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I am about 9 months out and am just finally starting to feel the band work. Up till now it has been nostly will power, and not much band. But for the first time, I am starting to feel fuller longer. I can now go about 3 hours solid without feeling hungry. When I felt hungry, I would eat a healthy snack like a Protein bar, yogurt or cheese stick. But i have noticed the past few days that I am not as hungry now. I know the key is to eat protein, but it gets tricky sometimes. But I am constantly reminding myself to decided it I am stomach hungry or head hungry before I reach for sometihng to eat. I also drink a lot of Water to give myself a temporary fullness to stretch it out for the next meal. I actually have another appointment on Wednesday, so I wonder if the PA will give me another fill.

leahandgracey hi, sorry your NUT was useless to you, tuned you out sometimes you gotta assert yourself - stand up on the desk screaming and waving to her "help, i am new to this and i need you to help me"!!! drinking cantelope and watermelon juice are liquids, great, but you need to drink water too. if you hate the taste how bout adding chrystal lite - many sleevers seem to like that your NUT is only allowing you to eat once a day? not sure i get that how about eating yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs - soft foods for now are hopefully ok - ask your NUT and maybe she'll listen you didn't mention the exercising - so i'm hoping you have temporarily put that on the back burner til you get your surgeons blessings. tips????drink all day long - protein shakes, crystal light, water, take one day at a time....slowly how many calories do you take in? you'll get more to eat gradually, more meals et al others can jump aboard this train too - i can't be the only one with all the answers good luck to you

I'm 7 weeks out and my NUT has us eating 5 mini-meals a day. I try to drink at least 1/2 Premier Protein shake (5.5 oz) in the morning. Second mini-meal has some type of meat (chicken, meatball, lean lunch meat) - 1 1/2 oz with 1/4-1/2 multi-grain or fruit serving . Third meal might be a cheese stick, Parmesan crisps, hummus or yogurt dip with cucumber slices, with 1/4 - 1/2 multigrain or fruit serving. Fourth meal is supper at home - 1 1/2 oz of meat (chicken, pork, etc) and some type of veggie - 1/4 cup and Fifth meal is the rest of my premier Protein Shake or glass of Fairlife milk.

I tried protein water, not a fan. I get some protein from greek yogurt and egg whites. I don't have problem drinking water, I love it. I can only get 1 shake down a day. Ive tried all the favors but I just can't stomach more than 1.

6 oz lowfat Blueberry yogurt 1/2 cup apple juice 1/3 cup of blueberries 1/3 cup sliced peaches (pealed) ice cubes Blend all ingredients. Use more or less ice for desired consistency.

You might want to try it without the milk. I put it in hot water with diet hot chocolate mix and it's sooo good. It's also really good in Greek yogurt.

:wow2: is all I can say....I've just ben reading the last 3 pages, I cannot belive how much weight some of you have lost already! That is Soooooo encouraging. Lara: you made me laugh so much re: 'I felt like my entire backside must have disappeared somewhere' that sounds great to me....I know what you mean though want it to go from your tummy first though, cos I would too. It does concern me too about balancing work and food, as I work away so much from home, I dont know how Im going to cope, I guess I'll have to nip out to the shops and buy microwavable soup, and yogurts? Also, what is jello? Is it jelly (crystles disovled in water and it sets?) Have a great day everyone!

Did you recieve a booklet that was for post-op? I got two. They look alike. One is for post-op. The front cover has a womans picture and it says "I can succeed." They actually look just alike. I got one post op and the other in my pre op info folder. The booklet is by "Inamed Health," the company that makes the band. That might really scare ya, I am sitting here reading this sentence..Your stomach can only hold 1/4 cup of food ( or 2 oz.)at one time. Eat 3 small meals. It is page 2 of the booklet. I am assuming they are talking about right after surgery. It also says it is very important the first few weeks to avoid putting pressure on the new stomach above the band. If you have an Inamed Band your doctor's office will have this booklet. It is very informative. But as always follow your doctors orders to take care of the band. I am still post-op liquids. But not after Wed. I get mushies, purees, pudding, yogurt, hot cereals, ect. I am looking forward to it too. Good Luck.

