Hi everyone! I was banded on the 26th and have a few questions....I am on the full-liquid diet the first 2 weeks and I am starving today and yesterday. I am living off of cream of tomato and cream of mushroom soup, cream of wheat and carnation instant breakfast. I am always light-headed and dizzy - does anyone have any "filling" suggestions? I am so hungry.

Also, when I am on regular food, will flour tortillas cause the same effect that bread/dough does? I love mexican food and I really am sad if I have to give it up. I heard pizza dough is a definite no-no also. What things do each of you have to stay completely away from (on a reg diet)? Just so I have a heads up I am so sore still and I have to go to work tomorrow - ugh! I am an RN too, so I will be on my feet for 8 hours. I am thinking of taking the liquid children's tylenol instead of the liquid lortab because it makes me so dizzy/loopy.

My doctor considers cream soups and Cream of Wheat second stage/soft foods, which I can't have until 2 weeks after surgery. You didn't mention protein shakes, so perhaps adding 2 or 3 of those to your diet will help. I am just as surprised as anyone that 2-3 protein shakes and a cup of broth have been filling me up for the last 3 weeks (2 weeks pre-op, 1 week post-op). Oh, you could also add some sugar-free popsicles if you have a sweet tooth. They aren't particularly filling, but satisfy the need to have dessert or something sweet after dinner or later in the evening.

I have good restriction, but I can totally eat bread, tortillas and pizza. I know others can't. But I do have some trouble with fibrous foods and meat. I have to cut them up pretty small before I chew well. It's bizarre, but everyone's different. There's no way to know until you're there and you try it.

Liquid Tylenol is a good idea. It makes me sleepy, but not loopy.

Have you tried Jello? I know it's not very filling, but it might help you to "chew" something. You know, psychologically.

SF yogurts. How much protein is in Carnation Instant Breakfast? Perhaps buy protein shake powder with a higher protein content, mix with skim milk and see if that doesn't stave off hunger better than Instant Breakfast.

I have posted this for others and it really got me through.

Don't use the broth that comes in a can. Make some chicken soup and let some of the vegetables dissolve. Then strain it and sip on it. Be creative. I had my 17 year old son cut up some potatoes into very very small squares and boil it in chicken broth from a can until the potatoes get very soft some should melt. Again strain and sip.

My husband and son boiled some flank steak they cut in small cubes. As soon as it came to a boil they changed the Water to get the brown foam that floats on top out (Rinse it to get it all out). Then add clean water, cilantro, green onion, onion, season (i.e. garlic power, Lawrys, salt) zucchini, carrots, celery, and peeled potato in this order. Boil for 2 to 4 hours and add water as needed. Once this is almost all cooked add cabbage and boil for another 1/2 hour or so. You want the cabbage to start to melt. Then add a bag of frozen corn.

You want everything to boil until everything starts to melt. Use a mesh strainer to serve yourself and for the family have them add avocado and fresh lime juice to their bowl. If you plan on using it for you cream soups take your juice and veggies out before you add the corn because the corn does not blend well. At that point you can add a bit of smashed avocado to yours as well. If it gets too thick add some can broth to yours and enjoy. Oh, the broth will change the taste.

The broth from this soup is the best!!!! It is much more filling than can broth. I was so satisfied that I felt like I was cheating. I would have 2 or 3 ounces every half hour or so. It would fill me up and I was satisfied. The canned broth on the other hand, I could only stomach so much of it because of the taste.

Be creative. My husband also boiled some can broth with Pasta and potatoes. I drank the broth and it was great. My son and his friend eat the pasta, potatoes, and the broth and his friend said Campbells should be as good.

Good luck and happy banding!!! It will get better.

My surgeon advised me that anything i can suck down a straw was great for the next four weeks. I was banded on 25 May 2009.

I had been living on juice and Cup of Soups and Mousse and yesterday 30 May 2009 i was really really really hungry. The other days i didnt know if i was hungry or not and had to force myself to drink something.

I found yesterday my partner made me a smoothie banana (blended) and Honey with low fat yoghurt and milk, and that did the trick!

I found that SF Jello and pudding was quite filling.

