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Here is my current list: Edamame ( I buy it frozen. Microwave it, add salt) Banana carb master yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup kashi go lean honey almond flax cereal. Special k pop crackers with cottage cheese Salmon in the pouch Individual fish filets flash frozen in pouch- you can pull out 1 or 4. I love tilapia, cod, perch or flounder. They thaw quickly & can pan sautée.

@Mandaree85 I know what you mean! The burping! Every time I swallow! I am a little happier now as I just had my first chocolate pudding! Yeah, it seams like the pre op went post op and...yuck! I can't stand broth, I now despise Jello, and I don't want to look at another lemon flavored anything for a very long time. Ridiculous as it seems, I counted the days in 24 hr increments and my surgery was over by 3 on Wednesday and today at 4 I realized it had been three actual days and no more...JELLO! Yay! I can have real creamy Soup, yogurt, pudding, Protein shakes! I can't believe I can be so happy over a stupid chocolate pudding! Still don't have much of an appetite, but that pudding sure went down nice and easy!

I'm in the early days with veggies, so my fiber has come from a daily serving of Beans, usually refried. I am not carb-phobic. What @@rickm said is spot-on. Carbs aren't evil, but highly processed foods are problematic on several levels. First, their glycemic effect (which is mitigated to some extent when eaten with protein), second their nearly complete lack of nutrition, and third their lack of satiety. I have always done better with food I can recognize as food, as it's come out of the ground, so to speak. I do make exceptions for yogurt and cottage cheese, as their nutritional value is huge. I don't worry about the carbs in dairy. My daily carbs hover in the 40-60 range and it hasn't slowed me down.

I did 7 days worth of liquids before the surgery. It seems doctors are different and have different views on how long to be on liquids before. I found a protein shake that worked for me, that took a few trials and errors.. and stuck to Herb ox bouillion for soups. It was not easy. I wont lie to you! I know most people on here that I have read struggled a bit with that part. I am sure you can read on here what others did too to get through the liquids phase. I was allowed to have a scrambled egg or a yogurt if the hunger got too bad and I shook or got really bad headaches, which I did. I am a size 22 now and I want to be a 14/16. I am excited for this journey, for this change in my life. I have always been overweight and I am ready to have some control! Wishing you the best!

I was allowed yogurt and low fat cream soups (cream of mushroom etc) but I had to strain the soup to get the chunky pieces out.

There is not a single set of rules that are the same. Every doctor seems to have a different set, so? Mine didn't allow JELLO. No jello, no pudding. I could have yogurt if it was drinkable. And I could have all sorts of fattening soups, as long as they were blended. *shrugs*

Thanks for the good wishes.... Heather, I've taken your advice. I have taken the liquid Motrin, and will continue to take it until I have my consult with my band doc on Monday. It is awhile to have to wait, but I am going to remain on liquids till then. I have decided no more 'testing myself' on foods... I have V8 (which I HATE, but will drink hot, like tomato soup), V8 splash, gatorade, hot teas, hot chocolate, assorted puddings and yogurts, and some baby foods like pear-pineapple, apples and blueberries, etc. I am also taking a multi as well as an Iron tablet since none of my foods have much Iron. I am also allowing one 'chewy' food... Cheetos. Bandsters far and wide know Cheetos are their own food variety and are the only thing I can get the 'chewing sensation' from, and know that they turn to liquid. :thumbup: Thanks for your optimism. I feel so much BETTER today, and it must be because of the liquids only. Not 'trying' foods is really making a difference cause of the no pain and lack of PBing. With the Motrin, my Upper GI should yield better results as well. :smile:

Hello. I had my surgery on July 26 and was doing great up until this morning. I was takin one oxy at night for a bit of pain but this morning I woke up and have had horrible burning pain at the port incision. Yesterday I was very hungry- pms I think- and couldn't stop eating yogurt and pudding till 12am at night. Do you think it's related? It hurts most when I stand up or move or bend but not sitting still. I just called my doctor after 5 hours of pain and 2 oxys later. Any ideas??

