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All the nutritionists say that same thing. Personally, I don't find them very helpful. Mostly because I want to know WHY a lot of times. Or I need help and they just say--"you're doing great." But I don't know what it is that is great especially when I feel like I'm floundering. Anyway, don't get hung up on data. If you wait to eat until you are hungry, you might overeat. You should eat Protein every couple of hours. Which basically is Breakfast, lunch, dinner and Snacks. Maybe if you just ate smaller portions during those meals? You said you aren't hungry anyway. And eating every few hours keeps you from getting hungry. My nutritionist had me stop doing the shakes when I went on solid food. Every once in a while I'll add them back in but I found that I am eating enough protein that I don't need them. I try to have yogurt or cottage cheese as my snack instead of the shakes. If I know I will have a hard time getting enough protein in, I drink the Isopure Protein Drink which is an acquired taste (and I now really like them) but is better than the shakes. Also, the fact that your weight loss is less, is normal. Losing a few pounds a week is pretty normal from what I hear. The more you exercise, the more you can lose each week. So, as much as it pains me to say it, focus on getting in your protein and get lot's of exercise. I know that they have me starting to watch the grams of sugar in food now but they have never mentioned sodium. I just try to keep it low by eating protein, veg, and fruit with some carbs. Those don't have sodium so you naturally keep it at bay. I don't think I'm helping you but I'm definitely helping me by writing this! I need it reinforced! Best of luck.

Hi!! 10 months out, my favorite breakfast is Southwest egg beaters 3tbsp scrambled with 1/4c Jimmy dean turkey sausage crumbles. Sometimes I put 1tbsp of salsa on top. Sometimes I put some shredded cheddar cheese. Lunch-soup!! I love curried red lentil soup. Or cabbage beef soup. I work in a hospital that has 2 great soups for lunch everyday. Snacks-think thin bars, pure protein canned cookies and cream shakes, Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, turkey jerky, almonds Hope this helps

I don't know that I am a good one to ask. Someone on another thread said I was the poster child of what NOT to do. I had shredded chicken and mayo. I think it might have been a little too much, too soon. I have done well with cottage cheese and some canned fruit, runny oatmeal, soft white fish with some sauce. Also, pureed chicken noodle Soup was good. And cream of wheat went down easy. My docs food list said scrambled eggs, but I got the golf ball on that this morning. Ugh! I had Mexican on Friday. It will last me for 4 days since I had only 1/2 enchilada and a couple tablespoons of Beans. Skipped on the rice. The main idea is to introduce food textures gradually. I still have a lot of liquids. On work mornings, I really don't have time to devote 15-20 minutes to eating. I have a scoop of vanilla whey Protein powder in a glass of milk. I holds me until lunch. This is a list I have been collecting from LB groups and forums. If they are too thick, blend with milk and/or broth. Hope they help. Maybe they will inspire your own imagination. Blended cottage cheese and fruit Trader Joes oatmeals Chili – blended during mushie phase Cream of Wheat creamy Soups applesauce yogurt - Dannon Lite N' Fit Protein Powder for shakes frozen fruits for Protein Shakes Small pudding cups (SF/FF) or yogurt 1. refriedbeans toped with cheese 2. cottage cheese & soft low fat cheeses 3. pudding 4. cream of wheat/grits 5. yogurt 6. Jello 7. mashed potatoes 8. scrambled eggs (but not for me! ) 9. Tuna 10.Plain crackers 11. lowfat milk 12. soups(cream or pureed) SHAKES 8 oz soy milk, mini banana, frozen blue berries and a couple tablespoons bran Cereal Choclate Protien mixed with Milk, 3 strawberries, sm banana, some crushed pineapple 2 bananas peeled, broken in half and then frozen 1 cup frozen strawberries 1 cup plain yogurt 2 cups 100% apple juice .25 cup wheat germ (optional for additional fibre) mangos and peaches SOUPS chicken/beef/veggie broths (low sodium as needed) soups & broths Blend soups "Imagine" Soups - in cartons. (Potato Leek, Butternut, Squash, Corn, Creamy Tomato....and more. They are considerably lower in sodium than Campbell’s soups Egg Drop Soup - 4 Cups, 160 calories total2 - 14oz cans low sodium chicken broth 1 - tablespoon rice vinegar 2 - teaspoons soy sauce 4 - egg whites 1 - tablespoon *optional* flour for thickener (or even better buy soup thickener) 1 - tablespoon *optional* ginger I also add a few green onion chunks for flavor, but remove them after cooking since I can't have solids right now. Bring all ingredients on the stove to boil except eggs - once boiling drizzle in egg whites.

