Help!! I was banded on 1-17-08, and I am still having a lot of anxiety at times. I know it takes awhile to retrain your mind about eating, but this is making me crazy. I am still of soft foods and the only 2 foods I have tried are mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs. I feel like I will never eat real food again. Please someone tell me that I will have a somewhat of a normal life soon. I know that I will never be able to eat a lot, which is the purpose,but please give me some idea of the type of food I will be able to eat again. Also I am very excited. The 2 weeks after my banding I lost 21lbs and now I have gained 5lbs. Is this normal? I do not go for my first fill until march3.

Michelle,

I was banded on 1/23/08. I know every doctor is different...however I was moved up to mushies and I now eat ALMOST anything that I want. I just take small bites and chew very well. I eat chicken,fish,mashed potatoes,mac and cheese,pot pie,eggs,oatmeal,I have even had the toppings off of a piece of pizza. Try very small bites chew and see how things feel. If all is well .... Happy (band) eating.

Things are getting better for me day by day. Just don't limit yourself to where you feel depressed. This is our new life...enjoy every bit of it!

Hi- I just want to let you know that this will get easier! I remember at the very beginning thinking it was taking too much thought and how was I going to be able to have a band and a life! But it works out. I'm not sure why you have only eaten mashed potatoes and eggs. Is it because you are afraid to try other foods? My doctor had me on soft proteins four days after surgery and that meant I could eat eggs, chicken,turkey,fish, refried beans, cottage cheese...lots of stuff. As long as you follow the post-op instructions from your doctor you aren't going to hurt anything and you should be eating more than it sounds like you are eating. Instead of mashed potatoes, though, you should be eating protein. Your body is trying to heal and protein is what helps it to do that. Don't be afraid. Take it slowly and follow the rules for eating that I'm sure your doctor told you about (eat slow, chew well, small bites etc.) As for the weight gain, yes it is quite normal and don't stress out about it. The month or two after surgery is not for weight loss, it is for healing. You have fluid and swelling from the surgery and weird things are happening to your body. Don't worry about it. Do what your doctor told you to do and you are going to be fine.

Thank you so much to both of you who have responed. It helps to know this will get easier. As far as my list of soft foods that I can have. There was only a few types of beans, eggs and cottage cheese on there that has protien. They did not tell me I could eat any kind of meat. They did tell me that I need to be drinking a protien shake everyday, but I do not know what to get. Any suggestions? I think I am in a rut. I keep asking myself if I have done the right thing.

If you have gone all this time with out enough protien it will make you feel worse. First of all you can probably eat soft meat just chew well. My protien shakes are chocolate unjury,carnation instant breakfast and 14 oz of milk mixed together in a blender and then i drink it has like 42 gr of protien it doesn't taste bad and it goes down easy. You really need to get the protien in. I don't know how much you weigh now but i was told to have between 73-88 gr of protien a day. Please go get some protien

You should be getting Protein in your diet in whatever form your Dr. allows at this point. If your Dr. does not want you on chicken yet, then you can get protein from shakes like Atkins. High protein and few carbs. The shakes are available at most supermarkets and Walmarts.

You can also drink Isopure clear. Comes in different flavors and has 40 gms of protein and 160 calories. Sip one bottle a day waiting an hour after eating a meal and you'll get most of your protein in. They sell them at GNC stores.

Not enough protein will leave you tired, depressed and hungry.

If your list does not include meat, your Dr might not want you to have it yet. Try the liquid and the soft Proteins and progress to meat when your Dr. tells you.