I do 6 mini meals a day. Some stand bys for me are hot choc /decaf (15g) 2 light mozzarella string cheese (12g) Chobani Lemon Greek Yogurt (15g) Boars Head Ever-roast deli Chicken 2 oz (13g) Al Fresco chicken sausage (14g). Morningstar Spicy Black Bean Burger (11g) 1 pouch tuna/1/4 c 1% cottage cheese (23g) Gortons Simply Bake Tilapia (20g) Unjury protein powder 1 scoop/8 oz skim milk (29g) and sometimes I add 2 T of PB2 which brings it to 34g (I only have a shake once or maybe twice a week now) I still often have a Quest bar each day for one of my meals since my work schedule is crazy. Each one of these standbys is 1 mini meal for me. I don't have room for anything after eating it. I don't eat them all on the same day but keep my cals under 900 for the day. I shoot for 90g a day.

I'm 9 days post op and last night was the first night I could sleep on both my sides... Today I'm feeling great, but if I over do it I get shaky and sweaty... I've lost 16lbs in 9 days:) I'm not worrying to much about getting my protein in right now I see dr tomorrow, my days have been 1 Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup of gardenay soups, 1/2 c of cream of wheat, and a pudding cup, that's all I need I feel, I drink lots and have no problems gulping down water, quiet enjoy cucumber cut up in my water, refreshing. I'm just hoping my sleeve is small enough, I haven't thrown up or felt like throwing up, I only had trouble drinking cold water but as of yesterday cold water went down fine, I can eat my 1/2 cup easily in 10mins, with out discomfort, I'm not hungry and cravings aren't bad, did have a bite of my sons sub and salad, chewed and spat out, don't want that to become a habit... Overall I'm doing good 5 more days of full fluids....

Thanks for your comments first of all!!! I think right now since I only have 1.75 ccs in my band its definetly below what I had before which was 2.00 ccs. Trust me, during the weekend, I pretty much eat everything I want but I can hear the trigger to stop eating (like a yawn) I just like to eat portable things during the week so I can bring them to work or wherever I'm going. After I wrote this blog, my hunger went away and you know what it was? I think I was thirsty more than anything, so I got a big cup of water and that helped. I had my lunch but didn't finish it because I wasn't really interested in it anymore (so tired of green bean casserole!). Seriously, if I could eat chobani yogurt for all of my meals for the rest of my life I would! Also with all the shrimp eating, I made a huge batch the other night I just want to go through with it so it doesn't go bad....can you freeze already cooked shrimp??? This weekend I'm making corned beef and cabbage for my boyfriend, I've never made it before say a prayer or send a good thought my way because I don't know how that'll turn out. I'm probably going to divide up the leftovers for lunch and dinner for next week, just to change up the food routine. On Monday I go back for another fill so we'll see how it goes. Thanks again

Cottage cheese 1% or 2% Yogurts (greek) Applesauce Avacados (blenderized) depending on how soft it is you can mash it up with a fork Tuna fish in the can, white chunk albacore (blenderized) Bumble Bee chicken (Blenderized) Laughing Cow Lite Cheese wedges Babybel Lite cheese Ricotta Cheese (Part Skim) Cream Soups (no chunks) Tomato Soup Mashed sweet potatoes Mashed Potatoes (white) Refried Beans *You would be surprised what you can make with all these items as a meal*

Agree with Igotheband, do not eat grilled cheese frankly you should not be eating anything solid. In the beginning they want you to eat slider food. Protein shakes, with at least 15 gms of protein and they should be low in sugars. Greek yogurt is good source of protein, mashed potatos, cream soups. You can buy unflavored protein and add it to almost anything. If you are hungry than take some liguids or something every couple of hours. It takes several days, sometimes up to a week for the swelling to go down after the band is placed. You will not fill any restriction in the beginning and you may not start really losing any weight until after your first fill. Some fill restriction from the beginning. If you go to main Lapband web site there is a diet to follow and you need to stick to it as closely as you can, but really your physicians office should have provided you with all of that. Good luck to you and do a little internet searching on what to eat in the early days. This all takes time and yes in the beginning you may be hungry, I am sorry but the band can not change all of that as quickly as we would like sometimes. Banded since OCTOBER 2010 and down 94 lbs.

