Search the Community

I'd be sick of the taste too. What kind of Protein shakes are you doing - the prepackaged ones? Have you yet tried the kind you make in your blender with diet milk, fruit, yogurt, and Protein powder? Those are super and taste more like real smoothies.

Im gonna try to reply to everybody because I havent been keeping up since I posted last. @Sassy, what brand? I am using Celebrate, and I think those are specifically for bariatric patients. Carbonation has became a thing for me since I started drinking beer, when I turned 21...which was like a month post op. I know the effects of it though. I know my limits. I cannot chug beer. I will physically feel sick. I physically felt sick the first time I had a large cup of beer. I cannot do that to myself. I cannot make myself feel sick. Rotissaire chicken seems nice, where can I buy it at and under what aisle? Is it one of those things where you plop it in the microwave or what? @krlstlkay - Im bad at actively forgiving myself. I live my life pretty mindlessly. I will mindlessly hop on facebook, mindlessly do this and do that...I think I need to see a nutritionist who has worked with a bariatric patient because right now I DO need help with recipes and stuff. I am living off what a typical college student might do, and Im not a typical college student as much as I want to be... @erp - Maybe thats where I messed up. I never had a clear goal. I wanted to lose weight, but I always wanted to lose weight and it never got me anywhere. I just never really set goals with weights. With health. I just live life. I can try to set a goal like work out twice a week or even once a week but I might not keep it, then whats the point? Thanks Erica @Seela - yeah it did get out of control. I will look at it again tomorrow morning probably. I feel bad now (I always have something to feel bad about haha), because if I were to not reply now I would probably leave it. I have a tendency to post on here when I feel like shit, and eat like shit right before I post on here, and then walk away until the next time. I know its selfish of me...I recognize I can be an asshole like that, but I know otherwise I am a decent human being :X. I hate choosing between Health and School and right now in my life I feel like Im choosing between a social life Im building and health and school, where I really only focus on two of those. If I wanted to, Im sure I can force myself to go to the gym or eat nothing but good stuff....but my life would be miserable. @playlikeworldchamps - I'm not going to lie, one egg may not satisfy me. Three eggs would probably be better, with some cheese. I dont know how much my stomach has stretched out, but I can tell you that before, I had a problem downing 2/3rds of a Premier Protein shake (11oz), and now I can down two of them without much trouble. One greek yogurt or one cheese stick won't be enough for me. One patty wouldnt be enough for me either. Volume wise, I feel like its half of what I would eat. Or less. Im stuck in a point where I feel like I am eating LESS food than I did when I was pre surgery, but more food than I was when I was working up to everyday-foods a month or two after surgery. Once I moved to college and had real food available, the weight stopped losing, and I started maintaining. Now Im gaining. @Selena - She probably does, but my relationship with my mom has never been great. I would turn to you all before my mom. She cares, but too much and it pushes me away.

My doc said 3 meals or 5 small ones. In the beginning I felt like I was eating all day because you can only get in small amounts at a time. As you progress things will change and depending on how you feel you will adjust how often you eat. I'm 6 months and try to eat eggs , cottage cheese , cheese sticks , lentils , milk , Greek yogurt, turkey deli smoked ,chicken , meat , fish , shrimp ,beans(black, red, white, fava , garbanzo) one of these at each meal and add a little salad or veggies on the side. For the first month I lived on protein shakes, chicken flavored protein powder unjury.com , yogurt drinks(salt ,garlic ,water, plus yogurt in blender),cottage cheese,greek yogurt. I tried the protein shots that are 3oz packed with 22grams of protein I couldn't do it!!! tastes horrible! I even went back and got whey a more expensive and supposedly better tasting it was still bad! Keeping track of your intake with pen and paper or myfitnesspal.com is what really helps me keep track of my protein. Congrats on your surgery

