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Plain Greek yogurt protein infused is good. Dannon Oikos......but water and shake still more difficult

I will be doing a variation of keto in that I have no intention of eating any fruit since I don't care for most of it and I don't want to trigger any sugar cravings. I also have gluten sensitivity and don't eat any gluten containing products (wheat/barley/rye) or the gluten free crap they sell at the store. I do make my own almond bread which I do not plan to have until much later. I love almost all vegetables and I am the queen of cauliflower. I absolutely adore chicken or shrimp fried "rice" with cauliflower as well as other recipes. I plan for this to be my ongoing weight loss diet. I do not purchase any fat free stuff and use small amounts of regular unsalted butter and/or EVOO. I did get some plain, reduced fat FAGE greek yogurt for my current postop period but not eating much of it (2-3 ounces per day) Protein sources of chicken breast, salmon, shrimp, fish, black or red beans. Not a big red meat fan. Love all types of cheese but will have very little, more like a garnish. I dislike sodas and juices so no worries there. My downfall are the candy type protein bars (atkins and others) and sugar free chocolate stuff that taste so good that it is hard to eat a reasonable portion so those are out. Swearing off all alcohol until football season at the very earliest. Hopefully by then I will not want it.

I would have fainted on clear liquids for a week with my normal pre op stomach ... My surgeon only required 1 day liquids pre op (still tough) then 7 days clear postop --- eventually became super weak on day 6 and started full liquids which helped a bit I've been blending my RTD protein drinks (GNC lean vanilla bean) with baby food like banana or mango or pear - dash with powdered nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla extract Deeeeeeelish!! Will try adding Dannon light and fit Greek yogurt soon with or without the baby food

Ugh, so I have to do a 2 week liquid preop afterall! BLah My "liquids" inlcude: 8 oz Gatorade 6 oz light yogurt SF applesauce fruit chillers SF pudding cups 8 oz Protein drink with milk twice a day. I'm supposed to "eat" every 2 hours something from that list! "Free beverages" that I can have unlimited throughout the day Water Crystal light Wyler's Light Diet Snapple SF Jell-O broth coffee and Tea (sugar substitute) and any calorie free beverage. They were trying to tell me I had to drive up there (an hour each way) to buy the Bariatric Advantage from them for $70. I emailed the NUT and said Premier Protein was equal in nutritional values, cheaper and 1 mile away. She said that was fine but if I did Premier Protein, to have 3 a day OR I could use the Body Fortress Super Advanced whey Protein from WalMart and only 2 a day. Fun, fun!!

Armygirl, are u on total liquids? Im allowed yogurt, cottage cheese and veggies and soups. All fat free. If u want sum ideas to mix it up lmk. I also do the three protein shakes a day

Imagine, how are u doing with liquids? My doc said i can have veggies fruit and yogurt

Hi everyone! Welcome Alicia! Too bad you can't come to the support group meetings, maybe when we get together you can come and meet us. Paige: Yep, the track starts behind Delaware Technology Center. It runs 1.76 miles which is 3.52 if we go all the way down. It has .1 mile markers on it, so you can walk as much or as little as you want. I'd love to set a date. I thought about walking this weekend, only the threat of rain stopped me from suggestion tomorrow. We can try it if you want. FYI, the Protein powder at Walmart is called Body Fortress. It comes in chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and fruit punch. It has 26 grams of protein per scoop. I did the life classes for both St. Francis and Christiana. (long story!) Christiana gave us some recipes for Protein Powder and the ones I will put on here are all OK during the liquid stage. Here they are: Skinny Monkey (my personal favorite) 8 oz skim milk 1 scoop chocolate protein powder 1/2 frozen banana (or 1 packet Healthwise banana shake mix - you will need to add an additional cup of milk if you use the shake mix) 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter (I use low fat) 1 package of Splenda (stevia or whatever you like - it also tastes ok without this if you don't like real sweet stuff) put everything in the blender and let it go. (it has 38 grams of protein with the body fortress chocolate) Peppermint Patty 8 oz skim milk 1 scoop chocolate protein powder 2 drops of peppermint extract ice cubes put in blender until smooth Citrus Shake 8 oz light lemon or orange yogurt 1 package healthwise grapefruit drink 8 oz Water 1 scoop vanilla protein powder blend until smooth these are concoctions I came up with: Cream of potato Soup made with can of skim milk (10 oz) 1/2 scoop chicken flavored unjury blend until smooth cook in microwave until warm. (You can do it without the unjury and put the unjury in after you cook it to avoid it clumping up) It makes 2 servings cream of chicken soup made with skim milk put in blender until smooth warm it up put a little soy sauce or worchester sauce on top this also makes 2 servings 1 can of cream of broccoli made with milk put 1/2 can of cheddar cheese soup put in blend until smooth this makes 3 servings (feel free to add unflavored unjury or chicken unjury) blend 1 can cream of potato soup with skim milk in a separate container put 1/2 can of cheddar soup. Warm both of them up. Pour 1/2 of the potato soup in bowl, put 1/2 of the cheddar soup on top. Sort of like a baked potato with cheese 1 package of cream of wheat (make it with skim milk or water - whichever you use) sprinkly 1 tbsp of sugar free syrup on top Ok, this is all that I have for the moment.....lol

