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Morning Grey (have you got a name lol) I bet your shoulder pain is from driving. We have to remember we've had surgury and should be taking it easy! Got a friend coming round in an hour....I've text her my chemist list! Deflatine for wind and tickly cough medicine....looking forward to getting that the most! I'm back at work on monday too...not looking forward to that one! And no one there knows what I've been up to either...just told them I was going to my mums for a few days. I'll have to concentrate sadly...no one will have done my work while I've been away....normally when I have time off it take me a month for a week off and a couple of months when I've had a fortnight off! oooh can't wait lol Just had my 'breakfast' 150 mls natural yogurt....not eaten so much for a week and I feel soooo full (maybe this alien I have in my stomach is working lol) Amanda xx

Thank you to everyone for your support! In reading the replies, as well as some info from this website, I am certainly encouraged! I do try to eat protein first, but I am realizing that some of the foods I eat may be slipping thru the band. ie: Cottage cheese, yogurt. I am trying to figure it all out. I rarely eat bread, that was my favorite food group before the band! The funny thing is I really don't miss it! I don't eat to many sweets...I will keep working on it! Thank you for your replies!

I've been getting a little bored with my yogurt so I've been looking for something to add to it. Pre op I used to like the Chobani Flips but the sugar content is too high. I saw Special K Protein cereal on sale in the store today and it has 10gr protein in a 3/4 cup serving so I figured I'd give it a try. I mixed 1/4 cup into my yogurt and it was really good. Gave it a tasty little 'crunch' and it brings protein up to 15gr. I think next time I'll add a tbsp of chopped pecans, too! :-)

Well, I can tell you what I'm allowed to do on my 14 day pre op diet. shake for Breakfast and lunch. A small piece of fruit with lunch. (smaller than a baseball, slightly larger than a golf ball) A midafternoon snack of 1 ounce of low or no fat cheese (one string cheese is acceptable), or a 90 calorie yogurt or 1.2 c. no fat cottage cheese. dinner is 4 ounces of lean Protein, chicken, turkey, lean beef; 1 c. vegetables by volume; 2 slices of whole grain bread. I often use fat free mayo and make a sandwich. My other mainstain is using the skinless chicken tenders you buy in the fresh meat dept. of your grocery. That makes it quick and easy to cook and weigh. I switch up the seasonings I sprinkle on: Greek, Italian, Mrs. Dash.... Then you are allowed 10 baby carrots for an evening snack. My instructions said that I could rearrange this as needed or desired but could not eat anything that was not on the list. A lot of days I get too busy and don't bother with the Snacks, other days I eat it all. Hope that helps!

So as my menu expands, I've noticed that is harder to get the protein in. Today I had ham w low fat fetta cheese on an ultrathin half of a small pita. Since I need to chew until is completely pureed, I was a quarter through and I wasn't enjoying it anymore. I was 'tired' and eating the whole thing seemed daunting. I got rid of it and made myself the equivalent of protein grams w a shake. It was much better. Same thing happened yesterday w/ a quarter cup of mini shrimp and avocado. The food sits well in my tummy. It just seems like so much work to eat anything other than yogurt, protein shakes, cottage cheese, and lentils. I am 3 weeks out. Has this happened to anyone?

Just wondering will I be able to eat more with time? I only eat small small portions of cheese, yogurt, ham, etc. will I ever be able to have a small meal. Oh btw I'm only two months out.

I'll tell you what I did. What I took to the hospital...bipap machine, pony tail, chapstick, phone and charger. What I wish I'd also brought... gas x strips. Puree foods I liked Greek yogurt, Wendy's chili and taco bell pintos and cheese. Make sure you have broth to thin out food going in the blender. I preferred the little 6 oz water bottles because they're easier to handle and won't get warm as quickly since you can only sip such a small amount at a time. I use regular spoons but know to just put a small amount on it. I was glad I only had to do pureed for one week. Sent from my SM-N920T using BariatricPal mobile app

I feel like my hunger is all in my head. To be honest, after I had my sleeve I don't get the "starving" feeling I used to have. I do get hungry but not as bad as it was. I'm gonna try to push myself. I'm not going to eat fruit or vegetables because I'm going to do low carb. I've always found that I lose more weight that way. I've gotta do something! I may add in some of the 100 calorie greek yogurts though because they are high protein as well. I ordered a variety pack of protein drinks and protein juices from this website as well. I just want to try some. I wish you could just go to the store and buy some of the bariatric pal stuff.

