My doctor told me not to start solids until 4 weeks post-op. My friend had lap band surgery 1 week after I did, and her doctor told her she could start solids after 3 weeks. I see a lot of different things on here; that some can start at 3 weeks and some have to wait until 6 weeks. I am still in the "mushy" stage, but I am starving all the time. I know that my swelling has gone down because I can eat a lot before I actually get full. Anybody else start solids sooner than 4 weeks? Does anyone know why so many doctors give different instructions?

joiful, yes I read the Secret and it really does help to put your life in perspective. As far as slimfast goes, I've been buying the low carb version and it contains 20g of Protein.

My doctor said to stay away from SlimFast because it has so much sugar. Have you looked at GNC? I got a double fudge chocalate shake protein mix that has 23 grams of protein in a 6 oz shake. It's actually really good, and I can blend it with milk and ice, and it's great, and really filling! They also have Protein "shots". They look like little test tubes, and they have 42 grams of protein in 1 shot. Tastes like kool-aid, and I take a half in the morning, then half later, then drink a shake and I get more than 60 grams of protein!

I am lying in my bed crying over some comment from a person who doesn't even know me. How stupid!

She may be a long time bander but if you read her blog she has not been perfect.

She shouldn't make a comment like that until she has read the whole thread. Now I feel like I comitted band murder and never can recover from it.

I think this is a touch dramatic.

How about saying;

"I screwed up today. I know not to do that again! Tomorrow is a new day" Same sort of thing with a positive spin, if you get what I mean.

And no, no one is perfect, but pointing out someone elses flaws to prop up your own argument is pretty sad. Own what you did, because what YOU do is the only thing in this world you can control.

SHOULD I TAKE OFF the post of WHAT I DID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM EATING BIG MACS BEFORE I WAS BANDED. I HADN'T HAD ONE IN YEARS. THE ICE CREAM AT NIGHT IS WHAT GOT ME SOOOO FAT! I haven't touched ice cream in 2 weeks! Yes, I made a stupid mistake that you are harping me on and I admitted that and have been extremely upset over it as some of my posts stated! I don't even hardly remeber eating it. I ate some of the meat and gave the rest to the DOG!!! If you check some of the calories in creams Soups they that don't have as much Protein and have more calories. I feel like I should never ever share again!

This is the VERY reason I NEVER share my downfalls with others especially the sucessful bandsters. No offense to them of course they are trying to help but from a personal experience that I had with one, that just so happens to be a friend she started over 400lbs right??? Ok she got the band never really followed the rules did what she wanted and STILL LOST WEIGHT yay her!!!!! (She deserved it we all do) but right before my banding we were talking (I was looking for support) and she had the nerve to tell me or rather suggest to me "all you have to do is eat right, and exercise I really don't think you need the band just EAT RIGHT" this came from a lady that just that morning got a fill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so appaulled and needless to say will never turn to her for support AGAIN, my point is some that have made it seem to FORGET where they came from it's so easy to do. I told ALL MY FRIENDS if I start acting like that REMIND me where I came from which was a 379lbs body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I look at it like this dealing with my religion (being catholic) the one thing I don't have to do is confess my sins to the father of the church, there is only one FATHER that I confess my sins to and the is GOD! So that being said you looking for support was great admitting what you did let it be known your going to get that few people that go by the book and they will correct you, yell at you, or just plain tell you the truth and we all know sometimes that hurts!!! So I agree with the poster that suggested put your big panties on and move ahead you can do it!!! From one Kansan to another

I never said that I couldn't do it because I will. So I thank you for your words of encouragement. I think I shed a few tears because It is stupid to let an experienced bander who made lots of mistakes along the way to make me upset or for that matter any one that I don't know.

If you met me you would know how different I am. I have a very upcoming business in Kansas City and I am an extremely strong person just too soft hearted.

So I pulled up my big girl panties and enjoyed the rest of the evening!

Love the info about GNC I will be on my way this morning!

I never said that I couldn't do it because I will. So I thank you for your words of encouragement.

So I pulled up my big girl panties and enjoyed the rest of the evening!

Love the info about GNC I will be on my way this morning!

Oh I know you didn't say you couldn't do it I just wanted to root for ya was all. I hope the "panties" comment didn't offend you I guess I should have said stand up brush off the dust and move forward.

And I would love to meet you! I am in KCK!!!

I never said that I couldn't do it because I will. So I thank you for your words of encouragement. I think I shed a few tears because It is stupid to let an experienced bander who made lots of mistakes along the way to make me upset or for that matter any one that I don't know.

If you met me you would know how different I am. I have a very upcoming business in Kansas City and I am an extremely strong person just too soft hearted.

So I pulled up my big girl panties and enjoyed the rest of the evening!

Love the info about GNC I will be on my way this morning!

