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Okay, I'll do it for now. I'm very diligent on mydailyplate so I probably will get tired of doing it in two places. We had church last night and this was the dinner served. It was soooo good!! I think considering I did pretty well. 5 months ago, I'd have eaten tons more! Yah for progress!! Date: Oct 1st What Did You Eat Today?: B - coffee w/ f/f creamer and splenda, black bean garden burger w/ salad, lite dressing and veggies (weird, I know); L - Soy Protein shake with blueberries; S - 1/2 c plain f/f yogurt, 1/2 c blueberries, 1/2 nature valley bar (crushed), 1 T almonds. D - 1/2 chicken fried steak, 1/4 c mashed taters, 1/4 c gravy, 1/2 c corn, bite of salad (wanted the bad stuff more), and bite of a biscuit, 1 small slice chocolate bundt cake. Late snack - cup of sugar free hot chocolate. Protein: 62g (1317 cal) Water Intake: 2.5 liters Exercise: 3.91 miles walked; 1.3 mile (15 min) run treadmill (cal burned: 539) Anything to add:

Here's today. I just got back from the seminar I was speaking at and got lots of compliments on my look/success. So, tomorrow is a new day and I will do better! I have one week to wait till I finally get some refill so I refuse to go backward. Date: Oct 2 What Did You Eat Today?: B - 1/2c FF yogurt, 1/2c strawberries, 2tbls high Protein granola S - G2 gatorade L - Small frozen pizza :tongue: 5 mini chocolate chip Cookies S - 10 garlic breadsticks with 2tbls spinach artichoke allouette cheese, 7 mini tootsie rolls, 10 mini oreos D - 1 cup egg drop soup w/ 1/2c chips & 1 egg roll Protein: Water Intake: 8 cups Exercise: 15 min elptical; 40 min treadmill 5% incline @ 4mph, 15min yoga

Re: Our Journal - April Avengers Okay - Where's everyone??? I want to know if I'm the only one here struggling. If you are eating wrong - it is okay...let's get on track. Date: 10/10/08 What Did You Eat Today? Breakfast: coffee, 1/2 BK Wrapper Lunch: Potato Soup Dinner: chicken salad (made with spinach dip), Yogurt, Banana & 2% Milk Snack: Protein shake Protein: 69 Water Intake: 4 liters Exercise: Body Sculpting (300 cal burned) ----------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10/11/08 What Did You Eat Today? Breakfast: Orange juice Snack: Popcorn Lunch: Chicken Salad & Jr. Lunchables Dinner: 2 Hushpuppies, ketchup, peach cobler, milk Protein: 41g & 965 cal Water Intake: 5 (16 oz cups) Exercise: Housework ----------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 10/12/08 What Did You Eat Today? Breakfast: None (slept in)Snack: Great Value Cheesy Puffs Lunch: Hamburger Helper Cheesy Hashbrowns Snack: 2 tb cookie dough Dinner: Hamuber Helper Cheesy Hashbrowns, Milk Protein: 52g & 1310 cal Water Intake: 5 (16 oz cups) Exercise: Housework I snacked on darned cheesy puffs most of the day. I craved milk all day - probably had 3 cups of milk. Sunday was a tough on plan day. Back on plan on Monday! Did good the rest of the weekend though.

Whoever came up with these Greek Yogurt 100 Calorie containers is an outstanding person because this is the ONLY thing getting me through my pre-op diet. I can have one of these a day and it's becoming the highlight of my entire day. So thanks, Yoplait!

I've been adding Isopure unflavored protein to my yogurt, very surprisingly good.

My program had puree and other heavy liquids/mushes in the hospital (scrambled eggs, yogurt, etc), continuing at home and progressing to other soft proteins as tolerated the first month, with liquids as needed for protein, etc. It's curious that you had that liquid pre-op diet - most of the programs that I have seen that have the experience and confidence to use a fairly quick post op progression don't do any extensive pre-op dieting (we just had the normal day before GI surgery liquid diet and clean out.)

