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I meant to post this on the 15th but I had trouble logging into the site that day (and several days after that) and I didn't think about it again until today. I blame my Kyrgyz dial up internet! In any case, I was one year on 15 July. In that year I've lost 92 pounds. I've gone from a very snug 18 or 20 pant into a very comfortable size 8 or M. Women's sizing is insane, so sometimes I'm a 6 and sometimes I'm a 10, but regardless of the number on my pants I'm very happy with the way I look in my clothes now, and I have a large wardrobe of things I love to wear. Almost as exciting as losing the pounds is losing the diabetes. I had only been diagnosed 2 years before my surgery (I started as gestational diabetes) so I went into this fully expecting my blood sugars to be normal afterward and I wasn't disappointed. I'm still high-normal on my A1C, but that was six months ago...I haven't been tested since then. I hope to have a full lab panel done once we're settled here in our new home. I haven't taken a pill since the day before surgery (though I did require insulin several times 48 hours post op) and I've gotten so used to being normal that I don't even test my sugars any more. I'm no role model, so newbies looking for advice should look to some of the more active posters here that stick to a program and actually exercise. I lived out suitcases in my in-law's house for the last nine months due to a PCS from hell, so my eating and exercise habits have been erratic. I've pretty much been living as if I'm in maintenance for the last six months. Don't get me wrong - I don't live on a junk food, carb crazy diet. But I eat more like a "normal" person. I'll have several days where I stick to Protein first and drink lots of Water, but then I'll also have days where I eat pretty much whatever I want (but in small portions). I have maintained a slow but steady loss the entire time I've been sleeved and I weigh every day. I'm always watching for my weight to bounce up, but it never does more than that one or two pounds of fluctuation I see daily. I'm between 149-151 and I expect to stay there for several weeks. My pattern has always been a sudden drop (lately around three to five pounds) followed by three weeks or so at the same weight. I can't tie my losses to my diet - and I don't consider myself "done" yet. I'm sure that over the next six months or so I'll continue to see a slow but steady loss. Plastic surgery is in my future. I probably have more loose skin than most people that have lost less than 100 pounds since surgery. I had twins in 2007 and weighed 280ish after they were born. My skin has pretty much melted and I look a mess underneath my clothes. Thank heavens for the various brands of shapewear I've purchased. I wear them under everything. I plan to have plastics when we're back in the states in 2013, so my hope is that I'll get some exercise into my routine and see a little bounce back from my skin. I don't expect much, though. It's really bad. Underneath all that excess skin (with the occasional stubborn fat deposit) is a genuinely thin woman. I'll be honest - I think my goal weight might be a little low. I went based on the BMI chart and chose the most I could weigh at my height and be "normal" on the chart. But underneath all this skin I am bones and I don't really know where the additional 15 pounds will come from - unless it's my upper arms and thighs. They don't seem to be as small as the rest of me yet! I'm worried that if I lose 15 more pounds and then have plastics, I'll look like a bony scarecrow. My husband is happier that I'm happier but he's not so happy with my thinner body. He likes heavier women and was far happier with my body about 20 pounds ago. I'm sure he'll adjust in time, but it is a real obstacle for some couples. His opinion is that I should scrap the goal weight and focus on getting in shape for plastics and take whatever number I wind up with after plastics as my final weight. However, this is the man that thought I was sexy and attractive 37 weeks pregnant with twins, so I understand that he's trying to make sure I don't wind up with a figure he finds totally unattractive. I'm glad we had a solid marriage before surgery, or this might have caused some real issues for us. My only "I wish I'd known that" issue with surgery is the lactose intolerance. I had no idea I would be so crippled by this - and now that I'm overseas I don't exactly have a local store with almond, coconut and soy milk around the corner. I can eat small portions of hard cheese but yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, ice cream, sour cream, cream cheese, most protein powders, etc. are all completely out for me. It's very limiting but I'm surviving. Luckily I'm living in the land of grilled meat, grilled vegetables and flatbread so it's less of an issue here. And as a note for those military spouses - consider that your VSG might make you EFMP for an overseas tour. I did not disclose mine to the doctor that cleared us to live overseas, and due to the typical shoddy Tricare record-keeping nobody realized I'd had it done. But I was specifically asked if I had a band or bypass, and I was able to honestly answer no to that. Tricare finds the oddest reasons to consider families EFMP - speech therapy, diabetes, allergies, etc., so I'd be sure to ask the necessary questions about this if it could affect you. My husband's job has kept us overseas 5 years out of the last 7, so for us it could turn out to be a real issue, especially with the remote assignments we take. I'm just putting that out there, though it's not likely to affect but a small percentage of the military posters here. Best of luck to everyone. I don't post much anymore because like so many I'm just out here living my life now. But I wanted to give an update because I loved reading the one year stories when I was researching. They gave me something to hope for and I feel that if I can lose more than 90 pounds in a year of not really taking this sleeve as seriously as I should have, than barring medical complications, you should be able to meet or exceed that goal with no problem. Pictures attached. The first two are from one month prior to surgery and the last one is from a week ago. Please excuse my messy hair and worn out expression - I'm jet lagged and our transformer blew so I'm without the luxury of a blow dryer or straightening iron! ~Cheri

