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For some reason I don't want yogurt, pudding or Jello, I guess it's the texture

Missy, I am scheduled for surgery on October 30th as well...I have been on an all liquid diet for almost 10 days and it is a struggle. I knew going into this stage what it would entail. I was well prepared. I emptied all my cabinets of food and stocked up on lots of liquids, extracts and seasonings. The biggest thing for me is ice. I use it in almost all of my drinks and yogurts. It helps to add to texture. I miss crunching. I love to crunch on chips, nuts, and veggies. However, I go on here when I get an urge or I go to Youtube and watch videos and blogs of LapBand patients. My advice to you is this...if you truly want to have the lapband then your willpower will dominate the need to eat. If you are not able to do this, then the time is not right for you at this point. All you have to do is take a step back, re-evalute your situation and when you are truly ready your willpower will get you through the liquid stage! Of course...after all is said and done, talk to your doctor...he/she will give you the best advice. It might not be so bad. I send you all my best wishes and good luck with your choices! Peggy

@@eal098, hi there! I believe you would be very thin given your height. I am wondering how many grams of Protein you are getting in now? Getting 85 should not be hard. I use Premier Protein ready made shakes which have 30grams of protein and 1 gram of sugar each. I drink one right when I get up in the am. I then eat yogurt with high protein granola for Breakfast a couple hours later. I then make sure I have protein & good carbs (vegetables or a little fruit) for lunch and dinner. If I snack I choose protein Snacks such as: cheese, nuts, beef jerkey or lunch meat. If I find myself short on protein ( I use fitness pal to track) I will then grab a second protein shake later in the evening. I would definately track your food if you are not already doing that. Good luck gaining a bit of weight! (That sounds very strange saying too!)

I just took a SF chocolate Jello pudding and mixed it with 1 TB of P2B. OMG! I do Protein shakes in the morning and evening. I also do soups for lunch, but hard to find ones I like that are low fat, low carb. Oh and greek yogurt. Love the Dannon light and fit.

I'm not having that many carbs. Mostly I eat a greek yogurt or cottage cheese for breakfast, a protein shake for lunch (actually I sip on one all afternoon), then a large spoonful of whatever I made the kids for dinner. I sip on water all day. If I am out then I'll grab an unsweet tea from McD's. No calories or carbs in that though. I wonder if I should try to add a couple of snacks in there to get my calories a little higher? I'm satisfied with what I am eating though.

