Search the Community

During the first few weeks after surgery, you need to take the time to recover and to start adjusting to your new life with the LAP-BAND® Adjustable Gastric Banding System. A big part of your long term weight loss success will be your motivation and commitment to a new lifestyle that includes a new diet and exercise plan, routine check ups with your surgeon, ongoing LAP-BAND® System adjustments, support group meetings, and more. However, be patient with yourself in the first weeks after surgery. You've already taken the biggest step - the first one. Now, it'll be a new life and lifestyle you create over time, not overnight. Your doctor will work with you to address your needs specifically. Below are some guidelines: Recovery Here are some key points for your recovery in the first few days and weeks. First Days You can expect some soreness, especially where the access port is, but it should subside (Please call your surgeon if the pain persists after a few days). To prevent infection, your surgeon may tell you not to shower for a day or so after surgery. Try to walk as much as you can comfortably, so that you'll regain strength and prevent blood clots, but take it slowly. [*]First Week(s) During the first week after surgery, allow yourself to recover and get plenty of rest. In about a week, you should be able to return to work, provided it's not physically demanding. For more physically active jobs, allow yourself two to three weeks to recover. Within four to six weeks, you should be able to resume all normal activity and start a new exercise program. Note: Before engaging in any physical activity or exercise program, first consult your surgeon. Many surgeons see their patients weekly or biweekly during the first month after surgery, so you will be sure your recovery is going well, and have any questions answered. Dietary Guidelines After surgery, you'll need a new nutrition plan. You'll learn about the positive changes you can and need to make in your diet and lifestyle from your surgeon and/or dietitian. It's very important to follow your new eating and drinking instructions beginning immediately after the surgery. In the first few weeks after your LAP-BAND® System surgery, you will be on a liquid diet since only thin liquids will be tolerated by your stomach at that time. As you heal, you will gradually progress to pureed foods (three to four weeks post-op) and then soft foods (five weeks post-op). Finally, after about six weeks, you will be able to eat solid foods. The First Few Days Post-Surgery It's extremely important to follow the eating and drinking instructions immediately after the surgery. This allows your new stomach pouch to heal completely and the LAP-BAND® System to stay in the right position. In the early weeks, it's crucial not to stretch the small stomach pouch above the LAP-BAND® System. Vomiting will do this, while also increasing the chance of stomach tissue slipping up through the band. Right after the surgery, you can take an occasional sip of Water or suck on an ice cube. Don't take any more liquid than this, though. The day after the operation, you can take a little more Fluid but only a small amount at a time. Besides water, you should also choose Clear Liquids that have an adequate number of calories. To prevent nausea and vomiting, do not drink too much. [*]liquid diet (1-2 weeks post-surgery) Your goal during the first few weeks is to protect the small stomach pouch so that you can heal properly. It can only tolerate thin liquids at this time. It's also important to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water (small amounts at a time). Other liquids recommended during this phase include: clear broth or Soup (with no vegetables or meat, and not creamy) skim milk fruit juice no-sugar-added popsicles [*]Pureed Foods (3-4 weeks post-surgery) Now, you can start adding slightly textured foods. Think of the consistency of baby foods. This stage will help you transition to more solid foods later. Protein is very important for maintaining muscle while you lose weight. So, you should eat protein-rich foods first, and then move on to fruits and vegetables. Foods in this stage may include: pureed skinless chicken or fish mashed potatoes peas low-fat yogurt or pudding [*]Please note: In the first few weeks you may be able to eat foods that might not be allowed in your diet later, because they may contain too many calories. [*]Remember, it's more important in the first few weeks to let your stomach adjust to the LAP-BAND® System than it is to lose weight. Also, your personal timing and progression into each dietary phase depends on your progress. In general, when it comes to your nutrition, you should follow the advice of your surgeon and/or dietitian. [*]Soft Foods (5 weeks post-surgery) Your meals can now include tender, cooked foods like fish and ground turkey. Now that you can chew, make it a habit to chew foods well. If you have dentures, be sure to cut your food into small pieces and chew your food thoroughly. By not chewing properly, you may experience vomiting, stomach irritation and swelling. You could also have stoma obstruction (obstruction of the stomach opening created by the LAP-BAND® System). Some products like bread, red meat, and rice may still cause you problems, so it is better to eat softer foods that are easier to digest. These might include foods such as moist white meat (chicken or pork) and fish. If solid foods cause any nausea and vomiting, go back to the liquid diet you had earlier. Then you can slowly add soft foods and eventually transition to solid foods. Always ask your doctor or dietitian for advice that is specific to you. Again, remember that vomiting may increase the incidence of band slippage, stomach slippage, or stretching of the small stomach pouch above the LAP-BAND®.

