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I am also 5 days post op feeling alot better. Still sore but not alls much. I tried yogurt but but did sit well. But having 2 premier protein shakes, drinking water and poweraid, then have a bit of soup for lunch and dinner. Tried vitamins this morning and they made me sick so going to try different one tomorrow. Also went to a short outing to the store sitting and driving is a bit hard because is so sore in the incision. Good luck everyone and keep the great work. Any advice for vitamins, food choices etc. I'll take.it. Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

How long are you on liquids post op? I ate popscicles, yogurt mixed with soy milk, creamed soups mixed with extra soy milk and put through a blender, snowballs (chopped ice) with sugar free syrup,

Cat B... I feel sorry for you 😊 if I had to go 5 weeks total on liquids... I would be hangry... on post op day 2 I had yogurt since my stomach didn’t tolerate hot or cold fluids.. I’m 2 weeks post op tomorrow and have had yogurt and cottage cheese... which has been a god send... and I liquified instant tomatoes and spoon drank them.... best wishes to you!!!

Well I have never been so proud of myself for me eating 10 sugar free chocolate chips compared to 2 chocolate bars in one sitting. I have change my life upside down Over the years. And if I want 10 chocolate chips added to my shake or Greek yogurt every now and then I will. 9calories, .6gram fat & 1.3gram carbs per 10 chips I can do that. What did you use instead of broth? Any pain when you went home? I just picked up my meds ursodiol, Zantac, zofran & hycet any problems getting those down? Did you need to use any gas-x strips after?

Surgery is January 7th. So VERY close. Kind of nervous. And definitely HUNGRY. Have been on 10 day pre-op diet. First 7 days was yogurt, cottage cheese, protein shakes and clear fluids. Starting this morning the next 3 days are all just clear fluids. Who thought I could ever miss cottage cheese so much. Anyway, just wanted to say HI. Hope you all have a great experience this month. Take Care!

I'm in Sheffield. No shakes at all just 3 pints of milk, 2 low fat yogurts and 2 litres of water

My surgery is on the 28th (UK) I'm on 3 pints of milk and 2 yogurts only, I would give anything to have even just a teaspoon of cottage cheese! Lol

Same boat . Not getting enough protein or water. I lost 20 lbs sine 11/14. I know everyone is different, this is not what I expected. Some tell me I'm not eating enough. Not sure if I believe that. Not sure what the problem is. What do you eat!? I eat a big variety of foods. Not getting full often. I eat cottage cheese, yogurt, hummus, baby bell cheese, string cheese, chicken, eggs and fruit and vegetables. . Also try to get beans in. Have a few cravings that I'm trying to get over. Good luck to you too.

Hey Everyone: Sorry I've been out of commission. Had some surgical complications and in the hospital the past few days here in Columbus (wish so much I could have made them transfer me or something down to Dr. Sch). Things are better and I'm on the soft food phase. AnnieM and Nurse T: Thanks for the Protein drink suggestions. I'm now on eggs and yogurts so I should be able to avoid the supplements. I like the regular supplements (higher sugars) and my dietician said I can have them since I'm taking in such little nutrition right now. Barbara: So sorry about the heart fiasco. I'm so glad everything is okay. I would love to meet on Monday. How about 12:45p at a restaurant of your choosing near Dr. Sch's office? I have to leave Dayton no later than 2:45 for a 4p appt in Columbus. I'm really glad you chose to check things out with your heart. Email me: mindfulpea@yahoo.com Lisann: Glad you are getting back on track with the grazing. I'm still on such little intake that grazing is a good thing for me just to get some calories in. But, if you want to personally email me for accountability, please feel free (i.e. the number of times one day versus another) and I'll give you lots of encouragement (see above email). How did the tile job end? Impersons: I just want to keep encouraging you. Hey, look - the month is already half over! I'll be thinking of you as Feb arrives! DiscoDiva: Welcome to Ohio. I absolutely love Dr. S. He did steri-strips on me with internal (dissolve-type) sutures, not staples. For the band, I've not heard of anyone who uses staples because the incisions are so small. Oh Rain Tree - Where are you? We miss you! I'll probably be coming to the support group next month. I'm still trying to find one that is for band patients only. I'm a little frustrated that "we" get lumped into one group when the struggles and diets are radically different. I am just not sure I want to drive all the way to Dayton for a mixed group. There is a group here in Columbus that focuses on the emotions around eating that is free, sponsored thru the Center for Eating Disorders that I've been going to and I like it so far. Maybe as soon as my schedule settles, I'll start one for band only, one where you can come from any practice. Cincy Weight Loss has one but they won't allow people they didn't cut in - Okay, well talk later! Paige

