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Hi BeBopp. If you aren't SURE, you probably should keep thinking about this. The band is wonderful, fabulous and incredible - however, it will only work if you are committed to working with it. For instance - the band keeps me from wolfing my food - but so far it hasn't stopped me from eating any particular food. Some folks can't eat bread, or french fries - but I can still eat it all. Can I eat a LOT of anything? You know, if I eat slowly enough and really concentrate, I CAN actually eat a pretty good amount of food. But notice that I have to concentrate and work at eating too much. Who the heck does that? Plus - after over 10 mos of eating much less - my idea of what A LOT means has changed significantly. A LOT of pizza used to mean 4-5 slices of pan/deep dish pie. Now, A LOT of pizza means 2 slices of thin crust. When I am good, the band helps me be VERY VERY good. When I am bad, the band keeps me from being Horrid. I live a pretty normal life, and eat pretty normal foods. When I do that, I don't lose much and I don't lose fast... but I do actually keep losing. When I focus on eating better, when I drag myself into the gym, I lose faster. So, I get to live a VERY normal life. I don't have to obsess every moment of every day to lose the weight. (Been there, done that!) I don't have to eat only parsley & pine nuts for 3 meals a day. I don't have to buy tasteless pre-packaged foods that I hate. I don't have to go to meetings everyweek and get harrangued if I haven't lost weight. All I have to do is eat Protein first, then veggies, then carbs if there is room... Drink as much Water as I can stand... and chew my food REALLY well. That's it. Nobody even notices that I am on any particular plan. I get to join in on company lunches and parties. If I want a cookie - I CAN have one without dire physical consequences. And still, I lose a few pounds a month. More if I am eating right and exercising. What more could anyone ask? As to Why you need to be SURE - The band won't stop chocolate. I have to consciously choose not to bathe in the stuff every day. Cause then I really wouldn't lose any weight. The band cannot stop Starbucks. God, I love those Carmel Macchiatos - but 400-500 calories at a whack does NOT help the weightloss process. I still have to choose when and if I will eat real ice cream, pudding or candy. I know that if I eat those things all the time, I will be right back where I was before. So, I choose to work with my band every time I eat lean chicken instead of chips and Queso. Be SURE before you get this done. It is surgery, there is healing involved and the pre-op and post-op liquid diet stuff sucks. If you can handle all of the above - if you are really ready to lose the weight and keep it off - then I think the band can work for you... or for anybody. Good luck in your deliberating.

Protein Water has very chalky taste and it makes me nauseous and it's still too soon for Protein shakes. I feel like this is not healthy ... I'm 7 days post op Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

How do you get in enough protein from regular meals? My surgeon doesn't want us to have protein drinks beginning with this stage. What do you eat?

Hello! I have finally received my surgery date for 3/30, and I absolutely can't believe it. I am so scared, but I am also so excited and hopeful about the future. I am looking to make a plan for requesting time off of work, and I am wondering how long it really takes until people feel back to normal, or normal enough to start doing regular work again. I am a teacher who works in person, and my surgery will be happening over spring break, so that will be the first week. In the current environment, its good because we have the option to work remotely, so I am going to request to work remotely the week after break - doing google meet sessions with students for about 6 hours a day. For the following week, week 3, I was thinking I could come back to work in person as long as I'm not running/lifting or straining myself. Does that sound reasonable based on people's experiences? Did you feel like you had the energy to work remotely by week 2, and back in person by week 3? I know it all depends on how things are actually going, and I'll change the plan if I need to, but I Just need to make an initial plan to give to my admin. Thanks!

Wow I was sleeved on 10/14/13 and am doing great more soreness than pain now. I'm getting ongoing fluids and protein shakes with out much trouble as lone as I don't gulp.

If you haven't already ordered from Bariatric Choice, I highly recommend it. The barbecue Protein chips are AMAZING!! You can also get Vitamins and supplements here, plus you earn credit towards future orders with each purchase. I'm hooked! Http://www.bariatricchoice.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/106452/ To get your $20 off, make sure you click "Maximize my discounts with rewards credit" in your shopping cart. Seriously...the barbecue chips. Oh.my.god.

I had VSG 3/25/19. I lost 15 pounds in first couple of weeks but not an ounce since. I am getting over 60g of protein, drinking my water and walking. Getting frustrated. Is this common?

I finally made Shelly's famous Ricotta Bake (http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html). Oh my! It is so delicious. I followed her basic recipe but used a pinch of oregano and a bit of chili pepper flakes instead of "italian seasonings". I reduced the amount of parmesan. I also added about 1/2 c. of spinach because I like it and I have anemia so I figured the extra iron and vegetable couldn't hurt! I put them into a regular size cupcake pan and it made 9 servings. Using MFP, I calculated the recipe as 66 calories per serving with 6 grams of protein. Mine had a bit higher carbs because I used spaghetti sauce from a jar. Next time, I'll make my own with tomatoes, garlic, onions and basil. I ate 1 serving for dinner and another for lunch today. Delicious!!

