Search the Community

banded Tuesday May 22nd-Clear Liquids for 2 days then & currently-liquids, cream soups, yogurt, jello for total of 21 days then more mushey stuff. I've been seeing some weird things, like someone eating mashed potatoes isn't that how we got big in the first place )o: Anyway I'm glad I found this site & no others are hungry, gasey also LOL It will all be worth one day....(o:

Hi Jaime, Yes I had the Midband. So the instructions are different. On page 12 of the hand book it says: The day after the operation: liquids only (water, milk, tea, broth) The 3rd, 4th and 5th days: semi-liquids only (thinck soups, purees, yogurts, baby foods) Then eat as normal but: 1- Stop eating as soon as you feel satisfied. 2- Everyday you must have some animal Protein. 3- Drink between meals, and never fizzy drinks. I think it may have to do with the fact that the midband is flexible and it is not a rigid ring placed around the stomach. I was also sent this great CD that goes through the entire procedure. The CD was made for physicians because it does get technical as well but I got it through my dad who is a doctor. So instructions are different from band to band and also from one doctor to the next. I have been reading other posts and I do notice that my instructions were not as rigid as others. May be it was because I did not have as much weight to lose so they didn't need to put me on such a restricted diet after the surgery. I don't know.... Mary

Week 1 & 2: Clear Liquids AND skim milk, thin yogurt, Protein Drinks for Protein Week 3 & 4: All liquids; plus runny oatmeal, pudding, blended Soups Weeks 5-9: Soft foods After 9 weeks: normal food! It seems like ages since I was going through all that. I had to look at the handout to refresh my memory about how long I was on each stage.

