My 16 year old daughter got banded last Wed. Dec 22 (which made for an intresting Christmas). It will be a week tomorrow and she keeps telling me she is so hungry- I went ahead and fed her runny mashed potatoes. It seems to help for a while. She does not want yogurt or pudding but food-well there is not much food on a full liquid diet. She very distressed from not eating. She has lost about 8lbs but it is the hardest 8lbs I have ever seen anyone lose. It is very hard for a mother to watch. She has had some health problems and the extra weight did not help matters.

Any help would be appreciated.

Can she have protein shakes? The extra protein in them might help her feel fuller? Just tell her to hang in there. I does get better.

((((((((HUGS)))))))))))

Yes, one thing is get those protien shakes down her. GNC, makes a knockout 100% Whey protien in chocolate carmel. I take that and mix it with low carb milk and then put in a teaspoon of banana or chocolate sugarfree and fatfree instant dry pudding mix. I also might put a tablespoon of natural peanut butter...all very yummy.

Whatever you do make sure & help her stick strickly to the diet laid out by your doctor. Its very important for the body to adjust & the band to secure into position, as I am sure you already knew. Seeing that she is so young her mental rewards may come more slowly to her than someone older. But once she sees how strong she can be w/your help she'll be so happy.

If she doesn't want Jello,yogart or puddings you know its all a mental struggle right now.

Make sure she is getting loads of Water in. Please tell her that a week from now she'll be even smaller than last week & all the new beautiful clothes & activities she'll be able to do will far out way her struggle now.

Also try not go on the liquid stage with her. Why not? You'll lose also & it sure will help her to be strong knowing your doing it also. Make sure all junk food is out of the house. Together you'll do great!

I just got banded on Thursday, 12-23 and was on liquids for Christmas...oh, well. It is well worth it. My doctor has me on full liquids (anything through a straw) until January 4. Then I can have mushies (mashed potatoes, etc) for I think 10 days or so before graduating to food. PLEASE follow doctor's advice as this early stage is so critical to the healing of the stomach and the band in place. She should be getting 40 grams of protein (I use shakes) and 64 ounces of water. What about sugar free popsicles or creamed soup? Those are good. But remember, she must have at least 40 grams of protein. Good luck! Kim

The liquid phase was difficult for me, too. I was sooo hungry. What I enjoyed most was soup put in a blender. The Chunky Pot Roast and Chunky Chicken Noodle/Chicken n'Rice were yummy! I don't know how she feels about veggies, but assure her that when you blend it all together, you really can't taste them. (I'm not big on veggies) Hope this helps. With the protein shakes and soup blended completely, she should do better.

Let us know how she's doing in a few days. I have a 13 year old daughter and I can't imagine how difficult this is for you both.

Hugs and prayers!

When I was on mushies and "full liquids" I did wendy's chili and some sour cream in a blender, it looks gross but taste really good. I also added some V8 to thin the mix. If you have a Trader Joe's near you they have some great soups that are thin and have no pieces. I love the tomato and roasted red pepper, it taste like spagetti sauce and is very filling. You can locate a store at www.traderjoes.com They have lots of band friendly foods. ~Mandy

Mandy, thank goodness for Wendy's chili and the refried Beans at Taco Bell, both with sour cream, yummm.

I hope your daughter realizes she is healing and she needs to be very careful what she eats at this point. Don't tell anybody, but I had a milk shake every now and then, while I was on liquids.

If she's not on Clear Liquids just ordinary liquids she can have virtually anything that can be blended to liquid consistency. Make her some decent soups with meat and Pasta in them, it made all the difference to me. Didnt affect my weight loss but gave me much more satisfication, not to mention energy, I was seriously wilting.

Boy, she's got her work cut out for her. At 16 she's going to face all peer pressure that goes along with things like fast food and alcohol. I bet you wish you could put an old head on her young shoulders. She's a very brave girl.

Sorry to hear she is having a difficult time. We all have been there.

I wouldn't mind talking to your daughter if you would like on the phone. I was a heavy teenager and at 27 I finally have control over my life.

