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Thank you everyone for the well wishes!! Being home is definitely better than being in the hospital! I hit my fluid goal yesterday so I'm super proud of myself, although I did feel like I was floating at certain points. LOL I tried some protein broth yesterday and it wasn't a good experience, so protein is still a no-go. I'll try jello again today to see if it'll go down now if I let it melt in my mouth a bit. Popsicles are still the clear winner according to my stomach. Drinking from those little measuring cups really does help! I took Miralax on Friday because my doc thought I was constipated. Well, that angered the gut gods and I've had diarrhea ever since, so....meh. At least I'm not blocked up I suppose. I've been able to swallow pills and keep them down with no issue, so I count myself lucky. The weirdest thing about surgery is that I woke up in the recovery room hungry and I've been hungry ever since. LOL I'm on a PPI so I know it isn't stomach acid causing the sensation, but wow does it make a liquid diet hard! I've never had much of an appetite before so it is a strange feeling and I swear when food ads come on TV I want to lick the screen. 🤣

Not everyone loses their appetite & hunger but the majority do. You could be experiencing not real hunger but head hunger. In this case wanting to eat to sooth & comfort yourself after what has been a pretty major surgery & stressful/emotional time. Plus the more you can’t have food the more you want it. Also stomach acid can make you think you’re hungry & at the moment you’re still producing the same amount of acid as you used to but consuming way less. Are you on a PPI to reduce this acid at the moment? Try distracting yourself: read, play a game, craft, call a friend or family member, go for a short walk around your home as you’re able, etc. Try sipping a warm drink like a green or herbal tea that can help too. Congrats on reaching those fluid & protein goals so soon.

Hi all. I’m eating mostly protein and vegetables but I do include some carbs. I try to do fresh potatoes (small portion) along side or one or two teaspoons of rice. I’m down 26 pounds since surgery and about 35 pounds total since the liquid diet phase before surgery.

I am 3 days post op from gastric bypass. I have been hitting my water goals and very close to my protein. Some nausea here and there but no vomiting! I’m concerned because I feel very hungry today. Is this normal??

So glad to hear you are both home and doing better. Hope you’re able to start the protein shakes soon. Much love to both of you ladies & well wishes.

I am a newbie to this, and just started stage 2. How much unflavored protein powder and skim milk do I need to add, and do I have to add it or can I just eat it plain?

I'm home from the hospital now! Pain and nausea are present but manageable. The doctor gave me a medication to calm the stomach spasms I was having every time I drank something! I haven't started drinking protein yet. Jello feels like a rock in my tummy so they said to hold off on the protein until the nausea has eased and I feel ready to try something denser than water. The best thing by far has been popsicles!!

I’m on my full day at home pos op doing OK trying to get down some liquids, and protein in my soups. Other than that things are going well. I’m not having any nausea. It’s been a manageable process so far.

I’m almost done with week three of preop diet and it has gotten better. I got stuck at the hospital yesterday with my son having a procedure and made it 6 hours without thinking too much about food. Halloween was a bit rough with all of the candy around. However I’ve been sticking to it knowing that changes are necessary. Down about 20 pounds so that helps too. Constipation is still an issue and I’m also getting a sweet taste in my mouth from what I’m assuming is all of the protein shakes. I can definitely see why on the long haul people look for unsweetened protein powders.

My surgery was Sept 1. I am still learning thru trial and error but what seems to work is the time you start and the choices. So I start at 8am with either a 30g protein shake. I snack on anything with high protein. Ex: tuna packs, nuts, protein Quest cheddar crackers, a cup of decaf coffee and add protein powder too it or even grab another protein shake. That's 60g protein and your midway for those times where you may not want nothing for the moment. I also realized for much protein is in chicken, salmon, ground beef, etc. Also recently I just purchased some lactaid protein milk that comes in handy when you just don't feel like chewing on anything. 80z cup is 13g protein. I am literally still learning but I am realizing protein is essential, especially with hair loss[emoji4]. At times too I will grab some electrolytes, sugar free Gatorade or Propel. You got this and groups like this and other pages help me Alot as well. Ps. Vitamins are key as well. My legs were cramping so I would grab a Gatorade and made sure I was staying in top of my vitamins Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

