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Seven months out here. I am in the several small meals rather than 3 meals a day camp. Breakfast/first meal in the morning I usually do a Protein shake. Sometimes I will do a NF cappucino and then have a Protein Shake later in the day. Then I have 3-5 other small meals that typically consist of one of these things: Greek yogurt (Chiobani 100, Dannon light & fit or Fage) 1oz turkey Jerky Sharp cheddar made with 2% milk String cheese Thin sliced cold cuts Poached chicken breast 1/3-1/2 of a pure protein or Quest bar Raw veggies with Fage mixed with ranch dressing mix 1oz almonds or cashews 1/2 c Turkey chilli 2 turkey meatballs w/marinara I will usually pair one or two of these small meals with a carb like 1/4-1/2 cup berries, melon, plums, apricots Hummus with veggies Roasted root vegetables Sliced tomatoes with balsamic and olive oil and basil Small salad with full fat dressing Flat out low carb wrap (1/2) or a low carb tortilla (1/2) A couple of times a week I will splurge and add in something the family is eating or eat out. I don't deny myself a bit or this or that including.... A few French fries A cheese won ton (had this today!) Half a slice of thin crust pizza Insides of a street taco Popcorn at the movies Chick fil a grilled nuggets A few bites of almost anything my husband or kids order I have completely stayed away from bread, rice, sugar drinks including juice, Pasta...other than that I don't have any forbidden foods....including a very occasional dessert. I eat around 800 calories a day, typically 70g protein (60+) less than 60 carbs (usually less than 40).

I'm sorry you're not having an easy time! From what I've heard from others, you can be overfilled even by .1cc or so! you never know what a big difference a tiny amount of saline can do. Anyway, if you are throwing up all the time, something needs to change. If yogurt is a problem, you could definitely be overfilled. chicken is a problem for lots of people and sometimes adding something like gravy to it helps. Anyway, of course you need to eat slow and really chew, but since it sounds like you are already doing that, I would look into getting an adjustment. PS- I prefer to call it an adjustment rather than a fill or unfill because sometimes people think of an "unfill" is like taking a step backwards-but there is NO benefit to being having an incorrect "adjustment level". Good luck!!

Reading over this thread has nearly brought tears to my eyes. I guess I could be viewed as an "abusive or neglectful" mother by some of the posters here. Let me just tell you that I am VERY concerned about my daughter. I have taken her to the Dr. numerous times. In fact, we go in tomorrow to have her weight checked. My baby girl, Anna is 9 months old and 26 lbs. Her weight AND height percentiles are off the charts. I am much more concerned at this point then her Dr. is. She is pretty sure that Anna will start to trend down with her weight now that she is becoming more active. The Dr. ordered blood work to be done at my request to check her thyroid, blood sugar, etc. I took her to the lab to have the blood drawn 3 times and they poked her 7 times all unsuccessfully. It was horrible! Her diet consists of formula (dr. says I can not stop giving her this yet) no more then 20 ounces per day, vegetables, fruits, yogurt and meat. No cereal at all. No juice at all. It breaks my heart and worries me like you could not even imagine. The LAST thing in this world that I want is for my child to start out in this life overweight. I would never want her to go through the struggles that I have with my weight. She will never be taught to eat junk, fast food or too large of portions. Not in this house. Anyways, I think I am just ranting now because the thought of anyone stepping in and threatening to take my children from me is just.... well it's just unthinkable. They are my life! They are the whole reason I even had lapband surgery to start with. I feel that maybe some education is needed in the homes of obese children. Threatening to take someones children is just wrong in this case, at least in my opinion..... :thumbup:

I lost 10 pounds in 11 days of liquids. I also did the protein shakes like mentioned above and then I did jello, pudding and popcicles for snacks, but I do like greek yogurt now that I am post op, never tried it prior. Oh and I loved sugar free popcicles, especially after surgery when it is difficult to drink and get your liquids in they were wonderful and went down with ease and taste good Good luck on your journey, you will be happy with your decision, I still have some days, but I am so happy I made this decision for myself.