Europeans Find Extra Options for Staying Slim food, Ms. Spalliera, an office worker, quickly lost 77 pounds, dropping from 242 to about 165 pounds. She had read about the balloon on the Internet. Now, wearing a denim miniskirt and high black boots, she hardly looks like a candidate for weight-loss surgery. But here she is, at Rome's Policlinico Umberto I, asking for another balloon. Her goal: to lose another 22 pounds. ''This has radically changed my life; I can walk,'' Ms. Spalliera said. ''I can climb stairs. I have a love life.'' Surgical procedures to lose weight have gained popularity in Europe as methods have become simpler and obesity rates have climbed. Though still largely the province of people with dangerous obesity, the procedures are now regarded as so simple and safe by many European surgeons that they are being offered to people like Ms. Spalliera, who, after her initial weight loss, was merely overweight. In Italy, as in most of Europe, the number of procedures carried out has doubled in the last three years, according to medical studies. A vast majority use a simple, minimally invasive technique in which an adjustable band is slipped around the stomach to reduce its size. More recently, doctors have been using balloons like Ms. Spalliera's, which can be inserted through a tube in the mouth and inflated in 15 minutes. ''We can afford to offer it to more people since it is relatively complication-free,'' Dr. Nicola Basso, a leading Italian researcher on surgery for obesity, said of the so-called lap-band technique. ''This has become the most common surgical procedure in Western Europe for weight loss. It has the pole position.'' But even as Europeans rave about their bands and their balloons, many American doctors have remained suspicious, regarding the techniques as not terribly effective and even dangerous. Bands, used for more than a decade in Europe, are just catching on in the United States; balloons are not in the pipeline for approval from the Food and Drug Administration yet. ''There are really profound differences in how we think about weight-loss surgery,'' said Dr. Sayeed Ikramuddin, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the chief of bariatric surgery at the University of Minnesota. Eighty percent of weight-loss surgery in the United States involves a far more arduous and technically demanding bypass operation in which the stomach is cut and made smaller with staples, then reconnected far down in the intestine. While the initial weight loss is often more rapid, complications are more common and many patients are loath to undergo the larger procedure. It is a striking example of the way that patients' options are governed by doctors' habits in even the most sophisticated medical systems. ''It's really just a question of who got used to what first, and what has insurance approval,'' Dr. Ikramuddin said. In some early trials in the United States, he added, the less invasive techniques produced mixed results, and this lastingly tarnished their reputation among American medical professionals. Because the new procedures are widely accepted in Italy, both the band and the balloon are virtually free for patients, paid for by the national health insurance plan. In France, the banding procedure is covered, but the balloon option is not; it costs about 5,000 euros or a little more than $5,900. European surgeons extol the spread of simple weight-loss surgery to the masses, noting that obesity is not just a cosmetic problem. Most obese people have serious medical problems, like breathing difficulty and diabetes, which shorten their life expectancies; weight loss improves the condition of a majority of them. ''This is a lifesaving procedure which is very difficult for some people to understand,'' Dr. Basso said. Obesity rates are rising sharply in countries across Europe, according to the health directorate of the European Commission. Some are catching up with the United States, where obesity rates are 28 percent for men and 34 percent for women. European Union figures show the highest rates for European men in Cyprus (nearly 27 percent) and for women in Greece (38 percent). Dr. Basso said that 1.5 million Italians could potentially benefit from weight-loss surgery, and that many were demanding it, especially now that simpler procedures are available. Davide Rubbio, 48, an ambulance worker in Rome, had missed nine months of work over a three-year period before having the stomach band procedure in February. At about 320 pounds, life was a struggle: he was depressed, could not tie his shoes, had diabetes and was chronically short of breath. He heard about the band surgery on television; it appealed to him, he said, because it did not require a big operation and ''nothing was taken out.'' Nine months later, he has lost 77 pounds and is losing more. ''Now I'm advising everyone I know to have it,'' he said. On both sides of the Atlantic, patients who are contemplating weight-loss surgery generally undergo intensive medical and psychological screening. A patient's body mass index, a measure of obesity, must be above 40, or above 35 if the patient has a related medical disorder like diabetes. (To calculate body mass index, divide your weight in pounds by your height in inches squared. Then multiply the result by 703.) But in Europe, those criteria are being eroded by the presence of the balloons, and by patient demand. ''You have patients who don't quite meet indications for surgery, but they've failed lots of diets, and they are gaining weight,'' said Dr. Alfredo Genco of the Policlinico. ''So we should do nothing and wait until they get morbidly obese? This is a very safe procedure and can prevent it, so why not give them the option?'' He recently returned from Kentucky, where he inserted the balloon in 10 patients to initiate a trial for F.D.A. approval, which is still years away. His American colleagues, Dr. Genco said, ''continue to think of it as dangerous, but it's just not true.'' ''They don't have experience with the current device,'' he continued. To Dr. Genco, the balloon is a tool to help motivated patients lose weight, allowing them in the meantime to acquire healthier eating habits. He said his own wife, who has been struggling to lose 25 or so pounds for years, is now demanding a balloon. If she fails one more round of dieting, she will try it, he said. In a recently completed clinical trial involving more than 2,500 patients in Italy, serious complications occurred in 5 patients when pressure from the balloon eroded the stomach wall and caused it to burst. Two of the five patients died. On the other hand, almost 90 percent of people with obesity-related illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure were cured or showed improvement after six months of the balloon. Weight-loss experts on both sides of the Atlantic are somewhat mystified about why early trials of banding and balloons were not as successful in the United States as in Europe. Eating habits may be partly to blame, however, as patients must be capable of cutting down on food to benefit fully from the simpler European procedures. Although the procedures reduce the stomach to the size of a coffee cup, they will ''not be effective if it is filled hundreds of times a day,'' Dr. Basso said. The lap band procedure involves the placement of a ring around the stomach through a scope inserted through the abdominal wall. Intended to remain for life, it can be adjusted from outside to regulate the flow of food and can be reversed if there are problems. The balloon is kept in place for six months and is then removed because of concerns that the material might wear out. Massimo Chiovelli was at the clinic last week for balloon removal after losing a little over 68 pounds. Convinced that he can lose weight and still enjoy life while eating smaller meals, he said he could not eat a steak and that he felt full after a small amount of yogurt. He will soon undergo the longer-term banding procedure. Mr. Chiovelli, who is a dental technician and who, like many here, wears clothes that now hang loosely on his frame, said: ''I was just so fat I couldn't take a walk or climb stairs, and at work I just sit all day.''

