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So this is my first journal entree. I think its a good day to make one. My surgery is on Thursday at noon. Today is Tuesday at 11:40 so its about 48 hours away. Everything happened pretty fast for me. I only went for my consultation last Friday and they had a cancellation so in I went. I have been on my horrible pre-op diet for 4 days now. I now hate yogurt. But I eat it cause i'm hungry and I always hated cottage cheese but i eat only about a tablespoon with every meal because I think I probably need the protein. I am actually excited to start the liquid diet because it means I will get a mix of juice and consume soup so I get the sweet and the savory instead of just berry flavored everything. Honestly right now my skim milk is the closest thing I have to something salty or not tasting of berries. I have lost 12 pounds in 5 days so I guess this diet is working. Everyone makes jokes like screw the band stick to yogurt. But I WILL DIE if i do that. My only saving grace is that tomorrow is the last yogurt day.

Coming up on three years since I was banded. The eight months post surgery was understably the adjustment prior. The following year a wash due to cancer surgery and treatment. Things had actually started to move in the right direction until July '12 when the problems started. I'm 22 pounds lower than the day of surgery - given all the expenses involved, that's about $1,500 a pound. To whit, I am 50+ pounds lower than my highest weight, but as a size 18w ain't no one going to call me "slim" - and I'm still a Type II diabetic. The problems, which have been bothering me since July - please, if you're having any issues, go to your WLS ASAP - continue regardless of the medications. I have my follow up to the endoscopy this week. Yesterday was classic. Out late the night before, so I slept in 'til about 10am(for me a real treat). Got up and had coffee. Not hungry, so I was working around the house i.e., on my feet on on the go. Around 2:30pm I felt hungry, so I made myself a piece of toast with Smart Balance. According to my WLS, I should be able to eat this... Nibbled it down and then it came back up or the course of six trips to the bathroom. Waited a bit and settle my stomach with some tea. Around 7pm, I managed yogurt with no problems. Several hours later I was hungry again, so I scrambled 1/4 egg sub and cooked 1/4 oatmeal. The eggs I ate standing - no problem. Took my oatmeal downstairs to eat while watching TV. Got it down no problem. Watched an episode of a fav show on my DVR - fast forwarding through commercials, so sitting for about 45 minutes. Went back upstairs to go to bed. Felt blocked and stuffed, but thought it was all in my head. Took my bedtime meds and just made it to the bathroom for another three episodes of vomiting. I'd hoped that having this procedure would mean that I could finally stop thinking about food all the time. Instead I'm thinking about it even more. What I can and can't eat. How I can avoid eating in social situations. How I can pretend eat so I can fake my way through family dinners. Knowing what I should eat, should be able to eat but choosing the slider route to be safe. God how I envy those with no food issues!

Yep, about 2 oz at a time. I just sip on it and put it back in the fridge. But I do agree with you, I think he will start me on solids sooner. I will get more details at me 2 week check up. However, he did give me an example of scrambled eggs, tuna salad, yogurt & soft cheese as the next step. I hope it's soon - I'm so hungry! I still can't believe how well you're doing! And, you better believe none of this is coming back! Take care and have a wonderful evening!

