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Thanks to you both for your most valuable input! :smile: I am beginning to realize that I was slipping into a "diet" mentality and that is not good. THis is for my life, and that's what I want. I guess that's why I had to pause; I have dieted successfully, counted carbs, counted calories, counted Beans (etc) and so on and gotten so bored and felt so caged and trapped by the regimen that I thought I would go insane. I don't adapt to it, I get increasingly impatient. I KNOW what's healthy....and as of yet (1st fill was minute) I have no restriction. That's ok with me; I think I'll use this time to set some new good habits into place. No snacking per my surgeon, chew well, small bites, no liquids with meals, Protein first, then veggies, then fruits, then grains/breads/pasta. I'm going to start to eat now like I plan to eat the rest of my days and if, as I get restricted and proceed down this road some foods lose their appeal, well that's all good! What you've both posted reinforces to me that I have to find what works for me and it's very similar I think to what you both do.. I can also start now to up the exercise. I guess it's odd to think of this time before restriction as the honeymoon phase LOL but I feel it's a good time to lay down some patterns now. If I slip up I won't PB or slime (yet)... but I can learn to be a bandster. Thanks!

Hey, BariatricPal Members! Happy Fourth of July! This summer holiday is filled with parades, barbecues and concerts, and we hope that your holiday involves family and friends! Any weight loss surgery patient or potential patient can use a little advice to get through a three-day weekend, so that’s why we’ve put together this newsletter! Here is what you’ll find. Pay It Forward This Independence Day July 4 Barbecue: What Are You Bringing to the Party? Go, Team USA, at the FIFA World Cup! A Little Honesty, Please! (From Yourself, to Yourself)! Have a safe holiday weekend! We hope you find some time to spend part of it with us. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder BariatricPal.com Pay It Forward This Independence Day On July 4, the United States celebrates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence as a significant step in the separation from the United Kingdom. Since then, Americans have enjoyed a degree of prosperity that is unparalleled in most places in the world, and many of us are grateful for the freedom that we have to express our thoughts, pursue our interests, and choose our friends. This weekend, we suggest that you take a few minutes to reflect on some of the things in your life that you are grateful for, whether that includes your family and friends, your job, or your freedom to make decisions that affect your own health. We also suggest taking a few minutes to help someone else out in any way that you can think of. You could help your neighbor clean out the garage, volunteer at a homeless shelter, or read a book to children at a local library. Your way of helping may be as simple as logging on to BariatricPal and giving a struggling member a few words of encouragement. Kindness can only make this country better! July 4 Barbecue: What Are You Bringing to the Party? Your friends or parents invited you over for a barbecue this Fourth of July weekend, and you know what that means: ribs, hot dogs, baked Beans, potato salad, coleslaw, and cupcakes. Unfortunately, you know from past years that there is not going to be anything that you can eat. What can you do without being rude? Be polite, of course! No good guest shows up to a party empty-handed, so why would you? Think about the foods that you need to stick to your diet during the barbecue, and bring them. Just make sure you bring enough for several people because these healthy treats may be the biggest hits of the afternoon. First, make sure that you bring some lean Protein. You might bring a package of vegetarian burgers or turkey burgers to be grilled along with the other meat. If you don’t think the host will be willing to grill your protein for you, bring your own pre-cooked veggie burger, low-fat cheese, or hard-boiled eggs. Another option is to bring a high-protein salad to share. You might try chicken breast, egg white, or tuna salad made with Greek yogurt. You’ll also want another dish or two to eat with your protein. These are a few foods to consider bringing. Classic green salad with a bottle of dressing on the side. Raw or grilled veggie kebobs with cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, bell pepper pieces, and zucchini slices. A cut-up watermelon so that you and the other health-conscious guests can have something to eat for dessert instead of brownies and chocolate chip Cookies. Frozen bananas. These may simple, but a half of a frozen banana can keep you from digging into the ice cream. When you bring enough delicious and healthy food for everyone to share, you can be certain that you will be able to stick to your diet at a barbecue and still be able to enjoy the occasion with everyone else. Go, Team USA, at the FIFA World Cup! Soccer is nowhere near being as popular in the U.S. as in many parts of the rest of the world, and it lags far behind the major sports of football, baseball, hockey, and basketball. Many Americans do not watch any Major League Soccer games during the professional season, and can’t name the top American or international players. Still, that lack of interest changes once every four years during the FIFA World Cup. As the games play out in Brazil, millions are watching these incredible athletes. Whether you are a patriotic American who roots for Team USA, or you have chosen your favorite teams based their stories or on your or your family’s ancestry, you can use the FIFA World Cup 2014 as motivation to get in better shape. You may not have the athleticism of these seasoned and talented athletes, but you can use a soccer ball to get yourself moving. One great idea for getting some exercise is to bring a soccer ball with you whenever you go to a picnic or another outdoors event. Take it out and kick it around with your friends and family when you have a few minutes to spare, and you’ll burn a few calories without much effort. You would be surprised at how much of an effect this can have on your weight loss when you do it regularly. You don’t need to be a good athlete to have fun and burn calories with a soccer ball. If you’re not up for sprinting up and down a soccer field during a full-out game, try one of these lower-intensity alternatives with a soccer ball or another kind of ball. Kick the ball around with your friends and family. Play dodgeball. Play monkey-in-the-middle. Play kickball. Whenever you make exercise fun and convenient, you are more likely to do it. So, keep your soccer ball handy and get it out whenever you can! You’ll also be showing your support for the World Cup teams. A Little Honesty, Please! (From Yourself, to Yourself)! This topic comes up all the time on BariatricPal, and it’s worth mentioning here as a little reminder. The only way you will be able to lose weight and keep it off is to be honest with yourself with respect to your food choices, portion sizes, and exercise. What other people believe doesn’t matter. Tricking yourself into thinking you are following the plan when you really aren’t will not lead you to lose weight. If you hit a weight loss plateau, you start to feel sick frequently, or your health numbers are not as good as your doctor expected, ask yourself these questions. “Am I measuring every single bite?” “Am I drinking enough Water every day in between – not with – meals?” “Am I eating a source of lean protein at every meal and snack?” “Am I choosing nutritious foods or sugary, fatty foods?” If you’ve fallen into a few bad habits and you’ve noticed that you might not be telling yourself the whole truth and nothing but the truth, a three-day weekend like the Independence Day weekend can be a good time to get back into it. Use the extra time to figure out what you can do better, and how you will make it happen. Good luck, and let us know how it goes on BariatricPal!

