Search the Community

I can't stand sugar free jello...so, no, I didn't eat that. I had protein shakes, pureed soup, pudding, yogurt, and sugar free popsicles. Every surgeon's pre-op diet is different, so be sure to follow your surgeon's instructions.

I don't get it I could not even drink drinkable yogurt with a 2.75cc in my 4cc band so I asked for a slight unfill and got 2.7 now I feel if I eat slowly and chew good I can still very easily finish a McDonalds cheeseburger and maybe just a little bit more. I asked the fill nurse if she could put a little more in but she said if she did it would just get me back to where i was before when I couldn't hold food or drinkable yogurt down. So now I am wondering what should I do? Should I try for something like 2.72cc? The nurse said that she didn't think it would make a difference but the difference was huge with 2.75 and 2.7 so maybe my sweet spot in right somewhere in between? I just got this new fill today and I think I can still eat a good portion more than I think necessary. So what do you guys think? I am starting to feel like I may never find my sweetspot.

I am pretty sure something is not right, and I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday morning. But I was just wondering what it could be since I couldn't find anything concrete when I looked up my symptoms. I'm kinda freaking out and having to wait the whole weekend is making it even worse. I can't eat anything . Even sliders feel stuck....takes me an hour to eat 1/2 cup of soup and it feels like I have to burp all the time. I can't even drink coffee till about 11am...it comes back up. I have a sore throat too, but not sure if it's related since I've had a bad cold for the past 3-4 wks, which turned into a sinus infection. I have not had a fill since September...but these symptoms just started about 2 weeks ago, getting progressively worse. When I was sick, I vomited several times, and so I stopped solids and just started to eat sliders thinking maybe it will help my band that was irritated due to vomitting. But sliders aren't sliding, even soup is hard to eat now. I just feel like a giant burp is stuck is my throat and I can't get it out. My only savior is hot tea....unfortunately it has no calories. I've been managing to get 300-600 calories per day between yogurt, soup, and thin protein shakes. I will be lying if I said I wasn't scared right now...

I had my surgery Jan 8th. Loving it so far! However, still adapting to the lack of appetite. I'm STRUGGLING, but managing to get a Protein shake in, greek yogurt and Water. About 600 calories a day. I've started feeling shaky, nauseated and light headed. ALmost like i'm going to pass out. Wondering if I could have low sugar, Iron, (already struggle with low blood pressure). anyone else?

You could try Beans. They will add carbs, but they are a good source of Protein. Lentils, black beans and split peas have the highest protein. You can blend them in a Soup or eat them whole. I sometimes have black beans with a sunny side up egg and a slice of avocado. Lentils I like in a soup with onions and mushrooms. Split peas I make a chunky soup and garnish with pepitas and a scoop of Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Good thing about beans is they won't make you constipated Be careful of bananas - they are high in sugar. I think Apples & bananas have the highest amount of sugar, but I'd have to google to confirm. I also added raw spinach to my smoothies early on. Since they were pulverized they weren't hard to digest.

This happens to me quite often. Some days I can eat absolutely ANYTHING I want no matter how bad or good it is, how dense or lean it is, etc. Other days however, I have, "bad," band days where I cannot eat ANYTHING without getting it stuck. I will try to drink coffee first thing out of bed to try and loosen my band, but nothing, smoothies, yogurt, cottage cheese, tuna - nothing even liquids are difficult. I'm writing to see if this happens to anyone else or just me? Right now I'm actually getting a bit concerned because I have not been able to eat anything since Saturday. I don't feel the pain I normally do when I'm stuck, just the pressure. Does anyone have any experience with this?

