Search the Community

Whatever Protein drink that you find that you like and will drink is the best - the highest protein/lowest carb or fat drink is of little value if you can't choke it down. I've played with the Protein drinks for years (since my wife rejected them after her WLS several years ago). For chocolate shakes I have settled on the EAS powder that can be bought at Target, Walmart, etc. which I find has a fairly delicate flavor with little of the sometimes objectionable protein taste; adding some unsweetend cocoa powder can boost the chocolate flavor while cutting the sweetness while the SF chocolate syrups can boost the chocolate flavor while adding some sweetness - use whichever floats your boat. I also use the protein powders in SF instant puddings along with greek yogurt to boost their protein content. I also use the EAS to blend with other protein powders that I have tried and found to strong on their protein taste or aftertaste on their own (I wind up blending a lot of things in this post op world to hit the right taste/calorie/nutrition compromise.) Adding fruit to the shakes is a common and popular addition, though check with your doctor's plan - the rationale for most of the pre-op diets is to keep low carb to improve liver condition, so they may not want you adding fruit at this time for that reason. If they're just wanting you to lose a bit of weight pre-op and get used to protein shakes while watching calories, it may fit in. Good luck and welcome to the club.

I just had my surgery on November 6th, going great so far! My 1 week post op appointment is tomorrow, hope to add creamed soups and yogurt to my diet.

for desert try vanilia protein shake with pumpkin spice in it. its real good or put some pumpkin spice in some plain yogurt mmmmmmmmmmmm

Hello all..I had a really bad stuck episode about 14 days ago. Had to go in and meet Lapband Doc in ER for a total unfill. He put me on liquids for 7 days due to the intense vomitting I had. I moved onto mushy food such as yogurt, protien shakes 7 days ago. Mashed pototatoes and chili pureed still hurt my stomach. My chest also hurts when the food is going down and my uppper middle back. Kinda like a stuck episode but Im not stuck. I had a florascope done and the band is still in place. I also still seem to have alot of nausea. Have not vomited though. Doc doesnt think it is gallbladder as I dont show any symptoms of that. Has any one else gone through a really stuck episode? How long until you were feeling back to normal and eating real food again? Thanks in advance for advice.

Try a coffee no fat milk shake with a small amount if low fat yogurt or ice cream. Trust me it gets better you just need to hang in there for a short time.

Hi, I cannot do the shakes. Made me sick both ends. My doc kept me on full liquids for 6 weeks post op and then at my 6 week visit Thursday gave me a food list. I don't have to purée or do mushies. Just chew the heck out of every bite. I ate cottage cheese and lots of Greek yogurt and did fine. He did not give me a calorie or Protein requirement either. When I ask him about that his answer was just to be sure I burned more calories than I took in on a daily basis. He does not push the shakes because he wants to ensure that we learn as soon as possible to adjust our eating to real food and cutting off eating before we are too full. He says at bite three we should be asking ourselves are we full. Stop if so but ask ourselves on each bite to follow and stop before full.

For the soup, be sure to get the lower fat kind. The yogurt sounds good; I'll have to see if I can find that!

Oh yeah Yoplait makes a Greek yogurt Popsicle bar that is awesome. 90 calories and 12 gms I believe of protein. Delicious caramel. I loved them. Might be an option to try. Good luck.

I keep baby bel cheese in the fridge, pistachios in my purse when I'm on the go. I also love Greek yogurt, cucumbers and fresh apples and pineapple. Sometimes I'll snack on a small salad. I'm 5 months out.

String cheese, is a main staple. Meat balls also are great to keep on hand. For the early weeks on solids, tuna salad was a major staple. egg salad is also good, but i've never been very fond of it. cottage cheese and yogurt are also very good.

At three weeks out, I was only on thick liquids. I had things like cream of chicken Soup, mushy tuna salad, cottage cheese, greek yogurt. I would not even think of anything with breading until a ways in. I have just started (at 4 months) trying to experiment with one nugget and I scrape most of the breading off. If you eat too little, your body will think it is in starvation mode and will not work with you. What I would try to do is have three meals a day. For example, breakfast have a soft scrambled egg - a bit later have a Protein drink (Atkins or Muscle Milk light) - lunch have some cream soup (chicken, tomato, mushroom). Be sure to drink Water in between. For dinner have some cottage cheese, yogurt, tuna - something like that and if you are still hungry, have another Protein Drink. I would eat canned fruit only in its own juice (not with light syrup). Watch the smoothies as the skins from the fruit can bother you early on. You have to start being really careful now and get into the habit of thinking about every thing before you eat it. You will do fine, just watch carefully what you eat.

