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You could also take a scoop of peanut butter, mix with however much Fage plain yougurt and then get it close to freezing. I use whey protein powder and Fage. One scoop and about 5 oz yogurt will give you 30-35 grams protein. Thats more than an entire pint of Halo.

I hear you on the $$$ for fresh foods! We are a family of 6 and all four of my kiddos LOVE fresh fruits and veggies. Instead of unhealthy snacks, I make little party trays filled with cubed or sliced chunks of fruits and veggies. I'll use low calorie plain yogurt or/and peanut butter as dips (kids really love celery and apples with peanut butter). Sometimes I'll make them a peanut butter and fresh banana sandwich on wheat or rye. For you parents out there, just FYI, my kids are loving this new healthy way of life. When I dice up the fruit on the weekends, I'll even place some in freezer-lock bags and freeze them for fresh fruit smoothies, or I'll freeze the smoothie and make them little serving cups of fruit sorbet (they REALLY love that). I'll spend anywhere from $200-$300 a week--on fresh foods alone--to keep my kitchen stocked. But again, that's for feeding a whole family. Stocking for a lone sleever or a smaller family should only be a fraction of that cost.

Some shakes gave over 20 grams protein. Is it to hard to do 3 shakes? Or have you tried Greek yogurt 1 cup in blender with either stevia or my new favorite is liquid drops.. I have crystal light blackberry lemonade or wal mart brand grape is awesome. I use drops in my Greek yogurt daily. But if you blend with water or ice it's liquid . One cup has lots of protein. You may be under calories but still get enough protein?

It's tough to get protein in as a non meat eater. I love miso soup made with a homemade beef broth. Miso has tofu. You can buy a firm high protein tofu but I caution against too much soy. Also, u you may have to eat more to get it. 1 cup of broccoli has 3G of protein. Maybe make a yummy beef broth broccoli soup with tofu. Don't forget eggs! Yum! Greek yogurt is higher in protein. I have used it to replace sour cream, mayo in home made salad dressing. Add some stevia and fruit with crushed almonds...omg that is super yummy. You'll have to be creative to get protein without meat. But people do it all the time. Google is my go to for recipes and ideas. We're all learning:-). Good luck

great to hear you are doing so well kissme . I am having trouble getting in enough food, no nausea or anything just feel really full all the time. Drinking water is no problem. Had some liquid yogurt and cream soup with no problems either but the thought of having the milkshakes seems like too much right now. Yesterday I did get 2/3 of one down but then I was full for what felt like the rest of the night. I don't know what it feels like for other people to have the band but for me, I get a squeezing, pressure sensation every once in a while that seems to move from the bottom up (if that makes any sense) lol. Maybe just new sensations to get used to and learning to listen to my body.

Glad you are doing well! My surgery was Wed and got to come home last night! I am doing great (though don't want to jinx myself) even tried 2 oz. greek yogurt and Protein shake before I left the hospital and all went well! Keep up the good work "losers"

I also have an egg foo young recipe and eggnog that are great, too. Cannoli Cream: 1 Cup of fat free ricotta 1 TBSP fat free/sugar free instant pudding mix (vanilla, cheesecake, etc…) 1/3 Cup of Water 1/6 Cup powdered milk 1/2 to 1 tsp. extract (vanilla, rum, almond, etc…) Blend all in a blender or bullet. Nutrition for the whole thing (it is actually 3-4 meals for me) Fat-0, carbs-17.5, fiber-0, Protein 25, Calories-185 Italian Sausage 1 lb. 93% lean groung turkey 4 minced garlic cloves and or 2 tsp garlic powder (depends on how much garlic you like) 1 1/2 tsp paprika 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp fennel seed (or more to taste) 1 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or cajun seasoning 1/8 tsp anise seed 2 tsp parsley 1 TBSP red or burgundy wine Mix all together and use in any recipes* that call for Italian sausage (I’ve fooled MANY people) If you like spicy Italian sausage, you can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes. It is great grilled for burgers or in lasagna. *My favorite thing to do with it is to flatten it into one large or several small patties, with a lip around the edge. Place on a sprayed baking sheet, top with your favorite low carb sauce, crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, low fat or fat free cheese, veggies etc… Bake on bottom rack at 425* till it is done to your liking. It is a cross between a deep dish and meatlover’s pizza. Mashed Cauliflower: cook cauliflower then blend with immersion blender or bullet (they won't taste 'potato-y if you use a regular blender) Add laughing cow wedges, ranch powder, garlic, onion or whatever else you like. Protein Pancakes: Vanilla Protein Powder, baking powder, egg beaters till pancake batter consistency, cook like pancakes. You can also add plain FF Greek yogurt or FF ricotta. I'll post more recipes tomorrow, as I don't have them with me at the moment

