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All of those are great ideas, but you do need to get your water in. I live near Disney, and our winter is not like actual winter. February is often in the 80s and extremely sunny. Dehydration can happen year round. If you don’t want to carry food around, Disney has lots of options that can be fairly inexpensive. There are stands everywhere with healthy snacks so you aren’t spending a lot on huge meals that would take a month to eat. I usually get a kid’s meal with grilled chicken, side salad or broccoli, yogurt, and bottled water for $4.95. They have condiment bars with the peanut butter containers that I take for snacks. Have fun! You’ll have a great time!

I am known for my Peanut Butter & greek yogurt... 4 oz plain or vanilla greek yogurt 1 oz (tablespoon) creamy peanut butter 1 package of spenda (optional) Tastes like the inside of a Reese peanut butter cup. I've gotten a few bandsters addicted to this.

I had noticed several posts on this subject the last month or two. I was lucky to have a very good NUT advising me in the early months of this process so it was drilled into me to keep portions small, so I didn't always relate to this problem/issue. I was on a week long business trip last week. I was in workshop/meetings 4 of the days and of course had 5 hour flight to and from as well - and all the food related challenges that come with airports and flying. What was hard is that I couldn't do my usual mini meals. Food was basically offered 3 times a day and the content of it was not within my control. I did carry Protein bars. So, what I experienced was interesting, and may be useful to others as well. Because I went so long between meals, I was really pretty hungry by the time I ate. I felt that I ate way more then usual at meal times. I was eating off fullsize plates, not my mini plates I use at home. It was one of those "surprised how much I COULD eat" I noticed an increase in bathroom issues, I noticed a little bit of an upset stomach, I noticed symptoms that I have seen people post about that I don't normally experience. hmmmm. I also noticed that my hunger increased. So, what I did a good job of was staying low carb. The day they had pizza and salad - I had salad and Protein Bar. I ate from a Breakfast buffet, and had basically meat and cheese or a greek yogurt. The day they served sandwiches, I only ate some of the bread, but basically ate the insides - that sort of thing. What I did poorly was eating too many peanuts and high calorie Snacks when traveling. I ate too big of meals, and didn't eat often enough on the workshop days. I only worked out 2 of the days, but that is because the work committments ran into the evenings and I was pretty tired. Lesson for me, to apply to my day to day life? Portion sizes and eating frequently are very very important. Going back to my home routine immediately resolved my stomach upset/acidy feeling - it was from too big of portions I think! Luckily, I didn't let myself get on the carb craving cycle (that has happened to me before) so transitioning home has gone pretty well. Anyway, for those of you experiencing this feeling of eating too much, perhaps consider going to the eating 4-6 mini meals a day and do the tricks about eating from a teaplate, using appetizer utinsils etc and see if it doesn't help you get back to the more petite portions. My own approach is to use a very small plate, and to make sure the food doesn't touch even on the small plate. This, combined with eating more frequently, keeps me from overeating . I would be curious to hear if other find that they just feel better too - the larger portions didn't hurt, but, I think were mildly uncomfortable which i experienced as an acidy kind of feeling. I had a small loss, but more importantly, I was able to not gain even after eating so weird and hopefully learned something that will help me when I move to maintenance. This was not my first business trip post sleeve, but I think it was the first one where I really learned about my eating needs in these situations. Oh, and the amazing part, I didn't crave the pizza like I would have in the past, it didn't even smell good to me... it really helps to keep the carb monster somewhat contained - really reduces or eliminates cravings.

It depends how I'm feeling.. I could start my days and work my way up.. 8oz decaf instant sf coffee made with skim milk.. Egg and sliced turkey on one slice of rye toast with cheese Small Shrimp and chicken cubes with green Beans 12oz Protein shake with 60g protein made with skim milk and ice.. Greek yogurt Cottage cheese String cheese I measure everything and can only eat 2_3oz in one sitting but i take my time so I'm able to enjoy everything.. These are just some of the things that I'm eating now.. What i do make sure is getting in my 32oz of plain or flavored Water.. Sent from my SPH-D710 using VST