Send me a PM if you would like for me to talk to her online or phone.

What a brave and sweet girl, she has a lot of courage. Would she want to read some of the post? Some times the distraction helps. Can she get in some extra sleep? Do you think that she can do something outside the house, perhaps the library? Visit the Pets at a shelter or pet store? I tried everything to keep my mind off my tummy, even though it reminded me often enough! How about a deep massage from a spa? I think the last one is a bit pricey but it sure feels good! It could be a start for loving her body. I agree that the protien drinks are very sustaining. How about getting into beadwork? Making bracelets and earrings and stuff. Its lots of fun, she probably already does most of these things but anything to distract could help. We are all pulling for her!

I am on a liquid diet until 4 weeks post op and even then I need to get the A-ok from my doc. Seeing as how I have to fly to see my doctor, I might not make it at exactly 4 weeks, so I might even be on the liquid diet longer!!!

My liquid diet is clear and I can't start vits and Protein shakes until friday, so I am pretty limited also. What I do is eat a lot of sugar free Jello, lots of sugar free popsicles (I found a variety pack of popsicles, creamsicles and fudgesicles at Albertsons-all sugar free). I drink my Water and then have some flavored propel water too. I also eat chicken broth, drink vegetable juice, diet V8 splash, and tonight I had some cream of chicken flavored Soup that isn't very thick and semi-clear Because I was so hungry I have been cheating and crush up two saltine crackers in my soup. I let them sit in there long enough to be very soggy-that is my treat.

This part has been hard for me but my surgeon is very well respected and trusted so I know he has his patients on a 4 week diet for a reason. You have to tell your daughter to not dwell on food or what she can't have but to let her get excited for what she can. There is enough of a selection to get excited about some allowed foods. This is much easier said than done, I know. But, soon enough she will be done and will look back on this stage and realize how fast it passed.

Above is all good advise on the food part. Also, please consider that food is only one part of solving the hunger problem. Your daughter is struggling with many issues (some of which she is probably not even aware of). Please make sure that she is getting real live support that is dealing with all the non-food issues. As an example from me, I used food to self-medicate so I could cope with my emotional issues and stress. I used my body's reaction to the over production of insulin as a narcotic substitute that gave me several hours of deep calm. No amount of broth or sugar free water is going to replace that.

My nutritionist moved me to mushies after the first week because I was starving! If she doesn't already see one, you might want to find a good nutritionist who has a clear understanding of lap-bands. That being said, make sure she is getting her protein shake and some blended soups. I found that if I avoided the usual carb filled mushies (mashed potatoes, creamy soups, yogurt, etc.), I was alot less hungry. It's all about protein and veggies! Good luck to her, I was a fat teenager and it is no fun at all.

If she can keep busy with a hobby or something she enjoys doing, that will help, too. I know when I just sit around or watch TV, the food cravings come and I eat automatically. If I'm busy with a project, the time flies and I hardly even think about it. If she likes to read, this is a great time to start an good book!

I'd also suggest some counseling if it's possible to help with the food issues and to understand how she got so heavy and how to change the mind set. People here keep saying that the head hunger is worse than the physical hunger, and I'm sure that will be the case for me, too.

Its harder to watch our kids go through something tough than to go through it ourselves, I think. Good luck to you both, and consider yourselves hugged!

Emily

Thank ya'll for all the help and for replying to me so quickly. Today Jenny can start pureed foods so maybe it will get better now. She has lost 11 lbs today and that made her feel a little better. I am going to try to canned soup in a blender and the refried beans and if she wants to the wendy's chili. I know that she is young but she has had a history of kidney problems and at one time they even put her on steroids that that made her weight even worse. She has lots of friends (although she has choose not to tell most of them that she got banded).

She was over 300lbs so this had to be done.

We researched for a long time and finally convinced Dr. Wilson with UT in the Houston Medical Center to take us. He is very well known and respected so we will survive.

Oh yeah tell me where to get these protein shakes. I got body for life but she was not impressed-maybe I will try putting it with ice in the blender.