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Surgery was 1/9/15, I'm not certain if I have stalled and reached a plateau with my weight, or if my diet has been poor...? I'm noticing I've been eating slightly more carbs, my provider has not specified a certain number of calories per day I should be consuming. I'm very fearful after stepping on the scale and seeing guys gone up 2.5lb... I also feel that as of lately I can eat more, this too makes me nervous. I will be looking for healthy alternatives this week to get back on the wagon

My surgeon Dr. Marema has instructed me to be eating 700-800 calories at seven weeks out post op. A typical day for me is getting up at 730 having some hot tea with milk and a small teaspoon of sugar, a babybel cheese and a fruit cup of peaches at 9, a protein shake at 11, two ounces of deli meat with a small tomato at one, tuna salad with a couple slices of cucumber at four then my yogurt with a tapioca pudding no sugar added at seven thirty. This obviously changes from day to day but just wanted to give an example

I mentioned in another thread that I really don't think it does anyone good to starve ourselves, especially right after surgery. Go ahead and eat what's necessary to keep the growlies away! This is a big step, certainly, but it's not one we have to get used to overnight. Norma, you will indeed be able to eat. 0 calorie salads are fine and a staple for many people. As you explore life with your band, you'll see that you're not deprived at all. But it does take some getting used to. I know that I could never have achieved the permanent loss I want without a serious tool in my arsenal. Oprah has some tools in her arsenal most people don't have--the personal chef, trainer, and the motivation of being on camera every day. With those kinds of helps, maybe I wouldn't have needed a band either.

Where do you track your calories? Or do you even track your calories? My husband thinks I'm way obsessed with this, but it helps me... I think. lol. Anyway, I haven't found a good online calorie tracker (that's free) that I'm too crazy with. Any suggestions?

I have had unusually bad problems with GERD post-surgery. Please note that I'm still happy that I did the sleeve, however. I was always a GERD patient, but 2x Prilosec a day would take care of it for me. However post-sleeve the acid become intolerable, and I was vomiting stomach acid repeatedly 3-4 days after coming home. I can't say this has totally resolved for me, but it's calmed down to a level that for now is manageable, particularly when I got past the liquid phase of the diet and could get some food in my stomach to absorb the acid. Since getting sleeved my GP has informed me that stomach acid is the single most common reason for people getting the sleeve revised. Things that helped: * When I got to full liquids, I added low-sodium V8 to my liquids list. For some reason this helped to quiet down my stomach a bit, which led to my belief that I might have been suffering from low acid instead of high. I'm still puzzled about this; if you do some Google searching you will find that they have quite similar symptoms. Part of me thinks the increased acidity of the V8 just helped activate the Prilosec. * An old household remedy - a shot of apple cider vinegar right before bed, followed by a teaspoon of honey to soothe the flavor a bit. Please note there is, so far as I know, absolutely no scientific evidence that this does anything at all. But I started doing it the day I started feeling better, and superstition or not, I feel not desire to wake up choking again, so I keep doing it. * Once I got to mushies, eat every 2 hours. This means my calorie intake is higher than most peoples' around here (I get about 1500 calories a day), but given my weight this actually still allows for great weight loss - in 4 weeks I have lost 41 lbs. Eating small amounts regularly - which is not what's recommended by many nutritionists - has helped keep my stomach calm. My doctor promises that, as the inflammation goes down and time passes, my stomach will reduce its production of acid and this will get better. I remain hopeful. But as I said at the outset, even with the acid, I'm glad I did this. Don't disregard it as a factor though - it's a real issue that impacts many sleevers and could cause you to need a revision, so it's something you should discuss with your doctors.

I had my Nut appointment around 3 weeks, and my goal was 800-1000 calories. I couldn't eat much then, but in the last few weeks I am closer to and even exceeding those goals. My weight loss went faster once I was able to get closer to 1000 calories a day. That broke my plateau, and I guess let my body know it wasn't actually starving. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I wish I had your group! I've asked about calories a day because I feel like 700 calories when I'm almost 3 months post op is way too low. Especially if I'm doing an hour of cardio 6 days a week.

Are you getting enough calories per day. Could your body be in starvation mode? Have you lost inches? Just a few thoughts. Sorry you are having a rough time.

I was SOOO so ready for some purees! I wasn't worried about gaining... I think moving from liquids to purees changed my calories from 500 daily to 600 daily, nothing dramatic. I dropped my lunch Protein drink in exchange for 2 oz of chicken salad and a mid-day 2 oz snack of cottage cheese... it almost equals out. Same thing with dinner. It would be hard to gain on the amounts you will be able to consume! Just follow your plan... it works. What actually caused my loss to stall was consuming too few calories. Six weeks post-op I stalled until got my calories up to 700-800....then started losing again.

Update hello everyone I'm doing great just came back from my first post opt appointment my doctor says I'm doing great he wants me to up my calorie intake to 800 a day which I feel is impossible I can barely eat 1/2 cup of anything, I have lost 30 pounds in two weeks. I'm staying focus and taking one day at a time, thank you al for your support .