Okay my doctor requires you to do 10 days pre-op liquid diet. I am on day 4...my surgery is scheduled for next Thursday at 7am. I AM SO HUNGRY I could put salt and ketchup on the dog and eat her! I never really noticed how many fast food commercials were on TV...but now it seems it's all I hear and see. Any suggestions? I am so tired of sugar free Jello, Sugar Free Fudgicles, Soup broth, Crystal Light, Diet Coke and Light Yogurt. (SIGH...I want a cheesburger SOOOO bad)

Yogurt is my almost daily breafast, about half a cups worth it some berries or banana. A tablespoon of LSA and some walnuts, and its a very nutritious meal - and definitely gets me through. Adding crap empty calories like syrup or splenda though, not so much. I would be hungry quickly if i ate that. Thick homemade soup is another staple i make them full of chickn, vegies, brow rice. Theres no way that is an inadequate meal. Again, quality counts. Canned soup is rubbish, again just empty calories.

Unless the soup has a lot of chunks and pieces, most would consider it a slider because it goes right through the band like a liquid. Technically speaking, yogurt and Protein shakes would be sliders too. With that said, some are very good for you in moderation. Some surgeons won't allow them though so be sure to check with yours to be sure. As for myself, I have a protein shake for breakfast every morning and I enjoy a nice cup of soup for lunch sometimes, too. With all of them the key is portion control and moderation regardless of how much we can physically consume.