ACK... my mouth is still on fire. I've had four doses of the prescrip stuff so hopefully it will be better by this afternoon. Back at work today and will probably leave this afternoon when I start to get tired. I can tell the swelling is starting to go down now cause I'm hungry more often. I had 3 ounces of chicken breast this a.m. then a 15 g protein shake around 9 and then a sf jello a few minutes ago. I forgot to bring my chicken to work so I'll do another drink I guess for lunch plus I brought some kefir probiotic yogurt smoothie stuff too. My mouth is so friggin' tender that just about anything I eat or drink hurts... i think I'm ssssin' my words too. Tongue feel swollen. Soreness is SLOWLY but surely diminishing each day. I feel like I've been in a wreck every a.m. when I wake up and try to get out of bed. I haven't had any ibuprophen yet today but may break down and take some here in a few minutes. Surgeon and other fellow bansdters say I should start feeling about normal around Friday. Considering I am one week to the day today from the operation I'm doing GREAT. Driving myself to work and everything.

How’s everyone feeling today? We’ve got some newly post ops and a couple about to go. @Groovymommy I’m getting excited for you! Today is decidedly better for me. Less soreness. Less queasy. I had some fat free Greek yogurt with a little unsweetened applesauce ( about 3 tablespoons) and my protein broth. My family is currently eating burgers with all the fixings including guacamole and fried eggs, seasoned curly fries and chocolate cake. So I am hiding out in the bedroom. I am determined to not let my choice to do this surgery make them feel guilty for indulging. Those fries smell amazing. But frankly I’m just relieved I think so cuz that is the opposite of nausea. Check in Bypassers! ONWARD!

@Groovymommy... You're doing GREAT! I'm so impressed with your high losses. How many grams of protein and water would you say you honestly get a day? The faintness and dizzy spells are a concern. Maybe now that the pepcid is helping your stomach you'll be able to eat and drink more. Crossing my fingers for you. And congrats on the new underwear! I look forward to that. I'm moving along. At my slow pace. My hair has started falling out. That's new and unwelcomed since I already thinned out when the early menopause hit. But I suppose it was expected. I'll also expect it to stop around month 8 like many say it will. And try and be clever with my hair styles until then. At least we're all mostly stuck at home right now. I'm 4.5 months post and I've lost 37 since surgery and 42 since the pre-op diet. I'm between 180-181 and Just past my halfway goal to 150. On average I eat about 1000 cals a day with 65-70 protein and about the same in carbs. I get 48 ounces of water a day. No more no less. It seems to be sustaining me. I don'T have dizzy spells or weakness. But I struggle to poop and have a LOT of headaches/migraines. I've started taking motrin now and again always with a prilosec. And started a steroid for a few days sue to several mirgaines in a row. A little worried about how they will affect my stomach but so far so good minus the constant constipation. Not a great deal else to share. No new clothes yet but I'd gained weight fairly quickly the last year so I was still wearing a couple different sizes regularly. Clothes are definitely looser and people are starting to comment on my losses now and the which is nice. I'm eager to hit 179 as that's what I weighed on a vacation we took 4 years ago where I enjoy the pictures I'm in. So it feels like a weight I can start acknowledging that I'm looking better despite having that common resistance to actually SEEING my progress in the mirror. The weather has turned cold here in the midwest so the daily long walks are over for a while. It's onto the treadmill which I don't love. But netflix makes it easier. Whatcha guys eating? I still rarely get fruits and veggies in. Maybe one serving a day. Hope my vitamin covers the rest. But I'm always hitting my protein goal so I'm feeling pretty accomplished. This is a typical day... I have my 23 gram smoothie in the morning which is greek yogurt, banana almond milk and PB2. Just had 2 oz of strip steak for lunch at 17 grams pro and two bites of my daughter's apple. The snack I just finished is coffee with chocolate fairlife milk and 1/4 cottage cheese for 13 grams pro. So I'm at 53 grams. Dinner will probably Chinese stirfry. I'll have 2 oz chicken and a few snowpeas. For another 12 grams protein. Then I'll have a treat... like a square of dark chocolate or a few bites of my husband's dessert. That's a typical day. Plus 48oz water and at least 30 minutes cardio/power walking. Hope everyone else is seeing success. Feel free to share their typical day. ONWARD!

