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Hey everyone, well yeah...since day 1 of pre-op diet, i havent been eating...is that bad. The first day i only ate yogurt, second day...maybe a half cup for the whole day and since then...nothing. Im drinking water because the thought of yogurt is gross.. and i dont like cottage cheese. I'm definitely craving food like crazy, but the thought of yougurt makes me sick. I would kill for anything to eat...and i still have 5 days to go....AGHHHHHHHHHH

Robgoblin: ya better start eating man....as unappetizing as yogurt is to you. Hey, I get it...I refused to eat cottage cheese, but I did eat more yogurt to make up for it. You really HAVE to eat....otherwise you will make yourself sick and you don't want to be sick for your surgery.....or so weak that they can't do it....ya know? So, try and suck it up and eat the yogurt...it IS the lesser of two evils!! You don't want your surgery to be post-poned and you don't want to be so weak you will have post-op problems..... GO EAT SOME YOGURT YOUNG MAN!!!!! :guess :hungry: :paranoid

It is Officially May 2....only 2 full days of pre-op diet left...then a sleep and waking up and BAM going to clinic. I am going to be soon...so that means i have to deal with the hunger for 12 hours tomorow...YAY!!! In the week....first day i had yogurt 3 large containers...second day half a large container...afternoon day 2-day 6 zero food. Day 6 evening...had a stupid taste of pizza...was really pissed at myself...but i'm not worried about it. Day 7 had some pickles ( other diets have them in it, plus they dont have fat, carbs, sugar...Just salt...which it says on our official pre-op diet thing that you can eat...i'm still on the fence whether it was an ok choicee....but its done) And today...nothing. So basically...i'm not worried, im sure my liver is shrunk, but i'm not chancing it...NO MORE eating anything other than what is on the sheet. I think tomorow i'm picking up some crystal light...add some flavor to my water. And some sugar free jello. That will add something i can bite into.

Sleeve date 2/29 and the pain is finally gone. I am dying for food I know its a mental thing and cooking for my family is torture. I am sooooooooooo sick of soup. Wednesday I see my NUT and will hopefully move to yogurt, pudding ect. but even with that soup will be my main meal. How is everyone else doing with the liquids. I can't wait to the mushy stage.

I'm about 7 weeks post op and on Phase 4 of my diet. I realized last week I'm barely eating a thing. Tons of protein shakes and water. I'll have yogurt, string cheese, scrambled eggs, chicken salad that's it. I usually have three shakes food once maybe twice a day. I eat fast and am working on pacing myself. I drink tons of water. I'm afraid I drink so much my sleeve will stretch So I'm afraid to eat food because I don't want to ( In my mind) stretch it

Hi I was banded on 10/19/06. I just got back from McDonalds and had a grilled chicken salad. I ate the chicken first, very moist. After I ate about 50% of the greens. Don't forget, they have yogurt parfaits,skip the granola.

shakes, protein brownies, tuna lunch packets...I keep all those in my car for emergencies... if all else fails I go to Kroger and get a yogurt or soup

I travel quite a bit, but most of it is alone, so I only have to be in charge of myself and my own schedule which makes it a bit easier...but I do have some suggestions of things that work for me. I would try to seek out lodging that has a refrigerator and possibly a microwave and consider preparing at least one or two of your meals in your room as opposed to eating in a restaurant--you'll have a much easier time being able to control your portions and what is in your meals that way. I usually hit a grocery store before I head to my hotel and pick up things like string cheese, vegetables that are easy to snack on (grape tomatoes, baby carrots, even things like sugar snap peas are really good raw), individual containers of cottage cheese or yogurt, deli turkey, things like that. When you do eat out in restaurants, think outside the box and consider pairing several sides into a meal you can live with (for instance, my husband and I have a Japanese restaurant we like a lot, his meal comes with a side salad and I usually take that, and then I ask for a side order of shrimp to put on top, and I eat that as my meal). This works out better because by getting only the sides, you're not paying for nor being tempted by the inevitable carb-based side that accompanies most restaurant plates. The tricky thing is that while traveling it's harder to store and/or find time to eat leftovers so I always end up feeling like I'm being wasteful if I order a full "meal" intended for someone with a normal stomach. A lot of this is going to potentially boil down to how flexible and accommodating your travel partners will be in helping you be able to eat places you can find something suitable. If they insist on eating bar food (or something along those lines) all week, it may end up being a little hard, so hang in there, do your best, it's not forever, and if you have a difficult couple days, just get back on track when you get home.

