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Hope your doctors appointment goes really well today!! I'll say it again...there's NO food I can't eat...including popcorn! Actually, most people put crunchy things like chips and popcorn on that 'slider' food list as they're one thing you can eat even when you're super tight as long as you chew really well (seems weird I know, but crunchy things like toast break up well in your mouth whereas soft bread becomes a mushy ball and gets stuck).

I eat all the same dinners as my family does, and no, it's not because I'm cooking meals I can eat...I'm lucky, DH does that. About the only time I eat something different is about 1/2 the time when they're having a mainly pasta meal I'll add part of a hamburger for more protein or eat a different protein leftover that night. As long as you work with the band and pay attention to being satisfied (NOT full) it will work with you and allow you to keep eating everything.

yep, the first few days i was hubgry all the time, but i have learned it is easier to not eat real food until dinner, use the three protein shakes until then, seems once i eat then i am more wanting to eat food. I miss dt coke and i miss cheetos, but know this is going to be a life change i will have to adjust to!

I have not told but a few close people i work with and my husband, as i do not want people watching ad commmenting on what i eat, when i eat, etc! I guess my worst fear is to "cheat" on the pre diet and then have them open the lap and have to close it due to not enough loss around the liver!

Congratulations! You've reached a great milestone (many more to come!) I chewed food yesterday!!! Liquids was the longest week of my life! Granted, the food I chewed was thick liquid (puree) but at least it wasn't another protein shake! Good luck at True Results!

Hi xavier, I have had three fills the first one was five weeks after my surgery. I kept eating the way we do slow any steady and on the fourth day after my first fill I was so tight I only ate about 2 tablespoons full of food at each meal. Then I could not eat any more. I always ate the protein first and sometimes that is all I could eat. I eat a lot of greek yogurt and eggplant with meat sauce. If you want I can give you the recipe for the Wendy's Chili. I eat that all the time. I usually put grated cheese and or sour cream on it as well. Tastes great and is easy on my band.

The cravings are at bay for the moment. I found some wonderful almonds. They are cocoa roasted almonds and only have 1 gram of sugar. Let's definitely meet and maybe try and get some others to come too. If you want to go to the Park Plaza support group, let me know and we can go together. I'm going to see my doctor on Tuesday for my 3 month post op, I am hoping for the big 50! I am at about 46ish right now. It has really slowed down. I got stuck over the weekend on scrambled eggs and ham. It turns out I have trouble eating in the morning. I have been drinking protein shakes for breakfast and then real food for lunch and dinner. Not doing too well on the exercise, but I will get there. Have a great evening and we'll talk soon.

Janice

I live right outside Houston. Where are you?? This 2 week protein shake for 2 meals and a small dinner is killing me!! Plus I am big Coke fan so I had to give that up too. I know its worth it, but boy I can't wait to get this over with. I'm excited but know I will be nervous the day of the surgery. Are you doing ok on your diet? I found a mix protein shake from GNC that tastes good. I mix a few fresh strawberries and it makes it nice.

Well its off to walk the block. Talk to you soon!

Ivy, I'm glad you are doing well. The gas pain will lessen after a full week or so. I stuck to the liquid phase for 2 weeks. I had chicken broth, protein shots and jello. I stayed in bed most days of week one. I wasn't hungry, but did not want to be tempted so I stayed away form the kitchen. My family was great the first week. They ate out so as not to add to the temptation to want what they were having. It was not a bad time, especially when the scale was showing weight loss.

What are you having on the liquid phase and how long do you remain on that stage?

hey gurly! i went back to work today yucko. But they decidied to give me a raise b/c everyone has quit while i was out lol. I'm goen to sign up for the gym by my house tonight. How many days a week to you go to the gym? I didn't start a protein shake yet b/c they're all expensive and nasty tasting. Which ones do you take?

Hello,

Sorry I just got back to you. I haven't been on here in awhile. How did the seminar go? For me the seminar really convinced me to do the whole process. I was self pay and I think it is worth it. I think you have to mentally prepare for the procedure such as really changing eating habits prior to the surgery. The next part is consultation, and they decide if you need it or not or if you will be on a contract to lose a certain amount of weight. I think that was the hardest part for me to find out if they would accept me or not. It felt as though this was my last option and if they said no, I would have been devasted. The process went pretty fast since I was self pay, which I was happy about. The surgery made me nervous as I have never had surgery before, but it went great. I hope my info helped. Keep me updated on the process and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Hi Shasta1

I feel much better now that I have lost over 100 pounds in 1 year. I started looking into weight loss surgery over 10 years ago but my insurance would never cover it. Once I had a BMI over 50 they finally did. I was 5'6" and 375 pounds. I still hired beliteweight.com to get me through all the red tape with bc/bs insurance. There was a lot more of a wait for the gastric bi-pass surgery. I was in a hurry and opted for the gastric lap band. I was chicken for the drastic bi-pass. There was less of a wait for the band. I could always opt for the bi-pass later if the band didn't work. They put me on a liquid protein diet for 3-4 weeks prior to surgery to shrink my liver.

The lap band and gastric bypass has a diet to stick with so it is not easy and dieting free as I thought it would be. I automatically eat smaller portions of what I did eat before. It is a lot like the South Beach one with mostly protein, vegetables, low carbs and no "slider foods".

toosywoots

The protein shake I'm using is called wheybolic 60 - I get it from GNC & mix one pack with 12oz of water. It has 60 grams of protein in it so that's all I have to drink during the day...and I love that! It doesn't taste terrible...certainly wouldn't be my first choice if they left it up to me, but all things considered it's not so bad. I'm having a hard time sticking to the "diet." I have actually taken several bites of stuff I'm not suppose to have which makes me wanna kick my self in the a$$...I gotta get control of these cravings! How are you doing with the diet? What week are you on now? What are you eating?

