LapBandReady

absolutely identical to you. the liquid diet, i was like a dictator on. i turned down all foods offered, or temptation caused by driving past places i normally would pull in. other food smells, didn't even bother me. if a co-worker ordered pizza, i'd sip my Soup..and not care. i was in the zone. when i realized i was taking in more soup per day than normal, i realized my stomach swelling must have gone down..so i called my dietician and explained the situation. about 4 days before i was supposed to start mushies, she told me i can move on to mushies, and mix in some liquids still..so i'd have maybe some mashed potatoes and deviled chicken (underwood's can with the devil on it)..for lunch..and have soup at night. it's worked well. now, i find my appetite is back to where it was before surgery. i am having soft foods, before i am supposed to...and feel scared, so i called her again. she let me know if i wasn't vomiting, nauseous or otherwise uncomfortable, then soft solid foods are ok. just don't over-do it... my situation is this. i am not a healthy eater..i mean, i have certain things i love to eat, and things i will never EVER eat (seafood, eggs, brocoli etc). my desire for the bands was portion control. I over-eat, always have. I'd eat an extra large pizza by myself...and when that didn't fill me up, i'd have to have breadsticks with it. then wash it down with a 2 liter of soda. in one sitting. my reason for the band was to limit my portions. to know what amount is going to be good for me, and mix my less portions with proper exercise. soda was my big weakness...i'd drink sometimes two 2 liters a day..seriously. my caffeine addiction was terrible. and i am proud to say that a drop of soda has not touched my lips since Oct. 29th...over 3 weeks now..no cravings for it at all. so i plan to drop weight that way. so my keys to my weight loss will be: 1. no soda 2. very very small portions to curb and quit my over-eating 3. no fast food 4. walking walking walking but "healthy foods" and "counting calories"..just isn't me..so yes, i am a cheater, with my reasons.

i can't say it's what you should be doing, only your surgeon knows what's best. but i will tell you my experience during liquids and cream soups. i went to the 99 cent store and bought 4 strainers. cooked my cream soups and strained out the pieces. same with french onion soup. this is one of my favorite soups, and i was worried it would give heartburn, but i was ok. for liquids..sugar free pudding. i bought sugar free Jello but i am not big on jello at all. also, i'd go to Chili's and order soup from the To Go door...they'd strain it for me, after offering a nice tip. their baked potato soup, strained is perfect. just don't eat until you feel pain...i did, and it sucked. when you get a craving for something...try putting some spices in your cream soups. liven them up. want soda? try a glass of iced Water with 3 lemon wedges and 3 lime wedges squeezed in. you'd be surprised how good it tastes. first 11 days on liquids/part mushies? 8 lbs..still losing. but i am eating softer foods now before i go back to regular foods on nov. 28th (gonna cheat on t-giving day haha)...my first fill is on Dec. 3rd. you made a good choice...never stress on that. wait til you see the results, then you will realize it's crazy to question "should i have done this??"...trust me, i was in the same boat as you on that..i know the feeling. give it 2 weeks and wait til your doctor weighs you...then you will be smiling for 3 straight days after! promise.

this is odd. neither my dietician nor my surgeon told me to quit smoking. i tried to quit smoking before my surgery..failed on the patch due to stress. caused me to stay an extra night in the hospital, because my oxygen level was not high enough to be released. but the next day i was, and been smoking since. no issues with acid reflux whatsoever. i have not had a fill, no breathing problems. nothing. odd too, because before surgery...i would eat things, and EVERYTHING would give me acid reflux. everything...when i had my stomach scoped looking for ulcers or hernias (none there, whew)...they found i had irritation in my esophagus from reflux and i took prevacid for 6 weeks. ever since, NOTHING has giving me reflux. i haven't had a "burning burp" for almost 2 months now.

hey there. congrats on the new band. my dietician explained to me before the surgery how it works...she told me i would feel frustrated, because of what happens but not to worry..the real fun begins AFTER the first fill. when you get the band put on, your stomach swells and the band is empty. This is why the first few days liquids were very filling. Over the next week or 10 days, the swelling subsides and the band is loose around the tummy..this is 100% normal, and your appetite will increase. after that first fill though, i was told it will be tight..and it will go back to being the way it was after the surgery with very little needed.. hope my news helps.

I just went to mushies yesterday and after a bland blah lunch of mashed potatoes and gravy and refried Beans..which, don't get me wrong was VERY tasty..i found myself wanting meat. real meat.. i looked for Soups with meats..but of course, chunks of chicken are solid, not mushy. same with beef...i found nothing.. then there, same aisle, like an angel was standing over them...ironically. I found nirvana. Those little cans of Underwood's..deviled ham. deviled chicken. deviled BBQ chicken. I bought 2 cans. Ham and BBQ chicken, just to be sure. I got home, cracked a can and mmm my tongue and tummy pouch was in heaven. they are completely mushy and juicy..light chewing needed but not much. Each can is 2 servings. BBQ chicken is 130 calories. 70 fat calories. but 10g Protein. 1 can = 20g protein per day. drawback is high sodium. the Ham is a little worse, but tasty. 180 calories. 140 fat calories. only 8 grams of protein though. lots of sodium, cholesterol and very little carbs, and probably not the HEALTHIEST thing to eat daily. but it's something.. as always, check with your surgeon before trying any of my suggestions. for lunch today, had a BBQ and a scoop of mashed potatos with a small bit of gravy and a small daub of butter. very filling.