Hey, BariatricPal Members! First, we admit it – we goofed! We have to apologize to those members who received multiple copies of the BariatricPal newsletter because of a bug in our system. We also apologize to those members who did not receive a newsletter. Our technical team has been working on it, and the problem is fixed now. Sorry about any inconvenience. And now, on to the January newsletter! It’s hard to believe that we’re already through January and into February! We hope that so far in 2014, you have been achieving your goals in weight loss and in life. BariatricPal is the best place for weight loss surgery support, so we hope you’ve been visiting frequently. If not, come on back and join the conversations! Before you do, take a look at this month’s newsletter. You’ll find: Member Poll: How Do You Beat the Cold? Member Spotlight: Meet Joanna! BariatricPal Social Media – Stay Connected! Surviving Super Bowl Sunday After Weight Loss Surgery Enjoy the newsletter, and then talk about it – and whatever else is on your mind – at BariatricPal. There’s always plenty going on there to take your mind off of the winter weather and to motivate you to stay on track with your weight loss. See you on the boards! Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Member Poll: How Do You Beat the Cold? This year has seen record-setting freezes and winter storms throughout much of the country, and the cold weather will stick around for a few more weeks. Whether you are a New Yorker who has seen temps dip below 0 degree Fahrenheit or a Californian who shivers when it is below 50 degrees, what do you do to keep warm? Exercise more. It gets my metabolism going and keeps me warm for hours. Plus, I burn extra calories! Drink some hot coffee or tea to warm up my insides. Plus, since my weight loss surgery diet doesn’t let me eat solid foods when I drink liquids, drinking coffee or tea keeps me from turning to food to warm me up. Turn up the heat or start a fire in the fireplace, pile on the blankets, and distract myself from the cold by reading, knitting, using the computer or talking on the phone. Nothing in particular, but I need help! Since weight loss surgery, I have been less able to tolerate cold than I used to be. I hate to admit it, but the only thing that warms me up is some good old comfort food…macaroni and cheese or freshly baked Cookies. Luckily, I can’t tolerate much after weight loss surgery! Other (tell us!). Click on this link so you can select your answer and give us more details in the forums! Member Spotlight – Meet Joanna! We are thrilled that our first member spotlight of the year is on Joanna. Joanna knew she was overweight, but the deciding factor in getting surgery was when she had to get off of a roller coaster because she could not fit into the seat! She is a gastric bypass patient who got her surgery done in June of 2012. Her health insurance approved the procedure, and her hospital stay was two days. At a height of 5’7”, Joanna weighed 289 pounds and had a BMI of 45. Since losing 73 pounds, she has achieved a BMI of 33, and is about halfway to her goal weigh of 150 pounds. The journey has been hard, but she has no regrets and would do it again. She says that the drawbacks are that she has low Iron and Vitamin B12 levels, and she does not like constantly being on medications. On the other hand, she recommends the gastric bypass to anyone who needs it because it could save your life. She watches everything she eats to make sure she loses weight. Joanna says she chooses fat-free and no sugar-added choices whenever possible. She tries to avoid junk food. And her favorite snack? Greek yogurt with fruit. Great choice! It’s high in Protein, low in fat, and high in dietary fiber. You know what you’re doing, Joanna! Thank you, Joanna, for being in our spotlight! All the best to you as you continue on your journey, and thanks for sharing it with BariatricPal. We also want to mention that Joanna welcomes questions from other BariatricPal members! Our member spotlights feature BariatricPal members who have gotten any type of weight loss surgery. This is to help promote BariatricPal’s mission of providing a unified front for all types of weight loss surgery. We can all learn from each other, regardless of where you are in your weight loss journey or what type of surgery you have or are considering. Are you interested in being in our member spotlight? Do you know a BariatricPal member that you would like to see spotlighted? Let us know! Nominate yourself or someone else in the Member Spotlight topic or send Alex Brecher a private message (PM). BariatricPal Social Media – Stay Connected! BariatricPal isn’t just at our website and on our mobile apps for Android and for iPhone, iPod, and iPad. We are all over the internet on your favorite social media. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and check out the latest happenings on Google Plus, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. All of the links to our social media sites are available at the bottom of each page of BariatricPal. Be the first to know what is happening at BariatricPal! Surviving Super Bowl Sunday After Weight Loss Surgery Super Bowl Sunday is Sunday, February 2. Even people who do consider themselves diehard football fans tune in to the big game. If you are one of the 150 million people who are expected to watch this Sunday’s game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, chances are that you have to face the food that comes with a Super Bowl party. chips and dip, jalapeno poppers, chicken wings, snack mixes, pizza and cupcakes just aren’t for you anymore after weight loss surgery. They are not only high-calorie, but they can give gastric bypass and sleeve patients dumping syndrome or cause obstructions or blockages for lap-band patients. You can still enjoy good food at your Super Bowl party, though. Just plan ahead, and use these strategies to help you. Be Sure There is Something You Can Eat If there is no food available that you should eat, you will probably end up eating something that you should not eat. Make sure that there is some food available that is part of your weight loss diet. You can prepare enough only for yourself, or you can prepare one or more larger dishes or platters that everyone can share. Easy Snacks for yourself include hard-boiled eggs, mixed nuts or peanuts (small serving size!), low-fat string cheese and beef jerky. If you prefer to bring a dish for everyone, try a vegetable platter with hummus or dip made with Greek yogurt, or a large Greek salad with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and chicken breast. Everyone will appreciate your contribution, and you will have healthy food to munch on during the game. These are some other ideas for snacks. Stuffed mushrooms with extra lean ground turkey, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese Grilled chicken breast on skewers with roasted zucchini Meatballs with ground turkey and Italian seasoning Egg, spinach and ham bites baked in muffin cups Apple slices with Peanut Butter Cheese platter with grapes and nuts Pace Yourself A football game can last three or more hours. You will feel sick if you eat constantly during this time, even if you are eating healthy foods. Unfortunately, food will probably be offered the whole time. Your best bet is to pace yourself with a few snacks that fit into your weight loss surgery diet. For example, you could plan to have one small snack during each quarter of the game. That works out to about one snack per 45 or 60 minutes. Take a break during half-time to focus on the show and the commercials, and drink some Water. Move Like an Athlete Get some exercise in the morning or early afternoon before the game-starting coin toss. If you live somewhere with good enough weather, go for a brisk walk outdoors. If the weather is too extreme, go to the gym or do a short workout with hand weights at home. During the game, use the commercials as opportunities to get some light exercise. You don’t have to skip the famous advertisements; just be sure to move during them. When you keep moving during the game, you will be reminding yourself that you are working hard to lose weight. That gives you extra motivation to eat well! Do you have any other strategies for surviving Super Bowl Sunday? Talk about them at BariatricPal so that all of us can benefit, and let us know what you think about our tips. Enjoy the game! That is about it for this month’s newsletter. We hope you found it inspirational and informative, and we look forward to seeing you on the boards! Remember; feel free to contact us at any time with feedback, questions, and suggestions. Our members keep us going, and we love hearing from you! Take care of yourselves and each other.

