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OP- you are not the only one who has cheated and so while not trying to beat you up- you rightfully should be concerned that you may not ready. This isn't to say that perfection is required but it is to say that there are countless people who have this surgery without being equipped with the tools to handle challenges. If a week or two pre-op diet can't be adhered to, what about a lifelong requirement to measure your food, eat Protein first, etc. You may or may not be ready but if you have doubts, then please resolve them before doing something irreversible.Well the thing is, now I am starving. After surgery it will be different. Also, after surgery I was told to have a "treat" every few weeks. For instance, Pasta, etc. things will be different after surgery than they are now. Right now I have a huge stomach and I am use to eating a lot.Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Sigh. They just reduce the size of your stomach. It doesn't reduce your desire to eat crap still. It isn't magic. You still have to actually use a little will power to make it work. You have to exercise and change the way you eat forever. Not just eat, but change the way you even FEEL about eating in general. Yes, there will be times you're even hungry. If you use food comfort now and can't delay gratification, will you have the tools to deal with that post op? Please take all that into consideration and don't just assume surgery will magically change all your bad habits with food. People figure out ways to eat around these surgeries. Otherwise we wouldn't have a 42% rate of regain. As long as you completely understand that, you'll be fine. Okay. I am aware of what the surgery does, as I have been planning this surgery for a year. I will do what is right for me. I am willing to change and I want to change.... but I mean, you can't just stop wanting something because the doctor says so. If you were addicted to drugs and were told to just stop, could you? No.... it takes time, it takes support and I'm aware of this... but your "sighing" and pretty much telling me that since I cheated and ate chicken fingers and fries for dinner one night that I am not mentally capable of having a surgery is not why I am here. I am here for support. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App You indicated in your original post that you were scared that you weren't going to be able to handle post-op and food controlled your life. @@Babbs was explaining (politely) why it is important to get control before surgery as the mental aspects will not be resolved by surgery. If you came for support - you really should listen to what the successful posters have to say - not just look for validation that what you did is no big deal because others cheat as well. If you have been researching this surgery - I assume you've seen the difficulties many have post-op because food still controls them. "Cheating" on post-op could cause sign and life threatening complications. If your pre-op diet was low carb, high protein - even if you were starving - why didn't you just eat what was allowed on your diet. If it was simply hunger - yogurt would have sufficed. People are only trying to help you by being honest. This process is alot more mental than physical.

I would have traded my love for chips over chocolate any day!!! But of course not, chips...still...taste...good!!! ugh! So I have a couple and I'm done! That's the good part! Tried a piece of steak, a little one, my son was proud of how great it tasted, by the time I chewed the heck out of it, it didn't taste so good...so, no steak for me right now! Ice cream hurts, so I don't eat that, and I'm good with yogurt, not frozen though. I've been staying in the safe zone, and I want to enjoy what I'm eating and tasting, so my choices have been so much better.

In the days immediately following surgery, I found that I was being extremely cautious with drinking slowly and eating slowly. Now I am 10 days out and find that I can drink many ounces without a problem relatively quickly. I also find that sometimes when I am rushed, I can eat 6 ounces of yogurt as fast as I would have pre-surgery. Did anyone else come out of surgery and not really notice a difference? I am eating between 600 and 900 calories a day - but its really by choice and willpower. I've just chosen to stick with the pre-op diet. I got used to that and didn't ever feel super hungry - but now, I eat the food and can live with it, but I am definitely not full. Is this normal? Is it likely that I just need a fill. I am still on liquids but know I can eat "regular" food as I have taken a taste of this or that but not enough to add more than 50 calories. Really just a taste to avoid going crazy - and being cautious not to have anything that will be on the long term no-no list. Other than that, its been quite a relief, since I pictured immediately being sick every time I ate and that hasn't happened at all

Its a month for me today too. I am down 8 kgs/18 pounds. I'm still pretty much on full liquids with some soft food like cheese and yogurt. Last night I made a little chicken salad with mayo. I immediately barfed it up. First time that has happened. I think the mayo was too much fat for me.

Yes, it sounds like you're too tight. Yogurt should go down without feeling "stuck." You might not be able to eat much at a time, but it shouldn't get stuck.