I've been using "body fortress 100% whey protein" from Walmart. Very inexpensive and tastes relatively good. Virtually no carbs. I mix a scoop in about 8 oz milk in am and pm to get my Protein while in the liquids phase. I expect to use this the rest of my life. That "whey" I get all the protein that I need. Sometimes you might mix it with Slim Fast optima or another powder if the taste bother you. Also use Dannon light and fit yogurt and cottage cheese. One thing I learned from others here was to start in the am if your tight with a warm liquid. I use 8oz of broth when I take my liquid IB gel caps in the am.

I was having greek yogurt with just a little bit of the fruit at the bottom. I didn't want all the extra carbs. I saw my NUT today and she said if I have one greek yogurt/day with the fruit that it's fine. Our calories are already so low that there's no way we aren't going to lose weight if we consume some carbs. She told me to aim for no more than 50-60g of carbs/day in the beginning.

Yoplait greek vanilla yogurt. 100 calories 13 grms of protein and 11 carbs total. I believe its a 6oz container! I used to eat chobani til I found this one. Yoplait Had less carbs so I switched.

I got banded on 8/20 and im having a hard time getting the shakes down. They make me feel like im going to throw up and i easily tolerated them before. I have eaten puddin and yogurt and that does not do this. Is it ok for me not to take them and just get protein from yogurt?

*~Otherwise known as "Hopeful One Day, Scared The Next"~* :hungry: Reading through erosion posts, pictures of infections, stories of slippage and removals, I sally forth to my meeting with the Psych doc and nutritionist, with what amounts to this month's rent money in hand to pay for this visit. I don't take this surgery lightly. I was actually able to have this done by a different surgeon back in the Fall. But I needed more time to make sure I was doing the right thing. Let's be honest, going under the knife to be able to lose weight is a huge step, and a serious one. I went to a support group meeting of this other surgeon and I was shocked at how quickly and without real research these people went and had this done. I was asking questions that we discuss here in the meeting none of them had a clue about. That shocked me. I guess for some the promise of being thin is enough. Not me. Yes, I am terrified of the actual surgery, going under anesthesia. (will I be that 1 in 1000 that won't wake up?) but my fears center more on what is going to happen after the surgery. Will I heal? Will I become infected? Will I get pneumonia? Will it be freaky because there is a freaking device wrapped around my stomach? Will I become dehydrated? And farther out: Will I pass out from PBing? Will I have terrible pain in my chest like some people? Will I erode? Will complications from erosion in my stomach kill me? Emotional: Will I enjoy life without my food? Will I ever be able to enjoy food again? What will life be like without being able to just drink and eat whenever and however like before? What will I do with my time without it being centered on eating and cooking? What will I do with my thoughts and emotions that can't be comforted with food anymore?? So, my first hour is with the nutritionist. I am completely overwhelmed and set on edge by this meeting. If the seriousness of this surgery didn't hit me before, then it did now. I am a vegetarian, so getting protein is going to be paramount. The fact that I will have to be on a low carb diet was not what I expected. As a vegetarian, I eat carbs in beans, whole grains, etc. From the food choices I have, it seemed to me that food enjoyment is really going to be out the window. Yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, protein drinks. And water. That will be my diet. I was prepared for a change, but not this drastic. What unsettled me the most was the water bit. I can hold off drinking at meals, but I guzzle water. ALL DAY. I used to be very athletic and I drank and still drink over a gallon of water a day. And I chug it. When I don't get my gallon in, I feel dehydrated and can actually feel sick. SO this is a real concern for me. I just don't see how I can keep up the levels my body is used to all these years with a sip, sip ,sip sip all day. So coupled with all that I have written above, and the fact that now I am just waiting on a surgery date has me up at night. Am I doing the right thing? Will I be doing my body more harm than being fat if something goes wrong? Anxiety and fear is riding me out. But every once in a while during the day I'll see a woman who is slim and I think "I can be that now. I actually have a chance at achieving that" or see an ad for travel and think "I can vacation now and not be miserable that I am so fat" But most of all this is about getting healthy again. I can feel my body struggling and getting sick with this weight on, and I'm only going to get bigger because I am a food junkie and I have PCOS. To be continued.....

