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I am just hungry, but like you said can't get much down. I'm so sick of cream soup I can't even begin to think about it, and that was the one thing that was keeping me feel full and satisfied. The protein shakes are making me want to puke. I'm basically eating sugar free yogurt, ice pops and ummmm, hate to say it but thats about it! Starting tomorrow I can puree some foods....so...not sure what the heck would be good pureed! Thurs. I can eat "minced food" which is really something to look forward to! Pretty much anything, well you know, within reason, chopped up really small. Exciting! I am starving right now, I must say.

So you cheated a little on your post-op diet. When you were supposed to be on liquids, you had a few spoons of mashed potatoes or a swallow of yogurt, both nice and soft. Maybe you ate a few Cheez Doodles, but what’s the big deal? They’re like eating flavored air, aren’t they? And the McNuggets you tried during the puree phase? You chewed them really well, and you could only eat three instead of your pre-op portion of six – isn’t that great? No, it’s not great that you could only eat three McNuggets. And yes,cheating is a big deal, and I’m going to tell you why. You’re not going to get away with this one. Miss Jean has eyes in the back of her head. She sees the cookie crumbs on your face and the neon orange faux cheese film on your guilty fingers. SOME DEFINITIONS OF CHEATING The word “cheat” has two main connotations. One is cheating in the sense of lying and deceiving. It’s intentional dishonesty. You know what you’re doing is wrong, but you do it anyway. The other connotation of “cheat” is unfaithfulness. Unfaithful to a vow or promise you made to another person or to an organization. When someone cheats you, do you just shrug and say, “Oh well, he was having a bad day”? Let’s say you bought a car that you thought was brand new, and later discovered that the dealer had fiddled with the odometer and charged you full sticker price for a car with 1200 miles on it. Would that be okay with you? And what if your spouse, the person you trust with your life, cheated on you by sleeping with your best friend, would you be able to just shrug that off? If your child got a B+ grade by cheating on a test by copying answers from the student at the next desk, would you be proud of him or her? And what if you found out that a coworker betrayed you by using the great idea you confided to him or her and taking credit for it when it worked out splendidly? Would you still be eating lunch with that coworker? Or what if you donated money to a political candidate who you admired, and he or she spent it on a vacation in the Bahamas instead of on re-election expenses. Would that be okay with you? Would you vote for that candidate ever again? I’ll take a guess at your answers to these questions. In none of the situations I’ve described would you be happy or proud. In fact, you’d be disappointed and angry. So just how can you think it’s no big deal to cheat on your post-op diet? EXCUSES, EXCUSES I can hear grumbling in the room. I think I just heard someone saying, “I had to eat that mashed potato. I was so hungry and miserable and cranky from being on liquids for a week, I couldn’t stand it another minute.” I do understand very well how you felt, but in the big picture of world hunger, where babies die because their mothers eat so little that they don’t produce enough milk for nursing, your and my hungry misery is a big So What. And someone else is whispering, “My best friend’s surgeon let her eat mashed potatoes on her third day post-op, so it must be okay for me to do that too, even though my surgeon told me to wait until my 15th day post-op. It’s not my fault that every surgeon has a different post-op eating protocol.” While it’s true that surgeons’ eating instructions vary widely, you signed on with your surgeon, not your best friend’s. Presumably you chose your surgeon because you and/or your insurance company believe that he or she is well-qualified in laparascopic bariatric surgery. During your psych evaluation, you affirmed that you understand what the surgery involves and that you can and will follow instructions. You nodded when the shrink asked if you’re ready to make all the lifestyle changes needed for success. You nodded when the dietitian asked if you understood your pre- and post-op eating instructions. You scribbled your own name on a sheaf of release papers to indicate that you were informed about the risks involved and despite those risks, gave your surgeon permission to perform surgery on you. In addition to all of that, you spent weeks or months jumping through hoops to prove your need for bariatric surgery. Perhaps you suffered through a six-month pre-op diet. You had lots of medical tests and