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I never had any issues with continued dizziness or anything. I could tell when I was not getting enough fluids in, and was dehydrated, I would get very lethargic, and grouchy!! I used Zero carb Isopure drinks 40g. protein in each bottle, I would try to drink half in the morning and half in the afternoon. I bought them at GNC, they are good for while you need clear liquids the first while following surgery, before you can do the shakes. I also ordered the unflavored unjury powder, 20 g. per scoop, and used it in broth, even mixed it up in my jello...you can use it in anything to boost your protein.(www.unjury.com) I also take a chewable vitamin, and the viactiv calcium chews. As for the new job...it sounds to me like perfect timing! It will keep your mind occupied, giving you less time to think of food!! Plus you mentioned worrying about not eating in the cafeteria...from the begining, you can be eating healthy around these new people, and then as you lose weight, they will attribute it to that...nothing else. They have not seen you go up and down in weight...they will see you eating your container of yogurt, or a salad, and as your weight drops...it won't raise questions. Or at least it wouldn't in my mind. Sounds ideal...Good Luck on the surgery, I am thrilled with mine, wish I had done it years ago!!! And good luck in the new job...sounds like you have a whole new life to look forward to!!! Kat

Hi 👋🏽 Try as hard as you can to stick with the measured amounts and timed eating. (e.g. 1/4 cup of soft foods eaten over 15-30 mins) I know it's easier said than done when you're not used to it or even hungry, but it's really important so than you don't max out the capacity of your new stomach while it's healing or push foods through by overloading. Perhaps try to take slower bites or longer breaks between each bite. But also 4 ozs of softer foods tend to s l i d e down easier than 4ozs of solid proteins. Good Luck ♥️

You will hear many different theories on weight loss. Some feel it is change in diet and others feel it happens due to the anesthesia. Either way, eat your Protein and take your Vitamins. I had surgery 5 months ago and I've had no hair loss. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Well, was doing well. had it on March 22. But in last 3 days have gotten weak, muscles hurt really bad, can hardly walk! Assume its a protein deficiency. Going for lab work today if I can walk from the car to the Dr. office. This is scary. I may not have followed the plan totally right, but thought I had been drinking enough of the shakes..........this is reallly terrible! I wonder how long I will feel like and be a virtual invalid!

My care team does not seem very concerned which has me annoyed. I double checked the protein amounts I am taking in and it's over 60 grams. I am 5'10 and somewhat muscular-was in decent condition prior to band even though I was obese.....but this is so debilitating. It's possible i am not drinking enough, but not by an amount enough to cause this, I wouldn't think! If I thought the ER could have done anything for me I would have gone yesterday, but if it's metabolic, I didn't see what they could do other than blood studies which I hope to hear back on today. I tell you what, going from a stong and very independent person to not being able to walk to the dr's office is very disturbing! I see the surgeon tomorrow morning to have staples out and I will impress upon him how serious I feel this is......I am so exhausted....thanks for your support, out there! So far the loss of 13 pounds has not :sleep:been worth this...but we shall see.

Wow. I have to totally disagree with this one...at least for me. I've tried structured eating my whole life and it helped me lose great quantities of weight, until I always rebelled. Then I would gain back every last ounce and then some. When I got my lap-band, I swore that 'structured eating" was over. I wanted to be normal and as you can see, it has worked for me. I don't count calories, carbs or Protein. I try to eat healthy, but if there's a great birthday cake at work, I have some. Freedom is the key for me and freedom does not involve spending my day contemplating every morsel that will go in my mouth. On the plus side, I have seen people who like to live this way. I'm just not one of them. It makes me crazy. Cindy

