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I hated this stage...I was gagged out on sweetness! I chose alot of refried Beans...a soft omelette with peppers, tomatoes, cheese, and salsa...basically a breakfeast burrito minus the burrito... My save for this week was instant mashed potatoes and stove top stuffing...I know it didn't have alot of protien but if I wouldn't have ate this I wouldn't have ate... It's amazing I still can eat yogurt and pudding...I eat the pudding as a sweet snack when I'm in the mood and usually try the yogurt as a breakfeast... It will be over sooner than you know!

My soft spot was a runny nose and a sneeze...but that was when I was too tight. I had a slight unfeel and now I don't have the "trigger".... I have started eating Carb Conscious Supreme Protein Bars...they are DEE LISH US!!! They are big, so I eat 1/2 for breakfast with an Activia yogurt and 1/2 for lunch...they are 300 calories and 4g sugar--so rather than a snack--it's a meal replacement for me...If you like chocolate and carmel..this is the one for YOU!!!!

You are welcome to add me.same username:waitingpatiently...My food journal is open and I'm on everyday. I tried to start a thread earlier this week but I think I started it to early in the morning and it went unseen by most. It would be nice to here some of everyones secret finds that they have found....you know a certain food that is generally heathy and has become a part of your regular diet. Here ae a few of mine. Oscar Meyer Turkey weiners 98% fat free I was very skeptical--I hate chichen in hot dogs---these are nothing like that. calories=40 fat=.5 carbs =3 fiber=0 protein=5 Johnsonville Smoked Turkey and Chedder Sausage calories=120 fat=6 carbs=4 fiber=0 protein=10 Ole Extreme Wellness high fiber/low carb Torillas calories=71 fat=2 carbs=17 (5 net) Fiber=12 protein=8 Daily Chef Mesquite Grilled Chicken calories=110 (for 3 oz) fat=2.5 carbs=2 fiber=0 protein=20 Carbmaster Yogurt calories=60 fat=1.5 carbs=4 fiber=0 protein=8 Sugar Free Syrups

Rule of thumb that I was told: If you can suck it through a straw, it's a full liquid. If not, it's a soft mushie food. They do have liquid yogurt smoothies now, so that would be a full liquid. The stuff in the cups you eat with a spoon, would be a soft food.

My nutritionist had yogurt on the list for soft foods. :thumbup:

ive never really measured, but i do always eat on a small plate when available. here are a few typical meals for me, and i do tweek them a bit sometimes to break the monotony. i have chosen to not really eat beef or pork either. -small piece of fish and small side salad (i use vinagerette type dressing, with some graded parm. cheese) -a larger salad topped with grilled shrimp, or grilled chicken, or tuna. -whole wheat Pasta or spinach pasta with ground turkey meatballs, and a small salad. as for lunches... -i usually have tuna with lite m.whip, kashi whole grain crackers and whatever ur fav cheese. -sometimes instead of the tuna ill use chicken breast slices or Hormel turkey pepparoni, plus i usually take a kashi granola bar, and a yogurt too.

We just dont really have the anti starch/pro Protein regime here in Australia, its much more an eat normally but in smaller quantities thing. I eat bread, Pasta and rice, but I avoid white varieties, I would never buy prepackaged supermarket bread anymore, I only buy health food shop stuff. I would only eat proper rolled oats, never minute oats or those prepackaged single sachet serves. Um, lets see, yesterday for me: Breakfast - bircher muesli made by soaking 1/4 cup rolled oats in apple juice overnight and in the morning adding some stewed plums and greek yogurt - it was about half a cup. Mid morning I had a skim latte - but a latte here is 1/3 espresso, 2/3 steamed milk, not frothy sweet stuff. lunch was two thin basil and tomato rice cakes with avocado on them and a banana Mid afternoon I had some unsalted cashews, probably about 15 dinner last night was roast pork - a lean pork shoulder baked in the oven, mashed potato/sweet potao and steamed broccoli and cauli. I made dessert too which is not usual - plum crumble (basically baked cut up plumbs with a topping of rolled oats, sugar and butter). I had about 1/2 cup of the roast - tiny bit of meat, spoonful of mash, a piece each of broccoli and cauli and then about 1/4 of a cup of crumble with a bit of low fat custard, half an hour later. I also had a small glass of white wine. this morning I did something a bit naughty and had about 1/4 cup of the plum crumble for breakfast - well really, its fruit, oats and a bit of sugar, but I had some yogurt with it, not custard. Mid morning I had a skim latte again. Lunch was about 1/4 cup total of left over pork and mash with some gravy and about 1/4 cup of mixed berries with a dash of cream. dinner tonight we're having a chicken curry with brown rice. So you can see, I eat completely normal food, I indulge a little bit in a few things that are nice, I drink alcohol moderately, but I do it all in pretty small quantities. I absolutely love banded life, it was the best thing I ever did.

