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I tend to stick to frozen yogurt. We have a local shop that does all diabetic and bariatric friendly frozen yogurts and that's my spot during the summer months. I can eat regular ice cream but I usually avoid it.

Current Mood: Good:thumbup: Well, as much as I enjoyed the cauliflower yesterday, I paid for it dearly. A couple of hours after I ate it and several sips into my protein shake I was struck with debilitating gas pains. I have heard others compare this type of gas pain to labor with labor coming out on top.... they are right! Oh how I wished I could burp, or vomit or anything but no.... Instead I went on line and quickly realized that chemical intervention was required and it was going to have to be something OTC...Maalox to be exact (Gas X was actually recommended by name repeatedly but my corner store didn't have any)! With the aid of Simethicone, the gas storm subsided somewhat though I still had pain. I did not eat dinner. In fact, I took a Percocet, sipped some water to help the Maalox through and went to bed. Lying down helped. This morning it was all gone and I proceeded with caution. Greek yogurt and, dare I try it, 1/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce. Well, the gas kicked in but not nearly as harshly as yesterday. This time I took a spoonful of Maalox and headed out of the house for a walk. It didn't seem to dislodge the gas so I decided to try warm liquid - decaf, about 3 ounces. I sipped it while I got a pedicure. Well at least that turned out well. The gas was still there but not as bad by the time I walked home. I decided to try for lunch because I actually heard grumbling and felt a bit hungry. Mmmmmm, 2 eggs in 1 cup of fat free chicken broth did the trick (ate about half). Not only was it mouth satisfying, but the pains went away too after a few much appreciated burps. Since lunch...um, let's just say if there were a dog around, it would be getting blamed for the noises coming out of whatever room I am in. Wow! That cauliflower is finally making itself heard and it's not pleasant but boy does it feel good. To paraphrase a famous quote, "A fart by any other name would still smell as ...." Well, you get the point.

Im jealous of you guys...you get shakes. Im only allowed Isopure [clear Protein ] broth and Jello. I had a hard time the first day, second day was a breeze, third day I found out insurance denied me so I had some yogurt and scrambled eggs. But, Im going to stay pretty close to this diet for awhile just because of the health benefits. Im down 27lbs since January, 6 of which were the last 3 days. Im pretty bummed about the denial but we are fighting it and shooting for July. And yes I agree on giving up the high carb shakes. They wont help curb your appetite and will damper tge results of liver shrinking. Sent from my SM-G900P using the BariatricPal App

Hi there I was banded in April. I have lost 47 pounds since then. I have only had 1 fill and the doctor doesn't want to do a fill again because I have been successful. For breakfast I eat 5 oz. Greek yogurt (it has fruit in it. 140 calories). For lunch I usually have a salad and a Protein like a 200 calorie turkey burger. For dinner I eat a protein and at least a cup of vegetables (usually zucchini and mushrooms sauteed in 2 t. olive oil). In between I have Gold Standard vanilla Protein powder (130 caloeies) mixed with iced coffee and then a Premier chocolate Protein shake (which is 160 calories that I get at Costco) as a snack at around 9:30. I drink lots of ice tea, Water, or coffee during the day so I don't get too hungry. Hope that helps.

You can eat bread and it doesn't get stuck? My provider says NO..all caps.lol But then again, I can eat a tortilla in place of bread and that's generally what I do. Awesome on your weight loss..I can HOPE that really start losing.. Today so far, I have had a piece of string cheese and an 80 cal yogurt. and of course my water..wheeee...