My surgery was Sept 1. I am still learning thru trial and error but what seems to work is the time you start and the choices. So I start at 8am with either a 30g protein shake. I snack on anything with high protein. Ex: tuna packs, nuts, protein Quest cheddar crackers, a cup of decaf coffee and add protein powder too it or even grab another protein shake. That's 60g protein and your midway for those times where you may not want nothing for the moment. I also realized for much protein is in chicken, salmon, ground beef, etc. Also recently I just purchased some lactaid protein milk that comes in handy when you just don't feel like chewing on anything. 80z cup is 13g protein. I am literally still learning but I am realizing protein is essential, especially with hair loss[emoji4]. At times too I will grab some electrolytes, sugar free Gatorade or Propel. You got this and groups like this and other pages help me Alot as well. Ps. Vitamins are key as well. My legs were cramping so I would grab a Gatorade and made sure I was staying in top of my vitamins Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you. A very interesting article. My heart breaks for children who are dealing with obesity related health & emotional issues we didn’t have to until we were adults & had them had some knowledge & strategies to manage aspects of these issues ourselves. The toll of obesity on one’s physical, psychological & emotional health & well being is almost immeasurable. It is known that high & ultra processed foods increase production of our hunger hormones & reduces the production of satiety hormone. But companies won’t stop producing these foods & the convenience & lower prices make them very attractive to families. The comment ‘trying to limit meals to one plate’ is also endemic of the excessive portion sizes people accept as being appropriate & ‘normal’. If children aren’t introduced to healthier & better food choices & cooking methods, like vegetables, home cooked meals, etc., they will never develop a taste or appreciation for them. I am horrified by children & adults who don’t know what some fruits & vegetables are let alone know how to cook or eat them. Same with other foods. Education about better & more nutritional eating is fighting a losing battle against multinational companies, convenience, price, advertising, etc. It is more & more becoming a wide spread generational problem. Many strong opinions on whether children should or shouldn’t have surgery or be placed on medication. The decision to go down either of these routes or not is truely one of life (or quality of) & death. Nor is it easy. The child & family must be well educated about their options, the impacts & the lifestyle changes necessary for success so they can make the most informed decision to best benefit the child whatever route they decide to follow. Well that’s my opinion (& rant for today).

Im 6 week post Op Im currently experiencing muscle cramps supposedly is due to low protein intake. If anyone has gone thru this tell me how you ate 90g of protein during a day. I need help.

I made my own broth. I put 2 whole chickens in a large pan with water and a few carrots and onions and any herbs I had. I let it simmer for 4 hours. I strained it and froze it in bags. Also, I used packet chicken noodle soup and strained the noodles out of it. We also have dried beef cubes called OXO that we stir into boiling water. My favourite is Bovril, its very beefy. My team were not big on protein before and early after surgery. So these drinks were ok for me. You can add protein

Real protein like chicken, steak, turkey, pork, eggs, cheese, pepperoni, sausage, yogurt etc. I can't stomach yogurt still and I'm starting to get sick of eggs. I dont get enough protein. I probably don't even get half of what I'm supposed to be getting. Today I only got around 42 grams of protein. It's hard to eat healthy too. It sucks when all the healthy food is so expensive, so we get the junk stuff because it is cheaper and lasts a little long. I want to focus on getting protein and greens and fruits starting this month.

Hi Shanna. Great idea to add some protein powder to bone broth. I have been using Isopure vanilla protein powder since beginning of this year. I decided to get Pacific Foods Organic Bone Broth Chicken unsalted. $6, from WalMart. It has less sodium than K&F, a little less protein by a couple grams than K&F, has less sugar then K&F too. And waaaay cheaper. I'm going to give it a try.

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I had surgery Friday also. Everything went well, but I have this pain in my shoulder/neck. I am far enough out that I do not think it is gas pain. Has anyone else had this kind of pain? I am guessing it might be from how I was laying on the operating table. I feel pretty good. I am not having trouble getting water or protein shakes down (though I definitely need to drink more as it is slow going). I haven't had to nap today at all. The first two days were a bit rough as I am pretty sensitive to anesthesia and the medications are too much for me. Now that it is over, I am doing okay.

Hi had my surgery on Friday the 27th at 10:30 am and today is day 4!!! I feel really good today and each since the surgery I have been feeling better. When I woke up from surgery the only pain I had was from laying on my back unable to move during the operation coupled with the pain from my period, which of course had to start the day before. I spent a very long time in recovery because they did not have a room ready for me yet, that was about 3-4 hours. When I finally got to my room, being able to move around helped my back somewhat. The only bad thing for me was the nausea, I puked several times on Friday and a few times the next day when I woke up. I had the option to stay another night in the hospital, but I was eager to get the 130-mile ride back home done. Once home I only took one anti-nausea medication. I have not had any pain and very little gas. I am getting liquids down very well. My two-week diet consists of 5-6 mini-meals that are 2oz of either yogurt, pudding, creamy soup or vegetable juice. 1 protein shake and 48-64oz of liquids that are either water, broth, jello, herbal tea, crystal light, poweraide, or popsicles. low or no sugar for everything course I am finding it easy to eat more than 1 or 2 oz's at a time, this worries me a little. I am down to only one nap a day I am hoping soon I won't need a nap.

