I'm looking for food advice, too. I had lap-band surgery 7.28.04, and I'm afraid I haven't lost weight at all! I can't eat anything solid hardly -- I would kill for a hunk of meat! I end up getting so frustrated and HUNGRY by the end of the day that I'm hitting the ice cream or something else that I know will go down. I haven't even found a protein powder that I like (I HATED Unjury! Different strokes . . .) I have eaten eggs and cheese and mashed potatoes, too -- not exactly diet food. Could anybody give me an idea of what you eat in a typical day? I would be grateful beyond words.

My doctor, like some others, put the band in loose. My first fill is scheduled for 8.30 (also my birthday, whopee). I am terrified that I am going to go into his office and be the only person who actually gained weight after surgery.

well surprise, pmomma!!! i split out your post so that others can find it more easily and respond to your question...

but i gotta tell you.. it's unlikely that you've gained weight. but in order to tell that, you have to find a scale and actually get on it. yes, it's scary, but ya gotta deal with reality, ya know.

as for protein shakes, have you tried nectar protein by syntrax? i like it. others don't. but as you said - different strokes!!!

am anxiously waiting the next stage of your saga!!!!

Hi Pmomma,

I would bet that you're doing better than you think. As I'm sure you already know, but always bears repeating, the first six weeks after surgery are for healing. ANY WEIGHT LOSS IS A BONUS! Don't worry about your food not being "diet" food. The eggs, cheese and potatoes are fine for now. Just concentrate on getting your protein in.

Are you still in the pureed stage? I was at this point in the process and I have to be honest, I hated this part! The good thing is, it ends! I would cook regular foods for my family and then I'd puree whatever protein I was serving. For instance, if they were having grilled chicken, I'd take some meat and puree it with plenty of broth. It all looked like Alpo, but tasted pretty good and helped me get in plenty of protein. The other thing that saved me was chili. I made my own and pureed it. I loved it over mashed potatoes with a little cheese melted on top. Egg drop soup is good too. Just be sure the eggy things aren't too big. Another good thing is guacamole and refried beans with no big pieces. Yum!

My typical day during the pureed stage was: protein shake for breakfast (I love Unjury - go figure!), chili for lunch, pureed chicken or something like that for dinner. And lots and lots of water. If you're eating enough protein, you probably won't be very hungry and tempted to hit the ice cream. Maybe you should get it out of the house for now, just in case. I ate lots of popsicles too.

I love my band (except I'm on the world's longest plateau and am sick of it!). I don't diet, but do try to follow the rules of protein first, veggies second and anything else that will fit last. The other biggie is not drinking with meals which is still hard for me. Trust me, after you get filled (most likely will take more than one) and have good restriction, this tool will work and you will love it! I'm going in for my third fill today because I'm so tired of being stuck. I'm hoping a little more restriction will be the key. That's the beauty of this surgery though - the ability to fill or unfill as we need.

I hope this was helpful. Please post or PM me if you need any help.

Chickadee

Welcome home Pookie................ it's good to "see" your smiling face back here!!!

Thanks so much Chickadee! Are you counting all that typing as your aerobics?

Thanks to everybody. I am getting my first fill on Monday, so I hope I will slow down in eating EVERYTHING IN SIGHT by then. I guess the problem is that I am mostly healed, but still unrestricted -- so I'm no better than when I started off! Also, I have discovered that GNC and other places will let you return protein powders that you don't like, so I plan to take advantage of that. The guy at GNC said that the banana flavor is usually the least revolting in any brand, so I plan to put the theory to the test.

Okay, we have only sugar-free fudgesicles in the house. Taking a deep breath...

I would still love some advice on what y'all have been eating after getting filled.

Hi P.momma,
Advice on what to eat after you've been filled - I eat whatever I want. I am not on a diet! I know lots of bandsters diet, but I don't. That's one of the reasons got the band. I hate having that "diet mentality" and feeling like I have to deprive myself of wonderful thing. I don't do very well with that. I am careful to follow the cardinal rules though (which I'm sure you know, but I'll post them anyway).
Rule 1. Protein First, then veggies, then whatever else
Rule 2. No drinking with meals. I don't drink a half hour before a meal and wait til an hour after to drink.
Rule 3. At least 64 ounces of water a day, 75 grams of protein.
Rule 4. Small bites, carefully chewed.

After those rules have been met, I eat what I want. I never eat anything with artificial sweetener because I hate it. If it's sweet, it's the real thing. The cool thing is, I'm making pretty good choices. Lots of things just don't taste as great anymore. Also, there's the pain factor! I've always been a big bread eater. If I eat soft bread, it gets stuck and hurts like the devil, so I've finally learned (the hard way) that those foods are out for me. So is most chicken. My advice to you is to experiment within the rules and find what works for you. One more thing, don't be surprised if you don't have too much restriction with the first fill. I was lucky and had some, but I read lots of stories of people needing three or so to get to their sweet spot. I've heard you know it when you're there, and I think I might be with this last fill, which was number three.

Another novelette by Chickadee

Thanks, Chicki-Chicki-Chickidee. I appreciate the advice.

I'm STILL looking for a not-revolting protein shake. The teenage boy at GNC wasn't much help. He suggested the package with the really muscular man on the cover, and didn't seem to know much about the non-body building part of the store.

I don't remember if I've suggested Unjury to you. I really like it, which is saying a lot since I have a few kinds just sitting in my cupboard getting old. I highly suggest you go to their website (www.unjury.com) and buy yourself a couple of samples. I've tried the vanilla, unflavored and chocolate. All are good, but the different things I can do with vanilla and unflavored is endless.

Chickadee