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Denise - Were do you get peanut butter powder?? I love peanut butter.. I tried the matrix green apple but made the mistake of putting it in the blender - but didn't care for the taste anyway- someone said the cookies and cream was good - The shakes are usually too sweet for me - i like the ones i make w/yogurt & fruit & pt powder the best. Thanks Crabcake - Like that "new" - I'm half way there -A few of us on the Lucky #7 (July Banders) thread have been posting our preop & current pictures - we are 3 months out.. Thanks Green - Love the 50 - 30 just like our age

I was banded on the 13th. I have been having slim fast shakes and carnation instant breakfast. Now I'm on to yogurt and cottage cheese. I find I have to eat/drink often, but I am doing well. The chocolate shakes are not bad.

The Protein in the protein shots is not as bioavailable as whey protein isolate. I really like the Inspire shakes at bariatriceating.com. If you're sick of sweet shakes, their PURE unflavored whey protein isolate powder is undetectable in broth, soup, Greek yogurt, and so on.

Hi Everyone, it's been awhile since I've checked in. So few of us still following up. Where did everyone go??? Glad to hear everyone posting is doing well. I had my first fill of 3cc's 2 weeks ago. My weight is bouncing around and when I lose, i have not been able to keep it off, I'm -4, +4. Lowest I've been is 209. Maybe I should just stay off the scale for a while. I've started Zumba and love it. I would go everyday if I found classes daily. So much fun. Do go if classes are offered near you! I notice my clothes fit differently, so, maybe, I'm toning. I've had a funny stomach ache the last few days, so I've been drinking protein shakes and sticking to mostly soft foods like greek yogurt. Not sure if it's a bug, or just the new fill adjustment settling in. Stuck gas? It's just not really going away. I read that some people have a delayed response to fills. I thought it sounded wierd, but now I'm reconsidering. I'm avoiding sodium and I don't do carbonation either. I have not had any problems specifically with any sort of food, not bread, not anything which I am thankful for since it's asparagus season here in VT. My next fill isn't till june 10th and (although usually i'm inpatient) I'm glad it gives me some more time to figure out how my body is responding. Be well everyone!

Hey NYSLegend78. I LOVE Greek yogurts. They are so much more yummy than the regular ones. Glad we can still eat them after our surgery!

Yea I have had several times where I was so hungry I got light headed. I woke up at 0430 starving, and ate some yogurt. Just a bit ago I had lentil soup, as I was really hungry. I was told to have regular meals and planned snacks, so far though, I have just been eating when hungry. Not sure if your hunger was real or "head hunger". But bacon always smells awesome. What did you do to combat it? I try to wait 30 mins and if I still feel hungry then it must be the real thing.

HI, I have eggs or oatmeal also for breakfast and sometimes greek yogurt. BUt the yogurt doesnt always do the trick. If you can tolerate toast, try to make an egg and place it on the whole wheat toast like an open faced sandwich and if you really want to, you can put some chesse on top. The protein will hold you for a while. I have had salad too with no problem. I was told that iceberg and some other crunch lettuce is easier to tolerate that the mixed greens, (which I like better, but I too was craving a salad). With some grilled chicken or tuna, it makes a nice lunch and you feel somewhat normal!! The deli-meat wrapped with lettuce leaves is also a great lunch and it is satisfying. I crave salt more than sweet, so that helps too. I put some mustard on the lettuce and had a sandwich (well, kinda!)! I love all the suggestions,they are so helpful! So far, I havent had any trouble with anything, except red meat, which got stuck and that was AWFUL! I get my fill on Tuesday and I am a bit anxious, but I cant wait to feel restriction. I actually looked up band slippage, because I feel nothing. I am assuming I would be in pain if it slipped. I am always thinkiing the worst!! So, I eat small meals and all is good. Good luck purpleshell and let me know if eating breakfast helps you. My NUT said to eat real food for your meals and have liquid type of stuff in between. If you want a protein shake have it for a snack. That will help you go longer between meals and not feel starving when its time to eat. Amy~Good luck with the salad. Try a little bit and you should be OK.