Hey everyone. Thanks for the comments and feedback. I did go in that morning and see the doctor. He did a slight unfill. He took out around .5-.7 cc's. I'm doing much better and I hope I've a sweet spot for a little while. I stayed on liquids Thurs-Saturday and yesterday I started incorporating soft foods like cottage cheese. Since my band hasn't worked in so long I forgot that it can be tighter in the mornings. No more scrambled eggs for me. I'll start out in the mornings with a Protein shake or slimfast. My doctors nurse recommended the follow diet: Protein Shake for Breakfast Cottage Cheese for Snack chicken or Tuna salad for lunch String Cheese or Beef Jerky for Snack Chicken and Veggies for dinner What do you guys think of this diet? I'm not ready for chicken yet. It's always been a harder food for me to process so I'm not headed that way just yet. I was just curious what other would think of this for a diet post soft foods. Thanks again for your comments and encouragement. I'm going to make this work!!! I'm paying too much on these surgeries not to. Oh, always I was in the chat room and everyone was talking about the 5 Day Pouch Test. I'll be sure to use that in the future when I feel like things aren't working right.

For me, I can eat any amoumt of chips, biscuits, ice cream or even Cereal that I want to. I can go out and eat fattening meals too - not much of them, but I can eat Pasta and stuff. But I know I have good restriction when I eat well. When I eat healthy, Protein packed, vegie packed meals, I really struggle to get through 1500 calories in a day. I get my three meals in and that's it. when I eat that way, I lose even now, four years down the track. Good restriction to me does not mean not being able to eat bread or getting full on half a cup. Today I had a huge Protein shake with a banana blended in (took me a while), a chicken schnitzel sandwich (bread, small schnitzel oven baked, baby spinach, tomato) and a bread and butter plate sized dinner - meatloaf, a spoon of mashed potato and some creamed spinach. other days I can get through twice the calories with poor food choices - which doesnt mean I dont have restriction, it means I'm not using my band well.

Scroll down the forums to the food section and you will find "protein drinks and powders"There is a thread called places to order samples"

Right now you and your mom should start looking into getting samples and trying out which protein shakes/drinks that you two can drink some people have a lot of trouble with their taste. Surgar free jello making it on your own is cheaper and the boxes keep longer same with sugar free puddings, sugar free apple sauce, and soups I bought chicken noodle soups and just strained the noodles and chicken pieces out. Vitamins I get mine at good old Walmart b 12 chewable or liquid (I took these 4 times a week), chewable vitamins are not all that great tasting I found the gummy ones the most tolerable and liquid calcium not the best tasting but doable. Also vitamin D.

Paula- I had lap band surgery Dec 15th and went thru the same thoughts you are having. I ultimately went with lb becuase if I had any other type of medical problem in life the band could be unfilled and I could receive treatments. The sleeve or RNY both have restrictions I just couldn't handle. I'm probably overly concerned as various cancers run in my family and I just want to be able to 'battle' any disease w/o worrying about a surgery decision I made years ago. My thought is the band can be unfilled or removed if need be and once well, it can be filled or I can have surgery to reinstall one. The vomiting - I am a BIG freaky gagger - I mean freaky as in I can easily start to gag and lord help me if I have to vomit - I totally freak. Here I am 6 weeks post op and I had one episode where I ate to fast, I knew it the moment it happened I stayed calm, had a strange feeling and up the bite came like a big burp. Now that, that happened I am so cautious, the word didn't come to an end but at the time it did hurt - but I did it to my self. as far as food restrictions - what is it you think you'll miss? I have eaten many things and not had issues. I do heed the advice of no soft breads but I haven't missed them. Are they foods that got you here? Now something you didn't address is the amount of work each one involves on your part. The band - it doesn't do it for you- you have to follow the 'rules'- exercise, get 70 - 90 grams of Protein in and 64oz of fluids a day with less than 1k calories. So you have to work at it change your habits. Protein/Produce then starches So its a tool but you have to use, not abuse it and you will be successful. the sleeve- a perm change, an alteration to your body - but you can be lazy - it only restricts your food for you so if you put in poor food choices you can still ramp up the calories (just like the band) and still fail (just like the band) but now you are missing 85% of your stomach. In my research I found that at 5 years out the band and rny have similiar weight loss and maintanence. My reading on the sleeve said altho slightly comparable to band it is equal to RNY. In the end it comes down to what is best for you, be very honest with your medical team especially your surgeon and pysch. They should be able to guide you. My surgeon would not say 'yes do this one, not that one' - he gave me every ounce of info I could get my hands on and answered a lot of questions (I called 2 or 3 times a week for 4 or 5 weeks) Also you may want to post this on the board for gastric sleeve - as I'm pretty sure since most folks on here have the band - they may be slightly biased :smile2: Good luck in your decision. tina

