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One month out I ate a lot of chicken and turkey breast. Buying a rotisserie chicken as the poster above suggests is a good thing - it's many meals. I ate a lot of deli meat and sharp cheddar cheese as well - I rolled the turkey around the cheese - you can dip in mustard or spread on some guacamole or add some cucumber sticks. Frozen turkey meatballs are a good choice. Fat free refried Beans w/ some melted cheddar - top is off with some plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) and, if your stomach will tolerate it, a little salsa - yummo. For Breakfast it has been a Jimmy Dean Turkey sausage patty and scrambled egg. Hope this helps!

At 7 weeks your body is still healing. Your band isn't providing restriction yet so unfortunately it all falls on your choices right now. If your doc has u on solids already try more protein at lunch. I would be starving if I just had a yogurt. I usually need a 3:00 snack of some kind Try not to go over 4 hours without some sort of protein..maybe this will help the starvation monster until you get restriction.....plan, plan, plan. Everything you will eat that dat including snacks...that helps me. Chin up You can do this!!

I love Yasso bars - Greek yogurt, 100 calories and they come in amazing flavors.

The first couple weeks are pretty tough. Everyone experiences them differently. If you need an IV, go get one. You don't want to jeopardize your health. I could not drink much at all - Water, Soup, anything. The Protein made me gag and to this day I can't drink a Protein Drink. Here's how I got through the first few weeks: - heating pad. I had that thing by my side at all times and I slept with it too. Even after the discomfort stopped, I slept with it as a security thing for a couple of weeks. Totally helped. - Change up the liquids. I know we are not supposed to have sugar, but I was starving myself badly because I wasn't drinking anything at all. So, I switched to full sugar gatorade. I would dilute it because the flavor was too strong, but I got some electrolytes and some fluids and I felt better. I also started drinking milk. As soon as possible, I started drinking liquid yogurt and not the sugar-free kind. Your doctor may not recommend that for you, but that is what I did to maintain my health. I should say that something that tasted good one day would taste terrible the next, but I kept trying so that I could stay hydrated and nourished. - My doc said no Vitamins for the first 2 weeks so I didn't worry about it. - ACID REDUCER!!!! You must take one. I had dissolvable nexium from Mexico. Ask your doctor what you can have that blocks the acid production. I took this religiously for several months. In fact, in the second month I was taking 2 a day. These will save you!! The side affect for me: water tasted terrible. I finally realized that was why I had such an aversion to drinking water in the beginning - my acid reducer changes my tongue somehow. However, you need to take the acid reducer so your stomach can heal and you don't damage your esophagus. - Try to treat each day as a new experience. This part of the journey really sucks. I was dead-exhausted for 8 weeks because of the lack of protein and calories I took in. It was horribly depressing and I thought I would never get through it. After this, you will feel better. You will have different hurdles as you go along (head hunger, anyone?). This is by far the hardest part. Do everything you can to stay hydrated, it will help. You will make it!!!

I am not on pain meds like you, but when my doc told me I could go back on all my meds I had to make adjustments. Any that could, I cut in half with a pill cutter. I take fish oil and Cosamin DS for my knee arthritis. Cosamin capsules can be opened and mixed in cold food (not hot) such as yogurt or applesauce. However my fish oil was a gelcap. I did some research and found a liquid mint flavored fish oil. One tablespoon actually gives me more Omega 3s than the 2 gelcaps I had been taking. Also Cosamin now has power packs, a packet with powder to be mixed in a bottle of Water, similar to Crystal Light flavors. I get my Cosamin and water at the same time. As for your time release med, check with the prescribing doctor to see if you can cut it and if not if there is an alternative you can take in a liquid or pill that can be cut. And after fills for a day or two you should cut pills. I didn't after my first fill because I was in a hurry for work, and the pill got stuck. I had my first sliming experience on the parking lot next to my car. The pill dissolved enough to pass shortly so it wasn't too bad. You just need to talk to your doc to see what alternatives exist for you. I was fortunate and didn't have a lot of pain post op. Good luck on your journey.

