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pre op diet was high protein shakes, broths sugar fee jello, sugar free pudding, sugar free yogurt. diet soda, koolade etc skim milk. It actually made me full but became monotonous after 10 days. I lost 10 lbs. The anesthesia went fine. the whole surgery went fine. I was sore for a couple of days .I was driving within 24 hours.I walked at the mall but became easily tired and had to go home right away. Day five I was no longer sore. I did discover Im allergic to the steri strips that they close the incision with. I broke out and had to remove them. It is day 6 and I am now eating pureed food. I "never" got nauseous before or after surgery. My surgery so far has been textbook. I alswo have lost another pound

I hve had to crush anitbiotics twice for a bad respiratory infection. Honsestly, it was the worst, most bitter thing I have ever tasted. Nothing masked it. Not yogurt, not pudding.

Your body is going through the changes of an intense work out.. you weren't losing because your muscles were building to burn more fat, this is a GREAT thing! I was expecting your post to say "I gained weight!" - which is very typical in this type of situation with intense workouts like boxing. (I kickbox myself.) I would recommend using protein smoothies to supplement your protein..you can make the same smoothie with as much protein as you want without altering the taste too much, especially if you're using greek yogurt like Fage 0% as base, which has 20 grams of protein, mixed with some protein powder (mine is 20 per scoop) add 2 scoops and you're already at 60 grams, plus 8 from the skim milk, etc.. it's a very easy and delicious way to boost your protein, stay full and stay cool during the summer time as well. Overall the chances are you probably weren't eating enough and/or your body was adjusting to the new routine, without seeing your food journal or what you've been eating, its hard to say. But I hope that helped, all the best to you!

Broccoli slims you down! And so do other fiber-rich foods like berries, apples, green beans and stone-ground whole wheat. They make you feel full, so you take in fewer calories. And fiber may even prevent some of the fat you eat from being absorbed by your body. Lean protein ignites your metabolism! Every time you eat 4 oz. of salmon, chicken, turkey--even lean red meat--you ignite your metabolism, causing your body to melt fat faster. Low-fat dairy whittles your middle! Swapping two glasses of whole milk for low or non-fat milk will save you 135 calories a day. You can cut 13 pounds a year just by doing that! Lose even more by switching to low-fat yogurt and cheese for full-fat versions. Tea gives you a boost! Drinking green tea can raise your metabolism by up to 4%, making your body burn extra calories.

Breakfast- Snyntax nectar Protein drink...chocolate truffle 27 g protein Snack- Fage greek yogurt w/ sf french vanilla syrup 12 g protein Lunch- 2 oz tuna mixed with grey Poupon 13 g protein and a few tiny baby carrots Snack- 1 Laughing Cow lite swiss cheese 3 g protein with 1 Wasa light rye crispbread Dinner- Boca Burger w a few spinach leaves 14 g protein and a thin slice of tomato Snack- Atkins Carb Advantage Mocha Latte 17 g protein 540 calories 86 g protein

I am four weeks out and I am averaging 700-900 calories per day. Yesterday I had 849 calories, 64 carbs, 33 fat and 75 Protein. I'm not even trying hard to be low calorie right now.. If I wanted to work at it.. I could get 70-80 grams of protein with just 600 calories but I want to see what my body can do in the 700-900 calorie range. If you want to consume fewer calories you definitely can do that and still hit your protein goals.. Here's an example of my breakfast 1/2 cup cottage cheese 80 calories 13 grams of protein -vs- your honey yogurt 190 calories 12 grams of protein. Or take my dinner 1/4 cup chicken and 1/4 cup green beans- 67 calories and 12 grams of protein. -vs- two spring rolls with 173 calories and 8 grams of protein.

