Bufflehead

I don't like any of the RTD (I did okay with Premier Protein at the beginning but now they gag me). My powders of choice: Syntrax Matrix orange cream, banana cream, strawberries & cream, milk chocolate, mint cookie. Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard vanilla ice cream & caramel toffee fudge, Unjury chocolate splendor, Chike Iced Coffee & Chike Banana Magic (I generally only use a half serving of Chike because otherwise the carbs are too high). Immediately after surgery I did a lot of Syntrax Nectar (fuzzy navel, roadside lemonade, lemon tea, twisted cherry) and Unjury chicken soup.

I wasn't allowed jerky until I was six months out -- until then, I was limited to food I could cut with a fork. Jerky definitely doesn't qualify! Now I keep ostrich jerky and turkey jerky on hand to pinch-hit for meals when I might not have fresh meat available. I love them!

I was on clears for one day and then full liquids for four weeks, purees for four weeks, and soft foods for four months.

I'm over six months out so am out of soft foods but still have restrictions on what I eat and how much, as I am still in weight loss mode. My basic rules from my program are: No grains, no starchy veggies, no refined sugar. Three small meals per day, no snacking in between except for Protein shakes or calorie-free liquids. Here's some sample menus from the past couple of days: Day 1 Breakfast: 1/2 container Greek yogurt with 1 T. PB2 stirred in Lunch: 1.25 oz sliced deli roast beef, 15 grams (approx. 2 tablespoons) roasted edamame, 1 babybel lite cheese Dinner: 2 oz. Trader Joe's marinated chipotle chicken, 1/4 cup green Beans, 2 prunes, 20 grams sweet & spicy pecans. Snacks: iced coffee protein shake, hot chocolate protein shake Day 2 Breakfast: 1/3 cup onion & garlic lentils with 1.5 oz grilled salmon mixed in Lunch: swiss cheese & asparagus omelet (made with 1 egg + 1.5 tablespoons egg whites, 2 chopped thin asparagus spears, 1 T. shredded swiss cheese) Dinner: 2 oz. braised lamb (leftovers from restaurant dinner the night before), 1 oz. cauliflower "rice." Snacks: same as day 1. If you haven't yet, I strongly recommend setting up a myfitnesspal.com account and getting a bunch of sleever friends with open diaries. That's a great way to learn about what other people are eating as they progress through weight loss and into maintenance. Good luck to you!

I was allowed sardines at pureed phase if I pureed them (which I did, they were great pureed with a little olive oil mayo and chicken broth). And then when I switched to soft foods I could have them without pureeing them first.

DreamBig, I know how you feel . . . I lost more than half my hair prior to surgery just due to alopecia (bad genetics, bad luck). Since your scalp is showing, if you haven't, you might want to try a fill-in powder like Nanogen or Toppik. I have used both of them and they work great -- you just shake them into your hair and they cover up your scalp and make your hair look thicker. My recommendation is to buy a couple of different shades - the one you think will match your hair, and one lighter. You can buy them at lots of online places, just Google. You can find Toppik at stores like Sephora and Sally Beauty too. Here's a video showing how Nanogen works -- Toppik is pretty much the same thing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM7EULIEdYA

I had a some gas pain when I woke up, but that went away by the evening because I walked as much as I could. I had no nausea, vomiting, dry heaves, choking, or spitting up . . . ever. I did have some incisional pain but it was easily managed. I don't think my recovery is particularly unusual. You read a lot here about people with problems like nausea and vomiting because they are more likely to post, as they are looking for information, support, advice, etc. Make sure you get one of those patches behind the ear for nausea prior to surgery, they help a lot!

I also did a six month supervised weight loss plan for insurance. Combining that with the 2 week pre-op diet that my surgeon required, I lost 55 lbs. I also worked hard on improving my cardiovascular fitness and my strength, and I think those helped a lot in my post-surgery recovery, which was very smooth. Improving your cardiovascular health will also cut down on the risk of blood clots with surgery, which is the most dangerous risk associated with the surgery. I spent those six months learning a lot about what my post-surgery life would be like. I went to nutrition classes and had sessions with my surgeon's exercise physiologist, as well as meeting with my PCP to discuss weight related issues, diet, etc. It was hard to wait that long but I do think it benefitted me a lot -- I went into surgery very educated and prepared! It also ended up being the perfect timing for surgery with my work schedule (surgery in June and I work at a university) so it was all good in the end. My dietician says that people who have to do a six month weight loss plan prior to surgery generally lose a bit slower at the outset than other people, but long term have better success rates when it comes to losing all their weight and maintaining their weight loss. Good luck to you!

I pureed chicken with things like marinara sauce (topped with mozzarella cheese & heated up in microwave), low cal bbq sauce (top with cheddar cheese & heat up), and chipotle hot sauce. It was delicious! I've only smelled baby food a couple of times and thought it was beyond revolting, I could never eat that. I'm sorry that we inflict it on innocent, defenseless babies.

You have definitely had the slimies . . . my dietician's instructions say if you experience them, ask yourself, --did I eat too much? --did I eat too fast? --were my bites too big? --did I eat the wrong food? Because the slimies are always caused by at least one of these things. Slow down, eat less, take smaller bites. And I agree with Christian and Sherry above, corn probably isn't a great choice. Hard to digest for most people, plus frankly, it's almost nutrition-free. I'm not allowed any corn whatsoever in weight loss phase.