My exercise routine won't help you much, but you may want to see what I eat in a day... when I get up- 2 cups of hot chai with splenda, take my vitamins/fiber/calcium breakfast- 1 container of Greek yogurt (6. oz) with 1/4 cup of Kashi GoLean mixed in (high Protein, high fiber) lunch- 3 oz. can of chicken mixed with 1 tbsp. low-fat mayo, and celery salt, on a low carb, high protein wrap/tortilla, usually with either a cheese stick or a serving of almonds on the side "snack"- I drink more chai if I feel hungry or like I just want to put something in my mouth. If that doesn't help, a cheese stick does. dinner- tonight I had 4 ounces of bbq brisket with sauce, maybe 1/2 cup coleslaw, and a bite of my husband's cornbread. If I'm cooking at home it'll be 4 ounces of whatever meat I cook for the family, and a side of veggies or salad. dessert- I have Skinny Cow ice cream bars in my freezer that I tell myself I can have every night. Oddly enough, the fact that I can have them seems to keep me from eating them. I've only had 2 or 3 from the box in the past month. I hope that helps...

I'm still supplementing so 40 grams comes from my protein drinks, I use the Lift Protein by Atkins and it's not bad. I drink 2 a day at 20g of protein. For breakfast I typically eat greek yogurt. I do the Triple Zero so that give 15 grams of protein. For lunch I usually bring left overs from the night before or do lunch meat and cheese combo for about 15 grams. Dinner typically is some sort of lean meat and veggies. Examples of what I eat are baked or grilled balsamic chicken, Lemon grilled chicken, roasted turkey breast, homemade tuna salad with no bread, homemade burgers with no bun, chili (either ground beef or ground turkey) or meatloaf. Sometimes we do "tacos" with no shell or with a carb balance tortilla. I do a lot of low fat cheese in my meals so that boosts the protein count. My veggies I tend to stick to green veggies like broccoli, brussel sprouts and grilled squash and onions.

I was banded 8/12/09 and the surgery was textbook. I did have a bad day dealing with vomiting the day of surgery, but that was not unusual as it was a result of the anesthesia. What was unusual is about two days afer I came home I started getting extremely nauseous and would vomit at least 3 times in a day. I am on the clear liquid diet, so my intake amounts were very small. I was in communication with my doctor daily for three days. We tried anti-nausa pills first - no luck, I also developed a yeast infection from all the antibiotics given to me in the hospital - yeast infections can induce vomiting I was told, so I started taking a med for that. Still no luck. On the third day that I called him, he called me into his office and removed 2 ccs from my new band and had me drink about two ounces of water as I sat across from him. It definitely went down faster, and sitting down I felt good, so I was free to go. As soon as I hit the lobby I knew I was in trouble and made a beeline for the bathroom where I promptly threw up all the water I had just drank. My dr. walked me right over to the hospital for an upper GI where we found my stomach was not contracting to push food into the intestine. I ended up being admitted over night (exactly one week after my procedure) to start an IV as I was pretty dehydated at this point, and started on regular doses of Reglan, a stomach stimulating med which also helps stave off nausea (a big plus for me!). I have been home over 24 hours and really need to stick on my med schedule or I get nauseous. My dr. has never seen anything like this before. I have a friend who is a gastroenterologist at another hospital and he has seen this before. He theorizes the stomach stopped working for a number of reasons: the narcotics I was taking for pain, the new anatomy and my body trying to adjust to it, and the edema and swelling at the band site. I haven't taken any pain meds for the last couple of days, so I am hoping that by tomorrow or Sunday it will start to "wake up" a bit on it's own. As it is, I will be on the Reglan for at least 3-4 weeks. Today I have been able to eat yogurt (a food the dr added for me today), jello, and a popsicle. It is all I dared to do for now. I am go on vacation tomorrow and have all of my oher staples alrady packed. Tomorrow I am loking forward to some soup instead of broth

Keep in mind that different surgeon's have different post-op instructions. It is NEVER a good idea to start eating too soon. I was on a clear liquid diet for 2 weeks before I was able to move on to full liquids for the next week. I wasn't allowed yogurt, mashed potatoes or anything with any consistency until week 3. It isn't easy but we all go through it. You will survive!

