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Welcome Michelle, This is a great place to come to talk and ask questions. Let me tell you a little about me. I am seven months out and I feel great. I had no major complications from the surgery. I eat at restaurants when I go out socially. I eat a variety of foods. I find by trail and error that I can eat certain fishes over others. I can eat turkey and chicken only in certain forms. I can eat beef if it's slow cooked and soft. I prefer Egg Beaters over eggs but can eat regular eggs too. I eat reduced fat cheese and some times with crackers. I eat greek yogurt with Splenda and sometimes fruit because regular yogurts have to much sugar. I eat a Quest Protein Bar every day and a Protein shake every day to make sure I get in enough protein in. I drink plenty of Water. Probably enough to fill an ocean. LOL. I eat fruit and vegetables. The most important thing you can do is listen to your surgeon and nutritionist and follow the guidelines they give you. Always eat first of all your protein and drink all your water every day. Your feelings are normal about this surgery and you will be glad you did it. I wish you success on your journey into this new chapter of your life.

All great advice & encouragement. Thank you. I told my fiancé what I needed to do to get back on track, cleaned out anything that is a stumbling block for me from the fridge & cupboards and stocked up on healthy foods. These first couple days have been hard. My first day with my "dessert" of plain ff greek yogurt with PB2 & stevia I felt down right depressed. Today I am going to a bridal show & Wednesday I have my first 2 appointments to try on wedding dresses. That should kick my butt into high gear!

well, first all of you are lucky that you could have solid foods by day ten.. I wasn't allow solid foods until I was 4 weeks post op.. i had to be on Clear liquids for the first week, second week creamy liquids.. I do know the creamy mashed potatoes are the BEST thing in the world when you are coming off chicken broth.. blah.. I can't even eat Jello because of it.. or applesauce.. then week 3 was mushies.. i lived on cottage cheese, yogurt, tuna salad and chicken salad during this time period.. then came week four baked chicken and soft foods.. it just shows how each doctor is different.. you will learn what you can and can't eat it changes with each fill. because I was able to eat salad at one point then couldn't and i tried last night with no problems.. H owever you will learn once you have a fill stress makes you unable to eat anything somedays you might not even be able to drink.. So, be carefull.. Welcome to the bandworld.. You did but an interesting view of the story.. Thanks for sharing..

5 chicken breast 1-8oz sour cream (I would use Greek plain yogurt) 1-8oz jar of salsa 1pkg of Taco seasoning Place chicken in crock pot & cover with Salsa. Cook about 6 hours. Shred chicken & place back in crock pot. Add greek yogurt & taco seasoning & cook another 30 minutes.

Lifechange Ok you messed up - now pick yourself up and dust off your butt and get back on the Band Wagon - You must follow your doctors orders and only your doctors - not someone else who allows them to eat right after surgery.. The whole reason for not eating is to allow your stomach to heal around the band where it was stiched - you don't want to cause a slip. You ate Beans with yogurt ??? OMW that sounds just gross:tongue: - you must have been desparate - but that's still no excuse -:smile: can you have creamed Soup - potatoe soups & creamed soups were a life saver for me - Can you have sf fudgecicles - popcicles those you do bite and sort of eat - you can make a pot of beans - after they cook take the beans out run them thru the blender and add them back to the broth - you have cream of bean soup and it is really good and satisfing You can do this - please know that even with the band you do have to have will power - the will power to change your eating habit and follow the rules.. You can do this - just but on your big girl boots and keep on stepping in the right direction..

Hi ~ This is my first time to post. I was banded on Nov 29, 07. My only complaint is my mouth has been broken out for about 2 1/2 weeks. My lips are swollen and red also inside my mouth are a few small blisters. I thought maybe an allergic reaction to the fruit juices, so I stopped that. Maybe the vitamins.... stopped them. No change... maybe yeast? I'm trying the over the counter capsules for that now. I crush a zoloft and celebrex and mix with yogurt. These aren't fever blisters either. Any more ideas what could be happening??? Of course, "It's the holidays", is my only excuse for not going to the Dr yet.. Any suggestions or advice? I don't want to be seen :think ~~ Thank you !

