Little Green

My puree instructions included an express approval for whole grains like oatmeal and grits as well as fruit like mashed banana. I personally find that banana is very stimulating to my digestive system so I'd see if you can tolerate that and maybe some oatmeal. Also if you like coffee, it can help get things going too. Good luck!

Instead of broth, try straining Soups. The flavor of the meat and seasonings stays behind and they are usually thicker than broth. Days 4-14 post-op I LIVED for strained beef stew/soups.

Instead of broth, try straining Soups. The flavor of the meat and seasonings stays behind and they are usually thicker than broth. Days 4-14 post-op I LIVED for strained beef stew/soups.

We were on the road shopping for a new (used) car for my kiddo.
The rest of the family wanted good old BK Steakhouse....so we went to see that creepy king.
I had the veggie burger with all the veggies on it, just like they make it... and an iced tea. And I'll admit it...I ate a couple of my hubby's fries.
Could not eat even half of the veggie burger....but it was freakin' delicious.
Half a veggie burger= 200 calories and 10 grams of protien. Throw in 50 calories for the fries I swiped. A totally do-able lunch budget:)
I feel kinda victorious when I can find ways to enjoy out to eat crap with friends and family....in a sensible way that doesn't break the calorie budget or derail my diet.
Win-win. I like options. And the half a veggie burger option...is awesome.
Also found an AWESOME car for the kiddo:) Almost a clone of her old one, only blue this time instead of brown. She's super excited:)

I love your posts! They always show a balance is achievable and that having a healthier choice at BK isn’t some pathway for doom and failure.

My puree instructions included an express approval for whole grains like oatmeal and grits as well as fruit like mashed banana. I personally find that banana is very stimulating to my digestive system so I'd see if you can tolerate that and maybe some oatmeal. Also if you like coffee, it can help get things going too. Good luck!

Short answer: It's pretty much completely up to you.
Long answer: "Keto" means almost nothing in the bariatric community anymore, I feel... in my pre-op phase I would tell my RD about my diet which at that time included things like oatmeal with berries for Breakfast, tuna on whole grain bread for lunch, banana and string cheese snack, burrito bowl with rice or chicken with rice for supper, etc. Definitely protein-focused but not really low-carb and certainly not Keto. She would nod and smile and encourage me and then my notes would say "Pt is following keto diet and will continue to do so." What????? LOL! Edit: I found the exact quote I was thinking of: "Commended pt on her weight loss, meal planning, and will continue to follow ketogenic diet." Yeah all that bread, oatmeal, and rice is really keto!
A keto diet to me has a very narrow definition of restricting carbohydrate intake to fewer than 20-50g per day with an emphasis on high fat intake - 70% or more of the diet coming from fat. Most bariatric plans recommend moderate- or low-fat (20-35% of the diet) so to me they are inherently not keto regardless of the carbs. But the word is used generally in our community to mean low-carb, high-protein.
High-fiber, complex carbohydrates - and fruit - are good for you. Period. They are healthy foods that support your cardiovascular health and protect you against cancer. Plenty of bariatric patients cut them out entirely in the interest of low-carb living so that's certainly an option and in that sense your diet can mirror a keto diet. Personally I'm not willing to give up the health benefits of carbs, so the "keto" guideline of 20-50g per day is not something I follow.

I made my husband throw away the rest of the feta after I snacked on it AGAIN just now. I neglected to say this in my earlier post but whether I'm not tolerating it period or just the amounts of it, it's not agreeing with me and gives me cramping nausea feelings. And yet despite that I haven't been able to stop snacking on it since last night when I bought it... whether it's the creaminess, the saltiness, the funkiness, whatever it is-- it's too much for my pleasure-starved brain AND for my poor little RNY. That's the only thing I've eaten in the last 22 days that's given me an upset stomach. So... bingeing (not really sure if "bingeing" is the right term) on feta cheese is a mistake. I'm glad I've learned that. I wish I didn't have to feel like garbage to have learned it, though. Trying to sip my Water and deep-breathe through the bad tummy feelings.
It just goes to show that WLS is NOT brain surgery... the desire to keep mindlessly eating something for the taste alone is still up there in the ol' noggin... d*mn you, dopamine!!!
Hopefully this does not set me back in the eating department the way the hummus did. Crossing my fingers that after a good night's sleep I'll be ready for some more wholesome and less addictive food choices.