EEK! I'm glad you are getting the sore throat thing taken care off! Don't wanna be sick on surgery day! I'll bet those boys keep you hopping! Its great that your parents can help you out with them and they get to spend quality time with them to boot! The pre-surgery diet is Glucerna (diabetic weight loss shakes), sugar free jello, sugar/fat free pudding and yogurt and broths.. I bought several flavors of the Isopure Zero Carb drinks for after surgery. Haven't tasted them yet, have you? I also ordered some of the Unjury Protein online. I tasted the chocolate.. its pretty good...

Hi All! Glad to report that I'm doing fine after yesterday's fill. The surgery center told me they gave me a 1.1cc fill. This morning I ate one scrambled egg. It was fine, but I felt pretty full and satisfied until lunch. (other than sipping coffee at my desk) For lunch, I had about 1/2-2/3 c. tuna salad. Did fine. Happy til supper. For supper, had a "lean gourmet" cheese lasagna. Did fine. Still happy now at 8:30 pm. Maybe I WAS just full from my 3pm yogurt. I seem to stay satisfied for about 4 hours! YEAHHHHHHHH!!! I have eaten cauliflower before, but my RNY-friend said maybe it was the "richness" of the cheese I put on it, not the cauliflower itself. I'll just have to see which foods work and don't...trial and error, I suppose. I don't understand the "spasms" either. No, I couldn't feel them, per se, but you could DEFINITELY see them on the fluoroscope! When I swallowed, the top of my stomach just pulsed. Noone said anything else, so I guess it doesn't matter, but I thought it odd that it has been "mentioned" each and every time I've had a fluoroscope. (including my pre-op upper GI!!) I'm still a little nervous about eating solids, but I'm going to start trying a few bites of something new at each meal so I can test stuff out. I'm excited that they suggested BEEF and CHICKEN and SALAD (which I thought would be no-no's forever!!) Oh, and I got my CAPSULE changed to a pill, so I can break it into pieces and NO BITTERNESS!!! Yeah! So far, all I can say has decreased in size is my wrist...my watch "hangs" on me now and it used to be skin tight! (I don't think that's a NSV though!) Several people have said my face is looking thinner, but I think it's my new (darker) hair color and/or the fact that I'm letting my hair grow out--but, I'll take what I can get!!!:biggrin1: :biggrin1: :biggrin1: I asked hubby last night (I actually kinda "set him up" I guess!) if he would love me more when I get skinny. He immediately said "no". (5 points for him!!) Then, he said, well if I love you the same and you're thinner, then I guess PER POUND I'll be loving you more! He's got a "unique" style, but I took it as a compliment. So, I'm ready to get MORE LOVE PER POUND!!! *grin* It's almost Friday, so everyone hang in there. Later, Nanster

Nanster.....I was told I could go see Dr. Spivak at 30 days post-op if I felt like I needed a fill, if not I could wait longer....it was up to me. Right now I feel restriction, but I am not even two weeks out yet...so I am just gonna wait and see how I feel. To get my protein in I usually have a shake in the morning, sometimes followed by one scrambled egg. I also have bought those potted meat spreads..and eat half a can for lunch with something else like yogurt or applesauce. My doctor included fish on my mushies diet, so I have also had some tuna and halibut. I always make sure I eat my protein first before anything else. I am also allowed cooked veggies, so I have included creamed spinach and green bean casserole in my diet. I don't feel like my mushie stage is bland at all. I just make sure everything is very soft and well chewed before going down. I also have been drinking 16 oz of water before every meal, and have had no problems getting in at least 64 oz a day. I am just so thrilled to finally be feeling like being active again. Now I just need to get back to the gym. Yuck....I hate excercising...but always feel good once I go.

