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Could someone please give me an idea of how much they ate (drank) at each meal post op on the liquid phase. I know what to have but not sure of the amounts. I dont realyy feel like I have any restriction but everything pretty much hurts going down. I have half a protein shake for breakfast which I add ice to and blend which fluffs up to 1 cup. I can get this down in about 10 minutes - is this too much too fast?

As long as you are prepared with protein drinks, pre-planning for your food choices and the knowledge that drinking might be out of the question. (You can be the designated photographer.) Have fun!

My doctor told me that it's very common for bands to be tighter in the morning. He said after you have been laying down for extended periods of time your stomach will swell-which causes tightness in the morning. Once you've been up and moving around, then the swelling goes down. I feel tightness on the rare occasion that I can take a nap. I'm always tighter after laying down and the longer I lay down, the tighter I seem to be. I can't/don't really eat any solids until after 2pm. Anyway, doctor said it's very common in banding. I like it because it forces me to have a Protein shake in the AM and gets my day started off on the right foot!

If you are going to be on these meds long term go get a slight unfil. You need to be able to eat 3 oz of solid protein if you can't you are too tight. Having a too tight band can lead to the band slipping or eroding which are major complicatons and can lead to having the band removed.

I joined planet fitness on the same day as my two week follow up appointment when my doctor cleared me. I worked out for about an hour and once I was done with some heavy cardio and weight lifting, I had to grab on to my best friend because I thought I was going to fall over. Turns out, I wasn't ready for such intensity and was more eager than my body could reasonably handle while having been on a liquid diet for a month. Plus, I could barely drink water at that point, so I wasn't getting in my fluids every day and I know I wasn't getting in my protein. The next day, I returned and made sure I had my protein that day before working out. I did the same routine and still was feeling exhausted afterward. My friend told me I had to take it easier, so I decided it would be best to wait until I was eating actual food before I returned to Planet Fitness. I've been going this week now that I am off my short term restrictions and I've not had any issues. I feel much better now and can drink more water at once than just a sip or two, so that is huge for me. I say to trust your body and work your way up.

My dr.'s off ice gave me 4: www.vistavitamins.com www.bbvitamins.com www.vitalady.com www.bariatricadvantage.com I get mine from www.dpsnutrition.com on the left side go down the IDS then look for IDS New Whey Liquid Protein! I love the Blue Raspberry (only 25 g. protein and both the Orange and Grape 42 g protein. I have usually add them to a bottle of propel water but have just drank them by themselves. __________________

I have the same surgery date! We only do a 10 day liquid diet (we are limited to 1 protein shake a day for the first 5 days and clear liquids after that), but I am on day 6. I think it has everything to do with how much water you were retaining before you began and how much water you are drinking to flush out the bloating. If you weren't retaining much, you don't lose as much. If you don't drink lots of water, you aren't getting rid of it. I was super bloated and hormonal when I began, so I had an initial drop. However, I got dehydrated, so the scale stopped moving. I pushed a ton of water yesterday and lost 6 pounds overnight. I can already tell that water will be my big challenge after surgery!