Reasons for Weight Loss Surgery Part 1 I was a normal weight child and very active - a “Tomboy”. My home life at best was dysfunctional , at worst, physically and emotionally abusive. Food and access to food was controlled by my mother. You ate what was put on your plate and if you didn’t finish by the time everyone else had, you sat there until you did. Didn’t finish? Your plate was put in the refrigerator and served again at breakfast and again until you ate it. You were not allowed to help yourself to something to eat in between meals and there were no “after school snacks” unless I had a friend over. When I had company, treats like milk and cookies were offered but I knew better than to have any - as soon as the other child had gone home, I’d be castigated for having eaten the “treats” which were “just for company“. I was also schooled not to accept any snacks at a playmates’ house. If by chance the other parent mentioned to my mother that, “the kids had a snack of…“ as soon we got home I would be punished. Food and the withholding of food figured prominently in our disciplining. Poor grade on a test - I was sent to my room to await my father’s return from work. At which point I would be beaten with a belt and sent to bed with no dinner. Accused of “back talking” - sent to my room to write 1,000 sentences; “I will not back talk” - and provided an apple and a glass of milk per day until the task was completed. My mother designated food as belonging to certain people; “your father’s cookies”, “my ice cream”. To ensure my brothers and I didn’t, “steal” or “sneak” food, it was often hidden. When I was 9 or 10, my younger brother already had a weight problem so to ensure neither of us were eating outside of my mother’s control, we were locked in our rooms at night. Mealtime was itself was a miserable experience. My father would come home from work to down a pitcher of martinis and as my mother would harangue about a variety of issues, we would sit down to dinner. To deflect my father’s anger away from her, my mother would pick a scapegoat. Usually, it was me. Both of my parents made it clear from the time I was a small child that they hadn’t wanted a daughter, thus I was fair game for humiliation for any shortcomings ranging from a poor grade or a messy room to not being invited to a party. More often than not the verbal abuse would denigrate to being slapped, punched or dragged by my hair from the room before being beaten with a belt. I learned to eat fast and get away from the table as quickly as possible. At age 13, my mother became concerned that I was getting, “too fat” and took me to the pediatrician for my annual physical. The doctor assured her my weight was normal and that I was developing into a woman. As we left the doctor’s office my mother told me that she, “Didn’t care what the doctor said - you’re going on a diet!“. I tend to recall that day as the day my problems with food really started. My mother was an expert dieter - 5’6’’ and no more than 118 pounds ever. Extremely proud that at the birth of her last child, my second brother, she’d gained no weight, her eating habits were poor: coffee and a cigarette for breakfast, a weight loss shake for lunch, minimal servings of whatever we had for dinner, followed by a large serving of frozen yogurt for dessert. Following the fateful doctor visit, the focus on my weight became excruciating as did the rules. No bread, no dessert, breakfast of coffee and orange juice only. My lunch was packed for me daily and was the same thing - dry tuna, an apple, a thermos of skim milk. Dinner was portioned out by my mother - no seconds allowed. We did not celebrate my birthday one year as I was “too fat”. Now in high school, the control over my eating extended to my personal life. My mother went though my drawers, reading notes from friends, refusing to allow me to drive, or work, putting me on social restrictions for months. Despite this I was a solid B+ student, class officer and involved in numerous clubs and school organizations. At home the physical and verbal abuse continued; I had, “thunder thighs”, “whale lips”, “piano legs”. I chose a college five hours away from home. While I quickly got the hang of college life, the availability of food was something I wasn’t used to. I joined at sorority and lived in the house. We were provided with three meals a day and it certainly wasn’t the narrow selections offered to me a home. Other girls were eating bread and dessert - it wasn’t long before I was eating like everyone else. I was 118 pounds when I left home and 133 when I came home for Thanksgiving my freshman year. My mother was furious and refused to speak to me again after advising me that if I wasn’t down to 118 by Christmas, there’d be no presents. I wasn’t and there weren’t. When I came home for the summer break that year I was up to 156. This time I was advised that it was too humiliating to be for her to been seen in public with a “pig” and that if I wasn’t 120 by the time it was time to return to school there would be no new clothes. That summer passed with her indirect references to me as “her”, “she” and “it”, using other family members to communicate as necessary. I came home from my summer job on my birthday to find my parents had left that day for a beach vacation with my brothers. The note left indicated that no one wanted me to go as it was too embarrassing to be seen with someone as “disgusting” as me. I left for college that fall - 123 pounds but no new clothes as I weighed “too much”. I haven’t worn shorts or a bathing suit since then. (Continued...)

Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong. My last app. with my surgeon, I weighed 301. Then my clearance interview at the hospital, I weighed 296. On my surgery day, I weighed 287. 1wk after surgery, 281. 2wks after, 271. Today the 3rd wk 276. How is this possible? Let me tell you what I eat: every morning, protein shake and water which I sip all day cos my stomach can't handle much. Noon: I mix Greek and light & fit yogurt and it takes me about 1hr to finish but this is after about 15-20mins walk cos I want to make time to eat and my lunch time is only 1hr. After work, I walk about 20mins to the train station instead of taking the bus. At home, I eat 2-3 spoons of retried beans or fruits or tuna and then more water. I get bad cramps when I eat more than so I try to avoid eating more than what I listed honestly. So, what am I doing wrong? Why is everybody dropping pounds like water and I can't? Is there something wrong with me? I'm really pushing myself cos I know I will get results but it seems like nothing is within reach.

Ok first things first take a breath. Now from my binder I'm pre surg by the way but you can have things like soup think tomato butternut squash anything that is not starchy you can have yogurt Greek is best I personally love oikos triple zero. You can have protein shakes provided they are whey isolate first ingredient. Sent from my SM-T380 using BariatricPal mobile app

As I type, I am having tomato Soup with unjury powder in it. I have also mixed it into yogurt too. One thing I like in the morning is a cup of milk, a container of yogurt, and a scoop of Unjury blended together. It's a nice smoothie! I am only a week post-op so I am still only on liquids (nothing thicker than yogurt).

Sounds like you are confusing volume vs weight. My doctor says that at perfect restriction you should be satisfied at 4 oz (weight) total per meal and not be hungry for 5 hours. Since I am not a rescriction that is not enough for me. After my fills I do 24 hours full liquids and then 24 hours mushies. Full liquids I do 8 oz of soup (like tomato not broth) and a while later a protein shake (at least 8 oz). When I move to mushies I have for breakfast 6 oz greek yoghurt (thicker than regular yogurt) with 1/4 scoop protein powder, for lunch/dinner I have canned chicken made with laughing cow cheese 3 oz, and half sweet potato. When you are on liquids or mushies I would try spacing out your food so that you eat every couple hours. Yes you might have more than 3 cups a soup that day but if they are low fat/cal (100 cal.) what's the big deal?

I do have one concern, he took out 2cc's today so that I could have a tube down my throat during surgery, I'm so praying I don't gain any weight during this. One thing I'm craving and haven't been able to eat with almost 6cc's in is a 2" Subway turkey sub with all the veggies so I will indulge on that one for sure but other than that I will stick with one cup per meal and string chees and greek yogurt for my go to snacks if I get hungry in between meals.

Just curious - I had my last fill on 9.11 and have been eating fine - last night i overate but not too severely but today I woke up so tight my chest hurt a little - haven't really been that tight before. Tried drinking tang, coffee and yogurt drink and all came up. I seem to be able to keep my saliva down but still haven't drank anything and its noon. Should I just stay off everything liquid and solid until dinner - or is this something to be concerned about?

All you pre-op folks sound like you are doing really good. Really, apart from making the decision to get banded the pre-op is the most difficult both mentally and physically. After that it gets much easier, and once you are on the other side it is so worth it. For me, I had to remember that I was not saying good bye to food but rather see you later. I will go have a yogurt as a show of support. Hang in there, Andrew

You had LapBand whereas I had Gastric Bypass so what I am saying may seem a little different but I think as far as nutrition post-op, it will be important and applicable. The three most important elements right after weight loss surgery are to meet your daily protein, fluid and vitamin requirements. Food is secondary because your body is converting your stored fat into the energy that drives your body. Thus you lose weight. For me weight loss is achieved after surgery through meal volume control. I began with 2 ounces (1/4 cup) per meal and gradually over the next year and a half increase the volume to 1 cup per meal. With this minuscule amount of food, it is next to impossible to meet your protein daily requirements by food alone, so therefore I needed to rely on supplements such as protein shakes and protein bars. So since you are in the maintenance phase, the goals will change. The elements of protein, fluid and vitamins will still be important but rather than taking them as supplements, one can eat real food to supply those needs. According to my nutritionist, meals should consist of equal parts of protein, fats and carbs after the first couple years post-op. Always put protein first. Snacks should be limited to primarily whole food options: nuts, natural nut butters, fruits, veggies, boiled eggs, string cheese, yogurt with berries and almonds, tuna pouches. Avoid processed packaged foods as much as possible. In your case, you will need to assess your daily protein consumption. In general you should be consuming around 75-90 grams of protein daily. If you are under this amount, you will need to make up that difference by taking supplements such as protein shakes or protein bars. In my case I avoid sugar like the plague and try to limit some types of carbs (bread, rice, pasta) to one meal a day. Most veggies (greens) I do not constraints. It is just a matter of finding the veggies that appeal to you the most. Remember you can use fruits and veggies as snacks.

