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I do yogurt or oatmeal. I am pretty tight in the morning and "real food" is usually not an option. I have managed a turkey sausage link here and there but that's not too often. We just returned from Disney and I took protein shake mix with me and ordered a skim milk and had a shake. I have also discovered that egg salad works well but is high fat and cholestrol, so I try to avoid it. I have also eaten grits, and the occasional turkey or chicken salad with wheat crackers. Also most places have a "diet plate" usually half a cantalope filled with cottage cheese. Last time I was in Mexico I lived on fruit smoothies and that was preband. ~Mandy

My standard breakfast is yogurt these days....but occassionaly skip that in favor of a skim sugar free latte. LOL Some days I have morning star veggie bacon...not sure how long it keeps though once cooked. I sometimes cook it and pack for lunch. It's crisp when cooked in the micowave and generally crisp is no problem. Protien shakes is another good idea. You could always pour them over ice if you don't have a way to keep them cold. I'm going on a cruise in June and already I'm thinking about what I'm going to eat. I'm not sure if its smart planning or just my obbsessiveness! LOL

Congratulations on your surgery, Bob. Heather and I had ours done and we are back home and doing fine. Hungry as hell but fine LOL! JK I'm not really all that hungry but my stomach does an awful lot of growling. No fill for 4-6 weeks (healing process yanno) The liquid diet isn't all that bad and it's only for a week for us. We can have yogurt, Soup, veggie juice, Jello, fruit juice (not orange or pineapple), and broth. Soup At Hand Creamy Tomato went down fine for Heather but I'm sticking mostly to the broth. I did add some V-8 juice to it yesterday. Also, we have had a couple high Protein shakes, and a high protein juice drink (Boost). I read where someone said the high Protein Shakes can cause you to have gas but I chewed a couple Gas-X to be safe. Haven't had any problems so far. Good Luck with everything Linda Banded 2/20/2004 Dr. Arturo Rodriguez, Monterrey MX 275/268.5/minigoal: 200:p

iPhone autcorrected...I was asking which Chobani yogurt has 23 grams of protein?

I am in my third week and eating mushies. I love really mushed up tuna, Dannon light and fit yogurt. My fave is the white chocolate/raspberry. It is yummy. I love sugar free italian ice and sugar free fudge pops. I also love chicken salad all mushed up. That is what I am eating so far. Hope you are doing well.

Cream of wheat or oatmeal if you stop at a gas station and get hot water, grocery stores should have hummus in the deli. applesauce, jello, pudding, cottage cheese, yogurt, baby food if you can stand the taste of it, mashed potatoes if you go out to eat, I was able to eat scrambled eggs on my mushy phase and refried beans. Maybe this will help, I will try to think of more.

Hi Gordan, I think most of us have to do that 2 week diet before hand to "shrink the liver". I agree that it's probably partly to get you used to eating a certain way. As far as yogurt, you are the first person I have heard of that was told to just eat yogurt. Many of us were put on protien drinks and some on clear liquids. Yogurt sounds better to me. But being realistic, you could shrink your liver just as well if you threw in some green veggies and lean protien. After surgery it is important to stay on liquids or semi liquids but I can't imagine why it would be important before. Now I'm going to get all kinds of flack from other bandsters for saying that. I'm running away:)

I'm not sure. I have decided that what you are talking about is why we got the lapband. You are just at your second fill and I know exactly what you are talking about. At that time I was still eating things that I should not have like potato chips. Now I am at the sweet spot and I have to really watch what I eat, how I eat it and when I eat it. The amount I can eat has been very limited and so I now make sure that what I'm eating has the most bang for it's buck (yogurt and berries for Breakfast, fish and spinach or greens for lunch, etc). I have to take 30 minutes to eat and chew every bite completely before swallowing. I take little breaks between bites to make sure that I am not too full or that I'm not getting stuck. If I had not gone thru what you are talking about after the 2nd or 3rd fill, I would have been very unprepared for the care that I have to take now. It is a process and it works great.

