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My recommendation is to not overprepare. I know this seems counter intuitive, but I got a whole bunch of stuff on the lists before my surgery and then while at the hospital only used my robe and slippers and the nurses took care of the rest. And they wouldn't let me use GasX Strips. Walk walk walk after surgery. That's the best way to get the gas out. I'm out six weeks out now and one thing that many people have mentioned and I agree with is that your tastes may completely change or something you already bought won't agree with your stomach. Do you have someone that will be home with you for the first couple days? That's really helpful. Especially if you find something that works well on your stomach and then they can go get you more if you need it. I ended up throwing so much stuff out. And I spent a bunch of money on Protein drinks that were okay, but I couldn't stand after surgery. What I recommend for the hospital is just a comfy, long robe and slippers with the grippers on the bottom. Comfy PJ's that you could wear home. For home afterwords: Baby bowls and baby spoons (sounds silly it helps you take small bites of whatever you are eating. Really useful) Rubbermaid small drink containers (the clear ones that show the ounces on the side.) That helps you that you are getting enough fluids. Water (if you have a well like me and don't want to drink the faucet water) One or two cups of greek yogurt (vanilla) sugar free popsicles for when you just can't drink. Anti bacterial, hypoallergenic soap to clean your incisions. One serving size blender (like hamilton or something. They have them for $12 at Walmart) it helps mix your Protein powder when you are ready. Liquid children's tylenol That was pretty much all I used for the two weeks post op. I also used crystal light cause I couldn't stomach plain water, but that was just me. Follow the plan your doctor gives you and stay comfortable.

I finally have some restriction!!!!!! I went for my fill today and I now have 12.5cc in my 14cc band. My dr did it under floro and at first put in 1cc then I drank the stuff and it flew down, so he put another 2cc in. I have eaten really light today (yogurt, and mushie type stuff), but I think I feel tight. It feels almost like a knot in my stomach, but its in the upper part of my stomach. Is that what tightness feels like? Hopefully this will knock my numbers off the scale. My dh had his first fill today too, he had 2cc put in during surgery, and the dr said that he could only put in 3cc today, because the fluid was getting stuck. It's crazy the fluctuation in fills, I can't believe its taking me 12.5cc to feel anything!!!

@@gsusser 6+ weeks PO and still around to talk here?? that's good!! many people don't eat processed food or eat less of them it IS healthier NOT to eat them this grammy does eat processed food cooking??? i mess up boiling a pot of water!!! pkg of pre-mixed tuna is great love my Dannon lite and fit greek yogurt Quest Protein Bar as a snack-they CAN be a trigger for me - gotta be careful in a bigggg hurry pre-made btl Protein shake are great swiss miss to die for!! 25 gr protein i buy frozen foods/pkg don't remember brand name) i will buy frozen chicken breast similar salmon pkg pkg of 10 (6 oz individual pieces wrapped) easy, easy, easy delicious to me i totally follow all the rules protein, Water, carbs etc luckily for me, processed food isn't a rule crock pot is a great idea you can find cook books for bariatric surgery cooking for dummies (word bariatric is on the title) there are also sitess on the computer always can google bariatric foods you'd be amazed at how many areas there are with suggestions/recipes if recipes get complicated with too many spices etc i usually omit them good luck kathy

I never puréed or blended, except shakes. I made good low fat chili, no lumps whatsoever, and we sipped it at five weeks out. Soups, bisque, no crust quiche, eggs, small curd cottage cheese, yogurts, and I made a lot of low fat soups myself. We made sure we took exceptionally small bites, and enjoyed the flavors.