Oh, also! My blood pressure today was 109/75!

Tomorrow (today) I have my rescheduled post-op visit with the surgeon! I have gone against my word and been weighing myself every day - that obsessive mindset is so hard to shake no matter how much I tell myself not to engage it. My weight has been bouncing around from 323 to 325 for just about 8 or 9 days now, so I'm still in the 17-19 lb range lost since surgery. Of course I would have loved another week of an 8-10 lb loss but so far things just ain't moving. I'm irritated but not concerned... I know it will move, and after tomorrow's appointment I'm going to try my damnedest not to get back on the scale until the 17th for a one-month weigh-in!
I've been much happier since I started taking my Vitamins earlier this week; I'm not exactly sure what could be in them that would boost my mood, but I'm all for it! I'm taking the Bariatric Fusion chewables. So far I like the tropical flavor and don't particularly care for the mixed berry. They are definitely a mouthful, regardless of the flavor! I'm still taking pantoprazole and just started actigall, plus my AD. So I have a very simple twice a day pill routine and I don't have to worry about spacing things or remembering to take pills at various hours, etc. I'm really pleased with this, so far!
Belly pain is minimal, just a few zaps from around the numb area here and there. Bowel movements are easy to pass and regular. Eating has been getting easier as the days go by and to be entirely truthful I think it's because I'm not really following the puree rules. Unless the food is naturally pureed (mashed potatoes, applesauce) I'm either mashing with a fork (banana w/ peanut butter) or just mushing it to bits in my mouth before swallowing (potato Soups, tuna). Maybe the puree texture was what was really messing with my mind. I still can't do the hummus ever since I had the meltdown that set off the eating issues. (Disclaimer: please follow your surgeon's guidelines instead of going off-track like me!)
Possibly because of the added textures from the not-so-pureed foods, I've finally started feeling some feedback from my pouch here and there. I still haven't had any issues with what I'm eating, I seem to tolerate it all fine - but I do think I've been eating too fast because I definitely got some feedback after eating quickly, once yesterday and twice today so I'm going to work on "bariatric etiquette" including putting my fork down between bites and separating food and Water. What I felt was mostly a weird, squeezing sensation (maybe a very low-grade pain) in my pouch with a very loud, overwhelming STOP! signal attached. It almost feels like a vagal response, like the first little bit of fuzz in your brain when you are about to faint. I don't actually faint or anything, though! And I'm still so happy that I haven't (yet) had vomiting, slimes, foamies, nausea, etc. or anything of the sort. I feel very lucky in that regard.
I still don't have any sense of hunger or fullness. I'm eating because I know I should and stopping when my serving is gone. Maybe as I head into week four (can't believe it's been 3 weeks post-op today!!!!) I'll start getting some of those senses.
I have had some cravings for gross, fatty food recently and I think it's because I've been eating a lot of prepared/purchased food, like Beans from Taco Bell and mashed potatoes from Bojangle's. So I'm still keying into that "alone in my car going to drive-throughs" ritual that was such a problem for me. It also may be because I've chosen to reincorporate animal products, particularly cheese, in the soups and such that I've been eating. Because, to be frank, almost all the cravings I've been having are for products either made of or covered with cheese! Crispy melty mozzarella sticks, a Rally's burger dripping with cheese sauce, chicken fried rice from the local Mexican restaurant (which is basically just Spanish rice and grilled chicken with a crapton of queso blanco poured over it), a 5-layer burrito from Taco Bell... all have been on my mind lately. (Dr. Neal Barnard has some really interesting insights on cheese and addiction-like responses in the brain if you want to read more about why eating cheese might be making me crave cheese!)
Right now I'm relying on my tiny pouch, lack of hunger, and a sincere desire NOT to harm myself by eating foods beyond the mushy/soft stage to overcome those cravings, but that stuff won't last forever. So in this last week of puree, I'm going to keep eating the foods that have been working for me, in the interest of calories and Protein - but starting next week in the official soft food stage when I can experiment more, I'll be focusing on building back up a plant-based diet that helps my mind stay away from those types of cravings. Part of that will be planning meals and bulk cooking, and part of it will be rebuilding my cardio ability so that I have more energy for cooking!
Well, I think this post is certainly long enough. One day soon I'll have to copy all this over to a word document so I don't lose any of my post-op journals if BP ever goes kaput!