Don't be scared. I misunderstood my directions and was eating lentils, cottage cheese, and yogurt from day one. 6 months later, the restriction is there, firmly tugging at me and it is just physically impossible to eat HALF of a normal, single modest serving of anything. I've lost slowly in comparison to other people, but I've lost 70 lbs. You can do this. Good things WILL happen to you.

By whole cup do you mean a full cup, or a 5oz yogurt container, or 4 oz yogurt? How did you feel? Are you supposed to be eating that already? I did full liquids for a couple weeks. I couldn't even drink an 8oz Protein shake in one sitting the first few weeks after surgery. I'm unsure how you kept all that down. I'm almost 11 weeks out from surgery and I still can't eat a whole cup of anything. Not sure if you over did it, what do you think? I think only you can answer that question. My best advise is to talk to your NUT as soon as possible, and make sure you are eating the right things, and the right amounts. If you are having issues with head hunger....my best advice I tell everyone, get to a therapist, asap. That could be the very thing that helps you if you feel you are eating too much this soon after surgery. I wish you luck with everything.

@@carfeli2004 Things that help me are adapting my recipes. Cauliflower makes a great 'rice', mashed 'potatoes', cheddar 'tater'-tots, 'mac' & cheese, etc...... Spaghetti squash (my fave is with my homemade fat free cheese sauce and maybe a turkey hot dog) FF/SF Cannoli cream made with FF ricotta Lasagna made with roasted slices of zucchini and eggplant Flourless Protein pancakes with unsweetened applesauce on top Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt I even have some recipes for super decadent protein muffins, brownies and cakes. Using either Protein powder and/or Beans Quest bars and chips (did you know that if you cut up and bake a chocolate chip cookie dough one, it tastes like little chocolate chip cookies!!??, watch carefully when baking, they only take a few minutes) If you want recipes, feel free to ask, I love to share!

My go to lunch now is tuna salad made with Greek yogurt, boiled egg, low-fat cheese then eat a scoop of it on a bed of cottage cheese. Every ingredient is protein, except for mustard and dill relish. Sent from my KFSAWI using the BariatricPal App

Well the thing is that ever since I had all of the Fluid taken out, YES I could eat more (in quantity and in choice). By no means am I blaming ALL of my weight gain on not being able to eat the right things, because some of it is me eating the wrong things. However, lately, I will get "stuck" on the first bite of something. There is really no rhyme or reason to what I can and can't eat. I don't even TRY any type of plain meat (no sauces or anything to make it really slippery) or bread or anything like that. I was on vacation last week and we went to a mexican restaurant to Celebrate someone's birthday. I had one bite of my fiance's burrito -- which was smothered in cheese) and I was stuck the rest of the day, actually vomiting 8 times before it finally became "unstuck." It was miserable. I have never had that bad of a problem -- and I literally had one SMALL bite. I am now to the point where I have problems eating every day -- sometimes more than once a day. After getting back from vacation I was mostly eating Soups and "mushies" because I thought maybe my band had been irritated. I could feel it going down but it didn't get stuck -- it just felt like it was moving slowly. So I slowly worked my way into eating "normal" foods and NO....wasn't happening. The thing is that it's on and off. I can eat popcorn one day and the next, I can't even eat yogurt. I made some chicken salad with the canned chicken and some low fat mayo -- had problems. I tried to eat some fruit --had problems. But I could eat popcorn and of course any type of sweets. I could always eat salads and soups in restaurants but salads have been giving me problems....and any kind of Soup with anything in it besides liquid. Believe me, I have been through this long enough to know how to chew, know how to swallow even....I know what I should and shouldn't be able to eat. It doesn't make sense! And, I have no fill.....that is what makes it ridiculous to me! Thanks for your all's input....