Update: Friday 11/16. The beachball size adomen is not a basketball LOL. I slept more last night and I'm able to walk around better today. I drank 1/2 a protein shake that I made (chocolate) drank water and "slow move tea". Dear God I hope that tea works! Called the Hospital today to ask if it was "ok" that I didn't have a movement since last Friday! Dr. said he was not worried and that I could take something over the counter. Well I have none of that in my house, so I used the tea. As far as being hungry - I think what I am feeling is hunger. I mean I am hungry! Anyone else? I'm feeling deprived right now. I would kill to be able to eat a piece of chicken and salad. Or a yogurt. Anyway, I stuck my finger in peanut butter and put just a tiny pit in my mouth and let it melt to nothing and followed it with a sip of water. What the heck. Maybe once the scale goes down I will feel better about all of this. What a whinebag I feel like. Got to get my head back in the game. Egg drop soup sounds good! When could you eat that?

As you all know I was sleeved last Monday 11/12 and as of today I am feeling so much better. I am only down 5lbs since surgery date though. I did have a BM over the weekend and now my intestines are all messed up - not to be gross but I go a little bit all day long - loose. Anyone else like this? As far as eating goes, I can eat creamed soups, yogurt and pudding but I don't know if I'm eating too fast or too much cuz I am not comfortable eating it. i think I am finally gettingin 30oz of h20. I'm not making protein shakes because I am sick of them at the moment. I am able to take my chewable Bariatric Fusion vitamins - 4 per day and that is going well. I also see the surgeon tomorrow. Oh and my incisions are itchy as all hell - anyone else having this little problem. I want to scratch but I can't

I wish I could have food. I can only have applesauce and pudding as "food" as I can't have creamy soups or yogurt... bad dairy problems now HW - 230 SW - 215 CW- 201 GW - 130 Height 5'5"

fish-tuna salad, salmon, tilapia, etc.. chicken-all different ways beef-I can actually still eat burger and steak (chew, chew, chew) beans- pintos, black quinoa cheese yogurt (greek, tons of protien)

I agree with the above post, but my preop diet was 2 weeks. I had a protein shake for breakfast with 4 oz fruit, for lunch I had a lite and fit yogurt and an ounce of nuts, mid afternoon another shake with fruit, dinner 4oz protein, 4oz veggies and 1/2 cup of startch (only good startch, nothing white) before bed I could have another protein shake without fruit. Hope this helps, I lost 10 lbs in two weeks prior to surgery.

I about starved my first month after surgery. I cheated and added mashed potatoes after 3 weeks (I don't advise going against drs orders tho!). I was hungry (true hunger, not head hunger) within 48 hrs of surgery. I misread my post op directions - thought it said Clear liquids and Protein shakes for 4 weeks. After about a year, I re read it and it said full liquids (to include cream Soups, yogurt, pudding). I added tomato Soup myself after the first 2 weeks of literally starving. Come to find out, I wasn't even cheating - and I could've added yogurt and pudding! I ate 1 can of it a day - split into 4 meals. Plus crystal lite, popsicles, Jello, and chicken broth. My first real food was mashed potatoes, about 3 weeks in (yes, I went a week early) (and again, I don't advise going against your drs orders!) So yes, you will be hungry. And you will continue to be hungry the rest of your life. I still get hungry, I just get full a lot quicker. Good luck! Marci

Bandster, I KNOW!! So many things you've posted on here I relate to!!! Thanks for the kudos on the weight loss, but I feel I have to focus on what's ahead of me and not rest of my (haha) laurels. I think you hit upon something with the eating things more substantial during the day -- because I feel like I'm hungry all the time, but the last time I got a fill, he had to take some out because it was too tight. Last visit he wouldn't even give me a fill, so I think he's leary about getting me too tight again. I go see him 6/5, so it will be interesting to see if he gives me a fill. I'm tight in the morning, so I usually drink a cup of tea to loosen things up. I can eat more than I'm used to eating, however, later in the day. I think my biggest problem is I am still struggling with what are the best foods to eat and what will give me the best weight loss for the calories! And I must confess, I LOVE LOVE LOVE skim milk and would live on it if I could. I find myself getting lazy at night and just fixing an instant breakfast for dinner. Maybe I'm having too many dairy products...I must confess I love the cheese, milk, cottage cheese and yogurt... :tongue:

My liquids include yogurt, ricotta, and cottage cheese. Today, my family ordered Chinese and I ate the filling of two crab rangoons, which I rationalized because it's the same texture as ricotta. :smile: I also had hot and sour soup, but only the broth, so that's not cheating!