Sleeved 8/23/16 - HW 271.5 (4/16) SW 246.9 CW 205.1 From size 20-22 pants to size 14-12 right now. About 50 pounds to goal. If you are not already using it, use My Fitness Pal and track every ounce of food and Water that goes into your body. It keeps you honest. I weigh myself daily. (Some people do weekly but I find daily keeps me honest.) Make sure you have healthy options in the house so you never have to be looking around for a snack. Try different kinds of Protein powders now in the small sample sizes to see which ones you like or don't like and start experimenting with shakes. Pre-surgery for three months I did a Protein shake every morning for Breakfast -- and worked on playing with flavors, fruit, coffee-house syrups, etc. Start exercising - walk around the block, swim, join a gym. move your body and schedule time for it. Plan rewards for various weight goals -- 25 pounds - new lipstick? 50 pounds - new dress? Start a private pinterest board with fashions you want to try as you get thinner Research thrift and consignment shops in your area - you are going to need them. If you don't have a good scale, buy one. (I have a Withings, which sends my weight directly to My Fitness Pal. Consider purchasing a fitness tracker. (I use a Garmin Vivosmart HR and love it. I think it's much better than the Fitbit models.) Get your head in the right place - the surgery isn't going to solve any problem you may have with emotional eating - if that's part of your issue, get help now - work with a therapist or other counselor. Get a good pair of sneakers. Start by walking a little more now. Park 15 spaces away from the grocery store this week. 25 spaces next week. It's all incremental. Protein is your friend. Start counting your grams of protein. After surgery, your rules will likely be protein first, everything else after. I average 60-90 grams of protein a day and I eat about 800 calories a day now. Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt and Fairlife Skim Milk are your friends. I'm at the point now where I can eat anything, even bread, but I don't. Sometimes I'll have half a slice of whole wheat toast. Barilla makes a high protein Pasta (yellow box) which is really good. Once you get a surgery date, find a group here on BP to chat with that are all having surgery in the same month. Attend your hospital or clinic's support group meetings regularly. Best of luck with finding the new you. I wish I had done this 15 years ago.

I know i am a cheap date now though. a couple of weeks after my band i had to taste a cocktail someone at work made to see if it was correct, omg! a sip and i felt it! i think one glass, sipped slowly should be ok. but remember to take into account for the calories

food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting in Anaheim, California. "Contrary to its name, high fructose corn syrup is essentially a corn sugar," stated sweetener expert John S. White, Ph.D., president of White Technical Research. "Recent marketing claims that sugar is healthier than high fructose corn syrup are misleading to consumers." "By every parameter yet measured in human beings, high fructose corn syrup and sugar are identical. This is not surprising since high fructose corn syrup and sugar are metabolized the same by the body, have the same level of sweetness and the same number of calories per gram," noted James M. Rippe, M.D., cardiologist and biomedical sciences professor at the University of Central Florida. "This is a marketing issue, not a metabolic issue," stated David Klurfeld, Ph.D., national program leader for human nutrition in USDA's Agricultural Research Service and editor of the June 2009 Journal of Nutrition supplement, "The State of the Science on Dietary Sweeteners Containing Fructose," in response to recent reformulations by manufacturers of products that once contained high fructose corn syrup. "The real issue is not high fructose corn syrup. It's that we've forgotten what a real serving size is. We have to eat less of everything," he noted. Increased Caloric Intake, Not a Single Sweetener, the Likely Cause of Obesity Fructose-containing sweeteners - such as sugar, invert sugar, honey, fruit juice concentrates, and high fructose corn syrup - are essentially interchangeable in composition, calories, and metabolism. Replacing high fructose corn syrup in foods with other fructose-containing sweeteners will provide neither improved nutrition nor a meaningful solution to the obesity crisis, according to Dr. White. "In light of similarities in composition, sweetness, energy content, processing, and metabolism, claims that such sweetener substitutions bring nutritional benefit to children and their families appear disingenuous and misguided," White says. Growing Body of Evidence The American Medical Association helped put to rest a common misunderstanding about high fructose corn syrup and obesity, stating that "high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners." Even former critics of high fructose corn syrup dispelled myths and distanced themselves from earlier speculation about the sweetener's link to obesity in a comprehensive scientific review published in the December 2008 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Source: Audrae Erickson Weber Shandwick Worldwide

I was banded on 12-29 and have been eating between 600 to 1100 in calories per day. Lost 20lbs in the first 6 1/2 weeks. Pound up or down for the last 6 1/2 weeks. I see where people list what they've eaten for the day & it seems like it is so much less than what I've eaten. I can eat 1/2 to 1 cup of greek yogurt for Breakfast or cottage cheese, Soup, etc but others list "I can only eat a few bites" or 1/4 cup of whatever. I do measure all my food so I'm just concerned that I'm eating too much volume instead of watching my calories like I've been doing. Had 3cc in band from surgery & I requested a fill last week since I could eat pretty much anything. Now have 4 1/2 ccs and am eating softer foods for a few more days. Opinions?

