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My surgeon's office has a nifty little store in the front with Protein shakes, bars, Soups, Snacks etc so you can try out different things to see what you like before you order a whole box of something. I saw these little packets of LiquaCel concentrated protein and grabbed a few. They are really tiny and come in flavors like watermelon, grape, orange, and mango. I add them to my Water or even to skim milk which takes like a creamsicle if you use the orange flavor. They have 16g protein in each pack and my friend told me she uses them to add in when she makes sugar free Jello as well. I recently saw them on the site that I buy my Multivitamins, so picked up a whole pack. I also did better with the sugar free carnation instant Breakfast (in the blue box) than I did with protein shakes. The protein shakes reminded me of a pepto bismol consistency. lol I'd mix a packet in my ninja with skim milk and 2 ice cubes and it was kind of like a thin chocolate shake with no aftertaste. I rely on unflavored protein too and just throw some in whatever Soup or yogurt I'm eating for a protein boost.

Are you sure ..full liquids means clear liquids..because...FULL LIQUIDS>>usually means anything that is liquid...thinned Soups, protein shakes, puddings (s/f) yogurt. Call your nutrionist...Also...I have heard of 1 week clear liquids..but 2 is a lil extreme. They do sell chicken broth that has protein in it from bariatic eating...I have not tried it. Also try to stay away from processed soups like campbells...you really want chicken broth --in the clear stage. Always remember..protein first...and foremost when you are in these stages..your body needs to repair itself. Also they will make you feel full. I am finding EAS from Sams is delicious w/ 4oz of Over the Moon milk = 28g of protein and only 3 carbs...good luck One more thing..do what works for you ..while following the rules!

I've been a struggling sleever since my surgery date of June 16th. I've been admitted to the hospital 4 times for dehydration and most recently low potassium. Well..all I've been able to tolerate is water and muscle milk. Tonight I decided to try 1 oz of Fage yogurt (plain sweetened with a touch of splenda). I've been working on this for an hour and I doubt I've gotten in a solid teaspoon. Every bite is grumble grumble burp then I try again. I'm using a baby spoon and barely licking some off the end of the spoon. Was eating this slow for anyone else? I feel so far behind because of my complications and I don't want to rush anything, but I feel like I need to try to move forward. Thanks for you advice Leanne

Breakfast - 6 oz apple juice mixed with a scoop of "Daily 5" (its all your vegies & fruites in powder form - 10 calories/2 carbs) Coffee mixed with DeVince Sugar Free carmel syrup, and a little whipping cream (sugar free) Lunch - 4 oz sf yogurt, 4 oz of cottage cheese, a handfull of granola mixed in Dinner - pasta salad with chicken added in Exercise - didn't make it to the gym Suppliments - Daily 5, Viactiv multi-Vitamin, liquid B-12 Weight today - 198.4 (no weight loss this month because no exercise lately and been eating what I want - I am back in control) Notes - I've been MIA lately. Just been so busy at home, at work and everything. I haven't made it to the gym the last few weeks because I've been doing a major remodeling job at my house. DH & I totally redid two bedrooms, including new carpet, paint, light fixtures, window treatments, the whole nine yards. They look great! Now that they are finished, I went to the gym yesterday morning. I managed to do 35 min on treadmill, burned 223 calories. I will be going tonight too.

why does the diet vary so much from surgeon to surgeon. mine is three protein shakes (2 made with skim milk, the other water) one cup of fat free veggies; broth; vegetable juice (not V8 fusion) sugar free apple sauce and pudding. fat free yogurt only plain and vanilla; cream of wheat and plain oatmeal. why can't my surgeon allow me to have a healthy dinner? well, great job on the 2 pounds already that is great. did you take your before pictures? keep up the good work.

Hello Melissa, Topdowndog, and luvmy3boyz.... I am also an October 16th bandster and doing pretty good on the fourth day out... I was a little weak today, but I think it was from being on the clear liquid diet and needing something a little more. I had a yogurt smoothie and a bowl of cream of wheat and I feel much better... I haven't had any problems with gas pains and was lucky not to get a sore throat... My throat would get dry and hoarse but that was about it... I only got the nausea feeling once, but I did get the hiccups alot, but a couple sips of Water would take care of that.... I am very pleased with my progress so far and I'm looking forward to a healthier way of life... Good luck and many blessings to all of the October bandsters and keep us posted on your journey...

