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Tough day today, my daughter's birthday. And we all ate cake. Breakfast:1/4 cup greek yogurt, 1/2 cup frozen berries 1tbsp honey Lunch: Healthy Choice pannini Snack: Starbucks tall skinny vanilla latte Dinner:6 2" ravioli with tomato sauce and green Beans Birthday cake (you only turn 6 once!) To make matters worse, no treadmill today.

Nooshie, So you are getting so close now and day 12 of pre-diet I realize from your post that its protein shake and soft food like yogurt ect. Can you tell me how long on that and than you said clear liquids can you elaborate on what is allowed during that phase and how long and how many days prior to surgery did you have to start. I'm living in Germany and my doctor doesn't use a pre diet but I will do it. So any info would be great. Thanks Tina

Hi Nooshie, Funny when I was on liquids I was the most excited about eating cottage cheese - so I have eaten it nearly every day. I am getting about 1200 - 1400 calories Protein shake (Genisoy protein, water, Peanut Butter, banana, GNC powder vitamins (this is something I have been eating every breakfast for the last 4 years) lunch is usually cottage cheese, a few tablespoons of hummus and few tablespoons of pate. Dinner - soup, more cottage cheese or greek yogurt, hummus or pate. Oh and I made this amazing applesauce made with apples I cooked in apple cider in place of water and cinnamon. I have 9 days of mushies left so I am going to try some of the recipes I found in the food section. Maybe a bit of a change in diet would be good.

Are any/all of you on acid reflux medication? A lot of veterans swear that this hunger is actually acid reflux and you need meds/ different meds/ increase in meds. Restriction happens with dense protein, if it is always eaten first and no more than 4oz at a time, then vegetables, then whatever else is allowed. Soup, yogurt, tuna are all soft or semi-liquid and will not feel restricted. I feel restriction with chicken thigh meat and grilled salmon - that is the only thing I have consumed so far that is fairly dense. I feel no restriction with refried beans or soups or tuna - unless I were to eat an actual tuna steak maybe.

@bill1130 I am on my second shake for the day and I did have half a yogurt (as per my plan) but I am not allowed to take any pills pre-op so I haven't had any Vitamins in 3 days.

Somebody makes a lime that rings my bell. I don’t like yogurt so much but this lime is yummy. Also not a big lime lover either. If you love yogurt why aren’t you making your own? If you have plain Greek make your own. Sweeten or not to your taste. You can also wrap yogurt in cheese cloth to strain out water to make fresh cheese.

I will be 3 weeks Post Op Wednesday and I literally cannot stop eating (nothing unhealthy of course) I am only eating what is on my list and next week I will be already on an unrestricted diet. I am concerned with the amount of food I am able to eat and I do not feel restricted at all. I eat breakfast, lunch and dinner and a snack but I always find myself so hungry a few hrs sometimes even minutes after every meal and find myself snacking on string cheese mostly. I lost 17 pounds the first two weeks but I’ve been stuck at a stall the past week which I’m not too concerned about I am more concerned with the amount that I am eating with no restriction. The stage I am in right now consists of fish, tuna, yogurt, eggs, string cheese, beans, lentil or split pea soup and soft cooked vegetables. I am not sure if I should just ignore my hunger or eat. Has anyone else experienced this in the early stages?? I just feel like I’m doing something wrong !

I agree with the above. I always felt hungry until I was placed on protonix and Zantac. Now I am hungry if I skip a meal or its meal times. Also wanted to add that I do feel restriction with soft foods, yogurt and tuna. But the restriction is worse with chicken and fish and meats as stated above.