For my protein, I eat eggs, refried Beans, cheese sticks (sometimes wrapped in a slice of light deli ham or turkey if it's a meal rather than a snack), salmon or fish in general, a bit of chicken, quinoa (sometimes a tbsp as a side dish if I'm still hungry after my meat portion at dinner). I currently don't eat anything (other than the SF popsicles, which count as a liquid) that doesn't have protein in it, because I just don't have the room. I hit between 45 and 60 grams of protein daily at 5 weeks out, which the doctor said is fine at this point. He is more concerned with me staying hydrated and said the protein will come as I'm able to eat more food (and he said VERY firmly to not rush this point but take it very slow...which is okay with me) My sleeve doesn't tolerate milk products or Greek yogurt, but it's fine with cheese (but not cottage cheese. It just tastes funky post-surgery. I loved it pre-surgery). Protein shakes make me gag because they're so sweet...although I did okay with the Chike coffee protein when I was still full liquids. For more protein/recipe ideas, check out According to Eggface or the Bariatric Foodie. They have a lot of suggestions (that's where I go to look for recipes)

Drink water, go exercise, eat only something like yogurt or cottage cheese. Remember eating too close to bedtime may encourage nighttime reflux. You don't want this this early on/or ever. Don't stay up late - go to bed instead.

Im only1 week out and have lost 13 pounds, mostly Water weight, but Im on cream Soup, yogurt and pudding but Im not feeling the full sensation. I eat the recommended amounts which are 1/3- 1/2 cup a meal with no drinks. Now Im craving eggs!

Maude is right - I tend to add liquids (such as a Campbell's Select soup) or a little milk, or bouillon to get the right consistency. I have even added a little watered down unflavored yogurt from time to time - adds a little zip to the meat. Best of luck to you!

I had the same gassy problem with Premier Protein and decided it was the lactose... I think I can eat yogurt and cheese, but high concentration of lactose sends me running to the bathroom! Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

Weds, June 12 Hello again loyal Bloggins, Johnny fans and fellow Bandsters! It's been about a week since we chatted so I thought I'd let you know how it's going on The World According to Johnny. I gotta say ... pretty damn good! It's been 4 weeks today since the capable Dr. X installed the anti-eating apparatus in my oh so blubbery mid-section. As advertised by the Doc and his staff, I feel completely healed and am suffering no side effects what-so-ever. Other than this strange hankerin' for a trash bag full of Fritos I can't seem to shake, life has settled in to my new normal. Yes, NEW normal. I have totally embraced my band and what it stands for. That is commitment. It is just so crystal clear to me that inserting a medical device inside your body is the last, desperate measure a fat person can take. And why take this drastic step if you are not going to change your life? Well, so far, I have changed my life. Dramatically. I have not yet had my band filled which means it's wide open. I think I could pretty much get anything down the ol' yapper that I wanted and not have a stuck episode. But just knowing "Bandy" is in there, keeps me on the straight and narrow. Yep. I've changed. Hopefully for ever. Although not required, I still start my day with the protein shake blended with a little ice. It's just like a milk shake and I like it! I have recently started adding a tablespoon of low sugar peanut butter to the chocolate flavored shakes and it's delish! So no more big breakfasts or even breakfasts that I thought were healthy for me. I'm sticking with these shakes whenever possible. Lunch has turned into a 240 calorie tuna snack lunch or a low fat soup. No more fast food, deli or 3 martini lunches for this fat ass!Dinner has consisted of ground up beef or turkey with a bit of flavoring, cooked veggies and some watermelon. And I'm good with it! It does help that wife wife L is a fine chef and makes even a mundane dish rival a nice dinner out. Add in my snacks of yogurt, sugar free puddin' and a night cap Fudgie bar, I'm feeling real satisfied. I am actually blown away that this is working. Am I losing weight? You betcha! 30 unsightly pounds of extra mass have evaporated from my roly poly body. That's 2 bowling balls of F-A-T! Let that sink in. Am I on target? You betcha! I was told to expect to lose 1.5 pounds a week after surgery. I'm exactly at that figure. If I can keep that pace up, I'll hit my 8th grade weight by October. Hey, there's another goal! Do I have any pain? Nope. Most importantly, can I play golf? Yep. 3 rounds last week alone. So all in all, I am right where I should be. On the path to success! As rosy as it all appears, there are a few bummers. I'm a party guy. As explained in detail in previous posts, I excel at eating, drinking and merrymaking. My history is legendary. And I if I could remember it, it would make quite a book. This No Fun Johnny is, well, no fun. I am making healthy decisions daily when comes to food and booze. That includes avoiding almost all situations that include the Devils temptresses. So far I have declined offers to at least 2 BBQs, 2 parties and a wedding. Yep. No fun at all. But this is the new normal. Am I embracing the No Fun Johnny? Nope. Check back soon! First band fill on Monday. Then we have to talk about the dreaded "W" word. Floow along on my blog: Thedeconstructionofjohnny.blogspot.com

