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I teach fifth grade as well. I have a 20 minute break and I just try to snack during class. I generally will eat some turkey meat and string cheese and a yogurt. During my lunch break I will eat a few crackers and some chicken salad that I make with chicken breast. You will be fine. I am two months out as well but I really didn't have any energy problems. I taught summer school from 7:15 - 1:00 so it was a long day but I did well. I only took off a week.

2.5 months out down 50 pounds, total of 67 since preop diet 3 months ago. Breakfast: Protein shake Lunch: 4oz canned chicken breast with mayo or tuna with mayo Dinner: 3 to 4 oz fish or chicken breast with small amount of vegetable Evening snack: yogurt I drink 4 or 5-16 oz bottles of Water daily <750 calories, <30 carbs daily, >100 grams of Protein daily Not proud to say but no exercise for me.

Our guidelines say food should have less than 3 g fat/5g sugar. No daily recommendations that I have seen. They recommended Greek light & fit or carbmaster yogurts. I can’t find a light & fit that meets this, so I get nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead.

@@future Mrs - First, let me be clear. I am not at all saying these are necessarily the healthiest things to be eating, but honestly they aren't too bad. It will cure your wing craving though.... Oh and just eat the dip with a fork. Tiny bites at first. I had a tough time with shredded chicken early on. Buffalo Chicken salad (apologies to the person who posted this originally - I didn't write down the name so I cannot give credit where credit is due!) Shredded chicken breast, about 9 oz. (I usually poach my own, but I've also used canned or rotisserie chicken) 2 oz. crumbled blue cheese 5.3 oz container plain Greek yogurt chopped celery/onion garlic powder/dried dill/S&P to taste Frank's Red Hot until it's at your preferred spice level (as @@Valentina said - take it easy on this until you know if you will tolerate spicy) Buffalo Chicken Hot Dip - not sure where I got this one - probably here also - I have taken this one to parties and it was a hit. No one even knew it had lower fat options in it. • 2 cups Chicken Breast, chopped • 1/2 cup Reduced Fat Blue Cheese Crumbles, crumbled • 6 oz 0% Yogurt • 8 oz Cream Cheese 1/3 Less Fat • 1 tbsp The Original Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Powdered Mix • 1/2 cup Low-moisture Part-skim Sliced Mozzarella Cheese, shredded • 1/2 cup Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce Oh also - not buffalo flavored but if you like lasagna, check out the Ricotta Bake from theworldaccordingtoeggface.com. It is to die for! Basically lasagna without noodles! http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

I love this thread... We can all use something to compare our diets to. I saw you use EAS shakes, and I do too, but I use the EAS Carb Advantage~ 100 cal, 17gm of Protein. Breakfast~ weight control oatmeal morning snack~ Eas Carb advantage shake lunch 2oz nonfat, plain greek yogurt mixed with dannon light and fit vanilla greek yogurt 1/2c blueberries, 1/2 c. Strawberries and 1/2 oz sliced almonds Afternoon snack~ either EAS Carb advantage Shake or Grande Skinny Latte Dinner: Tonight it's chicken lightly breaded with panko, mozzarella cheese and Pasta sauce and a small spinach salad on the side Evening Snack: sugar free/fat free pudding I usually average 1000 cal per day and 80 gm of protein I drink at least 80oz of crystal light per day...

Think you put your finger on it when you said clear liquids are going down fine but thicker liquids are feeling stuck. At only a few days out, everything is still very swollen and the feeling you are likely to be having is the signal to tell you to stop drinking, you're full. The little you have had to drink in terms of Protein shake or yogurt may not seem enough to have filled your stomach - but it will be. Take it easy, stick to what you're doing but don't force anything down. As the swelling goes down over the next couple of weeks, it will get easier and you will notice a difference soon. Congratulations on your weight loss to date, good luck on joining the sleeved side :-)

I was banded on 1/25 and am down 25 since that day. I seem to lose about 1.2 a week and though I'd love to drop 10 a month, I'm satisfied with 1/week. I admit, I havent' started exercising yet. I was filled to 5cc in a standard band the day of surgery and never felt any restrictions or fullness. I had 1cc put in 2 days ago and though I have no problem with my salad/fish/yogurt/veggies, I do feel some restrictions. I have figured out that water is so key in this battle. I try to remind myself that it took years to put on and so a year to get off the 88 pounds is very reasonable. 1 day at a time, 1 bite at a time, trying to remember..it's only food. I am in control, not it!