Good to hear from you both. Thanks for the kind words. You two are not doing too shabby either! What do your families say? Mine doesn't say much because they see me every day but one time, my 10 year old son gave me a big hug and then told me that he noticed he could now wrap his arms around my entire body. I realized he was right. It just kinda happens one day. So don't get discouraged. I do have to say the first 14 lbs. (probably mostly water) I lost pre-op on my own. I did it by just making better food choices and walking every day. So officially 35 lost due to the lap band (most of it early on due to Optifast diet pre-op and no food first week post-op). But hey, those 14 were on this bod so I'm counting it as gone, baby gone! (Ha ha!) :rolleyes2: Got a question for ya....what is a PB? I think I know but I want to be sure. If it is what I think it is, I've had a few too. Happened when I was so hungry, I started eating my food too fast and didn't chew it enough (just like you Chica!). Didn't throw up but sort of coughed it up. It was mostly like it was stuck in my chest. Now I'm trying hard to remember to chew, chew, chew. And O2BT, I also HATE, HATE, HATE not being allowed to drink while I eat. My Dr.'s office calls fills "adjustments". My instructions are to go on full liquids for the remainder of the day of the adjustment. Cream Soups, Protein drinks, smoothies, yogurt, etc. On the day after, I can proceed with soft foods. --bananas, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, etc. On the next day, progress to regular diet! I had my first one on April 18 and I have to say, it didn't do a thing for me. By then, I was eating as much as I wanted and whatever I wanted. No feeling of restriction at all. The next 4 weeks went by very slow. Not much weight loss either. I couldn't wait for my next adjustment on May 16. I asked my Dr. for a larger "dosage" and he said no, you really have to take it slow. He did tell me that when my band was first put in, it didn't have much in it to begin with. Their practice feels that even though the manufacturer recommends that it have a certain amount in it on the surgery date, that amount is too much in their opinion based on number of past recipients who have had restriction problems early on. So they put in much less. By the first adjustment, you are at the manufacturer's starting point. So last month, before my second adjustment, I only lost 3 pounds. But I know I am going to lose more before my third fill coming up on June 6. I definately feel some restriction now -- but not at my sweet spot yet. Too soon for that I hear....probably get there after 4 -5 adjustments. I had a 24 hr. stomach virus last Wednesday and didn't eat in 48 hrs. Only thing good that came out of that (no pun intended...ew!) was a 4 lb. weight loss! Still managed to walk my 2.25 miles even when I was sick. I'm addicted to my walking. O2BT...you gotta get moving. It feels so good afterwards. When you play golf, do you walk or ride in the cart? Maybe, try walking every other hole. And keep "shopping" in your closet. That makes you feel so good. :biggrin: Problems/weaknesses have been missing fried foods and breads...though I have been experimenting now and then and am able to get them down (don't know if that is good or not). I love to eat!! But that's what got me in this mess to begin with. Chica, hope you are feeling better. Let me know how you handle eating while travelling. We have our summer vacation coming up in June and I'm worried I'm going to get weak and want to eat too much. As long as I can eat salad, I keep telling myself I'll be alright.

Bossstar...Back to work already! You're a trooper. I have so much leave time accumulated that I figure now is a good time to use it. Besides, what do I bring to eat for lunch?? Ha, ha, ... I know...bad joke. Chica....I was in the same predicament. I was so bloated I could barely get my Water down much less my Protein drinks. I figured my first priority was not to dehydrate so for the first 2-3 days, so I stuck to my water. Then I was going to try my chocolate unjury drink but I decided to call my dietician and make sure it was ok to have skim milk. Glad I did because she said no...wait one more day for milk. She suggested I have the unflavored Unjury with Crystal Light just like hopeinapril but I've got to say....it wasn't too good. Don't know if I have problems with the consistency or the taste (which it isn't supposed to have) or my continued bloatedness but it just took forever to go down. Today was my first day of real progress. I started my morning with my chocolate Unjury with skim milk...mmmm really good. Lunch was my chicken flavored Unjury...good enough. I ate a small vanilla yogurt for dinner and tonight I drank another Protein Drink called Muscle Milk-Light in Mocha Latte flavor...:blushing: yummy! Of course, I sip on water all day long. I found out about the Muscle Milk today at my 1 wk. appt./class. They gave us tons of new information with new products to try. They also said to blend the Protein Powder with your liquids..not just stir. Using a blender I'm told makes a big difference in the taste and texture. So I actually had over 60 grams of protein today. Bottom line....stay hydrated first...keep drinking your water and crystal light and then keep trying to drink as much protein as you can get in. It does get better every day. P.S. -- Lost 14 more pounds since 2 days before surgery! :thumbup:

Surgery went well. I was supposed to have the surgery at 9, but it didn't happen until almost 11. 4 hours total with nothing to do - boring! My husband was there, but he had to drop kids off at day camps. Pain is getting less and less. I needed my husband to help me get out of bed this morning! Haven't eaten much today, Water, Boost for Breakfast, and 5oz of yogurt so far. I'm scared about overeating (especially at the beginning). I put some unflavored Protein powder in the yogurt. I think meeting up somewhere would be fun!

@Darianna75 I got so excited about deli thin shaved meat but when I tried to eat it, it was a no go..... I couldn't swallow it at all and it just didn't taste good to me anymore.... funny how things I love before, i can't really tolerate or even LIKE now...... Now with the chicken salad .... Here is what i do .... now you might want to do it differently. I really don't love boiled chicken so I buy a roitessere chicken. Then I take off the skin on the breast portion and take my fork and mash it very small....then add greek yogurt and half light mayo with dry ranch dressing seasonings (hidden valley) I tsp mustard, and dill pickly relish. I make it very moist. I can't eat a lot at a time.... only two ounces maybe and a few cracker crisps if i feel like it.... I ate this almost every day for a week. I thought I'd take a break from the chicken salad for a while but i really can't tolerate meat that isn't in some very soft or pureed form. I heard it will eventually get better.

Horrible week!!!!!! It was that time of month and I ate M&M's and frozen yogurt for 4 days straight!!!!! I gained 2lbs and now I am so glad it's over! I am not even gonna put my weight on the chart until the last day! Hopefully, I can get close to my goal by the first! Ugggggg, I get a fill on Thursday because I R/S my appointment from last week so I am sure I can at least lose 4 pounds this week. I am going to do liquids and mushys until Thursday. I hope....:huh2:.

Hi, my Drs. have a very strict post-op diet. The first two days was Clear liquids including these Protein drinks. Now I am on a liquid diet for 10 days. That is only Soup (strained), Jello, pudding, yogurt, protein supplements, liquid Vitamins, Water, juice (all sugar-free). After day 12, I can start adding very few pureed foods like eggs, potatoes, tuna. Drinks have to be sugar-free and cafeine-free. Good luck! :thumbup:

I eat string cheese, yogurt (i have that for Breakfast and also for a snack when needed), cottage cheese, nuts, sugar free pudding, tbsp Peanut Butter, tbsp low fat cream cheese, laughing cow cheese...for some reason, cheese goes down easily for me. I have started to eat blueberries and have had watermelon in the past which I love. Apples I struggle with but I peel the skin off and then eat them. I cant seem to eat salads..it hurts a lot. I am 12 weeks out...3 months out. So I am still struggling with food. Oh I also have Protein shakes for my snack too. I also eat 5-6 small portions through out the date. Cant seem to eat denser meals.

Your doctor or the nutritionist should have given you a list of foods you can eat for the first few hours, days, and weeks until on solid foods. I had surgery Jan 20. I stocked up on broth, decaf tea bags, sugar free products like pudding, jello, popsicles, fudgesicles, Italian ice, spiced apple cider mix, yogurt. Definitely keep the protein shakes in the house as you'll need them to get the nutrients you need. The rest is just guilt free icing on the cake. I also stocked up on mushies like refried beans, tuna fish, canned chicken breast, potted meats like deviled ham and vienna sausages. I just bought a couple of each to have some variety. Right now I start my morning with Carnation Instant Breakfast no sugar added variety and mix with 12 oz skim milk and 1 scoop of protein powder. This adds up to 42 g of protein! Also, keep what items you can have the first few weeks in a box. I did, and when I got hungry I would just look in my box for items I could have. Same for the frig and freezer, carve out a space just for your foods. That way not tempted to have something you shouldn't. Lastly, keep a variety of the foods you can have so you don't become bored. You'll do great! :frown:

Greek style yogurt with honey dribbled on top! Yummy!! and high in protein and low in calories and sugar! cream of Wheat is good too. Best wishes!