Surely soft steamed vegies go down? With maybe just a bit of butter and salt and pepper - yum. Or mash them in with potato. I'm all for "normal" diets with the band and I can do it but for many I think the reality is a staple stock of moist foods that work. But there's a LOT you can eat within this description. Have you tried, for example, cooking other meats in the slow cooker with liquids. I dont think I'll be eating too many lamb chops straight off the barbecue in my future, but a steak cooked in the slow cooker in cream of mushroom soup - easy to eat. Curries and casseroles cooked on low heat for long times - fantastic. Oatmeal can be as soft as you need and its fantastic made into bircher muesli - soak oats, seeds, and some cut up dried fruits in apple juice overnight, in the morning stir in some natural yogurt - a lovely mushie breakfast. You just need to be creative in the kitchen, knowing what to do with basic ingredients makes banded life a lot easier.

The secret to a good crab cake is lots and lots of crab and just a little bit of everything else. Get it fresh cooked from the fish counter at your market rather than in a can unless you can find some of the blue crab in a can (it's expensive but soooo worth it). The rest of the stuff is just to hold the crab together and give it some seasoning. You might want to try a small dollop of fat-free yogurt instead of the mayo (I like the Greek strained variety called Fage which is more like sour cream and very creamy even though it's fat free and holds up better in cooking) and ease way back on the eggs. Use very finely grated bread crumbs or cracker crumbs, just enough to hold the crab together. Old Bay seasoning is traditional, but if you can't get that, try Bell's Seasoning. It's similar in many respects. It comes in a little yellow box. BadgerMom

Hi my name is Jessie and I was banded on Nov 14 2007. I was allowed to have popsicles, jello, fat free pudding cups, yogurt, chicken broth, as long as it is all fat free.

Okay…..so I am officially 3 weeks post op today, May 20, 2008 and am seriously ready to eat a cow . I have been this way since last week and the doc, oh I love him but hell, told me that as long as I am losing weight he is not too concerned about anything. My issues, I am not eating the 4oz that is suggested, but more like 10-12oz, and he said that is fine because I am losing weight so long as I am not eating crap. :sleep: I must confess, I did have 3 Cookies last week although totally drowned in milk, I did eat them and I told him this:thumbdown:. He asked if that was it and I honestly told him yes. I had not even eaten the recommended oatmeal, mushy Cereal, in fact no breads, rice, Pasta, etc. Right now, I want to dive my big ol but into a plate of nothing by carbohydrates or a greasy cheeseburger with some chips and queso, but I have refrained. :eek: Quitting sugar and, well hell the “good foods” (aka: fattening foods) the way I did was like telling a drug addict, alcoholic or smoker to stop cold turkey. I was told my insurance approved me on April 18 and I needed to start my liquid diets because they were scheduling my surgery for April 25, which ended up getting pushed back to April 29, 2008. Now, I am not ungrateful because I appreciate the opportunity to have this surgery, I am sure as much as any of you, but someone please tell me what I can have because right now I want to cave in and eat something that I know I do not need, should not eat and is totally against what this procedure is for. BTW……I have eaten the sugar free jellos and puddings, the sugar free popsicles and the yogurts, but I think it is the bread my body is craving as I have had ZERO of that (except those three cookies). I feel tired, worn out, not really wanting to do anything, which I am thinking is the lack of carbs as my intake is very minimal right now. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!!!!

The tightness of my band fluctuates on a daily basis, sometimes even hourly. It's weird. I can eat something for lunch with no problem, but sometimes I can't eat it again for dinner that same day. Other days it's no problem. I never know from day to day. I exercise quite a bit so I'm not sure if that's it or if it's a water retention thing or what! It's frustrating at times. I'm sorry I don't have any advice, I just kind of go with the flow. I can tell almost immediately if I'm going to have trouble and I stop. Since being banded I've not been able to eat chicken, then all of the sudden I could eat is some of the time. Go figure! There are days when eating almost seems like a chore instead of a pleasure. On those days, I eat to live and eat what I can like soup, yogurt, protein shakes, etc. I'm all ears if anyone else has any answers or suggestions.

