My date is March 11th. I went to my pre-op appointment & class yesterday (02/26) and started my 2 week liquid diet. I've done well these first 2 days and hoping it'll go as smoothly hereafter. I figure that I'll be able to eat the things that are around me in the future but I need to hold out for now. I'd hate to go in for surgery & get closed back up because I didn't lose enough weight!

I bought the Isopure whey Protein mixes. I bought a couple different flavors & mix them for variety. I've only used Water to mix because I'm not sure if we can use skim milk. I have a call into my dieticians office to find out.

I hope there's some other people with 03/11 date. Please reply if it's your date! Thanks!

Gosh, at 18 days post-op you can have a lot of stuff besides soup & shakes!

Let's see......

- sugar-free pudding with or without added Protein

- cooked spinach (you don't need to do anything to it)

- cottage cheese (you can even add applesauce to it)

- ricotta cheese with splenda & vanilla extract (no-shell cannoli)

- fat-free refried Beans with some cheese on it

- the inside only of a beef & bean burrito (no lettuce/tomatoe)

- the inside of a stuffed shell/manicotti, plus the sauce (as long as it's not lumpy.....the ground meat is ok to have also)

- guacamole (without any lumps)

- 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce & 1/2 c. noodles (all pureed)

- baby foods (just not the dessert ones)

- grind up just about any meat (removing the fat)

- steamed cauliflower (pureed) *** you can put gravy on it too ***

- 1/4 c. mashed potatoes (you can add plain Protein powder to it also)

- tuna or any flaky fish (remember to mash it up)

These are just a few ideas. I just had my post-op appointment yesterday & they said that we really shouldn't be relying on Protein drinks anymore. Check out this website: 3 - Purees & <BR>Soft Foods

My doctor pointed me to it before surgery.

Enjoy your night out!!!!!

Edited March 28, 200818 yr by O2BThinAgain

Thanks for writing back so soon OTBT. Problem is I'm a picky eater. Let's go through your list:

sugar-free pudding with or without added Protein

I'm eating the pudding--yum

- cooked spinach (you don't need to do anything to it)

- cottage cheese (you can even add applesauce to it)

- ricotta cheese with splenda & vanilla extract (no-shell cannoli)

Don't eat spinach, cottage cheese or ricotta cheese or applesauce either. I know, I'm a big baby.

- fat-free refried Beans with some cheese on it

I would try that.

- the inside only of a beef & bean burrito (no lettuce/tomatoe)

Sounds real good but I was told no beef/ground meat!

- the inside of a stuffed shell/manicotti, plus the sauce (as long as it's not lumpy.....the ground meat is ok to have also) -- Ground meat?

- guacamole (without any lumps)

- 1/4 c. spaghetti sauce & 1/2 c. noodles (all pureed)

- baby foods (just not the dessert ones)

Never tried these but would be willing to though I was also told no Pasta.

- grind up just about any meat (removing the fat)

Not what I was told.

- steamed cauliflower (pureed) *** you can put gravy on it too ***

I'm eating steamed cauliflower and broccoli .... cooked really well so that it is so soft, it melts in your mouth.

- 1/4 c. mashed potatoes (you can add plain protein powder to it also)

I was told no mashed potatoes though I don't know why.

- tuna or any flaky fish (remember to mash it up)

I'm eating tuna and fish. That's good.

I guess my Dr. is stricter than others. I just want to order a salad maybe with some grilled shrimp or chicken on it and a small amt. of light dressing on the side. Would that be bad? I plan on eating a small portion and taking the rest back home. If not, I will go for the grilled fish. What do you think?

Bummer about your doc saying no ground meat. Mine said that grinding it up real fine is ok. I've had lamb & ham & not much ground beef (maybe only once or twice) and chicken. I guess every doctor is different. The 2 doctors that are in my practice were the first 2 to ever do lapband surgery in the country, so I believe whatever they tell me to do.

Now, for salad....I'd think that's be hard to digest, as it's raw. But then again, I don't know everything!!!!

I bought this little gizmo at Kohl's. It's like the "Magic Bullet" thing, but a different brand & it's cheaper. It has 5 tall glasses & one short one. Plus 2 different blades, one for mixing/pureeing and one for grinding. We're heading out of town & I put it in the car & just had a chicken breast from Chick-Fil-A, cut it up, put in into the small cup & added a bit of Water & some pickles & ground it up. It was yummy, plus this gizmo is really handy as it's easy to transport & easy to clean. It's called a "Bella Kitchen".

Let me know how your dinner goes!!!! ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

Well just got back....Didn't see your last message before I left. Ha, ha....if I had, I probably wouldn't have ordered the salad! :smile: I made sure I ate very slowly and I chewed each bite until it disintegrated! I feel ok...I have to admit...it was good.

