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Mine told me to take antihistamine nasal spray, (not working) I've been going through it for months now and swallowing is soooooo not an option for me too. There has to be a solution for this, I'd hate to think thins is 4ever

Aim for at least 1/2 cup to 1 cup. I was told make sure the protein is 1st. I was also told to be careful of soups and stews. It also depends on where u are in your recovery

I am 5 weeks out and I still feel really nauseous when I eat/drink. I am unable to even come close to getting the amount of protein/calories/fluids I am supposed to get, because a few bites and I feel sick. I vomit at least once a day. I'm still on soft foods, most of which I can't tolerate. I am trying to concentrate on consuming higher Protein foods. The things I have found I can tolerate pretty well are yogurt, cottage cheese, and pudding. Plain Water is about all I drink--its all that sounds good. When I swallow food, most of the time it feels like its stuck in the base of my throat and won't go down. So naturally it comes back up. Is that normal? And if so, does this feeling get better eventually? I have been trying all the things the doctors say to do--eating tiny bites, eating slowly, chewing food 20-30X before swallowing, etc....I take 20mg Prilosec (Omeprazole) daily. I have been losing weight pretty rapidly, but I'm worried it will come to a screeching halt if I keep taking in so few calories! (My average has been between 300-400 calories a day). Anyway, I was really hoping to feel better than this by now and its really getting depressing. I am one of the "lucky" ones who has 200+ lbs to lose, and I fear I have a long road ahead. My 6 week check up is on Feb. 23rd, but I was hoping for some insight here, as that seems like a million years away! Sorry for the depressing post....I'm just bummed out at the moment. Thanks for listening and I'd appreciate your insight.

Noelle, Are you measuring? Are your clothes getting bigger? Are you drinking your Water every day? I'm 5 months out and my weight loss has slowed down a lot, but I'm losing pants sizes and watching my body shift, almost literally watching it happen. I've suddenly begun feeling things like my hip bones and seeing muscles in my arms and legs that weren't there before. I'm also watching my stomach shrink almost daily. I guess I'll take those things over seeing lower numbers on the scale. I've lost nearly 3 pants sizes in the last month, although the scale is seemingly stuck. I'm now on the last hook of my new bras and I have muscle definition that I don't recall seeing since high school. You're not done losing. This is probably a weight you maintained for a while on the way up, so your body is pretty comfortable there right now. Just keep following your plan (64 oz of water, 70g of protein) and working out. It will happen. And, yes, muscle does weigh more than fat. Muscle also helps keep/rev up your metabolism. You will lose more weight...and you'll have great tone when you lose it! Good luck!!

Here is what my NUT told me... Per Serving Guidelines > 15gm Protein Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Don't know why it didn't copy and paste all the way... Per Serving Guidelines > 15gm Protein Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I've just joined the community today and have gone through most of the discussions. But stating this obvious question once again to gain some comfort in deciding to go under the knife. I desperately need your wisdom to help me decide. I’m obese, type-2 diabetic for the past 9 years (I’m 40 yrs now) with uncontrollable blood sugar levels all this while. This summer my tests had traces of Microalbumin and a follow-up test in autumn confirmed Microalbuminuria (Incipient Diabetic Nephropathy, early stages of Chronic Kidney Disease). It was like a bolt from the blue! If I do not take control, I could progress the stages of CKD and also risk having other complications (like hypertension, heart disease and eye diseases). I've consulted an Obesetologist and a Bariatric Surgeon to understand the bariatric surgery options for BMI 36.0 and my comorbidities. They've advised me Gastric Bypass Surgery. I can fund my surgery if Insurance declines. While engaging the doctors and follow-up tests I've also started to follow strict low-carb diet and follow a good exercise regime. In the last 3 months, I dropped weight and now at BMI 28.5 and blood sugar level is at normal levels for a month now. Here is where the confusion is - I know the risks of the chronic disease like Diabetes and Nephropathy + others. I'm only 40 and need to strictly follow the diet and exercise without getting a burn-out for the rest of my life and not let the diseases take over my life. On the other hand, Bariatric Surgery is promising with limited set of post surgery complications/risks. If I weigh the risks of not having surgery and having surgery done, on paper Surgery WINS hands down. I just need someone to tell me to go ahead with the surgery, so that I can focus on preparing myself. Thanks a lot...this advice will change my life and my family's.