Mert - I am right there with you - today was the worst day yet as far as wanting to eat. I started my nursing classes today and they surprised us with a catered lunch for us to say Congrats on our scholarship - and it was awful to have it right under my nose and given to me as a gift kind of and not only want it - but also feel obligated to eat it. It was so hard not to gobble the whole grilled chicken salad down. I just played with it a bit and took a couple of bites of the cheese and chewed them for what seemed like 5 minutes each. I actually had to put some over in my friends dish so that it looked like I ate my meal. As soon as I had a break I ran to the car and had my smooth and creamy yogurt that I had packed. Then I accidently swallowed a piece of Trident gum and was so scared it would stick that all I did was drink Water for hours it seemed. I have been down about it all day. The sad thing is that this was a meal good for me and in just a few weeks I will be able to eat it (or at least a fraction of it). I just keep thinking this phase is not forever - it will pass - LOL. You give me a kick in the butt and I will give you a kick too... YOU CAN DO IT - and I CAN TOO!!! Off to have some Soup. Bye for now.

I'm gonna say any meat/veggie, egg/veggie combo is gonna work for you. Nothing is easier or faster to make than an egg and you can mix tons of veggies, cheese, and other things into them. Most meat can be pan seared in a little cooking spray really quickly, or baked in the oven. You could even Foreman Grill it. Wrap a piece of your favorite whitefish in a piece of tin foil (like a tent, sealed well with no holes) with a couple of circles of sliced lemon and your favorite spice and bake for 15 minutes. It'll be perfect. Do you live near a Fresh & Easy? They have really fantastic prepared meals that you can microwave. The plus is that it's fresh, not frozen and it tastes much more like home cooking than manufactured food. The downside is that because it's not frozen, it doesn't keep for as long. My husband and I shop there almost exclusively. I'm only recently learning to cook and he doesn't have time to cook, so we eat F&E meals a lot. I eat a lot of their fish (ahi, salmon, etc) instead of buying the full meals because the meals aren't practical for me anymore. They also have beef, chicken, pork, etc. that are quick to cook or microwave depending on which preparation you get. I also eat cheese (they have great cheese) and crackers, cottage cheese, yogurt, and eggs with lots of veggies mixed in. The other thing I do is make something that will last for a bit (crustless quiche or fish stew, stuff like that). That way I don't have to cook so much. I'm not sure that'll be much help, but I don't plan regular meals anymore since I can't eat them. I might have salmon for dinner with two bites of mashed potatoes or ahi tuna with the very bottom of one piece of baby bok choy.

I was sleeved on Sept. 4th. So far, down 48 lbs, including the 15 I lost before surgery. I've been very fortunate so far, can tolerate most foods now except for milk. I seem to be lactose intolerant now, it upsets my stomach, but I do eat cheese. Can't do ice cream, but some frozen yogurt. I eat a lot of greek yogurt. Haven't really had any problems, just have to be mindful of how much I eat, still trying to figure out that one. About a cup of food total now is about right, sometimes too much depending on what it is. Still have to make myself not to drink for at least 40 minutes after I eat. I am very happy I had this surgery and very thankful I have not had issues with vomiting.

Full liquids I was allowed anything I could fit through a straw. Thin cream of wheat, applesauce, drinkable yogurt, egg drop soup, tomato soup with cottage cheese blended in, thin pudding, blended cheese and broccoli soup. That's all I can think of right now!