I agree, I would set up an appt with your doctor so you can let him/her know where you are at and get a solid assessment as to whether you need a fill or not. I am a year out from surgery and based on my weight I am eating approximately 1000-1200 calories per day. I am supposed to be getting in between 70-90 grams of Protein per day. I have to admit I usually struggle with getting in all of the protein, but I try. I track my food on The Daily Plate (Livestrong.com) and use that to help me know where I am at on a daily basis. It will also let you track your exercise and it is a great way to know if you are getting in the nutrition you need. I also agree about setting up a meeting with your nutritionist. They might have some great suggestions on how you can structure your meals and make sure that you are eating enough. Also make sure to check out the food and nutrition threads for good ideas and I also like the blog: theworldaccordingtoeggface.com Good luck with getting back on your journey, recognizing it is half the battle!

I am 6 days out and the pain is mostly gone. Yesterday I ate some cream of mushroom soup and It tasted so good. I ate more than I should have. About 10 teaspoons and the pain was almost unbearable. I have been eating 5 or 6 teaspoons tops. I couldnt help myself. It felt good and warm going in! lol I was miserable for at least an hour. But I did not throw up! I am having a bit of a problem with my bowel movements and the gas. Only a tablespoon full comes out and soft and chocolate, from my protein shakes. Will they ever be kind of normal again? I am afraid to go out because of the gas and What if its not gas. I have not got the two sorted out yet. Has anyone else had this? My jeans have elastic waist and they go up to where my surgery was and it is uncomfortable. I have been roling them down. I went to my family dr for my first checkup. My sugar was 89 with no medication and my blood pressure was low 80/60. So, we may have to cut out my Lotrel blood pressure medication. I go back in 1 week to see how that is doing. I did not get a b12 shot, but took blood and will call with results to see if they r needed yet. I think I am doing good. I am so blessed with no diabetes medication! So HAPPY! Take care all!

So excited - I just had my initial seminar at the surgeon's office, and it just seems like a fantastic facility! The doctor was nice, the support staff was amazing. The patient coordinator had bypass herself and lost 250 pounds! So inspiring to be able to talk to her, and she was so open about the whole thing. Calling Monday to make the appointment with the surgeon! Thank you MassageMini - I appreciate the encouragement, and I'm excited for you too!! Hey Brittney! It's so funny you said that about which surgery is right for you. I've been leaning heavily toward sleeve this whole time, but after listening to the doctor today, I'm thinking bypass might be the way to go. He mentioned people with bad reflux (which I have) but without hiatal hernia should opt for bypass over sleeve. I'm eager for my one-on-one with him to get more answers. Stephanie, I totally agree with you on it being a commitment, and it's one I'm willing to make. I'm sick of being "too big" for things I want to do. I have a 7-month-old nephew in California who I have yet to meet because I don't want the shame of having to pay for two seats on an airplane. This is the only child any of my siblings has had, and I won't get to meet him until he's 15 months old and they bring him home for Christmas. I love the beach, but don't go because I can't stand the thought of being in public in swimwear. I flat-out don't like going in public because people stare at me. I'm sick of it, and I want to change my life. Heck, I want to HAVE a life! I don't do anything now. Just sit in the house, go to work, come home. Eat my feelings. I'm with you on wanting to not have the option to eat too much. I don't think you're harsh, I think you're being real. Mi-chaMae, thanks for the advice - I'm trying to be careful about the support team, because I know how important it is. My husband is being amazing about this. He came with me to the seminar today, and is totally supportive of whatever I need to do. And he also said he's willing to eat however he needs to to accomodate my diet after the surgery. I haven't told anyone else yet, because I wanted more info beforehand. But I'm going to make it clear that this is my decision, and I don't want to be "talked out" of it, or told horror stories about so-and-so who they know who had it. We all need positivity! Thank you all so much for talking to me! It's making this whole thing so much easier. I can't wait to get the process going - hopefully it won't take too long!

