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I love this and wanted to share it with everyone.... A Mediterranean Diet Debbie Mandel, author of Addicted to Stress: A Woman's 7-Step Program to Reclaim Joy and Spontaneity in Life, says there are certain foods you can eat that will help alleviate stress. One of the easiest ways to reduce stress and be mentally and physically healthy is to follow a low-fat, Mediterranean diet, she says. Staples of the diet include: A lot of fruits, vegetables and other plant-based foods Little red meat Fish several times a week Healthy fats such as olive oil Wine in moderation Low-fat dairy products, primarily yogurt and cheese Complex Carbohydrates When you start to feel low, depleted or stressed, Debbie says you shouldn't turn to a pint of ice cream. Instead, indulge in some complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, for an immediate boost. "The complex carbs really generate serotonin [a neurotransmitter that affects chemical balance] for women," Debbie says. Some of her top picks include: oatmeal Whole wheat toast Brown rice Brown Pasta Lean Protein Debbie says the order in which you eat your food affects your mood. To get the most stress relief, she says you should first have some complex carbohydrates, then, about 20 minutes later, have some lean protein. Healthy lean Proteins include: chicken Fish eggs Low-fat cheese Omega-3s Known anti-inflammatories, omega-3s also have a positive impact on brain health. Debbie suggests eating these sources of omega-3s several times a week: · Salmon · Halibut Mackerel Trout Flaxseed oil Walnuts Dark chocolate A favorite of many women, Debbie says a little dark chocolate is the perfect treat when you are feeling stressed. "It really makes you more alert and releases stress," Debbie says. Between managing your career, spending time with your family and taking care of yourself, getting through your day can be extremely stressful. Luckily, your diet can help you control that stress, Bob says. He talks with Dr. Rovenia Brock about how to reduce stress and anxiety by eating the right foods. "Dr. Ro" says it's important to eat foods that will calm our nerves amid the chaos of our most stressful days. "I think a lot of people become overwhelmed with the notion of what it is to live healthy, to get a healthier lifestyle—including the foods you put in your kitchen," she says. "But it doesn't have to be a science project." Stress-Reducing Foods: Foods rich in Vitamin B: These include clams, lentils, chickpeas and quinoa. Foods high in vitamin B have a calming effect on the body, helping to melt away feelings of stress and anxiety and enhance your mood. Papayas: Fruits and vegetables with orange and yellow pigments are generally going to contribute Vitamins A and C, as well as folate, which helps enhance the mood, Dr. Ro says. Red bell peppers: These contain vitamins A and C and folate, which help give you more energy and repair cell damage caused by stress. Basil and arugula: These stress-reducing herbs are a great source of folate and add great flavor to healthy dishes. Sunflower seeds: These contain vitamin E and folate to enhance your mood. Foods to Avoid: Caffeinated beverages: Caffeine can cause anxiety and raise stress hormone levels, Dr. Ro says. Trans fatty acids: Found in sweets like cakes, pies and Cookies, trans fats compromise the immune system, which causes more stress on the body and also increases your risk for heart disease. Sugar: Sugar causes spikes in blood sugar levels, which robs your adrenal glands of their ability to control stress hormones and protect the body against stress. Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption adds more sugar to your diet and, again, is harmful to the adrenal glands, which protect you against stress. "You might want to put the cork back in the Burgundy [when you are under stress]," Dr. Ro says.

is yogurt considered liquid for post-op liquid diet?

That's a pretty awful snack. It's got practically no Protein and is mostly carbs and it gets you started back on the carb train towards crackers and other bad stuff you should not be eating and should be avoided. I eat cheese sticks, slices of deli meat with pickle slices, carbmaster yogurt (available at Kroger), cottage cheese, pork rinds, or small amounts of mixed nuts like walnuts and almonds with a couple of low cal cheese wedges (think laughing cow). Pork rinds are ok? I would think that would be bad? "In the end we only regret the chances that we didn't take."

Single serve packets of nuts, Mr. Cheese O's, cheese sticks, turkey/cheese roll ups, Greek yogurt.

I am four days out and am living on tomato soup, popsicles, pudding and yogurt. I am so tired of the sweetness. But, only a week to go until I can try mushies. I have had no problems so far. I can drink plenty, eat a whole popsicle or pudding with no problems.