Happy Father's Day from BariatricPal! #outlook a {padding:0;} body{width:100% !important; -webkit-text-size-adjust:100%; -ms-text-size-adjust:100%; margin:0; padding:0;} .ExternalClass {width:100%;} .ExternalClass, .ExternalClass p, .ExternalClass span, .ExternalClass font, .ExternalClass td, .ExternalClass div {line-height: 100%;} #backgroundTable {margin:0; padding:0; width:100% !important; line-height: 100% !important;} img {outline:none; text-decoration:none; -ms-interpolation-mode: bicubic;} a img {border:none;} .image_fix {display:block;} p {margin: 1em 0;} h1 { color: white !important; } h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 {color: #333333 !important;} h1 a:active, h2 a:active, h3 a:active, h4 a:active, h5 a:active, h6 a:active { color: red !important; } h1 a:visited, h2 a:visited, h3 a:visited, h4 a:visited, h5 a:visited, h6 a:visited { color: purple !important; } table td {border-collapse: collapse;} table { border-collapse:collapse; mso-table-lspace:0pt; mso-table-rspace:0pt; } a {color: #4a8aca;} /* Unhides cells that we set to hide in the HTML in case the client doesn't support style properly */ *[class~=hidePhone] { display : block !important; width : auto !important; max-height: inherit !important; overflow : visible !important; float : none !important; } *[class~=hidePhone][width="30"] { width: 30px !important; } *[class~=hidePhone][width="40"] { width: 40px !important; } td[class~=hidePhone] { display: table-cell !important; } @media only screen and (max-device-width: 480px) { a[href^="tel"], a[href^="sms"] { text-decoration: none; color: blue; pointer-events: none; cursor: default; } .mobile_link a[href^="tel"], .mobile_link a[href^="sms"] { text-decoration: default; color: orange !important; pointer-events: auto; cursor: default; } #userPhoto, .hidePhone, *[class~=hidePhone], td[class~=hidePhone] { display: none !important; } .responsive_table > tr > td, .responsive_table > tbody > tr > td, .responsive_table > tr, .responsive_table > tbody > tr { display: block; text-align: left; } html[dir="rtl"] .responsive_table > tr > td, html[dir="rtl"] .responsive_table > tbody > tr > td, html[dir="rtl"] .responsive_table > tr, html[dir="rtl"] .responsive_table > tbody > tr { text-align: right; } .responsive_row { margin-bottom: 10px; } .responsive_fullwidth { width: 100% !important; } } @media only screen and (min-device-width: 768px) and (max-device-width: 1024px) { a[href^="tel"], a[href^="sms"] { text-decoration: none; color: blue; pointer-events: none; cursor: default; } .mobile_link a[href^="tel"], .mobile_link a[href^="sms"] { text-decoration: default; color: orange !important; pointer-events: auto; cursor: default; } Store Forums Magazine Activity Hey BariatricPal Members! You can get your quality time with Dad if you keep him company while he grills up a healthy dessert in the form of peaches, pineapple, or watermelon. Slice the fruit and grill it plain or with a bit of cinnamon or balsamic vinaigrette. You can put a small amount of goat cheese or another soft cheese on the fruit before serving it. Guy Bonus: The grill! By letting Dad make dessert, you help him feel useful and in control, and that’s what dads are for, right? • Your Hearty and Healthy Menu to Say, “Thanks, Dad!” • Weight Loss Surgery: A Guy Thing or Not? • Get Motivated with Some Together Time Use the newsletter as a start for some inspiration and ideas, and keep the journey to health going as you stop by the BariatricPal Forums. Have a wonderful Father’s Day and remember what’s important. Thanks for all of your support! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Hearty and Healthy Menu to Say, “Thanks, Dad!” What does Dad want? If he’s the stereotypical guy, he’s pretty simple when it comes to food. Some comfort food can be the most direct way to letting him know how much you love and appreciate him, but you are not doing him any favors by serving up high-fat, high-carb, high-calorie fare. These great-tasting ideas can help you get a Father’s Day meal on the table fast while keeping your weight loss surgery diet in mind. In the Center: Steak A fatty steak can be a diet breaker, but Tender Flank Steak is not. It is a savory and satisfying dish. Preparation only takes minutes; just remember to leave four hours to marinate the meat. Double the recipe, using two pounds of beef, and you will have 8 total servings, each with 26 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of carbohydrates. Guy Bonus: Leftovers! A big steak can do double or triple duty in the coming days. Leave Dad with some large lettuce leaves (instead of bread) and sliced avocados for steak wraps for tomorrow’s lunch. On the Side: Pureed Cauliflower If you’re a meat and potatoes guy, you have to have your potatoes…unless you have Mock Mashed Potatoes. You can make it with frozen cauliflower, or try a blend of cauliflower and cooked carrots, parsnips, or turnips. This is another great recipe to double. Serve it with Instant Chicken Gravy made Cream of Chicken Protein Soup. Guy Bonus: Midnight noshing! When Dad has the late-night munchies, he won’t do much damage by finishing up the “mashed potatoes” and gravy. For Dessert: Grilled Fruit You can get your quality time with Dad if you keep him company while he grills up a healthy dessert in the form of peaches, pineapple, or watermelon. Slice the fruit and grill it plain or with a bit of cinnamon or balsamic vinaigrette. You can put a small amount of goat cheese or another soft cheese on the fruit before serving it. Guy Bonus: The grill! By letting Dad make dessert, you’re help him feel useful and in control, and that’s what dads are for, right? Weight Loss Surgery: A Guy Thing or Not? If you are a weight loss surgery patient or you have been looking into weight loss surgery, you may have noticed something: there seem to be a lot of women! It is not your imagination. About 80 percent, or four out of every five, WLS patients are women. Why the Difference? Why are men so much less likely to get WLS? It is not because men are skinnier; obesity rates are almost the same between men and women. Reasons for the WLS gap may include: • Differences in perception of health, as women may recognize health risks earlier than men. • Cultural factors, as women tend to feel more pressure to lose weight than men. • Perception of need, as men may be more likely to feel that they can do it without surgery than women. More than women, men may feel that WLS is the easy way out, or they may be embarrassed at the rapid weight loss that their acquaintances may notice. They may also feel more out of place ordering WLS friendly fare at restaurants or eating “diet foods” in public. Should You Break the Trend? Male or female, the same factors should determine whether WLS is for you. • Have you tried multiple diet and exercise programs? • Do your BMI and health status make you a good candidate? • Are you ready to commit to a lifetime of healthier choices? If your WLS goes well and you embrace the changes, you can expect the benefits that can make life better. You can lose weight and get back your energy. Better yet, you can spend more time with your kids now and in the future. Get Motivated with Some Together Time At the end of the day what matters are the people you love. For Father’s Day, whether or not you are with your dad, honor the ones you love while you promote healthy behaviors together. Cook Up a Storm Dad may not truly dislike cooking. He may just not know how to cook, especially when it comes to WLS friendly foods. Whether it is father or grown-up child who is the WLS patient, both of you can benefit from preparing some high-protein, low-carb quick fixes as you spend quality time together. • Layer yogurt with Protein Cereal and berries to make an elegant breakfast parfait. • Transform an infamous doughnut burger from a heart attack on a plate into a weight loss special by swapping Protein Pancakes for the doughnut and turkey burger for ground beef. • Toss Protein Pasta with Low-Carb Sauce and spinach or cooked broccoli or other vegetables. Get Active Now and Forever One reason to get WLS is to be able to keep up with the family. To keep up the motivation, try scheduling a family hike or other activity, such as a trip to the beach. Notice how good it feels when you spend the time being active together – or think about how good it would feel if you could all keep up together. It’s a good time to remind each other why the hard work is worth it. Whether you are a dad, a future dad, or a product of a great dad or father figure, we want to wish you a Happy Father’s Day! We hope this newsletter got you a little more inspired to be healthy for yourself and for your family, and we look forward to spending some time with you on the boards when you get a chance! Stop paying for nutritional supplements! Check your insurance eligibility now! If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, please click *|unsubscribe|* or to unsubscribe from ALL BariatricPal E-Mail Click Here.

