Low Carb on-line and made her Low Carb meat sauce - and then I took cottage cheese and the meat sauce baked in the oven and added a sprinkle of low fat mozzerella on top - noodleless lasagna and very comforting.

I'm so satisfied tonight!! I cooked a low carb meat sauce today and took cottage cheese & the meat sauce on top w a sprinkle of NF cheese & baked for 10 mins... Noodleless lasagna!! Thank U Peace, Love & Low Carb

Gosh guys... my heart is breaking for all of you that this isn't working for – there are so many of you it seems! I am 3 total weeks post-op last night at 8PM (ha who's counting) and reading everyone's struggles really opens my eyes to the facts of my matter. When I was doing my pre-op appointments and I met with the nutritionist, she handed me very strict guidelines and basically told me that these guidelines were not to be altered and needed to be followed, PERIOD. She kind of lead me to believe it would be life or death albeit she did NOT use those words. I left there thinking, wow... never again will I be able to eat all of my favorites, like NJ pizza and a bagel with cream cheese, lox, capers and red onion and, (you guys know) the list goes on and on and on - oh, I have to make a notable mention of Mac N Cheese; homemade, from a box, at a cafeteria, with lobster in it or...however it's cooked... <deep breath> Yeah, no more. And then the realization occurred to me - this is Weight LOSS surgery dummy and she is in the business to make you LOSE weight! Of course you cannot have sugar, and flour and fried foods! weeping! And as the devil and angel on my shoulders are contesting with each other - Angel saying, "you've eaten all of those foods, enough to last you a life time and look how miserable and depressed they have made you" and the devil saying, "ohhhhh but they feel so good and they taste so wonderful, you don't care that you can't really walk on the beach in a bathing suite b/c your thighs stick together and become raw and you don't care that you don't want to leave the house and see anybody as you hide in your closet all day" ... and they are battling with each other, duking it out in my head. So 4-5 weeks ago I took the attitude of the beloved angel and shut my eyes and let the surgeon slice me open and stick this foreign object in my body, which by the way seems to be taking FOREVER to heal - I guess I imagined it would be a couple days of discomfort and magic wand - I'd be 20lbs down in two weeks on my way to Onederland and onto Skinnyville, certainly within 6 months! Well, <finger SNAP> I need to get back to reality and what I know 3 weeks in as opposed to the magic wand idea, is this is work, like EVERY other diet I've been on, unfortunately. This Lapband is a tool, just like that little slide rule they give you in WW so you can calculate your points and just like the little boxes of portioned controlled food they give you at Jenny Craig and just like that needle that I stuck into myself on HCG - the difference here is - with time and following the rigid guidelines that sweet little nutritionist handed to me, I know that I'll get to my goal and become accustom to eating WAY less than I did pre-band and manage my weight at a comfortable size 10 and be proud when I look into the mirror that I made it! And above all get the hell out of my house! For, now, I am invested - pain and all - to make sure that each day I am making the right choices and will no longer be a prisoner in my own body. That scar, that foreign object that I can feel as I bend to shave my legs - those will be my daily reminders of the choice that I made to be a happier me. And with all that, it does mean - NO SUGAR & NO FLOUR for me! (again weeping ). I believe in the power of attitude and mind control, eat Protein first, soft veggies next and starch if I really need more, take my time and walk away when I get that hiccup - great cue! And I have to give a thanks to SF Jello, if I feel like I need something, well it's been here for me and my girls LOVE to make it for me too in a great big lasagna pan - ha go figure. I'm not sure if this helps anyone, but it sure felt good for me to get this out - my true feelings - and I am happy I made the decision to get this band, it's like that little rubber band you put on your pinkie to remind yourself to do something today. Peace and Love!

Jim and Carolinagirl - thanks so much for your perspectives - you both seem to have done well with the band and it's nice to hear that you don't deprive yourselves entirely of sugar and flour as I stated in my post... that being said, you both are well on your way of meeting your goals and living healthy and slender and you've been banded for a while now. I'm just out of the gate and I think what I wanted to say was that it's important to be strict with yourself on the front end, to be committed - it takes time for our bodies and stomachs to adjust to a lot less food than we've been used to giving them - hence the problem in the 1st place. I'm trying to detox myself and get use to small portions of all the basics, which exclude sugar and flour {for now} and all that is made with them - and trying hard to be excited about it with hopes that it will pave the way for a long-term successful journey. I'm elated to hear that those who are maintaining their goal weight do indulge - I look forward to those days ahead - for me, now, I'm steadfast to doc's orders and hope to find the right balance in the future - once I'm freed of this excess weight. God knows he didn't put us here to be deprived!! Thank you both!

