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Hi All, I had my surgery on Thursday, 10/15 - late in the afternoon (2PM). I stayed in recovery until 8PM when I was moved to my room. I was able to do a walk down the hallway and back at 10PM and began drinking Water as soon as I got into my room. I am thrilled to say I have had absolutely no adverse reactions. Sure I would get a little fluttering in my stomach and tad bit of nausea but never came close to feeling like I needed to throw up and the gas pains were minimal - I never exprienced the gas pains in my back or shoulders that others warned about. I was sipping decafe coffee, chicken broth, and Jello for Breakfast the next day and did two more strolls down the hallway. I was discharged at 4PM the following day and opted to walk out vs. using a wheelchair. I will admit that walking out of the hospital and into my house wore me out and made my legs weak for about 24 hours. I have continued to follow my doc's orders and diet. I began full liquids on day three - again no problem or reactions other than a little fluttering in my stomach which I took as a sign to stop eating. I've been eating cream of wheat (mixed with unflavored Protein poweder), greek yogurt, protien shakes, and homemade blendered tomato Soup (with protein powder). I even took a small trip to the grocery store (didn't drive) yesterday. Again it wore me out and I napped for 2 hours afterwards but then had plenty of energy after the nap. Overall I am extremely pleased with how my body is responding. I am giving a lot of credit to the fact that I am sipping the Isopure bottled clear Protein drinks for my main liquid intake - I even made jello and popsicles out it. I'm taking all my suppliments too. The only odd side effect I've had is taking my cholestrol meds - I take a lot - 3 different prescriptions but 6 pills in total. The first night I took them I spaced each pill out by 10 min but that didn't seem to be enough time as I was burping up a bad chemical/medicine taste about 30 min after taking the last pill. So now I spread them out throughout the day and have not had that problem. What about weight you ask? When I got home that next day I got on the scale and I was 5lbs heavier than when I went in for surgery - realizing it was mostly trapped gas and all the IV fluids in me I didn't freak out. As of today I am 5 lbs lighter than the day of surgery.

This recipe looks delicious! I will have to try it soon my husband just went codfishing over this last weekend. What about plain fat free yogurt to substitute for the mayo?

I have scrambled egg with turkey sausage crumbles; strawberries and blueberries: and one slice whole grain toast for breakfast Usually a Greek yogurt for a snack Grilled chicken or chicken salad with a salad for lunch Either a Protein drink or cheese and nuts for snack A grilled or roasted protein with salad for supper. Usually a SF Popsicle in the evening. I generally get between 750-900 calories a day; between 60-80 protein; between 50-60 carbs and try keeping my fats between 20-30

Hi my surgery twin!! I had an amazing dinner of 6 boiled shrimp with a tiny bit of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt to make shrimp salad, and half of a sandwich thin toasted! So happy for real food!! Kimmie

I do yogurt or eggs a lot, but those don't have all the Protein you want. You could always eat the non traditional Breakfast foods like fish, chicken, etc Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello there, your post could have been mine. I am 2 months out and still have no fill, and I can eat almost any thing I want. I have golf balls occasionally, but I haven't had a PB and I haven't had trouble eating any thing, including McDonald's or donuts. I know that I need to get into healthier habits, but I'm not going to beat myself up to much and you shouldn't either, because these things take time. We didn't get fat overnight and we aren't going to lose it over night either. I am going to be proactive though and try to take control. I no longer have any junk food in my house, including sodas. I make my own tea using splenda. I try to keep healthier things on hand if I want a snack like yogurt or sf pudding, carrot sticks or natural popcorn. I am already scheduled to see my doctor so I am just counting the days!

I've had heartburn for the past month, on and off, but today it's particularly horrible. I'm going for a slight unfill tomorow. I took some Zantac but it isn't really working and I'm really hungry. Does anyone know of any foods that will give me a little relief? My dh suggested drinking milk or eating yogurt, but I really have no idea what might help (or at least not make it worse!). I remember when I was pregnant I had heartburn and I used to suck on orange pops and they helped. But I don't have any orange pops in the house and I'm looking for something with more protein.

Here is today's! Breakfast: 1 Protein shake, 1/4 cup eggbeaters. Lunch: 1/2 c. squash casserole made with lowfat ricotta, 1/4 cup applesauce, 1 c. skim milk Dinner: 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup beef noodle soup, 1/2 cup cooked carrots Snack: 1 lowfat yogurt It was a good day!

