I have been on full liguids for 10 days now and start mushies at two weeks. I have several questions. If what I read on here is right I am doing it wrong. My notes said to sip drinks all day long consuming a minimum of 40 oz. I did not relaize until today that it should only be 2-4 oz at a time. I thought liquid just passes through. Anyway how long do you wait after consuming 4oz to start sipping again? I have not even added a time factor to mine.

My second question is am I the only one who does NOT feel full and feels hungry at this stage? (Not always, just some of the time) I also get to have 3oz meals 3 times a day but they are liquified too just not one of my regualr drinks. (i.e hot cereals, mashed potatoes -drippy and soups strained or pureed etc. Lastly do you count broth as a 3oz meal or can you count it as part of your liquids for the day? Thank you everyone in advance for any advice you may have!

Welcome Ladyred,

I am in the same boat. Banded 10/4/06 Dr is 3hours away and I am really not sure. I drink about 50 oz water and 3 meals a day, but i lost 6# first week and 4 this week but I just feel like I could eat and drink more. I eat very small amounts of food but last night I ate 1 small square piece pizza and I called in sick at work. It literly was stuck, All night I was in pain till about noon today, I do have a call into the Dr as I need some direction. I feel like I am on an island. Jules

Hi there,

I'm about a week ahead of you in the healing process and you're not alone in being hungry! My stomach started rumbling on day 3 and by day 5 I was ravenous! :hungry:

At my two-week post op appt I told my doctor about the hunger and his feedback was that my healing seemed to be a bit quicker than some and that I could progress to mushies for a week and then onto solids (but PLEASE don't do anything that your doctor doesn't ok first )

As for the Water, I think it is an individual thing. At first they want us to sip because the stomach is swollen and you really do want to sip. But I drink water all day long and don't sip - I don't gulp - but I just drink normally. I think though once we start getting fills drinking liquids will be a bit different. My husband was banded last March and has had 5 fills and he says if he drinks too fast it feels like the water is "stuck"...goes through eventually, but he gets a weird sloshing feeling in his pouch.

I know a bunch of bandsters who are much more experienced at this than me will answer your questions, but I wanted to chip in since I experienced some of the same stuff.

Good luck taming the growling!

Thank you! Its good to know I not the only hungry person during this stage. I was really worried about the drinking thing too. If it works for you then Im not gonna worry about that rule. Later after the feel I can understand. Good Luck to both of you!

Ladyred,

I was banded the same day as you and I am feeling the same way. My doctor still has me on full liquids for another five days (I see him in the morning and I am hoping that he will tell me that I am healing wonderfully and will scoot me to mushies after my appointment. I never thought I would be so grateful for yogurt or baby food!). I am supposed to be drinking 1 oz of Water every half hour. The first few days I set a timer, but the past week I have not been as stringent as I should be. Like you, I guess I figured liquids would slip right through. Maybe I will find out more tomorrow when I see him.

Just out of curiosity...when you are eating your mushies are you supplementing with Protein powder? Right now I am still drinking a couple of Protein shakes a day, but I am getting soooooooo tired of them. The nutritionist at the doc's office recommended adding whey powder to things to boost the protein. Are you guys doing that?

Guess what, you arent eating as much? You gonna be hungry. You will adjust and lose weight!

After 10 days I was on protien shakes and been there ever since/for breakfast anyway.

Soon you will eat well. Patience.

You guys are all absolutely, perfectly NORMAL. The return of hunger means your healing is going well, and as Bobby says you will return to a normal menu soon enough. This is the hard part, and my best advice has always been to not let yourselves get too hungry. Go ahead and eat if you want to, just don't overdo it at one time. You're human! You get hungry! Just now you're healing and that's why you need to be gentle with yourselves, but there's no point in starving.

Good luck to all of you, and congratulations on your banding!!

MarySue, The first two weeks my nuturtionist said I did not have to worry about the protein shakes. When I start mushies on Sunday I have to start my portein shakes or whey product in foods. She said half of my 48-64oz a day of liquid should come from protein supplements for 2-3 months since we are not eating enough protein. The goal is to get in at least 60-75grams a day. I was given a list of protein drinks that have high protein count. Once in the mushie stage some of your protein will be in the food. She gave me a sample list of food items and protein in an 1 oz serving or 1/4 cup depending on what it is. She also said the protein drink whatever we pick should have less than 5 grams of sugar.

It's funny how all of our doctors give us slightly different tips to get to the same goal. Not unlike coaches of football teams all trying to get to the Super Bowl, but with a little twist on the precise playbook. That's the way I think of it when I read the broad spectrum of pre/post op diet requirements. Mine wanted me to watch my Protein intake from day 1 after I got home from the hospital, so I lived on protein shakes for the first two weeks. I found a great one (not cheap, but tasty and loaded with protein, high in Calcium and low carb) so I stuck with it. I get 30 grams of protein first thing every morning by having my Protein shake for breakfast. After that, it is easy to get the rest in before the end of the day. I have not had to resort to the whey powder yet, as I am keeping my protein levels up with just the one shake a day and the food.

I was lucky when I went to the doctor last Friday. He said I was healing extremely well and I got to bump up to mushies after my appointment. Starting this weekend I get to try 'real food', but I'll probably lean toward mushies for a wee bit longer, just because I'm feeling a little chicken.

Speaking of different diets, did yours say anything about red meat? I am not to have red meat for 3 months. By then, I am hoping that I don't even want it any longer! Right now I am happy as a clam with my mushies, I seem to have plenty of energy and I am not too hungry -- probably due to the high protein?

Thank you all for the posts on this page. I am starving and only banded on 10/24. I also didn't know to restrict my Water and would drink as much as I wanted, at any time. My doc said it would be ok for me to advance to "anything that can pass through a straw" but nothing with any lumps or solids (such as pieces of fruit). So I started on liquid soups and had a smoothie earlier today.

Learning I can be hungry until a fill was a god-send. I can't thank you all enough. Some people do snipe a bit because you're hungry - well, I'm hungry and I thought I had just flushed $8,500 down a rats nest when I was hungry for 3 days straight. Thought it was all my problem.

If I had the will power to stay away from everything that made me fat, I would not be overweight and now have a band. I'm doing my best, but I am not perfect. I haven't lost an ounce in the week since I was banded and I've been on water and gadoraid until today. Go figure.

I wish you all well and thanks for your posts.

Lynn

a/k/a ms883

Hello,

I am 30 days away from my surgery, and I am obsessed with this site. I am reading post all the time and they are great. However, I like to drink wine (not daily), but several times a week. Once I get banded, can I drink wine? If I can drink, How soon after the surgery? If not, I know I will be ok with that.....:smile:

HI Glynda,

Congrats on your surgery. Everyone is different, but after you're healed wine shouldn't be a problem. The only issue is that it is empty calories that can add up quickly. One 5oz glass of wine has about 120 calories, and I don't know about you but I don't drink a 5oz glass of wine, my wine glasses are at least double that! :-)

There is a post on here about drinking wine. It may be on page 4 or 5 by now but it was really helpful.