I was banded on the 10th and had been feeling really good. The last couple of days I feel like I have a band around my chest and its very hard to eat or drink anything. I have been eating soups, yogurt, applesauce, mashed potatoes and such. Reheat is the deal?

I was banded two days before you and am also on mushies. I find that yogurt and cottage cheese are good for protein but aren't that filling. My dr allows us to have fish and tuna. I find that tuna salad fills me up immediately. I had 3cc put in during surgery but I still find that I am hungry. My 1st fill is scheduled for 5/9.

For me, yogurt can be a good breakfast, because it fills me up for a long time, but if you find that you are hunger a couple of hours later, it might not be a good breakfast for you. Other than that, I agree with everything that Sue said, lol. My dad tells me that when you start working out, you should give it 6 to 12 WEEKS for things to settle in and get moving the way you want it too. I didn't like that. I want to see results NOW!! Anyway, keep it up, and if you find yourself hungrier than you think you should be, check in for another fill. :cake:

I'm already on that stage .. it's so funny to me how everyone has different foods that are allowed per each phase. Phase 2 for me is thicker soup, but still runny cream of wheat, yogurt, jello , pudding ,things like that.. I want like chewy mouth texture food.. ughh..

Oh yeah, its on! I was up at 5 am and working out at the gym by 5:20 am this morning. Now, let me tell you, I was sooooo tired and didn't want to get up, after all I was at the gym until after 10:00 pm last night. But I knew that I would not be able to go tonight - so I forced myself up. I'm glad I did it! First of all, I had a great workout last night, it lasted 2 hours, I did 60 min on elliptical and 60 min with weights, working my lower body. This morning was pure cardio - did 45 min on the elliptical. Tomorrow, I'm planning on another 2 hours at the gym, planning on doing 60 min of cardio and 60 min of weights (working the upper body) Today's menu: 8:00 am - coffee w/cream 2 boiled eggs & 2 slices of thin bacon (290 cal) 11:00 - protein shake made with skim milk (200 cal) 2:00 - Tuna & broccoli (180 cal) 4:30 - yogurt, banana (160 cal) 6:00 - carrots & hummus (100 cal) 9:00 - Weight watchers snack - (140 cal) As you can see, I'm eating quite often, just small meals. Trying to blast my matabolism by eating every 2 to 3 hours. I also retook my measurements last night, and I did not weigh this morning. I put the scales up. I am avoiding the scales until 12/14/09. A two week progress check. I will re-measure and weigh at that time to see how I'm doing. Okay, I'm off to work..............

I usually eat every couple of hours but I make sure I have more protein, especially for snacks. Protein and exercise are the key. If I don't have both of these then I don't lose weight. I eat the lowest carb yogurt, protein bars, protein shakes, chicken, pork, cheese sticks. Keep the carbohydrates as low as possible. There is alos a good low carb, high protein cereal you can buy from netrition.com.

Thanks so much!! Ahh the tuna isn't the problem I ate the tuna after my hunger, as in I was extremely hungry therefore I ate the tuna , not the other way around. I only ate tuna at the hospital and then during that one hunger pang. I should've been more clear it seems like everyone thinks I'm eating tuna daily. And the tuna is Pureed to mush not solid tuna. In between I'm eating soft scrambled eggs and yogurt, cottage cheese, Protein Shakes, Soups, nothing crazy. I can tolerate these no problem I just have hunger pangs here in there. And I'm still learning what my body is telling me if it likes certain things or not. So it's a learning experience. Thanks!!