Hi Just my take on this.It might be clouded by my current 3 week stall though..lol I am 6 minths out and all of a sudden I am thinking of food way to often.I am also hungry.Real stomach hungry,a feeling that I suppose is hunger (never felt hungry before in my life as I was always eating) As a 45 year old habitual dieter that's not been at my goal weight for over 20 years and having to constantly tell myself not to eat now at 6 months out,I would have done the Ds if 1.it didnt have the bafhroom issues ans 2.the malabsorption of Vitamins were not so severe.I also would have considered the RNY if I havent seen so many of my friends gain 50 plus pounds 4 to 5 years after the RNY. So,the botom line is one will have to relearn to 1. eat only at meal times and not snack all the time,2.have self control in your choices 3. Make peace with all this, no matter which one of the surgeries you have. And if you can do that for the RNY or the DS then you can do that for the sleeve which at this time seems to be the surgery with less long term health issues in terms of nutrition. One thing though.It was so shocking for me when I realized that I can snack and that carbs do go down so easily.I am sure that if I snack all the time it would be possilbe for me to regain everything I have lost.I have no doubt about it.When we graze we usually choose high fat high calorie Snacks and rubbish goes down so easy with the sleeve. Permanent changes in the way we think about food and saying no to ourselves even when we dont want to is definetely necessary. But the sleeve is working for me and I am working on changing my bad patterns.Having said all this my close friend had the RNY,lost all her weight,eats great gourmet foods,stays at her goal and have more restriction than me,had right from the start.She had her surgery quite a few years ago and she's still doing great and she finds it so easy.

Hi everyone! I have never posted here before, but I just feel like I need to reach out to some fellow bandsters. The holidays have been tough this year! Loved ones with health problems and ALL the massive amounts of pies and cakes, etc.... I put on 2.6 lbs. I've had my band for 4 years. Total loss of 65 lbs. I'm not actually feeling too worried about getting the couple lbs. off. I've upped my exercise and I'm watching my calories. I feel proud of what I've accomplished. But, that deep down worry about "losing control" always lurks just beneath the surface it seems... Does anyone else feel this weird mix of feelings? Just wondering how other people feel after the holidays! Thanks! atlantak

Reading through the rules that I got for my stage II diet, I get the distinct impression that a lot of these rules are guided by weight loss concerns, and not health concerns. That is, drinking something with some calories isn't going to threaten my wound, is it? Because apple juice is having a much easier time staying down than Water. What are some of the other rules you were given that seem like they're more of a weight loss concern than a surgery recovery concern?

I'm one month out and I feel nauseous 80% of the time. Nothing sounds good and I really don't want to eat, ever. I force myself to eat but it's typically a Protein bar, and even then I can barely finish 1/2. I still drink most of my protein, and am getting usually 70 grams a day, however, I only get about 300 ish calories sometimes up to 450. It's not the food that makes me feel sick, it's just all the time. I actually hate having to eat bcs i never feel hungry and always feel sick. . It's quite miserable. Anyone experience this? Does it go away?

My 1st 10 days, I didn't eat much of anything either. I was living on sugar free popsicles and Crystal Light. Since you're not taking too much in, don't expect much to come out the other end. :-p Including fasting the day before surgery, I basically didn't eat for 11 days. My system was used to processing 3000+ calories a day. That's a lot of empty storage space to fill, before it needs to clear out. Just keep drinking as much as you can and give your new stomach a chance to heal. In the first few months post-op, it wasn't unusual for me to only go once a week. I had one spell where it was almost 2 weeks, I got concerned and took some Milk of Magnesia. If you're concerned, you really should consult your doc. He can decide the best course of action. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31570-constipation-and-milk-of-magnesia-or-how-fema-declared-my-bathroom-a-national-disaster/

Thanks for all the wonderful advice. I only drank cranberry juice because its on the list of liquids allowed in the first week. Plus I figure putting some calories in my stomach would help with the growling. Also I feel very nauseous when my stomach is growling. My mouth starts to fill with saliva and I know I will throw up unless I put something in my stomach. I get the whole head hunger concept but these hunger pains feel like physical pain! I can't even imagine another week and a half on liquids only. I truly feel miserable! However reading posts on the LBT site helps because I know others are going through the same thing. (Misery loves company!)