I really need some Breakfast ideas. I am low carb so i don't do Cereal. I can't eat eggs every day and I do Protein shakes 3-4 times a week since it is easy. Yogurt is a common breakfast, too. Ideas, people?

Google Protein pancakes. You'll get a bunch of recipes. I haven't tried any yet, but it might be on my menu next weekend. Haven't really looked at the nuts,yet, so they may have too many carbs.... Actually, I've got Bob's Red Mill organic whole wheat pancake mix I might just add extra egg whites and unjury unflavored to and see how it turns out. Maybe make the pancakes thin, almost like a crepe and roll them up with Greek yogurt or cream cheese. That would cut the carbs a little. Mmmmmm. Now I'm hungry. Might not wait till next weekend.... And I know it's eggs, but Huevos Rancheros minus the tortilla has been a favorite of mine since puréed stage. I also mix turkey sausage, cheese and spinach in my eggs for a yummy scramble.

I'm still not tired of protein shakes. I like to drink my breakfast. Later in the morning I like my Greek yogurt mixed w/either chopped pecans or Bear Naked protein granola. I sometimes make mini quiches - my favorite has onions, peppers, chopped ham and cheddar. As someone mentioned, non-traditional foods for breakfast are good and interesting. I've had my chili when I wanted something more substantial. :-)

Hi Mom2tess - I record calories on Fitness Pal. Try to stay 1000 to 1200 calories. I eat low carb. Some days a total bomb with calories, if something special going on. I wear a Fitbit - try to get those 10,000 steps in. I do Zumba usually 4 days a week. Fun exercise, if u like to dance. I have had several stalls. If I'm doing what I'm supposed to do, I do not worry about it. Weight loss very slow now. Weigh about 2 times a week. I still have a large appetite. Bummer! Favorite snacks Greek yogurt (Fit and Light - 80 calories, plus 1 tablespoon slivered almonds ), deviled eggs made with Hellmans light mayo, dijon mustard, no sugar added sweet relish, salt and pepper - very filling, and dry roasted almonds. Hope this helps! Sent from my SM-T550 using BariatricPal mobile app

You're right...you have to eat to live. Changing your relationship with food just means to not "use" it. I used "comfort" foods for that purpose...comfort. I would rush to food every time I felt sad or overwhelmed....now I sit down and breath and find something else to do. It is a process. Of course I whined at first because I didn't have my go-to for comfort. But now I realize it was just a crutch. I take walks now or I do something with my hands...like crochet. Or I read or clean or call a friend. You have to change your food choices as part of that "relationship with food" thing. You have to choose healthy foods first and always. Period. You need healthy food to live....you don't need processed foods and Cookies. I actually crave vegetables now. I crave yogurt and fruit. Amazing! I have a house full of cookies and candy right now for Christmas....even have brownies!....my favorite!!!! But I can easily say no to them. My food tastes have changed. I'm stronger now. You will get there. It will take time, but it will come.

Also, you can use plain nonfat Greek yogurt in place of mayo, with some mustard and seasonings.

Sorry you are having a hard time. First about the pre op diet. Not everyone is the same. I had a liquid diet for 2 weeks, no food whatsoever! Then 2 weeks clear/full liquids after surgery. I am 3 days shy of a month out. I am on real food, but only fish and eggs. I dont like cottage cheese or yogurt. Is it hard? YES! But this is where we need to retrain ourselves. I have cooked for my family since the pre op diet. At first it bothered me, not now. Yes there is hunger, but i choose to drink my water especially if I ate recently.I haven't had any problems as of yet, which is an amazing blessing, and shows no 2 people are alike. You kind of scare people who come here wanting helpful information. You have to take the good with the bad, as this is not an easy thing for anyone. I am looking long term, not dwelling in right now. If i'm having a hard day I just see what I did this for, to be healthy!!

I felt sick after PB for nearly a month. If you can do yogurt you could probably do PB. Eat it super slowly. At 2 weeks I was released for soft foods. What does your plan say?