Hiya Fellow 16ther Jenn!! How you feeling today. I've had a shower...washed my hair and even had half a tub of yogurt.....but still feeling ok. I think I might tell the nurses I want to go for a walk outside (ah ha....cigarette thinking again lol)

Morning all! Well this time last week I'd just got weighed for the last time on my home scales before setting to be banded and one week later I'm happy to report 12lb gone! The pain has almost gone, just a twinge if I get up too quick. Having trouble getting enough calories in cos I feel constantly full Yesterday I had About 250 ml yogurt 300ml Soup 150 ml yogurt 200ml apple juice 1 litre Water 2 cups of tea every time I eat is an effort. I eat cos I have to not cos I want to. I know I've now got to get more calories in or I'll be poorly Was thinking maybe a milky decaf coffee or 2 a day Work tomorrow :ohmy: Amanda xx

A lot of people on here love it, I'm kinda blah about it....it was okay, but not the real thing. Mixed mine in yogurt and with shakes. HW 312, pre-op (lap-band) 294, pre-op (RNY) 255, surgery date 2/11/13, goal weight 154, current weight 217.2

Tonight I had a piece of marinated salmon, broiled. I added some steamed broccoli and 2 Mrs T's pierogies. Dessert was a Key Lime light yogurt. I will have a light string cheese stick before bed.

I'm not counting my calories, but they are easy to find out by going to FitnessPal.com. Other people who keep better track of their calories can probably be more helpful. Also, you may want to do a search on You Tube for "VSG" and "Sleeve" because there are a lot of video bloggers who have kept a video journal of their journey, and many of them include what they eat now on a daily basis. Their journeys can be very helpful. Here are some examples of what I eat: Breakfast: one Premiere Protein shake or one hard-boiled egg or 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt with Splenda and blueberries espresso with Splenda and milk Lunch: Deli turkey meat slice or two with string cheese or 1/4 cup cottage cheese with smoked salmon and two garlic-stuffed green olives or one hard-boiled egg or five shrimp Dinner: Lean Cusine or chicken or turkey meatballs or flounder or shrimp or hamburger meat or filet minion or halibut some other protein with sweet potato fries (2 or 3) or small salad Snack: Cliff Protein Energy bar or 1/2 banana or some cashews or some watermelon Do you have a nutrionist at your doctor's office? What did your doctor tell you to eat? Someone here on this forum attached a meal plan with some food choices and amounts. I've attached it for you. You can save it to your computer for future reference. meal.plan.pdf

Yes, Miralax does work. It's great stuff. I still go to my support group that is held at my band doctor's. He recommends Miralax all the time. He said you can use it every day. It just puts Fluid into the place it needs to go. Once you're off liquids, and old weight watchers recommendation was to put some fiber one Cereal into your yogurt. It's good. It makes it crunchy.

I moved to the Orlando area (from South Florida) but I'm still down there in spirit! I began the process in January and my surgery date is 27 June...just 9 days away. I'm excited and terrified but currently just excited. I'm on the phase II diet, which I thought would be terrible drinking only Protein shakes, 3 times a day, with fat free yogurt (green label publix brand is really good if you like greek yogurt), with some sugar free Jello if I need it and a small green salad each day with lite vinagrette dressing. I could have raw veggies, but they're not on my list of foods that I like . While I'm not down in South Florida it does seem like the three of us are around the same starting weight with similar goals so we should keep in touch during the entire process. I do travel down there an awful lot -with family still in Palm Beach and Hollywood so you never know -maybe one day after we are all used to our new eating habits we could meet up and share stories! Or maybe the two of you could come up here -visit Disney...I may or may not work for one of the areas within.

Thanks MarinaGirl, You are the second person mentioning Bile Reflux after MGB. That is one of my main concerns and I have been watching Dr. Rutledge videos on this. He says if the surgeon is trained, he can prevent this during surgery. He also mentions taking a sip of orange juice in the morning to test for gastritis, and yogurt at night to prevent reflux. Did you do any of those things or do you think they would be helpful in preventing Bile Reflux?