This looks great - and similar to the way I make my chicken Cordon Blue (CCB) - a good suggestion so they don't ooze all over your pan, roll them up using plastic wrap and get them nice and tight in the plastic (before you bread them) and stick them in the fridge for a few hours or in the freezer for 30 minutes - this really holds them together so you can bread them and bake them, they stay together great and you don't need any tooth picks. Google Tyler Florence's Ultimate CCB and watch how he does it - it really makes them stay together.

I went to the doc on Friday and he gave me an antibiotic b/c my incision was a bit infected so I'm 5 days taking my antibiotic but my incision and all around is very sensitive - almost like a burn, I put a huge bandaid on it with neosporin but the bandaid made it worse. Any suggestions as to sooth this skin irritation? it really hurts, otherwise I'd be feeling much better and more like myself. Also, when does the budda belly go down, I'm chuncky around the middle but my belly is really bloated and hard - not my usual belly??? I'm two weeks post-op.

I'm almost 3 weeks post-op from lapband and I find that my anger creeps up during the famous witching hour - dinner time... and I'm not sure exactly why but my pain level goes up too - it's nice to hear that it's pretty standard around here and that it hopefully subsides at 4-6 weeks post-op. Withdrawls suck - no matter what the "drug" of choice - food is the worse, I bet it's worse than heroin and cigs mostly b/c you have to feed your family and you really need to eat to survive albeit tiny tiny portions and no sugar no carbs. So, when I do fly off the handle nearly every night, I apologize to my beautiful family and tell them it's hard where I'm at but I'm trying and I promise 2014 will be the best year of their lives Give a read to the post, "things I won't miss about being fat" - that will give you a little boost in inspiration and eat some SF Jello - I say as much as I can not stand sugar free anything the SF Jello is saving my fat behind b/c it's cool, fruity and satisfying all for that few minutes I'm shoving it in my pie hole.

I'm exactly with U! I had my lapband 2+ weeks ago - Oct 23rd and I'm barely down 10lbs w little to no restriction. My incision hurts, I feel like I have foreign object in my body & eating ZERO sugar - I'm staying focused but I get down looking at my big budda gut We're in it together.

oh - and I have 3 kids, 3yrs old and 10 & 11 - they are eating their usuals & I'm just staying focused and eating what I'm supposed to be eating - the mashed potatoes were for my 11 yr old and I had to try em... so good but oh so bad You have to do what's best for your family - I do like it when we all eat the same thing but I've relinquished some of that desire b/c they aren't battling food addiction like me and as long as they are staying away from fast food and processed foods I feel like I'm doing my job as a mom/wife.

Hi Kwincie, I came home and was on liquids until I saw the doc 9 days later, so for 9 days I ate cream of broccoli Soup that I watered down with veggie broth, cream of tomato soup and Protein shakes - I liked the Atkins ones (they had to be low sugar). I was told not to have anything with more than 6 grms of carbs and was shooting for 60-80 grms of Protein and 64 oz of fluids. Of course Jello, pudding and Yogurt helped get me thru the days as well although finding yogurt with little carbs is hard - I found one with 9 grms of carbs and felt I was close enough. It was a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng 10 days but I made it, so when I saw him he said the pain in my shoulder was from the hernia repair and would take 4-6 weeks to stop hurting - he said normal pain from surgery. He then wanted me to go onto the soft diet stage of the diet, soft Proteins and to follow an Atkins kind of a diet. I've been eating Salmon (I like mine medium rare and soft and moist) and I just made Suzanne Summer's Swedish meatballs and they are really good. I am following a low carb high protein diet and eating 4-5 times a day about 4-8 oz per time. I have no restriction, so I can gulp Water - probably not what I'm supposed to do b/c once the band is tightened I'm sure that I won't be able to - but I can now. I have had a sweet potato and mashed potatoes and both times I felt like I was cheating, the mashed potatoes were the best thing I've eaten, I probably had 1/2 cup and was done for the day. I'm on here scrolling to see what people are eating to get some ideas too... the refried Beans sounds good - oh, on Saturday I took my daughters to a b'day party where they were serving tocos, I had guac and taco meat - it was yummy but after about less than 1/2 cup I was done - it was really rich - more fat than I had had for a long time. For Breakfast I'm making spinach, salsa and eggs - I take fresh spinach and put it in a frying pan with non-stick spray and sprinkle 2 TBS of fresh salsa (not the jar stuff) and cover for a minute or so and then I take two eggs and crack them right on top with a teeny sprinkle of salt - cover for 3 minutes and it's been very satisfying - eating slow at the table is another big feat for me... I'm a graze at the counter kind of a gal - so trying new habits. For those who read this, especially if you are less than 6 months banded - I'd love to hear what you are eating???