You're just fine. We're not perfect, no one is! Just remember that when people are mean, and hateful! Just keep going, and it will get easier! I wish I FELT like eating a Big Mac! The gas pains are horrid this morning! Day 4, and I was SO looking forward to cream of wheat, lol. Now I don't want anything!

People have things to say no matter if you are fat, tall, skinny, or short....they always have something to say. Just do the best that you can do. When you fall off, gt back up, brush yourself off and move forward because in reality, that is all that you can do.

Don't beat yourself up about the mistakes that you make, we all make them, just keep looking towards the future and guess what you will get there!

Good Luck!

Slinderella2B- People like your friend drive me crazy, I am with you, I want to make sure that I stay grounded as well because if it was that easy, she would not have gotten a band as well as all the rest of us! to.

This is the VERY reason I NEVER share my downfalls with others especially the sucessful bandsters. No offense to them of course they are trying to help but from a personal experience that I had with one, that just so happens to be a friend she started over 400lbs right??? Ok she got the band never really followed the rules did what she wanted and STILL LOST WEIGHT yay her!!!!! (She deserved it we all do) but right before my banding we were talking (I was looking for support) and she had the nerve to tell me or rather suggest to me "all you have to do is eat right, and exercise I really don't think you need the band just EAT RIGHT" this came from a lady that just that morning got a fill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so appaulled and needless to say will never turn to her for support AGAIN, my point is some that have made it seem to FORGET where they came from it's so easy to do. I told ALL MY FRIENDS if I start acting like that REMIND me where I came from which was a 379lbs body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That would be the END of a friendship with me! I guess I'm lucky, my family and friends have been so supportive! I've gone up and down with my weight over the last few years, and I don't think I would get high and mighty about loosing! And, there's no way I'd tell someone what they should and shouldn't do to loose weight! As long as it's healthy, it's fine! Whatever works, you know? I have a friend that has lap band, she has done LOTS that she SHOULD NOT do, but she's lost a lot of weight! She told me everything that she's done thats WRONG, and said, if you want to do it right, don't do these things. She has been super supportive! Why would ANYONE that has the band NOT be supportive??

That would be the END of a friendship with me! I guess I'm lucky, my family and friends have been so supportive! I've gone up and down with my weight over the last few years, and I don't think I would get high and mighty about loosing! And, there's no way I'd tell someone what they should and shouldn't do to loose weight! As long as it's healthy, it's fine! Whatever works, you know? I have a friend that has lap band, she has done LOTS that she SHOULD NOT do, but she's lost a lot of weight! She told me everything that she's done thats WRONG, and said, if you want to do it right, don't do these things. She has been super supportive! Why would ANYONE that has the band NOT be supportive??

That is why I can't bring myself to judge or yell at one whom are making mistakes we all have minds of our own and will do what we want no matter what. Just to give you ONE MORE example of this person's frame of mind...and this is off topic sorry....

But I have had ups and downs with my marriage and even infeldelity had taken place and well even though we tell our friends that we are done this and that our true feelings sometimes are in hiding and did you know she had the gull to tell me that "she" would not put up with a man cheating on her and will not support that BUT AT THE SAME time sleep with a married man and that was suppose to be ok?!?!?! That is is when I realized umm this is not the kind of support I need or want. Go figure!

Hi

I'm 2 weeks post op, I can now have soft foods, but am kinda nervous not to have to much. I eat cottage cheese, Soups, puddings. Have you tried the nectar Protein drink, the one Fuzzy Navel is really good, I mix it with Crystal Light, it is very filling. I don't feel really that hungry. Oh yeah I did have a scrambled egg which was wonderful. Good LUck

Redhead1

OK, I was trying to steer clear of this thread, but as I am the one that called attention to the thread to others, I feel compelled to post now.

Joiful, I can assure you that losingjusme's intent was not to make you cry. She has been on these forums for a long time, is a moderator and more importantly, one of the most supportive people I have ever seen on LBT. However, you have to understand her frustration, my frustration and the frustrations of many other long time bandsters.

Please understand, as you pointed out about LJM, none of us are perfect. Sure, we have all had foods that aren't perfect for us. But, not four days out of surgery. You were four days out and had a waffle, Cereal and part of a big mac. And then someone else comes along and says, "oh, its OK, I ate food before I was supposed to and it didn't hurt me." That doesn't make it right.

What we are seeing lately is an influx of new bandsters who have cheated or want to cheat on their doctor recommended post-op diets who are looking for validation from others to do so. And, they are getting that validation from people who are saying the infamous, "I cheated, I ate such-and-such and it didn't hurt me, so you will be fine." "I have been banded for a month, it didn't hurt me, listen to me, not those who have been banded for a year or longer, what do they know?" The thing is, this type of mentality and advice is the reason why band slippages are increasing. People are not doing what their doctors tell them.