To me, the worst thing about the Protein drinks are the taste. strawberry Cream? More like "strawberry cardboard" chocolate Fudge? More like "chocolate chalk" My way of getting past it? Pour my drink into a dixie cup so i can't see the label. Put a dixie cup of juice next to it. Psych myself out that they taste the same. Then pick up the Protein Drink, and baby sip it and try not to let it touch my tongue (tastebuds)..hard to do...but I just focus on a picture on my computer screen. Then when its gone. Wash over my tastebuds with a few sips of good flavored juice. It helps me, maybe it helps you.

I have been on my liquid diet and honestly, it's not so bad. I look forward to mushies and then REALLY look forward to real food...but I am doing fine by liquids and am 100% sticking to it here. Problem: I was banded on Oct. 31st, and have progressed gradually. 1st night, 30cc's of juice an hour. next day, 120cc's of juice and remained that way on sunday. monday, was told i can go to popsicles, Soups, Jello, pudding, yogurt. my intake was minimal. I'd eat until i was full. then force myself to eat whatever was left over, so my body felt it..so i can re-train myself to know when i am full ..i know..masochistic, and the lump in the chest sucked. On Monday-Thursday, i cook a can of Soup..i can get through 3/4 of it. Then force down the last 1/4...Dumb I know, but like I said...re-training. Here today, I wake up. Do my Protein drink and a small cup of juice. Go to work, and have a sugar free pudding for mid-morning snack. lunch is a can of soup. I am fine...until 2 hours later...I want more soup. So I go to my deli next door and get a large tomato soup thinking, half now...half later tonight. It's about the large size you'd get at any deli. Thing is, I ate it all....every spoonful. I'm not completely full...still hungry. My question is...Did I do something wrong, by forcing that extra bit of soup each day...or is my stomach swelling going down to allow more liquid to pass the band causing me to intake more? Is the fact I could probably eat 2 cans of cream soup at a sitting a bad thing to do, if i do it? I am getting a bit nervous here.

Not sure about the gas pains people are feeling...i think I felt them a few days after. Burping a bit..like a half-hiccup/half burp...that sucks. No shoulder pain at all. I do get bad gas...but i ain't burping it out. Just Lord help anyone standing in a close proximity of me..:rolleyes2:

Hi there. Not sure if I am doing things the right way, and I certainly hope so. Was banded on Oct. 31st, and as you said, have one week to go on liquids.. Monday, speaking to my caseworker in Dr. Naim's office, she let me know that I can go to Soups, sugar free Jello and sugar free pudding and popsicles, and yogurt. I am not big on sweets myself, but the soup was good news. I went and bought 20 cans of soup. So here is how my day goes: when I wake up: I drink a half EAS nutrition shake (strawberry cream)..this is the tastiest, less gross one i could find, and a small cup of juice get to work and sip Water slowly in the morning. at lunch, fix a can of campbells soup (tomato or one of the cream of's). i mix a can of soup with a cup of milk for creaminess (not tomato) I went to the 99 cent store and bought 4 strainers to dump my nuked soup into so the bits of chicken or potato are caught and dump them...now it gets good for me. I am a sucker for lemon pepper. i love lemon pepper a LOT. so i add a couple squirts of lemon juice to the cream of chicken and a few shakes of Lawry's lemon pepper to it..the lemon juice you can find in the produce department..little plastic yellow bottle with a name like "Italia"... I also add a few shots of the lemon juice and some pepper to the tomato soup. Gives it a nice taste. Again, these are my ideas only and I wasn't coached on whether i should be doing this, so i am not doing the same. Just giving some tips on having a liquid diet not focused around jello, pudding and popsicles. Another thing I did, but I don't suggest this. If you go out to eat with friends or family, order the soup, but ask the waiter to strain it to keep objects out. Throw and extra couple dollars tip their way and they will have no problem doing this...I got a strange look from the guy at Chili's, but I explained and he was more than eager to help me out and make sure I had no little bits of food in my soup and was cream soup only. Hope my tips help, and more important...hope my tips are not more harmful more than helpful. MAKE SURE you check with your surgeon's office before attempting anything I am describing doing.

Hello posters. I've been travelling here for a few months reading and learning all i could before going through with this. I was banded at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles, by Dr. Naim, who has been utterly exceptional to work with. Sadly I am a smoker, and it was suggested I quit smoking at least 2 weeks prior, but I have even less willpower there...and even trying to use the patch didn't work. Because of this, my oxygen level was not able to stay high enough post-surgery so I stayed overnight. I came home today, and relaxed. Sipping on apple juice and Optisource, a nice strawberry flavored Protein drink. I was drinking 30 mL per hour the first day, but after midnight, they upped me to 120 mL since I felt no nausea. Now though, I find myself burping/hiccuping and its quite painful in the chest area, and I feel a "lump in my chest" probably brought on by being "full". I sure hope it goes away soon, because its not a nice feeling. Post surgery, I am fine. Walking around, even drove to get my meds at the pharmacy, but that exhausted me, so came home and slept a few hours. Weakness and soreness are my only feelings at the moment. No sheer pain from the sutures or incisions. I will keep reading others stories of their post-op experiences, and learn from theirs and be posting my updates. Feels good to be among you now.