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I'm still fairly new at 6 or so weeks, but I like edamame, Ostrim, salmon, pb2, low fat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, split pea soup (11g protein per .5 cup), boiled egg whites.

I put a scoop of vanilla body fortress in my morning coffee, then get my remaining protein via greek yogurt, cheese, and meat. If there is room left in the caloric tank I add in fruits and veggies. Or some kind of small indulgence like chocolate.

Thinking about what I ate before the lap band actually makes me ill. For breakfast I would eat two huge bowls of sugary cereal. Lunch was a fast food meal, complete with a huge greasy burger or chicken sandwich, fries, and soda. Dinner was usually similar, except I would wash it down with ice cream or candy. Add to this loads of unhealthy snacks like candy, chips, doughnuts, cookies etc. No wonder I weighed 251 pounds at my highest! I was probably eating at least 5000 calories a day. Now breakfast usually consists of oatmeal or a greek yogurt with some sliced almonds. Lunch is often a Boca Chik'n patty and steamed veggies, and dinner is a lean protein with veggies. I do snack but I try to keep it healthy, like almonds. I'm not perfect, but WAY better than I used to be.

i cud have binged all day... every day.. and be comfortable... after being banded.. i think it honestly depends on what i eat.. um like if i eat yogurt.. imma be hungry in 2 hrs.. ( and by yogurt i mean 6 oz) if i eat 6 oz of beef.. i would more than likely be full for a good 6 or 7 hrs. my meals are pretty much abt 6 to 8 oz of anything on any given day.

hey tia !!!.........no ! dont have buyers remorse !!!!... i am in the same boat you are in !!!... i am 18 days post op...and am feeling like i am at a stall . my wt before surgery was 228...and presently for the past 5 days i have juggled between 210 and 214......so have lost maybe 15 lbs since surgery i feel i am not losing it quick enough and have recently been told by several ppl that it is normal between 2-3 weeks to be stuck ...lasting maybe even a month , and then the weight will start droppin again. i hope i am right !!i am tring to get a cpl protein shakes in a day ...a few bites of cottage cheese, krogers carb master yogurt, chili chewed up really good, ....i can only eat a few bites and get extreme fullness.i worry i am not getting in enough protein, an i will admit , i sure dont drink much water !!!!i think what we are feeling is normal . i have googled local support groups in the area and am trying to attend however many i can !!it really does help !!!! we can do this !!!Hang in there , and i'll be glad to help u n compare notes !!!

Please do call your Doctor. And if yogurt is going down, try adding some unflavored or even flavored protein to the yogurt, I have been doing this a lot pre op and love it, now ask me in a few weeks and I may feel like you do. I do like the Unjury protein like Mel mentioned. I also like the nectar protein from synthrax.. But please call your Doc and make sure something like a stricture or ulcer or something isn't going on.

My diet is also restrictive, first day after surgery was only clear liquids. Then 14 days of liquid-protein drinks, yogurt, jello, low fat cream soups-strained. After 2 weeks I can move to mushies but no meat until week 4. then very gradually. My doctor's office has never had anyone with a leak with following this diet. I am looking forward to having some mashed potatoes but I am more than willing to wait for it. The thought of mushies scare me right now. I am just focusing on liquids and getting my proteins in.

WOW! That IS restrictive!!! In my program, they wouldn't even let you leave the hospital until you could tolerate mushies... oatmeal, to be exact. When you get home, for three weeks you eat mushies, which include pureed food... cottage cheese, oatmeal, Greek yogurt, soft boiled egg, pureed tuna salad OR chicken salad, anything mushy. However, they specify really TINY quantities... like 1/8-C pureed tuna salad and 1/4 Cup chicken broth is lunch. Liquids DO feel best, however... lol. Maybe I'll dial it back a bit and cleve to the power shakes for the rest of the week. Thanks for the good advice!