For me i started Soft foods (tuna, eggs, yogurt, etc.) in week 2 and Regular diet on week 5.

I had my sleeve surgery 1/20/16 and I took a 3 day trip to Las Vegas on 2/11/16 (3 weeks post op). Now, I know everyone recovers differently but I was completely useless for the first 2.5weeks. I was worried about taking my trip but started to get some energy back a couple days before I left. I completely understand what you're going through. I apologize in advance, this may be lengthy, especially since it's fresh in my mind. I think the most difficult thing is going to be food. At three weeks I was supposed to be on a puréed diet. That was incredibly difficult while traveling!!! I am having trouble with Protein shakes post op, no matter what I try I just can't stomach them. That would have been my go to, but I just couldn't do it. I ate mostly yogurt and eggs and those 1 oz packages of peanut or almond butter (I can't remember the brand. It's all natural, no sugars or anything). But, I also ate things that weren't puréed. I didn't have a choice in some places. There just aren't many options on a puréed diet. I did get sick once from eating 2 French fries. I just didn't want to spend so much money on an entire meal when I really shouldn't have been eating any of the foods they had to offer and would only be able to eat a couple bites anyway, and I figured French fries were soft so I just took a couple from someone else's plate. Not a good idea! No more fried things for me!! It didn't help that our hotel room didn't have a fridge or anything, so I couldn't buy yogurts or anything to keep in the room. I did, however, make sure I had a Water bottle on me at all times. I'm not sure what stage of the diet you will be on during your trip, but I would definitely consider what your options would be. As far as rescheduling your trip, and I'm assuming that this is just for pleasure since you're wondering about postponing, I would do some research online or by phone. Look at where you will be staying and local restaurants and any outings you have planned. Most places offer menus online, try to find things that will work for your diet. Even call them and see if they will be accommodating. Also, look at who you will be traveling with. Do they know about your surgery and diet restrictions? Are they going to be supportive and understanding? I think if you will be able to find foods that will fit your diet you will be fine. I had energy back by that point and besides having trouble with food, I had a phenomenal trip. Good luck with your surgery and have fun in Hawaii! Thanks for the information... As I was reading your post I called my BF and told him we are not rescheduling! The room we are staying in had a full kitchen so I will be able to keep The yogurts on hand. I will definitely be checking the surrounding areas now that you mentioned the online menus! THANKS FOR THE GREAT ADVICE ????????????????????

I am mainly experienced 'highs' only. I am worried. I get hyperactive and super-excited from small milestones (like being cleared for full liquids). I was hyperactive after my first yogurt. My friends are tired of my euphoria for mundane stuff.

My favorite thing was Beans, cheese, and salsa, microwaved. Amy's refried black beans is so good! yogurt is good too, lots of Protein. avocado smoothies are good too - avocado, milk if you're allowed, and a little brown sugar, in a blender. can use some other type of milk that is allowed if dairy is not. good luck!

Cottage cheese, hummus, soup, yogurt, beans or refried beans, tuna, canned chicken, sweet potato (if allowed), ricotta bake. Be creative and enjoy.

Depends on the food. I can eat 1-1/2 to 2 oz meat, but a 5.3 oz Greek yogurt. I'm 13-14 wks out and have never had a stall. Might get more responses if this was on a different forum other than ladies gone wild. Just sayin...