Oh and so far ive been doing research on trying to mix up the protein shake ingredients and one that i tried today has whole grain oats, almond milk frozen mixed berries, greek yogurt, and a scoop of chocolate protein and its bareable. Still not anything great

My suggestion is to try different shakes... my Dr. gave me a list of shakes to buy/try - you may be sensitive to the dairy, wheat, high level of Protein, etc. As for taste... there are a lot of shakes to try. My Dr's pre-surgery diet is 3 shakes a day... but, I can add 1 cup of steamed veggies (nothing on them) and 1 protein (like 1 boiled egg or 1 lite 6 oz yogurt or 3 oz chix) per day. It's not easy!!! My date is July 25th!!! Keep in touch! Would love to compare notes

Tonight I ate yogurt around 5:15- drank water about a half hour later and then another 45 min after that we were walking around Walmart and got the hiccup so there's no reason I should have . So weird! Mich W Hw 223, SW 217 CW 196.6 GW 135

:rolleyes:I'm here. I couldn't get in to my own journal this weekend. I could read everyone elses but my own. ODD. So, it's day 17 and I am down 16 pounds. I can handle a pound a day. I know this wont keep up as I have been starting to incorporate real foods back in to my otherwise semi-squishy foods. Today I had 2 scrambled eggs, 1 chunk of mozzarella cheese, a protein shake, applesauce, yogurt, and 1.5 stuffed shells. After eating the stuffed shells, I went to the gracery store and didnt feel so great. I came home and made some shepards pie for my lunch or dinner tomorrow (we'll see how I feel at lunch). When I eat "real" food, I get light-headed and gross feeling for about 2 hours after. I was feeling crappy but now I feel fine. Thats just another thing to ask the doc about. I am on the "early" shift at work for the next 2 weeks. I hate the 7am but love the 4pm. Today was quiet since the giraffe wasnt there and pretty much all of the insurance co's that I must deal with were closed. I got a lot done. There was minimal drama today. Usually Mondays are drama-filled since the weekend has occured. I am off to shower and play with my doggie... then nighty-nites.:redface:

I have been making home-made apple sauce tonight (golden apple) for my post-op mushy phase. I learned this technique when I had babies. Food can be prepared (blenderized) and then placed into ice cube trays and frozen. This makes individual 1 oz. servings and cuts down on waste. After the food is frozen, label and date a freezer bag and place the food in it. Now you have a variety of food ready made to your specific taste. You can do this with anything that can be pureed; meat, fish, chicken, fruits and veggies, anything goes! I bought a Rival 1.5 cup food processor (under$10) to do my food. Not much clean up and no wasted food stuck to a large machine. BTW you can also make freezer pops (juice or pudding/yogurt) this way too. Just fill the trays with your desired product, cover with plastic wrap and then insert bamboo skewers (cut to size) and freeze. Voila! Now you have sleeve sized snacks. Really hope this helps someone. It can be much easier to stick with a goal if you have a ready supply of necessities. I'm trying to plan. I know how easy it is to eat a Debbie cake when you are tired and don't feel like cooking. Happy pureeing y'all :0)

Hi Debbie, Has Mr Hewin given you a post op diet to stick to. My collegue has just had it done and had to eat yogurt for a week (nothing else) I've been reading up on all sorts of pre op diets (low fat, low sugar, low carb, high Protein, shakes, Soups etc) and wondered what he suggested. I have my docs appointment tomorrow so he can refer me as my blood tests were clear. How long does it usually take from consultation to operation? I'd love it done in the spring holidays as I'm a teacher. I can't wait to have it done but there's still a chance he could say no :-( Gill :-)

In viewing your question it seems more like Hypoglycemic episodes than dumping syndrome in my opinion. I don't know if you are going long periods between meals but at least try to drink a protein shake...some of it. Or eat a yogurt. Take a anti nausea medication before hand. I am 5 months post op and still deal with nausea. My Doctor prescribed Zofran sublingual so it just melts on my tongue. I also have Phenergan a stronger pill for nausea if I need it. I don't know if you are a diabetic but either way please confer with Doctor regarding your symptoms if you have not done so already. Best wishes.

