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I use it in my protein shakes and will make sugar free pudding (1/2 skim milk 1/2 Greek yogurt) I also will mix sugar free tarino syruips in it strawberry is my favorite.

Yes! I have the same thing. Greek yogurt, one day I love it. The next, just the smell turns me off. Eggs, fab for a week straight, the next week, nope, not today. It's an interesting process and I just accept it for what it is. I usually know within a bite or two.

I have a 11 cc band did not get restriction until 10.6. Are you weighing your protein? My doctor says 3 oz. If you are not getting enough protein that will stall your loss and make you feel hungry. I have greek yogurt for breakfast and add half a scoop of vanilla isolate to up the protein (add splendra since Greek yogurt is sour).

PS - I have been on liquids since I had the "maybe" fill yesterday - In case it is a kinked tube, and not a leak, I may have increased restriction after the 1cc he put in to test the tube - I have only been drinking water/tea and yogurt but I'm pretty sure I have increased restriction - so doesn't that mean I haven't slipped or eroded? and does it mean I don't need to have my band removed immediately????? (please say yes!)

Good job! I lost 4.2 this week. I think because I started back having a protien shake in the mornings. I only got in 2 workouts last week, but my brother got married Sunday and I danced the night away, so I'm contributing my loss to that. I, like you, also do not count calories. That is not a way of life. I eat what I want in small portions. I was away the whole weekend and I think I did pretty good considering the fact I ate nothing home cooked. The hotel had breakfast and I had sausage and a french toast stick, or greek yogurt and strawberries. I had half a piece of cake and half a kiddie portion of frozen custard this weekend. I feel really good and I got a lot of compliments about my weight loss. I ordered an elliptical machine yesterday, I have always wanted one. I can't wait to start! Keep up the good work sleeve sis

I lost 1.2 lbs this week. This puts my current weight at 215.4 (from a high of 246). My total weight loss since starting this journey has been 30.6 lbs (average weight loss per week is 2.5….which does not include the 10 lbs I lost post op). I am two months PostOp and I am pretty much eating whatever I want – except in smaller amounts (examples of things I am eating – watermelon, spaghetti, cereal, small salads, asparagus, etc.). If it can fit into one of my 4 oz containers that is how much I eat. Best meal this week was a tomato, mozzarella, basil salad with left over fresh tuna my husband caught (ate separately…drizzled wasabi, soy, ginger dressing on the tuna..yum!). The day before I had the tuna on a small bed of lettuce with the dressing and sliced up cucumbers. Please note that I don’t enjoy cooking at all. I did make the tomato/mozzarella salad but my husband cooked the tuna. I’ve been looking up “make ahead” salads so I have more healthy “go to” items in the fridge (this weekend I want to try a black bean confetti salad and a Texas caviar salad – found easy recipes through pinterest). I thought those would be good with some pre-cooked chicken. I made the mistake of watching the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead this week. Now I want a juicer and started obsessing about getting in micro nutrients (I liked parts of the documentary but not all of it. It is about juice fasting.). I also made the mistake of weighing myself every day (which has not helped me mentally and has me questioning everything I am eating when I am eating below 1200 calories as it is). I am close enough to being under 200 to “taste” it. We bought plane tickets to go home this summer and I would love to be under 200 when I go. I am feeling some “self pressure” to drop those pounds in the coming month which I think is contributing to my recent blah mood (mainly because I know I should probably join the Y and get on a regular exercise program if I want to lose that weight in the next month). I had a moment yesterday where everything was ticking me off and all I wanted to do was go and eat and eat and eat. I went to McDonalds and got a hot fudge sundae and that made my stomach feel horrible and I pretty much didn’t eat for the rest of the night. I was mad that I couldn’t eat like I wanted but got over that (I’m normally a pretty happy person so I am going to blame my recent mood on PMS). My exercise is still hit or miss and not really planned. I walked 3 miles on Saturday and did some hiking and a lot of walking around on Sunday. I am not counting calories or weighing my food (too much “work” for me). I am eating in 1, 2 or 4 oz increments (these are the mini containers I purchased so my meals are measured with that). Here is an idea of what I am eating: Breakfast – High Protein Slimfast Chocolate Shake with Skim Milk (sometimes with strawberries or bananas blended in). Sometimes Go Lean Crunch cereal with skim milk served in a ramekin. Sometimes a ready to drink shake that I have on hand in case I am running late. Sometimes an Atkins bar. Snack (around 10 a.m.) – Atkins bar or 4 oz flavored greek yogurt with 1 oz of Go Lean Crunch mixed in or applesauce or jello. Lunch (I usually start eating from 11:30 to 1 p.m. in little increments) 4 oz applesauce 4 oz of left over dinner (i.e. spaghetti, grilled tuna, sliced ham and cheese, usually something with protein, etc.) 4 oz watermelon (this is a recent thing but I have also had sliced cucumbers too) Sugar Free Jello snack pack Mid Snack (around 3 p.m.) – Almonds, Atkins bar, yogurt, cheese stick (any of those) Dinner (around 5:30) 4 oz of dinner 4 oz of veggies with dinner (I usually don’t eat the carbs that go with the dinner) Desert – SF popsicle, cut up fruit, or SF gelatin

