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Thanks soooo much for responding. I thought I was failing at this. I always felt like I was over-full & forcing myself to eat. @Honk I'm allowed to eat soup, cottage cheese, fruit that is soft / canned in water or light, and Greek yogurt. I can usually only manage to get 1 1/2 protein shakes down and maybe some cottage cheese & fruit & that's with trying to drink water.

Thanks ladies! I hope you are right, that maybe my tastes will broaden a bit. I have heard greek yogurt is a good choice, haven't tried that yet. Good luck to you!

Welcome!! I'm 3 weeks out today. The first week my doctor had me on a liquid diet. Then I could have some creamed Soups NO PIECES the second week. I didn't like yogurt either but now I'm a HUGH fan of Yoplait LIGHT FAT FREE...Boston Cream Pie, Lemon Cream Pie, and RED VELVET Cake. Baked fish is good. Wait until after surgery once you can have some of these food. Well I don't know if my taste buds changed but they taste WONDERFUL! LOL The start of my 3rd week is when I could have eggs. Now my NUT told me I can't have shrimp until I'm 6 wks out....I think because of the texture and how my new stomach has to process it. Once you are deprived of food for a while you will start to appreciate anything you can have. I'm in my MUSHIE stage so last night I took left over Roasted chicken and put in my blender with one egg and just a little LIGHT MAYO and some mustard and made a chicken salad. Added a little pepper and it was WONDERFUL! Now I can only eat a little bit of it so I have plent for lunch today and supper tonight. IF my daughter doesn't eat it first. She tried it and LOVED it too! I know you said you don't like this but like I said once you have your surgery and you can't eat food you may find out you do like it. Because it is SOMETHING TO EAT! LOL OH and Mrs Butter-worths sugar free syrup is the BOMB!! It is SO GOOD....NEVER thought I would say something sugar free was so good! LOL GOOD LUCK!!!!

i started my pre op diet today...my surgeon gave me a meal plan that is practically NOTHING. I dont want to set my self up for failure.... but he is wanting 1000 cals/80 grams of protein. I tried broth, jello and shakes for a day and i felt like i was starving to death. I ended up cheating so bad. I dont want to set myself up for failure so this time i added plain greek yogurt to keep me full. I dont want to fail at this....am i already sabataging myself?

So my weight has stalled n well I'm sure I am part to blame. I can eat way more than I'm supposed to. I can eat like 3 peice of pizza with no problems (shame on me) its rare that I splurge.. on a regular basis I get stuck on the 1st bite about twice a day. I'm only aloud 30min for lunch and I usually get stuck the 1st bite no matter how well I chew and I usually throw it up cause I'm so hungry I'm shaking bad. Than some times I don't get stuck . Usually can't eat any breakfast everything gets stuck. Example lunch is 3 oz chicken salad and yogurt or apple. I eat it n feel fine (if I don't get stuck) than 20 min layer I'm super hungry like stomach pain hungry . I dread eating now when the hunger pains come I get so fustrated like..hmm what's gonna get stuck now

I was sleeved on dec 17..so im one day ahead..I have been sipping g2 or propel to keep electrlytes in me..my only source of protein is in yogurt and shakes...just focus on the fluids more than anything..my blood sugar a little low last 2 mornings but when we r able to eat solid food this will help..I also had diarrea ..lots of changes and body doesnt have muxh food in it..hope u r better ( :

Thanks so much for the book titles! One thing I want to ask is what you are allowed right now? My first week I was on Clear liquids plus Protein drinks and though I got my 80 grams of protein faithfully I was only getting about 3 carbs a day and I was so wiped out I could barely speak! My nutritionist said I should be on THIN liquids- and as soon as I added Soup thinned with milk, yogurt thinned with milk, etc. and raised my carbs up to 40 or so my energy level got much better! This week, three weeks for me, I have added pureed food and feel human for the first time- have been able to start working out, etc. Also make sure yo are getting your fluids- it is easy to get dehydrated and that will also wipe you out. Good luck!!!

