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Hi everyone, I'm one week post op and I feel awful! My first stage post-op was one week clear liquids only.... No protein, no vitamins, nothing! Just clear liquids. Needless to say I've been miserable since I got home. I'm lightheaded, dizzy, lethargic, irritable, etc. (my poor husband). Today I started stage 2 which is full liquids. I had 2 protein shakes, a yogurt shake and of course water. I was hoping I would feel better now that I'm getting nutrients again, but I still feel the same. To top it all off, I've had terrible diarrhea since I got home. I mean crampingly bad. My a** is legit sore from it. PLEASE tell me this gets better? I'm about to spiral out into a serious depression.

Darn, you peeps spoke to soon. We could have really messed with Nicole's head and told her she's the only one! Nicole, are you kidding? You, the only naughty one? Pa-leeezzze! But I just enjoyed a delicious dish of fresh fruit with a blob of cherry whipped yogurt. It was really heavenly, but it was NOT candy. (In your best Sinade O'Connor - singing to the candy) Nothing compares, noTHING COMpares, to yoooooooooooooou.

I have a question. I am currently at 3CC's and to be honest I am afraid. I get so guilty when I eat foods other than yogurt mashed potatoes, and Soup. I so afraid that this is not going to work for me. I hear that you should not diet, but I have spent so much of my life dieting.....How and what do you all eat? How do you control the junk food urges? I am in dire need of advice..... Thanks Birdee!

Aubrie: My doctor recommended that I have FF yogurt, or a piece of fruit, or something like that at about 4 o'clock because I told him I was so hungry by the time I got home I'd eat the butt off a dog. He said that it's not good to wait too many hours between eating. Try having a healthy snack and it should help you stay on plan. Congratulations on your loss and exercise habits. Sue

Hello my fellow Marchies!! (Crickets chirping...) Where is everybody?!?!?!? Oh well guess everyone is busy this holiday weekend... Hope everyones 4th was a fun one... So how are we all doing this month... Hows the progress?? It seems like i am officially stuck at my current weight without being able to crack the 168/169lb marker... I know my fill level is good and i have optimal restriction, i guess my problem is my eating habits haven't been following the good old bandster rules... and the exercise needs to be kicked up another notch!!! I say we all vow to go back to those bandster rules this month and get the ball rolling again!!! Anyone with me?? Here are the good old rules as a nice reminder: Avoid drinking liquids during or immediately after meals as liquids tend to flush food through the stomach pouch. This prevents you from getting that prolonged feeling of satisfaction needed to help you eat less. As always, staying hydrated throughout the day is important, however. Drink at least six to eight cups of water per day, and make sure you consume them between meals. Chew your food thoroughly and eat small bites so that the food can easily fit through the opening to your stomach pouch. This will help you avoid the problem of food blocking the stomach outlet. Only eat when you are hungry and no more than three small meals a day, but you must make sure that these meals contain adequate nutrition. Remember, your stomach can only hold about one-quarter of a cup of food, or two ounces, at a time. Stop eating when your hunger is gone or when you feel comfortable. The general nutrition guide below can help you create good and healthy meals that contain adequate nutrients but low sugar and fat: Good Food Choices Fruits and vegetables One to two servings of fresh fruit daily Two to three servings of fresh vegetables daily [*]Breads and cereals One small portion of low-sugar cold or hot cereal Half to one slice of toasted whole wheat or rye bread each day. Note: Some patients have difficulty eating bread [*]Meat, fish, poultry, eggs One to two ounces of meat, fish, or poultry-or one egg each day. Remove all visible fat from the meat. Remove the skin from poultry. Prepare the meat in ways that need very little fat. Grilling, steaming, microwaving, or boiling are all good ways to do this. Note: Some patients have difficulty eating meat. [*]Dairy products Milk and yogurt are calories in liquid form. However, these types of food have calcium, which makes them an important part of a healthy daily diet, so choose a maximum of 2 cups of skimmed milk or low-fat yogurt and 1 ounce of cheese a day. [*]Fats Restrict the use of fat to 3 to 4 teaspoons of margarine, butter, or oil per day. You can have low-fat salad dressings and mayonnaise in moderation. [*]Drinks Drink as many calorie-free liquids per day as you wish (though not with meals). Suitable drinks are tea or coffee (black) with low-calorie sweetener, water, non-carbonated beverages containing few or no calories Some doctors have reported that carbonated beverages may contribute to enlargement of the small pouch and recommend they be avoided. Back to Top [*]Foods to Avoid Some foods deliver a concentrated supply of calories but little nutritional value. These foods should be avoided whenever possible. They include: syrups cakes jam chips pastries Alcoholic drinks should also be consumed in moderation: for example, one glass of wine per day. [*]Common Problem Foods Some foods have difficulty passing through the stomach opening created by the LAP-BAND® System and may cause blockage. These include: dry meat shrimp untoasted or doughy bread rice peanut butter fibrous vegetables like corn, asparagus, and celery nuts greasy or fried food membrane of citrus fruits I got everything directly off the lapband site... I figured we all may need a little jog in the memory once in a while... Oh and tdont forget the most important rule!!! PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN ALWAYS FIRST!!! I'm pretty sure that is well drilled into our minds.... but i can honestly say i haven exactly been following that rule very well lately!!!

