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I have been struggling too. i went 2 months without losing anything. then i stuck to the diet for 2 weeks and lost 5 lbs. in two weeks. fortunately and unfortunately i started a new job--great that i started working--bad for the diet. I get to eat for free in the cafeteria where i work, only problem is there are FEW healthy choices. and i find myself eating things i shouldnt eat. its not so much the quantity that i am having trouble with--its the quality. i work from 6a-6p, so its really hard for me to get motivated to get up early to pack a healthy Breakfast and lunch especially since the food is free. i think its a good idea to start the shakes if you havent lost weight in a week--i havent tried it yet. i think i will try it this week. thanks for the idea. good luck with getting a fill!!!

I was told not to have rice, but the others were OK for me. Remember Protein is the key. If you stock up on protein you will feel better and not be as hungry. Check with your Dr. They should have a list for you to refer to. I went and got Egg flour Soup, hot and sour soup and put it in the blender- yummy. Cottage cheese, yogurt, soft poached eggs(again...protein) are good things too. Steam carrots put in blender with a little chicken broth, blend any chunky soup... believe me...I am into week 2 and I am getting creative! The blender is my buddy! Good luck! Jill

Hi, rice may get stuck and even though it's soooooo good, it's not really that great for us bandsters. No protein at all. Just starch which turns into sugar. Mashed pot. aren't so great for us either but at least they won't get stuck. I cut chicken chunks up into tiny, tiny pieces during this stage and chewed them thoroughly. I also ate lots and lots of Yoplait yogurt and SF jello. There's many soups out there too that would be seen as mushy stage food. Cream of pot., Dinty Moore Beef Stew is great too. Just mash up the chunks with a fork. My doc. let me have homemade chili with ground beef at 2 weeks. It went down fine. I had no problems until my first fill. At this time, I began having food get stuck and throwing up. I had to learn how and what to eat. It's a learning process. Just try things you think you might can handle...just a little at a time. Good luck.

I am currently three and a half weeks post op and for the past few days I have been having stomach pains near and around the belly button area on the left side. very noticable when I bend down or tie my shoes. My port is up under the breast area, so I do not know what this pain is from. Has anyone else had this sort of pain and know what it could be caused from? Feels like a knife stabbing me in my gut.

I am thinking about going back to square one so i can lose again. i have been at a "stall" which you would say but i would call it "done deal" since March of this year! I am frustrated and I get no help from the dr office or dietician. Maybe go back to protein shakes-like the ones that are 60g serving and go back on liquids again. I really hate to do that but I can't keep doin what i am doin! not working! i have only lost 30 lbs since sleeve last year-actually tomorrow the 22nd is my one year sleeve anniversary. My husband had it and he has lost almost 90 lbs since Feb this year and he eats whatever he wants-when he wants..does no cardio-just push ups and weights..any suggestions folks? this is becoming a very very sensitive subject with me. i am eating 2 salads everyday with NO dressing and i am over it..let me hear from you if you have ever went thru this. i have switched things around,, increased exercise, don't know where to go here....help if u can!

The best Protein is whey protein. If that is the first ingredient on the package, it's high quality protein. Somebody made a post just a couple of days ago, maybe yesterday, explaining what to look for, and the differences in Proteins....I think it was Shane Ferris (OTR sleever). As for getting in the required protein, nobody does it the first couple of weeks. Just try your best. Getting in the Water is more important. But if you can't get in the protein, I wouldn't waste any energy eating anything that is full of carbs and absent protein. For example, I had grits on my list of approved full liquids, but my nut told me not to eat them unless I was getting close to my protein goal. After about a week, I was hitting that goal, so I started enjoying a small bowl of grits about every other day until I hit the soft food stage.

