Search the Community

Hi Suz1! I won't spend time here telling you how idiotic I think your surgeon is for not prepping you BEFORE the surgery... wait, I just did.:smile: Well, anyway, like you, I was in a whole lotta pain. I honestly spent the first 7 days wondering if I had made the right decision. I'm now three full weeks out from surgery and I'm feeling great! The gas pain (that radiated from my abdomen to my shoulders and neck) was so bad that the liquid vicodin didn't help. Since the vicodin was adding to the constipation, I got off it after day two. I advise you to do the same. You may find, like I did that the pain you're experiencing is related to the gas. In that case, walking will DEFINITELY help. My energy picked up when I started eating the soft foods, like yogurt. If your nutritionist didn't give you written info- guidelines- you may want to call her and ask for them. That way you can go over them at your leisure and maybe not be so overwhelmed. Take it easy on yourself, your body is working to heal from what it thinks is a pretty traumatic experience. Follow ALL of your surgeon's instructions, and be sure to keep him apprised of any changes that you feel are not right. Don't worry, you made the right decision. In a few weeks, you'll feel MUCH better.

This is also why some doctors will tell you to limit your usage of yogurt, protein shakes, etc. if you get to a certain point and stall. Even though they can be good sources of protein, it's harder to overeat dense protein.

Try frozen fruit if you can or a yogurt, usually helps!

@@deeberry I'm sorry your having a rough time of it. The first thing I would do is make an appointment with the Dr. If your too tight that is defeating the purpose. The more irritated your belly gets from throwing up the more inflamed it makes the stoma around the band and the tighter the opening of the stoma can be making it more and more uncomfortable. In the meantime go back to liquids to give the stoma a rest and maybe ease some of the swelling as well as to reboost your weight loss. When I get into that spiral that is what I do. I take it back to basics. If I am swollen and it can happen sometimes just from certain foods I eat if they are too spicy or if I am sensitive to them, or even medications that I take. It can even happen as a result of a cold or allergies where I have excess (nasty) stuff in my throat and my band is tighter. I give it a rest and just revert to a shake now and then and once I feel that it is relaxed and not irritated I will resume eating solid foods. If you think you don't need to be unfilled and just need a rest, then try doing liquids for a few days. If your still having trouble with the yogurt after a couple of days of liquids then you need a small unfill. I know it can be devastating when your not able to move around like you did before. I broke my foot a few years ago and I had to be totally off of it and I was in cast and then a boot for nearly 4 months. The plus part of that was while I was on crutches I was getting so much exercise having to lift and haul my body weight around I actually LOST weight, but that was long before WLS. As you can get to moving around more start to incorporate that into your daily activities even if it's just a few extra steps or a couple of parking spots from your usual spot etc. every step counts!! Let us know how your doing...and don't give up hope!!! We can reset our minds and our bodies any time we choose to, and make a fresh start. So let this be your new start...and here we go!!!

I use Pure Protein Vanilla Creme & mix it with s/f jello, puddings and/or flavorings...25 g of protein per scoop..sometimes add a Greek Yogurt 14 g & 1/3 cup of dry milk 8 g...A good start in your daily protein.

HI Kat, I too am in bandster hell. The nutritionist actually told me I should be eating no more that 2 oz at a meal; I said so you're telling me that a 6 oz. yogurt is 3 meals??? Needless to say, I am not following her guidlines. I am tracking everything I eat on Lapband.com. So far for this month ( I was banded on 6/26/09) I've been averaging 721 cal, 25g fat, 47g carb and 76g protein a day. I have not been weighing myself. I weighed at the Dr. office on 7/6 and then again on 7/20 and lost 6 lbs - that makes 21 lbs since 6/18. I go for my fill on 8/6 and I can't wait!!! It's really difficult at this point. Keep trying - hopefully the time will pass quickly. Kerry:thumbup:

The sleeve helps (for a while) with some hunger hormones (ghrelin) and allows you to learn how to use satiety as your pal. BUT we ALL find the mind battles each and every day. I am FAMISHED right now for no reason. So, it's my head. So I go forward step by step and try to make good decisions... Yogurt here I come!!

