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I've been tolerating yogurt very well too. That's how I've been taking my PPI and gallstone prevention meds they gave me. That's the only meds I've been able to get down. I'm scared to chew a flintstone's Vitamin and I haven't tried to drink the Calcium citrate yet either. It does feel like a full time job for sure! I have another 3 full weeks off before school starts (I'm a teacher) so I'm hoping it will be easier then. I dread trying to do all of this while doing teacher inservice and once the students start....hectic!! Thanks for your encouragement and advice. I really appreciate it!

Hello guys. I'm brand new, almost three weeks post-op. I'm still trying to learn how to eat, but almost every time I eat solid food I get really, really sick. I get very nauseaous, my chest gets tight and I need to throw up. When I do, most of the time, it's just foam/froth. Sometimes it will be food as well, but it's mostly just froth. It doesn't happen with liquid or anything super soft (yogurt, pudding, etc.) but almost always with solids. What is up and how long with this last? It's getting a bit old. Thanks for any replies!

So I haven't checked in for a while, so I thought I would give an update. I had surgery with jaime Ponce de leon on Nov, 20th, 2014 in Tijuana (booked through bariatricpal). I am now aprox 10 weeks past surgery. I have lost almost 50lbs and still losing. What an awesome thing to do through a season we most always hide from the scale. I wanted to share some experiences with me over that time. Like many of you I gained weight over the years, topping out at almost 290lbs (I am a 6'1" male). When I looked in the mirror, I always saw the same me no matter what weight I was. It was the pictures of me I would see that made me say "Am I really that big?". I think we all go through this denial (even though it was almost every picture I saw that made me think it). Over the last two months I have had the weight falling off, but similar experience in front of the mirror. I still see the same me (one that was 50lbs heavier a little while ago) and do not see the weight loss. I know I am losing (I buy pants that last 2-4 weeks before I need something smaller) but I do not see that change yet. I am curious if others go through this? I guess it only makes sense that I never saw me gain weight in the mirror (so how could I lose it). Still a weird experience. I had a business trip this week for the first time. I usually dreaded coming home and finding out how much I have gained eating out every day (and some drinks at night). I am happy to report that I actually lost 1.5lbs during my trip! Drinking has been tougher (but ultimately better for me). I was one that tended to drink to get drunk (I know, that sounds bad). I have a hard time getting to that buzzed stage because of the slower rate I can intake. I have not had a soda or beer since pre-op (and maybe never will). If I am headed out to a bar for a night out, I usually keep a lemonade mio in my pocket to mix with a vodka and Water. Once in a while I have a bloody mary, but I am a little more sensitive to acid drinks. I just overall drink much less (which is better for me and my goals anyway). I can still eat very little. My hardest part has been eating slowly (or you pay). I start each day with a greek yogurt and 30mg Protein supplement. lunch is usually either another yogurt, a Soup, or salad. I tend to snack more (beef jerkey for some reason is really easy on my stomach and is my snack of choice). I also grab those yummy wasabi almonds! My goal having this surgery was to be able to enjoy food, but not have it control me. I have dieted many times in the past with me always over indulging when the diet was over. I think part of that is my compulsive and ADHD traits. I did not want to feel like I am in a diet, where I will only return to my bad habits at some point. To help with that I eat what I want to eat. If I have a craving, I eat it (within reason). The good part is the qty you eat is so much smaller, that you suffice the want, without killing your progress. I do not feel like I am on a diet, and that is the best part. So here are some pics of me before surgery and today (10 weeks later). Still more to go, but happy with where I am today.

Barb said something today that made me realize I need to journal activity and food. If we don't, how will we know what tirggers problems? AM Coffee with coffeemate and l/2T raw sugar 35 Slimfast 190 Yogurt Activia Blueberry 90 Tea with peach flavor 0:biggrin1: Bite of mango 5

Enjoy!!! I had my surgery Dec. 7 and had 1/2 of a greek yogurt for christmas dinner. The good thing as that I wasn't hungry!!!! Wishing all the best in the new year!!!

Girl, you don't even know how much your life is about to change. This is truly the best decision I have EVER made for myself. I am finally ME again. I can do anything I want to do (and some things I never thought I could do). I can wear anything I want to wear (or I can wear nothing at all ). I am no longer self conscious about the way I look. I no longer worry about who I might run into. I no longer care if my hair and face are perfect and if I feel like running out in workout clothes, I do. I can buy a cookie or a frozen yogurt and eat it *in public* without feeling like that fatty everyone is staring at. I no longer think anyone is looking in my grocery cart judging me. I am FINALLY a normal sized person and actually bordering on being thin. WHAT UP!?!?! Seriously, the best decision EVER.