Maybe you aren't following the rules close enough. Something as little as an extra healthy snack several times last week affected my ability to lose that week. I woudn't worry about what time you do things. The space between your meals is far more critical. Never let your body get hungry before you eat, make healthy food choices, always eat your Proteins first & don't have your beverages until at least a half hour after you eat. This is what I do: Love’s Meals I eat no more than 1 cup of food every 3-4 waking hours. Breakfast @ 11:00am: - 1 egg scrambled with 1 ounce of cheddar cheese & some chopped black forest ham - 1 packet instant oatmeal (flavoured, or natural + 1 tsp honey) with skim milk, 1 ½ tbsp raisins, 1 tbsp toasted wheat germ, & 1 ½ tbsp ground almonds or walnuts Snack @ 12:30pm: - 1 cup plastic juice box of apple or orange juice - a small can of original V8 lunch @ 2:00 or 3:00pm: - a High Protein vanilla Boost dinner @ 6:00 or 7:00pm: One pot meals frozen in 1 cup containers: - chilli, made with ground turkey - spaghetti sauce, made with ground turkey, & a bit of macaroni - sheppard’s pie, made with ground turkey - beef stew - Canadian bacon & potato stew - chicken dishes made with a little rice or Pasta & light cream of broccoli or chicken Soup - Kraft dish made with chicken, corn, salsa & cheese Evening Snack @ 10:00pm: - 1 cup Silhouette cherry yogurt - 1/3 container of fat free cottage cheese with tuna salad, 1 cup total - 1/3 container of fat free cottage cheese with fresh or canned fruit, 1 cup total - 2 rye crisps with 2 tbsp hummus - 2 rye crisps with 2 tbsp almond butter - 2 rye crisps with 2 tbsp guacamole - 2 tbsp Peanut Butter - a hard boiled egg - ½ cup almonds or walnuts - a ‘baked’ apple - cored apple stuffed with 1 tbsp raisins & lemon juice - 1 oz light cream cheese wrapped in 1 oz smoked salmon - 2 oz cheddar cheese I take a chewable Centrum or Flinstone’s multi-vitamin & liquid Calcium / magnesium after breakfast & a chewable Vitamin C after my evening snack. I try to get 4-8 oz. Water in first thing in the morning, on the drive to & from work, & before bed. I am only getting in about half of what I'd guzzle pre-band. I work out during Coronation Street. Since I hate exercise, I need something to distract my while I do it. :thumbdown: I find keeping to a routine in my day ready helps. Having meals ready also keeps me from thinking about what I am going to be eating that night, all day. I sent this to my nutritionist this week & she thought it was just fabulous.

Sue, I buy the Fage brand greek yogurt at my local natural foods store. I buy the 0% kind. Heres the stats for a 1 cup serving: Calories-120 Fat- 0 grams Protein- 20 grams Carbs- 9 grams ( all sugars, no fiber) I would compare the consistency to sour cream. Its thick and really, really smooth. I don't really like to eat it alone, I like to put a little honey, fruit, or granola with it. Hope this helps!!

I am in a little rut with my meals these days. I would love to get some ideas, and hear what everyone's favorite meals are. Here are my most frequent meals: B - Scrambled egg w/ cheddar and a little scallion OR Greek non fat yogurt w/ mashed banana & handful high Protein flax Cereal, crushed (for some crunch) L - Egg salad, salmon salad or tuna salad on cucumber rounds Grilled chicken salad D - Chicken meatball and a small salad Small breaded chicken cutlet and small salad Mashed up baked potato w/ cottage cheese S - Skim ricotta w/ cocoa powder and 1 Splenda String cheese

My favorites are Breakfast- Fage Greek 0% yogurt with a tablespoon of honey Lunch- packet of albacore tuna with strawberries Snack- I'm addicted to Land O'lakes little blocks of cheese (80 calories), or a handful of nuts