Nurseamy -- Now, I'm not banded yet, but I do have a long history with blood sugar issues and related hunger. If I was eating what you're eating, I'd be starving too!! To me it looks like too many carbs, and not enoughprotein and fat. This may sound really odd, but not to anyone who's ever been on a low-carb diet like Atkins. Adding a little fat will really help keep you satisfied longer. LIke Betsyjane said, make your soups hearty, make scrambled eggs with some butter, use full fat cottage cheese and yogurt and add some whey Protein powder, blend Peanut Butter into your shakes, etc. You can watch your calories on www.fitday.com. There will be plenty of time for restricting your calories further later on after you get filled when the band is doing a better job.

I struggled with this, too, until about 6 weeks out. It defiinitely gets better. In the meantime, my tips are the ones you hear so often - eat very, very, very slowly. "Full" takes some time to register, so if you're eating with any rapidity, you'll likely become over-full suddenly. I also measured based on the volume I was currently tolerating. Early on, 2 tablespoons was my standard measurement for mushies and about 1oz for solids. That increased little by little. I'm at 7 weeks now and can tolerate about 2-3 oz of meats, 6-8 oz of mushies like yogurt or Soup. But still only with a very careful watch on eating slowly and analyzing how I feel. And even tonight I mixed it up, with 1 oz of cheese, 1/2 cup of soup, and some Protein puffs and suddenly realized I had mindlessly taken two bites too many. It doesn't happen as often these day, but it can still happen if I'm not being mindful. Hope this helps. Here's wishing you much luck and patience and you adjust.

What you can and cannot tolerate post-op is really a "Your Mileage May Vary" kind of situation. For the first 3 months post op, I was totally lactose intolerant. Now, I can ocassionally have hard cheese and cultured things like yogurt, in measured quantities. Protein shakes still make me nauseated, bloaty and gassy. I cannot tolerate bread in any form, any type of rice, or Pasta. I have a difficult time with chicken in any form still. I can do a few bites of baked potato, but any type of fried potatoes make me very ill (so no fries, hash browns, etc). PB makes me very nauseated. On the other hand, I eat steak often, which many post-ops have a difficult time with. There is really no good way to predict how your body will react.

Well, I hope I am back for good! My computer is up and running again. What a fiasco with Tech Support! Sugarbear: I had surgery the same day as you. You could have written my lapband story! As Pam said I ended up with hernia repair also. I had the same "gas" pains as you and in the same location. I kept denying they could be gas pains way up there! I talked to Pam and as she explained, they are not what we know as "normal" gas pains. It is much better now. I still don't have much of an appetite and I have to keep better track of what I am eating. I think I am missing the Protein intake by a bit. I am going to do better starting today. Dr. Pam says that protein is very important for me to heal. And...not to skimp on my pain meds. (Thanks Doc!) I have lost about 13 pounds since starting on the liquid before surgery. Sue in Russia, I have some protein stuff from Wal-Mart. It tastes cruddy with just Water. Yesterday I mixed it with skim supreme milk and a little crushed ice. I added about 1/2 tsp of Crystal Lite (strawberry kiwi this time), thru it in the blender, it was excellent. At least it will not go to waste and it has alot of Proteins per serving. I have been eating the Campbell's microwaveable Soups, yogurt, cream of rice, knox Jello bars, sugar free fudsicles. The soups I only eat about 1/2 serving and then refrigerate the rest for another meal. They are very soothing. Best wishes to all you already banded Marchers and for those of you coming up, we are watching for you and sending good wishes your way! Gail

My liquid diet is or 7 days, I am on day three and dont know what I weight because I refuse to put a scale in my house. I know if I do, I will get obsessed. My doctor wants liquids, but said if I have to eat something, make sure its something protein. I have been trying hard to stick to all liquids, yogurt, cream of wheat, water, unsweetened diet ice tea, etc but the headaches and shaking is too much. So day 1 I ate 2 hard boiled eggs in addition to all the liquid, day 2, I ate chicken, less than 3 ounces, today....still liquids so far, but know I will eat something at dinner.