Im 10 days post op and so far been on puree diet of whey proten drinks with 1/4 cup of blueberries 1/2 cup spinach, unsweetened apple sauce, nonfat yogurt wit fat free syrup, nonfat cottage cheese, buttersquash Soup, cream of mushroom soup ( diluted with h2o) sugar free pipsicles, By the way dont forget our motto sip sip sip walk sip.

This morning I've had 1 oz Protein shake, 2 oz apple juice, 1 oz carnation instant Breakfast, and 1/2 Whipped Yogurt (Yoplait). Now I am starting on Water to get some of this "sweet" out of my mouth. Ug. I'm not focussing on food, just hydrating. Its just hard to hydrate and meet my goals. Im at work already so sometimes I get caught up and forget to drink. I set a timer on my phone. Lets see if that helps.

Nope. I drank lots of Unjury chicken soup (actually tastes decent) and premier protein shakes. I made vegetable soup and put it in a blender, which worked out fine. I also did a lot of Greek yogurt (Oikos) and low-fat cottage cheese. Good luck!

It is normal to have days where you don't lose. I have had the past week like that even though I am not exceeding about 800 calories per day. It sounds like you weren't really given instructions post-op. My surgeon had me on liquids for 2 weeks post op and then pureed/mush foods (which would also include scrambled eggs and cottage cheese) for 4 weeks. Definitely no chips and meals not to exceed about 3/4 of a cup each. No liquids with meals from now till infinity (must be 1/2-1 hour before of after). They told me the port site is what may bother you more than the other incisions because it is the largest one. When you can get to regular foods, I found at costco by me, a jalapeno greek yogurt dip that is lo cal and delicious (reminds me of the dips they make with salsa and sour cream mixed). It also has Protein. I cut up veggies for my kids to have with the dip. They also have a low fat tzatski (sorry spelling) dip like the sauce they put on gyros that is great with veggies. If you must have a salty snack, there is "skinny pop" popcorn (pre-popped in a bag) that is 39 calories for a cup and tastes good. As mentioned above, most surgeons wait until 4-6 weeks post-op to get a fill. Have you coordinated with a local surgeon that will do this for you? If not, you should start getting that set up. As for exercise, I was told to do what I could tolerate (walking, biking, etc) - nothing too strenuous right away but to get you moving at least. Good luck to you!

Keep your chin up and hang in there. Drink lots of Water. Time it so that there will not be more than a few hours before meals. I did Protein shakes for Breakfast lunch and dinner and greek yogurt for Snacks. Not the most exciting but after the first day I wasn't hungry. You can do this!

Once I booked my surgery, the nutrition expected me to start a low carb, high protein diet. So I had a month of that before starting the pre-op liquid. I also start tracking every bite that went into my mouth. Like the above poster, I am very grateful for that time. It allowed me to take a hard look at what I was eating and work out what life will be like long term. I cut out sugar, rice, pasta, bread, potatoes... The carbs I did eat where either from fruits (limited), vegetables, or dairy. I learned that by bumping up my protein, I don't miss the carbs! If I were in your shoes, I would just start making small daily changes. Giving up soda is awesome! Maybe work on your snacks next? Instead of a cereal or granola bar, how about a piece of fruit and some nuts? Or veggies and dip or hummus? Cottage cheese? Hard boiled egg? Wasa crackers are fairly low carb (for a cracker) and might help you slowly limit the carbs. I like them with laughing cow spreadable cheese and antipasto, or tuna or avocado. Try looking for a greek yogurt instead of a sugary brand. Focus on making the small changes consistently and you'll get there! And definitely make the most of the time you have to start creating that new relationship with food! Try not to let other get you down and keep your chin up! You can do this!!

I'm so afraid to over do it that I am no where NEAR getting in enough liquids. I am day 7 post op. I get hiccups but I get them whether I drink or not. So I can't use that as a tool to know I am full. I am just starting full liquids today. My Dr has allowed me yogurt and I am eating it very slowly. Im just having a hard time knowing when to stop and when to keep going. Oh and the thing I miss the most? Gulping down a drink! Sip sip sip sip sip!!!!

Haven't "gone" since last Tuesday the day before my surgery. I know I'm not really eating much besides yogurt and soup but isn't this too long?