Ok Mandy..I have been on the liquid protein pre op diet for almost three weeks now. I have cheated and totally regretted it. My stomach would feel soo engourged and after being on the liquid diet for as long as I have been I feel that I ruined my previous work. I was 335 pounds three years ago when I was diagnosed with PCOS. I had gained 80 pounds in a year with no change in my diet. My hair was thinning and my skin was getting darker and my menses were totally out of control. I actually had a period that lasted for TEN (yes you read that right 10) weeks. Talk about feeling like crap during your one week periods try ten weeks straight. I was starting to think that I was going to menstrate myself to death. Then I got scared and started walking 30 min EVERY day!! I lost 35 pounds in 4 months and my stomach muscles started taking on a shape other than SAG. my periods have since been pretty much normal again. but now I need to get the rest of it off. I have been flip floping ack and forth from 310 to 300 since april. I started my liquid protein diet july 5. I love my shakes they are sooo awesome. I use Pro Rated Alpine Vanilla. I got it at Costco for $20 for a 6 # tub. I mixed it with 2% milk at first and I loved it. then I thought to incorporate more protein in it (the powder had 22 grams per scoop) I started using 8th Contintnet Light Soy milkVanilla flavor..its adds 7 more grams of protien to my shakes. they taste like a treat. I have them for my three meals and drink drink drink drink all day long of my FLAVOR SPLASH AQUAFINA water..sooo freaking good tasting I had to call them to make sure there really was no cal no carb no sugar. They said no none. I also enjoy the crystal light water pack on the go mixes. they taste good too. then I have sugar free fat free jello. it satisfies my urge to chew. I live in northern nevada where we have had over a week straight of temps over 100 and there had been a run on the sugar free popcicles here too. I know that there are more options out there that i am not aware of but, I love ones i have been told of and discovered. Keep your chin up and know that the more you lose before surgery the less you have to loose after. I think of it as a farewell to dieting forever..This sugery is teaching me to eat right for the rest of my life and there will be nore more diets. I found a quote that inspires me and i will share it with you.. "It's never too late to be what you might have been." I have small quotes like that all over my house to help me keep my chin up. I put my fat picture on my freezer door as to see it everytime i open the doors to my fridge. I dont like the person i see in it and think everytime i choose not to open that door and binge of how much sooner i will be saying good riddance to the old unhealthy me and hello to the new me. Well I am off to my pre op appt for blood work etc. talk to you soon and i hope that something i shared with you will help. if notheing more than to diatract you from your humger, Best of luck to you

I'm 5 days post op (Realize band with one incision and hiatal hernia repair). You will def. be ready to go back to work in a week. Keep up with your shakes pre and post op. Also, some unflavored protein powder that you can mix into homemade freezer pops or soups, or add to Gatorade, etc. Also, I discovered that Lipton makes great Cream of Chicken soup in handy individual packets. Just make sure you strain it. You can eat this from day 2 on. Good luck!

I have NEVER been able to do any artificial sweeteners. Always have an after taste and I always would get a headache whenever I would try them. So I was worried that that would hinder me in my journey. So far so good. I would love to be able to use some of the sugar free syrups to mix things up with my shakes a bit but no can do. I am in AZ and right now it is rather chilly in the morning and evenings. I love it. This is my favorite weather time of the year. Oh where was I.....oh yea artificial sweeteners. Well I have been making myself hot decaf tea in the mornings with my unflavored Protein powder and drinking that to warm up a bit and then usually having another smaller cup at night when we are watching TV. Well last night I decided to try Splenda in my tea. My husband always uses that in his coffee and it was the ONLY thing I hadn't tried yet. Well surprise surprise........I was able to drink my tea NO weird aftertaste and NO headache!! WOO HOO!! So this morning I tried it again in my 24oz of hot decaf tea with Protein Powder. Again yummy!!! I am so happy about this, that now I at least have something to use. So I here sit enjoying my hot decaf tea w/protein, checking around on here to see what's up, and then I will be getting ready and heading to the gym. The sun is shining, we are not buried under snow, I feel good, weight is coming off......I think it's a good day!!

