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Hi Everyone, This is for the Newbies who have had or are going to have "sleeve" WLS. I have posted these before & have had people ask me to repost them. I know that different doctors have different requirements for what you should eat the 1st month after surgery. Please follow YOUR doctors directions for what you have. I am posting what my doctor wanted me to do. VOL # 1 Hi Everyone, I decided that I would make a list of things for new people who are thinking about having WLS that might be helpful to them. This is long so please PRINT THIS OUT TO READ if you don’t want to read it all at one time. First thing is to start asking people on the board is all kinds of questions—make of list of things you want to ask and keep coming back and ask more questions as time goes on. The more questions that ask the more you educate yourself about WLS and the process and what doctor they liked. Don’t rely on just one source of information. It is really normal to have all kind of feeling and emotions when trying to decide if you want to have Weight Loss Surgery. I must have talked myself in and out of doing this at least 50 times during my 6 months of research. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. This is a big step. But if diet and exercise worked for us then we still wouldn’t be fat and would have lost the weight a long time ago and never regained it. It takes a lot of courage to have Weight Loss Surgery. I am very proud of you for looking into this. Don’t give any more days of your life being overweight, and your body hurting along with being unhealthy. WLS really is your answer. How do you select your surgeon? First of all this is NOT a time to price shop for the cheapest doctor to do your WLS—that is just the wrong way to go at this. There are a lot of doctors who advertise on the Internet doing sleeve surgery for a lot less than some other doctors. I found one posting from a person who had the following concerns after having surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. (a) They put NO name band on her to be able to ID her when giving medications or anything else. ( NO one asked if she had any allergies to foods or medications—thank goodness this person didn’t have any. ( The lab did NOT label tubes of blood with the person’s name on it—very dangerous. © Day after surgery they gave this person ice chips, tea and apple juice. The next day (day 2) they gave this person NOTHING so this person asked why and the nurse said this person wasn’t allowed to eat anything. Well, this person then said I had Clear liquids the day before and they wanted to know WHO gave it to this person?? (d) This person was told that they would get a copy of the operative report on their discharge to take home with them—This person has not received it yet and that was about 2 weeks ago. So make sure have positive feedback about the Surgeon and Staff and Hospital that you choose who is best for you. I can only speak about my experience and my research that I did before I made him my choice for a surgeon. I know that there are other good doctors out there too. Do you research and be careful. Take your time and be comfortable with your choice. Pack lightly for your WLS. So many of us have gone to Mexico, so you want a small suitcase with wheels, a laptop & a cell phone. The clothing that you wear to Mexico are the same ones you can wear home—slip on shoes work great too. Make sure that the clothing is loose fitting. Something just comfortable for your ride home. While in Mexico—that is if you go to Mexico for WLS make sure you take GAS-X. They have nothing in Mexico that they give your for gas, and the use gas in your abdominal area during surgery. It is painful after the surgery, so GAS-X STRIPS are easy to use by just placing them on your tongue. Take a couple of boxes with you—you will be glad you did. If you are going to use a credit card make sure you tell your credit card company and your Bank if you use your debit card or credit card. Sometimes if you DO NOT let these companies know you are outside of the US they block your charges. Use a credit card or debit card vs. cash. The debit card or credit card is much easier to use. Take small amounts of cash for tips—I took $65.00 in 1’s for tip money for various things. If you go to any hospital anywhere leave ALL jewelry at home –just a watch and no rings or other jewelry. I never had any problems at all leaving my purse and computer& cell phone in my room while I was in surgery, but they recommend that you leave all jewelry at home. If you are a lady please remove all nail polish—they need it removed to see your nail beds during surgery. The first month you do after surgery is the HARDEST month you will ever have to do. You do 10 days of nothing but clear liquids to start with—that means you have to be able to see through the liquid. Do not panic if you can not get the Protein they want you to have the 1st 10 days—I couldn’t find anything I liked that was clear during the 1st 10 days. They want you to try to drink 64 oz. each day, and it is difficult—it is like a job because you will need to be sipping Water ALL day long. I want you to give it your very best effort to drink as much as you can. Getting your liquids in each day is so very important to your recovery. You DO NOT want to get dehydrated; you could end up in the hospital. Your new stomach has just had major surgery and it is swollen and will only hold something about the size of your thumb. The next 10 days gets much better—you are now on creamy liquids for these 10 days—don’t forget to drink you water. You can now have some creamy Soups, yogurt, and pudding—sugar free and find a Protein Drink that you like. For me it is Premier Protein Drink and I get mine at costco. When looking for a protein drink, make sure they are low in calories, high in Protein—Premier has 30 grams of protein in each drink box and make sure you have low carbs too. I know there are a lot of other Protein drinks out there that people like. When it comes to carbs I tried to keep mine at no more than 20 carbs per day. Ask others what kind of Protein drinks they liked and where they get them. The last 10 days are mushy foods—Don’t forget to drink your water. Mushy foods are a bit of a challenge. How many foods can I make mushy? I even considered using some baby foods. Start thinking about what will work as mushy foods for you. Starting the 2nd month is quite an adventure. You can eat regular food. Here is where the relearning process takes place. You now will take tiny BABY BITES of food and chew each bit about 30 times or until it is like a liquid. From here on out you will need to take small bites of food and chew and chew and chew. I found out that chicken and fish were a lot easier to chew up. I don’t eat much red meat—your tastes will change and things you didn’t like a lot might taste good and something that you used to love don’t taste that great anymore. Keep track of what you are eating and keep your calories at about 800 calories per day and no more than 20 carbs per day—whole grain carbs are the best to have—NO white or refined carbs. I highly suggest that you keep track by writing them down or using some of the Internet sites that offers you this. I suggest this site it works great there are other sites to use this is just a suggestion. hair 3 or 4 months after having WLS. I would find a lot of hair in the shower after washing my hair. That is pretty normal for a lot of us—this does not happen to everyone. There is no magical cure for hair loss—some people use different shampoo’s or take Biotin. It happens and you live with it. YES, it will grow back. For me I had pencil straight hair and mine grew back natural curly and I love it now. I already had thin hair so for me, I got some cute wigs and wore them for about 9 months until my hair looked a lot better. It was worth the hair loss to lose 105 pounds. Because we eat a lot of protein we suffer from constipation. You need to have at least 70 grams of protein EACH day. So I mix my protein drink each morning with MIRALAX. It is NOT habit forming and is tasteless and it is just a good way to start off the day. I put the protein and a cap full of Miralax in the blender with about 5 small ice cubes and that is my Breakfast. 3 years later I still have this for breakfast and nothing else, it just works for me. You may have periods where you have what we call STALLS. You may be doing everything right and eating and exercising and you have NO weight loss for a week or more. This is normal—mine lasted 9 days. Don’t panic the weight loss will start up again, just keep doing what you are doing. Our heads play games with us sometimes it is ugly what our brain tried to convince us of—We call these “Head Games” and they really are tough times to work though, but you can do it. Your head is still thinking with your old brain and way of thinking that you have been doing for most of your life. You now are eating VERY small amount of food, but your head is used to you eating LARGE amounts of food and that is what your brain wants—so it tries to tell you the you should be eating more—NOT true at all. So you need to have a talk with yourself. Do I just WAN T to eat or do I really NEED to eat? You are not on a diet, but you are making a LIFESTYLE change and that is good because you can do this for the rest of your life. You will NEVER be able to eat like you used to. That is good because that is how we got fat. You will morn the loss of food—you will look around and see others inhaling all this food and you think to yourself—I used to eat like that. You will notice how fast people eat and inhale their food and talk and hardly chew what they are eating. That is pretty normal feeling to have—because you are now eating such small amounts of food and chewing and chewing. You will never be able to guzzle a bottle of water again—that is OK too. These are all good things. In time you will look at all the food people are eating and thinking to yourself oh my gosh I could never eat that much again—it is way too much food. When you have issues or problems come back to the board and ask others who have already done this. We are here to help and support you. Give or exchange all your fat clothes away. You will never need them again after they become too big for you. This weight loss is something you will be able to maintain for the rest of your life. You have earned the right to have new clothes. Make sure you have the VERY best doctor that has had a lot of experience with sleeve surgery and check his success rates out. Check the doctor for HIGH patient reviews from the people who have gone to him or her. I can NOT STRESSS this enough. Make sure that your surgery is being done in a hospital NOT a Clinic. Ask where you recovery will be. YOU are worth the extra money that it cost to have this WLS in a Hospital and by the best Doctor you can have. You want to have a happy and GREAT life and having the RIGHT Doctor and Hospital are the key to this. Sorry if this is long, but it is intended to have as a reference and answer a lot of your questions that you might have. For some of you, you are very lucky because your health insurance is now starting to pay for Weight Loss Surgery. For many of us, we did not have your luck, so we are self pay patients. There are companies that loan money for this surgery—be aware that their interest rate is high. Once you pick your doctor ask them about these companies that give loans for surgery if you are a self pay patient. You know we never think twice about making car payments. If you have to borrow the money for this surgery just look at this as “body payment.” It will be the best money you have ever borrowed. Please PRINT this out to read later. If you have any questions for me please feel free to contact me. I had surgery almost 3 ½ years ago, so I do have quite a bit of experience. I really am here to help you along your journey. It took me 14 months to lose this weight and I was 63 when I had the surgery, so it is NEVER too late in life to do this. *********************************************************** VOL # 2 Here are some more things I want you to know about if you are thinking about having WLS and you are having the “Sleeve.” 1. We have talked a little or a lot about “slimming or phlegming” In case you missed it, when you first start eating regular food you have to re-learn how to eat again and chew. With your new stomach you will need to take small tiny bites and chew until the food in your mouth is almost liquid like. This is nothing like what you had been doing your entire life. In the past you eat and talk and put big bite in your mouth along with a few chews and then swallowing—this will NO LONGER WORK FOR YOU. This is a very difficult thing to change. So with your new stomach and just having surgery you may experience slimming or phlegming. First you will feel like the food is stuck, then it comes back up in a clear liquid –your saliva. It isn’t vomit, so that is why it is called slimming or Fleming. It’s a wakeup call to slow down you eating and chew, and chew and chew some more. Just go to the bathroom or have a napkin ready for the slimming or phlegming if you are eating out. If you try to overeat—which is bad you may experience this too sometimes. For me it was always about not chewing enough. 2. What are some signs that you are full? At first I wasn’t sure, but sometimes I just got tired of all the chewing, so I stopped eating. I now get the hiccups or my noise will start to run when I am full. I know that other people have said they experienced this too. 3. It does take some time to retrain yourself on how to eating and I know that the first month it is such a process just trying to get all the food & liquid in that you need to get in because of your new restrictions. In time it does get a lot easier. Some people actually mourn the loss of food, because you will NEVER EAT the quantity of food that we used to eat---YEAH that is how we are going to lose the fat and maintain that goal weight that we want to have for the rest of our lives. 