Carpe Diem

My experience thus far for new banders- The liquid diet was hard. However, I found that if I drank the right amount about every two and a half hours I did just fine. My drink of choice was a Protein shake from costco that had 30g of protein. I loved this shake because of the high protein, extremely low sugar (1g), and low calories. If drinking enough of them a day, I never felt hungry. Missing drinks would cause me to be very tired, feel week, ect. In terms of the puree, I did eat a tad earlier than the two weeks. Yes- I fell of the wagon. However, it was mainly puree. I've also sampled with food that isn't exactly pureed, but very very soft that I chew until it's paste. It could be considered normal food I suppose, but I ate it in a different way. My goal is to make a much more concentrated effort for the next two weeks to eat things in puree form, so when I hit a month "normal" food will be new for me. This is tricky however, because it seems there is a very fine line between normal food and purees. I've certainly had some challenges and as I stated "fell off the wagon", but I think overall I'm doing very well. I'm realizing as long as I'm not harming my body or band, I have to be gentle with myself. It's a tough task to essentially "learn" a new body, and it doesn't always go as planned, as no one is perfect. I'm excited to see what the next two weeks bring!

I was banded on the 11th. I'd be more than willing to share my experiences with you!!

Today is the day that I officially started pureed food (however I did cheat just a tiny bit by having TINY amounts Monday and Tuesday). It's exactly two weeks after my surgery, and I'm down about 10 pounds. Oddly enough, I actually have gained back a few pounds since Monday when I had very small amounts of real food. I stepped on the scale and now I'm down 8 pounds. I'm still absolutely thrilled I've been able to shed that amount in two weeks, people are already noticing!! However, I do find it odd a gained a few of those pounds back since I'm burning far more calories than I'm taking in. Has anyone ever experienced this?

I found it a little nasty because we don't know anything about each other or other's personal journey. For example, I am someone who is working EXTREMELY hard at this, but need support and have questions along the way because it's new for me to. I appreciate the replies.

I have found that protien drinks work really well - the more protien the better, I'm currently on a 30g shake (from Costco) and drink one every 2.5-3 hours. That keeps me pretty full. Also broths, liquid Soups like tomato, and some have recomended yogurt.

Thanks! I think it's too soon as well. I'm glad other people have had the same experience.

No I understand, and realize it's a choice I made. But it doesn't mean that I'm not allowed to have a hard time with things and ask people for suggestions, if you have read my other posts I'm asking for support and alternatives. Clearly they are issues a lot of members have, not just me. Just because something is written down on paper, doesn't mean it's easy to follow. However, since I have made this decision I have been following it to a T.

The only "food" I have had permission to eat are things that melt in your mouth like liquid, such as yogurt, jello. I also tried a Jamba Juice which I know isn't the best, but very filling!

My nutritionist said I could try a small amount of beer, and I would have to see how it felt. I agree, I'm sure it's only going to take an extremely small amount!

I'm going to a celebration and would like to have a few sips. I know I will need to be careful as there will only be mushies in my system, but is this allowed?

Did anybody feel the need to eat food only a week after the lapband? I feel hungry, and the liquids don't satisfy me. Suggestions?

Thanks everyone - this really helps more than you know. As for pureed food such as mashed things, I thought I wasn't allowed to have those until two weeks of surgery? Today I'm going to try some tomato soup and see how I feel.

Hi- New to this forum. I was banded last Wednsday, so I'm about a week in. With my return to work, I've started to experience a good amount of anxiety trying to learn my new body, deal with complications, ect. I've been having a rough time with things like constipation, but I also feel hungry, a lot. I'm doing the liquids, and drinking quite a bit (having protien) but I still often feel week, tired, just out of it... Is this normal?? I know a lot of other people on here have asked similar questions, but I can't help but feel as if I could have made a mistake? I knew these weeks of liqud/puree only would be hard... but this is much harder than I expected. Any words of encouragement?