My nutritionist sadly isn’t very good, shame really. Nothing about calories hydration, so reading these sites really help me. They did give me a packet I’ve sifted thru. So what’s the caloric intake per day.? I’m drinking 48 oz so far a day on day 6. I’m on strained soups and yogurt. Any help will be appreciative

Hi. I am new on here. I just wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions. First, I was banded back in fall 2007. My surgery was supposed to be outpatient, but I ended up with severe complications from the "gas" pains and was in for 5 days. I have read so many success stories. It's really nice to see. I have had some success of losing and keeping the weight off, but no where near my goal. I experienced vomiting up to 10 times a day almost every day since my surgery. I really feel my surgery went wrong and my band was never secured or in the correct place. I did bring that up to my Dr. on several occasions and even had him meet me at his office on a holiday weekend to take out the "fill". I have not had a "fill" since Oct. 2008. When filled, I couldn't even keep down Water. Without the fill I can keep water down, but no healthy amount of food without feeling stuck. Two weeks ago I went to the ER I was vomiting violently and couldn't even hold down water. They xrayed my stomach and said they didn't see anything wrong and diagnosed me with Gastritis (stomach flu). I wasn't happy with the answer because it didn't feel right and I am not even sure this particular ER had any experience with the lap band to know if it was in place properly or not. I did a follow up with my own family Dr., as I am uninsured and unemployed and can't afford the payments for all the specialists. My Dr. then diagnosed me with Candida or Strep- either way they said it would be cured with antibiotics. I am finishing my 3rd week of antibiotics and they gave me prilosec. Today was the first day I was able to get back into my old jeans that I was able to wear a year after surgery. Today was also the very first time that I was able to consume food without having that stuck feeling. I didn't realize it until tonight that I haven't vomited in 2 full days, haven't felt stuck. I ate 1/3 of a very small steak and some mashed potatoes (6 small bites) I know I should have had the broccoli, but it felt good. I was full, but not stuck!!!! Finally. I hope that just with me being ill 3 weeks ago maybe it readjusted my band? Perhaps even pulled it off entirely, not really sure and have no answers. Anyone else have any complications like I had? I followed the plan the first few months very strictly. After 3 months I learned to just either not eat at all until late in the day or to just eat what I could hold down, either Soups or very cold things like frozen yogurt. But after years of suffering from vomiting, I had to go back to eating regular foods- I just would vomit it back up. I feel pretty good today too. I have SLE Lupus with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia. So, I am used to not feeling great all the time. I hope that this can be a new beginning for me. I want to stick by good healthy choices and continue on to see my success hopefully fall into place with hard work and determination. I have never been to a support group or meeting. So, I really don't know what to expect. Sorry this is so long. I will leave it at that. Thank you for taking time to read it. I will be reading and following as many posts as I can as well.

SO glad you wrote this topic! I am exactly the same, no yogurt, milk, or fish for me. They all make me sick. I am having surgery on Tuesday and I am really worried too. Seems like there are alternatives. Thanks again for asking! ????

As others have said: chicken, turkey, beef, pork, venison, cheese, nuts, beans.... There are many sources of protein still available to you. I'm 17 months out and rarely eat yogurt anymore (though I admit to relying on it heavily in my early food stages). And I only eat eggs if I am out to eat. Don't keep them in the house because they go bad before I get around to eating them. And I have HATED fish my entire life, though I do eat shellfish.

Thanks so much for all the advice. It seems like all anyone talks about are eggs, yogurt and fish, I was getting freaked out at the thought of not being able to eat the "good" foods everyone else is having. I guess it's a stupid fear!

I don't like yogurt, milk, eggs or fish. Like I can't even choke them down. Am I going to struggle with finding things to eat after surgery? Everyone seems to eat eggs and fish! Thanks

I am allowed 4-5 shakes a day, up to 900 calories. The shakes are through Bariatric Advantage and I can mix in fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, and skim milk but cannot eat any of those foods alone - strictly shakes

My doctor was very happy with my progress so far and said that I can start exercising and driving now. Very happy about the driving part because my husbands driving scares the crap out of me! Does anybody have recommendations on the first soft foods to try such as yogurt, soup, or cheeses? I'm a little worried about how my stomach is going to react but also really excited to eat food! How were some of anyone else's first soft food experiences?

I haven't had any problems with foid but I've played it safe! I went from liquid to puree. I stuck with greek yogurt, tuna fish, occasional refried Beans. When I went to "soft" foods...I ate a lot if fish.

Foods I tolerate well are greek yogurt, tilapia, salmon, scrambled eggs, pea soup w/ham, chili, cheese, meatballs if they're moist, shrimp, chowder, hummus, and Peanut Butter. Fish has been my 'safe' food - it rarely bothers me. Foods that make me painfully sick are tuna (three miserable times - I'm giving it up for a while), pot roast chopped in the food processor and moistened w/broth, wonton soup, re-heated anything, and pills bigger than a small tablet. Everyone is very very different. Introduce new foods slowly, small bites and chew-chew-chew, and learn to recognize when to stop. One last little bite will mean the difference between satisfied and suffering. Always follow your own doctor's advice. We all can give advice but your doctor knows YOU better than we do. :-)

I understand being frustrated. I was told by my dietican that you should avoid slider foods like yogurt and pudding because it doesn't keep you full longer. She said you should shoot for protiens to be something you have to chew so it stays in your belly and you have to eat less of it. Just a thought. Good luck and hang in there!