So you cheated a little on your post-op diet. When you were supposed to be on liquids, you had a few spoons of mashed potatoes or a swallow of yogurt, both nice and soft. Maybe you ate a few Cheez Doodles, but what’s the big deal? They’re like eating flavored air, aren’t they? And the McNuggets you tried during the puree phase? You chewed them really well, and you could only eat three instead of your pre-op portion of six – isn’t that great? No, it’s not great that you could only eat three McNuggets. And yes,cheating is a big deal, and I’m going to tell you why. You’re not going to get away with this one. Miss Jean has eyes in the back of her head. She sees the cookie crumbs on your face and the neon orange faux cheese film on your guilty fingers. SOME DEFINITIONS OF CHEATING The word “cheat” has two main connotations. One is cheating in the sense of lying and deceiving. It’s intentional dishonesty. You know what you’re doing is wrong, but you do it anyway. The other connotation of “cheat” is unfaithfulness. Unfaithful to a vow or promise you made to another person or to an organization. When someone cheats you, do you just shrug and say, “Oh well, he was having a bad day”? Let’s say you bought a car that you thought was brand new, and later discovered that the dealer had fiddled with the odometer and charged you full sticker price for a car with 1200 miles on it. Would that be okay with you? And what if your spouse, the person you trust with your life, cheated on you by sleeping with your best friend, would you be able to just shrug that off? If your child got a B+ grade by cheating on a test by copying answers from the student at the next desk, would you be proud of him or her? And what if you found out that a coworker betrayed you by using the great idea you confided to him or her and taking credit for it when it worked out splendidly? Would you still be eating lunch with that coworker? Or what if you donated money to a political candidate who you admired, and he or she spent it on a vacation in the Bahamas instead of on re-election expenses. Would that be okay with you? Would you vote for that candidate ever again? I’ll take a guess at your answers to these questions. In none of the situations I’ve described would you be happy or proud. In fact, you’d be disappointed and angry. So just how can you think it’s no big deal to cheat on your post-op diet? EXCUSES, EXCUSES I can hear grumbling in the room. I think I just heard someone saying, “I had to eat that mashed potato. I was so hungry and miserable and cranky from being on liquids for a week, I couldn’t stand it another minute.” I do understand very well how you felt, but in the big picture of world hunger, where babies die because their mothers eat so little that they don’t produce enough milk for nursing, your and my hungry misery is a big So What. And someone else is whispering, “My best friend’s surgeon let her eat mashed potatoes on her third day post-op, so it must be okay for me to do that too, even though my surgeon told me to wait until my 15th day post-op. It’s not my fault that every surgeon has a different post-op eating protocol.” While it’s true that surgeons’ eating instructions vary widely, you signed on with your surgeon, not your best friend’s. Presumably you chose your surgeon because you and/or your insurance company believe that he or she is well-qualified in laparascopic bariatric surgery. During your psych evaluation, you affirmed that you understand what the surgery involves and that you can and will follow instructions. You nodded when the shrink asked if you’re ready to make all the lifestyle changes needed for success. You nodded when the dietitian asked if you understood your pre- and post-op eating instructions. You scribbled your own name on a sheaf of release papers to indicate that you were informed about the risks involved and despite those risks, gave your surgeon permission to perform surgery on you. In addition to all of that, you spent weeks or months jumping through hoops to prove your need for bariatric surgery. Perhaps you suffered through a six-month pre-op diet. You had lots of medical tests and evaluations, most of them not much fun, because you were so eager to get your weight loss show on the road. You had surgery, suffered some degree of discomfort from your incisions and gas, and finally heaved a sigh of relief because all the struggles are over now. But then you discovered that there are still more struggles to survive because of that stupid post-op liquid diet. Yet despite jumping through all those hoops, in less than 60 seconds you blow it by popping a Cheez Doodle in your mouth, and justify that with the aforementioned misery excuse. And man oh man, that must have been some really serious misery, because evidently it drove out of your mind all the very good reasons for faithfully following that post-op diet progression. You forgot that one of the most common causes of band slips is the patient’s failure to follow the post-op diet. You forgot that food can get stuck in the stoma or esophagus and cause an obstruction or vomiting. You forgot that vomiting can disturb the position of the band, especially when you’re a new post-op and your stomach is still healing from surgery. You forgot that in order to move mashed potatoes or Cheez Doodles through your digestive system, your esophagus and stomach must expand and contract, which can disturb the position of your band and cause it to slip. You forgot all the promises you made to your bariatric team and to yourself about healthy eating and weight loss success, because you were so miserable and just a few little cheat bites are no big deal. I’ll try to give you the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you thought that being able to eat the Cheez Doodles without having any uncomfortable side effects or complications like a stuck episode, a PB, sliming, chest pain, esophageal dilation or spasms means that it’s okay to eat the Cheez Doodles. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s a wrong assumption. Cheating eating can cause problems without you ever knowing it until it’s too late. Cheating eating is just plain foolish. YOU’RE NOT ALONE Now here’s the good news. You’re not alone. Nobody enjoys the post-op diet progression. If any of us were good at following diets, we might not need bariatric surgery in the first place. And only infants enjoy a liquid diet. But in a sense, as a new post-op you’re a bariatric infant who must consume liquids because your body isn’t ready yet to handle anything else. Cheating on your post-op diet is cheating your health in a major way. If you already cheated once or twice or ten times, that’s not a good reason for continuing to cheat, so don’t do it again! I believe we should begin any project as we mean to go on. If you can’t follow your post-op diet, exactly when are you going to begin your healthy post-op lifestyle? Are you going to wait until after your first fill, or your second fill, or at some hazy time in the future? If so, don’t come running to me when your scale stays stuck on a number you hate. NOW is the time to begin your healthy lifestyle. NOW is the time to practice good band eating skills and making good food choices and controlling portion sizes. Doing that may not be easy, but it’s not impossible either. Losing a massive amount of weight is a big, tough project, but if you respect your band, it's going to be easier than any of your past weight loss attempts. Let me clarify that: it's going to be easier if you follow instructions. In addition to that healthy lifestyle, there’s another very good reason to stick to your diet. At some point you’re going to have to face up to your past and acknowledge that food and eating have been a major problem for you. The fact that you’re struggling with your post-op diet is a symptom of that. There’s no shame attached to that struggle. As mentioned above, if we didn’t struggle with eating, we wouldn’t need bariatric surgery at all. So I suggest that you look at the post-op diet (and your pre-op diet too, for that matter) as a rite of passage. During this rite, you’ll be painfully aware of just how many food devils you possess, because without food to shut them up, they’re going to be jumping up and down and screaming for your attention. But their wish is no longer your command. You’re going to send them a clear signal: that you’re not going to submit to their demands any more. From now on, you’re going to follow your surgeon’s and dietitian’s eating instructions no matter how much commotion those devils make. You’re in charge now. As the saying goes, today is the first day of the rest of your life. Do yourself a favor, and make it a day without Cheez Doodles!

a for the advice guys. I feel a little better today. I think it's a combination of being swollen & sick at the same time. & I'm gonna stick to soup for most of the day. If that goes well I might try some yogurt later on

I dunno about Issotone. I use Simply vanilla Syntax Matrix. My fav is a banana smoothie that is to die for! And I don't even like Nana's! 1/2 cup skim milk 1 banana 1 cup ice vanilla (ya know the imitation liquid stuff) a pack or two of artificial sweetener (i like sweet n' low) 1 scoop simply vanilla Protein mix. YUMMMMM Sometimes I also add 1/4 - 1/2 cup of (already mixed) crystal light's sunrise orange mixy drinky stuffy. Awesome! If you wanted to make it thicker consistency you could add plain yogurt or maybe some more fruit... blueberries... cherries... but even just the basic mix above is good. Check out the great food finds thread on here and let us know what recipes you find!

so is that when we are at the sweet spot? Whan I get full on a cheese stick? or a cup of yogurt? But eating fast or the wrong foods makes you vomit? Just wondering if I need an unfiill or make better choices? Help!

Find a good Protein bar. The RTD shakes won't go thru airport security (unless they are under 3oz I believe) so the ziplocks with the Protein powder is probably a good option. I think most aiports have deli places where you can grab a yogurt or even a hard boiled egg. Have fun on your trip!

Hi Suzanne I just wandered if you have any tips on the pre-op diet which I start a week today! It is just plain yogurt I can eat, does this mean horrid natural yogurt or can I have fruit flavoured with no added sugar?? Any advise on this would be great.:help: Also how does your port feel?? Can you feel it? and how big or small are your scars?? and how you getting on with the post op diet, have you lost any weight since the operation?? Hope you don't mind me asking and can I say since your email on your return I have been able to sleep as normal......I kept having nightmares about the trip but you seem to have put my sub-conscience at ease....:notagree Sarah x

Hi, Can I join you please? I'm having the lap band done on the 7th with Dr Mignon in Belgium. I started my pre op diet today, lots and lots of natural yogurt, yum! I'm beginning to feel quite nervous about the whole thing now. I think I'm most worried about travelling back home. I'll get the eurostar to london and then the train up to leicester (where I live). I'm travelling alone and I'm worried about how I'll feel. Anyway, thought I'd best introduce myself. Heb

Hey all, I was at the grocery store today and came across a brand new Greek yogurt made by Yoplait! I've heard a lot of you talk about Greek yogurt because it's so high in protein and low in carbs and figured I would have to go to a specialty health market to find it. So I was surprised to find it and just thought I'd share. :thumbup1:

I posted this somewhere else...but I buy the plain 0% fat greek yogurt and add Smuckers Sugar free jams to it for flavor.