I start today. I was told yogurt, protein shakes, jello, broth, apple, grape, & cranberry juice. I think some of the things I was told are dumb. So im just gonna do slim fast strawberry shakes for breakfast, and homemade beef or chicken broth. I can just buy some bouillon cubes and dissolve it it boiling water with oregano and call it a day. It tastes awesome.

Wow, only 20 pounds doesn't sound possible if you are carefully following the instructions from your surgeon. You should be eating so much less now that your stomach is so much smaller. That alone should have meant weight loss of more than 20 pounds. I know everyone is different, but if you stuck strictly to the healthy eating and eating habits prescribed by your doctor or bariatric program, I would think you'd be experiencing more weight loss. You should check with your doctor. Something doesn't seem right. Have you included exercise since your surgery? What are you eating on a daily basis and in what portions? Definitely food log if you are having issues with eating. See what quantities and portions your eating on a daily basis and adjust where necessary. I was sleeved August 27 and I've lost about 75 pounds so far. I have a Protein shake and Chobani 100 greek yogurt for Breakfast, the only about a 1/2 cup of food for lunch (because that's about all that will fit without making me feel very uncomfortable). I eat a half cup of cottage cheese or have a meat and cheese stick roll-up of dinner. I would estimate that my calorie intake per day is right around, or just less than, 1000 calories...mostly protein. Are you also taking Vitamins?

Ladies, I am with you on this one. My husband works overnight and I am at the house with the kids. I was doing great in the beginning either going upstairs to work out or working from home while they ate dinner, but the fat girl in my has reared her ugly head:cursing:! I find myself eating the Snacks for their lunches. I've stopped working out too. It's like I can't stop myself. I have finally gotten back in the right mindset, but the idle time at home is driving my crazy. Eat a handful of raisins, Jello, pudding, yogurt, or those 100 calorie snacks. Some of them have high carbs, but it will curb that itch to have something crunchy. Jen

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.

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

Does your doctor have you on a PPI? Sometimes excess stomach acid can cause that rumbly feeling and mistake it as hunger signals. Also, as you progress in to more solid foods you may feel your restriction more. Try choosing the most dense foods within the parameters set by your team. Ex: thick Greek yogurt will likely keep you more satisfied than think soup, jello, or applesauce.

So everything is super sweet and I am having a hard time getting my protein in. I am trying Greek yogurt and some chicken broth but I need more protein. Anyone have a good (not too sweet) protein shake idea? So appreciated!

I am 4 days post op and I actually wonder if we are "hungry". I don't think we are, if we eat some soup, custard or yogurt that feeling goes away. So I think we will all be fine so long as we eat often and small amounts. Our heads are driving our hungry not our tummy's!

Ohh I definitely have this problem! I literally cannot eat in the mornings. At. All. I used to drink either a Protein drink or a yogurt or something but since my last fill, I have trouble with them (not because I'm too tight... but apparently my body just doesn't like dairy in the form of liquid anymore). Sooo now I wake up and drink about 6oz of orange juice at home, drink a full bottle of Water when I get to work (around 8:30), and then usually by about 10am I can handle a handful of nuts. Then I usually just do a soup for lunch around 1-2 (I work at a veterinary practice and everything is on the go. I tried real food for the first month working there in december and everyone there probably thought I had some sort of eating disorder haha... it did NOT go well!). Then I'll do another handful of nuts around 3-4. When I get home by around 7, I can typically eat whatever I want (other than bread and lettuce), and usually fix myself a pretty decent dinner. Unfortunately even without much fill, I have trouble in the morning and early afternoon, so it doesn't matter for me to have an unfill, etc. God knows, I'd probably eat a house at night if I did! It's a struggle, especially since it's hard to regulate my food intake at night. It'd be nice if it were reverse so I could get a good breakfast and lunch in and then not be able to eat much at dinner!

I'm finding that to be true for me too. I try to do a protein drink or yogurt for breakfast. For lunch, I can usually manage food, but I have to be super diligent about the small bites and chewing. A true half cup is all I eat. Dinner varies. Sometimes I can only eat a little, sometimes more.