I try to stick to 30 carbs a day -- sometimes I have more, sometimes less. But my rule is to eat all my protein first, so sometimes I never get to the carbs. But for a snack or something I might have fruit, which is a good source of fiber and carbs

My nutritionist says I also need a liquid protein to add to water or juice, and I need one to add to things like pureed foods please let me know which ones taste the best and where you bought them.

I thnk it is very normal. I am also 3.5 weeks out and haven't lost weight in over a week. I'm pretty sure I'm losing inches but I'm eating under 500 calories, having 70 grams of protein and exercising 2x a day - transformation must be happening !!

I was eating up to 1200 at that stage. As long as the foods you are eating is Protein filled, you will lose. Now at five months out, I eat up to 1400 calories a day and still lose a steady 3lbs a week. My goal was to get above 1000 calories and stay there as soon as possible (which was about 4 weeks out for me ). I did not want to ruin my metabolism to the point where it is impossible to maintain long term. My goal is to eat 1200-1400 a day currently, and when I've reached my goal weight I should be able to maintain in the 1800-2000 calorie range.

Calories really aren't an issue at this point. The main idea is to get your protein in (like 60gs or so) and get plenty of water. 64oz or more a day. Do not let yourself get dehydrated. There will be a time when calories count, but not right now.

I am 8 days post op, and started full liquids today. Im still struggling to get that 64oz of Fluid in me. But I know it will take time. But hey Im trying to lose 100lbs like your wife. Today I started using skim milk with my Protein shake and it take so much better...

I went to support groups once a month for the first 6 months. I found them helpful in regards to staying on track and voicing any concerns/questions I had about "what is normal". Plus, our leader always brought samples of food that were WLS friendly. Never sold the products, just offered suggestions for people having a hard time finding Protein shakes they liked or "convenience" foods. I do understand the concern about obessessing ... But, I use this board for that! LOL

I just found this site and forum. In two days I go back to full liquids! I have loss 26 lbs and 2 pant sizes. I hate the protein drinks... Yesterday I went from using water to Almond milk with my chocolate protein and it's much better... My wife had the sleeve done one year ago and she is helping through this journey. She has lost 100 lbs...

After 3-4 months your clear to eat anything regular correct? Not stick to the Protein shakes and purees? I been eating fine. Watching protein calories and sugar intake. I haven't started the gym but will do so tonight or tmr. My job I have is very active so I have been doing great with weight loss. Believe it or not I kicked up my calorie intake and was losing more. Now I'm at a stall. I eat mainly veggies..... veggie subs (3" at a time) or veggie gluten free pizza 1 tiny piece to 2. raw veggies. Lean cuisines. Jello. pudding. Hummus. Powerade zero. Fruits. smoothies. Right now its my craving time of month. So its hard but I try to avoid food at this time of month. Any other healthy choices?

My doctor said I need to get in 80 grams of protein a day

This doc gives a pretty good progression of how your meal volume, on average, will tend to increase over time, and it is pretty consistent with my experience. What I like about this guy is that he is one of the few bariatric surgeons that I have seen that addresses this issue and offers a prescription to mitigate its effects. You may or may not get along with his recommendation (I don't agree with everything he, or anyone else for that matter, says) but it is something to think about in planning your next few years. I have evolved into something akin to his program, as in being fairly veg heavy, but I'm not as grain averse as he is and I do think that his protein recommendations are a bit on the scant side for most.

Ccarter I would find a different doc. If you are mot set on this one. My surgery price with dr. curry included 2 years of follow up with surgeon and NUT. If traveling they have an option to do via video camera on compute or phone.