.....This is going to sound bad...but my favorite food EVER is the pretzel lean pocket with jalapenos....I'm kind of happy to know I might be able to eat one someday. La'Shaunda: chicken and salt with some greek yogurt pureed for chicken salad? I would use the canned chicken. That's what I have planned. Greek yogurt, it's a good source of protein. I know people that puree chili. I've been digging refried beans, sour cream and a ton of chedder blended and heated in the micro lately. It just has to be the consistency of thick soup. Right now I'm just walking. I was told no hard core exercise or lifting for 6 weeks. So mine told me to walk as long as possible each day. We live in the country and I have a pretty long driveway. I just pace it. Up and down up and down. My mister and cub go with me. It's actually fun. We talk about our days. I'm sure our neighbors think we're quite mad.

I'm told as a post-menopausal woman to get a minimum of 1200mg of calcium a day. It's important to get calcium citrate as it is better absorbed in the absence of food. most calcium citrate comes in huge pills. You can try those, but even breaking them and putting in yogurt or applesauce caused me pain, even back when I had very little fill. I prefer the chewables that I get from Bariatric Advantage. Celebrate also makes a chewable calcium citrate. And there's a brand out there, OTC that makes a Calcium Citrate "mini" for easier swallowing.. can't remember the brandname right now. I've used them when I ran out of my BAdvantage.. they're tolerable. Some people use the Viactiv chewables. I suppose they're ok, but I don't like the fact that there's hydrogenated oil in them. YMMV. I don't know about Iron poisoning.. sounds a bit far fetched to me. When I was needing Iron, I took Slow-Fe. It releases slowly and causes much less problems with constipation than other formulations. If you choose to get more iron via your diet, make sure you're not drinking too much tea. Tea can block the absorption of iron. Good for you for being on top of this!! You don't want to get osteoporosis or osteopenia from lack of calcium/vit. D. I take a D supplement.. low D is associated with many things, including depression. It's about time to get in and get my levels checked.. spring tune up so to speak. ::grin::

I really love you all!!! Thanks so much! I did take my PPI this morning & so far, so good. I have had 12 oz Water (not doing so great today) so far & nearly an entire 5.3 oz container of 100 calorie Yoplait Green Lemon flavored yogurt. NUT said to stay away from seeds & the first bite I had of yogurt was strawberry & got a mouth full of itty bitty seeds that I spit out (well, wipe them off my tongue with a napkin actually). Now I'm having my first Protein shake of the day which is 110 calories/14 grms of protein & I mixed it with 6 oz of fat free milk, which has protein too but not sure how much?? Have to get back to drinking water like I did yesterday. I was so hungry yesterday so that's why I drank so much! I do find that when I drink my stuff super cold, it goes down better for me. Also, I can take a nice sized gulp too. I don't have to take an itty bitty sip like the NUT said & everyone else. Only if it's cold tho! If I hadn't seen my upper GI x-ray, I'd have really wondered if I had been sleeved, but I saw my banana shaped/sized tummy so it must have happened! With the hunger I had yesterday tho, I was really doubting I did have the surgery! Thanks so much for all your help! It's nice to come here where people understand cause as much as my hubby wants to understand, he just doesn't since he hasn't been in my shoes. He won't ever be either since he knows how to control himself, unlike me.

Sure thing! I actually ate this evening without gagging...getting better, I hope. I do eat yogurt every day.

I HATE those sweet shakes. I now use Gene Pro. Its 30g of flavorless protien in ONE tablespoon. You heard me right. Google it. I add it to my yogurt in the AM. The food thing gets easier. I started on pulled pork yesterday. Oh, I'm 7 weeks out. I'm eating meat, chicken, some pork, and I've made beef stew and ate it with no problem. Just have to chew well. I also measure out how much to eat. Don't push to hard. Eat to much or to fast, and the food comes back up, and you wind up "sliming", that is saliva that is foamy.

During the liquid phase, at work, I primarily ate greek 2% yogurt mixed with a little milk to thin it out. Then I would add a packet or two of splenda. That and a Protein shake was usually enough to get me through the work day.