I did decide to go back to what was on the full liquids so shakes, yogurt & cottage cheese. I'd like to have Soup but it's not appetizing in the heat. I had thought maybe I wouldn't feel so weak & tired if I ate puréed food but it didn't help that anyway. Sent from my iPhone using VST

String cheese is one of my faves. A girl in my support group this morning gave out a recipe that I might try. 1 Jello cup 1 greek yogurt cup (Dannon or Yoplait) 1 scoop Protein powder (use a fruity one, or an unflavored) Tiny bit of diet big red or diet sprite I dont drink cokes anymore, so I might try it with ice. Just blend it all together. I also am in love with sugar free Fudgesicles from the Schwan Man!

I was also informed that I have to do the diet all over again. The only problem I have is now I am lactose intolerant so it's going to be a little harder for me because I can't do the regular protein shakes and yogurt and things like that. Is there a place on this website that has the diet so I can plan before I go to the dr?

I'm 9 weeks out as of today. For breakfast I usually eat 1/2 cup of cottage cheese or a yogurt. For my first snack of the day I usually have a cheese stick or some diced peach slices in water. For my lunch I usually have deli sliced turkey (3 slices) and one cheese stick divided in three to make roll-ups lol or 2oz of rotisserie chicken with sugar free bbq sauce (my preference is G. Hughes Hickory flavored) and usually a scoop or two of green beans, or I eat left overs from the night before. For my afternoon snack I usually eat a mini bell pepper sliced in half and dipped in 2TBS of salsa or cheese crisps (sometimes dipped in salsa lol). Dinner is kinda all over the place though lol. Last night I had a turkey burger patty with a tablespoon of mustard on top, 1/4 of an avacado, and a slice of tomato. The night before I had a make shift stir fry using cauliflower rice instead of regular rice with chicken, mushrooms, red bellpepper, water crests, carrots, broccoli, onion, etc. with sugar free Teriyaki sauce (again, G. Hughes is my preference). If I have I late night snack (I rarely do) it's usually fruit or a yogurt or cottage cheese, etc. Cauliflower pizza is a good food option too and leaves TONS of left overs! Stuffed bellpepper with cauliflower herb rice is also delicious. And one of my favorite meals so far is a make shift taco salad with seasoned turkey meat, avocado, taco sauce, tomato, and cheese... it's yummy! Hope this helps in some way...

Uh.. So I admit, I've been watching for that crossover to the under-300# realm: Weight at start (mid-April): 345 Weight going into surgery (30 Jun): 306 Weight @ 1 day: 310 Weight @ 2 days: 304 (dropping about 0.5# every couple hours) Weight @ 3 days: 301 (just measured), 299.8 (lunch) I seem to be losing roughly 2-3# per DAY. At this rate, I'll cross the 300# mark by the time I finish Breakfast. [### EDIT: I went back to sleep, so the best I can say is that I crossed it before lunch...###] This is not an exaggeration: I dropped half a pound yesterday over the course of *consuming* 16oz of Water. Obviously I had 4# of Fluid pumped into me at surgery. I've obviously lost that.. but I didn't expect initial weight loss in the 3#/day range. Honestly, I feel fine overall.. just hungry, not weak. I'm able to consume (water, yogurt, soup .. overall about 300 calories, with plenty of Vitamin supplementation) without difficulty, as long as I don't gulp things down. This, too, seems normal. Am I just lucky, or is this rate of weight loss actually not unusual? I cannot account for it on a simple calories in/calories out model -- it's as if the surgery has told my body to shed a lot of fat up front. I suppose it could be extra energy requirements during healing, but still -- a factor of 3x seems extraordinary. No complaints, of course. I just haven't seen this magnitude of response reported here before.

Im post op 3 days and my doctor already has me on pureed foods already. Is that okay because many of you guys have been on liquid diet for about 2 weeks two a mknth and I've only been on it for 3 days also some soups and some yogurt especially the sugar free pudding and the cheese have carbs in it but I've been looking for foods that have low carbs. Is it okay to have that little amount of carbs?

