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I haven't had the surgery yet, (scheduled for next week, 4/19!:clap2: ) but noticed that a lot of responses list protien shakes as a meal replacement. What are some of the best shakes and where do you get them???? Also, it is good to see that a lot of you eat really normal foods, just not a lot!! Thanks, Jen V.

I am only in week two, but I started drinking Carnation Instant Breakfasts adn they are great. They do have a low cal/carb one, but when I have tried the low cal/carb stuff before it really sucks, so I think I will stick with the CIB regular. It is definately workable into a 800 calorie diet! I look forward to eating salads for lunch and chicken for dinner.

Well, Fall is in the air and it is turning a bit cooler here in North Florida - today it will only be 90 rather than 95..woo hoo. I am still struggling with my concussion and my neck injury. I began PT yesterday and hopefully I will be able to returning to my regular exercise schedule soon. I see the bariatric surgeon on Friday and I hope to get my fill back. He had to remove most of it when I got my concussion (too much throwing up and it closed off my opening). Well, I found about 3-5 pounds (won't weigh myself - afraid too) and I certainly know why - absolutely NO RESTRICTION and like most of us..no restriction means open season on foods that I have not been able to eat for over a year. I know - SHAME ON ME - BAD GIRL...QUIT IT,,,I have told myself all those things but, I did not listen. Hopefully on Friday the doc will filler-up and then I will have no choice but to quit. Shoot, I can even drink while eating - crazy - that's not even important to me, but I am doing it !!!!! Now, the Neurologist has me on some medicine (for headaches and mild seizures caused by my fall) that is supposed to make me hate food and carbonated drinks (as a side effect) - ha ! that should be a good one. I am waiting for that to start kicking in. Maybe that will actually be a good thing out of this whole mess. We will see. All kidding aside. I have really had a rough 60 days. Head/back/neck injury - no exercise - no fluid in my band - down in the dumps - constant pain ! Well, I am tired of being a victim. I am going to take this bull by the butt and take control once again. I don't care if my head hurts - I'm going to start walking my miles again and I don't care if I have no fluid in my band I will force myself to pass on those yummy things like cookies and pizza. I have come too far to let a bump on the head cancel all this out. It is just not worth it. Shoot, I have even avoided coming to this website (like you guys would know I was being bad) just to avoid being accountable. That is just plain NUTS. So folks, the Pittyparty is over..It may take months for me to completely recover but I don't have months to waste (not at 61 years old - are you kidding me ?) so I am headed out for a walk. Take care my friends and have a great week. Please know that when things get rough for you, they are rough for all of us. We all have our "times" when things go south and we have each other to pull us back to reality. Have a great week everyone and do your best - that is all anyone can ask of you (including yourself). Melinda in Florida

I started when I was cleared for all foods, week 5 for me.

I had a single glass of wine ???? at 4 weeks while on a date night with my husband. I sipped on it for an hour and enjoyed it immensely. I have no intention of giving up alcohol completely, but I have greatly reduced my intake. No more drinking during the week or even every weekend. In social situations only, which isn't that often.

Well, I jumped in the car and drove a thousand hours to see my new 2 week old nephew... We just decided to do it spontaneously. I feel great these days and am able to do alot more. I was supposed to have my monthly visit to my surgeon yesterday but had to cancel when we decided to come back home for a visit. I am from Philadelphia and the Flyers are playing in the Stanley Cup this week so lots of family get togethers and BBQ/pool parties to pass the time. I used one of those scales that they have where you give it a quarter and they give you the "bad news"... well, in my case it was good news... this last month I lost another 16 pounds... :smile2: So 60 pounds total, a long way to go to goal but I'm on my way. I don't know how accurate those scales are but since I'm not going to the doctor again until July1st.. I'll take what I can get. Please follow my other more detailed blog at mybigfatbandgeeklife.blogspot.com *Maria*

when we go out for dinner I drink a glass of wine, about twice a week.