Try not to fret about exact numbers. Staying calm and focused will help. I am not getting enough Protein yet either. I also had a prolonged period of "starvation" mode. Trying tiny amounts of all sorts of foods can help boost your protein input. And might help with the hypos. Once your liquid diet is finished, and if your team allows it, concentrate on just nibbling things that your sleeve likes. I could tolerate some broth so continuously had the slow cooker on with beef and bones in it. I then slowly started adding tiny amounts of lentils. I also put carrots in as I can tolerate them. I always have some of that broth handy. It has both good protein and carbs in. Even if I can only drink the broth throughout the day, my body is getting nutrition. I also nibble on anything that might help boost my protein. Crackers with slivers of hard cheese, cheese crackers with cottage cheese, tiny apple (no skin) slivers dipped in Peanut Butter. Crispy (which turns mushy) textures seem to be tolerated by my sleeve. But as ill (with c diff) as I am, I still push my body to try different Proteins often. Even minute amounts of different foods will add up over 24 hours. I also found that I was in the routine of not eating anything from 6 pm to 9 am pre op, quite normal especially as I have reflux issues. But post op, it was so easy to become both dehydrated because of that routine and that I was going too long without anything going in on top of only a 300 calorie daily intake. So now I make sure that I have something as soon as I wake up (I keep Lucozade beside my bed just in case) and that I have something just before I go to sleep. I hope that helps. Hang in there. I do really understand how you are feeling. Stay calm, breathe, drink Water, nibble, sip broth. Even bone broth has protein in it. Push your food boundaries every day. Protein can come from a myriad of sources, think outside the box. It is now your sleeve, we don't all fit inside the regular sleeve "box" so explore (with caution), what works for you. If a food offends your sleeve this week, it's okay. You can try it again later. I keep trying with egg because I know it is valuable in protein. Egg drop Soup will work for me but I know that I must push my texture boundaries so I try deviled eggs. I really hate the waste so am learning to only prepare minute quantities where possible. You will be okay. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hey guys! I was sleeved 4/15/13 and am don 43 lbs since surgery. Just checking in with everyone to see how everyone is doing. I am eating average 800 calories a day and working out 5 days a week for 4 mins. I see it starting to happen and clothes starting to be looser. Everyone share your story!

weight watchers fudge bars are 100 calories I think and they taste amazing.

Carrot Cake Protein Bars Calories: 94
 Fats: 1.25 grams
 Carbs: 10 grams 
Protein: 10 grams Ingredients: 1 cup oat flour (I puree old fashion oats in the processor, it's cheaper and more easily available) 2 scoops vanilla whey protein 2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp allspice 1/8 tsp nutmeg 4 egg whites 3/4 cup Splenda, Truvia, or Ideal 8 oz baby food carrots (or if you're feeling ambitious, steam baby carrots till soft and puree with a little water) 4 oz Water Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix flour, whey protein, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl. Mix egg whites, Splenda, Truvia, or Ideal, baby food carrots and water (optional) in a bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together. Spray glass pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray. Pour ingredients into dish. Bake 20-30 minutes. Makes 16 squares, 2 squares per serving. You can sub canned pumpkin for the carrots and use 3 tsp of pumpkin spice.

Hmm.. are you sure you weren't overfilled? Sweet spot is when you can go 5 hours without eating. But you said it right there, you can't "eat whatever you want" and lose weight you have to stick to your 900-1200 calorie diet. Stick to your diet and you will lose weight. no matter how filled you are. The lapband isn't some kinda miracle genius, it helps you from being hungry so you can eat less and not be hungry.

Revision VSG to RNY due to Gerd. From the beginning of the revision process, I've lost 78 lbs in 7 months, and it is much faster & easier than before revision. I'm currently losing steadily 6.5 to 9 lbs a month. I've passed goal and slowly trying to work up to maintenance calories.

I agree with lellow. Maintaining is not easy. For me I didn't change anything. I still eat 1200 calories a day, etc. I have struggled at times, gained some and had to focus on loosing again. Plus for me it is hard to rap my head around the fact that I am at my goal. My head is my biggest obstacle. Congrats on reaching your goal. And welcome to the next chapter of your journey, you will do great.