I've been using milk, but I didn't read the directions...so tiny and hard to see (even with reading glasses). Are you supposed to use Water???? I'm just starting my 3rd week post banding and I am too tight to eat in the morning, so I'm doing the Isopure then. I know you have to do 4 scoops in a day to get the daily allowance of Protein, however, I haven't been super careful about that at this point. I planned to really track protein beginning this week. Tonight I had a cup of yogurt mixed with 1 scoop of Isopure. P.S. Wow...I just read the part of the label I could see and was surprised to see 2 scoops does equal 50g (100& of daily allowance). The other powder I bought only has 25g for 2 scoops. Great! So we can either chug it down all at once in a single drink or I think I will do 1 scoop in the morning and 1 in the evening when I start to feel extra hungry. Does it taste okay in water?? I just ordered some of the packets too....perfect for work.

Oh how sad for you realmccoy. I love food still. I have always loved healthy food. I just never knew when to stop eating. There are so many good healthy choices that you can make. Even as a dessert I can eat frozen yogurt. Its sugar free and 160 calories in a pretty big serving. Granted yogurt doesn't make you stay full for very long but i never seem to be unsatisfied. I don't obsess about food the way I used to. If I'm full, I don't eat. There used to be a time where I could have eaten and someone asked me if i wanted to go out to get something and i would. Uhh it grosses me out now thinking how I used to over indulge myself every single day. The lap band has saved my life.

NFaith. How much milk and water do you use?? And just a little container of yogurt? I think I'll try it. Thank you!!! Becky

Well, I am on soft foods now, but my typical day goes like this: Breakfast: about 1/2 to 3/4 cup malt o meal, or 2 scrambled eggs with salsa Lunch: soup or rolled up lunch meat and cheese, or a little bit of chicken salad with cottage cheese or egg salad. Dinner: about 4oz of fish or chicken, some cooked veges. I have had a couple of snacks in between because I am hypoglycemic and cant go more than about 3 hrs without eating *something* so I will usually have a string cheese, or cottage cheese, or this greek yogurt called Fage, it comes in little individual servings with a tiny side of fruit and it is soo good, and bonus, has 10 grams of protein!! I also have one 12 oz protein shake in the mornings, or else have one of those 42 gr protein bullets split up in two during the day ( I mix it in a little crystal lt to kill the taste) So, thats pretty much my day, I feel like I'm eating alot, but I'm not, and I do get full pretty fast. My first fill isnt until Oct 22, but my surgeon does them under fluoroscopy so he gets it pretty accurate, so he says. And I've lost nearly 14 lbs so far, so Yay for us!!

At the Toronto Centre, many of us have to do 14 days of nothing but nonfat yogurt, cottage cheese, and low glycemic veggies. No fat, no carbs and absolutely no sugar. I am on day 2. It's dreadful, but I am thankful that I had about a week of 'last meals' followed by 'last snacks' and topped off by 'last treats'. I literally stuffed myself with garbage to the point that yogurt and veggies are actually a welcomed change. I feel more energy and less bloated after only 2 days. I don't know about weight, but it has to be effective if it shrinks our livers! Good luck!

That's the stuff you have to buy online right? Can you give me the link again. I do drink at least 64 oz of water per day. Most days more. I just put some fiber one in my yogurt. I read somewhere to put it in a coffee grinder and mix it in foods. That benefiber doesn't help me either.