Are you getting the sleeve or gastric? You might have said already. My pouches name is sassy gassy! [emoji12] we all name it at least the sleevers do. You are going to go through a lot of stages afterwards. Especially with constipation, emotional withdrawal from food, but when you have that moment in a clothing store because you need a few new cloths you will be having a moment that no one can take from you. I was very emotional, disconnected. I will never forget it. Now you have the frustration of I can't spend a lot because it won't fit four months down the road. Get to know your sale times at the goodwill, thrift shop. The night of your hospital stay. Go in PJ's bring an extra pair. Slippers because it sucks walking in socks. Bathroom stuff (toothpaste) bathrobe. I also brought my two favorite pillows and blanket. And walk constantly. I walked every hour and did laps. It helps with the gas and pain. I didn't bring a bra or anything I didn't give a shit. I lived in pj's for a week went to store and everything. I also was aloud to have full liquids 3 days after surgery. I made a shit load of Chobani frozen yogurt. All I did was add skim milk to it water it down and little tiny red cups and pop sticks and froze them. I would walk in the morning with a frozen yogurt. I made my own beef, pork, chicken broth (bone broth).. I froze it in little containers so I can just take it out add it to mash potato's or drink it. Post and pre-op. I made frozen jello and refrigerator jello. Also a pillow small one you can carry around because when you cough it hurts your tummy pressure with a pillow helps. Pillows to prop you up in bed. I have an adjustable I lucked out.

I often have a something like heartburn. No, not reflux, just mild heartburn. I've found a teaspoon of yogurt and it goes away. My nutritionist says that's not unusual.

I am on soft foods now too, and it sounds like my guidelines are pretty similar to yours. One difference is that I am allowed ground beef or thinly sliced deli meat such as roast beef - not other forms of roast beef though. My meal planning is not very inspiring, I'm afraid. A typical day for me might look like: Breakfast: one poached egg over 1/4 c. fat free refried beans OR 50 grams Greek yogurt with one tablespoon peanut butter stirred in OR two pieces of turkey bacon Lunch: 1.5 oz sliced deli meat (usually turkey or roast beef) plus one babybel cheese plus 2 prunes OR 2 oz. chicken salad and 1 oz. broccoli salad from the deli counter Dinner: 1.5 oz sardines plus 1 oz. cheese plus 1 oz. asparagus salad OR 2 oz. shrimp with hot sauce and blue cheese melted on top plus 1 ounce frozen mixed veggies. I'm not allowed more than three ounces per meal total, and of that, at least 2 ounces has to be protein-rich food such as meat, dairy, eggs, or tofu. Snacks are protein shakes, nothing else. And I'm not allowed starchy veggies, grain-based food, or sweets. If you are on MyFitnessPal you might want to friend people at a similar stage to you and lurk their diaries to see what they eat. I get lots of ideas that way!

There is technically no "no-no" or forbidden food. The only thing banded people aren't supposed to have is carbonation. As for stuff like frozen yogurt, the key is moderation. I have had since being banded, however it's been a small serving and still fit into my daily caloric allowance. Plus, it's a rare treat, not a daily or even weekly occurrence.

OKay here is the question. I know ice cream is a no no, I know yogurt, low fat is okay. Is frozen yogurt ok? I know Popsicles are, I know the calories and carbs are a little higher, but could this be a once a week treat? Help?