You are welcome to add me.same username:waitingpatiently...My food journal is open and I'm on everyday. I tried to start a thread earlier this week but I think I started it to early in the morning and it went unseen by most. It would be nice to here some of everyones secret finds that they have found....you know a certain food that is generally heathy and has become a part of your regular diet. Here ae a few of mine. Oscar Meyer Turkey weiners 98% fat free I was very skeptical--I hate chichen in hot dogs---these are nothing like that. calories=40 fat=.5 carbs =3 fiber=0 protein=5 Johnsonville Smoked Turkey and Chedder Sausage calories=120 fat=6 carbs=4 fiber=0 protein=10 Ole Extreme Wellness high fiber/low carb Torillas calories=71 fat=2 carbs=17 (5 net) Fiber=12 protein=8 Daily Chef Mesquite Grilled Chicken calories=110 (for 3 oz) fat=2.5 carbs=2 fiber=0 protein=20 Carbmaster Yogurt calories=60 fat=1.5 carbs=4 fiber=0 protein=8 Sugar Free Syrups

I just did my mushy/soft food shopping last night, here are some things I purchased Soy milk Almond Milk yogurt tons of cheese to melt on things and also the laughing cows to eat, and mozarella sticks refried Beans clam chowder creamy low fat Soups corned beef hash salmon fillets crab meat canned tuna/chicken sauce/broth mixes sugar free popsicles Protein powder fat free cream cheese/ricotta cheese/ cottage cheese all natural Peanut Butter ready to heat chicken patties sugar free pudding egg white beaters low calorie gatorades This is def a lot of stuff, granted I only got like 1 of each, it will probably last me at least 2 weeks if not more.

hi stacy i never did the mushy stage - isn't that the one where you put food like chicken or whatever into the blender for a minute - yeach - couldn't even attempt that, just the thought...yeach was never good on which stage etc. i "think" soft foods were next - cottage cheese, yogurt, - just wanted to give you a for instance, starting help - hoping someone will jump on the bandwagon and give more and possibly better advice, good luck kathy

Protein shakes (doctored to taste a bit better), sf jell-o, tomato Soup, yogurt. lots of Water, plenty of exercise. i take a chewable Fiber supplement to keep things moving. it's really important to stay hydrated...that'll keep your bowels moving.

I still have trouble with sugar. I eat alot of Splenda. I was told I should get off the splenda because it makes me crave other sugars also. I love to drink tea and thats what I put in it. I also drink Crystal Light and thats sweet. I also have yogurt often which is kinda sweet (the lowfat kind) so I have plenty of opertunity to get sweets including apples and sugar free jelllo. I am not sure I would know what to eat if I cut all of that out lol. Its all dietary sugar though although I admit I will swipe a piece of candy from my kids here and there if they have it around (Easter Sucks) So I do still crave it. Now the question is do I crave sugar because of how much artificial sugars are in my diet? I am guessing so. Any ideas?

Yup. I've found that food actually works better with this particular pill than anything. It may be that the yogurt I had was too thin. It's not the normal one I use. I did think I had drank enough and given it enough time to have gone on through. I'm still not sure what was going on, but it wasn't much fun. lol.