I guess there are many people who are looking to get this surgery, and reading other peoples blogs helped me make my decision to get the surgery. So I hope my information helps somebody in the same way. So I'm putting all the details I can remember, sorry if its too long. I woke up 6am to get a shower in, pack my bag, get my baby's stuff packed up, as hubby and 2yr old were coming to the hospital with me. (I felt later how crazy I was for taking him, but we didnt really have anyone else to take care of him, and I felt like I needed my husband. And we had a private room) We arrived before 8, and I got changed. Next, they did the laproscopy? The camera down your throat. I was fully awake, I could feel that, I was gagging, and they held me down. I was so shocked, I didnt expect that at all. The whole process was over in 45 seconds, BUT it scared the %$ out of me!! I said goodbye to baby and hubby, and went to the surgery room. I laid down, and I remember hearing them talk in Korean, but soon I was asleep. I have no idea about time, I was totally out of it after surgery. I had barely slept the night before, I have 2 year old who likes to wake up in the night. All I wanted to do was sleep. I remember waking up in the recovery room and them asking me to walk to my room. Somehow I did. I was in and out of sleep after that. I told them I was so hungry it hurt, not sure if it was true, but it felt like it. My baby was knocking things over, crying to be with me, and didnt understand why I wasnt paying attention to him. I asked my husband to take baby and do something else for the day, since I wanted to sleep. They asked me if I wanted pain medication, and I said yes please!! I fell asleep and woke up many times, it felt like I had slept ages, but I checked my phone and it had been only an hour. So I slept more. I woke up suddenly with uncontrollable gagging. Nothing ever came up, nothing in my stomach, but it hurt like hell, and I wanted it to stop so badly. This happened until I fell asleep sitting up. The girl who had her surgery after me, left at 3pm. I felt stupid and weak, but with more dry gagging, I couldnt give a shit. I got more pain relief, and went to bed for the night. I havent gagged since the first day. In the morning, I was ready to go home. My doc put me under the xray to show me my band and port. it looked normal, but strange to see inside myself. All my body was hurting from gas. The car ride home was torture, every bump hurt. It wasnt my wounds, but my body, from the gas. Shoulder?? I still dont understand why my shoulder would hurt, but it did, all my insides hurt. The doctors told me to walk, so I walked around the shopping center buying some band friendly foods for the next few days. But after that I could barely move, I hurt so bad in every position. Until... I farted. TMI, but the truth is, the next few hours my life got better with every fart. I couldnt burp even though I knew I wanted to. I feel more myself today, day 3. I woke up with another few good farts. I think I have one or two more to go, and then I'll be gass free. I'm scared to eat. I mean, that dry gagging was horrible. I dont want to do it again. EVER. I've had corn soup, apple juice, water, drinking yogurt, and my mashed up medicine in water. I dont feel hungry, but I've tried to drink something every few hours. I can sleep on both sides and my back. my port is directly above my belly button. It feels itchy, so I'm doing my best not to scratch. im still wearing my belly brace because it feels good. When I took it off to show my hubby the incisions (4) I felt like my guts were falling out. So the brace was back on pretty quickly. I'm scared for my fill next week. I hate needles. Do I need to have a fill so fast? I havent felt any restriction yet, but thats because I havent eaten any foods. And when I'm drinking liquids, I always stop myself from drinking too much because I'm scared I'll hurt myself. I hope I can find out my limits soon. I asked my doc about the fill, he said i have a 10 cc band, and its standard for him to put 3ccs for the first fill, because I dont have any restriction yet. Could I be healed enough to get a fill?? worried. The first 2 days, I kept asking myself, am I crazy?? What was I thinking?? Today, I'm feeling better and I know I can make it work once I'm 100%. I was so down at the start because of the pain and gas, even last night I was too negative, but now it's going away, I feel like it will be okay soon.

I'm in the same boat now. Reflux and pbing when I eat solids. I got a fill Monday and am doing liquids now since they go down fine. Soup, oatmeal, yogurt, and protein shakes for this chic. I have 8.5 ccs in my 11 cc band and am losing my insurance at the end of the month. My Surgeon was aggressive with this fill and boy can I tell! Gonna allow a few days for swelling to go down and reassess. I literally can't afford another fill so I may have to live tight until I lose enough weight that things loosen up on their own.