I was banded 2/5. I have experienced the same hunger since a week after banding. I was told that initally the swelling is keeping you feeling full but after that you will feel empty often until the first fill. I was cautioned against eating too much or the wrong things because it will cause slippage or the sutures to break (my surgeon sutures the stomach around the band to make a tunnel the band sits in). They told me to add a cup of milked down oatmeal a day. I have further modified it to my taste and have not had a problem. Once daily I will eat a 6 oz can of tuna with FF mayo and a little pickle juice until it is down to a very liquid consitency. This had helped my hunger and it has been satisfying to me for some odd reason. I also drink a protein drink when hungry and it helps to keep the hunger pangs down. I have found that I can not live off of 6oz tomato soup, 6 oz of yogurt and 6 oz of pudding a day along with the clear liquids.

Are you still on liquids or are you allowed to have purees now? Purees give you a lot of options, especially once you get the unflavored protein powder. My favorite purees included: Unsweetened applesauce with cinnamon roll protein powder Triple zero yogurt with chocolate, vanilla, or birthday cake protein powder Sugar-free pudding with chocolate protein powder Protein oatmeal with cinnamon roll protein powder Pureed refried beans with unflavored protein powder, topped with enchilada sauce and Laughing Cow cheese Pureed black bean soup with unflavored protein powder I also ate a lot of sugar-free popsicles, fudgsicles, and Jello in the liquid and pureed stages.

I'm planning to continue the Optifast through the first few weeks, as it's nutritionally pretty complete. That's what the info I was given said to do and to supplement with some fruit juice, some vegetable juice like V8 and some drinking yogurt. Otherwise I'd be worried about getting what I need.

Mocha!!!! A mug warmer! That's genius! Greek yogurt - ewww...for me - barf city. I've tried it 3 times, and each time I felt like i was eating baby vomit. I can tolerate chili well too. I'm just sick of it. I've even had a chili omelette because they are probably the easiest foods for me to eat. lol (don't judge me, it tasted pretty good!)

Yogurt really bothers me, the cheese makes me more constipated. I can tolerate eating cottage cheese sometimes. Like I said, I am just going to have to figure it out on my own. She was absolutely no help whatsoever.

I don't know if any of this will be helpful, but during this stage, I stuck with 2 Premier Protein shakes per day (to get higher protein numbers and it counts as liquids), plus I ate refried Beans (mushed up and chewed to liquid) and Laughing Cow cheese wedges. On rough days, I had 3 Premier shakes to get my 90 grams the easy way. When I wanted flavor, I had my Better Than Bouillon cup of broth, or I'd go to Panera for chicken noodle Soup and eat only the broth. From time to time, I would have instant mashed potatoes with a little bit of chicken gravy. It tasted so good and went down easily. I am an uber-picky eater as well, so this is what got me through. I would not eat pureed meat or baby food. I don't like yogurt and can barely stand pudding. Also, I hate the taste of whey, and only the Premier Protein Shakes taste good to me. So, I was very limited too, and sort of mixed the full liquids and pureed stage into something I could handle for that 2 week period. I absolutely do not think he should move to the next stage early - follow the doctor's plan to a "T." His huge staple line is healing and you don't want him to do anything that could cause a problem during these early weeks. As my surgeon explained to me, these are the crucial healing weeks - it is not about weight loss right now, it's about healing properly - since the "harm" could be damaging the staple line. But, as always, check with the doctor before deviating even a bit from the program that is outlined. Hang in there! ETA: Also, during these early weeks it's rare to feel hunger - I was super bored which made me want to eat, but I didn't actually feel like I needed to eat. And of course, this is how we get dehydrated and end up back in the hospital. It's such a balancing act - for 2 months I couldn't seem to get in my daily Water requirement and even now I sometimes miss it and feel so dry. Hunger does return but those first weeks are just regulating oneself to the new circumstances and the new stomach!

I was told any non-caffeinated beverage counts toward the 64 oz of fluid requirement. And that includes protein shakes. I think some people who are lactose intolerant can handle cheese and yogurt - the fermentation and/or aging weakens the lactose - or something like that. Although I don't know if that's universally true. but other than that, yea - it sounds like she's not listening to you. I would have been mad, too

I agree with the above statements. Because you had complications your stomach may need a little extra time to heal. Mashed potatoes can be kinda rough going down, I would try yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding, and jello. Gradually work your way upto more dense food as time goes on. Best of luck to you.

