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going all the way back to the pre-op liquid diet is tough. Most people just go back to the way they were eating the first year (minus those early weeks when you're just eating purees). They focus on protein and non-starchy vegetables. Maybe an occasional piece of fruit or whole grain item. Weigh/measure and log everything, just like you did the first few months.

Well, I can remember being where you are now.... band is healing after surgery and you are getting your "normal" hunger signals back. During the 6 wks post surg. you will probably NOT loose too much weight.. This is a healing time. That being said it does not give you free licence to go eat everything in the house that is junk. Eat PROTIEN first, then vegetables, then if you are still hungry eat whole grains... oatmeal (not the instant junk either) Cook it and add a low cal sweetner.... skim milk. Get lots of yoghurt and cottage cheese in... low fat high Protein options that are easy to digest and FAST to prepare. I know its tempting to eat the Cookies but remember we are going for lifestyle change here.... I am SAYING THIS TO MYSELF AS I TYPE too...

hey don't forget Protein essential to getting fullness that lasts good luck you can do it amanda

:cool2:I was banded Dec. 17th and felt the same way you are. I didn't eat that much the first 2 weeks and had pressure up under my left rib cage. It finally went away with walking more. I started eating more then the 1/4 c. the nutritionist advised us too. If I could have eaten 1/4 cup without the band being filled, I wouldn't have needed the surgery! :-) I was cold and had no energy eating so little. Each week I started eating just a little more. Between my 3rd and 4th week after surgery, I went out of town. Eating out in restaurants for my evening meal. I could only eat 1/2 of what I normally used to eat. That has pretty much been true until the 6th week after surgery. I felt good and had energy to do things but I was concerned about my eating creeping back up. My weight loss slowed too... :-/ At my 6 week check up, I had the band filled for the first time. It definitely cuts down the amount you can eat. Which, of course, makes it easier to eat better. I had trouble not drinking also. That has gotten better also since the fill. I still drink a little or I feel like things are uncomfortable... but I'm full and I'm not eating near as much. I'm eating more than 1/4 c. But not more then 1/2 c. at a time. The fullness sneaks up real quick! Just remember after you get your first fill, grab something healthy first, like your Protein. You'll get full quick and the urge to eat something bad WON'T be there! :-) I'm not an expert in any way about lap-band... Just my experience, which is different for everyone... Hang in there and good luck!

Hey Jeni! You can do it! i found a non-fat greek yogurt at Central Market (i live in texas, but i know whole foods or other specialty stores carry it... you can probably google too) called Fage. I mix a tiny bit of honey or even sugar free jelly in it. It has 20 grams of protein per 1 cup serving... so 10 if you only eat 1/2 cup. I have found that it helps me make it to lunch. also, from my adkins days, i have returned to the fat free ricotta for a bit of sweet, and good source of calcium and protein. Just some ideas. i ate 4 hersey's kisses today, so i too am feeling guilty. it's amazing, i know better, i just couldn't say no. tomorrow will be a better day!

I am lactose intolerant. So far I have not had any problems with Premier Protein shakes. Sent from my 5054N using the BariatricPal App Premier Protein Shakes also has 30 grams of protein per shake Sent from my 5054N using the BariatricPal App

