Search the Community

I'm fairly new to here but I'll chime in because this is a subject near and dear to my heart. My oldest son has autism and I have educated myself a great deal regarding how the food he consumes affects his body, brain and behavior. Years ago when I began the research regarding this I became of the opinion that if the food affects him it must also affect my youngest neurotypical son. Honestly, the concern I have with the food they put into their body's began as a concern for the physical and mental affects -- obesity really even wasn't a concern. And honestly, at this point, it still isn't. I am far more concerned on what the chemicals and dyes are doing to my children's brain cells than their waist lines. I would say my autistic son eats 90% "healthy" and 10% "unhealthy". His unhealthy foods come in the form of gluten free pretzels, corn chips, Cookies. My neurotypical son is around 75% "healthy" and 25% "unhealthy". My autistic son brings his lunch to school everyday. I monitor every bite he puts in his mouth. He physically feels the affects of consuming food "he can not eat" and does not mind bringing his lunch everyday. My youngest is allowed to buy lunch from the school one day a week - usually Friday's. I have seen the school lunches and they are not the greatest. My youngest also must purchase skim or 1% white milk only - no chocolate or strawberry - or he is to drink Water. He does not complain about this. As far as vegetables....I am fortunate that my kids are not really too picky. When they were babies and began to eat solid foods I started them on veggies vs fruits. This was because I was afraid that if they liked the sweet taste of pureed peaches or apples they would prefer it to the green Beans or peas. As they got older, and still today, the rule is you must try one bite of a new food. I do not accept them saying they do not like something without even trying it. If they do try it and say they do not like it then they are not forced to eat it at that meal. I will offer it again, and again, and maybe even again, and tell them they must take one bite. Most of the time I have found that they learn to like the vegetable. However, sometimes they don't. My oldest does not like broccoli or squash. I no longer offer these items to him on a regular basis. If I prepare these items in a new way (such as roasting broccoli) I will offer to him again and use the one bite rule. However, if I am making these items I know my oldest will not eat them therefore I will make additional veggies for everyone to enjoy. If my son declines squash and broccoli in exchange for swiss chard and brussell sprouts I am ok with that. If my children ask for a snack I take a mental note of what they have eaten within the past couple of days. I will tell my kids that they can either have a healthy snack or an unhealthy snack. My kids know that healthy Snacks equal lowfat organic yogurt, string cheese, fruit, cherry tomatoes or carrots sticks and unhealthy snacks equal potato chips, crackers, cookies. The same goes for dessert....because dessert at our house is really just an after dinner snack. My kids don't consider dessert as something that has to be a sweet treat. I have found that allowing my kids to choose what they eat makes it easier for them to accept the healthy choice. Everyone comments that my sons eats so well and they have never met children that eat so healthy. I am not going to lie...comments like that make me feel good as a parent. It makes me happy that I asked my 6 year old what he wanted me to cook for his birthday dinner and his response was "ASPARAGUS!!" However, he is 6...and when I asked him what he wanted as the main course he said "PIZZA!!". So, we had pizza and asparagus lol. So...I often tell my DH that people must look at my diet and then look at my kids diet and say "where the heck did she go wrong?" I love my veggies....however I also love my brownies, cakes, candy, cookies which is is to blame for my weight problem (the other factor is my lack of movement). I monitor my kids intake of food so much that some would consider it excessive, yet when it comes to myself, I fill me up with crap. I don't fully "get it" --as far as why I do this. Maybe my therapist can help me figure that one out. lol. I do think I have some control issues that play a huge part in this. At any rate I do feel to each his own. I certainly do not judge what others choose to do with their own children (not saying that anyone here was doing that!). I know that others may look at my autistic child and question if we are making the right decision in dealing with a situation with him. I do feel that parents, especially mothers, tend to be more judgmental of other mothers...think about it -- the debates are endless (breastfeeding vs formula, working mom vs stay at home mom, disposable diapers vs cloth diapers). I feel everyone needs to do what they think is best. Thanks for posting this topic...it brought my out of lurking. lol.