I am SO grateful for this website. I am just beginning the process but everyone on here is SO helpful and nice. I am lucky enough to have a wonderful in-person support system. My husband and my best friends are fabulous and I am so glad they are so supportive. But this surgery is all I can think about, so naturally it's all I can talk about. I feel like sometimes I'm boring them with my talk of protein, exercise, etc. I get SO excited when I discover new things that I like that I can have. It's so nice to be able to come on this site and get ideas and be able to share those little excitements. As wonderful as my husband is, when I come to him ECSTATIC about a new protein supplement that I love or a new way to eat Greek yogurt that tastes fabulous, or a new workout that is fun, he stares at me like I've lost my mind. He doesn't quiiiiite get it. And that's totally understandable. But I love coming on here and feeling like I have a HUGE support system. A support system full of people that are in the exact same boat as me, people that are veterans and have amazing advice to give, and even people that are about to have the surgery and understand those butterflies that fill my stomach... my stomach that is about to be REMOVED. lol!! Anyways, just wanted to say thanks to everyone and say how much I love this site. And everyone share YOUR "little excitements" that get you going. Today's excitement was discovering how delicious Greek yogurt can be if you mix it until it's creamy and add some sugar free jam and a tiiiiny bit of milk to make it not quite so thick. MmmmMMMM!! =)

Scrambled/ hard boiled egg, cream of wheat, lite Greek yogurt, applesauce. I'm only a week post op still on Clear liquids. But those were examples I was given Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I thought with me eating much less my grocery bill would go down, but it hasn't, but it hasn't gone up either. Instead of buying crap (little debbie / french fries) I buy healthy things - fruit and veggies. I no longer buy any soft drinks, just crystal light flavor packs for water. I am married so I do have to buy for the hubs, but while he isn't banded he opted to adopted the banded life. He eats the same healthy foods I do just in a large quantity, but hey that is a step. We have opted to oust junk foods all together. So I no longer go down the junk isles. I use to buy a lb of sugar monthly, I have purchased one in 4 months now - don't use it any more. I use to buy hamburger, chicken and pork. Now I still buy chicken, but opt for ground turkey instead of beef and still do a little pork sometimes and a lot more fish. We also use eggs instead of meat - I made an awesome veggie quiche last night and it gave us dinner last night and breaksfast for today and tomorrow- that is the way to stretch a buck. I have learned that Mrs. Dash makes fish better grilled and broiled than it was when we ate it fried. So while my bill hasn't gone down, I feel like the quality of food I purchase is better and I like that. Fresh veggies and fruit are great. My hubs has given up high cal yogurt for apple slices and likes it better. So I don't mind that the bill hasn't gone down quality means more than quantity so that is the aim these days. What has being banded done for your grocery bill?

I'm starving! I was sleeved on April 4th, it'll be a week come Monday since my surgery, and I feel like I could eat a sandwich! I don't have any of the symptoms I've been reading about on here. I've been staying on the liquids, tea, yogurt, broth, and I pureed some lite vegetable Soup yesterday and got 2 meals out of it, but I feel more bloated then I do full. The only discomfort I have is from my outside stitches tugging and feeling itchy, but they are due to come out on Wed., and walking, I walk slow because of all the liquids, I get a cramp in my side if I don't. My stomach is not bothering me at all, even after I pureed the soup, I don't know if I can last another week on just this type of diet. I'm beginning to wonder if they took out half my stomach or missed and took something else? lol.. Is anyone else feeling like this? Has anyone started adding soft foods to their diet, like soup, in the second week without having to puree everything? What foods can I eat without causing any damage to my stomach? Weight Loss Center is your best free resource for [link=http://www.weight-loss-center.net/]weight loss[/link] [link=http://www.weight-loss-center.net/weight-loss-tickers.html][image noborder]http://www.weight-loss-center.net/weight-loss-tickers/uploads/tickers/99331d038db6923.gif[/image][/link]

Hi Everyone, Well I have been placed on this 10 day pre-op liquid diet and I am having such a hard time. Sadly, I cheated the very first day! I did well all day and then late at night I was so hungry, I had a salad with low fat dressing. My liquid diet consists of 2 protien drinks, and no more than 3 1/2 cup servings of low fat cottage cheese or Dannon low fat yogurt, and sugar free popsicles, sugar free drinks and jello in any amount I want. Oh yeah, and all the clear broth I can handle.It seems so extreme and today was better, but I wondering if this is going to get easier or what. My surgeon says I have to do this along with physical activity 3-4 times a week for him to proceed with the lap-band. Anyone out there have any words of encouragement or anything to help me with this trying time. Would love to hear from you.

