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Hi, I guess I'm a poor example, as I am :hungry: hungry...down in the :cry dumps, and haven't lost a SINGLE lb. ! I was actually SUPPOSED to have the Gastric ByPass, because my "downfall" has always been my major addiction to sweets, and ICE-CREAM, in particular. Then...lo and behold, when the Dr. noticed that I hadn't written down all of my meds. on the sheets I had filled out, (I left a little note there, saying "Too numerous to write down! Ask me in person!") he said, "Ok...what gives with the meds?" I pulled out a HUGE cosmetic bag full of meds. and once he started checking all the labels, he sighed, leaned back in his chair.....and said, "Ooops! :opps2: I think we have a problem." Due to the fact that most of my meds need real gastric juices, from the actual STOMACH, to be absorbed, properly....there was no way I could utilize these meds, with a Gastric ByPass. And, since most of them, were meds I could not just STOP, "cold turkey"....but were, in fact...not only necessary to my well-being, but also pills that if I WERE to stop, would require a l-o-n-g period of time...in order be "weaned" off of them! So, if by some miracle, my primary physician COULD find a suitable alternative, I would, none-the-less, have to be weaned from the current Rx's.....v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. And, again, it would have to be a substitute, which did exactly the same thing, the ORIGINAL meds did, but which would NOT need the stomach's gastric juices, to get the job done! Arranging all the bottles, into little groups, on his desk....Dr. Rumbart finally said, "In your case, we both know, that with your sweets and ice-cream addictions, the IDEAL surgery for you, and the only one I can guarantee will work, would be the Gastric Bypass. He went on to say, "This is because, with the lap band, you will still be able to eat those things, which caused your problem with obesity, if your will-power should fail you." I looked at him as though he were crazy;:eek: "WILL-POWER???" And, before I could continue, he said, "Yes. I know. You are thinking...since will-power has NEVER worked for you in the past...why would it work for you THIS time???" We just looked at each other :paranoid , across his desk....for what seemed a very long time. I could see the empathy in HIS eyes, and I know, that he could tell how I was feeling, since he could obviously SEE the tears begin to spill out of my eyes and down my cheeks.:think He was so nice...as we continued to talk...and as I TRIED to regain my composure. After we had talked for a long, long time...about the pro's and cons.....he could see that I was totally frantic...and so :noidea: undecided. So, finally he told me to think about it, really, really hard...overnight, because my although surgery was already scheduled for the next morning, he would be more than willing to change the date. Did I think that I could really AVOID eating sweets and ice-cream, egg-nog and cheese-cake, forever and for always....all by myself:ban: ? Because, he hated to do a procedure that he just wasn't sure would be effective, for me ;ie: the lap-band. My mind just continued to race; I had traveled :plane: so far. I had :blah: BEGGED :hail: my husband, to provide the funds, for what I considered to be my "last and ONLY chance" at losing the weight that had been plaguing me for years. We couldn't afford to do it, in the States...as we are retired and on :money: fixed incomes. And, truth be told, even having it done in Mexico, was not something we could really afford, either. His first reaction, was to :rant: rant and rave, and tell me, I must be :der: crazy. He was really, really :mad2: angry...that I would even think :confused: of such a "selfish" thing, and especially :flame: angry when I told him that I had been :phone: checking this out, working out all the details, without talking to him first! But, I :argue: argued that if I hadn't done the :typing: research, first...with facts and figures, to show to him, I wouldn't have stood a chance! He would have just said, "NO!", and that would have been the end of it! Finally, after much :hail: pleading, on MY part...and then a few days of not speaking to me:zip:, on HIS part, I summoned up the courage :yield: to ask, again. To my total surprise, my husband finally agreed to give me this "Last Chance", and spring for the GBP. "On one condition", he said. "You have to PROMISE me, that you will die, :rip: on the operating table!" (You know....there's ALWAYS a "catch" :doh: with him!! Although, that wasn't exactly, the response I'd hoped for :ohwell: ....I thought, "Hey...whatever works for YOU; whatever gets the job, DONE!" :peace: :amen: ! Now, I was faced with returning home, with NOTHING having been done....OR, taking the wild leap into the daunting "Will-Power" Zone, again. A place, which for me, has ALWAYS been fraught with failure.:phanvan My wonderful Dr. had a friend of his, a psyciatrist, talk with me for several hours. (This would NEVER happen in the states!) I finally decided...to change the plan, and take a gigantic leap of faith....(in myself) and switch to the lap-band. Have I been eating a healthy meal-plan, since my operation on the 22nd of Mar.? Nooooo. :spider: I've been existing on sugar-free Jello, sugar-free popsicles, Isopure, and sugar-free Popsicle Brand Fudgesicles. Can't have broth, because it seems as though all of them have too much sodium, which is a killer for me, since I have severe lymphedema. I have also had at least one of those little YoPlait, low-fat bottles of yogurt, as a treat each day. Maybe the lack of weight-loss, is due to the fact that my new sugar-free popsicle addiction, means I eat about a dozen of them, a day! Not good. Not good. I spend hours trying to keep my mind off of eating....but am finding myself, too weak to really excersize. I do try, but only last about 15 minutes, before I just "poop out"!:notagree Also, I have severe balance issues. I tend to topple over, quite often...and so, have been in a wheelchair, for some time, now. Well, as luck would have it, on my 2nd or 3rd day home, I took a rather nasty:faint: fall, as I was trying to go down the stairs. Not Good. I can no longer feel my port, and my Dr. here, could not find it....even on x-ray. Anyway, that's my story...thus far. I'm pretty down in the dumps, about the whole thing....and am honestly wishing, I had just gone ahead and had the Gastric ByPass....and worried about the medication problem, later. But, I took my shot, and now I just HAVE to make this work. :help: I would sure appreciate, any words of inspiration...or advice...from anyone out there. Hope to hear from some of you, long-time bandsters....or even better, maybe from those of you who are just starting out, like I am. Did I mention that I was banded on the 22Mar2006? Thanks for listening.... Nonny