I bought unflavored protein powder prior to my surgery and never really used it because it was awful. And I'm pretty much ok with most protein powders. I could NOT do the unflavored though. I tried it in oatmeal, applesauce, greek yogurt, crystal light and I just couldn't stomach it. I ended up tossing it in the trash.

OK, I drink when I eat. I drink all the time. However, I only sip, and slosh it around my mouth with the food, and usually only with meats or dryer food. I don't ever need it with my yogurt, cottage cheese, or other soft foods. I figure this is a good start. If I swallow after a glob of meat goes down, it hurts. If I use the liquid to separate the particles in my mouth before I swallow, it is very helpful. Especially earlier in the day. For Breakfast and lunch I am still on soft solids. I can get anything down by dinner time with very little trouble. I know what my doc says, and he is right. I get fuller faster if I drink when I eat, and am hungrier faster as well. As far as stretching out the stomach, yes you can stretch it and yes it will go back down, but not as much as they let on- it is more mental then physical. (I asked about the stomach stretching myth a long time ago the first time I dieted in high school). If you overeat for a period of time, then your stomach gets used to that extended feeling and you will get hungrier faster and more intensely. However you can retrain your brain (and stomach) by eating less for a while after that. We are trying to eat less though, so continually eating until you are stuffed is bad- no matter what.

I was confused also when I first started puree because the word to me sounded like jarred baby food. Actually I explain it more like anything that you can mash with a fork, or really don't have to chew before you swallow, so yes, I also eat A LOT of tuna, chicken, and egg salad. Just kinda mash the eggs with a fork when you are mixing it and use lite mayo or greek yogurt. My other staple is I keep lots of cans of Campbell's soups on hand, drain the water, and make a mash with that since it is already cooked and soft. Good luck =0)

Hi all, I'm newly banded, banded in august! I was so disappointed with my one pound weightloss over the past 10 days! So silly of me to think this way, but I was hoping for more, I was blinded by how quickly the initial weight came off, but at least I kept losing and didn't gain!!! Since my weight slowed down with that one pound loss, I got my first fill yesterday :smile: I have this lump in my throat feeling, not too sure if that's how it's supposed to feel. I was having some greek yogurt this morning and I can't even make a dent in it. I enjoyed the fill because I feel rejuvenated with my process. I'm feeling motivated to shed more pounds and even did a 2.5 mile walk yesterday! Before, I was only averaging about a mile. Hopefully with this spike in exercise, the fill, and motivation.............I can jump start my weight loss again to reach that new year goal !!! Wish me luck and good luck to everyone feeling like they are in a slump! You can do it!!!

I'm so sorry to hear that you all have shared some of my struggles! I actually cried reading some of the posts from people who said they were up the next day doing laundry and cleaning. I too am happy with my weightloss thus far. I am supposed to be doing high Protein full liquids including Jello, pudding, and yogurt. I just can't do the protein!! I already have such a little desire to eat and the thought of putting high protein pudding in my mounth disgusts me! I did soft scamble an egg earlier and made it through most of that ok. I figured that would be a good way to get some protein in.

So I’m officially one week post op. I haven’t posted until now because I’m just really trying to take it all in and enjoy this very special experience. Here’s a small recap of what I’ve been through thus far. My first seminar was on 6/11/09 I weighed 250. I met with the dietician on 6/20/09 and weighed 245. The day of my surgery is 7/7/09 and I weighed 237. Today I’m one week post op (7/14/09) and I weigh 228. I feel really good about that, and I can’t wait to see more weight melt away. Tuesday 7/7/09 Today is the date of my surgery and I weighed in at weighed in at 237 lbs. I’m really impressed with myself because that means I’ve lost 13 pounds since my first seminar on June 11th. Everyone at the hospital was great. I’m not going to fake it, I was nervous about having this surgery. I kept thinking did I rush this decision, could I truly have done this on my own, isn’t this a drastic measure, etc, etc. I could think of a million other things that I would rather be doing than having surgery, but this surgery was my one opportunity to truly change my life. I knew that then, and I know that now. How wonderfully exciting it is! My surgery was scheduled at 11:30 a.m. and everything started on time. By 1 p.m. I was wheeled into my room, and the rooms were new and very nice. Surprisingly I was not in very much pain. I couldn’t have any water or broth until 6 p.m. so they started having me walk a little after five, before I started the liquids. The first time I got up, I felt very warm and a bit nauseas. So I sat on the chair and waited a while until I took my first journey down the hall with my lovely IV. The gown that I had on was so big and long that my lovely husband went out and bought me a shorter gown and light robe (I don’t know why I didn’t bring one on my own) 6:15 p.m. until midnight that night I took in a total of 6.5 ounces of water/broth. They would allow me 15 ml’s every 15 minutes. I also walked roughly an hour that night (they even showed me a longer path) that way I wouldn’t have to keep turning around. That first day I didn’t nap or anything like they. I remember them waking me up just a little before midnight, at four the next morning, and at eight the next morning. Overall I got some decent sleep. The majority of my time in the hospital was spent seating in the hospital chairs. When I was in the bed I felt like a patient, when I was in the chair I felt like a visitor. I’m such a freak. Wednesday 7/8/09 So today I feel pretty good. I’m not hungry but I am a little thirsty. Again I could only have 15 mls of water/broth per 15 minutes and I ended up consuming roughly 16.5 ounces. Again the pain is under control and I’m just not in nearly as much pain as I anticipated. Thursday 7/9/09 Today is the first day I’m feeling some hunger. I can’t wait until tomorrow when I can have a protein shake. I spoke with my friend who had her Lap Band surgery a little over two years ago. She’s one heck of a mentor and an amazing example of how successful you can be with this Band. She has went from 243 pounds (a size 24) and is now 127 pounds (and a size 2/4). I told her that I am going through a small bout of buyer’s remorse. I know that a protein shake will help suppress my hunger, but I can’t wait until I get some normal food. I’m just excited at the thought of eating cottage cheese, yogurt, roasted veggies, cheese, and chicken, yum. This time I can tell that I’m having true physical hunger, not just head hunger. I walked with my husband and Adrie (our black Lab) around the block. Halfway through it my stomach had a lot of pain. The pain is near the incision where the port its. That’s where all my pain is, nowhere else. Today I’ve had 21 ounces of water and 4 ounces of light Tropicana Orange Juice (super delicious) for a total of 25 fluid ounces. Friday 7/10/09 Today I woke up hungry and I was glad to know that I could have a protein shake, thank goodness. My mom came down to see me today. She said that she was impressed that I was in regular clothes, and not all slouched out in pj’s. J Yes I get up every day I take a shower, put on some make up, and do my hair. I’m not a girly girl, but by doing so that way I feel better which I hope will help the whole process. I went with my mom and hubby to the bookstore. Instead of the “typical” lunch we had unsweetened tea and enjoyed an hour of reading magazines and books. I looked all over for a book on weight loss surgery. There was one book (besides two separate recipe books) called, Before & After: Living & Eating Well after Weight Loss Surgery by Susan Maria Leach. I really liked what she had to say and I could find myself relating to her story. Granted we had two separate weight loss procedures, but we’re both fighting the same battle. Today I had water, 4 ounces of prune juice, green tea, ½ cup of soup, and 1 ½ Bariatric Shakes. That’s a total of 37 ounces for today. Saturday 7/11/09 I woke up early and I decided that I was going to find a couple of garage sales to attend to. I found this one exceptional garage sale and I was in bargain heaven. J I drove by the farmers market, and I told myself that I could stop on over there next week (when I could actually purchase some veggies and fruits for the next stage of my post op diet). I had a total of 43 ounces today, mostly water, 4 ounces of OJ, 8 ounces of a Bariatric Shake, and ¼ cup soup. I feel asleep at 7 p.m. and didn’t wake up until 8 a.m. on Sunday. Now that’s so good sleep! Sunday 7/12/09 Today was the first day where I didn’t much hunger. I love that feeling. I feel so good not having food at the forefront of my mind, I have this new sense of peace and hope in my life. It’s an amazing feeling. My sleep is improving and I’m finally not waking up in the middle of the night. I’ve been having quite a bit of pain today and yesterday with the area around my port. I don’t like taking the liquid pain medicine, because it makes me feel a nauseous and I’m worried that it will make me vomit (and I haven’t done so yet, and I’m a bit scared). I went with my hubby and my little brother to watch Bruno. I had this scheduled for quite some time, but I told them that we would have to wait until Sunday before we could see the movie (I just didn’t think I could sit through a whole movie until then). The movie was totally out of control, but very funny and I laughed the whole time. Going to the movies now is a totally different experience. I didn’t have my diet coke, with popcorn, and sour gummy worms. Nope, this time I had water and I was completely satisfied. Instead of the movie experience being about the food, it was being with my family and just enjoying ourselves, with food not included. What a first. I had 2: 8 ounce protein shakes, 52 ounces of water, 4 ounces of OJ, for a total of 74 ounces of liquids. Monday 7/13/09 So this may be TMI, but I haven’t been having any bowel movements, and I’m thinking that’s why my lower belly is still so swollen. I miss my old bowel movements; I had worked my way into one bowel movement a day. Now they are pretty much non-existent. Is anyone else having any problems with their stomach looking very swollen? I’ve noticed it in my lower stomach, and I’m thinking that its gas related. I wonder when it will go away. Even though I’ve lost 21 pounds, I can still only get one of my pairs of jeans to button. I’d figured that I could wear some old pants that were too tight, but it looks like I’ll have to wait until the swelling goes down. I’m having some strange cravings, grilled cheese (because I’m thoroughly convinced I won’t be able to tolerate bread) and Mexican food, more specifically chips and salsa and corn tortillas. Today I had one protein shake, water, OJ, 4 ounces of prune juice, ½ cup of soup, and one serving of jello. I’ve had a total of 40 ounces of today.

I have noticed from others that sometimes after being banded for a while, it is easy to forget or stray from the original guidelines or some banders didn't get adequate information from their centre initially. For starters, I would log what you are eating (ideally through myfitnesspal or something like that that will track calories too). You should not exceed (per my doctor) about 1200 calories per day and should have about 60+ grams of protein. Try not to exceed 1 cup of food per meal and have a planned healthy snack in between meals (piece of fruit) or something. If you are not able to get even yogurt down, perhaps your band is a little too tight which may be causing you to eat some unhealthier items (sliders) that will go down easily and that may be part of the problem. It sounds like you could really benefit from a visit (or 2) with a nutritionist to get back on track. You shouldn't feel so defeated and frustrated with your food choices. I am able to eat most anything as long as I eat slowly and eat small bites. I would urge you to see out one (my bariatric clinic has ones on staff) and they have a lot of great ideas and advice. I truly don't feel deprived and only did when I was too tight and struggled getting solid food down. I also have found healthier ways to still enjoy many foods I loved before but now in a healthier way. There is a website called Emily bites (I believe) and there are many recipes that you make in cupcake pans so they are portioned out into appropriate sized meals. They are healthy versions (ie. lasagna) of everyday foods. I really enjoy them. Good luck to you!

Hey everyone, I got banded April 12 and lately I've been feeling really hungry. Is it normal for water or fluids to go through with ease? I read all these threads about it being tough and others having their band slipped but no symptoms so I'm just wondering. Also I had 1 yogurt about 2 days ago and it went with ease. I haven't had anymore since then cause I read about the complications when skipping the diet rules. Any advice? I'm getting paranoid and I can't keep going to Mexico to reach my surgeon for little things I feel. ???£ Also did anyone get infections on their bottom incisions? Mine got infected and I'm in antibiotics for it to get better but it's taking super long (another paranoia)

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.

Yeah I was hoping someone had found some GOOD yogurt in a tube! And yes I tried to Answer for future thread readers as well as the OP. Two weeks out I would drink Water in a movie. It's the time to break old habits (movie = snack) and create new ones. Really we can go through a two hour movie without food.