I had a similiar thing happen yesterday, my doc office collected the remainder that I had to get to my $3000 deductible, around $1300 which I paid (on a credit card) two weeks before my surgery - duh - I wasn't thinking b/c I had also gone for pre-op appointments for blood work and for my General Practioner to be cleared for surgery - long story short it was about $800 that should have been applied to the deductible and now I feel like I'm being screwed and over billed... plus my policy covers 90% which is GREAT - but 10% of $60K is still $6,000!!!! plus my WLS doc asked for $2000 to cover the next year for whatever happens - all fills, doc appointments and so on... but that doesn't get counted towards my insurance - in hindsight it seems like a scam.... I went into this thinking I'd be paying cash b/c I wouldn't be approved by Insurance - so I'm still better off but it doesn't hurt any less when those big fat bills start to come in!!! ((((( You are NOT alone!

Don't forget the pain meds - they saved me, it was a tough experience and honestly - it's exactly two weeks today and I had a pretty good day. The weight isn't dropping off me, I think my body believes I'm going to feed it bread, sugar, Cookies and ice cream... but i'm NOT, so it can hold on to this weight but I know it's going to cave sooner or later - just keep the course. Some have said that the pain meds didn't help their gas pains, it helped my pains, so not sure if it was gas or nerve, doc said it was more nerve then gas b/c of the HH repair. Regardless - take it easy and be well!

I'm two weeks post-op today and my entire process went quick - only was thinking about doing this in early september, called the doc who called the insurance company and in less than a week I was approved and my surgery was scheduled!!! I keep asking myself, "if only" about many things, because having your abdomen cut open isn't a small feat - it's freakin HUGE!! But, if you are anything like me and tired of always thinking about my weight and everything I put into my fat face - and tired of my thunderous thighs that make it virtually impossible to walk down the beach and just plain tired of being fat... well I don't know a better solution - and I've tried them all. This is a tool - the reason not to put that crap food into your face this is the start of the rest of your life and a year from now you will be all the better. I can not speak for everyone, but the pain that you go thru this should be reason enough for you not to make bad choices and to feed yourself well - all without the hunger. I'm only two weeks post-op so I still don't know what I don't know, but at this juncture - I'm IN IT!!! Not sure if this helps at all - but you certainly are not alone. Let us know how it goes. If you want more details of my past two weeks ready the "1 week since surgery... posted by Kimmy89 - I have some good details of my recent experience. good luck!!

You are an inspiration - thank you for posting

My entire process went FAST! Reading on here and even a friend of mine the process took much longer than for me, months as opposed to weeks for me. The reason mine went so fast was insurance approved me right off the bat! I was approved Sept. 12th and my surgery was Oct. 23rd - not quite two weeks ago. So here is my experience and insight - hope it helps. I wonder often if I could only have been strong enough to live on a sugar free fat free diet with little to no carbs - but the fact of the matter was/is I wasn't strong enough, now i have a medical reason not to eat those things. I believe I will do well now and so far so good. I had a hiatial hernia repair, and doc told me on Friday at my post-op appointment that this is where most of the pain is coming from and that it does take a few weeks to recover - sharp pains in my shoulder, chest and neck, mostly in the front of me. The pain has subsided but it's still there - he said it is nerve pain - some call it gas pain - whatever kind of pain - it's painful but not horrific. Not sure if you have pushed out an 8lb+ baby before, but I believe that kind of pain prepares us for any kind of pain - so, in that light, it's tolerable. The hard part is the first week, your abdomen is cut open, hence any kind of sitting up or sitting back HURTS! That subsides a few days later but still there almost two weeks later. I believe that pain will be gone in the next 1-2 weeks. Again, tolerable. I stayed in the hospital until they kicked me out or would charge me another day So my surgery was done around 8 pm Wednesday evening and I had my husband pick me up 24 hours later - I was happy to have the nurses to call on instead of my family - they got me the rest of the time. The worse part of the hospital was the upper GI where you have to drink this really awful stuff so they can Xray it go thru your system - this took about 10-15 minutes - but proved all ok so that I could eat something. Ice chips saved me - and did so for about a week. For me, the chomping of the ice was soothing. I didn't really feel hunger until day 4 or 5 but i just kept drinking Protein drinks, Jello and cream of tomato Soup. I felt bad, don't get me wrong, weak, and uncomfortable. Thank god for an understanding family and preparing meals before I went into surgery - they knew exactly what they were going to eat. I'd be remiss not to mention weight loss... isn't that why we're all putting ourselves thru this I did not do ANY pre-surgery diet, doc said not to worry about it - so I started my diet the day I went into surgery - 12 days ago and I'm down about 9lbs. I believe my body is still in shock and believes that I'm going to cave in and give it carbs and sugars... but I'm NOT!!! I believe another 6 weeks and it will figure that it's got to burn the fat and not wait on carbs/surgars and I'll see a significant decrease in weight. I'm optimistic and trying to stay positive. This IS a life changing drastic surgery for weight loss - damn straight that I'm going to follow the rules! Otherwise it would all be for Not... oh - I'm 44, 5'5'' and started at my highest weight of my life (including all 3 pregnancy weights) 222, this morning I weighed in at 213 on day 12 post op. I look forward to 140lbs for the rest of my life POSITIVE POSITIVE POSITIVE