Glad you are scheduled for an unfill! It's miserable to be too full. I did go thru this recently. I let it go too long. Sounds like you are having classic irritation of the stomach, not band slippage. Mine kept getting tighter and tighter until it became "normal" for me to throw up almost every time I ate. Yeah. Dumb me. However, I was SO irritated that I had to get a TOTAL unfill and let my stomach heal for a month. That was Dec. 14 and Friday I got my fourth fill and have restriction and feel great! I had forgotten what it was like to eat and not slime, PB, or throw up! When I was too tight, not only was I miserable but I didn't lose any weight! It was going up and down the same 5 or 7 lbs and it was making m crazy! SO, you are doing the right thing. You might want to go on mushies or liquids like protein shakes until your unfill to just rest the band.

Any of you long-time bandsters still drink Protein drinks or mix in protein to milk or juice? Could you tell me what you do and why? I heard it's not necessary, but it probably helps, right?

usually in the morning I have my protein shake.

Hi , I buy Fage plain greek yogurt ( 20 grams protein per container) and mix a fruit flavored greek yogurt usually about 14-16 grams of protein. Do that just twice a day and you will almost hit your daily amount of protein. Also soy nuts taste great and one cup is about 36 grams of protein. Salad with beans of any kind, cottage cheese, cubed cheese, tofu. Read labels and experiment with different combinations. I was not a protein drink fan but there are flavorless protein powders you can add to anything . Good luck

I LOVE LOVE the spaghetti with meat sauce. It has a good amount of Protein and I eat all the sauce/meat and about half the Pasta. I eat that for lunch like, 4 days a week. One day I had a turkey dinner and ended up burping for about 6 hours afterwards. So I have only stuck with the spaghetti. But I do find in general those things don't taste very good anymore. Be careful with the microwaved meat. It can give some people problems. For the cost of the meals it's probably not really worth it, unless there are one or two that seem to have high enough protein and low enough calories AND sit well in your stomach. I have tried a few others and dumped them out... they just aren't that good to me anymore....except that darn spaghetti! I buy like 5 at a time!

I do use Lean Cuisines and WW meals for lunch at work. I eat the protein 1st and then the veggies. I rarely finish all and I try to stuck with the ones that only have a meat and veggies.

Absolutely not! But don't concentrate on the calories as much as Protein. You have to get at least 50 grams of protein a day in order to heal your body and burn fat. The calories will come with the protein.

I can't help there. I love Protein shakes. Hopefully someone else can help. There are lots of people here that hate protein shakes.

Ash - I'm not sure what to say. Until reading the previous post, I would have said to up the protein and get in more water. What does your doctor say? I know for me (pre-surgery and post surgery) that the more protein I got, the less I wanted to eat of other things. What is your caloric intake? Are you still tracking your meals?

I'm not sure if this is a stall or if I'm just not working hard enough any more... I haven't lost anything for about 6 weeks now. I've lost a total of 108 pounds and I'm very happy with that, but I'm far from thin. My weight fluctuates between 243-245 daily. I really need to get another 50-60 pounds off and I'm starting to wonder if it will happen. I've been exercising consistently for about 2 weeks now (5-6 times a week) but I really think my problem is my eating. I'm not getting the 80-100 grams of Protein a day...it's more like 40-60. My husband recently decided he wants to eat healthier, so hopefully that will help. Any suggestions? I also have not been getting all my Water in daily.

Wow 108 pounds! Congratulations on your success so far! My weight loss has also slowed down, and I still have quite a ways to go. I think you are on the right track by shaking things up a bit and working out. My doctor recently told me that after our initial healing from surgery, new studies show that 40 grams of protein a day is plenty. After hearing so much about the importance of getting protein in, and atleast 60-70 grams a day this concept is still hard for me to believe. But atleast on the days when I don't get enough, I'm not as worried about it. I would just try to drink more water, and continue working out, hopefully your body will finally let go and you'll start losing again! That's what I've been hoping for anyways. Good luck with your continued weight loss, and let us know if things improve.