The weird this is.. Until I ate the avocado I was eating mushy food just fine without any discomfort.. I was thinking my stomach may have been inflamed like you said. Thankfully, after I wrote this post I had some Greek yogurt and was just fine.. Also downed a good bit of water... So now I feel hydrated again. I will certainly be touching base with the surgeon though. Thank you for your input!!!

Well, it has been 24 days since I had LAP-BAND surgery, and I am doing great so far! I am down 30 pounds and I just had my first fill yesterday. I can definitely feel a difference already with the fill. I have been on shakes and yogurts all day and tomorrow can go back on mushies, but have been pretty full since the fill. Before the fill I was HUNGRY and definitely not satisfied with only 4 ounces. Hopefully when I start eating again I will continue to feel restriction and continue to lose weight! I am so excited to be on this journey. I only hope that I am strong enough to see it through. I have tried so many diets and programs in the past that it is difficult for me to really see the future on this one. Although, I must say that I am motivated and cannot wait to see where 2010 will put me weight wise!

that's great to know- thanks! Do you find that if you add the protein to thicker stuff - yogurt; sugar free pudding that the taste isn't too obvious ( for the "no taste" protein

Finally a chance to sit down and do this - I started my pre-op diet on 7/25, had it easier than most as I was allowed to have non starchy veggies and a limited amount of more carby items such as hot Cereal, applesauce, v8, sf pudding and light yogurt as well as all the liquids. Had to drink the magnesium citrate on Sunday August 7th - not as bad as I feared, added a limeade mix in to it and was able to get it down. I had to do this at 4pm and was only allowed 1 Protein drink and Clear Liquids that day so there wasn't too much to "clear out." Monday August 8th I had to be at the hospital (Memorial Medical Center, Springfield, IL) at 9am. I was ushered in to the pre-op area pretty quickly by a girl I went to school with (nice to see a familiar face). Her sister was also a nurse in pre-op so another familiar face. Once all my registration info was taken I was brought a gown and pants to put on, Aunt Flow was visiting so they brought me their version of undies and pad. Once I was all prepared they began attempting my IV - first person tried once and the vein rolled, second person got right in and the vein blew but of course she had to shoot some stuff in to be sure and that BURNED. They then had someone come from Anesthesia to do it and they got one. My advice, don't let them "numb" you - that shot hurts more than the IV and it doesn't work that great. Of course they were running behind in surgery. My pick up time was supposed to be 11am but ended up being around 1pm. Got a short snooze in. I woke up in my room around 5 pm I think (first thought it was 6 but I believe I was reading the clock wrong). Not sure how long I was in recovery. Woke up with a second IV in on my opposite arm and a few more stick marks. The original held through the first day and the 2nd was bad before the first. More on that. I didn't feel bad, very tired and tender, my kids were there and kept waking me up when the alarm sounded - guessing low heart rate. Two friends stopped by later too. I had a young guy CNA to take care of me and he was fun - very talkative and told me why he thinks iPhone is better than android LOL. Walked several times throughout the night and apparently a lot farther than most, circling the floor a few times. Had some ice chips. Not much sleep that I remember, seemed like I would just doze off and they would come in for something. Used the pump that night, not morphine but I don't remember what it was, same sleepy side effects but didn't make me sick at least. Tuesday - The next day I lost my fun guy and got a crabby lady She was a little rough with me when she got my band to scan and I will blamer her for blow my IV, not sure if that is true but within a few hours I had a swollen arm of Fluid. Of course they didn't believe me and pushed some of the stuff in to prove it, ouch. And of course the 2nd IV was already bad too, I had thought so since almost the beginning but they didn't care. 2 more stick and digs before they called the PIC team to bring their ultrasound machine and find a vein - they rocked and got me one in my left arm bend - bad spot but it stayed good until they removed it after 2 more days! So day 2 was traumatic for me with IV's (yes, the one thing that I was scared of) and I was supposed