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I was banded on Oct 8 and I can eat more volume than I expected, esp as you move into thicker foods... the super mushy things didn't have as much of an effect. Week 3 has been rough as I feel like I am hungry all the time... trying to figure out what's the right amount to eat and how often to eat. My docs want me to try to get it to 3 meals per day, but I'm hungry 2-3 hours after eating. My meals tend to be less than a cup of food though and I feel quite full at the time but since they are still on the mushier side it doesn't take them too long to go through the band. For example, I have been nibbling at a cup of a cottage cheese mix (cottage cheese, greek yogurt, vanilla and Stevia pulsed in the blender/processor..) for about 45 minutes. I am feeling full... but I don't know how long that will last. What I am trying to do is eat at normal times with the "right" foods.. when I feel hungry in between try to wait it out and if I can't, grab something high in Protein and low in fat and carbs and just HANG IN THERE. I am so looking forward to the fill Nov 18!

Yes, that is what I mean.. My typical day would consist of Yogurt, cottage cheese, or oatmeal for breakfast. For lunch was soup, chili etc. (no crackers or bread) then for dinner I ate scrambled eggs with cheese etc. So what he said is that it is still ok to eat soft foods for breakfast since that is when I am the tightest, then after that no more soft foods. For lunch I now eat a can of chicken (at costco) with some light miracle whip and sweet pickles. A Smart One frozen meal with chicken and veggies, protein bars, sandwich meat with a cheese stick. For dinner I eat grilled chicken breast (4 oz.) with a veggie of some kind, salad or otherwise. It has made a huge difference. I am not hungry in-between meals either.

I just bought Special K Low Fat Granola. It has 6g protein. Not high protein but it's better than cereal and I'll mix it with yogurt and fruit. Simple and Quick. I get plenty more protein throughout the day.

You've been sick, and on antibiotics. Your body is storing everything it can so it can recover. I also recommend the same thing to people that experience a stall. Up your Water, and calories. Even if it's just 50-100 calories per day with a string cheese or more greek yogurt, something to shake things up. If you're active, then you very well may not be getting enough calories. I hate the word "lightweight" just as much as I hate the word "heavyweight", but your starting BMI was a full 13 points lower than mine, and it's true, statistically, I will lose faster than you. It sucks, but it's what seems to the be the trend. Can you have sugar free puddings, what about thinned out cream of wheat with an egg white tossed in for extra Protein (it sounds gross, but it doesn't change the taste or the texture)? Hang in there, the scale will move. Shake things up, and as difficult as it seems, stress actually causes the body to produce more cortisol which in turns causes no loss. It's the "fight or flight" thing.

My lists are very simple, but come from a few different places. From Bariatric Eating Inspire Protein powder PURE unflavored protein Cancun chili seasoning mix From the grocery store: spinach lettuce garlic whatever other fresh veggies look good berries, or whatever fresh fruit looks good broccoli slaw mix--I eat a LOT of this Ken's Lite Asian sesame salad dressing cheeses--cheddar, cottage, Parmesan Greek yogurt (sometimes--it is a little slidey, so I don't have it as often as I did preop) almond milk ground chicken (for chili) turkey Italian sausage beans--fat-free refried, black Beans, kidney beans, cannelini beans, etc. from Market Day (ordered monthly from my son's school): shrimp tilapia-tortilla-crusted and plain scallops salmon cod rack of pork boneless pork chops chicken breasts portions--plain and teriyaki ground beef

You could make parfaits in champagne glasses with alternating yogurt or pudding flavors... I ate a lot of strained cream based Soups at that point too... Finding other things to do when we normally eat to Celebrate is not easy. It's one of the biggest issues we're having... just a big adjustment. Happy Anniversary!

That's a tough one because your surgery is so fresh. Put some fancy yogurt in a long stem glass ..... sorry, I couldn't eat much at 8 days. Have fun in a non-food way.

I don't think you're stalling because you are eating high-fat items. Unless you are having 10 sticks of cheese a day, it shouldn't be a problem. Your body needs fat to function - I actually take fish oil on days that my fat intake through food falls under 15 grams. I'm at 2.5 weeks, but am slowly introducing "normal foods." Some things I eat other than the things you mentioned are non-fibery fruits like melon and watermelon; cottage cheese; various juices; yogurt and various milk products like kefir; soft sashimi (pretty much anything other than squid and octopus is soft); boiled chicken went down great today. I'm at 800-900 calories a day and have lots of energy - already started swimming and find myself having the urge to go for walks even if I already worked out earlier in the day. I know some other folks here eat like 500-600 calories, but this amount seems to work well for me, both in terms of weight lost and energy levels.