I have accepted I am a slow loser. I was sleeved Dec 5th weighing in 280 a few days prior to surgery. I now weigh 224lbs so that is 56 lbs. None of my weight has come at a constant steady loss. I started with a 22 drop in the first few weeks of liquid dieting. A week ago I decide to return to liquid because I was tired of see 236 on the scales. The scales have responded with 12 lbs. down. I know some is Fluid and I know this is not a diet change that will be a way of eating for life. I have learned plenty during the year before surgery and the six months past surgery about what eatting habits should be and I feel looking back over my MFP I think I have done well sticking to those guidelines. I have heard plenty of losing slower is better but I simply want to see results! I am wondering if anyone else has resorted to returning to liquid dieting to lose pounds more quickly. I am still tracking my liquids to be sure all nutrients are fulfilled. I usually have 4 or more premier drinks. I throw a Greek yogurt in once or twice a day to change up flavor. All said I am usually 700 - 900 cals. 120- 150 grams of protien and all nutrient goals met when I count Vitamin supplements I do good getting Water in as well. Not sure how long I can keep going but not finding much data on folks who have been sleeved and do long term liquid diets. Any thoughts?

Cleo's mom is correct. Losing weight is a simple equation of calories in vs calories out. It doesn't matter if you eat them via 3 meals, 5 meals, 20 Snacks, ice cream only, whatever. If you consume less energy than you burn, you will lose weight. So try tracking your calories. I use fitday.com and I like it. I also agree that eliminating certain "bad" foods is so ridiculous. If we have a healthy relationship with food, then there won't be any "bad" foods. I rarely eat less than 60 carbs a day (or whatever the figure was that one of the above posters gave). I love ice cream and mac and cheese and I'm not giving them up anytime soon. But I track my calories (both consumed and burned) and continue to lose because my input is less than my output. Instead of depriving yourself of everything "bad" (this is not specifically directed at OP, but to the general LBT public), go to a therapist or support group and fix your head issues. I eat every single one of the foods that MarcyLoo listed (and labeled as completely off-limits) including snacks, carbs, liquid calories, protein shakes, soft foods, yogurt (and trust me sweetie, a bit of low-carb low-cal granola ain't gonna stop if from going through...what is low carb low cal granola by the way? Seems like it would be one or the other - not both), tuna salad (without apple bits or any other kind of 'bits'), bread, rice/grains, and potatoes. I eat them all and lose 2 pounds per week on average, consistently. I'll be interested in speaking to you after you've had your band for a year to see if you are still following this prescribed stringent and restrictive diet. Back to the OP, If you're doing what you should be, and your calories in are less than your calories out, your plateau will break itself eventually. If you want to speed up that process, change up your macronutrients (if you're eating tons of carbs, try to cut back on carbs for a few days and add more protein...if you haven't really been eating much fat, try adding some in to your diet), try varying your calorie intake (instead of 900 calories everyday, do 800 calories one day and 1000 calories the next) and try a different work out routine. Often tricking our bodies by changing our eating pattern for a day or two or changing our exercise will be enough to get things moving again. And please remember, this isn't a diet (diets are what lead to most of us being morbidly obese), its a lifestyle change. Think of it that way. Good luck!

Congratulations on your decision. I was banded on May 29th and have lost 28 lbs so far. Two things I can tell you related to your question is #1, patience is key, and #2, the amount of weight you lose is dependent on how much effort you put into the entire process. Let me explain both. Patience - it has taken me 3 months to get to the "sweet spot" where the band has just the right amount of restriction. I can eat enough food to be healthy without vomiting it up, but feel full faster and stay full longer and am losing weight. I had several fills and one unfill, then another fill to get to the right spot. Effort - it is not a magic mechanism. You have to eat the right foods, in the right order, exercise, drink tons of liquids, etc. You must follow the instructions your Dr. gives you to a tee. Example: I could probably still eat 2 big slices of pizza even though I am banded. Pizza is really greasy and slides right through the band. If I eat 3 oz of lean mean, 1/2 cup of vegetables and a little yogurt, I'm full for at least 4-5 hours. Huge calorie difference. It really is a lifestyle change. You have to change the way you eat for life. You have to be in control, almost to the point of being obsessive, at least until you've adopted good habits for good. It also helps to attend support group meetings, journal your foods and exercise. People who do those things are more successful than those who don't. The person who only lost 20 lbs maybe didn't follow through on fills, getting to the right restriction zone, and could have snacked on foods throughout the day, ate the wrong types of foods, etc. There are many ways you can fail, but you CHOOSE to fail. And to ultimately answer your question, yes I do get the "ok stop eating now feeling" but I will say it is more subtle than I had expected. It could be different for different people. Good luck on your journey, You won't regret it, I don't!

