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Yester day, August 30th I went to the surgeons office. When I was weighed I had lost 24 pounds. The nurse was very excited about that. When the Doctor came in he started to look at my chart and said do you know how much you have lost? I told him yes, but that I did lose some of the weight prior to surgery as I had cut back on my carbs and had been walking 2 miles on my treadmill. I probably had lost 10 pounds from May until my August 17th surgery. While I was there he took off my steri strips that had been covering my incisions. He said I was healing very well. I am happy anyway for the 24# loss. I am scheduled to go back to him on Sept. 12. He told me I could eat anything you would feed a baby. So I had a cup of clam chowder last evening. Yogurt fro breakfast as usual.

When you have surgery you're told eat your Proteins first, then fruit & veggie then carbs. I have found anytime anyone is on a portein based diet has stinky breath. Happened to me when I was doing the Atkins diet and same with my friends on that diet. Keeping gum and/or mints with you helps. It just hides it a bit anyway because the bad breath is coming from what's sitting in your stomach. Alot of people make the mistake of thinking it's all in your teeth in gums...that's part of it but, it's more of whats in your tummy. Fortunately there are plenty of very strong sugar free mints and gums out there to give us a hand with this. When i'm finally banded I'm going to give the yogurt a shot too. Thanks for that tip!

WOW! what a ride. Much more than I expected. I am home. Trying to find something to drink that A. does not make my ankles swell. B. tastes tolerable.. I am still on the anitbiotics so I wonder if that is what makes every thing taste bad. Except S/F pudding. Sweet things taste OK. I am wanting something hot so I have been drinking herbal teas. Now, does any one have this swelling problem? Even with low sodium soups? Should I just make my own? seems such a waste as I can eat/drink only 1 or 2 oz at a sitting. The Experience was quite different. I really liked the care I recieved. If you choose Dr. Almanza. I would suggest the option of the hotel. I did not care for the recovery house. Here is why. rooms are small/tiny. no air conditioning. barking dogs outside. one shared bathroom upstairs. food is prepared down stairs for all. When you cannot eat that is hard to deal with. My hubby stayed there the two nights I was in the clinic/hospital. When I was to come out, he got us into the Hotel. I was concerned as I would not have a nurse, but, the fine staff brought me my meds and juices and teas and all was perfect. Hubby got American TV (baseball and football) He could go down stairs and get any food and drink he wanted. American newspapers, with sunday funnies. The Hotel provided free popsicles, soups, yogurts for me. Our room had two queen sized beds all soft and comfy. I had a table to sit and drink my meals, LOL. The hallway was safe/great to walk around for exercize. Walked at 12 and 2 AM one time, and, I got up to three times around before I left. The last night there I felt good enough to get dressed and go down for dinner. The Chef made me special soup, chicken broth blended with mashed potatoes. It tasted yummy. I am sure that is where the sodium overload started, but I loved that soup, all 1/4 cup of the huge bowlful they gave me..God I am still food obsessed, LOL I am sure the staff at the house does all this also. The nurse from the Clinic that did my IV came to the hotel and removed my drain tube. He was so good. (thanks again Edgar) I also had Sevier (on staff at house) come and give me a massage. He is excellent. My back was hurting and my right leg was numb from laying on my back for so long, so, he was a pleasant relief. Could not talk Hubby into massage, heehee. Overall my rating for the experience is an 8. (1 to 10) Here are my reasons for 2 points off. I would have liked to see the hand cleaning stations on the wall inside the rooms. I would have liked the appratias used to come in sealed bags that the nurses opened in front of me. I would have liked the nurses to put on gloves and dispose of them in my room. I wish the cleaning crew would come in after each shower and disinfect. I was lucky to be first both days. I hated (one full point off here) the drive clear across T.J to get the Xray Leak test done. yes, I understand the necessity, I still hated that dam trip.There was a parade outside the lab, so surreal. I know some go shopping and do stuff on their 3rd day, just not for me. I was finally ready on the 5th day. Felt good and upbeat. Finally felt good about what I had done. Met a lady that was escorting two friends having sleeves. (Canadian) She was 7 months out and looks soo cute. She is 5'7 and 165ish, So I have revised my goal to that. It has been so long since I was a "normal" weight I did not have a realistic goal in my head. I was 240 at weigh in, but 245 when I left. All the liquid retension I guess. Dr. Almanza got snippy with me under surgery,....I am a Moley person lots of raised moles. He asked my hubby for permission and they removed 4 from my lower mid section. Love that. Extra stiches, but who cares? Thinking of that,,,, did any of you remove your own stiches? Did that go OK? Gotta do that on the 25th or so.:crying: So, that is my experience. Great, positive and LOVED the staff/people I delt with.. My hubby even liked it. He got to talk with several couples and Dr's about this whole deal and got a MUCH better attitude towards my weight. He is much more supportive in a positive way, for that I am truly grateful. If I need any futher surgery, IE: tummy tuck, etc. I would go back there. But, I would drive straight to the Hotel and be picked up from there. Marriot, TJ. Hope that does not turn anyone off to this deal, it is the best. The nurses I had were so darn caring and good at their jobs. Ricardo was my assigned personal support staff. He spoke very good english and tried very hard to accomdate all my wishes. It all went well for me, hope it does for you where ever you choose to go. Just do not be afraid to get-r-done. Onward and Downward---weightwise:thumbdown::001_tongue:

This post is common - I have no idea how you can eat a 14 oz steak after this surgery I am lucky if i can eat 4oz. You are at a crossroads, same position most of us hit. You are head hungry not really hungry, sorry seems brutal but once the shock and awe was over you are losing the battle in your head not your stomach. My view is you need a nutritionist or a deep study into nutrition. The surgery is a tool it shrunk your stomach by 85% and removed the nerves that made you feel hungry. Couple of things you did not mention you should be filling up on Protein Shakes Loaded with vitamins and supplements. This will make you feel incredible without calories. I am out about 120 days and there is not a chance in hell i would try and eat steak or any solid hard food. I suggest you set a daily routine - If you read around here there are a ton of people who have posted there Routine. here is mine set by a Paid Nutritionist 1. Breakfast - 10 oz protien shake 30g protien 20 Calories, Two heaping Yogurt spoon fulls Vitamin Powder and Supplement Powder. I also add a few pieces of fruit for taste - 8 blueberrys or 3 cut peaches or a few strawberrys- You drink this over 30 min and no way you are hungry! 2. 10:00 Am - A Protien Bar - High end good quaility Bar - If i need it usually dont 3. Lunch - This is a tough one for me due to work so usually - Handful of peanuts, granola or maybe some chuncked fish or turkey 4. 2:00 Here comes another Protien shake - Usually add Peanut butter or some other funky Yogurt etc 5. 5:30 By dinner i am whipped so really have no desire to eat, usually skip about half the time - Scallops, Shrimp, Fish or a simple protein, Side is usually some small veggie 6. 40oz water a day - I CAN SAY I HATE WATER BUT IT IS A KEY TO FLUSHING OUT AND KEEPING THE KETOSIS GOING. i have this down where i can adjust my loss from .05 pounds per day up to 3/4 a day - I am also very active so that really helps me out. Summary - You have completed step one the surgery - Step two is the diet and intake - The mind is brutal on this surgery and head games to me are harder then the dang surgery to me - You said size i have gone from a size 50 pants to 42 currently and this is the reward! We all were food addicted no doubt - THe US is freakin disgusting with how we eat, Huge portions, all processed and filled with sugar. Good luck and you will get it - I have stalled a few times due to Vodka and M and M's so its not like your alone

I like beef jerkey for 'on the run'. I keep a jar of 25 strips near the fridge so I can grab one when I need it. I am on the go a lot, but normally I'm on the go to get somewhere I can sit down and eat, so I make lunches the day before, or grab yogurt for b'fast that I eat when I get to work. Always keep a snack drawer at work.. full of kudos bars, curves bars, and granola bites at the moment. I normally have some fruit leathers (45c of yummy good), and beef sticks in there too.

Protein shakes (doctored to taste a bit better), sf jell-o, tomato Soup, yogurt. lots of Water, plenty of exercise. i take a chewable Fiber supplement to keep things moving. it's really important to stay hydrated...that'll keep your bowels moving.

I am new to the site. I have the same problems. I was banded 4/17/2005. It really does not matter what I eat, plain non-fat yogurt to chicken, fish. I have found that it depends upon the time of day, sometimes. In the morning my stomach is bloated, like pms bloating. I have to stick to protien shakes until after being awake and moving around a couple of hours. It makes it hard to get in enough protien. Other times I have problems in the evening. I think this is related to wanting to eat too fast. 3 bites into my meal and I am wishing I hadn't started. I push away my food and hope I do not get sick. Last last couple of times, it was almost spontanious. Yikes! I sure am putting my boyfreind through the wringer.

I am only one week out, but my info says never more than 10g fat or 10g sugar at one time. At 2 weeks I can have smooth food (like yogurt). At 3 week I can add soft veggies and canned fruit(limited). At 8 weeks I can add fresh veggies and nuts. Not sure where meat and cheese go in this schedule? I have post op meeting next week with lots more questions on nutrition.