The evidence is pretty compelling for adopting a whole food plant based (WFPB) lifestyle. Basically, there are 4 food groups: vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains. You can throw in some nuts and seeds as well. Nothing processed, no sugar. I already eat a very clean diet - no processed food, nothing artificial, no sugar, lots of veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes. But I think I am going to try to gradually move away from animal based foods. I have inflammatory issues, and I am hoping this will help reduce those blood markers that continue to be high. I also have seen the evidence for improved athletic performance after making the switch. There is better arterial flow and muscle performance with a plant based diet. So wish me luck. This will not be a sudden change. But I have actually been feeling a bit of upset tummy lately after eating fish, meat and eggs. I used to eat a lot of eggs (from my own backyard hens), but since surgery, they just do not sit well. Cheese and yogurt will be my challenges, I'll have to try some soy yogurt and see if it works for me. I already use pea protein for about half of my protein supplements. I will definitely keep up with my protein requirements and will always be taking my vitamins. Tonight we had a stew of 3 kinds of lentils, white beans, millet, sorghum, sweet potato, and garden snow peas on a bed of spiralized zucchini. Even my carnivore husband got a second helping. Yes, it seems like there are a lot of carbs, but I am at goal now and having a struggle not to lose more weight, so this seems like a good time to try this. Any thoughts?

I am completely plant based now, but I could not have done this at only 4 weeks out. There is too much volume in a WFPB diet, and too many concentrated calories, with whole grains, nuts, and seeds. I still cannot even start to eat the vegetable volume that many WFPB people eat. I would suggest that you start by moving to plant based protein drinks and powders. Use plant based "milk" and yogurt, but don't try to get all the veggies in right now. You really do need to focus on healing, getting your protein, liquids, and advancing your food list. Move to well cooked legumes and very well cooked veggies when you are allowed. My doc did not allow any veggies at all until 8 weeks. Of course, you can make protein smoothies that are easy to get down - and when allowed, add greens and berries. I am using a pea based "milk,", oat milk yogurt, soy tofu and tempeh. I stopped soy milk and soy yogurt, as it looked like I was getting an allergic reaction in my esophagus. I really do think it was all the whey protein I was using, so I made the total switch off whey protein and dairy products about a month ago, after my last endoscopy. I have much less bloating and gas now, so I think I had also developed a lactose intolerance. But I was relying too much on soy, so switched to alternate plant based milk and yogurt. I have a very strong gluten intolerance as well - have been gluten free for about 5 years. No big deal there, but taking away all dairy and animal products has been a big change. I am doing fine and feel good, but it has been a bit hard for the family. They want to cook, but don't know how. Going out to eat is very limited. I was at a wedding a couple of weeks ago and there was NOTHING I could eat except some limp salad. The GF items had dairy, and the vegetarian dish had wheat! I made the mistake of not being prepared with my own protein drink and snack. I am convinced that WFPB is a very healthy way to eat and I believe it will be a long term change for me, but there are definitely challenges. There are so many great resources, however, especially some of the cooking ideas on YouTube. My two favorite videos are "The Game Changers" and "Forks over Knives." The evidence is pretty compelling. I found a magazine with a ton of really good recipes, but you are still way too early to use this stuff. Be patient. It will come. I did not add whole grains, nuts, or seeds until I was at goal weight, and then it was to help me maintain my weight while I was starting to exercise pretty hard. Keep in touch, I look forward to following your journey. PS: I have an appt next month with a medical doctor who has switched himself personally to WFBP, to rid himself of his own medical problems. He now helps patients with the same. After I get my 1 year labs done, I have an appt to see him. Hopefully he can help me navigate the WFPB world in a healthy way that takes into account my WLS and also my exercise goals. I want to do it right, and I hope he will be able to supervise my progress.

I asked my Nutritionist the same thing. Basically, I was told that it can be anything as long as it is either soft (like cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, yogurt, refried beans, tuna w/ light mayo, thick soups/ stews (with soft veggies and meat, like canned soup), puddings, apple sauce etc etc. OR it can also be something put into the food processor like chicken, fish, even salads, veggies etc. I think the goal is to make SURE there are no large pieces of food being ingested as your stomach needs to work harder digesting these. The RD said stay away from chewy proteins, dense doughy breads like bagels, veggie and fruit skins, and particularly fibrous foods like celery and red meat. As long as it's liquified (chewed very well) it should be ok. My question was...Isn't everything mushy after it's chewed well? Really the above mentioned fibrous/ dense foods were the only real no no's according to my RD. Good luck!

Try frozen yogurt, they make some really yummie flavors and it's easy on the tummy, I'm almost 5 weeks out and I haven't found anything that I can't eat yet.

I'm eating Greek yogurt with Protein powder, JustGreatStuff (Peanut Butter powder like PB2), English Toffee Torani SF syrup, and fresh raspberries. It's so delicious--tastes like a fancy dessert. And a protein load too! What are you eating today?

