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I've been a struggling sleever since my surgery date of June 16th. I've been admitted to the hospital 4 times for dehydration and most recently low potassium. Well..all I've been able to tolerate is water and muscle milk. Tonight I decided to try 1 oz of Fage yogurt (plain sweetened with a touch of splenda). I've been working on this for an hour and I doubt I've gotten in a solid teaspoon. Every bite is grumble grumble burp then I try again. I'm using a baby spoon and barely licking some off the end of the spoon. Was eating this slow for anyone else? I feel so far behind because of my complications and I don't want to rush anything, but I feel like I need to try to move forward. Thanks for you advice Leanne

Hey JH, have you tried a non isolate Protein powder. I've ha a look and I would suggest checking either of these two out or other products like these. They are treated with low heat and no acid processing, which really alters the taste & the nutrients. Defense Nutrition - http://store.defensenutrition.com/warrior-whey/#.UcYsZPZ-yPQ Pasture-Raised Organic Whey - http://essentiallivingfoods.com/products/whey-protein-powder-grass-fed-organic-9oz I think you might find a huge difference in flavour. My favourites are - 1/2 banana, 2 tblsp Protein Powder (or equiv of 15g protein), 200ml 0% milk, 100ml 0% yogurt & cinnamon to taste. Thats a whopping 30g protein approx & delicious. Add an ice cube & blend. As above but with 1tblsp Peanut Butter & no cinnamon. For Breakfast - As above with 10 blueberries, 3 or 4 strawberries or other berries. Dried fruit is great too if you like, especially if you have probs with constipation - Figs, dates, apricots - tried to use ones that are naturally sweet & not sweetened (like cranberries etc). ​I hope you find a way through this where you can enjoy what you eat, I'm sure you will if you keep trying. I was given a prescription for a medical protein drink & many of my fellow patients use it a lot, I haven't used it at all - I couldn't stand the taste & I didn't find it necessary after I found other ways to get my protein - much tastier & more pleasant ways. Best of luck, we're at the same stage so let's keep an eye out for each other & share tips.

Try different temperature water if it's cold try warm etc it's normal to have this issue this early on it usually comes rite I was terrible at the start now I can drink all temperatures fine now I found yogurt and scrambled egg good to eat also had some cup a Soups This shall pass be strong you'll be out the other side before you know it [emoji4]

I'm on 4 shakes + 6 servings of the following: ½ cup cooked veggies, 1 cup raw veggies, 1 snack size jello or pudding (sugar free obvi), 6oz Greek yogurt No fat, 30g< carbs, no sugar I just want some avocado or tuna 😭😭😭

Congrats on your progress! I sure hope you get to feeling you can change your member name someday With complications, your body has really been hit hard. May take a little longer to recoup. Are you eating/snacking/drinking enough? I found early on that I had a lot more energy if I added some carbs to my protein smoothies and snack list. I ate more carby proteins like beans, blended bananas or peaches or berries and skim milk with my protein drink, and added oatmeal to my Greek yogurt, etc. Also make sure you are taking your vitamins, including a separate D3 and sublingual (or injectable) B12. Does your doc do 6 month bloodwork to check iron and vitamin levels? These things could definitely make you tired if low.

My surgery is the day after yours. Good luck to us both! Here is what I am allowed the first week after surgery - but remember every surgery/surgeon may be different and require different things: Priority #1: 64+ ounces of Water a day. Priority #2: 60+ grams of Protein a day, using liquids like pre-made Protein shakes (>15gm protein, <5gm fat, <5gm sugar per serving). Main ingredient must be whey, soy, casein, milk, hemp, or albumin (egg) protein. Cheapest source is "Double Protein Milk" which is 1 cup low fat milk + ⅓ cup nonfat dry milk/powdered milk. Week 1: pureed liquid diet - high protein, sugar free, low fat. Sip on liquids, food should be the consistency of applesauce or even runnier. No fizzy drinks. For example:Protein:shakes or double-protein milk pureed fish, seafood, poultry, meat pureed eggs, egg substitute pureed cottage cheese, yogurt (no sugar), cocoa (sf) pureed beans/lentils, pureed/strained black bean Soup strained low fat cream soup Vegetables and fruits:No raw or uncooked vegetables or fruits Baby food "Stage 1" Pureed water-packed fruit or cooked vegetables V-8 or tomato juice as long as NO sugar (i.e. V-8 Splash may have sugar) fruit juice <½ cup per day StarchesCooked strained Cereal like baby food Mashed sweet or white potatoes - can add yogurt or milk to make them more mushy Soup mixed with Protein powder sugar-free popsicles Now please keep in mind that I have not had my surgery yet either! A lot of sleevers swear by the sugar free popsicles, and they count as Fluid by my doctor. And some people say water is hard to swallow unless you add Mia Drops. Good luck!