jlweb23: Wow! Sounds like you had quite a rough time! So sorry! Hopefully you can take it easy for a few weeks and just let yourself heal. It sounds like your stomach really needs that time to heal so I would follow just what the doctor orders (liquids) and let it heal. Also I know how tempting it is to want to take the kids to the zoo when you wake up feeling great, but don't over do it - - I literally had to force myself some days to chill and not get over excited when I was feeling good or I would definitely overdo it. For a change in liquids from your EAS protein drinks (I like these too! fast & good protein), you can blend some other protein drinks (strawberry fatfree yogurt with some vanilla protein powder and water/ice, etc) so you're still doing liquid but also getting your protein. Watch that belly button too if it is still oozing any yuck - c/b infected so I'd keep an eye on that. Lots of water and REST REST REST! You're losing so keep the faith!!

Anyone have any suggestions for Breakfast ideas that are high in protien and are low in starch? I know eggs are high in protien, but I actually have a little bit of a hard time getting eggs down. So I am trying to find some things to eat for breakfast that are good for you and keep you full. My dietician tells us to eat 4 hours apart and absolutely no snacking in between. Which sometimes when I have oatmeal (starch), or a protien shake or yogurt for breakfast, I am really hungry within 2 hours. I don't have fill yet, but I am trying to eat better and need some ideas if you have any! I am hoping that once I start getting my fills, that a yogurt or protien shake will fill me up for longer! I hope this is the case anyway!

I say we really shouldn't have any unnatural sugar, we don't need it. Plain greek yogurt is full of protein and delicious!

Yes that's right! Anything I want! 6 months ago I was absolutely miserable. While eating anything I wanted, I was gaining weight like crazy. My body would hurt and I could not fit any shoes with the exception of loafers. I would plan my my whole day around eating. I would plot how would wake up early just to stop by Dunkin Donuts. There I would by about 6 donut holes and 2 chocolate covered donuts and wash them down with a 20 oz soda. When I arrived at work 2 hours later ( I know, hell of a commute) I would be hungry again and would most likely eat another whole Breakfast or snack. I would down coke before lunch and couldn't wait for 11:00 to come to indulge in whatever the hospital cafeteria was serving. I would cancel meetings some days because it was too far of a walk across the hospital and my feet would hurt terribly or I would be too embarrassed to walk in out of breath. By 3:00, I was ready for a sweet indulgence and when I left, on my way home I would eat McDonald's. If my husband cooked. I would eat again once arriving home. That was my life. 6 months later. I wake up early to make a smoothie made of spinach, blueberries, strawberries and Water. For lunch, I eat a lean and green never eating more than 4-5 mouthfuls (I throw away so much money). For dinner I juice all sorts of fruits and veggies. If I'm hungry in between? Nuts. Do I have something carby from time to time? Yes! Do I have something sweet from time to time? On my way to get frozen yogurt now! Do I eat anything I want? Yes! So how have I lost 80 lbs in 6 months? Because this surgery has made it so that I mostly only want clean, healthy foods. I hate eating out of a bag or box or can. I love colorful foods and fresh foods. I crave them! This surgery has changed my life! I still have about 50 more pounds to go, but I am looking forward it! New day! New life! New me!

