I feel totally ridiculous asking this, but I can't find the answer anywhere in my post-op diet instructions.

I know the first few weeks post-op are all about healing and not dieting. But I can't figure out how often to "eat". Heh.

My instructions are to consume Clear liquids for the first week, limiting my drinks to no more than 1/2 cup each time. Thereafter I can add thickier liquids until approx week four when I get real food! YAY!!

Anyways, I digress... back to the liquids. Am I supposed to follow the 3 meals a day thing with the liquids? Or is this only for the solid food portion of my diet.

Those of you on your post liquid diet, how often do you "eat"? :help:

(Btw, editing this post because I think I found the answer in the forums. Seems people have suggested drinking a total of 64 oz of liquids each day. That roughly equates to 1/2 c per hour for a 16 hour day... which is a whole lot of liquids. I would however still appreciate a response from someone on this. I'm soo afraid of doing something and hurting my band and/or stomach!)

I don't know if this will help, but I found myself needing to drink almost all day to get in all the liquids I was supposed to get in for the first couple of weeks. There weren't too many occasions when I didn't find myself looking at my broth, or juice or water, thinking....HOW am I ever going to get that all down??? LOL Then, once things loosened up, it was time to move on to full liquids/creamed soups, and then I just ate (drank) the soups or whatever 3 times a day, and made sure that I was drinking enough water in between times that I'd get in my 64 ozs.

I am just trying to get in ENOUGH calories and protein at this point. I'm 5 days post-op. So I'm eating whenever I feel like it. Today managed to get in 850 cals. I personally don't feel that is healthy and am shooting for 1000 to 1200.

Terri,

Does it worry you that we are consuming so much sodium in our liquid diets?

I am really enjoying my broth, but wonder if all this sodium is contributing to my puffyness. Once I get to the creamy Soup stage it can only get worse!

I'm not eating a lot of soups...maybe once a day. I have smoothies, pudding, applesauce, cottage cheese & yogurt mostly....

I know quite a bit about nutrition. I studied it in college as well as doing a great deal of additional new research during my low-carb days. Sorry, but I don't agree with you. My goals are for 1000-1200/day and I do plan on loading up once a week with 2000 calories. Shooting for 100g protein; <75g carbs. I am not concerned about fats one way or the other, except that I do know they help to maintain the blood sugar levels I have had issues with since the age of 16.

My bariatric doctor's guidelines are 1000-1200 a day as well.

I have had my first appointment. My second is next week. Then I will set my surgery date. My doctor has told me the first six weeks will be a liquid diet. Even with the lap band, I think I will starve to death! Does the hunger go away, or what? That just sounds like a long time to go without eating food.

Dana - I'm perfectly content with my hunger level right now, but I'm only one week post op. It's blowing my mind how little I am eating and how 'satisfied' I feel. As I understand it, when the swelling goes down in a few days I will start to feel hungry again. I will just have more to eat...or rather, drink! I'm trying not to focus on my weight right now, but will after my 1st fill.

I was discharged from the hospital yesterday AM.

Yesterday, I managed to probably eat about 250 calories. If that.

Today, I'll have had a bit more... I had half a slim fast shake for Breakfast, the other half at lunch, and a 1/2 cup of soup in the late afternoon. i'm sure I'll get down some more soup, but there's no way I'll break 500-600 calories.

Is it the swelling that is keeping me full? I just have NO appetite.

Copywronger, I felt that way for about the first week. It was a struggle to get much in. At this point, don't worry so much about calories. You are healing. Just get as much Water in as you can, as well as your Vitamins, until you can start to ingest some other things. That's what I was told anyway. Also, I found it difficult to get much down before about 11 am.

I'm 2 weeks out and just starting to feel mild hunger at appropriate times.

Listen to your body!

(Btw, editing this post because I think I found the answer in the forums. Seems people have suggested drinking a total of 64 oz of liquids each day. That roughly equates to 1/2 c per hour for a 16 hour day... which is a whole lot of liquids. I would however still appreciate a response from someone on this. I'm soo afraid of doing something and hurting my band and/or stomach!)

Onlyme, my doctor's office told me to drink 64 oz per day. That can include stuff like Protein shakes but they want most of it to be Fluid that has no calories or caffeine. That said, I was never on a liquid diet, per se. I went right to mushies from the hospital. I don't think you need to worry about drinking too much. As long as you sip vs. chug, you shouldn't overfill and stretch your pouch.

Listen to your body!

My body says "ouch!" :faint:

My doctor said Clear Liquids and Water for the first two weeks. He suggested Protein drink such as Atkins the 2-3rd week. 4th week is soft foods. Fat free Jello, fat free pudding, but moreso were these words...

Start with the protein.

The first week I'm not worried about eating food. I'll sip my clear stuff and tote my water. I figure if Jesus can fast for forty days then I'm good with my extra 200 lbs., chicken broth, and water for a couple of weeks!

My body says "ouch!" :faint:

hahahahha :nervous Hang in there!

Today is my 11 day after surgery and Im hungry... the first week was so easy to keep with liquids but this second one and probably because Im feeling so good the hungry is back, of course not like before but I want to other things like cheese and scrambble eggs or something and think that I will be next 3 weeks with purred food is kind of hard...

Thank you sweets WASaBubble butt for the support I know! is amazing how pounds are melted... never believe it can happen is just my little "devil" lol...

Blessings