I tried frozen yogurt last week, maybe1/2 cup, and I had the same issue!

I out some in plain yogurt the other day with a little protein powder and some sugar free chocolate Torani syrup. It was pretty good! Otherwise yes I use it in my shakes occasionally. It's pretty strong. A little goes a long way

Jenmv - I don't have gas or reflux. I can have Protein shakes and yogurt shakes etc. I drink all day but I still need more "substance." I know it will get better once I start the puréed phase. Thanks for the egg drop soup suggestion. I think I can have that. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Today marks 1 month since my surgery. Little back history for me, my start weight in March during diet for surgery: 280#. My surgery day: 269#. Today, I'm at 256#. I started and am currently still at at class 3 obesity. Posting before and after pictures. I read and hear so many positive stories on how others lost 30+ pounds their first month. I should be happy with the fact I am losing weight but super slowly. I'm considered a "slow loser" apparently. I'm down 13 pounds in 1 month. I go 5-6 days plateaued same weight before I drop another pound. It's quite annoying. I've been drinking/drinking protein shakes, yogurt, cottage cheese and when I'm not working, I drink between 64-96 oz of water. When I'm working (I work as a warehouse worker and does get to heavy lifting at times), I can hardly down 16 oz of water. When I work, I get excited thinking, "I'm burning so many calories, I'm bound to finally lose that pound!" Just to be disappointed. I weigh daily, I have a separate nutritionist outside of the place I got my surgery as the nutritionist there hasn't helped much, doesn't respond or pay much attention when I try talking to them. So, I found a different one. I tried not weighing in each day, went a week, only to still be disappointed with the same weight. I do occasionally lick unhealthy items or chew and spit out just to get some flavor again. It's not often. Something different about me is I have a lot of muscle naturally. I also have PCOS. I've read PCOS can stall weight loss. I do for sure see changes in my stomach, not so much in my face or my arms...but why can't I be happy about this? Is this like a depression thing others have gone through? I'd love some others opinions, stories, how you're feeling right now.