I hate to cook too and still struggle to get as much water in as they want. I do get the minimum 48oz/day but don't always make the 64oz they want. I was so glad to stop eating cottage cheese and yogurt! I scoured the grocery isles for food that looked good and was easy to make (Or better, didn't require making). I have to admit I got a little bit of attitude about my diet when I was ALMOST, but not quite, meeting their calorie and water goals, telling them that I was struggling, and they scolded me and raised my goals. I have a spreadsheet that calculates calories and protein from every food I get with a nutrition label and buy low fat, low sugar foods so the calorie and protein count meets my goal. I got a frown from my nutritionist when I told her I eat ham every day, but I gave her a "look" and told her my calorie and protein goals were being met and she refrained from scolding me. I buy Kentucky Legend Bonless Quarter Sliced Ham because it doesn't have lunchmeat texture and I can just weigh out my portion and eat it cold. I got another frown when I told them I eat beef jerky, but reminded them that 100g of protein is hard to do, jerkey is low calorie and high protein, and I chew it VERY well and spit out gristle. If they have to cut a ball of gristle out of my stomach, then I'll stop eating beef. I switched nuts for peanut butter toast when I started getting hungrier. I eat a lowfat sharp cheddar with crackers. Quaker makes a protein Banana Nut Instant Oatmeal. I also eat 1/2 Atkins Chicken Margherita or Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo (1/2 is less than my 6 oz, but it's easier to just take half and eat the other half the next day and the math is easier too). Those 2 were the best my WalMart carries for frozen food Calorie/Protein ratio that I also liked. For an added vegetable I eat 2oz canned french style green beans with 1/2 oz Velveta low fat cheese heated in the microwave. Tyson makes a fajita chicken that microwaves well if you put a dollop of water on the plate. Turkey bacon doesn't really satisfy my bacon cravings, but turkey sausage is really good. If I'm craving sweets I'll eat a Quaker Caramel Rice Cake or a few dark chocolate chips. Luckily I crave salt, not sweets, and the salt cravings have almost gone away. If I'm going to be away from home for a few hours I pack an insulated lunch bag with a serving of ham, cheese and crackers, and jerkey to take with me. If I'm going to be gone for a day or longer I pack my food in bags and a cooler. I got married a little more than 3 months after my surgery and ate what I wanted at my wedding and during the honeymoon, I just kept the servings really small and took protein with me to make sure I still got enough protein and because I needed to eat more than 3 times a day. After that, I allowed myself one meal out each week, eating my 6oz and taking the rest home. Hubby ate most of the leftovers. After I reworked my diet to include tastier, real food, I switched my protein powder to a Collagen with the added missing amino acid. It mixes best with warm or hot liquids and was approved by my nutritionist. I still use 2 scoops a day, 1 with my protein oatmeal and 1 with my sugar free hot apple cider. I met my goal weight at 7 months, just in time for a Halloween party, and I allow myself a small cheat almost every day (my nutritionist told me to add 100-200 cal per day to stop losing weight and i decided to add a tasty snack rather than rework my diet). I watch my weight to make sure I'm not overdoing it. If I eat out, that's my cheat and it replaces a meal. I order what I want and ask for a container BEFORE the food is served so I can pack away all but 6oz before I start to eat. Some cheats aren't really cheats. I've added in apples, pineapple, strawberries and mango. Breyers Carb Smart Fudge Bars have 50 calories, 3g fat, 2g sugar (0 added), and 1g protein. It's only a cheat because of the low protein/cal ratio. Pure Protein bars could be a meal substitute instead of a cheat and have 180-200 cal, 3-4.5g fat, 2-3g sugar, and 19g protein. I like the Chocolate Salted Caramel that's a little chewy and the Chocolate Mint cookie, which has more of a grainy (cookie) texture but tastes really good. At a party, I may eat a bag of chips (~150cal), or I may give in and eat a single Reese's cup (105 cal). OK, maybe a bag of chips AND a single Reese's cup, I'm weak. Dot's Seasoned Pretzels have 130cal per oz. An entire bag of buttered flavored popcorn has 150cal (DO NOT LICK THE BAG). It's nice to eat something tasty and not worry about if it has enough protein. I just had my 9 month bloodwork done, it's all fine.