I've lost 45 pounds this month. I'm only 2 weeks post op. I'm only allowed pureed foods, yogurt sugar free ices or jello and protein drinks are keeping me alive. Lol. Also eggs. 3 days ago starvation is a serious concern. I'm becoming moody irritable hungry and light headed. Anyone have suggestions? Is this happening to anyone else

I have been putting it in my soup, my refried beans and tonight I used it to moisten my tuna salad by mixing it with the low fat mayonnaise, I like the tartness that it adds.

It's perfectly normal to feel that way you do. You DON'T have any restriction and you won't until you get a fill or two. I go for my second the same day as you go for your first. It sounds like you're on a full liquid diet. I was hungry and called the dietician because I HATE yogurt and she let me have 4 oz of lite ricotta cheese. THAT was filling and has protein. I also found that tomato soup filled me up a lot more than other types. If the hunger is too great, call your surgeon. They usually allow you to advance to a soft diet. Hang in there, better days are coming.

Welcome Cheri, and congrats on the positive decision you have made for yourself! Like NJ Chick said this is not just to look better, it is to BE better and to have a better quality of life for you AND your kids. As already mentioned, every Dr had different reccomendations regarding diet. I had some good advice before my surgery and that was (for the last 2 weeks) live as if I was banded -- I walked alot, drank tons of water, gave up caffeine and soda, and aside from a few "last suppers" ate a soft, bland diet (eggs, cream of wheat, yogurt, cottage cheese etc). It helped me get ready both physically as well as mentally for the changes that were to come. That way when my surgery rolled around I wasn't in for such a huge culture shock at the same time as trying to heal and deal with all the emotional changes going on. Everyone's recovery is different. I am in shock to hear about people going home from hospital the same day -- I stayed most of 2 days after. I also took a week off work, and if I worked full time would have had to take more as I needed to nap in the afternoon for several weeks after. Surgery affects everyone differently and I wish you a great recovery. As far as needing help around the house I say if you have people offering -- take it!! It can only help you recover faster, the less you HAVE to do! Best wishes!