First week of mushies I could have yogurt, ricotta and cottage cheese. Week two added egg whites and canned chicken or tuna. I supposed you could do canned salmon. Salad is not a mushy it's a solid. I used Low fat Laughing Cow cheese to mix in the chicken/tuna (instead of mayo a lot less cals and fat) and on the egg whites.

I'm almost a year out - Protein shakes to this day are my most filling staple. Tuna Yogurt Fruit Lettuce Seafood- fish, oysters, shrimp, crab. Also all work too - but NOTHING gets me like a Protein shake. Sits in me like a brick.

Premier protein shakes at Walmart are a life saver. Siggis or Dannon Oikos triple zero yogurt, fair life milk, chicken salad, tuna... Honestly the premier shakes saved me a few times. You can get them at Walmart!

Triple zero Greek yogurt Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I will make chicken burgers on a weekend and freeze them and eat one at lunch. I also eat rotisserie chicken with a small side of steamed veggies. Turkey meatloaf/balls. Deli meat with cheese and Greek yogurt.

I too am a food addict. I am two months out now and am eating between 500 and 800 cals depending on how many and which protein drinks I have. I do not miss food most of the time. When I get to feeling like compulsive eating I have a bit of cottage cheese, tuna or yogurt. I get to feeling full right away and the obsession goes away. I am usually not hungry at all. If I am, I eat. If not, I don't. When I eat it is about 2-4 ounces or 1/4 cup. You can do this!

I was on purees for four weeks, so I had a lot of experience getting purees to taste good! I wasn't allowed fruit or veggies (or grains of course), only high protein foods. In addition to the standard refried beans, cottage cheese, poached eggs, and Greek yogurt, I did a lot of pureed meat -- I would puree it with a flavorful sauce or dressing of some sort, and heat it up in the microwave with some cheese on top. This made it like a little mini-casserole. Mostly I worked with canned/pouched meats, since I was eating so little it didn't make sense to go buy a whole package of fresh chicken breasts or something. Here are some of my favorite combos: Thai spicy tuna with sriracha sauce and pepper jack cheese Lemon-dill salmon with tartar sauce and swiss cheese Shrimp with remoulade Chicken with low carb bbq sauce and cheddar cheese Turkey with peanut sauce and jack cheese Chicken with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese I also made and loved Eggface's ricotta bake. I made a half recipe and still couldn't finish it within a couple of days though. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html --scroll down a little bit for the baked ricotta recipe. She also has some other good ideas there.

Thanks everyone!! Boy, I thought I was filled before, but not really. I'm not PB'ing, but I feel even yogurt and pudding going down, unlike before. I'm going to have to be REALLY careful, when I go back to solids.

You are unlikely to feel full when all you are consuming is liquids. Just wait until it's time for real food . . . you'll be amazed at how soon you feel full and on how little food. I know it's early for you both, but the first month is amazing for weight loss, generally--although I'm not sure I appreciated that, given how miserable I was the first month. I found that things improved greatly when I was able to eat again, but I'm still, six months out, consuming very small portions. Today I had a banana and a yogurt for breakfast and an omelet (ham, onion, and cheese) with some rye toast for lunch. I have not been hungry at all today. I may have a protein shake for dinner--because I need more protein. Hang in there . . . it will work out.

well, congrats on your surgery. sounds like you are healing well. the rash i am not sure about,i had one around my incisions, but it was from the bandaid type Patches they placed over them that irritated my skin. are you drinking Protein shakes, if not you need to do so. just sip them slowly. you are most likely still swollen, can last up to a month. that is why they don't want you to advance your diet too quickly so you don't do any damage or cause yourself problems. my mushy stage, i ate small curd cottage cheese, apple sauce, pudding, creamy soups yogurts. if you go to www.lapband.com, they have a ton of recipes people have submitted for all the stages, so things do not get so boring. try to drink as much Fluid as you can, getting dehydrated is not a good thing for your digestion. try the Crystal light packets in your Water. thanksgiving might be a little tough. you could always puree everything i know does not sound appealing, but at least you could eat it all I don't even try to eat white bread of any kind, i can eat whole wheat bread as long as it is small bites and i chew well. i don't have issues with Pasta, rice, or even popcorn. i chew it all up well. i can eat tortillas too, just don't do that often. hope all goes well with you, and no question is too much. that is what we are all here for! to give and get advice.

pretty much lived on greek/ icelandic yogurt...