I was banded last Wednesday 4/28 and I felt great ... until tonight. I got a little too confident and growing very tired of broth and popsicles, so I had a bowl of Cream of Mushroom made with skim milk. It tasted great but about 20 minutes later I had an episode of discomfort that felt like a combination or heartburn, nausea, and constipation. It lasted about an hour, but even now about 3 hours later I still don't feel very well. I don't know if it was what I ate or how fast I ate it, but either way I learned a big lesson tonight. After this, I will have more respect for the information I've been given and I will never be stupid enough to think that for some reason it doesn't apply to me. From now on I will eat much slower and stick to the clear fluids, popsicles, and yogurt until my doctor tells me otherwise. This was natures way of telling me that no matter how well I'm doing and no matter how good I feel, that I must not forget that my body went through trauma last week and if I don't let myself heal properly and make my own recovery rules, then I will pay ... big time. This was the first thing since my surgery that made me miserable, but I have to admit it was my own fault and I asked for it by thinking I was in charge over my body. Whew. I wish I knew then what I know so well now. :thumbdown:

Awesome, thanks for easing my worries. I did not realize that too much of a deficit can be a bad thing. I'll talk to the NUT about that. Thanks for the almond milk idea, never even heard of it before. As far as my inaccurate chicken count, I've been eating about 4 oz of NOT FRIED (eek) chicken breast or thigh. In the Jambalaya, I use crumbled up and cooked cauliflower. If you haven't tried that before, it is amazing. Can't tell it's not rice when it's mixed in. If anyone sees this in the future, I'm still doing Protein drinks because my goal for protein is like 80+, and since I can eat about 4 oz of chicken or a cup of greek yogurt for a meal, it doesn't cover much. So, I've been drinking 2 glasses of milk with a scoop of GENEPRO (30 grams/scoop). Hoping it gets me up over that 80 grams of protein I'm shooting for. Is it ok that so much of my protein intake is in this powdered form? Quick question, if I'm more active than normal people (coaching football + normal exercising+vball) should I up my protein goal a little to help with recovery? It's something I'll ask my doc, but that isn't for like 3 weeks, so I'll put it to this group first. Thanks so much, I feel a lot better that I'm not screwing anything up. Sounds like it's just my body taking its sweet time. Rick

protein,protein,protein and water,water,water Protein is whats goingmto keep you from chewing off your arm. Greek yogurt, creamed soups with greek yogurt added in(boost the protein). My fave was tomato with yogurt. Low fat ricotta cheese, cottage cheese and eggs are good in the protein dept. Really hungry, have a cup of hot decaf tea,my fave is Chai and diet hot chocolate a good go to. Right now it is mind over matter. You gotta make up your mind that you really want this and you're willing to suffer through the hunger. Do things to keep busy and your head busy. Clean closets,drawers, cabinets, whatever it takes to not sit around thinking of food. BTW. I'm 6 1/2 mths out and can still eat anything I want, just smaller portions, smaller bites and chewing it to mush. You can do this! Tell your mind to shut the hell up.lol

I got banded yesterday and am having much of the same symptoms. I barely ate 5 bites each of yogurt & cottage cheese and could have no more. Keeping water down and drinking it is hard as well. I'm also on the "every 4 hour percocet" cycle and am hoping it goes away soon. I have a very hard time sitting/getting up but other than that and my port side sore as can be, I'm doing ok. Hang in there, we're all in this together (do I feel a song coming on?:thumbup:)

I hear ya! Tomorrow is 3 weeks for me and I can start working into regular foods, like I said I was nothing but liquid the first 2 weeks, It was tough! But Dr's orders, I think the reason they do it is so the stitches on the band can heal and scar so the band does not slip, if you are trying to get foods down that are too much and you tummy has to process it you take the chance of the band slipping.Heck I was not even yogurt cottage cheese or anything like that till this week, I am not a big egg fan, i think it's the consistency, but it's great mixed up in Corned beef hash or grits.