Woo Hoo!! I was banded May 4, and as of today, I'm down 40 lb. If I weigh tonight, it may only be 37 lb, but I'm takin' it!!! I'm still having trouble swallowing though. I haven't had a fill at all yet, but scheduled for my first one tomorrow. I think my biggest problem is still taking bites and sips that are too large, then I immediately get that awful pain. I thought the food was supposed to stay in the "pouch" (I'm not even sure I have one yet, since I haven't had a fill) for a while before passing through. I feel this pain within 5-10 seconds after I swallow. It's crazy, I can eat something crunchy, like a Pretzel Thin with hummus, and it goes through fine. Some of the softer things (like Greek Yogurt.. thicker...) will cause the pain. I'm thinking it probably has more to do with the size bites/sips I'm taking than the actual food product, though. On Thursday I was getting ready to go on a little day trip, and tried to eat some Greek yogurt for Breakfast. No way. It just would not go down. So I had nothing but coffee. Later in the day, I tried eating a few chicken nuggets from Wendys (I know, poor choice, but I needed something to eat while driving) and took little tiny bites of those, and they went down fine. Took me 45 minutes to eat them. Just seems strange that the nuggets went down with no pain and the yogurt just about killed me. I am SUPER excited about the weight loss, though! 20 lb on preop, now 20 lb since surgery. I'm wondering, though, if "this" is what it feels like to be at the sweet spot. I'm not hungry, I'm losing weight... so is it possible that i can be at restriction without even the first fill? I guess I'll see what my surgeon says tomorrow about whether or not to give me one. This is a crazy journey!

No, full liquids. But I keep hearing about other people who get to move on to the puréed stage much quicker. I am soooo tired of protein shakes and plain yogurt. I just want something hot that isn't broth lol.

Yes I'm still on my full liquid phase...and I can have runny sugar free pudding, watered down low fat cream soups...although I haven't really been eating those because they fill me up and don't have much Protein...I can also have yogurt which is really delicious. I get the low fat yogurt and mix in my nectar vanilla torte Protein powder...I eat about a half cup throughout the day...it is really yummy. I'm pretty sure you can have all that stuff too!

Per my Dr.'s instructions, I was only on clear liquids for 2 days post-op. Yogurt was part of my "full liquids/pureed foods" diet which started on day 3 after surgery. I'm sure you would be fine. Just take it slow and make sure there are no small bits of fruit...it has to be completely smooth so as not to get stuck in your staple line. Sent from my SM-N920T using the BariatricPal App

This is a great time to learn to be able to do things that we think we can't take. You have made a huge decision to change your lifestyle and your postop diet is part of it. At least call your surgeons office and ask if you can add yogurt. You really don't need strangers approval to do what you want to do. I know for me, it was important to be able to meet my Protein and liquid goals and follow my plan. I found each stage to get tiresome because I wanted what was coming next. It is a very small sacrifice in the big scheme. And that first scrambled egg was the best ever! You will get there. This!

Welcome Kayla. It varies from person to person with what foods they can tolerate. I've had two fills and had pretty good restriction with the second one for about a week. During that week, I was really restricted in the mornings, so I drank a Protein Shake for Breakfast. By lunch I could tolerate softer foods like oatmeal, yogurt, etc. (anything mushy). I ate Snacks in the afternoon like: nuts, granola, those 100 calorie snack packs. And by dinner I could eat pretty much whatever, as long as I chew very well. I usually eat fish and vegetables. I have eaten some bread, toasted goes down easier for me, but I try to stay away from bread just because I could easily get addicted to bread again, if I'm not careful. I haven't had any problems with cheese, I love it. I have been too chicken to try steak, but ground beef did okay with me. You could also try substituting ground turkey or chicken for the beef. It's probably going to be different for you, just remember to take it slow when trying out new foods. Good luck with your surgery and hope you have a speedy recovery.

I was sleeved on the 21st, and I'm having a terrible time with Water. I used to only drink when I felt thirsty, so it's hard for me to get the 64 oz. Plus water makes my tummy all gurgly. I'm focusing on my Protein (greek yogurt has been my savior) but I know I'm nowhere near what I'm supposed to take in. ~*~Heather~*~

I use in place of sour cream and it was the same to me. On top of chilli for example. It also matters what brand. I tried chiobani and HATED it! Was too strong. I use fage now and love it! It has a much milder flavor. So not all Greek yogurts are created equal lol. I use in in place of cream or mayonnaise sometimes. I made a soup today that I wanted I make 'creamy' so I stirred in some Greek yogurt at the end. I also make a good home made ranch dressing with Greek yogurt, tiny bit of LF mayo, garlic powder, milk and black pepper. It's way better then any dressing in the bottle I've ever had. It's also great in tuna and chicken salad as mentioned. Experiment and you'll find lots of uses

@@tamtam75 My name is Tammy too ???????????? I had my surgery on December 2nd and have loss 18 pounds so far. I haven't tried adding yogurt to my protein shakes but thinking about doing so. Congrats on your weigh loss so far.