You can stir unflavored protein powder into lots of things: soup, broth, yogurt, and cottage cheese, for example. If you are allowed to eat things like mashed potatoes or oatmeal, you can use it there too. But keep the amounts small or it will taste funky. For example, I used a half of a scoop of the Syntrax Nectar in my chai tea (approx. 8 ounces of tea). Be careful mixing into anything hot -- you need to test it with a food thermometer and make sure it is under 140 degrees or the protein will denature and clump, which is truly nasty. I find it works best with things that have a pretty strong flavor of their own and which are more on the savory side than sweet.

Thanks for the suggestions-- it gives me some ideas. @Menelly--I may try some of those, though I can't do nuts yet. I'm still full on 1/4 cup of food, so I'm sure the cheese and meat would be plenty. I don't think I'm supposed to do Protein bars yet, either. @missheidi47-- Thanks for mentioning the cafeteria. I kinda forgot about that! @BLERDgirl--I'll check out the yogurt things. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to have nut butters yet. I'm going to call my surgeon's office when I land tomorrow, so I'll ask (have to anyway, since I am probably not going to be back for my follow-up appointment on Tuesday.) @VSGAnn2014--Things are just so up in the air with my dad at this point, I don't know when or how much I'll be able to get away from the hospital. And it's about 45 minutes from my parents' house, so I won't be able to just run home and scramble some eggs. As for the Protein shakes, I'm not allowed to do Premier or other ready-to-drink ones. I have baggies with my Protein Powder, and I'm planning to just buy a little bottle of milk when I get thru security to mix one. It wouldn't be a long flight, but at such late notice, I couldn't get a direct flight and have to change planes in Atlanta.

Sorry you are going through this and I know it sucks. I guess I'm lucky and unlucky at the same time. My shedding has seriously decreased so I only had a short time of losing a ton of hair. But due to massive shedding in the years before surgery I see more scalp now (and I mean a lot). Its getting harder to disguise it. I wanted a cute pixie cut but scared my scalp will show so I'll be off to the hairdresser for a consult soon. The good thing is there will be new growth so all we can do is wait this out and per my Derm make sure Protein, water and Vitamin D levels are good.

Via Protein Only...I'm 2 1/2 weeks post-op.

Most surgeons have their own pre-op diet they want you to follow. some are all liquid like Optifast and some are low calories, high Protein, some are a combo of both ( 2 shakes and one low cal meal). Generally they are all to prepare you for surgery to shrink your liver, so it's not enlarged during surgery and a pre-op diet is a nice little mental boost when you lose weight before surgery. If a person has a very high BMI a Dr might ask them to lose a certain amount of weight or be on the pre-op diet a little longer than those patients with a lower BMI.

My pre op (when I get there) will be a liquid diet of 4 protein shakes and 64 oz. of clears for 2 weeks....I am not to scared of it...it will be cleansing and a good prep for the post op eating! Good luck with your pre-op preparations!

Hi everybody, I'm new here so I apologize in advance if this isn't the appropriate place to post this topic! I'm 18 years old and I got the gastric sleeve on March 27, 2017. I've been having no problem drinking Water and getting my clear fluids in, but whenever I drink anything thicker it feels extremely heavy in my stomach. Additionally, I was scheduled to begin puree yesterday and I had scrambled eggs mixed with cottage cheese for lunch, and chicken puree for dinner. I feel extremely sick and am feeling deterred from eating any other pureed food as I still feel sick from yesterdays. Everything I try to eat seems to make me nauseous. Since I am 18 years old, I live with my mother. I know she means well and is worried about me, but she is constantly asking me if I have had enough Protein. I don't know what to do because I feel like it's physically impossible for me to consume that much now no matter how hard I try. The lack of protein over the past weeks has been getting to me as well, I feel dizzy and tired all the time. Does anyone have any tips on light foods that pack a lot of protein in them?

The premier protein shakes are the best for me. They are 30 grams of protien each and packed with vitamins. In the beginning it took me over an hour to sip one down, but now it's about 40 minutes. I try to do 2 each day. I drink Gatorade G2, but I water it down. I like it better then the MIO drops (personally- so many friends love them). So I will pour the Gatorade into 3 different empty 16z bottles of water and then water it down. I do this bc the Gatorade still has calories and carbs and I'm trying to keep my carbs down as low as possible and don't want excess empty calories. I will drink plain water, but I find it hard too. I get my premier protein from COSTCO. Chocolate, vanilla and bananas and cream. They have strawberry and caramel on line. I've heard that Walmart may carry it too in 4 packs. It is WAY more paletable for me then any other protien shake so far. I just haven't found a powder that isn't gritty and gross - but again it's so personal, my friend will ONLY drink the powders. Vitamins are important too. I use patches (patchmd.com) and today was the first time since surgery I didn't wear them...and I felt like crap. Needed a nap and if I wasn't visiting family, I would have stayed asleep...so I think they are helping with my energy. The patches I love bc it's one less thing to factor into my day of "eating" and drinking. But get in you FLUID! Dehydration is one of the most frequent complications from surgery and it can be prevented (most of the time) with some effort. And believe me, I feel you, it was effort. I set alarms to remind myself to take sips and eat. lol. I hope you feel better. It takes some time, but focus on healing and the protien and fluids will help the healing.