evaluations, most of them not much fun, because you were so eager to get your weight loss show on the road. You had surgery, suffered some degree of discomfort from your incisions and gas, and finally heaved a sigh of relief because all the struggles are over now. But then you discovered that there are still more struggles to survive because of that stupid post-op liquid diet. Yet despite jumping through all those hoops, in less than 60 seconds you blow it by popping a Cheez Doodle in your mouth, and justify that with the aforementioned misery excuse. And man oh man, that must have been some really serious misery, because evidently it drove out of your mind all the very good reasons for faithfully following that post-op diet progression. You forgot that one of the most common causes of band slips is the patient’s failure to follow the post-op diet. You forgot that food can get stuck in the stoma or esophagus and cause an obstruction or vomiting. You forgot that vomiting can disturb the position of the band, especially when you’re a new post-op and your stomach is still healing from surgery. You forgot that in order to move mashed potatoes or Cheez Doodles through your digestive system, your esophagus and stomach must expand and contract, which can disturb the position of your band and cause it to slip. You forgot all the promises you made to your bariatric team and to yourself about healthy eating and weight loss success, because you were so miserable and just a few little cheat bites are no big deal. I’ll try to give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you thought that being able to eat the Cheez Doodles without having any uncomfortable side effects or complications like a stuck episode, a PB, sliming, chest pain, esophageal dilation or spasms means that it’s okay to eat the Cheez Doodles. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s a wrong assumption. Cheating eating can cause problems without you ever knowing it until it’s too late. Cheating eating is just plain foolish. YOU’RE NOT ALONE Now here’s the good news. You’re not alone. Nobody enjoys the post-op diet progression. If any of us were good at following diets, we might not need bariatric surgery in the first place. And only infants enjoy a liquid diet. But in a sense, as a new post-op you’re a bariatric infant who must consume liquids because your body isn’t ready yet to handle anything else. Cheating on your post-op diet is cheating your health in a major way. If you already cheated once or twice or ten times, that’s not a good reason for continuing to cheat, so don’t do it again! I believe we should begin any project as we mean to go on. If you can’t follow your post-op diet, exactly when are you going to begin your healthy post-op lifestyle? Are you going to wait until after your first fill, or your second fill, or at some hazy time in the future? If so, don’t come running to me when your scale stays stuck on a number you hate. NOW is the time to begin your healthy lifestyle. NOW is the time to practice good band eating skills and making good food choices and controlling portion sizes. Doing that may not be easy, but it’s not impossible either. Losing a massive amount of weight is a big, tough project, but if you respect your band, it's going to be easier than any of your past weight loss attempts. Let me clarify that: it's going to be easier if you follow instructions. In addition to that healthy lifestyle, there’s another very good reason to stick to your diet. At some point you’re going to have to face up to your past and acknowledge that food and eating have been a major problem for you. The fact that you’re struggling with your post-op diet is a symptom of that. There’s no shame attached to that struggle. As mentioned above, if we didn’t struggle with eating, we wouldn’t need bariatric surgery at all. So I suggest that you look at the post-op diet (and your pre-op diet too, for that matter) as a rite of passage. During this rite, you’ll be painfully aware of just how many food devils you possess, because without food to shut them up, they’re going to be jumping up and down and screaming for your attention. But their wish is no longer your command. You’re going to send them a clear signal: that you’re not going to submit to their demands any more. From now on, you’re going to follow your surgeon’s and dietitian’s eating instructions no matter how much commotion those devils make. You’re in charge now. As the saying goes, today is the first day of the rest of your life. Do yourself a favor, and make it a day without Cheez Doodles!

You really need :thumbup: heating pad :sleep:Liquid Tylenol :smile2:Ice chips :cool2:crystal light :wink2:lip balm :closedeyes:sf jello, yogurt, sf pudding :wink_smile:liquid protein :thumbup::unsure:and that is about it for the first 3 days.