To original poster. For yogurt look for the Greek style as it will have twice the protein for the same calories. You can add Splendra if the taste is too sour for you.

Im 2 weeks post op. I was looking forward to adding protien and yogurt to my diet but im not able to tolerate anything besides the clear liquid diet. Has this happened to anyone else? My stomach is bloated all day long when i try to incorporate protien shakes, dannon light and fit greek, diet v8, and fat free cream soups.

Good luck on your surgery. I ate pizza the nigh before as I think I ate so many my stomach was the size of a pizzzzza:( It was my first love. Sick to say but I followed the pre op diet exactly; for three weeks no food only the shakes and bars. I only lost 18+ pounds and was to lose 30! But so many people that knew me from where I came from and here who had surgeries like this kept saying: Just follow the instructions the doc gives you and the book. You will be fine. So, in the beginning getting down the shakes and water were so funny because the amounts were so small but it allowed the stomach to heal and for me to forget about the old ways of eating.. I ate all of it. Tv as a problem when they show people drinking and eating food on every show. So, I felt like I wanted to join in like a subminimal sp? message. So: my eating was from over eating and living with animals. One dog and two cats. Not many humans to talk to. So: I learned alot about myself and remember the days when I was 8-10 and used to run and do the sit ups 200 a day. After the six weeks were up; I went to PT as the wt was too much for me the past two yrs I didn't lose wt. So, I got stronger/ hurt my back/ and flew off the side of the mower putting me back a month on real exercise at the Y. I may go today as my first day but do isometrics on the bed and they work. I'd try to get pt afterwards if your not an exerciser and are weak in your strength and it's good to strengthen our backs. I am doing great and went from 272 at fasting/ to 265 operation date April 11th, after that each month went to the doc office to get weighed on the 11th or around there and I am now 185 lbs or less. I go to him tomorrow and can't wait. I have 50more pounds to remoe but I feel better already; walk faster, and can do more or even feel like doing more. There are times I feel like eating pasta but only a little works/ and chew it thoroughly. I don't feel great aferwards if it's in soup so it's a waste of room something else could be in the stomach that's a protien not a carb. So, I am very careful to not eat sugar, I do have to get my water intake up as I am low still 24 to 48 oz sporatically and need to be at 64 fl oz. but I am still using the shake am's to give me 32protiens and try to eat protien lunch and dinner to make up for the rest. I got the vitimans ordered prior to surgery so I'd have all I needed at home to prepare the shakes ahead of time in a baggie and just add the amt of almond or coconut milk, frozen fruit as ice cubes and use walnuts with no salt for snacks which is more protien. At first it's good to just have the jellows, puddings, which I hate anyways, but it takes our mind set and puts it else where so we can know: it's what we need to heal our new stomach. And as we move on to the broths and peanut butter in the shakes etc. we drink a little slower. I use a yogurt senstations? from Food lion which has plain/5grams of fat. Half in one shake also helps us to get in what we need. It takes a while to get used to it but I loved not having all those dishes in the sink... I found making food to give away once in a while is satisfying to me as I can make what I want and it looks too heavy or reminds me of the past and I dont' have a desire for it. I can try a little and there is this feeling you get and you know; best to not try it at this time, down the road; more is accepted and tollerated but until a yr. I am doing the best I can to do what I am supposed to do staying away from salts and sugars. Fake sweetners etc. except for crystal lite... water used to go down so easy now I have to sweeten it up. I went into this as I'm brought to it; remove the part that has not worked well for me... and Healing will take place. Hope this gives you Hope and know: IF you eat when your supposed to and follow directions, things will fall into place as each phase of the program moves forward quickly and you can try new things. Carole

I mixed veg broth with unflavored Protein and pureed Beans and mixed with veg broth for a sort of soup. I also ate a lot of FAGE 0% greek yogurt. I would do a shake in the morning that I added whey protein to. The combination of the Protein powder and the yogurt was over half my protein for the day. I would then do another Protein Shake or more greek yogurt at lunch and could usually do a pureed veg or bean soup in the evening. Another thing I would do is have the orange creme Liquid Protein in a cup of herbal tea for Breakfast, again do the whey powder/yogurt for lunch. Then have the pureed veg or bean soup in the evening. My goal just became to get in my protein by lunch so I could have something svory in the evening.

