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Ok, so I get the dense proteins. And I know I need veggies and want them but not sure why I will be sorry if I don't eat them?? What other foods. Especially breakfast foods? I have been eating plain greek yogurt but it's not really working for me anymore now that I have pretty much progressed to trying to eat anything. I love the yogurt and love all the protein in it but it doesn't keep me full for long at all. So advice on breakfast foods and any other foods other than the dense proteins that you listed?

I make my own last night I did grilled chicken, apples, pralein pecans, blue cheese, spring mix with simply fresh pomagranet dressing. I also love a homemade ranch made with 1cup plain Greek yogurt 1/2cup milk 1package ranch mix (salde dressing not dip) and mix let it sit over night. I dip veggies in it or put on baked potato it ups the protien. Ohhh and do you ever go to Los hermanos? They have the best chicken tortilla soup I buy a quart and eat on it all week.

Bigger from Birth…And Then College Hit Michele was always big. She was at the top of her height and weight charts from the time she was an infant. She remembers times in her childhood when she couldn’t or wouldn’t participate because she was so big. She didn’t like physical education or sports, and the other children teased her. Food was a comfort. Michele describes the situation as a vicious cycle. The more kids teased her, the worse she felt. The worse she felt, the more she ate. The more she ate, the more she weighed. The more she weighed, the more she got teased. College was a disaster in terms of her weight. Forget about the freshman 15. What about the freshman 40? And the sophomore 40? Add to that the junior 40, the senior 40, and, for good measure, the super-senior (fifth-year) 67, and you now know how Michele Elbertson got to be 427 pounds at the age of 22 years. A Young Weight Loss Surgery Patient with New Relationships Michele made the decision to get the lap-band on her own. She needed a tool to help her control how much she ate, but understood that it was up to her to control what she ate. She only told her parents about her decision after she was sure about it. They were supportive, and have been since then. Michele has taken full advantage of and responsibility for the band. She has lost 260 pounds – 260 pounds! – in less than four years. As she says, she’s a determined person who will accomplish anything she sets her mind to. Michele began to “eat to live” rather than “live to eat.” As her relationships with food and exercise changed, so did her relationships with some friends. She lost some friends whose relationships centered only on food. She gained many more, though, through her new activities. She says the friends she’s gained through running and fitness far outweigh those she lost by changing her lifestyle. An Athlete Is Born Michele ran her first 5k after losing 100 pounds – when she was still 327 pounds. She was hooked. She loved the training, the atmosphere of the race, and the accomplishment. She has never looked back. Since then, she has run countless other races, including 38 half-marathons, 6 marathons, and a 50-miler ultra-marathon. She has also competed in triathlons. Now at an athletic 159 pounds, Michele has her sights on even greater challenges. In the near future, she wants to run a 100-miler and complete an Ironman. Both are feats that most people wouldn’t even dream of. Marathons, Ultras, and Ironmans Now, not everyone’s a distance runner or triathlete, so to understand Michele’s accomplishments, here are a few facts about these endurance sports. A marathon is 26.2 miles. All marathons are 26.2 miles. An ultra-marathon is anything over 26.2 miles. Michele’s recently completed ultra-marathon was 50 miles, and she is training for a 100-miler. A triathlon includes swimming, biking, and running. An Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon. Fitting It All in Every Day Michele works out 6 days a week. Currently, she’s training for an ulta-marathon and is running 5 days a week and lifting weights 3 times. She also does Zumba classes. She takes a rest day once a week. Michele has built her life to be able to accommodate her training schedule. She recently quit her teaching career to focus instead on helping others achieve their fitness and health goals. She is a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. Working at a gym is pure genius – it leaves her with no excuse not to get her workout in! Eating Like a Bariathlete How do you have energy to train like an athlete and work full-time while losing over 200 pounds in 4 years? Ask Michele. Here’s how she eats and works out in a typical day. 7:00 a.m. breakfast: almonds and yogurt or eggs/romaine lettuce 9:00 a.m. snack: protein bar Workout, such as running, lifting, or group fitness class, such as Zumba or bokwa Noon. lunch: soup or salad, usually the largest meal of the day 2:00 p.m. snack: cheese and crackers or something small, equivalent to 200 calories (may include a fruit or vegetable) 4:00 p.m. snack: hot tea 6:00 p.m. dinner; lean protein, veggie, possibly a carb 7:30 p.m. snack: lemon water/hot tea. The number of calories Michele eats during a day is 1,800 (her resting metabolic rate) plus half of the calories she burns through exercise. So, if she runs 10 miles and burns 1,200 calories in exercise, she’ll eat 1,800 plus 600 calories, or 2,400 calories. She allows herself an occasional treat meal with junk food, but still counts those calories. The Accolades Michele is more than your typical bariatric patient, and she’s been getting the recognition she deserves for her extraordinary achievements. These are a few recent examples. Runner’s World magazine Cover Contest Finalist. Makeover on the Rachel Ray Show. Local feature on 6ABC Action News in Philadelphia. Dealing with Negativity – Don’t Worry About It One of the most striking things about Michele is her drive. She has worked very, very hard to get where she’s at today. She’s lost 60 percent of her body weight through being very disciplined every day. And, she has run marathons. Anyone who has run a marathon can tell you that it is was harder than they had ever imagined. Anyone who hasn’t run a marathon cannot imagine how difficult it is. But with all the publicity, Michele has receive a lot of nasty comments. How is she supposed to react when people slam her? They say she hasn’t accomplished anything, that the band has done it all. In fact, they basically say what a lot of weight loss surgery patients hear all the time from people who don’t know any better. So how does Michele react to negativity? She doesn’t want to respond directly and add “fuel to the fire.” She knows they don’t know anything about her, and she’s probably done more exercise and worked harder than they ever have. So, she just goes about her business. Leading by Example Michele says she hopes her successes and story will give others hope. She describes herself as a “real person” and “very down-to-earth,” and she hopes others will see that they can accomplish what she has. In the future, she would like to travel to seminars as a motivational speaker. In the meantime, we congratulate her on her amazing story and wish her well in her 100-miler this spring!