I gained 32 pounds while pregnant with my daughter. Within a week of her birth I was already down 18 of those pounds. And while the rest is coming of more slowly than I'd like (I want my body back now, thank you!) I'm losing every day on the scale, even if it's only a fraction of a pound some days. I'm now 25 days out from delivery and while they don't fit as loosely as before, I'm already in my pre-pregnancy 5/6 jeans (okay...they're my "fat" jeans for my TOM but whatever, they fit!) and there is no way on earth I look remotely like I gave birth a few weeks ago. I credit both being healthier overall and having long established good habits (I'm also more than two years post op) and breastfeeding with the super quick recovery and weight loss. I drink Water all day long for my milk supply and of course that helps, and being careful about my diet and focusing on Protein first (and drinking a Protein shake every morning again) is definitely helping, too. I can't wait to hit the gym, honestly. And I'm not a workout type of girl! Most of the excess weight is CLEARLY loose skin in my case. My entire middle is very loose right now and honestly, if plastic surgery were an option tomorrow I think I'd be under goal weight as soon as I recovered. So I wouldn't stress or fret too much. Keep an eye on your weight now but know that gaining anywhere from 20-40 pounds is totally normal and some women gain even more than that. Don't get sloppy with your eating habits because you will be able to eat more postpartum for a while. My restriction is more than while pregnant but still less than prior to pregnancy, so I could easily eat too many calories or indulge in slider foods and stop losing. Before in maintenance I aimed for an average of about 1,100-1,300 calories a day and I'm currently consuming about 1,500 depending on my choices that day and my restriction. The lactation consultant I spoke with was worried I would have supply issues with my milk due to a lower caloric intake but I'm experiencing oversupply so that's not an issue. And I'm losing weight at that number, between the calories burned by breastfeeding and my busy daily life. Don't let things slide and immediately postpartum pick up those good habits that helped you lose before and you shouldn't have any issues. It will take time to shed the final pounds the same way it takes time to lose the final pounds on the way to goal, but in my experience, it seems like it's completely do-able. As for clothes, I outgrew most of my tops pretty quickly though I was able to wear my pants longer with a Blanqi top or belly band. I felt like I looked preggo at the time, but looking back at pictures, I didn't really start to look like I was anything but chunky in the middle until close to five months pregnant, and even then people were very careful about asking if I was pregnant because you couldn't really be sure if I was or not. That all changed and by seven or eight months out when I looked pregnant for sure but people were telling me I was too tiny to be due in a few months. Good luck, and congrats! ~Cheri

My Fitness Pal is a great tracker. Not only does it track your food, but it also tracks your weight and your excercise. You can also run reports showing your weight loss over a week, 90 days, 180 days and 1 year. Hope this helps.

Wow 20 lbs! My doctor gave me a limit of 10 lbs for the first 6 weeks. I would call your doctor since you are having new pain. They may be able to just ease your mind

Hello... I'm new and was banded on Dec. 26th. The first week was pretty difficult because i experienced major hunger pains that woke me up in the wee hours of the night and early morning with knawing pain. I've been relieving the hunger by drinking Protein Shakes to coat my stomach. It helps...but only for a couple hours, when my hunger pains return. I'm back at work and taking full liquids. However, craving more bulkier foods. I had a followup appt. this weekend with the doc to see if my incisions were healing well. My first adjustment is scheduled for the 24th. There were a couple of ladies who were banded in November in the waiting room. They told me that I could eat pretty much whatever I wanted until my first adjustment because my stomach is not restricted. Does anyone know if this is true? My nutritionist says I'm supposed to be on full liquids for two weeks and then eat soft foods for another 2 or 3 weeks. So why are these ladies telling me I can eat anything until I get adjusted. I'm confused. Aren't we supposed to be on liquids to heal?

Stay on the diet your doctor prescribed! Your stomach needs this diet in order to heal properly. So, if you have to drink more protein shakes, so be it. Don't progess without your doctor's approval. Now, what those ladies told you is TRUE in a sense. After the first few weeks your hunger will return as the swelling subsides in your stomach. From that point until you reach restriction (and it could take 3-4 fills or more to get there) your stomach will accept just about any nasty junk you want to put in there. And, OH Lord, you're going to want that pizza, and ice cream, and/or whatever you normally crave. This is what we call bandster hell! It will be up to you to have a plan in place to deal with it. Plan your meals, keep HEALTHY snacks available, ban all junk food from your world. Make up your mind ahead of time that you WILL follow your doctors orders. And try to make everything you eat a CONSCIOUS choice. The first few months may not be easy, but this time next year you'll have a different outlook. Best of luck to you.

@@tekjr1 weight gain Water, exercise???? maybe, maybe like you said "not too worried" you are losing 4.5 lbs a week - thats so great!!! 2 lb weight gain??? it does happen to some at times but the weight should start coming off again but sounds like you are following all the rules - exercising, drinking, watching intake tracking MFP can't get much better than that btw - please stop scratching your head you might lose some hair soon enough 25 lb loss since surgery keep up the good work for the rest of your healthier, happier, longer life kathy congrats

Had surgery on 4/1 and I am down 25 pounds from day of surgery. About 35 altogether. I exercise 5-6 days per week in the gym usually getting about one hour of cardio. I am taking in about 800-1000 calories per day with about 70 percent coming from Protein. I track everything I eat on My Fitness Pal. I get my full allotment of Water on most days. This weekend I had to travel and when I weighed in at the gym on Monday, I had gained 2 pounds. Not too worried, but after a steady 4.5 pound per week loss I have been scratching my head how I gained. I was disciplined on my eating habits while away. Could it be water retention or exercise related? Thanks, TEK