Good morning all! Well, my scale FINALLY moved...only 1.2 pounds, but at least it was in the downward direction! I've been getting frustrated and wondering if I needed another fill..that's the first loss in almost a month!! For me, a Wendy's side ceasar salad is a full lunch. (minus their dressing...use my own) Sometimes I add some boiled shrimp on top...YUMMY! I actually think the boost of protein may be what moved the scale. (We just got 50# of shrimp so I've had some every day.) Ms Vicki: How do you like Dr. Spivak and his staff? I have been less than impressed in all honesty. I haven't seen Dr. Spivak since surgery and only for a moment on that day. I've called his office on three occassions and none of the three did they return my call. When I had my first fill, noone even identified themself as the Nurse, PA or whatever, so I don't even know who it was that did my fill, although it was totally easy. They gave me the "fill criteria" as 1) wanting to eat everything in sight, 2) loss of less than 5# in a month. Otherwise, said they never need to see me again. (that's real friendly, huh?) skbishop: third time's a charm, huh??? I have only had one- hope I don't have two to go. With what I'm eating right now (and how the chest feels when I eat) I'd be a little nervous about getting another fill right now, even though I'm not losing hardly any. SIGH...guess I'll hang in another couple of weeks before deciding. Julie: I'm a coca-cola junkie too. My RNY friend says "yeah, I'm not supposed to, but I drink at meals and I drink diet coke all day long" but I've decided that I'm not going to have any coke for now. I don't miss it THAT bad and I look at it this way...either I won't be able to tolerate it, then I'll feel deprived OR I will be able to tolerate it and I'd probably overdo it...so either way, leaving it alone AS IF it's off limits serves me better. I'm sure at some time I'll try a swig, but until it's just really "CALLING" to me, I'm gonna consider it an "OFF LIMITS" item...very black & white...makes it easier for me to resist in my mind. prinnie: WELCOME to the best thread on LBT. We have plenty of support for you!!! JanetC: I think you're right...we all PMS and/or are prone to binges at roughly the same time each month. Harder to have a "voice of reason" available, but easier to have "pity parties" together!!!! I don't want to take any chances at stretching my pouch or "causing" conditions right for slippage, erosion, etc. so I'm trying to stick to the rules as closely as possible. For me, if I give myself an inch, I'll be eating the entire pantry!!! I know me, and it's not PRETTY!!! That's why I've chosen to keep portions down to 1 cup or less...no carbonated beverages...no snacks between meals (unless a protein shake or yogurt if feeling poorly)...trying to up my activity...no bread...I want to TRY to help the band do it's job as much as it can. Like all of you...WAY too much money, WAY too much post-op misery and WAY too much pressure from those who know about the surgery to let it NOT be a success. I'm just trying to measure my success by the doctor's standard, not by the by-passers or the people at work, etc. who don't understand that the band works differently. That's the only way I don't feel overwhelmed by the task at hand and just crumble! When I feel deprived or overwhelmed (which actually I haven't much--which has been the best surprise of the whole surgery!) I allow myself 1-2 M&M's or a fat-free fudgcicle or ice-cream bar as a "SLIP" and drag myself back onto the wagon. (kicking and screaming, but I get on!) Hope everyone "weathered" the weather in the plains states and everyone up north is enjoying some springtime. Texas is already headed for "HOT"-the main season here! Talk to you all soon! Thanks for your support. Nanster

My favorite is to mix two cups Greek yogurt with a pack of sugar free cream cheese pudding mix. It makes several servings (at least four depending on how much you eat I guess) and then I microwave some frozen strawberries for a minute and add them to it for a strawberry cheesecake-ish taste.

When on pureed you may want to stick with gentle foods: cottage cheese, tuna, soft fish, yogurt, pureed beans, canned meats. Foods made with not alot of ingredients and spices. For alot of patients eggs do not agree with them right away.

I made it through the day without having to really deal with the food issue too much, lunch was the only time I had to figure out what to do. We had sub sandwiches, I tore mine apart and only ate a piece of the cheese and a piece of the ham off of it. I didn't feel much like eating. I guess I was really tight this morning because yogurt made me feel like I was stuck...HOW CAN THAT BE?? Grrrr I interviewed for eleven solid hours with less than a minute between interviews and only a 15 minute break for lunch. My brain is mush! Between six of us we hired 130 people and still have about 200 more to hire in the next two days. Can you say FUN??? I was able to get out of dinner by just saying that I had a long drive home and wanted to get a workout in. They were ok with that excuse. Now, I'm going to go find my whirlpool bath and my book and decompress.