I may not be perfect, but I did follow my doctor's post-op diet. When I found that after two weeks of liquids I was so hungry I was about ready to gnaw off my own big toe, I didn't come on LBT and ask permission here to eat something. I called my doctor. I told him what I was feeling and asked him what I could do. After all, he is the expert, he is the one I paid thousands of dollars to and he is the one I need to trust in what is best for me. He offered me advice on what I could eat to feel fuller and it worked. And because of his advice, I still have my band two years later.

Newbies just don't seem to get how important the post-op diet is. It is not there to make you miserable, speed up your weight loss or anything else. It is there because your band needs time to form scar tissue and heal into place. If it is busy having to work to churn and digest solid food, it can't do that. And you know what, sure, someone may have had some pizza or whatever at two weeks and said, "it didn't hurt me, you will be fine." Sure, they may have taken small bites, chewed slow and to them it went down without any problems. But, that is not the point. The point is that by making their stomach do all that extra work to digest that piece of pizza, they may have risked their band by not allowing it to heal properly. It may not show up today, next week or next month. It may be a year from now before they realize that one silly piece of pizza caused their band to slip and possibly result in their losing their band. After all you have gone through to get the band, is that piece of pizza, big mac or whatever your trigger food really worth it.

I am not saying the post-op diet isn't tough. It is hard as hell, especially after having been on a liquid diet pre-op as well. But, you know what, everyone who is getting banded should know what they are getting into prior to surgery. They should not be going into this with blinders on. I find it very difficult to believe there is a bandster out there whose surgeon did not clearly explain what would be expected of them pre-op and post-op. I find it hard to believe there are very many bandsters out there that have not researched the band and found out a great deal of this information on their own. Yes, we all have food issues and that is why we are fat and that is why we need the band to begin with. But come on people, you know what you are getting into when you make the commitment to get the band. You know it is not going to be easy and it will probably be the toughest couple of months of your life. But, it is just that, a few weeks out of your life, that is all. For the sake of your health, your life and your band, as someone else said previously, put on your big girl panties and suck it up, do what is required and get on with your new, healthier, happier life.

Is this tough love, yeah, it is. But 93 pounds later and feeling better than I have felt in years, I want everyone else to feel as good as I do. I want all the new bandsters to feel better and have success. That is what we all want here.

So, if you have had a moment of weakness and strayed from your post-op diet, please, what is important is to get back on the diet and not stray again. If you haven't strayed and are tempted, don't look for validation to do so here. Either seek advice from people here on how they dealt with the temptations, or call your doctor and/or nutritionist, tell them what you are feeling and ask them what you can or cannot have. Just please, do not put your health and your band at risk because someone else at LBT did so and they don't believe it hurt them and therefore shouldn't hurt you.

OK, I was trying to steer clear of this thread, but as I am the one that called attention to the thread to others, I feel compelled to post now.

Joiful, I can assure you that losingjusme's intent was not to make you cry. She has been on these forums for a long time, is a moderator and more importantly, one of the most supportive people I have ever seen on LBT. However, you have to understand her frustration, my frustration and the frustrations of many other long time bandsters.

Please understand, as you pointed out about LJM, none of us are perfect. Sure, we have all had foods that aren't perfect for us. But, not four days out of surgery. You were four days out and had a waffle, cereal and part of a big mac. And then someone else comes along and says, "oh, its OK, I ate food before I was supposed to and it didn't hurt me." That doesn't make it right.

What we are seeing lately is an influx of new bandsters who have cheated or want to cheat on their doctor recommended post-op diets who are looking for validation from others to do so. And, they are getting that validation from people who are saying the infamous, "I cheated, I ate such-and-such and it didn't hurt me, so you will be fine." "I have been banded for a month, it didn't hurt me, listen to me, not those who have been banded for a year or longer, what do they know?" The thing is, this type of mentality and advice is the reason why band slippages are increasing. People are not doing what their doctors tell them.

I may not be perfect, but I did follow my doctor's post-op diet. When I found that after two weeks of liquids I was so hungry I was about ready to gnaw off my own big toe, I didn't come on LBT and ask permission here to eat something. I called my doctor. I told him what I was feeling and asked him what I could do. After all, he is the expert, he is the one I paid thousands of dollars to and he is the one I need to trust in what is best for me. He offered me advice on what I could eat to feel fuller and it worked. And because of his advice, I still have my band two years later.