I was banded on May 5th and everyday I feel better and better, except for the fact that I'm exhausted. I just feel so wiped out, with a bit of shortness of breath. I have had very little gas pains and I can sleep very well. I am eating blended soups, protein drinks, jello and yogurt. I can eat these just fine but I can't eat much at one time. I had requested one week off from work but honestly I don't know that I will have the energy to go back on Monday. Does anyone else feel "wiped out"?

I'm 3 days out of surgery and have drinkable yogurt on the list after day 4. Can anyone recommend a good brand that offers high protein in small quantities?

I HATE protein! It makes me sick to my stomach, also! I found one shake that I can take, but it takes all day to try and get it down. It is premier protein, I got it at Sam's and it has 30 g. I am able to eat yogurt now. The best one so far is Dannon Light and fit GREEK. They have strawberry, blueberry, and vanilla. They have 80 cals. and 12g of protein. I eat 3 a day right now to get my amount of protein. Much better then the shakes and powder.

Greek yogurt has a lot of protein. I get the plain, fat free and add my own fresh fruit and a little bit of honey. But, it is sour.

I'm a "routine" eater. I find something and I just stick with it until I'm tired of it. My routine breakfast is 1 or 2 eggs scrambled. If I'm not very hungry, it's one. If I wake up with hunger, it's two. A hour later I have my milk+coffee which is basically more milk than coffee. My lunch lately is lettuce or chopped raw cabbage over which I throw diced ham or chicken, or some flaked tuna. A bit later I'll eat a yogurt or a piece of fruit. My snack can be another milky coffee or some hummus with carrots or whole grain crackers. dinner is always Protein like a piece of salmon or cod, or chicken (I eat a lot of chicken) or if I sense my band is open, some hamburger. More veg, either in the form of a small salad or roasted root vegetable. About an hour later I'll have either another fruit or some plain yogurt mixed with muesli. My eating protocol is "small, fractionned meals" spread out over six times/day. They are more like Snacks than meals. This is my surgeon's protocol. It's not an easy one to comply with 100% of the time (when traveling, for example) but I follow it for the most part. It really keeps any head hunger dormant (until I see an ad on TV or other...then I look away!)

lets see, since this morning I have had a mocha made with coffee and chocolate protein. and than I had a greek lime yogurt. my daughter was here and cooked up some French fries I was able to handle about 2. this food is my attempt at grazing, never works for me. tonight I had beef stew. homemade and tomato based. I wasn't able to eat very much so have my food on the counter so if I do get hungry I will eat a bit more of it. for sure I will be having 40 cal. fudgesicles tonight.

@@MaggieinNC - I'm not that far out from my surgery (just over 4 weeks) and most foods that I've tried at this t don't give me any problems. Every doctor varies their plan a bit with foods and timing but this was/is my post-op schedule. Once cleared with the swallow test you begin days 1-3 on clear liquids. broth, SF Jello, SF popcicles, Water (you can add crystal lite, lemon, etc...) Days 4 -14 Full liquids. Cream of wheat or rice, SF applesauce, yogurt, Protein shakes, cream soups (strained), ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, milk, some pureed fruits or baby food, scrambled egg, mashed sweet or white potato Days 14 - 31 Soft foods (think things that can be cut easily with the side of your fork or spoon). Shredded chicken, tuna, egg salad, crab, fish, shrimp, scallops, mango, soft fruits without skin or seeds, softened veggies (cooked carrots, green Beans, squash). NO raw veggies, nuts Regular diet - Try only one new food at a time (chew, chew, chew and eat slowly). Remember to limit carbs and focus on protein first, veggies, then carbs. I have sampled several things but I haven't tried steak yet. I still seem to need my meats very moist. I usually eat chicken breasts or seafood. I did have boston market meatloaf the other day and my tummy wasn't happy afterward. I'm guessing they use a lot of fillers in their meatloaf mix. I was at the Kennedy Space Center yesterday and for lunch I ordered a cheese burger, no bun, with grilled mushrooms and onions. It was a bit dry so some mustard and mayo helped. I was able to eat about 3-3.5 oz. Feel free to message me if you want to talk directly. Congratulations on your decision! Best, Shell

