Post Op Liquid Diet

[AshleyMarie]

I am confused with when I am supposed to start my Protein Shakes. The handout that Dr. Miranda gave me says a few different things. Did you all start on Day 6 or Day 10? I started my Yogurt on Day 4 as she instructed that it was okay. I just don't know which day to start with shakes and also the creamy broths. Thanks all

[TGsMom]

We were told day 4 for all creamies!

[AshleyMarie]

Thank you. I am on Day 6 and did not know if I should start my shakes today or wait. How is your daughter?

[julieburns]

My instructions were very clear....day 4 (if necessary) drinkable yogurt was allowed. On post op day 7 was when you could start with the creamy liquids, no chunks, no blenders to get rid of chunks. Protein shakes were to start on day 7. Post op day 7 is actually the 8th day when you count your day of surgery as day 1 though in case of any confusion.

Hang in there this liquid time will be over in a blink.

[fatfreeme]

At this point you probably have your answer but here is what I was told

Days 1-7 should be clear liquids

IF you absolutely cant handle clear liquids for that long then make sure you at least get to day 4 with clear liquids

Either day 5 (if you only did 4 days of clears) or day 8 start yogurt

Day 7(if you only did 4 days of clears) or day 10 start your protein shakes...make sure they go down well before you start creamy soups

Everyone is different on what they can handle. I personally wanted to make sure that I was doing everything I could to keep the band where it was suppose to be, so I did the full 7 days of clear liquids. I made it feel good and am now on the soup stage with about a week to go before my first solid meal.

Hope this helped someone!

[Jodi119]

What day are you starting solids meals?

I am on Day 11 and I am still on blended soups, yogurt, pudding and applesauce.

[Fabi]

What day are you starting solids meals?

I am on Day 11 and I am still on blended soups, yogurt, pudding and applesauce.

your start solids on day 22 because you do liquids for 21 days at least thats what I was told

[JazzyJude]

The instructions I received from OCC is as follows:

Day 1 thru 7 (including your surgery day) ~ 'clear liquid' stage, with the exception on Day 4 to add drinkable yogurt. There is not calorie counting and drink a 1/2 cup at a time, throughout the day, as many as you want.

Day 8 thru 21 ~ 'creamy soup' stage. Again, no calorie counting during this state either, Drink 1/2 cups at a time, throughout the day, as many as you want.

Day 22 ~ start you 'solid' stage. Here is when you start to measure your foods (3) meals a day and no more than 1/3 of what you use to eat, and up to 1200 calories a day.

Exercises:

~ WALK, WALK, WALK! This is the best exercises from here on in. You will build stamina, breathe better, and sleep more soundly. At first, do LOTS of mini walks to get rid of any gas bubbles you may have lurking in your joint areas or upper region of your body. The gas is mostly from your surgery itself, to pump up your mid section for easy access to get you banded.

~ NO strengeous exercising for the frist 3 months, so you and your band can heal properly. Right now, your stomach is totally piss at you for being 'restricted' with a band and is frustrated. Give it time to adjust and for any swelling you may have. Don't rush and get too antsy on this ~ you don't want to risk band slippage.

Good Luck with your weight loss...keep us posted on how you are doing!

[AshleyMarie]

Thanks everyone. I have 10 days to go with the liquid diet. I must say that I am doing soooo well. I haven't had any pain, cravings or trouble being around all of the food I love. I have been to BBQ's and gone out to my favorite restaurants with friends and have just sipped on my water. I am just worried about what to do when I start solids. Do I start measuring my food then? I don't even know how much of everything I am supposed to have. I just know I am supposed to have 3 oz. of protein along with the veggies, fruit and carbs but I have no clue how much I should measure them out to be. I know a lot of people say they can eat as much as they did before surgery but I am not even that hungry. I started my Pre Op Diet early and did a liquid diet one week before surgery so my body is used to this. I haven't felt weak or anything. I am excited to start solids I am just concerned about how slowly to eat and how much food I should intake. I know I heard you should not go in for your fill unless you can eat a lot of food. What if I train myself to only eat 1/3 of the food I used to eat? Do I not need a fill? I am so confused haha.

[jhawkchick75]

For me, when I first started solids I could eat very little. I was still recovering from the surgery so I think that had some to do with it. I also ate incredibly slow and chewed really well so I got full a lot faster. I was told you can eat 1/3 of what you used to, but I used to eat so damn much that might not be a good idea for me! So I try to stick with the one cup or 3oz of meat and then some veggies. Again, make sure and eat real slow it helps you fill up faster. I always feel like i'm eating too much, but when I look at it compared to how much I used to eat it's nothing. I've also been watching calories more than anything lately to keep me on track. I aim for 1200-1500 calories a day depending on if I worked out or not. I journal because my problem has been not getting enough in since my last fill. But before that it wasn't an issue I could really eat whatever. The first 2 fills did nothing for me except cut out bread and the 3rd did a little, but not a ton. Now with the 4th I can really feel a difference. I hope it sticks for a while b/c my weight loss had stalled.

The hardest for me is the real hunger v. head hunger. The feeling of full after you are banded is completely different then that full feeling you get regularly. It's more of a content feeling not a man i'm stuffed type feeling. As I get more fills my head hunger gets worse so I am trying to deal with that now. I don't want to eat too much, but also don't want to not eat enough then be hungry 2 hours later and start eating around the band. So after each fill it takes me some time to really figure out how much to eat. Still working on that since the 4th fill.

[JazzyJude]

Ashley ~ eating 1/3 of what you use to eat is in general. When you are banded, and especially having a few 'fills' under your belt, it may be hard to do that. As it is for me now ~ there is just no way I can. When I first started eating solids, I religiously, measured out the following food guideline at EVERY meal:

~ 3 to 4 oz (2/3 cup to 1/2 cup) PROTEIN (meat, fish, poultry, beans, eggs, etc)

~ 2 oz (1/4 cup) VEGGIE/FRUITS

~ 2 oz (1/4 cup) CARBS/STARCHES (rice, potatoes, pasta, etc)

I actually got out my measuring cups and measured all my foods. I STILL DO! I love to cook and sometimes I can get distracted and I am serving more than I can eat. So, until I 'get it', I will continue to use the measuring cups.

For me, I controlled my hunger pangs by alterating between the Metamucil capsules or the chewable Fiber Choice tablets, one oat 10am and one at 3pm. In addition, I drink a lot of water, at least 10 glasses a day. This helps with the mental hunger a lot and also, when I exercise, the water helps hydrates my body when I sweat.

Hope this helps...

[AshleyMarie]

This helps me out so incredibly much! I too can drink a lot of water. Being that my last diet was Nutrisystem I had to have 8 glasses of water a day and can finish that in a few hours. I of course love Crystal Light which I have tons of different choices. I thank you for posting the different serving sizes that you suggest. That helps tremendously! Do most of you eat veggies and fruits at each meal or just protein, veggies or fruit and carbs? I am so ready to start eating but at the same time I am so afraid. I know the only way I will learn is by experiencing this all for myself. I know I have to buy some Papaya Enzymes and then I am on my way to solids in 10 days