On May 1st I will be 3 weeks post op. As of today I am down 18.5 lbs but I cant seem to get motivated to work out. I wish oh wish I could. I have a gym in my home but all it does is collect dust. Sould I join a gym ??? I just dont know what to do. My second issue is that I am not on solids and cant get a fill for another 3 weeks. I dont ever feel full but I am scared to eat!!! I will never eat eggs or greek yogurt after this. I am dreaming about coffee and wine :wub: If you have any suggestions PLEASE let me know.

Yes, starting today. I can have protein shakes x4, yogurt, raw veggies, 3 oz chix, fish or egg white and oatmeal. What about you?

Have you tried having some ginger tea or chamomile to try to settle your stomach too? I agree with others though of taking it with some food. Call your doctors office and see what they suggest. I would think a protein shake or some yogurt (which is good to have anyway w/ antibiotics) may help.

I have to agree with what most people are saying, which is that you should stop blaming outside circumstances that could be changed and instead look inward, being very blunt and realistic with yourself. Alcohol should not be consumed by people who have had a sleeve for ideally 6 months to one year after surgery. There is a special digestive enzyme in your stomach that processes alcohol. Since 85% of your stomach has been removed, there is very little of that enzyme (if any) to process alcohol. You could actually end up with alcohol poisoning and be in the hospital getting your stomach pumped. If cereal is a "trigger" food (a food that you can't seem to stop eating once you start) then don't buy it. There are a ton of things that I just can't buy because I know I can't control myself and I will eat all of it! Grocery stores sell pre-cooked chickens, usually for $5. If you want something quick and easy, you could get a chicken and eat off of that for a few days. Also, Protein shakes with milk will give you protein and what your body needs to feel full. I tried Isopure Water for the first time today. It smells kinda weird but tastes OK... and dang, it filled me up. I'm actually burping! (TMI) Support groups work when you work the program. Do you think it would be acceptable for an alcoholic to attend an AA meeting if they just kept drinking and drinking, week after week, year after year? Just going will not help someone until they actually hit rock bottom and make the decision to stop. The point is, it is horribly difficult... horribly horribly difficult to stop eating... (I am literally fighting it every minute of the day) but it is something you have to fight just like any other addict. Your stomach is not likely stretched all the way out, but you could be doing damage to your insides. Your hair is falling out because you are not consuming nutrients. The majority of people who get a VGS will have hair fall out - this is because your body is working to keep the more important parts of your body working (like internal organs and muscles) and ignores things like hair, nails, and skin. I've noticed in a lot of your posts you mention things you can't do, such as not being able to cook. I can't cook either, and that was a big fear of mine. So, what am I going to do? I'm going to sign up for cooking classes. In the meantime, I look up stuff on youtube that looks basic enough for someone who can burn water! My nutritionist gave me smoothie recipes that use frozen fruit and yogurt. The frozen fruit doesn't go bad for ages (cuz it's frozen) and the yogurt isn't anything fancy. Then I just add Protein powder and put it in a blender. It literally takes 5 minutes and you can't screw it up. To conclude, it's easy for anyone to tell you what to do; however, you sound very depressed on top of everything else, so anything people tell you to do will seem unrealistic. I have been through therapy myself and was on antidepressants from the time I was 15 up until last year when I finally got good therapy (I'm 33 now). So, I do understand depression... everyone is just like, "Well... don't be sad. Think positive." Gee.... why didn't I think of that? I'm cured! haha. The point I'm trying to make is, PLEASE reach out for help... either to your primary doctor to work with you on getting the correct type of medication for you, or to a licensed therapist that can help you through this. If you can work through some of these issues in a non-judgmental environment, you will feel more positive about your outlook in life, then things kind of click into place slowly but surely.

Pre-op was actually significantly harder for me than post-op. Pre-op... oh that's just a sandwich. or two. bah that's nothing. Post op.... Oh that's a Whole thing of yogurt? sigh. Maybe in an hour or two. Keep at it

I agree "withlovethenewme", you need to keep the chicken moist as much as possible. There are many ways to do this, like said chicken broth. You can also simmer it in marinara sauce, lemon juice/chicken broth, bbq sauce, lemon juice/plain yogurt, low fat condensed Soups such as cream of mushroom and chicken, they even make light alfredo sauce now. My chicken always comes out most and tender because I slice it very thin before cooking and while simmering I 'cover' the pan with a lid to keep all the moisture in. Pause inbetween eating chicken when you start to take your next bite of whatever foods you are eating with it. Take very small bites, and mince in your mouth. OMG< I litterally chew food till its mush in my mouth before swallowing. As said, it is a learning process that takes a while to get use to ....

