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I know I would be able to increase the amount I can eat. I have to be vigilant making sure I keep portions low or I don’t lose. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m a revision or some other stupid reason. Froufrou- I seem to have to keep calories low, between 600-700 to lose well. I may do better if I were even lower, but I can’t seem to get it lower and get 50-60g of protein. I think I’m going to buy the unflavored Genpro powder since I hear it has 30g of protein and only 60 calories for about a tablespoon and is nearly tasteless. As far a what you’re supposed to be eating...protein first, then veggies and they say carbs last, but I don’t do a starch on my plate as a rule. I have however had the tiny corn tortillas in street tacos a couple of times. I think they have 7 carbs in each one. Street tacos come with 2 tortillas and I have tossed one, so only eating one of them but honestly they are a waste of calories/carbs without much nutritional benefit. We are supposed to only be eating things that have good nutritional benefits at this point. I am finding that I have to stay focused or I will push the boundaries far enough to just maintain my weight. I have a hard time with my fat brain at night, urging me to eat something, never bad stuff, just yogurt or cheese and almonds, but still calories I don’t need because I’m not hungry and definitely don’t need to eat before going to sleep. It’s an ongoing struggle for sure.

One day I felt a bit like that, I drank my water while I took my walk. The wiggling side to side kinda helped bring the bubbles up. Plenty of people need a prescription strength PPI to help reduce the acid. If u suspect that is your issue I'd call the doc. You may not have to suffer like this. Also, could I ask what you are eating in a given day? Perhaps we can pinpoint something that is aggravating things. For instance, some people become lactose intolerant for a time post op. It varies from day to day, but usually starts out with a protein shake of some kind, usually using water or almond milk, sometimes a little Greek yogurt for the smoothie. Lunch is usually a reduced sodium or fat free chicken or beef broth. Dinner is a creamy soup of some kind sometimes with unflavored protein powder in it. Depending on how much protein I need or not, perhaps another clear protein drink. And all of this feels impossible to finish and get in more than 4-5 glasses of water. I am literally tired of eating because it takes me like an hour to finish each meal and I'm not hungry at all so I feel like I'm just forcing myself to eat and drink.

I would have fainted on clear liquids for a week with my normal pre op stomach ... My surgeon only required 1 day liquids pre op (still tough) then 7 days clear postop --- eventually became super weak on day 6 and started full liquids which helped a bit I've been blending my RTD protein drinks (GNC lean vanilla bean) with baby food like banana or mango or pear - dash with powdered nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla extract Deeeeeeelish!! Will try adding Dannon light and fit Greek yogurt soon with or without the baby food

For Breakfast I am liking plain cream of wheat with milk and a little sugar free vanilla caramel coffee creamer in it, lunch I usually eat 2oz lunchmeat and either a yogurt or cottage cheese, and dinner I like chicken salad and mashed sweet potatoes. Today I had for lunch I had a Gorton's grilled tilapia piece and it was only 80 cal, 3 gr fat and 14 gr of protein!!! I was surprised it had that much. Anyways, a few of the things I have been eating lately. Oh yeah, I snack on the mini babybel light cheese's. What are some of your favorites?

Mine is a 3 month diet as well. 4 weeks is definitely more bearable! I'm 13 days post op today and this morning I heard my stomach growl! But I still wasn't hungry! As I mentioned before, my tolerance for soft foods is very good. So, i started chewing on more soft foods (crab meat, yogurts, sweet potatoes etc). I have lost about 5lbs post surgery but I've lost a very noticeable amount of inches in my waist and my upper body area. My face has really thinned out as well. I'm not really stressing about the number-it will go down with time. I just want to be healthy and not malnourished in the long run. It's hard to even remember to eat! And I'm still struggling with getting all of my fluids in. It's a work in progress! I feel great though! Yes stomach noises!!! My NUT said the stomach noises mean our stomachs are cleaning themselves and I don't think I've actually had real hunger, more mental, no growling due to hunger only cleaning! Yes the number does not matter! Physically I have changed drastically! Jeans are getting looser, roundness in my face too has gone down. I think being scale obsessed will hurt more and I did read that one, your body can be changing the fat into muscle with all the Protein and two, tightening and toning up; either way there is loss in inches, dress sizes and FAT! Definitely feel great too!