The hubbs and I were JUST talking about this!! I'm trying to steer away from using as many processed things as possible when possible, and when I DO use them I have to read labels because I'm having reactions to anything with MSG, aspartame, and citric acid. I've been using cream cheese made with greek yogurt, but I am starting to second-guess that decision! My poor hubby still has it in his head that low-fat and sugar-free are the way to go... We still have some work to do.

I have to say that as time goes by it does get better. You know as someone that is 3 weeks out (the expert that I am ) The only thing that I can say that I had a taste for was a coke. I did cheat and have a sip and let me tell you, the worst feelig ever!!! Not because of the sip but because of the taste! It didn't taste good at all and that's when I was having the same feelings as you. Will I ever be able to have a burger or a coke? Will going out to dinner ever be something I look forward too? IS LIFE EVER GOING TO BE ENJOYABLE AGAIN?!?!?! Then the all time greatest...Did I do the right thing? I have to say that only time will tell. The pain under the boob thing is a little less painful now. People also talk alot about listening to the band/body. Have to say that its true. In the morning I need something warm first to loosen the band up and then I can have the cold protene shake or yogurt. the pain is worse if I start with something cold. I also need to wait a good 30 to 45 minuted before introducing anything to my stomach in the morning. I think its going to take time for all of us to figure it out.

Hi Lisa - I have that same pain on my left side from the port! I've been worried that I've pulled something loose, but apparently that's how it's supposed to feel. The pain gets really sharp if I twist to my left or bend downward toward the left. I'll be glad when this goes away. As far as my diet - for two weeks I am allowed the following: juice, Jello, popsicles, broth, bouillon, fruit ices, coffee, tea (these were recommended for the first 2-3 days, then I could add "full" liquids like milk (skin or 1% - I drink 1%), vegetable juice, strained cream Soups, pudding (fat-free and sugar-free), diet ice cream and light yogurt. I am to continue with my Protein drinks twice per day until I'm on solid foods. I use the unjury Protein Drinks (not too bad - I can tolerate it). The only things I have actually eaten are jello, chicken broth, popsicles, sugar-free fudgesicles, vegetable juice and the protein drinks. I keep sipping on Water all day too. Yesterday was the first day that I actually felt hungry - my stomache actually growled. I'll be glad to get to the next stage which for me is mushy food, but at least I can have oatmeal, mashed potatoes (thin), and eggs. I called my boss this morning and I told her I go to the doc on the 13th, so I won't be back until at least the 14th. She was fine with that. I am off on the 15th, so if the doc gives me the okay, I may go ahead back on the 14th, and if I get weak, I'll just go home early. I truly am feeling weak - when I shower, by the time I finish I'm almost light=headed and have to hurry to my bed to lay down! I hope I can build my strength back up this week. -Rose Ann