Keep up the good work, remember the more weight you lose the lower your surgery risk, its good motivation. I'm on day 5 and its been hard. I'm allowed a greek yogurt, low fat cheese stick, veggies/salad, sf popsicles, jello, and broth so those things are helping me to stay on track. "Better than bouillon" broth is very good and satisfies hunger really well. If you are going to cheat, just keep it healthy and focus on the goal. I'm down 5lbs in 5 days so its working! HW: 330 lb SW: TBD 6/27/2017 CW: 302 lb GW: 180 lb VSG, Dr. Jawad, Orlando, FL

I like lapband diva idea that way I won't use as much. Also going to try the hidden valley & yogurt sounds yummy.

Well, I have had lots to say since the day I started talking but never put it in writing before. This should be interesting. Too bad I have to type it all out -I'd rather just talk into the mic like I do with texts on my iPhone! Ok - 6 weeks out of surgery... Week 1, down 7 now THAT's what I'm talking about!! (290) Week 2, down 6 Oh I got this... so easy! (284) Week 3, down 6, More food choices and it's still dropping away. Finally under 283 - that hump from hell I couldn't pass on my own! (279) Week 4, down 2, Hmm, well ok, not great but still a loss. (277) Week 5, down NOTHING! OMG!! Nada, Nyet, Rien!!! how can this be? How can the famous 3-4 month honeymoon phase be over already? I knew this was too good to be true. I'll probably wake up tomorrow and have gained 30 pounds! WTH! Ok, now really bummed. Am I really sticking to the program or do I just think I am? Maybe it's a fluke. Bad scale at gym... It did just get fixed so maybe it's way off. Hope so. Week 6, down NOTHING! Ok now wait a darn minute. Depending on the scale, even gained 2! Although it seems like I'm taking in less than 800 calories a day, I think I need to be even more vigilant. Maybe it's what I'm eating. No more pudding and small pieces of bread. Maybe it's not about what I can tolerate as the doc says, but making better choices? In the first months you're supposed to lose almost no matter what you eat since you're eating so little. Maybe my body is used to the smaller amounts because of my pre-surgery diet and so there's not much impact. Ok, I'm not giving up, I'm getting tough (and mad) at this fat. IT IS GOING!! So for the last 10 days I have had virtually no simple carbs and no sweets. Nothing but protein shakes, cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese stick here and there, and mainly fish with a few veggies. Also did some research on the rules and why they are as such... seems I was taking a few for granted, like the "no drinking with or 30 mins after a meal". Now I realize it's to keep you full longer as well as not wash the nutrients away before they're digested. Good to know. Also, protein and heavier, thicker things stay in the stomach longer than say... all the soup I was eating, so those food should keep me full longer. I have noticed that I get hungry more often, obviously because my stomach empties more quickly. I like the protein shakes but I'm hungry not to long afterward. Hmmm. Need to get with Katie, the nutritionist to make sure I'm doing things right. Eating about 6 times a day but small and full of protein. With -315 or so from the gym, my calorie count is about 500-600 a day. So, why the hell am I not losing? Theories - Maybe my body is used to the smaller amounts because of my pre-surgery diet and so there's not much impact. My body is in shock form the quick 19 pounds loss and is hording the calories fearing starvation? According to Ruth you always gain a pound or two before you lose a big amount. Rather than steady decline, it's a step like scenario, and I'll catch up with a big loss soon? 800 is too low, shoot for higher or your body thinks it's starving. There are apparently many posts on this 4-6 week stall - happens to lots of people so I feel a little better about that. If I stay very much on track, then the laws of physics should apply soon. They have to. In the meantime, it is sure disheartening. I even cried. Feeling like the whole thing was pointless if I have to struggle so hard already. Really, it's the same damn policing work since now I'm going for 800 instead of 1,200. I was hoping that it would be simpler... not such a fight. I knew I'd have to eat well, but I thought I'd have no more hunger pains pulling at me. I thought the sleeve would make it easier to stay within the calorie count of 1,200. I chose 800 to speed things up and make the most out of the first year of tremendous weight loss, since I have so far to go. I wanted 20 in month 1 and 10 per month thereafter, hoping for a loss of 60 and a weight of 237 by the time we go skiing in December. Stay tuned. In the meantime, gotta stay devoted, focused, upbeat, and fierce.