Hello all! I definitely am protecting the pouch! The most strenuous thing I’ve had is 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt! :) I broke my stall today! I’m now 244.6 with a 2 pound weight loss!! I’m so happy! Definitely thinking the fact that I hit my liquid goal yesterday had to do with the loss. Staying hydrated is super important! My meals yesterday… 20 oz coffee Protein Drink (fairlife coffee flavor with Starbucks blonde cold brew black coffee) 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt About 4 oz of a creamy puréed chicken bacon potato Soup. And lots of water! Today I’ll be taking my Christmas tree down. Well- everything but the actual tree due to the weight restriction. Then I’ll go walk at the gym. Only today and tomorrow left of my medical leave. Back to work on Saturday night. :)

Huh, I just started making shakes similar to this this week. My friend started me on this path. My ingredients are kale, wheat grass, carrots, plain chobani Greek yogurt, blueberries, banana, and strawberries. I guess it's time for me to add some different ingredients. Thanks for the post!! Sent from my iPhone using VST

I've been drinking green shakes everyday for the last couple of weeks. I must say, I love them suddenly. I never could eat enough greens. But I figured I could get them down in liquid form. Well, the first shake I made tasted a lot like fresh mowed grass.....not good. But I'm gradually getting better, to the point where I really like them now. And I started catching my wife stealing sips out of my green shake, now I make her a shake everyday as well. Interestingly, I read somewhere that greens increase cravings just like sugars. The more greens you eat, the more you crave them. Well for me this has definitely proven to be true. I'm craving salads all the time suddenly. My body feels so much better now that I'm getting in more nutrients....I was getting sick of meat, cheese and Protein shakes. My protein intake is slightly down but still over 100 grams a day, and my carbs are up but it's all good low glycemic carbs so I don't mind. And yes, I'm still losing. The ingredients are....6 cups of kale, 1 cup of mixed greens, 1 cup each of mixed berries and mangos or pineapple, chia seeds, 2 scoops chocolate Protein powder, 1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt, parsley, 1/2 cucumber, some broccoli, 2 cups cold Water plus a pinch of goji berries, spirulina and cacao powder. 193 calories, 18 g protein, 30 g carbs, 1 g fat in a 16 oz shake. Everything in the picture makes about 4 shakes.

amp up the portein shakes with some oats.. ( not a whole lot) and fruits. my ultimate shake when i was on liquids.. consisted of blue berries, Protein powder, 2 teaspoons of oats, 3 oz of yogurt blended together in either crystal light, Vitamin Water zero, or low calorie gatorade. it doesnt taste liek a Protein Shake since it has the fruity flavour and i loved it.. because it snt just water.. it helps keep u fuller for longer. others things u can use are rasp berries straw berries, half a banana, carrots, black berries, low calories penut butter, really anything u like.. and blend..