I did the pureed for the first 2 days of my soft foods. Mashed sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, sugar free applesauce, pudding, and Greek yogurt. If at any time you have trouble with soft foods you can go back th o full liquids for a day and try again. I haven't had to do that yet. Good luck.

My is week 1 & 2 full liquids: protein shakes, cream soups(no chunks) and yogurt Week 3-6: Soft foods Then i start adding in regular food. I am on week 2

Today I had a 1/2c. of overnight oats (this one: https://dashingdish.com/recipe/carrot-cake-overnight-protein-oatmeal/) which has 12 gms of Protein and was super delicious and filling. And coffee. Most days I have Greek yogurt with some kind of crunchy mix-in, like All Bran or Cheerios. And coffee. Weekends is usually a cheese omelet or protein pancakes with turkey bacon. And coffee.

You should be able to have a scope done to see what size your sleeve is. I agree with CGJ. You need another opinion. Research who is available to you and ask for a consult. DS should be your last resort. There has to be a reason you don't feel full on a small amount of food with a sleeve. I am 5 years out and I still can't finish any meal I try to eat, like steak and veggies. If I eat 3 oz of steak, I might be able to eat one pc of broccoli . Are you eating dense Protein or sliders like yogurt?

I am a pre & post op vegetarian down 69 pounds in five months. I will admit that veganism might not be entirely do-able but as an ovo-lacto veggie I have no problems meeting my numbers daily with shakes, tofu, cottage cheese, nuts, seeds, soy, yogurt and seitan. I'm not really allowed beans, quinoa or chickpeas which were a source of protein prior too surgery. Nobody is gonna fault you for eating tofu in place of chicken as long as you meet your numbers.

I was banded Nov 2009 and my weight loss is 14. I can eat anything- I go for my 3rd fill this Wed. I called my doc office and the girl said to keep a food log and bring it in for him to review to give me suggestions. At my last visit he told me not to eat yogurt- which I was having for a snack daily. He said it was too much of slider for my band. He stressed protein first and not to eat a meal any larger than a WW meal. I too am hoping to hit that sweet spot soon. Good luck!

gosh...that seems like way too much food. I can get a lot of yogurt down, but the 1 1/2 cups of veggies and the Cookies...that's a lot. I can't even look at a cookie right now.

Full liquids for 1 more week I am eating basically jello, pudding, chicken broth, beef broth, cream of chicken soup, carnation instant breakfast, yogurt and sugar free Popsicles...I tried eggs whites a couple of times but they didn't sit well...is there things I am missing that I don't know about lol?

Hey, I am so happy for you that you had the surgery and I wish you luck on your way. I think the following items may be good for you to try out: - yogurt (watch out for sugar) - homemade fruit smoothie (you make it with frozen fruit, OJ, scoop of vanilla Protein powder and some either s/f ice cream or yogurt) - hard boiled egg - soups - popsicles (s/f of course ) - steamed veggies - fruit, fruit and more fruit. (I would try watermelon and oranges - they seem to go down easily for me and my mom - both sleeved) Also, when/if you have veggies or later on meats, it is really helpful to have a dipping sauce like ranch dressing or ketchup, etc, to help everything go down in the right direction. hope this helps

I had my surgery on 6/18, I've lost 1 pound a day. Total as of today that I am two weeks post op 14lb. It may not seem much but I'm happy with slow weight loss. I am hypothyroid ( hashi mottos). It's hard for me to lose any weight so this is the main reason I got the surgery. It's really hard for me to avoid solids. I drink 8 oz of drinkable kefir yogurt each morning and drink 4oz protein shake. However I'll munch on whole grain crackers about 6 of them. Yesterday I ate little bit of rice. I want real food, my doc has me on the purée stage and I don't like it one bit. I have no will power How can I continue without cheating?