4. If you think you are hungry and you are positive that you are having physical symptoms of hunger this is YOUR OLD thinking brain playing those tricks we have talked about. You now have to start learning to educate this OLD brain into being your NEW thinking brain. Ask yourself do you just "want to eat" or do you really "need to eat" because it has been 3 or 4 hours since you have eaten anything. It is amazing what our brains can and will do to sabotage our way of thinking. You may be challenged by this OLD brains way of thinking for many years. For me I just have to have some self-talks with myself. We have an addiction to food. There is no way around avoiding food, so we need to find the set of skills that will allow us to change our lifestyle. I eat to live, I NO LONGER live to eat! Food is not my main focus in life. 5. I have seen so many times where people are going along and doing great with their weight loss. Then all of a sudden they are NOT losing anything—they panic—I did when it happened to me. We call these “Stalls.” We have stalled and are not losing anything. Most of the time you are eating all the same and correct things that you have in the past when you were losing weight. Our body just does this naturally--stalls. Mine lasted 9 days one time. This is really normal. I have a few suggestions. Use this site or something like it to track everything you are putting in your mouth.http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/ you might be surprised at what you are eating—that is why I say track it. Remember keep your total calories at 800 per day—if you exercise then you can eat more. This site will help you figure that out how much more you can it by what kind of exercise you did. You also need to make sure that you are not eating more than 20 carbs per day. No white or refined carbs. They should ONLY be whole grain carbs—not whole wheat, BUT Whole Grain carbs—do the best you can when it comes to carbs. If you are having problems with the weight loss you can kick up the amount of exercise you are doing too. The weight loss will start back up again, so don’t panic. 6. We all stumble and fall along the way, don’t beat yourself up over it. Move on and have a better day the next day. 7. Be aware that your friends and family may not be supportive of you having WLS. For your family, first they really may NOT understand it and they are scared for you. This is pretty normal. You have been on the Internet, and been educating yourself and doing a lot of reading—you know much more than they do about weight loss surgery and your choice is the sleeve. They have only heard the horror stories that the media puts out there or one of their uneducated family or friends have told them. Your friends are scared they may lose you as a friend because you are going to lose the weight and they will remain fat—yes I call it fat. I know there are a lot of politically correct terms to use, but if I can say I was fat you will one day too. Some of your friends will be jealous. My suggestion is that you can try to educate them some, but take your time and effort right now and use it for yourself. After you have had WLS and they see you are becoming healthy and you are alive and well they may come around. I want you to put yourself FIRST, for the very first time. If they are truly your friends they will be there when you are skinny. 8. The first month will be the hardest month you will have to do. You are changing everything about how you eat. I want you to keep saying to yourself that it is ONLY 30 days and I can do ANYTHING for 30 days. Once you start the 2nd month and can have regular food, it gets easier. 9. What do you do about getting smaller clothes? One of my adventures used to be to go to Resale clothing places and sell or trade my larger clothing to them, and then finding some smaller sizes. Just buy what you need to get by for a while until you need a smaller size. It was like a treasure hunt or an adventure for me. I found some places like Goodwill that had brand name label NEW clothing that the local stores gave them. I found some great deals at these places. So consider doing something like this or getting together with some of your friends and trading clothing. I also donated a lot of mine for a tax deduction to nonprofit organizations that give tax receipts—it is really great when it is tax time rolls around and I had all these deductions. I would make a list of everything I was going to donate and how much weight I had lost. I kept that all together in case the IRS asked why I gave away 20 some dress and 10 pair of pants, and 30 tops! 10.Make sure that you go see your Primary Care Doctor when you have had WLS if you have gone outside of the US for your surgery. I went to see my PCP before I went to let her know what I was doing—I wanted a doctor who would support me in my efforts. I had to do a bit of education and after she had time to read all of the information I left her, she was behind me all the way. She said come back in to see her after being home for 2 weeks and she would check me over and run a blood panel to see how I was doing. She did this every month for a while and started taking me of meds that I no longer needed. I did need to start taking potassium—mine was low after having WLS and I knew this when I left Dr. Aceves—they had run a blood panel after I had my “Sleeve surgery.” I loved the fact that my PCP took me off 4 of my other medications within 3months of me having WLS. 11. Exercise is important for you in a lot of ways. Walking and swimming are the ones that work best for me. I know that there have been a few people who said they did nothing. Walking helped me lose a little faster and was good cardio too. I try to walk at least 4 or 5 times a week. When I can I try to swim on the days I don’t walk. I know at first it is difficult to start to exercise, but walk around your home then, down the block a little. When the weather is bad—I live in Oregon and we have a lot of rain, we walk inside the Mall during those times. They open up the Mall at 6:00 am where I live, so you can start early. Buy a used treadmill and see if you like walking on it. My last words of wisdom are the following 1. Saying yes means you will do something new, meet someone new most likely and make a difference in your life. 2. Be true to yourself. It is you, your authentic self, the one you were in the first grade, before you leaned to massage your personality into a form that would suit others. 3. Sometimes it is hard to hear the message because of all the external voices and they are so loud. 4. Voices that are loud are always meant to bully. DO NOT BE BULLIED. 5. So carry your courage in an easily accessible place. Be your OWN authentic person when it comes to Weight Loss Surgery. This is ALL about you and NO one else. 6. Last you don’t need the approval of the Bully. You know what is right for you, follow your heart and go for it. I am always here if you want to ask me more questions, or I didn’t cover something that you are thinking about. I read my E-mail daily. I know it is a BIG step to take and there are a lot of things to think about, you can and will be success. My last bit of knowledge is making sure you keep drinking your water each day. It is so VERY important that you do this. Hugs, Suzanne

I was sleeved on May 15. My recovery has been very similar to yours. I am eating 800 calories a day with no problem most days. I have had zero issues with new foods. I haven't tried raw veggies yet. I am going to wait another couple of weeks. I lost 18.5 pounds my first month post-op, and 22 pounds on my own before surgery. You have asked a great question and I look forward to hearing every ones advice. I am curious on the macro percentages that work well for fat loss. I am currently averaging 30% protein 60% fat and 10% carbs.

I am only 14 days post op. I started at 216.4. I was placed on an 800 calorie diet (mainly liquid for two weeks). Was about 208 day of surgery. I am 200 lbs. exactly two weeks out. So an average of four pounds a week for me. I have been at 200 lbs. since Tuesday though and I think its b/c my calories are so low. I ate 300-400 first week and am now at 500-650 or so. Hoping can get to 800-1,000 next week. I think if you follow the rules to the surgery you should be successful. I decided to have the band b/c I always felt hungry. It takes the edge off. I have had a few issues since surgery though that have depressed me some but hoping it will improve. Left shoulder pain from nerve irritation which has gotten a bit better and reflux which was RARE for me prior to surgery. And I have no fluid in my band.

Water. Water. Water. Then some more water. And protein. Make sure you are staying low calorie, lower your carbs and throw in some cardio. I am working on my last 10 as well. It feels good to be that woman who I always wanted to punch in the face for saying, "if only I could lose this last 10 pounds" lol. Good luck. My doc and trainer told me 64 oz of water is just a starting point. Half your body weight (in oz ofcourse) is where you are aiming. Good luck.

Stolen from MFP, but it makes a ton of sense and something to keep in mind when going grocery shopping or eating in general. ============================================================================================================================ Oh, how happy all of us "dieters" were the day Skinny Cow candy bars became available! We can have chocolate! Peanut butter! Caramel! Gooey caramel and chocolate in one little bag! And not feel guilty! Yum! I have realized I cannot have them in my house. Why? They're a sensible treat, at only 110 calories (give or take depending the delicious flavor you finally decide upon). It is the completely sabotaging comfort of "SKINNY". Oh yes, you can have one. Enjoy one! Fondle it in it's pretty wrapper and delight in the first crunch. But I cannot stop at one. That is the same eating behavior that got me to 240 pounds in the first place. If one is good, two is better. Hell, three is 3x better! And guess what, it is guilt free because it is SKINNY! Don't get me wrong, 110 calories is a lot better than the 245 or 300 or 500 of a regular candy bar or chocolate fix. But I get so wrapped up in "ALLOWED" because they're lower in calories, they are no longer on the forbidden list. I need my forbidden list. It keeps me safe, and hopefully thinner. And "light" products are doing the same damage. Light chips - heck yes! I'll have more please. In reality, I would never even think a chip is ok while I'm working so hard, but hey, they're LIGHT! Safe, OK, Allowed, please indulge. Don’t even get me started on the sodium "Light" yogurt is the worst offender, in my opinion. Yummy, creamy, dessert flavored yogurt - healthy! Sweet and almost like pudding! And yogurt is healthy right? Oh not so fast... Many have HFCS, which for me, makes me crave more sugar. I think nothing of snarfing down a carton of yogurt as a "healthy" snack, because it is "light", "healthy" and yummy. In reality I just ate a bunch of ingredients I can't pronounce, and I'm not really satisfied. In fact, if there is aspartame in it, I’m probably going to crave more sugar in about 8 minutes. There I am, sabotaged by “light”. Yes, I admit I have eating issues (most of us do or we wouldn't be in this battle) and I have a hard time saying no. But it is a whole lot easier to say no when it isn't available, and no matter the "light" label, if it looks like a (chocolate) duck and quacks like a (chocolate) duck, it's a chocolate duck. So I'm cleaning out my cupboards and fridge, at least for now. Out go the "light" chips, granola bars, cookies and yes, the Skinny Cows. Into the trash with the "light" yogurt and mayonnaise and salad dressing. If it isn't naturally low in fat, sugar and calories, I'm not interested. At least for now. Apples, baby carrots, whole wheat crackers with fewer than 25 ingredients that look like a piece of the periodic table. Salad dressing made from olive oil and vinegar. Beautiful berries and oranges when I'm really craving something sweet. Because I personally cannot be trusted. And I'm not going to buy into anything "Skinny" unless is a new pair of skinny jeans that finally fit.

OMG so true! I've been hooked on the Special K chips because they are "light" and low calorie, I need to get rid of them and not buy them anymore! Thanks for posting..

You Amy want to look into unjury Protein one scoop is 21g of protein Fat 0g Cholesterol 0g Lactose 0g Carbohydrate 0g 100 Calories And it taste great, I love the Vanilla and chocolate

I'm gonna try my normal walk today. I use to walk an hour before surgery but to be honest I don't think my intake of 550 calories now will give me enough energy to sustain the walk ~Leticia **HW: 259**PreOp: 216**SURG: 3/21/13 **Discharged @: 221**9 days post op: Down 20 lbs**

The reason you got the lapband was that you can use it as a tool. It will give you enough restriction (eventually) to be able to eat enough to make you satiated (satisfied but NOT FULL) if you are full you have eatten too much. And if you eat too much you will not only gain weight, you will not lose and will stretch out the pouch for you to eat more and more. And if you gobble it down cause you have a stretch out pouch you might throw up. The worst of that is errosion of the band. That is why my dr does not want me to have a fill. We all want more! We are never satisfied. With the Lapband, it is thougt that 2 lbs per week is the average. You will learn to put only quality in your stomach, That way you will have the full nutrition. REMEMBER protein first, carbs last. We all have plateaus. We need to love ourselves, and exercise, eat right take out vitamins, drink our water, choose our foods wisely, I hope that you have purchased a book that has calories, carbs, protein,etc in it for you to know what is going in. This is your life~no one elses. If you follow the rule and do not cheat you will get to where you want to be. We are on a high protein low carb diet. I have not had: soda, bread, rice, pizza, pasta, cake, cookies, pies, candy or any other garbage that will inhibit me from going further in my journey. I also want to mention that I lost 89 lbs in 15 months. I turned 64 2 weeks ago. Feel free to email me. lizybird@aol.com

The idea is this: you have plenty of fat stored on your body to supply your energy needs. However, you don't want to lose a lot of muscle mass, and if you don't eat protein, your body will start using your muscles for protein. So we eat protein. If you don't eat produce, you're going to be constipated. Plus it supplies bulk for very few calories, and lots of vitamins. Your body doesn't need carbs -- it has your fat to burn for energy. You're getting some carbs from the fruit & veggies anyway. I add in a good multi-vitamin as well as a calcium supplement.

When you really stop to think about how small the pouch is that you will be filling, you realize you need to pack a lot of nutrition in a small space. So while we don't have to diet per se, we do need to attempt to eat a healthy variety of nutrition in little amounts of food. So since as has been said, we have lots of fats to spare----eliminating the biggest majority of them is easiest!!! Plus the carbs are generally softer foods. So they do not stay with us for as long, so we get hungry sooner. Eating lean protein, allows us to feel full for hours on end with just a small amount. Some people have seriously dieted---either low carb, or simple calorie counting---and exercised faithfully--and they have dropped their weight FAST!!!! Personally I go for all things in moderation, and my weight is going slower---but it is still going! It is recommended to eat protein first, fiber second, and starches and sweets last. Is it required to eat that way? It wasn't by my Dr. Welcome to LBT---nice to have you here! Kat

Here are a few things: A) Visit the August 2008 Banders forum at August 2008 Bandsters - Lap Band Surgery and Lap Band Discussion Forum to meet others who are scheduled for next month. We'd love to have you as a band buddy! :smile: My dietician said that alcohol was a bad idea for a few reasons. The first she said was because it is just plain empty calories...no nutritional value whatsoever. The second was that she said that you will get tipsy faster because there is nearly no food in your stomach to slow things down. You should also realize that a full glass of wine simply isn't going to fit into your stomach IF you are properly restricted. C) The fizzy drink thing is for the way it causes gas but, more importantly, because it can cause your pouch (smaller stomach above the band) to stretch. This defeats the purpose of the band making you have a smaller stomach AND can cause slippage, which could require band removal. I'm a huge soda fan and they have to go bye-bye. :thumbup:

dont go all out with the protein shakes, get some muscle milk light and call it a day. it works great, tastes... sorta good (better than others) and at only 100 calories per shake its fantastic.

Hello all, I am new to this site and am learning a lot set to have surgery next month. I wanted to get some clarification on the proteins drink. I just saw that you posted the more protein it is better and less calories. Does that apply to the total fat or over all calories. I am still learning and I want to know what to look for when shopping. I did see Isoplus, Lean body and muscle milk. What would be the best protein to but as well as ready to drink ones? Thxs for your answers

The Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey protein are 30 grams and only 150 calories. They are available at Walmart for like $15 for a 2 lb tube(27 servings) and come in several good flavors, I personally like the chocolate peanutbutter.

I'm 2 months out an consuming about 600-800 calories a day, and exercising. Roughly how many calories are people eating? Would love to hear from people who are at goal and maintaing weight as well. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using VST

Wow is this site woefully inadequate in explaining what all those settings on this blog are. I hope I got them right. I suppose I could open the help section, but like most things, I am too impatient to read instructions. Anyway to the actual blogging now. I don't know if I'll keep this up. It is my first attempt at blogging. I've resisted this before even though I am a writer bu trade. Still I am hopeful that the seriousness of this endeavor will drive me to write about it. I am still in the early stages of getting approval for the lap band operation. I am going to Cedars Sinai by the way. I trust the institution and besides, that is where I have always gone thorughout my various lives. I am still uncertain if I am giong through with this. I mean I am here because I lost the control I used to have over food. In years before I was able to diet down to either my goal weight or in the neighborhood. Why the change? I suppose it is the new level of stress in my life (which I will undoubtedly get to writing about at some point). Anyway I am over 300 pounds now and am just appalled at myself. I mean how did I get this far? It seems to have snuck up on me, despite knowing that I didn't just magically get here. My goal weight? 165. I am practically twice my proper size. I absolutely hate being this big. Not for the embarrassing appearance (although that is a big concern to me), but for the difficulty it imposes on simple tasks, simple moving around. When did just tying shoes become a challenge? And ultimately I am driven by health matters. I have sleep apnea (complex, not just obstructive so it is a problem that might not go away). I have a bad back (the stenosis is genetic however - hence the laminectomy was worsened by the weight but would have existed otherwise). I have high blood pressure. All things that are traditional for the over-weight. No not overweight, the morbidly obese. I like that term because it is uncomfortable to say and I want that discomfort. It will help drive me to action. So here I am waiting to do the next steps, which include a visit with a nutritionist and then a psychiatrist. I will have to admit to some "last meal" consciousness. I do think about the things I won't be able to eat or behaviors I will be giving up and want to indulge in them one last time. Of course I am not because I don't want to shoot up in weight now. I find that even though I am taking in fewer calories now, I am still exhibiting poor habits. Not eating every three hours. Not balancing the protein and fat and carbs. That will be a challenge for me becuase I just want to eat without a great deal of thinking. I do well with a very restricted menu, so as to not be faced with too many choices. One success of the past was a South Beach diet menu. I ate the same thing every day for six months. I liked the menu and was never really unhappy with eating it. I have no idea why I don't just do that again with a greater emphasis on staying the course once I've lost the weight. Inevitably I always stop and cave under the pressure of my world. I am an emotional and stress eater. My thing is volume though and so this is why I have high hopes for the band. Ok I am bored now so first entry over. I plan to be back but we'll see.