I started this in the Post-op forum, but realize it migh be better over here. I don't know how I did this. For the first two weeks I was on Clear liquids and stuck to it except for a couple times when I had some mashed potatoes or a blended Soup. I'm supposed to be on full liquids until the 8th and then mushies. I just felt so good I started eating solids, albeit very healthy ones. I have lost 30 pounds all together (18 post-op) and hit a stall at 3 weeks that seems to have broken today after I went down a pound. THE QUESTION: Should I go a step back and go back totally on full liquids? It doesn't seem like cream Soups are all that healthy, but I still do cottage cheese and yogurt every day. Cucumber gave me pause, but broccoli, carrots, squash and Beans are fine. In fact, there is nothing I can't seem to eat so far. eggs, cheese, chicken, pork, beef, fish - all fine. I didn't do this flippantly, It just seemed to feel normal. I go between 550-650 calories a day. Here is a day's menu: Total 591 Cals. 22.7 Fat (g) 28.9 Carbs (g) 69.3 Protein (g) Milk, 2% fat 6 oz MaxProteinVanilla 1 serving Tuna, fresh raw 3 oz Somersaults Pacific Sea Salt 1/2 serving (Low carb, high protein cracker things) Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 2% 1/4 cup Cucumber 5 slices Cheese,Blue 1/8 cup Cheese,Ricotta 1/8 cup Salami,dry 1 slice P.S. The Salami and riccota cheese is an Eggface recipe in which you take a slice of salami, put it into a mini muffin pan and fill it with ricotta cheese seasoned with spices and topped with a tiny bit of mozzerella cheese. They are savory little protein cupcakes that are to die for. I made mine smaller and cut the egg yolk. The greek yogurt and gorganzolla or blue cheese is another Eggface recipe. It makes a great dip. Everything she makes is geared with protein in mind. If you dip your meats or veggies, you may as well do it high protein instead of using commercial dressings or sauces.

I am 4 weeks out and can drink like no tomorrow...... I can eat some chicken/salmon - like 2oz and 2 green beans and I am stuffed..... Have you tried other proteins? How many ounces is 'a little chicken'?

I'm 15 months post op, and for me, it's easier in the sense that I cannot eat a whole pizza, or a bucket of chicken. But I can eat all the candy and ice cream I want with no restriction. Even the amount of healthy food I can eat now is fairly high. I typically eat 2000 calories a day and can hit 2500-3000 with no problem....and that's eating alot of lean Protein and healthy fats, fairly low carb and very few "treats." I can gain weight fairly easily just by not logging my food for a few days, eating whatever I want and indulging in too many sweets. I've bounced up as much as 17 pounds in 2 weeks since surgery. Of course, I can get it right back off just going back to my tried and true methods of protein, Water, logging and exercise. There is also a reduced metabolism component to losing weight that will reduce your daily calorie expenditure over time....massive weight loss and prolonged calorie restriction contribute to this. Thus, making it easier to gain weight on less calories than needed before surgery. Lifting weights and building muscle help with this, but only "help", not prevent. However....yes....it's much easier now. The surgery gave me an edge. A window of time to lose weight and rethink my priorities. I got my head on straight. I changed my lifestyle. I changed my relationship with food....basically I broke up with food, although I'm still tempted to go back for a little post break up indulgence every now and then. The honeymoon phase was that window of time. And by the time it was over I knew I never wanted to go back. I have to work much harder now than I did 12 months ago, but I'm motivated to do it. I can't imagine quitting and going back....I won't.

I'm almost 23 months out, and while I am by far not the furthest out, I had maintained my weight loss for a year until pregnancy. As for long term vets on here, go to the Member listing at the top, go to the "L" and look up the member named Luck. I have maintained my loss by making best food choice, not grazing, and eating Protein first, but I do not diet. If I want potatoes, I eat potatoes. I am not strict with my intake of any particular foods, I eat what I want, just in smaller quantities. I recommend you visiting obesityhelp.com as there is a VSG maintenance board with some 3-5 year out patients with longer term stats than mine.

You should definitely not be disappointed. You will read on this website that so many people have stalls... sometimes they last days, sometimes weeks. It has happened to me. When I was 2 weeks post op, I stopped losing weight for 2 weeks. Remember, you just had major surgery... your body needs time to heal and get used to the new changes.... the surgery itself, weight loss, etc. Also, from what I understand, the lower your starting weight, the slower the weight might come off. Do your best to try not to compare yourself to others weight loss. Yours might be slower and there is nothing wrong with that. Keep following your doctor's/nutritionist's plan and you will do just fine. High protein, over 64 ounces of liquids daily and a low carb diet. WIsh you the best. Keep your chin up.

I'm good with protein but struggling to get all the water in. Maybe I need to work on that.

How are you with your protein intake? And water?