They are powdery, so definitely not what you want! And btw, to get the little quote box, highlight what you want to put in the box and then click the "Quote" button. At least, that's how you do it on the website, not sure about the app.

I don't use bread crumbs because of the carbs and calories. I've used almond flour and that worked well. I've heard good things about minced cauliflower and mushrooms as well as grated hard cheese such as parmesan or romano.

I usually don't buy special bariatric anything -- I'm convinced that special bariatric vitamins and calcium and whatnot are overpriced scams. That said, I've been taking the Bariatric Advantage probiotic chewables every day since surgery and I have had zero problems with constipation, nausea, gas, anything like that. I don't know if that's attributable to the probiotic but I guess it isn't hurting! The ones I get are strawberry flavored and taste fine. http://www.nashuanutrition.com/store/vitamins-and-minerals/bariatric-advantage-chewable-probiotic-strawberry-90-tablets.html

If you mean the ones with 9 grams of protein, they wouldn't meet my program's requirements as that is way too low.

Are you on a PPI such as omeprazole or protonix? Stomach gurgling all day long plus unexplained hunger could be too much stomach acid. It's a common problem for new post-ops. My rule is that if I am hungry *for* a specific thing, or type of thing, it's head hunger. If I feel hungry, I ask myself, would eating some plain chicken breast make me happy? Or, would drinking a protein shake satisfy this hunger? If the answer is no, it isn't true hunger. Sounds like you are doing really well post-op overall! Congrats

Isopure makes a line of clear protein drinks. The numbers are great. I found the taste revolting but some people like them. I found I could choke them down if I mixed them half and half with G2 or light fruit juice. I drank a lot of it immediately post op, because I figured it didn't matter whether I liked it, it only mattered that I was able to get my liquids and proteins down. Eventually I was able to move on to tastier stuff and all that Isopuke seems like a bad dream now!

I had high blood pressure starting a couple of days after surgery, when I stopped the narcotic painkillers. My doctor said it was probably due to my increased pain level -- pain can cause HBP. Mine went down to normal within a week. Good luck to you!

Liquid stage - in addition to my favorite protein shakes (Syntrax Nectar, Syntrax Matrix, Unjury chocolate splendor and chicken broth, Chike iced coffee), I drank a lot of V8 (so nice to have something not sweet), light cranberry juice, and G2. For purees, I did a lot of refried beans with melted cheese, poached eggs (eggs are iffy for a lot of people though), and different kinds of pureed meats. I would puree the meat with a sauce I thought it would taste good with. For example, I bought Thai spiced tuna and pureed it with sriracha sauce. I took shrimp and pureed it with remoulade. I took chicken and pureed it with low carb bbq sauce, then heated it up and melted some cheese on top. The Eggface ricotta bake is awesome too. Best wishes to you!

This sounds all kind of wrong to me. If I were you I'd be looking to hire a lawyer. It won't be cheap but I think it's worth at least looking in to.

The rumbling and gurgling is completely normal. For some of us it quiets down but never goes away completely. I joke that my stomach sounds like a cross between a creaky floor, a child learning to play the cello, and an elk bugling during mating season!

Yes, add calories. Try healthy, calorie-dense foods like nuts, avocado, olive oil mayonnaise, and dried fruit. Eat more frequently rather than larger meals -- you want to maintain your restriction. Congratulations on all your success!

My surgeon sells a powder Vitamin specifically for wls patients, here's a link: http://www.barilife.com/bariatric-vitamin-products/bariatric-multi-vitamins.html Personally I find them very gritty and nasty and can't really recommend them due to that, but they do have the numbers you need. GNC sells a powdered Multivitamin for men called Mega Men that a friend of mine takes. He loves the flavor -- he does the vanilla. http://www.gnc.com/Powdered-Multivitamins/family.jsp?categoryId=4394053 You would definitely want to account for all those calories though! I used a double dose of Wellesse liquid multi-vitamin after surgery, and found it very easy to tolerate: http://www.amazon.com/Wellesse-Multivitamin-Absorbing-B-Complex-16-Fluid-Ounce/dp/B004YB429Q/ If you can tolerate a chewable, I recommend the Trader Joe's High Potency Chewable Multivitamin -- it tastes good and is much cheaper than just about anything else on the market. Plus it has a lot fewer calories and carbs than most multi's, including, ironically enough, those marketed specifically for wls patients. And by the way, I think seven months out is way too early to call your surgery a failure! Definitely you want to get back on track with your vitamins, that's important for your health, but also, if you haven't, give a scathingly honest and detailed look at what you are eating -- my dietician, surgeon, and exercise physiologist all say that if you aren't losing weight, it can 99% of the time be traced back to what you are eating, rather than supplements, exercise, hormones (yes men are subject to hormonal fluctuations, thyroid problems and so on too), etc.

Wow, you are doing great with your weight loss! I think most of us struggle with adjusting to life without food as a source of comfort and enjoyment, but it sounds like you are doing well by acknowledging those feelings and not letting them get the best of you. And by the way, if you are on MFP, feel free to friend me there, my user name is SibylDiane. I can always use more Sibyls in my life

You look fantastic, great job!

I had pureed shrimp (pureed with cocktail sauce or remoulade) when I was on purees and moved on to regular shrimp on soft foods stage. No problems.