Search the Community

I am days away from my six month surgiversary. The only carbs I get are from dairy (yogurt and cottage cheese), veggies, fruit (in my smoothies) and the occasional piece of flatbread/cracker or melba toast with cheese. On special occaisions, I may have 1-2 T of rice or mashed potatoes. I also have indulged in fried hushpuppies once in six months (just a couple). I do not eat white carbs (rice, noodles or bread(white or wheat)). Carbs are what I ate mindlessly before - I would anesthesize myself with them. It is better for me to stay away from them.

One thing I learned early on when I discovered this forum was that the participants could safely hide behind their anonymity, and that opinions and tact will vary. Before I gave up on yo-yo dieting, I would have ice cream every night at bedtime. It is just one of those things that I will probably never approach again because of instant downfall. What I ended up doing was blending ricotta cheese and Greek vanilla yogurt with some artificial sweetener and use that as a base for my Protein shakes. However, there are those among us whose nutritionists advise against use of any artificial sweetener....so what are we to do? I just follow the plan I was given and use others' suggestions here as inspiration for modifying their recipes to fit my plan. Some use almond milk. My NUT wants me to use real dairy milk. She also does not want me to have a shake every day, but I would if I there were no restriction. It's an easy energy source for me. My suggestion is to follow your plan and not get too bent out of shape if someone else's plan is different.

Allow me to disagree. You can't expect somebody who's just had surgery to have 80-100gr a Protein daily. That's just not possible. I am three days out and my new stomac can't handle more than 3 table spoons of yogurt at a time if not less. We all do it at our own pase, as are all different. Weight loss is not a race and we all do it differently.My surgeon in fact dos expect it. He said there was no physical reason someone couldn't drink 3 Premier Protein drinks in one day (33 oz of fluid/90 grams of protein) and expected us to do it. It can be done. It may take all day, but it can be done. This is in US. In uk is more about real food. Not Protein powder.

Hello Everyone, GREAT Thread! I was banded May 21,09. I had my first fill today not much pain at all. My Dr. asked that I lie on my back and left both legs a bit as if I was doing crunches for my lower body, I did and she felt with her hands for the pot. She swabbed me with alcohol to clean the area. I closed my eyes because I am very afraid of needles. Small prick. Dr. says she put 5cc in I had my eyes shut the whole time. Not much restriction at first. My stomach growls a bit. I had Water and a yogurt, some Peanut Butter, I was hungry.

I am day 4 of my Pre-Op diet and I am beginning to question the purpose for a full liquid as opposed to high protein/ low carb diet. I am aware that the main purpose is to decrease the glycogen stores in the liver hence causing it to shrink. You are also suppose to loose some fat around the liver for a safer surgery. My issue is you can do the same without having to suffer such a limited diet the full liquid offers. My liquid diet allows me to have creamed soup which has 4g of carbs and 160 calories, as opposed to a can of tuna in water that I used to make a tuna salad using yogurt instead of mayo wrapped in lettuce leaves. That tuna salad meal was a total of 2g carbs and only 120 calories. Let me tell you, it tasted like a steak dinner after all the soup and broth consumed over the past 3 days. If I was allowed to eat like that for 2 weeks, the pre-op diet would be a piece of cake. You will also loose weight because your body will start to burn off its own fat stores when the liver's fat is used up. But to limit a person to all liquids for two weeks seems like a punishment, when there are more desirable choices that offer the same results. Why don't these doctors use the high protein/low carb diet as opposed to the full liquid? Is there another reason I'm not considering?

My doc is very conservative and I am so glad. I have had no issues at all. Two weeks clear liquid diet Two weeks liquid diet, Protein shakes, yogurt, milk. Two weeks puréed. Mashed taters, mashed Beans, baby food, oatmeal, cream of wheat On week 7, normal diet. Introduce one food at a time. Aim for 100 G protein and no less than 75. At least 64 oz water/ liquid. Protein Shakes don't count as liquids.

La Madam!!!U made me cry. You are so awesome! Always an inspiration to this forum!!!! Thanks. I agree 200% with the saying, Just because u can doesnt mean u should!!! I try to drink a Carnation Instant breakfast and it does great for holding hunger. Been doing Boars Head Sausalito Turkey and Fat free cheese, tuna, chicken salad, yogurt.....I even started doing situps yesterday, did 20 and 10 today. 8) AND i bought a Tae Bo DVD....havent been brave enough to try that though!! I have to remember to NOT snack!!! Thanks again!!!