Guys, here is a list that was previously posted of items helpful to have on hand re: surgery. Thought I would pass it on to all the June Folks... LAP BAND SURGERY SHOPPING LIST NON-food ITEMS: BBQ or Toilet tongs, for a good reach in the r.r. 4.98 Heating pad(12inx24in) 16.88 Flexible ice pack (hot/cold 12inx16in) 14.44 A few books or movies(your choice, I spent about 70.00us) xx.xx Squishy pillow for car ride for seatbelt (shoulder pad) 16.88 Make sure you have a good blender 19.97 Kitchen timer (first few days, sip every 15 mins)(analog) 2.88 Kitchen timer (digital – better for travelling) 3.47 Pedo-meter(depending on the one you get – don’t forget to adjust to your stride) 4.88 PHARMACEUTICALS: liquid Tylenol/Motrin (Check early in case pharmacy needs to order in advance) 4.98 Chewable or liquid gas-x(I got strips, you will pay more than shown here) 3.60 Gauze Pads 4x4 6.57 Paper/bandage tape 2.57 Wet Wipes 2.64 Pill crusher 3.89 Chewable Vitamins 8.97 Hospital Medicine cups (I got 3oz/88ml cups – 100ct) 1.48 Cough Drops(Halls big box) 6.88 Stool Softener (Dr. asked me not to get this, if needed talk to him) xx.xx Moist and nice tasting Lip Balm(got chapstick – cherry – 2for deal) 0.88 FOOD ITEMS: Protein shakes(these vary from 22 – 55 dollars depending on quality and quantity) xx.xx Plenty of water(bottled Water for me 3cases 16oz. bottles 10.00) 10.00 broth or stuff to make broth(several flavors but all about the same cost) 2.98 sugar free popsicles 2.66 Sugar free Jello 0.50 Sugar free breath mints (chewable) 1.33 Crystal Light "On the GO" assorted flavors(I don’t like CL so I got store brand/price per box) 2.50 Bouillon(several flavors but all about the same cost) 2.07 Cream of Wheat 2.92 Creamy Soups 0.66 Applesauce 1.82 FAT FREE yogurt 1.76 Soup-at-Hand - soups - for creamy stage(on sale) 1.25 pudding cups (SF/FF) - helps w/ taking meds(got instant, more flavors, price per box) 0.50 Sugar free hot cocoa 1.87 Decaf tea(got regular, decaf is a little more in cost) 2.12 CLOTHES POST-OP: Loose fitting, easily removable(one size larger than I wear, sweats, top and bottom) 15.88 Buttons downs or pullover(sale rack found $5.00 per, one size larger) 5.00 Thong shoes/slip-on so no bending and tying(make sure they are a good pair) 12.88 Sports Bra! Sutures will be hurt by under wires(I have a daughter and wife that helped here) 6.88

You are lucky that you are moving onto stages of real food. I don't even get soup or yogurt until Thursday. I wonder what would be good pureed too? Can you puree a cheeseburger? Lol... yes, it's still on my mind. Can you eat cottage cheese? That is in my "soft foods" stage and I can't wait 'cause I love the stuff. I can't wait until I can start eating "real" meals again, though. I'm looking forward to week four of my diet because I can start eating soft fish! Yay Friday fish fry!