For me, the fifth week after surgery was when I noticed my old habits whispering in my ear. I had physically recovered completely, I was hungry again, and I could eat a lot more than 1/2 cup of food and still not feel satisfied. It terrified me. I felt like I was going back down that familiar slippery slope. Today, at six weeks, I had my first fill (4cc in a 10cc band). I just ate lunch of 1/2 cup of tomato Soup and about 4 spoonfuls of sugar-free yogurt and I'm definitely full. (That would not have been the case yesterday!) I am so happy that my tummy feels satisfied again with a small amount of food. It reassures me that this band will work! If you haven't had a fill yet, just be patient with yourself. Try not to overdo it, but know that you're eating more because your stomach is telling you you're hungry. When you get some restriction, it will be much easier to eat less again. Hang in there!

I had my surgery 7/1 and came home feeling great....then I hit week 3 I was throwing up all the time. It was horrible!! I was scared to eat anything...I have been living on applesauce and Greek yogurt. Starting to come around now!! Thank goodness

I add it to my chocolate protein shake. I've mixed it with water to make into a peanut butter consistently-- it's good, but doesn't keep well. I couldn't be bothered whipping up a little each time I got a craving for Peanut butter. So I mainly use it as an add in to stuff now. I've tried it in yogurt, and oatmeal-- I don't love it or hate it that way.

It's so interesting to see what each doctor says. Like pre ops. I had liquids the day before with mag sulfate that night to "clean me out". I would love some yogurt. But i didn't see that on my list, darn.Lucky you get to go to mushies already tomorrow? I still have to go this route a few more days, some cream of wheat would be nice LOL

My NUT also recommended Siggi Yogurt but I didn't love it. I may give it another try just to be sure. But it's a nice change of pace anyway. I found it at Target.