:thumbup:My team says I am doing great. Starting weight shortly before surgery was 293 and I am now at 277.... 16 lbs so far. My incisions have all healed, I have had no gas pains, nausea or any of the other uncomfortable complications I have read about here. Stayed on full liquids day 2-10 and still incorporate a lot of full liquids such as yogurt, cream of wheat and protein water into my daily diet. In fact you could say I am on full liquids all day, eating whatever else will go down comfortably for dinner, keeping an eye on my own personal nutritional goals. I was doing this for awhile before surgery anyways, and has now bwcome habit. I worry about progressing too fast with the diet. I asked my doctor if I ate something wrong, would it cause any problems with the band, such as slipping? He assured me that might have been true in the “old days” but that he now ties the lapband in securely by bringing up some of the lower stomach and stitching it around the band. The band will not slip by eating something wrong. He did say if I had a prolonged bout of throwing there was a slight chance of slippage, but unlikely. He also said that before the first banding the stomach pouch will not stretch as there is little restriction, any excess food just slips through to the lower stomach. His said I would be limited in what I eat by what felt comfortable “slipping through” and could gage how much swelling is remaining from the surgery by what size goes down OK. I would learn from trial and error what I could eat and what would be not be nice to me. So I have tried out various other foods to see how they feel, being sure to chew very well. This is very much feedback trial and error, as if I forget and do not chew well it does not feel good going down. I have the best luck on foods that are on the soft slippery type, like fish(scallops, red snapper), noodles, eggs and various oatmeals, even soggy morning cereal. All with no problems. No gas, bloating nausea or any other complications that I can feel. All went down just fine. Rice, flour tortillas and anything fibrous that can’t be chewed into pieces get “stuck” and I have to wait for it to clear before eating more. Not painful, just annoying. My nutritionist did say to avoid coffee as that has tannic acid which could cause ulcers on the band. I wonder if that applies to tomato products, such as spaghetti sauce, as tomatoes have tannic acid, as does wine, I think. I will need to verify that with her. I am thinking it may be the daily prolonged use of coffee that could cause an ulcer, but for now I just say no. The temptation is to keep pushing the limit, such as gobbling down a Burger King Steakburger ( I did not even though I probably could if chewed well), but I had better have enough self discipline to not do that or I have wasted my life, time and money on a procedure I do not respect. I log everything on FITDAY.com (have done this for years) and keep a careful eye on my calories, cards, proteins, etc. When I was on full liquids I was taking in about 800 calories and usually met the 60 protein goal. I am looking now at keeping my calories around 1200, so that I will continue to lose weight. My doctor has taken me off the high blood pressure med as I now test in the normal range. I have reduced my glyburide by 50%, and am slowly reducing my 24 hour insulin. I am experiencing fasting glucose of 120, which is about 100 points lower than pre lapband. So far I am very happy with my lapband.

I had someone in the weight loss office ask me what snacks do I eat. I try very hard to find good foods for me to snack on. I hate to blow my whole day on bad snacks and feel bad after eating them. So this is what I snack on. SNACKS: Newman's Own microwave popcorn 100 calorie. Cheerios (dry) 1 cup 100 calorie. Sargento light string cheese (made with 2% milk) 50 calories per piece. Babybel Light cheese - Good source of protein, 6 grams protein- 50 calories per serving. T.Marzetti Light French Onion Veggie-Dip or any of there Light Dips 60 calories serving size 2 Tbsp Pepperidge Farm Goldfish-Baked Snack Crackers. I like the Cheddar flavor.This has 140 calories serving size 55 Pieces (They also now come in so many flavors like Parmesan,Pizza,Ranch,Pretzel, and a host of other flavors. Read the Nutrition Facts. Some are 130 calories for 43 pieces, or 130 calories for 60 pieces. WeightWatchers has many wonderful snacks I love the Rosemary & Olive Oil-Pretzel Thins this also comes in many great flavors 110 calories per 1 pouch. WeightWatchers Smoothie Mix with fruit if you like. I love the French Vanilla and I add all type of berries 100 calories per packet. Also comes in a Wild Berry & Chocolate Smoothie. Musselman's (lite mixed Berry's-fruit'n Sauce or any of the berry flavors) NO SUGAR ADDED 60 calorie. Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt 80 calories. Jell-0 Pudding Snack Cups -Sugar Free 60 calorie. Edy's Fruit Bars NO SUGAR ADDED (EXCELLENT SOURCE OF VITAMIN C) Made with REAL FRUIT 25 Calories per pop. Edy's Fruit Bars -antioxdant ( All Natural) Acai Blueberry. (EXCELLENT SOURCE OF VITAMIN C) Made with REAL FRUIT 60 Calories per pop. Edy's Fruit Bars -antioxdant ( All Natural) Pomegranate. (EXCELLENT SOURCE OF VITAMIN C) Made with REAL FRUIT 60 Calories per pop. Boost (High protein) Energy Drink 240 calorie. Pure Protein - Shake 170 calories. CHECK OUT MY BLOG FOR MORE TIPS AND IDEAS:thumbup: http://life-after-lap-band.blogspot.com/

I have the "sliming" thing too...But, I've been told that occurs because of eating too fast OR too big of a bite and/or not chewing enough. The fills are to restrict you on how much you can eat and only give you the full sensation after a max of 1 cup of food...If you can eat more then 1 cup of food at one sitting then you need a fill. If you are "sliming" try slowing down and taking tiny little bites of food and chew them 20-30 times each bite. It is hard work - But so is anything we must do to lose weight. Good luck - hope this helps. As well, there are some foods that just don't go down nice no matter how much you chew - the slime comes (for me this is bread, pizza, and sometimes yogurt).

