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B: Oatmeal, honey, cinnamon S: Yogurt L: Lettuce, grilled chicken, feta, balsamic salad spray D: Thai chicken, cucumber (had 2 bites chicken and couldn't get more down) S: Apple, peanut butter (went down)

yesterday: meal 1: vanilla greek yogurt with bran cereal sprinkled on top meal 2: 1 oz beef jerky and 1 string cheese stick meal 3: small side salad topped with 1/4 c kidney beans and 1 tbsp lite ranch dressing meal 4: 3/4 c of beef stew meal 5: 1 falafel ball with 1 tbsp of hummus

Oh Lunasa---you can officially calm down---it is nothing like you are fearing!!! There will be times between now and you finding a good spot of restriction that yes you may be hungry. But they will not last forever! Right now, you have the fear of the hunger, the upcoming surgery---everything coming in at you at one time. Once the surgery is behind you---you will likely have several days or even longer that you simply are not hungry. I don't know how much your Dr. told you, but the nerves (I think my Dr. called them the Vega nerves) are located at the top of your stomach, and they are the nerves that send the signal to the brain that you are done. Which is why now, pre banding, you have to eat a LOT to truly feel full. And once those nerves are hit, it takes awhile for your brain to fully recognize and tell you to stop eating. There are often times quiet simple signals---that you will learn, to know you are full. Once you are banded, and there is just a small pouch at the top, it is quite simple to hit those nerves quickly---in just a small amount of food. The first days following surgery the nerve pretty much stays activated, due to swelling---your stomach often swells over the indignity of that tight belt being slapped on there!!! Once the swelling goes down, hunger will return, often with a vengeance---because you are on liquids. Liquids are given to allow the band to set into place, and stitches used to do that to heal. When liquids are consumed, they usually slide right through, so the nerve is not triggered. This is the time referred to as bandster hell. A band with no restriction. It is not easy---but if you just repeat to yourself that this is the last time you truly have to "diet" ever again---and weight frequently to see the weight dropping off---you make it through. Then you begin the fill process. With my first fill of 1.25 cc.'s I suddenly felt my band work! I had allowed myself in the hunger of things to slip into some former bad eating habits! Suddenly when I ate too fast, or did not chew, it hurt! Nothing serious, but I knew that the band was there---and I was scared of a real PB or getting "stuck"---so I worked hard on my bandster eating habits. My Dr. allows a fill in 4 weeks, if you are still hungry within an hour or so after eating hard protein. I was---so a month later I had my second fill. It was small, only 1/2 a cc. I thought if 1.25 didn't do anything--then .50 is going to be a waste of time and $$$. Wrong!!!! With that little tweak of .50cc I got excellent restriction! I was no longer hungry----EVER! I am still not ever what I would call hungry. I occasionally feel hollow or empty, and realize I need to eat---but hunger---like the raging, fear inducing, more important than ANYTHING, kind of hunger----gone from my life! Used to be when I would come in at the end of the day, I grabbed anything close and easy---a bag of chips, or cookies, whatever, just so there was lots of it. Now, since I am not really hungry, it isn't a big deal to take a few minutes, and throw a salad in a bowl, or make a half a pita with some chicken salad...finding a healthy alternative, is easy, because there is no rush! I still can have some chips with a sandwich---but I get full very fast, so if I eat the worthless chips, I have taken up valuable space, with not so valuable of a quality of food. If I eat ribs, or a steak for lunch---I can easily not eat another bite of food until morning if I don't force myself. I get busy now and forget to eat---my granddaughter tells me when it is time to eat now!!! And we eat better than I used to, without a doubt. Food is no longer the center of my thoughts. I don't know what is for dinner tonight, and it is time for it---but I'll throw something together, and it will be fine, it will be enough---it isn't a concern. I used to plan dinner as I ate breakfast. I always thought that was one of the reasons I was bigger than my DH, I planned all the meals to what sounded good to me! Occasionally he would say, let's have such and such for dinner, and I always tried to do it, but sometimes it just didn't appeal, so I didn't eat so much. But no, I planned meals way before time to have them, what side dishes would go best, based on the tastes.....now it isn't a big deal. There is a saying I had always heard, of Eating to Live, not Living to Eat. I get it now---I live it! It isn't a real concious decision to change---but when you are not starving all the time, it loses its appeal. You learn that you actually only get the big pleasure of the taste in the first 2-3 bites, then your tastebuds are adjusted...so you totally enjoy the 2-3 bites---and are done with it. I know I have gone on FOREVER---but I want you to know it DOES change---life simplifies, and changes----you enjoy moving your body----and not being chained to the kitchen----it is nice going, and not caring if someone else eats more than their share of an appetizer! When you are going through the bandster hell---we will all be here, to help you and offer suggestions to make the time pass---and suddenly one day you will wake up and be heading out the door to go somewhere, and think, 'oh yeah I better grab a yogurt or something'----because you forgot to eat breakfast---it WILL happen. Your band will be in there waiting to work with you---so when you and your Drt. can begin the adjustment process---get ready for a change!!! Til then, relax---it is all gonna be ok. Kat