I have had the band almost 2 years, and during the last three months (for the first time ever) when my period starts my band completely closes up! I mean for a couple of days I can barely get hot liquid down. The first two months I went in for an unfill and had immediate relief, but it was really frustrating because I was then too loose and eating too much. :/ This last episode I could tell was not quite as bad, I called my doc's office and they advised that it unfortunately does happen (why all of a sudden I wonder?) and that relaxing about it helps you get through it. Well, I did just that and it has slowly, slowly, slowly gotten better...I was so excited to get some thin mashed potatoes and a protein drink (room temp) down today. I was feeling really weak, and with three babies to keep up with (8, 4 & 2) I need my energy! Does anyone out there have suggestions, tricks or tips? Is there something I can do the week before I am supposed to start to make it not happen? I, for the most part, have been a bandster who eats lots of salad and protein and the occasional "naughty" treat...so I am hoping my stomach will heal and I'll be able to get back to the healthy eating soon. Thanks so much for any help you can offer! :confused2:

If you're having weight loss surgery then you have to get used to a high protein diet. After surgery, eating high protein will ensure you burn fat rather than muscle. As your calories are limited, you have to squeeze in as much protein as possible. The good news is that a high protein diet isn't so bad once you get used to it. Protein tends to fill you up. It's not like say, bread or potato chips where you could eat endless amounts. There's only so much beef or chicken you can eat before you feel full. Once you stop having so many carbs, the cravings will mostly go away. In the meantime, you can enjoy healthy fats (you can eat delicious things like cheese, avocado, peanut butter, etc). There are also lots of alternatives to the bad carbs. Zucchini noodles and cauliflower rice etc. I eat "cheeseburgers" which are just cheese and meat between lettuce leaves. The pre-op diet sucks, but you can handle anything for two weeks! The first month or two after the surgery is rough too. Once you're back on real food, you will feel so much better.

I'm 8 days post op and already up to 64oz of water and 24oz of protein drink - unjury chicken soup. That's 8oz total liquids per hour. It only bothers me if the water is too cold.

Is this just water or protein ?

Oh, home made bread! yummers. you can also buy soy flour that is higher in fiber and protein and sub it in or mix it with organic unbleached flour. great taste!