Breakfast: Special K Protein meal bar. (10 g of protein, YAY) Lunch: Usually 1/4 C of refried Beans topped w/ a little cheddar cheese Dinner: cottage cheese or yogurt Snack: 2T of Peanut Butter or 1/4 C of nuts and I drink Water all day. I'm allowed chicken, turkey, or fish but I've dumped on all meats that I've tried so far.

I can't believe it either. I lost 25 on the pre-op diet alone. I'm trying to be really , really good. Made a Protein drin this morning - Yogurt, banana, Peanut Butter, skim milk, and strawberries. OMG - It was so good.

Hello, I had my band placed in 2007 so its been a while :-). I had a complete unfill last June because I was pregnant and having a lot of trouble with it and lost 14lbs in the beginning of my pregnancy. My total weight loss since 2007 is 35lbs. (not good at all)... I think I may have been too tight before because I was not able to eat anything. (no veggies or meat) I was very very bad and lived on things that would easily go through the band. I FINALLY had a fill yesterday of 4ccs. (I had 5ccs when I had the unfill.) I am ready to do this right this time. It has been so long since I started this journey and I have forgotten how everything feels. I met with the dietician yesterday and she told me that I should be full for at least 4 hours after a meal. I was on full liquids for 24 hours and then test the waters with what I could eat today. This morning I was still on liquids so I had a Protein shake, yogurt smoothie, Water, and some coffee. I had about 4oz of tuna with a little mayo at 3:00PM and by 5:30 I was starving! I am so afraid of getting stuck or eating too much! Do I need to give it time to tighten up more? or does it already sound like I need another fill? Thanks! Leslie

I know what you mean. I work at the hospital where I'm being banded on August 20. I have seen great results from the folks that had 3 weeks of liquid diet pre-op. One gent lost 33 lbs in that time. Had lunch with him and his wife (he was banded a month ago, she was banded last week). She had yogurt. He had tuna salad and some chopped veggies. Both seem to be doing quite well. He took a week off work. She is taking 2 weeks. She did not do the liquid pre-diet, but I can see the 8 lb difference in her already. Seriously.

Some ideas I wrote on one of my other replies which could relate to your comment about savory flavors and begining your muchies. I feel pretty good, my husband has been on me about not doing to much, so we have been going school shopping and getting a lot of walking in. I also have been trying to say busy in the house without lifting more than 10lbs. I only loss 15 pounds on my prediet and after surgery. My dr and nutrionist said I should ot complain because I loss 34 pounds in 3 months on Aug 22nd. On the 20th, I start mushies and bought a lot of stuff to eat to make the transition easier. I want to know if your puree stage has only 3 puree meals without snack and are you suppose to have 2oz of Protein. Here are some things I bought: 97% fat free turkey chili with Beans, 97% fat free veggie chilli with beans, very high in protein and very low in fat. 1%, which I was told to top it off is cold greek vanilla yogurt to simulate sour cream, bought refried beans raw kidney, raw black eye peas, raw lentel and raw black beans to make a Soup with chicken thighs, cabbage and carrots so I can blend it together with low sodium bouillion cubes because it was hard to find low fat or fat free Soups without rice, potatos or Pasta, so I will make my own. I also wanted to get the cream of wheat and cream of rice and it was so expensive and I can only have a little, so I bought the same thing with low carb, etc in baby wheat and rice cerials which was much cheaper than 1 12pack cream of wheat. I also bought 3 different stage 3 veggies and chicken and turkey meat in a jar that looks like vienna sausages but is turkey and chicken, so when I am lazy to cook. Maybe above can give you some ideas.