I was eating things like cottage cheese, yogurts, mash potatos,etc! When i needed to stop was when i got the hick ups.Just don't rush anything, take it slow and learn to know your limits.I was the worst when it came to eating,i never knew when i was full so i just kept on eating until i pretty much handicapped myself weighing in at 381lbs and my height is 5ft 8 inches with a BMI of 59.9.I've lost 168lbs since my surgery 8 months 2 weeks ago.I still only eat a piece of grilled chicken and maybe a bite or two of veggies.I can't eat bread or pasta, since the surgery neither appeal to me and they just don't feel rite going down so i just gave them up! Good luck with it and don't get frustrated liked i see allot on here do.

Not happy with it at all. I have 1 cc of fluid in my band and am having trouble eating yogurt and tons of different foods. Went to have fluid taken out and the doc tried to put more fluid in. I hate the band. I wish I would of gotten bypass but I was to chicken to do it.

Hi Jen! I was thinking of you. Monday is your big day. Tuesday is mine. im doing OK though it depends on when you ask. I've been sticking to things even though sometimes I just want to pig out on a pizza or something. I don't. I know why I'm doing this and that keeps me going. I got some new protein powder that I like a lot better and I think that helps too. Night time is the harderst when I don't have the distraction of work to help take my mind off the physical and head hunger. After work is always when I I would do my biggest eating so I need some new evening habits. Been walking the dog a lot more. It's great that we are going into better weather. I live in Buffalo and definitely get seasonal depression in the winter. I'm going to the store later today for my final pre-surgical shopping for some clear broth, yogurt, and Propel water (for some reason my doc likes that). A little house cleaning and laundry, pedicure, shave my legs (LOL), and then tomorrow I pick my step mom up from the airport (she's coming to help me out). I reread my special clear liquids only diet for Monday, got my magnesium citrate for the bowel prep, and just need to pack what I want to bring to the hospital. It's getting very real. I ended up taking Monday afternoon off once I Found out about the bowel prep. good luck. Please check in and let me know how you're doing.

Hi Jen, sorry to hear you've been having pain. I didn't have a belly button incision. I have 5, 2 on the sides about an inch higher than my Belly button, then two higher than those and one right between the boobs just below where my bra hits. We move on to purée weeks 3 and 4. Week 1 is all liquid, and week two you can add yogurt, ricotta, and pudding. I been doling the ricotta watered down a bit with water and then added a tiny bit of protein powder for flavor. Found some Delish ones and have 6 flavors to choose from, which has been really nice. Im almost worried how easy it is to drink. I can take three regular swallows without any real trouble. I have my f/u tomorrow and will ask if that's ok. My one issue has really been constipation. I feel fine, but I know I'm not supposed to go 4 days without so I took some Milk of Magnesia today, which I hate. As for hunger, yes!!!! I've been feeling hunger pangs since day 2. I'm on omeprazole so it isn't acid. I've been taking some of the anti spasm meds, which helps a bit, it it definitely feels like good old fashioned hunger. Kind of a bummer.

Usually with dinner there's a salad or green veg. What I'm showing there is purely my protein. I have to force myself to get to 100g carbs, but if I don't my athletic performance starts to suffer - so there may be rice or quinoa or a potato at dinner. Or a few tablespoons of granola in with the yogurt. But last night, I had 6 ounces of rib eye steak - left over from a night or two before and that was it. I didn't feel like anything green and was full after the steak. I always eat my protein first then if there's room I eat the rest.

Different plans seem to have some differences in what’s considered a liquid or a purée. I’ve heard that some plans consider yogurt a liquid, and some people are even allowed to eat yogurt while still in the hospital. I couldn’t have yogurt until purées (1 week post-op). And I couldn’t have eggs until soft foods, but I didn’t even try them until I was almost 3 months out because I’ve read that a lot of people don’t tolerate them early on. Fortunately, I haven’t had any problems with scrambled eggs. I’ve read that adding cottage cheese to scrambled eggs make them more tender, so I add 1/2 ounce cottage cheese to 1 egg.