Mine is a 3 month diet as well. 4 weeks is definitely more bearable! I'm 13 days post op today and this morning I heard my stomach growl! But I still wasn't hungry! As I mentioned before, my tolerance for soft foods is very good. So, i started chewing on more soft foods (crab meat, yogurts, sweet potatoes etc). I have lost about 5lbs post surgery but I've lost a very noticeable amount of inches in my waist and my upper body area. My face has really thinned out as well. I'm not really stressing about the number-it will go down with time. I just want to be healthy and not malnourished in the long run. It's hard to even remember to eat! And I'm still struggling with getting all of my fluids in. It's a work in progress! I feel great though! Yes stomach noises!!! My NUT said the stomach noises mean our stomachs are cleaning themselves and I don't think I've actually had real hunger, more mental, no growling due to hunger only cleaning! Yes the number does not matter! Physically I have changed drastically! Jeans are getting looser, roundness in my face too has gone down. I think being scale obsessed will hurt more and I did read that one, your body can be changing the fat into muscle with all the Protein and two, tightening and toning up; either way there is loss in inches, dress sizes and FAT! Definitely feel great too! I am like you.I don't believe in weighing myself obsessively.I know I am losing ...it shows in my face etc...but for me to obsess over every pound is not cool for me.It will discourage me.

My surgery was march 12th I've been on puree since and I've found beans work great with a little chicken broth blended. Ive also been doing cannon light and fit yogurt and its awesome. I will say please eat slow no more what you eat because if you eat it to fast you will regret it lol. Good luck to ya!

I think I just might have to! I can do the soups and yogurt and jello. But all solids make me sick!

I am 7 days post op and am having a lot of gas discomfort. Also struggling with the liquid diet. I used to like protein drinks not sure if my taste buds have changed but now they make me extremely nauseous. I've tried a few different powder proteins. Any suggestions. I'm living off yogurt and getting sick of that too!!

I'm 18 days out now , been doing puree since day 3. I do a lot of the re fried beans and yogurts my stomach is super sensitive still, I just need to find a way to get in more protein. I drink the Carnation breakfast essentials twice a day but I need something with more protein I'm gonna start trying different protein drinks.

I had some tomato soup, didn't know it was spicy when I bought it. I was able to tolerate it just fine. I'm one week post-op and on full liquids. I find that yogurt sits harder in my tummy than other things. I'm definitely dealing with head hunger, but my sleeve has no problem in letting me know it's too much. I had broth from Chinese soup the other day and it was the first time I felt over full. I had about 6-8oz total but felt like I'd had a 6 course meal.

Try different protein shakes. I, personally, did not like the thicker ones, such as Muscle milk light. My favs have been EAS AdvantEdge rtd, and Designer whey. I mix the chocolate powder with water and crushed ice, then blend till thick and creamy, in a bullet. You can even add PB2. Alot of people, also like the Nectar products, which are not milky and come in TONS of flavors. Other sources of protein include: egg substitute (is pasteurized so can even be added to shakes) fat free cottage chese/ricotta (you can season the ricotta like you would for stuffed shells and heat with low carb sauce or I have a recipe for cannoli cream) ff/sf Greek yogurt I was allowed those things, even in the liquid phase Are you on regular food? If so, i can give you some recipes for protein pancakes, muffins and cookies. Good luck, it DOES get easier.

Today was: B: 1/2 cup light blueberry yogurt, one mini choc Protein donut (homeade ) L: 1/2 sandwich with arnold's multi grain thin, deli turkey, RF colby jack cheese, mixed fruit cup Snack- Protein Hot chocolate D: medium lo carb tortilla w/ 3-4 oz grilled chicken, RF shredded cheddar cheese, FF sour cream, and mango habanero salsa Snack- 10 bing cherries Lots of H20 also throughout the day!

so far all i've had is my protein drink. it's only 8:12 lol. but i will get my water in today, yogurt, lunch will prob be my leftover beans, another shake this afternoon, dinner is bacon and eggs (they are having biscuits and gravy ). not very exciting but it's food none the less lol.