I do a bean bowl. ¼ cup black Beans, salsa, shredded cheese, dice avocado. You can up the Protein by adding dollop of greak yogurt instead of cream cheese. Everything else is allowed on a soft diet and give you protein plus Fiber. As you progress to all foods cucumber and baked cheese chips are good alternative. I even read that some people bake pepperoni slices.

It depends what is on your plan right now. You can mix Protein powder with greek yogurt, sf pudding, Soup (not too hot), mashed potatoes (if allowed), etc. I'm on mushy foods and added it to roasted butternut squash (puree). I'm allowed veggies and fruit on my plan - but it's not as low carb as some want to be.

Hi, I'm getting banded on the 13th also. I'm so excited. I really haven't told many people. Just don't want tohave to explain. I'm on a liquid/soft diet. The yogurt helps. At least I feel like I'm eating something. It really hasn't been too bad. What did they tell you about carbinated drinks? My dr. hasn't said anything yet but most posts I've seen say you can't have soda.

I miss pizza!!! But I make homemade pizza using a zucchini crust. I also do mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, I use non fat creek yogurt anytime something calls for sour cream or cream cheese. I also make veggie Pasta, and I use ground turkey anytime you would use ground beef.

I put myself on a modified "liquid diet" ... I had a Protein drink for breakfast, a greek yogurt for snack, a cup of soup for lunch (pureed, all liquid like tomato, cream of broccoli, etc), a Protein Drink for snack, and whatever protein and vegetable my family ate for dinner. I also filled the rest of my day with Water (crystal light flavors or Powerade zero flavors) .... at least 64-76 oz per day. I stepped up my walking to 2 miles every other day. I lost 26lbs pre-op. Good luck!!

Good Morning @@yasminesyz You should not have the apple juice as its loaded with sugar. They told me to stay away from dairy for at least two weeks after surgery and then slowly add it back to see how I tolerate it. The main thing you want to consume right now is your Protein drinks and your Water. You can also have sugar free Popsicle's, broth, and sugar free Jello. I was told to be on liquid for 7 days after surgery. Then added in low sugar greek yogurt... I am 5 weeks now and am still on soft foods. Hope this helps

I'm about 6 weeks out. Breakfast: 2 oz oatmeal with skim/lactose free milk, half a scrambled egg. Lunch: 2-3 oz tuna fish with light mayo on 3-4 whole wheat crackers. Dinner: zucchini spaghetti and sauce, or broiled fish with vegetables, or homemade brown rice and lentils - no more than 1/2 cup of whatever. My night binges are hard to beat so I have 2 oz of Greek yogurt with Splenda shortly before going to bed. I'm doing ok, losing somewhere around 2-3 lbs a week.

My mom used to make yogurt pie--graham cracker crust filled with a mixture of 2/3 yogurt and 1/3 cool whip. You could do that with Greek yogurt for the Protein and sugar free cool whip, or even real homemade whip cream with no sugar or fake sugar. Then just eat out the filling and leave the crust while others eat the crust. I like to make it with Key lime yogurt and it's a mock key lime pie!

1. First question may be a bit silly and I know everyone has their own unique experience, but I'm wondering what to expect on the actual day of surgery. For some reason the surgery itself doesn't make me nervous because I know I have an excellent doctor, but being put to sleep makes me a little nervous. Also, I'm nervous that I'll wake up into excruciating pain.. Is this the case ? Either way I know eventually it will all be a minor detail but I'm just curious to see how others have reacted to surgery. For my surgery, I was wheeled into the operating room, had a few pleasantries with the staff, then bam woke up in the recovery room. No mask being put on my face, no slow fading out . . . I was just there chatting with people one second, then the next second woke up. When I woke up I did have pain in my shoulder (from the surgical gas) but I wouldn't call it excruciating. My team did an excellent job on pain control the whole time I was there. It wasn't a big deal. 2. My second question has to do with hair loss. Is there anything I can do from now to prevent my hair from falling out/ thinning. I know getting in my Protein is key, but is there anything else I can do? No, there isn"t anything you can do to prevent it. Don't waste your money on massive amounts of biotin or some sort of special shampoo. It will either happen or it won't. There are good ways you can cut and style your hair, as well as cosmetic tricks, to hide hair loss if you get a severe case of it. Usually the hair loss starts around month 3 and stops and the hair starts growing back somewhere around month 6. 3. My third question has to do with excess skin. Again I know each person is different and there are many factors to this. My question is did anyone find that toning exercises or any kind of body butters/lotions help at all? No. If there were some sort of magic trick to prevent excess skin, no one would need plastic surgery because word would spread and everyone would do it. The thing is, you already have the skin you have. You can't prevent it, it's already there. If having excess skin is going to bother you a lot, start saving your pennies for plastic surgery now. 4. My fourth and final question has to do with pregnancy after being sleeved. I don't plan on starting a family for another 4-5 years but I'm curious if the sleeve has affected anyone's pregnancy.. Did anyone find it hard to take in the proper nutrients ? Was it hard to bounce back from pregnancy? Did any complications that may not be obvious arise due to the sleeve? I haven't had personal experience, but my sister (a physician) says that pregnant women require an extra 300 calories per day to nourish the fetus, plus a prenatal vitamin. It's not hard to get 300 calories per day. Make a protein shake with whole milk and a tablespoon of peanut butter and you are just about there. Or eat a handful of nuts twice a day. Instead of having yogurt for breakfast, have scrambled eggs with cheese and avocado, plus eat a couple slices of dried mango for an after-dinner snack. Trust me, once most sleevers get a year or two out of surgery, they don't have trouble adding in 300 calories. They have trouble *not* adding in 300 calories when they don't need to! You'll be fine