My 16 year old daughter got banded last Wed. Dec 22 (which made for an intresting Christmas). It will be a week tomorrow and she keeps telling me she is so hungry- I went ahead and fed her runny mashed potatoes. It seems to help for a while. She does not want yogurt or pudding but food-well there is not much food on a full liquid diet. She very distressed from not eating. She has lost about 8lbs but it is the hardest 8lbs I have ever seen anyone lose. It is very hard for a mother to watch. She has had some health problems and the extra weight did not help matters. Any help would be appreciated.

Try greek yogurt....i admit, them shakes got sidelined around week 3 or 4 for me too...yuck!

I've always done Centrum (or the generic equivalent) and haven't had any issues. Lots of WLS patients take them. As long as a vitamin meets the ASBMS (American Society of Bariatric & Metabolic Surgeons) requirements, it should be fine. for calcium citrate, I have three ways I take it --- Upcal D (a powder which I mix into things like yogurt), generic calcium citrate tablets from Walgreens or CVS, and Bariatric Advantage calcium chews which are great for traveling or for when you're out and about and not near your regular calcium stash (I always keep a few of them in my purse for that reason).

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.

Yes, good thinking! Cottage cheese has much more Protein than yogurt does, so it helps you stay full for longer. It seems a bit thicker too, so that helps keep you full also. Good luck on your journey! :laugh:

Each of those items listed is considered one serving, and it's saying you can have 3 servings or less per day... So essentially, you can have 1c of skim milk and 2 8oz yogurts today. Tomorrow you could have 2c of skim milk and 1/2c of cottage cheese. Does that make sense?

At 3 months out I can eat a 4oz yogurt with no pain or problems but a 1.5 to 2oz meat of any kind is all I can eat. Is anyone else able to eat a larger portion of something soft than with siemobe solid?

If you can do yogurt drinks, surely you can do Egg Drop Soup? That stuff saved my life! Just when I ran out of energy and thought I would sink through my chair, it felt sooo good to eat/drink that! Lots of protien. Warm and delish.

I got my 2nd fill yesterday. I have a total of 3cc's in my band. (only 4 cc's allowed). I am having a hard time even drinking liquids. I wasn't sure if I was having a hard time due to swelling or maybe I am just not used to what restriction should feel like. One minute I have problems with eating yogurt, oatmeal or drinking water and then a hour later it goes down just fine. I know that food should stay in the pouch but if anything sits in there it is uncomfortable and like there is a weight on my chest. Is this normal? I was wondering if this is common for others and whether or not I am just feeling this because my fill was so recent and was wodnering if it would stop after swelling went down. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks for all of the advice. I am thinking I may go with the Unjury plan as I will at least be able to eat veggies and yogurt.

I'm currently on purees and loving the baked ricotta, greek yogurt, refried beans, and Laughing Cow cheese triangles! Just don't forget about the protein. The only thing I've tried on purees that I didn't care for was oatmeal...weird because I loved it before, but I don't need all of those carbs anyway!

I tried tune I throw it up chicken salad yuk eggs or eggs salad my sleeve can't take that for some reason so I was reassign someone had Wendy's chili so I went and got some I purée it a lil and it went down great and it has 28g of protein I. 1/2cup I was wondering is this ok to eat I'm havi no issues but I don't know what else to eat that I can purée if anyone can help plz I would be grateful I tried cottage cheese and hated it lol yogurt same thing I feel like I'm going to be on liquid diet forever or just eating chllii

Thanks StartingMyJourney! I forgot about the drinkable yogurt! So far I have collected the following by searching the posts: Cheeses - babybel light string cheese cottage cheese shredded cheese cream cheese pimento & cheese spread Proteins: chicken - frozen, raw; frozen pre-cooked, rotisserie Shrimp Meatballs - pre-cooked turkey bacon Canned - tuna, chicken, ham (check sodium), SPAM, salmon Beef/salami sticks lunch meats - turkey, ham, bologna, salami Sugar Free: pudding Popsicles Fudgesicles Drinks: (basically anything DIET - look for carb/sugar content) Crystal Lite Diet snapple Diet Green Tea Eggs- egg beaters, egg substitutes Yogurt - (watch for carb/sugar content) Almonds - highest in Protein from what I am finding Tofu lemons - for Water Lettuce - make wraps with lunch meat and cheese