Im 9 days post op. My cravings have NOT gone away. When I drink my shake or eat my yogurt, my restriction does not kick in until after its too late so I have to portion control myself. And then I still experience cravings for real food [emoji22]

Chicken pureed with a tiny bit of mayo or Greek yogurt and different seasonings (curry powder is great), same with salmon/tuna/crab, cottage cheese with some sugar free jam, refried beans with a little taco seasoning and salsa, cream soups with added protein powder. Check out http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html for some more pureed ideas.

Yea, wow is right! so much for a support group! @ StewsHunnyBunny, I was also banded 8/31, I was on liquids for 1 week, and then started the pureed yesterday after my 1 week post op visit with my Dr. i was very excited to have lost 15 lbs so far! I cannot bring myself to stuff food in a blender yet, so im just sticking to yogurt, mashed potatoes, soups, and shakes. Each Dr. is different with what they want you to do, you are ready for the mushies now, so go ahead and enjoy those eggs! Oh and i feel all those pains and weird things you mentioned too, my Dr. said its normal. Good Luck!

Yeah I know... my nutritionist told me its ok to have yogurt the 4th day.. I started reading the forums and found out that some didnt drink it till a week later.. I was bloated yesterday from the protein shake and got so paranoid and called the doctors office upset lol! But he told me supposedly its ok.. people telling me different things.. Im kinda getting confused so I stopped the yogurt and its my 9th day and Im still in clear liquids haha... so scared to feel bloated again or mess up my band. Plus I dont mind being in liquids for a while as long as I will be ok.. its my 9th day and I already lost 7 lbs! Yey! My only problem is my obsession with the scale lol ....................... and sucked on a cheetos puff... ( HeyJust wanted to taste it k lol ) I will agree to be in liquids forever as long as I have cheetos puff lol!

Well, my dad and my husband both regained some of the weight back (Dad gained about 60 lbs over the past few years, and husband gained back 15 lbs over the last year) because unlike me, they didn't feel the need to watch what they ate cuz they had the stomachs of hamsters for so long. And yet somehow that still manages to piss me off: "These mothafuckas get to eat whatever they want, and they still look like Sally Struthers should be raising money for them. And I am eating yogurt for lunch and LOOKING LIKE SALLY STRUTHERS!" :-P

There are many many times when I feel like this is a real test of our own will power--but with the third fill I got, I finally got real restriction for two weeks. So there is a light at the end of the tunnel, Ang--I KNOW it's there for us! I'm sure with the move coming up on Saturday, your mind is certainly on more than "what am I going to cook for dinner?!" Moving is your main priority right now (and by the by, your pain on the left hand side could be your port--have you been packing and lifting boxes??? Your port is sewn into the abdominal muscles and they could be getting sore from the workout you're giving them!) I wouldn't be too concerned about the cooking--there are tons we can eat that don't require cooking (yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese) and I find that Michelina's makes a great little microwave meal that done in a jiffy!! Life is too short and there are many many food options, m'dear!! :thumbdown: PS Just make sure you get back to Curves next week!!!