Ya.... if you don't follow the rules, you will have a hard time being successful! Protien really does help fill you up and keep you full, When you get hungry and snack between meals... snack on protien like cheese, or greek yogurt or turkey etc.

a tiny portion occasionally, no more than a few bites, no more than 1 or 2 times a month, won't kill you, but be prepared for cravings. Maybe you could recreate some of your favorite sweets. I make cannoli cream, flourless protein pancakes, pizza, protein cookies & muffins. Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt is amazing and comes in great flavors. Quest bars have many great flavors, and you can also cook with them. The chocolate chip one, bakes up into yummy cookies. Just cut one up, bake a t 350, watch closely as it only take a few minutes.

I am afraid you are going to screw up your metabolism. You need to eat at least 1000 calories a day or you body will go into starvation mode. Believe me you body never forger that. You need to eat Protein with every meal or you body will start eating you muscle. Muscle burns more than fat. You want muscle. Here is the menu they gave me: Sample Menu: Breakfast meat Carb Fruit/Veg. 2 eggs Waffle/toast 1 pat butter 1/3 cup light yogurt & 1 egg 3 slices turkey bacon 1/3 cup oatmeal 2 Tbsp. Peanut Butter 1 slice toast with 1/ 3 cup low-fat cottage cheese 2 peach slices I egg 1 turkey Sausage Waffle/toast 1 pat butter lunch Meat Carb Fruit/Veg. ½ cup diced, grilled skinless chicken breast mixed salad greens 1 Tbsp. light dressing 4 Turkey Slice – 1 string Cheese 3 slices of lean turkey breast, ham, or roast beef 1 slice low-fat cheese lettuce, tomato, & mustard 1/ 3 cup Low Fat Refried Beans 1 oz. shredded 2% cheese 3 Baked Tortilla chips 1/ 3 cup Black Bean Chili 1 oz. shredded 2% cheese 2 peach slices dinner Meat Carb Fruit/Veg. 3 oz. oven-fried chicken breast 1-2 Tbsp. cooked carrots 3 oz. grilled chicken breast 1-2 Tbsp. grilled vegetables 3 oz. roasted pork tenderloin 2 slices cooked cinnamon/Stevia apples 3 oz. oven-fried tilapia 2 Tbsp. low-fat coleslaw 3 oz. grilled salmon 2 Tbsp. mashed sweet potatoes Snacks 1-2 Meat Carb Fruit/Veg. Protein Drink 8 oz. skim milk ½ cup cottage cheese 1 oz. low-fat Milk 1- 2 Tbsp. peanut butter 2 Celery or 1/ 2 apple 1 /2 cup light yogurt

Hi: That was happening to me as well. I started paying attention to when it happens, (ie. what I ate that may have caused it) and come to find out I'm lactose intolerant! Milk and sadly yogurt affect me. I took a lactaid pill and had a bowl of Cereal and was fine. Try to see if it happens all the time, or only when you eat certain foods. good luck!

