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I think you already should've gotten some taken out. The point of the band isn't to starve; it's to be able to eat most foods and get full on way less. That isn't where you are at all! You're losing the wrong way....w/out protein your body will pull it from your muscles (including your heart!) That is not good.

O.k.. I don't know who has tried these yet, but today I discovered: Barilla brand Multi Grain Pasta. It is high in Protein (17g) and really tasted good. Even better was the fact that it chews up easier and goes down comfortably unlike "real" pasta. Slim Fast High Protein shake. These are new, not the Optima or the regular Meal Replacement ones, but HIGH PROTEIN.

Thank you, keep up the hard work, you'll do great. I did not experience much hair loss, talk to your nutritionist about increasing your protein. Just a thought:)

Liquids is really important. I actually lost 26 pounds pre-operatively on the liquid diet. That's one heck of a kick start to your new you! Not everyone has that sort of success, but it is meant to shrink the liver so it's easier to move out of the way to make the band placement easier. It also shrinks the size of the stomach some, or so I was told. I hope this helps. And, although the Protein drinks are God-aweful...it's only temporary. I would maybe try something OTC like the Carnation Instant Breakfast (the CarbConscience type) or Low Carb Slim Fast shakes are pretty good, too. I got samples of unjury from my nutritionist which weren't that bad and I just ordered another Protein Drink ... the name escapes me at the moment... but it's fruit flavored and 50 grams of protein per serving. That should make it a LOT easier to get the protein requirements in for the day. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Thanks! I will do that for sure! The other options don't sound good at all to me. I certainly wouldn't condemn others for having those procedures, but I really don't want either one for myself.

Aw man, Zen, you are on purees already? I'm jealous. I am still supposed to be eating only protein shakes and clear liquids until Friday, but I admit I've had some soup. Can't wait until the next stage which includes cottage cheese, runny eggs, and yogurt, whoohoo.

Yeah i have been on purees since Wednesday of last week. it is nice to be off clear liquids but is starting to get boring and i am craving something to chew... I had some very runny oatmeal today for breakfast and that was delish, probably shouldnt have done it but it didnt hurt. I dont know how you can be only only protein shakes and clear liquids for so long i was really crying on my 5th day of clear liquids...Good luck!

I don't aim for "full." I aim for specific calories/carb/protein counts within each of my 7 daily meals that will add up to my set limits for the day (1200 calories/20 grams of carbs/100-120 grams of protein). I took this approach this even back in the early days post-op. The most I will eat at one time now is about 3 ounces of chicken with 1 ounce of green beans. I would suppose that my capacity is something like 6 ounces maybe, but I don't know, and I don't really need to know since I won't each that much at once anyway.

Well I think I may be at mine I am at 6.66cc's in a 10cc band and I am lucky if I can eat 1/2cup of food. I find myself leaning towards junk food it seems to be the other food that goes right down with now problem so I am getting calories from somewhere. I know I am probably too tight but with no insurance right now I cant afford to go back and get any taken out. 1cup of food sounds like that should be a good amount just make sure you are getting all your protein in.

Tomorrow is 2 weeks until my surgery! I'm started the all protein liver shrinking diet. I'm so excited to have a jump start for starting 2013 new. I'm getting married in May 2014 and I am so excited for the changes I will see between now and then. Wish me luck!

I'm still pre-op but I've wondered about that too. My doc sends you home on pureed meat---what if I can't tolerate it? Can I just do protein shake?

I am 6.5 weeks and have lost 27. I feel discouraged too. So many others have lost more. I didn't start with a low bmi. I get all many Protein & Water. I don't do carbs. I don't cheat. You always hear how its simple calories in vs calories out. I call BS!

