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I am 15 months post WLS and have not had any issues with diverticulitis. I used to have flare ups periodically and needed to be on those two nasty antibiotics when experiencing those painful symptoms. I eat nuts, seeds, berries, apples, popcorn, all without any repercussions. I do make sure I eat Greek yogurt every day and I take one Florastor (very expensive) probiotic daily. I do not use fiber supplements and don't need them. Based on my experience I think the WLS improved the climate in my bowels. I have also heard great things about keffir.

I was banded October 28th too and I can sympathize with you! I moved on today to some yogurt and thicker soup but not creamy creamy! Thank God I'm going back to work tomorrow so I'm not at home bored just thinking I want to eat!

I assume they mean the sugary kind of yogurt with all the extra carbohydrates.

Had revision surgery almost two weeks ago and I am completely amazed at how easy it has been. Have walked quite a bit, came back to my business one week after and am so thankful everything has gone so well. I have had some troubles with the Proteins so now am shaking Greek yogurt with every kind of cream Soup I can find and heating it up. I finally decided the Protein chemical taste was making me slightly nauseous since I previously cooked and ate mostly fresh, not processed, foods.

Any type of fish, chicken breast with fat free gravy, cream of mushroom soup or low sugar BBQ sauce, cottage cheese, yogurt, cooked carrots, ground beef with fat free beef gravy & mushrooms.

I started my Pre-Op diet today a low carb/high protein diet and it is going really well. i have been drinking Isopure protein drinks and watching what i put in my mouth. i felt a little tired all day which i think is a side effect of not eating all the carbs i am used to and had a mild headache, is that normal?? had a wonderful steak dinner and will have some yogurt as a snack.. I think i can actually do this whoo hooo... :thumbup:

Chil fil a Greek yogurt has quite a bit of added sugar. It's probably OK in a pinch, but not regularly.

Try the yogurt

I don't feel hungry. But I do feel weak. Im working on getting in my Protein and fluids. I'm doing okay with the liquid diet, Im just tired of it already and have never liked shakes and smoothies,... so I sometimes just don't have them. I freee them into pops though and I can have them that way. It's a battle any way you slice it, as we all know. My doctor was never specific on any of this, but it is really bothering me. im supposed to sip all day between meals, but if I can only hold a few oz, how is that okay? also, when do I stop eating? I can eat about 4 oz before I really just dont want any more. i am not full sick, or sick at all, i just cant bare to take another bite. is that mental? is that my body telling me im full without a physical sign but a mental one? there are no signs that i am full, but at about 4 oz, i just shut off i guess? head hunger is hard. i had a few bites of cooked ricotta cheese and sauce from the lasagna i made today. (i'm on fll liquids and doc okayed easing into soft foods, so technically not a "cheat" but i feel guilty) it was yummy, but i feel guilty. when am i supposed to eat? i wasnt given a meal plan. i dont want to eat a "meal" because i want something to do. i need a schedule but i dont know what is appropriate. the nutritionist didnt give me a post op example for the 600 calorie diet, only the 1 year post op diet. for example today i ate 2 oz of a Protein shake, then three hours later, 4 oz of yogurt, then two hours later, 2 oz of sauce, then three hours later 3 oz of Soup. it was about 250 calories. obviously that is not 600-800 a day. am i supposed to eat more?