It sounds like you're doing quite well. I couldn't do the protein shakes, either, but my saving grace was Chobani brand Greek yogurt. Each small container provides 14g of protein. It takes me about 20-30 minutes to eat one but I try to get in 4 per day. I focus on other types of protein (cheese, salmon, tuna, beef) for other meals. I'm not eating raw fruits or vegetables yet--still on "mushy" foods.

I had my parents come for a week, although they stayed in a nearby hotel because I have a small apartment. They live about 5 hours away. It was great for them to come for emotional support, but honestly, that was about all that was really needed. The surgery center made clear that I was supposed to be doing all of the fixing of food etc. My mom kept saying "let me do that," but I kept reminding her I needed to do it myself. It was good to have them for the laundry (mostly getting smaller clothes out of storage and sheets and towels, but that could have waited another week) and dishes (again, mostly what they were using as I was only eating liquids like protein shakes and yogurt). I was in a lot of pain so it was nice to have them here, but it did make it harder to sleep during the day as my mom can't sit still and kept asking me what else she could do 😐Now that they have left, I have asked a fried to buy me a case of protein drinks (I had one brand I liked) and bring them into my apartment because they are too heavy to lift. If you have a complication, that would be a different issue. Oh, I didn't try stairs until about day 4, but they turned out to be a non-issue. However, sleeping in a bed was hard because it was very hard to get up from lying down due to incision pain (felt like I had done about a million sit ups). I suspect that will be harder than the stairs to your bedroom. If you have a wedge pillow and can sleep on your back, that may be helpful. Other people have suggested recliners, but I don't have one. best of luck!

Dear rosiegirl, Dr. Roslin did mine and my sisters surgery too. Hers in sept. Mine on Oct 20, I spent 11 days in the hospital, had some complications, so once I could eat which was 5 days after surgery, he put me on a mushy pureed food, I thought it strange and my Mom called Debbie his asst. And then for the ray of the time I ate nothing but yogurt and cream of wheat. Tomorrow I will be 3 weeks out, so hopefully I can change it up a little. Take care

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.

Frozen yogurt is not a good choice. The carbs and sugar are going to impede weight loss, and there is no protein in it. Protein and water should be your main focus right now.

I am also loving shrimp and I'm 8 weeks out! I even take just 4 boiled shrimp with some lemon for lunch because it doesn't take much planning! Throw some Greek yogurt or a boiled egg with it and I'm ready to go! I've also been grilling it and trying it with different spices, my whole family loves shrimp so it is a win, win!

Had my sleeve done Monday, the 7th. Definately takes some getting used to. Left the hospital on Tuesday, by Wednesday was off pain meds. Keeping up on the liquids is hard, the vitamins even worse. I am drinking more by the day, and feeling a lot better. The gas pains really suck, and walking does help. Can't wait until my follow up on Monday, I can't wait to eat yogurt and a little bit of an egg!!!! With the pre and post op diet, I am learning that I miss solid food and the taste of real food. The small burps, and bowel gurgles are crazy!