You sound like you are in good hands with your Dr.'s office. You're so lucky! I'll be able to eat a lot more in 10 days or so. At least now I have some alternatives. I'm going to check out your recommended website tonight. I could use some recipes. Anyone else have any suggestions? Please write back. For tomorrow...it's refried Beans.

I heard about the Magic Bullet thing...my dietician highly recommended it. I will check out the Bella Kitchen but problem is we don't have Kohl stores in this area. I'll see what I can find on the internet.

Thanks OTBT.

I'd think that since we "chew,chew,chew" that the salad was fine. It's not like it's every day. I'm glad you had a good time & enjoyed your dinner!!!! I'm in the car right now at a rest stop in Breezewood, PA. I just ground up some of Chick-Fila-A carrot/raisin slaw....it's like eating baby food, but at least it tastes great!

EAbadie-Do you like Mexican food? My local fave layered refried Beans, ground beef (you could leave that out), the melted white cheese sauce, and a little sour cream and a little guacamole on top. It was so yummy! Also, it didn't take much to feel full. It was nice to have the mexican flavors. That was satisfying.

Also, I know you said you don't like spinach and I would normally agree with you as far as cooked spinach goes. But, Stouffers makes a "Spinach Soufle" which is awesome! It is spinach and skim milk and I think eggs. It's like a quiche or flan or something. So good. I know it sounds gross but it is really good.

I'm going to have to get the recipe for the cheese grits someone was talking about earlier. Hope it gets better for you.

Make your grits, using skim milk instead of Water.

While it's hot (or maybe just reheat a 1/2 c. serving size), add 1 oz. lowfat or fatfree cheddar to a 1/2 c. serving of grits.

Stir well until cheese is melted.

In a separate cup, beat 1 egg.

Gradually add beaten egg to the grits, stirring constantly.

Add salt & pepper to taste.

Protein: 15 grams

Spinach souffle was a great recommendation! :teeth_smile:

When we do spinach we use either canned or frozen. My kids turned me onto adding cider vinegar & salt to it. It's the bomb! PLUS....spinach is very high in Protein, like 5 g. protein for a 1/2 cup serving. Not only are you getting your veggie, plus protein too! :rolleyes2:

Parmesean cheese added to it is another idea!

Thanks 2BME...that spinach souffle recipe sounds really good. I have had quiche before and liked it. I even liked raw spinach in salads...just couldn't eat the cooked stuff. But I will definately try the souffle. And the Mexican dish is up my alley too. Thanks. Today for lunch I had some black bean soup with a little brown rice in it. Still looking forward to having the refried Beans.

OTBT....You won't believe this. Another thing my Dr.'s office said asbolutely no to....Grits! They were very adamant about it. I just don't get it. Say, what does the baby food in general taste like? I never tried it when I fed it to my son 10 yrs. ago. (I'm picky, remember?) It never appealed to me. Just curious.

On the positive side, got on the scale and noticed I lost 3 more pounds. I'm not going to be shouting it from the rooftops though...I consider my "true" weight to be the one taken at my Dr.'s office. My next appt. is in April when I get my first fill. Can't wait.

How is everyone doing? It's been a while since anyone has posted. Would love to catch up with the original March bandsters...OTBTA, 2BMe, CHICA, BOSSTAR, etc. Where are you guys? Hope you are all doing great.

Hi! And can I just say, HOLY MOLY! Some of us (you, OTBT) are doing very, very well!!! :wink2: Congratulations on all the weight loss!

After my 2nd fill, I had a rough couple of weeks -- I was taking bites that were too large sometimes, having a PB, and not giving my body sufficient time to recover from it. My doc wants me to follow his post-fill diet (2 days liquids, 2 days mushies) after a PB, and I kinda forgot that. So, I had one very bad experience really throwing up (sorry, TMI), and that's what brought me back to the doc's office to figure out what was going wrong. Bottom line: I'm being way more careful now with my bites.

Other than that, all is good. I really need another fill, but with all that nonsense above, plus having to travel on business all next week and be around people 24/7, we decided to skip the fill and just wait till I get back. I'm hoping my weight loss will roll along after that fill...

So, bandmates, has anyone reached that magical sweet spot? :smile:

I go back for my second fill on June 5th. The first fill really hurt when they did it, but I haven't really seen much difference so far in my weight the past 2 weeks. They also said to do 2 days of liquids & 2 days of mushies afterwards. I'll lose a pound then it comes back the next day or so. I do notice that I'm eating smaller portions that I was before the fill.

It's nice to have people complement on my weight loss, even if it's stalled! I'm not exercising as much as I'd like, other than playing golf at least once a week & walking at lunch maybe twice a week.

Everyone is doing awesome!

EAbadie....almost 50 pounds!!!! YIKES....good for you!

Chica.....you're doing awesome also......you go girl!

I know that exercising more will help. I haven't had any issues with PB's or anything sticking. I did notice the other day that I had to chew my pork tenderloin much more because it was harder to swallow when I didn't! The hardest thing for me is not drinking at meals.

