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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!

So, Friday is it! Back to solid foods! These mushies are ridiculous. To find anything good and sensible in a mush, you have to be on Top Chef Masters. I have spent the last 2 weeks eating pureed soup (gross), ricotta bake (this is a must) and mashed potatoes. And my doctor keeps trying to get me to eat meat out of a can… meat out of a can! I'm not a cat!! I mean tuna is ok every once in a while, but not every day or you turn into Jeremy Piven and can't go to work due to mercury poisoning. Let's move on to the hiccups. I hiccup twice when I'm hungry and once when I'm full. Insane. I hiccupped walking down the booze aisle (which was also the bottled water aisle) at the market and this guy looked at me and I just shrugged and said, "I should really stop drinking during the day." How else am I going to explain these random hiccups? People are going to start thinking I'm a high functioning alcoholic! Now on to the nitty gritty. The weird slime that creeps up every once in a while. I haven't gotten anything stuck nor have I had any pain. It's just this weird little bits of slime I have to spit out (I'm not a spitter by nature, in fact it horrifies me). All that said, I'm looking forward to vegetables and salads again. It's been so long, I actually miss them. Just more lap band insanity. See you all on the other side! p.s. dirty little secret, during the mushie stage I ate frosting out of a can. Shame on me. But it was gooooood :-)

Wow, you sound like you have the mushie thing handled!! Good for you. I'm just not creative. I'm keeping a calorie counter on my iPhone and slowly increasing my intake so I don't gain weight, but my body lets go of starvation mode. I'm not sure if I feel satisfied, but I definitely feel different than before the band after I eat.

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.

Mushies are hard because they are either blended up grossness (blended chili is the worst), high calorie, carbs or canned meat!! Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled I get to eat something, but I'm not at all impressed with the extensivness of the choices. I have kind of gone back to the protein shakes (I know that sounds insane) and I mix in some mushies like yogurt and banana and the baked ricotta. I'm looking forward to baked chicked and veggies so I can eat AND keep the weight off. I've sacrificed so much to lose the 20lbs I've already lost and I don't want to pack them back on with oatmeal and potatoes. So I'm back on the shakes for breakfast and dinner and eating mushies in between. Plus, like you said, it's hard getting that protein in without the shakes or some kind of meat! Protein powder goes in the HURL catagory! YES on the digestive pains, but they are getting less painful with time. I hiccup once every 10 minutes when I'm hungry and then twice when I'm full. I think people think I'm drinking during the day!! How are you doing on the mushies?

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!

I was banded 3-35-11. I went to see my doctor today and he gave me the thumbs up and told me everything was healing nicely and that I can stop stressing so much! Oh and he told me I could have rice with my sushi when I reach my goal weight! I can't believe I have to wait until 2013 for a grain of rice... welcome to the lap band experience :-) I'm so over the liquids!!! And yes we can do it! We are doing it!!