Hi sorry for these questions but actually am curious! Ok, one I'm on soft foods.... I love yogurt can't do plain .... is everyone not eating flavored yogurts?! Like chiaboni? There's are not super low sugar. And does anyone know what the number we should keep our sugar to daily!? Also is there a way to only track Protein on MFP my fitness pal, or see it where it shows calories?!

I use plain Greek yogurt out I always add fruit or berries to it. I especially like frozen mango chunks & the frozen dark cherries. I defrost the fruit, sprinkle with cinnamon and mix into my yogurt. Not super sweet, but cuts the taste of the Greek yogurt.

how far out are you? I don't think I tried salad for about 12 weeks?.. raw veggies can be harder on the tummy. tomato peelings and seeds are a no no early on. I started with shredded lettuce, Seedless English cucumber and cheese with bolthouse yogurt ranch dressing.

Does anyone else here feel really hungry when they are bored? I am not busy at my job so I get really bored sitting at my desk for 8 hours every day. When I have nothing to occupy me, I find myself thinking about all the foods I can't have then I feel insatiable hunger. I know this is just head hunger but it feels so real. I try to find things to do like go for a walk or whatnot but I'm pretty limited on things to keep me busy. My doctor has a pretty strict post-op diet which doesn't allow soft foods until Day 36. I'm on day 23 and found myself eating some tiny cubes of soft cheese earlier just because I felt so hungry. I've tried snacking on healthier things like Greek yogurt or cottage cheese but it seems like my hunger isn't satisfied unless my taste buds are satisfied. This is exactly the kind of behavior that made me overweight in the first place. I don't think three tiny cubes of cheese will hurt me but I just don't want to fall back into old habits so soon. Any tips on how to combat this fake hunger and how to make healthier choices? PS I only experience these feelings at work when I'm so bored and stuck for 8 hours. When I'm home or out and about, I have no trouble sticking to my diet.

Hello ...... I am new to this so please bare with me..lol ... I was just banded on Thursday, August 27th so I can completely empathize with you guys. I have had to deal with the same problems such as gas and chest pain and that is not fun : ( I am just stumped on exactly what I can add to my diet . I have been on broths, sugar-free popsicles and sugar-free jello since my surgery and I was wanting to see if you guys started eating yogurt, oatmeal or eggs that early.... I am actually hungry ..... Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I was banded on 8/26 and the first couple of days I spent a lot of time in bed. Each day it has gotten better, the last couple of days exponentially. I was on Clear liquids for the first 4 days and then progressed to full liquids that included milk, Protein drinks, yogurt, oatmaeal with a lot of milk, and creamed Soups. I am anxious to move to the next phase. So anxious that I bought yams, rutabaga (I am one of the few that likes them!), turkey, and broccoli and cooked, pureed, and froze them so that I would be ready to move on to them probably by my post op visit next week. I know I will be very busy going back to work next week (home working this week) so I thought it best I prepare ahead. I might make a couple other things that will be ready to go also. Probably butternut squash (bake it with some olive oil...need some good fats), possibly lean ham steak or turkey ham ground (my friend did that for baby food and it turned out pretty good). We'll see.... So far all food and drink is going down well. Today I have been trying to make sure to "follow the rules" and not drink before eating or for 45 minutes after. By doing this I am able to notice the "full" feeling. I have been drinking a Protein shake (either a ready to drink or an unjury or muscle milk or ??) before each meal, to insure that I get the amount of protein that I need every day. I am not hungry until I am suppose to be, at a meal time, and I am satisfying it, and losing weight, so...So far so good!!! As of today I am down 22 lbs since starting pre-op diet on 8/15 and 8 lbs since the operation. I know this rate of loss won't continue but it is a nice start!!:smile2: