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harley, thanks ... i didnt even think sleeping side/back was an option... its one of my 20000 questions to ask tomorrow cause i am NOT a back sleeper

Stay strong and with it. I was in a similar situation and blew it off due financial/ insurance exclusion issues . I'm 8 months post op and down 131 pounds since surgery, my biggest regret till this day is I waited 2 years. One think that helped me is my surgeon didn't have a pre-op diet requirements except the day before and after surgery I didn't feel like having solids(not that I was allowed right away) and liquids were challenging enough proceding surgery. Seeing the weight loss made it easier and in the right mind set. I'm 8 months out now and allow myself a few carbs here and there but really concentrate on the Protein and Water. If I do have a meal with some carbs then I try do all protein for my other meals that day and next. Sent from my Nexus 6 using the BariatricPal App

i was in a stall too and had the nutritionist analyze my food logs i was eating a very balanced and healthy diet, and getting enough protein without protein shakes ( after surgery the protein literally made me gag ) she suggested i concentrate more on protein and lower the carbs even though they were healthy carbs . so basically.go.low carb higher protein. so i did and it worked , i started losing again. imstead of eating a little meat and then the vegetables and starch i eat all the meat and leave no room for anytghing else. i was concerned about eating more balanced but the nutritionist and the surgeon agree that as long as you are getting enough protein dont worry about eating the other stuff, just worry about protein while you are in the losing phase of this journey . for me its do able most of the time so im giving it a whirl.

What do i eat ? Is the other question I get a lot of . The better question is what DONT I eat LOL I basically eat what I want when i want it . I do not eat carbs as i said in another post . I try to avoid them and I have since my pre op diet ( until recently when I had a total unfill BAD idea ) If i want to eat a sweet though I will have one usually though for a special occasion . I do not eat them every day . Calories ? I do not count calories unless i am not losing . When i do they generally stay between 1000 and 1200 a day . Below 1000 and I dont lose . More than 1200 a day and its too much . Here is some examples of what I eat on a daily basis. I have more ideas and things i eat for dinner but its too much to post for now . Breakfast: I am usually too tight in the am to eat Solids So I have 1 SERVING of Bolthouse farms Protein shake . Lunchs... Morning start farms Soy Burgers (They sound nasty but they are good ) Veggie Stir fry ( from fresh Veggies ) If I am REALLY Tight I will eat some Laughing cow cheese and Crackers Tuna salad and crackers Chicken Salad and crackers ( usually with Hard boiled Eggs) Salads ( w/ egg , ham , turkey , have to add protein to salads ) Chili Most of the time its left overs from dinner the night before Dinners Proteins: Fish ( salmon , Snapper , my husband fishes a lot ) Pork tenderloin pork chops Ground Turkey ( Turkey Burgers ) Tacos (1/2 ground turkey 1/2 ground meat the kids never know ) I will make pizza for the boys and only eat the toppings ( leave some off the side for my smothered in sauce , same thing w/ spaghetti ) Grilled Chicken breast BBQ Chicken Crock pot Chicken Casseroles ( I have LOTS OF casserole Recipes they are GREAT , moist for us and the Boys , and kids are satisfied) Steak sometimes Stuffed bell Peppers Roman Noodle Dish Side Dishes Mashed Potatoes Baked Potatoes Cucmber Salad Stuffed Mushrooms Veggie Stir Fry Canned Veggies Some of THE BEST Advice my nut gave me early on was this : If your hungry and your eating a snack dont let it be a "waste" for instance ... if your hungry and you can have snacks the goal of the snack is to tide you over until your next meal. So if for that snack you have say a Sugar Free jello or pudding is that going to hold you over for 2 hours or more ? NO why ? No protein . Anything w/ out protein that goes in your mouth if the goal is to keep you full is a waste. the key I believe is PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN !!!! I hope this helps someone Mindy PS feel free to email me anytime!!!

I am 3 1/2 months post op & had my 3rd fill this past week. I also had the "pleasure" of getting weighed (bleh). I seemed to have hit a plateau, no weight gain tho & only 1/2 lb loss in over a month. So, reviewing what has been going on & fearing the worse--that this surgery was in vain--I came up with this: 1) I stopped working out almost all of February 2) I was eating cheese (yay! a protein!) w/crackers (duh a carb) 3) Since I dont drink tea, coffee, crystal lite etc---I added fruit juice (hello sugars!) 4) Come on! a few pieces of chocolate arent that bad! right??? So after the weigh in, there was a class in the Dr's office. And I do believe the nurse was speaking directly to me!! The reminders of sticking to the diet, exercising etc. But what really hit home--she said to go back to the beginning & just do the 2 shakes a day & the protein. Soooooo.....I weighed myself today---down 3 lbs!!! Sometimes its the simplest, easy things you need to do. Keep it simple! Exercise & the diet plan--it really does work! I feel better than I have felt in a long time---I think also giving up diet coke made a huge difference in my stomach problems. Kinda funny how when I use whitening strips now, my teeth are getting whiter!! You just dont realize all that stuff you're putting in your body till you give it up & see a difference. I also believe Im having a mid life crisis---wanting to do all the things I felt self conscious of doing or couldnt because of my weight. So I made up list & a have so much going on & so much planned!! And a shout out to Groupon for some of the things I would never have found or thought to do! 2012 is awesome so far!!

Yes only a week out and feel like other than residual surgical pain and the money it cost me the surgery did nothing. I'm hungry. Not head hunger. I don't like sweets. I hate milk products. No more protein shakes please. I want a nice salad. I was losing weight really well, now nothing. My rationale for the surgery was historically gaining it back. Now I just want a greek salad with fat free dressing and to return to losing 5 pounds a week.

I bought the protein powder unflavored from unjury.com. I finally found what to mix it with (SF Lemonade Crystal Light). It tastes pretty good. 20 grams of protein per scoop. I try to drink one a day to give me just a little more protein. The other thing I eat every day is premier protein bars. They have 30 grams of protein and 280 calories. They taste pretty good too. I have one for breakfast each morning. Those two things alone get me 50 grams of protein, plus whatever else I eat for meals.

Never use Protein pills but do use liquid Protein. Pro-Stat 64 is 15 grams protein in 1 oz. I do 4 shots per day. Nutrition Direct sells a 32oz bottle for 23.95 shipping included. Call Ken Martone @414 397-1987 or email @ nutritiondirect1@aol.com. He will send FREE samples. Michele

I'm so glad you posted this, as I too, felt like I "fell off the wagon" over the weekend. I'm 3 weeks post op and am transitioning into solids. On Friday I had some lean ground beef with lowfat cheese and salsa...deelish. On Saturday, I found myself "picking" at stuff mainly out of curiosity to see how it would go down. DH had some lasagna and a dinner role. I had a bite of each with no problems. THEN...yesterday we had an Oscar party and I was nibbling at everything!! My neighbor brought over some of my favorite wine and one glass turned into 3!! Granted, my doc said it was ok to have wine in moderation, but 3 glasses (didn't feel to buzzed-just relaxed) along with munching on apps and more ground beef was probably overkill. Yes, it was still significantly less than what I would have indulged in pre-band, but it's more of the principle of the matter. Just because I CAN eat/drink these things doesn't mean I SHOULD!!! I woke up today with a guilt hangover. BUT...I started the day with my Protein Shake and have meal plans for the rest of the week. We shouldn't beat ourselves up, just stay on the "band-wagon"!! There's still room for indulgances, I just think they need to wait until we get proper restriction (which for me isn't until March 13th, my first fill). Glad I'm not alone and thanks for letting me vent my confessions. Amy

I googled it and this is some of what I found You may have an increased risk of developing kidney stones if you: have a family history of kidney stones are aged between 20 and 50 are taking certain medicines - for example indinavir (in the treatment of HIV infection) and taking too many laxatives or taking them too often have only one kidney, or an abnormally shaped kidney eat a diet high in protein don't drink enough fluids

I travel a lot with work and have a two main survival tips: 1) Pack emergency foodstuffs. Since you're pre-op you could pack some nuts and single-serve Peanut Butter, sugar-free jell-o or pudding, in addition to staples like Protein bars. Since many hotels also have coffee / tea service, you could also pack oatmeal (e.g., Quaker Weight Control is full of protein!) and use the coffee service to heat Water. In a pinch, you can use a coffee cup to fix up the oatmeal, but a disposable bowl is good to have too. Don't forget to bring a spoon. 2) Visit restaurants with large menus. Diners are great for this. Explain that you are on an extremely restricted diet and you only want XYZ. If you can find something on the menu that's close, order that and modify it. Otherwise, pretty much anywhere can bring you 3 oz of plain grilled chicken and steamed vegetables if you ask for it. Most places are very very good for this. Don't forget to leave a big tip in gratitude. Hope this helps!

I started today too, so far not too bad for me but I can see how it will get old really fast. After Protein shakes all day I am looking forward to some broth for dinner. Is your surgery on the 16th too? I know we can do this, let's kick these two weeks in the butt.

I am 16 months post op on 11/23. I have lost 60 pounds and have recently started working 2 full time jobs and unfortunately gained 4.5 pounds. I realized this and have decided to follow the pre-op and post-op diet to a T just to get myself back on track. Today is day 2 of liquids. I had a 5 day liquid diet before surgery and then 1 week liquids, 1 week mushies, 1 week soft and then the 4th week slowly introduced solid protein and veggies back in to my diet. Thanksgiving I will allow some solid foods but only for that day and only 1 meal. The liquid diet is definitely an eye opener to how reliant I am still on food. I am in this for success and will make it there. I have about 44-49 pounds I would like to lose. I am 194 right now and a size 14/L. I started out at 250ish and was in a size 20-22 and a 2xl shirt. I just stared getting really comfortable with my size and realized I need to lose even more to be healthy. I am not in this to get "skinny", I am in this to be healthy. I will get there. Down 1.5 pounds in 2 days. Wish me luck!!!