Got my band a week ago today. Been on clear liquids for this week. Get to move to liquids (creamy soups and yogurt in addition to the clear liquids), for a week starting tomorrow, then a week of soft foods (mushies) and then week 4 is when I start eating regular foods. A week of clear liquids has been rough, but I did it. Can't wait to have some soup tomorrow. Good luck to you!!! Becky

I agree that your food choices could have irritated the problem. After every fill, my doc recommends 2 days liquids, 3 days mushies. chicken and hamburger are a no-no all the time for me. I'd say to stick with liquids...maybe yogurt would be good to try. But if you can't get anything down soon, you need to get back to the doc.

Normal? Depends on the day, but often I have a tuna salad kit for lunch at work. Today, I took homemade chili Beans instead and had about 6 saltines with it. This evening, for dinner, I have had only shredded roast beef cooked in the crockpot with onions, no gravy. I will probably have some yogurt later to take my medications. I don't often eat Breakfast, but if I do, it's normally a Protein bar. I am 3 yrs out and no longer have alot of restriction due to esophageal relaxation. I struggle with the carb hungry monster and the only way I can beat it is to detox myself from it. Often a weekend will be spent on boiled eggs and chicken breasts. For veggies, I'll open a can of green beans, sometimes asparagus etc.

First off I will be 6 weeks out from sugery tomorrow. I have lost 41 lbs so far. My issues have been two nights ago I got back from a 45 minute brisk walk and went to drink some Water, and the water would not go down. It got caught in my esophagus at the point it enters my stomach and I threw it up. I tried to get water to pass for almost a half hour and kept throwing it up. Then it finally passed and I was fine. For two days I have been fine, no problems. Well today, 1 hour after I ate, I drank some water again and had the same thing happen again. I could not get water to go down, and threw it up. I only had to throw up once and then I was able to get water to pass, and have had no issues since. I talked to my surgeon and he said it sounds like my stomach may still be swollen and that I should go back to full liquid diet for 3 days and start taking Prilosec OTC for morning and night. He said after three days reintroduce food slowly. So has anyone else had this happen? Could it be that I am getting a stricture? Getting a stricture is my worst fear. I know I need to trust my doctor and see how things go, doing the 3 day full liquid and the meds. Just wanted to see if anyone has had this happen, and what the outcome was for them? i started soft foods two weeks ago and then regular foods this past week (although I pretty much am only eating soft foods still), and I am really not able to eat much at all. Example, my diet yesterday was a Protein Shake for Breakfast. A greek yogurt for snack. 1 meatball, chewed to mush for lunch, babybel for snack, 3 small bites of tuna for supper. Then lots of liquids all throughout the day. Anyone have any thoughts!! Thanks!!

Is Reser’s seafood salad acceptable during the purée stage? I’m 2.5 weeks post op and my doc has me on purée. I’ve done homemade refried beans and can tolerate it some, scrambled eggs, broths, yogurts. I’m burnt on protein shakes and I’m trying to work on getting protein from food as much as I can even though it’s quite difficult at this stage. I’m wondering if the seafood salad would help me at all or if I should avoid it at all cost

Hi Viktoryalynne!!!! Wooohoooo another 11/5 sleever. This is exciting!!! Soda has not been an issue for me. Flavored water works well for me. Lol I'm at Walmart now getting H20, yogurt and almonds!

