What's it like. . . .

When banded Chike was my fav protein drink.  Now, I am unable to drink any flavored protein so use unflavored and mix with coconut, rice or almond milk  plus SF syrup.  At times add frozen fruit.  My plan is to eventually get most of my protein with solid food.    I tried several vitamins and Celebrate are the only ones I can chew without gagging.  Presently, I can eat just about any meat but only  1/4 c  at a time at 9 wks out.  Eventually will work up to 1 cup.  I'm just taking it one meal one day at a time.

I have never heard of Chike. . . I will have to look that one up.  Oh boy, I remember those gagging days lol.  I had it bad with the band, like you, I couldn't tolerate the flavored protein drinks.  I'm reeeeeeeeeeally hoping this time around will be better!  I forgot about the unflavored stuff though, thanks for reminding me!

So, 9 weeks out and you're eating about 1/4 cup at at time, that is sooooo not a lot of food :)  It blows my mind how little we really need to get by on.

Thank you for the info!

I'm getting close to 7 months out and while I do not advise you to eat what I eat, here's an example of a typical day. Let me preface it by saying that my psychiatrist suggested that I eat more carbs because they are the building blocks for serotonin (I have depression and take anti-depressants.) I discussed that with my surgeon and he agreed and he also thought it would help me have more energy (I no longer need an afternoon nap everyday!)

My protein goal is only 60g and so far I'm feeling fine, but I'll get my first labs done soon so we'll see what my protein levels look like and if any adjustments need to be made.

B: Premier Nutrition chocolate protein shake (30g protein) - even though my surgeon wanted me off shakes awhile ago, he approves of having one for breakfast since it's the only thing I'll consistently consume

L: I eat out with my husband during the week so it's usually about 2oz of protein first and some veggies and/or carbs. If we go to a Mexican restaurant, I'll order chicken fajitas and I eat  the chicken with a fork. Then I'll have a couple bites of the veggies, rice, and refried beans and take the rest of it home and have it for 2 more meals.

D: Usually whatever leftovers I have from lunch. Protein first and a few bites of the rest.

S: This is usually not high in protein, but I try to make it whole grain to get some more fiber or often eat something with nuts for some healthy fats. Here are some examples:
- Half a whole wheat English muffin w/ 1 T peanut butter
-5 multi-grain tortilla chips w/ melted reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese on top
-Nature Valley "protein" bar (only has 10g protein so I eat it when I want a treat)
-Handful of salt n vinegar almonds
-5 small pieces Cashew Clusters w/ almonds and pumpkin seeds (from Costco)
-Premier Nutrition chocolate shake if I haven't gotten in much protein that day (this is rare and usually on the days where I'm craving a big salad so I'll have that for lunch or dinner and then make up for the lack of protein this way.)

That's great that you can eat the carbs and it keeps your energy up; it sounds like that is working well for you!

Wow. . .you get 3 meals out of just the fajita stuffing?!?!  That's so cool; I love Mexican food! 

It sounds like you have a pretty well-rounded diet; that's great that you can get the carbs in to help with the serotonin production.  I have a friend who just got Banded who has the serotonin/depression issues as well.  I hope her Band works for her.  She knows what happened to me but she was too scared about the other surgeries so she went with the Band as the least invasive option.  It's early yet but so far she is doing great!

Thanks for sharing, you've given me some really good ideas for when I'm far enough out to start eating solids again.  :)