I am 5 weeks out and average around 600 calories per day. I just recently added an evening snack of protein. I am getting 70-75 G of protein every day and eating very few carbs- no bread or crackers of any kind at this point. I eat cheese, refried beans, ground chicken, cheese, yogurt, low fat sliced turkey/ham, tuna, baked fish, eggs- all protein/all the time:)

You know guys I have to admit our house seems to be full of **** lately it's like everyone here is going through a junk food stage.. I'm going to crack down on the crap. Hope they don't pull a mutiny on my ass Everyone in my house is fit.. As a matter of fact my husband and son must consume large amount of food or they lose weight But I've had to contend with bags of chips and all three of them eating them the last couple of weeks. So today I got away from the house, I went to the fish store to buy saltwater and flirt with the young boys that work there! Hehe my favorite past time, My husband always teases me by saying "do you want me to go too" knowing I'm going to say hell no! I stopped at the store and bought some smarter snacking options ( plain Greek yogurt anyone) I am going back to basics and I'm detoxing starting now. I can not do "moderation" and "I'm not going to treat this like a diet" That does not work for ME I am a person with food issues, call it what you want but it made me fat, and I'm tired of not living life fully.

You might find unjury chicken broth works. Tastes good and has plenty of Protein. Good Luck. Will you be starting purees soon? That might make things easier. What about greek yogurt? That saved me in the early stages!

Tonight I ate yogurt around 5:15- drank water about a half hour later and then another 45 min after that we were walking around Walmart and got the hiccup so there's no reason I should have . So weird! Mich W Hw 223, SW 217 CW 196.6 GW 135

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

Half cup strawberry Greek yogurt,quarter cup fat free almond milk, 2 scoops of strawberry whey powder, 1 cup fresh strawberries, 1 cup ice . Blend all that and I can drink it multiple times a day

Maybe not enough protein is the issue. I would follow what your surgeon recommends, they should have given you a very specific plan. Greek yogurt is good and has a lot of protein but the protein drinks are really the best way to get it in right now.

You have lost almost 20 lbs and that’s great!!! What are you eating right now? Have you added to liquids? Are you staying in a calorie range? I had surgery on the 2nd and after week 1 could add drinkable yogurts and runny soups blended.. 60-80 g of protein and a 600-800 calorie range. I noticed I didn’t loose the first two days (was even up) of adding the soup and yogurt. Maybe you are just adjusting?

You are doing so well. I really struggled to get protein in too, its tough in the beginning. The advice I was given was just do my best every day. You will loose your stamina if you don't keep your calorie count but you have a few weeks grace yet. Eating high protein yogurts and drinking a shake a day should give you 50 grams of protein. This is a great boost of energy and if you choose wisely, low cal too. At the end of my day, I total my protein, using a app and if I am short I have some cheese, skimmed milk or a protein pudding. It will all get easier in the weeks to come

I had surgery on the 16. Getting my protien and Water in but nauseous a lot. Also very tired. Supposed to go back to work on Thursday, don't know if I will have enough energy... I had some bathroom issues, I took one Imodium ad and a couple spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, that helped.

Good point...I went to the grocery store right before my lunch the other day and I was feeling hungry. I ended up buying some Greek Yogurt pretzels. I grabbed two and ate them - my husband grabbed the bag and put them in the back seat. He told me I should wait until we got home to eat a real meal. (Prior to surgery I would have gotten really mad at him, but now I'm thankful - he's watching out for me.)