I appreciate everyones responses. To clarify things, i have gone to counseling, i have been to an eating disorder center, i have tried Atkins and many other diets. I know that it's not a lot of weight that i am talking about. However, someone mentioned about me being proactive about doing something about it ahead of time... and that is my point. I don't have a huge appetite, it's not the thought of food or looking at food and wanting it, it is my actual stomach feeling hungry and empty ALL THE TIME. Even after i eat a substantial amount of food, an hour later, my stomach is growling (not gurgling from digestion) but actually feels hungry again like i have an empty pit. Counseling doesn't fix this. And i CHOOSE to eat large amounts of vegetables so that i don't end up 300 pounds or more and risk other health concerns. Eventually this problem could lead to severe obesity, and that is what i am trying to avoid. I do not want a smaller stomach to down a 2000 calorie milkshake. I want to be able to consume a normal sized meal, and be done. Not feel as if i have eaten a grain of rice as others sit around me stuffed. Right now there is a physical problem- the stretched out stomach, and it hasn't shrunk on it's on through liquid diets or other methods. I see this as being the only option that could help me long term. I eat very healthfully and enjoy healthy food, it would just be a dream to be able to sit and have a yogurt and a sliced apple and it hold me over for a few hours as opposed to 6 yougurts and 5 apples and still that hunger nagging at me. Hopefully someone understands where i am coming from.

Surgrey was great it's almost 2 weeks and I feel great. I do notice there is a pain in my lower back Hoping it will go aWay. Best dishion ever. I notice I'm getting full and when I be I stop eating in the middle of the day. With everything with Protein drinks, pudding yogurts he gets to be a little too much for my stomach. I know that I lost 17 pounds so far. Sent from my SM-N910T using the BariatricPal App

My go to snack is greek yogurt. (think I have an addiction)

I really like Greek yogurt with Stevia and I buy frozen blueberries. I put them in the microwave for a few seconds and they get all juicy. Mix it all together and it's like a dessert for me. It's very yummy. some people put sf jelly in there too. There are a lot of things you can do to make Greek yogurt very good. And they do make already flavored ones, but they have more carbs. Tiffy is right though. the sf cheesecake pudding makes it taste very good! There is a good chance your tastes will change after surgery. Many people say things they never liked before, they really like now.

Welcome to LBT! I was banded on December 23rd too!! I'm still sore around the incisions but am doing well over-all. I'm SOO happy to be banded!! This is the best Christmas present EVER!! What type of liquids are you eating? I'm eating yogurt, fudgscicles, cream of wheat, and cream of chicken Soup at the moment. How are you feeling today? Please keep me updated! Merry Christmas!! Amy

Alexandra I've been following your posts and have a question. If I remember correctly, you had your surgery on 8/20. I'm right behind you - on 8/26. So, you're just 1 1/2 weeks post-op. Correct? And you're on mushy food already??? I'm amazed. I am just 4 days post-op and am on Clear liquids until next Tuesday, then I have a week of full liquids (Protein drinks and yogurt, etc.), before I am allowed to go to mushy foods in week three. I'm surprised that you are able to be on mushy (and soft?) already. Nice to hear though. What are the guidelines your doctor gives you? Your words of wisdom about protein are helpful. Actually, I'm pretty amazed I'm not starving right now. I've been having basically clear broth, Jello, fruit juice popsicles - AND a clear liquid Protein, which I think really helps. But I must say, I'm ready for the next phase. I'm sick of the clear liquids. Thanks for all your helpful posts. Mary