Originally Posted by: BandAid Here's a popular Plateau Busting plan: Dr. Fox's Plateau Busting Diet This is the plan that Dr. Fox gives to his RNY and AGB patients in order to get through a plateau in weight loss. #1 Do for 10 days to break plateau #2 Drink 2 quarts of Water a day #3 You must have 45 grams of Protein supplement and all your Vitamin & mineral supplements each day. #4 You may consume up to 3 oz. of the following high-protein foods, 5 times a day: a.. beef, b.. pork, c.. chicken, d.. turkey, e.. lamb, f.. fish, g.. eggs, h.. low-fat cheese, i.. cottage cheese, j.. plain yogurt (or artificially sweetened), k.. Peanut Butter, l.. beans/legumes. #5 You may also have: a.. sugar-free popsicles (avoid juice popsicles), b.. tea or coffee, c.. sugar-free sodas, d.. sugar-free Jello, e.. broths & bouillons, f.. Crystal Lite drinks. #6 IF IT IS NOT ON THE LIST YOU MAY NOT HAVE IT! #7 Keep a food diary and try to get 30 minutes of exercise daily.

My pureed phase started yesterday, Day 18. I am now allowed purees, greek yogurt, scrambled eggs, cottage cheese, pudding, chicken/tuna salad, and soft oatmeal. Prior to that it was: Day 2-4: Clear liquids (Water, gatorade, crystal lite, broth, strained clear soups) Day 4: Added drinkable yogurt Day 7: Added Protein shakes Day 10: Added strained cream Soups On Day 28 I can start soft foods, including ground meats, legumes, canned veggies, canned fruits, and soft whole grains.

It seems a bit odd that your hunger increased after a recent fill, that doesn't sound right. It is normal for your weight to plateau, or stall, for a few weeks or longer, at times. The body is catching up and readjusting. The only thing I can suggest, besides calling your doctor's office advice, is to ensure you are eating enough Protein at each meal throughout the day. You be satiated for at least four hours between meals. If you need to, eat four smaller meals, spaced out at 4 hour intervals. Foods like sliced, lean turkey breast, Water packed tuna, fat free yogurt, etc. are good sources of protein. Protein takes longer to digest (and burns more calories in the process) and protein also increases the period of time before you start feeling hunger pangs. Make sure the hunger is real; and not just an urge to eat before you are really hungry.... I'd guess what I am trying to say is that early hunger pangs might be a symptom regarding a lack of proper nourishment. But your surgeon or his staff would be the best to advise you on that.

I am 3 weeks post op too. I start my day with water so that I can get 8 oz in first thing. Then I move to Greek yogurt for the protein. Takes me about 20 minutes to eat one container. Try thinning out the protein shake with more water and sip on it for 30 minutes. That should give you more liquids and reduce that stuffed feeling.

Hi - I too was banded on 4/28/08! During my pre-op testing it was discovered that I had many gall stones, as well as a hietal (sp?) hernia. Had to have the gall bladder removed, hernia repaired and was banded all at the same time. I'm on liquids as well as soft foods (shredded cheese, yogurt..); not hungry at all. Judy

I did SF pudding, Greek yogurt, thin cream of what, oatmeal, cream of chicken soup (minus chunks).....it really only takes a couple bites though!!!!! Glad they're springing ya!!!!

My surgeon says it's to shrink the liver to make it easier to get to the stomach. My personal opinion is that I think they have us do it so we are more prepaired for the post op diet. After this 3 weeks I'll be looking forward to the liquid yogurt and broth I will be allowed to have lol. Annebelle- How much milk have you been drinking everyday? I'm allowed to drink as much as I can in 5-10 mins 3 times a day. The last 2 days I drank 48oz.

Today is my third week post-op. I'm still struggling trying to get 64 ozs of fluid and a minimum of 60 gms of protein which I actually mix with my drinks. For me that is first priority and food is second. The doctor was okay with that. I do try to eat, a couple of tablespoons of tuna, cottage cheese, yogurt, egg, soft boiled or poached, refried beans with low fat cheese melted and mixed with the beans, sf pudding, sf jello, sf popsicles, and thinking of trying sf fudgesicles. I am allowed some other things at this point but just haven't built myself up to trying them. Also I get my vitamins in. My energy level is doing okay, mental status is good, I'm back to working starting last week. But will say, each day gets better regarding my stamia. I can also tell when I'm not getting enough protein as feel it in the muscles. Classic sign for me is to raise my arms up and I can feel them get tired almost immediately. I'm a happy camper that I've had this surgery. But need to win the lottery as I need new clothes, because everything is falling off and I don't want to invest because at the rate I'm losing I'll be buying new clothes every couple of weeks.