Okay, I only had surgery (sleeve) done 17 days ago, so I'm currently in the soft food phase. The past few days I've been wondering if I'm actually eating too much for this early stage. I've been hitting my Fluid and Protein goals most days this week, and I'm getting my protein from shakes, eggs, cheese, tuna, salmon, Greek yogurt, and hummus. I feel great - plenty of energy and am healing well. But, I'm already eating between 800 and 1000 calories a day. Is that a crazy huge amount for only 17 days after surgery? If so, how do I still meet my protein goals while consuming fewer calories? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I LOVE SWEETS! Still do even after the sleeve. I did the exact same thing you did with the band - ate around it with Cookies, ice cream, etc. The first time I ate a cookie after the sleeve, I was on the toilet for a good half hour afterwards. NOT worth it! (sorry to be graphic). So in order to get around my cravings, because they are still there, I do certain things to help. If it's that TOM, I get sugar free chocolate pudding and fat free whipped cream. They also have Sugar Free Chocolate pudding pops that are only 90 calories each. Both help me get through the craving. One thing I learned from my nutritionist is that if you are a sugar addict, which I am, once you start in the morning you can't stop. I also learned on My 600 lb life that a sugar addiction is harder to kick than a cocaine addiction. Not surprised! Anyway, if you use Sweet N Low, Equal, or any other kind of aspartame sweetener, your brain CANNOT distinguish between that and regular sugar. So, even if you eat low fat yogurt with berries and it has aspartame in it, it's just as bad as eating sugar straight out of the bowl. It will give your brain the same sugar reaction as regular sugar. I can tell you that if you do not have sugar first thing (no oatmeal, because it spikes your blood sugar and is too creamy - no sweet n low in your coffee, only splenda or truvia, etc.), you will NOT crave sweets during the day. If you don't start, you won't crave. I promise. Try it for one day. Plan your menu the day before - so like eggs for Breakfast, black coffee, a chef's salad with no dressing (or add salsa, that's yummy!), fish for dinner. Water or plain iced tea to drink. Guaranteed you won't even think about sweets.

Maybe you aren't following the rules close enough. Something as little as an extra healthy snack several times last week affected my ability to lose that week. I woudn't worry about what time you do things. The space between your meals is far more critical. Never let your body get hungry before you eat, make healthy food choices, always eat your Proteins first & don't have your beverages until at least a half hour after you eat. This is what I do: Love’s Meals I eat no more than 1 cup of food every 3-4 waking hours. Breakfast @ 11:00am: - 1 egg scrambled with 1 ounce of cheddar cheese & some chopped black forest ham - 1 packet instant oatmeal (flavoured, or natural + 1 tsp honey) with skim milk, 1 ½ tbsp raisins, 1 tbsp toasted wheat germ, & 1 ½ tbsp ground almonds or walnuts Snack @ 12:30pm: - 1 cup plastic juice box of apple or orange juice - a small can of original V8 lunch @ 2:00 or 3:00pm: - a High Protein vanilla Boost dinner @ 6:00 or 7:00pm: One pot meals frozen in 1 cup containers: - chilli, made with ground turkey - spaghetti sauce, made with ground turkey, & a bit of macaroni - sheppard’s pie, made with ground turkey - beef stew - Canadian bacon & potato stew - chicken dishes made with a little rice or Pasta & light cream of broccoli or chicken Soup - Kraft dish made with chicken, corn, salsa & cheese Evening Snack @ 10:00pm: - 1 cup Silhouette cherry yogurt - 1/3 container of fat free cottage cheese with tuna salad, 1 cup total - 1/3 container of fat free cottage cheese with fresh or canned fruit, 1 cup total - 2 rye crisps with 2 tbsp hummus - 2 rye crisps with 2 tbsp almond butter - 2 rye crisps with 2 tbsp guacamole - 2 tbsp Peanut Butter - a hard boiled egg - ½ cup almonds or walnuts - a ‘baked’ apple - cored apple stuffed with 1 tbsp raisins & lemon juice - 1 oz light cream cheese wrapped in 1 oz smoked salmon - 2 oz cheddar cheese I take a chewable Centrum or Flinstone’s multi-vitamin & liquid Calcium / magnesium after breakfast & a chewable Vitamin C after my evening snack. I try to get 4-8 oz. Water in first thing in the morning, on the drive to & from work, & before bed. I am only getting in about half of what I'd guzzle pre-band. I work out during Coronation Street. Since I hate exercise, I need something to distract my while I do it. :thumbdown: I find keeping to a routine in my day ready helps. Having meals ready also keeps me from thinking about what I am going to be eating that night, all day. I sent this to my nutritionist this week & she thought it was just fabulous.