Hello everyone! thought I would give an update as to how things have gone for me. I had my pre op visit with Dr. Johnell in Greeley Co. I got on the scale and to my suprise I had lost 8 lbs prior to surgery My surgery was on Oct. 5th at about 1:00 p.m. but went very 'routinely' I woke up later in the day and looked at my tummy and thought "well....I can't change my mind now!" lol. I lay in my bed for a bit longer then began walking the halls, I read the sooner your up and moving the better, I believe it is a true statement. After 3 'walks' I was sitting in my room and a lady I didn't recognize came in with a bouquet of flowers, at first I thought she may have the wrong room but soon learned that it was Hopeful1! (denise) what a sweet heart to bring me flowers! so what do two people from lapband.com do when they first meet? well I raised my gown and showed her my incision! lol It was so great meeting her and visiting face to face. The next morning after going in and swallowing the barium solution to make sure that my band was allowing liquid to flow through properly I was able to eat 1oz. portions every 15 min. of Jello, juice, decaf coffee, broth. The ride home (5 hrs) was fine and I only snoozed slightly, I was glad to be going home. The first 2 days were ok, I slowly sipped Water and drank my protien drink mostly for Breakfast and ate about 2 tablespoons of mashed potatos for lunch and a protien drink or Soup for supper. Now the 3rd day through the 7th was very rocky for me and I wondered if I had done the right thing by doing this surgery! I was in pain mostly at night (sore, felt dehydrated, TIRED,) had gas badly! so chomped down a few GasX and that worked very well. When I had gone in for my first week checkup I had lost another 13 lbs! I am now 3 weeks out and can truthfully say I am very happy that I have had the surgery.... Every day seems a little different as I am getting to know my band. After my first visit I was told I couldn't have a fill for 5 weeks due to healing process, I won't lie, I have been one starving women! after your fleet, broth and protien drinks and hardly any restriction....... I feel like the 'old' me is back, then all of a sudden, I get a little restriction and I remember what it feels like and can't wait to get my first fill or two. I will admit I didn't stick to the 'diet' as well as was directed. I eat what taste and feels good, by that I mean chicken fixed in my pressure cooker, fish, a few veggies and very little fruit, yogurt, potatos, Soups. I have to talk to myself to stay with smaller portions but have realized the quanity I am eating is about 1/2 of my 'old' ways with out trying to hard to hold back. I went out for breakfast the other morning and ordered a meal from the senior menu, showed them my lapband card, and the waitress said oh, ok sure. I was happy with myself for not being embarrassed to show my card and explain my situation. She come back out with a full meal instead of half, and said "sorry we didn't have a half meal back there". I looked at her and said please bring me a box....now,and I would love some more decaf coffee. My take home box was back at our table lickety split, I was determined that if she didn't bring it right away I wasn't leaving a tip. I wondered if I could stop at half the meal, I was scared I might be able to eat the whole thing! Nice to report that I ate my protien first, ( 1 egg, maybe half chicken fried steak chewed thoroughly!!!!! with some gravy) and never touched my hash browns, put it all in the box and wasn't hungry all day! didn't even think about the box sitting in the fridge! my son ate it the next morning for breakfast. I know I should be eating pureed foods but I am cutting very, very small bite sized bites, I have found I needed something to 'chew' on I had enough liquids! I seem to be staying fuller longer than pureeing my meat, I do believe the doctors ask you to stay as close to the recomended diet as possible so as not to irritate your band or tummy while it goes through the healing stage and I quite agree as I had an experience I won't soon forget! I popped a normal size bite into my mouth without thinking about it and chewed slightly and swallowed but it was to late! it hit my stomach like a ton of bricks! felt like it was lodged between the band and stomach, also felt like your having a heart attack! wouldn't recomend that experience right off the bat to anyone! So now whenever I chew my meat I CHEW and CHEW my meat!. Not sure if I have lost any weight since my first week post op visit, I was told I was on my own and had to have some will power and not to be upset if I didn't lose any or maybe gained a lb or two, I decided I would try a little test with myself, to not weigh in until my first fill Nov.18th. I wanted to try and 'feel' my weight loss if any, so far I have begun walking and trying a little bit of aerobics, no stomach exercises yet, still abit sore, maybe more afraid lol, and smaller portions of food. What I am finding is some of my more 'fatty' spots are trimming away, under my arms, my hips, legs, could be more toning from the walks than losing but I wanted to learn to not get all hung up on the scale, and realize I will have those times where I am going to be plateauing and my body is catching up. I asked my 15 year old son "Hey, can you tell that I have lost any in my tummy yet?" he looked at me for a second and smiled and said " mom! your face looks alot thinner already!" LOLOL I know I have written a book but wanted to catch you all up on my new life adventure! To all wondering and waiting on surgery, just my opinion, I am so happy I made the decision....... takin' baby steps! Maurine Maurine

My doctor did not give me any specifics on grams of carbs, just to stay in the 800 calories per day range. Before the sleeve I have oatmeal almost every morning. Since after the surgery we really have to stress Protein I usually have the high protein (I think its about 10 grams of protein) instant quaker oats maybe 1 per week only (because its so high in carbs). On other mornings I have either a scrambled egg or 1/2 cup of 1% friendship cottage cheese with a few blueberries or a non fat plain greek yogurt sweetened with stevia. All of these are high protein options.