When a craving strikes ask yourself Am I stressed out? When you're under pressure, your body releases the hormone cortisol, which signals your brain to seek out rewards. Comfort foods loaded with sugar and fat basically "apply the brakes" to the stress system by blunting this hormone. When you reach for food in response to negative feelings such as anger or sadness (like potato chips after a fight with your spouse), you inadvertently create a powerful connection in your brain. Its classic brain conditioning; "The food gets coded in your memory center as a solution to an unpleasant experience or emotion". Stimulate happiness "Women especially have a profound emotional reaction to music". Create upbeat playlists to listen to whenever a craving strikes. The songs provide a distraction and an emotional release. Wait it out "People give in to cravings because they think they'll build in intensity until they become overwhelming, but that's not true," Cravings behave like waves: They build, crest, and then disappear. If you can "surf the urge," you have a better chance of beating it altogether Choose the best distraction "What you're really craving is to feel better," You've heard the trick about phoning a friend or exercising instead of eating. But "taking a solo walk won't help if you're feeling lonely," Instead, identify your current emotion--bored, anxious, or mad; by filling in these blanks: "I feel ____ because of ____." Then find an activity that releases it. If you're stressed, channeling nervous energy into a workout can help; if you're upset over a problem at the office, call a friend and ask for advice. Ask yourself "Have I been eating less than usual If you're eating fewer than 1,000 calories a day or restricting an entire food group (like carbs), you're putting your body in prime craving mode. Even just 3 days of strict dieting decreases levels of the appetite-reducing hormone leptin by 22%. Do This! Lift any bans--safely Plan ways to enjoy your favorite foods in controlled portions. Get a slice of pizza instead of a whole pie, or share a piece of restaurant cheesecake with two friends. Don't "eat around" cravings; trying to squash a craving with a low-cal imitation won't satisfy your brain's memory center. For example, if you're craving a milkshake, yogurt won't cut it--especially if you've been depriving yourself. You may even take in more calories than if you'd just had a reasonable portion of what you wanted in the first place. Munching five crackers, a handful of popcorn, and a bag of pretzels, all in the name of trying to squash a craving for potato chips, will net you about 250 more calories than if you'd eaten a single-serving bag Are you getting enough sleep? In a University of Chicago study, a few sleepless nights were enough to drop levels of the hormone leptin (which signals satiety) by 18% and boost levels of ghrelin, an appetite trigger, by about 30%. Those two changes alone caused appetite to kick into overdrive, and cravings for starchy foods like Cookies, potato chips, and bread jumped 45%. Do This! Have some caffeine; it can help you get through the day without any high-calorie pick-me-ups. It won't solve your bigger issue of chronic sleep loss, but it's a good short-term fix until you get back on track. Portion out a serving, you probably don't have the energy to fight it, so try this trick: Before you dig in, dole out a small amount of the food you want (on a plate) and put the rest away. Are you a creature of habit? You may not realize it, but seemingly innocent routines, such as eating cheese popcorn while watching TV, create powerful associations. "The brain loves routine". The thought of letting go of these patterns can cause a fear response in an area of the brain called the amygdala. "Once the food hits your lips, the fear response shuts off in a heartbeat." Do This! Eliminate sensory cues; smells, sights, and sounds all act as powerful triggers. Watch television in your basement or bedroom so you're far away from the kitchen and the cupboard full of Snacks Picture yourself healthy; try the "stop technique": Every time the food you crave pops into your head, think, Stop! Then, picture a healthy image (say, you're lean and fit). After a while, your brain will dismiss the food image and the craving will subside. "One of my clients did this four or five times a day, and within 2 weeks, she stopped turning to sweets every night after dinner." Shift your focus; Australian researchers found that distracting your brain really does work. When a craving hits, divert your attention to something visual not related to food, like typing an e-mail. Passing up one bag of potato chips and 1 pint of Ben & Jerry's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream per month can help you lose 10 pounds in a year