Hi Jan. sleevers! My surgery was Jan. 7th. I couldn't wait until I was on soft foods, now that I am, it's a challenge, but I'm plugging along. I found my sleeve DOES NOT like pork. I'm not drinking Protein shakes (they just make me gag), getting most of my protein through food. Once in a while I have yogurts, but I'm sick of those too. I have been eating chicken, cheese, Beans and Turkey or chicken lunch meats that sit great in my stomach. I'm getting between 600-700 calories a day, but most days it's around 650. I walk daily for an hour, two days a week I walk 3.5 miles (we walk the lake). I'm so glad for the time change, now I can walk later and its still light out. It seems like I am able to hold less and less these days. My starting weight was 245, at my last appointment I was 207 (that was Feb), I won't know how much I weigh until my next appointment in April (I don't own a scale and don't want one). I do know I have dropped 3 pant sizes, 3 shirt sizes and 2 belt sizes (on notch 4 of 7 on my current belt). I'm taking all my Vitamins like a good girl. I refuse to buy new clothes, so I look a bit ridiculous with my baggy clothes, but I have my belt wrapped snug around my pants. I told myself I would splurge on month 5 or 6 (just in time for summer). It's strange seeing my reflection in the mirror when I walk by. I'm so used to seeing my stomach first. This transformation definitely takes some getting used to. Good luck everyone.