Here are a couple of days... My goal is to eat around 900 calories and at least 80 grams of Protein. Nothing is really "off limits" except for trigger foods (Wheat thins, etc.) I have a little fridge under my desk at work and keep Atkins Protein shakes and Greek yogurt available. Plus I like Luna Protein Bars and Quest brownie protein bars. (The Quest ones are AWESOME after you microwave them for 10 seconds.)

There's a lot of changes that occur within the first 6 months that are truly just learning to eat with the sleeve, facing the mental and emotional challenges of not being able to eat like we did pre-op, and some side effects/symptoms do not hit all of us. I wasn't prepared to have zero appetite. I knew I'd lose my hunger, but I wasn't prepared to hate food. After years of loving food in large quantities, many huge meals, it was definitely a huge change to all of a sudden dread eating. It wasn't because eating was painful or uncomfortable, I simply hated the way things tasted. Nothing sounded good, nothing smelled good, everything was just blah. I had to force myself to eat, and had to really get creative just to be able to eat. It didn't last, but it was a very trying time for me. I also had to set an alarm on my phone that would remind me to eat. My appetite did return, my tastebuds went back to how they were pre-op. Food did taste good again, but it took some time. Essentially, eating became a chore. It did help change my relationship with food. I learned to eat to live instead of living to eat. I became lactose intolerant which was not fun. Yogurt and cheese was about the only thing I could eat. Protein drinks were out. whey is a milk product so anything with whey made me puke. I tried the other varieties of protein soy, and veggie Proteins, but they were disgusting. I was prepared for the hair loss, I was prepared for the small portions, chewing everything to mush, and eating slowly. I had most of the eating learning curve beat because of my band experience. When anyone asks me for pre-op advice, I tell them the same things: stretch your meal out to 20 minutes, stop drinking with your meals now, and don't drink for 30 minutes after your meal, eat your meat first, switch over to a salad plate to cut your portions down, put your eating utensil down in between bites to help slow down your meal, when eating out get a to-go box as soon as your food is delivered and divide the meal in half, box up half of it to take home. Start drinking 60+ ounces of clear fluids now because it's a tough a habit to get into, but it's essential post-op. My other advice is to confront your food issues before you have surgery. This will help with the food funerals, mourning the loss of being able to eat big meals, figure out what works for you. I had a different mindset than some other vsg'ers. I wanted to get to goal quickly and worry about maintenance when I got there. I was super strict with food choices through my losing phase. BUT, I knew that I would not be in deprivation mode for the rest of my life. I think it worked best for me. Best wishes! ! !

I look froward to small foods filling me up! It's probably good that your stomach no longer tolerates those things. I kind of hope the same thing happens to me so I can kick the habit. I wouldn't mind at all if it were unhealthy foods my body doesn't tolerate. I'm mostly lactose intolerant (I can eat some cheese without issue, but milk and Greek yogurt set me off badly), can't eat most meats (although I'm learning to like fish...I haven't cooked it a lot in the past). I definitely appreciate that most foods are on my no-eat list though. It definitely makes it easier to avoid sweets and whatnot when you have zero taste for them any more.

hi guys - don't be scared. i was as well, and pearly girl makes a point that i once made -- if we were so in control of what we eat, we wouldn't be getting the surgery. be creative in what you make -- i lived on Water, ensure, Soups, and yogurt & fruit smoothies. another thing that might help you through it is that you can't think of this like the end of eating. when i was on my liquid diet, and on the days before i started it, i felt like... oh my god, this is it.. i had better eat everything i want to before the surgery... but you'll get to eat stuff after the surgery. the only thing i'd say to get in if you're really in love with it are big bready things and maybe some sticky rice dishes. though, before your first fill, you'll probably be able to eat a lot with no problem. everyone is different. good luck!