Popcorn is my biggest slider (I can eat a whole bucket if I get one). Also chips/dip, crackers, and Cookies. Ice cream, however, is not for me. I can only eat about 4-6 bites and be good. I think a slider is personal for everyone. Basically it's whatever goes thru easily without filling u up. I think even healthy foods can be sliders (like yogurt)

I am concerned about whether I will be able to take all my meds after having the sleeve op. I take approximately 40 - 50 pills a day, and in the morning I need about 3/4 cup of yogurt to take the a.m. batch. My dietician has told me that post op, one can only "eat" about 1/4 cup at a time. Yet she and my surgeon are full of confidence about my ability to take all my pills. I'm worried that they are too optimistic, and would really like to hear from people who've had the surgery and need to take a lot of medication. How have you been able to manage it (or not)? Thank you to anyone who responds!

OH dang it, I meant to rename this.. I guess I dont really know what to name it anyway,,, I'm 2 weeks post op.. up until a week post op I was doing fine, getting 64 oz fluids, including premier Protein drinks. Everything was going fine. And then a little after a week, I had some blended cream of chicken Soup (not fat free, forgot) and it gave me the worst pain in my chest and I was unable to get in any fluids for 12 hours.. I went to the ER and they said something about my pancreas being elevated (levels, whatever) and that I can't eat fat right now, or it will happen again. they also told me to check my blood sugars for hypoglycemia and to drink full sugar drinks instead of sugar free and low sugar. They gave me some numbing antacid stuff and sent me on my way. Since then, I have not been able to drink my Protein Drink without having the same issue. I think they are too heavy. But for some reason, I can eat half a fudgesicle just fine. I'm not able to get in all my fluids and I'm really disaapointed about this because I get migraines when I don't, along with the obvious. so far today I've had 12 oz gatorade and 12 oz watered down full sugar Vitamin Water.. both with a little bit of unflavored Protein powder added.. I then took a nap and drank about 2 oz of a chocolate protein drink and I feel that god awful pressure all up in my ribs. feels like someone punched me in my diaphram, and I walk around hunched over or sitting but leaning waaaaay back. I will not drink a protein drink again. Now I'm in pain and can't get the other 2 bottles of drink with protein powder like I was hoping to. I KNOW i'm not getting enough protein, and every day I'mg etting more and more behind on my fluids.. please tell me what to do. My mood is getting lower and lower every day. Monday I'm calling my pcp for an anti depressant. Praying I don't get a migraine. I might email my surgeon.. I can't contact anyone in the us really, because I had a mx surgery. I feel kindof like I'm grasping straws... I wake up feeling like crap, FINALLY get over that hump and drink a tiny amt of protein drink and feel like crap again. It's hard to stay upbeat. I can't STAND protein powder mixed in water, and Im pretty sure milk is just too much for tummy right now. I might try my nectar samples, but I'm REALLY not in the mood for sweet fruity drinks.. I'm so over sweets and I'm only 2 weeks in. I need some more hearty flavors.. even my Calcium chew and Iron cherry tablets repulse me. please no bashing. I'm feeling really vulnerable right now.. (sad that I should even have to say that) I finally felt good yesterday, had 1.5T yogurt, and about 20 minutes later I went for a walk w/ my 6 year old around the block because I'd told her i would.. felt HORRIBLE when I got back. and every time thi shappens it hurts for about 6-12 hours.. why? Is my sleeve just THAT tiny? I guess I'm full Clear liquids for another week. also- I keep reading about people who were sleeved around the same time as me that are eating tuna etc.. I feel like I'll never be able to eat that stuff when I can't even tolerate a protein drink... why do I feel like this sleeve has been so much harder on me than others.. was I too blinded by the successful posts and happy people wanting to get sleeved to see that htis is WORK.. it's PAINFUL. it's NOT FUN. also- full sugar drinks, really? I mean I have to- I was way too weak otherwise, but I feel like my weightloss will be super slow now.. I realize I'm being a little dramatic.. I'm having a hard time seeing outside my little depression bubble atm.