I puree bean and bacon soup, you can puree chicken and noodle also. Just have to strain in case it doesn't puree enough. My list has sugerfree pudding and yogurt. I've done the pudding but, not the yogurt. Also my list has mashed potatoes that are watered down with broth. It should be really thinned out. But, good if your sick of all the sweet stuff like me. Good Luck.

I like the juice of half a lime, 12 ounces of Water, a bit of stevia and a table spoon of chia seeds. I let it sit for about 20 minutes and YUMMMMMMMMY I'm pre-sleeve so I know that the lime is out of the picture for a few months post-op.. does anyone know when you can start incorporated hydrated chia seeds? I was reading some MU paperwork that I think they said 3 months before adding seeds... but I don't know that hydrated chia seeds really count as seeds since they're kinda, goopy? Also another way to eat them, is to pre-make them into a gel by adding to waterand store the gel in your fridge, then just incorporate into whatever you want. That way there's no waiting for the seeds to hydrate. Some people do it this way if they like to use in yogurt or apple sauce.

I get a lot of my daily protein from chicken, eggs, cheese, and yogurt. Those are my main sources.

I found what worked for me to lose some weight u might want to try it and see if this works for you. Breakfast: slim fast shake (4 hr hunger control ) 8 Oz of 1% milk I scoop of slim fast and ice and blend Lunch: I made enough to make 2 portions one for dinner. Dice up egg plant, carrots,tomatoes, onions, green onions, bell peppers, broccoli, colliflower, season with whatever seasoning u like. I used adobo cumin , black ,pepper, garlic and lime juice sautéed it. And u can pair it with 3 Oz lean meat fish, turkey, chicken I cook it in my my wave oven. And I take a tablespoon og low fat Greek yogurt and hot sauce. And omg it's delish. Dinner: Eat second portion of lunch same way. Eat raw carrots when u have a craving to eat in between. You will lose weight eating this everyday and those 10 lbs will come off in no time. Try it. Yes I know it will become boring eating this everyday but it worked for me. I actually love it. Good luck. Julio Sent from my SM-N900T using the BariatricPal App