I can't get all of my fluid in, but I have been eating non fat yogurt, cottage cheese and sr chocolate pudding which I added protein powder to. I am only at 35oz of water at 4:30pm. I have a bloated feeling and my followup appt yesterday the doctor said I am still a little swollen and healing. I am trying not to be too hard on myself about exercising, Dr. said take it slow with the exercise, so I have been walking every other day on the treadmill at a very low speed for 15 mins on the days that I have not done something around the abouts. I already decided if I start my mushies and it does not satify me, I will do a shake as one or 2 of my meals because I know they fill me up. I rather do that than to gain weight.

Liquids: Protein2O, Poweraide zero, Fatorade zero, Crystal light, Fairlife milk, sf jello, Tropical popsicles, cream of mushroom soup strained with added milk. Pureed: baby food, Greek yogurt Oikos triple zero, Fage 0%, refried beans, Progresso lentil and split soups, PB Fit powder and dried milk powder to make smoothies with protein powder. Soft: mashed cauliflower, avocado, banana. Canned tuna, salmon, chicken to mix with light mayo, egg salad, sweet potatoes. Cooked a lot of chicken and turkey breast cutlets in crockpot and froze it to eat later.

Hi LUCKY LOSERS, There are so many different opinions about what to eat and not to eat post op, I thought it would be helpful to post the LAPBAND SYSTEM guidelines. Hope it's helpfull:rolleyes2:Recovery Here are some key points for your recovery in the first few days and weeks. First Days You can expect some soreness, especially where the access port is, but it should subside (Please call your surgeon if the pain persists after a few days). To prevent infection, your surgeon may tell you not to shower for a day or so after surgery. Try to walk as much as you can comfortably, so that you'll regain strength and prevent blood clots, but take it slowly. [*]First Week(s) During the first week after surgery, allow yourself to recover and get plenty of rest. In about a week, you should be able to return to work, provided it's not physically demanding. For more physically active jobs, allow yourself two to three weeks to recover. Within four to six weeks, you should be able to resume all normal activity and start a new exercise program. Note: Before engaging in any physical activity or exercise program, first consult your surgeon. Click here to learn more about Exercise Guidelines Many surgeons see their patients weekly or biweekly during the first month after surgery, so you will be sure your recovery is going well, and have any questions answered. Dietary Guidelines After surgery, you'll need a new nutrition plan. You'll learn about the positive changes you can and need to make in your diet and lifestyle from your surgeon and/or dietitian. It's very important to follow your new eating and drinking instructions beginning immediately after the surgery. In the first few weeks after your LAP-BAND® System surgery, you will be on a liquid diet since only thin liquids will be tolerated by your stomach at that time. As you heal, you will gradually progress to pureed foods (three to four weeks post-op) and then soft foods (five weeks post-op). Finally, after about six weeks, you will be able to eat solid foods. The First Few Days Post-Surgery It's extremely important to follow the eating and drinking instructions immediately after the surgery. This allows your new stomach pouch to heal completely and the LAP-BAND® System to stay in the right position. In the early weeks, it's crucial not to stretch the small stomach pouch above the LAP-BAND® System. Vomiting will do this, while also increasing the chance of stomach tissue slipping up through the band. Right after the surgery, you can take an occasional sip of Water or suck on an ice cube. Don't take any more liquid than this, though. The day after the operation, you can take a little more Fluid but only a small amount at a time. Besides water, you should also choose Clear Liquids that have an adequate number of calories. To prevent nausea and vomiting, do not drink too much. [*]liquid diet (1-2 weeks post-surgery) Your goal during the first few weeks is to protect the small stomach pouch so that you can heal properly. It can only tolerate thin liquids at this time. It's also important to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water (small amounts at a time). Other liquids recommended during this phase include: clear broth or Soup (with no vegetables or meat, and not creamy) skim milk fruit juice no-sugar-added popsicles [*]Pureed Foods (3-4 weeks post-surgery) Now, you can start adding slightly textured foods. Think of the consistency of baby foods. This stage will help you transition to more solid foods later. Protein is very important for maintaining muscle while you lose weight. So, you should eat protein-rich foods first, and then move on to fruits and vegetables. Foods in this stage may include: pureed skinless chicken or fish mashed potatoes peas low-fat yogurt or pudding [*]Please note: In the first few weeks you may be able to eat foods that might not be allowed in your diet later, because they may contain too many calories. [*]Remember, it's more important in the first few weeks to let your stomach adjust to the LAP-BAND® System than it is to lose weight. Also, your personal timing and progression into each dietary phase depends on your progress. In general, when it comes to your nutrition, you should follow the advice of your surgeon and/or dietitian. [*]Soft Foods (5 weeks post-surgery) Your meals can now include tender, cooked foods like fish and ground turkey. Now that you can chew, make it a habit to chew foods well. If you have dentures, be sure to cut your food into small pieces and chew your food thoroughly. By not chewing properly, you may experience vomiting, stomach irritation and swelling. You could also have stoma obstruction (obstruction of the stomach opening created by the LAP-BAND® System). Some products like bread, red meat, and rice may still cause you problems, so it is better to eat softer foods that are easier to digest. These might include foods such as moist white meat (chicken or pork) and fish. If solid foods cause any nausea and vomiting, go back to the liquid diet you had earlier. Then you can slowly add soft foods and eventually transition to solid foods. Always ask your doctor or dietitian for advice that is specific to you. Again, remember that vomiting may increase the incidence of band slippage, stomach slippage, or stretching of the small stomach pouch above the LAP-BAND®. Back to Top