I was sleeved may 19th. I don't know how long I'm out. I think I'm starting my fourth week on Monday. Anyway, I got approved to move to puréed foods at my last visit. I've been having baby food, eggs, tuna with mayo and mash potatoes- well very little of it maybe an oz or so. Comfortable with these but not easy. This weekend I decided to cook my family a middle eastern influenced dinner. I smashed the hell out of some so I can eat it, but holy moly!!!! I thought death came for me. I had this tight feeling in my chest. I couldn't breathe. All of a sudden I also got bubble guts. I thought it was the end of me. I laid down, sat up, walked around and got through it. I drank a sip of Water after 20 minutes and even started to feel better. You would think I learned my lesson. NO! The next day, I started thinking maybe I ate too fast, didn't chew enough or I ate too big of a serving and decided to redo it. Well how else I'm I going to learn? Huh! Omg!!!!!! I did it to myself again., really bad. This time praying I didn't hurt my insides. Yea, I know. It was stupid!!! But here is the thing... I keep reading all of the different eating phases people have post surgery. So many surgeons differ in eating plans that I thought maybe mine could be different. Lesson learned staying on smooth foods, baby foods and yogurt for at least another 3.5 weeks. Don't think I'll be ready before then. No longer want to experiment! Anyone else try something similarly stupid? Lorri

It was great! They numbed my belly and didnt hurt at all! I actually could feel the saline fly thru the line and around my stomach! Kinda cool. I got 4cc in a 10cc band. I'm hoping this will be the beginning of great success! Anyone know If I can eat pudding or yogurt today?

Thanks so much for all the great ideas! I had never seen baked eggs before. I love my eggs over easy, but w/no toast, potatoes, or rice to soak of the yolk, I didn't see how I'd make them work for me. Baking the eggs on a bed of spinach is a great idea. Also, I had forgotten that I can eat turkey bacon and really any of the b-fast meats that are made out of turkey, chicken, or soy. And, a crab omelette, rocotta, greek yogurt, etc... Mmmmmmmmmm!!! Thanks again!

I was given the opportunity to escort a group of fifth graders to Washington, DC this past week. I almost turned it down because I was only 2 weeks postop and I wasn't sure how I could mange the eating on the trip. My husband convinced me to go (it is not everyday I get an opportunity like that...I was replacing a sick teacher who couldn't make it.). My diet at this point is only clear liquids and protein. Dr. Kelly recommends not adding mushies until day 20. Lots of other people report eating food earlier so I wasn't hyper stressed. I was trying to keeping the operation quiet so I was trying to not draw too much attention to myself! I brought protein powder to add to OJ every morning and that is what I had for breakfast each morning. Lunch and dinner was a little tricky. Lunch the first day was provided by the bus company and I just took the turkey off the sandwich and chewed that up into mush and ate it. That went down fine but the cheese stick did not (harder to chew into mush). Our first dinner stop was a buffet. . I ate barely anything (enough to make it look like I was eating). My stomach did not do well with that. It just felt uncomfortably tight. Luckily we did a lot of walking that night through some monuments and it loosed up. The second lunch was really late (2 p.m.) and I ordered hummus at a greek place. It came with warm flat bread (red light food!). The hummus went down fine the bread not so much so. Dinner was at Medieval Times. I did the soup (and attempted a couple bites of the bread) and ate maybe a tablespoon of chicken (did pretty good with that). The next day we did lunch at the Smithsonian and I was really disappointed at my options. In hindsight I probably should have eaten a McD's smoothy. I ordered chicken nugget happy meal. When I say "ate it" I had four french fries and peeled the breading off the chicken nuggets (4 of them) and attempted to eat it. Those did not sit well in my tummy. Turns out that upstairs in the dining area I could have had a yogurt parfait (not advertised downstairs). Dinner that night was a the Pentagon Mall. I had wild mushroom soup (outstanding) and a bit of frozen yogert. Lunch on our last day was at the Golden Corral. Barely ate anything and stopped before feeling uncomfortable. I'd give myself a grade of "C" on my eating on the trip. I don't think anyone thought I was too odd for not eating more. Most people know that I have been trying to lose weight since the beginning of the year. We walked a ton on the trip. I am going to weigh myself tomorrow morning to see if there was any weight loss on the trip due to the exercise. I am happy to report that I barely felt hungry at all!!!! I'm going to back to liquids until my 20th day and then I'll stay with mushies.