Almost 8 weeks out, down 26 pounds from 271 to 245 So I got my first fill last week, and I am REALLY tight. So much so that I've lost 5 pounds in 6 days! I am finding it extremely difficult to eat anything in the morning. I even feel stuck just trying to drink some water or juice in the morning; warm coffee seems to go down much more easily. I had a particularly bad day this last Saturday: so let me first say that of course I recognize that no one who is trying to lose weight has any business eating anything at McDonald's. However, every so often I allow myself to indulge, and Saturday morning was that occurrence. I was soooo excited about eating some of that sausage biscuit, let me tell you. I was going to be taking a quick road trip of about an hour on Saturday morning, and I figured with this great restriction it would practically take me an hour to eat about a quarter of that delicious biscuit. Well, I think I managed to eat a total of one normal sized bite, taken in teeny tiny little pieces which just REFUSED to go down. UGH! Never has a human being been so disappointed. I cursed the band, let me tell you! I wanted to eat that damn biscuit in the worst way! And, to showcase my food addiction even more - instead of throwing the blasted biscuit away when I reached my destination, like any sane person would.....I wrapped it up and saved it, thinking to myself, maybe I'll loosen up later today and I can still eat some of this later!! I tried, not once, but twice more throughout Saturday to eat some of that biscuit, and EVERY time I tried it was worse. Waaaahhhhhh!! I also had my first PB (productive burping) episode on Saturday. I now know that it was precipitated by the biscuit incident in the morning, but I wasn't smart enough to be worried about that when I sat down to lunch with my husband and some friends......I unrolled my chicken salad wrap and picked out a tiny forkful of tender shredded chicken. I chewed and chewed and chewed until it was liquid, and when I swallowed, at first I thought it was OK, but after a few seconds I got that awful pressure feeling in my chest. So I sat there and talked and waited for it to subside and eventually decided to take a bite of my fruit cup - one tiny cube of mushy peach, which I chewed up to nothing and then swallowed. I immediately got the stuck feeling, and my mouth started filling up with saliva. This has happened to me before many times, but somehow I realized, luckily, that this time was different. My husband's colleague was in the middle of asking me a question, and I literally jumped up from the table, completely cut him off mid-sentence, and was barely able to choke out 'please excuse me' before I was running to the ladies room. As soon as I got in there, up popped the peach, and lots and lots and lots of saliva. BLECH! I thought I would feel immediately better, but I didn't. I stayed in there a while trying to regain some composure. In previous episodes where I would get that stuck feeling, and would "slime" for a while, at a certain point I'd feel things settle down and go through, and I'd be fine and would actually want to resume eating. This time, however, there was no way I was going to try to eat anything else for a while. I had to be really careful even drinking water for the rest of the day. I finally had a very few morsels of dinner (a couple bites of mashed potatoes and a tiny piece of husband's soft and gooey chicken quesadilla) many hours later, around 8:30pm. They went down OK, but I was scared bc we were in public at a bar, and I did NOT want to have to race off to the bathroom again, so I didn't push it. Sunday morning there was very little change, I still felt extremely tight and had to be careful even swallowing my yogurt. But, by lunchtime I had loosened up and was able to eat half of a turkey sandwich with no problems. So, on Saturday I was feeling a little panicked, and thinking - maybe I'm too tight?? Maybe I should get a slight unfill? But, now, a couple of days later, I've realized that there's something to be said for being this tight - it absolutely forces me to take tiny bites, chew properly, not drink after eating......it basically forces me to be accountable at all times to the band. I think as long as I'm careful and don't PB all the time, maybe I'll just deal with it?? Because you know, of course I'm loving, loving, loving watching the scale drop each day! The only thing I'm worried about right now is how to explain my sudden bird-like portions to friends. This weekend when someone made a comment, I just said, "Oh, you know me! I'm just trying to lose some weight....AGAIN, ha ha ha..." I just wonder if someone is eventually going to catch on to my secret! I really, really, really hope not.

While you are waiting and hanging out here for support, you can initiate the following steps that most of our plans have us do for our pre-op preparations. Drink no calories. Drink Water until your eyeballs float - 64 - 80+ ounces per day. Don't eat anything made in a factory. You can do this by shopping the perimeter of the supermarket and avoid the aisle unless you need a spice or paper towels...that kind of stuff. Eat at least 60 ounces of Protein per day, and at any meal, eat your protein first - then veg - then fruit. Dessert should be something like an apple, not apple pie with two scoops of ice cream. Avoid sugar, grease, and salt as much as possible. Eating clean will help you discover the real taste of natural food. If it weren't for sugar, grease and salt, McDonald's would have no business. When I gave up candy bars and started eating dark chocolate, I realized that it wasn't the chocolate I missed - it was the sugar. Try to wean yourself off of soda and diet soda. Most bariatric plans discourage soda pop and anything with bubble post-op. Reduce starchy carbs like bread, flour, sugar, rice, noodle, biscuits, white potatoes, macaroni, spaghetti etc. So what is left to eat? meat, eggs, cheese, Beans, Peanut Butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, nuts, and fresh fruits and non-starchy veggies. You can adjust your current recipes to reduce carbs. The World According to Eggface is a good place to start. We have a forum here for recipes. Also, Sparkpeople.com and Myfitnesspal.com. Many of us use Myfitnesspal.com for logging our food every day. It is really an eye-opener if you are honest with yourself about what you eat. Weigh and measure your food to acurately acknowledge your actual portion size. There is a scientific principle that says, "You cannot control that which you do not measure." Exercise where you can. Move your body every day. Don't become part of the sofa. I have 35 exercise DVDs of all kinds and variety from bedfast exercises to chair exercises, to Zumba, Hip-Hop Abs, Pussycat Dolls, Bollywood, Salsa, Strength Training and Toning, etc..... and ridiculously enough, my favorite is still Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies. If you can't afford videos, crank up some loud music and dance like nobody is watching, or take wal There are also a TON of Youtube videos with exercises you can follow. Now is a good time to make regular visits to a physician so that your weight can be monitored. Many plans require several months of medical diet supervision as a pre-requisite for approval. My plan was two years. You may also have to provide a list of all the different diets that have failed you. I wish you best and hope that you can have your surgery with an uncomplicated recovery. Good luck, and visit us often. And just so you know, opinions and tact will vary here.

Yoplait makes Greek yogurt that is absolutely delicious. You can find it at most grocery stores. Thanks so much, Leigha. Seems like you and I have very similar diets. By chance, have you tried the Morningstar Farms products? Their chicken patties are my favorite. So delicious.