Ok, breath. You just had a pretty major surgery. You’re going through a lot of physical, psychological & emotional changes & it takes time to sort them all out & work out what you’re doing. So feeling a little anxious is quite common. Yes, you can add additional protein powder to your shakes. You can add it to soups & broths too. Walking is the best exercise to begin as it doesn’t strain or overly tax your healing & recovering body. Remember you should limit your lifting, pulling, & reaching fir a few weeks while healing. Plus it helps with avoiding clots & with getting rid of any lingering surgical gas. Some activity is good but listen to your body as to how much you can do. Start with around your house inside &/or out a few times a day. Yes, you can go outside. (Funny they think fresh air is bad but they wander around your house with cigarette smoke over their clothes, in their hair & on their skin.) You don’t have any open wounds. The wounds are quite small usually each less than inch long & they’re covered anyway. Yes, bruising, swelling, tenderness, etc. around the wound sites is common. If it persists or gets worse contact your surgeon. Some people do have more discomfort after surgery & have trouble getting up & down to begin. Think of all the abdominal muscles that got poked, prodded & stretched (the gas alone stretches your tummy out) during the surgery. Some say sleeping in a recliner or propped up in bed helps. Others say binders help support the abdominal region. Sugar free popsicles contain artificial sweeteners which continue to feed your desire for sweet plus some can cause side effects like bloating, diarrhoea, etc. Water, shakes, soups/broths, herbal or green teas, milk, yoghurt drinks, etc. all contribute to your fluid intake. Mix it up for variety. Does your family really need to be there? I live alone & looked after myself without any issues after my both my sleeve & gall removal surgeries. Maybe it’s time to say thank you but I can manage okay alone now but I’ll call if I need help with anything.

I'm 2 days out from surgery, only spent one night in hospital. I got almost all the liquids in 1 day post op including 43g of protein. I'm finding when I sip I am experiencing a gurgling sensation when drinking... Wondering if that's just the residual gas?

It seems like I'm meeting my milestones on schedule as usual. My Sunday weigh in just revealed that I've lost no weight this week. I'm still rocking the 313. As I've seen on the forum, it seems to happen 3-4 weeks post op....the infamous "STALL." Nice to meet you! I'm staying on course and it didn't even phase me as a negative. It just happens. I'm still working the program and exercising....the dreaded exercise....Man' I'm going to somehow learn to like it. I also had another milestone yesterday. For the 1st time since surgery, I felt the "restriction" that so many mention. I attempted to eat a small piece of BBQ sausage and got sick. I felt uncomfortable for about 10 minutes and finally hurled. I came home and told my husband that I finally found a food that my sleeve didn't agree with and I hurled. He looked at me and shook his head....He said you're the only person I know that would be happy to have something negative happen.....He just doesn't understand me. I guess I'm complicated. LOL. Or just crazy as all out, but it was good to experience the boundary and feel the uncomfortableness and know what it feels like. I hope things can get moving though soon. I had a personal goal to lose 30 lbs by my 6 week check-up. I'm still finding the eating schedule to be a challenge with my work schedule. I hope once I'm on regular foods that should go away, since I will be able to eat beef jerky and quick protein meal bars by then. Currently I'm bringing my food with me daily. If I"m in a meeting with a client, I can't just get up and go to the lunch room, heat up my food and bring it to the meeting! AWKWARD. Overall I think I've earned a B+ with staying on schedule and eating the right foods. So far I've given in to a corn chip and salsa craving and a chick-fil-a nugget serving (the small one).

I wouldn't take crackers. ...take something with protein. ..small cheese slices or cold cuts, I.e. ham and turkey cut in small wedges...like an inch at the edge. Laughing cow light cheese...and the chili idea was great. Eating soup made me feel normal.

I would def stay away from anything fried or breaded and its processed chicken if its the kind I'm thinking of that's the stuff you must avoid so I agree bring something you know you can eat from home chili is good and a good source of protein so maybe make a pot of it and bring to the party

I agree with the previous posting that yogurt is pretty good and Yoplait Greek 100 has a lot of protein and good flavors. Also ensure active high protein has 19 grams of protein and vanilla and chocolate flavors so you can add to your diet. The ensure is 8oz so you don't have to worry about drinking a whole lot. If you could tolerate a egg drop soup that's loaded with protein. You can try making your own. Feel better soon.