Last week was a little stressful and I needed to get away, so I jumped in the Jeep and took off. I ended up in Springfield at the Octoberfest. PS...Beer and the band don't work so well together. OOPS! It was nice to just get away and the drive was beautiful down Hwy 5. I love the fall colors. I decided that I'm not going to weigh everyday like I have been doing...yes, I am a scale whore. I have a really busy week this week and fitting in time to work out is going to be challenging. I'm trying to formulate a game plan I already missed this weekend, unless you count the dancing and the...:thumbup: We ate at a chinese buffet today, it wasn't so bad having the band. I took a little of my favorite things, ate one bite of each and then called it quits when I was full. Thankfully, it was only 5.99 so I didn't feel like I had wasted a lot of money. That's about it for me, now it's time to go find something for dinner. I think it will be my favorite...Lemon parfait yogurt, YUMMY!!!!

way to go deco!! i noticed the exact same thing. Seemed like my first 12lb loss was ALL from my poor ankles. amazing how swollen feet and ankles can make you feel all over. i've had severe problems with swelling since i had a deep vein thrombosis in 2000. it was a nightmare and has since become nearly non-existent with the weight-loss! it sounds like you're doing better and i'm real glad to hear it. soon you'll be able to do some puddings, yogurt, etc with the full liquids or mushy stage! let us know how it's going! congrats on such a good loss already! Leatha

MiniMandy_ be careful with what you eat..while healing if you "try out" foods and your swelling isnt down it will catch up with you..you need to stay on liguids and soft mush for awhile..believe me its not easy but its neccessary...i ate potatoe soup one day thinking id be fine but within hours i was hurting. it irritates your stomach. and when i started more harder foods this week its still hard to do..i kinda had to start over lots of liquids and maybe one solid a day now..but my solid is like chili or mash potatoes that are watery..i live off of yogurt and protien drinks..I LVOE THE EQUATES from walmart! the chocolat rocks! or i blend a banana with the vanilla one! YUMMY! Take care and be careful!

Sunta: Sorry to be so whiney! I'm actually doing quite well. I'm bummed that I'm not really losing steadily, but I'm feeling good and no problems eating. I'm not sure if I'll get a fill, but I see the PA this Wednesday. Julie: I'm experimenting with more "substantial" foods also. Tuna-good. Swedish meatballs-good. Steamed cauliflower-good. (I even had a couple of Cheetos...chewed really well...and they were fine). For some reason, salmon does NOT go down well for me. Compared to meatballs, you'd think it should be easy. And, like tuna, should be pretty mushy-but for some unknown reason, it did give me a chest pain to rival angina!! Once I walked around and it cleared, I had some yogurt and felt fine. Some people say chicken is difficult, others say ground beef, others say salad. I guess we just have to try it all and go slow...and take notes!!! No PB's yet for me...thank goodness. JanetC: thanks for keeping us Feb bandsters all connected and in touch...you do a great job "organizing" us. Nanster

Hi Sleepyjean, I packed on all this extra weight and sustained it through eating about two meals a day. I used to actually shock myself at how much I could put away at a sitting. I am also finding "hunger" painful. I usually have an ache in behind my breastbone around six in the morning that drives me to the fridge for a few sips of yogurt so I can go back to sleep for an hour or two. Unfortunately, I have over-eaten once or twice as well and the feeling is very similar to that of hunger. It will definately be a challenge to learn our bodies "new" signs, especially since we didn't do all that well listening to the "old" ones. I think I am trying to eat the same way banded. I will sit down and drink 8-16 oz of water in about 10 minutes. I don't get up unitl I am done. I do the same thing with my protein shake. I can get one in in about 5 minutes (that's 8 oz nf milk + 1oz of whey protein powder). I don't feel like I have much swelling from my surgery on Monday because I have been able to do this since Tuesday. I think if I could only do a few sips at a time, it would drive me nuts. One thing I do do is I keep my water in a lg. 32 oz container. My goal is to drink 1.5 or 48 oz daily. I made it to 40 yesterday. Today I havn't even gotten to 8 yet.--OK, I just did 8 oz. Well, that's my update for the day. I am really tired today. My son had an 8 am soccer game and I was afraid to have a protein drink before the game because what I drink usually goes through me pretty quickly and his soccer field was the farthest from the lovely out-houses today. Not getting my morning protein in seems to have made a huge difference in my energy level - even though I had one when I got home at 11 am, I still crashed and slept for a couple of hours and still feel kind of out-of-it. What is everyone else doing to get yourseves "going" in the morning?