Thank you to everyone for your support! In reading the replies, as well as some info from this website, I am certainly encouraged! I do try to eat protein first, but I am realizing that some of the foods I eat may be slipping thru the band. ie: Cottage cheese, yogurt. I am trying to figure it all out. I rarely eat bread, that was my favorite food group before the band! The funny thing is I really don't miss it! I don't eat to many sweets...I will keep working on it! Thank you for your replies!

Oh dear.. didn't your doctor give you a list of foods you could eat at the different stages of your healing? You are in stage one, week 1 - 3. This is liquids time, as soon as you can hold down Clear Liquids you can try to add in full liquids, such as milk, proetin shakes, slim fast, tomato Soup, cream Soups, and yogurts .. nothing with chunks though. Weeks 4 - 6 you move to soft or mushie foods. Baby food, cottage cheese, pureed meats, flakey fish, anything soft and mushie that is easily chewed to nothing before swallowing. I have tuna with 2 tbs of fat free dressing in mine to make it more moist. Take small bites, eat slowly (15 mins per meal) and chew, chew, chew. In week 6 we begin to add more foods, but one at a time so if we have any problems we can identify which food it was. Although, from what I hear, you might have trouble with chicken one day and the next day be fine with it. I keep my servings to 1/2 Cup. Note: This is what MY doctor has ME on. If you can contact your doctor you might ask what he or she recommends. If not, this is a fairly good rule of thumb that you should be safe following. And you should be getting in about 60 grams of Protein per day. Most people experience problems with pastas, soft breads, hamburger, steak and dry turkey or fish. Bread type products tend to be gooey in the stomach and stick together making them hard to get through the band. Hamburger and steak are tougher, stringier meats that often can't be chewed into small enough pieces. You can try any of these after your six weeks, but just be aware that they are known to cause PBs in a lot of people. Make sure your chicken, turkey or fish is very moist. Some use sauces on the meat for moisture.. if you do, be aware of the calories you are adding on. Hope this helps. And again, check with your own doctor first. It is always best to follow what your doctors orders for you.

Is it normal to be hungry? (5 days post-op) I admit physically I feel better than I have been. Yesterday was the first day I was able to consume 78g of protien (24oz liquid) and nothing else but about 32oz of H20. Today is the same, except I know I'm taking larger sips at a time (maybe a 1/2 tsp?) and I was able to finish the 8 oz protei:confused:n drink in less than a 1/2 hour. Oh yeah, I even had a lowfat yogurt! I think I'm ready for the "mushies" but don't know what to start with. Any suggestions???:scared:

I, too, grew weary of lliquids but I forced myself to soldier through it. To make matters worse, I am a savory person, not much of a sweets eater, so all the shaakes and pudddings and yogurts and Popsicles... URP!!! My saving grace was the soop aisle at Fresh Market. There are blended soops like Butternut Squash, Black Bean, Tomato Bisque, Portabella Mushroom... They come in a carton and were absolutely delicious. I added a little unflavored proteen and sipped on them at "meal time". I still choked down my Premiere, but the Soups were fabulous as I was on liquids for almost a month post-op. EDIT: YES, I CAN SPELL. I HATE IT WHEN ALL MY WORDS HYPERLINK. ARGH!!!!!!

Try the four low carb shakes and one low carb yogurt every day and you will loose the ten pounds. Its not just the pounds but the shrinking of the liver so they can get to the stomach. I lost quite a bit once I did this.

I was told by my nurse that the reason for calcium citrate over carbonate is that with our lower acidic stomachs (particularly if we are taking antacids) that the carbonate will not dissolve properly and can cause kidney stones! I bought the viactiv calcium carbonate ones, and am debating sending them back. I have been reading up on it and if you take it with food (so your stomach acid is higher) or with some acidic juice (i'm thinking tomato juice or orange juice) that it might dissolve just fine. Since we do have our whole stomachs, unlike bypassers or sleevers, we probably are at less of a risk for kidney stones, but definitely be aware!! Also remember to have Vitamin D with your calcium to improve absorption, and avoid taking it within 2 hours of your multi vitamin or it will be ineffective. Yogurt and milk will probably only get you 200mg a day, so take a supplement! Women over 18 should be taking at least 700mg of calcium a day, preferably 1000mg. We can only absorb ~500mg at a time, so twice a day is helpful. I am excited to take the caramel chews and use them as a "snack" with 2 oz orange juice. Anyone taking the carbonate have kidney stone issues?