to start drink 8 oz an hour starting at 4pm so I could get in 64 oz in 24 hours and go home on day 3. That didn't happen, I just can't do 8 oz in an hour. My air in my room also went out so it was 80 in there most of the day, after being 60 early in the day Wednesday - Day 3 at 7am when the team came in and let me know I wasn't going home until my 64 oz were in, I got smart and realized hey I am awake longer than 8 hours in a day and so I just began doing what I could getting 3 - 6 oz in each hour. It added up and I went to bed at 8pm with my 64 oz in. Thankfully they were in there fixing my air as well - the Dr said I had men crawling out of the ceiling to see me That day I gave up the pump, no way to get in fluids while you are sleeping because of pain meds. I did try the Lortab liquid and that was nasty (but counted toward my liquid ) . Told the nurses I wanted liquid Tylenol and they got it ok'd. At this point I am not sure I even needed it but just went ahead and took it as I could. They took me off the IV but left it hep locked. The team kept asking me why I wasn't using the pump and I let them know because it made me sleepy and I can't sip while asleep. This is the first day I showered and it was awesome. Slept great that night and walked short walks when I woke up. Circling the floor isn't fun when by yourself. Thursday - Day 4 the team came in at 7 and let me know I could go home that day. I was READY!! Got a shower, got dressed, packed up, worked on my liquids and left around 1pm. Didn't walk much after home that day - figured I was good after the morning! Spent my day and evening on the couch, in bed at 7:30 after my fluids were in. Slept great! Got up around 1am with hubby and drank some fluids and watched a few shows, back to sleep at 3 am and up at 7am. Friday - Day 5 I probably over did it. Showered, did laundry, went to a garage sale at my sis in laws (driveway on incline, parked at bottom), went to a restaurant where a friend waitresses (she had RNY 10 years ago) and she gave me a nice bowl of broth. That went down NICE!! Ran some Christmas lights to a friend getting married today to use. Went to Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree with my husband. Stayed up way later than I should of - but got my fluids in! Got to bed around 11pm I believe, after I read a little in bed. Much easier to get comfortable in bed last night. Saturday Day 6 TODAY Slept til about 7am. Got shower, loaded dishwasher, put a few things away. I have spent most of the day so far on the couch. That's it so far! I do have a wedding to go to tonight, skipping the reception though! A few other things that just don't fit in anywhere else - I did get Lovenox shots days 2,3,4 in my thigh, didn't hurt. My doctor does a scope while you are out to check for leaks, no separate leak test. I was not allowed to use Gas-X strips. I didn't have any gas pains to speak of though, guess walking took care of them. My hospital did not have heating pads but did give me heated blankets - not the same. I had my daughter bring mine from home and I did use it the second day some. My pain was never above a 4 mostly around a 3 the whole time on a scale of 0-10 (10=worst) - with exception of the IV digging. My driving restriction was only if I took Lortab so I can drive.

Am on day three... Yesterday she moved me to full liquids.i had a hard time with clear liquids... And getting my protein in... This morning I had half a cup of plain Greek yogurt and it went down pretty well... Does that count towards my protein ! Thanks everyone to responding to my posts. Alyce

I have been on the liquid diet since last Tuesday. I was kinda nervous about it at first but I have challenged myself to find different "allowable" liquids to "eat" so I won't get bored with it. There are many different types of liquid diets but the one I am on allows me to have a limited amt of cottage cheese and yogurt so I do get a little variety. Beyond that, as long as it is sugar free/low carb and liquid I can have it. I have discovered several types of "broth" Soups. I fill up on egg drop Soup and have tried a new recipe that I will soon use as a "gravy" for different meals. I truely loved the taste. Just mix 1 can of Campbells beef consume' soup (It is a broth type soup but do not use beef broth) and one can of cheddar cheese soup and heat to boiling. I also have added a small can of tomato sauce to it along with a touch of splenda to take the sour out of the tomato. It is scrumptous. Low cal and low carb. If you will view it as a challenge, it makes it easier to handle. Hang in there, you will do great! :whoo:

Hi: I ate very plain. Cottage cheese and plain yogurt only. Skim milk and tons of water. Sorry, not very inspiring. Doddie

Mandi.....what are you doing????!!!!! To tell you the truth, I think I might try it. Yogurt and cottage cheese...hmmm don't forget the VitaVims

C'mon Wheezy, do it too! Loriely, maybe after your fill, you won't even need it. I just had my chicken breast, and boy, was I ever excited! I figured Frank's Red Hot sauce would be ok, so I added some to spice it up.... and did it ever! Good though. Since eating is quite troublesome for me in the morning, I had about 1/2 cup of yogurt at lunch, and 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, then at 4:30, 1/2 cup more of cottage cheese, and 1/4 of yogurt. Now my chicken breast, and I'm hoping to be able to get in some Jello before I have to quit eating for the day! Maybe some milk too. I loooove milk. I weighed myself this morning so I will know how it goes. I've got that party on Friday night, but I will try to get right back on track the next morning(afternoon!)... and hopefully not ruin things too much. Do you think that ANY kind of boring Protein would be ok? Like, say... instead of chicken on night at the gym, how about a piece of salmon? (good luck to you too, Rosi!)

I weigh myself every day as part of my morning routine, you know wake up, go to the bathroom, weigh myself and brush my teeth. I don't worry to much about it. I just like to knowing that I am headed in the right direction. I went out of town for a week over spring break and during the whole week I only lost 1 pound. It was because of the yogurt I was eating, but if I would have been the scale daily I would have seen that earlier. But I think it is up to every person, my doctors office says I shouldn't weigh myself daily that it will only frustrate me, but I still do it. I like to keep an eye on it.

I haven't started taking one yet - I'm doing the Viactiv for multi-vitamens, but here's my question... I think I am LIVING on cottage cheese, yogurt, tuna, spinach, and eggs. I feel like I'm on a calcium overdose! Anyone able to share why we're supposed to supplement calcium?

If you can have a little cooler: I like Fage or Chobani yogurt. I buy the plain and mix with Splenda and frozen fruit. I pack it in the small glad bowls. If you don't have time for this, they also sell it in small containers with fruit on the side. Light string cheese with a slice or two of lunch meat wrapped around it. Cottage cheese. Buy a big container and pack your own or the grab and go size. EAS Carb Control Protein drink in vanilla. 17 grams of protein. My favorite protein is the powdered Gold Standard Whey in Vanilla. Take a measured scoop of it to work in a blender ball cup with 1 packet of Starbucks via instant decaf. Add Water, shake, and drink. 23 grams of protein. Lynda

When I first started soft foods, this is what I had. Day 1 Breakfast 1 scrambled egg topped with 1 T. shredded cheddar 1/4 c. sugar free yogurt with 1/2 scoop of unflavored Protein powder lunch 1/4 c. fat free cottage cheese 1/4 c. sugar free pudding with 1/2 scoop Protein Powder dinner 1/4 c. refried Beans topped with cheese 1/4 c. fat free ricotta with 2 T. applesauce and a sprinkle of cinnamon Day 2 BREAKFAST 1 hard boiled egg 1/4 c. applesauce with 1/2 scoop protein powder LUNCH 2 egg omelet with 2 T. cheddar cheese and 1 T. salsa 1/4 c. sugar free pudding with 1/2 scoop protein powder Dinner 1/2 c. Ricotta cheese with low sugar spaghetti sauce topped with mozzarella and parmesan 1/4 c. sugar free pudding with 1/2 scoop protein powder I did not even come close to finishing any of these meals. LOL To be honest I was really scared to take the first few bites. EDIT: I forgot to mention that at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. I had Protein shakes as my snack