Hey ladies! I am scheduled for surgery on July 1st. I don't know why but i'm getting nervous. I don't think it's about the surgery necessarily, that part will be easy, espcially compared to open heart surgery that I had three years ago. I think i'm more neveous about not being successful, about constantly thinking about food and not physically needing or wanting it. I'v heard that head hunger can be bad, but i'v also heard people say that isn't an issure for them. I'm stocked up on shake mix, I just need to stock up on soups and such. I'll do that this coming week. I've been experimenting with shakes and greek yogurt mixins. Plain greek yogurt with a bit of sf chocolate pudding mix is actually quite tasty and it gets so thick that i'm considering mixing a bit of milk or almond milk in to think it. I wish I could find an alternative to the shakes, it's so expensive. I can't believe that there aren't alternitives to it. I'm also getting excited. I'm calling life after surgery Sheri 2.0....haha. Can't wait to get started.

I prefer FAGE, and add a shot of sf torani hazelnut and a few slivered almonds for crunch... also ground flax seed is nice. You can also flavor the plain yogurt with sf pudding mix. You'll want to avoid the yogurts with sugar, of course. You can also add a spoon of no sugar added all fruit preserves, I think. Enjoy!

I really like the SF Torani syrups and the SF Monin ones. Oikos is a great yogurt. I like Voskos, too. And a Stonybrook greek organic one. I'll have to look for Fage as I have never noticed that before and sometimes I go to Walmart. Maybe the availability is different in different areas of the country.

His plan is pretty quick - Water, Jello, popsicles days 1 - 4, then add in Protein drinks, thinned-down cream Soups, and yogurt days 4 - 6. Weeks 2 & 3 are mushies. I'm not too sure about beyond then, I only studied 2 weeks out. This water thing is killing me. There's already a 30ish pound difference in the scale, and I truly beliee at least 80% of that is dehydration. I'm accustomed to 120+ oz water a day, and I've been lucky to get about 30. I've started getting yuck mouth.

I was sleeved Jan 24th at 7 AM. I also had hernia repair at the time of my surgery. I woke up with very very little pain. It's more like muscle soreness from doing too many sit ups. I didnt take pain meds until bedtime (because I wanted to be able to sleep, not so much because of the pain). I was more concerned with Nausea & not pain ( I had never had any type of surgery - NOTHING ) I had no nausea at all - still havent. I am still on full liquids and pudding, yogurt. cheese, very soft foods. Your belly button will probally be sore - Everyone is different, but I really cant imagine a large amount of pain - but I know it's possible. Walk as soon as your allowed, to get rid of gas. The gas pressure is what I really dealt with for a few days. Also bring a small travel pillow with you for the drive home, put the pillow against your stomach then put on your seatbelt. This helps ALOT, bring that pillow with you everytime your in the car. Dont wear any pants that button or zip, only elastic waist. Getting in and out of the bed is a slight struggle. Prop up about 3-4 pillows againts your headboard - getting out of your bed from a upright position is alot less painfull than from a laying down position. If your bed/mattress is high up - have a small step stool next to your bed to help getting in and out. Also, sleep with as many pillows as you can to keep your head in the upright position in order to not have acid reflux - This helps me alot. Feel free to ask any other questions ! I promise this surgery will be alot easier than you expect (if I had to - I'd do it again) Follow all of the rules, dont skip ahead on your diet & dont lift anything heavy , you never want to risk a leak !!!

Move to liquids 2 days then mushies. You are swollen. If your stomach is growling you are hungry. I would have soft diet. Maybe some yogurt. Try and stay away from scrambled eggs. They may come back up. Good luck. Your band didn't slip. This sounds like a normal PB.

Ditto on the string cheese! I like the south beach Protein bars as well. I spend a lot of time in the car, so I look for Snacks too. I have been drinking the slim fast lowcarb/low sugar-3grams. The original slim fast has over 28gr sugar and a lot more calories. It's a quick way to get your protein in. I would stay away from the McD's yogurt things....there is a huge amount of sugar in them.!!!! My doctor tells us to limit the amount of sugar to 3gr. or less in a serving! Banded 5/23/07

Hello everyone. I haven't posted for a while. I hope you are all doing okay. I am at the stage post op where I can have all textures of foods. Problem is I don't really have a specific plan to follow, and it is difficult to stick to the diet when there aren't specific instructions. I've found that now that I can eat, I want to eat everything. Being hungry for the 3 weeks ppre-op, and then the past 4 weeks post op was difficult, and I think now that I am able to eat anything, I want EVERYTHING. I did not do well during the mushies stage, and in fact, I had a lot of high calorie puddings and yogurts. I was so hungry and after feeling deprived, my brain kept telling me that it was okay to eat. Anyway, I need to get recommitted and get started losing weight. It has been 10 days now since my 2nd surgery (unrelated but I have 6 inch incision in my abdomen and a 2.5 inch one in my back, and the recovery hasn't been easy). 2 surgeries within a month was a bit much for me and I haven't had the energy to fight through the dieting. So, I need to get completely back on track. What kinds of menus are you guys having. I need suggestions. Thanks, Cindy

I've been doing smoothies. I know not a hot food. I freeze fresh fruit over night, measured out in 1/2 cup portions. 1 contain of plain greek yogurt, 1 splenda, and then enough orange or apple juice to get it moving. It's got a lot of protein, and it helps me get in one of my fruit servings- which have made a HUGE difference in how much energy I have for the day.