Newbies just don't seem to get how important the post-op diet is. It is not there to make you miserable, speed up your weight loss or anything else. It is there because your band needs time to form scar tissue and heal into place. If it is busy having to work to churn and digest solid food, it can't do that. And you know what, sure, someone may have had some pizza or whatever at two weeks and said, "it didn't hurt me, you will be fine." Sure, they may have taken small bites, chewed slow and to them it went down without any problems. But, that is not the point. The point is that by making their stomach do all that extra work to digest that piece of pizza, they may have risked their band by not allowing it to heal properly. It may not show up today, next week or next month. It may be a year from now before they realize that one silly piece of pizza caused their band to slip and possibly result in their losing their band. After all you have gone through to get the band, is that piece of pizza, big mac or whatever your trigger food really worth it.

I am not saying the post-op diet isn't tough. It is hard as hell, especially after having been on a liquid diet pre-op as well. But, you know what, everyone who is getting banded should know what they are getting into prior to surgery. They should not be going into this with blinders on. I find it very difficult to believe there is a bandster out there whose surgeon did not clearly explain what would be expected of them pre-op and post-op. I find it hard to believe there are very many bandsters out there that have not researched the band and found out a great deal of this information on their own. Yes, we all have food issues and that is why we are fat and that is why we need the band to begin with. But come on people, you know what you are getting into when you make the commitment to get the band. You know it is not going to be easy and it will probably be the toughest couple of months of your life. But, it is just that, a few weeks out of your life, that is all. For the sake of your health, your life and your band, as someone else said previously, put on your big girl panties and suck it up, do what is required and get on with your new, healthier, happier life.

Is this tough love, yeah, it is. But 93 pounds later and feeling better than I have felt in years, I want everyone else to feel as good as I do. I want all the new bandsters to feel better and have success. That is what we all want here.

So, if you have had a moment of weakness and strayed from your post-op diet, please, what is important is to get back on the diet and not stray again. If you haven't strayed and are tempted, don't look for validation to do so here. Either seek advice from people here on how they dealt with the temptations, or call your doctor and/or nutritionist, tell them what you are feeling and ask them what you can or cannot have. Just please, do not put your health and your band at risk because someone else at LBT did so and they don't believe it hurt them and therefore shouldn't hurt you.

WELL SAID!! There is always a way something can be said and taken the right way in regards of advice and not being mr or mrs know it all!!! Thanks I took that advice too!!!!!:thumbup:

I don't think any of us are attempting to validate her actions, but we also don't want to be RUDE and belittle her about it either. We're here for support, and that kind of comment is not supportive. However intended, I don't think anyone would have taken that as support. What WE were saying is that she's ok, and probably has no problems, but to keep to the diet. We all tried to give her better options, and HELPFUL comments so that she can move past her BAD behavior, and attempt to move forward to BETTER behavior! That's what she needed, not someone to belittle her. What's done is done, and she can't change her past actions, however, we can all choose our future behaviors, and we hope that because of our helpful and supportive comments, that she, and others who have made bad choices, will move on to better, and more healthful choices of eating.

Thank you armywife and others. I called my new doctor and asked what I should be eating since I will be a patient. My husband is 100% supportive and was in Mexico with me and I nor he never ever saw any one about what I should eat or not or was given any written instructions. I am a reactive person, I knew I needed the band. Went and got one with out ever seeing this site. I was having complications all day when I received my band the evening before and was released at 4:15 am. Yes I knew that I shouldn't have eaten what I ate because of this board and a book that I bought. I have taken such good advice and have been doing well eating what I should. I have lost 12 lbs. with out any more waffles, ceral or "The BIG MAC."

I am learning a lot from this board but as I said I am too soft hearted. Most people can blow off other people's comments but I seem not to be able to do so. So with this in mind I am not going to read any more threads from this post. I am so sorry that it has turned out this way but it is best for me until I can figure out how to let people that I don't know not to effect me. Even when they were being harsh and had done some things they shouldn't have done, made others upset and stop posting on other threads, I should be able not to let it upset me. I should have maybe looked at her post a different way and chuckled and learned.

I thank the people who stuck up for me and the people who gave me support.

I honestly don't believe it was rude. I think she was truly shocked and concerned that someone would be eating waffles, cereal and a big mac 4 days post op. So many newly banded people are coming on here looking to be validated in their desire to cheat, and many others are enabling them further with their statements of how they did it and they were OK, or how their doctors don't have them on the same diet, so they don't have to do what their own personal surgeon suggests.

I have seen too many people try and be sweet, but it just doesn't seem to be getting through to people. It seems like some tough love is needed. Otherwise, I am concerned that the band is going to get a really bad rep. as a result of too many people moving to mushy and solid food stages too soon, resulting in a slippage down the road.

The trend seems to be that as long as people are enabling them and validating their cheating, everyone is happy. But, the minute someone says, "lets get real people, you are putting your band and your health at risk" people get angry and we are accused of being rude. We are not rude, we just want people to realize what they are doing and what the long term effects can be. Don't be angry with us for stating the facts.