Thanks for all of the advice. I'm considering going back to have some fill taken out on Monday but the problem has actually gotten much better in the last 24 hours. Once I was able to get a protein shake down, I didn't have any more problems with the gas or pain. In fact, I was able to eat about 2 cups of chili last night and then some frozen yogurt with no pain whatsoever. So far today I've had a protein shake for breakfast and then a scrambled egg and two pieces of bacon and have had no problems. But if I experience anymore of that earlier pain that I'm definitely going back to the doctor. I can't live like that.

Hi, I think beef is very difficult to chew properly, and frankly I think it may be even too early for you to experiment with steaks. You may want to get comfortable with the soft foods first. If you really crave beef then try the meatloaf or Salisbury steak instead. You will need to cut it into very teeny-tiny pieces like a green pea, if you want to eat a beef steak. I have been also worried for a long time that I ate more than I should have. people have reported that they can only eat one cup of food at a time. However, I could always eat 2 cups of food. As long as they are low calorie options (fruits, vegetables, low fat yogurts etc) you may be just fine. For me when I eat my lunch, (I still finished it very quickly, in 10 min), I have to sit and wait 5-10 minutes - I try to browse the internet or read a newspaper until I feel that my stomach is full. Usually, it takes 10-15 minutes for the signal to go from your stomach to your brain and let you know that you are full. If you can manage to wait 5 minutes between "meal courses" you may eventually feel full at some point.

Hello my fellow Marchies!! (Crickets chirping...) Where is everybody?!?!?!? Oh well guess everyone is busy this holiday weekend... Hope everyones 4th was a fun one... So how are we all doing this month... Hows the progress?? It seems like i am officially stuck at my current weight without being able to crack the 168/169lb marker... I know my fill level is good and i have optimal restriction, i guess my problem is my eating habits haven't been following the good old bandster rules... and the exercise needs to be kicked up another notch!!! I say we all vow to go back to those bandster rules this month and get the ball rolling again!!! Anyone with me?? Here are the good old rules as a nice reminder: Avoid drinking liquids during or immediately after meals as liquids tend to flush food through the stomach pouch. This prevents you from getting that prolonged feeling of satisfaction needed to help you eat less. As always, staying hydrated throughout the day is important, however. Drink at least six to eight cups of water per day, and make sure you consume them between meals. Chew your food thoroughly and eat small bites so that the food can easily fit through the opening to your stomach pouch. This will help you avoid the problem of food blocking the stomach outlet. Only eat when you are hungry and no more than three small meals a day, but you must make sure that these meals contain adequate nutrition. Remember, your stomach can only hold about one-quarter of a cup of food, or two ounces, at a time. Stop eating when your hunger is gone or when you feel comfortable. The general nutrition guide below can help you create good and healthy meals that contain adequate nutrients but low sugar and fat: Good Food Choices Fruits and vegetables One to two servings of fresh fruit daily Two to three servings of fresh vegetables daily [*]Breads and cereals One small portion of low-sugar cold or hot cereal Half to one slice of toasted whole wheat or rye bread each day. Note: Some patients have difficulty eating bread [*]Meat, fish, poultry, eggs One to two ounces of meat, fish, or poultry-or one egg each day. Remove all visible fat from the meat. Remove the skin from poultry. Prepare the meat in ways that need very little fat. Grilling, steaming, microwaving, or boiling are all good ways to do this. Note: Some patients have difficulty eating meat. [*]Dairy products Milk and yogurt are calories in liquid form. However, these types of food have calcium, which makes them an important part of a healthy daily diet, so choose a maximum of 2 cups of skimmed milk or low-fat yogurt and 1 ounce of cheese a day. [*]Fats Restrict the use of fat to 3 to 4 teaspoons of margarine, butter, or oil per day. You can have low-fat salad dressings and mayonnaise in moderation. [*]Drinks Drink as many calorie-free liquids per day as you wish (though not with meals). Suitable drinks are tea or coffee (black) with low-calorie sweetener, water, non-carbonated beverages containing few or no calories Some doctors have reported that carbonated beverages may contribute to enlargement of the small pouch and recommend they be avoided. Back to Top [*]Foods to Avoid Some foods deliver a concentrated supply of calories but little nutritional value. These foods should be avoided whenever possible. They include: syrups cakes jam chips pastries Alcoholic drinks should also be consumed in moderation: for example, one glass of wine per day. [*]Common Problem Foods Some foods have difficulty passing through the stomach opening created by the LAP-BAND® System and may cause blockage. These include: dry meat shrimp untoasted or doughy bread rice peanut butter fibrous vegetables like corn, asparagus, and celery nuts greasy or fried food membrane of citrus fruits I got everything directly off the lapband site... I figured we all may need a little jog in the memory once in a while... Oh and tdont forget the most important rule!!! PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN ALWAYS FIRST!!! I'm pretty sure that is well drilled into our minds.... but i can honestly say i haven exactly been following that rule very well lately!!!