Hi all, I am doing ok today. Still sore, but not as much. Little gas pains in my left shoulder but better today. Bloating is starting to subside (thank goodness)! I am not very hungry since I had surgery. Do you all feel like that? I ate a yogurt this a.m. and a little soup but that's it. I'm kind of worried that I am not getting enough protien in. I feel like I have to force myself to eat! Wow, what a concept! ha ha! I am going to take it easy tomorrow (Monday) and then go back to work on Tuesday. I hope I am fine by then. Hope you all are doing well!

lol! If I had a nickel before every time I wish I said I could eat more I'd have well, not even a nickel. Now, I'd have at least enough for a cheap pedi. Really though, if you can stomach the Isopure, that does't sit as heavy in the stomach as the milk based shakes. If you can get even half of one per day that's an extra 20 grams of Protein. I was on only liquids for 3 weeks so yogurt and pudding were off limits for me. At 3 weeks I did start making spike pudding and that helped with the calories and protein. You are rocking it my friend, keep it up! Dang on the straw though, thought I was gonna get to yell at you and get all judgey. Now I gotta go find someone else to pick on.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141006195341-7146982-protein-supplements-after-weight-loss-surgery-yes-or-no "Be Wary of Protein supplements in the Long-Term Protein shakes and powders can be convenient, but they’re not your best bet for long-term weight loss. As you progress from pureed foods to semi-solid and then solid foods, your surgeon will probably recommend that you stop drinking shakes and focus instead on solid sources of protein. They’re more substantial and satisfying than liquid shakes. They take longer to eat than drinking shakes. They’re easier to fit into a real-life eating plan. You won’t be “drinking your calories.” They have more natural nutrients than processed shakes and powders. Most weight loss surgery patients can get enough protein just by choosing one or two high-protein foods for each meal. You’ll get 60 to 80 grams with the following foods. Breakfast: 2 scrambled egg whites; light English muffin and some fruit. Lunch: cup fat-free cottage cheese and a green salad with 3 ounces of canned light tuna. Dinner: 3 ounces of chicken breast and steamed spinach. Snack 1: 1 low-fat cheese stick. Snack 2: 1 6-ounce container of plain low-fat yogurt and 1 cup carrot sticks." Just be careful with the primary source of protein/meals being shakes.

Yes, good thinking! Cottage cheese has much more Protein than yogurt does, so it helps you stay full for longer. It seems a bit thicker too, so that helps keep you full also. Good luck on your journey! :laugh:

Egg yolks are high in fat and contain no Protein - try to stick to the egg whites, if you can, that is where the protein is. My FAVORITE ready-to-drink Protein shakes are chocolate PREMIER shakes...I get mine at costco (similar, but better than Sam's Club) 160 cals, 30g of protein and 1g of sugar. For powder I like the Believe - Ice Cream Cookie flavor and also the unjury chocolate. CHOBANI greek yogurt comes in flavors, Peach, strawberry and Blueberry. I get them at my local grocery store or at CostCo. 14g of protein in 6oz containers, 140 cals I add raw spinach in with my shakes, to get some extra Vitamins and minerals. I have a VitaMix blender -- BEST ONE EVER!!! Great for smoothies, Soups, etc. I stay away from chicken - it gets stuck. But LOVE the fishes, and beef.... though!! GOOD LUCK!

thanks guys i havent had yogurt since before sugery and a couple times after and i had cottage cheese yesturday, it was so good since i havent had it for soooooo long, i have chicken a lot, but i love it plus with some of my fav bbq sauce, Peanut Butter sounds good, wouldnt it make you more full if you have peanut butter and a banana?

How much are you able to drink/eat? It sounds like you are not even able to hold much liquid- is that right? (you said you have no more room for more water.) I'd add at LEAST one more shake to your diet. Those things are what, 150 calories, tops? During the liquid/mushy stage you don't have to restrict that so much (in my opinion.) You might also try to add some vanilla greek yogurt. 110-150 calories- 14-17 g of Protein. And it'll give you some carbs- which will help the dizzy feeling go away (your brain needs some carbs.)