Hi everyone! I was banded on 03/10/08 and im down about 60lbs but the scale hasnt moved in weeks and im at one of my lowest points. I eat PERFECT, exercise 3 times a week (spin 2x week and run) and im GAINING weight. Does anyone know what a typical calorie intake of a 200lb 5'5 women should consume with the amount I exercise? Here is my typical day of eating: B- oatmeal with scoop of Protein or egg beaters with spinach, with that 70 calorie LF yogurt. coffee with creamer (i figured my creamer is about 100 calories) L- salad with chicken, MEASURED 3T dressing, 10 olives, 15 seseme sticks (80 calories) S- small apple with 2T Peanut Butter (on gym days) D- 4oz of either steak, fish, chicken and veggie- normally spinach or aspargas Liquids- 64+ a day I feel that i am eating great and people get on me about my creamer, 10 olives and 15 small seseme sticks with my salad but look at what i eat in a day and to me, that doesnt seem like much. Espicially since when I go spinning, I burn about 600 in an hour (wear heart rate monitor). I go to my nutritionist and alls they say is eat healthy and exercise. Ok I DO and HAVE for a year now and the scale is now going up??? Am i eating to much? not enough? Im so frustrated and not sure what to do. Does anyone incorporate South Beach or Body for Life? Any help or words of encouragment is appreciated :thumbup:

I'm 2 weeks post op and it takes me about 4 or 5 different sittings just to get one Premier Protein shake in. I need to focus on protein for the healing process as you do as well. I would substitute cottage cheese or yogurt for the oatmeal... Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

My surgery was 11/14/13 - 4 weeks ago tomorrow...Here's an update on what's going on with me. The Protein shakes are really getting to me. I’m so sick of them!!!!! I know it’s time to start changing it up – I have to the break the vanilla, strawberry and chocolate barrier. This week I found a sample pack of Health Wise Soups that I forgot I purchased before surgery. Jackpot!!!!! The Cream of chicken was so good – it has a little less protein (15 grams vs. 20 with a shake), but that 5 grams of protein was worth my sanity that night. I have also had the chocolate mixed with warm 1% milk and some sugar-free peppermint syrup. That was a nice treat on a cold, snowy night reading my book. This morning, I mixed a chocolate with a cup of decaf coffee, a splash of 1% milk and some sugar-free salted caramel syrup – Caramel Mocha, anyone? Yum! I also have some products on order – hot chocolate (high protein), oatmeal (high protein/low carb) and some Click decaf coffee. I need to get out of this rut – getting your protein in is so important and it’s difficult to get that last shake in, mainly because I just don’t want it. I haven’t stepped on the scale in a week – tomorrow is weigh in day and I’m a little scared. I feel really good physically – I still get tired easily, but for the most part, I feel good. I’ve been exercising at the gym walking at least 2 miles per day and usually 2.5 miles or more. Yesterday I did a personal best of 60 minutes and 3 miles (thanks to the hubs for saying he had a few more minutes of his workout left, so I ended up going a whole hour!). I’m more worried about the mental aspect of weighing and not getting the result I’m looking for. I feel like I’m getting smaller – I didn’t feel like that late-last week or early-this week, but I do now. I don’t know if that is Water retention or me just being psycho… I am still in the same jeans I wore pre-op, which is a little depressing. I think I was in denial about how tight those jeans really were pre-surgery! Plus they are made out of that stretchy jean-like material, so about 10 minutes after you put them on they will stretch to your bulk – a great characteristic if your fat and lumpy. They certainly aren’t tight now and they are a little loose in the waist. I will probably need to get new ones in a couple of weeks. I can’t wear my 2X Old Navy yoga pants any more – they literally fall off me. I am keeping one pair as a reminder of how big I really got. I should burn the rest of them. Tomorrow I move to a “soft foods” diet. I have been on puree foods the past two weeks, but I’ll be honest, I didn’t puree a lot. I let my chompers do the pureeing for me. My surgeon and my local doctor are polar opposites when it comes to food. My surgeon said, “Introduce foods as soon as you can and no need to puree if you have teeth and saliva.” You could almost hear my local doctor gasp when I told her that – she is much more conservative and I think if she thought she wouldn’t have a mutiny on her hands, she would make patients wait a year before trying Greek yogurt. So, I’ve been doing a hybrid mainly for my sanity. I chew, chew, chew and chew some more. The Eat Slower app is also a helper – it slows you down and helps remind you to chew your food. I purchased the Carb Balance Tortilla shells – the whole-wheat fajita size has 3 net carbs. I have had dreams about those shells! I want a taco (small, baby taco) and a pizza with the shell as the crust. Mmmmm…can’t wait.