You guys are the best, I feel bad for my partner because I just dont want to talk about it shutting her out, Leaving me in a bed bound slump today. I know it will move again I was taking in more it was 600-800 and nothing so I lowered it its like nothing I do works. I know our bodies went through some serious trauma but the lack of weight loss is taking my mental through some serious trauma as well, Heck I would take a pound a week but nothing at all ? I eat 3oz of yogurt for breakfast Salmon and spinach for lunch and for a snack the other half of yogurt then salmon again for dinner I should be loosing this weight like water smh I use the rest room all day long feels like every 20-3 minutes i drink so much water so please body respond is how im feeling right now! I hope your right and I can look back at this and laugh at myself for allowing the scale to control my emotions I really do.

:thumbup: Hello Sleever family, I DID IT!!!! I DID IT!!!! OMG! I have never been so excited to be a loser in my life :lol0: I had my surgery on April 12th went home the next day, no drain of any sort. I had my surgery at Kaiser Wt LA for those who are interested in about Kaiser. It was in and out. I had a little pain but the nurses seen to it that you were always comfortable and nausea under control the whole time. I am walking over a mile. At this time im trying to make the transfer from Clear liquids to solid liquids but it seems that my sleeve is still to sensitive cuz i get the sqirts :blushing:. (I will keep inmind of what Tiffkins said about never trusting a fart) :eek: I can eat cream of wheat with lac milk and yogurt but as far as the protien solid dirnks im having a bit o a problem. Any pointers plus i can't find a solid drink i really like, I tried muscle mile lite..... sicker then a dog..... If u have a favorite one please let me know. I Love you Sleever family..........

Congatulations!! Wow already walking a mile...Great news. It's terrific that you are so excited and happy to have your sleeve. I add 1 scoop of Solgar Vanilla Bean Whey, (16gms protein) to Uncle Ben's multi grain Cream of Wheat (7gms of protein per packet). I also do the same with the various brands of greek yogurt-1 scoop solgar whey to a 6oz container of yogurt. Other than that I still have not attempted to make any type of whey shake. I've been using soy, almond or hazelnut milk to mix in my cream of wheat. Hope that helps. Best wishes to you in your WL journey.

How about: Plain Yogurt, no fruit (Try vanilla ect) Jello Low Fat Mil Soy drinks sugar free pudding Protien shakes mixed with MILK Rice Cereal (Try checking out the baby/toddler section for this)-You can add a touch of real maple syrop to make it taste better.... Hope this helps!

I'm officially starting my liquid diet tomorrow on the 1st, my surgery is Nov 18! I am just absolutely terrified that I will not be able to stick with it though. I have started a little early with liquid for breakfast and lunch and then having a small dinner. Any suggestions on how to better myself on sticking with it? My surgeon said to do 3 protein shakes a day, 1 for breakfast lunch and dinner and then a yogurt after breakfast for a snack and a broth after lunch. What have your surgeons suggested for the liquid diet? I feel like mine is veeerrryy limited and I've heard that other surgeons will allow some other things. All comments and suggestions are extremely appreciated! ????

I have to second and third Betsy and vlp. I had my 2nd fill yesterday(No issues this time!) which brings me to 6cc in a 14cc band and have found I eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup(total) of food and I am full for 3 to 4 hours. Not stuffed but like Betsy B said and I'm not hungry. I also eat 5 to 6 times a day but I eat 3 small meals and have 3 to 4 snacks a day. I snack on natural almonds, yogurt, a slice of cheese or Protein bar. I am NEVER starving but I do get hungry. It is so cool to be learning the differance. I have lost 38 pounds since 8-15-10 It has taken over 40 years to put all this weight on and it is gonna take some time to loose it.:eek:

I try to focus my meals around protein. For breakfast I'll make a veggie omelate with egg whites for extra protein and less fat and calories. Lunch and dinner I'll have a turkey burger with grilled onion on it and some veggies, or turkey chili with beans which provides fiber and protein, or chicken or fish with veggies. I'm not ready for raw fruits and veggies as per my nutritionist but I would eat grilled chicken salads. Since I have no fill yet I snack on yogurt which also has protein. I do eat carbs like whole wheat toast once in awhile but try to limit that. I do supplement with isopure ready to drink, half a bottle gives me an extra 20g of protein a day.

I too couldn't get past the smell and taste of Protein powders. What FINALLY worked for me was the unjury chicken Soup. It's a little salty in flavor, but none of the issues I had with other Proteins. It is 21 grams of protein. I also use [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Instantized-Protein-2-7-Pound/dp/B000GIUQOG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1276226079&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: 100% Any whey Protein: Health & Personal Care[/ame] and add 1/2 scoop to my yogurt and or sugar free Cocoa powder. I cannot taste it at all and it boosts my protein by 8.5 grams. Good luck in finding what works for you. I know it was a struggle for me and many others.