I've had heartburn for the past month, on and off, but today it's particularly horrible. I'm going for a slight unfill tomorow. I took some Zantac but it isn't really working and I'm really hungry. Does anyone know of any foods that will give me a little relief? My dh suggested drinking milk or eating yogurt, but I really have no idea what might help (or at least not make it worse!). I remember when I was pregnant I had heartburn and I used to suck on orange pops and they helped. But I don't have any orange pops in the house and I'm looking for something with more protein.

Each person is different when it comes to sliders. I eat Special K Fruit and Yogurt every morning for Breakfast and I do fill full after one cup of special K with a half a cup of 1% milk on it. I have found some foods people say are sliders and don't fill them up actually do for me. I can eat popcorn a cup full and I do fill full and frozen yogurt to. Everyone is different. I would think that you do need fill, but that is just me.

Hi Kim, I've never been able to stick to a diet for long either, BUT... the pre-op and post op diets are different, at least I thought so. You know that there's an end to it, for one thing, and you're really doing it for a GOOD reason. Not sticking to it would only make your surgery more difficult, and I found that good incentive to 'be good'. But... LOL, I of course wasn't all good. I still lost 15lbs, and it did its job (shrinking my liver). Just think of it being for the best. It's not for long, and really, the worst of it is the pre-op part. TLBC's is yogurt and cottage cheese, right? Mine was all Optifast. They both suck, eating any one thing for a long time, but... you'll live. And then after, you'll be so excited to have juices and broths and popsicles! Your BMI is a good thing to know. A 'normal' BMI is around 18.5-24.9. Up to 29.9 is overweight, 30 and above is obese, and 40 and above is morbidly obese... I believe 50 and above is super morbidly obese. You could tell us your height and weight, and we'll tell you what yours is. It's not something you NEED to know, but I guess we just use it to gauge where we want to get to. When you hit a 39 BMI, you can say "WOOO! I'm only obese!!!" You don't really need to know about the size of the bands and fills right now. Joffe/Yau will figure out what you need when they get in there. Then you'll eventually get fills, which amounts will vary. You should start working on not having a drink with you when you eat. If you're eating tiny bites like you're supposed to, you probably won't choke anyways! Practice that (small bites and chewing the crap out of everything) too! It's not that you CAN'T drink with your meals, it just defeats the purpose, because it makes the food slide out of your 'pouch' faster, and you won't get full, or not for as long. If you absolutely NEED a sip, take one. I'm not telling people.... not really. I just moved across the country, so no one I know or am around on a daily basis, besides my boyfriend knows. People really don't notice what you're eating or that you're not drinking while you're eating. They're too busy with their own food. Order smaller things... eat what you can. If you can't finish it... just say "Oh, I guess I wasn't all that hungry." If you just have a diet Pepsi once in a while, you'll probably do fine getting 'cut off' ! I'm not one to talk though, I've started having coffee every morning again. Damn you, Tim Horton's! Let us know whatever else you want to know! Mandi

Hot coffee or hot tea helps me when I'm tight. I'm post-menopausal so I don't experience the hormonal shifts that others deal with.. I can't advise on that. But I know what you mean about being too tight for yogurt.. I had yogurt for Breakfast this am and had to stop and take a shower before I could finish it.. not that I threw up on myself.. but that I felt tight and sometimes a warm shower will help. You didn't mention how much Fluid you received on your 2nd fill. My largest fill ever was 1cc. I don't need big fills to get results. Usually I get .2cc's, and occasionally I get .tcc's. (that's POINT 2 and POINT 5). You might be another one who needs to creep up on a fill. Sure, we have to go in more often, but the incidences of too tight/unfill are greatly reduced. Hope you get some relief in the AM.

eggs,tofu, tuna salad, soft meatballs with either tomato sauce or ketchup,soft fish, canned chicken, applesauce, Greek yogurt,cottage cheese, sour cream, Unjury protein cheese sauce(delicious !!!!), lentils, tomato soup......enjoy!