It's normal to not feel much restriction the first several weeks following surgery. I sure can identify with that feeling that you need to eat something. When that urge hit me so strong I couldn't stand it anymore, I cooked some Cream of Wheat that I had put two scoops of chocolate Protein powder in, so it tasted like Malto Meal. Yum! Just make it kind of soupy -- you don't want to risk slippage of your band. One time I tossed in a sliced banana and cooked it with the Cream of Wheat. After being on liquids, I never had anything so good! Or try a small jar of baby meat. You will probably need to salt it, but it will taste real good. You should not be eating bread this early in the game - that is very risky! You could microwave a little frozen strawberries or blueberries, mash them up real well and add some skim ricotta cheese or greek yogurt and some artificial sweetner. Eat it slowly with a baby spoon. Make it last at least 15 to 20 minutes. I also had no problem with scrambled egg when I was supposed to be on liquid. You generally will lose a lot weight on the liquid diet because the lack of bad carbs may put your body into Ketosis. When I hit that stage, I was losing a pound a day. You can tell if you are in Ketosis because you will have a horrible taste in your mouth that you can't get rid of, and you may feel nauseated. Ketosis is how people lose so much weight who are on the Atkins and other low carb diets. It's okay to lose weight like that for a little while, but when I couldn't take it anymore, I ate a can of potato soup to take myself out of ketosis. Since I didn't feel any restriction the first weeks after surgery, my doctor gave me my first fill on my one-month followup. It helped a lot. Then he gave me my 2nd fill yesterday on my 6 week visit. I'm having a little trouble with too much restriction I think, because I'm having trouble even drinking Water. I have to eat and drink standing up, so I may have to go get the doc to take a little out of the band. Hang in there. Time will pass quickly. It's important that you let yourself heal before adding too many solid foods. Try one thing at a time to see what you can tolerate. It's different for everyone.

It sounds like you are right on track. I don't eat refined carbs either. But I do get carbs from fruit and beans. I eat either Greek yogurt or a scrambled egg for breakfast. Lunch either chili, chicken soup or a chicken breast on top of greens. Dinner I eat what I make for the family but not the starch. So if I make them turkey burgers, for example, I just eat the patty and tomato. If I have an evening snack it is usually fruit or string cheese. I often supplement with a protein shake if I'm low. I average about 900-1100 cal per day, 90 G protein and 40 g carb. I've lost 130 pounds and am 6 pounds from my personal goal.

No regrets but struggling with depression after surgery. I am wondering if I will ever enjoy eating again. Every time i try to eat its such a struggle. I always feel like my food is stuck . If it's not shakes or yogurt it seems to feel like a rock in my stomach. Help??

Neil, 3 months out with a 62 pound loss! That's amazing! Being a vegetarian in America will definitely be much easier than in India. There is a larger variety of Protein options available to you. Natural, low fat cheeses, greek yogurt, low fat milk, powdered Peanut Butter, protein powders, nuts, and soy products. All these items are staples you should have in your house, to provide yourself with daily variety! I'm in California. Good luck to you!

Aw man.. I was looking forward to mixing up my greek yogurt with defrosted mango chunks from Trader Joe again. Well.. I'll still give it a go when the time comes, but I'll proceed with caution.

In full liquid stage, my plan allowed cream soups, yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, and all Clear Liquids. I was lactose intolerant but did well with unjury chicken, Greek yogurt with Splenda, French vanilla Gold Standard whey Protein mixed with soy milk and Anderson Split Pea soup. For variety, I added Starbucks instant decaf to my vanilla Protein Drink. Lynda

I'm just shy of two weeks out now. My surgery was a little different than the traditional ones, so I'm not sure if this works with the normal diets, but I've found that pureeing silken tofu and adding it to dishes works great. I was really sick of the sweet shakes and I can't have artificial sweeteners, so I needed an alternative. Silken tofu puree has a similar texture to yogurt, but it takes on the flavor of whatever you add it to, and it's a great source of Protein. I like it mixed with creamy soups (I make potato soup without the chunks of potato and stir in the tofu). You can also put it in smoothies. I suppose you could even double up and add protein powder and tofu to get even more protein in your diet at once. If you're allowed cottage cheese, try that mixed with just a tiny bit of fruit puree. I actually bought some babyfood peaches and i put about a teaspoon for every two tablespoons of cottage cheese. I'm lactose intolerant, but the Lactaid brand cottage cheese is great. i was craving mexican food, so i came up with an alternative to a layer dip that included foods i'm allowed to eat: refried Beans, plain greek yogurt, and a thin layer of pureed guacamole. I like it cold and just eat it by the spoonful, while I used to eat with with chips (and topped with cheese). It satisfied my craving and had protein! Again, not sure when this is ok with the "normal" surgeries, since these are higher carb, but when you're able, i also suggest thinning oatmeal and grits with extra milk. I'm using about 1.5 times the amount of milk required (lactaid brand), which gives me extra protein and helps it go down more easily.