MsJess - my doctor said not to use a straw, as it would cause extra air to go into the stomach which would then cause some additional pain and much more burping to occur.

I was on liquid type foods for the first week and then mushie foods for 3 days and then told to go back to solid foods.

slim fast (low carb) is also very filling.

Get some turkey chili and nonfat greek yogurt. . blend up the chili until it's liquid and add in the yogurt as "sour cream" . . is delish!

I also love cottage cheese, so I did a lot of blended cottage cheese (adding skim milk to thin it out) during my liquids phase. I'd also blend up a banana with skim milk to make a yummy "sauce" for the cottage cheese -- it was paradise after the clear liquid diet!

Also, my doctor let me have fat free/sugar free Jello pudding during the liquids phase, so I had plenty of that chocolate pudding on hand from post-op through at least the mushies phase. I'm tired of it now, but it totally satisfied my need for a treat for the first 2-3 months. I hope that helps!

Best wishes,

Catherine

I can't speak to different liquids, since I pretty much ate the same things you did...however for the flour tortillas and pizza, I can =). Flour tortillas are really easy for me to eat, but just make sure you chew it like there's no tomorrow, and take a small bite of it first without anything to see how you can handle it.

Pizza...Thin crust only! Otherwise you should be fine...

Just my two cents in...everyone is different tho:rolleyes2:

Good Luck!

I drink an Atkins shake (strawberry, vanilla, or chocolate) for breakfast and lunch. For dinner I take about 1 cup of chicken broth with maybe a fouth of a cup of a lean cuisine meal ( i like the chicken alfredo w/ broccoli) into a blender. It should have a soup consistency, not thick. Its really filling. Ive also mixed 1 cup of chicken broth and 2-3 tablespoons of spaghetti sauce, weird but I liked it and I'm kinda picky. The soups taste best when they are hot! When I feel I just gotta have something I like Activia yogurt or 100 calorie chocolate pudding. The idea of "liquid only" can boggle the mind for us chunkie monkeys but IT CAN BE DONE! Good luck to you.:party:

I was also banded 5/26. I was on Clear liquids through the 28th, and now I'm on full liquids for one full week, then I get to go to soft foods.

I buy the V8 Soups - they are GREAT. Strain off whatever bits of veggies get in there. I mix a can of cheddar cheese Soup with it and get several meals out of one box.

I do the same with Campbell's cream of chicken soup. Makes an awesome meal.

I have been having weird cravings, for foods I never really ate. Like I want a hot dog with saurkraut. I never eat saurkraut! Of course, I'm not eating them yet.

I also do 2 Boost Protein drinks a day. I'm only able to get down 4 oz of anything at a time. Then I walk, wait a good half an hour, and can finish off the boost.

I also seem to be longing for the day when I can COOK. I have NEVER EVER really cooked unless you call microwaving a lean cuisine cooking. I can mix a few things together, boil Pasta, and make scrambled eggs, but that's pretty much been the extent. Now I want to really learn to cook cool meals. Weird as I have never had a single desire to cook.

For those of you with surgery on the 26th have you guys lost weight? it seems that since surgery, 1 week tomorrow I have seriously only lost 2lbs i feel stupid, I have seen many loose lots of weight the first few weeks. im still on liquids mainly but I was starving last night and had yogurt and did pretty well with it.

Thanks

K

Gonnagetbanned,

You might want to start this as a new topic..but anyway, you can't go by the first week because of all the bloat, Gas and retention and weird things your body does.

Get on the scale 2 weeks from today and you'll be surprised.

For those of you with surgery on the 26th have you guys lost weight? it seems that since surgery, 1 week tomorrow I have seriously only lost 2lbs i feel stupid, I have seen many loose lots of weight the first few weeks. im still on liquids mainly but I was starving last night and had yogurt and did pretty well with it.

Thanks

K

Gonnagetbanned, so far i've lost 14lbs since my surgery on the 26th.

thats awesome georgia!!!!!

keep up the good work

Georgia, did that include your pre-op diet time as well? If not, that's 14 pounds in 6 days post-op? That's more than 2 pounds each day!