I have a date with fate!!

Well, insurance gave me the go ahead and I am getting banded on Feb. 3rd. Scared, excited, all mixed with a thousand different emotions. I am on the two week pre op protein shake diet. While I can't say I am enjoying it, I am determined to succeed. I am mostly concerned with the recovery diet, when I can advanced to full liquids,etc. How do you get all your nutrients in taking 2-3 oz. ? I need suggestions. I did buy some vanilla whey powder,yet I am not sure what I will do with it. Any help is appreciated. Peg

Congrats on getting your surgery date! Good luck on your pre-diet... that is a rough period... but don't worry, a few weeks after the surgery you will be able to have sort-of-real food again!

I was banded on 12/31 and have been feeling GREAT! Don't worry, if you follow the guidelines your surgeon gives you, you should be fine.

My program only made me stick to 2 -3 oz for the "clear liquids" period in the beginning, which is okay because you probably won't be that hungry. Once you move to "all liquids", which is usually after a week, you hopefully will be able to move to 4 - 6 oz per meal. Those amounts are, believe it or not, okay to deal with... the tricky part is how to figure in all of the protein you need and keep within your daily calorie limit... which is why you will find the protein powder handy.

In the beginning clear phase, you should be allowed broth, crystal-light type drinks, jello, skim milk, and sugar-free popsicles. Your protein powder mixed in the skim milk is a great way to get your protein... plus the skim milk has protein also.

Once you get more real food into your system (during the mushy/pureed phase) the protein powder helps you fill in the gap if you didn't get enough protein that day.

One thing I did right before the surgery was make a pot of homemade chicken soup and adding string beans, carrots, onion and spices (whatever you like). When the soup was done, I skimmed off the fat and drained out the solid pieces, and put the solids in the freezer. I kept the soup-broth in the fridge to consume during my "clear" period. The soup-broth tasted so great during the "clear" period (plain canned broth is so plain) and when I got into the "mushy" period, I defrosted the soup solids (chix and veggies) and pureed them... which also tasted great.

Don't be stressed, stay motivated... and GOOD LUCK!!!

Thanks for the helpful hints and encouragement,LaurenLCM. I really do appreciate it. I may ask for your wisdom in the upcoming period. Are you losing ? I am so scared of failure.

I lost 9 pounds in the first 12 days... but I haven't been weighed in two weeks. I am also afraid of being discouraged by the scale, so I only plan to get on the scale every two weeks (which will be Monday).

After you have the surgery, try to write everything down you eat each day. I have a diary where I track the calories, fat, carbs, protein and fiber of everything I put into my mouth. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it is the best way for someone else to review what you are doing incase you start to plateau. I update my food diary while I eat my meals... it helps me stretch the meal out for the mandetory 20 minutes of eating!

"Lap Band for Life" is a great book... I recommend it. It should put you more at ease with the surgery, and answer a bunch of questions.

A great way to enter your foods and have them calculated for you is at Livestrong.com. It's free and it will also show the breakdown of your protiens, carbs, etc. Check it out.

Hi and good luck on your surgery! My surgery is Tues., 1/27 and I'm looking forward to it. Like you, I can't say I've enjoyed the liquid pre-op diet, but I've actually kind of enjoyed not worrying about food these past 2 weeks. My fabulous hubby is fending for himself (kids are all adults). I made sure I was well stocked with everything I needed in advance. I use dailyplate.com to keep track of my diet as well. It's very easy to use. Good luck!