Thanks Sandradee and Bklynike! Yeah I journal food everyday, but one of the rules Doc put on me for 4 wks was "no liquid calories". So no protein drinks or even my beloved fruit smoothies (I would make my own with low fat vanilla yogurt, frozen mixed fruit, protein powder and a touch of milk...tastes just like a melted Dairy Queen Blizzard ...mmmmmm). I'll have to ask Doc on Monday if I can have my smoothies again!! I upped my food proteins and started taking Biotin for skin, hair and nails so hopefully all will be good in the vitamin department! Thanx again for the great words of encouragement!!

I just posted this blog maybe it will help... It’s Not Bandster Hell…It’s the Waiting Room of Band Opportunity I read few blogs today of folks that are in the proverbial Bandster Hell. Some are eating and frustrated, some are using Weight Watchers to fill the void and others are just hungry. I do think that LapBand medical community needs to be a little more effective in helping people through this phase of the process. My take on things is they do a great job upfront with the sales pitch and the pre-op prep. I think most doctors do a good job with the operation day and the basic post-op recovery. However, there seems to be a decided gap between the operation and the restriction phase of the band process. Which as we all know has been labeled Bandster Hell or BH for this blog. So for those of you in, or approaching BH, here is a check list to think about: 1. Avoid Consumption as Usual – it seems fairly common that once you are basically healed, many people can eat all they want and some like to test the limits of what you can eat. Needless to say this is not what we want to do. Just, assume that you can eat like the old you, but don’t do it.  2. Prepare a BH Menu – Knowing the BH is coming, plan a special menu that is healthy and helps you keep the right habits until you have restriction. I would plan it just like you were at restriction just don’t beat yourself up if the portions are bigger during this time. One person was doing Weight Watcher, some do South Beach, but whatever it is knowledge and planning are power here. 3. Focus on 5-6 Meals a Day – For me the best way to manage BH is to get some 8oz dishes with lids (I got mine at Smart and Final) then plan on eating every 3-4 hours. This keeps me focused on small meals, but allows me to have some extra healthy food. 4. Get Your Protein – Use whey Protein to help you get enough protein. I mix mine with yogurt and blueberries, oatmeal and other foods to load up on it. 5. Focus on Exercise – This is a great time to get your exercise program going and that will help you interim weight management, and make the time when you do have restriction more productive. 6. You Are Not Failing – BH is part of winning in the long term. You are supposed to go through this part of the journey. Don’t beat yourself up. This time is available to you to prepare for the restriction phase of the process 7. You Did Not Do This For Nothing – Reading hundreds of these threads from folks who have walked through the valley of BH, all agree when you get to the other side it will be worth it for you. You did not deal with Pre-Op, spend the money, or go through surgery for nothing. 8. Embrace the Process – This is one of the stages of BH, don’t fight it, make it work for you. Focus on picking good foods, get your body in better shape with exercise and focus on the positive. Like many of you I am trudging my way through BH. I am staying focused getting to the other side and finding the promised land of restriction.

Breakfast - 1 container of SF Yogurt with granola mixed in Lunch - 2 chips & salsa, a taco salad (just ate the grilled chicken off of it) and a small portion of quacamole (we went out for lunch to Mexican) Dinner - 5 little mini sugar free brownies - the new girl scout ones, 1/2 cup of salad, 1/2 cup of popcorn - I know (where is the protein?) Had a bad problem tonight with just putting stuff in my mouth - see notes Exercise - Treadmill (PM) 50 min, 359 calories, 2.48 miles, speed varied 3.1 to 3.2 mph. Notes - Didn't weigh this morning:clap2: - I was glad I had enough will power to stay off the scales - I dont ever want to see 200 AGAIN, so I'm waiting until I know I'm down to the 190's before stepping on my scale. Hopefully by Monday I will feel skinny enough to step on them. Okay - I noticed tonight I was eating every time I turned around, was I hungry NO. I figured out tonight that I must work on this "grazing". I need to not eat just because its "dinner time", but wait until I'm actually hungry I think. I'm not sure why I was eating, I think it was out of boredome, or just the need to put something in my mouth. I will be making a conscious effort to not graze and not just put JUNK in my mouth.