I'm taking Solaray capsules and open them into my drinkable yogurt. Makes for gritty yogurt, but doesn't add any taste. I'm taking 500mg 2x day and supposedly the vitamin D in the yogurt helps with absorption.

Good Protein tuna, yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, 100 cal yoplat yogurt in vanilla is 10 g then stir in 2 Tbs of PB2 5g taste like Peanut Butter cheese cake. For a total if 15g protein. Good luck and your energy will return! Sent from my iPhone using VST

I think the "mushie" stage is different with every surgeon. I was told no pasta at all. You should probably call your docs office and ask. Mine consisted of: Soups Skim MIlk Light Yogurt Sugar Free Fudgicles Diet V8 splash Sugar free pudding + all clear liquids

I had a similar issue for my first few months post-op. Yogurt was fine. Cottage cheese? Fine! Milk to mix a protein shake? Bad. So bad. I've taken to mixing my shakes with almond milk. I can have regular milk now without getting sick, but sometimes it doesn't sit right.

i,m sure its ok as i have my surgery on this tuesday coming and my dr. just started me 3 days prior to clear liquids and plain no fat yogurt. today i started it.

I typed up a whole blog introducing myself and such, but I will give a much shorter version here! :smile2: I'm Ryan, I'm a 27 yo single mother, current (and heaviest weight) is 267, and in the process of getting banded (hopefully, if God allows!!) I am from Savannah, GA and will hopefully be banded in January. I have quit smoking in order to get banded, and have mulled over this decision for quite some time... luckily I work in a hospital (don't let that fool you, it's not like i get any special privilages or anything with the surgeons!) and have found a testimonial which finally gave me the last "umph" to believe in myself and know that I CAN and WILL be successful if/when I get banded... and I just wanted to share it with you... Mary Ann Bowman Beil On June 22, 2009, I celebrated the 5th anniversary of my bariatric surgery. For all of us who have had bariatric surgery, this anniversary date is one of the most celebratory days of our lives. It is a milestone accompanied by a sense of reflection and recommitment. I think that the bariatric patient’s surgery anniversary date should be dedicated to sharpening the tool we’ve been given. I will never forget when I first determined that I would have bariatric surgery. After the long deliberation that most of go through to reach that definitive moment, Dr. Angstadt and Dr. Whipple would constantly remind us all that the surgery was just a tool. No matter how often I have heard them both repeat this gentle admonition, I experienced the exquisite sharpness of the almost complete loss of appetite and hunger in the first year after surgery. This seduced me into the belief that my surgery had so perfectly sharpened my tool of resistance that perhaps it was a solution for me, not just a tool. This is one of the great blessings but myths of the life of the new bariatric patient. But it is a feeling that you want to claim, remember, and strive to recover. When you realize that it abates, you will have to sharpen both the tool and your skills to stay the course of exquisite good health and maintain the lifestyle success that the surgery has now let you glimpse. I have found that there are certain “stones” that you must claim as your own and use with almost religious zeal to keep the tool of bariatric surgery sharp and effective. I think every person who has this surgery builds their own cairn out of the stones that they discover work best to encourage them. So here are a few of mine. Stone #1—Quiet Reflection This one takes different forms for different people—prayer and meditation, transcendental sauntering, yoga, sitting quietly, being. Take your pick, but this is an important discipline as it keeps the bariatric patient in touch with the one thing that our weight and former dependence on food distanced us from—our feelings. You must think about how you feel, stay aware of how you feel and set your compass each and every day to make all of the choices that keep you feeling good, feeling lean, and feeling in control. Stone #2—Meaningful Movement Do something. For me the compliance to this particular “stone” is profoundly personal and it took me almost four years to figure out that I would exercise far more consistently if I would work out early in the morning versus in the evening when I almost always had a conflict or flagging motivation. Committing to a time that no person or event could challenge and making it virtually impenetrable from interlopers made this one of the most significant assurances for me. If I start with this stone on the cairn—even if it is just a 45 minute energetic walk—everything else seems to fall in place. Put simply, if I even reluctantly walk over and pick up this stone (no matter how heavy) and carry it to my weight loss cairn each morning, I know that I will virtually run and, with little effort, pick up the rest of the stones that day and stack them on the monument of the day’s success. Make this stone anything you like—for me it is walking, rowing, dancing, or maybe a touch of light weightlifting that I should actually do more often. Stone #3—Liturgical Vitamin Ceremonies My vitamin consumption has become an almost holy symbol