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OMG!!! Yesterday was so hard until i went to bed at 8pm just to keep from eating. Are we to be concerned about sugar as well? I have decided to track my fat, calories and protein to ensure my diet is low calories and low fat, but the sugar content is extremely high. However, I did manage to get at least 68 grams of protein. My bariatric coordinator wanted me to get between 40 and 80 grams since I am concern about losing my hair....I worked hard at it. This morning i am drinking a Yoplait Greek Yogurt Smoothie which has 14 grams of carbs but only 2.5 grams of fat with packed with 30 grams of protein especially since I added a scoop of vanilla whey protein. Sometime today i am going to call my coordinator because there is only so much oatmeal, salad, fruits and vegetables I can eat within two weeks. I wonder if I can have wheat bread just one slice.

First, you can't really stretch a properly done sleeve. The stretchy fundus of your stomach is removed and what's left is very thick, dense tissue. Do you feel restriction if you eat dense Protein, like chicken, beef, pork, hard cheese? Slowing down will help, for sure, as you'll give your body time to get the satiety signal to your brain. Are you getting all of your protein daily, and your Water? I'm just over 6 months out and if I eat the protein I need and drink 64 oz of water, I'm not hungry and definitely can feel restriction if I push even a spoonful past what I know fills me up. The things that DON'T trigger any restriction are carbs, almost all of the simple ones. I could probably eat crackers until I got tired of chewing them, soft cheeses, yogurt, anything sugary. The best thing, IMO, is to clean up your diet (there's no way I could eat a slice of pizza right now, the dough would kill me) and get back to focusing on protein and fluids, and see if that helps with your hunger. Good luck, and you're doing great by your stats! You're almost at goal!

Hi myshine, You can make your own Protein shakes - use soy milk or no milk - use Water ice and some 1/4-1/2 cup low fat yogurt etc... Just be mindful of the cal if you prepare yourself. Lee

I had to do pre-op twice....2 full weeks of 4 Protein Shakes a day! They tasted like poop! You can do this..I did and so have others....Get it together girl! This is the real deal......lol You get to eat broth, yogurt, etc!....Oh if I only had what you get to have!!!!!!!!!!

I had pain eating and drinking post op and what worked for me was using toddler spoons and taking super tiny bites even if it was something as soft as yogurt. I also drank from a medicine cup the first few weeks and made each little cup last three tiny sips. Eating and drinking that small amounts and that slow got rid of my discomfort. If it makes you feel better it goes away for most of us. I am two years post op and can eat normal bites and eat at a normal speed. Hang in there and congrats on your surgery. The first weeks are rough.

I'm also still in the full liquid pre op phase. My surgery date is April 19th. I think the thing I have struggled with the most during the liquids is that I'm tired of everything tasting "sweet". Protein shakes, Greek yogurt, jello, sugar free puddings...I'm also actually having a hard time getting in the 1000 calories per day that they want me to have. I am able to have some cottage cheese or one scrambled egg if I "need" it. Broth definitely helps but not very many calories in it. All in all, the liquid diet was not near as bad as I had thought it was going to be.

Hi everyone, today is 3 weks for me, I am very skeotical about starting the soft foods because everything that I eat does not tast like food. Maybe it was because it was pureed, I dont know. I do not like the greek yogurt because it tast like sour cream, I do not like rocotta cheese cheese at all, so I'm afraid that it will be hard to get my protein in. I am out of ideals and I really need help. Although I do not vomit when I eat the puree meals, I think that i am just disgusted after the 4-5 bits and I am just nauseated for hours. I am also only getting in 375 calories I need to get to 500. HELP PLEASE! oh and I am not getting in my calicum liquid or chewables, I can not get past the taste. What are you using?

I'm on day five of my pre-op. Every day has consisted of three protein shake and up to six of the following: 1/2 cup cottage cheese (with Franks red hot sauce), 1/2 cup smooth fat free yogurt, no sugar added applesauce with cinnamon, a low fat cheese stick, sugar free pudding, and 1/2 c cream of wheat with splenda. Broth, coffee, tea, sugar free jello and popcicles are freebies! The shakes are the most crucial!

Jack, I know! It's so hard for me to believe that I could have success as well. It's truly a miracle. I had actually been eating fairly healthy foods before being banded about 75 % of the time. But I did overeat even healthy foods like yogurt. And the other 25 % of the time was enough to keep me obese. The band now allows me to make better choices 99% of the time and the consistency has made all the difference. My last fill a few days ago has given me my first real taste of the powers of the band. I don't know how long it will last but it is unbelievable to not have hunger or to eat a normal portion and have it last for several hours. I now know what the band tightness should feel like, not too tight but no hunger several hours after eating. Is this what "normal" people have felt their whole lives? Worth every penny I paid!

What's Optifast? Does it cost money or is it included in the price? My pre-op diet was for 10 days, and all I could eat was yogurt (with no chunks), milk, cottage cheese and 1 piece of Protein like lean chicken, fish and turkey....I hated it. I paid $15,000 for my surgery, and it's life long visits. I guess everywhere you go is different.