Hi EM1125: Sorry about taking so long to reply - I have had computer problems. I have been on the mushie stage for about 3 weeks now. I have eaten mashed potatoes, cauliflower and well cooked carrots (that I mash with my fork), summer squash, zuccini, fish, Soups (blenderized), oatmeal, and yogurt. I haven't had any problems with these foods. In the morning, I ususally have a Protein shake. I am going on vacation also in early August. I have decided to wait and have my first fill after vacation. I hope everything goes well for you. Let me know.

I also had fat-free refried Beans - I used shredded low-fat cheddar, some salsa anad a small dallop of low-fat sour cream with mine. Careful with the carbs though - they can add up with beans. Had lots of canned chicken and tuna - added low-fat mayo and pickle relish. Cottage cheese and yogurt (check out Yoplait's 2X Protein!) are easy and high in Protein. The Protein shakes are a good boost of protein when you need it. I "mushed up" the meatloaf, gravy and mashed potatoes from a SmartOnes frozen dinner. That was pretty yummy - and easy!!! I divided the meat, gravy and potatoes into 2 perfectly proportioned meals - about 1/2 cup each. oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, Malt O Meal are good but again, watch the carbs...... Good luck! It's a nice step up from liquids

Absolutely. You need to give your stomach and all the irritation from all this vomiting time to rest and heal. You can get plenty of Protein from Protein drinks, cottage cheese, yogurt, Soups, etc. You might just be very sensitive. There are some people who just can't handle very much saline in their band. I know you have a small fill, but some people have spasms in their esophagus and the fill of any kind makes it worse.

Hey Jeni! You can do it! i found a non-fat greek yogurt at Central Market (i live in texas, but i know whole foods or other specialty stores carry it... you can probably google too) called Fage. I mix a tiny bit of honey or even sugar free jelly in it. It has 20 grams of protein per 1 cup serving... so 10 if you only eat 1/2 cup. I have found that it helps me make it to lunch. also, from my adkins days, i have returned to the fat free ricotta for a bit of sweet, and good source of calcium and protein. Just some ideas. i ate 4 hersey's kisses today, so i too am feeling guilty. it's amazing, i know better, i just couldn't say no. tomorrow will be a better day!

Ok, well I now have a bracelet around my stomach~ Boy, the first day I had such a hard time waking up all day. I went everywhere with my eyes closed. Then on day 2 I was having such a rough time with keeping myself with enough strength from nutrition. I just wanted to lay in bed. I felt hungry, but was too weak to want to eat all that much. Last night I started to perk up a little. Then about 4 AM I told my husband I was hungry and he got me some Yogurt. Thanks hon~:Banane56: This morning.. I have to say I see a big difference in energy. I took my chewable vitamine last night... Maybe that helped some too. The doc had to fix a hernia on me and said he took a boipsy of my liver while in there. It was aparently fatty, and he said that could cause liver failure. I guess I needed this surgery more than I even realized. Thats kinda scary to think about. This is all going to take some time for me. I am having a hard time with the liquid thing. I kinda feel gagy when I think of more liqids to eat.. but I am hungry...but it goes away after a couple tablespoons of soup broth. Oh man.. It is a tough place to be. I keep dreaming of a dish of cottage cheese I can have in a week and a half. Oh the wonderful texture of food again!:nanahump: Well, good luck to all you out there going through this right now. Im hanging in there.. you too!:wink2:

Any good surgeon will tell you not to rush. If you don't tolerate the next phase you are supposed to back it up a bit. The problems only come when you move ahead faster than you are supposed to. That being said, my doc had me on full liquids the moment I came home from the hospital, which was the day after surgery. Not everyone has to wait a full week. I was never told to puree anything, but rather to strain Soups and such. Grits, cream of wheat, yogurt and pudding where all on my approved list from the time I got home.