You know it was funny, I did mine relatively fast, maybe 60 days tops. I feel pretty good about the choice I made for the GST. I LOVE food. I do, but now I will love it in small quantities. I will miss the booze. I did enjoy having a cocktail to relax. I know that I might be able to drink again, but the smell of it still makes me sick. Talk about aversion therapy! Giving up soda has not been any hardship. I am suprised at how little I eat, just a few bites and that is all. My soft food include mini raviolis from the can (I can eat 3 and that fills me up) cottage cheese, yogurt, protein shakes (blah), soup, and I had a bit or cheesy rice the other day. So far no issues, or heartburn. I am taking my vitamins (liquid) each day, making sure I get all my nutrients.

thank you! I'm working with both a nutritionist and a psychologist, today was good day I try to eat more, even had pasta, Greek yogurt, and finally some shaved meet with olive oil and lemon. I was able to keep it down. I need to let myself gain some weight and be ok with it. Because I had surgery to have a healthy life with my kids and husband.

This is pretty typical: Breakfast: cup of cottage cheese Lunch: Yogurt cup, cup of mixed fruit Dinner: Fish fillet (like Flounder or Tilapia) and cup of cooked veggies (like carrots) Snack: sugar-free popsicles My best advice, don't slack before you get real restriction. Fake it till you make it. Also, I pack all my day's meals into one lunch box and don't eat anything else. Preparation is the key for me.

Yogurt! I can't handle Protein shakes right now and yogurt mixes pretty well with protein powder. Right now (3.5 days post op), I am using blended Dannon Lite and Fit yogurts. I have some Chobanni greek yogurt but I've not tried it yet. Also, lots of different flavors of crystal lite. I am going to the store today to get some sugar free popsicles, diet snapple and more yogurt. I have SF pudding to make as well, but I'm not in the mood for it yet. I also recommend having a few different kinds of milk on hand at first. I wasn't sure if I would have an easier time with 1% or skim. So far I have only used the skim and am just fine with that. I may also get some Silk Soy milk today too. I can't wait to be off of liquids! I'm dying to blend a chili from Wendys and am craving cheese so bad!!

Thanks Leatha and Alex, My doctor is very good at responding to e-mail, so I will send one off to her right now. So you really don't think this could be a virus? I do have other symptoms (achy, cough--which could be from the reflux, etc.), and I can still eat. I just ate non fat yogurt, green beans and soy chips (low carb, high protein) for lunch. Alex, when it happened to you did your stomach gurgle and have the food or juices work their way up? I do have Prevacid which I will start now. I had this problem before when I was filled too tight, but it went away with an unfill. It was different, however, in that I did not have the noises, I could NOT eat, and I had terrible heartburn. I will contact my Dr. and see what she wants to do. Thanks for your help. I am still so depressed that with all these problems, I have lost only about 40 pounds in a year. I get too depressed to come here and read about everyone else's success (happy for THEM, depressed for ME!!) I do try to stay positive, but it is difficult. Thanks again. Sultana Sultana

yeah my trainer kept making fun of it, he couldnt even get the name right-- kept calling it pill-yogurt? haha but hes this enormously buff guy that could pick me up with one arm, so i feel like even pilates is too easy for him. :thumbdown:

Hi everyone, Glad you are all doing well, hope you manage to sort that rash out Christy. I ended up back at the hospital yesterday as the pain next to my naval was so bad. They gave me some stronger painkillers but since then it's not been too bad so the crushed paracetamol is doing the job fine. How do you feel Christy, still holding your tummy? I am, but not as much as before. Did you find anything on bad breath? My kids keep telling me to clean my teeth LOL! My teeth are clean but my breath still smells! I'm feeling a bit hungry today which I suppose is a good thing that my appetite is coming back although I still feel bloated and my stomach is still hard to the touch. Does anyone else feel like this? I'm having my 3 cartons of milkshake each day which I think are around 250 cals each and some SF Jello. I also had an Actimel drinking yogurt today as I thought the good bacteria in there might help my stomach get back to normal. I am supposed to be on these liquids for another week yet before going on to mushies but I think I will need something else to eat before then! Craig, do you make your own broth or are you buying it? Do you think we could strain some canned soup like minestrone and drink the liquid from that? Not got weighed yet as I feel really fat and bloated so I don't want to be disappointed! I'll wait until all this gas has gone!