Are there any men here who were over 400 lbs before your surgery? Before your surgery, were you always hungry? What was your highest weight? Are you still hungry now that your banded? How much weight did you have to loose to have the surgery? My problem is I dont like the taste of most healthy stuff like salads. Lettuce tastes like grass to me. I cant stand that taste. I dont mind healthy cerials or yogurts, but how much how do you make 3 meals a day - 7 days a week out of that! Right now I am trying to cut back. I was on the fast track to getting banded with Anthem Insurance, when my company switched to Cigna (yuck!) I lost all my efforts and now I need to start at ground zero again, including the pre-op weight loss! I would like to chat about what you ate before and what you eat now etc. On or off this forum works for me. wishiwas@juno.com is my e-mail address.

I had this too big time. I tried a bit of liquid yogurt and it cleared right up. I was about a day or 1 1/2 days early starting full liquids. Always good to check with your own doc.

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.

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.

Well, I found out the reason I couldn't get with it. I had a hernia when I went in and when they did my surgery they pinched it off well I hadn't had a bowl movement in 11 days they did an emergency surgery Thursday and thought I was going to have to have a colostomy bag. Turns out during the surgery I aspirated some bile. My mom was really worried. So now I have to weight a few more days on my phase 2 diet which really isn't fair. I'm going to eat setting to day even if it's cottage cheese or yogurt I've got to have something.

I had bypass surgery on July 20th. It was nearly impossible to eat or drink when I transitioned to the purées stage. I have an appointment scheduled on August 24th for an X-ray with contrast die to see if there are any issues. I’m supposed to be transitioning to soft food in two weeks, which I’m excited about. I’ve been eating yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, protein shakes, low fat cream of mushroom soup, and retried beans. I was able to swallow scrambled eggs this morning. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. How are you or have you been making it through the early stages after surgery? Any food ideas?

I had the same problem. My doctor told me you can become intorerant and need to have only skim milk,nonfat yogurt, and try lactaid. Ask your doctor first though or go back to the nutritioist with some questions.

hey does anyone have any problems with dairy post op? i was banded a week ago and my nutritionist said we could have drinkable yogurt on day 4 and milk on day 6 and protein shakes. I cant figure it out, but something is causing me to have diarrhaea. Has anyone else had this problem? Also the yogurt is the activta kind (well I have tried both) any comments?? anyone?

I tried yobaby to start out with since my hubby's favorite is Soneyfield farms which makes yobaby. She hated it. I tasted it and it is hardly sweet at all. I guess if you like plain yogurt flavor then some might like it. I am not a big yogurt fan, though. I also tried some other brand specifically geared towards babies and it tastes like the yobaby. They are good brands cuz they don't have as much sugar in them, but my baby doesn't like them. I wish she did cuz my hubby is type 1 diabetic so we are having to watch out for our little girl who might get it. I try and watch how much sugar she is getting. I also, because I have a weight problem, am trying to keep my baby intrested in water, veggies, and wholesome snacks. As opposed to loads of fruit juice, gatorade, cookies, cakes, and ice cream. Funny thing is, while I am trying to do this, my family sabatoges my efforts by giving her cakes and other crap! I tried to explain to my family the reason why I want to limit her sugar intake, but they don't seem to listen.

Congrats on being a bandster! My doctor told me not to count the day of surgery, so day one is actually the day after. One thing I have learned while reading these forums is the amount of variation all of the surgeons have for when to start clear fluids, then full fluids progressing to mushy or pureed and then finally regular food. I suggest calling your clinic and asking them, I am surprised they didn't send you home with detailed instructions. I had to spend five days on clear fluids and now am on my fifth day of full fluids (soups, pudding, yogurt), I have one more day then onto mushie pureed!! I am glad you are feeling well!