Jerseybest IMHO - If you can't eat hard Proteins you are too tight - this isn't about starving - it's about having good restriction but being able to eat real food and not to live on soup and mushies - what are you learning?? the band is more than just restiction - it's about making this a lifetime lifestyle change in our eating and exercise habit - We are suppose to eat real food - healthy foods. You should be able to eat 1/2 - 1 cup of hard proteins - that's good restriction. Tiny bites - eat slowly and chew very well. Do you plan on living on Soups & mushies for the rest of your life?? My food for a day Bf - 1/2 cup Eggbeater w/green onions & ham & cheese (2% and just a sprinkle) or Greek Yogurt w/fruit Snack - 2 oz Jerky lunch - 3-4 oz of hard Protein (meat/fish) 1/2 c Veggies Snack - pre work out 1/2 pt bar - or some complex carbs dinner - 4 oz of meat/fish, 1/2 c Veggies and about every other night rice. Snacks - 100 Cal Snack pack popcorn - WW fudgesciles - Gym 4 x a week - 1 hr each visit Lost 114 lbs - have maintained that loss for 2.5 yrs - Starting weight 250 - Current weight 136/138 - Age 55 Be careful - being too tight can cause acid reflux and other issues.... Good Luck...

I've found that there's a big cultural difference around what we eat as our normal diet in Australia and what we view as balanced versus what is more normal in the US. The main thing I've noticed is the Protein thing. The high protein low carb diet has been pretty much maligned and debunked in our culture - NOT that I'm saying that's correct or right or having a go at anybody here - and we're led much more towards a different balance of protein and carbs. I think Australia has realised that the high carb/low fat diet that became de rigeur during the 80's is not working to make the population slimmer and healthier and there's more of a move towards a low GI diet containing more protein and a smaller quanity of wholegrains. Although the CSIRO Wellbeing Diet copped a hiding in The Age recently, the cynical journo making note of the fact that it's sponsored by the meat and Livestock industry. Interestingly in Dr. John Tickells new book he notes that the longest living populations in the world eat loads of Beans, legumes, fruit and veg, lots of fish and only about 200g of red meat a week. On a practical note for bandsters I was told to only include nutritional drinks/protein shakes during the liquid phase and then abolish them forever, along with all other calorie laden liquids in favour of a solid diet. I was also told to eat 2 cups of vegetables a day, um, how I'm supposed to manage that much I have no idea. I just think we're so blessed in this country to have the wonderful range of fresh produce that we do and its still very easy and cheap to eat a totally fresh diet without relying on packaged foods. I personally think the less human intervention in what I eat the better, and I like to stick with organic produce despite the cost, better for me, better for my kids. I get wonderful organic fruit and veg delivered in a box every Friday. I agree to avoid white bread, white rice and white Pasta - I think there's something in the theory of fat storage and insulin imbalanced and I'm only just weaning off mushies but I like to start my day with a high fibre Cereal like All Bran, oatmeal or Weetbix with fruit, I have some sort of salad, usually with a legume like chickpeas and maybe some cottage cheese for lunch and dinner has basically been a protein and vegetables. I've had the odd thing like a few chewy toffees, Christmas pudding or the odd glass of wine and I try to include yogurt and fruit for Breakfast every couple of days and try to eat some fruit for an afternoon snack. I'm supplementing with a multi Vitamin and a bit of Iron. I'm happy with this balance, my body runs well on it which is all that really matters, I think this whole protein balance thing depends really on what YOUR body runs best on. But I'd be very worried to be eating lots of protein foods and only a spoonful or so of vegetables with a meal, not getting my fruit in. Fast track to bowel cancer if you ask me. I think probably high protein works great to zap weight off but its my whole body I want to be healthy, I dont just want to be thin. Anyway, its working for me. Everybody neesd to do what they feel best doing and what they've been instructed to do by their dieticians/surgeons.

I found that Brown Cow Greek yogurt is wonderful stuff. It doesn't have the "bite" that other Greek yogurst sometimes do (I had to force myself to eat the yoplait Greek yogurt) and comes in 2 sizes...the regular one with 130 calories and 13 grams of protein and a smaller on 100c/10g. It has fruit on the bottom which gives it a lot of sweetness and is easy to swallow...you could add a little water to thin it even more to be drinkable. I am using it as a substitute for my protein drink and to satisfy my craving for something sweet. It also has no over sweet taste from artificial sweeteners which makes me gag so a picky person can get protein/calcium. If I want to eat emotionally...and this urge is fading fast...I have a stash of "safe foods" like the yogurt and a variety of 100 calorie packs to get me through it. As my nutrition improves I have far fewer cravings. Maybe some emotional eating is triggered by stress demanding certain nutrients we are normally low on? Makes a certain sense to me.