As Creek noted, official diets are all over the map, but most have the common element of a certain Protein minimum (typically 60 or more, depending upon the patient's need - smaller women need less, taller men need more,) and minimizing sugars or otherwise simple carbohydrates. Relatively few programs promote a Keto type diet - those are typically adopted by patients on their own - and there is little general need for such diets but if one is into them, it won't do much harm (at least in the short term.)

Holy guacamole! You poor thing. Did your surgeon have you on any preventative meds, by any chance? We're required to take an anti-gallstone med for six months and I'm hoping that as a result I can avoid this issue. *crosses fingers*

Woohoo! So exciting - I can't wait to be overweight! It'll happen right about the same time I hit onederland, too, so it'll be a PAR-TAY for sure!

LAST THING, I promise. Because I'm seriously disturbed by some of the blatant disrespect for gender identity in this post. And if there was an angry emoticon, @Syntax_Attack "reputation" would decline in a hurry. Your comments are closed minded and an embarrassment to the community.
If the ladies chose to only post in the gal's only rooms, the men wouldn't have anything to talk about or anyone to talk to. Be careful what you wish for.

There are lots of people who are gender Fluid or somewhere on the spectrum. I wouldn't laugh, it could be one of your friends or family members.

Sent from my SM-G950U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Now see...I think your refusal to acknowledge and respect these people....is as offensive as you find women who post in the men's room.
World is an interesting place, isn't it?
If you'd like to be educated about them, look up the term genderqueer or non-binary gender identity.
But again...I don't care what Alex does about these rooms.
Ultimately, I think he'd care a lot more about them if they produced LOTS of sales of bariatric products. LOL:)
By the way, have you tried the Flapjacked Mighty Muffins? They're amazing:)

THANK YOU... I certainly wasn't under the illusion that I was gonna feel awesome 3 days out from major surgery, just trying to set realistic expectations for myself for when things should start to be on the upswing. It's easy for me to watch the healing progress on the outside, but inside not so much. I'm going to experiment a bit with temperatures; I had just noticed that cold drinks seemed to get "stuck" (or cause a spasm or something), so I'll try some other temps.

They were just asking how long to expect it- which is a normal question to ask. It's very new for them.

I'm 4 weeks out now- and Water doesn't hurt as long as I don't take huge gulps. (Though I won't lie, there are times where I'll be walking for a long time and take too big of a drink on accident- it's not terrible but is uncomfortable.) I would say you should notice a little difference (not perfect, but better) around 2-3 weeks. It might be different for everyone- but that's when I noticed that drinking was better. The sugar free koolaid flavoring was my savior. Try experimenting with different water temps. I've heard lots of people say they had to have warm drinks or room temperature- to me I had to have cold drinks. The colder the better. Everyone's a little different. Hope you get feeling better soon!