I too went through some of the same things you are facing. When I initially decided to have surgery, it was LapBand and LapBand only. After I met with surgeon #1, however, I changed my mind to the RNY. I didn't want to lose it quicker, I was just afraid to have the LapBand, and not lose all the weight I intended to. I never liked the idea of the rerouting my insides or dealing with malabsorption, but I was just so afraid of choosing the less aggressive approach and failing. After visiting with 2 more surgeons and the psychiatrist (psych. eval.) I was swayed back to my initial choice of the lapband. They felt that it would be a better option for me, especially because I am not done having my babies (God willing of course). They also believed that because I was not a big consumer of liquid calories - ice cream, regular soda, juice, etc., The band should work well for me if I was willing to do my part. They were very clear that food choice would play a huge part in my success with the band, but assured me that the same was true of RNY patients for longterm success. While they may lose rapidly initially, if they do not make lifestyle changes as well, the weight WILL come back. I know someone who regained all 200+ pounds after an RNY, so I knew they weren't BSing me. While I recommitted to the LapBand, I still had doubts leading up to my surgery date. I sobbed on the OR table, wondering if I picked the right surgery. And yes, I was hungry soon after surgery (pre-fill), so I even doubted my decision until my fills started to take. But in the big weight loss picture , what is a few additional weeks of hunger when you have your whole life ahead of you? Worth the trade off in my opinion. And let me assure you... after my 2nd fill (the magical one), it has been relatively smooth sailing for me ever since (Thankfully. Whatever you decide, good luck to you. Keep us posted.

I had some issues with pureed. I did tuna with lowfat mayo and onion powder and celery salt. I used the magic bullet and I thought it was moist enough and it wasn't. It was still to hard and it didn't puree well. I tried canned chicken, again too dry. I did a lot of Healthy Request Bean and Bacon. The best way to do this is blend the bean & bacon Soup with very little Water, then add your can of water. The best thing I had was rotisserie Chicken. I didn't use the magic bullet though, I put it in the food processor with real celery (I made sure to cut the sides of it down so there was no strings, and I added real onion. It was almost like a thick dip consistency. It slid down easily and didn't hurt. Some people don't have an issue with their esophagus into the tummy and some of us struggle. You won't know which you are until you get to that point. I'm on soft foods now and I actually cooked three bone in chicken breasts today in the crock pot (it tasted like rotisserie chicken and I had about 1/2 ounce and decided it would be better as chicken salad and I shredded it and did it lightly in the food processor (not as fine as I did for the pureed stage - that I made mushy) and it's a whole lot of Protein, very little carbs and it's great for lunch, a snack or dinner. Make sure your meat is moist and until you see how you do, make sure it's really pureed. I dreamed about the day I would get tuna and it was rough on me. Below also is the Pureed List the doctor gave me, I retyped the list and I posted it in another section. I didn't do any of these but the Tuna & Canned Chicken and again, I didn't puree it enough so it was rough on me. BTW I do not follow this diet suggestion and examples. I'm at 7 weeks and still at 425-475 calories a day and don't snack. PUREED DIET - SUGGESTIONS AND EXAMPLES Breakfast 1/4 cup high protein cooked Cereal 1/4 cup pureed low sodium/low fat meat 1 chewable sugar-free complete Vitamin Snack 1/2 cup pureed fruit Lunch 1/4 cup cottage cheese (lowfat) 1/4 cup pureed fruit snack 1 cup High Protein shake Dinner 1/2 cup mashed potatoes with low fat gravy 1/2 cup broth 1 chewable sugar free complete vitamin snack 1 sugar-free fudgiscle This sample menu provides approximately 80 grams of protein and 885 caloires - SIP water throughout the day ------ High Protein pureed Diet recipes Cheeseburger 3 oz. lean chicken or turkey 1 slice fat-free cheese 2 tbs.p warm beef broth 1/2 hamburger bun Cook meat and drain fat. Add all ingredients except broth to blender and puree on high. Gradually add broth to desired consistency Yield 1 serving Calories 309 Protein 27.0 grams Chicken Stew 1 Cup Chicken, cooked and cubed 1/4 cup rice, cooked 1/4 cup mixed vegetables, cooked 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup skim milk 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk Blend together Yield 3 servings Calories (per serving) 120 Protein (per serving) 15.0 grams Fish 4oz. Whitefish fillet 4 tsp. nonfat tarter sauce Warm skim milk (as needed) Cook fish by baking or broiling. Place fish and nonfat tarter sauce in blender. Puree on high speed. Gradually add milk to make mashed potato consistency. Yield: 2 servings Calories (per serving) 116 Protein (per serving) 15.0 grams French Toast 1 slice frozen French Toast "I can't believe it's not butter!" spray 3 tbsp. warm sugar-free syrup Warm French toast according to package. Spray with I can't believe it's not butter. Cut into quarters. Place all ingredients in blender. Puree on high until smooth consistency is achieved. Yield 1 serving Calories: 171 Protein 4.0 grams Grilled Cheese 1 slice whole wheat/high Fiber bread 2 slices fat-free American cheese I can't believe its not butter spray 3 tbsp warm skim milk Heat non-stick pan over medium heat. Spray one side of bread with I can't believe it's not butter side down on pan, top with cheese and heat until cheese melts and bread istoasted brown. Fold sandwich in half and cut into four pieces. Place in blender and puree on high, adding milk until smooth. Adjust the amount of milk used for thicker or thinner consistency. Yield 1 serving Calories 146 Protein: 12.0 grams High Protein Breakfast Shake 1/2 cup fat-free plain yogurt 1/4 cup skim milk 1/2 small banana 1/4 cup non-fat dry milk Mix all ingredients together in blender Yield 1 serving Calories 125 per serving Protein 12.0 grams per serving High Protein Mashed Potatoes 2 tbsp mashed potato mix 1/2 cup hot skim milk 2 tbsp. nonfat dry milk Mix nonfat dry mil with skim milk and heat to a boil. Add mashed potato mix. Mix well with a wire wisk. Mix thickens as it stands Use Butter buds or fat-free gravy to add flavor Yield 1 serving Calories 148 Protein 10.0 grams Chicken/Fish/Turkey 4oz meat cooked 6 tbsp. low fat gravy Chop meat into small pieces, blend on high speed, gradually adding gravy until desired consistency Yield 2 servings Calories (per serving) 126 Protein (per serving) 16.0 grams Tuna Salad 1 6 oz. can light tuna in spring water, drained 2 tbsp. fat-free Miracle Whip 1tsp mustard 1/2 tsp. onion powder 1/4 tsp. celery salt Add all ingredients to blender. Puree on high until smooth. Refrigerate Note: May substitute canned chicken for tuna Yield: 3 servings Calories (per serving): 60 Protein (per serving) 11.0 grams