of my intent to honor the body this surgery gave me. I bought a tea box (a wooden box with 12 square compartments) that sits next to my favorite chair. Every morning and night I open it up to behold the vitamin selection that assures my good health. There they all are—the multi vitamin, the Co-Q10, the Calcium, the Colace (still needed from time to time). I take Vitamins several times a day, and each time I take one, I whisper “I am good to me.” Stone #4—The Security of Staples Always, always, always have the staples you need to stay the course for good health. This takes discipline and a list (laminated and always with you). For me, the staples are hard boiled eggs, fat free cottage cheese, Montreal steak spice, Lite Havarti cheese, apples, blueberries, fat-free yogurt, and Crystal Light. These must be in my reach at almost all times or I will most assuredly make the same bad choices that caused my weight gain. Make your own list and carry a small cooler in your car everyday if you must—and I have—so that you have no excuse. Never, never go home without knowing that you have the staples you need there. I do better without too much choice. An important related “stone” to this one was a hard one for me to acknowledge and eventually convince the rest of my family to join me in honoring. I cannot have any food in my house that is not desirable for a weight-loss patient to consume. Once that first year of no appetite passes and hunger makes its inevitable return, the same temptations you once knew will be back. Even though you will feel rotten if you succumb, it is just too tempting. I find the de-temptation of the home environment and replacing it with staples (symbols of on-going health) is critical for me. Any family member frustrated by this strategy can find plenty of excuses to sneak out of the house for a non-healthy treat. Stone #5—Surround Yourself with Stone Masons This has to do with the ongoing support we all need in life to achieve any of the goals we set before us, particularly the goal of good health after weight-loss surgery. For some, this may mean participating in support groups. I have had a mixed reaction to formal groups for bariatric patients. Prior to surgery, I found the groups to be absolutely inspiring with so many stories of success transformation. They were a remarkable source of hope during a time of despair. However, not long after my surgery, I found that most support groups were negative. The participants focused on what wasn’t working, what they couldn’t eat, or what they didn’t like. Since I had been totally prepared for the changes that my surgery was intended to bring, I did not find what I wanted in a group. Look intentionally for a support group that absolutely encourages the excitement (and yes, reality) of a body that has been readjusted completely to bring about a transformation. Yes, our cups may now be literally half full, but our lives and futures are virtually overflowing. Surround yourself with people who see it that way and, do as I did, select your own personal support team. The people on that team are your stone masons who will help you set the stones you choose in place and secure them for life. Stone #6—Celebrate and Play At least once a quarter, take a day to do nothing but Celebrate. Keep a list of the things that you always said that you would do when you lost the weight—take a hike, ride a horse, go to a concert, climb a mountain, go sit on the beach and watch a sunset, shop, etc. Write down everything you can imagine and, like a bucket list, do them one by one. Plan these important days, give them to yourself and review the stones in your weight-loss structure. If you can, take the day off on your surgery anniversary and honor your good health. Stone #7—Share the Joy Take some of the new energy of life that is most certainly one of the extraordinary benefits of weight-loss surgery and give it away to somebody who needs it. Do this in whatever way the world calls you to give something back. People carry “weight” in very many ways and I think we end up with an obligation once ours is gone, to help others carry their own or lose it as the case may be. Stone #8—Lighten Up and Face the Facts The reality of my numbers is as follows. The last time I weighed prior to surgery, I was a precious but substantial 327 pounds. I would lose a total of 167 pounds, 18 of which have found their way back. Of course, this predictable weight gain is a fact that strikes sheer terror in the heart of any person who has struggled with weight loss and knows how easy and devious the return of pounds can be. However, using the stone stacking method described here, I have discovered how to maintain my weight within about a two-pound fluctuation over the past year. Put simply, the balance of stones and habits for me that I have in place right now will accommodate maintenance. What I also know is that if I want to be as lean as I have been (which I very much would), I will have to exercise a bit more and trim some additional calories out of my diet to create that outcome. These are facts, not magic and not a failure of the surgery. Just a reminder that I will have to continue to use my stones in different ways everyday for the rest of my life to sharpen the tool of my surgery and create the monument to good health that I want my cairn to be .