I would check with the doctors office to understand exactly what they want you to be eating at this point. My doctor called for first week of mushies to the yogurt, cottage cheese or ricotta. Second week I could have canned chicken or tuna. Remembered just because something can be put in a blender doesn't mean that it's not going to be heavy sitting in your pouch.

Try NECTAR protien shakes. Peach is a great starting point. It's nice and clean, and will give you the protien you need. True that getting in your liquids is important, but with the right shake, you can accomplish both. The protien will also speed your healing. Also, when you're permitted soft foods, greek yogurt is a great way to boost protien.

We both had surgery the same day. I have been eating Kroger Brand carb master vanilla yogurt. 1 of those is 12g protien. It takes me around an hour to complete 3/4 of it. But on top of that, I try to drink 1 20oz bottle of the RTD Isopure drinks that I got from GNC. They are tolerable. 1 bottle has 40 g protien. So between that and the yogurt, I end up getting 52 g per day. Now fluid consumption...thats another story. Im only getting around 32 oz a day. Always room for improvement I guess. FYI: GNC has the Isopure RTD bottles on sale right now until 2/24/11 for BOGO 50% off. They are normally $4.99 a bottle. Hope this helps..

I am 5 weeks out and actually found it easier to get my Protein in during my Mushies phase, because I was drinking a couple of Protein shakes a day. Now I have to pay more attentiion, and I've missed my "40 grams" mark now several days. I tried Protein Bars, but they all taste like sawdust, and I am thiking of making my OWN, using unflavored unjury power. Anybody try making their own protein bars yet??? Also mixing yogurt and throwing in a raw egg into one smoothie really bumps up the protein to like 30 grams per shake... Good luck with it!! Cinderella

My dr allows the pudding and yogurt if it's thinned with skim milk. I was served jello in the hospital, and I had a whole one today as well.

I finished my 6 month insurance program the end of July but the first appointment I could get with my surgeon is Next Weds... I've been experimenting with protein and I really enjoy the banana cream and chocolate muscle milk light. I'm going to try the cookies and cream this weekend. I got the powder so I'm also going to experiment adding it to plain Greek yogurt and see if that helps to change things up! Good luck! The visits flew by once I was on month 3!

i was still on pureed...eating yogurt cot cheese.....soups....couldn't wait nice on to soft mechanical

As much as I love my band, I have to say that it's a fickle mistress. It can take several fills to achieve optimal restriction, and then as you lose weight and the fat surrounding your inner organs (including your stomach) shrinks, your band will feel looser so you'll need more fill. Also, restriction can be affected by the time of day, the climate, medications, allergies, hormones, and the position of Mars in the sky. You'll feel more restriction when you're making healthy food choices of SOLID foods, less restriction when you're choosing to eat soft and slider foods (some of which are healthy, like yogurt, but a lot of them are high-calorie and nutrient-poor, like ice cream and potato chips). We're all sick of dieting by the time we have WLS, but in a sense success with the band does involve dieting. Your band can't make good food choices for you, it can't make you exercise, it can't make you say no to trigger foods. That's all up to you. I'm over 4 years post op, 2 lbs. below my goal weight, with excellent restriction, and I still have to work on all of that in order to maintain my weight loss. It's a lifetime project. Finally I have to say: just because you can eat anything or overeat doesn't mean you should. Overeating can indeed stretch your pouch and/or esophagus and it can indeed cause your band to slip. Nowadays self-control seems to be a no-no word, but portion control is up to you, at least until you learn your soft stops. Your band won't ring a bell or flash some lights when it's time for you to stop eating. You have to eat slowly and pay close attention to how you feel as you eat. Soft stops are usually subtle - a hiccup, a sneeze, a sigh, a burp, an urge to clear your throat. If you eat through that kind of signal, looking for your pre-op sense of satiety (what I call "Thanksgiving dinner Full"), you'll go on struggling indefinitely. Success with the band is a lot of work. Although it's possible that you've stretched your pouch, only an upper GI study can prove that. If you go on overeating, it'll just make the situation worse. So I suggest that you make yourself do the evil D word (diet) for a week, pay very close attention to your satiety signals, keep a food log including the times of your meals or Snacks so you can get a handle on how long your satiety lasts, and only then go back to your bariatric surgeon to discuss another fill. Jean