I will share what I have heard on other LBTalk threads about hair loss. Several have said their docs attribute hair loss to not eating enough Protein. Another said her hairdresser believes it is because you may not be getting enough fat in your diet. Try adding protein, and be sure you are getting healthy fats - like olive oil, canola oil - in your daily diet. It does not take a lot, but you need some fat. Avocados and nuts are a good source of healthy fat, plus the avocado has Fiber, and nuts have both fiber and protein, along with the healthy fats. Keep the nuts to around an ounce or so. I usually have a few every evening as a snack, but you could also add chopped nuts to yogurt or fruit. I was banded in December and have not yet had a hair loss issue (may be a little early for that). Try not to worry about the speed at which you lose weight. Easier said than done! I keep reminding myself this band is not going anywhere, I am on a downward path, and if it takes a little longer than I like - it's still going toward the goal of a lighter and healthier me. Eat lots of protein (slow losers who have been successful recommend that), eat healthy and exercise. You will make it to goal... Carol - try tracking your food intake in a journal or on fitday.com or dailyplate.com. If you are not getting enough to eat your body believes you are starving and becomes extremely efficient at saving every fat cell you have ever owned to prevent starvation. Ask your doctor, but I believe you should be getting at least 800-1100 calories a day, mostly protein, then vegies/fruit, and "white" carbs like potatoes or rice seldom. This is what my doctor recommends - check to see what your doctor says... Good luck!

Stop drinking shakes and eat food. Shakes should only be used in the first couple of months after that they should go out the door. I eat 90 to 120 grams of protein a day, 60 grams of carbs, not much fat maybe 30 grams if that. I try to stay under 30 for sugar. Those shakes are killing your diet. You should only be eating food now. If you are too tight in the morning eat greek yogurt. Eat more then three times a day. I eat every couple of hours. Something is always going in my mouth. I just dont eat crap. I snack on grape tomatoes and other low calorie veggies. Lentils are good protein but also a lot of carbs. You are not eating enough protein without shakes. Drinking calories does not help you.

Yep! They're great in yogurt... I put flax seed in too, also helps with the number 2s!

Yes when food gets stuck, it does hurt! I have been banded since Jan and until this last fill I didnt have problems with being stuck. I can not and do not eat bread. I eat corn bread once in a while bec it is crumbly it goes down easier. I have already thrown up twice this week. I tried to eat a corn dog and it got stuck and the other was on eggs. The stuck feeling is a lot of pressure on my chest and my upper back. I also keep having to spit because it will not go down. I vomit to get relief and then the rest of the day you can only do liquids. The band is tricky, one time you can eat a cetain food with out any problem, then the next time it gets stuck. The band also gets tighter when you are stressed or having a cycle. It is really my fault for getting stuck because I know better than to eat a corn dog. It is very tight in the mornings and I can only eat yogurt or cottage cheese. You will learn to live with out certain foods. It is worth it in the end. I am seventy one pounds lighter. Best Wishes

I'm in your boat! Pre-sleeve: Breakfast- large cup of coffee lunch (if any)- salad or wrap But when I got home, all hell breaks loose. I would make chicken alfredo, steaks, mac and cheese, etc. Then, maybe a couple of hours later, I would have leftovers. This lasted maybe until 11pm. I could not stop shoveling food into my mouth. It was unattractive and borderline ridiculous. Fast forward to April 1st - the day I got sleeved. Everything seemed to be going great for the first two months maybe. Lately, I've found myself going up to the fridge, opening it, and looking inside, thinking maybe something yummy will catch my eye so I can devour it. Not good. Last week I emptied the whole thing out. I threw away everything that could potentially trigger a food fest. All i have in there is 1% milk, cheese sticks, greek yogurt, grapes, sugar free iced tea, cold cuts, and grapes. The grapes are there as a treat since they do have a lot of natural sugar. I find that even if I do go up to the fridge and "hunt" for something eat, I dont find anything that I want. Nothing tastes as good as skinny (or healthy) feels

What I want to know is who doesn't struggle with Snacks after dinner? It's sure not me. One thing I have done is move back dinner time a bit so there is less time between dinner time and bedtime. And I also do as others have mentioned: Keep the crap out of the house, have some healthy snacking alternatives, find something else to do to occupy myself. Most of the time, the combination of those things works well. Also, I make sure to eat enough earlier in the day that I am not truly hungry. I do have a snack every night after dinner ,but I try to make it a healthy one that is filling. Last night I had 1 graham cracker and 1/2 cup greek yogurt mixed with a small peach and some Splenda. Yum! ( I am at goal. I didn't start eat many graham crackers till I got to goal.) Lynda Lynda

I'm still fairly new at 6 or so weeks, but I like edamame, Ostrim, salmon, pb2, low fat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, split pea soup (11g protein per .5 cup), boiled egg whites.

Yup...I made it through the Clear liquid weeks. I am now to be on full liquids for a week...Thank God I can have a latte again!! I do have a question...I am pretty sure that I have NO restriction, and I am afraid that I still eat too much, and/or too quickly. Are we supposed to take 30 minutes to eat 2 Tbsp of Malt-o-meal?? I can go through it pretty quickly, the same goes for cream Soups, yogurt, pudding... What type of potential damage am I doing by eating too fast? Also, I am still unfamiliar with what it feels like to be full. Still, I am down 13 pounds in two weeks, even during the healing stage!! Sheryl Dr. Wetherille 244/231/140

I am on day 7 and mentally hungry. Are you allowed applesauce and yogurt and pudding already? I go for my postop check tomorrow and I really hope they say I can have some of that stuff or pureed food.

Well, glad you had the unfill. But, incase your surgeon's office did not say anything, you should stay on liquids for a day or 2 to let your stomach calm down. My surgeon recommends 2 days clear and 2 days full liquids after aboth a fill and unfill. Only one time did I break that rule, that was when I, also, had not had anything for a day. But, generally you need to let you swollen stomach relax. Take it easy!!!Karen PS:Even yogurt is hard to get to pass if you are swollen.

Yes congratulations on the century ride. I am so in awe of you athletes. I had a 6 oz Greek yogurt with half a dozen fresh chopped cherries this morning for Breakfast. That is pushing it with my still tiny sleeve. YUM!

How scary for you. First of all, I would like to say that at your age, you shouldn't make a dnr decision while you are depressed. I can completely empathize with you and hate this for you. It sounds like a terrible ordeal to endure. But, please consider that aside from how hard this is, making a death decision while depressed is not ideal. I feel confident to tell you that I have faith that you will somehow overcome this. I know that there may seem like not even a flicker of light to look forward to, but that is usually the case when we are facing extremely horrible and depressing things...but, they almost always improve and I'm praying now that this will for you. It is unfortunate that some people have such horrific side effects, but we all go through with this decision anyways in hope of a better quality of life. I know it makes it worse to look forward to only to end up in misery. Please call your doctor's office every day that this is not improving in order to make them fully aware of the seriousness. Don't wait for things to change, call them everytime you have a problem so they can assist you before you become so dehydrated, etc. again. I feel so bad and wish there was more I could do or say. As for food, have you tried nibbling on mashed potatoes? I know they are carbs, which is not ideal after surgery, but this seems to be more about survival at this point and getting over this hump. When I have been sick at my stomach in the past and struggling to eat, these are a few things I have tried: Gatorade, mixed with water in order to dilute. It is full of electrolytes which can help plus you will be mixing with water which can aid in fighting the dehydration, but you don't want to get too much sugar. I'd probably try G2 mixed with water now that it is an option and there are several flavors so maybe you can find one that is tolerable. Mashed potatoes. I was able to nibble on these a little easier than almost anything else when I was severely sick. Another thing you may try is a light yogurt (this may be hard bc it is thicker, but it is full of protein so it's worth a shot.) There are some meal replacement drinks I use bc I can't drink anything thick (as it grosses me out). It is called Advocare meal replacement shake. It mixes with water and doesn't have the after taste or smell of most meal replacements and it's loaded with protein. What I love most is that you can mix it with less water than required so that it isn't so much to drink and it's still relatively thin. It may be worth a shot. It is a little pricey so I had to sign up as a distributor bc I need the discount as I am drinkinig this every day for my protein, but it is well worth it for me. Here's the site: www.AdvoCare.com/120531202 You can just go to shop and type in meal replacement shake in the search bar. I always use the chocolate bc I like that flavor in general, but I have heard the other flavors are good as well. I am so sorry for what you are going through and I am happy to lend an ear to help get you through this. I just have a strong feeling that you can and will get through this. Hang in there sweet girl. Rach