Ok, so here is my experiance in a nut shell... I arrived in San Diego Monday April 8th, as the plane landed I turned my phone on for the driver to contact me and before we were even off the plane he was calling, he was there waiting and was promptly picked up by Abraham ALM driver right outside of baggage claim and driven across the boarder to the Marriott, durin the ride we were given the option of going in for surgery early or late and we (myself and another pt also in the van) chose to go early, so we were told to be in the lobby at 6:45 am the next morning for pick-up and ride to the hospital. Once at the Marriott we checked in and chilled for the night. On Tuesday we met Abraham in the lobby of the Marriott and drove to MiDoctor Hospital where we waited to check in, this took about 30min because the person wasn't there yet, but during this time we all talked and got to know each other well. They took us back one at a time to check weight and height and showed us each to our private rooms, my room had two beds one for me and one for my sister. Once in the room we changed into hospital gowns, got our IV's put in, blood drawn and EKG's done. We then met the Anesthesiologist, the Internal doctor (who went over our histories again and meds) and waited on the surgeon. We were told they would choose who would be first depending on lab results. I was then told the other person would go first because he was really nervous, but then in came Dr. Lopez and low and behold I was first, very quick. by 9:25 I was in the OR, with Dr. Lopez, Dr. Ortiz, the anesthesiologist and all the surgical team. The anesthesiologist asked me if I wanted to sleep for a while after surgery or wake up right away I told him I didn't know I just wanted to wake up, he laughed and said "of course, you will my dear", I looked at the clock and it was 9:35, next thing I know I am awake in another room (recovery) looking around watching everyone doing different things but could speak (I was totally out of it), I remember seeing my sister and Janese (coordinator) for a second and trying to wave but then I think I went back to sleep. The rest of that day is kinda a blur because I apparentely don't tolerate anesthesia very well, lol... slept all day and night so didn't do much walking. Believe me I paid for that on Wednesday... Wednesday I woke up feeling great! but by that afternoon I was misrable, gas/indigestion, pain ect... I felt horrible and was EXTREMELY irritable. The nurses were all so kind and were pretty quick with pain and nausea meds which were on a schedule. When I saw the Dr. it was Dr. Ortiz I believe and he adjusted my meds and that seemed to help some. I think it was today that I had my leak test (they do 2 one in surgery and one the day after), drank some blue contrast and then another contrast liquid in the flouroscopy room, no leaks so I was cleared to start sipping liquids. I was given apple juice, and gatorade in different flavors to sip on later that day once my results were confirmed. I did not do too well with the liquids, I still didn't feel good. That night another doc came in and her name was Dr. V something she made more adjustments to my meds and by Thursday morning I felt much much better. Thursday we got up and I walked, walked walked, felt soooo much better (not 100% of course but MUCH better), we were released from the hospital with our drains at about 10:30 and at the Marriott by 11 and checked into our rooms. We were told our drains would come out the next day at the hotel by the surgeon-- the longer it stays in the less chance of infection was the logic. I was still having a hard time with liquids but continuing to try... at about 2:30 our driver called us all to come down to the lobby and he took those of us who felt up to it shopping on Revolucion Street. I went and am glad I did because I had a fantastic time, got some great souveineers for my kiddos husband and self and got to know some great people and make some wonderful friends. Once we were finished there Abraham took us to the pharmacy where we bought some stuff we needed or wanted from toothpaste to shampoo to meds.... Once we finished there he drove us back to the Marriott and a few of us decided to go out to a restaurant for dinner. We ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant and I had the consumma' (excuse my spelling) which was incredible, I was able to eat about 3-4 spoonfuls. After that I was able to start drinking more, like it flipped a switch and by Friday morning I had consumed an entire gatorade which was like a miracle. Friday morning we took a cab to the walmart shopping mall were we did a little shopping and ate at applebee's, Edgar was our server and he made my breakfast exactly how I needed it- plain organic yogurt and a fruit mixture that he had liquidized for me, and it was SOOO good (I posted pic's a few days ago). Once we got back we met some people at the pool then went sight seeing with Abraham again, we saw the hillside where all the people live and rode out to the beach, this was a wonderful experiance because I got some walking in and really got to see a lot of very interesting and eye opening things. I never once felt unsafe, Abraham never let us out of his sight and everyone we ran into was sooo kind. On the way back to the hotel Abraham told me that Dr. Ortiz and Lopez had had a VERY busy day and would like for all of us to come to the hospital at 6 to have our drains removed, rather then them doing it in the hotel. I was absolutely fine with that because we were originally told they would come to the hotel between 8-10pm to remove them, so 6 was WAY better, I was ready for the drain to come out. They took us to rooms one at a time and the surgeon and Eduardo (coordinator) walked us through the removal of the drain, which was SOOO weird feeling, can't even explain really. He then spent time with us answering any individual questions we may have and telling us how to care for our wounds and the importance of following the diet and other important information. Once we were all done with that we headed back out to Revolucion street to get something someone had left behind the prior day and I bought a few more things... lol, having the drain out felt sooooo good! Saturday we woke up and got ready to leave out to the airport (we had an earlier flight), we ate at 8:45 in the hotel restaurant (I had a yogurt smoothie) and promptly checked out and headed to the San Diego airport. We did not have any delay at the border, Abraham has a medical pass to go through the medical lane, therefore no line, which was fabulous. Overall my experiance was really great, I met some amazing people and really enjoyed getting to know them all. Abraham was our go to guy for pretty much everything non-medical related and Eduardo was our coordinator for the medical part. Abraham would bend over backwards to help out in any way he could and made the whole experiance fantastic. Yes the two days in the hospital were rough for me, but I really think it was the anesthesia (I've never had surgery, so didn't know how I would react). So overall I had a great time and an amazing experiance and highly recommend ALM and Dr. Lopez/Ortiz.