Enjoy!!! I had my surgery Dec. 7 and had 1/2 of a greek yogurt for christmas dinner. The good thing as that I wasn't hungry!!!! Wishing all the best in the new year!!!

Yes, I'm ten days out and already on puréed but I was on that by the 3rd day although I have not been able to eat any purée only yogurt, jello, and Popsicles. I have taken myself back to the liquid stage bc I know my body best and its not ready for puréed lol

Are you taking an acid reducer? That helps with the hungry feeling. Are you allowed Protein shakes yet? If so, that might be a solution for the evening hungries. Make it a treat by using a flavor you associate with dessert, if you can tolerate sweets. How are you doing on protein and Water? I'm learning now that sometimes my "hungry" feeling is actually thirst. If I get in all my water, I don't feel hungry. And, I'm a little different than many...if I'm actually hungry, I eat something small. Can you do cottage cheese or cream Soups? Both will help fill you up and aren't sweet. I see that you're allowed plain greek yogurt, so maybe one of these is allowed for you right now. I'd suggest broth, but you're probably sick of that by now. But, something warm in the evening might be just what your sleevie wants to see. Good luck! You are doing great so far.

As the others have said Greek yogurt has much more protein than regular yogurt... I think Fage is the best, try Fage 2% with half a banana cut into small cubes its really good.

I could have low fat yogurt on my liquid diet. I added different flavor carb solution high Protein powders to the yogurt to give it taste. I made it through the 10 days! Donna

You did beautifully. I understand. I have a work potluck. Yay. For two days in a ROW there will be an office FULL of food and 13 chicks stuffing their faces like they've never eaten before in their lives. We had 2 people graduate and 2 student workers are leaving. So yay. ugh. I'm leaving for lunch, not going to the break room at all...I'm going to drink my water, eat my babybell and then my yogurt, I'll shop during lunch. I'm just going to ignore it. IT AND THE 13 CHIPMUNKS WITH CAKE IN THEIR CHEEKS.

AZNikki, glad to know someone else is wondering if the pain that exists is because of the surgery or if it is hunger pains. I've come to the conclusion it is just surgery pain because I think I actually had a hunger pain about 30 minutes ago. I'm sipping my water now and hope this will do the trick for me. I had surgery on Wednesday so this is Day 4 for me and I was able to eat about 3 oz of Cream of Chicken soup earlier (yummy) and I also got down 3 oz of yogurt. This is the first day that I was able to have anything creamy and what a treat.

I just started mushies this weekend. (WooHoo - real food!!) I found the Isopure banana Cream protien powder is very tasty. I make a breakfast shake of 4oz. skim milk, 2/3 scoop of powder (the right amount for 1/2 cup of milk/water) and 1/2 a real banana. This has about 165 calories and 21 grams of protien. I'm also eating the Greek yogurt and hummas. I also broke down and had a can of sardines. Yum Yum. And they are soft & flaky so I think it was OK. (And healthy.)

Goodness, I can go days without even noticing how or what I am eating and then wham, the restriction is intense and that knot in my stomach feeling is there again. Not Complaining as I am glad it is still there but man I didn't enjoy that feeling the first several months. I still get a kick out if eating a yogurt cup and knowing my stomach can't/won't hold another bite.