Friends, I was banded on 1/27, about 6 1/2 weeks ago and am happy with my 27 pound weightloss.My Dr. Didn't give me a fill since I'm losing at a good pace and I get full pretty quickly.strangely, for the past few days I haven't been hungry at all.I thought it was a reaction to some wine that I drank on Saturday (which gave me reflux all night), but it has been 2 days and I'm still not wanting anything to eat. Up to this point I'd feel some what hungry and have something to eat every 3 hours or so. But it took all I had to drink a yogurt and fruit smoothie this morning. Is this just the way that life rolls with the band? I'm trying to focus on drinking water so at least I stay hydrated. Any thoughts/comments? Best, Loryn

Ok here goes. I was banded on June 3rd. I have been feeling really good, pretty easy surgery for the most part. Last night I was craving salt like nobody's business. So I popped a few sunflower seeds in my mouth to suck on then I was going to spit them out. Yep, it happen I swallowed a whole one. I can feel it in my throat when I swollow. I had yogurt earlier and that went down fine, water, warm tea. I am kicking myself right now, I can't believe I did something sooooo dumb. And I am far too embarrassed to call my doctor at this point. I am hoping it will go down since I am newly banded it should go through right?:thumbup: Any ideas??????????

My surgeon is even more strict, I think. 1st week post-op was just Water, broth and diet Jello. I went to see him today (9 days after surgery) thinking that, yipee, I might be permitted some yogury or cottage cheese or creamy soups. But no. Not for me yet. At this point I may only add Protein drinks to my list. For another 3 weeks! And then, when I hit one month post-op, I am then allowed to add cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and yogurt. Nothing else. At 6 weeks I can add the following: string cheese, refried Beans, Soup (lentil, split pea, black bean, miso or egg drop, and tofu. And then, at week 7, I can add chicken turkey, fish and eggs. And all during this time, no caffeinated coffee. *sigh* On the upside, I've lost 19 pounds in 9 days!!

I brought some soup. My doctor does not want me to have yogurt until days 10-14. I'm currently drinking crystal light trying to keep my mind off the food.

The kind I buy are from Costco and they are called Premier Protein. They were recommended by my surgeon's office because they are softer/chewy so you can eat them early out too. 1 bar has a whopping 30grams protein. I don't remember the exact info for everything else but want to say it's AROUND 210-230 cals and 15g carbs. I find that at one month out, I still can only eat 1/2 a bar at a time (very dense) so it makes a very reasonable meal since you'd cut those cals and carbs in half, and still get 15g protein. The box comes with 3 flavors in it - chocolate peanut butter, double chocolate crunch, and yogurt peanut crunch. Not sure why they call them crunch because they are soft and chewy. I think they are decent in flavor, the yogurt one is my fave (tastes more "convincing" than the chocolate) but I don't think you can buy them individually, just in the box with the 3 flavors.

Honestly I have the mentality of if the band is omptimal DO NOT MESS WITH IT . About the worst thing that can happen is youll have to do Protein shakes or yogurt for Breakfast until your level is good and you can advance. Take things slow. I honestly doubt it will affect your band for very long. Good luck to you....All things that we face as lap band patients...Most of all dont forget to enjoy your trip! Brittany

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions! And please, keep them coming. A couple more questions for you all...some of the suggestions I noticed are great for Protein, like Beans and the fruit would be great to add to the yogurt or Protein shakes, however I know that they have quite a high carb content. Would the high protein tend to cancel out the carbs a bit, like in the Atkins diet? How many carbs do you all eat in one day? I really do not like the protein shakes, I think they taste awful, I have tried both the Atkins and the one (can't remember the name now) for Body for Life in the silver box/cans. But I do like the idea of the fat free milk and powder..does that taste decent? Any others you may have tried that taste pretty good? I noticed some mentioned eggs, do you all eat many eggs, or maybe the egg whites? Also how would I use the ricotta cheese that you mentioned, do you just eat it by itself? I did go to the store tonight and bought the plain greek yogurt, my sister suggested adding cinnamon and some splenda, I did notice a few people suggested that (thank you Marilyn). I also bought non fat cottage cheese, Weight Watchers string cheese, tuna, instead of low fat mayo, I found the sandwich spread that looks kind of like a dressing with pickles, etc in it (found in with the mayo), I thought it would taste better and has 2.5 fat, 3 carbs and 35 calories per TB. I thought I would put it in with the tuna and make the one TB go a long way, what do you think? I also bought a low calorie butter by Land o Lakes that I could use to pan fry the fish. What do you all think of Peanut Butter? Its a little higher in carbs as well. Realistically how much protein do you all think you get and do you keep track of how many carbs, fat, protein and calories you take in every day? Or do you just try to be careful and do the best you can? I am so sorry for the looonngg posts with many questions, but I appreciate all your help immensely, I need mentors as I go through this process! Thank you so much for all your help! Your all life savers, really! April