You might ask your company if they could pay you per diem for travel. Then go to a whole foods or a good grocery store to buy the good stuff. Even if they won't pay for it, you will be better off. Also- pack protein drinks, oatmeal, protein bars etc in your travel bag. You can skip dinner with coworkers - if they insist, meet up with them for a drink afterward and get water with lemon or a juice or something. Hard for even me to say it, but work needs to take second place for a while.

I highly recommend protidiet hot cocoa and protidiet fruit concentrates. I also like muscle pharm cookies n cream powder and chocolate premier protein.

I love Quest bars, I also like pure Protein bars and Premier Protein bars with Quest being my favorite. I personally like Jay Robb Protein Powder.

I couldn't eat Beans until week 3 either. My Protein drinks are only 100 calories (nectar brand). Maybe your drink are high calorie? Sent from my LGMS550 using the BariatricPal App

I will start my pre-op liquid and Protein diet in the next few weeks! Ever since my pre-op testing and nutrition class last week, I've made it my mission to eat all the foods I won't be eating AL (after-lapband) haha. However, I've been reading up on lapband foods, working on the treadmill, and organized a new space downstairs, just for me. Complete with my own full size fridge, treadmill, and craft area. Great right? But sabotaging myself by eating crap & stuffing myself. This morning I told the hubs this ends today! I'm going to fill up that fridge this weekend with good, healthy foods and foods I'll need post LB. So my new healthy life gets on track now. My revelation was this!!! I've eaten all this crap before, hundreds of times!! It will never end if I don't stop it now. It would take 2 years to eat EVERYTHING, one last time!!! Sent from my iPhone using LapBandTalk

No time like the present!!! Good for you. Have you tried out some of the new foods you will be having? I bought Protein drinks and low sugar Protein Bars to try out beforehand so I knew which ones I liked, etc. for post surgery. I found that helpful.

I am looking for something that maybe allows me to track protein content and allows me to fill in my own or pick from recipes.

Happens to me with dinner. I'm back at work so Ido protein drinks for breakfast and lunch but when I get home and eat dinner that happens. I just think food sits heavy and so it makes me sleepy. Any food which is why I'm doing protein drinks for work. I drive alot and can't afford to get that sleepy feeling.

I don't think about food at all until I get hungry (which is around normal times). I love food like the next person but I'm not someone who obsesses about food or feels they have to have something -- in fact, the only thing I really missed post surgery in the early stages was coffee (if you can believe that). Now that I can drink coffee, I'm good! I have not had any moments that I think about food or different types of food. Odd as that sounds, for me, my weight issues have always been about portion size and lack of movement -- having a sedentary job. Quite frankly, it's been rather comforting because in the past, I always was hungry and was always trying to feed my hunger to to curb my appetite -- now? I eat small portions and eat a lot more protein and far less sized portions.

:welldoneclap: Well I can tell you from experience in two weeks I lost 18 pounds pre op.. You have to be strict and be very determined when your on your liquids. Sugarfree jello I lived on..lol Make sure you getting 60+ grams of protein a day through protein shakes. Drink as much water as you can stand and be commited. It is going to be difficult for the first 3 days but after that I think you will do awesome.. You can do it!!!!! Also make sure you pick protein drinks that have little to no carbs..By day 3 or 4 your body should be in keytosis a constant state of fat burning..You got cheerleaders here if you need someone give you support...

I had my sleeve on the 12th of July and so far I have been having a banana and milk milk shake with Protein for Breakfast a cream of something Soup for lunch and a Protein Shake in between and for dinner I have some mashed refried Beans with melted cheese is anybody else at this stage I'm about 8 9 days out and I need help am i eating too much already my scale does not seem to keep going down but I actually went up one pound Sent from my SM-N900T using the BariatricPal App

I was sleeved 5-13-13 so I am new to all of this. I feel stupid because I don't understand how much I should be taking in at one time. I understand sips and if I go to fast it hurts. How long should it take me to drink a cup of broth?? Is it normal for me to drink a cup (8oz) in one setting? Broth, tea, and flavored water go down well and I can do a cup fairly quick. Not that it's a race, but I have always drank fast. I don't pay attention and next thing I know I'm done. Now my protein shakes are not so easy and my unjury chicken soup is the same. It has to be small sips and not to quick or I get the sudden knot of pain between my boobs at the top of my stomach. Just the smallest sip gives me that pain at times. I try to get my protein in and my shakes are 11oz and out of habit try all in one setting.... I feel broken because I can take a large amount of other liquids. I asked my husband "what if my sleeve is bigger than it should be" I feel that I don't know when to stop and what if I stretch my sleeve. I don't know what is enough and i try to force my 64 liquid and 60 protein. I do fine with Popsicles, but Jello was extremely painful after each bite. I call it gas pains, but not really sure what it is. I go Monday for my 1 week follow up.