I went on a group trip less than 3 weeks after surgery. No one knew I had the surgery. I was scared of getting stuck, etc in front of people but overall it was totally fine. Whenever possible, order soft foods. I stuck to yogurt for breakfast and soups for dinner. Lunch was hard because people were eating sandwiches. I did lie a couple times and said I wasn't feeling well so i was able to avoid some foods. You'll be new from surgery so you wont have much of an appetite. I recommend you eat SLOW. I messed up and got stuck. It was horrible and I had to excuse myself to the bathroom. There was dessert so I did try sorbet and just a few spoonfuls. That way, people saw me eating but didn't really notice that I was eating much less than usual. You'll be fine. Just go with how you feel a s eat slowly. Good luck.

I need some suggestions on what to eat. I'm going on my 6th day post-op and can't stand another protein shake. The thought of them make me nauseated. I've had eggs blended with broth, applesauce, yogurt, baby food, sugar free jello, sugar free popsicles. I'm starving n everything I have makes my stomach turn. I need protein bad to keep me satisfied. Any suggestions??? Please help.

There are many many times when I feel like this is a real test of our own will power--but with the third fill I got, I finally got real restriction for two weeks. So there is a light at the end of the tunnel, Ang--I KNOW it's there for us! I'm sure with the move coming up on Saturday, your mind is certainly on more than "what am I going to cook for dinner?!" Moving is your main priority right now (and by the by, your pain on the left hand side could be your port--have you been packing and lifting boxes??? Your port is sewn into the abdominal muscles and they could be getting sore from the workout you're giving them!) I wouldn't be too concerned about the cooking--there are tons we can eat that don't require cooking (yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese) and I find that Michelina's makes a great little microwave meal that done in a jiffy!! Life is too short and there are many many food options, m'dear!! :thumbdown: PS Just make sure you get back to Curves next week!!!

A few of the rules I remember which made me successful at losing 50 lbs. were: >use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate >3 bites of protein, 3 bites of veggie, 1 bite of carb, repeat until satisfied >eat every 3 hours >fill up on protein for snacks, (hard boiled egg with a piece of cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, chicken breast etc.) >never drink your calories, except for a protein shake >No carbonated drinks > do not frink for 30 min. before and for 30 min after a meal >eat slowly, chew much, small bites >Limit fruit, due to the sugar it converts to Can anyone help me think of anymore? especially designated for lapbanders? I realize all doctors do not give the same instructions.

Ok, I am in the pureed stage. i went out and bought all the stuff the nut said. I have canned salmon, chicken, cream of chicken and mushroom soups, yogurts, applesauce, malt o meal. Now what do I do with it. I was thinking of salmon, but with what? I would def. chew it good, but do you guys have some recipes. I haven't been horribly hungry since my surgery on Thursday, but I am starting hear a grumbling voice in my stomach. I even bought the lite miracle whip. I mean do I put the chicken with the mayo and have just that? Hmm are crackers permissible? I think this surgery is starting to get REAL. Honeymoon is over, I'm about to kick butt with some recipes for the next 2 weeks with your help

I make my own last night I did grilled chicken, apples, pralein pecans, blue cheese, spring mix with simply fresh pomagranet dressing. I also love a homemade ranch made with 1cup plain Greek yogurt 1/2cup milk 1package ranch mix (salde dressing not dip) and mix let it sit over night. I dip veggies in it or put on baked potato it ups the protien. Ohhh and do you ever go to Los hermanos? They have the best chicken tortilla soup I buy a quart and eat on it all week.