OMG girlfriend i have trouble reading and understanding goldilocks and the three bears!!! i'm gonna read and get all this???? wellllllll, i'm gonna grab a pitcher/gallon of Water - and start!!!! i'm sure there is a lot of great info that i will appreciate learning about i have heard of, but never tried the 5-2 i'm afraid i have gained 4 lbs - and i need to stop there!!!! thanx for researching and putting all these links together you are aces and have done so well know you can't come around the neighborhood as often so when you do, my eyes and ears open wide!!!! wish me luck, gonna start reading now shhhhh.....no interruptions please - unless you bring me a fage yogurt with fresh blueberries kathy

I know TMI. But for everyone with a yeast infection, try douching with live yogurt as well, seriously!

Wow, you are totally stressing on this! you are not necessarily going to have nausea or that great level of pain after the surgery. The doc will assess and send you home with the necessary meds to assist with any after affects. Just relax, take a deep breath and it will happen and be over with. Take 1 step at a time. I get grossed out with eating pureed food so I didn't. I at a lot of soft foods like yogurt, sf puddings, etc. After the surgery the stomach is so swollen we can't eat that much anyways. Just a couple of bites at the most. Your surgeon's office will give you the stages of food and what you can eat, and what you can't eat. it will be fine. CONGRATS on your decision to join our club.

You have to scald whole milk (1 gallon) and one small container of plain nonfat Greek yogurt and salt to taste then let it cool. Once it is cooled, you put it in a bag (I use a pillow case) tie it up and set a big strainer underneath it for a few days , set in a bowl so it's doesn't leak everywhere. each night dump out the extra water from the case that's underneath in the extra bowl. Once thickened u can put in a Tupperware and just garnish with olive oil (optional) as needed. Time consuming, but worth it!

Sweets and high fat don't make every person sick after the surgery, and most of the time it is a short term effect for those that do get sick from them. I couldn't touch high sugar for about 6 months, but guess what? That effect wore off and I could eat anything now with no serious repercussions other than gaining weight. I know that, so I don't eat crap foods all the time. I do eat stuff like a cupcake or a cookie for special occasions, but I plan out my day so I know I have room in my calorie count and I eat healthy 90% of the time, so eating something "bad" occasionally doesn't derail my whole life. Relearning how to eat healthy during the honeymoon period is what the surgery is really all about. You have to throw out everything you used to do and establish good eating habits while the restriction takes care of the portion control. That is what everyone is supposed to learn how to do during the honeymoon phase after surgery. It is really sad that the doctors don't explain this part better to every single patient before they have the surgery. If you don't do this, then the weight loss will happen in the beginning just because you're not able to eat as much, but likely will slow down sooner, and also regain is very likely once your metabolism adjusts in a year or two and all you still eat is crummy foods. Anyway. You definitely need to try doing the 5 day reset. It will help remind you how your stomach feels and feel the restriction again, and should help you detox from the sweets/crap food cravings - eating high carb usually makes you crave more carbs - it is a vicious cycle. You made some mistakes, but the sleeve is still there, ready for you once you're ready to recommit to eating correctly. You lost the best time to make fast and easy changes, but if you put in the work, you can still make it happen. But you have to be willing to do the work. Start tracking every bite of food and sip of drink. Get your Protein and Water goals figured out, keep your carbs low (under 100 definitely but if you can push it down to 50 grams/day that would be even better), and get your calories for the day down to around a 500 calorie less than you burn in a day. Throw out all the junk food in your house. Tell friends and family to not tempt you with foods like that and don't go places where you'll feel weak until you get control of yourself. Think of it like being an alcoholic or trying to quit smoking. You don't go places where you'll feel tempted and you ask friends/family to be supportive of your struggle and not offer you things you shouldn't be having, and do your best to remove the temptations from your path. Exercise - find something you enjoy doing and then do it a minimum of 5 days a week. Even if it's just walking a 2 miles around your neighborhood after dinner, it's something if you're currently doing nothing. What seems to work best food wise is whole foods, that you cook yourself. If it comes in a box or frozen package, it probably isn't a very good choice. Learn to read labels REALLY well, and figure out things like net carbs, sodium levels, etc., and check out both here and bariatric recipe sites like http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ Proteins should be the main part of each meal and every snack: things like fish, chicken, lean cuts of beef, cheese, yogurt, even Beans and lentils. Healthy vegetables - leafy greens, red peppers, squash, zucchini, avocados, broccoli, cauliflower... watch the ones that are high carb like corn and green peas as even healthy veggies can have high carbs sometimes and you need to be aware when you eat them. Should also be including healthy fats like coconut or olive oils and things like nuts or avocados have fat too, but it's a good fat (just watch the amounts and calories). Watch things like lunchmeat that are usually high sodium (again, read labels!) and be aware of times of day that you might be weak and have healthy Snacks on hand to prevent the quick stop at the drive thru or dropping by the office vending machine. MEASURE everything. You can't rely on eyeballing food amounts. Get a digital scale, and weigh your food so you get accurate calorie counts. It is way too easy to guess and over-estimate your food portions. And you might need to see a counselor that deals with eating disorders if you can't get control of your eating and get your head in the right space to succeed at this. Please don't take this as being mean, but worrying over what others did and comparing your lack of success while eating bad foods isn't helpful or realistic. But here's the thing. You aren't a failure unless you give up completely. Don't give up, and you will succeed.