So one of the things I'm still working on figuring out nearly 8 weeks after banding is what foods are worth it for me to eat. This is a new equation in my life. Before banding, I just ate. Half the time I didn't think about what I was putting in my mouth (if I did, I would have lived in a state of perpetual self-disgust) and the other half, I just didn't care. I was already fat and unhealthy, so why stress about the food that was making me that way? Clearly, I was eating too many calories, but now I'm realizing that the amount of calories I was eating may have mattered less than whether those calories were worth eating. What I mean by that is that as I make better, more sensible food choices, it is becoming clearer to me that "real food" is much more satisfying than the alternatives. "Real food" is a hot topic these days. You can find whole books about it in your local bookstore, whole pages of books on the topic, if you cruise through Amazon. For my purposes, though, when I talk about real food, I'm referring to anything that isn't processed or prepackaged. Things like eggs (pasture raised, please), meat (ditto), milk (three for three), vegetables (organic, please), fruits (yuppers), and grains (certainly in the "o" column). To many, my obsession with organics and pasture-raised animals may make me a snob or a hippie, but I'm okay with that. Even before banding, I preferred to choose those foods when possible, but now I'm realizing that the alternatives aren't worth it. I try to keep my calories at somewhere around 1000/day. I say around, because there are days I eat 850 and days I eat 1400. Mostly, I average between 1000 and 1100. Before banding, I could get 1000 calories having coffee, a piece of toast, and a single fast food sandwich, and then everything else I ate that day would be those excess calories that made me fat. Theoretically, even with the band, I could still make those food choices, but now they're just not worth it to me. Today, I would say that most of that food isn't real food, and therefore, I'd rather not eat it. This morning, I had toast and coffee for breakfast. Not the bandster's first choice, perhaps, but I find I can't eat anything too rich or too heavy in the morning without severe nausea and potential for vomiting (I've always been that way, even before banding). The difference here is that the coffee was made with real raw sugar (half a teaspoon) and organic, pasture raised half-and-half. One tablespoon of that. For a total of 37 calories. The toast was a thin slice of home-baked bread (made last night from organic flour and natural ingredients) with a teaspoon of pasture raised butter. Low in protein, but I'll have meat for lunch and dinner, so I'll have no trouble meeting my protein goal for the day. So far for the day, I've had 137 calories, less than 15% of my allowance for the day, and every single one of those calories was totally worth it. They all tasted good, none of them cost the environment more than necessary, and all of them allowed me to live with my band while feeling content and satisfied. If I'd tweaked that just a little, gotten a small nonfat latte and a bagel with non-fat cream cheese from Starbucks, for example, I'd have eaten 500 calories of food that wasn't really worth it to me. Even if the band had stopped me at half the bagel, that would still have been 250 calories (113 more than I actually ate). It would have contained less fat, but also less satisfaction and it wouldn't have tasted as good. To me, the unprocessed "real food" I ate at home was a better, healthier choice and worked with my band. True, a lot of bandsters would tell me I should have had Greek yogurt instead. Or maybe a scrambled egg. There are days when I do that, but here's my confession: I love bread. Love it. It is my favorite of all foods. I adore it more than ice cream (meh) or potato chips (one of my trigger foods and a life-long addiction for me). Give me a choice between a handful of chocolate and a piece of fresh baked bread (home-made or from a real bakery) and I will go for the bread 9-1/2 times out of 10. My brother and sister-in-law are gluten intolerant, and have cut all products containing wheat out of their diets. I'd rather cut off my own arm. Seriously, I can't live without bread. Which could be a problem for a bandster, both because of the low protein/high carb nature of bread, and because the texture of bread can have trouble passing through the band. But here's the thing. "Real" bread (the kind from the bakery or from my very own oven) passes through the band pretty well. It has fiber and texture and it tastes so good, that it's worth it to me to take small bites, chew slowly, and get it through the band. Pre-sliced generic white sandwich bread? Not real food and definitely not worth it. Also lower in fiber, higher in sugar, stickier in texture, full of chemicals, AND higher in calories. Clearly the unhealthy choice. As a bandster, I have had to reshape my priorities. Homemade bread is a priority; processed, pre-sliced bread is not. It's all about priorities. And balance. For breakfast today, I had a carb-heavy, protein-light meal. For lunch, I will have a couple of slices of roast chicken (heritage breed, pasture raised) and some veggies. Or maybe a small serving a chili with pastured ground beef. The meat cost a lot more than the supermarket alternatives, but it was locally and sustainable raised and frankly, it tastes so much better that I don't feel deprived from eating only 2-3oz of it as a time. It's so full of flavor that 2oz feels more like a meal than 6oz or the alternative. For dinner, there's either the chicken or some leftovers from an organic rabbit I stewed over the weekend in red wine and prunes. And more veggies. So worth every single calorie and so, soooooooooo satisfying. One of the reasons I got the band and not another procedure like bypass was because I wanted to be able to eat and enjoy real food, I just wanted to eat less of it. I didn't want to give up my bread (obviously) or my chocolate or my steak. I wanted a smaller slice, nibble, or cut. I'm doing that with the help of the band, and because I'm choosing real food, I'm doing it with happy tastebuds and a smile on my face. ------ I hope no one interprets this as a lecture, or me claiming to be better than anyone else. My priorities are my own. I happen to live in an area where organic, pasture raised foods are easily accessible. They're sold at my local groceries and at the weekend farmer's market in my town, less than 5 miles from my house. I also only have myself to feed and worry about. I'm not trying to budget to feed myself, a husband and three kids, let alone saving for college, paying for daycare, or providing clothes to cover bodies that seem to double in size every few months. My animals and myself are the only things I have to spend my money on, so it's easy for me to justify funding my environmental and health agenda. Everyone has to do the best they can with what they have, and no one--least of all me--should fault them for it. Make your own priorities, and then live by them. I hope it brings you the same satisfaction it brings me.