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Even pre-banding I am just not that hungry in the morning. I do try and eat breakfast, though. My absolute favorite thing is Greek Yogurt - vanilla or honey. Very high in protein - the right consistancy for me (a little tigher in the am) and I love the taste! It's like a dessert for me:)

Hi...I am a naturopath and I am sure that gas is probably due to similar food than when unbanded, but perhaps a bit more abundant Beano helps and now they sell it in little strips that dissolve in your mouth...take it right before a meal...not after. here are foods to avoid if you have too much gas, you might be sensitive or intolerant to it....dairy(milk, cheese) you hopefully can eat yougurt which will help but make sure it is good yogurt with no sugar in it. Yogurt made with goast or sheep milk is worth the price and you get used to the slightly different taste. Add stevia and a little fruit or squeeze a lemon and stevia and stir and it is lke eating a lemon moouse! Avoid artificial sweetners since they give you gas and are not good for you anyway. Use stevia instead. Avoid chewing gum. You might want to see if you have a problem with wheat and gluten...the majority of people do and don't know it. Some people are sensitive to soy. Beans, broccolli,and cauliflower need to be cooked very well especially with the band. Well this is it for now...I hope it helps!

IMHO, no, mashed potatoes shouldn't be used. Here's my logic: Yogurt and pudding are basically just a liquid that has been "stiffened" and will become liquid just as soon as it hits your internal heat. Applesauce is mostly Water, both from the juice of the fruit and from the cooking process. There are very little actual solids and they are still mostly water. Mashed potatoes, while of a similar consistency, have more solids in them. There is simply not a way to cook potatoes long enough for them to be essentially water. The purpose of such limited solids in your diet is to keep your stomach from contracting as it has to digest them. With the stomach having been stitched over you band, you really want to avoid having your stomach contract and pull on those stitches. Now, all that being said...EVERY doctor and diet is different. My suggestion would be to ask your doctors office before doing it. Don't try it just because others have been permitted to eat them at this point. I know that it is frustrating, but one more week of sacrifice will seem like nothing at all once you have lost your first post-op 20#! Hang in there :tongue:

Keep on plugging you will get there! I eat: Breakfast - either - one package of oatmeal mixed with fat free yogurt or egg beater omelet( 2 or 3 servings of beaters) with one slice fat free cheese and some veggies or a few fake bacon bits in it. Lunch- usually a protein shake with strawberries skim milk and Bariatric (sp?) Advantage or Unjury. - Sometimes no berries but ice cubes, instant coffee and sweet & low. Dinner - lean protein and veggies Snack- one bag of 100 calorie popcorn, Two 60 calorie string cheese and two 25 calorie diet hot chocolate. Also vitamins, water & ice tea. I eat about 1000-1200 calories per day and about 80 grams of protein. This keeps me full all day. Hope this helps

From reading great advice on this forum I made a list of these items & gathered in preparation........ :-) bariatric Protein powder (I like the fusion chocolate mousse) & some pre-made Protein drinks for quick & easy grabs GasX (sounds like the gas afterwards for a few days is quite painful) Nexium (ditto on the acid) liquid Tylenol (to use after the dr's liquid painkiller has finished it's job) lots of gatorade, s/f Jello, Water bottles chewable bariatric Vitamins (again the Fusion isn't bad...the mixed berry looks a bit intimidating but is relatively easy to chew up and swallow...my dr advised 2 of those a day for always after.) pill crusher (this is a cool little thing I found at WM which crushes any non-chewable pills you have to take) low cal/lactose free yogurt of course my chapstick! that's all I can remember at the moment! Best of luck! I go in tomorrow morning............(feels like the first day of school when you were a kid!)

head hunger is really a hard thing to combat. even when your band is getting filled. your band will only do so much. have good Protein bars or Snacks that are less than 110 calories. make them chocolate if you need to. have a banana and Peanut Butter. STAY AWAY FROM THE VENDING MACHINE! and dunkin donuts. even when you reach the green zone you will have to deal with head hunger. you have to decide now that it is more important to control your brain than to have it control you. only some ppl have complete non eating issues with hunger, in fact i only know of one on this site. baking chocolate is only 1/2 the sugar as regular chocolate. melted with some nuts for protein and a piece or 2 of that will be better for you than a snicker bar, my favorite candy bar by the way.which is full of butter fat and sugar. have cottage cheese with fruit or tomatoes. have a greek yogurt. have a smoothie. watch how much you drink of the smoothie. satisfy your hunger but be creative and keep it as healthy as you can. enjoy your foods but a snack should only be 110 and less twice a day. eat more protein at your meal times. add a bit of fat to your meals to help keep you satisfied afterwards. i can only type this because i deal with hunger too! gained 3 lbs last month. so even though i am getting close to the green zone i still deal with hunger. but i have made a vow that i will win this battle. you need to say that to yourself too.