Happy Saturday Bandsters! Hope everyone has had a great week. I finally fell like I am getting back on track from my last fill on January 30th. This time it has taken me much longer to recover and get adjusted to my meal plan, it has been like step one learning to eat all over again. I really struggled the first couple of weeks post fill and had to rely on protein shakes more than I would have liked to but I am finally eating solids 3 meals a day, no hunger or snacking between meals and able to get at least 90% of my protein with solids. I still struggle a little in the mornings with solids, but I just keep trying and eventually I know I will be able to do breakfast of eggs again. So for now breakfast will just have to be Greek Yogurt with some additional berries and a little high protein Kashi. My weight loss since the fill has finally leveled off to about a pound a week, but the rapid weight loss during the first few weeks made my hair start to fall out again. I was bad, I did not take my vitamins like I should have and now am paying for it but have gotten back on track this past week. I went back to the gym this morning, this is the first time I have done formal exercise, except walking since my knee surgery last year in November. It felt good just to make my self go, I took it slow and did not over do it, I was a little nervous and afraid I would struggle with the knee exercises but I did well. Exercised for 40 minutes than stretched for 10-15 minutes. Great way to start a Saturday, I have decided to go to the gym on Tuesday and Thursdays after work, and Saturday mornings. I am going to try hard not to over do it like I did last time so I do not re-injure myself. I also had them to remeasure me this morning and since I started the gym last year, I have dropped 23.3 lbs and 23.75 inches, not to bad since I have not exercised since September of last year. I think the most dramatic drop has been my waist and my bust. I have dropped my waist from 40 inches to 33 inches and 5 inches off my bust. Needless to say, it is time to buy bras again... Again I could put my husbands tube socks in to fill out the cups. I really need to work on my thighs, honestly out of all of my saggy body parts, I hate my upper inner thighs. If anyone has any good suggestions for some great exercises for the inner thighs let me know, I am going to concentrate on the legs so at least I won't look to much like a Shar Pia this summer. This week I was reading the blogs and really liked one that (MorelGirl) I think the blog was timely and could really hit home for a lot of us, Logical Me and Emotional Me. That blog really hit home for me, logically I always know what I should be doing but emotionally sometimes it is so difficult to remember everything I am suppose to do and not allow the emotional side win over the logical side. Take for instance, waiting so long to get a fill, I knew for months I needed a fill, but kept telling myself, you can do this, you can manage your portions, you know what to eat. Well logically, yes I do know what to eat, but it was nice to eat what everyone else was eating, little pizza, little bread, little pasta. Even thought I did not gain weight, I was not losing, I had convinced myself I was just at a plateau but honestly that was emotional me trying to convince logical me that it was OK to eat that stuff. So I will not cry over spilled milk and I will not lose anymore time feeling sorry for time lost. I am refocused, back on track and will faithfully blog and be accountable to myself. It is so easy to drift back into bad habits, and thank you Morel Girl for snapping me back into reality. So since I am back in the Green Zone and back on track I am posting a few tips for all of us to learn to live by. Please learn from my mistakes, do not give up on the band, remember to use it as the tool it was designed to be. If your adjustments are not quite right keep going back and insisting they get them right. Remember it is not the amount in your band but how you respond to the amount in your band. It takes some of us longer than others to get to our "sweet spot", some just need a little adjustment, some need more. Stay in touch with your surgeon and attend the support groups locally if you can, support is important because even though our family and friends support us if they have never been "overweight" really they can not help us or identify with us. Remember we are all individuals and we will all lose weight and have different amounts in our bands, we should never compare the amounts in our bands, we are indivduals and will all respond differently to the lap band. The most improtant thing we can do is learn from others successes and failures. Standing alone sometimes we may feel powerless but as a group we are strong and very powerful. Have a great weekend friends. Love and Good Luck to all, Diane Lifestyle Guidelines After LAP-BAND® Surgery 10 Tips for healthy living Here are ten simple but important tips that will help you achieve your weight loss goals with the LAP-BAND® System. Remember, your success depends a lot on your ability to commit to a new way of eating — and embrace your new way of living. Show All 1. Aim to eat three small meals a day. The LAP-BAND® System creates a small stomach pouch that can hold about one-quarter cup (approx. 2 oz) of food. Eating more can stretch the stomach, canceling the effect of your procedure. 2. Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. Food can only pass through the new stomach opening (or “stoma”) if it has been chewed into very small pieces (about 15–20 times per bite). 3. Stop eating as soon as you feel satisfied. Once your stomach pouch is full, your body receives a signal that you have eaten enough. If you rush through your meal, you may overeat before this signal reaches your brain. 4. Avoid or limit drinking before or during meals. If you drink in the 15 to 20 minutes before, or during, your meal, the food you eat becomes liquid and the effectiveness of the LAP-BAND® System is greatly reduced. Take only small sips with meals. 5. Limit eating between meals. Snacking between meals is one of the major reasons for weight loss failure. You should not feel hungry between meals. If you are, it’s a good idea to keep healthy snacks on hand. Remember, to listen to your band to stay in the Green Zone. You may need an adjustment if you are persistently hungry. 6. Eat only good-quality, nutritious food. Your meals should be high in protein and vitamins. Don’t fill up on high-sugar, high-fat “junk” foods which lack the important vitamins and nutrients you need. Talk to your doctor to determine the right nutrition and vitamin supplement plan for you. 7. Avoid fibrous food. In general, foods that contain many fibers, like asparagus, can block the stoma. Even with thorough chewing, saliva sometimes cannot break the fibers down enough for them to pass. Try cooking fibrous foods well, then cut them into very small bites and chew them thoroughly. You’ll soon learn what your body can and cannot tolerate. 8. Drink enough fluids during the day. Drink at least 6 to 8 glasses of water daily, in small amounts, all day long (but not right before, during or after meals). This helps you stay hydrated and eliminate waste from your body. 9. Drink only low-calorie liquids. If you drink high-calorie liquids (even healthy ones like fruit juice) you may not lose weight, even if you are following your diet with good, band-friendly eating habits. 10. Keep moving. This is an important tip. Physical activity burns calories and increases weight loss. Once your doctor clears you to exercise, aim for 30 to 45 minutes of moderate to high activity, 3 to 5 times a week. A lot of calorie-burning activities can be fun and rewarding.