Peanut butter/nuts/seeds all have good fats and some protein. Olive oil, peanut oil, and butter are my go-to cooking fats. Peanut oil handles higher temperatures. (As soon as oil starts smoking, you're damaging it). I get 70g of protein without a protein bar or shake in sight. Cottage cheese, greek yogurt, nuts, seeds, beans, meat, poultry, fish, eggs. Sample daily menu for you: Breakfast: 2 eggs, 4oz beans (21g protein) Snack: 2oz nuts or seeds (14g protein) Lunch: 4oz meat or fish (28g protein) Snack: 4oz cooked spinach plus 2-4oz cottage cheese (whatever you can fit in) (7g-13g protein) Dinner: 4oz meat or fish (28g protein) Yes, it's a LOT of food! But, you're a big guy, and I suspect your weight is stalling because you're not eating enough. Even if you don't eat this much every day, to have an occasional "splurge day", will help kick start your weight loss. I personally also take in a 4oz piece of fruit each day.. but that's optional, depending on your carb desires. (But I skip the dinner, and only have 1 egg for breakfast).

do u live in a dorm or can u cook for ur self? In College if u have a apartment style housing it can be really easy to cook for your self. If u have a meal plan then eating in the cafe can be a challenge. Look for yogurts and softer foods like Soups etc your first little while post op or pack Protein shakes etc that you can eat between classes. Since your surgery is on Wed and u dont go back til Mon you should be fine. If ur keeping it a secret just tell people you slipped on the ice ( if there is snow then) or hurt your self working out if anyone asks why ur taking it easy. The first couple of days can be sore but make sure u move around a lot.

I was sleeved the 12th too, just started on soft foods and I've made plenty of mistakes! When I make a mistake, it either comes right back up and/or I'm miserable for an hour. Stuff that worked: Tuna salad Quail (make sure it's moist) Cottage cheese and yogurt Sweet potatoes Soft cooked cabbage Soft cooked carrots Seafood (haddock, catfish, shrimp, tilapia, it's all good) Beans, refried, mashed, whole, puréed etc Snow cones with sugar free syrup (a blessing on a hot day) Not so good: Cheesy Soups Melted cheese Soft Cooked spinach Soft Cooked broccoli Mashed white potato Good luck!

I was sleeved on 5/31 im on the purée diet but it’s killing me ; I’m so tired of yogurt and purée I would rather go back to the liquids my doctor says to gradually add real food but my sleeve isn’t working with me !! Be careful I felt fine as well then a few bite (even waiting in between bites) and it all comes back up I didn’t know that the sleeve also had some sort of dumping

I had my two week post-op visit today and made my NP VERY happy! After not losing anything at my visit last week, I managed a loss of eight pounds this week! I thought she was going to start doing a happy dance around the room! And while I was extremely happy, there was no happy dance for me. I had just had 20 surgical staples removed and moving that much kinda hurts right now. But I am doing happy dance moves in my head! and cartwheels! and etc! I also had my food plan advanced to the next stage. I still have to drink 2-3 4oz "Protein supplements" (4ozs of protein shake) and I still can have my eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, and shredded low fat cheese, I now get to add MEAT!!! chicken, fish, turkey and soy products! I made a tiny bit of tuna salad when I got home (it was yummy!) and for Christmas tomorrow, I'm making some little turkey meatballs! I can hardly wait! I hope all of you are having a very Blessed and Merry Christmas!