So I'm new to this but I had a hernia repair and a lap band revision to gastric sleeve on July 19th! I'm pretty excited with this new choice of life but confused at the same time. I never know if I'm eating enough I always have a rumble in my stomach. I'm not able to drink anymore than one bottle of Water a day. I sip on it all day but never exceeded one bottle. I know that's not good and I'm probably dehydrated but I feel stuffed after a few swallows but my stomach sounds like it needs food. I eat sf Jello, broth, Greek yogurt, and strained Soups but I'm not sure how much it too much. After two spoons of something I'm done. Is this normal?? My doctor has now allowed mushy foods. What should I eat and how much is normal? On the bright side I've lost a total of 19lbs but it sounds so unhealthy.

I'm down 44 lbs since my surgery (June 9) and a total of about 65 since I first went to my doctor. Good protein shakes, yogurt with a lot of protein, sugar free jello and Popsicles are also great

I try to go to the gym for an hour 5 - 6 days a week. (We have a new wellness center that opened just this week - is is simply AMAZING. Left me speachless when I walked in.) Anyway I vary between and hour of Zumba or Body Pump and if I can't make it to the gym for one of these class' I usually do 45 minutes on the elliptical machine. The first time I got on the elliptical I went 6 minutes and just about died. I can do 45 easy now. Amazing what exercise will do for you. Lots of my aches and pains have gone away and when I have those stints where I don't exercise (sshhhhh) I usually don't lose. As far as food, I'm a calorie counter. Altho, I do only eat about 1 cup of food at a meal. Typical Breakfast : Greek Yogurt Lunch: salad with leftover protien from night before or I like chicen salad on a piece of toast or with crackers. Once in a while Soup or chili or a lean cusine. Supper: 3 oz of protien, I don't have problems eating any meat so I eat everything from fish, pork, steak, hamburger, chicken. I always have about 1/2 cup of veggies with my protien and once in a while I will throw in a potato but not always. I also like just my protiens with a really yummy salad loaded with fresh veggies. mmmmmm When I snack I try to eat a yogurt or cheese sometimes a 100 calorie pack of Cookies or a snackwell protien bar. I also enjoy an occassional 45 cal fudgesicle or a weight watchers dark chocolate raspberry ice cream bar. I only buy them occassionally because when they are in the house i eat one every night till they are gone. But, like I said, I am a calorie counter. If it fits in my 1200 limit, it's ok. Best of Luck!

I will be 1 month post op tomorrow. From the beginning of my 2 week pre-op diet to today I am down 51 lbs. I have stuck with the basics. EAS Protein shakes, Jello, Soups, Greek yogurt (yoplay 100 cal,) Those were helpful in getting the protein i needed. Good luck with your journey. Hope this helps

Yeah, the pre-op diet is torture, for sure! If you were a caffeine addict (like me) and/or a sugar addict (also like me), then the initial cravings can be pretty intense. By day 4 or 5, though, you'll already be noticing weight loss and, for me, that gave me the motivation to keep going. Dropping 13 pounds in two weeks was a huge motivator. As Longer Life said, after surgery, you won't be hungry and you'll be pushing yourself to get in your fluids and Protein. "Diet" is going to be your focus for a while to come, although this is really a life change. By the time I got back to solid foods I was definitely over wanting anything sweet, or fat, or slider consistency. Try to find some Protein shakes you LOVE while you're pre-op, because post-op they might be barely tolerable. My tastes changed immediately after surgery AND I am now lactose intolerant. I can do cheese fairly well, but milk, cottage cheese and yogurt disagree with me. If you're having a hard time with the diet because of all the sweet stuff, try some warm broth. After surgery, I found that warm went down better than cold for quite some time. And, all in all, this is a VERY short time period compared to the rest of your life! Easy for me to say now that I'm past it, right? But, it is a short time and soon you'll be back to eating regular food, although not in the quantities you're used to eating. But, you'll be watching the scale zoom downwards, and that's worth a LOT, IMO. Good luck with your journeys!!

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

Just keep sipping...try protein water or pre-made protein shakes like Premier. I'm 1 week post op today and able to get about 64 oz in. Just take sips. I stopped pain medicine immediately after I was released and did chewable children's tylenol. It could be the meds. I haven't taken any more tylenol for a few days. I've also been do french onion or beef broth, move onto yogurt today. Stay strong!

Make sure that 1000 calories is enough... (as tmf has pointed out) Make sure to eat 5-6 small meals a day too (or three regular meals with 2-3 Snacks in between) For breakfast I have a yogurt with a 90 calorie yogurt bar lunch is veggies and maybe a veggie pattie with a bagel thin Supper (my HARDEST meal) is whatever my family makes and I hope it's healthy lol! Snacks: Veggies and 90 calorie Fiber one brownies

My plan says 1oz portions. I'm not supposed to start puree until tomorrow, but I tried a tiny bit of fat-free cottage cheese just now because well I'm a bad person, lol. 1 oz of cottage cheese was a joke. I felt no restriction. I could've easily eaten the entire 4oz container, just like I can down 4oz of drinkable yogurt. I imagine and hope pureed meat will go down differently. Hopefully I'll feel some restriction. 1 oz just seems insanely low. How am I supposed to get my Protein in? Eat 20 1oz portions a day?! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Low fat Greek yogurt with cup of blueberries: breakfast. Lunch and dinner I'll have four fish fillets (broiled) and a can of yellow or green beans. Total calories is about 800. Adding my cheats (sugar and half and half for the morning coffee) and the calories in the chewable vitamins and calcium supplements problem gets me to 900. For snacks I'll slice an apple or a pear. Still at a thousand calories, and protein runs between 80 and 90 grams.