Same here. I was on liquids for 18 days. Twelve days in those hot dogs looked pretty good and I could not look another container of yogurt in the face; I ate one of them. Also didn't strain out all the goodies from my chicken noodle soup a couple of times. My doc was extremely pleased with my pre op weight loss (22 pounds) and the size of my liver. I was worried about that. She told me if it was too big she would wake me up and we would have to start back on square one, she would not put my life at risk and continue with the surgery. The first thing I did when I came to after surgery was look at my belly (after the dry heaves). What a relief. I'm on mushy's now and loving it. Tahi spicy tuna from Bumble Bee is out of this world. Got a good idea off the Food Network about butter beans, ham and onions all whipped up with my immersion blender (my new best friend). I do not miss cheeseburgers and pizza. There is a whole new world of flavors out there I am discovering. Plus I'm saving a fortune on groceries. Shoot-fire, I may just stay on mushies for awhile. I do need to watch my portion control. I overate last night. Was not a good feeling. Another lesson learned the hard way. Most of us have strayed a little far from the wagon, but we got back on when it left the station. Don't sweat it and keep on truckin'.

I am very glad I had the Lap Band Surgery in September 2011. My weight loss has been slow and, but in the final analysis, I am 55lbs lighter(almost 25% of my starting weight) than I was a year ago! In what universe would I NOT BE HAPPY to loose 55 lbs in a year. I read so many forum posts where people are literally expecting so much that they are unhappy with significant weight loss that has slowed down, or they are no longer loosing 4 pounds a week like in the first weeks after surgery. The nasty secret about loosing weight is that once you loose a sizable amount of weight (whether you think it is good or not), your body adjusts, your calorie requirements just maintain your new weight go down, perhaps your metabolism slows down, and you need to to consume still fewer calories to loose weight. Also, it is very important to realize (and truly internalize) that the band is just a tool. You still need to learn how to eat less, not snack excessively, and learn to find other things to do when you have the urge to eat. As the psychologist at my Bariatric center says, most of the time we aren't really hungry, we just want to eat. And we live in a very toxic food environment, where high calorie, low nutrition food are around us all the time. The band has made it easier to not eat Snacks (hot dogs, donuts, croissants, pretzels), that I see and therefore want to eat during the day. I've pretty much been able to cut out between meal snacks during the day, but still struggle at night. I seem to still want to eat after dinner while I'm watching TV or working at the computer. So I've devised some strategies to resist that urge to eat after dinner. I guess I'm successful about 2/3 of the time, and the rest I just let go. I don't beat myself up, call myself a failure, or think about it. To me that is self defeating and makes me feel bad about myself !!!! I keep a wide variety of nutritious foods such as greek yogurt, hummus, etc so if I do eat an evening snack it is not the end of the world. I'm just thankful to realize that before my band, I couldn't even resist unecessary eating 100% of the time. To me 33% of the time that is tremendous progress! To summarize, the band is only a tool. T0 be successful in the long run (and that's what I'm interested in!), you need to figure out your triggers, and how to deal with them. The band will not do that for you. Naturally, your weight loss slows once you've lost a significant amount of weight, and your body gets used to the band. I consider myself a real (and continuing success) ! I have more to go, but i'll do it slowly, without making myself crazy, which only made me eat more. Also, the bariatric psychologist at my center has been a real help in my journey. I began to see her when I realized I did not have a healthy relationship with food (soothed me when upset or anxious, or even when I felt bad about myself). She tells me that in times of stress (like the holidays, family illness, etc), just staying even is a big victory. If your center has a psychologist, I highly recommend you utilize them. I really think she has been the difference in my success, not just the band. I'm not saying that I'm perfect, just in a heck of lot better position than I was a year ago. What I don't need is to use unrealistic expectations (which just make me depressed and (no surprise) eat more to derail me. I'm not Pollyanna, just much more forgiving of my self. So I'm back where I started this post. I am 55 lbs lighter than last year, and by my 1 year "bandiversary" I may be down even more -- although I'm pretty sure I won't loose 55 more pounds in six months. I'm THRILLED!!!!!

Try using yogurt instead of water, helps mask the awful taste.

I'm down 25 since September 2nd. It's amazing! I actually have some trouble eating anything other than soft foods. It feels like it gets stuck after a few bites in my chest. I love cottage cheese and Dannon fit 'n light Greek Yogurt. The vanilla coconut is delicious, only 80 calories and high protein. I've tried salmon and shrimp. Maybe I'm eating too fast odd. Love my sleeve! I started to work out this past week. I can't wait to get to onederland!