Of course, i'm still "overweight" according to my insurance guy....but I'm not "obese" anymore...and definitely not "morbidly obese" like I was at this time last year.
So yeah..."Overweight" sounds pretty darned fantastic to me:)
Today I broke my doctor's goal for my weight.... which is 172-178 pounds:) My body fat is right around 30% according to the underwater scale and metabolic analysis....which is generally considered Healthy/Acceptable for women.
My personal goal is 170, and I'm looking forward to popping my calories up a bit to maintain after I hit that goal. More good carbs! More fruits and whole grains!
Have been crazy busy, but life is good:) Still loving my forever diet and not feeling deprived of anything. Getting exercise in is not hard with 11 year old neicey running us around to the zoo, forest, alligator farm, natural history museum, aviation/space museum etc....and needing a swimming buddy.
Have been cooking healthy for guests, and they seem to be enjoying it:) Had a couple nights of junk for the kids on the grill, or pizza. I just throw some salmon on there and have some avacado and cukes and other veggies and call it good. Grilled salmon with balsamic glaze is my new go-to favorite.

I had the bypass. I found that many sleevers end up revising to bypass and I didnt want two surgeries.
I also didn’t want the reflux possibility and wanted maximum loss . The bypass gives that maximum weight loss - the sleeve is close though!

I really don’t see why people say the sleeve is any easier of a recovery.
For me- the recovery was super easy. I had 5 small (1/4-1/2 in) incisions and was not in pain - took maybe 3-4 days to be back to normal after gas passing

Good luck with your decision

You are not guaranteed to dump if you have gastric bypass surgery. I’m not sure why this is such a common misconception. And we have a few sleevers on here that have experienced dumping. Do not base this decision based on dumping, whether you find it desirable or not-you may not end up with it.
Both surgeries require Vitamin supplements for life.
It is possible to eat around either surgery eventually by eating frequent high calorie foods that are quickly digested.
If you have a starting BMI greater than 50, you should strongly consider gastric bypass.
Both surgeries require follow up care for life regarding lab work.
Recovery from both surgeries seems about the same.
Do you have any other medical conditions? Are you diabetic? Do you have reflux? All of these should be considered along with your BMI, and diet history.
Do your research and you will choose what is best for you.

So today I made goal! Here I am, one week shy of six months post surgery, and my official BMI is ‘normal’. Not overweight and not obese, any more.
So I know that having blooming gallstones has helped with this last few pounds - eating low fat (gallstones), low Protein (liver damage) and low carb (dumping syndrome) is pretty restrictive, but I will have my gallbladder out in a week or two (that will drop me another 1/4 pound 🤣) and then I am into my maintenance diet.
And here, the difference:

I gave up hiding in "fat clothes" in 2011 after a toxic relationship break-up. I wear bathing suits, sleeveless shirts, short dresses, whatever I want. I don't purposefully try to show off skin, but I just wear what I'm comfortable in. I figure if you don't want to see it, don't freakin look! I'm sure this trend will continue as I lose weight, lol...

I gave up hiding in "fat clothes" in 2011 after a toxic relationship break-up. I wear bathing suits, sleeveless shirts, short dresses, whatever I want. I don't purposefully try to show off skin, but I just wear what I'm comfortable in. I figure if you don't want to see it, don't freakin look! I'm sure this trend will continue as I lose weight, lol...

Yikes.....at just a month out.
Nope, not a chance I'd do this.
Way too many calories, and too little nutrition for those calories. (I love bacon, but I'm not gonna eat pure animal fat anymore)
But you're an adult and we play our own cards.
And everyone has something they will cheat a little with from time to time...so I'm not judging.
Still....no way in hell I'd eat Brats...not even at 6 months out.
If you do this? Try just a couple of tiny slices of brat. Itsy bitsy amount...and give it an hour to see how you feel after.
Also, try to stay within your calorie budget for the day.
If you can balance your day and stay within calorie budget and get your required protein...you'll probably be ok. But, be extra mindful of portions, calories, and calorie totals.
The problem with brats is that they're so dang fatty and part of a traditionally junk food meal. They're also salty as heck and processed.
At one month out... it's so important to work hard on those new eating habits. There are better choices you could be making.
Don't mean to be the food police cause i get it.
Just sayin....every choice you make in these next few months really matters. If you go off plan? Count those calories extra carefully and make sure it's REALLY worth it. And do the penance....