since i have had a tooth problem and a pulling the last few weeks, I have been taking vanilla yogurt (either low carb or greek) and have added a tablespoon maybe a bit more of dry sugar free pudding mix and a scoop of unflavored protein powder and stirred it up real good. It would probably be even better blended in the magic bullet or something like that, but I have just been stirring it and eating it and it is like some kind of fancy desert to me. not tooo sweet and does two things, you are eating something and getting the protein in. I am pre op so I am hoping this will work post op. good luck another idea is to make the sugar free pudding with less skim milk add two scoops of protein powder and divide it into four servings and eat those in a day. I am just not sure how long the protein mixed in something is still "good"

The infection is gone (knock on wood) puss long gone thank god. incision still healing & nasty looking compared to the others which look nice. On full liquids but that's about 2 or 3 tablespoons of yogurt or soup a day. The Percocet wasn't able to block the pain from that even (I refuse to take more than 1 at a time). Finally starting to be able to handle coffee or Metamucil without severe cramps. I hope I can get back to work very soon but can't drive on the Percocet.

First of all I am sorry that you are having problems. Constipation is very painful at times. You probably weren't as clean out as you thought prior to surgery. Sometimes that happens. Second: it's really important to drink your fluids..water is best. Eat FIBER ONE cereal with milk or mix it with yogurt. I also eat a peeled apple every aftenoon. Take 1-2 Ducolax pills each night. Walking is also good to help the system adjust. Third: I don't like Miralax as I think it's too harsh. Metamucil is too thick. I've never use Benefiber but lots of people say it's wonderful. Watch for things that are somewhat constipating naturally..e.g. bananas, cheese. Fourth: About every 5-6 days, I will take MOM to get a complete cleaning out. I feel that the sigmoidcolon is what is being emptied and not the main colon and I want a complete "poop" removement. After, I do this & everything is empited, I eat Active yogurt to replace the flora in the colon that may have been lost. All of this done with my surgeon's approval.

My NUT has me doing 1 week of a 'quick picks' diet then the next week a 'liquid diet'. This is to lose my required 30lbs before they will schedule surgery. Quick picks went fine it's a certain list of foods you chose from for 3 meals and I have protein shakes for my 2 snacks. Then the liquid diet. oh me oh my. I thought I was going to die. I had to have 4 protein shakes a day and 1 yogurt, 1 apple sauce, 1 sugar free pudding, 1 light soup, and 1 cream of wheat. Then I can have all the broth, crystal light, sugar free jello and pop cicles I wanted. I could also have certain vegetables all that would satisfy me. About the fourth day I was a wreck. I just couldn't get happy with what I had and I went for a burger and fries and it hasn't stopped. I have now binged 5 days and gained 8 lbs back. Does anyone have any advice on how to stay on track with the liquid diet. Appreciate it.

@merraculous still trying to learn how to respond on this app or delete post. My pre-op diet is different than yours. I wasn’t told Clear Liquids, just liquids. I’m drinking 3 Protein Shakes and 3 Snacks. Snacks can be: Greek yogurt, milk, sugar free pudding/jello, ricotta, tea, unlimited: Water, zero Gatorade, Protein water, crystal lite ‘true lemon’, día drink. Absolutely no solids and no fruits. I thought by puréeing the Soup qualifies as a liquid lol. You’re lucky to get to eat solids (any solids). Right now I would love a spinach or kale salad. Thanks for the info. Good luck with your surgery too.

Our pre-op diets are very similar. I’ll freeze my black bean yummy soup. I wasn’t told Clear Liquids only, just liquids. I’m drinking 3 Protein Shakes and 3 Snacks. Snacks can be: Greek yogurt, milk, sugar free pudding/jello, ricotta, tea, unlimited: Water, zero Gatorade, Protein Water, crystal lite ‘true lemon’, día drink. Absolutely no solids and no fruits. I thought by puréeing the Soup qualifies as a liquid lol. This is my last week on the pre-op diet before surgery so I’ll try to keep it as clear liquids as possible. Thanks

A lot of people are worried about the liquid diet pre-op (I know I was before I started it). I thought I'd give some info for the curious or worried. I'm on day 3 of 12 of my liquid diet. It is not that bad. Really. I mean, day 1 was extremely hard. I was super hungry and it was hard to watch my family eat all day (and I have a toddler who is constantly sticking grapes in my mouth, etc.). Day 2 was easier. Day 3 is going great. I guess it depends on what your doctor says you can have, but I'm on Protein shakes (4/day), yogurt, sugar free pudding, sf Jello, and certain low-cal low-carb Soups. The Soup saves my sanity because it's not sweet. So far I haven't had any headaches. I am allowed one cup of coffee per day, but I hear this is unusual. I have lost 5 lbs already. In 2 days. That alone will help me stay on it. So, not that bad. If you can, ask your family to help by not eating your very favorite foods for those 2 weeks. Otherwise, it's pretty smooth sailing. I'm eating less than 1200 calories a day (just under) and I don't feel all that hungry. Good luck to those of you starting your liquid diets soon!