Don't forget our old stand by, protein shakes. Frozen greek yogurt is great. Trop 50 + pureed fruit+plain greek yogurt=awesome smoothie

I had a problem with insomnia early on. I found that if I had a high-protein dairy snack before I went to bed, then I could sleep. Try cottage cheese or Greek yogurt. Something easy to digest. Also, don't exercise before bedtime. And take Calcium and magnesium before bed. They help make you sleepy. Take multi- Vitamin early in the day. If none of that works, call your primary care physician.

Nausea, nausea, nausea!! It's AWFUL! Someone mentioned the Papaya chews, ... My dearest mother went to GNC for me & they have "sugar-free papaya chews!" Heaven sent!! I've sworn off ANY sweetener, artificial or not. It throws me right into the nauseated 'dumping' episode! Things have calmed down. I'm drinking fresh Water with a smidgen of fresh lemon - cuts the dry mouth. Herbal teas, no sweetener! Skim milk, Greek yogurt..One neighbor made a pot of fresh chicken noodle Soup. We blended that up in the Ninja - yum! My other neighbor cooked some organic carrots, added some salt & blended them for me. Then she made tapioca pudding for me also. I have wonderful friends & neighbors! Hope everyone has a restful night... Any suggestions on the gas pains??? Dawn

Yogurt, mayo, butter, salad dressings, etc. ? I've heard that lap banders should eat low fat but full fat always keeps me fuller longer and keeps my sugar levels more stable. Just curious if anyone does indeed eat full fat products. TIA

Some bandster friendly food bargains I saw today. At Costco through Sunday, Chobani fruited yogurt $1.25 off 12 count (.75 which for my areas is a great price). At Demoulas MA/NH grocery chain Pure Protein brand bars (20 g size) 2/1.00.

Really? They said not to count them as part of your fluid intake? I was told from day one that any liquid can be be counted so soups (liquid part only), broths, protein shakes, drinking yogurt, tea, milk, etc. (My father had kidney issues & he was told any liquid counted as part of your daily recommended fluid intake regardless of the form they took even high water content fruit like oranges, watermelon, etc. counted.) Another example of different plans, requirements & expectations from different doctors. No wonder we get confused sometimes.

Also, someone posted here about GENEPRO unflavored Protein powder with 30 grams of protein. I had a hard time finding thing I could tolerate at first. By adding the GenePro to the yogurt or cottage cheese I got to my protein goals.

I'm almost 7 weeks out. I'm on pureeds & can start doing some "soft" meats & veggies & such now. My doctor only wants me to do 3 meals & Water or Protein drinks between meals. Therefore, my schedule the last few weeks has been something like this..... 6:30 AM - 1/4 cup Egg Beaters w/ a little shredded cheese - usually takes me 30 minutes to eat it. Between Breakfast & lunch - I fill a water bottle with a Protein Drink & dilute it with more water to make it last longer & have my Protein & fluids together. It usually takes me a couple hours to drink it. 11:30 AM - 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese with 1/4 cup of marinara sauce & a tablespoon of parmesan - heated in the microwave for 1 minute - usually takes 30 minutes to eat. Between lunch & dinner - I fill a water bottle with a protein drink & dilute it with more water to make it last longer & have my protein & fluids together. It usually takes me a couple hours to drink it. - sometimes I just do a water bottle with crystal light instead of a protein drink in it. Just kinda depends on my mood and my protein intake for the day. 5:00 PM - 1 can of tuna (4 ounces) with 1 tablespoon of mayo - usually takes about 30-45 minutes to eat it. Between dinner & bed (around 9 PM), I usually have part of a water bottle with crystal light. Other things I eat instead sometimes are - refried black Beans, greek yogurt, string cheese. Earlier this week when I had to go to orientation at college & it was full of meetings & not many breaks, I took reduced-sodium beef Jerky and I found some travel cups of tuna that were already drained (but they didn't have mayo in them) & I took them in my backpack. There are also travel packs of tuna with crackers & mayo that are pretty easy to take in a purse or bag places. So far I haven't had to leave home too much because I'm not taking classes this summer & I work from home. I'll have to find some different things for the fall when I'm at school all day - either that or get really used to jerky & tuna! I know some doctors suggest more meals & not using protein drinks & I've seen others use string cheese & such as high-protein "snacks" between meals. I think it might be harder to get in fluids that way since we're not supposed to drink around meals/snacks, but I'm not sure since I don't do it that way. Hope that helps some. I'm not too creative with my foods at this point. Last night, we were out of the house & hadn't had dinner yet & my family stopped at Taco Cabana. I ended up ordering one chicken fajita taco, which is just chicken strips with seasoning in a taco without other toppings. I opened it & dumped the chicken of the tortilla & gave the tortilla to my daughters & I just ate the small chicken strips. Just remember "protein first" as you're progressing your diet. :-)