I still love the ricotta bake at a year out, but ricotta and greek yogurt are both high protein ingredients to use in shakes.

Hi Christy, Sound like our post-op diets are pretty much the same. Week 1 Clear Liquids (but that includes Jello and Popcycles). Second week Full Liquids (which includes low-fat, low-sugar yougurt/pudding) and low-fat creamy (strained) Soup. Third week Soft Foods (Protein and carbs). Fourth week solid food. My preop diet (to reduce fatty liver) is two weeks of (6) Glucerna shakes, (2) cups low-fat yogurt and (2) cups %100 fruit juice per day (I can also have clear broth). Eight days to go on this diet. I'm not craving anything except almonds (very weird) which I liked to snack on before I started the diet. I have a follow-up one week after surgery and normally the first fill is one month after surgery. I don't have a time for my surgery yet, but they told me I was the only lapband patient scheduled for that day. I'm going to my first support meeting (with my wife) Tuesday nite (before my surgery the next Monday). Have you chosen a band yet? I'm going with the new generation of the Realize Band (Band-C) which was just FDA approved in October 2008. Craig

You can always try adding to it. I add Greek yogurt and PB fit to my morning protein breakfast shake, both add extra protein

I’m not sure how long you’re on clear liquids for (I left the hospital on full liquids) but if they haven’t really given you nutrition advice and are blowing you off the full liquids might help- milk, yogurt, creamy soup bases, … anything that when left at room temperature becomes liquid. The yogurt might help with the probiotics it offers in making your stomach/intestinal issues calm down. Hopefully you’re feeling better soon.

FYI. The Protein shake was Breakfast and lunch combo. The Jello was a snack. The veggie salad was supper and the cottage cheese was another snack. That was a full day of food and I stuck within my limits. My Protein Shake kept me full for several hours and I added fruit and yogurt and stuff to it plus the milk that's why it was so high lol Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

well to continue I have three sons but they are older and do not need me liek they used to. Oldest two on their own and this year youngest wants to be in the big smoke so he is with his dad..so just me in the basement while the one ( BF)who ignores me sits upstairs watching tv. Yes i have tried talking til I am blue in the face but I can see,he shuts me out as I get that glazed look in his eyes. Can I do this? Do you need support and someone to help and drive etc. I have three dogs too so I will need to be there for them. I am feeling really miserable,honest to god, and why must I eat yogurt and cottage cheese?? How will that help my liver, I don't understand, boy I can see that I will feel more yucky as far as mood when I do that. I am supposed to have a b day party for my mom and son on the 7th of aug,,just three days before i get banded, how the heck am I going to pull that off and just eat cottage frigging cheese??? I must apologize to you all for sounding so down. I have read you guys now everyday and I feel like you get to know someone, I mean mandy aka ARGon is hilarious, Yoda is the wise sage, there's cloe and the list goes on and on, man I feel like I am looking through the romper room mirror.. Anyway apologies!

Puja, I LOVE India! I have spent quite a bit of time there, mostly in Delhi and up in Mcleod Ganj. I guess lentils, yogurt and milk tea are the go to foods at this point. I think it would be hard. I can understand your fear based on your past experiences. This is the chance to make a whole new way of thinking and acting, one practice at a time. Perhaps you could get someone there to make you gluten from wheat flour? It is very protein rich, and would be delicious with a spicy sauce and a little whole wheat chapatti! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheat_gluten_(food)

I'm getting pretty nervous. My house is clean, I finished up with work, and I've done all my shopping. I even cleaned out the fridge and freezer so I don't have anything I shouldn't have in the house. I have a couple more things to do around the house over the next 2 days and I will do some food prep over the next couple of days (not a ton to do, just putting some greek yogurt, SF Jello, broth in 2 oz cups, etc... ) It would be much easier if I could just keep busy. How are you all feeling? Lori

Stay away from carbs. Ie yogurt, veggies burgers , and eat cheese at a minimum Sent from my SM-N970U using BariatricPal mobile app