I was holding off grocery shopping for my post-op diet until I saw my NUT...I am planning on doing that shopping this weekend...it's about time, since my surgery is Monday I have been taking notes from the message boards for several weeks now, and I am merging those notes with the packet my NUT gave me Wednesday...I could use a little advice and guidance please My post-op prescribed program is Clear liquids for the first two days...that includes a clear Liquid Protein drink--60 to 70 grams of protein each day...the brand my NUT recommended is New whey liquid...they come in 3.8 oz liquid vials, and each vial contains 42g protein...that means I would drink (sip) 1.5 to 2 vials each of the two days...she is advising I just sip about a third of each vial in a "sitting," which means it would take six sittings throughout the day to get it all in...plus of course the rest of my fluids...I am tempted just to buy the 4 vials of what she recommended--it's only 4 two days post-op, and I think I could drink them very cold and tolerate them for just 2 days...any feedback on this? I am more concerned about shopping for the next 10 to 12 days when I will be on a "full liquid" diet...the NUT says that the New Whey Liquid used during the first two days aren't sufficient nutritionally for this full liquid phase...she gave me a list of suggested brands with her personal recommendations highlighted...here are the highlighted options (in this phase I need 70-75g protein daily): --EAS Myoplex Original ready to drink; 17oz has 42g protein --Oh Yeah! Nutritional shake from GNC in powder or ready to drink; 32g protein in 14 oz drink --Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein from GNC in homemade vanilla ice cream flavor; 23g protein/scoop of powder --Pure Protein Shake from Walmart or GNC; comes in chocolate and vanilla with 35g protein in 11 oz drink --Unjury Whey Protein Powder (comes unflavored; also in a chicken Soup flavor) each scoop has 20g of protein From my notes from the message boards, I have these recommendations: --Syntrax nectar shakes --Matrix (mint cookie flavor) --Premier Protein (choc and vanilla) ready to drink has 30g protein per bottle --Isopure fruit flavored (orange, grape) --EAS dark chocolate with PB powder My NUT says during the full liquid phase, I can mix the protein powder with low-fat milk products if I desire; also I can have cream Soups (like cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, cream of celery) and I can add unflavored protein powder to the soups my other two options on full liquid are low-fat cottage cheese (which I don't like now) and light yogurt (not sure what "light" means here) I must complete my shopping on Sunday--any advice, feedback, guidance from those who have "been there" will be appreciated...at this time I am not even planning for the soft food stage, since I won't be there until after my follow-up NUT visit two-weeks post-op

A few replies to this topic made me wrinkle my brow a little so I'll just quickly touch on them and voice my opinion. 1. Yes, losing the weight is the desired result of any WLS procedure. "What's the problem?" the problem is starvation isn't going to result in healthy long term weight loss and at only 300-600 cals a day, the body will begin to starve. Fat will be stored, not lost. 2. Calories in = calories out is an archaic way of thinking when it comes to weight loss. It seems that easy, right? Well if it were we wouldn't need to put any other nutrition facts on food labels and doctors and nutritionists would need to set guidelines for fat/protein/etc.They'd just say "Eat this many calories a day and burn at least this many a day and you'll lose this much weight." It doesn't work that way. 100 calories worth of skinless chicken breast will do a different thing to my body than 100 calories of full fat ice cream. All calories are not created equal. 3. The first few weeks after surgery I couldn't manage to get down much more than about a half a yogurt and a Protein shake once or twice a day. It was stressful. I was frustrated. I was tired. Walking my dog down the front path of my apartment complex wiped me out. That was temporary. I'm now running 4-6 miles 3x a week, and exercising for 90 minutes or so in the gym lifting relatively heavy weights on days in between. I very rarely break 1000 cals a day in food, but I've worked out 1100 calories in a run. My Fitness Pal diary entires are skewed because I track my food as it's served to me, and 99% of the time, I don't finish ANYTHING. I dont try to increase my calories if I'm not hungry. That's why I had surgery; to stop me from cleaning my plate and the two next to me. If you're not hungry, it will be harder to increase your calories. Mass gainer will defeat the purpose of what you're trying to achieve from surgery. 4. You will eventually begin to tolerate more food. Your eating frequency may increase due to exercise and your capacity for eating at one sitting will increase. A month post op 2 tbs of Beans and an egg would be all I could tolerate at once. Now I can eat a hamburger patty and apple slices for lunch without much trouble (kids' meal size but still LOL). I agree with some of the suggestions above such as adding yogurt, avocado, cottage cheese etc to smoothies/shakes. Use greek yogurt on foods where you would normally use sour cream; it tastes the same but you're getting protein and less fat. Make your shakes with milk. Try Fairlife; it's filtered milk that has a lot more protein than regular milk. A tad more expensive for a jug but definitely worth it. Add banana slices to your yogurt if you can tolerate banana and if you're allowed fruit. Bananas are naturally a bit fattier than other fruits and have a few more calories, but are still soft for someone who's still pretty new out from surgery. I know exactly what you're going through; I didn't workout to my own satisfaction for over a month after surgery because I was too tired and low on food intake and my body was still very busy healing. You'll get there, i promise.