By Elizabeth Goodman Artis (Shape Magazine) We dissect the science of fat to help you pick the smartest strategies for losing it. Fat is the ultimate three-letter word, especially the kind that you spend so much time watching your diet and hitting the gym to keep at bay (or at least to keep off your butt). But beyond making you look less-than-svelte, fat can have significant physical and emotional implications. We talked to Shawn Talbott, Ph.D., a nutritional biochemist and author of The Secret of Vigor: How to Overcome Burnout, Restore Biochemical Balance, and Reclaim Your Natural Energy, to find out a few essential facts that might surprise you. 1. Fat Comes in Different Colors More specifically, there are different types of fat that have different hues and functions, according to Talbott: white, brown, and beige. The white fat is what most people think of as fat—pale and useless. Useless in that it has a low metabolic rate so it doesn’t help you burn any calories the way muscle does, and it’s the predominant type of fat in the human body, encompassing more than 90 percent of it. In other words, it’s a storage unit for extra calories. Brown fat is darker in color due to a rich blood supply and can actually burn calories rather than storing them—but only if you’re a rat (or other mammal); certain critters can activate brown fat to burn calories and generate heat to keep them warm in winter. Humans, sadly, have so little brown fat that it won’t help you burn calories or keep you warm. The third type of fat, beige fat, is in between white and brown in terms of its calorie-burning ability, which is actually very exciting. Why? Because researchers are looking into ways to shift white fat cells into more metabolically active beige ones via diet and exercise or supplements. In fact, there is preliminary evidence that certain hormones which are activated by exercise may convert white fat cells into beige ones, as well as some evidence that certain foods such as brown seaweed, licorice root, and hot peppers may have the ability to do this as well. 2. The Fat On Your Butt is Healthier than the Fat on Your Belly It’s probably safe to say that no woman favors the fat on one body part over another, but it’s actually safer health-wise to be more of a pear than an apple, Talbott says. Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, is much more responsive to the stress hormone cortisol compared to the fat on your thighs or butt, so when stress hits hard (and you don’t find a healthy way to handle it), any extra calories consumed are more likely to end up around your middle. Belly fat is also much more inflammatory than fat located elsewhere in the body and can create its own inflammatory chemicals (as a tumor would). These chemicals travel to the brain and make you hungry and tired, so you’re more likely to overeat or eat junk food and not exercise, thus creating a vicious cycle and perpetuating the storage of more belly fat. The good news is that anything that helps you reduce inflammation helps reduce those signals to the brain. Talbott recommends fish oil (for the Omega 3’s) and Probiotics, which you can take in pill form or get by eating yogurt with active cultures. 3. First You Burn Calories, Second You Burn Fat The term “fat-burning” is thrown around willy-nilly in fitness circles, but as an expression of weight loss, it’s indirect. Before you “burn” fat, you burn calories, whether those calories come from stored carbohydrates (glycogen and blood sugar) or from stored body fat. The more calories you burn during each workout, the bigger deficit you will create and the more fat you will lose. You can also create a calorie deficit by eating less. The trick, though, is time, since it’s hard for most people to put in the time needed to burn enough calories to make a weight-loss dent. Talbott (and many other experts) advocates high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to burn as many calories as possible in as short amount of time as possible. This method, which alternates between hard/easy efforts, can burn double the calories in the same amount of time spent exercising in a steady state. 4. Fat Affects Your Mood Certainly there is no easier way to ruin your day than seeing you’ve gone up a few numbers on the scale, but having excess fat—especially around your belly—activates that inflammation/cortisol cycle, which studies show may be a factor in serious mood disorders like bipolar disorder. If you’re stuck in a stress/eat/gain/stress cycle, however, you’re likely to experience at least a perpetually low mood, even if you don’t have an actual clinical condition. To help break the cycle, try eating a square of dark chocolate, suggests Talbott; there is just enough sugar to satisfy a stress-induced craving, but the healthy flavonoids help calm inflammation that leads to more stress. Low-fat dairy products like yogurt can have a similar effect—the combination of Calcium and magnesium can help calm the stress response. 5. Even Skinny People Can Have Cellulite The dreaded c-word is caused by fat trapped under the skin (known as subcutaneous fat). The overlying skin "dimples" are created by connective tissues that tie the skin to the underlying muscle, with fat trapped in between like a sandwich. You don’t need a lot of fat to cause a dimpling effect, so you can be in great shape and have low body fat but still have a little pocket of dimpled fat, for example, on your butt or the backs of your thighs. Building muscle while losing fat (and the fat loss part is key—you have to have it to lose) can help minimize the appearance of cellulite; cellulite-specific creams and lotions can also help minimize the look of dimpled skin (though they can’t do anything about the trapped fat beneath).