All things considered, not too bad... B-coffee w/equal, chobani peach yogurt L-sauteed mushrooms & zucchini, pulled pork (just to taste it) D-pulled pork, baked beans

I had a very bad day today...most likely due to the fact that i am in excrutiating pain from throwing my back out on saturday. I ate terribly all weekend and lost 4 lbs. I just grabbed the first thing I saw to eat. I probabaly gained them back today...:thumbup: B: Dannon pinapple yogurt L: small fry from checkers/rallys D: 2 chocolate chip cookies w/a cup of 2% milk s: some bbq potato chips I get another fill tomorrow so i wont be able to indulge in these types of things. workout: none...in too much pain

B-coffee w/splenda (forgot my yogurt) L-lean cuisine linguine carbonara D-4 potstickers, .5 c steamed green beans s-cupcake size cheese cake

This was my menu yesterday....... Morning: Coffee & SF Creamer EAS CarbVantage Chocolate Protein Shake over ice (2 carbs, 100 cal) 1 SF jello, (0 carbs 10 cal) 1 Dannon FitandLight LowCarb yogurt (3 carbs, 80 cal) 1 EAS CarbVantage Strawberry protein shake over ice ( 2 carbs, 110 cal) 2 30oz glasses of water The SF gum which was a MISTAKE (2 carbs) Once home for the night........ 1 can of Tuna w/one squirt of Brown Mustard stirred (this is not liquid, but I am letting myself either 2 hb eggs OR 1 can of Tuna a day) they are both very high in protein and very low in Carbs. Evening: 1 EAS Carbvantage French Vanilla Protien shake, blended with ice for a milkshake consistancy.

Yesterday B- coffee, 2 sausages L- 4 oz. vanilla greek yogurt w/ 3 tsp. peaches and handful of p-nuts D- nachos (Football game, homecoming) S- small bag of chips there are so many good recipes :drool:on here, I might start to cook more.

B: 3 oz yogurt L: 1/4 cup salad w/ blue cheese, 2 small chicken strips dipped in honey mustard d: 4 pieces of calamari, 2 bites of cheeseburger (no bun) and 2 sweet potatoe fries ( all of this I ended up pb'ing.. uggh) s: 1/4 of ice cream bar s: glass of merlot went to foxwoods casino for dinner and jeff foxworthy show so ate and drank more than I should but lost my entire dinner.

I second the Healthy Choice frozen Greek yogurt. I just had some.

Tuesday April 12 Breakfast~2 oz of oikos greek yogurt with honey, 1/2 whole wheat bagel with some light cream cheese Lunch~egg salad made with 2 hardboiled eggs, 1 tbsp of olive oil mayo in a pita pocket and 3 whole wheat crackers Snack~Sugar free chocolate mousse jello Dinner~4oz of crispy ranch chicken (recipe from Spark Recipes) 1/2 cup of loaded mashed potatoes, and 1/2 cup of corn Snack~3 whole wheat crackers with 1 slice of 2% pepperjack cheese and 2 oz oikos greek yogurt with honey at the bottom Water~100 oz Calories~1,343 Carbs~142 Protein~85 Fat~31

i've tried plain greek yogurt, and half and half - both are decent replacements.