This may sound harsh, but I'm going to address your concerns honestly, based on my success and what this whole process has taught me: You need to see your nutritionist right away. I think you are likely making some poor food choices and that is why you aren't seeing much weight loss. Are you staying away from carbs? Sounds like you need more Protein. Cheerios are not a good bet for Breakfast. Keep the eggs, but try maybe yogurt, kefir, or some other protein instead of any Cereal. It is important for your metabolism to keep eating. Why are you getting more fills if you can't eat that much already? You should be able to eat 1/4-1/2c food at a meal. Any less and you may be too tight. You shouldn't be in any pain or nausea. Maybe you should add in a Protein shake here or there to keep your metabolism up. Snacks aren't vital, but at least 3 meals are. And, are you exercising or at least walking? It is vital too. I don't think your food allergies should hinder your success, since you need to concentrate on the protein. But all in all, like I said, you need to see your nutritionist asap, and s/he can help you build a food plan that will work. It WILL WORK! Good luck!!

Thank you very much very helpful! I was at a point of regret to be honest! I mean after the surgery I understood the love I have for food! That now that I'm unable to have none I'm doubting myself! I even have recipes of my old time favorite foods that I have twek to a healthy way and I can't get it as why I can't enjoy my food now that I'm on solid. For example today I tired to have some fish sticks (3) with 11g of protein I made it into a gyro style spinach, thin sliced red onions, tomatoes and as the tarter sauce plain Greek yogurt with pickles! And I used 1/4 of a whole wheat wrap! Took 3 bits and 1 I was full, and 2 got the only cramping stomachache! Does it sound like I'm moving to fast in my foods? I just don't get it!

Day 6 after surgery: Today has gone pretty well. I'm SO lucky that I have lots of help with the kids and around the house, so I've been able to to some very good healing. What's working: warm liquids are the best, my decaf tea in the am and evening is really helping with my Water requirements. I bought some chicken tortilla Soup and strained it really well. I mixed it with a bit of greek yogurt, and it was a nice dinner last night and lunch today. It was a bit thicker than the corn soup I tried before, so I probably ate about 2 tablespoons before I worried it was too much. Almost every Protein shake I try has a horrible after taste to me, even ones I used as my pre-op, so I've been brushing my teeth a lot and chewing a 1/2 piece of SF gum (I have a jaw issue, so I'm not supposed to to chew gum but seriously, it's gross). I went out for about a 25 minute walk today and it felt pretty good. I went nice and slow. I'm having some lingering right shoulder pain, but I'm starting to wonder if it's related to another issue I have and not strictly surgery related. I see my surgeon tomorrow for the post-op and then I have another week of "full liquids." I'm going to get so bored! I'm trying so hard to keep my eye on the prize though and talk myself through any weird head games I play on myself.

Good idea!! i happen to LOVE yogurt, i eat it everyday, and there are so many different varieties of Protein powder out there, so being able to mix different flavors into yogurt gives you a very high protein snack/meal with very little bulk. I will have to do that. Especially after surgery when i am on soft foods only and want to make sure i am getting all my protein in. Jillian :001_smile:

Take a cooler and I would opt for hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, ready to drink shakes, cheese, greek yogurt, meats and some crackers. You are too fresh out for things like protein bars. ALso try Fast food burgers(no bun), KFC grilled chicken and mashed potatoes, Grilled chicken and refreid beans from any mexican place. Wendy's chili or their grilled chicken wrap (ditch the tortilla) There are lots of choices. You should be able to find something almost anywhere. Also McDonalds will sell you scrambled eggs ala carte. That with a half of an english muffin (extra toasted) is a really good breakfast. Fruits and veggies probably still give you some problems so I would stay away from those. Also have some Gas-X (or the store brand equivalent) on hand for in the car when your stomach gets gurgley.