What? Me? Really? Yes! It’s true—I’m back with a blog update. I’d love to give you some grand reason for my disappearing act, but the truth is just that life has just gone on. Being banded was a huge life altering experience and for many months it affected everything. In a way, it defined me, just as being fat has defined me for the past 20 or so years of my life. Being banded affected my daily routine—what I ate, how I moved, work, the gym, doctors appointments. And then slowly, it affected me less. Life went back to normal. I stopped feeling sore, I went back to the gym, I started being able to wrestle those big dogs I work with again, and I stopped agonizing over every morsel I put in my mouth. My band became a part of who I am and stopped being everything I am about. And as life went on without me having to stop and contemplate my band every other minute, I stopped having new and exciting things to say about it. That’s not to say that everything has gone back to the way it used to be, although my life is not yet as completely altered as many of my pre-band fantasies projected it to be. A lot has happened in my life both related and unrelated to my weight-loss journey. I believe last I left you guys, I was plagued with a big pain from a little kidney stone. Who knew something smaller than a pencil eraser could cause so much trouble? Well, in case you were wondering, the kidney stone did not pass on its own. After my trip to the hospital and the very happy drugs they pumped me with, my pain was gone. I followed up with an urologist anyhow and it was a good thing since he informed me that being pain free did not mean being urolith (big, fancy, medical word for a kidney stone) free. And low and behold, the night after my appointment, I had another bout of excruciating pain. The pain came and went for the rest of the week until my follow-up appointment at which point my doctor and I decided to schedule lithotripsy—a non-invasive surgical procedure used to break up kidney stones using shockwaves that pass through the body wall. Unfortunately the first available appointment for the procedure was not for another 2 1/2 weeks. The pain was sporadic in the mean time, and while I had some hefty pain meds, I was unable to use them at times—ie when at work. So, I used Ibuprofen instead—after all the PA at my docs office said it was okay given my situation as long as I took certain precautions. Well, I don’t think I took enough precautions, or I just took too much Ibuprofen because after a few days my stomach got all funky and I was sick for a good 2-3 days. I stopped the Motrin of course, and got better. Finally I went for my scheduled procedure and they took an x-ray to locate the stone, then hooked me up to an IV and knocked me out. I woke up shortly after and everything went smoothly. Of course the lithotripsy only broke the stone up to smaller pieces and didn’t get rid of it, so for another week and a half I waited for the stone to pass—with even more pain than before, as well as several bouts of nausea. At last, my stone was gone, and with it, the pain. In addition, I felt energetic and just plain good for the first time since it happened. I turned the stone in for analysis and did some extra urine tests and next week I return to my doc for the results as well as a discussion on nutrition to help prevent further stones. I’m a little worried about how that will go and how his nutrition advice will work with my band. Obviously drinking plenty of water is paramount for both my situations, but I have a feeling he’s going to tell me to cut back on my protein which will not bode will with band eating. He says he’s seen many bandsters getting kidney stones 3-4 months after surgery and on the one hand, that probably means he knows our nutrition restrictions, but on the other hand, it probably means the diet change helped in the formation of the stone. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see. Despite the passing of my kidney stone, I am—sadly—not yet a paragon of health. I’ve been having some trouble with my shoulder. At first I just suspected a pulled muscle or something, but given my kidney stone-ibuprofen snafu, could not treat it properly with anti-inflammatory meds like Mortrin. I finally sucked it up and got myself to the orthopod who examined me and took an x-ray. He said the x-ray looked pretty good, but he did see a small bone spur which probably caused some bursitis. Normally he would have just had me treat it with NSAIDS (if it was that easy, I wouldn’t have needed him) but instead he gave me a cortisone shot. Sadly, it didn’t work. He also gave me a prescription for physical therapy if it didn’t work. I think I’ll probably have to use it, but I’m going to try my sister’s acupuncturist first (I saw him once before and he actually predicted my kidney stone by feeling my pulse—well not a kidney stone exactly, but he told me the “kidney” part of my pulse was weak—how crazy is that?) Of course, I think I’m starting to sound like an 80 year old, going on and on about my health problems. I’ve been sicker since getting my band than I was before—how did that happen? In other—non-medical—news, in the end of August, I finally moved into my new place. Having my own refrigerator to stock with all my own food has been helpful. I pretty much live off rotisserie chicken. I’ll have a quarter of a store bought chicken, no skin and I’ll pair it with some fruit, or carrot sticks, or tonight, a small baked potato. Yum, yum. My lunches vary, sometimes I’ll have a lean cuisine, or I’ll have a salad from the salad bar down the street. My usual breakfast is either a protein bar, or if I get up early enough, a 100 calorie whole grain English muffin with 1 egg, 1 egg white, and piece of low fat cheese. I do still have snacks. I believe in eating when I’m hungry. I’ll usually go for either a yogurt, or a high protein snack bar—Slim fast makes a yummy caramel nougat one, and South Beach has a chocolate raspberry one I love. Like a bad girl, I have taken to drinking diet soda again, but only 2-3 times a week instead of 5-6 times a day like I used to and of course, plenty of water is still a must. I stalled with my weight-loss for a while, not because I didn’t have restriction, but because I was making bad choices and eating a lot of junk food again. So, I started going to Weight Watchers. The band helps me monitor how much I eat, and WW gives me the tools to help me make better choices. Having to figure out how many points everything is makes you stop and think before eating it. I only have so much room in my new little tummy pouch, and I need to make each bite count. That’s not to say I’ve given up all the good stuff—I still eat the foods I love…pizza, bagels, ice-cream, etc, but not on a regular basis. I really feel like I eat like a “normal” person now. I can eat a slice of pizza, without eating 3. I can have a turkey burger and leave half for the next meal. Anytime I order out, my food lasts a good 3 meals instead of finishing the whole thing and wanting more. It’s amazing how normal that is for me now. My loss is picking up again and I still have hopes of making my goal of losing 75# by my sisters wedding which is October 25. I’ve got to lose another 5 lbs and I’ve got 10 days to do it. Holly, this entry is getting long. I have more to say about how I’m feeling about the changes the last 6 months have made to my mind, body and soul, but I’m working on page three of this thing now, so I’m going to cut it here, and save the rest for another entry. Here’s to not letting another 3 months go by before that happens Tootles.