Premier chocolate with skim milk and banana Syntrax matrix or Premier vanilla with skim milk and PB2 Muscle milk cake batter with gingerbread Torani syrup Muscle milk cake batter with pumpkin pie Torani syrup Syntrax nectar apple ecstasy with a splash of cranberry juice Garden of Life Raw Protein Vanilla stirred into plain Greek yogurt (OK, so this is more like pudding than a drink) Muscle milk cake batter with fresh blueberries Syntrax Nectar cherry with a splash of OJ Premier Protein chocolate and caramel Torani syrup in my morning coffee Syntrax matrix vanilla with OJ ....frozen for a dreamsicle treat. And the list goes on.....LOVE my protein drinks!

Two Weeks Post-Op Weight: 286.3 Weight Lost: -3.1 Total Weight Lost: -18.6 BMI: 44.2 All in all, I think I had a pretty good week. My pain has pretty much subsided. The only pain that I am experiencing is the spot where they actually pulled out my stomach. It is still tender and hurts if I bend, or cough, or sneeze. Sneezing is the worst! Thank goodness I don’t have allergies! But in general, the pain that is there is minimal. I have only been taking the pain medicine before I go to bed because the muscle is sore by the end of the day. I have to admit that my walking has decreased. However, it is because I am up and about doing other things, and wear myself out. But my goal this week is to get back out walking. Good things that happened at the completion of this week: Liquid diet is finished and no more self-injections! Saturday ended the injections. I do not like needles to begin with, let alone having to do them myself. It was a struggle for sure. I will get to the new diet further down. Sunday was a family party. It was the first time that I had to eat away from home and have a ton of food sitting in front of me that I could not have. I thought that it would be pure torture. But it really was not as bad as I thought it would be. I tried to stay away from the food table, and ate my yogurt while everyone else was eating the main meal. Was I a little sad that I couldn’t have what everyone else was having? Of course! What girl who is in love with food wouldn’t be. But my overall future happiness definitely over shadows any food sadness that will come. I also tell myself that the super restrictive diet is only temporary. Yesterday I was able to start my pureed diet that will continue for four weeks. I don’t think that I have ever been so happy to eat semi-solid food. I started with a half cup of cottage cheese. I ate it slowly while I was on the phone, and when I was finished with it I was still hungry. So I got another half a cup. Halfway through it I started feeling that super full feeling. Kind of like my stomach was overflowing into my esophagus. So I stopped eating. Later for dinner I plated myself 1.5 ounces of salmon and a quarter cup of smashed cauliflower. I was only able to eat half of that. Again, I had that still hungry feeling, but I decided to ignore it this time. Today I saw the doctor. Main question I wanted to ask was about the hunger feelings that I am having while I am eating. He said that this is normal. The part of the stomach that pumps out food is smaller and right now working more slowly than normal. It will eventually get back to a normal pace. I was also worried that I was not getting enough liquid, I am only averaging 45 ounces a day instead of the 64 ounces that I should be having. That is normal as well. The dietician said that it takes some time to work up to the 64 ounces. The doctor was pleased with how I am progressing. I forgot to ask about the amount of weight that I have lost. But I am assuming that if the weight loss was not on track he would have said something. I see him again in two more weeks for my one month follow up. So goals this week are to increase my average liquid intake and get back to the regular walks. Check back next week for more updates! Thanks again for reading!