What is everyone's pre op diets? I have been on mine for a week and its been ok I did cheat this weekend but other then that not to bad. I can have grits in the morning, yogurt at 9:30, 11 applesauce, much protein shake, 3 pudding, 5 yogurt, and dinner is another shake.

Some days I feel Im in the green...because I can wait till 10 am to eat....and then there are time I am like wow..i forgot to eat ( that always sounded so lame to me when Id hear skinny ppl say it) Other days I know im not in the green all I can think about is food....and watch the clock for lunch time...I have forced myself not to eat snacks at times I use to...because I know thats head hunger or habits....so I wait a hr....do something and if Im still hungry a hr after that I do get a cheese stick or a yogurt......I want to be in the green all the time !!!

Fluffy - i'm so sorry you lost your grandma, I'm sure that had a lot to do with where your at now. Greif is a big player. I hope things turn around for you soon. To answer your questions; How are you doing with weight loss? Great.. I've been sucessfully looking weight each week. 32.8 Total; made it through thanksgiving happily to say. How are you emotionally? hit or miss... I think that somedays are good, and somedays are very not good.... More personal refletion; than diet related. Are you exercising? Yes, treadmill and eliptical. BUT.... again hit or miss... Usually about 3 times a week, sometimes if I'm really doing good 6, but thats been about 3 of the last 7 weeks. What is your daily routine? Eating: B-Protein shake, S - yogurt, L-protein/starch, S-cheese stick or protein, D-protein/vegi then after work I work out first thing when I get home if I dont', then i don't want to What has been the easiest thing so far? Suprisingly.. The eating... I've been really good at portion's (for the most part) - I have over eaten a couple times, but learned my lesson. No Vomiting or PBing, thank good. What has been the most difficult? lack of support from my husband..... Only with time..... All will adapt....

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.

Why do some people have different diets than mine? i'm allowed full liquids as long as it fits through a straw. so i have pudding diluted with milk, yogurt diluted with milk, protien shakes etc. was only on clear liquids like the first day. i also want to know when you know for sure you are full in this stage?