I find that when I wake up I'm full of energy, so I get on my gear and I go walking, but about an hour after I can't keep my eyes open. Does napping after walking hurt my calorie burning or sabotaged my weight loss??

I buy them at one of the many local grocery stores I shop at called Cost Less. They are made by Foster Farms so I believe they are sold alot of places. Here's a link. http://www.fosterfarms.com/products/product.asp?productcode=14040 They have different flavors,even pastrami. One 2 oz serving has like 60 calories. 1/2 gram of fat and 13 grams of Protein. Very moist. Wayyy easier than buying a huge turkey and then worrying about cooking it exactly right..lol I fell in love with eggfaces page last night! Cannot wait to experiment this week! My freezer/fridge will probably be packed with leftovers! Hehe

If you post what you are eating each day it will help. Are you measuring your food? Counting calories? Exercising?

I consumed fewer calories than I burned. Find your TDEE with an online calculator and eat less than that number. https://tdeecalculator.net

Hello All, I have been considering lap band surgery since Nov. 2011. I met with a the surgeon's nurse practitioner and she was great! Answered many of my questions and was not pushy in my process. I attempted to lose weight on my own (again), but just seem to gain. I have insulin resistance and high cholesterol. I am 23, work full time as a paramedic and on call firefighter. I have become so discouraged, it seems I just keep gaining. I figure I now need to lose about 105lbs to be at a healthy weight ( I can't remember when I was at a healthy weight, but I have never been this big before) I am glad I found this forum, as I have read quite a few threads and I feel like I can get answers from people who have had the surgery. A few of my questions that I forgot to ask the nurse practitioner: Is 23 too young for this surgery? I have not had any children. Has anyone here had the surgery and then become pregnant? Does it increase any complications with pregnancy with having the surgery? I know the lap band won't take away emotional eating (something I have a problem with), but does it help to stop thinking about food? While I don't think I drink excessively for someone my age, I do enjoy going out and having drinks every now and then. How does the surgery affect consuming alcohol? Not that I would be embarrassed about having the surgery, I would like to keep it quiet. Is this the wrong attitude to have going into it? I am not sure how having the surgery and getting back to full time work as I do alot of heavy lifting and strenuous activity. I hope this isn't too many questions! I just want to feel confident and pretty again, I guess I just worry that this surgery won't work as I have decreased my calorie intake and I still seem to be gaining. Thanks so much for answers and advice!!! Kaylee

I'm on day 4 of my pre op diet (1120 calories) and these next two weeks will drag on. Any advice for post op?