It doesn't sound like you are too tight at all to me. The point is so you can't eat much. Drink protein shakes and stick with high protein foods to get it in. I still drink a protein shake now and then. Toss some yogurt, ice, strawberries, high protein powder and ice in the blender ..... yum Have some chili with cheese on it.....yum

My pcp suggested that I have the gastric sleeve and directed me to Dr. Stephen Malley in Kansas City. I watched his seminar online and then made my appointment and met with him on October 23rd. Time has been speeding by at a very fast pace since then. My surgery is scheduled for November 11th which is 8 days away. I had a heart attack (1 stent) in 2011 so Dr. Malley requires that I get a clearance from my cardiologist. I met with him on Friday and it did not go well. He wants me to take a stress test before surgery. I don't think it's covered by my insurance so that is why I am dragging my feet. I also feel "what will be, will be". I am a cash patient and all the prelim stuff I have had to do to get qualified is not included in the fee. I am less scared than I was yesterday, thanks to a late night chat on this site. My first question is about the chat rooms. Why are there 9 showing up in the chat rooms but nobody is available to chat? Next, is there a lot of pain associated with this? I do not like to take pain medication and if the pain isn't higher than a 7 (from 1-10) then I think I can deal with it. Then, I am extra emotional right now. I thought I read that that happened AFTER the surgery. I stop myself when I realize I'm feeling sorry for myself but feel weepy (sp?) and sometimes very much overwhelmed. I do not cook. I can cook but don't enjoy it. Just reading over the information, there doesn't seem like there is going to be anything that I can eat, once I get to that post surgery stage. I see that I can have yogurt and cottage cheese and I HATE both of those. Okay, I'm taking some deep breaths & changing the subject before I get myself worked up again. I DO plan to join a support group so I know that will be the extra help that I need to see me through. I am so appreciative of this group as well!!! Two of my sisters are not supportive and I don't know how the other 2 sisters feel. My DH is supportive and is paying for the sleeve but continues to eat in front of me. So hard. At the end, I am excited, I am happy to be this close to surgery and looking forward to getting healthier. I have also scheduled a date with my treadmill for today! (We're virtual strangers - lol). I hope I haven't written too much but my brain is overflowing. Thanks in advance for all your help!!!

I had my surgery on Sept. 11 and I'm not a pro at this but I can help with a few of your concerns! I cook less now than before surgery! As for not liking yogurt or cottage cheese, I didn't have a problem with yogurt but I hated cottage cheese before my surgery. However, after surgery I tried it and was soooo glad to have something to 'almost' chew that I started to really enjoy it! Canned chicken & tuna are great when you advance to that stage. Seafood has lots of protein, I like pre-cooked shrimp or crab with mashed potatoes...all microwavable! I still drink protein shakes too, there are lots of brands but l like Unjury (chocolate & chicken flavored). Eating really is easier that ya think! The pain after surgery I would say varies from person to person, I drank pain medicine for about a week after my surgery, a little less everyday but I still wanted/needed it, I hate pain!! My husband and this website are my support system, I didn't tell my sister or any other family members because I made my mind up to have this surgery and did not feel like discussing it with anyone. When he eats in front of me, it really doesn't both me much...I really want to loose this weight so I have my meals & he has his!!! Hope some of this helps! Good luck!

Congrats !!!greek yogurt yes is the best it's smooth. I bought muscle milk in powder form but I can't get it down for me it not a good taste. Egg white r good when ur ready I poach it. U will be fine[emoji4]

Thanks everyone. Got home about 12 hours ago. Was very tired, weak, and gassy but slowly getting better. Few things I noticed. Also keep in mind that my surgeon actually moves you to the purred/Soft food diet the day after surgery. I know not a lot do that but for some reason he does. Two friends of mine also used the same surgeon and same thing happened. 1. Yesterday I only took in about 450 calories. Did have some ground chicken with low-fat ricotta cheese which was well tolerated but only about 1 oz total. Had about 50 grams of protein. Doc wants me at 90 per day. plan today is to incorporate premier shakes 2x a day at 30 grams per serving. In reality I know I may only be able to have 1/2 and then another 1/2 later. Not pushing it. 1 scrambled egg for breakfast, a no fat yogurt for lunch, and the chick for dinner. 2. How long does it take for the tiredness and weakness to get better? Seriously the past 48 hours since surgery I think I slept like 30-40 hours lol 3. Gas-x has also been a miracle for me.