How about: Mozzarella cheese stick Drinkable yogurt smoothie (Dannon lite) a small package of cheese cubes some Special K Protein bars or something like that in the diet or healthfood aisle beef Jerky?? If I think of more I will let you know. Hope this helps!

I'm almost 4 weeks post-op and still on my soft foods stage. I'm tracking my food on My Fitness Pal and focusing on getting 60 grams of protein (which is hit and miss) and keeping under 120 grams of carbs (which is really easy, I usually do half that). However, my doctor/nutritionist never made any mention of a suggested fat intake. Almost every day I go over the My Fitness Pal's suggested fat intake. I'm eating LOTS of dairy right now (yogurt, cheese sticks, cottage cheese cups, milk, etc.) and I try to do low-fat and skim options, but day after day my fat continues to run high. I'm not sure how concerned I should be at this point. I've lost about 20 pounds post-op, but I have been stalled for almost a week. I'm not too worried about the stall since I know that it's common to stall at this point and I haven't really started exercising yet. I'm just afraid that I may be slowing myself further by consuming too much fat. Does anyone want to share their usual daily fat intake?

Current Mood: Tentative :smile: My last fill was 4 weeks ago tomorrow. At the time, I felt I'd really gotten it right. It was going quite well until last Wednesday when I went out for drinks with colleagues. When I got home, I was hungry and decided to eat some left over steak. Well, being a little bit drunk, I probably ate it too fast and didn't chew well enough and my body retaliated. Vomiting and gagging for about an hour immediately. In the morning, my stomach still felt a bit rough so I just had some Greek yogurt with a little raspberry preserves mixed in. It didn't sit right. Nothing solid sits right since then and I've had a couple more incidences of severe discomfort. The only thing that went down well and left me feeling good full was carrot ginger soup. The upset feeling is gone but I am now getting uncomfortably full from what probably amounts to 2-3 tablespoons of food, well chewed and eaten slowly. Last night I had one sea scallop and tablespoon of beans and mashed potatoes. I was full for hours. There is no way this is enough food for someone my size - 5'10", active and still a good 80 lbs overweight. Is 2-3 tablespoons how much I'm supposed to be eating? I thought it was more like 2-3 ounces of food (6-9 tablespoons). Or, maybe this is the right amount of restriction and I haven't quite grasped how little I am supposed to be eating and try to eat more at every sitting. In the last 4 weeks I have lost about 20 lbs. I've also started a regular work out routine and have been sticking to it so I'm sure that helped with the weight loss but still....5 lbs per week? I have a post-fill check-up tomorrow and will see what they say about the amount of food I should be eating. I'm honestly hoping for a small unfill so I can eat TWO scallops next time! Total weight loss as of this morning: 75 lbs at 6 months and 8 days post surgery.

Any root vegg like potato sweet potato you can put milk and a little bit of butter to soften. meats that are really soft kind of crockpot stuff, things that are soft to chew. banana, yogurt, strawberries thing like that. Sent from my SM-G935P using the BariatricPal App

I was sleeved 2\22\16 same way can drink protien and Water soup fine. I'm in the solids now and. I can only eat 4 oz meat 2 oz veg and I'm feeling full second bit on veggy. And trust me your chest will hurt if you eat one bit two many. I do four two hundred calorie meals. That gives me 72 Protein 70 oz water. 30 carbs. 800 to 850 Cal..I always make sure last meal is yogurt Greek 17 protien or a protien drink. Sent from my AQT80 using the BariatricPal App

Hello post op friends, I am on day 3 today and feel worse today then I did yesterday is this common? I am up moving around and doing things but feel just awful. I am doing fine on about 16 oz a day over 3 meals (yogurt, protein drink, jello and soups as a variety) I am trying to drink all the water I need to but I think that it is the gas in my stomach that hurts so bad. Any suggestions on relief?

Thank you, my uncle passed away after a long and painful struggle. Unfortunately, his passing was very unexpected even though we knew he was ill. I managed to eat a few spoons of yogurt w/ Protein granola. I'll make some soup later. Thanks for the love. Surgery 7/25/12

For breakfast I have non fat chobani Greek yogurt with fruit with the following mix ins: 1 tsp non flavored benefiber powder, 1/2 scoop vanilla whey isolate protein powder, splendra (non fat Greek yogurt can be sour), once you mix those all together add 1/3 cup Kashi high protein cereal.

I had surgery the same day and I am not experiencing hunger all the time. I try to have 3 protein shakes a day and eat every 2 to 3 hours if I feel the need. I am mixing the protein powder with Almond milk and shaking it with ice which makes it thicker and very satisfying. I have made homemade delicious soups with vegetable like asparagus cooked with a whole bunch of parley, whole onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 carton and one can of chicken broth, some pepper. When soft I beat 4 eggs and add to soup and it cooks and then grate some fresh Parmesan cheese. Blend it to puree and it is very satisfying and has protein in it as well. I have had a can of tomato soup with the almond milk as well which is also very good. I have made a spinich soup and added the egg and a can of garbanzo beans to add texture and protein. Lots of water, diet tea, etc. I have been doing fine. I stared after surgery as I really needed the protein. I get creative with the cooking which helps and I have had yogurt and sugar free pudding. It sounds as if you are not eating enough protein. My doctor said to have protein immediately. You need it to heal. You can eat, just eat smart and not to much at a time.

That's awesome that we had our surgery the same day.....I drink my Protein shake in the morning, I've been eating cottage cheese, tuna, yogurt, sometimes I'll eat as much of a high protein lean cuisine as I can. I was trying the protein Water, but it's awful. I don't know what else to do other than up my fluids, plus I get really cranky, but I think it's just because I'm really tired. I'm hoping my body just needs to adjust and that it happens soon. Sent from my SM-G930V using the BariatricPal App

I had some grape leaves and kibbee with some cucumber yogurt yumm!!!