Hey there how was your trip home? I can't seem to get enough water either, have you tried warm tea? I had a really tough time with fluids at first, too. I was just so full and bloated. It got easier after 5-6 days, I still took GasX everyday until day 11. Even still it was still a full time job just drinking from the time I got up till the time I went to bed. Walking helps move things through. And definitely try different things throughout the day 'cause sipping on the same thing for 4 hours gets old. Vitamin water, propel zero, different flavored broths, pedialyte, herbal (decaffeinated) teas, watered down protein shakes, diluted and strained cream soups and drinkable yogurt were all things I've drank since surgery.

Seriously? You got scolded? Look at your progress, look at how far you've come! Yes, we need to re-build habits for life, but I say you deserve a tight hug and pat on the back my friend! I think it is great that you are tracking your food - I stopped tracking for a couple of weeks and I started cheating - not good. I do think that tracking helps keep you focused, it might be one of those good obsessions to have. Now, should you be obsessing about 1/2 a banana? I don't think so. Let's face it, we did get to where we are because we ate too many bananas! My doctor tells me to stay away from foods that trigger my bad habits. I don't ever feel guilty about too many veggies or even fruit. I believe in eating 'close to earth' and I don't think the extra calories from strawberries will get me in trouble. I much rather eat a banana than some processed low fat yogurt, but that's the organic me. I can tell you for sure that you are doing better than I have in the past two weeks. I have gotten lazy about exercising and have gone off track with my diet. I am tightening the belt again, because 2lbs should never turn to 20lbs extra - ever again. To answer your question, my MD told me to eat about 1,000 calories per day. Eat your protein first, then veggies, then carbs, if there is room. And yes, I do have popcorn every now and then. Especially if it will keep me from snacking on something bad. I do stay away from bread (incl. English muffins) only because they trigger my carb craving. Stay the course, I think you are doing great!

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

-------- These days I'm barely getting in 500 cals and scary to say probably only 50g of Protein which is too low for my doc office -- they want me at 65-80g. I'm coming over a setback After some flounder that did not sit well so started back on full liquids at 8 weeks out. I'm almost 11 weeks out now and have been doing ok with salmon and stewed meats. most of my protein still comes from shakes blended with fage greek yogurt cause it takes way too long to eat any solids. Still recovering from hernia repair. Everything makes me gassy these days post flounder so I'm taking ultra tums as per my doc. I take spin classes 2-3x a week and have no idea where I get the energy from But it's a fun stress reliever. I feel fuzzy only when I don't get enough Water like minimum 6-8 cups daily or more on spin class days. Hope you feel better soon.

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!!

Good luck to all sleevers this week. I am finally going in on Wednesday!!! I have to admit the preop diet hasnt been fun...not because I have been starving but because to much of the same thing makes me sick (I.e. yogurts, jello). Hopefully I could get through weeks 1 and 2 swiftly. Pureed food looks good right now lol.

Ok how was the class? I have some of the chocolate Unjury at home. I'm going to use that instead. I'm super excited and nervous too! How is your pre op diet going?? The class was good. Basically two parts, the nutritionist and then the office manager. They both touched on the same things. We had 4 in our group and there were 2 sleevers, 1 bypasser and 1 bander so they had to cover info for all 3 surgeries. We got handouts. I didn't purchase the "kit" with the Protein stuff and Vitamins and shaker bottle. They went over the stages, vitamins, exercise. Then when that was done, one at a time we went to speak with Dr. Johnson one more time before surgery! My preop is going pretty well. My days 1-4 were very easy. Today I had more of an issue (however, any second now it will be that time of the month so I think that is playing a role) but I have not cheated at all. My diet consists of 3 shakes, 2 unsweetened applesauces and a cup of chicken broth. Along with Water. Looking forward to going through this with you! I'm looking forward to receiving all this information. Especially sitting down and talking with Dr. Johnson again. Now this Preop diet is a different story!!! I do great at work, but by the time I leave I'm super hungry and I feel a bit like my blood sugar is low(I'm also Pre-diabetic). So I have cheated my first 2 days nothing big or heavy though. The first day I had a slice of grilled chicken breast and the second day I had a few pieces if pineapple when I was making my shake(even though I'm not too sure that eating pineapple that's going in my Protein shake is exactly cheating). Today is day 3 and I've already had my light yogurt. My diet consist of a shake for lunch and one for dinner, SF chocolate pudding for my first snack, a light yogurt for Breakfast, SF applesauce for my second snack. I switch my Snacks and do a SF Popsicle or Jello. Throughout the day I drink water and 1 small Gatorade. I'm praying that that today is better I'm going to add a cup of chicken broth. You seem very content on your Preop diet!