I was banded 8/6/12, and it is a month now. I struggled at first with snacking, but healthy snacks, no carbs just greek yogurt, or cottage cheese, etc only protein. I got the carbs from the yogurt and cottage cheese. I was not losing weight for about 10 day, and when I did a follow up with my doctor i realize they meant no snacking between meal but I was so busy trying to get in carbs and protein, that i was eating too many calories. I have nothing in my band until hopefully the 19th of September. I am now eating 1 cup of food each meal, and i am losing weight. I am not eating between meals which allows me to get in my 64oz of fluid, ex: water, tea, etc and i am not hungry. My dr. said to only focus on the protein and fiber, not the carbs and fat but be mindful to make low calories, low fat choices, not pizza or canned processed foods. She explained to me that i will not feel full after my 6-8 ounces of food, but wait the 20 minutes and let your brain process the food and i should not be hungry for at least 4 hours. I could eat more, but i don't, i wait and i find that i am not hungry. I would not beleive if it didn't happen to me. She explained that it is very important to have the 4 hours window of not eating, because what i don't take in with carbs and fat by not eating between meals your body will use your body fat to get the carbs, fat etc and burn the fat and you lose weight. If you do eat between meals, your body does not need to burn the fat because you are feeding it more food between meals. It was so profound when she said that, it all clicked and i tried it and it worked. Remember I have nothing in my band yet, and i can eat more, but i stop at 1 cup and wait the 20 mins. I was talking on the phone today and went 6 hours and still did not feel hungry, and all i had this morning for breakfast was a 6oz greek yogurt with fruit, a cup of coffee before breakfast. Unbelievable. I may not get a fill if I keep up this way. I do want a fill, because my doctor said once i get a fill, it will be hard to eat more than 1/2 cup of food and then i really need to focus on protein and fiber. Try not eating between meals and if that does not work, don't eat the white carbs because it is not a healthy choice, and i may be filling you up but not keeping you full (carbs make you hungry and that may be what is happening to you) and you need to have high protein with each meal. I have been on a ground turkey homemade chili for 1 week and loss 4 pounds. I have only followed this meal plan for 1 week and it works, where I did not lose any weight for 10 days before my dr. set me straight. Hope this helps.

Thank you Ginger Snaps and Tgarden. I am doing much better today. Off the pain meds mostly...I am taking a dose at night as I seem to be pretty sore by end of day and feel this will help me sleep. I may not need tonight but will judge by how I feel. My older daughter went to the store for me and got the Kroger Carb control yogurt as it has the lowest sugar but it only has 9 grms of Protein...I either need to add the unjury no flavor protein to this or choose a different yogurt. Like your idea Ginger Snap of adding the Jello powder to the plain yogurt- this way I get the protein I want. Thanks!

I am exactly one week post op, I started losing about a pound a day then I starting gaining a pound a day and now I am right back to my pre-surgery weight. I'm so frustrated. I have no problems getting in all my liquids and protein, I track my calories and gett anywhere from 600- 900 calories a day. I'm on full liquids, I have not cheated, but I also have no restriction, I can easily finish the whole container of yogurt when I eat. Any advice

It has more Protein than regular yogurt. The ones with a lot of sugar are the pre-flavored ones. I like to use plain Greek yogurt and either put my own fruit on there or use it in a smoothie.

The sugar free Greek yogurts are not all sour. Chobani is, but the Light version of the Dannon isn't.

Hi! I had a RNY on 7/15 (with a hysterectomy). I'm home and on liquids. I see so many more options than I was given!! I don't have yogurt in my list. I'll have to call my NUT tomorrow and see what she says. Anyway, we ended up renting a wheelchair because I have five kids (three bio two foster) and couldn't be stuck at home anymore. We went to a local fair and I walked some and ride some and it was lovely to get out! Anyone restricted on cold items? I'm told no ice in drinks. Is it truly because it will cause pain?

Try scrambling with some heavy cream if you are looking for scrambled. I am allergic, so no eggs for me. Also, having surgery on the 15th, my Dr said nothing like eggs until after my next appt (on the 31st). I'm on "thin enough to pass through a regular straw". The thickest I've tried is yogurt thinned with soy milk, which went down well.