Pre-op and post-op I wasn't really on a liquid only diet. I had to do a 12 day pre-op diet - 10 days of 2 protein shakes, 1 for breakfast, 1 for lunch and a dinner of a lean protein and non starchy veg. The 2 days prior was liquids including protein shakes and the last day was clear liquids only. I had broth and protein water mostly. I am not a jello fan so that didn't make my list personally lol. I tried to do Crystal Light, but I don't care for the aftertaste and just stuck with protein water. I also was able to drink sugar free Gatorade. After surgery, I was discharged on the pureed diet. So again shakes and broth or blended soups. The sugar free popsicles do help with a bit of a texture difference. Since you have bone broth you can add some unflavored protein powder to up the protein content. An easier to find on is the Isopure Unflavored. Personally it wasn't a favorite for me, but many many people like it.

Yeah, it's expensive. That's why we often make our own. Honestly you may be better off just getting the protein soup from Unjury! They have chicken broth, beef and vegetable, and french onion. I ordered them all because I know me and I know they will be a good way to get a nice hit of protein in during the day when I'm wanting something savory. You can order sample packets from them to test them out before buying the big containers... Most people seem to like the chicken one!

Well I had my surgery on the 27th at 10:30 am. I was told it went well with no complications. I was pretty tired afterward. The only pain I had was from laying flat on my back unable to move during the operation and my period started the day before, ugh. I spent one night in the hospital with the option to stay another, but I was really only struggling with nausea and wanted to the 130 mile drive back home over with. today is day 4 feel great, I was feeling pretty good on day 3 (only one nap that day) but I feel even better today. I have not been hungry at all, but I have been following the diet schedule the clinic gave me for the next two weeks.

I went to Safeway and there was no Kettle & Fire at all. Not sure how I saw that on Safeway online but when I went there yesterday, right around the corner from me, they had none listed on their shelves. I'll have to look into that more. So, since I was at Safeway, I did buy Pacific Foods Organic Bone Broth Chicken. But it does not have nearly the amount of protein that Kettle & Fire has in their Chicken Bone Broth. So frustrating. It only has 9g of Protein where K/F has double the amount of protein I believe.

I have been creeping around here for months and finally decided to create an account and share. First though, I have to give great credit to my wife and family. My wife has been so supportive and flexible through the whole process. She has always been by my side, but during this process she read and learned about the changes, as much or more than I did. She has gone above and beyond with her support and care for me, all while still running a busy household. My kids are a constant reminder of why I did this -- so that I would be around for a long time. I wanted to be able to participate in life with my family. I also have to thank my surgical team and the care they provide. It has been great and truly lifesaving. I weighed 514-lbs on 9/12/22. I was a big boy to say the least. Shockingly, I was not in horrible medical condition. I did not take any medicine. Did not have diabetes or high blood pressure. I did have swelling in my legs, constantly sore/bad knees, and was very quick to be out of breath. I lived a very sedimentary live and limited my physical activity. I wanted to be able to be more active and be around with my family for a long time. I finally got up the nerve to discuss with my wife and she immediately got on board. I went through the program without an issue. Checked all boxes and completed all steps. Surgery was on 2/28/23 and it went well. I was up and moving that night, because that was one of the biggest hurdles to clear in order to leave. I was able to sip and keep liquid down. Discharged after one night! Incisions were sore, as expected. Gas was the worst, and not the good kind of gas that can clear the room when expelled (yeah, I am a guy), but the awful painful surgical gas, which took almost a week to fully go away. I was basically fully cleared by the doctor and back to work (in a nonphysical job) one week after surgery. My process was textbook, none of the complications that many have experienced, and I am lucky for it! This process has not been easy but has not been impossible. I have followed my plan, with the support at home, and it is working. I feel physically so much better. I am so much more mobile and active. I have never been happier. I have made changes to my daily life to support the process. My diet has changed but not radically. I eat a lot less and that is the biggest driver of my weight loss. I walk and am active in live, but I do not have a detailed exercise plan. I am still learning exactly what works for me, but most importantly I want others to know there are many routes to get to the same place. I try to get the big stuff right and not sweat the tiniest of details. My blood work at my six-month checkup was solid. Protein was on the low end in the range, but still acceptable. I was encouraged to keep on keeping on (shout out to Joe Dirt). They were comfortable enough to set my next follow up appointment out to one year. I was scared and nervous. I have had good days and bad days (constipation is AWFUL)! Most importantly, I wanted to share my story and I hope it can help others in some way. I never wanted to be skinny. I could care less what my BMI is. I wanted to feel better. I wanted to be able to participate in life with my family. And I am! I am no expert and I still have a long way to go, but I am happy and glad I had this surgery. As I have seen here, over and over again, we are all different, so what works for me may not for others, but I still wanted to share, and I hope it might be of some benefit to someone else. The non-scale wins are just the best! When I started this process, I was so huge that home scales couldn't hold me, so I would go months without weighing, but I knew good things were happening because of all the non-scale wins. Cherish those! This is a long (probably too long) post, so I will wrap. I recently weighed on my home scale (yeah, that's right, it now holds me) and I was at 288-lbs. If anyone has questions or wants more details about my journey, please let me know. I would be happy to share more.