Lewilli, I live in FL it's hot and I live alone, I almost never cook. I have cottage cheese with chopped veggies,Greek yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit,low fat cheese, ricotta cheese, tuna salad, chicken salad, blended veggie, fruit, nut, drinks. I sometimes put soy, milk, or yogurt or protein powder in the blender drinks. I recently have been eating spinach salads with finely chopped veggies with feta cheese. When I do cook (rarely) I use a crock pot with chicken and veggies or pork roast with veggies. I put this outside on our screened in covered porch so I don't heat up the house. This crock pot feast will last me for many days and I just reheat in microwave in small bowl servings. I sometimes poach a couple eggs in microwave with spinach, cheese or other veggies. I made a huge meatloaf with much filler including blended onion, bell pepper, garlic, herbs, and oatmeal mixed with diet lean burger. This lasted many meals and I reheated in microwave. I made chili with lots of beans, onions tomatoes and bell pepper. I made ff refried bean dip with ff sour cream chopped tomatoes guacamole and low fat cheese. I don't like eating mostly protein so I mix veggies and fruit with about everything. I try to avoid cooking anything except about one big pot of food once a week. I hope this helped. There are lots of good band recipes online. MelVan

Is it just watery or is a weird color ? Guys I keep going every hour doesn't matter if I've eaten something or not. My doctor told me to call tomorrow to make an appt for in a weeks time. I'm allowed puréed food already, but I barely find myself eating anything more than some yogurt or jello or a Popsicle or even laughing cow cheese. I feel so weak half of the day not sure what I'm doing wrong. Does anyone else have this issue ? I just made chicken with avacado puree and it's yummy, it's my first REAL meal. Also anyone having an issue with water ? I can't swallow it for nothing without it hurting.

Ugh, so I have to do a 2 week liquid preop afterall! BLah My "liquids" inlcude: 8 oz Gatorade 6 oz light yogurt SF applesauce fruit chillers SF pudding cups 8 oz Protein drink with milk twice a day. I'm supposed to "eat" every 2 hours something from that list! "Free beverages" that I can have unlimited throughout the day Water Crystal light Wyler's Light Diet Snapple SF Jell-O broth coffee and Tea (sugar substitute) and any calorie free beverage. They were trying to tell me I had to drive up there (an hour each way) to buy the Bariatric Advantage from them for $70. I emailed the NUT and said Premier Protein was equal in nutritional values, cheaper and 1 mile away. She said that was fine but if I did Premier Protein, to have 3 a day OR I could use the Body Fortress Super Advanced whey Protein from WalMart and only 2 a day. Fun, fun!!

The other day I was craving so bad and had my first very serious hunger pains. I went over board and had 5 oz of yogurt I knew I shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself. I still don't feel good. I don't want a single thing to eat or drink and my stomach is sore. I am doing my best just to get my liquids in. My surgery was the 21st. 11 days in and I am so mad at myself. Something is going on with my leg as well. Thought I had a blood clot and went to get an ultrasound. No clot but I'm in pain. Feels like my vein is tearing out of my skin. I am a little miserable after doing so well. Anyone else cheat and what did you do to feel normal again? Also for those people going to 4th of July events - its our first holiday surrounded by social fooding. How will you handle that. I want to hear Tuesday when you get back to normal.

I am so hungry and over this liquid!!! I am day I can't even remember -- ok day 11 post op. I think I get to start some extra items like yogurt and creamy Soup after nut on Tuesday. Dreaming of burgers. But also better fitting clothes... Sigh.

I mix cocoa powder into one of the ultra-light vanilla yogurts - like Light & Fit or Carbmaster. That'll do the trick as well - plus give you a boost of protein, too!

Sue & Niki - yep I'm about the same place as the two of you. Able to be pretty good with just a coffee and 60 calorie Dannon yogurt or 1 pkt of Weight Control Oatmeal *(about 170 calories) until about 10:30 and then I do pretty well with a low calorie lunch and then hunger builds during the day. I have to really keep an eye on things but I'm hovering around 1000 calories a day now. Not losing much but I feel it in my clothes so I'm happy. I'm also looking forward to my 2nd fill on June 10th -- I'm envious that Niki got hers faster than me... I want a full report on how its helping.