BTW, it was pretty delish mixed with Greek yogurt to make "yogurt soup."

bummer about the shoulder pain - i have a lil bit of that. my heating pad is my friend :thumbup: i feel hungry, nauseous and bloated all at once. my belly is making crazy gurgling noises that startle my dogs lol. doc gave me liquid tylenol 3 (pretty yucky tasting) so i haven't been taking it a lot. thankfully, the pain level is tolerable. trying to keep up on my liquids. looking forward to tomorrow (skim milk & yogurt - yay!) take care!

I use one scoop of Unjury chocoltate splendor, 1 tsp unsweetened chocolate powder, 1/2 cup unsweetened greek yogurt, some frozen blueberries, a frozen stawberry, a quarter of an apple, 3 ice cubes, ans about 1/3 cup of skim milk. YUM i tastes like a milk shake! total it is about 230 calories and 35g of protein.

This is what I call the right post at the right time!! I have been on vacation for one week already and will not be home for another week. Been having a pretty hard time making sure I am getting enough Protein while being on vacation. I did get cottage cheese, greek yogurt and some Soups at the store so I could have things in my mini fridge in the hotel. I also brought some Protein Drink mix, chocolate Protein shakes and Protein Bars for the times when I was out and about and knew I would be eating out with family. I'm really proud of how I have done so far and its been nice not having a scale too. Using the fitness center almost every night and getting a lot of walking in while sightseeing. I am just 5 weeks out of surgery and have a few more options to try as of today so will go grocery shopping soon However, I have a feeling I may not be getting enough calories in per day. I will take a closer look and start journaling my food on all of the remaining days of my vacation. If I don't have a significant loss when I get home, then I will call my doctors office and speak with the nutritionist.