Make sure you are on the solid proteins if your diet allows. Yogurts, ricotta and all that are slider foods. I was told by docs office to get solid proteins in with three meals and that has made all the difference. I think we are still figuring this thing out as I had my surgery 2,weeks before u... Learning what works and what doesn't. Drinking water helps also and I had to up my carb intake ( complex) to curb hunger and do more exercise to speed metabolism and burn it off.

Thanks for the congratulations! I've probably lost more by now, but I haven't weighed myself for a while. My jeans are getting looser come to think of it. Now you've made me curious! I don't eat Snacks, just three meals per day, so the Protein drinks would count as a meal. If I wake up late on a weekday, I'll blend up a quick Protein shake and take it with me! That way, I'm not tempted to stop by McDonald's for a fat-laden breakfast sandwich (that will just make me gag anyway)! LOL! While on the subject of fast-food places, I sometimes end up going out at lunch with colleagues which could be a problem. I do my best to pick the lesser of all of the evils on the menu. For example, at Wendy's I'll get just a grilled chicken sandwich, eat the insides of it, and leave the bread behind, get a salad, or I'll order just a cup of chili. At Burger King or McDonald's, I order the grilled chicken sandwich (not a combo meal--no fries, onion rings, or drink--just the sandwich) or get a salad with fat free dressing. If a pizza place serves salad, I go with that or sometimes a wrap sandwich (I usually have leftovers with either option). If the pizza place only serves pizza, I order a slice of veggie pizza and eat mostly the toppings on it. Mexican food can be tricky because a lot of it is loaded with fat from cheese, sour cream, and guacomole. I usually get fajitas and eat mainly the meat and veggies. I like getting that because I get a lot of leftovers out of one meal! Less work for me! If I'm stuck picking up something real quick at WaWa's (a gas station convenience store), I look for yogurt, string cheese, cottage cheese, South Beach protein bars (19g of protein and low carb!), or Slim-Fast Optima shakes (low carb). The bottom line is that you gotta do the best you can with the food choices that are available sometimes!

Day 6 was the return to work. Which was good and bad. Good because I have an office that I can't readily see everyone so when they're chowing down out there I'm oblivious. Bad because I work in entertainment and entertainment people are ALWAYS. EATING. So there's always yummy food just around the corner. Of course on the day I return there's a meet and greet with an artist and they catered it with the most delectable smelling soul food. But... I sipped my water. I went to Hale and Hearty to get soup for lunch because I figured if I try to incorporate normality in this not completely normal way of doing things it won't feel like so much of a restriction. So yes, go out at lunch and purchase a lunch (even if it IS broth) and then come back and eat it at lunch time just like it's an actual meal. I asked them to give me just the broth from the chicken noodle soup but I forget that their soups are mass made and stew for a while in those vats so the ingredients tend to melt and fall apart... making it very difficult to get a spoonful of just broth. But I worked at it long and hard and got my broth out. I was proud of myself. Day 7 was my follow up at the doctor. Traffic made me late (I was pissed) but when I called and asked if I could still come in they assured me that they'd see me at whatever time I showed up. That put me at ease, so I enjoyed the rest of the ride there. I got there and they saw me almost immediately. Firstly for the weigh in. They have this huge plate that you step on and the read out for the scale is off to your left (you the weigh-ee are facing a wall)... so you kind of have an option of NOT looking at the number. Which I kind of didn't want to see. I stepped on and clinched my eyes closed ... What if I hadn't lost? What if it didn't budge? What if i GAINED...? *gasp* I mean... my TOM is looming... maybe I'm retaining water... all these thoughts poofed like a little cloud when I heard the nurse say, "Well, look at you?!?" I turned to my left and there it was. 226. Quick calculations in my head (because I'm soooo bad at math). 14 lbs... in 7 days. Really? REALLY? Okay okay - don't get TOO excited... just calm down because ... cause .... WOW 14 LBS????? Man! Then a chat with my surgeon who explained why I had 3 incisions instead of the afore promised 1. "Your liver was a little enlarged. So we needed an additional trocar to hold it up better so we could see." Sure didn't love hearing that. But hey... they made it happen. He took a quick look at my incisions, asked me if I'd had any vomiting or nausea, gave me the clean bill of health and then whisked me off to the nutritionist. She marveled at the number and kept stopping short of saying "you got through this all with flying colors!" She'd say "You got through this all with... you did really well." And I'm wondering if that's like a jinx thing for her... or maybe she forgot the phrase. Whatevvs. She went over what my next 3 weeks should look like. Talked about 2 protein shakes a day to supplement my 48 ounces of liquid. Just that for 1 week. Then in week two introduce thinned liquid foods - mashed potatoes, cream of wheat, farina, oatmeal, lowfat yogurt, pureed vegetable only soups (with NO "beans" in them -- too fibrous she said). Then by week three, I can start to experiment with the same foods but thicker. She broke it down by saying "do you have kids?" I replied yes... and she said - so you would give a newborn an apple to eat. You'd graduate them to the apple. So you start with formula, then a little rice cereal in the formula, then a little rice cereal alone... etc... I nodded with understanding. She gave me some more accolades and pats on the back and then walked me out to the reception area where I waited to settle up my bill. Then she exclaimed... "WAIT... you had the lap band??" and I said kind of suspiciously, "Yeeeaaaah.....?" And she replied quickly, "Oh noo... come back in here... I gave you the wrong plan. I thought you were a Sleeve patient by the amount of weight you lost!" The little cheerleader inside of me did a backflip. She called me back in and quickened the plan. NOT over 3 weeks. Actually I can start experimenting with foods THIS week, etc... then the following week for pureed foods, then to solids adding one a day. I finished by asking her if I could stick to the Sleeve plan and before I could finish the question she said "Absolutely!!" Things are going well. NOW... i gotta manage my expectations and reactions for the slow down which may or may not happen... so I don't get discouraged. But for now? I'm walkin' on sunshine! #lovethelapband