This is my first time on a website like this and I am excited to meet new friends who are going thru what I am! Today is my 5th day of liquids pre-surgery and I have researched several different meanings of the pre "liquid diet"... my doctor is Dr. Eric Pham and i am scheduled for surgery on July 19th, 2012. I am extremely excited to have my surgery and am committed to do whatever it takes to be successful with the Lap-Band. How I understood the "liquid diet" was to have only Protein shakes, Water, Vitamin water, clear broth, liquid yogurt and sugar free Jello. I have mostly stuck to chocolate Protein Shakes, lots and lots of water and have added (4) multi-vitamins and (2) potassium and (1) Iron to my diet, as well as Emergency 1000 and Zipfizz which are extra sources of additional Vitamins in powder form (easier to add to my water/vitamin water). Can one of you please respond and let me know how you did on your 2-week "pre-surgery" liquid diet? Can you please give me some pointers as to what you did and how much weight you lost pre-surgery? Thanks so much!! xo OCPrincess

I don't know that I am a good one to ask. Someone on another thread said I was the poster child of what NOT to do. I had shredded chicken and mayo. I think it might have been a little too much, too soon. I have done well with cottage cheese and some canned fruit, runny oatmeal, soft white fish with some sauce. Also, pureed chicken noodle Soup was good. And cream of wheat went down easy. My docs food list said scrambled eggs, but I got the golf ball on that this morning. Ugh! I had Mexican on Friday. It will last me for 4 days since I had only 1/2 enchilada and a couple tablespoons of Beans. Skipped on the rice. The main idea is to introduce food textures gradually. I still have a lot of liquids. On work mornings, I really don't have time to devote 15-20 minutes to eating. I have a scoop of vanilla whey Protein powder in a glass of milk. I holds me until lunch. This is a list I have been collecting from LB groups and forums. If they are too thick, blend with milk and/or broth. Hope they help. Maybe they will inspire your own imagination. Blended cottage cheese and fruit Trader Joes oatmeals Chili – blended during mushie phase Cream of Wheat creamy Soups applesauce yogurt - Dannon Lite N' Fit Protein Powder for shakes frozen fruits for Protein Shakes Small pudding cups (SF/FF) or yogurt 1. refriedbeans toped with cheese 2. cottage cheese & soft low fat cheeses 3. pudding 4. cream of wheat/grits 5. yogurt 6. Jello 7. mashed potatoes 8. scrambled eggs (but not for me! ) 9. Tuna 10.Plain crackers 11. lowfat milk 12. soups(cream or pureed) SHAKES 8 oz soy milk, mini banana, frozen blue berries and a couple tablespoons bran Cereal Choclate Protien mixed with Milk, 3 strawberries, sm banana, some crushed pineapple 2 bananas peeled, broken in half and then frozen 1 cup frozen strawberries 1 cup plain yogurt 2 cups 100% apple juice .25 cup wheat germ (optional for additional fibre) mangos and peaches SOUPS chicken/beef/veggie broths (low sodium as needed) soups & broths Blend soups "Imagine" Soups - in cartons. (Potato Leek, Butternut, Squash, Corn, Creamy Tomato....and more. They are considerably lower in sodium than Campbell’s soups Egg Drop Soup - 4 Cups, 160 calories total2 - 14oz cans low sodium chicken broth 1 - tablespoon rice vinegar 2 - teaspoons soy sauce 4 - egg whites 1 - tablespoon *optional* flour for thickener (or even better buy soup thickener) 1 - tablespoon *optional* ginger I also add a few green onion chunks for flavor, but remove them after cooking since I can't have solids right now. Bring all ingredients on the stove to boil except eggs - once boiling drizzle in egg whites.

Hi NicVio and Ebony! I am being a good girl and abiding, lol. My hubby is a sweetie....he's looking out for me. I go back Aug. 10th to get the stitches out and I should have my lab results by then. Hopefully everything comes back normal. LilMiss, setting small goals is really smart. I think that's what I need to do. I just completed day 2 of no sweets. So far so good. I have had a little sugar in certain foods (yogurt, cereal, etc.), but not much refined sugar....that's the stuff that gets me in trouble. I'm getting a much needed fill tomorrow and they are still measuring my fluids every 2 weeks and documenting how much is missing. Hopefully they can get what they need and fix it soon! Hope everyone has a great week! GG, I hope you are able to get your stitches out on 8/10. That is so great to do days with no sugar! I need a lot more willpower than I have now to do that, although I need to. :cool2: I hope that your fill goes well and they are able to fix the issue soon. LilMiss, Working out less and having more time for a life sounds good to me. :blushing: You are still doing great! I just got back from my family reunion. I didn't do well eating wise, although not as bad as I had feared. I didn't track any of my food, even though I brought a notebook to do it. I did go on a 30 min (27 minute, my sister corrected me) power walk with my sister one day. Other than that, there was a lot of wandering around, sitting around and playing in the pool with the kids. I lost 3 lbs in the last week, so I was pretty happy about that. I"m back to working out tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully I Can get through my hundreds of emails quickly and finish up so I can get to the gym fairly early. I'm leaving again on Sat. am to NJ to visit my BIL and family. I'll be there until next Wed, and I know I won't be doing much exercise there either. I'll have to cram it all in, in 3 days!:tt2:

I only started back with Protein drinks on day 5/6 post op. Today I managed to drink 12 oz of milk and Protein powder, in 2 and a half hours for Breakfast, yesterday it was 4. I don't care it took that long, I am more concerned with getting the protein in. Along with yogurt at late lunch, I had and pea and ham Soup for dinner, my protein was 77 and for day 5 I am very happy with that. From the more knowledgeable here, am I doing anything wrong by not sticking to the 20 minute rule of eating at this stage? Kate

I'm approaching my third week post op. Everything had been going well. I have been on a liquid diet for the three weeks. I've been taking in my liquids just fine. Today was my dietitian appointment. I was skipping to my appointment because I knew today is the day that she would allow me to eat mushy food in addition to my liquids. She said I can eat refried Beans, substitute eggs, cottage cheese, and yogurt. But I can only have TWO TABLESPOONS of it per meal. My mouth dropped. I assumed that I would be able to eat up to 2-2 and a half ounces. But is the two tablespoons normal at this stage?

I was eating more than 2 tbsp of yogurt in the hospital. Just really slow. Also I was able to have 1/2 to 1 cup of Greek yogurt for a meal. I just ate really slow. You're eating about like I'm eating and I'm sticking to my doctors and NUTs menu to a T. So ni, don't worry, we're just fine!

Talk to your nutritionist. Goals/nutrition needs will vary not only program to program, but also for men vs women. For the record you are eating what I probably couldn't eat until about 4 weeks out. Even at 6 mths my calories are probably lower than most. That is an odd requirement. I have always eaten yogurt. If my nutritionist told me that we would have to have a really long conversation. I agree, I prefer Fage as a dessert over a pudding with artificial ingredients and fake sugar any day of the week.

I'm about 7 weeks out. I tried tuna and put in low fat mayo, small amt of dill pickle relish and tiny chopped onions. Threw it right up and even saw small amounts of blood. I'm sure the mayo and pickles hate me right now... I also can't drink Protein shakes. Not premade or a high quality powder. Tried $300 worth of different ones. HATE THEM ALL. can't even swallow them. It's too bad I hate yogurt and fresh fish too. Ugh. I'm a mess Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using the BariatricPal App

Give yourself a bit of time before you decide if you are lactose intolerant. I thought I was too and then realized my symptoms (cramping, mostly) were just the symptoms one feels with alot of foods immediately post-surgery. I bought vanilla-flavored whey isolate powder and mixed it with fruit (mostly strawberries, canned peaches, etc.). You can also buy your favorite Soup and puree that. I bought hummus and discovered that was pretty good at this stage. I liked adding yogurt, ricotta and/or milk to my shakes, but you should go slow, obviously, until you can confirm that you are truly lactose intolerant. If you are, you can ask you doctor or nutritionist for advice about drops, additives or alternative milk-like products. Take heart, I am nearly two months post-op and am really enjoying the journey!

I am 10 months out and I cannot tolerate eggs well. I can eat a bite of chicken, pork, some beef but cannot for the life of me eat eggs(and I love eggs). I sometimes can eat them at night but they are still rough going down and don't eat eggs for dinner often. Breakfast is usually a Protein shake or yogurt here. I am tighter in the mornings. It honestly depends though but overall, I cannot get them down although sometimes a boiled egg is easier (though I don't eat the yolk(yuck) I know when we are out eating breakfast ..I order grits, gravy and sausage and mix it....I can't even get that all down and its a very small bowl.

Go back to liquids only for 5 days then to light foods, yogurts, Soups, small bites of food for another 5 days. YOU will lose weight get the pouch to get smaller and continue on your journey. WE all drop off being strict on our diets, but just adjust when you discover what you are doing. Lapband doesn't change our old brains & memories of all the good but bad foods we ate in our past. Best wishes and Keep the Faith.

I couldn't do the puree or baby food either. I lived off refried bean concoctions, key lime greek yogurt and scrambled eggs during that phase. Had to add protein shakes too. Now I don't touch the shakes.