Bfast - SF yogurt, low fat cottage cheese mixed Lunch - Dinner - Exercise - Notes - I took the day off yesterday and ate what I wanted, I had some of those 100 cal Reeses snack packs a few times yesterday (one for breakfast), and ate a fried chicken tender (My moms fried chicken) for lunch & dinner. I usually don't eat fried stuff, but Hey, I took a day off. lol. I didn't exercise, I didn't even care yesterday. I'm back to eating right and eating light today and will be exercising tonight. I am going to try and take my 2 month post op pic tonight.

Mig - I am a school librarian. I was banded March 24th. So, I have every stage while in school from liquid to real food. I have 30 minutes for lunch. Sometimes I took a frozen meal like SmartOnes or Lean Cusine. Sometimes I would take leftovers. If I am lucky, I can microwave my meal a few minutes before my lunch time. Try things like cheese sticks wrapped with a piece of ham or take tuna or chicken salad. I eat breakfast before I go. (I have a 40 minute ride) Around 8:30 I sneak in a yogurt, SF pudding, fruit or Protein shake (I like the ready made in a bottle sugar free Carnation Instant Breakfast) I have always liked chocolate milk and it fills me up. You'll find ways to eat - your a teacher, teachers are creative in their thinking. Good Luck to both of you.

Hello Everyone:) I'm new here! and I am in need of a support system. I had gastric sleeve surgery on 1/29/2018, which makes me 7 weeks post op! it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. My surgery went very well, I was back to work in 2 weeks. I'm a Finance Manager so I mostly sit at my desk all day. Now, let me take you through the good and the bad that I went through. Constipation after the surgery was horrible until I was introduced to Miralax! It's awesome...tasteless, odorless and you can add it to any beverage. I added it to unsweetened ice tea and water and it did the trick. My incisions healed fast except for the one in my belly button. It was a uncomfortable but tolerable for awhile until the pain stopped altogether. For the first 4 to 6 weeks, I tried to follow the diet but some days it was just too much! I had a hard time getting my protein shakes in after the surgery. Everything tastes different, it's kind of weird. I don't like eggs anymore and the smell of meat cooking makes me so nauseous! Before surgery I was a steak lover! now just the thought of steak makes my stomach hurt! So what am I eating when I do eat?? LOL:) My day pretty much goes like this, When I wake up the first thing I do is take all of my vitamins, Breakfast is 1 halo (clementines) and a yogurt, Lunch would be apple slices and cheese or chicken soup with 5 oyster crackers, Dinner.....honestly it varies because sometimes I'm not craving anything but if I am I'll eat a piece of fruit, or a grilled/baked chicken breast (skinless/boneless) and a cup of veggies. I never finish it all...after 5 bites I'm done! At this point, shrimps and fish are my favorite. In the beginning I was really depressed because of head hunger!!! It drove me nuts! I would crave something but as soon as I take a few bites I'm done! Then I would depressed because my mind wants to eat all of it but my tummy can't accept it! Once I thought about it, it was easier to move on. Why in the hell would I go back to same old habits that blew me up to 345lbs??? I didn't get surgery for nothing! so now, I absolutely love my sleeve because no matter how bad I crave something after a few bites, I'm done! As for exercise, I work out 3-5 times a week, most of my weight is on my lower body so I stay on the treadmill, bike, leg press (125 pounds) and the elliptical machine and also 5lb free weights. My oldest son is built like a freakin power ranger (obviously, he has his Dad's genes thank God!! But he's an excellent trainer and doesn't allow me to slack off. I would recommend gastric sleeve surgery to anyone who is serious about changing their life for the better. The surgery is only a tool, you have to be motivated and focused for it to beneficial for you. Every week the number on the scale goes down and that's all the motivation I needed! Don't be scared! Just do it! If you keep procrastinating, you're just delaying living your life to the fullest and being happy! and remember NO PAIN, NO GAIN! You have to go through something in order to get something!

This question is for pre and post op- do fresh/frozen fruit with a low fat yogurt smoothie and protein powder count as a protein "shake"?

Hello every one, I had my surgery on March 7th and I'm looking for some recipe ideas for my high protein liquid diet. I was on clear liquids for a week after my surgery and then moved to the high protein liquid diet and will be on that until April 11th. I found out that my stomach can no longer tolerate milk at this point so I'm left with broth, veggie and bean soups (pureed) and mashed sweet potatos. I can also do oatmeal and cream of wheat. Yogurt and pudding upset my stomach due to the dairy. Just looking for any ideas. I have a couple more weeks left on this diet and I'm kind of getting tired of drinking Unjury chicken broth protein shakes all of the time. Thanks.

