Have you cheated Post op???

[paisleypea 1]

another point is that there are MANY different post-op diets - depending on the surgeon. My surgeon has done over 2,000 and therefore has zero pre-op diet - he can work with any liver. His post-op seems far more aggressive than many I have read about too. It was clear liquid for op day, full liquids Post-Op days 1 - 3, pureed food Post-Op days 4-7, Soft foods Post-Op days 8 - one month out from surgery date.

I have stayed true to the diet - but I do have my husband cook the dinner and clean it up cuz it's stuff I can't eat and I'm not enjoying cooking/cleaning it up. He is a saint.

I didn't puree stuff - it sucked! I stayed with puree food like cottage cheese, yogurt, custard etc. I did end up making tapioca pudding one night - but it was on the list.

helpful hint --- Soups that are strained are the BOMB! My sweet husband went to Panera and bought me both chicken noodle and french onion Soups - and asked for the broth only. They totally obliged and gave all liquid, no big chunks. it did have some in it still, so I just strained it. yeah - canned/boxed broth - yuck! and the Pacific boxes of Soup are awesome and liquid (full) --- roasted red pepper and tomatoe, butternut, etc. all good!

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Of course I picked an able skilled surgeon too. In fact Dr. Cavazos did NOT charge me for the first surgery because in all his years as a bariatric surgeon, I was the first to have too large a liver. To quote him "I tried but it was so thick, I got to the point where I feared I would lacerate it. I could've opened you up and placed the band the old way, but you had nursing school and the prolonged recovery would've given you trouble". So if your doc gives you a preop diet, follow it. If he doesn't, trust him.

[phlphan 0]

I have to agree with RestlessMonkey. I'm sure there are some people who can 'just relax' and be fine, but if your physician gives you a pre-operative instruction, what is the justification for not following it? Coming from a family of physicians, I have learned that in most cases relating to a surgical procedure it is pretty much unacceptable to "just relax" based on the premise that "you'll be fine". Follow the instructions given by your medical provider. Afterall, they did spend 10+ years in school learning the ins and outs of surgery. They're not handing out photocopies of pre-op diets because they think its fun to use the copy machine.

Once again.. for clarity's sake..... I did not say "don't follow your doctor's orders" I simply said "relax, you will be fine"....

For the love of God.

[PangeaOne 0]

What has helped me is making sure I have enough Protein. I use Designer whey Protein Powder and use a scoop and a half which gives me 25 grams of protein. This has helped a lot. But the other side of this is the head hunger which I think is a much harder issue to control. I had my surgery on the 15th of May and don't go a fill until the 29th of June. Now I am battling head hunger with my eating getting out of control. More poor choices rather than high quantity. Which hunger are you dealing with. Sometimes it takes quite a while to figure this out. It's an individual thing.

[PATCHELTON 0]

For Protein drinks, unjury was mentioned. If you want a ready to drink Protein shake, Worldwide Pure Protein shakes are great. They are sold at Vitamin Shoppe in all flavors: chocolate Cream, vanilla Cream, strawberry Cream, banana Cream, and Cookies n' Cream (tastes like Oreos). Each has 35g Protein, very few carbs or sugar, and none of the extra Vitamins like Atkins. Since we are taking Vitamins anyway, I thought Atkins was overkill. WW shakes taste better. Individually they are about $2.79 but if you buy a 12 pack for $27.99 that comes to about $2.33 each. You can also earn coupons for money off future purchases.

For mushy stage, I had refried Beans (fat free) mixed with some chunky salsa that I pulverized in the blender first. Nuke in microwave for about 2 minutes, then while still hot sprinkle some Kraft Fat Free shredded cheese on top to melt. If you like Mexican food, you will like that.

If you like yogurt and there is a Trader Joe store nearby, they sell Greek style plain yogurt that has 22g protein per cup! I get the fat free plain and at home divide into four half cup servings (it comes in a 2 cup container, shades of blue on outside--check the nut label to make sure it is the one with 22g), then I stir in sugar free Smucker's preserves for my fruit flavor, and sprinkle a little ground cinnamon into it too. I have had Raspberry Cinnamon, strawberry Cinnamon, Blackberry Cinnamon, Blueberry Cinnamon, even Orange Marmalade Cinnamon (that should probably wait for solid foods as it has orange peel in it). Delicious! One tablespoon is only 10 calories.