@@reachbree, Since you mentioned Slurpees, it made me think of: can you ask for a cup of shaved ice/ice chips (like a snow cone or slurpee) and add your own Water flavoring enhancer like Crystal Light or Mio drops? Single-serve sugar-free pudding cups could work, although yogurt is generally healthier. I would think carefully before snacking during movies. It may be that it keeps the movie fun for you and you can keep the snacking to a carefully planned snack. However, it could also be that it perpetuates a bad habit and leads to over-eating, since a movie is so long and each small snack only lasts for a few minutes. Everyone’s different, so it’s up to you and what you think is best for yourself.

all victories, ladies! way to go! (Leslie, I especially liked yours...what fun!) I tried to post this earlier, so if it doubles up on me, please forgive, but - I had a NSV today, too. I was forced to eat fast food for lunch - which I never do - and I was good and ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and a fruit parfait at McD's, only to have them give me FRIES in my bag in addition to my order! McDonald's fries are crack to me - I normally cannot resist them. Well, I didn't totally resist them today. I ate two, then drove around the block of my office twice trying to find a familiar face to give them to. There are usually tons of guys around, but none today! So, I had to drive around the block again to find the trash can, but I THREW THEM OUT! Then I went to my office and took the bread off the sandwich and ate the chicken and yogurt for lunch! Whoo Hoo, Me! not perfect, but I say it counts.

I did mine to the T - Liquids for 2 weeks but that also included thin soups like tomatoe and jello - then mushie for 2 weeks,, pudding, yogurt,mashed potatoes,tuna and deviled ham ect ect, then onto regular food

Pumpkin also delivers a punch of potassium, a comely amount of copper, an interesting bit of iron, a pleasing amount of magnesium and a fair amount of fiber. A caution for bariatric patients is the 10 grams of carbohydrates found in a ½ cup pumpkin puree. And who doesn’t love carving Jack-O-Lanterns with your children (or just for you) for All Hallow’s Eve? Who has not posted adorable pictures of their kiddos in your local Pumpkin Patch? You can prepare your own pumpkin puree or stock up on the canned type. Perhaps our greatest love of pumpkin awaits us at Thanksgiving with our beloved pumpkin pie. One estimate says Americans eat 50 million pumpkin pies at Thanksgiving. Alas, a pie is known as a confection loaded with sugar and fat. What is the bariatric patient to do? Modify the recipe, of course! Lower the sugar and fat and pump up the protein is the goal. Try the Pumpkin Pie pudding recipe on the BariatricPal website. If you need a pumpkin treat before Thanksgiving, there are many pumpkin-flavored protein shakes, protein bars and yogurts in the stores right now. So, pumpkin can be a health partner this season. Enjoy!

To me, I thought most of the fruit juice flavors were disgusting. The only exception was the fuzzy navel, but I wasn't THAT crazy about it. I haven't tried crystal sky. I have in my possession strawberry mousse, vanilla bean torte, and chocolate truffle. The best one with Water is the chocolate truffle as it tastes like a yoo hoo. The rest taste better with milk, or milk and kefir/yogurt. Once I get to the stage when I can add fruit I am sure that my taste buds may change a bit.

Protein shakes actually can be really harsh on the stomach, not to mention if you're making them with milk, its often a lot more milk in a day than the average adult is used to. Also, liquids in tends to equal liquids out. its a fairly normal post op experience, but you do have to be mindful of dehydration. Things like benefibre and metamucil help as they provide some bulk to the stool and slow down its passage through your body. Also, you could ask your doc if you can have something like Imodium. But also - I was never put on a shake regime. I got through liquids on things like fruit smoothies, thin yogurt, pureed fruit and home made vegetable Soups - with meat blended into them for protein. Protein Shakes just arent such a big thing here, they can be part of a post op regime but are not often prescribed as the be all and end all weight loss. so perhaps try taking in some other foods too - in liquid form of course.

I'm doing great!!! no nausea or anything, getting all my water and stuff. Pre op diet is just 3 days yogurt and water. I didn't lose anything pre op LOL I had a great experience with Dr Ponce and Trish! if you haven't already check out my pics in the link in my signature, it really helped me to feel more comfortable after seeing a couple other people's photos on here

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!