I typed up a whole blog introducing myself and such, but I will give a much shorter version here! :smile2: I'm Ryan, I'm a 27 yo single mother, current (and heaviest weight) is 267, and in the process of getting banded (hopefully, if God allows!!) I am from Savannah, GA and will hopefully be banded in January. I have quit smoking in order to get banded, and have mulled over this decision for quite some time... luckily I work in a hospital (don't let that fool you, it's not like i get any special privilages or anything with the surgeons!) and have found a testimonial which finally gave me the last "umph" to believe in myself and know that I CAN and WILL be successful if/when I get banded... and I just wanted to share it with you... Mary Ann Bowman Beil On June 22, 2009, I celebrated the 5th anniversary of my bariatric surgery. For all of us who have had bariatric surgery, this anniversary date is one of the most celebratory days of our lives. It is a milestone accompanied by a sense of reflection and recommitment. I think that the bariatric patient’s surgery anniversary date should be dedicated to sharpening the tool we’ve been given. I will never forget when I first determined that I would have bariatric surgery. After the long deliberation that most of go through to reach that definitive moment, Dr. Angstadt and Dr. Whipple would constantly remind us all that the surgery was just a tool. No matter how often I have heard them both repeat this gentle admonition, I experienced the exquisite sharpness of the almost complete loss of appetite and hunger in the first year after surgery. This seduced me into the belief that my surgery had so perfectly sharpened my tool of resistance that perhaps it was a solution for me, not just a tool. This is one of the great blessings but myths of the life of the new bariatric patient. But it is a feeling that you want to claim, remember, and strive to recover. When you realize that it abates, you will have to sharpen both the tool and your skills to stay the course of exquisite good health and maintain the lifestyle success that the surgery has now let you glimpse. I have found that there are certain “stones” that you must claim as your own and use with almost religious zeal to keep the tool of bariatric surgery sharp and effective. I think every person who has this surgery builds their own cairn out of the stones that they discover work best to encourage them. So here are a few of mine. Stone #1—Quiet Reflection This one takes different forms for different people—prayer and meditation, transcendental sauntering, yoga, sitting quietly, being. Take your pick, but this is an important discipline as it keeps the bariatric patient in touch with the one thing that our weight and former dependence on food distanced us from—our feelings. You must think about how you feel, stay aware of how you feel and set your compass each and every day to make all of the choices that keep you feeling good, feeling lean, and feeling in control. Stone #2—Meaningful Movement Do something. For me the compliance to this particular “stone” is profoundly personal and it took me almost four years to figure out that I would exercise far more consistently if I would work out early in the morning versus in the evening when I almost always had a conflict or flagging motivation. Committing to a time that no person or event could challenge and making it virtually impenetrable from interlopers made this one of the most significant assurances for me. If I start with this stone on the cairn—even if it is just a 45 minute energetic walk—everything else seems to fall in place. Put simply, if I even reluctantly walk over and pick up this stone (no matter how heavy) and carry it to my weight loss cairn each morning, I know that I will virtually run and, with little effort, pick up the rest of the stones that day and stack them on the monument of the day’s success. Make this stone anything you like—for me it is walking, rowing, dancing, or maybe a touch of light weightlifting that I should actually do more often. Stone #3—Liturgical Vitamin Ceremonies My vitamin consumption has become an almost holy symbol of my intent to honor the body this surgery gave me. I bought a tea box (a wooden box with 12 square compartments) that sits next to my favorite chair. Every morning and night I open it up to behold the vitamin selection that assures my good health. There they all are—the multi vitamin, the Co-Q10, the Calcium, the Colace (still needed from time to time). I take Vitamins several times a day, and each time I take one, I whisper “I am good to me.” Stone #4—The Security of Staples Always, always, always have the staples you need to stay the course for good health. This takes discipline and a list (laminated and always with you). For me, the staples are hard boiled eggs, fat free cottage cheese, Montreal steak spice, Lite Havarti cheese, apples, blueberries, fat-free yogurt, and Crystal Light. These must be in my reach at almost all times or I will most assuredly make the same bad choices that caused my weight gain. Make your own list and carry a small cooler in your car everyday if you must—and I have—so that you have no excuse. Never, never go home without knowing that you have the staples you need there. I do better without too much choice. An important related “stone” to this one was a hard one for me to acknowledge and eventually convince the rest of my family to join me in honoring. I cannot have any food in my house that is not desirable for a weight-loss patient to consume. Once that first year of no appetite passes and hunger makes its inevitable return, the same temptations you once knew will be back. Even though you will feel rotten if you succumb, it is just too tempting. I find the de-temptation of the home environment and replacing it with staples (symbols of on-going health) is critical for me. Any family member frustrated by this strategy can find plenty of excuses to sneak out of the house for a non-healthy treat. Stone #5—Surround Yourself with Stone Masons This has to do with the ongoing support we all need in life to achieve any of the goals we set before us, particularly the goal of good health after weight-loss surgery. For some, this may mean participating in support groups. I have had a mixed reaction to formal groups for bariatric patients. Prior to surgery, I found the groups to be absolutely inspiring with so many stories of success transformation. They were a remarkable source of hope during a time of despair. However, not long after my surgery, I found that most support groups were negative. The participants focused on what wasn’t working, what they couldn’t eat, or what they didn’t like. Since I had been totally prepared for the changes that my surgery was intended to bring, I did not find what I wanted in a group. Look intentionally for a support group that absolutely encourages the excitement (and yes, reality) of a body that has been readjusted completely to bring about a transformation. Yes, our cups may now be literally half full, but our lives and futures are virtually overflowing. Surround yourself with people who see it that way and, do as I did, select your own personal support team. The people on that team are your stone masons who will help you set the stones you choose in place and secure them for life. Stone #6—Celebrate and Play At least once a quarter, take a day to do nothing but Celebrate. Keep a list of the things that you always said that you would do when you lost the weight—take a hike, ride a horse, go to a concert, climb a mountain, go sit on the beach and watch a sunset, shop, etc. Write down everything you can imagine and, like a bucket list, do them one by one. Plan these important days, give them to yourself and review the stones in your weight-loss structure. If you can, take the day off on your surgery anniversary and honor your good health. Stone #7—Share the Joy Take some of the new energy of life that is most certainly one of the extraordinary benefits of weight-loss surgery and give it away to somebody who needs it. Do this in whatever way the world calls you to give something back. People carry “weight” in very many ways and I think we end up with an obligation once ours is gone, to help others carry their own or lose it as the case may be. Stone #8—Lighten Up and Face the Facts The reality of my numbers is as follows. The last time I weighed prior to surgery, I was a precious but substantial 327 pounds. I would lose a total of 167 pounds, 18 of which have found their way back. Of course, this predictable weight gain is a fact that strikes sheer terror in the heart of any person who has struggled with weight loss and knows how easy and devious the return of pounds can be. However, using the stone stacking method described here, I have discovered how to maintain my weight within about a two-pound fluctuation over the past year. Put simply, the balance of stones and habits for me that I have in place right now will accommodate maintenance. What I also know is that if I want to be as lean as I have been (which I very much would), I will have to exercise a bit more and trim some additional calories out of my diet to create that outcome. These are facts, not magic and not a failure of the surgery. Just a reminder that I will have to continue to use my stones in different ways everyday for the rest of my life to sharpen the tool of my surgery and create the monument to good health that I want my cairn to be .