I don't find the term "Protein water" misleading. to each their own... Says protein drink on the front of the bottle. It's made with filtered water and has 40 grams of protein. Ingredients : Filtered Water, Ion-Exchange Whey (milk) Protein Isolate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sucralose, Phosphoric Acid, Polysorbate 80, FD&C Blue #1

Brown chicken in a skillet than add Campbells Cheddar Cheese soup (condensed) pour over chicken, put top on skillet and cook on low till done. The chicken is moist, which makes it easier to chew and the cheddar cheese is just added flavor and protein! You can add peas or another vegetable

Well the first question we always ask is are you on a PPI? The biggest culprit for causing that "I'm hungry" feeling is acid and for many of us, once we're on a PPI we're fine. If you're on one, talk to your doc and adjust your dose. You might need more or it might not be an acid problem at all. If you Water is cold, try drinking it at room temp. I had trouble with water for a long while. I had to add something to get it down or it made me feel nauseous. Try Real Lemon or Real Lime packets, room temp water and even a packet or two a day of Crystal Light. If you can get those down, you're fine. Are your meals made of dense Protein? Eat things that make you feel full - protein and Fiber together pack a wallop and should leave you feeling satisfied for a few hours. Evaluate what you're eating - if you're eating yogurt and feeling hungry later, well, that's probably because yogurt slides right through. Try eating dense protein first, then moving onto fibrous veggies and finally onto a few bites of your soft carbohydrate like mashed potatoes. Try to set an eating schedule and limit yourself to set snack times. If you must graze, try to track your calories and log all of your food so that this doesn't become an ongoing issue. I tend to "forget" to log food I graze on, and then I fall off track and stop losing. This is a bad habit and will impede your success. And, I suppose it could possibly be bad news. If you try everything here and still feel hungry after two weeks you might be one of the very few who never lose the actual, physical hunger. This is bad because the lack of hunger makes the surgery easier. However, it doesn't mean you can't succeed. You still had 85% of your stomach removed and will still have a great deal of restriction. If you force yourself to follow good eating habits you can still lose your weight. My opinion is that the hunger feelings will fade. They are almost always tied to acid or diet. Good luck! ~Cheri

It's a protein drink, it's not listed or marketed as protein water for a reason. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Even if you can eat a lot, you should not. Just stick with whatever your program dictates and focus on protein. I had a band revision to bypass and understand your fears, but I think if we stick with the plan as it was laid out we will be fine. I lost 30lbs my first month. I measure my food, time it out, and don't eat a bite more than the 3-4 oz I was allotted. Good luck! I feel so much better this time around!

I can definitely eat more soft foods. I try to eat "hard " protein first then veggies. I can usually only do about two oz hard protein and I'm full.

I'm 3 months out... 100 g Protein 50 g carbs 22 g fat

I am having the same issue. I am 2-1/2 weeks post op and the first week I lost 16 lbs and since then I haven't lost anything. I am very discouraged and aggrevated cause this is when you are supposed to lose the most. I have not been able to get all my protein shakes in because they make me nauseous and right now that is all I am supposed to be on.

The food plan is not aligned with what I believe is important. It is focused purely on losing weight and not on health and nutrition. I’ve made adjustments from the beginning to incorporate whole food but I haven’t given up dairy bc of the protein. Now that I can eat meat, I’m going paleo. thank you for your input, but I value whole food over a faster weight loss.

I am 5 weeks out and started soft veggies this week. But shrimp and catfish have been my go to meals when possible. Other than that yogurt, protein shakes and eggs!

I'm 4 1/2 weeks out from surgery and my stomach hurts all the time. No matter what I eat, it starts hurting and I end up in the bathroom all day. Most people have issues with constipation but no me!! It's the opposite. I'm drinking plain Water and getting my Protein in. I'm not eating sugars or fatty food. Someone please help! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