I had my post-op Friday and he said that with the Hernia Repair that the nerves shoot up into my neck and shoulder and they will probably cause sharp pains, could be for as long as 6 weeks. I was sure that it was gas but he believes it's nerves more so than the gas. If I do too much the pain in my neck and shoulder really hurt. He did give me the best liquid pain medicine and it takes the edge off almost immediately - the only thing is I go to sleep. Over the last week I have ranged from STARVING to not being hungry at all... Doc said that liquids will not fill me up - they run right thru the band regardless of Protein or Water. That's why it's important to start with soft Proteins, I've had tuna, salmon, cottage cheese and yogurt, A SF Jello or SF pudding usually helps get me in between. I also had a little taco meat and guacamole (1/4 cup) last night, it was more than enough and I didn't feel hungry the rest of the day. My incision is a bit infected so I'm now on an antibiotic - 3 days in and it's a little better. I believe two weeks from now I'll be back to myself only less hungry and staying diligent to the diet. I will say that the major thought that has come into my head the most is - gosh could I only be strong enough to eat like this without putting my body thru all of this trauma! This is not for the faint hearted, that's for sure. Most proud, is I have three kids with HUGE buckets of Halloween candy in which every other year I've eaten probably half, especially anything chocolate - this year - not a piece LOL I get my first fill Dec. 2nd, until then I'm staying the course and eating only what is on the post-op diet list. Be well all!!!

I had surgery last Wednesday - finally feeling a little bit better. I've been real good about the liquid diet and NO SUGAR... I got on the scale today and I'm down 8lbs since surgery - not too bad, a pound a day but I have to say, unfortunately, that I am hungry! I wasn't the first few days but now I am. Also, I do not find much restriction with foods going down - like I can gulp Water, I thought it would be much more restricted but with the swelling going down I don't see much difference in my stomach function albeit I'm staying the course and only eating what the nutritionist & doc have prescribed on the documents they gave me before surgery. Hell, if I only had this willpower before surgery I believe the same effect would take place - if I put myself into ketosis the weight would come off. Nonetheless - this is LONG TERM and will continue to give me the tool to shed these pounds! so, my question is this - what can I chew/eat to get rid of this metallic taste in my mouth! It's just disgusting and makes me feel worse than ever! My post-op is tomorrow and I'll ask the doc as well.

I had my surgery last Wednesday so it is one week for me too and I am certainly not back to being my old self! The recovery has taken a lot longer than I thought. I have been on a liquid diet and pretty much eating Soup, Jell-O of course all sugarfree and Water ice chips, ice chips are the best . What I'm experiencing this last couple days is a real metallic taste in my mouth. People say that it might be because I'm in ketosis but it sure does give me a really bad taste - nauseating! I go for my post-op Friday and move to mushiness... I'm bummed because I really am far more hungry than I expected - plus things go right down thru my band easily - guess I'll need a fill sooner than later. The pain in my shoulder is still sharp, especially when I take in a very deep breath feel like I have not gotten my breath back yet from surgery. Any recommendations to get this metallic taste out of my mouth are welcome please help!!

I am 3 1/2 days post op and my problem is I don't feel like I have enough food in me to give me energy I'm only eating like 200 cal so what do I eat too I'm not eating any sugar and fat what do I eat to get calories? The other issue is how slow I have to eat and I am on full liquid so is it okay to chomp on ice chips along with sipping Soup eating sugar-free Jell-O and sugarfree Popsicles and yogurt? I feel completely depleted of energy I have been up and about walking around but I sure do feel lightheaded and dizzy like those feelings I used to get when I didn't eat for a few days. When I do eat I get that sharp pain in my shoulder and neck so I don't know if it's gas or if it is from eating too fast and the food not being able to get into my stomach I have so many questions!!!