Whats Avi? Whatever it is sounds fun, and im waiting for the stripper pole invite Thanks for the ideas :-) i eat pb and yogurt quite a bit, im in the market for new Protein drinks, i will try that too.

This is only slightly related to the post, but I have a tiny bump on one of my incisions that looks kind of like a pimple, only without the pimply stuff inside of it. It's been itching, so today I decided to give it a closer look. I noticed that it felt like something scratchy was barely poking out of it, but it didn't look like anything was sticking out. I used a pair of tweezers on it to pull at the invisible scratchy thing and it turned out to be a piece of clear, unabsorbed stitch! No more itching. I'm glad that it's gone because it's been causing that incision to heal more poorly than the rest. That scar is visibly raised while the others are much more flat. I started with Scar Away Patches today to hopefully get them to fade a bit. /CSB Oh, and to answer the question about capsules... my doctor had me take them apart for the first two weeks and mix the insides in a little applesauce or yogurt. Now I can swallow them just fine so I swallow them.

Great post, @Monasmle! I really appreciate you sharing how you got through that struggle. I totally understand the feeling you were having during that 3-hour back and forth with yourself. Oftentimes I experience this around lunchtime b/c I used to eat fast food lunch every single day and of course I am pre-op so if I wanted to I definitely could eat it, no problem. I fight with myself and end up waiting hours to eat until I am finally hungry enough that nuts or cheese or yogurt sounds tasty lol. I think I'll try to incorporate your tactic next time.

I was told not to eat yogurt with fruit in it during the liquid diet phase of my post-op. The chunks are too much for a newly banded system to handle. Is that what they were talking about?

Quaker mini rice cakes... Chobani 0% yogurts... Sensible Portions Ranch Veggie chips... I knew before I even tried the rice cakes and veggie chips that they would be sliders... I had been wanting something crunchy and they cured my craving for not many carbs. I've only had half a serving of either thing, but felt no restriction at all. I can eat a whole chobani yogurt in one sitting...not necessarily a bad thing, but something I didn't think I'd be able to do so soon out. Sorry for rambling, lol.