HI Randy, I couldn't tolerate Protein drinks either. I would sometimes have a bit of vanilla milk (comes like a juice box for kids) and drinkable yogurt. If you are really not getting much nutrition in, you can switch to regular full-sugar gatorade for the electrolytes. I had to do that for a couple of days. You should also be coming up on your mushies transition - I came alive when I was able to eat a bit of cottage cheese. Take it slow when you introduce new things - you can only get down about 2 oz to begin with.

Steffyp, Wow you are way ahead of me! I am still on full liquids for the first week. I can have yogurt but no fruit. I have tried my grandson's gogurt-it comes in a stick- and they are wonderful! My next goal is to try greek yogurt- which is a little thicker. I am really nervous about getting something stuck!!! What kind of yogurt did you eat? I start a progression of food this Monday. It starts with cottage cheese. I have not been hungry at all- maybe too scared to eat! However my stomach has not growled once. I do have 2 protein shakes a day and that is 40 g protein. Have you tried protein shakes? I like Slimfast High Protein-chocolate. They aren't bad at all. Keep in touch and let me know how it goes! Good Luck!

I am 4 days out also and I feel great. I have had more energy today but I started my supplements today so I don't know if they had anything to do with it. I went to the grocery store today with my husband and felt pretty good walking around. It's hard to believe I just had major surgery!!! Have you been hungry?? I feel like I have to eat every hour. Today I had yogurt with some fruit blended in it and some split pea soup that I put in the blender and that kept me full longer. I just find it weird that my stomach had been growling.

I think the surgeon and/or dietician on the bariatric team is a good place to start. Tell them you are struggling and see what they advise you. I had to do a 6 month diet for insurance and the dietician flat out said she didn't care if I lost weight, I just shouldn't gain any. I managed to lose a whole 10 lbs. I was also put on a pre-op liquid diet to shrink my liver prior to surgery and prepare me for the post-op liquid phase. Up until four days before surgery I could have a small amount of lean protein (I cooked unbreaded chicken tenders with salt and pepper, or I had 2 hardboiled eggs). I ended up on it for 3 weeks because I caught a cold and they bumped my surgery a week, not enough to stop and start again, so I just did another week. I could have broth, protein drinks, sugar free jello, yogurt, cream soups, water, skim milk and the like. I do boring really well, so I did well on the liquid diet (except for a handful of peanuts I ate while walking in the park-I had peanuts for the squirrels and I was really hungry). I lost another 25 lbs on that. The rest has come off since surgery. It is hard to get your head around eating differently but as someone said "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."

Im choosing the right foods. Sometimes I wonder if I'm chewing good enough. It doesn't matter if I eat or not I still suffer with indigestion. I have history of an ulcer. I take back about the amount. If it's soft like yogurt I can eat most of it. It's weird how my stomach tolerates edamame or a rice cake but not a lot of other foods.

Kaiser Fremont, where I had my surgery, uses a 40 bougie. As you can see from my stats, I have had good weight loss. Not sure where the sleeve will top out for food consumption. Right now, I eat a max of 3 oz. of firm Protein with about 1/2 cup of veggies and a bite or two of a starch. At Breakfast, I eat 1 cup of greek yogurt, a slice of toast, and a little fruit. I am hungrier lately, but I think it's due to some bad snack choices I've made in the last few weeks. I find eating empty carbs makes me hungrier. Lynda

I am new here too. I am taking a 50+ multi vitamin, 1000mg of vitamin c (500 twice a day), Pepcid twice a day and biotin 1000mg once a day, all required by the surgeon prior to surgery coming up in may. I am eating a lot of veggies and have cut out bread, crackers, chips, popcorn and no sugar. I have lost 11 pounds in about 8 weeks. I can only exercise a little due to two previous back surgeries but I have a good outlook on the program. yogurt is an acceptable form of protein, I use oikos triple 0 and it is great. it does have some sugar but no added sugar. good luck and enjoy the journey.

Here are some suggestions of foods you see on "healthy food lists": Chobani Fruited Greek Yogurt for breakfast (with added protein powder), Occational Whey Protein shake made with Fat Free Milk, Fruit or string cheese for afternoon snack, Lean Cuisine for lunch, Grillled/Baked Chicken breast, Turkey Chili, Hummus and carrots, Egg Whites/egg beaters, Fish, Apples, oranges. Just incase you hit writers block!