I'm currently emptying an Isopure tub, its eh, 50g Protein, 220 calories, 1g fat and i want to say 3g sugar? I could be wrong. You can half that and still be just fine. the equivalent 2 scoops of Muscle Milk light is, maybe 200 calories, 25g of protein and 2g sugar and 6g fat. I enjoyed the nectar chocolate as well, I might have to price check that since Isopure is $45 on sale for 3lbs

Keep your chins up everyone. Every thing will fall into place and the weight and inches will fall off. I would encourage you to stop stepping on the scale. The scale can be your worst enemy during a stall. Find another way to measure your success. Stay focused on your plan and remember that we did not gain weight over night and our bodies will not lose it over night. Please don't compare yourself to others because we are all so different. It will just cause you more stress. For those still under the 3 months mark - give your bodies a chance to heal and catch up to all the changes. We have just completely messed with our bodies. You could be in starvation mode and your body is throwing a temper tantrum. It wants to hold onto everything you put into it. It believes you are never going to eat again. Finally Get in your Protein, Water and exercise. Stay positive and try not to stress out as it will only make your body madder at you. My final thought on this - instead of making your goals all about the numbers and scale think of a new goal. Write on a piece of paper the non scale victories you want and when you reach them scratch it off. For example here were a few of my goals: Play soccer without pain Get into the police academy Fit into a size 16 Run a 5k As I meet some goals I add new ones. You are changing everyday and the journey will be very rewarding and you will learn so much about your self. Please stay positive and reach for your dreams! They are possible!

Some bandster friendly food bargains I saw today. At Costco through Sunday, Chobani fruited yogurt $1.25 off 12 count (.75 which for my areas is a great price). At Demoulas MA/NH grocery chain Pure Protein brand bars (20 g size) 2/1.00.

i LLOOVVE nectar's Caribean cooler. 23 protein and 90 calories. mixes quick with water and no funky after taste.

Yea 400 calories seems really low for that far out. Are u meeting your goal for Protein and fluids? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the BariatricPal App

It's a 6 week program. So the 1st & 2nd weeks I do 2 meals (mostly salads with protein) & 1 protein shake. 3rd & 4th weeks I do 1 meal & 2 protein shakes. Then for the 4th & 5th week it's all protein shakes. So far I have been able to get in 100 grams of protein a day. It might not be a lot of food but I do get full now.

Generally when you went in for the operation, you gained weight because they filled your body with fluids. You have to lose those first before you begin to see the scales move. You body is in a major heal mode at the moment. It will take a few weeks of being on the mend and then the numbers will begin to drop. The three most important elements after RNY gastric bypass surgery are to meet your daily Protein, Fluid and Vitamin requirements. food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. Weight loss is achieved after surgery through volume control. You begin at 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually over the next year and a half increase the volume to 1 cup per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore you need to rely on supplements such as Protein shakes. Some people find it difficult to meet their daily protein and fluid goals the first couple weeks because their body is in a heal mode. Just keep working on it and you should get there.