I think this is a topic that is very much dependent on our individual personalities. I did keep a food log pre-op because it was required. I hated doing it and made sure my diet was very boring and repetitive so I could easily plunk in the numbers. If someone told me to do that now, I would go stark,raving mad! An exaggeration of course, but you get the point. So what do I do? --- Remember the cardinal rule to eat Protein first and chew well (one of my few non-negotiable rules) --- Be aware of what I am eating but not obsessed by it --- Stick with the 3 meals and 3 Snacks routine which prevents grazing --- Have small bars of dark chocolate (70%) in the house-- they are good for me, 1 is a great snack and I don't want more Here is a sample of one day's food plan for me: Breakfast: 1 egg scrambled with a cheese stick in it Mid morning snack: Greek yogurt Lunch: 1-2 oz cheese Mid afternoon snack: Protein Bar Dinner: 3 oz fish and a vegetable Evening snack: dark chocolate Approximate calories= 900 Approximate Protein: 60-70 Gm

Great description Megan. Did you mean a whole pie in level 1 or a whole slice. I hope you meant a slice. I agree with you. I think I am at level 3 most of the time now but I have to say that if I don't eat slow enough or take small bites, I can feel very uncomfortable. Only PB'd once and that was enough for me. Funny thing is, even though I have such great restriction, the easiest foods for me to eat are all the unhealthy ones such as Icecream, cookies, candy, pretzels, chips. I know because I have tried one of each in the past few weeks. The other not so funny thing is that the healthy proteins like chicken, eggs, fish, yogurt, turkey are very difficult to swallow. They have to be moist and tiny. The good thing is that salad with some diced chicken and fat free dressing goes down easy too. I think my point is (got off task lol) that restriction is great in many ways but it is not so great in other ways. Too tight and you can blow your cookies sitting at the table with friends, or you can't eat a yummy seafood pilaf that you and your son made together cause you took too big of a first bite. Restriction is not going to automatically make you stop eating or make you pick the right foods to eat. Like everyone says, the band is a tool and we have to use it but it is no magic gatekeeper for what we grab off the table or out of a bag and hope that the band won't let us eat it. I just wanted to all that in because I thought that once I had restriction, I wouldn't be able to eat much at all. THat is true but I still have to decide what I am going to eat. Salad with grilled chicken or a milk shake and cookies. It would be nice though if the band was so powerful.

Well, I have to say that I am a bad patient and I haven't followed post-diet guidelines very well. I think I started eating mushies on Day 4 post op. I had about four tablespoons of mashed potatoes and I waited for something to explode inside but everything was fine. My surgeon doesn't put any fill in during surgery so I'm still wide open, and I swear the hunger pains were so bad I couldn't stand it. Since then, I've had well cooked vegetables, including some mashed sweet potato last night. I ate about half of a rotisserie chicken breast with it, eaten in small bites and chewed well. I've not had a stuck episode or any PB'ing yet. I've had several very moist turkey meatballs and tonight I'm having some grilled lemon pepper fish with a small salad. Also, my surgeon isn't as strict as some - he says Clear liquids day one, all liquids days 2 and 3, mushies from day 4 on through 3 weeks. I've just introduced some normal foods here and there to make sure and I'm doing fine. I told him yesterday during my post-op followup that I had turkey meatballs and he didn't even flinch, said I was healing very well and not to worry about weight loss until my first fill, which is now scheduled for May 5th. But to answer your question, I've had mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, refried Beans with cheese, yogurt, instant oatmeal, cottage cheese, Soup including the noodles, sugar free pudding cups, sugar free Jello cups, sugar free pudding "mousse" cups, the list goes on

Unless the soup has a lot of chunks and pieces, most would consider it a slider because it goes right through the band like a liquid. Technically speaking, yogurt and Protein shakes would be sliders too. With that said, some are very good for you in moderation. Some surgeons won't allow them though so be sure to check with yours to be sure. As for myself, I have a protein shake for breakfast every morning and I enjoy a nice cup of soup for lunch sometimes, too. With all of them the key is portion control and moderation regardless of how much we can physically consume.