It’s day seven of my liquid diet, and today was the first time I really struggled. First, let me say that today was a great day in many respects. My husband and I took our oldest on a college visit today where he and other students auditioned and interviewed for theater scholarships. I’m not just saying this because I’m his mom—my son did great! Some of the professors even told me so afterwards. He had such a great experience today (this was our second visit), that he decided to commit to the school, which is a huge load off of all of our minds. My son really shined today, and I’m excited about this new chapter in his life. He's going to do amazing things! Okay, now here’s the crabby part. This, as many of you already know, is just a really hard time of year to be on a liquid diet. (Though I'm sure every time of the year has its own unique challenges.) While on campus today, we were treated to lunch in a recently updated dining hall that truly is more like a collection of restaurants. It puts my old college’s microwave eggs and frozen pizzas to shame! And it was a social lunch, one that was stretched out for an hour so that we could talk to the faculty and visit with other prospective students. I felt a little self-conscious about my tiny bowl of soup (which probably wasn’t even technically on my list) as people went back for seconds. Then, we were enthusiastically encouraged to hit the icecream bar. I got another diet soda—a no-no, I know, but at least it wasn’t the icecream bar, and it made me feel like I was having a treat. After a very long two hour drive, we got back into town right around supper time and stopped to pick up my two younger kids from my mom’s house. When we got there, my kids showed off the frosted Christmas sugar cookies they made and everyone endulged—except me. Now, I can see this as a small victory, and I do, but I felt bad because my 3 year old daughter didn’t entirely understand why I wasn’t eating her special cookies. And I felt like my mom was disappointed in me too. Maybe it was in my head, but she kept looking at me like, “Come on, Jennie, just eat one, for your kids.” Then Mom continued to talk about how excited that she was that her favorite pizza place was moving back into our neighborhood. I got out of there as quickly as I could. As soon as I got home, my phone was ringing. My little sis, who lives 3 hours away, is hosting a girls weekend at her place this weekend. It’s the first time she’s had many of the girls of the family down to visit since she moved there, and she’s especially excited because she has a beautiful new home and it’s all decked out for the holidays. Plus, she’s newly pregnant. If you haven’t noticed already—backing out of the trip is simply not a possibility. She is really supportive of what I’m doing, but in her defense, she’s been planning this weekend for a while, and certainly not just for me. So on the agenda for the weekend: a winery (and I LOVE wine—it’s kinda my thing), a local festival of fresh baked goods and Christmas crafts (the crafts should be cool), and then out on the town for dinner in Kansas City. Sigh. This is going to be a tough week, I can tell. But, here it is: I have 7 days left, and A LOT to do. I have to get sub plans ready for the 9 days I’ll miss work, and I pretty much need to have Christmas shopping and wrapping done before I leave town Friday. I teach a college night class, and the grades for that are due next week, and I have to take my student group out to buy gifts for ten area needy kids that we “adopted” for Christmas. I’m hoping that I’m so busy, I won’t have time to lament the loss of real food. Though this weekend will be tough. I’ll just have to keep focused on my surgery. It will be here before I know it. Writing this all down has really helped me get my head around where I am emotionally today. Maybe I wanted to eat more today because, even though it’s a really wonderful milestone, there’s something very bittersweet in my son’s final selection of a college. This is exactly the kind of thing that I would have celebrated by going out for a nice, high calorie dinner! And maybe it’s bothering me that I don’t feel as supported by my extended family as I wish I was. But on the other hand, I’m never going to change them, and I love them how they are. I’m sure I drive them nuts from time to time. And my husband has been amazing. He’s passing on food all the time just so that he’s not eating in front of me. He is even making all of the dinners for the kids right now, which allows me to make my shake/soup/yogurt/whatever and go sit and unwind a minute alone at the end of the day. So I have a lot to stay positive about—I’ve having the surgery, afterall. I’m only days away from something I’ve wanted for almost two years. So I just need to stay positive. Stay positive.

Hello Melissa, Topdowndog, and luvmy3boyz.... I am also an October 16th bandster and doing pretty good on the fourth day out... I was a little weak today, but I think it was from being on the clear liquid diet and needing something a little more. I had a yogurt smoothie and a bowl of cream of wheat and I feel much better... I haven't had any problems with gas pains and was lucky not to get a sore throat... My throat would get dry and hoarse but that was about it... I only got the nausea feeling once, but I did get the hiccups alot, but a couple sips of Water would take care of that.... I am very pleased with my progress so far and I'm looking forward to a healthier way of life... Good luck and many blessings to all of the October bandsters and keep us posted on your journey...

I like Greek Yogurt and actually have been making my own for years. You can add some fruit to it if allowed at this time. It is not the sugar laden yogurt most are used to so people are often thrown by it at first. I just can't see peanut butter being a good option for a meal. There are much better options. But to each their own.

I'm on day 6 post op. Not sure exactly what it is. I'm sure I over did it I felt so good and probably did not rest as much as I should have but today it felt like heartburn (bad) I can't keep crushing Pepcid so I got chewable and they helped but still hurts so not sure what I'm feeling. Wonder if I ate to much. I may have drank my broth to fast do I took in to much? Or maybe half a yogurt was to much? I'm not sure how to tell. Glad I'm seeing the surgeon tomorrow I'm a little nervous.