Today: B: high protein chocolate slimfast shake L: 1 chicken nugget, 2 bites yogurt, 1 chip w/ hummus (tasters at costco) D: 3 oz grilled salmon, 1/2 a baby patapan squash sauteed and couple bites roasted sweet potato also enjoying another pineapple mojito :biggrin:, and might have dessert - later - don't know what!

So far today.... NO BREAKFAST.... I ended up sleeping in late so will have my 3rd meal later tonight and call it snack time, even though it will be a small meal of some sort, maybe a greek yogurt and some cucumbers or some chicken breast and a yogurt. lunch... Small can tuna in Water, drained, added in 1 tsp fat free mayo and a bit of pickle relish, heated in microwave to make a tuna melt and added a sprinkling of fat free cheddar on top to melt. 1 cup of black bean tortilla Soup - (another Nutrisystem meal, yep, am trying desperately to use these up so they are out of my house, lol). The taste on this one actually is pretty good. I have had it with a bit of mild salsa mixed in and some fat free sour cream on top and it isnt bad. SUPPER... To be determined but am most likely making some baked cod fish fillets in the oven and will eat one small filet, maybe a tiny portion of some wild rice and/or quinoa, and some type of veggie, probably oven roasted broccoli with sesame seeds/olive oil/garlic (I usually eat 1/2 to 1 cup of veggie depending on if I have anything else with the Protein or not). Oh and will down a 26 gram protein shot later today.

yesterday: B- almost 1/2 cp oatmeal made w/ ff milk L- baked Lays 1 serving 1/2 wawa hotdog D- 4 oz chicken breast 1-12 grain english muffin creamy dijon mustard and green leaf lettuce 5 grapes 2 glasses of wine 10 cheddar goldfish crackers Today: B- 1/3 cp of homemade chicken salad whole wheat bagel flat, toasted L- 1/3 cp homemade chili snack(working late) 1/4 cp of greek yogurt w/ fresh pineapple D- 3 oz Breaded chicken breast patty 1/4 cp steamed edamame

today b-cookies and cream muscle milk l-pizza muffin d-1/4 cup refried beans/cheese, 1/2 cup ff plain greek yogurt --got a fill this afternoon, we'll see how it works... .6cc

Hi everyone...I am in my final week before I have to do the two week pre-op liquid diet. My husband is overseas so I went ahead and began the day he left: Thanksgiving. I discovered after reading through alot of these posts that sugar free cremora is actually low carb. I could not find it but SAW A liquid cremora in with the milk products. I was looking for Hood dairy beverage...well. I looked at the listing on the non-sugar free liquid cremora just to see how bad it was, and it was only about 20 calores and 2 carbs, so I got it. I got coconut creme, and I cannot tell you what a little tablespoon of it does in my liquid prpotein shake. YUM I am going to get the Irish creme one, because I know I LOVE that. With these two, I can go on a long time. I am just about ready to stay on these liquids for the full six weeks after the banding, because I need to drop 150= lbs to get down to my normal weight. I am now walking 2 miles in the gym every day, and doing Water aerobics. Other little stuff in the gym like ab crunches and upper body to help my posture a I walk, to help hold up this fat stomach. I am in my thiurd day of liquid prtoein...loving it. I got the EAS and the Adkins shakes, and also got the Boost Glucose Free. Pricy, but I figure I can use one a day to boost my Protein intake up above the 60 that my Protein Shakes afford me. The good thing about my protein (it is called ProCal, and it has 7 carbs per packet, so I don't recommend it) is that I can take three of these packets, add a cup of yogurt (whole milk plain yogurt has 15 carbs/cup and skim milk fat free yogurt has 19 carbs/cup!!! go figure) I add in the three prtoeins and the one cup of yogurt, and add it to a gallon of water. Yep. A gallon. Then I add the cremora (not too much) and it tastes really good... I drink it as I walk the track...being this much overwieght (330 lbs) I sweat alot on the indoor track... I have to sit down about every 7-10 laps depeneding on how early in the day I get over there...I wear a wet towel around my neck, (which keeps the body temperature low) and I just do it. A month ago I could not even walk 3 laps. I now am walking 32 laps every day...IN ONE MONTH!!! The good thing about exercise is that it rewards you almost immediately. Much faster than cutting food, altho your body welcomes the chance to "heal" itself when we go to liquids. I see the voereating as an illness that the body is trying to constantly rid itself of. Getting on the pre-op is like giving your body a rest from all the digestion gesticulations it has been going through for years, sometimes 24 hours a day, if we eat before we go to bed. I feel really good this thrid day of my liquids. I recommend to everyone to start walking. My knees are bad, don't give me that. I also have arthitis and am going to be 64 years old...I weight 330 lbs and am 5'8". Anyone who does not believe they can do it can write the big engine that could at sara3t3t at yahoo dot com. I will give you lots of encouragement because I am where you are and it is G-d who is pushing me and helping me. love to all of you...Hope to be banded around Dec 14th...getting my firm date in a few more days.