Ughhh okay so today has not been my best day... I don't know WTF is wrong with me I know I'm not actually hungry... Quick backstory - Open RNY 03/2002 - revision via Endoscopic Soft Tissue Re-approximation to cinch stoma/pouch 02/09/16. I have been doing spot on fantastic the last 3 weeks and its like I lost my mind today. I'm on a soft modified diet meaning I should be introducing more solid foods as my pouch can manage it but I'm pretty scared to so I'm still eating mainly soft foods... Breakfast - 10oz chocolate Caramel Protein shake (33g protein) with FF lactose free milk Snack - 1 Hershey dark chocolate sugar free miniature Bottle of Water 16.9oz lunch - Ricotta Bake Mexican style (19g protein) Bottle of water 16.9oz Snack - Oikos triple zero banana cream Greek yogurt (15g protein) ANOTHER snack and I don't know why but I inhaled a Pure Protein Bar (20g protein) I have dinner prepped its a 1/3c portion of blended "Shepard's pie" kind of - just the beef, gravy & edamame (whirled in the blender a little) that I'll cover with cheese instead of mashed potatoes (26g protein). If I eat the dinner I'm sitting @ 1,063 calories 113g protein, 75 carbs 37 fat & 27 sugar. You'd think with all this protein I'd be stuffed - maybe I shouldn't have dinner and just drink a ton of water? Any advice?

I began having smoothies about two weeks post op using either a plain yogurt (Greek, Icelandic, or Bulgarian) that is high in Protein and low in carbs or plain kefir as the base. I most often use frozen fruit rather than fresh for the convenience, and my favorites are raspberries (high in fiber), nectarines, and the mixed berries from Trader Joe's. If I'm adding spinach or kale I also use it frozen. Del Monte has a fresh peach cup that is no sugar added, and only has 12 carbs. If I'm going to a regular grocery store vs. Trader Joe's or Ralph's I'll stock up on them for smoothies. Trader Joe's also has frozen sweet potato cubes that are delicious in smoothies, and lower in carbs than some fruit. I make those with Fairlife milk. A bariatric surgeon named Dr. Matthew Wiener has a video on YouTube about the "set point smoothies" he advocates.

Add melted cheese to the Beans. You will LOVE that. Then add chopped (pureed?) chicken to the beans / cheese. And some seasonings. Mmm ... mmm! Find a luscious flavored Greek yogurt. Twelve grams of Protein at the very least. Most people love it. I did. I was also into nonfat milk -- am a milk drinker. Make some chili and puree it a little (not all the way). Add a dollop or two of sour cream. Did I mention cheese? Mmm ... makes me want to do a week of "soft foods" again.

Happy Holidays everyone. Just wanted you all to know I did end up losing 7 pounds after 14 days of hellish torture LOL. My doctor said my liver shrank a little but not a lot. He said it will continue to shrink as I lose weight. I was on 19 medications and he said that can sometimes have an effect on the shrinking... so now we know. Surgery went well and other than feeling like I did 100 situps I wouldn't really know I had surgery. No real after effects. I threw up once in the hospital when I took too many of my 19 meds at once but other than that no other issues. I'm back to drinking normally with no problem. Still no food yet, I have 8 more days to go to get to puree but I get milk and yogurt on Wed and I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will settle okay but will do small amounts at first. Thanks, everyone for being so nice and supportive! Love this group!

I'll tell you what you did wrong. You should eat yogurt that is sugar free first off. Second if you ate something that disagreed with you, the last thing you should do is eat MORE food to chase it with, and peanut butter? Fat (and sugar) would just make dumping worse. Ditto with the cheese.

I had bypass and my surgeon was out of town at first follow up so I saw her partner and she said I had to wait until day 15 to have pureed. Seems every doctor is different and it could be due to your individual circumstances. I think I would err on the side of caution and stick with liquids for another week if you can stand it. it won't hurt as long as you are getting in your Protein. I know that last week is tough. You might look at your booklet again and see if there are any more suggestions of what you can have this last week. Cream Soups? Yogurt? I had popsicles - a lot of them. The cold didn't bother me (luckily). I also (and don't judge me here) had pickle juice. It was great! I wanted the salt and it really helped plus it is used for hydration by some athletes, so I figured hydration couldn't be bad. Not much of it and not all day but it was a good salty taste for a break from the sweetness. Good luck! Hang in there. You are almost there!

I have problems with being tight in the mornings. I am not able to eat first thing or have anything cold. I have also found that my band gets tight when it is colder out or the air pressure is high. I thought I was going to have to get some taken out, but I tried a liquid diet for a few days and that seems to have helped some. I also found eating mushy foods when this happens is the best way to eat. I love navy beans now more than ever. I make sure that every thing I eat provides protein so I reach my goal every day. Greek yogurt packs tons of protein in a cup serving and makes wonderful smoothies.