I'm curious now i see some people got the band remove, so what can someone do to take care of the band? I'm really looking forward to getting mine but should i be scare? I know i will have to give up diet Pepsi for ever and Im OK with that and what ever else i need to do. will i be eating yogurt for ever? how do u get a slip? or eruption? what kind of warranty do you get? what should i be looking for before getting the band? I want to think this band will save my life but I'm worry what if i don't lose weight after paying all this money its not cheap. I spend all day thinking about this what if what if I'm the one in the world it don't work for? andree

I found for me that to keep my weight loss going I needed to cut out processed carbs. I still eat carbs, but they are primarily in the forms of vegetables and occasional fruit and only very rarely eat potatoes/crackers/etc maybe to around once per month. Typical day for me: Breakfast - 2 egg omelette with a little onions & green peppers tossed in and some low fat cheddar. Sometimes I will just have a cheesestick. Sometimes I am really tight in the morning and will just have a slimfast optima, but rarely. lunch - Tuna salad with a little low fat mayo & pickles and a small salad (maybe 1/2 cup tuna salad and 1/2 cups salad). Sometimes I will roll up a little turkey and cheese in a piece of lettuce and will have broccolli or something on the side. Sometimes I will have 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1/2 piece of fruit. dinner - Salmon cooked with dill and non-stick cooking spray on the stove top with a salad near of chopped cucumber, dill and a little smashed garlic mixed into 1/4 cup of low fat yogurt. I could have a small chicken breast with steamed veggies. Sometimes I will make a small lean hamburger and eat it without the patty with a salad on the side. I stalled for about a month before I changed what I was eating. Before I changed I was eating mashed potatoes, oatmeal, etc and I could not lose like this, eventhough my calories were down.