Have to start using protein powder a couple times a day by drinking or adding to yogurt. Does anyone have any favorites? That can be purchased at a store not on line.

A liquid is technically anything that can go up a straw and at 10 days out they can be quite thick. There isnt any need to live on shakes. You could blend up a decent Soup - one that contains meat and Pasta for example. If you need to thin it, do so with some chicken stock or a canned tomatoes, Water or milk, depending what it is. You can also blend fruit, yogurt and an egg with some flavouring, it doesnt have that horrid soy-ish Protein shake taste. You can put bran or other Cereal in it too. You can thin anything to a liquid, even a roast dinner. Just make it into a savoury soup with stock. Just keep it to healthy, energy giving foods and dont eat them in solid form until you are allowed to.

Is cottage cheese and yogurt part of the Pureed stage

I am 9 days post op and still on liquids and can't have yogurt. Well just take it slow

Hi all! Karen here from Pennsylvania. I had my lap band surgery last Dec. on the 16th after trying way too many costly weight loss options that never worked, including about $900 on hcg injections. I'm the only patient in my county who has Hashimoto's hypothyroid autoimmune condition so my doctor says I'm "special" because he's the only doctor who has a patient with this condition, so he gets to report back on my progress, which so far seems to be going really, really slow. I lost 15# in the first month and another 3# in the second month and nothing since, despite two fills, the second of which was just last month. The only difference I've notice is that I have to eat a lot slower, especially my scrambled eggs & cheese, so it takes me longer to eat. Since I have this autoimmune condition which is accompanied by a gluten intolerance, I rarely if ever eat any breads. My menu is so simple it's pathetic: gluten free Chex Cereal or eggs & cheese for Breakfast, brown rice & peas for lunch and again for dinner and an apple and yogurt with each meal. Evening snack, 1-2 bags of microwave popcorn. That's pretty much it. My doctor says that's fine as long as I take Vitamins. I just started my exercising again last week so I'm hopeful that adding an hour mixed cardio and stretching will help speed up the process but I'm not going to stress over it. I'm eating healthy and not overeating and I'm exercising, and right now I can't afford a third fill on the band so I'll just have to be happy with whatever my body decides to do, right? So anyway, glad to have found you all! I get busy with a couple of home businesses so I'm not sure how often I'll get here but keep up the great work everyone!

Drinking Water...or hydrating--period, was very difficult for me; as it is for most. However, in the midst of my exercise routine, drinking water was much easier. Hopefully, you will find it easier to hydrate during your exercise as well. I personally tried to consume higher calorie foods on my exercise days. I needed the energy and sustainability to get through my rigorous activities. My biggest go-to was unsalted nuts or natural peanut/almond butter. At 6 weeks post-op, I know consumption is really difficult. At your stage, Greek yogurt embedded with fruits was my other go-to-food. The extra sugar gave me extra energy. One last tip for hydrating: ice. I love to go to my local Dairy Queen (I'm a Texas girl) and grab a cup of their fine, soft ice and munch on it. It goes down so much easier that drinking water. Keep it up!!!

So the full Fluid thing didn't go so well for me today. I started off slow with a small Protein shake, and then a few hours later had a small amount of fat free greek yogurt, and then I started noticing my stomach was blowing up like a balloon and I started having bad gas pains.....by the time I had some tomato Soup for dinner, my stomach was horribly distended and my left shoulder pain was unbearable! I took some gas-ex and used the hot Water bottle and it has subsided a bit but obviously my stomach wasn't happy with the introduction of full fluids. Which I am having a hard time understanding because I was strict and stuck to clear fluids for the full five days my surgeon recommended. I tried calling the after hours number for the clinic but they could only recommend going to the ER if I felt it was bad enough. So I am going to just drink water for the rest of the night and call my clinic tomorrow. I am also worried that if my stomach distended to far, could it move my band? I am also concerned because I was only able to get 575 calories and 47 grams of protein in which is way below where I should be. I am afraid I am going into starvation mode and it is going to mess up my metabolism! Did anyone else experience this when switching to the next phase?