I love the Chobani greek yogurt! It is so Good! Sam's Club is the cheapest around so. Mn but you can also get it at Cub Foods and sometimes at WalMart.

I see a lot of questions about what people eat, so I thought I would post my usual menu selections. Breakfast is usually 1 of 3 things. 1) 1 egg and 1 piece of bacon 2) EAS low carb Protein Shake 3) Jachut's Green Smoothie (1 cup water, 1 cup fresh spinach, 1/2 banana, 1/2 apple, 1 scoop Unjury unflavored protein powder pureed in blender) Snack, If I am hungry I have either 1) 1 Cheese stick string cheese 2) Laughing cow light cheese wedge with 6 crackers 3) Greek yogurt 4) EAS shake Lunch 1) A piece of fish (4 Oz by weight) 2) Leftover meat from the night before, (2 Oz if beef) 3) If I am busy at work, Starkist Lunch to go or a can of sardines with 6 crackers. I add a veggie to one of the meats above either leftovers from the night before or canned that I can heat up easily at work. Afternoon Snack I choose 1 from the snack list above Dinner (usually cooked on the grill) 1) Beef 2 Oz 2) Chicken 4 Oz 3) Fish 4 Oz 4) Pork 2 Oz I measure my meat by weight and my veggies by measure cup. We cut up fresh veggies and put them on the grill too. I make sweet potato's in the microwave and eat 1/2 of it with butter. I usually have 1/2 cup veggies and 1/2 cup carb. I try and keep my breakfast, lunch and dinner at 250 calories and snacks under 150 each, this gives a grand total of 1050 per day max. Plus anytime I am trying to see if a snack is appropriate, I use the rule of thumb of 1g protein per 10 calories. I hope this helps someone, I will be happy to answer questions. :w00t:

Can anyone tell me what they are/were eating at this point in a full day? I am on Full liquids which includes the Clear Liquids plus I am allowed the whey Protein shakes, strained LF creamed Soups, thinned oatmeal or cream of wheat, SF or non fat greek yogurt, thinned ricotta cheese, diluted juices etc. In my notes and notebook I cannot find out how often I am supposed to eat or the quantities (other than stop when you feel full), just what I am allowed to have. I know about the Fluid requirement which is always the same...64 ounces. I can't say I am ever feeling hungry (other than a little head hunger) or full and even when I sip liquids I have a little bit of discomfort, not really pain just like an internal churning feeling...and my tummy growls a lot all of the time. So I don't even know what full feels like either...I am just eating a teaspoon or two and then stopping. Thanks as always for your help!

Probably a silly question: where do you find Greek yogurt? I looked at my local supermarket and didn't see it. Thanks in advance, Anne

No blame here, so take this as it is given. Most of us have had the same issues, it takes some learning about what works for you. 1. You might not be able to eat the things you have chosen. Some can't do chicken, or beef or something fried. 2. Slow down, also try eating alone. With a recent fill I have found that if I talk I will have a problem of some sort with the meal. It's been over a year but this started with the last fill. 3. If I drink and eat I am done for. I seem to take in to much air and create a bubble in my chest very, very painful. 4. Small bites well chewed. 5. Don't drink at least an hour before eating, might make it a little better. 6. I am tighter in the morings so I do a Protein drink. Since the fill I am also tighter after 6, so dinner has to be by 5 or I can't get more than 2 bites down. Now this is BIG, at 4 months how are you clothes fitting? I wasn't loosing on the scale but my clothes had gotten to big. Sometimes as the body adjusts to the change the weight might not come off, but relocates moving from the tummy, legs, face or the back. Giving the smaller size pants and a better overall appearance. You aren't doing it wrong, listen to your body. You don't want to be uncomfortable so stop at 2 bites, wait an hour and have a Protein Drink or some yogurt. You may have been given info from the dietian about Snacks or 5 or 6 really small meals until you stomach is done healing.

I have to know if we can have sf ice cream during the full liquid stage or if we can have sf frozen yogurt.....My throat is so raw from the intubation and cold things make it feel better. I know ice cream is not a good food choice but with me being limited to certain things for right now I do not see where it would hurt in a small amount and being sf....please do not respond to tell me that this is a bad food choice this is only something I am wanting to do for a few days to soothe my throat......Thank you

Post surgery: Chocolate Boost on the edge of being frozen was the only thing that I could tolerate. Now: Smoothie King's yogurt d-lite + extra whey protein (38 grams of protein, ~450 calories = total meal replacement)

I am like Oregan Daisy, the liquids werent a problem at all, my head told me I was hungry all the time. I was having doubts as to if the Dr did anything at all but as the liquids got thicker, like yogurt and pudding, it was definitely noticeable. Dont worry, its going to work for you. Welcome to the site, we love new sleeve sisters.