Hi Flirtylass You'll be fine. It was a bit scarry when the realisation of it dawned that I was actually getting it done at last - but you'll be in good hands as I believe this Dr has done loads of these ops successfully. I had bit of a feast as well before my pre-op diet and boy did I enjoy it! All I was allowed for 10 days before op was milk/yogurt. This was to shrink the liver and I was starving!!! In fact I miscounted and was on it 11 days instead of 10 (could of had anothers days grazing!) I must say I dont feel any different at the moment - I could still eat the same amounts as before op, but I suppose until the first fill its maybe normal. I am avoiding rubbish though. Again, I wish you all the best it 'll be over before you know it and you can start your new 'journey' - new life. I'll be thinking of you. My only regret is that I didnt do it 20 years ago - but dont think it was available then! Warmest Wishes Wriggle

I'd wait to eat solids just to make sure the irritation goes away. Otherwise you can get in a cycle of eating solid / vomiting / swelling from the irritation making you even tighter / eating solid / vomiting... etc. Try sticking with liquids & mushies for several hours -- have some yogurt, Soup, a Meal Replacement shake, or something like that for your nutrition in the meantime.

Premier protein shakes, mini light baby bell cheese, Outshine sugar free Popsicles (so much better tasting than the others), salt and vinegar blue diamond almonds, berries, tzatziki sauce, fage 2% Greek yogurt, chicken tortilla soup (homemade), Costco rotisserie chicken, protein hot chocolate with sugar free mint syrup added. Tazo wild orange herbal tea.

I'm at five and a half weeks and I don't manage to eat very much, but I can eat pretty much anything (healthy, that is!). A yogurt would probably fill me up, or not much more than one, and you just might be filling yourself up on that. What kind of foods have you been trying to eat that feel stuck?

I love Greek Yogurt. I buy plain 0% and add in either fresh fruit, low fat granola or surger free spread. I cannot eat it plain but it is a great source of protein.

I didn't start eating greek yogurt until after I was banded and I now love it! Whole foods market has a great variety. It's also becoming pretty popular ... I was at a grocery store the other day and saw that Yoplait and Dannon now make greek yogurt. The yoplait was around 110 calories with 12g of protien I think.

The taste of the Fage Greek yogurt varies (at least for me) between the 0%, 2% and full fat versions. I just can't eat the 0% Fage, but love the 2% and given that I only eat 1/3 C. at a time, I have no qualms about eating that. Plus my doctor said it was fine. The Chobani w/fruit is okay for "taking with me" snacks but at home I only eat the Fage from the tub.

I am afraid you are going to screw up your metabolism. You need to eat at least 1000 calories a day or you body will go into starvation mode. Believe me you body never forger that. You need to eat Protein with every meal or you body will start eating you muscle. Muscle burns more than fat. You want muscle. Here is the menu they gave me: Sample Menu: Breakfast meat Carb Fruit/Veg. 2 eggs Waffle/toast 1 pat butter 1/3 cup light yogurt & 1 egg 3 slices turkey bacon 1/3 cup oatmeal 2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter 1 slice toast with 1/ 3 cup low-fat cottage cheese 2 peach slices I egg 1 turkey Sausage Waffle/toast 1 pat butter lunch Meat Carb Fruit/Veg. ½ cup diced, grilled skinless chicken breast mixed salad greens 1 Tbsp. light dressing 4 Turkey Slice – 1 string Cheese 3 slices of lean turkey breast, ham, or roast beef 1 slice low-fat cheese lettuce, tomato, & mustard 1/ 3 cup Low Fat Refried Beans 1 oz. shredded 2% cheese 3 Baked Tortilla chips 1/ 3 cup Black Bean Chili 1 oz. shredded 2% cheese 2 peach slices dinner Meat Carb Fruit/Veg. 3 oz. oven-fried chicken breast 1-2 Tbsp. cooked carrots 3 oz. grilled chicken breast 1-2 Tbsp. grilled vegetables 3 oz. roasted pork tenderloin 2 slices cooked cinnamon/Stevia apples 3 oz. oven-fried tilapia 2 Tbsp. low-fat coleslaw 3 oz. grilled salmon 2 Tbsp. mashed sweet potatoes Snacks 1-2 Meat Carb Fruit/Veg. Protein Drink 8 oz. skim milk ½ cup cottage cheese 1 oz. low-fat Milk 1- 2 Tbsp. peanut butter 2 Celery or 1/ 2 apple 1 /2 cup light yogurt