I was about 100 lbs overweight and my doctor also put me on the pre-op liquid diet. I asked at his office why they don't do everyone, and they said it is determined during the examination by the surgeon. I think if he/she thinks the liver is fatty and they want to shrink it to make surgery easier they do it. I had Atkins Advantage (ready to drink) and EAS Advantage (powder to mix with skim milk), purchased at Target. I found Worldwide Protein shakes (ready to drink) at Trader Joe's in vanilla and chocolate. It comes in 21g and 35g of protein, and to me tastes better than Atkins. I discovered recently that GNC and the Vitamin Shoppe carry Worldwide, and it also comes in banana cream, Cookies and cream, and strawberry. I found them online so I don't know what the stores carry. They only had 35g online. At Trader Joes the 21s cost $1.69 and the 35s cost about $2.29. There is also a website called unjury and they sell powdered protein to mix with skim milk or Crystal Light(the strawberry flavor only for Crystal Light). Comes in strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, chicken Soup (kind of like chicken broth), and unflavored. I found a cookbook link to livingafterwls.com and bought the cookbook, recipes all by wls patients. One is super easy: make up a package of sugar/fat free Jello pudding, adding a scoop of unflavored Unjury. This bumps up the protein content of the pudding. On the full liquid diet I could have broth, tea, coffee, cream Soups, sugar/fat free popsicles and pudding, yogurt, V8 juice, fruit juice (diluted 50% with Water to reduce carbs) and Protein drinks. To ease me into the liquids, the dietician said I could have a small amount of lean protein, so at night when I would tend to overeat the most, I grilled two unbreaded chicken breast tenders and put salt and pepper on them, or I had two hard boiled eggs with salt and pepper. Four days before surgery strictly liquids. I lost around 35 pounds before surgery. I was a little hungry during the day, but I expected that, and work is so busy I didn't have time to dwell on it. So far I have lost 65 pounds. I was banded 3/25/08.

Yay... lucky Junebug 36 that you get mushies! I have 5 more days until I move to full liquids. I am pretty tired of liquids although I don't really feel hungry, just tired of drinking the same old, same old. It will be nice to add the variety of applesauce and yogurt and cottage cheese and stuff. I seem to get more 'full' drinking my Protein shake in the AM so and I drink 1/2 and then wait to drink the other 1/2. For my afternoon shake, as long as I drink slow, I can drink the whole 11 ozs. This is not a feeling I am used to (feeling satisfied and able to stop eating/drinking when I am satisfied) and I am loving it. I am only 3 days post-op so I am still struggling with the C02 gas pains but every day it is getting better. So far I have no regrets.

I have been starving lately!!!!!! I have been making a lot of smoothies with the Atkins shakes and putting yogurt in ( chobani) or Peanut Butter in the chocolate. I track everything in my fitness pal and just try to stay at 1000-1200 calories. And this weekend started to do Just Dance 4 as my exercise . I've been eating pretty mushy food but have also eaten a piece or two of pizza. I just track it. I definitely cannot eat as much as I once could and just try to take is slow and chew chew chew chew. I figure it will get better when I get my first fill which is next week. Until then I am not going to beat myself up (because I have done that enough in my life). This might be the wrong tactic and I know I need to get more Protein in but I am just going to keep working on it! I also and just cooking for my family and just eating smaller portions. Has lasagna "cupcakes" for dinner - emilybite.com and making chicken casserole tonight. These things last a whole lot longer now!!!!'