Dallas area. First Off, it took me over a year to get approved. :wub: I was 270 lb. Meanwhile, my husband died from cancer. I lost 30 lb on the widows diet......you dont feel like eating, or doing anything--so you loose weight. Finally, I got approved for the lap band in March, and the group I was working with (AIGB Richardson) finally got me scheduled for surgery in June. I was about 250 lb. pre-surgery. I lost 12 lb the first week, and it was very painful. Then came the 1 x month adjustments. It is now November. The first several adjustments literally made no difference. After the soreness left and I recoverd a little bit -- TWO POUNDS in a month, I lost. The next month, THREE POUNDS. Boy I was getting disgusted. Plus I was having to pay $150 per fill because AIGB Richardson couldnt even give me appointments for fills, which were covered by my insurance because they were wretched incompetent and understaffed -- so I had to go elsewhere. After 3 months post surgery, AIGB Richardson FINALLY pulled it together and got me in for a fill. Since I wasn't experiencing any results, they gave me a pretty significant fill. Thats when the puking began, although I was still having HUNGER issues. Inever felt full at a half cup, or even a cup. :mad: That month, I lost a whopping FOUR Pounds. Then I got a very small fill. 1 cc I think it was. I couldnt eat at all, not even thin soup, and I was spitting up water when I drank it, so 3 days later, I had to get the fluid they added removed. AIGB Richardson agreed to see me, since I couldnt' drink water --- they waived their gastapo one visit per month rule. I guess they didn't want my family to sue them If I got dehydrated and died. :w00t:Then came the month from hell. Everything I ate, unless it was soup, I puked up, no matter how much I chewed. I was chewing bites 60 X apiece (so spare me any chewing lectures, please). Couldnt eat chicken at all. And beef was really hard also. Everything except soup, I puked up the first 20 bites, at least. But hey --- I COULD eat fattening cheese --- and sugar laden protien drinks. And spare me please, low fat cheese taste like crap and if I have a choice of only 2 or 3 foods I can eat, I will not go with low fat cheese -- and it that makes me an undisciplined fatso, well, so be it. After puke puke puke puke puke puke, I'd finally be able to hold a little down. Usually, it was evening time before I was able to hold anything down. But once it started to STAY down, and stopped coming up, I could eat a LOT, way more than 1/2 cup!! I could scarf down a HUGE plate of pasta, no problem, once the first 20 bites puking stopped. And, by then, in the evening, I'd be so ANGRY, and so HUNGRY, and so WEAK, I'd eat the whole thing. I have been totally unable to eat in public. Eating with friends or family became a thing of the past. :mad2: For one, I didn't want all my (thin) (somewhat judgemental) friends knowing I'd done a lap band. So, unless I ate thin soup, I couldn't eat ANYTHING in public -- because when I did, I'd have to flee the table after almost every bite --- to puke. And they started to look at me real weird after leaving the table for my 5th trip to the bathroom. :huh2: It was miserable. And as far as my family, who knew I'd had it done--well- No one wanted to eat in my presence, because I had to keep a "Puke cup" alongside my plate -- cuz fleeing the table 20 times a meal just wasn't an option. It was easier to just eat alone, with my PUKE CUP. After a month of this wretched hell, I'd lost a whopping 4 lbs. My AIGB aftercare won't see me any oftener than 1 x a month, unless it's a dire emergency. So, last time I went, they removed .5 cc -- cuz they said something obviously wasnt working right. WELL DUH. That's almost 2 weeks past. They told me that this was not how it was supposed to work, but they had me do barium swallow and said that it LOOKED fine, and they wanted me to see my dr. Well. Great. My dr. couldnt see me for nearly 3 wk, I see him on the 11th Nov. THANK GOD I AM NOT DYING, OR I'D BE DEAD BEFORE I SAW HIM. So -- since they removed that last bit, I can eat without puking most of the time.....but hungrier than he3ll. :thumbup: I can eat a HUGE plate of whatever. Of course, if there is much texture, I still puke, but there seems to be no limitation on the volume I can eat, and my hunger pains gnaw all the time. I still cannot eat EGGS -- a great source of protien, without puking, but hey......a chocolate brownie goes down just GREAT. Never, ever, ever, at any point, has this WRETCHED MISERABLE USELESS CRAPPING lap band worked like it should, just limiting my food intake to 1/2 cup and allowing me to eat semi normal food like a semi normal person. I wouldn't recommend this useless surgery to my very worst enemy. :wub: It's a hoax and a sham, at least for me. I had such high hopes for it!! And I felt just furious, every time I went in for a fill, and this woman, or that woman "Oh, I was banded t 4 months ago, and I have lost FORTY POUNDS, woo hoo!" OR what about the fella who lost 70 lb in 5 months. Not me, no, no. I mean, when you have to suck down protien drinks, which are packed with sugar, and the only things you can even get down are fattening crap, when meats choke you down, even deli meats, well, that's sure not going to work for anybody. I LOVE steamed brocolli. Under no circumstances can I even have a NIBBLE of steamed broccoli--I puke it out immediately. My food choices are so so so limited.....and I have never found a protien drink that was bearable to drink that wasn't saturated with sugar. I got these little protien shots from my dr., they were expensive as gold, but they tasted so awful, it was all I could do not to throw up in disgust when I drank them. boy, you get to be REAL CRANKY if all you can eat all day is something that resemble snail snot with sacharine. As a result of this surgery -- (eliminating the week of painful hell it took me to recover) I have lost less than 15 lb from this miserable surgery in 5 and a half months. And I have been more miserable than I have EVER been in my life. I don't know what my dr. will say, but this is NOT WORKING. I had a friend whose insurance wouldnt pay, she was ready to shell out 15 grand ---- I told her DONT DO IT. Get diet pills, do atkins, do ANYTHING, cuz ANYTHING is better and EASIER than THIS! If I went on weight watchers at least I could EAT normal food!!!! I used to think WW was hard, but it's nothing like this -- live on cheese sticks, yogurt, BROWNIES. and sickly sweet protien drinks. i CANNOT eat vegetables anymore. :crying: I loved vegetables, and they are healthy for you. I was never successful with diets, thats why I thought this stupid as_ surgery would help me.....but if you can't eat protiens or anything healthy cuz they hang up on the lap band --- and if it does not affect the VOLUME you can eat, what the hec good is it????? If I do not see a major difference by the end of the year with this miserably useless procedure, I am having the wretched thing ripped out, and having a magnetized sign made to go on the side of the car that says LAP BAND IS RIP OFF, DONT DO IT. I am 235 lb. I need to get down to 140 lb. That is 95 pounds. At that rate, it will take me about FOUR YEARS to loose this miserable weight. I need to find a job, I lost my job of 7 yr, due to my husband's terminal illness, and face it, we all know employers discriminate against what they call "FAT UNDISCIPLINED STUPID HOGS". Thats how they view you. I'd like to start dating sometime in the future. But we know how middle aged men view women who are overweight, no matter how intelligent or attractive the woman, and no matter how ugly and bald and fat the man....... "Hey, I don't date FAT CHICKS!"---and anything over a size 12 is a FAT CHICK in their eyes. So, unless I can get some of this weight off somehow, and obviously IT WONT BE THRU THE LAP BAND, I guess I am destined to PUKE forever, live on disgusting yogurt forever, and be FAT and have no dates and no job FOREVER. Do I sound bitter, angry and pissed off! Of course I do. I am not normally an angry person. But, when you puke all the time, and when you are hungry all the time, and you can't even eat anything that you LIKE, and you can't share social meals or social occasions with friends or family, and you are still trapped in a fat body in spite of all this misery, WELL HEY. NEWS FLASH. IT JUST MIGHT MAKE YOU CRANKY AND ANGRY. YES. LAP BAND HAS RUINED MY LIFE. I HATE IT. I WOULDNT EVEN RECOMMEND IT FOR MY WORST ENEMY. :wub: :wub: :eek: :smile:

Menu Blog I do push the limits of the food budget 1300-1500 calories per day vs. the typical 800-1200 quoted by most doctors. I do this for 4 reasons: 1) I think that they (the doctors) under estimate the amount of protein people need. The higher I keep my protein the better weight comes off. 2) I lift weights and feel I need the extra protein 3) I want to keep my metabolism in as high a gear as I can 4) based on my target weight 190 lbs. I won’t have to make many changes when I get there. Key for my Menu First, one of my key tools is Vitol Egg protein powder. Second is packing all my meal in 8oz plastic containers so I don’t have to guess. Third, we make most of the items below in a big batch on Sunday and uses them during the week. Fourth, sometimes you have to eat out, when I do I stick to fish or soups/stews they are easier to digest. Fifth, I avoid directly adding carbs because they make my hungry between meals. Breakfast (5 am) Option 1: 1 whole egg and 3 egg whites, 1oz low fat cheese and sliced peppers and mushrooms Option 2: 1 Cup Oatmeal with Vitol Egg powder 2 Tablespoons (adds 24Grams of Protein) Option 3: 1Cup fat free yogurt with Vitol Egg powder 2 Tablespoons (adds 24Grams of Protein) Mid-Morning (9 am) Option 1: 1Cup fat free yogurt with Vitol Egg powder 2 Tablespoons (adds 24Grams of Protein) Option 2: 8oz Diced Chicken Salad Option 3: 2 String cheese and 1oz. Almonds Option 4: MuscleMilk Protein Shake Lunch (Noon) Option 1: 1 cup Turkey Chili with 1 oz of Cheese Option 2: 1 cup fat free fried beans with diced, onions, peppers and salsa Option 3: 8oz Diced Chicken or Tuna Salad Pre Work Out Meal Late Afternoon (4 pm) Supplements – Nitric Oxide Drink with Creatine, Gummy Vitamins, Gummy Omegas Option 1: ½ Cup fat free yogurt with Vitol Egg powder 2 Tablespoons (adds 24Grams of Protein) Option 2: 4oz Diced Chicken Salad Option 3: 1 String cheese and 1oz. Almonds Option 4: MuscleMilk Protein Shake Post Work Out Dinner Option 1: 6 oz Ahi Tuna Steak in olive oil and lemon pepper Option 2: 1 cup chipotle chicken crock pot stew with carrots, onion, mushrooms, peppers Option 3: 8oz Chicken Brest Happy Eating