I could eat pretty good before my first fill. I THOUGHT when I ate a 9 or 10 oz frozen dinner and was full that I was getting the band feeling. HA !! After my first fill my "banding" started. I can only eat half of frozen dinner now now. My dog is happy. I have quit eating them . I used to be able to eat a container of yogurt too. Thats in the past too. So now I'm eating whatever hubby eats. In our household there is just the 2 of us. So now I joke that I am cooking for one. I guess I don't sound very encouraging but it is wonderful having that full feeling. food just isn't fun anymore. You know, it's that eat to live not live to eat thing. edie:) :girl_hug: :cake:

Yes, I am 5 months out but as you say, at a lower BMI so perhaps this is more appropriate for those closer to goal than those just starting out? I don't know. Initially, I was eating 800 calories a day (and even that was hard) but as per the recommendation of my dietician I aimed for 1000 by 1 month out. It was hard! I needed protein shakes.I am 5 foot 3 so according to the above calculator I need to eat only 1037 calories to lose weight. I found I barely lost weight when I was even eating 1200 calories. What I am saying is everyone has different calorie needs so one size does not fit all! And this calculator scientifically shows that. My calorie needs are not the same as someone taller, younger, with a higher BMI, or someone who is a teacher and on their feet all day...We can calculate our individual needs. I have been trying to hit 1037 daily - not under or over. I was surprised that my optimal calorie level was so low, which is why I thought this would be interesting to share. As you rightly say, it has been HARD to get this level of calories in - I still have at least 1 protein shake a day to accomplish this. Many days I don't quite reach it but I try to reach the desired level and find I honestly lose more weight when I eat at this level rather than undereat!! If I see on MFP I've only eaten 800 calories at the end of the day, I eat some yogurt with a teaspoon of peanut butter for example or some chicken chunks etc. I try to make it to my recommended level and I have been having pretty good results with it. I have currently lost 48lbs which is 80% of my excess weight. I'm losing an average of 10lbs a month (some months less, some months more). I absolutely take my hat off to those starting at a higher BMI and with a longer journey. I know it is super hard and those people have my absolute respect !! This is a tool to inform, that's all. Science can help us. Calculate your PERSONAL needs, try to meet them, see how it goes! ADD: But yes if your doctor has given you a specific plan which goes against what the calculator says, absolutely follow the doctors plan first!! I was not given a specific plan; maybe there are others in the same boat

3-4 weeks out I was on puréed foods only. I put everything except the cottage cheese and yogurt in a food processor. Fat free refried beans were so yummy. A helpful tip, remember its just like feeding a baby. Your new stomach can't handle some things. That's why we feed in stages. Try one new thing a day so you'll know what's upsetting your tummy. Feel better!

As said above don't get caught up on the #'s because it is phenomenal that you've lost so quickly. I had my surgery 6/30 and am down 37 lbs. in that short time I've gone down 3 sizes and can wear clothes I haven't fit into in years. I'm running down my stairs, and can hop out of bed. I'm off all meds except thyroid meds. My joints don't grind, and I know it can only get better from here. food wise, you soon will be cleared to eat whatever you can tolerate. After my doctor said those words I realized he said it for a reason. I asked him if I could eat salads again. He said; yes if you can tolerate it. So far when I go out to eat I order things I love, and eat the Protein first. And find Some things I always enjoyed are flat. Or make me nauseous. No fun it because you eat so little. New things give me my ahh moments. I can't handle ice cream. So I make mini parfait's with yogurt and berries and diced banana. I've spent my whole life fighting obesity. 50 years on this ride is too long. And now I know this is going to work for me. A very small price to pay for these results. Proud of myself for doing this, not in the least bit sorry! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App