You can definitely enjoy treats like ice cream post-op. Not immediately post-op, obviously, but certainly by the time you are in maintenance. I had half a piece of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake last night! The most important things post-op will be Protein and Water. You need need need to put protein first. But if you are meeting your protein goals, then a little ice cream or mashed potatoes or whatever once in a while is fine. I think right now, pre-op, there are some things you can work on that will make your post-op life easier. Start going ahead and putting protein first. Eat your protein before your starches or vegetables at each meal. Start working on finding high protein Snacks you can enjoy (greek yogurt, cottage cheese, string cheese, nuts, Jerky, turkey sticks, etc.). Start tracking your protein. Ideally you will want to get up to 100 grams a day. Start getting a sense of how much protein is in the foods you eat regularly. Start cutting back on carbs. Your pre-op diet will likely be a no-carb diet. So it will only help you to kick that carb habit sooner than later! If you smoke, quit now! You will be required to quit prior to surgery and giving up smoking AND food at the same time will be too much to handle. Cut back on caffeine and alcohol too. You won't be allowed any of either for at least 30 days post-op by most plans, so again, easier to phase it out now than have to go cold turkey at the time of your surgery. Start eating slowly and trying to not eat and drink at the same time. The not eating and drinking at the same time thing will seem impossible at first. For me, I had to just not even have a beverage within reach while eating, otherwise I would drink it without even thinking about it. As for eating slowly... chew each bite as thoroughly as possible and set your fork down between bites.

So gutted got told yesterday my surgery was moved from today 16th December to 17th. Yes only moved by 1 day but I've syked myself up, I'd packed up my car and was just finishing work to drive up. Instead I've wasted a day of my annual leave and am on milk and yogurts for another day. Am so upset and so annoyed. I know it's only 1 day but it makes all the difference. I'd arranged for my mum to take me, she had taken the day off. Now she can't come with me and I have to travel alone a nervous wreck. Was supposed to be called back by my surgeon to explain but nothing. Will call again at 9am and hope I can have it today.

I am on full liquids, my problem is I dislike anything milky so I can't do Protein shakes or yogurt without vomiting. Looking for new ideas or suggestions I may not have thought of. I'm allowed cottage cheese, pudding, applesauce and cream of Soups. These were the nutritionist suggestions. Thanks!

I was prescribed full liquids for 2 weeks, which for me was mostly protein shakes and yogurt, (never cared for broth or creamed soup). After that point my doc just wanted to know, "are you advancing your diet"? He didn't want me drinking all my food. Even today at 13 months out, I do 2 protein supplements most days, a scoop of whey in my coffee and a bar in the afternoon.

Just a couple more days... :smile: I am sooo anxious to get started on the new me! I will head to Dallas Thursday and my surgery is scheduled for 8:30 Friday morning. Pre-op diet is not too terribly bad... :w00t: first couple days left me with a migraine, but that is gone now. Went shopping last night for lots of high protein foods, juices, yogurts, sugar free stuff..yada yada. Just wanted to get a quick post in before things get too crazy around here.

ParrotHeadCathy ~ Thanks for your reply; I don't get many on here... I guess It's all my fault; I am just not being as diligent as I should and it's frustrating.. I was just hoping this tool would give my discipline a kick in the A**... Which if I get to a point with the ccS it will... I just have NO willpower.. As far as your questions: Have you ever felt any restriction? I have to a point. Do you eat as prescribed, that is 3 oz of Protein, steamed or raw vegetable and then and only then, if still hungry WHOLE GRAIN carbs? I wasn't given this information.. We have a nutritionalist for the beginning and were told to keep it below 1,000 calories on days I don't go to gym and 1,200 on days that I do. Do you snack? When stressed... On what? Nuts, yogurt, jell-o... but I do have bad habits (chips ~ not much though)... Do you have problems swallowing any foods? not really; starting to see problems with breads, but I am not really eating them anyhow.

My mushie staples were scrambled eggs, fat free refried beans with cheese, ricotta cheese with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, tuna and chicken salad (my NUT allowed me this on mushies but not everyone does) and greek yogurt. You can also take ricotta cheese, add splenda, a little vanilla and lemon zest and get a nice little dessert.