I'm wearing some clothes that I hadn't been able to wear for about 2 years, which is cool!!!

Good to hear from you both. Thanks for the kind words. You two are not doing too shabby either! What do your families say? Mine doesn't say much because they see me every day but one time, my 10 year old son gave me a big hug and then told me that he noticed he could now wrap his arms around my entire body. I realized he was right. It just kinda happens one day. So don't get discouraged. I do have to say the first 14 lbs. (probably mostly water) I lost pre-op on my own. I did it by just making better food choices and walking every day. So officially 35 lost due to the lap band (most of it early on due to Optifast diet pre-op and no food first week post-op). But hey, those 14 were on this bod so I'm counting it as gone, baby gone! (Ha ha!) :rolleyes2:

Got a question for ya....what is a PB? I think I know but I want to be sure. If it is what I think it is, I've had a few too. Happened when I was so hungry, I started eating my food too fast and didn't chew it enough (just like you Chica!). Didn't throw up but sort of coughed it up. It was mostly like it was stuck in my chest. Now I'm trying hard to remember to chew, chew, chew. And O2BT, I also HATE, HATE, HATE not being allowed to drink while I eat.

My Dr.'s office calls fills "adjustments". My instructions are to go on full liquids for the remainder of the day of the adjustment. Cream Soups, Protein drinks, smoothies, yogurt, etc. On the day after, I can proceed with soft foods. --bananas, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, etc. On the next day, progress to regular diet! I had my first one on April 18 and I have to say, it didn't do a thing for me. By then, I was eating as much as I wanted and whatever I wanted. No feeling of restriction at all. The next 4 weeks went by very slow. Not much weight loss either. I couldn't wait for my next adjustment on May 16. I asked my Dr. for a larger "dosage" and he said no, you really have to take it slow. He did tell me that when my band was first put in, it didn't have much in it to begin with. Their practice feels that even though the manufacturer recommends that it have a certain amount in it on the surgery date, that amount is too much in their opinion based on number of past recipients who have had restriction problems early on. So they put in much less. By the first adjustment, you are at the manufacturer's starting point.

So last month, before my second adjustment, I only lost 3 pounds. But I know I am going to lose more before my third fill coming up on June 6. I definately feel some restriction now -- but not at my sweet spot yet. Too soon for that I hear....probably get there after 4 -5 adjustments. I had a 24 hr. stomach virus last Wednesday and didn't eat in 48 hrs. Only thing good that came out of that (no pun intended...ew!) was a 4 lb. weight loss! Still managed to walk my 2.25 miles even when I was sick. I'm addicted to my walking. O2BT...you gotta get moving. It feels so good afterwards. When you play golf, do you walk or ride in the cart? Maybe, try walking every other hole. And keep "shopping" in your closet. That makes you feel so good. :biggrin:

Problems/weaknesses have been missing fried foods and breads...though I have been experimenting now and then and am able to get them down (don't know if that is good or not). I love to eat!! But that's what got me in this mess to begin with.

Chica, hope you are feeling better. Let me know how you handle eating while travelling. We have our summer vacation coming up in June and I'm worried I'm going to get weak and want to eat too much. As long as I can eat salad, I keep telling myself I'll be alright.

Hi, ladies! I'm back and I survived my travels. Eating while traveling was somewhat challenging since I was with a bunch of guys and they made me eat like a man: steaks, Bloody Caesars (like a Bloody Mary made with Clamato juice), scotch and even cheesecake one night! I just made sure I drank my drinks before dinner (or much later), focused on the Protein, small bites, and chewing. I ate much slower than everyone else, but they all just assumed that's due to my gender (they don't know about the band). And btw, cheesecake is protein, right?? :wink2:

Lunches were a little easier as we went to a food court most days, so I could get bean soups or salads with protein. I only had one PB moment early one morning when I must not have been awake enough to chew the single small bite of quiche enough. Fortunately, I had plenty of time to go back to my hotel room to work it out (up) before I had to leave for class.

I went in for my 3rd fill today, and they pulled out an extra 1.2cc that hadn't shown up in previous fills. :frown: I guess that was from the original fill/flush they do of the brand new band to get rid of air in it prior to surgery. Anyway, I'm now at 7.2cc in a 10cc band, and I'm hoping I'm going to feel some restriction this time to help me not be hungry and eat less.

But all in all, I'm thrilled because my new official (dr's office) weight loss puts me in the 'Obese' category now. :thumbup:

I don't know what this means? I go on Thursday for my second fill. My first fill really didn't do anything for me. I haven't lost but 2 pounds this past month and have not felt any type of restriction or have had problems with anything. I've had a few bites of bread, just to try it, and it didn't bother me. I mean, I do get full quicker than I used to and I'm not eating anywhere near what I used to. I didn't know you could have air in there. What does air in your band do?