Jan. 18, 2013 -- More than 200,000 weight loss surgeries are performed each year in the U.S. Several recent studies have questioned the effectiveness and safety of one type, gastric banding, which has led to a decline in its use as patients choose other surgical options. But the largest and longest study yet of the procedure found that patients followed for up to 15 years maintained significant weight loss -- an average of about 60 pounds. Study: Banding Effective for Weight Loss About half the patients in the study needed additional surgeries to adjust the bands or deal with other complications, but only about 1 in 20 patients opted to have the bands removed. Researcher Paul O’Brien, MD, of Melbourne, Australia’s Monash University, was a pioneer of the Lap-Band procedure, and his latest study was supported by Allergan Inc., which markets the gastric band system. He says gastric banding offers an effective, reversible, long-term solution for weight loss as long as patients get good follow-up care and are willing to carefully control the way they eat. The study is published in the January issue of the Annals of Surgery. “Placing the band is just the first step in the process,” he says. “Compliance and follow-up are critically important. There are plenty of people out there doing this surgery without a follow-up program for their patients, and they are setting them up for failure.” Banding, Bypass, and Sleeve Gastrectomy The Lap-Band procedure is one of several weight loss surgeries performed in the U.S. and the only one that is easily reversible. The band is an inflatable silicone ring that is wrapped around the upper part of thestomach to create a pouch the size of a golf ball, which limits the amount of food that can be eaten. The band can be tightened or loosened to increase or decrease the size of the opening to the lower stomach. The most commonly performed type of gastric bypass surgery also reduces the size of the stomach to that of a golf ball. The surgery also bypasses a section of the small intestine, which limits calorie absorption. The gastric sleeve procedure involves the surgical removal of a portion of the stomach to create a "sleeve" that connects to the small intestine. Just a few years ago, gastric banding was widely seen as less risky, less costly, and less invasive than either of the other surgical options, and about half of weight loss procedures in the U.S. involved banding. But that has changed as the long-term data comparing weight loss surgeries has come in, says Ronald H. Clements, MD, who directs the bariatric surgery program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. Fewer Lap-Band Surgeries Performed Clements says just five of the 360 weight loss surgeries performed at Vanderbilt last year were Lap-Band procedures. “We have essentially stopped doing this operation,” he says. “The sleeve and the bypass are just better for helping people lose weight and keep it off. That’s what we are seeing in our patients and that’s what the data are telling us.” A 2011 study from Belgium found that the bands eroded in 1 in 3 patients, while 60% required additional surgeries. And a study published last year that compared banding to bypass surgery found that bypass patients lost more weight and kept it off over six years and had fewer complications. Four years ago, as many as 40% of weight loss surgeries performed at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York involved gastric banding, says Mitchell Roslin, MD, who is chief of obesity surgery. Today, the figure is closer to 3%. “Last year we took out 80 bands and converted them to other procedures,” he says. “Patients do well in the short term, but they tend to have problems later on.” Banding Good Option for Some American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery President Jaime Ponce, MD, confirms that fewer Lap-Band surgeries are being performed in the U.S. Allergan’s sales related to its Lap-Band system reportedly fell from close to $300 million in 2011 to about half that figure last year, and last fall the company announced that it was looking to sell its weight loss surgery division. But Ponce says the surgery is still a good option for some patients. “The band is a device that requires a lot of maintenance and multiple adjustments, and one problem is that our insurance system is not set up to pay for this,” he says. He says gastric banding is much more popular and widely performed than gastric bypass in Australia. “In Australia, aftercare is covered by national insurance, so patients don’t have to worry about paying for adjustments,” Ponce says. And there are plenty of gastric banding success stories here in America, including New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who lost more than 100 pounds after having the procedure in March of 2010. Ponce says patients who understand that gastric banding will require careful compliance and frequent follow-up visits to their doctor can achieve good results with the gastric banding surgery. “Patients need to be followed, preferably every month or so,” he says. “If your surgeon doesn’t offer this kind of follow up, you need to go somewhere else.” http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/news/20130117/lap-band-shown-effective-long-term-weight-loss?page=2

FYI: I have an allergic reaction to soy as well. Not as severe as yours though. I have had great success with the Amplify shakes. You can only get them from GNC though and from personal experience--not all GNC stores carry them. I like both the vanilla and Strawberry/Banana. 120 calories 4 carbs and 21 grams of Protein. I used this all last year.

I'm dealing with some issues with my pouch now, 9-10 months out. I was eating chili (that I made myself) almost every day for the last 6 months or so since surgery. Now I think it was too spicy / the tomatoes too acidic. My lesson for the week is "Variety". And I've yet to find a pre-packaged meal that has a good level of fat, carbs, sodium, and Protein for what I want to eat. I have purchased pre-made meatballs, the small ones, (turkey or beef), and they are great to pop into sauce for a meal. I have also done well with the Green Giant just for one veggies with cheese sauce - they work well with a protein. Or the pre-cooked chicken or steak strips for on top of salads. So you can do convenience food, but not all in one package. Kathy

Right there with you, mine was on the 2nd, and I am dragging!! Still can't get in all my protein

I'm in the same boat! In the last few days I have had to just force myself to drink to get the protein. I took someone's advice and got the Premier Protein in chocolate pre made at Costco. In 11oz it gives me 30g protein. I just pour it into a small 2 ounce measuring cup and basically do shots every 15-30 minutes of it.

Hi fellow Bandsters! I have never been on a forum like this although I have had my band 3 1/2 years. I plateaued 2 years ago and have gained and lost the same 11 pounds numerous times. Is there anyone out there like me?? I could have another fill but am concerned about getting enough nutrition and Water. I would rather change the bad habits not handled by the band. Any comments?? Leslie Oh BTW, I suppose being a chef poses it's own set of challenges even with a band. I am also considering other employment options.