Sweet Spot - when the band is at optimal adjustment, which signals satiety on small amounts of food, and you do not get hungry for at least 4-5 hours. Green Zone - same as sweet spot Sliders - foods that slide through the band without sending the satiety signal. Things like milkshakes, ice cream, candy, frozen yogurt, etc. For some, popcorn is also a slider. The slider food list goes on, but keep in mind that the band does its job best with dense Protein foods.

Wow wish they would put the band in my head ever week or so I can stop thinking and eatting. Iam a year out..I dont keep anything bad in the house so the most I do is over eat yogurt but in the course of the day in can be alot of calories even on good food. This all started when I had to have the band emptied twice and worked my way up but it never was the same. I am up and down 6 lbs and I am happy at this weight but still would like to get to my goal. I am going in for alittle more put in the bsnd and back to the gym (thats been the real problem I think) so I will hang in there.

Way to go Melissa - Do us bandsters proud w/ PS and yogurt. I know those are on the top of my list. :eek: A patient brought me in some samples of some PS she likes to use. If I like them I will post what they are she brought me like 8 different samples - one is called strawberry White Choclate. It has little strawberry peices in it. I can't wait to try it...that is tomorrow as I head out to the many yard sales.

Thanks everyone I've been feeling much better. Surpising my boss at work was so supportive. She said, "People always think having weight loss surgery is the easy way out, and I know how hard you have worked" It just made me feel so good that she undrstood a bit. Ya know. Tomorrow I have the church retreat thing. I am going to take my protien shake and yogurt and enjoy myself while everyone else eats hotdogs. I'm surpisingly fine with that. The scale is moving again...so that always helps.

Im preop but making my way to the losers bench at a steady rate. So, reading everything here gave me ideas. Im headed to the bahamas for a week and wondered what to do with some foods in fridge since they would spoil. So I broke out the food processor. Using some low sodium beef broth and a partial jar of low fat beef gravy,I pureed and finely chopped some roast beef and peppered beef, stuck it in small portion freezer bags and froze it. We'll see how it holds up and it tasted really good to my preop taste buds..so if your bored with your pureed and mushies, this may be worth a try. Im sure other flavored meats would work as well with their coincided broths/liquids. Not so bland as baby foods. Just thought Id share for those who are sick of yogurt.

<p>I've never been one to have problems with foods, I can in general eat anything, and I've only ever PB'd twice in 18 months. But I do worry about it in public eating situations, I"m always super duper careful.</p> <p> </p> <p>I'm not a teacher yet, I'm half way through my degree. I had full time teaching practicum late last semester and am going back in 3 weeks for more. For the first time in my banded life I found eating in public an awkward experience. For reasons unknown I was tight as a fish's proverbial every single lunchtime. I took Soup or cheese and crackers every single day and I even ahd trouble with the soup! I was just soooooooo careful - given that I didnt know these people at all. If I'd been in a work situation where I was a member of staff, I would never have hesitated to tell everyone I was banded. But I felt so silly, it took me literally the whole lunch hour to eat a bowl of soup! I know people noticed. </p> <p> </p> <p>If there's one limitation on my life as a result of being banded, its that being unable to eat in a hurry is darn inconvenient sometimes. I have to elect not to eat at all.</p> <p> </p> <p>At this stage of my banded life, I could get by on a good Breakfast, and somethign really really simple like a yogurt for lunch, perhaps a piece of fruit or a muesli bar after school hours have finished. When I go back in 3 weeks there's no way I will be even attempting sandwiches, Pasta etc, all things I normally eat for lunch with no problems.</p> <p> </p> <p>I think I was probably nervous about it and that made me tight.</p> Unfortunately PB's are not something that I could cover with a cough. When it has happened to me, its been a very loud and definite ralph, lol. Preceeded by 40 minutes of horrid sliming that I could never have hidden. I am most definitely not OK when that happens and could never pretend to be. But before you run screaming in fear, I've done it to myself when its happened. Its entirely within my control to prevent it and that's all I'm saying. Dont eat difficult foods, dont eat a lot and dont eat quickly in public and you'll be fine.