Sunflower, we sound so much alike! Having our surgeries on the same day with the same amount to lose! I look forward to hearing about your successes! The 18,000 also covers my life time fills. I am also on pretty much the same pre-op diet as you RPA. Fat free yogurt, fat free cottage cheese, spinach and a small piece of Protein. I only need to do it for a week and I start tomorrow. I think it's going to be really hard! WTG on the 20 lbs lost...that's awesome! It sounds like most lose around 20 lbs in their first month, I wonder if I can expect the same even if I don't have as much to lose? How was your pain after surgery?? I am not from ontario and have never been to toronto before and the hubby and I are planning on staying an additional three days after the surgery. Do you think it's crazy for me to expect to get out and take in some of the sights?

Thanks to all of u who replied... I am on depression meds.. Maybe I'm not eating enough... I do start with protein first... Mostly eat only fish the greek yogurts and such.. Have to be honest to put anything in my mouth prior to 12n or lpm usually doesn't happen.. Not feeling hungry usually just downing a cup or two of coffee.. And yes I hadn't thought of it but I am on thyroid med and haven't had my levels checked in quite sum time!!! Will call MD for blood work and ck in with the office with my mostly likely not so good eating schedule/diet... Thanks again to u all! Lucy

1) when does your stomach area begin feel less swollen? About a week out for me. 2) what was the best stool softener that really made you go to the bathroom? I never had this issue post-op but I know my surgeon recommends Dulcolax + smallest adult dose of Milk of Magnesia. 3) how did you feel about wearing a compression binder? Positives? Negatives? Highly recommended, it really helped with the pain from moving around. 4) did anyone feel like they may of a had a bit of a tooth ache? No but I know it isn't unusual after general anesthesia -- sometimes the tube they use for your breathing knocks against your teeth. If it doesn't feel better after several days, you may want to get seen by your dentist to make sure something hasn't been knocked loose. 5) when you showered to you let your bandages get wet? Also when did you start showering without bandages? I didn't have bandages, my surgeon used surgical glue to close the incisions. I was allowed to shower (but not bathe) starting 24 hours after surgery, just advised to pat the incisions dry rather than rubbing at them with a towel. This all should have been included in your discharge instructions. If it wasn't, you may want to ask your surgeon or team for their specific instructions. 6) Did anyone have very itchy incisions? Yes, this means your incisions are healing quickly, it's all good. 7) how did you plan your purée diet and real food diet? How do you keep up the weight loss? (I'm really into meal prep, or I was in college until the very end when school became so much), I loved to know any Pinterest boards, or maybe you can post a picture of your sample menus of puréed diet, introduction to foods & maybe a sample menu of what you eat now after a couple of months since your sleeve Well, I'm three years out, not a couple of months. When I was on pureed I ate a lot of cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, scrambled & poached eggs, Ricotta bake, and refried Beans. I would also make little "micro-casseroles" -- a bit of meat and flavorful sauce, pureed, then heated up in the microwave with a little shredded cheese on top to melt. Things like chicken breast + marinara sauce + mozzarella cheese and ranch flavored tuna + fat free ranch dressing + Gruyere cheese or turkey breast + peanut satay sauce + jack cheese. The important thing in my team's plan is that ALL pureed food must be high Protein. 8) Has anyone experienced hair Loss? I've heard it's not so intense but it can make your hair look really thin. Any tips on shampoos or Vitamins or trick to keep your pre op hair?? Almost everyone experiences hair loss. Don't waste your money on shampoos or vitamins or magic potions to try to prevent it -- it either will happen or it won't. Save your money for things like Toppik, Nanogen, or a new hairstyle to camouflage the loss if it happens. PS I never had any back pain. I did have shoulder/collar bone pain from the surgical gas, but that was all gone within a day or so after surgery. I just walked a lot, sat upright (instead of lying down), rocked in a rocking chair, and used a heating pad. Good luck!

This may be a dumb question but what. temprature should you drink your shakes at? Should theynbe room temperature, chilled in the refrigerator, over ice or even half-frozen? . Should they be mixed with unsweetened yogurt or flavorings added? Please veterans give me your input or are clear fruit tasting Protein liquids better? Sent from my VS880PP using BariatricPal mobile app

Protein shakes are best when they are COOOOLD. You really want to stay away from adding any extra calories to those shakes, so yogurt isn't a great idea pre-op. For clear liquid proteins, Isopure Zero Carb RTD are amazing. Again, best served ice cold. You can totally blend them into an thick shake using ice cubes, really ups the experience overall. Also, Protein will cook if it gets too hot, so you can "curdle" it if you try to heat it up too hot.