Good Morning...what is everyone eating for breakfast? I get tired of eating cold foods (yogurt, cottage cheese) anyone eating oatmeal? (not worried about the carbs?) thanks everyone!

I had canned turkey chili liquified in the blender with Greek yogurt mixed in and it was HEAVEN! The Greek yogurt tastes just like cream cheese and chili and cream cheese is my favorite dip.

Thanks for the info, i can handle yogurt and the cottage cheese i will be able to have i just worry about the actual protein shakes..LOL i can drink a Arby's Milkshake but i think thats why i am where i am... I will swing by GNC today and see the Isopure i see they have pre-mixed in a bottle to drink, i will see the facts and see if it matches the EAS shakes they told me to try and drink during those 2wks

I'm not nearly as concerned about calorie level as I am about disordered thinking about food. 1200 calories may not be the right level for you. It's not for me. But that's not what is important. What is important is that you are giving yourself really rigid rules that are completely unnecessary---and possibly harmful. Why only protein shakes, yogurt, and fruits and veggies? Why not solid protein? Or legumes and cheese? When you start assigning "good" and "bad' values to food and eating, I think you can head into trouble pretty quickly. Thinking of meal-skipping as a positive is a red flag for me, too. This is something I'd talk with your doctor about---getting into therapy sooner rather than later can save you all kinds of trouble down the road.

Way to go Melissa - Do us bandsters proud w/ PS and yogurt. I know those are on the top of my list. :eek: A patient brought me in some samples of some PS she likes to use. If I like them I will post what they are she brought me like 8 different samples - one is called strawberry White Choclate. It has little strawberry peices in it. I can't wait to try it...that is tomorrow as I head out to the many yard sales.

Thanks everyone I've been feeling much better. Surpising my boss at work was so supportive. She said, "People always think having weight loss surgery is the easy way out, and I know how hard you have worked" It just made me feel so good that she undrstood a bit. Ya know. Tomorrow I have the church retreat thing. I am going to take my protien shake and yogurt and enjoy myself while everyone else eats hotdogs. I'm surpisingly fine with that. The scale is moving again...so that always helps.

Keep on plugging you will get there! I eat: Breakfast - either - one package of oatmeal mixed with fat free yogurt or egg beater omelet( 2 or 3 servings of beaters) with one slice fat free cheese and some veggies or a few fake bacon bits in it. Lunch- usually a protein shake with strawberries skim milk and Bariatric (sp?) Advantage or Unjury. - Sometimes no berries but ice cubes, instant coffee and sweet & low. Dinner - lean protein and veggies Snack- one bag of 100 calorie popcorn, Two 60 calorie string cheese and two 25 calorie diet hot chocolate. Also vitamins, water & ice tea. I eat about 1000-1200 calories per day and about 80 grams of protein. This keeps me full all day. Hope this helps

I am 1 week out before having the lap band. The statistics that I was given is 40-45% of weight loss of your total ideal weight over 2 years. Are you being too hard on yourself? Don't give up. It's only been 6 months. So if you are 300lbs you will loose about 120lbs over 2 years which translates to 5 lbs a month-which is what you are at now. I have no idea what your starting weight is but this is just an example. You are not a failure, keep trying. quote name='Ninababy' timestamp='1294677423' post='1557873'] I am 6 months out from being banded.. and I have only lost around 30 pounds. I feel like a huge failure! I am doing what I thought was right.. but I still get very very hungry at times and I know eat more than I should but I keep it to Protein if I can... I am working much harder than I thought! I have had 5 fills!! I have about 8.5CC in a 14 CC band... I thought I would be down so much more! the scale does not budge. I have yogurt ( greek) for breakfast... some greens with Tuna or chicken for lunch with lemon juice... and then protein ( chicken, turkey or fish) and vegs for dinner.. and very tiny amount of Carbs... like a spoon full. I get really hungry after dinner!! I have a little high fiber cereal and skim milk... I drink tea..decafe... with splenda.. I just have not dropped in a couple months. Not a pound... I am starting to think this band is not working for me... Anyone ever have success after a very long plateau? What jump started you....? give me some hope... or otherwise advise...