Hello everybody! I too am new-just joined yesterday. I got banded on 10-7-05 and Dr. St. Laurent says that I have done real good for a bandster because I have lost 58 pounds in just 3 months!!! However, I had my second fill 5 days ago and and am not doing well at all. I can just barely keep down liquids or a few bites of yogurt. I'm going to give myself another 3 or 4 days and if no improvement I will call the doctor back. Does anybody think that this is too restrictive or should it settle down after a week or so? I tried a few bites of baked fish yesterday and it got "stuck" and lasted for about 2 hours and I about died. Couldn't throw it up but it finally stopped. I am afraid to eat any solid food right now and I swear that I will never go through that again!!!

At 3 weeks, I was eating cottage cheese, yogurt, applesauce, well cooked veggies, eggs, cheese and beans. At 3.5 weeks I was also able to add fish and nuts. By 4 weeks, I was eating chicken. I am 4.5 weeks out now, and I no longer need protein shakes. I can meet my daily protein goals by eating all real food. It was the chicken that really gave me a protein boost to get off the shakes. Also, I was told not to worry about calories right now. My focus is 60g of protein, and at least 64oz of water. The protein is no problem for me anymore, but the water is like a full time job trying to get it all in every day!

I agree bobbyswife. I don't want to fail. I've invested too much with my life change. I know all of this. I guess I needed some reinforcement and encouragement. Plus some good ideas to combat the cravings. Right now all I have is fruit, light and fit greek yogurt, healthy nut crunch and protein bars.

There are fast food items that wouldn't be too bad...just stick with the Proteins and leave out the carbs. Burger without the bun, grilled chicken, chili, fajita burritos (just don't eat the tortilla), Etc. I'm single and not a fan of cooking, so I get a lot of stuff from my local deli. BBQ ribs, broccoli bacon salad, turkey curry salad, egg salad (served on a slice of tomato), meatloaf that I cut up and freeze into individual meal portions, sushi. Also, I don't get a lunch break, so I always keep Protein Bars, mixed nuts, pumpkin seeds, and Jerky around to snack on while I'm driving. For sweets, I'm a fan of frozen pineapple chunks, frozen blueberries, and I make ice cream with protein powders, Greek yogurt, milk and Torani syrups. Just finished a batch of banana protein with peanuts and started a batch of muscle milk red velvet cake, caramel syrup and chopped walnuts. Frozen vanilla protein with OJ or mio tangerine drops taste just like a dreamsicle. If you do like to cook, but are bored with the same old stuff, there are great recipes on bariatricfoodie and the world according to eggface. And If you haven't tried them, Quest bar banana nut muffin or cinnamon bun flavors might make a good accompaniment with your coffee.

Dr. Green in Payson, Utah did it. He was great. He explained everything. He thinks I have an 11cc band (can you believe that I don't know!) and he ended up putting in 2.2 cc. He said it will be tighter tomorrow due to swelling. I can feel that it is tighter, but I am worried that I can still eat too much. He said to have clear liquids, but that yogurt and cottage cheese were ok. So I had some. I probably could have had more. I am just so paranoid that something will happen and this band won't work. There really wasn't much pain. He numbed it first, then put in needle. I kept swollowing barium liquid and tablets and he kept adjusting until he felt it was tight enough. I got to watch. He was so nice and said I could call him day and night with questions. So my experience was really good. I was kind of worried.

Sounds just like me! For 2 1/2 yrs, vomiting my meals was a normal occurance. I don't know how many times I've been asked "are you ok?" by a woman in the ladies room at restaurants. There was never foods that I felt were the culprits, sometimes it was yogurt or ice cream. What was the culprit tho was my eating so fast. I don't know why I would forget at the beginning of every meal to slow down. Since my band slipped from frequent vomiting, however, I've learned to eat slower. And it actually works! Wow! What a concept! In the last 6 mths, I've vomited twice. Wish I'd never had to learn that lesson, however. I've gained a few lbs while working with my slipped band. Just some advice for you: Watch the vomiting. My band hung in there for a long time before giving me problems. I thought it was invincible. It wasn't. Once you have a slip, your band is never the same as it was. At least mine isn't... Marci

Hi, I had my band placed on September 1st. I had my postop appt today and explained to the dietician that I am SUPER HUNGRY. She spoke with the doctor and they both agreed to let me add Greek Yogurt to my Protein shakes to thicken them up. They want their patients on the liquid for 2 full weeks. The dietician did mention to me that a previous MD that she worked with allowed puree at 10 days. I don't think you will have any problems if you stay with truly pureed foods and you don't over do it!! Good luck! Stacy