I can't drink whey at all - it makes me very nauseous and I get flushed and hot. But I can eat cottage cheese/yogurt just fine. I love NowSports Soy Protein Isolate - sold on Amazon. Unfortunately there's not a lot of good tasting alternatives that aren't whey. NowSports is really the only one I've found that tastes good - after spending $$$$ trying tons of different brands of egg, pea, rice, and fish/beef proteins. MRE Lite is pure animal protein (like salmon/beef) and their dutch apple pie is okay.

Strained soups saved me while on the liquid stage. Tastes much better than broth. Yogurt & applesauce too.

Hi everyone I was sleeved on 3/29.finally feeling pretty good, I am walking and even working a bit. I am down 9.5 lbs. Today I started feeling really hungry. I am currently doing premier protein, triple 0 Oikos yogurt, and protein water. Looking for some additional liquid/soft options

Hey there! Congrats and good luck! The hotel you'll be staying in is very nice...it's close to an HEB so you can buy water, c-lite, and yogurt. If I were you I would take a pill crusher...You won't be able to pass those pills. I was lucky someone had one I borrrowed. Also if you go to the Sanborn's, they have chicken broth. It's listed as consume de pollo. I had my last meal there just because I wanted to feel normal at a table with others. I squeezed lime juice in mine mmmmm tasty! Everyone at the hotel is really nice. Oh yeah, make sure you buy a calling card at HEB! The cashiers have them up front. We bought on for 100 pesos that had like 60 minutes or so...also if you use it at the hotel you have to tell them to open the line. If you are having your surgeries at San Jose Hospital, you will not be dissappointed! It is immaculate. Good Luck to you both. Let me know how it goes! Happy New Year!!!

I weaned off shakes as fast as I could. I do not like the chemicals. EVERYTHING I eat has Protein in it. Period. Thats how you get it in. eggs, cheese, Cottage cheese Sausage, bacon, Breakfast meats, lunch meat of all kind. Currently my fav is butter basted turkey from Fresh and easy. Roast beef and cheese. Soups (easy to add any kind of protein to that) Yogurts Peanut Butter Nuts of all kind especially Almonds Fish fish and more fish Legumes

Dannon fit and light greek has flavored yogurts that are smooth without chunks like key lime or banana cream. There are other brands of flavored yogurts as well. At the beginning you just want to stay away from anything with "bits" in it. You can of course add flavorings like Tirani syrup and sweeteners to plain yogurts if you prefer.

I was only allowed drinkable yogurt. Real yogurt was said to be too taxing on digestion.

I can eat pretty much the same stuff as I did pre-op, but I'm much more Protein focused now. So I have lowfat cheese and lunch meat, greek yogurt, and soy milk (can't tolerate regular milk post-op). Since I eat so much less than I used to, I'm careful when buying fruits and veggies. I like the small tangerines because they are a good snack size. I also like the bagged spinach, because it's easy to just throw a little in a Soup or sandwich, or wilt some to go with a hunk of grilled protein. I buy frozen berries now because I wasn't eating them fast enough to finish off a box of fresh ones before they spoiled. I buy loose veggies, like a handful of brussels sprouts, or a zucchini. And for drinks, I mostly have Water throughout the day. But I wasn't a big soda lover to start with. Lynda