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. Ok, so I'm on day 4 of my pre-op diet. I think my husband secretly hates me or something. The first day of my pre-op diet he took the kids out for frozen yogurt. Tonight he orders in pizza. What the hell is he trying to do to me? He's not been real thrilled about me having the procedure done, but this is just sadistic. On top of everything else, the liquid diet is doing nothing to help my IBS right now. I'm taking my meds for IBS but everything is cycling through me so fast and I keep having to go to the bathroom (not to pee). I think that part is more miserable than the diet itself.

My 2 week post op appt is Wednesday. I am so freakin hungry I can't hardly stand it! I've been sticking with yogurts and soups because I don't want to do too much to soon and mess something up. Today is the first day that I have been absolutely miserable and hungry.

Wasn't that yogurt wonderful? I had one week of clear liquids, one week of full liquids, and today I started on pureed foods. I tried 1/2 cup of egg beaters and I sliced a string cheese into it, then nuked it. It was awesome and quite filling. Today I went shopping and bought instant mashed potatoes. Hope it's ok to make them without the margarine cause I don't have any. I am eating really slowly. When we out to lunch the other day, I did eat pureed soup and apple juice at the same time, just to ensure it all went down ok. I was only nauseous one time, when I tried coffee in the hospital. Other than that, I burped for 5 days before I had a toot and a BM. You sound as though you are doing great!!!

The band can seem very fickle at times, giving you restriction riddles instead of restriction answers. How can we solve those riddles? RESTRICTION RIDDLES Restriction is the holy grail of bandsters, but even when you find it, it may not cooperate with you all day every day. Its fickle nature may allow you to eat one food on Tuesday but not on Wednesday. It may not show up until 2 weeks after a fill, or it may disappear 2 weeks after a fill. You end up puzzling over riddles like delayed restriction, disappearing restriction, and/or variable restriction. DELAYED RESTRICTION Although the fluid injected into the port during a fill travels immediately to the band, it can take several weeks for you to notice an increase in restriction. This may be because you spend a few days after a fill progressing from liquids to purees to soft to solid food, and then you're extra careful when eating: on the alert for more restriction. When we relax this vigilance, careless eating will eventually remind us (again) that we have a band with more fill in it. Delayed restriction is frustrating, I admit. You get a fill and want instant results. But all you can do is pay close attention to your body's signals as it adjusts to the tighter fit of the band. It is pointless to try to judge your restriction in the two to three days immediately after a fill, when you're on a liquid or pureed diet, because optimal restriction is experienced when you're eating solid foods. DISAPPEARING RESTRICTION At times during my weight loss surgery journey, I have asked myself, "Where the heck did my restriction go? Did thieves sneak in during the night and steal it?" In addition to thieves and elves, the following things can make your restriction seem to disappear overnight: 1. A few days to a week after a fill, the swelling and irritation caused by the fill calms down and the fit of your band feels looser. 2. In the first few weeks after a fill, you re-learn your band eating skills and unconsciously adjust to the new fill level so that you experience fewer negative symptoms. 3. As you lose weight after a fill, the visceral fat around your stomach shrinks, so the fit of your band doesn't feel as tight. 4. The position of your band against your stomach subtly changes due to normal body processes (see below). 5. Your band loses fluid due to evaporation, leakage, or inadvertent removal during a fill. Please note that in #1 and #3 above, I said that the fit of the band feels looser or tighter. The band itself does not loosen or tighten by itself. Only a fill, unfill, or manufacturing defect can do that. The band is not like a rubber band that stretches out over time and eventually snaps. WHY IS RESTRICTION SO VARIABLE? Sooner or later, every bandster discovers that the band is a fickle mistress. In the course of a week, it can feel too loose, too tight, or just right (kind of like Goldilocks and the Three Bears). The food that worked fine on Monday may get stuck on Tuesday. On Wednesday you can hardly eat at all, and on Thursday you could eat an entire wedding banquet all by yourself. Friday you're back to Square One. These variations are maddening but fairly normal. The stomach is living tissue that expands and contracts to aid digestion. It's affected by weight loss, the time of day (morning tightness is common), the time of month or fluid retention, medications, illness, dehydration and stress. The pressure of the band against the stomach can cause the stomach wall to thin out, so the band feels looser. And although the band and the stomach are sutured together, the position of the band can shift enough to affect your experience of restriction. Remember: the #1 factor affecting the amount of food you can eat is what type of food you eat. You will feel more restriction when you eat solid food (like animal protein), less when you eat soft food (even healthy stuff like yogurt and cottage cheese), and virtually none when you drink liquids (even healthy ones like protein drinks).