Hope this helps. Hang in there!

[jeyve97 0]

Hi i have been 2 weeks post op date of surgery june 12,2009 i am sticking tonot eating as much does anyone get alot of acidity in the stomach

[itschoice 0]

I have posted this a few times for others. This helped me a lot. Don't use the broth that comes in a can. Home made broth is so much more filling. Can broth just did not satisfy me. If you are on Clear Liquids or full liquids this helps.

Make some chicken Soup and let some of the vegetables dissolve. Then strain it and sip on it. Be creative. I had my 17 year old son cut up some potatoes into very very small squares and boil it in chicken broth from a can until the potatoes get very soft some should melt. Again strain and sip.

My husband and son boiled some flank steak they cut in small cubes. As soon as it came to a boil they changed the Water to get the brown foam that floats on top out (Rinse it to get it all out). Then add clean Water, cilantro, green onion, onion, season (i.e. garlic power, Lawrys, salt) zucchini, carrots, celery, and peeled potato in this order. Boil for 2 to 4 hours and add water as needed. Once this is almost all cooked add cabbage and boil for another 1/2 hour or so. You want the cabbage to start to melt. Then add a bag of frozen corn.

You want everything to boil until everything starts to melt. Use a mesh strainer to serve yourself and for the family have them add avocado and fresh lime juice to their bowl. If you plan on using it for you cream Soups take your juice and veggies out before you add the corn because the corn does not blend well. At that point you can add a bit of smashed avocado to yours as well. If it gets too thick add some can broth to yours and enjoy. Oh, the broth will change the taste.

The broth from this soup is the best!!!! It is much more filling than can broth. I was so satisfied that I felt like I was cheating. I would have 2 or 3 ounces every half hour or so. It would fill me up and I was satisfied. The canned broth on the other hand, I could only stomach so much of it because of the taste.

Be creative. My husband also boiled some can broth with Pasta and potatoes. I drank the broth and it was great. My son and his friend eat the Pasta, potatoes, and the broth and his friend said Campbells should be as good.

Good luck and happy banding!!! It will get better.

[showgurls 0]

Soooooo what happens if you cheat? Has anyone posted that response? Hats off to everyone who has not cheated. Good for you but where are those who have? I want to know experiences. Everyone is not the same. I am 2 weeks post op and I cheated. Yes, I messed up please don't jump on me. I have already beat myself up. I know the imporance of staying on track but now I am worried. SO has anyone cheated and everything was ok?

[RestlessMonkey 7]

Soooooo what happens if you cheat? Has anyone posted that response? Hats off to everyone who has not cheated. Good for you but where are those who have? I want to know experiences. Everyone is not the same. I am 2 weeks post op and I cheated. Yes, I messed up please don't jump on me. I have already beat myself up. I know the imporance of staying on track but now I am worried. SO has anyone cheated and everything was ok?

If you're worried, call your surgeon, tell him/her what you ate, how much, WHEN post op, and let him/her tell you if you're probably ok or need testing. I think it's "kind of" like having unprotected sex. It's a crap shoot. You may be ok, you may get an STD, you may get a baby and an STD, etc. You get the drift...and I don't mean to compare the lap band to a baby etc.....just that it kind of depends on many factors. Just because one person "gets away with it" doesn't mean you will, or vice versa. Call your surgeon as you would with other "medical" concerns and ask. :thumbup:

[idababy 0]

Soooooo what happens if you cheat? Has anyone posted that response? Hats off to everyone who has not cheated. Good for you but where are those who have? I want to know experiences. Everyone is not the same. I am 2 weeks post op and I cheated. Yes, I messed up please don't jump on me. I have already beat myself up. I know the imporance of staying on track but now I am worried. SO has anyone cheated and everything was ok?

OK... I confess...I am 2 weeks post-op and I have cheated. If you look thru the threads you will find my "confessions". I think I even titled it confessions...I just posted it this past week, so it should not be too hard to find.

Now, for those of you who want to hang me (again) don't bother..you can not beat me up anymore than I beat myself up.

So, yea I have cheated, and so far, no problems here. I did talk with my Dr. and he said that I could stick with eating soft foods and just to try new foods one at a time to see what will and what will not work. If you want to know more just email me (mmarsh4@yahoo.com) and I will give you the details.