Well no one seems to have a ticker any more so its hard to tell where people are in this process. I dont want to sound mean but it just looks like you are on a diet and I just no longer believe in that! I didnt get the band to eat like that...I have pretty tight restriction and eat very small quantities of any and every food...I dont log anything or look at calories and I dont really exercise...your plan sounds like torture I could never keep up with! Not sure what your band is doing for you!

I agree that alot of the problems that people have stem from the fact that they are "eating around their band." The most common thing I've seen on the boards is people thinking it's ok to drink clear juices. You can get away with that when you are first banded because you simply cannot get alot of calories in and can't actually eat. Once you get to mushies, the juice needs to cut way back. It's FULL of sugars! Sure, they are "natural", but they are still calories. Save your calories for those grams of Protein and non-starchy veggies.

As far as the water issue, it will get easier as time goes on. Butt for now it's very important you get enough. Just keep working. If you take your vitamins in the morning, drink a little extra then. The protein can be harder. Experiment with different foods as I'm sure you noticed your taste has changed. There are many different brands of both protein bars and shakes. Some of the shakes have from 40-50 grams of protein in 17oz. And if you look there are some very low in sugars, carbs and fats. See ANN and Metrx. Also check out some snacks by Kay's Natural. I like the nacho and cinnamon. Have 15gram protein and 125 calories. Part of my preoperative diet. Can be found at Costco but would recommend Amazon first to get smaller size to try out. Amazon is a good place to start shopping but Google protein supplements and bodybuilding to find cheaper places. You should see my pantry!

Good advice all - thanks HB - I know what you mean about messing with the sweet spot. I have considered that alternative, but feel so unsure about it. The first thing I'm trying to discern is whether I'm actually too tight or not. Today went "ok" but not great. I never actually was "stuck" but I can only eat like 4-5 bites of ANYTHING at one time, and then I just have to stop. I found myself "grazing" today just to get enough calories in. I even tried eating some of a cinnamon roll, still could eat very little of it (after chewing it to mush). I think a small unfill is in order. I would probably wait it out a while longer if I wasn't traveling, but I really don't want to get into trouble out there. I'm going to help take care of my sis' family while she recovers from an operation. I don't want any attention on me, that's for sure. I can sure see how the weight would fall off if I stayed like this, but it doesn't seem healthy. I haven't done too well on the veggies the last couple of days...I'm going to give those a shot tomorrow and see how I do. Thanks all!

Back to normal today!!! Absolutely back to my old self again...BUT 11# lighter! Weight today 204 Total: 894 Fat:48 431 49% Carbs:64 224 25% Fiber:8 0 0% Protein:56 225 26% Activity - 45 mins on treadmill @ 3.0 and 10 mins on bike at target HR for 200 calories

Back to normal today!!! Absolutely back to my old self again...BUT 11# lighter! Weight today 204 Total: 894 Fat:48 431 49% Carbs:64 224 25% Fiber:8 0 0% Protein:56 225 26% Activity - 45 mins on treadmill @ 3.0 and 10 mins on bike at target HR for 200 calories

Get the calorie-dense foods like nuts, cheese, crackers, and popcorn out of the house. You can't eat them if they aren't there. Keep little tubs of chopped up grilled chicken breast and green veggies and allow yourself to eat as much of those as you want. You may find you aren't actually as hungry as you think you are.

Also as a little trick I do, and also happens to be on some handouts in my docs office, I eat about 2 hrs before I go anywhere. This way if I have a problem I am home for 2 hrs to deal with it. Then when I go out, I get something small like and appetizer or a soup. Mostly everyone I know, knows about my surgery, and those who dont, just think I have incredible will power........lol ___________________________________________________ That is a good idea about earing 2 hours before going anywhere and I have done that. But I can't even bring myself to have an appetizer when going out because I will most likely have an accident. I just sit there and have somethnig to drink while talking to people. Everyone ask why I am not eating and I say something like I am not hungry, I am not feeling good, I just ate, I am watching my calorie intake, etc. I continuously have to lie because I just don't feel comfortable letting peple know since most of them are very judgemental. I have a funny story that just happened 2 weeks ago. A bunch of us went on a bus trip to a casino. We paid for the tickets and it automatically included your dinner at a huge buffett restaurant. I was surrounded by all types of delicious food that I couldn't eat. I ended up eating mashed potatoes, small salad and 2 bites of an apple pie. I had to excuse myelf because a little did come back up. People were making comments and asking me if everything was OK. Someone did mention that they wished they had my incredible will power. I was thinking to myself...... if you only knew that I have a lap band controlling me. Otherwise I would have had no will power being around all that food and would have pigged out big time. I am going to a Halloween party tomorrow which should be interesting being around more food that I can't eat. I am usually not even hungry and don't even want to eat but feel that I need to in order to fit in with everyone else. Everything seems to revolve around eating. I used to enjoy socializing a lot and going out to eat. Now I don't look forward to it and would rather eat alone in my house or go to the gym to workout. Life continues.