I was sleeved on 3/1 and had no problem with the liquid diet, but my 1st day on soft foods (3/15) was horrible. I tried a little chicken salad and wasn't able to keep it down. Any chicken is still a definite NO for me. I'll be able to eat regular foods next week, but I'm scared to have anything but tuna, boiled eggs, and Greek yogurt since I know I can keep those down and they are high in protein.

Rosi -- I haven't been banded yet but I've been experimenting with the allowed foods so I'll be ready after surgery. This morning I made a yummy "protein shake" with the following: Blue Bunny strawberry yogurt smoothies (it's sugar free) 1.5 tbsp of vanilla whey protein 1/4 c cottage cheese 8 ice cubes blend all together well till ice is chopped fine -- YUMMY Hope that helps.

I feel great today. Finally turned that corner. Yinfec is under control & I can totally sleep on my side now! Thursday I went to bed (the 1st night I was able to sleep on my side) and I woke up 14 hours later! I needed it. We have been blessed with BEAUTIFUL GORGEOUS weather today. I'm sitting here at my computer, ate my prune yogurt, drinking my coffee, have the patio door open, birds are chirping, my windchimes are chiming, the smell of burning sage is in the air and all is right with the world. I may even be able to talk DH into walking at the zoo today. Nasvhille has a really beautiful zoo and I have a membership. I hope no one has been discouraged by my whiny post, I just wanted to be as honest as factual as possible because I like to know what's up before hand. Now that I'm on the other side of things, I know I've done the right thing and I'm really excited about my future. I have a normal to small sized husband, he married me at almost my top weight, so I'm excited to see where this takes our relationship as we are able to do more outdoor activites together. Mary, know that I will be thinking of you. Hang in there and stay strong sister :hug: I hope no one has been discouraged by my whiny post, I just wanted to be as honest as factual as possible because I like to know what's up before hand. :girl_hug: Tracy

I have been banded for 6 mos. I have lost 15 pounds since surgery. I have had 3 fill since surgery. Why am I only losing inches and not pounds? Has this happened to anyone else? Is there a reason for it? I have gone down 2 pant sizes but I can't move the scale?? This is my typical day: Can't eat anything in the AM...too tight Hot tea 12:00-1:00 Greek yogurt with high Protein granola 5:00 dinner with family....chicken, ground turkey....no Pasta or bread 8:00 snack...Mertz cheese and wheat thins Usually some kind of chocolate during the day=1 handful of choco chips or glass choco milk Suggestions??