I grow my own - that way I know they're fresh! I make kefir, which is much easier than yogurt - just pour milk in, wait a day, drain the kefir off - done. No heating or other nonsense required. I ordered the grains that hold the probiotic colony and make the kefir from Amazon - just search "kefir grains." Only costs 10-20 dollars. I've had mine for 5 years, and have given them away to several people since then (they multiply over time).

I'm afraid to go in there. Its like being tortured. My Dr is allowing me to eat small, low fat, low sugar items. Following the protean drink, low fat puddings and such brought my sugar down to a 65 the other day, so they gave me the ok to eat just a little. The mousse doesnt bother me, its the frozen yogurt and muffins that drive me up the wall!!

So glad you're here. Good luck with your next stage. Hopefully things get better. Yogurt! Keep us posted. HW: 281.5 on 10.30.15 SW: 245.7 on 6.1.16 CW: 204.8 on 8.17.16

Oh, man! I am supposed to be on liquids for the first two weeks, but their "liquids" include thicker stuff like drinking yogurt and blended soup. Wonder if I would be okay to have something heavier now, like mashed potatoes. Ugh! Just want a taste of something that isn't those two things right now. >.<

My kids are visiting me this week and I have taken them out to eat at great places in Chicago. Now mind you I am eating way less than before but I stuck to the plan religiously before they got here and did not lose 1 oz but then they come and I lose 1lb??? Go figure! I guess its the walking around and bowling that helped. I am also trying to stick to the rules, no bread, no water with meals (that is really hard to do), eat the good stuff :thumbup:. I ate pasta, a little, some popcorn and some frozen yogurt. I nibbled on this and that but no where near the crap I used to inhale. I guess the band is doing its job. Now I have to do mine:thumbup: and I get my first fill this week!

Okay so today I weight myself and I'm at 184.8. Does that mean I'm 184 or 185? I hate the scale sometimes. :smile: Alright here are my confessions from yesterday's "plan"... I SAAAAID I was going to eat this: B Protein Shake S Greek Yogurt L Cream of Chicken soup with corn S Small apple and peanut butter D 1/2 Chicken Breast and 1/2 sweet papa S Protein Shake But this is what I ended up having: B Protein Shake S 1/2 cup refried beans and cheese L 1 cup cream of chicken soup with corn and bacon bits, 1/2 slice whole wheat english muffin and 1 greek blueberry yogurt S 3 slices thin turkey deli and 1 slice swiss cheese D 1/2 chicken breast S 1 cup cottage cheese with pineapple chunks Clearly I was off my "plan" but not far off track. I'm allowing myself 1,100 - 1,300 calories per day. The total consumed was 1,500. Not great but not bad because I was feeling particularly hungry today. And when I am I don't deprive myself I just make better choices. It's probably because I've been working out more. I can tell my body needs food for fuel. LOVE IT! I just knew that a protein shake in the evening was not going to cut it. Instead of having it I opted to have cottage cheese and pineapple chunks. I know a lot of people are staying at or around 800 - 1,000 calories per day. If that works for you GREAT! I have those days too. Usually cause I get busy I forget to eat. But I'm not in competition with anyone. I'm not trying to be the thinnest or lose it the fastest. I enjoy food in a totally different way than I used to before. I eat until I'm satisfied. I drink water first to make sure that it's not just me being thirsty rather than hungry. I also pay attention to when I'm feeling stressed and look for other alternatives. This is what I mean about getting in tune with YOU! It's important to listen to your body and use the band to help you. Remember people the band is not the cure!

Are you drinking protein enriched milk, yogurt or pudding with protein enriched milk? Sent from my QMV7A using the BariatricPal App

Hi! I am 10 days post gastric bypass surgery, but I am really scared because I am able to eat a lot of yogurt and I’m scared I stretched my pouch! Is this possible or am I spiraling?