I was sleeved 12/14/17. Everything went well, I recovered nicely and I have lost 99 lbs and my BMI is currently 23; weight 144lbs. However, I know for certain I’m not getting nearly enough calories / day. There are so many foods I can’t tolerate (mostly all meats) and I only eat 1/4 of what I put on my little kid plates that I’m still using since surgery. There is only one meal that I eat everyday that doesn’t bother me; it’s breakfast. Everyday, I eat 1 egg, 2 pieces of bacon, and 1 slice of toast and I feel fine. But anything else, I feel terrible after I eat. I get hungry but I feel so nauseous and bad after I eat, that I wished I hadn’t eaten. Am I eating too fast? I’m considering checking in with my surgeon to see if this is common or if I need to be checked out. Oh, I also have the worst problem with IBS. I notice that certain foods (Fried foods, Carbonation, anything breaded, and alcohol) sends me to the bathroom that there are times, I don’t feel I can hold it long enough to get to the restroom. Also, admittedly, I do have an issue that I’ve never been able to conquer waiting 30 mins before I drink anything. So I wonder if my stomach issues with eating could be caused by me trying to drink while I eat. If anyone has seen this before or knows what I could possibly be doing wrong, I would appreciate any advice you can give. Thanks! Diahanna

Calories vary from person to person, so you'll have to ask your nutritionist what is right for you. You'll get different answers from everyone here, I'm afraid. As for myself, I eat 1000-1200 calories a day. My doctor says no more than one cup of food per meal. Again, your doc's rules may vary

It has been a very difficult road since my Aug 15 surgery both mentally and physically. I wasn't keeping the liquids down, kept running to bathroom with the worst "issues" I think I ever felt in my life. Because I had to split all my meds in smaller sizes that meant I no longer could just pop them all in my mouth at once and be done so it was this prolonged agony of having to take them one by one and I got to the point where I just ended up not taking them for a few days. Naturally that only exacerbated my situation because now not only was I physically hurting I was also mentally hurting. At my one week post op appt the nurse saw my blood pressure was very low and I was very weak, then when I went in to the Dr I just broke down in tears. Told him about my mental health condition and how I wasn't taking my meds etc. He sent me straight to get IV fluids pumped in me. He also said I could go back to taking my meds whole. So every day since I have forced myself to take my meds and now I'm mentally back in shape. Physically I'm better than I was, including no more bathroom issues, but still not feeling great. I have my "real" post op appt tomorrow with the Dr who did my surgery (last week was a different Dr because mine was on vacation) and I'll see what he says. From a weight loss perspective I lost 15 lbs pre surgery over about a three well period, and I'm guessing tomorrow's weight will have me about 12-15 lbs down at two weeks post surgery. If I look at my food log it seems I've only averaged 300-500 calories per day. I know that can't be good. And I'm probably only drinking 25-30 oz water which I know isn't good. I'm probably gonna get smacked tomorrow by the Dr but I truly feel so awful when I try to eat or drink. I initially planned to go back to work this Wed but I postponed it a week but I'm not even sure I'll be ready by next Wed. Not sure if any of this answered your question but it's the journey I've been on. And it's been so very difficult.

I was also banded in June and have lost 45 pounds since surgery. I too am kind of stuck right now. My weight has been bouncing around for the last 3 weeks instead of constant loss. Maybe this is normal? I guess our bodies are in shock at first and then it gets used to the much smaller amount of food? I suddenly can put down way more food than I should be able to. I am hoping that when I get a fill next week things will change. I'm watching my calories closer and hitting the gym hard! I signed myself up for Warrior Dash in April. Bring it! We can do this!!!!!!

Many of us don't get good restriction right away, like me. But not losing something, not matter how much was not an option for me. So, I had been on so many diets before anyway, I just went on another one. I eat healthy food and I count calories and track Protein, you know like weight watchers. The band does help me stay in control better than the previous days doing WW without the band. I also find eating this way helps to change my habits and practice band rules like not drinkning for one hour after a meal. Once we get restriction, it will get easier. I'm not setting any weight loss records, but losing slow and steady. I'll take it!

The amount of weight you lose corresponds with the number of calories you burn minus the calories you consume. It is simple math. If you are consuming 14,000 calories a week and only burning 20,000 then you are going to only lose 1 - 2 pounds a week. To speed up the process you're either going to have to burn more; consume less or both. I use the bodybugg to tell me how many calories I am burning and chart everything I eat to know what I am consuming.