Here's what my dietician had me doing from Day 1 through Week 6. Day 1,2,3 - I was allowed Water, sugar free Jello, broth, sugar free popsicles, decaf tea, and liquid Protein drinks (clear not creamy drinks). I was told to consume a maximum of 2-4 oz of any of the above items at one time. Day 4,5,6,7 - In addition to the above items, I got to add V-8 juice (Not Splash version, strained thinned cream Soups w/o meat or vegetables, nonfat lowfat yogurt, preferably lite or low carb (no seeds, fruit pieces, nuts, or granola added), skim milk. You should only be consuming a maximum of 2-4 oz at a time still. Weeks 2 and 3 (Days 8-22) - I was able to add soft, moist, SOLID foods, one at a time. Avoid products like beef, pork, Pasta, & rice. It is better to eat softer foods that are easier to digest. Remember to take very small bites and chew foods 20-30 times (to baby food consistency) to avoid vomiting or stomach irritation. If you have nausea or vomiting, return to the clear liquid diet and contact your doctor. Things to add to your food items above now are: Cottage cheese (low-fat or nonfat) String Cheese eggs (any style) Tofu Refried Beans chicken (canned or thinsly sliced deli-no BBQ) Turkey (thinsly sliced deli-no BBQ) Baked Fish (soft, moist, fresh) Tuna with fat free mayo or fat free Miracle Whip. Add the following foods, in this order, ONLY if you have room: Vegetables: Well-cooked, peeled vegetables (AVOID asparagus, corn, celery, peas, lima beans, brussels sprouts, lettuce, cabbage, raw vegetables for 6 months, then CHEWED well). Fruit: Canned fruit (preferably unsweetened) Small amounts of cooking spray Small amounts of fat-free mayo, fat free Miracle Whip, butter sprays, or broth to moisten food. Drink sips of water (2 oz every 15 minutes) through the day (total 48-64 oz day). Do not drink water 30 minutes before, during and 1 hour after a meal. Protein Drinks should be counted as part of your 64 oz Fluid daily. Weeks 4 & 5 (Days 23-35) - You can now increase your range of foods, adding more texture and variety. Remember to eat solid protein first! Foods you can now add to your diet are as follows: Egg salad, tuna salad, and chicken salad, with minimal fat free mayo (no celery), pickles with no skin is ok, I used pickle relish without any problems. Nonfat lowfat cheese. Creamy Peanut Butter. Chicken breast, turkey, lean beef, lean pork - must be moist and be able to pull apart with 2 forks. Black beans, lentils, split peas, canned. Low calorie, low carb frozen meal (remember, you will not eat the whole thing). As I recall, there were days that I was able to eat the entire frozen entree such as Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, etc.), but not always. Foods to avoid - course or crunchy foods. Limit foods high in fat, sugar and starch. Week 6 and beyond - From this point on, food tolerances will be "trial and error" for you. Raw vegetables (peeled), raw fruit (peeled), salads, and nuts are best tolerated after 5 to 6 months. I think I tried eating salads and raw fruit after about 3 months and didn't have any problems, but just take it easy when trying this things since they can cause food to get stuck fairly easy. I stuck to the above foods and followed the above plan for the first 5 months before I started straying off "plan" and did really well in my weight loss then. I also walked 3 to 4 times a week on my treadmill. My weightloss slowed down when I found myself eating things that weren't all on the plan above such as fried chicken, candy, stuff that you really should try to eat in moderation anyway. My doctor and therapist keep reminding me this is a lifestyle change so I don't beat myself up if I have a bad day, I just get up the next day and do better. I'm still losing just not as fast as I did to begin with. My 1 year band anniversary is March 19 and to date I have lost 105 lbs, 20 of which I lost before the band. I'm very happy with my decision and hope you will be too. The plan that I just laid out above is what our dietician gave to us so if you follow it I would hope you would have minimal problems and great results like I have. If you have any questions, let me know. My email address is triggert@kc.rr.com if you'd prefer to email me instead of going thru the private messages. Hope this helps, Teri

I was a bordom snacker... Especially in the evening. Now I try to keep myself busy and I have a rule that I have to drink a 8oz glass of Water before a snack, if I'm still hungry I get a healthy snack (cheese, yogurt, Protein popsicle, etc). 95% of the time I'm not hungry after the water. PS CG/Maddy I'm telling Alex on you too......