Most patients are on full liquid diets on day 10 postop. Your surgeon allows yogurt this soon? Are you eating fat free plain Greek yogurt? Or name brand, carb-loaded regular yogurt? Stats: 5'1", age 67, female. Highest weight: 245. BMI 41. Surgery Date: May 28, 2020. Weight at surgery: 211. VSG.

The only diet I follow is really what was on the sheet that my doctor gave to me. The liquid diet for the 1st 48 hours and then after that for this 1st month I only eat: Breakfast: 1-2 eggs scrambled 1 package of grits omelette (no meat) 1 package of oatmeal (any of the above) Lunch: Soup at Hand 1 can of tuna or one of the flavored packages w/mayo, salt, pepper small salad or any fish Dinner: Any baked fish or salmon steamed veggies Snacks: Jell-o w/fat free whipped topping fat free pudding cottage cheese applesauce popiscles/fudgsicles (sugar free) fat free frozen strawberry yogurt w/whipped cream This is just a example but check with your doctor...He told me for the 1st month to stay away from beef, veal, pork, chicken and to try salads 2 weeks after. No bread, pasta, rice, corn...even though it is a starch I stillhave mashed potatos since they are soft. I also found that Viactiv makes a multi-vitamin now and that is alot better than drinking Centrum! It's like having a chocolate! Plenty of water and hot tea has helped me....and NO sodas! juices are great but you might want to dilute them in the beginning. Hope this helps! Good luck on your band!

I express my opinions but usually in a "this works for me" way, not a "this is what you should do" way. I also listen to what works for others, take some and leave the rest. I think the question "how invested are you in heathy weight loss" doesn't quite represent the discussion happening here, but that's OK. I consider myself quite invested in health--healthy weight loss, physical fitness (I run 20+ miles a week and do yoga 3-4 times a week), nutritious unprocessed foods. But I am also about balance, moderation and not setting myself up for failure. I eat "clean" for the most part 80% of the time or better, but this morning after my half marathon I had a donut! I also ate (and still eat) Wendy's chili early out--I couldn't eat lettuce early out so that wasn't an option. I have a few things I do regularly that don't count as "clean" and I don't avoid GMO food or eat organic, but I do include only healthy whole grains and avoid white sugar, white carbs, etc. I don't eat chemically fake low fat/sugar free/fat free, except in my Greek yogurt on occasion. So I don't know where that puts me in your scheme of things, but I guess what I think is its not an all or nothing for many of us. I can't get in to that all or nothing thinking, it's not something that works well for me personally long term. Because if it's not ALL I'm a failure and so it must be NOTHING and I give up. That's something I learned in therapy for many areas of my life not just food. So... That's where I'm at. Take what you want and leave the rest!

No one ever on this site has made me feel not welcomed. Ever. I agree with your mentality about eating healthy foods. And to me healthy foods are not "sugar free", "low fat", "fat free." In other words food that has taken out fats, sugars, calories, carbs and added in crap chemicals are not healthy. I would rather lose weight slowly, while taking care of my body than eat crap food because it is low fat, sugar free, fat free or carb free. I think complex carbs are necessary for many healthy functions including going to the bathroom. So many WLS patients complain about having HORRIBLE constipation after surgery. Screw that, your body NEEDS Fiber and not just fiber found in a "mix" but actual fiber from foods. There are exceptions like cottage cheese, certain yogurts and cream cheeses that I'll buy low calorie/sugar versions but all in all, I will not eat chemically altered food. There is no reason why ANYONE should.

Hi Shannon, I was banded 7/27. I am on the liquid diet for 4 weeks! I have been taking canned soup and adding water to thin... then blend, blend, blend. It is smooth and seems to do the trick. I also get yogurt. Good luck... This is a hard part.

Hello everyone! It sounds like we're all off to a good start. Now that things are healing up for me I am getting quite a bit more hungry. I broke down today and ate oatmeal and mashed potatoes. I hear you all talking about Phase I and II but my doctor doesn't have that. I was to start on clear liquids for 3 days min. I did this and then over the next few days could add liquid yogurt and a protein shake. I am supposed to be on liquids until 09/20. How long do you guys have to wait to eat mushies?