I did broth, yogurt, sf pudding, sf Popsicles, muscle milk, vitamin water, sf jello

Sounds delicious, the cauliflower recipe. I could also try adding preserves to the plain greek yogurt. Thanks. How is your knee BTW??

Kay I'm panicked a bit. I'm 5 days post op and I don't seem to have a full button at all. I moved from liquids to mush today- yogurt, pudding etc. the problem is I don't have get full. It says work up from a tsp to Tbl yet today I sat down to eat some pudding and I had to make myself stop eating when it was almost half gone rather than my body telling me to quit. Is there a problem? Did the dr maybe not cut it small enough? Should I be concerned?

The only thing I can add next week is cream of wheat, yogurt, and sugar free pudding ! Still having a time with this Water, trying crystal light now , premier strawberrys n cream has been my best friend , milk of magnesia takes to long to work my doctor told me to try miralax!! Any one out there who was sleeved in march ? After one week how much weight was lost????? Sent from my SGH-T999 using the BariatricPal App

Yay! Congrats! Seems like your progression is quicker than mine has been! In no time you’ll be joining me in puréed land! Thinking about having some cottage cheese or yogurt tomorrow morning...yum!

Surgery on November 2, had minimal pain (the IV helped), Slept for hours post surgery, had to stay an extra day to adjust insulin and medications. I am feeling great, no pain, sipping warm tea, decaf coffee, and water all day. Protein shakes, cottage cheese (small bites at a time)' yogurt. Staying moving as much as I can. This is going well for me. I feel like the weight of the world has lifted off my shoulders. Been a long time coming and prepping, and now it's real. My decision for surgery was for health, with diabetes, high blood pressure, and arthritis in my hips. My hope for the future is to get mobility back and get healthy.

My first week I would measure everything in 2oz servings into a small glass or little condiment-like bowl. I kept an eye on my clock on the wall and knew that I needed to finish those 2oz each 15 mins. Sometimes I would substitute 2oz of jello just to have some mouth feel. That got me on track very quickly. At the top of every hour the 2oz were protein drinks - either isopure the first 3 days, or premier protein once I moved to thick liquids. I stopped measuring on week 2 as I know how much I can sip. I know I can take 1oz sips now and do my 2-3oz in just a matter of a couple minutes at the most. I am still hitting the top of the hour with protein, although now I can mix in hummus, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc. It is very easy to slip and get distracted and lose track of time. Just keep on it. The more you set a schedule and routine early on, the easier it is to keep up with and will establish automatic reminders for yourself.

Had my post op appointment today. They said everything was great! I have some weirdness from having a surgery like toe numbness- but they didn’t think it was from this surgery specifically and may be from laying on the table weird or whatever. They prescribed some b1 vitamins in case it is due to a vitamin deficiency. I am down 17lbs since day of surgery, 29lbs down from when I got home from the hospital. Has anyone else not been given a goal weight? I forgot to ask if they had one for me. Personal goal would be 170lbs (which is probably still overweight for my height!). I can have cottage cheese, yogurt, ricotta, and eggs starting tomorrow. I just made up some egg salad and had a teeny taste and can’t wait for my teeny tiny teaspoon of it tomorrow!!! 😬😬😬