03/01/2012 By: Hannah Chapman Jerry Rowe – a self-proclaimed “hefty child” – tipped the scales at 564 pounds in October 2010, categorizing him as morbidly obese and putting him at risk of premature death. During his two years of employment at a local pizza establishment his waistline started to wander. He would eat an entire pizza and an order of wings by himself, not to mention the breadsticks and soda that always accompanied the two. Rowe also admitted to frequenting fast food joints where he would order several burgers, fries, and soda. He had become accustomed to a lifestyle of excessive eating. “I had made up my mind that I was going to eat myself to death,” Rowe said. As Rowe’s pounds piled on, so did serious health issues. A Midlothian physician, Dr. Paul V. Jackson Jr., startled him with the news that his days were numbered. Rowe, a 40-year-old Richmond resident, who was suffering from chronic back pain and arthritis in his knees, was in the process of committing a slow suicide. “I would get up in the mornings and struggle to get out of bed,” Rowe said. Walking to the bathroom, an undemanding task for most, proved to be a huge challenge for him. He would often stop to catch his breath during the 10 feet trek. Rowe says he was struggling financially and subsequently fell victim to major depression. Being hooked on the euphoria of eating, he medicated his feelings with food. He found comfort in feeling full and gorged at every meal. For breakfast Rowe would have six to eight eggs with six slices of toast. Lunch would be three or four sandwiches, and no matter what was on the menu for dinner, it was usually delivered in large portions. On average, he was consuming 10,000 calories a day. His wake up call came when he was diagnosed with diabetes. “I literally said, ‘That’s enough.’ I was not going to go through that,” Rowe said. Not long after, in February of 2011, he staggered into the Chester YMCA. “I honestly thought I was going to die,” Rowe said. He was concerned about damaging the equipment or hurting himself so he took refuge on the indoor track. “I swear it took about 10 minutes to walk two laps, I couldn’t do any more.” Ten months later, Rowe was still attending the YMCA and discovered the YMCA 10k Training Team. Initially, he signed up for the program as more of an experiment to gauge his level of fitness ability. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine actually participating in the 6.2-mile event. With the encouragement and motivation of the coaches, he bit the bullet and officially secured his spot for the 2012 Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k taking place on March 31. “I love to go out with the Chester training team on Saturdays,” said Rowe. During the week he does his best to clock in every mile that he can. As an adult Rowe had fallen into a trap of frequent fast food meals, binge eating, and depression. He stubbornly ignored the urging of his doctor’s to get healthy and lose weight. It wasn’t until he made a paradigm shift from thinking being fat was his ultimate fate to believing that he’s capable of achieving anything he sets his mind to that he now has begun to truly embrace life. It’s the little things, commonly taken for granted, that would make him happy - like being able to walk into a department store and buy clothes off-the-rack, for instance. Rowe knows firsthand what it feels like to be humiliated, embarrassed, and treated differently because of his weight. “Anyone who has ever been in my situation knows the hurt that the words of others can inflict,” he said. “I wish I could help people understand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of those hurtful words.” Rowe has left 153 pounds in the dust since the beginning of his quest in October 2010. By striving to exercise and changing his diet to include less fast food and more lean protein, Rowe plans to continue shaving off the pounds until his reaches his goal of 225 pounds. He now takes a proactive stance and advises people to stop overthinking when it comes to decisions or obstacles in life and just take action. “I want to show others that feeling alone in a crowded room only means that you need to talk a little louder to get their attention.” This was just written about me and my journey. I had band surgery in August 2011 but, before that I had already lost 105 pounds. I did mention the band in the interview but the writer focused on the emotional part of my journey. I hope it may help or inspire someone.

Got the call a couple days ago that my referral info and application docs were all in place, and scheduled my first three doctor's appointments (physical, nutritional, fitness) but they aren't until the middle of June! I will be heading in sometime this or next week so they can get an official start weight so I can get started on the 8% weight loss they require. It seems that will be the most time consuming part so I want to get started asap. It's starting to feel real! Anyone use Weight Watchers to lose the pre-op weight? I've got MFP on my phone but I've been using it on and off for years (like, 5 years) so I wonder if I should do something different right now to kinda shake things up and help me drop these first 20lbs. Or maybe I should just stick with MFP since I'll have to use it to track Protein and stuff after - make it easier if I start paying closer attention to those details now and it won't be such a shift after surgery. Hmmm. Choices choices