I wasn't feeling well at all this morning. It wasn't until I told my husband about my symptoms (queasy, dizzy, etc.), that he said "Sounds like dehydration to me." I drank some G2 and I felt much better. However, we had company this morning for 3-hours and I was absolutely exhausted after they left. I was so tired, my eyes were burning. I had to take it easy for the rest of the day -- I had no energy to do a thing. We need to remember to drink, drink, and drink our fluids. I'm on liquids and a few mushy foods (cottage cheese, yogurt, canned fruit, refried beans). On Tuesday, I can add some solids into my diet. Hopefully, I'll feel restriction then, because I don't feel it much now. Bunny

I had mine out at 8 months post-VSG. I had to cut full fat foods too for about 3-5 months, no avocados, no Peanut Butter, no full fat salad dressings, Italian dressing nearly killed me with pain after GB removal. I also had to completely eliminate red Pasta sauce/ketchup/barbque sauce. I didn't get any GI upset, but I would get the referred shoulder pain after eating those foods that it was unbearable. The shoulder/collarbone pain was my #1 symptom, and it lasted for several months after GB removal. I had the same exact symptoms you had right down to the pain with eating and drinking. I really thought something was wrong with my sleeve because I didn't have the typical GB symptoms at all. I actually ignored it for over 2 months because I was getting into maintenance, adding more foods, more calories, more fat, and just thought it was food issues. I had some vomiting/diarrhea with some super fatty, heavy creamy foods, like super rich lobster bisque over scallops one night, and then a heavy, heavy alfredo sauce, and goat cheese. So, I really thought it was just new food upsetting my body. Then, when the pain got so severe where I couldn't drink more than about 14oz over a 24 hour period, my husband took me to the ER. It was misdiagnosed as a UTI, and the stupid ER doc refused to do an abdominal U/S, stuck me on antibiotics, gave me fluids and sent me home. I went to my surgeon the next day, GB u/s showed 3/4 full of stones and full of sludge, and I had to wait 4 days to get surgery. I was a bland soup/cracker/yogurt diet with the antibiotics for those days to allow the inflammation to decrease, and the infection to go to before surgery. I did not cut fat that low because I just couldn't, but finding trigger foods wasn't difficult after GB removal. I'd take a few bites, and the pain would start so I eliminated that food for a couple of months, and then tried again. I haven't had any issues going back to eating full fat, and all the stuff that bothered me initially after surgery.

Hi Viktoryalynne!!!! Wooohoooo another 11/5 sleever. This is exciting!!! Soda has not been an issue for me. Flavored water works well for me. Lol I'm at Walmart now getting H20, yogurt and almonds!

fruit yogurt with cheese garlic bead dipped in soda (mostly sprite or diet coke) rather yummy!! Otherwise i am really picky with my food - i think fruit in a normal salad is just like totally WRONG!! WHO DOES THAT MY GOD! And pineapple in pizzaa?? GOSH! Pehehehe!!

when I was pregnant I used to eat plain yogurt and dip kit-kat bars in the yogurt .... When I was little I used to eat dog biscuts ,sick huh ?

For me, I use Shaklee's Vanilla Soy Protein powder (15 protein gram sper service and mix with a high-protein yogurt (low fat/low carb: Stoneyfield or Dannon = 15 protein grams) to make a delicious shake - add ice and you are good to go.

Thank you all for these ideas, I went to a frozen yogurt shop and asked if they had a book on the nutrition of the yogarts. I was the only one in the store and when I saw how high the carbs were (18-20) for ? Ounces, I wanted to leave but the guy was holding the cup and I was too embarrassed to just leave. I bought 2 ounces of vanilla sugar free and was out of there never to return. I thought jamba juice non fat yogart was a smaller carb count but I can't remember now. I'm going to try the Greek frozen Yogart. overall I really can't bring any of it home cause I eat more than one portion. Dryers sugar free popcycles, I can control those and they help w/ nausea

Also did puréed egg salad. Basically two hard boiled eggs, 1 Tbl each of mayo and Greek yogurt. Lasted a couple meals.