I too am so sorry about your sister. It breaks my heart. the friends here who are advising to only focus on protein are right. I’m not an expert. But I’m doing well, almost 5 months in. Main thing to think about besides protein is STOP ALL SUGAR, sweet drinks, bread, desserts, fake sugars. ive found that fat alone doesn’t stop my loss of fat ever. Full fat diary and meat don’t hurt me and taste fantastic. Healthy fats have a place with your protein. Don’t eat low fat anything. Eating a piece of juicy hamburger or a full fat unsweetened greek yogurt will keep you losing weight AND help you feel full and satisfied. All sweet carbs make you crave sugar and that’s is what you do not want. A week or two without sugar and you will lose the desire for it. No bread, no fruit, no sweets. 85% chocolate is ok. Potatoes and sweet potatoes even with butter are fine. I promise you, giving up all sweetness really works and after you kick the habit, it’s painless. good luck sweetie, you will lose the rest of your weight. And your sister will be proud.

I don't think there is a limit to how much protein the body can absorb, there is a limit to how much it needs for muscle repair. The rest goes into energy. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/know-your-nutrients/how-much-protein-can-the-body-absorb @@reachbree - I still mix some unflavored in my flavored mix. That is just personal taste. I also add a little unflavored to my yogurt. The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery website says... Q: Can I take all of the protein in one dose? A: Protein should be taken in multiple doses, across multiple meals or healthy Snacks. The body cannot absorb more than approximately 30 grams at once. Also, protein is a nutrient that helps us feel fuller, longer. If we try to include Proteins in each of our meals or healthy snacks, we’re less likely to feel hungry when it’s not time to eat. https://asmbs.org/patients/life-after-bariatric-surgery My Dr made very clear that the body can only absorb so much at one time. There is a reason we take Vitamins apart, not just because some of them interact badly with each other.

I also wonder about this. I want to know what it feels like when I have to stop. I don't want to go too far. Anybody else find any nutritious fast food things to eat? I was thinking the yogurt parfait from McDonalds would be good too. Sometimes you're hungry and you just gotta get it fast. What I eat (which is not the same as everyone) is 2 tablespoons/meal of pureed something or other or soft food and two Protein shakes for Snacks in between meals. It works out to around 600-700 or so calories/day. Did your doctor give you something to follow?

I've been on mushies for two weeks and I was nervous, too. Here are some of the things I've been eating: sugar free pudding made with a scoop of unflavored unjury Sugar Free pudding (pre-made) Soup at Hand tuna salad and small, soft whole-wheat crackers soy crisps Low-Carb SlimFast refried Beans with melted cheese and cottage cheese or guacamole scrambled eggs broth with chicken-flavored Unjury Laughing Cow spreadable cheese oatmeal I'm not supposed to have fruit or fruit juice for two more weeks or I'd be having applesauce. Yogurt is good at this stage, too. Some of these foods are more of the "soft" variety than "mushie" but I am always sure to chew and chew until they are at least the consistency of pudding by the time I swallow.

I'm glad to know this is normal. I was sleeved 10/1, and I've done almost nothing but sleep and try to get my fluids/protein in. I've tried to get out and walk a few times when I can as well -- but even last week, taking bites of yogurt exhausted me completely. It was so annoying, because I felt like I was failing somehow. I'm hoping that my energy levels start going up more soon, the past two days have been not too terrible, but still more exhaustion than I would like!

Yesterday my whole schedule was out of whack. We went to the OAC meeting in LA, good but very poor turnout. I was off on my food schedule, Vitamins, etc. They had free food, fruit, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, etc, so I ate, and a little while later ate again, I could not stop, just like I used to do before sleeve 8/3 of this year. Was full but managed to eat twice while we were there for about 3 hours. Later that day I was so hungry, have been hungry since week 2, yes I get all my liquids, Protein 100gms or more and vitamins, and pepcid, cannot take a PPI. I snacked in afternoon on some cheese and triscuits, we are allowed to have them. Anyway what was worse we went to dinner and I soooo overate, just kept shoving in the salmon, chicken and some veggies, all good stuff, but this was the first time I really thought it was coming back up. Still feel full this AM. Does anyone else do this and how do you stop. I am so grateful for my sleeve, but yesterday it felt like it was not 100% working. Feel depressed and so guilty, any comments or suggestions will be very much appreciated.