Cowgirl I know I still love my premier shakes! I find that a 7oz container of Fage plain Greek and stevia fills me up just as well.. I know it's not as convenient but.. And yogurt doesn't give the same stomach troubles as other dairy for me.

I haven't posted in awhile because I have been so disappointed in myself & my journey so far. I have seen other people post about struggling & have seen a lot of people criticize them. I don't need that right now as I am already hating myself. I thought that I was prepared for this journey, but the reality has hit me hard. I had a large part of my stomach removed & I am never getting it back. I will never be able to eat the way I used to again. This should be a good thing, right? The first couple of weeks were the easy part. I went down 31 lbs. in the first 2 weeks & that is exactly where I have stayed. I am still 381 today. This is not a stall. I did have a stall during week 3 where I was completely on plan, but not losing anything. I actually gained. Then the small amount I gained came off & I haven't moved at all now for 2 weeks. This is completely my fault. I haven't been exercising. I haven't started my vitamins. I don't get in all my water every day. I don't follow my nutritionists guidelines. So, I am obviously not expecting that I would have gone down anymore. I have read so much on this board about people not being able to tolerate foods, sliming or vomiting. I know that is difficult for those people & I am not wishing that I would be sick. It's just that I have been able to tolerate anything & everything that I have tried. My offices food guidelines are very strict & I have not kept to them. According to my nutritionist my diet should be Breakfast: 1 protein shake, Lunch: 1 protein shake, Dinner 3 oz. of protein, 3 oz. of vegetable & 3 oz. of salad, Snack (if needed) 1/2 a piece of fruit or 1% cottage cheese. Period. No drinking milk (not even in tea, coffee or protein shakes) though I am allowed cheese & yogurt & no carbs except what naturally occurs in the aforementioned dietary outline. I need to total 60-70 grams of protein a day, less than 20 grams of carbs per day & at least 64 oz. of water per day along with my vitamins & exercise. I do not know what is holding me back from following the program except my own mind maybe. I want to be able to treat myself. I want to enjoy my food. So, that is what I have been doing. I have been having flavored lattes multiple times per week over the past two weeks. Today I spent over 4 hours getting 10 chicken nuggets & a large mocha frappe into my stomach. I had nothing before & I know that I won't have anything until tomorrow. I have also been allowing myself 2 cigarettes a day. I am sharing all this for different reasons. One reason is there might be others going through the same thing & I want them to know that they are not alone. Another reason is that I need massive encouragement. Before anyone suggests professional help, I have already set that up. I am seeing my nutritionist again in 2 weeks instead of 4 because she knows that I am struggling. My surgeon's office also has a psychiatrist on staff that deals specifically with bariatric patients pre and post-op & I have set up an appointment with her. For years I have lost & regained the same 30 lbs. over & over again. I have not been below 380 in about 3 years now. I knew that getting sleeved wasn't going to "cure" my obesity. I just thought that I would have a longer period of time before I would be able to tolerate different foods & that I could resolve any other issues before then. I am feeling so sad & just beating up on myself. Yet, I keep giving myself a reason to beat up on myself every day. Every day this goes on the worse that I feel about myself. This should be incentive enough to stop, but I haven't. I have so many reasons to treat my body well and I am not. Has anyone else experienced anything similar to this or know anyone else who has? Do you see something that I don't? Any words of encouragement? Any hope for me?+31

6dpo I was drinking Protein shakes, and eating Popsicles, Jell-O, Yogurt, and Cream of Wheat. Sent from my iPhone using VST

I forgot about Dannon Lite Yogurt! LOL I eat that regularly also! :-)

OK, so i kinda cheated today. I am still on liquids only + yogurt for 2 more days and I broke down added an egg to my chicken broth. I am allowed poached eggs in 2 days. I tried to make my own egg drop soup, but I guess the broth wasn't hot enough and it just turned cloudy. I heated it up some more and omg it was delish!! I hope it continues down my digestive tract as happily as it went in. LOL

If you are on liquids then i would recommend the fruit and yogurt shakes from McDonald's or sonic.

It's amazing to me how different everyone's pre-op diet is determined by different doctors!! I am to use 4 protein carb controlled shakes ( they gave me a list of types) and 6 snacks a day that consist of my choice out of 1/2 c oatmeal, 1 cup tomato or v-8 juice, 1 cup raw veggies ( a list was given to choose from), a list and amounts of different fruits to choose from, sugar free pudding or jello, and light yogurts. I am on day 4 and am HUNGRY for some reason today!! I am a little overwhelmed with the thought of how my life will change after having the surgery but am exited all the same.