wow that was a big help....does the flaxseed oil really taste good? I guess if an 8 year old would take it, i could. Cuz I spent a lot of time looking around at Omega 3 gummies/softchews, and they all just sounded gross and even if I found one I liked I would probably end up trying A LOT before finding one that was tolerable and that is a lot of wasted $ I don't have lol. I ended up buying this stuff called coromega-its like a little ketchup packet that is citrus flavored, the guy an viatmin shoppe said all his customers like it and it does have a tart citrus taste but no fish taste, you can suck it out plain or add it to a smoothie etc. its has 350 of epa and 250 of dha. Although I could not try it cuz my surgery is monday and no-omega 3's allowed pre-op I had my bro and his GF try it and they didnt find it very good, but they can be overdramatic sometimes . If that doesn't work. I'm going to ask my nutritionist if omega 3 "mini" gels are ok. I don't know if you've heard of them but as far as I know 3 companies make them, one is made by a company called prothera, one is made by is NOW foods, and the other is made by puritans pride, (all easily located with a google search) and they all claim to be less than 1/2 the size of the regular fish pills, and prothera's site was the only one with a picture of the pill and not just the bottle, but I can't really tell from the pic the exact size, nor do I know which one is "actually" the smallest of the 3. Being an herbalist, have you seen any of the mini softgels? are they "mini" enough for us LB patients? Also some people on this board say they were told not to take anything bigger than a tic tac, and other posts I have read said they were told they could take standard sized capsules, so I'm a bit confused about that. I am confused as to the message are they saying "take them if you can tolerate them without gagging/throwing", or "even if you can tolerate them they are still not good for your band"? I think the other stuff wont be too too hard to find, its just I am really sensitive to gross tasting stuff and that is the last thing I was after LB surgery lol. So if the coromega and the mini softgels both don't work out, nice to know I have the flaxseed oil idea. One other question though. I have been reading up on omega 3's and found this article blip while researching Not all omega-3s are the same. The three main forms are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). EPA and DHA are considered long-chain forms of omega-3 and are found in fish, fish oil supplements, and algae extract. ALA, the short-chain form, is found in plant sources like walnuts, flax seed, canola and soybean oil, and, to a lesser degree, green leafy vegetables. The body needs to convert the short-chain version to a long-chain version in order to make use of it—but this conversion doesn't happen very rapidly, says Willett. So knowing this, are there any forms of flaxssed oil that provide EPA and DHA instead of just ALA? I've never delved into the flaxssed linseed oil business b/c I am not vegetarian, so that is new for me. thanks for the help!

Are you eating stuff high in sodium? Could it be fluid? I'm a bit over a week out. I haven't lost the past two days. A little concerned. Be sure you aren't drinking your calories. Easy to do with high fat cream based soups.

It depends on your dr. some dr's follow the manufacturers guidelines for the fills- mine does not-he goes off of what the patients tell him- i am sure he looks at the weight loss also- average is to lose 1-2lbs a week-so if you are steady and do not feel restricted I think you should be able to get a fill-but again your doc makes that decision.

I am losing because I am 'dieting' on the band to remain successful. That and I finished up my period right after my first fill, causing me to lose some of the weight I generally do lose after menstruation. I barely feel any restriction and I scheduled my second fill two weeks after my first. I was told to come in again in 2-4 weeks - when I started feeling hungry or if i started gaining. Well, I am very hungry but very much limiting my diet. I am worried they wont believe me. I suppose I could print out a sample of a daily diet and workout from my logs. I have lost 5 pounds. Any advice?

Gingerbug - I had my first and only fill on 11/29. The clinic where I get my fills will not fill if you continue to loose on an average 2 pounds or more per week. I was scheduled for next week, but after speaking with them on the phone and giving them my current weight they said maybe next month. I have had to canceled 3 appointments so far. I too have very little restriction and am loosing with the aid of dieting and will power along with the band. At times I am very frustrated about not having fills, but I'm also very pleased that I'm controlling it so far. I keep telling myself to be patient. I also tell myself to save the fills for when I really need them. Keep up the good work. Remember some people never have a fill. The band itself is enough.

