Need help

Well, I was banded on 10/2/09.  Now 4 days post op, and i am getting hungry....  I am flying to vegas 10/09/09 due to my bro's wedding.  I need advice as to what else to eat.  I am still on liquids and have been getting them from chicken broth, gatorade, water, jello, and popsicles.  I need new ideas since i am getting a little frustrated and i have a feeling that when i am in vegas i will crave what others eat.  Please help any support welcome....

Hi there! Congrats on your recent banding! I would definitely suggest finding some liquid protein supplements either from places like CostCo/Vitamin World/Bariatric Advantage, to make sure you get your protein in!  How long have you been put on liquids for?

Thanks,
Well the doc said i would be on liquids for the first week.  I don't know if that meant five or seven days.  Luckily tomorrow is my post op , and i will find our then.  But right now im definitely getting hungry.  So i see that you have been banded for a while.. What are your meals like now? Carbs?? Sweets?

Oh ya, and definitely protein shakes as well! I have read that people take their magic bullet with them on vacation and it's real easy to use even if you are in a hotel.  Hopefully you will be on soft foods so you can have a little more variety and a little more filling.

I try to keep my meals focused around protein first definitely! It took  until my 3rd fill last month for me to really start getting restriction. So up until then it was fairly easy to get anything down & normal size portions.  It took me a while to get my brain aligned with my stomach. The bummer is that "crunchy" carbs & sweets go down easier sometimes for me than the healthy food, so that has been a struggle. I pray everyday to resist! :) I wish I had felt restriction sooner, but I am glad it only took 3 fills to get me where I am now.

 I recommend this blog for recipes once you are on solids! Good luck! :)

www.bandfriendlyrecipes.com

thanks for the advise.  I am on full liquids.. i love it.  had some soup today, cream of potato, felt like the best soup ever!!,, I am still a liitle confused as to how much i should be eating.  so i got a list of things that i can eat, but im kinda confused.  Can i only have one thing at a time, or can i have 3 at a time, but small portions??  I know that they explain it to me, but seems like 5 min after i walk out of the doc's office, i forget or confuse myself.  Also confused about how many times a day i should eat.  Papers say 5-6 times a day, but nutritionist said 3 times a day with no snacks???  How do you eat??

My doctor told me 3 meals and no snacks and I try to stick to that. He said snacks are usually just habits and not always because we are truly hungry...which I agree with at times. I was reading the "Realize Band Diet & Nutrition Info" that's on the side of this message board and it was saying to eat 5-6 mini meals a day.  I think it must depend on how much you can get down at a meal. If you can only eat a tiny amount and get hungry again in 2 hours...it would be best to have another mini-meal...but if you feel satisfied from 3 meals than that would be good. It is all about just trying things out and seeing what your body does. Things are different when you first get on soft foods and then when you get on solids and of course it changes after you get fills. You can have more than one item at a meal but make sure to get your protein in first. Don't feel like you are doing anything wrong or not "by the book." You need to see what works best with your body as everyone is different.

 Love the recipe website thanks!

On day 5 my doc had me start on soft soft foods.  My first day of soft foods were fat free/sugar free pudding, and cream of wheat.  When are you allowed to start soft foods?

I am day 7 post op and just start on more solid foods.

Congrats on your new band and your new journey!

Amy

Thanks, and congrats to you too!  How are you doing with pain??  Can't wait to add pudding to my food.  Well the doc said i would be on liquids for one week.  Tomorrow is my post op and i am hoping he says i can start soft. 

I have had NO pain.  I remember my recovery room nurse asking me if I had pain, and I had no pain after surgery nor have I had any pain since my surgery 7 days ago.  The only discomfort I felt was about 2 days after surgery my tummy felt like I did 5000 sit ups.  But it only lasted about 2 days.  My steri strips have fallen off and my cuts look like fine strands of hair. 

Hopefully your doc will let you start on soft foods soon.   Best of luck to ya and just remember to eat very small bites very very slowly.

Amy