@BurningButter! I stocked up on Protein shakes (obvs), yogurt, sugar free Jello, sugar free jello pudding and low-sodium soups. But all diets are different so your doctor will tell you what's ok to have. I'm going out today to pick up some sugar free popsicles to mix it up a bit. My favorite yogurt is Siggi's fat free. It tastes weird at first b/c it's really low sugar, but that keeps the carbs low and once you get used to it it's really good. I'll eat this post-op, too, if I still like it then.

You should have stopped at the yogurt and fruit you definitely ate too much. There is no way you can eat yogurt fruit eggs and fish all in one sitting

Ot fill thurs now 6.5 mls in a 10ml band, away from home stayed on liq.then mushy, just went down to breakfast, had small yogurt and fruite sets, did eat much, then small haddock scrambled eggs, them wham pain pain and then the slim came OMG any suggestions

I'm with you, Shantra -- I cannot figure out why people eat that crap when pure food is so delicious. Why not eat really well, especially when we're having so much less than before? All those addictive chemicals, blech. One of my pet peeves recently is that Stevia is being widely sold in a blend with maltodexterine. For people who have no nutritional background or who are not real label readers, this is so misleading. When I was waiting to be banded I was nervous about having to give up certain foods. One of my fears was that I'd become lactose-intolerant -- no idea where I got that idea except that I love dairy and was nervous about forfeiting favorite foods, etc. So happy that now I can have a little cheese or a small yogurt and it doesn't set me off on a "more, more, more" feast. Love the band and having my appetite dimmed. I feel like I can have what I want and need, just in small amounts.

I drink about 8-10 cups of water a day. I eat and focus on protein. Typical day: breakfast of either 1 c. cottage cheese or Greek yogurt. Lunch of some sort of protein like tuna, chicken ( no more than 2 oz), or cottage cheese. Dinner again is protein in the form of meat and maybe some veg if I have room. Snacks, maybe some fruit, had watermelon the other day. I'm also not that active right now as it's 30-34 degrees C out. I'm not used to this heat and worried about dehydration.

I had vsg on 3/31 and on surgery day was 227 today I am at 202 [emoji20] Sometimes I feel a little discouraged, but then remember everyone is different and everyones plan is different. My surgeons plan has us on soft foods within 2 day. Liquids are only in the hospital, I left the hospital eating greek yogurt, cottage cheese and stuff like that. The one thing I am hoping for is that since weight loss is slower but steady, maybe I wont lose much hair, lol. Just follow your dr's plan and let your tool do it's work. Just think in 6 months if you lose steadily you will be down at least 50 lbs. Dont sweat the stalls either, I had an almost 3 week stall about 9 days after surgery, that was a little torture on the mind, but it also passed. Good Luck on your journey!! [emoji4] Sent from my SM-N920V using BariatricPal mobile app

Good question. I don't know. I just know that mashed potatoes was always mentioned to me during that phase. In fact, I was told to only count Protein grams at that phase so I never thought about the fat content. Of course, be sensible and don't eat too much, especially since there isn't any protein in them either! lol. but a few bites should be fine if you can have some protein of some sort first. I was usually eating a yogurt or cottage cheese before I got to the restaurant so didn't really need to eat much anyway. If I was with people that didn't know about my surgery, I would order the closest thing to what I thought I could eat and just pick at that. Sometimes I couldn't eat hardly anything but would just say that I wasn't feeling 100%.

Not sure how much mine will help, but anyway: Yesterday I had Breakfast: 2 poached eggs, a bit later a pear. Snack: banana, skim milk latte Lunch: tuna sandwich on wholegrain bread dinner: glass red wine, Pasta bake, green salad, coffee (dinner at my sister's). Today so far I've eaten: Breakfast: 1/3 cup muesli with a bit of natural yogurt and some stewed plums on top. Skim milk latte Just made another tuna sandwich for lunch to use up the other half of the can. Dinner tonight is a vegetarian recipe - roast butternut pumpkin salad with walnuts and fetta cheese, have made it before its yummmy. I'm about to go to my sisters and pick up my daughter who had a sleepover, I'm not going to come back and admit to what yummy carb laden indulgence I've slipped in, as she said she's baking, lol.