Hi bugsandpie! Wow, can I truly relate to your statements! From what I experienced and have read, your comments are completely normal for 5 days post op - everything hurts! The overall pain keeps you from wanting to do much of anything but it will help the gas pain if you can walk every 2 hours. You don't have to go far but you do have to keep moving and gently swing your arms. I am now 4 weeks and 2 days post op and it makes ALL the difference in the world. When I was 2 days post op, I told my sister that I had made a "major mistake" and wanted to talk to the doctor about reversal. Fortunately, I didn't and can now say I'm glad I made the decision to have the surgery. By Day 5, I could no longer drink the Protein shakes without throwing them up so I got creative and made me some protein soup, pudding and yogurt! Campbell's condensed cream of chicken soup with Water and an unjury protein package became MY source of protein as I ate it 5 times a day! And my water had to be chilled but not ice cold or room temperature. Most of all, you must remember to take it slow as this was a major operation that you had. Give yourself some time to get adjusted and then try some new things. And don't forget that you have a whole community of friends here at the Bariatric Pal site who will help you. Best wishes . . . and prayers! ~Vicki

Breakfast is grab and go: Protein shake or bar Snack: Greek yogurt or 1 oz mixed nuts Lunch: lean Protein with veggie side (like chicken and broccoli) Snack: string cheese, sometimes with a few crackers Dinner: mini pizza (lo carb tortilla, turkey pepperoni etc) or some variation of lean protein and a veggie. I average around 800 cals.

Thanks for all of your responses! I tried some yogurt this morning and I have had the same feeling, I'm just hoping that I am sore from yesterdays episode. I guess I am just going to be on liquids for a couple of days until I feel better! I just hope I didn't mess anything up!

If you are just now getting back to work, you can't be too far out from surgery and you are already eating crackers and chips?!?! I wasn't allowed anything crunchy until THREE MONTHS post-op. As for eating during the day at work, it doesn't have to be a bad thing. I eat breakfast, lunch, and two Snacks during my work day. I start off by bringing a Protein bar for breakfast (since you are probably not actually supposed to be on solids yet, you could do a ready-to-drink protein shake). Between breakfast and lunch, I have a reduced fat string cheese, which you can probably safely have at this point. For lunch I have leftover meat from a previous dinner, but you could probably do something like tuna or chili? In the afternoon I have Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt. I mix some granola or kashi Cereal into mine, but you probably shouldn't be having that quite yet. So by eating every two hours or so, I never feel hungry at work. And I manage to get a lot of protein in!

Well, banded on 07/14 and am now down 19 lbs!!! I'm tired of messing with the ticker so will go with the old fashioned way. Just wanted to let you know what is working for me. Am getting close to Onderland! I had my first fill on 08/15, which was 5 CC's -- the doc came in and said, you ready to turn this thing on??? Since I was down 14 since banding, that was very exciting. I can feel restriction and go back for a second fill in two weeks from that date which will be 08/29. What do I do during the day? Breakfast shake -- have fallen in love with Synthra vanilla Bean and Fuzzy Navel (Peach), I mix with ice, splenda, and benefiber, and fruit. I also have JD Robb's chocolate power, it is a light chocolate taste and wonderful. Why did it take me this long to figure this out?? Snack -- either Greek Yogurt with fruit or cottage cheese with fruit or salsa lunch -- lunch recipe from Eating for Life Snack -- another Protein shake, I will blend it all up without the Protein powder, don't mix until ready to drink dinner -- dinner recipe from Eating for Life How do I handle "cold things" during the day? I am extremely busy in my job, so I bought a cute cooler bag at Target, my actual bag is a bit larger that this: Snacks and lunch in and they stay cold all day, I go from floor to floor for meetings. I do have to travel some and on those days generally take a shaker bottle and protein powder and mix as needed. I am going to the gum several (3 - 4) days a week, even am up there at 5 a.m., but I am succeeding!! Will keep you folks posted.

Bfast - SF yogurt, low fat cottage cheese mixed Lunch - Dinner - Exercise - Notes - I took the day off yesterday and ate what I wanted, I had some of those 100 cal Reeses snack packs a few times yesterday (one for breakfast), and ate a fried chicken tender (My moms fried chicken) for lunch & dinner. I usually don't eat fried stuff, but Hey, I took a day off. lol. I didn't exercise, I didn't even care yesterday. I'm back to eating right and eating light today and will be exercising tonight. I am going to try and take my 2 month post op pic tonight.