I also had really intense constipation for the first month after the sleeve. I took Benefiber and stool softeners and drank 90 oz of water a day, but I still had long bouts of painful constipation (5 days or more). At my one month check-in with the nutritionist, she told me it was fine to use Milk of Magnesia every other day prophylactically until I started getting more plant fiber in my diet. She also told me to add chia seeds to my Greek yogurt. This worked for that second month and, now 2.5 months out, I am able to eat more veggies and not taking the Milk of Magnesia anymore and am totally regular lol. TL;DR In my experience, getting enough fiber gets easier every week. Talk to your surgeon or nutritionist about Milk of Magnesia. My nutritionist didn't want people relying on it indefinitely, but was fine with me using it very regularly for a month until I started getting more fiber.

I love salmon.But I can eat way too much of it.I dont really fill up on it so now we make salmon patties with all kinds of green,red,yellow and orange peppers with onion in it and I can only eat 3 oz of it. Soft fish goes down like yogurt for me.But shrimp or prawns are solid and it really fills me up nicely and for long. Dont worry about it.Test yourself with chicken breast,that will show you quickly how little you can really eat.

Okay so I just found something that may help me and others in the purée stage with getting fiber. Oikos yogurt has 3g per serving. I don’t love Greek yogurt but I checked mine and it has none (my husband had the Greek stuff and he pointed it out) so I added a packet of Splenda and it’s isn’t super horrible that way. Tastes better than milk of magnesia. I read that we should try to get 5G per 1000 calories so I am gonna try to get one of those in a day and hopefully that will help.

GooD AfternooN!!!!! I'm feeling really good today!!!! You can even call me hyper!!! I can't stay still:dance:... I did about 30 minutes of aerobics/excercises... I did 4 or five loads of:washing: .... i gave my two boys a :scared: .... I organized my closet and I even cleaned the boys NIGHTMARE :eek: of a room!! (if you know what moonsand is...you know what I mean....:faint: ) I know I have the "nesting" syndrome. I tell my usband it's because when he coems home from his trip it will be just to take care of me and the kids and not worry about the house...Plus, I've definately let my house go since doing all the PTO things...:rolleyes (at least that's my excuse).... Any way... My diet is going good... Yesterday: Dinner: 1/4 cup rice and 1/2 of a pork spare rib... snack: Bumble Bee sensations (sun dried tomatoes w/ tuna) and my last 12 oz of crystal lite... I got up to pee......3 times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:cry Oh well...I sucked it up!!!! :clap2: Today: B: atkins vanilla snack: light yogurt with 1/2 scoop eas whey protein I'm on my 1st crystal lite bottle l: atkins chocolate Doesn't this sound yummy!!!:cry Well, gotta go! Gotta bring my daughter to horseback riding lessons!!! she LOVES it and I love to watch her!!!! Anyway, amybe once I loose the weight we could do it together!!! :clap2: See YA!!!!!!! 6 more days and counting!!