Have you called your doctor? You seem to be in much more pain than I am. How many incisions did you get? I have one through the belly button and 2 others - 1 at port site and the other is higher. My gas has subsided and I haven't had to take pain medication since Tues, the day after surgery. Everyone has a different tolerance for pain - mine is very high. I have had so many operations that this one was a walk in the park.

I have a 4 oz protein shake in the morning for breakfast - about 13.5 grams of protein and a cup of decaf with 2 tablespoons of Coffee Mate. For lunch I have been having 1/2 an Isopure (20 grams protein) and a cup of cream soup - 2 gp. Yesterday I was hungry so I added a jello cup. Last night's dinner was another cup of cream soup (the 2nd part of the can) and the rest of the Isopure and an ice pop. I had coffee in the evening as part of my water in take.

So how are you doing today? Are you maintaining your diet alright? I am so sick of soup and protein shakes. I can't wait until next Friday to eat some real food.

Let me know how you are doing.

Hi there! I'm so glad you messaged me! I'm excited for you. My surgery went super easy. I had a small hiatal hernia repair as well. I took the Lortab for 2 days and stopped, no problem. Clear liquids sucked, but I found a product called Protein Water by Designer. Here's the link, http://www.designerwhey.com/protein-water/

Mentally has been kind of hard..post op depression but it's better and low energy but I know it will change. I'm doing much better now! Let me know if you have any questions and also how it goes!

Sundie :smile:

HI! I'm 8 days out and still have some pain in my port site but am feeling better. My problem is i am starving!!! i do the protein shakes and liquid and am seeing the Dr. in 2 days (Monday) the nutritionist i talked to says hang in thier till then but it has been so hard, i am allowing myself creamed soups instead of broth and hope that is ok, I just feel like i'm never going to enjoy a meal again in my life.... tell me it gets better!!!!!!

Thanks for the advice. It's been a big help. I went today to get the lab workup for the surgery. And all the surgerical information. I will be going to the store this weekend to stack up on protein shakes, popsicles and jello, and snapple drinks. I think my biggest hurdle may be trying to get through the 2week liquid diet before the surgery. I'm sure the outcome will be worth it. Thanks again for the advice and continual sucess to you.

What type of chips are you eating? I really love to eat crunchy foods so I started eating soy chips. One thing about eating the soy chip, I start to get an unpleasant taste in my mouth. I appreciate the advice to turn up the protein shakes. I am really praying this first fill give me more restriction so I feel more satisfied throughout the day. How did you feel with your first fill? Did it give you the edge you needed to achieve more weight lost? I am praying it gives me that edge.

dont feel bad. ive had my band for 7mo. now and have lost 56lbs. i dont use calorie. i cup potion control of 1cup per meal. i take a protein drink 4 breakfast. i really look at the sugar intake. i try to keep it 2g. which is hard cause all drinks are about 40g. lol. dilute drinks with water. Hope this helps. Good Luck!!! dont get discourage. ive been losing weight slow. in 10lbs. periodically. and im down 56lbs.

I wish you all the best and success in your journey. I try to always remain positive but this isn't a perfect world therefore there are times when you need to be "real" and know it isn't always going to be easy. Since my last post, that "chicken bone" feeling has subsided (knock on wood) and hopefully will stay that way. That was an awful feeling to have. Hopefully now I can get some of this protein crap in me for I feel weak as hell not having anything inside of me. Keep me posted on you and I will pray for you! (I'm still not quite sure how to add friends on here so if you do, add me....I would be honored!) Talk to you again soon!!!!

Have you thought about drinking the protein drinks twice a day to prepare yourself for the band? My surgeon suggested I do that and you will lose weight doing it too.

I'm happy since the fill. It's so nice to not have uncontrolled hunger! I had the same challenge as you when I started 3x per day. The protein was tough to get. Salmon and shrimp worked great for me. Brlynike has a great recipe on one of her blogs. It's very healthy and tasted great. Seafood is full of protein. Good luck! I'm going on vacation and wish you the best as you return to work on Monday. Enjoy the weekend gal!

I have a 2 week diet too. I have 4 protein shakes 64 oz of calorie free liquid and for dinner 3-4 oz of grilled chicken, tuna, or pork loin, 2 cups of raw greens and 1 tomato. I start my pre-op diet on the 4th. I am evenly distributed too. I would not like 4 weeks of liquid only.

Hi suzie! im doing alright... just struggling to find time to get some REAL food into me... busy with tafe and work im finding myself living off tuna and protein shakes!!!

i was banded on the 24/06 so just over a month... ive lost 9.5 kgs so far... Dr Stephen Watson was my surgeon but Dr Bowater does my fills. any other questions... let me know

During my pre op diet, I would drink 3-4 shakes and then I was allowed a 5 ounce piece of meat/protein plus 2 cups of veggies.

It is rare that I eat bread, not that it gets stuck..it just fills me up too fast and I can't get my protein in.

Exercise: I walk and exercise in my pool daily. This helps tremendously. I know when it rains for days I can really feel it.

For my meals..As I said I eat everything but I eat very small portions..never more than a cup but usually about 3/4 of a cup per meal. The only thing I really splurge on is the popsicles..probably 4-5 a day. I have a 3 year old and we eat them all afternoon/evening.

If I have a cravining I found that if I satisfy the craving instead of trying everying to avoid it I realized that I only wanted maybe 2 bites of the craving and I was satisified. If I tried to avoid it I ate everything in the house and still ended up eating the craving..just think of all the wasted calories!

Another thing when I eat is that I eat until I am satisified not until I am full.

I hope this has helped!! Take care!