There's a lot of changes that occur within the first 6 months that are truly just learning to eat with the sleeve, facing the mental and emotional challenges of not being able to eat like we did pre-op, and some side effects/symptoms do not hit all of us. I wasn't prepared to have zero appetite. I knew I'd lose my hunger, but I wasn't prepared to hate food. After years of loving food in large quantities, many huge meals, it was definitely a huge change to all of a sudden dread eating. It wasn't because eating was painful or uncomfortable, I simply hated the way things tasted. Nothing sounded good, nothing smelled good, everything was just blah. I had to force myself to eat, and had to really get creative just to be able to eat. It didn't last, but it was a very trying time for me. I also had to set an alarm on my phone that would remind me to eat. My appetite did return, my tastebuds went back to how they were pre-op. Food did taste good again, but it took some time. Essentially, eating became a chore. It did help change my relationship with food. I learned to eat to live instead of living to eat. I became lactose intolerant which was not fun. Yogurt and cheese was about the only thing I could eat. Protein drinks were out. whey is a milk product so anything with whey made me puke. I tried the other varieties of protein soy, and veggie Proteins, but they were disgusting. I was prepared for the hair loss, I was prepared for the small portions, chewing everything to mush, and eating slowly. I had most of the eating learning curve beat because of my band experience. When anyone asks me for pre-op advice, I tell them the same things: stretch your meal out to 20 minutes, stop drinking with your meals now, and don't drink for 30 minutes after your meal, eat your meat first, switch over to a salad plate to cut your portions down, put your eating utensil down in between bites to help slow down your meal, when eating out get a to-go box as soon as your food is delivered and divide the meal in half, box up half of it to take home. Start drinking 60+ ounces of clear fluids now because it's a tough a habit to get into, but it's essential post-op. My other advice is to confront your food issues before you have surgery. This will help with the food funerals, mourning the loss of being able to eat big meals, figure out what works for you. I had a different mindset than some other vsg'ers. I wanted to get to goal quickly and worry about maintenance when I got there. I was super strict with food choices through my losing phase. BUT, I knew that I would not be in deprivation mode for the rest of my life. I think it worked best for me. Best wishes! ! !

Right after surgery and the day after in the hospital. I was doing better than expected. I actually could not wait to get home and have my gold standard Cookies and cream whey Protein. About 3 hrs after getting home, I removed the scapolamine patch from behind my ear (didn't know it was 72 hrs thought it was 24. A couple hours after removing it, I got nauseous and have been ever since. Every time I even look at the Protein powder, I want to puke-not b/c they taste bad-but because all of a sudden the didnt appeal to me at all. However, I tolerate Jello, sf ice pops and broth fine. My dr said the most crucial thing immediately post op is Fluid. Prob is I can't even get that in either I'm sposed to get 64 and I can barely get 32 in. I asked her to PLEASE prescribe some of the Patches for me, and she said they don't usually write scripts for those but prescribed me zofran, another anti-nausea med. I've taken it twice (4mg dose) and it's really done nothing except make me indescribably itchy, and give me headache and diarrhea) I can't be having that with so little fluid intake or I will end up back in the hosp. I tend to be very sensitive to EVERYTHING and did have some issues with motion sickness pre-op ( I ride the bus & train a lot to commute) I have tried nauzene chewables and I have those sea-bands that press on the accupressure point for nausea, nothing is working, only that patch helped. Even when I do get hungry, I only want jello pops and broth and cannot tolerate the protein. I ordered the unflavored powder from bariatriceating.com hopefully it will b here soon and I can put it in broth until I graduate to mushies in 4 days then I can start putting it in pudding, yogurt etc. Did anyone have prolonged nausea like this after removing their patch or just since u woke up? What can I do about this, b/c right now I NEED more fluid and I know that. It seems every day I wake up I feel worse than the day before. Tips, please? I don't know why she can't just prescibe me the patch, maybe I will cal her again and tell her the zofran is not working ***side note: I have cankers all over my tounge, is this a reaction to something in my roxicet or more likely from a lack of essential nutrients? Anyone else have this? Thanks in advance. Btw, the gas is finally starting to exit me.