After you have your surgery you will have a lot of gas pain the gas x strips will help a lot with that. Mira lax is going to be your friend that is going to get things moving once you are able to start eating food it is a horrible feeling to be constipated after surgery. Bottled water and flavor packets to put in them if you don't like plain water, sugar free pudding cups, SF popsicles, cream soups, yogurt, protein shakes ( i like premier ), any medicines you need filled get them filled ahead of time so you won't have to stand in line or wait on them after surgery, vitamins, i got sugar free hard candy to suck on after surgery because my mouth stayed dry Sent from my VS986 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi all, here is my Journey so far. I was one of the lucky ones (NOT) who had a JP Drain. I hope my story helps others. So far, so good - no regrets at all!! June 2017: My ins just dropped the numerous lengthy requirements and is allowing sleeves. I jumped on it, and was able to navigate thru the list quickly. Start to finish took me about 2 months. Do Ins companies really think we haven't tried every program out there prior to considering major surgery??? Stupid! They no longer require 6 months of Dr administered weight loss program, but my Dr watched me for a few months, and submitted it just to make sure I would not run into any problems. I was approved 10 days after submission. I hate having to jump thru hoops, but the savings was worth it. Altho, I would have paid out of pocket if denied. Check off the requirements, and you should be fine. Most Drs have a good relationship with the ins claim reps. My daily (boring but working) pre op intake is: coffee with a splash of Premier Protein banana or caramel , then the rest of the Premier Protein Shake for Breakfast, at 10am I have 2 C of chicken broth, at Noon I have 2 C chicken broth + another Premier Protein shake, at 2pm I have 1 sf Jello cup, at 6ish I have 2 C chicken broth (appetizer ) and another Carmel Premier Protein shake, 8pm snack another sf jello cup. I don't really like any other flavors of broth or I would have those. My shakes have to be under 200 calories, high protein (these are 30g) and as low sugar as you can find (1g). Premier is handy, pre made, and I like the flavors (Caramel, Banana, and strawberry Cream are my favorites). I SWEAR I have not had any headaches, and my energy level is really good (just fall asleep earlier which helps me not dwell on food). Aug 25/2017: Surgery day and I couldn't be more excited!! My surgery went well except that I needed a JP drain that will remain in for about a week. I was up walking 2 laps of my floor that night. The nurse said she had never seen anyone do as well as me. She said my positive and excited attitude surely helped! My pain never got above 2 or 3 and I needed very little pain meds. 3 ice chips made me nauseous, so I did not eat or drink anything the first night. I do have to give myself shots in the stomach of Lovenox (blood thinner) to prevent blood clots for 2 weeks. Aug 26: Got discharged this afternoon after my upper GI and chest xray came back ok. Was able to keep down 4oz of liquid before I left the hospital. I'm off the pain meds now, and don't even feel the need for Tylenol. The Lovenox shots are not as scary as I thought they would be. The trick is to freeze the area for 10 minutes before you give yourself the shot, and put the ice back on right after you are done (the after affect feels like a wasp sting). Now I just need the gas to pass (pun intended). All said and done, I feel great for what I've been through, and lost 12 pounds pre op. I will keep up with updates. Thank you for all the support and info. This Forum is great, and I hope to pay it forward. Aug 28: Ok, so to continue my journey, I am 4 days post op and my drain is still working over time Im not concerned, but can't go back to work until its removed. After having little to no pain, this morning I noticed pain on my right side - like a stabbing pain. I have to hold my stomach when I walk for any relief. Seeing as most of my stomach was sliced off, I am assuming that now that the swelling is going down, some of this is "normal". Its definitely NOT gas pains. I don't like taking the liquid pain meds so am taking tylenol only. liquids are going down no problem. Energy level is up, and I'm looking forward to Protein Shakes on Friday. Update: Dr said my drain most likely moved which is causing the pain. Its pretty intense. Good thing is they will be removing it on Thursday. Bad thing is I will be living with the pain and have to take the liquid pain meds until then...a small price to pay I've discovered a love for tropical flavored sugar free popsicles !!! Aug 29: Having a good night and a great hair day so I'm psyched! Lol. My incisions are dissolvable stitches with a rubber cement waterproof type paint over them. The stuff just flakes off when healed. Easy peasy. I SERIOUSLY think I could have returned to work tomorrow if not for the JP drain. All bodily functions working perfectly, and no hunger pains. BUT I know that even tho I feel good, my body is still recovering from major surgery, so I am working from home Thurs and Fri and returning full time the day after Labor Day = 10 days post op. Knowing that there is still swelling and fluid retention from my hospital stay, Im staying off the scale until my post op appointment. I have ankles again!! August 31: Got my JP drain out today (yes, it hurt), but as soon as it was removed, the pain went away!! I feel like a million bucks Sept 1: Diet additions today!! I get to have protein shakes again, yogurt, milk, and cream soups. Still not feeling hungry and am down 18lbs. Had half a protein shake for breakfast, yogurt with sugar free cheesecake pudding mix stirred in for lunch, broth and a half glass of milk for dinner and sugar free jello with sugar free whipped topping