Hi there, I'm in my 3er week after surgery and I think this week I hit the stall because the scale is not moving, so my question is how do I know how many carbs, Protein and calories I'm taking a day? Because I'm not eating that much in fact last night was the first day I felt satisfied because i ate guacamole with 1 medium mash potato that was so good. But in general my diet goes like this: 7:00 am Cup of coffe in the morning with 22 oister crackers 60 cal (that what it says in the package) 9:00 am 1 boiled egg 11:00 am Protein shake arround 3oz 1:00 pm home made vegetable Soup with chicken and I blend it 3:00 pm protein shake 3oz 5:00 pm Yogurt 7:00 pm more vegetable soup Ok, Water is being dificult because after diner I have to wait 90min to drink so my total water per day is not higher than 20oz Can someone help me in whats wrong?? and if posible with food alternatives I'm tired of the vegetable soup Thanks

Use myfitnesspal.com to track your food. It will break down the Protein, fat, carbs, and calories for you. Did your surgeon not give you a guideline or recommendation for calories, carbs, protein? Why do you have to wait 90 minutes to drink anything after dinner? You're definitely not getting in enough fluids, and you're body is probably retaining what little Fluid you are putting in there. My daily recommendations were: 600-800 calories no more than 30gr of carbs 60+ gr of protein 64oz of Clear liquids If you don't want to track online, you can food journal all of it, but you'll have to look up the protein and carb counts of the foods you are eating. As for food options, you can try some thinned out refried Beans with cheese and add some greek yogurt (the plain non-fat) for additional protein. Cottage cheese, ricotta bake (look in the recipe section on here for how to make it), tuna/chicken/egg salads were all on my mushy stage diet, and I'm not sure if you are there yet. Hummus is a good option for the full liquid stage. You can puree or blend just about anything especially chili, cream Soups thinned out as well.

I'm just starting my journey and I started p90x yesterday. Definitely sore today... I've never been one to work out a whole lot, so this is a HUGE challenge for me, but I totally think it's doable! I'll admit, I didn't do everything Tony instructed to do, but one day soon I hope to be able to! I even asked about starting this and my dietician said it was great and it works in conjunction with the high Protein diet bandsters are already on. I'm doing the lean version which is supposed to aimed more towards cardio, therefore more weight loss. And I heard Insanity is way tougher than p90x, by the way. But I guess it really just depends on the person.

Hello and welcome!! My date is December 2nd. There is a group on here for December sleevers, as well as a facebook group you can join! I think it's a great idea to get a head start. Anything you can do before surgery to start your habits is great, that way you aren't worrying about recovery, finding Protein you like, getting in your liquids, and changing your eating habits. That is a lot to take on right after a surgery!! I found a Protein Drink I like, and got all of my post op stuff I will need. There are a ton of forums on here of what you can take care of beforehand, such as a heating blanket, gas X for your gas pains, and etc. I start my liquid diet on the 23rd, so I will be right there with you!

The last time I went to RL, they had fresh catch selections, and you can have it prepared grilled. They are usually posted on a chalk board in the dining area. I would stay away from the menu and stick to their fresh catch options. Haddock and trout are favorites of mine. :wink: The kiddie menu has mostly fried foods, so probably not a good option.

Find a surgeon to talk with them about your options of type of surgery and to discuss the steps with you. Many of the hospitals have days where you go to a seminar about weight loss surgery as well, I know Northwestern has them twice a month or so. Or ask your primary if he knows of a bariatric surgeon to refer to you.

I think a lot of people kind of go on a "binge" before they are banded. If you are worried though about the weight gain, I would follow the high protein/low carb diet. It will reduce your appetite and of course, you can eat extra protein if you are hungry. Sometimes it is difficult to get th insurance to approve it. They consider it an "elective" surgery but your doctor can write it up as medically necessary.

Carbs are the only things that were satisfying for me during this first trimester...I eat cereal, oatmeal, 1/2 bagel with cream cheese(basically baby only likes breakfast). When I try to eat high protein low carb, I feel awful! I am 12wks now and have stayed the exact same weight (to the tenth of a lb even) since finding out I was pregnant.