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My pre-op diet has been all liquids. Protein shakes, sugar free/fat free pudding, sugar free Popsicles, Kroger Carbmaster yogurt, and clear broths. Water, water, and more water. No foods whatsoever.

Well I guess I can try to remember the stats to answer your questions. 1. How long was your 'clear' liquid stage? 1 week 2. How long was your liquid stage? 2 weeks 3. How long was your 'smooth/mushy' stage? about 2 months though I stuck with soft foods till about 6 months because I couldn't eat (i.e. tolerate) anything fresh till then. 4. How soon did you transition to 'regular/normal eating? If you ask my friend and relative, I have not transitioned to "normal eating" because I eat so little at a meal. Not sure I will ever eat the way I did before getting sleeved. If your questions is when I transitioned to "normal food" I would say I have been eating "normal food" since the beginning, just choosing foods that met consistency requirements for the stage. What I mean is that I never choose to eat baby food (some NUTS recommended this for the first soft foods but I could never get past the idea so I choose foods like yogurt, eggs, cheese and tofu) 5. What was your SW? Just as it states on my stats 265. 6. How much had you lost at 1 month? 25 lbs 7. How much had you lost at 3 months? 49 lbs 8. What was your total loss at 6 months (using SW)? 70 lbs Hope the answers here help you in your Quest.

Well avoid the buffet's if you can but you have to eat so make sure you choose foods that fit your post-op eating plan, sounds like you are on mushies? You can try jello, pudding, soup, yogurt, cottage cheese, if possible try to get sugar free, but that may not be an option so remember texture is everything while you are healing! If possible you can go to the grocery store there and stock up on ready to drink protien shakes and sugar free yogurt and lowfat cottage cheese, of course that would require a cooler that you are faithful about restocking ice in or a refridgerator in your room (if you tell them it is for medical purposes they can accomodate you) other than that have a great time :confused: It's not as hard as you think to find band friendly food even while in the post op healing phase.

SleevePlicationTalk Newsletter Hey, Sleevers! Summer’s over and we’re into the beautiful days of early autumn. No matter where you live, we hope you’re getting a chance to get out and enjoy the weather! Any activity you do counts toward your weight loss, health and pleasure, so make an effort to get outside and get moving. Don’t forget to take your SleevePlicationTalk.com app with you so you can read the newsletter and keep up with the boards! Here’s what you’ll find in October’s newsletter. Member Spotlight: We’re still recruiting! Sleever Challenge: Lend a Hand! Having a Healthy Autumn: A Few Tips for Parents – and Other Busy SleevePlicationTalk.com Members! Weight Loss Surgery: Not the Easy Way Out! Can’t wait to get started? Neither can we! Enjoy the newsletter and please feel free to let us know what you think! Thanks for your support. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder SleevePlicationTalk.com Member Spotlight: Still Recruiting! If you want to be in the spotlight or you want to nominate someone else, let us know in the Spotlight Forum or send Alex a private message. We’re always looking for outstanding members to highlight! Sleever Challenge: Lend a Hand! We like to challenge you to try something new or unusual in each newsletter. The Sleever Challenge is a non-competitive way to push yourself a little further and experience something new while gaining confidence. Why do we ask you to post what you did? It helps motivate others and give them ideas for their challenges! This week’s challenge is pretty simple. Before the next newsletter, we’re just asking you to help someone. It can be any kind of help, from helping an elderly neighbor take the newspaper in to volunteering to give a motivational talk at your local weight loss surgery support group meeting to making dinner for your spouse even when it’s not your turn. This challenge does more than make someone else’s life easier. It makes you value yourself more when you see how powerful you can be just by being kind to others. Don’t forget to let us know how you helped someone! What did you do? How did it make you feel? Let us know how it goes in the Sleever Challenge forum! You can always check out any of the previous Newsletter Challenges and give us updates on those. You can always see the old challenges in the archived newsletters. You’ll see challenges on food, fitness and more! It’s never too late to try something new and exciting! Make It a Healthy Autumn: A Few Tips for Parents – and Other Busy SleevePlicationTalk.com Members! Okay, we know that the autumn is a busy time of year. If you’re a parent, your children are back in school and their activities are in full swing. You may be juggling work with your chauffeuring, catering and cleaning business – aka, taking care of your family! Most of us are pretty busy even if we’re not parents. It’s easy to use not having enough time as an excuse for getting off track with your weight loss. You might eat foods that you know you shouldn’t because you feel you just can’t squeeze in the time to prepare a healthy snack. We’ve all done it. You rush out the door in the morning and are busy all day. Some of these happen along the way. You are starving by lunchtime and grab a few truffles that make you nauseous. you dumping syndrome. You go by the vending machine for a soft drink that’ll make you feel sick within minutes. You realize at the end of the day that you haven’t stopped to drink for hours, and you have a headache and your stomach hurts. You know you should be eating lean Protein, but the closest thing you can find is pepperoni from the company’s pepperoni pizza – so to be polite, you eat the entire slice and it causes an obstruction. You start to depend on Protein shakes because those are the closest thing to a healthy meal that you can find at the company cafeteria. You don’t have to let a hectic schedule get in the way of your health! What can you do about it? Here are a few tips to make the most out of every day Prepare some of your meals and Snacks at the beginning of the week. Wash your fruits and vegetables so they’re easy to prepare when you need them. Cook some your Proteins - chicken breast, fish, seafood, lean beef and/or veggie burgers – and freeze them in single-serving baggies or containers. Cook up bigger batches, put them in single-serving containers and freeze them so you can defrost them when you’re ready to eat them. This is a great option for healthy side dishes, such as whole wheat Pasta, carrots or Beans. (You don’t have to make too much, since your single portions post-surgery are pretty small). Place snacks in single-serving bags if you buy a multi-serving package Plan your Breakfast the night before so you don’t have to think about it in the morning. Take the time to make a grocery list. It’ll save you time in the end. Using a list will keep you from forgetting foods and needing to go back to the store during the week. You’ll be faster in the store because you won’t get distracted. Sticking to a list will keep you from buying foods you shouldn’t. Buy ingredients for breakfast Buy snack foods Make sure you drink enough. Stash Water bottles in your car and at work and keep them filled. It’ll encourage you to drink throughout the day and you won’t have to take the time to run to the kitchen each time you need to drink. Stick a pitcher of water in the fridge so you see it several times a day. Keep healthy snacks at work so you never find yourself starving with nothing healthy to eat. Beef Jerky and canned tuna, chicken, beans, vegetables keep for months. Frozen foods to consider keeping around include grilled chicken and fish, veggie burgers and vegetables. Yogurt, low-fat cheese, cottage cheese and deli meats are high-protein snacks to keep in the fridge for a week or more. The more you plan, the better off you’ll be. You’ll save time and be more likely to eat well. And remember – you’re worth it! We suggest picking one or two strategies and working on them until you master them, then moving on to a new tip. Let us know how helpful the tips are! That’s a lot to chew on for this newsletter, so we’re going to end it here. There’s no end to the news, tips and conversations over at SleevePlicationTalk.com, so come on over via your computer, smartphone or Kindle! You can always check out the old newsletters, too, in the Newsletter Forum. Thanks for coming along in this newsletter and for being part of our fantastic community! We couldn’t do it without you. Have a great month and take care of yourself and each other, Alex. ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

VerticalSleeveTalk Newsletter By Hey, Sleevers!The weather’s warm, zucchini and watermelons are abundant and the Summer Games are providing inspirational moments for all of us. We hope life is good for you and you’ve been achieving your own goals this summer. To help you stay focused, here’s another newsletter from VerticalSleeveTalk.com. This is what we’ve got for you: Burning Question: What are the Best Sources of Protein? Member Spotlight: Kyllfalcon! Sleever Challenge: Record Your Diet! Life with the Sleeve: What’s Your Emergency Plan? We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and you get inspiration and a few great ideas from it. Of course, when you’re done reading, come on over to the VerticalSleeveTalk.com board and talk about the newsletter or anything else that’s on your mind. Also remember to drop me a line any time if you have comments or suggestions for the boards. Thanks! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder liquid diet after weight loss surgery, Protein shakes and Protein powder can help you meet your needs. Fat-free milk is another good source, and it also has Calcium and Vitamin D for strong bones. In the pureed foods stage, you can add in things like canned flake chicken, extra-lean ground beef and light tuna. Tuna has an extra benefit because of its heart-healthy omega-three fatty acids. Fat-free yogurt is another great option. You always want to look for lean meats and fat-free or low-fat dairy products instead of full-fat ones. That’ll help you limit your calories and reduce saturated fat, which is unhealthy for your heart because it raises your cholesterol levels. By the time you get to the soft (semi-solid) foods and solid foods stages, you have a lot more options. Fish, crab, white-meat, skinless chicken and turkey, and egg whites are almost pure protein – plus some essential nutrients. Be very careful to avoid any bones or gristle in your fish or meat. Some vegetarian options are tofu, Beans and low-fat cheese. Melted cheddar cheese makes a delicious topping for almost anything. Always eat slowly, savor the flavors and chew your food well before swallowing. Choosing Proteins that are lowest in calories and saturated fat will help you lose weight and stay healthy. Did you miss the previous Burning Question? You can always see the earlier Burning Questions in our scale victories has been while clothes shopping. Her old size was a 3x. After surgery, she mail-ordered a 1x pair of pants, and it was too big. She exchanged it for an XL, but that didn’t work, either. She finally settled on a size large – and we bet it’ll be too big for her soon! Kyllfalcon’s also proud and relieved to say that she can still enjoy family parties while losing weight! She can share in the pizza and birthday cake, but now she’s in control and knows when enough is enough – and when the party’s over, it’s time to get back to business. Kyllfalcon’s arthritis has improved a lot, and her blood pressure is under control. Water has been a little tough, but she fixes it up with Crystal Light. She reports a pretty smooth weight loss journey so far, and we think her success is due to her positive attitude. Kyllfalcon counts VerticalSleeveTalk.com as part of her official support group, along with friends, family and coworkers. She visits each day to get and give support. Some of her tips? Keep fighting – if you fall down, “get right back up to fight another day.” She also encourages you to “see yourself thin and healthy.” Thanks, Kyllfalcon, for being such a great role model and sharing your story in our member spotlight! Each newsletter features a different VerticalSleeveTalk.com member in the sleep. You should plan your own diet and exercise so that you always know what to do. Keep a log. An Olympic athlete keeps a training log to record each day’s workout and be able to look back and see what worked and what didn’t. Keeping your own diet and exercise log keeps you on track and lets you look back to see what patterns led to success and where you could have improved your choices. Visualize success. Most successful athletes take time each day to visualize their victory. They think about running that last lap in record time and accepting their medal on the victory podium. You can think about the bikini that you’re planning to wear next summer and the proud look on your spouse’s face when you two go out to dinner in the future. How will you let out your inner Olympian? Let us all know in the member Challenge Forum! Tell us what you did and whether you think it worked for you! The challenge is completely non-competitive, but we’d love for you to share your experiences. You’ll help inspire others to chase their own dreams. Miss a challenge? No problem! Just go back to the old newsletters to see what the challenges were. It’s never to late to try something new and tell us about it on the forums. Life with the Sleeve: What’s Your Emergency Plan? It’s Sunday morning and you haven’t been able to eat or drink all night because of nausea and vomiting. Your surgeon’s office hours are from Monday through Friday. You wait miserably until first thing Monday morning, when you call your surgeon. The receptionist is horrified to hear about your ordeal and says, “Why didn’t you call yesterday? We have someone here 24/7 for emergencies!” This scenario comes up all the time on the boards, and it’s truly heartbreaking because in most cases, the suffering you feel is entirely unnecessary. You should know what number to call when you have trouble. If your surgeon didn’t give you an after-hours number, ask for one. You should never have to wait a whole day just because your emergency happens on a weekend. And with that advice, we’re done with this newsletter. You can always read it again and look through old newsletters in the Newsletter Forum. We’re always happy to hear from you and to see increased participation on the boards, so log in and get talking! Thanks for your support. Take care of yourself and each other, Alex ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?app=core&module=usercp&tab=newsletter

I'm using the time to try shakes and different soups and yogurts. Then instead of looking forward to the last appointment I plan trips to the beach,concerts,movies. Just had my 21st birthday and I look forward to those that come sooner. And as those go by my last appointment gets closer.

SleevePlicationTalk Newsletter Hey Sleevers!The lull of summer is ending, and autumn is just around the corner. How did you do in meeting your goals this summer? We hope you met your weight loss and health goals, but if not, don’t worry. It’s the perfect time to get back into your weight loss routine if you got sidetracked during a summer vacation. Pick yourself up, return to your bariatric surgery diet and, of course, let us help! Here is what you’ll find in this month’s newsletter. Sleever Poll: How Did You Find Out About SleevePlicationTalk.com? Your Sleeve Plication lunch – Packing Your food for a Busy Day Keep the Forums Positive! Take a look at the newsletter and then join us at SleevePlicationTalk.com! We’re always looking for more participation, and we welcome your feedback, so drop us a line whenever you want! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder SleevePlicationTalk.com Sleever Poll: How Did You Find Out About SleevePlicationTalk.com? A. Search engine (e.g., Google, Yahoo!, Bing, etc…please tell us which one) B. Friend or family member C. Your surgeon D. Your primary care physician (PCP) E. An offline support group F. Your nutritionist or dietitian G. Someone else from your doctor’s or surgeon’s office (e.g., a nurse or receptionist) H. App store (e.g., iTunes, Google Apps Marketplace) I. Another way. Mark your answer and discuss it in the forums! Your Sleeve Plication Lunch – Packing Your Food for a Busy Day By mid-September, many of us are back into regular routines. If you have children who take their lunches to school, you make sure their lunches are appetizing and healthy. Your own lunch deserves just as much care. These tips can help you create easy sleeve-friendly sack lunches to take to work. Have these helpful items on hand: An insulated lunch bag A small spoon, fork and knife A set of small containers with tight-fitting lids Plastic baggies An insulated beverage container (unless you stick to Water bottles) Once a week: Figure out how many days you will need to take a lunch to work in the coming week. Plan your lunch menus, make a shopping list and get the groceries you need The night before: What can you do so that packing your lunch is easier in the morning? Measure your chicken breast Pack a serving of leftovers from dinner in a small container with a tight-fitting lid Wash and cut some fruit and vegetables Pack your utensils and a bottle of water Count your crackers Portable protein: Just as it does when you’re at home, Protein comes first when you’re on the go. These are some ideas for brown baggers. Tuna or chicken in cans or pouches Hard-boiled eggs (If you have a fridge at work): cottage cheese Fat-free canned refried Beans or low-sodium pinto, black or garbanzo beans Low-fat string cheese or light Laughing Cow cheese Lean ham or turkey breast Leftover grilled chicken or fish Peanut Butter If you’re still in the pureed foods stage, try lentil Soup, Protein shakes, hummus and Greek yogurt. Nutritious combinations: Combine your protein with vegetables, fruits and whole grains for their Fiber and other nutrients Dip and raw vegetables, such as carrot and celery sticks, grape tomatoes and cauliflower florets salad with chicken or tuna and shredded low-fat cheese Peanut butter on whole grain crackers or with apple slices Ham and low-fat cheese rolled up in a small whole-grain tortilla Greek yogurt with high-fiber Cereal or melon One-half small whole-wheat bagel with fat-free cream cheese and canned salmon If you’re post-op and not at the solid foods stage yet, try fat-free cottage cheese with pureed canned peaches, fat-free refried beans with low-fat shredded cheddar cheese and instant oatmeal with skim milk and Protein powder. Have extras on hand. You might get stuck working late or unable to make your planned lunch-time trip to a grocery store. Stash protein-containing Snacks at work for those occasions. Protein Bars and powder, canned tuna and chicken, roasted soybeans and almonds provide protein and do not need refrigeration, so you can keep them at work or in the car. Lunch after weight loss surgery can be a disaster if you opt for fast food or whatever’s in the vending machine, plan, but you can easily pack a healthy lunch that fits into your diet. Plan ahead, have the containers and utensils you need and focus on lean protein and other nutritious choices so that your lunch supports weight loss. Keep the Forums Positive! You come to SleevePlicationTalk.com for information and support. Unlike many other online forums, SleevePlicationTalk.com maintains a positive atmosphere and has zero tolerance for rudeness. We welcome anyone who is interested in weight loss surgery, regardless of their personal beliefs about it. When you see a post that is inappropriate or offensive, please report it using the “report post” link located at the bottom of the post. We realize and appreciate that nearly all members try hard to be welcoming, helpful and polite. These are a few tips to help you avoid avoid accidentally saying something that can be hurtful to another member. Say, “my surgeon told me…,” not, “the only right way is…” Say, “I think I would choose …,” not, “You made the wrong choice.” Say, “Have you considered…?,” not, “You’re not ready for your weight loss journey.” Say, “I have found that …,” not, “The right way is …” Each of these statements let you give your own opinion and advice without accusing other members of doing something wrong. Thank you for keeping the boards positive! That’s what we have for this month’s newsletter. Thank you for reading it and for your contributions to the board! You can always check out the old newsletters in the archive section. Take care of yourself and each other! Sincerely, Alex ==============================================================If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: {unsubscribe}

Do you eat eggs? I used to take 3 parts egg beaters, 1 part fairlife milk and 1 part cheese to make a soft scrambled egg. I also make my own Protein shakes using fairlife chocolate milk and GENEPRO. I blend it in my ninja with ice for a shake. It has a good chocolate flavor and covers up the genepro. I also add a tbs of PB2 for a change. Oikios triple zero is a decent high protein Greek yogurt if you can handle Greek. HW 385 SW 359 CW 305 Sleeved 10/5/16

I can eat an 8oz yogurt and other slider foods in a single sitting but dense Protein like cheese or chicken it's more like 4. My nut said 80-90g protein (90 when exercising) and 800-1000 Cal's a day. I have had two long stalls where I gain and lose the same 3lbs, then all of a sudden lose 10lbs. I know I've been eating too much junky higher carb foods. Part of that is from feeding other non fat or no diet people. When husband gets the surgery I am going get back on a regimented diet. When husband is on pre and post op liquid diet I am going to do so as well. I think it will help him stay on track and will help "reset" me as well. HW 385 SW 359 CW 305 Sleeved 10/5/16

I start soft foods tomorrow....My information packet from my nutritionist has these foods listed (eat at your own peril)... Canned fruits packed in juice, not syrup...peaches, pears, fruit cocktail Canned vegetables - green Beans, carrots, peas, etc. Baked potato (no skin), crackers, hot Cereal, Pasta (?) its on the list... Fish - canned or fresh (nothing fried, no shellfish) Soft mild cheeses, cottage cheese, yogurt eggs Tofu

individual serving size packets of tuna or salmon turkey pepperoni individual serving size packet of peanut butter or almond butter protein powder + a shaker bottle (you should be able to get bottled water or milk at the courthouse - most courthouses will have a snack bar type place - also if they do, they should have things like yogurt & cottage cheese for sale. You may want to check with the courthouse in advance and see if they have a snack bar or other place to buy ready to go food, or perhaps even a cafeteria which would likely have food you can eat).

Well I guess I'll respond first! LOL. The link was very helpful in regards to many of our concerns about discussing weight with our kids. It can be a very slippery slope and as parents or caregivers we have to take caution when having these conversations because our kids are very sensitive to what we say and it may stay with them for the rest of their lives so we need to have positive words and not negative. I myself have been guilty of negative words like "oh you're shaped like your dad" or "I didn't see (insert childs weight here) lbs until I was 7 months pregnant with your brother!" These words only lead to additional feelings of unworthiness and unnacceptance and does not help the child at all! The link provided some very common dillemas amongst parents and children including situations and scenarios when talking to your kids about weight can turn into a positive and impactful moment. It's a touchy subject and those of us who are dealing with an overweight child be it your own, or family member, neighbor etc. and I'm constantly in pursuit of how to tackle this issue daily! My daughter now 12 is in the 90th percentile for height and weight. I've become desperate to get her weight under control and looked into camps I could send her away to, or even signing her up for weight watchers. Both I felt although the intentions were innocent, the outcomes could be damaging and set her up for a lifetime of failure. But how do I get her to listen to me without her feeling that I'm putting her down about her weight? it's a thin line. I've learned that leading by example is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children. Since my WLS I have been eating healthier meals and Snacks, decreased portion sizes, Zero sweetened beverages, fast food etc. As a result I cook more-- and decided if I won't eat it why give it to my kids? I've encouraged my daughter to go to the gym with me-- she loves it and it makes her feel more grown up. Something her friends aren't even doing! She plays softball (she's darn good at it too) playing up a level with an older age group and more than keeping up. She made her Jr high school girls basketball team so she's been engaging in 2 hours of practice after school 5 days a week. Softball practice one day a week and games on Sunday. We meal plan throughout the week, get up early or go after softball practice and do our shopping and on Sundays we meal prep. She takes her lunch every day todays lunch included a salad topped with cucumbers, strawberries, turkey breast, boiled egg and light raspberry vinaigrette. Sides include 6 Strawberries, Greek Yogurt, Colby jack cheese stick and a Zero calorie Steaz tea. I allow and encourage her to pack 1 sweet treat last week were 9 pumpkin spice yogurt pretzels. This week will be Pepperidge farm Milano Cookies (2) 120 cal. I am trying to encourage moderation not deprivation. So far-- it's working well. Since school has begun 9/6 she has lost close to 10lbs. She's blown away by how fast she's losing and I tell her it's all her hard work and of course her youth! Its also reinforcement to continue the healthy behavior. I have her weigh weekly to maintain accountability for her choices and make tweaks in her plan as needed. She has a short term goal that she is very close to and a long term goal that we hope to achieve by the end of the school year. Reminding her that 1-2 lbs a week is normal and that stalls will happen along the way. She is rewarded with things that matter to her. A new shirt, nail polish, sleepover with a friend. the most important thing is we're doing it together-- and she's guiding the ship. I asked her do you ever feel like I put you on a diet. She said yes! but then she took it back saying " well-- not really we've made a lot of changes though. No McDonalds or wendys everyday or ever now! But it's ok I don't get headaches as much as I used to and I like making the food that I eat. I feel like I used to eat without even thinking about it and now I understand more about serving sizes, calories, sugars and Protein. I understand how easy it is to eat way too much without even realizing it! and now I know better."-- out of the mouths of babes. I'm on a mission for my health and I couldn't imagine leaving her behind.

I was on purees for four weeks, so I had a lot of experience getting purees to taste good! I wasn't allowed fruit or veggies (or grains of course), only high protein foods. In addition to the standard refried beans, cottage cheese, poached eggs, and Greek yogurt, I did a lot of pureed meat -- I would puree it with a flavorful sauce or dressing of some sort, and heat it up in the microwave with some cheese on top. This made it like a little mini-casserole. Mostly I worked with canned/pouched meats, since I was eating so little it didn't make sense to go buy a whole package of fresh chicken breasts or something. Here are some of my favorite combos: Thai spicy tuna with sriracha sauce and pepper jack cheese Lemon-dill salmon with tartar sauce and swiss cheese Shrimp with remoulade Chicken with low carb bbq sauce and cheddar cheese Turkey with peanut sauce and jack cheese Chicken with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese I also made and loved Eggface's ricotta bake. I made a half recipe and still couldn't finish it within a couple of days though. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html --scroll down a little bit for the baked ricotta recipe. She also has some other good ideas there.

For Protein Shakes I used a mini blender buy hamilton beach. Only 15 dollars at walmart has a travel cup which is used to make the ingredients. Works really well on crushing ice in Protein shakes. I use a stick blender to make fruit in Greek yogurt during mushy. Other than that I didn't use a blender or food processor for mushies.

V8 juice, oatmeal and cream of wheat (both thinned with skim milk), smooth yogurt (no pulp or berry seeds), and applesauce.

I'd do a shake, also small things like cheese sticks, babybel cheeses, deli turkey or ham rolled up, yogurt.. Do you have access to a fridge?

I was banded in 2/28 and I have been ok with my hunger. I think my trick is I eat a little bit all day. Like for example today, I had a Protein shake on my way in to work, then at 9am I had a yogurt, then at 11:45 I had some chicken salad and a sugar free pudding, then at 2:30 I had another yogurt (carrot cake flavor, yum) and then at 3:45 I had another sugar free pudding. In between all that I was chugging Water. I have been sticking to that kind of eating pattern since surgery and I have lost 5lbs since surgery. Believe me I have wanted french fries and ice cream too, but I watch a lap band sugery on youtube.com yesterday and seeing the brutal things that were done inside me I have refrained from eating solid foods because it needs to heal. Try drinking more water or crystal light. I have seen this post many times on this site, so you are not alone. I have heard this is the time you have to white knuckle through it. Remember that tummy of yours was just put through hell and back so be nice to it. Good Luck!!

I totally understand you... I normally eat as a healthy snack some small chopped fruit, seeds, greek yogurt, half a cup of soup or dried fruit:) Sometimes I even make myself some cooked ham rolls with low fat cheese..!

High protein snacks! Cottage cheese, ham and cheese rolls, a few bites of a quest protein bar, It am almost three months post op and my monthly cravings are awful I eat bad each time. Next month I am going to make a fruit and yogurt smoothie and see if that helps my sweet tooth because cookies and chocolate will kill me in the long run.

I can actually get down on the floor now and GET UP BY MYSELF! This is still quite amazing to me. There is a ton of information about WFPB eating online. Go to You Tube and watch "The Game Changers" and "Forks over Knives." That will give you a good idea. Basically it is WHOLE, unprocessed food. That means food as close to its natural state as possible. Whole grains, not refined grains, for example. No processed sugars, no animal products (that includes dairy and eggs), no processed oils (you use avocados, nuts and seeds and nut butters instead.) LOTS and LOTS of veggies and fruit, plenty of starchy veggies, lots of legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, no alcohol, no soda or artificial colors/flavors/chemicals, decreased salt. Many WFPB folks also avoid gluten (wheat, rye, barley) and I am highly sensitive to it, so have already avoided that for years. I get more than enough protein, tons of fibers and phytonutrients, eat all I want, am never hungry, have tons of energy, and am NEVER sore after workouts. Amazingly, my cholesterol always hovered around 225-235, even after losing over 100 pounds. Once I went WFPB, my cholesterol dropped like a rock to 152 (80 points!!!). My triglycerides and LDL also plummeted. Even with the low total cholesterol, my HDL went up to 80. For me, it is a lifestyle that I will maintain for life. It is change, for sure, but not actually hard to do. Most of my family is making the switch as well. You don't have to go 100%, either. When you look at the areas of the world (the blue zones) where people live to be over 100 and have virtually no cardiac disease, osteoporosis, dementia, cancer, or diabetes, these are all plant based societies. Does this mean they won't eat some fish or cassowary eggs if they find them? No. But animal protein is the exception or reserved for celebrations. They don't eat meat 3 times a day like most of the western world does. I will occasionally eat an egg (my own backyard chickens) or a little wild game meat. (The more I learn about commercially raised cattle, hogs, chickens, turkeys and dairy cows, the more I cannot bring myself to eat these products.) So there you go - probably more info than you wanted. I started this about 6 months after my surgery as I learned about it and once I was able to eat the volume that is required. I had to rely a bit more on the grains and nuts to keep my calories up so I wouldn't keep losing weight. I used pea protein powder as needed to keep my protein up. I don't need that now, with the increased legumes, tofu, tempeh, and soy/oat milk and yogurt. Now I eat a lot more of the veggies and legumes, and control my weight very easily with decreasing/increasing the grains and nuts. I did gain 8 pounds of COVID weight, but have lost all of it and some extra, just by cutting back a bit on the nuts and grains. It really couldn't be easier!

Well the time has come and i am being banded tomorrow. I have lots of worries and fears especially what to eat after. The doctor said mushies would be ok by Tuesday in the afternoon if all GOD WILLING goes well. So i have bought chobani yogurts, cottage cheese with the fruit in it, ricotta, i have my pro-stat 64 drink ready to be used, Jello, and sugar free pops, and everything i bought is mostly sugar free. but i feel like i am limited to that stuff oh and of course Soups...i guess you can have cream based but i haven't bought any creamed based. i will stay away from that for a while. but any other suggestions meal wise??? so nervous that i will just come home and have ice cream shakes Breakfast lunch and dinner.

Did anyone find that once they lessened their dependency on Protein shakes and stared eating more real food, their weight loss progressed faster? Been stalled for 3 weeks now after 9/29 surgery. Right now, a typical day is... B- pure Protein shake S- dannon light and fit vanilla Greek yogurt (1 carton) L- canned chicken (3 oz) with light mayo S - pure protein shake D - lean protein like fish or chicken (3 oz) S - pure protein shake Usually ends up at about 700 calories and 120g protein. So those numbers are OK per the NUT. But, wondering if the shakes may be causing the stall. Going to start tomorrow having a scrambled egg for Breakfast and some nuts for morning snack, keeping 1 shake a day. May have to supplement with some unflavored Protein powder to get to the number. Just wondering if anyone else stalled due to the shakes. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Thanks so much for the replies. I will look into the Isopure, I've read about that before. I can definitely work with a high protein/low carb diet, I'll do some looking online for some ideas. I'm thinking eggs, greek yogurt, grilled chicken and salad, etc. Thanks!

I eat Dannon Light&fit Greek yogurt and Chobani with no problems. I also went with the family to get over cream the other day, they had fat free, sugar free frozen yogurt, I didn't eat much but it was luscious !!!

To me the most daunting part of this whole experience was going to be the 2 week pre-op diet. Here's the scary part. My surgery is August 26th. That means as of this morning I am starting the anxiety invoking, terrifying, I hope I can do it, I have to do it 2 week diet. In these 2 weeks I am going to wean myself off of coffee (my taste of heaven every morning, noon and night). I plan on making it weaker and weaker by adding more fat free milk. Until it is more like milk with a splash of coffee vs. the other way around. I do self medicate in the sense that I use caffine to prevent my migraines. For those that don't have migraines, just imagine a headache 10 times worse than a caffine withrawl headache with a sinus infection during a very stressful time on top of allergies. I am afraid to be hungry. I get headaches when I am hungry. I have prepared my self for this diet for weeks now. I have tried practically every bariatric Protein drink available and have purchased the ones I like (yes, there are a few that are really, really yummy). I have stocked up on diet pop-cycles, diet fudge-cycles, crystal light, diet gatorade, fat free milk, cream of wheat, cream of rice, diet syrup for the cream of rice and wheat, diet Jello, diet pudding, cream of tomato Soup, cream of chicken soup, I even bought yogurt (which I detest but gonna try anyways). This is probably gonna be one of the hardest hurdles I'll have to jump in my life. I've got the CAN-DO attitude, I need to do this. I would appreciate as many words of encouragement that I can get.