for dessert. I heard that some are lactose intolerant after surgery, but I had no issues with anything I ate. I'm paranoid of gaining anything back, so am kind of afraid to eat. I will have to watch that. Having cabin fever so decided to venture out for the first time since surgery. I have a tendency to feel good and over do it, so wanted to be careful. Took a quick trip to the store, and then for a well deserved pedicure. Heaven. Energy level is still up. Since my boyfriend took good care of me, I decided a date night was in order and we went out. Challenging to say the least. How do you go into a bar without ordering a drink?? Pre planning helps. THIS IS A NO JUDGEMENT ZONE!!! I ordered a tall glass of water with lots of e and 1 small shot of vodka. Then I added Crystal Light cranberry to it that I brought along. Nursed it for 2 hours and did not even finish it. I have read others say alcohol hit them quicker after surgery (no noticeable change for me) and I KNOW that its not allowed (this soon or in some minds at all), but I am human. I gave up diet coke for Gods sake Next challenge coming up = lunch with friends in the liquid stage. I am mentally preparing already. Eat before, and take my Crystal Light. Since I am keeping my surgery secret, the only viable option is to say Im having a little tummy issue. Stay tuned. Sept 2: More milestones accomplished today! Ride my motorcycle - check, go boating - check Sept 3: Lunch with my man and his mom.....First I had to reassure my fiance that he could eat in front of me, and I would be ok. He was considerate enough to make sure that it was ok to plan lunch with his mom. Sweet man. I had a protein shake for breakfast and some vitamin water. We chose a restaurant where I knew they had soup on the menu. I told my future mother in law that I had been having stomach issues, and was changing my eating habits. I am not telling people I'm on a diet, or that I had surgery because history has shown that when you do say these things, people watch what you eat, or fill your ears with "helpful" tips etc. I'm not having it. So I ordered water and a cup of soup. Ate the broth and inconspicuously covered my cup with my napkin and handed it to the server first chance I could. Mission accomplished! You can go out to eat when in the liquid stage. Sept 4: Family bbq planned today.......Again, I will eat before we go. My fiance and I came up with a plan. We will both take plates and put food on them, he will then eat his plate of food, and then mine. Oh the games we play....Again, sweet man! I really don't care what anyone thinks, or surmises, this is my Journey and I will do it my way. 2 more weeks til I can eat real food The bbq was great. Truly a testament to the fact that it isn't the food, it's the company. I drank a shake for breakfast and then had some Greek yogurt before we left. Packed some So Be Life Water (my new staple). My brother in law tried to tempt me with Sangaria and grilled pineapple and I simply told him that I was trying very hard to eliminate sugar from my life plan and I was feeling GREAT so I must be doing something right. My fiance and I carried thru with our plan, and as we went thru the food line, he put on my plate half of what he wanted and then ate everything on both plates. Nobody said a word!! Not even my brother in law who notices, and comments on everything. That night we hit one of the last post op milestones Sex 10 days post op is just as fantastic as pre op. Yay! Sorry for the TMI, but this is a question that others are wondering about. Sept 6: Planning our road trip evac for hurricane Irma. I am packing protein shakes, cream soup packets, SoBe Water, crystal light packets, cottage cheese, yogurt and sugar free pudding mix for my yogurt. Wish us luck! Sept 12: The past week has been hell thanks to Hurricane Irma. Prepping 2 houses and 4 days of travel thru 3 states.....Boy, if I ever needed comfort food, or wanted to garbage up, it was now. But I stayed true to my plan by packing a cooler, and was never hungry! Sept 14: I am now in the puree stage and happy to be "chewing" kind of. I still love my sugar free popsicles. I have been switching it up with egg salad, tuna salad and lots of soups. I am surprised that I do not have any hunger pangs. So far I have not had any issues keeping food down. Watching my fiance eat the foods I used to eat does not bother me because I am so looking forward being thinner and healthier. So far I am down 24 pounds in 1 month (that includes my pre op diet week). Yay!

I am really looking forward to being filled on Mar 2nd. I am getting no restriction and it is scary. I know everyone says that eating until you are not hungry anymore is part of it, but if I was able to do that, I wouldn't have needed the band in the first place. I'm managing though. So far, so good. I wasn't that hungry this morning, so I'm just drinking a yogurt. I still am not ready to go out with friends. I don't trust myself.

Hello Everyone, GREAT Thread! I was banded May 21,09. I had my first fill today not much pain at all. My Dr. asked that I lie on my back and left both legs a bit as if I was doing crunches for my lower body, I did and she felt with her hands for the pot. She swabbed me with alcohol to clean the area. I closed my eyes because I am very afraid of needles. Small prick. Dr. says she put 5cc in I had my eyes shut the whole time. Not much restriction at first. My stomach growls a bit. I had Water and a yogurt, some Peanut Butter, I was hungry.

I love love love pureed cauliflower, with plain greek yogurt mixed in and shredded cheese (& garlic and chopped onion and crumbled bacon) I made the best loaded baked cauliflower ever, and it saved me during those days. Tastes just like loaded baked potato!! If you can't have the bacon, just pick it out. But it flavors the cauliflower very well!! You can google the recipe, it's a pretty popular recipe.