Thank you for the encouraging words. It's a relief to know that I'm not the only one to experience this. How did 12 lbs come off in one week????? That's amazing!

I have been in a 26 day stall and my weight was driving me CRAZY as I was convinced I'd hit maintenance, but I felt slightly better after talking to my doctor on Wednesday when she told me my physical therapy was likely part of the reason my weight was fluctuating and not going under 201 but instead bouncing around from 201-204. I was incredibly frustrated and it just seemed like I'd never see under 200 pounds... BUT, this morning I weighed myself and saw 199.6 on my scale and... I cried! I'm so happy! It's super early here, not even 5am yet, so I'm trying to stop myself from waking everyone up to share my good news lol. Took me almost 13 months to get here, but I got here!

Hello I am almost 6weeks post op and am on soft foods which I started last week , up till this week I was find when I eat I could feel my restriction , but this week I am finding I can eat a little more and not feeling that restriction as much is this normal , as anyone else had this problem I am eating cottage pie Fish eggs Cottage chesse fat free for example

oops! I meant soon to be 15 Weeks post op Sweet

I'm taking it, have for years and I'm losing as fast as everyone else really. Five weeks post op and down 37 pounds....

Firstly I'd like to say a huge thank you to all who have helped completing our survey! We are nearing the end of data collection now and only have a few days left - so if you haven't already completed it please do!! I am a fourth year Psychology Student doing my thesis on Successful outcomes for Obesity in particular looking at psychological support after surgery and we need another 200 participants for our research!! We have created a survey, and although it is a bit long - it will contribute to better health outcomes for the future and you will learn about yourself! Please click on the link to do the questionnaire (please note the wording of the answer choices is not our choice!) Thank you! this is the last week it will be available so please help if you can! I will post results here, it is absolutely anonymous! Ashley, James Cook University Cairns, Australia. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FHSTJ6D

sliming happens to me all the time... i guess i'm too dense to learn I'm 5 weeks post op... got my first fill this week. Fortunately I've been eating slowly so haven't had any issues... Sliming isn't fun.. but it's another method the band uses to teach us to eat better. Best of luck to yoU!!!

Hello Swimmer! I believe we are surgi-sistas! I am also 7 weeks post-op - and wondering the same thing! I'm craving a bunch of raw veggies and a lettuce salad. I have just in the past two days noticed I can actually eat some solid food (with a lot of chewing) and not feel heartburn or have to throw-up (which has been the case over week 6 post-op). Thanks for prompting this question.

I'm 8 weeks out and I've had a little bit of lettuce and had a few bites of baby spinach yesterday and did fine. I haven't tried to eat a regular salad though. My surgeon doesn't recommend iceberg lettuce because he says it has almost no nutritional value.

my hubby says the same thing, that i am obsessed with the VSG board two days a week my DH telecommutes from home. We're in the den together - he works on his computer and i am on my computer with all you fun loving people he sees how much i really am obsessed with this board brownlady30 - i also refer to this board alot when talking w/my family. they are now used to hearing all about the board hubby puts up with me and the situation , just as has these past 20 years all of you above ladies,are newbies - you will learn alot here, but remember, there will be a test good luck

wow u people are so encouraging. i am three weeks post op barely lost 16 lbs and no one can hardly tell its ok your not alone. we are gonna be skinny soon

I am surprised how stress can throw me out of whack, my body revvs up, and I have to totally force it to slow down. I've been much tighter for longer in the day when I am under a lot of stress, and try relaxation techniques, but they don't always help. I've just kept more protein shakes on hand...but wondered if everyone has this? (I had to fly to FL to be with my dad, who was in ICU for more than a week, then flying back my big program deadline is hitting today...so it's hard to take care of onesself even with swimming and exercising.) I am just trying to breathe, in...out...in...

Absolutely, it is ok. I didi the Gerber Organic Stage 2 foods. I am almost 7 weeks post op and every once in a while, I still have one. They are definitely nutritious, and especially if you are going somewhere and don't want to lug containers around, this just fits in your purse.