Hi i just had my first foods since my sleeve 9 days post op I had for Breakfast a greek low-fat yogurt and i was fine For lunch i had like 2 spoons of scrambled eggs i was in a little pain for about 15 min For dinner i tryed 2 spoons of cottage cheese and i was in pain again is that normal??? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm also a stress eater and am very stressed right now due to my mom being really ill. I am about 10 weeks out and I've done really well sticking to my food plan, except for this last week. It's been pretty easy because my hunger is 80% gone. I ate a whole pint of frozen chocolate yogurt one day, and then couple days later I ate WAY too many miniature candies a co-worker keeps stocked at his desk for whoever needs chocolate. I know I will always have to fight my urge to eat when I'm stressed, but the thing that makes it a lot easier is I'm not also always fighting hunger pains as well, so I feel it's much easier to control. It's also a lot easier to get back on track! :-)

I'm two weeks post-surgery and just transitioned over to soft food. I was actually pretty surprised how easy getting fluids and things like yogurt down was. I can drink a 20 oz bottle of Water in 15-20 minutes, 6 oz thing of yogurt in 15 minutes, a cup of blended chili, etc.. That last two nights I've had tuna fish salad and scrambled egg. I was thinking my sleeve must be huge if I can eat 6 oz of yogurt or a cup of chili without batting an eye. 1/2 cup of tuna fish salad - I'm DONE. Can't even think of another bite. 1 egg with a little cheese on it - DONE. I'm glad to see the restriction kick in big-time for more solid foods. It does make me understand more about "sliders", "eating around the sleeve", "cheating the sleeve", etc.

Yes, but since I won't eat sugar free pudding or yogurt, it is pretty much strained cream of chicken soup with unflavored protein powder, along with water, a protein shake in the morning and some sugar free jello sometimes.

I had dunping syndrome and am sleeved. It happened with two things. Frozen yogurt --- full fat or full sugar Falafel --- deep fried fat goodness Take a look at what you ate and that should point you to what not to eat for a bit. Also dumping syndrome happens and you get it all out and then that's it. Usually within 15-30 minutes after eating. If it continues all night or past that it is not dumping it's something else.

I just stocked up on a few the other day and walmart only had the single serve ones. Even those are too big for me I just cut them in about 1/2. I take 1 serving of the yogurt, 1 tablespoon of honey, and a 1/4 cup of granola. I think I get about 24 grams of Protein and around 200 calories. That holds me over to lunch.

Haha! Yeah. There is a BIG difference between yogurt and meat. I always love the posts that ask how much people can eat. It definitely depends on WHAT you are eating. 5 oz. of yogurt is EASY. But I STILL can't eat more than 2 oz. of tuna.

Mostly, I believe we figure out what our body tolerates the easiest. ( and is healthy). For whatever reason, I'm stuck on my home made split pea soup. Enough fiber and small bits of ham for protein.carrots for vege in there too I still eat fairly slow. And chew a lot. My protein bests: Fairlife milk. Yogurt BAKED tofu,. (Big difference) some nuts. Protein bars. Sometimes protein drinksSometimes eggs/ occasionally rejected ? String cheese Chicken thighs braised, fish After 10 years of experimenting, that is my go to list. Hope you find your list. It helps!

I have not yet had lap band, but should on dec 27, so my hubby asked me for a list of foods for him to buy me. I have been perusing this site tonight looking for good ideas, healthy foods to have. It looks like that's what you're asking... for ideas for alternatives. Here's what I have found, hope some of it sounds yummy. skim milk, broth, sugar free Jello or pudding, cream of wheat, scrambled eggs (maybe with a little cheese), applesauce, cottage cheese, pureed Soup, banana, tuna, yogurt. And remember, just keep moving forward. Just because you made one bad choice doesn't mean you have to make more. As said above- we're all in this together, you can do it! Tabby.

It sounds like you're feeling better, but I also wanted to let you know that split pea Soup (cambells even) has a lot of Protein and is pretty low cal. I ate it alot post op. I eat the greek yogurt post fill now, also, if you're concerned about the thickness, add some milk and blend it together. Only a day and a half and just think of the boost in weight loss!!!