We did our classes pre-op, but our phases were about 2 weeks. Discharged on full liquids (yogurt, protein drinks, cream soups, etc.) Two weeks later, puree. Two weeks after that soft, two weeks after that full diet. (I was never so happy to see a scrambled egg as I was in week five.) Do the people who do the nutrition classes work with your bariatric team? My nutrition classes were taught by RDs who were in my surgeon's office so the program was continuous. In fact, they went through the stages with us during a 4 hour pre-op special class right after we got our surgery date talking about the pre-op and post-op diets.

its a slippery slope my friend... a slippery slope. try freezing a container of greek yogurt instead.

So I started on "soft/mushie" last Sunday. After botching a couple of meals in my magic bullet, I'm finding it much easier to just cut up (if needbe) what Protein I'm going to eat. I just cut it teeny tiny and puree it in my mouth, chewing until its watery. I don't sit there and count, but I know when I've chewed enough. Anyone else not really use their food processor? And things like eggs, yogurt, refried Beans, hummus - there is nothing to puree. Again, just make it mushy in my mouth. I'm really surprised how easily I am eating and drinking. I have wasted a lot of money of useless items.

Daily is supposed to be the norm but I find a lot of us suffer from constipation. I take Colace probably about once a week and try to increase my Fiber with ruffage like lettuce and broccoli. I just can't eat a ton of it, so I supplement. You don't want to get backed up and you DON'T want to wait until you're in pain to address the problem! A lot of people like flax seed or chia seeds to add fiber to their yogurt and what not. I can't do chia and I've never tried flax.

Definitely sticking with liquids and yogurt as the most solid food I'm doing until I get to see her next week. Thank you for your kind words

I eat 5-6 small meals a day and I swear by it. My metabolism is speeding and I am losing 2-3lbs a week. I really feel great when I am eating this way and I exercise for an hour to 2hours everyday so that helps the metabolism a bunch too. I agree with the dietician about eating something small in the morning to get your metabolism going. If you can't stomach a yogurt or string cheese, try a shake or just simply a glass of milk. Your body needs those calories and nutrition to kick start it for the rest of the day.

Hi Sally, I think we're at a transition point.. where we need exercise for energy, but may not have the energy to exercise. I know for me it has been hard to get moving consistently and with intensity. Tonight I took a 1.75 mile walk and then went to the gym to do exercises in the pool. I feel good but know I am going to sleep like a baby tonight. I have found that I am suddenly able to eat more, everything I try seems to go down fine. I am trying to hold back a little though. I am having oatmeal for Breakfast with milk, today I had tuna and crackers for lunch, watermelon as a snack, and then stopped for frozen yogurt on the way home from the gym. I also had a 30gram Protein drink mid afternoon. I also brought string cheese and applesauce to work but didn't eat them. I need to journal to see how many calories I am taking in... the organization of it all takes so much time!! Good luck.. start slow and you will do fine! I know you have a couple of kids to run after too!? My dog whines at me to take her for a walk... that is good motivation!

Hey LuLu! Great question . I actually opted to follow Dr. Cirangle's post op guidelines rather than Dr. Garcia. Dr. Cirangle is with LapSF in San Francisco and his patients are wildly successful at meeting or getting below goal. I frequent Obesity Help and have learned so much from his post op patients. His plan is more structured...and I don't know about you...but I really need structure. His guide is 35 pages long and has amazingly detailed informations down to the best quality yogurt brand to have. I'm glad that I stayed with clears a little longer too, because I wanted to make sure I could meet my Fluid goal of 60 oz per day before moving up. And. Am finally getting there. Yesterday I started regular Protein shakes and they filled me up quick! So far I am 9 days out and down 16 pounds and I feel incredible!