hello everyone, I have not posted in a while, but have tried to read posts as much as possible- you guys are my support group! So far, 4 months after arriving in bandland I still face daily challenges. I find that I don't really know from one day to the next whether any particular food will agree with me or not! Some days I can eat fine, other days, no way! I try to do the right thing- small bites, eat slowly, chew well, eat only till full. Heck, I have even learnt to be fairly accurate in eyeballing 2-3 oz and will persuade myself that I really am full when my eyes are too big for my stomache. But, here is where i need help- it is demoralizing for me when I eat (one or two bites, NOT a cheeseburger) and it hurts. This will happen some days no matter what I put in my mouth- smoothie, yogurt, Soup, hamburger helper, fish finger, you name it! (I have noticed that there are a couple of things that make it worse- for obvious reasons- like jalapenas and hot salsa, and them I now completely avoid.) I have not eaten bread or rice in 4 months. I think my point is this.... does anyone else experience the same thing? Am I doing something wrong? I sometimes know that there is absolutely no way that i am getting enough nutrition beacause I am frankly unable to eat. I am still losing, but would hate to stop and go into starvation mode or whatever; also I don't want to lose the little bit of muscle I have left!! I have spoken to my dr and done everything he advised, and yes, I can drink water- so don't have an obstruction.

God...tell me about it, im day 3 now...i find it's going better....yesterday i barely ate anything...i find it better to not eat anything than to eat yogurt. Whereas day 1 i ate yogurt all day. Yeah, i'm sure you didn't compromise anything...but we can both do it!!! Let's stay strong.

I haven't had chicken or bagels since I got banded. I read on the forum that those are trouble so I avoided them along with steak and burgers and bread rolls, I stick to pita bread and eat just a little bit... I eat carbs, my lunch is a square of lasagna the size of my palm, and I try to make the lasagna as healthy as possible. Or I have some sushi. Or if I stick to veggies for lunch I get a grilled cheese sandwich ( in pita bread) for dinner. Everything hurt last week except the mashed zucchini, yogurt and Cereal. From the first bite down to the last. 4 weeks after a fill! I exepected that this could happen if I get too tight for what I am willing to put up with. But this came out of the blue. Just as I was getting ready to get another fill! Being on a liquid diet again has helped and the medicine as well, today I was able to eat something non-solid so I am less freaked out. I have re planned my meals to cut down even more, which I am fine with, I just wanted to know if this is the band doing its job or if something is wrong. Because the pain was excruciating! is it supposed to hurt THAT bad? So I won't be able to have a single bite of the things I love? I was kinda hoping I could still nibble of a few things here and there

I have been eating lots of greek yogurt. Yoplait makes a good one with 14 grams of Protein. I also baked some tilipa last night. Any white fish doesn't need pureed and I added some lemon pepper seasoning. I am planning on having refried Beans this week and cottage cheese and of course mashed potatoes. I have been trying to load up on protein and need to pull out my eating well after weight lost surgery cookbook. I didn't look at it through the clear/full liquid stages.

Ok here is today's bad news. I ran out of my Topomax and I think that is why I am so darn hungry. I still have restriction, I cannot eat more than a 1/2 cup of anything without PBing. b - Protein shake, banana, yogurt, Protein powder and milk l- 1/2 tuna sand. (which i PBd) s - UMM ok a mint 3 musketeers, some GS Cookies, and haven't stopped yet.) d - not sure yet. Probably the rest of the tuna with NO bread this time.

This is me pretty much every day: B: EAS Myoplex Protein shake 6A S: Small Banana 8A S: FF Yogurt (for after 30 min workout) 10A L: EAS Myoplex Protein Shake 12N S: SF Fruit cup 2:30P D: Lean Cuisine 4:30P 35-45 minute workout S: 100 Calorie something or other 6:30P No other consuming after 7P! I am always hungry. I will even sometimes fish through soft foods in the fridge right after I just eat dinner. All I want is to feel full after eating a small meal and to stay full for more than thirty minutes. Augh!

Ok, you guys are so helpfull, I got filled yesterday and am a little uncomfortable. Water has to gurgle gurgle down, same with yogurt and my coffee w/ protein mix as creamer gave me heartburn, yesterday after the fill I was fine. Any chance it will be ok in a day or so or should I call for an unfil? (2.5 hour drive)