Hello all, this is my first post and I hope you all can shed some insight! I have read a few posts (on this site and google) about this topic and no real answer has come to be! I had my gastric bypass 4/4/17, and was doing great the first week! By my one week check up I was getting in 3 protein shakes a day, water in between, and a few spoonfuls of yogurt and apple sauce through out the day! I was proud of how good I was feeling. Happy with my decision. Got my staples out (those things are the devil) and was happy! Almost immediately the next day or so I started getting nauseous sipping my shake. Would set it down. Put back in fridge. Try to finish later. Same thing. Bubble a bite of yogurt. And vomit. I was so confused. Would sip some water... then same. Walked away from everything for hours and then try again and same results. Vomit. All day long. Those first couple of days that it started (right after my one week mark) I was very confused and still trying. Now, at 3.5 weeks out I am down to one protein shake very slowly sipped over 2-3 hours and barely 30-40 oz of water sipped through out the day. That's it. Zofran was called in for me last week and no change. I've tried food again (pudding, yogurt, apple sauce) and all come back up and if I drink my shake "fast" and by fast I mean over the course of ONE hour it also gives me the same gagging nauseous feeling. I feel so sick all day long! On the flip side, I'm perfectly fine with just water, herbal tea, even gaterade, but it's ANYTHING thicker that causes issues. i am a mom to FOUR kids. It feels exactly like the all day morning sickness I had with my two girls for nine months straight. I feel like I'm failing as a mother because I'm so energy depleted my patience wains fast. I love them dearly, and they are all younger than the age of six, so they have no clue what I'm going through. I keep telling them "mommy is sick" but they obviously don't know why. I can't live off just water and a sip or two of protein shake. Help!

My name is Richard I live on the central coast of California My wt in dec was 360 by surg I was down to 295, I was able to go home in about 24hr. Thing have gone well my issue is getting enough Protein in my discharge order said to drink no more than 30ml per 30 min and to drink 1.5 litters of Water and most Protein drinks have about 42grams in 500 ml I don't think the math works, not sure what to do and I do understand that the Protein Drink count as part of my intake Any suggestions Thanks

[i am at a stall. I have been stuck here for months! I don't know what to do! I cut my carbs, increased my protein, I am hungry all the time. Do I starve? I don't know what to do! Any advice, please?????

Hi Cheri! Chili is a good idea, but my stomach was too sensitive for spicy food during mushies. Make sure it's watery when you puree it and go really slow when you eat. I think Beans are probably all high in Protein and Fiber but don't quote me on that. I'm not going to lecture you on chocolate - I inhaled some Godiva from my Christmas stocking just a few hours ago, so it'd be kinda hypocritical. Just go easy on your tummy and you'll do fine. Congrats on meeting your mini-goal!

I was told that if my liver was too big, the surgery would be stopped. Thank goodness, my liver was small. In fact, I believe that was the first question I had in recovery, " Where they able to do the surgery?" I didn't have the Optifast diet. I was put on a 1000 calorie diet, which included 6 oz. of protein, a limited amount of veggies, fruits and starches. I was able to lose almost 10 lbs on it during the 2 week pre-op period. It is amazing how different our experiences are. I have friends that were on a modified Atkins plan. Thank goodness, we are all on the road to a successful journey. Since Monday I am down another 6.5 lbs! I am happy.

My Dr says no fruit or yogurt etc in the pre opp! It's very strict, water + protein powder + anything sugar free flavoring wise & then 4 oz of meats, cheeses or eggs.

I went to costco and got the premier chocolate protein shakes put lots of ice with it, loved it did my two weeks easily. Had surgery 2/13 now strictly only on clear liquids oh how im dreading it the first few days were ok now im sick of it cant wait to get back to full liquids!! Where are you having surgery? I had mine at St Josephs -Dr Lufti amazing surgeon in Chicago

Every post op diet seem to be different. It's amazing how many schools of thought there are on the post op diet. Mine was no caffeine for 4 weeks. I started having decaf about a week out. Started having regular at 4 weeks. Because caffeine can be a diuretic when you are still trying to get your liquids in and as Arts137 says it can irritate your new tummy. I can't drink my standard two cups per day but I sure love my one cup of regular, I mostly drink 1/2 to 2/3 of mine and sometimes I will put the leftover in the blender with some chocolate Protein powder, cup of skim and some ice and Starbucks has nothing on me! My own little protein spiked mocha! I would say speak with your surgeon or NUT, ask why, it may be they do it as a general blanket so those who really need strict guidence will have the greatest chance of success.

I am also able to drink and eat at the same time but I have been avoiding doing so. I have also been told that during this "stall" that I should eat more Protein, more often. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks for the feedback.