I'm 39 years old, just about to turn 40 in a few weeks. I've struggled with weight all of my life. My weight caused me to be shy, lack self confidence, and miss out on a lot of enjoyment in life - avoiding restaurants, parties, clubs, social gatherings... you name it. My weight has also caused multiple medical problems - hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea. The "fat triad" if you will. I'm sure high cholesterol is just around the corner. It's also contributed to years of depression and anxiety. My life is half over, and being fat has just made it that much worse. So... I decided to make a change. I had checked into lapband surgery about 10 years ago, but didn't qualify because I wasn't yet suffering from the medical conditions associated with obesity. Luckily, in June 2012 I decided to look up some information. Here I am, a long-awaited 7 1/2 months later, and I'm 5 days post op. In June 2012, I had my first appointment with Dr Adam Goldstein. My weight was 245lb. Like everyone else, there were lots of appointments for clearances from psychology, pulmonary, cardiac, etc. My surgery was approved in December 2012. I had to loose 10 pounds pre-surgery. It wouldn't have been too hard, but I kept looking at things as "this is the last ______ I'll ever have" (insert things like: sundaes, prime rib, hoagies... all my favorite culprits). I did it... but my "last meal" two days before surgery was an entire prime rib from Outback - with all the goodies like loaded baked sweet potatoes included. Truth is... It won't be the last time I eat my favorite foods. Instead of a "large", I'll be eating a small, and making it last for three meals. It's hard to imagine that "nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels" when you are overweight and depressed and in a vicious circle. I got on the scale today, and saw the weight of 222 lbs. I haven't seen that weight in quite a while. It's given me much more ammunition to continue on my path and eating the right things... and not the calorie loaded food that used to bring me temporary comfort followed by lots of guilt. There have been a couple of hard things though... The morning after my surgery, as I left the hospital, my brain wasn't ready to communicate with my stomach. My brain wanted a hoagie in the worst way... or at least a Breakfast sandwhich from Dunkin Donuts. I didn't realize how much mental battle I'd have to do for the first few days. It's gotten a little better, but I'd still trade a first born child for a cheese curl once in a while. The Jello was a welcome friend on the first few days after surgery - but the broth quickly lost it's appeal. I don't want to see any more broth of any kind. I cheated on day 3 and had one potato chip for dinner... and I have to tell you... It was wonderful. But that was it. Short of a crouton or two falling in my broth, two well chewed french fries and two spoonfuls of strawberry yogurt parfait...I'm back on liquids. The funny thing is, when I took the time to chew, and chew, and chew the french fry before swallowing it, I actually tasted it... the rancid grease, the frozen potato...it's amazing how much of the taste you actually miss when you shovel things in whole. There was some pain too. Not much - more like a pressure - especially where the port is. Getting up from a sitting or laying position was an adventure for the first couple of days. Luckily, I have a very loving and supportive husband who was there for me every step of the way. I'm so lucky. I also found that a body pillow became my second best friend. It's allowed me slowly begin to sleep on my side rather than on my back. I'm a side / stomach sleeper, and sleeping on my back was just uncomfortable and led to morning headaches. My body pillow helps put a gentle pressure on my abdomen and provide support. I've got to say, no matter the diet, or the "pain"... it's been totally worth it so far. I'm looking forward to starting the life I want... one that I enjoy getting dressed up and going out and feeling confidence again. The clouds are starting to lift!!!!

I'm so excited, I had my first dr visit since surgery on 9/12 and I've lost 17 lbs!! I got the go ahead to start on level 2 foods. I can have eggs, low fat cheese, yogurt and peanut butter and couscous. He said I could also start using the elliptical. I've been walking a lot; but I believe you get a better workout on the elliptical. The future is looking brighter already!!!!:crying:

I have been banded for a little over a month now (yay! 35lbs lost) and I have found whenever I am hungry even after I've eaten 3 small meals a day I would eat either string cheese or Greek yogurt. It has really helped me doing so because if I don't snack I'm afraid I would turn it into a buffet style meal. Willpower is key in this Chris (Banded 4-15-2016 @328lbs)

@lindafromflorida I did eat something a little yogurt but just a little because I wasn't hungry that is why I believed that I am not experiencing carb craving along with head hunger. I will be working harder on making sure that I don't be put in that situation again. This being the summer there will be many parties I will be invited to also I am planning to go on vacation!!!! So I plan to have my meals laid out ahead of time any follow my plan.