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I found the mushie stage to be extremely hard to continue dropping lbs after the liquid phase. I realized quickly I needed low calorie Snacks like yogurt and string cheese. Otherwise the mushies are very carb or calorie heavy. I also reincorporated my Protein Shakes back in. Def get an app for your phone. I use tap and track on the iPhone. If I stay between 1200 - 1400 calories a day, the scale goes down. Losing weight is like snowflakes... no two people are alike.

I had my first fill on Tuesday (exactly one month after my surgery) and I was terrified, but in the end it was no biggie. They laid me down, did a quick ultra sound, numbed the area, put the needle in (tiny pinch)... here's where things got a little weird... had me sit up (needle still in - you don't feel a thing) and drink while they filled me and then backed it out when I felt the Water stop moving. They ended up putting in about 1.7cc's. Last night I ate mushies and could only eat 4 bites of ricotta bake. It's working, but I can see that it will back off once the swelling goes down, etc.

I was banded 3/25/11 and I know exactly how you feel... as I am back on liquids after my first fill the other day. Here's the painful reality check, you go two horrible weeks on liquids, then two slightly better weeks on mushies (which for me was harder as mushies tend to be carb or calorie heavy) then I had 4 glorious days of eating solids then BAM back to liquids and mushies until Saturday. I think the liquids and mushies are a nature of this beast. I find it so much easier to just grab a shake for a meal than have to think about chew, chew, chew! Good luck!! Stay strong, we've all been there.

I don't know about the rest of you, but every day I have questions, ups and downs and fears. I come to this wonderful forum (pretty much on a daily basis) and get all the answers, support and good juju a person could want after beginning this journey. I thank you all for your honesty and your willingness to share your experiences with the rest of us who are just starting out or having fears about even going through with the surgery. I need you guys everyday to help me get through this. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I wouldn't risk it, especially if you don't want people to know. The liquid only diet is hard enough to explain for two weeks. The first 48 hours are the worst with the gas pains and settling tremors. The pain medication I was given didn't even help with most of it. Getting in and out of bed is like torture. You also don't want to risk messing up your port with all that bending and such. Watching TV is really the only option while you wait for the pain to subside. Everyone's recovery is different. My recovery took two weeks until I woke up and there was absolutely no pain anywhere (gas, suture, etc.). Good luck!

I agree with Reverie. I also keep a food journal and I am religious about it. Even though when I cheat I don't want to put it in there, but if you are going to figure out what the culprits are, you have to keep a log of the calories. Also somewhere during the liquid diet, your body goes into starvation mode and you are comsuming less than 800 calories a day and gaining weight! At least that's how it was for me. I'm now eating 1200-1400 calories a day and the weight is coming off steadily (if I go below 1200 the weight loss stops). I do however use the shakes (Atkins because they have the lowest sugar content) as an afternoon snack to keep my energy up or for Breakfast or a meal on the go. They are great to have around for that. Hope this was helpful.

I had all the same fears and then some! Now that I'm 4 weeks out I can look back and say "no biggie," but if you read my blogs... I suffered. Actually the first two weeks aren't as hard as you think, as there is a lot of bloating and stress about having it in there that makes you not want to eat at all (at least for me). I def thought about food, but it was head hunger. I very rarely feel hunger now. I have to stay on top of myself to eat. Even with no fill, it's working. In the scheme of things what is a month to 6 weeks of your life? It's a small price to pay for happiness!

I just got banded a few weeks ago (I am in the mushie stage) and I had all the same thoughts you did about not having the foods I want. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I had the regrets after my surgery. After going through the liquid stage and into mushies, I find my self not really caring about food most of the time. I crave pizza and then I think, go eat a yogurt or Protein shake if your hungry and suddenly I'm not hungry anymore. It's a very surreal experience, but I think everyone has said it best, once you have a bad experience by eating too much too fast you will learn from it, like the Pavlovian effect.

As for Water, I gulp it all the time. I haven't had anything but Water and tea since my surgery. No more sodas (I drank like 3 a day) and I'm ok with it. I think it should be catagorized as Lap Band Zen.

I'm in my third week and what a blessing to have made it the whole 2 weeks of liquid! I'm now in my mushie stage and I feel great. Even my suture pain is going away. I'm sad that it's not as easy losing weight on the mushies, but it's not as if we can eat chicken and veggies (unless we put them in the blender... gross). I think getting back to solid food will help the weight loss process. I am finding mushies are kinda high calorie or carbs. I'm drinking the Protein Shakes several times a day to try and lose a few more lbs. My first fill is April 26 and I'm looking forward to seeing what that feels like.

I had a bit of a stuffy nose the day before surgery. I bought some Afrin and used it in the morning and had no problems.

I had my surgery about two weeks ago and I was in a complete panic. Turns out the worst part of the day was getting weighed!! The anesthesiologist even numbed my vein before putting the IV in. Then he gave me "happy time" drugs and I woke up about an hour later in recovery. Bring lip balm to the surgery. I put mine in the bag with my clothes. Your mouth is super dry inside and out. Honestly, if I can do it, anyone can :-) You will do great!

After the gnarliest two weeks EVER, I get to start my mushie phase today! I'm waiting until I get home for work so nothing awful happens and I'm not at home. So I'm excited!!

That said, it does look so much easier on paper and I think it's because of the excitment of the future and losing weight. Once the surgery is done, it's like OUCH! where's my comfort food when I need it most? And even though I'm moving on to mushies, I still feel as though I'm not through the woods yet. So far, I don't feel any restriction and have no idea if I had a passive fill or not. My first post-op doc visit is next week. And now that I've been on the message boards, I have a lot of questions.

I thank God every day I found this message board so have people who can relate to what I am going through :-)

I was banded two weeks ago and I had the exact same thing. Like contractions or spasms. I had them for the first week and then they went away. I think it's just the body's way of settling and getting used to a foreign object!

You are not the only one struggling. I was ready to kill someone last week for a bite of food. I am just at the end of my two week liquid stage and it has been beyond a struggle. Mood swings and hunger pangs are the worst. Everyone says, "drink a shake." I'm literally about to throw all my shakes out of a moving car! I was fortunate enough to make it through without cheating (even though I wanted to every minute of every day), but I get it. Next step is mushies which again seems limited, but at least it's better than those damn shakes!

Oh, Michele! I feel for you. I had the surgery about two weeks ago and I definitely felt the same way. I'm surprised your doctor didn't give you a nutritional plan. Here's what my doctor told me. Two weeks post surgery should be a liquid diet only. Today you should stick with broths and clearer liquids. I was able to graduate to full liquids (Protein shakes and cream Soups by day 2). There is not a ton to eat, but you can have popsicles, Soups (strained if there is anything in them, Miso and chichen broth are easy and good), any kind of Protein shake (I prefer Atkins as it has very little sugar and carbs). My big treat has been flavored ice.

Here's the deal, there's really no going back right now. It's all onwards and upwards (and downwards on the scale)! You made it to the other side. I'm still recovering in terms of sutures and some stomach digestive grumblings, but it gets better before you realize it.

I hope this has been helpful. Good luck!

Wow! You sound prepared! I had to send my husband out for everything after I got home. The one thing I really needed was help getting in and out of bed, so make sure you have someone with you. I've read about people who slept in their lazy boys so they could get up. I never realized how much I used my stomach muscles for everything until now. I felt the exact same way before I had it, excited and scared. I'm just about done with my liquid phase. Mushies start Friday. Good luck with your surgery!