Ok. After months of lurking I think it is time I say hello. My name is Monica and: I"m 24 years old- 5'3 and 264 pounds I've been miserable my whole life. Weight brings me down and I don't even feel like going out. Three years ago, I was 234 pounds and dieted until I reached 186. I was so happy and I found my fiancee and everything was great...suddenly I ballooned and now here I am 264. Since then, I've developed asthma real bad and I can't breathe. Today I went for a lung function tests and she weighted me and I cried all the way home, I'm getting up to 300 pounds, I can't...I just can't... I'm jumping on the band wagon, I can't deal with yo-yo'ing anymore. Here are the weights I have been: 130 150 234 240 186 264 It's ridiculous! I want: To cross my legs to shop in normal people stores to have comfortable sex with my bf to improve my asthma to gain self esteem To have energy To stop overeating I'm currently seeing the surgeons in about a month I can't wait..I'm also seeing a therapist right now so I can deal with my emotional eating, cause I know the lap band won't automatically cure that... I'm so happy I found out about this surgery! Nice to meet you all! Monica

Hi: The most important thing about post tummy tuck is making sure that you've got enough nutrition to heal well. So, don't be concerned about 1,000 calories a day. Be happy to maintain. I had tummy tuck with muscle repair, but my port stayed where it was (top of tummy - just under middle of rib cage). I think I got refilled at either 3 or 4 weeks after tummy tuck. By then it was not too uncomfortable to get into the proper position for a fill in that area. You'll be surprised at how numb some areas are after the initial healing time. So, it may not be that uncomfortable. They'll probably fill you gradually because that's the most safe way to approach fills. Best wishes. Can't wait to see pictures or hear your comments. You're gonna love your flat tummy! Sue

I got my first adjustment last week. I go for another in 3 weeks. I don't feel the first fill did anything so I am anxious to see what the 2nd will do. You say you get adjusted every 2 months. Can the adjustments stretch?

Hi I've been eating solid food for a week , however about 3hrs after eating my stomache gets really gurgly.I burp alot and have pain in my chest.Is this heartburn??? I have never suffered before. Also if I eat more than I should I'm fine. This doesn't bode well for portion control. Nicolek

The half of the scrambled egg white I attempted to eat yesterday tried to kill me. It was awwwwful. Sorry if this is TMI, but the 2 times I've tried scrambled eggs I get the grosses vomiting experience, it's as if it takes forever to all come up, & I'm practically choking with the mouthfuls of slime that do come up. Im bummed because I loved eggs before-now, not a fan! I got a lil discouraged because next week I get my new (1 month) diet from my dr (yay for crab, chicken, & VEGGIES) but I was thinking, if an EGG kicked my butt how am I gonna even try anything else. Maybe eggs & I will have to do a trial separation for now & attemp a reconciliation much MUCH later down the road.

Has anyone flown after surgery? I’ll be attending a wedding 2 and a half weeks after surgery and wanted to know if anyone has any tips. Thanks!

Food totally sucks for me. I'm about 9 weeks out most of it goes down ok, just doesn't taste good and never leaves me feeling satisfied.

When I first started and got the list of all the things I had to do to prepare I sat down and cried and almost gave up. Then I took a step back and just did things one step at a time and it was much easier than I thought. I am 3 1/2 weeks out now and feel like this is the best decision I ever made. I have lost 30 pounds and feel amazing. I have so much more energy and for the first time actually WANT to exercise, although I can't do anything except walking at this point. I do have cravings for little things like toast with peanut butter but can't eat solids yet. At this point eating more than a couple of tablespoons is uncomfortable so I have no desire to binge or eat things I shouldn't. Take some deep breaths and try to relax and just go one step at a time. Good luck!

Zantac 150 and can try picks juice (1/4 cup) I find premium protein helps as its thick and coats tummy I am 11 weeks out and still suffer

Thank you so much for all your help. I made the mistake of giving her lemon drink and coffee in this past week, prior to this, acid was never an issue, so based on your kind advice, we will avoid all the things mentioned.

Hi All, I Will be six weeks out tomorrow and have been doing well. I did have a UTI last week (I am prone to them) and was treated by my PCP with a five day course of antibiotics. I was feeling better until today...I felt nauseous all day. I did have a small piece of filet mignon last night (2 ounces) and chewed it well and than had two Apple slices afterwards. I'm wondering if I feel this way due to the food or the UTI or maybe even a stomach virus that seems to be going around. I was just wondering if Anyone else have trouble with these foods at this stage? Thanks.

You should be fine after 2 weeks. I went back to work 3 days after by choice. (Sit in a chair at a desk and do office work) I was feeling good enough to get out and about. I would say about a week was when I was back to normal. Not doing sit ups but, you know. Able to function.