Maybe try adding nonfat plain greek yogurt to your shakes. It will definitely boost the protein.

I became a vegetarian post op. and am not having any problems at all- other than some hair loss which was present pre op. I do eat dairy a few times a month (yogurt, cheese) but other than that it is all meatless items, fruits and veggies... I have personally NEVER felt better than I have since adopting this lifestyle and the hardest part has been cooking for me and hubby- he is a true carnivore...

Hello everyone. I haven't posted for a while. I hope you are all doing okay. I am at the stage post op where I can have all textures of foods. Problem is I don't really have a specific plan to follow, and it is difficult to stick to the diet when there aren't specific instructions. I've found that now that I can eat, I want to eat everything. Being hungry for the 3 weeks ppre-op, and then the past 4 weeks post op was difficult, and I think now that I am able to eat anything, I want EVERYTHING. I did not do well during the mushies stage, and in fact, I had a lot of high calorie puddings and yogurts. I was so hungry and after feeling deprived, my brain kept telling me that it was okay to eat. Anyway, I need to get recommitted and get started losing weight. It has been 10 days now since my 2nd surgery (unrelated but I have 6 inch incision in my abdomen and a 2.5 inch one in my back, and the recovery hasn't been easy). 2 surgeries within a month was a bit much for me and I haven't had the energy to fight through the dieting. So, I need to get completely back on track. What kinds of menus are you guys having. I need suggestions. Thanks, Cindy

I so totally agree with what you've been explaining. I am a band to sleeve, post op 2weeks. I was vegan before the sleeve but had some trouble w/the raw veggies after surgery, so I've added organic greek yogurt, whey Protein...it's a good quilty..but still, not my favorite. till I can tollate raw veggies again. But I agree if you are going to work out and strenght train you're body needs the good carbs to give you energy. Low carb high protein diets are not healthy. Eat whole foods organic when you can. Have you ever the book "The China Study"? Great read.

Hi everyone.. I was sleeved on the 24th as well.. Im down 27 pounds.. That includes 2 weeks pre-op.. I have been on puréed foods since Thursday and will stay on that for two weeks.. I kinda think I am having a stall.. I haven't lost in two days infact, I gained 1.5.. So, trying not to get discouraged.. However, I'm not getting all of my protein in.. So I'm working harder on that and hopefully it will send me back to losing.. As for what I'm eating.... Soups, pudding, yogurt and Popsicles.. Ready for the next phase.. Some days are soooo hard!!!!

I kept mine a secret until the last minute when my surgery got scheduled. I was on a 2 week mandatory liquid diet and did 1 extra week on my own. I ate a lot of soup, Jello and yogurt with no fruit. It was not that un-normal of food to eat for lunch so not much explanation was needed. But having kept it a secret and now being banded on 4/2/09 I sort of wish I had said something sooner- I lost 16lbs on my pre=op and that put me on a cloud- I just wanted to shout to the world but couldnt cuz i didnt say anything..... That is 1 thing pre-op i would change.... lisa

I'm also 12 days post op. I feel like i'm a newborn, eating every 2 hours, lol. I eat about every 2-3 hours, about 2 tablespoons at a time. Sipping throughout the day. I should do better about tracking the portions, but portions are so small its hard to measure. On full liquids, I eat protein Atkins advantage shakes, yogurt, pudding, and creamy soups (blended in the blender). and fudgesicles. (all the above are the sugar free/no sugar added versions, except the soups.