I had AGB surgery, but on some level lap surgery is lap surgery. Here's what helped me the most: Recliner! It was a solid 4 - 5 days before I could comfortably get into bed, and even then I had to be careful and support my abdomen with a pillow. It was about 2 weeks before I could sleep "normal" (I'm a side sleeper, and was quite overweight -- my pannus & stomach shifting to the side "pulled" on my primary incision (for AGB, this is the incision they use to insert all the silicone parts and it is quite larger than the rest) something terrible). Having a recliner by the tv to sit/sleep in was soooo nice. I don't know when you start with the Protein supplements, but find a powder/source you like before your surgery and have it ready. I know a lot of people wait until after surgery for this, and then have a hard time finding one they enjoy. If you use a laptop or netbook, have it handy. An extra pillow helps. Have it with you when you head home from surgery - it can help stabilize you during road bumps, and can also help during the first few days of recovery. Whatever your food progression looks like, I would recommend having about 2 weeks' worth of it on hand. It may take a while before you're ready to hit the store. I went for a very slow walk the eve of my 2nd day, but it was not pretty. Good thing Target is fairly empty late at night. If you're able to use them, a heating pad may help alleviate any discomfort that your pain meds can't take care of. If you're a "virgin" to bariatrics, you may find it helpful to use baby utensils to moderate your intake, even for things like Water. Trust me, how we chew & swallow is COMPLETELY habit. Most people don't realize how little they chew, and how much they swallow. The first time I could have something that needed to be chewed, I was amazed at how much I had to fight the urge to swallow just 2 or 3 bites into it. You will have to be very careful & very thoughtful. Sipping water from a baby spoon will really help moderate "sips" until you are more comfortable with doing it on your own. Same when you're able to progress to something like a Soup or yogurt. Baby plates or saucers also help with the mental side of it -- looks like more food on a small plate than large. Both of my parents had AGB after I did, and I made each of them a care basket to being to the hospital. I included some creature comforts like oversized cotton pajamas, memory foam slippers, etc. liquid Tylenol, liquid ibuprofen. Jello, freezer pops. Baby spoons/forks/plates and even a sippy cup (don't laugh it works wonders). Drink mixes. Electric blanket (it didn't take too much weightloss to reach the "perpetually cold" state that never has gone away). Etc. Different surgeries, but HTH.

Just want to add that for the first 2-3 days, you should be on only clear liquids, then 2-3 days of thicker drinks (soups, protein drinks, et),and soft foods (yogurt and such) for another 2 days before moving on to the real stuff. Sounds like you may have taxed an already inflammed band with too thick of foods too soon.

My favorites, Premiere Protein peach and cream, some people think it taste fakey but not me, I think it tastes like the candy circus peanuts, and I loved them critters when I was a little Frustr8. Muscle Milk, strawberry, blueberry Greek yogurt , the strawberry - banana you would hate, I do eat bananas but I didn't like it either, my only other Premiere Protein was the caramel, I can't have chocolate and I feel pretty much about vanilla shakes as you do bananas, who wants thick, white and tasteless.? Adkins are not as good--, sorry I know you were an Adkins baby. DO NOT BUY WALMART EQUATE! They are cheaper, but they taste of over processed evaporated milk, leave a vile aftertaste, poured the remainder in a old pie plate for the outdoor cats and other animals and it sat and soured. A couple soy based I found okay. I just got a box from Bariatric Pal store with other flavors to mix with skim milk, anxious to try the cheesecake, orange creamsicle and their 🍓 strawberry delight. See I am 3 weeks pist, my surgeon swiches many of his Bypassers to stage 3 sooner but Precious Pouch and I am going sliwer, I'm staying level 2 until October 9th at my next surgeon visit. That way she doesn't upchuck, I'm happier and I still keep looking. 18 pounds down since surgery, best weight loss I have had since having a baby. Dropped 25-30 pounds with each one, but pain, muss, fuss and bother to do that!