I get what you're saying. I feel so bad for every little "cheat" and wonder if I am really going to be able to do this. For instance, today I had my first fill, I was told to have Clear liquids until tomorrow. So of course, having only had a Protein shake and a little cottage cheese before going I was freakin' hungry tonight. So, I had a sugar free yogurt smoothie. Now I am fighting feelings like I am going to fail, I screwed up, etc. Over a freakin' sugar free smoothie! Here's what I tell myself, if it don't hurt then I'm okay. I had a neice live with me for several years. She was the tiniest thing. I would make these great home made meals (something she'd never had at home) and she would take a little of this, a spoon full of that. She would have sooooo much plate exposed it would make me uncomfortable. EAT! I would tell her, fill up your plate! She would say to me, this is all I need. I was 300 pounds, she was about 135. My band is helping me to make my plate look like hers. PERIOD. Try not to get anxious. That will make you eat more. You know it. I know it. We have many many many months before we can deem this a failure or success. Let it do what it's supposed to. If you are needing counceling, GET IT! Whatever it takes to help you. You're worth it! Do what you can to help you get your success.

Hi All! I am scheduled April 30th and am supposed to begin my pre op diet tomorrow. I swear, I am going to go back to school and become a dietitian. I had my pre op appointment last week and she told me to start the liquid diet "around the 22nd, a week b-4 surgery". She was not entirely clear about it and the whole day was alot of info to absorb. So I called today, b/c if I start on the 22nd, it would be 9 days, but a week is 7 days, and you know - PLEASE, DON'T MESS WITH A FAT GIRLS EATING!! If I did 9 days, and found out I had to do it for only 7, well that would be tragic! When I called today, she said I should be on it for 10 days & to start today! I still need to go to the grocery store!! So, I think I would like to go to school & become a dietitian, so I can get a job at a weight loss clinic to advise people like me! Because I get it! Any way, here is my pre op diet: 4 Protein drinks daily Include 6 servings per day from the following: 1 cup tomato or v-8 juice 1/2 cup hot Cereal 1 cup sugar free pudding 6 ounces low-sugar yogurt 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce fat free raw vegtables Water or sugar free beverages as needed HMMMM... the hot cereal would include warming up some coco krispies?? I could handle that haha!! Oh, I hope I can do this! I am so glad that others feel the same!! and are being successful too! it is so encouraging! Everytime I have doubts I come to this web site ! I love it too! good luck to all! :rolleyes2:

GGQ, I am 14.5 months out, 8 lbs from goal. I have had 9 fills, I currently have approx 9.25 cc in a 10cc band. I would certainly do this again. I just hate I could not have done this 10 yrs ago. As I got the fills on a monthly basis, due to having restriction for about 3 weeks after each fill and as I lost wt the restriction became less. So you will reach several "sweet spots" on your journey only to search for the next one. I am probably about done, pretty tight the last 5 weeks since the last fill. Warm liquids first thing in the morning, then my prtien shake, then mushy for breakfast about 3 hrs later. then lunch and then eat 5 hrs later. The last fill has caused a full feeling not the same as before. You can bet if I do not chew, and then chew some more before swallowing that tiny morsel, it will aggrevate until i do it right. My eyes water, pain in chest, and then the slime begins. This will happen with every morsel if I DO NOT CHEW WELL. I have learned this same lesson over and over for each fill I have had since surgery. We just have to be reminded. I eat about 1/2 -3/4(pushing it) for lunch. maybe 3/4 and some ww bread. sometimes I can get a yogurt and fruit snack in in the morning, mainly just for the dairy though. I track my minutes in exercise daily. yesterday was 190, so that will happen 4 x week the other 3 days is about 100 minutes. It is work but in the long run it is worth it. The old saying "NOTHING TASTE AS GOOD AS THIN FEELS" is so very true. i have gone from a 16/18 to a 6/8 BMIis 24 I beleive. So Hang in there, be patient and make your band work for you, don't try to work around your band.. Good luck to you all new bandsters..