I wasn't on liquids or mushies on day ten either. I was on soft proteins, though. That is what my doctor advises. So I could eat eggs, chicken, turkey, cottage cheese, refried beans and low fat/low sugar yogurt. I would be really careful about what you are eating because your band sight is healing and you need it to heal really well because you are going to need it for a long time and don't want to mess anything up. For me, restriction varies from day to day and also at different times of the same day. But please be really careful! Try to eat only soft foods. And try to concentrate on protein.

I found that canned chicken or tuna goes down MUCH easier than a filet. And you still get your protein. There's also smoothies made with fruit, FF plain yogurt, sweetner (I prefer stevia), and protein powder. I'm sure other's will chime in with ideas

My surgery is not until January but my doctor insists on an all liquid diet of shakes for 3 weeks prior to surgery. I was told by the nurse that if I was absolutely starving that I could have greek yogurt but it was not to be everyday. I'm more worried about the 3 week diet than about the surgery!

For dinners most nights I have a big bowl of home made veggie soup with some kind of fake meat in it for protein... or a big bowl of some kind of veggie stir fry , fruit and veggie salad or veggie baked casserole. I almost always have home made fat free pudding with peanut butter or dark chocolate chips on top for desert. I might have a fat free greek yogurt with fruit or nuts mixed in for breakfast, and some kind of left overs for lunch. What ever I eat, I write it down in MFP. 5 days a week I eat tp stay in the guidelines of saturated fats, carbs and protein... not always perfectly... between 1200-1500 cals depending on exercise... one/two days a week I try to stay under 600 cals (the 5:2). I eat what I like, and I find if I cook it myself, I can eat much better then prefixed. I do like wheat crackers with low fat cottage cheese as a snack. I have to watch the crackers, or I will eat too many at a sitting. This is a go too for protein. I can eat quite a bit... so as my ability to eat more developed, I added more low cal veggies to my meals... cooked or raw.

Just a few notes on some of the changes I've noticed in myself over the last 9 weeks post-op. 1. I eat when I'm hungry now, don't really look forward to the "full" feeling or have a "taste" for anything in particular anymore - lovin' it. I use to get these overwhelming cravings for a certain taste (especially Whataburgers), they're gone now. 2. I do enjoy what I eat and sometimes I still catch myself trying to eat just one more bite, but I know I'll be feeling sick if I do. It takes time to learn the new "full" signals. 3. I feel satisfied and I get a small thrill seeing how little I actually eat now. Although sometimes, I catch myself trying to finish that last bite - even though I'm full. I've learned to leave it on the plate. 4. Once my staple line swelling went down, I was able to increase my eating to about 4oz per meal, and did start feeling more "normal" after the 2nd week, but it wasn't until about week 6 that I was back at my old energy levels. 5. I can eat pretty much what I want and walk away without gorging myself. I have always been able to take or leave stuff like cakes and cookies. Rice, pasta and potatoes were (I almost wrote "are") my thing. But I can easily pass up most starches now. Although pasta triggers my hunger cravings and I have to stop myself from overeating and making myself sick. 6. My feelings or attitudes has changed incredibly about food. Don't really care about food anymore. I have no "flavors" I desire. So I eat my own concoction of shredded grilled chicken, re-fried beans, cheese and salsa almost every meal - for the past month. 7. There isn't anything that I "want" to eat anymore. I am so happy with my restriction and I don't miss anything, no food cravings, nothing I miss. And there is no food that I couldn't eat at the 3rd or 4th week. It may cause some stomach upset, but if I eat it slowly, I can eat it if I want. However, I do miss being able to chug 16oz of icy cold Crystal Light. 8. I can still eat spicy foods (curries, peppers, etc). I eat salsa almost daily and I found this sweet/spicy dip made with Greek yogurt that I like - very warm. I find it weird that the thing that bothers my stomach the most is healthy fibrous foods, like grape skins, bananas, apple peels, and pineapple.