I also have constipation . My DR. , said it was ok to use a stool softener. It took about 12 hours but was very gentle to my body. Also there should be some solid foods you can eat. I've had the VSG and I can have low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, plain or light yogurt, eggs scrambled puréed boil, ground chicken or ground turkey no skin moist chew to puréed consistency, fish no shellfish fruit without the skin, soft, mashed with a fork, chew to pureed consistency. Vegetables no raw, steam well, mashed with fork, chewed puréed consistency. These foods are considered my three main meals of the day. I still have to squeeze in 2 protein shakes. And drink 64 ounces of water Consult with your doctor or your doctors nutritionist I think that would be the best course of action. Good luck to you.

I had a hard time on puree/soft to get enough food and Protein in. I started adding unflavored Protein powder to anything that it would mix into. I froze Syntrax Protein drinks into ice-pop tubes to boost fluids and protein intake. I kept up with the Protein shakes to give myself a good protein base to work from, and added the puree/soft foods on top of that. I ate stuff like refried Beans with cheese, lots of greek yogurt, and made up protein powder with 1/2 the liquid to make pudding. I also found later that Fairlife milk has quite a bit more protein than regular milk, so I've switched to that to boost my intake. It's hard to get all the protein in to start with, and the calories stayed very low for me until I was on a full diet. My doc said my #1 priority is fluids, and my #2 priority is protein, and for the first 2-3 months post-op that's all she wanted me worried about.

I will definitely call my surgeon and pharmacist and see what the deal is. My largest pill is generic Neurontin, gabapentin. It has a half score on it. But wouldn't the sharp edges from the cut pill(s) be a potential harm to the stapled pouch? If not, then why are we straining things like plain yogurt? I'm on full liquids upon arriving home. I still hate to crush. I also take bupropion, which seems like it's coated. But I'm not understanding how we/some can take pills when the pouch is so "sensitive" that we go on special diet protocols to avoid hurting it. I like your ideas on how to take crushed pills, and like even better that some people swallow whole pills. Again, I do what my surgeon says!

I was banded on 01/19/09. I just had my first fill on 03/23. The fill has made a big difference and I can only eat 4-6 oz's per meal. Today my meals consisted of: Breakfast - 1c. Fiber one Cereal with 1c of skim milk/260 cal. lunch - Healthy Choice meal. Grilled chicken Marinara/270 cal. dinner - 2 oz sliced turkey and 4 oz cottage cheese/130 cal. I will probably have a snack later that will probably be 4 oz of suger free yogurt/60 cal. From what I understand it is very important to do breakfast on a daily basis. Breakfast will jump start your matabilism for the day and help your body stay out of starvation mode.

Last chance to skedaddle on out of this thread, I'm diving right into this hog mess. Onset of symptoms: week 3. Duration of symptoms: 2 weeks. Symptoms in question: constipation, diarrhea, intense pain sometimes accompanied by nausea, itching, occasional bleeding, dryness/irritation. Diet: 2-3 tablespoons of Greek yogurt mixed with protein powder and splenda at each meal. 4-5 meals daily. Supplement protein needs with Premier chocolate protein (pre-mixed). Have tried under the advisement of my doctor: more water, suppositories (have helped bleeding), hemorrhoid wipes, drinking more water, triple paste (diaper cream), exercising more, probiotics, more water. Have tried against medical advice: more fiber. I actually went home early today because I wasnt getting any work done with all my crying trips to the bathroom. I had only 5oz of my protein drink (instead of 11) and only ate 2 tbsps of yogurt at all today. Considering calling in tomorrow. TL;DR I'm really hoping that with all of this info yall will be able to point out something glaringly obvious that I am doing wrong so I can bring this suffering to an end. 😂