Some of my favorite groceries from Trader Joe's: --Steamed lentils (already cooked, just heat and eat, in refrigerated section) - I use these all the time, they have high Protein, great in salads or as a side. --Teeny tiny potatoes - perfect size for us sleevers! In produce section. --Thai Spicy Peanut salad dressing - a little goes a long way, divine w/ lentils! --chicken Tika Masala, and pretty much ALL of their Indian foods are scrumptious --Frozen garlic Naan --Frozen Turkey meatballs - I eat these all the time! Heat up 2 meatballs in a covered dish w a little chicken broth to keep em moist. --mini party-size meatballs - a bit higher in fat/calories than the turkey --Fresh buffalo mozzarella sticks --California Estate Olive Oil- cheap, good quality --Nonfat Greek yogurt in Mango, blueberry, and pumpkin (when in season!) --Unsweetened vanilla almond milk --Thai noodle salad (many other fabulous salads in refrigerated section) ...seriously, I could go on and on and on! Love Trader Joe's!

I like to crush the pill and put it in a shot of drinkable yogurt and take it like a shot that I pour toward the back of my throat then chase it with the yogurt. Much faster and I don't have to taste it for more than a few seconds. Also it helps to take a deep breath and hold it when you take the shot so you taste less.

Squeal! I know! I'm still excited, but I'm prepared for that "omg what i am doing" feeling to creep up. I am doing so well on the pre-op. I think I'm able to stick to it better than my other attempts because I know that it's gone for good. My pre-op diet is no carbs, no sugar and lean Protein. I've gotten very sick on Atkins before so my nut. ok'd some carbs. I've lost 9.5 pounds in 7 days. I bought a new battery for my scale yesterday because I was worried something was wrong with it! lol How is your pre-op going? What type of pre-op do you have to do? You only have 11 days left! @@Fat2FiveK - Haha! I am getting really excited! I don't have to start my diet until tomorrow. My surgeon requires a 10 day pre-op diet. It consists of 3-4 Protein shakes (with a brand that they approve ), atleast 64oz of Fluid - Water, crystal light, broth, sugar free Popsicle, sugar free Jello, and 1/2 cup of non starchy vegetables. I have been doing a modified version of this for the past couple of days - a shake for Breakfast, a Light and Fit Greek yogurt and 1 cup of non starchy veg, and then a reasonable dinner. Since Monday, I am down 5lbs! Can't wait to see what I am able to achieve on the full pre-op diet! GREAT JOB!! 9.5lbs in 7 days!! That's SO fantastic!! Just think of how great you're going to feel when even more comes off!! Did you have to do a 6 month pre-op? @Erin414 - Welcome!! We can all be buddies!

Lifechange Ok you messed up - now pick yourself up and dust off your butt and get back on the Band Wagon - You must follow your doctors orders and only your doctors - not someone else who allows them to eat right after surgery.. The whole reason for not eating is to allow your stomach to heal around the band where it was stiched - you don't want to cause a slip. You ate Beans with yogurt ??? OMW that sounds just gross:tongue: - you must have been desparate - but that's still no excuse -:smile: can you have creamed Soup - potatoe soups & creamed soups were a life saver for me - Can you have sf fudgecicles - popcicles those you do bite and sort of eat - you can make a pot of beans - after they cook take the beans out run them thru the blender and add them back to the broth - you have cream of bean soup and it is really good and satisfing You can do this - please know that even with the band you do have to have will power - the will power to change your eating habit and follow the rules.. You can do this - just but on your big girl boots and keep on stepping in the right direction..

I was banded on june 11th, I lost 30 lbs from May 18th till my surgery on June 11th and as of today I am down a total of 40 lbs (I know it dosent show on my ticker, I cant figure out how to update it LOL). It is very weird I barely eat at all, sometimes I dont even get in three meals a day. I have a optifast shake for breakfeast everyday along with my vitamin and nexium. For lunch I have either soup (can only have about 1/4 of a can) or tunafish with a few crackers, or chilli, or yogurt. For Dinner its pretty much the same as lunch. Some days I dont even have lunch. After dinner I sometimes have a sugar free pudding or ice pop and decaf coffee every night. I am going to start to work out next week (light) just giving my incision one more week to heal a little bit more before I start to excersise a little bit. My first fill is not until August 8th.