Feeling much better today. It seems that once I realize what the cause of my stress is...regardless of whether I can do anything about it... I feel better. Just knowing the cause it a relief!! So now I'm 6 days after my 2nd adjustment (well 2nd, 3rd & 4th) ... and I'm finally able to drink without pain. I'm still taking it slowly as far as eating is concerned. Egg salad, tuna salad, cottage cheese, yogurt etc. Keeping it soft just in case. I am in love with shadybrook farm turkey meatballs!!! As an italian with the mac daddy meatball recipe... I highly approve of these. They are nothing like MY meatballs, but as far as turkey products are concerned...they are GREAT!!! They have a little bit of spice, but just enough to make it interesting. The texture is great too. They are pretty low calorie vs beef products and they have a good amount of protein!!! They have been my "go-to" protein source!! Also, Jennie-O hot dogs are fabulous. A regular hot dog has about 170 calories each!! These have only 70 and taste just like a beef hot dog without the greasiness. And in my area... a package of the Jennie-O hot dogs is only $1!!! Crazy right?? Butterball makes a great Turkey Kielbasa too...that is awesome on the grill!! Shadybrook farms has good Sweet and Hot italian sausage... it's not bad. The texture isn't quite like pork sausage, but it's pretty decent!! Anyone else have any secret foods they'd like to share??? :smile:

Background: I ate "dinner" at 6 o clock (fish and yogurt). went to church. now i'm up to bat again at the plate-the dinner plate hahaha! not good. and now that it's night and i'm feeling blue i eat another even bigger dinner. I grew up as a grazer. I would eat a little here. Go Play. eat a little there. do my homework. eat some more. And it was all okay. I was a tiny kid/young adult that was healthy and hopeful. As I have gotten older this mode of eating has been slowly waging a war against my waistline. A little bit here and there has turned into a big problem. I guess now the major differance now is that my grazing portions have really increased...eat a lot here. eat a lot there. eat....eat....eat... Now for me grazing provides an opportunity to avoid responsibility for my food and my life. Grazing whenever I feel sad or upset helps me to avoid the problems in my life. Grazing also allows me to trump the food journal system. If I can't remember (or choose not to remember) what i ate because it was a bite here and there, then I can't write it down and feel bad about it. Food journalling makes me feel depressed. So I figure if I'm eating in weird patterns and ways I can somehow avoid the pain of accountability. I really don't know what else to say, other than I need help. Are there any other hardcore grazers out there? how did u face up to what you were actually eating. what rules or strategies did you use?

I was banded a few days before you and was told to eat 6 ounces at each meal and if I was still hungry to eat 8. I've been living on 6 ounces for Breakfast, usually a 4 ounce yogurt and 2 ounces of cottage cheese. About 8 ounces for lunch and then 6 ounces for dinner. I didn't start getting hungry until last week. I ate a little more than I planned to but tried to stay positive. On Friday the band reminded me it was there by clogging up in public and again yesterday at home. I am back on board with the 6-8-6 again. A trick to fighting hunger pangs is to brush your teeth when they come. It takes your appetite away. Stay positive. Your fills are right around the corner. My first is April 21.

Hang in there I was banded the 3rd and I felt the same way, but now that I can have full liquids, yogurt, cream of wheat and some creamy soup Im still hungry but not nearly as bad!!!!!

Hi everyone! I was banded on Thursday, May 13 :thumbup: I'm down about 7lbs. I think I'm doing well so far. I'm trying to stick to the diet the dr gave us (my husband was banded the week before me) but as the days pass it's getting harder and harder. We can have clear broths, Jello, pudding, yogurt (all sugar free) and our Protein shakes (1-2) per day. Yesterday I added a teaspoon of smooth peanutbutter to my Protein shake and had that for dinner. That helped fill me up. My husband just made an egg drop Soup that he got the recipe for on here. I had two full cups of it and am comfortable. Peanutbutter and eggs arent on my diet for another week and a half. I'm worried that by eating them I might cause a problems...but then I see how varied other dr's diets are and think it's not that big of a deal (it's not like I'm eating steak - which I'd LOVE right now...mostly for the texture!). Ideas? Advice? I've also had some sharp pains where I'm pretty sure my port is. I know the port it stitched in place, so I can only assume I'm pulling at a stitch when I move a particular way?