You are absolutely not being dumb. I remember before surgery, every time I would eat hot bread at my favorite italian restaurant, I would think... I will never be able to eat this again. And it was almost a panicky feeling. And many other foods I was afraid that I would not be able to eat as well. Well, I am 6 months post op and can usually eat most everything. I try to eat slowly and take small bites, and if something gives me a problem, it is usually bread. Funny thing is, (pre-surgery) we used to go through about a loaf of bread/week here at home, but I have had a loaf of bread in my freezer forever and we finally took it out and now it has sat on the cabinet so long it is hard and needs to be thrown away. And honestly... I haven't missed it one bit. I am losing my weight much more slowly than many in the lapbandtalk community, but I am very happy with my weightloss this far. I feel so much better, and I have gone from a size 22-24W to a 16W and xl clothes and that has been awesome. My desire from the beginning has been to learn some healthier habits. I have found that I now love yogurt, turkey meats, vegys and fruits. Granola is my best friend when I get the munchies at night instead of something that comes out of a box made by the miniature chef named Debbie. It is all just a process. Hang in there. You will be fine, and hopefully you will find that anything you have to give up will be replaced with things that are much more significant. Good luck and God bless!

Thank you so much! I've been walking since the day I had surgery. I do a 5km walk, get my fluids and Protein in like a good patient and most importantly I surround myself with loving people who do nothing but root me on every single day! Including each of you every time you post your experiences here. My before photo was taken 2 wks before my 2wk liquid diet, the difference is mostly I my face, mainly because of my cheek bones I'm sure. I focus on how I feel everyday, the scale isn't something I obsess over and the reason for that is I'm too caught up in making sure I have all my eats and drinks in so that I have the energy to active throughout the day. I also started using Hemp seeds (shelled) in my yogurt, it's like a 5g of protein for one table spoon, chew, chew, chew:) Found in health food stores. One more thing, always stand tall and be proud even when your feel like shit, I realized yesterday that I always came off confident as a plus size girl but never really was, but now the only thing that keeps me from holding my head up high and sticking my chest out is the pull on my insides that are still healing;) Much love and respect to you all????

I had surgery 8/19 Dr James Ray also, I was understanding clear liquids only day and day after surgery then liquids skim milk broth coffee sugar free koolaid and Jello, yogurt drinks ensure juice instant breakfast drink tea crystal light popicicles and v8 juice that has helped me, I had got chinese soup just the broth and had froze it up. I do like that but may not after all of this. My problem is my shoulder is hurting really bad wish that would quit. I have not been able to go to the bathroom think I should have a bm soon take care

I have found that 4-6 ounces of Protein is the right amount to keep me satisfied for about 3-4 hours. I can eat more of some items but dense protein (beef, chicken, seafood) fills me up and I stay satisfied longer. If I do yogurt or protein shakes I find that I am hungrier sooner.

Just a few notes on some of the changes I've noticed in myself over the last 9 weeks post-op. 1. I eat when I'm hungry now, don't really look forward to the "full" feeling or have a "taste" for anything in particular anymore - lovin' it. I use to get these overwhelming cravings for a certain taste (especially Whataburgers), they're gone now. 2. I do enjoy what I eat and sometimes I still catch myself trying to eat just one more bite, but I know I'll be feeling sick if I do. It takes time to learn the new "full" signals. 3. I feel satisfied and I get a small thrill seeing how little I actually eat now. Although sometimes, I catch myself trying to finish that last bite - even though I'm full. I've learned to leave it on the plate. 4. Once my staple line swelling went down, I was able to increase my eating to about 4oz per meal, and did start feeling more "normal" after the 2nd week, but it wasn't until about week 6 that I was back at my old energy levels. 5. I can eat pretty much what I want and walk away without gorging myself. I have always been able to take or leave stuff like cakes and cookies. Rice, pasta and potatoes were (I almost wrote "are") my thing. But I can easily pass up most starches now. Although pasta triggers my hunger cravings and I have to stop myself from overeating and making myself sick. 6. My feelings or attitudes has changed incredibly about food. Don't really care about food anymore. I have no "flavors" I desire. So I eat my own concoction of shredded grilled chicken, re-fried beans, cheese and salsa almost every meal - for the past month. 7. There isn't anything that I "want" to eat anymore. I am so happy with my restriction and I don't miss anything, no food cravings, nothing I miss. And there is no food that I couldn't eat at the 3rd or 4th week. It may cause some stomach upset, but if I eat it slowly, I can eat it if I want. However, I do miss being able to chug 16oz of icy cold Crystal Light. 8. I can still eat spicy foods (curries, peppers, etc). I eat salsa almost daily and I found this sweet/spicy dip made with Greek yogurt that I like - very warm. I find it weird that the thing that bothers my stomach the most is healthy fibrous foods, like grape skins, bananas, apple peels, and pineapple.