It sucks. It really sucks. That's all I can say. Not sure which pre-op diet you're on, mine is high protein/EXTREMELY low carb. I'm allowed meat, veggies, cheese, 1 small serving of fruit, and a small portion of yogurt. I miss my carbs sooooo bad BUT I keep telling myself that no way in HELL am I driving 9 hrs for the doc to get in there and make me reschedule bcuz I didn't shrink my liver. As much as it sucks, we HAVE to do it! I'm sure the 2 week liquid phase after surgery is gonna be sucky too, but I got myself in this mess, I gotta make a commitment....and U DO TOO Good luck!

Well hello all! Had my surgery on Wednesday. I feel fantastic. My hospital stay was wonderful (except for the "popping" shoes I had to wear in bed....To prevent blood clots.) The Nurse Practitioner who discharged me told me that I can work from liquids to baby food consistency. That's not what I learned when going to all the pre operative classes and that has really confused me. I've been doing fine with the clear liquids and have even had a Greek yogurt and a scrambled egg with no problems. The gas pain has at times been unbearable. I am 3 days postoperative and still feeling it. I have no saline in my band yet so I am having "hungry" issues. From what I understand it won't be filled yet for weeks so I will be living on protein shakes until then. I see the MD on Wednesday for suture removal so hopefully I will have more answers as to when they will begin filling my band and my growling tummy will begin to cease. Hang in there everyone,

Have your tastes changed after surgery? I didn't gain my weight from sweets and can't stand all those flavored protein drinks, bought some unflavored and put it in some soup. It was so gritty. I am going to try some of the vanilla protein in some super tart plain Greek yogurt to see if they will balance each other out.

Hi Janie, I hope the pain is improving. I have been really lucky and really have have had only mild discomfort and no gas pain. I am struggling to eat and drink but then my regime seems much faster than all yours. I started on Weetabix and yogurt which I can't cope with now. At least the fluids are going much better today and I have abandoned foods so far today. We are also looking at recipes, it is so good to hear new ideas, so please do share them when you are ready. Take care and hope the pain eases Claire

I'm only 4 days post op and am on clear liquids & protein drinks for one week. Next week I can add yogurt, protein pudding & small curd cottage cheese. The following 2weeks I can add chicken & fish but it must be puréed. If your stomach doesn't seem to be handling what your eating, try this plan that I was instructed to eat/drink.

tami j, I understand what you are talking about regarding the ability to drink more ounces at a time than others are reporting. I have experienced the same thing, too, and I was starting to think something was wrong. Contacted my NUT and she let me know there is nothing wrong with this at all, it's perhaps a blessing. It's good to be able to get all of these fluids in and just make sure I monitor the amounts I'm drinking. I haven't really felt physical hunger but have experienced head hunger and I'm looking at these experiences as an opportunity to understand the difference between the two. I'm loving cottage cheese and vanilla yogurt like never before-- I'm going to move to pureed food later this week, a little earlier than the typical schedule but with my ability to swallow and hold more than most, it's giving me the chance to move ahead a little quicker. The scale was moving slowly but the last 3 days I'm seeing it move at a more gratifying pace. All in all, it's a good journey so far and I'm humbled by the progress. I have certainly done little in the last 20 years to give my body a reason to respond so well to my desire to get healthy. God is good

Every surgeon is different. I am also on puree and I can have puree fruit and veggies as long as it isn't corn, celery or anything stringy. I can have puree chicken and tuna, mashed potatoes, puree eggs, vegetable juice, cottage cheese, milk, light Greek yogurt, puree soups, light margarine, light mayo or salad dressing, oatmeal, apple sauce, cream of wheat. Its a pretty big variety. Next appt is next Wednesday and hoping to progress to soft foods. Hope everyone is doing well.