I have been scouring all the sites and googling everything I can to find the WHY of the post op diet. I understand everything except the sugar free stuff. Why sugar free jello instead of regular jello? I'm not a big proponent of LOW-CARB diets, and think that sweeteners are prob'ly worse for us all in the long run than sugar....I understand we don't want all our calories from sugar and should limit sugar...but 400 calories a day would be HELL!!! I'm thinking in the back of my mind that I will come out of the other side (POST-OP diet) with a keen awareness of my own body healing, but also a balance of eating healthily. I can completely understand clear liquid diets until your tummy heals---but if you TOLERATE more then I'm not able to find a medical reason NOT to. I've looked at post-op for stomach cancer patients..etc. You and I are on the low BMI side, and I'm not sure about you, but for ME...I want to lose the weight gradually and healthily--not feeling emaciated and anorexic. MY BAND DATE IS JUNE 17TH!!! WOOOO-HOO!!!

My Jazzercise instructor on Saturday handed out a flyer stating you should multiply your goal weight by 11 to see how many calories you should be eating to arrive at that goal weight. So if you want to be 130 lbs, you should be eating 1430 calories per day. I really think, though, that what works for 1 person may not work for another. One person may need more/less calories because of their metabolic rate. Good luck in finding what works for you!

I'm looking for actually documentation (not hearsay, or my doctor said) about the minimum number of calories the human body needs to be healthy and safe. Obviously I've put way to many calories in my body that's why I've had my surgery. However I don't know if I subscribe to the "starvation theory" either. . . .heck almighty, if I was going to starve to death that would have happened during my liquid phase. What have you actually read? That I can look up and read in black and white myself, about how many calories you need to eat. This is purely a question out of my own curiosity, not meant to insight comments about rebellion or "listen to my doctor" *laughter* Thanks in advance ~ Erica

I'm getting refilled on Tuesday. I am NOT looking forward to the look on my doc's face when he sees how much weight I've gained. I'm not even getting on the scale at home. I'm sure it's at least 10 pounds. ack! I hate myself for the way I eat and I hate my body for the way it clings to calories.

I have read that a daily diet of less than 1000 calories is bad for the metabolism. I am in the first week of soft foods, 4 weeks from surgery. I have been tracking my food on "FitDay" and seem to average around 690/day. Is this too low? Does it really matter about calories?

I had sleeve done by Dr Kim on 9/10. So far, so good! I do feel actual hunger at times throughout the day, but I'm hoping that will diminish as I am able to 1) increase calorie count (hard to get above 400 calories right now) and 2) am eating more "solid" foods - still on liquid only.

Hi Cynthia (love the name !), I think a lot of different factors have helped me along my path with this journey. First off - I have a lot more to lose than many on these boards. I started at 350lbs at 5'9". My goal weight is between 160-200 (the high number is my goal, but I would like to reach the lower number in reality. When I started 150 loss seemed like a crazy number, but 190 to lose seemed like a number I could never reach. Well - now I am beginning to eye that 160 number!Sorry for that diversion, but the more you have to lose, the quicker it comes off. Another factor is that I did not have to follow a pre-op diet - therefore it did come off quicker in the beginning. As far as restriction and my diet. I have a 14cc band and have had a fill almost every 4-6 weeks since I was banded. (2.5cc,2.5,2.5,.5,.5,.5) to a total of 8.5cc. Not until my last 2 fills did I feel any restriction at all. I did not feel any hunger after my 2nd fill but I was able to eat anything I wanted as far as types of food and amounts. Let me say - I was never a sweets, chip, snacker (not that I didn't eat that if it was around), but it was not what I craved. I was a huge volume eater (3 McDonald's Breakfast sandwiches in the am etc. throughout the day. So the band therefore was the appropriate surgery for me. I was very specific with my surgeon and nutritionist pre- surgery that I didn't only want to eat veggies and dry Proteins, and Protein shakes for my entire life, rather that I wanted to eat like a "normal" person just with smaller amounts. From day 1 that is what I have done. My typical daily diet consists of a duncan donuts iced coffee with splenda and skim mild and a "wake up wrap" from dd with egg whites and cheese (150 cal), lunch is a lean cuisine (300cal) and dinner is a bit of whatever the family is having (usually a protein). I try to keep my net calories as advised by my MD less than 1000 cal by day. I track EVERYTHING I eat on lapband.com it is a great website and a great tool. I go out to eat 2-6 meals on the weekend and just limit myself to 1-2 cups of food. Now that I have restriction it is much easier. As far as exercise - I hooked up with a walking buddy (2 actually) and we walk 2-3 miles 4-5 times a week. Have done this since day 1. We don't walk that quickly (3mi/hr), but I am convinced that it has really sped up my loss. Lastly - I have gotten a lot of support. My husband and kids watch me like a hawk and my mom is my number 1 supporter. I am on these boards everyday - (2-3 times daily) and participate in every challange posted here! I go to my MD every month to be weighed in even if I don't plan on getting a fill. I go to my monthly support group every first Thursday of the month. I have told everyone about my surgery, so there is no hiding it. None of it is rocket science - I wish I could have done all these things without my band, but after 45 years, I know I couldn't. Why can I do it this time - it is in the end because the band really can work if you let it. Don't give up. I hope I said something that might help. Please keep in touch - I will help support you anyway I can! Yours, Cynthia