I've been buying mine at stop and shop if you catch them on sale they are five dollars and as far as the yogurt choban greek vanilla is the lowest ( other than plain which is nasty LOL ) but i have not seen AA in bulk/cases only 4 packs

Honk - Thanks for your input. I should have clarified a few things. I only use 80 cal. light yogurt and my Protein powder is 120 cal./scoop, 1 gm fat, 3 gms carbs and 24 gms protein. The cheese I use it Jarlsberg Light (50 cal./slice, 2 gm fat, 9 gms protein) or sometimes I do use the Laughing Cow Light and spread some on each slice of turkey. Dessert is usually on a Friday and/or Saturday/Sunday night, because I tend to eat less and drink more on the weekends when I'm running errands. Never more than 2 nights a week though. I also eat VERY small portions if I do have dessert. My doctor requires that I focus on protein and carbs and not so much on calories. I do buy lighter varieties of products if their carb count is not severely compromised. I'm VERY diligent about eating healthy foods. My husand and son get mad at me because I refuse allow them to live on junk food and am always looking at the nutrition info. on the products that I don't buy on a regular basis. Luckily, I've always been a healthy cook and eater and I want them to both have healthy habits as well!! I'll try and do a calorie breakdown on Fit day or something and see what my calories look like. I don't think they're very high though. I could be wrong, but I will do some calculations. Thank you for your thoughts!! I truly appreciate your response :0)

This is the handout I received from my NUT: Morning Meal: 1 serving Protein shake 1/2c. outmeal (plain/unflavored), farina, grits, and other hot cereals (do not add butter or sugar) Snack: 1 c. sugar-free pudding lunch: 1 serving of Protein Shake 6 oz. fat-free, low sugar yogurt (<20 grams sugar/serving) Snack: Sugar-free Gelatin dinner: 1 serving of Protein Shake 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce Bedtime Snack: 1 serving of Protein Shake 6 oz. fat-free, low sugar yogurt (<20 grams sugar/serving) 1200 calories per day 60 - 80 grams protein per day (women: 60; men: 80) <= 100 - 125 grams of total carbohydrate per day (women: <= 100g; men: <=125)

Hi Kwallagirl! I am glad all is well with you. I really liked Dr. Yau's comment about the glassess...its does kinda fit eh? I am on day 8 of yogurt and cottage cheese and milk. Ok in the beginning it was easy. NOW....not so much. I can feel myself gagging on the stuff. There are days I dont want to even eat. My big day is JUne 7/07!

I get in at least 65 a day and it was probably around 4-5 months out before I could do so without a shake or Protein supplement. I eat greek yogurt for Breakfast every day and that really helps. I still need a protein shake sometimes when I'm traveling. here's a typical day for me at 9.5 months: Wake up and have a soy latte (8-9 grams of protein, depending on the soy milk I use) Breakfast: Cup of non-fat Fage plain greek yogurt, 1 slice whole wheat toast, 1/3 cup fruit (23 grams protein for the yogurt, 3-4 grams for the toast) lunch and Dinner: 3 oz. of solid protein and some vegetables. A little starch if I have room. (15-22 grams of protein depeding on whether I eat lunch meat, light cheese, chicken breast, shellfish, etc) Favorite protein snacks: light cheese, beef Jerky, light salami, soy milk in a latte or sweetened with sugar free syrup. Lynda

My current favorite -- Fage Greek yogurt and Stevia on top.

I am 8 days post op and I am a little worried that I too do not have any problem with water and 6 oz of yogurt go down just fine. I hope that the full feeling will kick in when I eat solid food again.

Hi Melisa, Most bandsters with good restriction have trouble eating breakfast. The band seems to be tighter in the morning for most of us. Not a unique problem. My best suggestions are to have a Protein shake in the morning so you start the day with nutrition. You could also try drinkable yogurt. Instead of oatmeal, you could try farina (Cream of Wheat) really watered down. The problem with boxed cereal is that when you add milk to it, it expands and can cause great pain for bandsters, whereas the cooked cereals already have expanded during the cooking process. Hope this helps!! Babs in TX 334/180 -154