Waylon

When I need Protein and can't stand another Protein Drink, I have a 5 oz can of Bumblebee Light Chunk Tuna (in water). The whole can has 26 grams protein and only 100 calories. Pork tenderloin is also very good, and lean and high in protein. A 3 oz serving has about 80 calories and 22 grams protein. Sometimes I grill a whole loin, or I will cut it into medallions for grilling. There are lots of easy recipes out there. I also make chili in a slow cooker pretty regularly with extra lean ground beef. Not only is the beef high in protein, but so are the Beans. And the beans are high in Fiber.

I'm a big fan of BumbleBee Light Chunk Tuna (in water). 4oz has 26g protein and only 100 calories and tastes better than a protein shake. When on mushies, its not bad pureed with a little LF mayo.

Reading the many posts by all of you on this forum has been enormously helpful for me in terms of both gaining knowledge and being encouraged. But, I've noticed that it seems doctors are all over the place in what they allow their patients to eat pre/post op. This is particularly frustrating to me - I get jealous, dang it! Why do I have to be on mushies for 3 weeks after 2 weeks of liquids when some others get to move to real food in their 4th week or earlier? (I also know I have it better then some as well). So I started wondering: Do doctors with stricter diets care more about their patients than doctors with lesser restrictions? Or are the doctors with the stricter diets just more cruel? Personally, I think its just the Nutritionists abusing their power.

That's interesting. When I had my pre-op meeting I was asked to sign a form giving permission to be used as part of a research study. So I suffer today so that others may not have to!

I kinda suspected this might be the case. I also suspect that my doctor gives such strict rules because he suspects many of us will break them (not without reason). For example, I confess, today I had 575 calories instead of the 500 that I'm suppose to. If he said 1000 calories a day, breaking it would mean 1100 or 1200.

Some suggestions in no particular order: What is the pre-op diet? What is the post-op diet? What is the average weight loss of the doctor's lapband patients? What expectations does the doctor have for your weight loss (i.e. how much does he think you can realistically lose)? What restrictions on going back to work after surgery? Does the doctor require support group meetings? How long on average until the doctor's patients reach "the zone" (i.e. with fills - little hunger with weight loss)? How many surgeries has the doctor preformed? How many have resulted in lapband slippage or erosion? How long from insurance approval to surgery date generally? What is the doctor's general procedure concerning fills? Hope that helps!

Another thing to consider is the cost of Protein drinks, at least in the beginning. Depending on the kind you choose (I use unjury and Nectar), a Protein Drink can cost $1 or more per serving. A few of those a day can start to add up. That being said, even with the Protein Drinks, we're spending much less in groceries and going out to eat.

I was banded June 2nd and have been having similar problems. I am on full liquid for two weeks. I'm lactose intolerant so I haven't had any dairy, but everything still seems "to go right through". I talked to my surgeon's office today because it's getting ridiculous (four bathroom visits in 3 hours). They said I could take some Imodium. Hopefully that will help. They also said to be sure to stay hydrated.:thumbup: As if it's not hard enough already. I swear I spend every waking hour drinking.

I would definitely call your doctor. I started my pre-op diet 2 weeks ago (my surgery is tomorrow am!). My doctor put me on six Carnation Instant Breakfast with 1 percent milk. After 3 days, I had horrible cramps, gas, diarrhea, etc. I felt like crap, I could barely get out of bed to go the bathroom (I lost 12 lbs in 3 days.) Even switching to lactose-free milk didn't help. I talked to my doctor (his NP actually) and she said to go on a 1200 calorie diet. I was surprised how nonchalant the nurse was about switching to the 1200 calorie diet; it wasn't a big deal. After a couple days of sticking to the 1200 calorie diet, I started feeling better. Overall I've lost 18 lbs in 2 weeks. Moral of the story: Don't be afraid to talk to your doctor. All doctors seem to have their own prefered diet, but nothing's set in stone.

Hi all! I've been lurking these forums for several months in anticipation of my surgery which I am/was excited about it. I started my pre-op liquid diet last week and it has been a complete nightmare. My doctor's pre-op diet consists of drinking 6 cups of Carnation Instant Breakfasts mixed in 1% milk per day. I have never really liked milk, but I dutifully followed the diet. Turnouts out I'm lactose intolerant. After two days of severe stomach cramps, gas, diarrhea, etc, I switched to 100% lactose free milk and soy milk but it didn't help. By the end of my third day, I felt so weak that I could barely get out of bed to run to the bathroom. (I lost 12 lbs in three days). To make matters worse, the day before my pre-op diet started I came down with a formidable cold which turned into a fullblown sinus infection by my third day. My PCP put me on antibiotics. After playing phone tag with my surgeon's office, I finally got to talk to them and was informed I should switch to a 1200 calorie diet. I've been following this last 3 days, have continued to lose weight, and have finally started feeling better. Luckily, according to the nurse I talked to, being on an antibiotic shouldn't affect the surgery, but I'm still nervous. Will not being on an all-liquid diet hurt my ability to recover/lose weight after surgery? Or worse could it cause the postponement of the surgery? Has this happened to anyone else? I'm worried what will happen when I go all liquids post-op. The good news is I've lost 16 pounds in the first week of my pre-op diet. Only one week to go! Pre-Pre-Op Diet Weight: 351 Current Weight: 335 Surgery Date: June 2

These dates may be off by a day or so.... My info was submitted to the insurance around May 4th (BlueCross/BlueShield of Western NY). On May 13th, I was called by Dr. Arreola's office with the approval and had my surgery scheduled for June 2nd. I had my pre-op appointment May 18th. I was surprised how fast my insurance company approved me, and how soon they were able to schedule the surgery. Hope this gives you a rough idea!

Thanks all. The one thing I keep reminding myself is that I am following my doctor's instructions (i.e. they told me to switch to the 1200 calories low-fat/carb diet). I'm trying to reintroduce lactose-free milk and soy milk into my diet. We'll see how it goes!

I go to Hamot, too. Dr. Arreola is doing my surgery June 2nd. So far, so good!