Here is what I had today. 1/2 cup cottage cheese (ok I know) muscle milk protein shake and coffee for lunch. Yogurt late afternoon. Bowl of broth and a Greek yogurt for dinner. With some water throughout the day.

I like this recipe my nut gave me: 1 cup part skim ricotta add grated lemon peel, 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1 Splenda packet. Mix it up and separate into 2 portions. I like this as a dessert. Good protein. I do like the eggface site. She has awesome recipes and she also recommends the SF Torani syrups which I hope to try soon. Maybe you could use the syrups with plain Greek yogurt to make it more appealing.

Why no lobster? I'm allergic, myself, but my favorite meals now are shrimp, crab, scallops, etc. I eat frozen nf/sf yogurt, a small bite or two of a brownie, a Hershey kiss here and there... Difference is, I savor it instead of horsing it down without tasting it. I log it and I stay under my calories, fat and carbs. I don't recommend this if a small bite will set you up for failure, though. I didn't get fat off sweets, so these are not my downfall. You will not see me trying chips or other fatty salty Snacks. That's where my house of cards will collapse.

I agree with Susie, Sula. If you are having extreme reflux, and you tried everything to cure it. Like, not eating 3 hours prior to bed time, etc, I would go in and have a slight unfill. It is so WEIRD about the band being so darn fickle. I was scheduled for a fill in December but I canceled, and just when I think I need a fill, I get tight again. I made an egg white omlet this morning, and took 2 bites and realized I was having a hard time with it, so I switched to yogurt, and I had to slow down while eating the yogurt. Normally I can eat anything in the mornings, but his morning, my band is being a little fickle. I'm usually tight only 2 days out of the week, the rest of the time I am normal. I'm not real lose, but looser than I would want to be. I had a little reflux on Friday night, but haven't had any since. I know its good that your losing weight, but you don't want to jeapordize your health. So, if you have tried not eating before bed (I have to wait 3 hours), then I would go see the doc. A slight unfill of even .1 cc can make a difference.

I have Greek yogurt for Breakfast they come in 6oz but I never finish it so I save the rest for a snack. for lunch I have a soft boiled egg or fat free chili or fat free refried Beans with a little salsa And for dinner I have tuna with no mayo. and for Snacks I have yogurt or apple sauce. I still get head hunger but I drink my fluids to get over that. I've also been Walking two miles a day Starting weight: 264.5 Current weight 252.6 Goal weight 160

It's been a week since I've posted on my blog, I feel bad for that, I've found it's a great source of stress relief from me and really should do it everyday. My friend John who retired (at the age of 42) last year from being an air traffic controller came in for a visit on Monday. It was an unexpected visit and I had to work which was a bummer. I did take off Tuesday with him and we went to the gym together. That was fun. He's addicted to my rockband game! We had a blast just jammin. My friend Dalena moved in last Friday with her ten year old son. It's been a lot better than I thought it would be. Mikey her son is going to have some serious food issues if she doesn't change his eating habits I can already see that. He doesn't want to eat what is on the table and then goes to the cabinet that is now loaded (ugh ugh ugh) with JUNK food and gets whatever he wants. Dalena has never once read a food label doesn't know the difference between fat, carbs and protein and no clue what a serving size is. I'm working on teaching her. I think that I will take her to the nut with me on Thursday when I go for my first fill. I am SOOOOOOO ready for my first fill. It's so hard sticking to just what I am supposed to be eating. I've been cooking a lot more since Dalena has been here which is rough for me. I'm going to back off on that. It's better not to have the temptation of tasting while I cook. I'm getting burnt out on cottage cheese and yogurt. I do great during the day when I am at work and want to eat the house at night. Dang scale must be broken it's not moving:cursing: I am exercising at least an hour of cardio every day and have noticed a difference in the size of my clothing. I was SHOCKED:w00t: last night when I bought a pair of inspiration workout pants from old navy in a size medium and they FIT!!!:thumbup::thumbup::cursing: Doing the happy dance! Today my cardio will be spent in the garden, my Weed, oh I mean flower beds have been overtaken and i must find them. With that I'm going to sign off and get to work. Hope everyone one is doing well with their band, I hope mine starts working soon, it's been a slacker!