I'm really supposed to be on full liquids stage weeks 2-3, I find it so strange how different each persons diet can be even though we're only on second post-op week. I couldn't handle just liquids anymore so I tried the applesauce & cottage cheese & Greek yogurt & have handled all 3 well. I can't do soups or juices because of my acid levels & trying to heal an ulcer. I need to buy unflavored protein- can you find it at GNC or Vitamin Shop would rather go pick it up then have to order it & wait? Thanks everyone - it's been so helpful reading all the comments from others!!

For the 1st 2 weeks after my liquids stage I'm only allowed to add cottage cheese, yogurt, refried beans,creamy soup. No eggs or cheese for me until the next stage. So maybe stick with really soft thru the transition?

I'm 9 mths out. I am also vegetarian so my meals are different from most people. I eat Beans, quinoa, seitan, FAGE 0% greek yogurt, and eggs for my Protein. I typically have protien shake that I make with greek yogurt, Protein powder and whatever I have on hand for breakfast. That can be fruit, almond butter, leftover coffee that I freeze into ice cubes, spinach or cacao powder to name just a few. I also eat small amounts for fresh veg, particularly dark green veg since they are the most protein rich. Favorites are broccoli, kale, and spinach. My dinners are are often light; low sodium vegetable broth, vegetable soup or a small salad with egg,a bit of shredded cheese and black beans. I don't eat foods with food dyes or artificial sweeteners since I am allergic to nearly all of them. That means my coffee is usually sweetened with raw honey or sugar. I limit the amount of white, processed carbs and rarely eat breads or crackers. Overall I am mostly eating what I ate pre-op but in much smaller portions. I keep my protein at 70 +. I typically eat Breakfast, lunch, snack & dinner. In between I try to focus on drinking plenty of Water.

Great thread! I have 5.7cc's in a 10cc band. I'm EXTREMELY tight. I find it difficult to eat almost anything before 4pm. Protein shakes and broth are about all I can handle. Night time is also a challenge - I might need a slight unfill. Here are my big NO-NO's (no matter what time of day it is!) 1. rice (seems to just expand in my pouch) 2. chicken (all types!) 3. steak (all types!) 4. doughy bread My staples: 1. Protein Shakes 2. cottage cheese 3. ground turkey 4. fat free frozen yogurt (at least 1 per day!) 5. Peanut Butter Like I said, I probably need an unfill. It's so hard to find that "sweet spot". I miss real food, but, like the results of restriction. I'm very curious to see what everyone else says!

I am about three months out now and have gone thru different phases of likes and dislikes with foods. Right now I have coffee and a protein shake with a half of bananna in it for breakfast, usually chicken salad, egg salad, ham salad or seafood salad for lunch w/ a tomato and dinner is usually a Greek yogurt with granola and almonds. I find my cut off time for dinner is about 5pm or else I'm no longer hungry, not sure why but whatever. Snacks are usually cheese, nuts or protein bars. Good topic, I like reading about what others are eatting so not to get bored with my choices.

Nope, they aren't noticeable at all! Most folks don't even notice the scars unless you point them out. I can find my port with my fingers if I press and dig around in the general area, but that's it. Yeah, try the different Protein Drinks. I wasn't on them long at all, and my doc was more worried about carbs. I was an unhappy camper during the pre-op diet, but it was SOOO worth it! Really, guys. Bear up. It's temporary. I made Soups and broths, then froze half of what I made for my Liquid Post-Op Phase. Use Jello and sugar free Popsicles to give yourself treats. Go hunt up Torani and DaVinci Sugar Free Syrups to flavor your coffee, tea, and yogurts. You miss your old bad diet a whole lot less when you have flavors to enjoy. Really, sprinkle glitter in your hair and call yourself a circus poodle for all the hoops you jump through, but it's really worth all the effort. Do it now and enjoy this coming year! Lena