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Ok, so...This site along with the ObesityHelp.com site (where I started this blog today) seem a bit disjointed and I don't really know how to maneuver through it. Doesn't seem intuitively setup (sorry, but true). However, I want to be a member of this community, tell my story, keep an ongoing blog and be able to make wonderful connections with you people! To start, I thought I should just start telling my story by just starting to write. This is my first blog ever. I started writing my blog at the ObesityHelp.com site and copied it here: Describe your behavioral and emotional battle with weight control before learning about bariatric surgery. Hi. Well I'm starting to tell 'MyJourney' (this is from the ObesityHelp.com site). I've been overweight the majority of my life. There were periods of time when I wasn't overweight, but that was rare and only when I did some wacko diet like Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Medifast, etc. (I've done them all!) The most I ever lost was 45 lbs, but those 45 lbs only stayed off for a couple months and then would creep back on and at a fast creep, in addition to more lbs. I could never maintain any weight loss. I'm 49 and started taking anti-depressant meds two years ago. I've been depressed about my body and my weight for so long I went on anti-depressant meds to help make everything seem ok and to be able to make it day by day. I've always perceived myself, in my own brain, smaller that what I really am. I have always been rather athletic and I actually love to work out. In addition, I love a plant based diet, juicing, vegetarian and vegan cuisine. I was even a raw foodist for a year. I live a fairly healthy, large woman, lifestyle. But...I have always been way too much overweight. I do not want to be overweight and 'morbidly obese.' Morbidly obese is just a horrible term and state of being. I have just not been able to stick with anything to truly change my weight and my body. I started this journey and found out about the vertical sleeve gastrectomy at the age of 49. When I turned 49 I started looking in to what new and different or even going back to the same weight loss program but just didn't want to spend the money and fail again. I just really want to be lean, fit, happy and healthy and I want to achieve this by my 50th birthday. I don't want to enter the next half of my life and continue to be a large, fat, morbidly obese woman. I want to want to see myself in photos. I've always been confident, but hate how I look, which would counter act my confidence. I never liked the large woman in any photo I saw of myself. It's like the photo I was looking at was me, but wasn't really me. I hate being the largest woman in the room, any room. I hate shopping at plus size women's clothing stores. I hate that my feet hurt, because I'm too heavy. Like I said, I've always loved working out - spinning class, yoga, kettle bell, boot camp, walking, hiking, swimming..., love it all. Being fat didn't keep me from working out and I would always tell myself..."I'd really be a cow if I didn't work out." I'd always have to adjust though. In yoga I'd have to move my stomach out of the way to do certain poses and things like that. I was looking in to the lap band procedure but was turned on and informed of the VSG procedure, when I saw a friend and former colleague's incredibly successful life change with her VSG. I asked her what she did and she gave me her story and I knew immediately it was what I needed to change my life. When I reach my goal weight, one day, I am going to so repay her for her guidance and the incredible support she has given me from my first inquiry to now and the future. So, like I said, I turned 49, this was in August of 2011, and this is when I started this incredible journey to salvation. It took seven months of all kinds of tests and poking and proding to my VSG surgery date this past week. I had my surgery on Tuesday, January 17, 2012, at Stanford Hopsital in Palo Alto, Ca. What was (is) the worst thing about being overweight? There are sooo many things that are the worst thing about being overweight and I will name some here: 1. I hate that my thighs rub together (they have all my life) and they rub the color off the jeans in that area so my jeans are thinner in the material and lighter in color that the rest of any particular pair of jeans. 2. I don't feel at all sexy being overweight. My sex life with my husband is pretty much nonexistent. And, believe me, I love sex and I find my husband absolutely delicious. Not fair to him or to me. He loves my body, but I don't and I feel way too bodywise ugly. He doesn't understand, but me being overweight is not an issue for him, but it is 100% an issue for me. 3. In my previous job, I traveled about 2-3 weeks out of each month all over the US. It was grueling travel, but I absolutely loved my job - intellectually stimulating, I loved the professional interaction and making friends across the US. I truly got to a point after traveling for 2 years, where I couldn't get on yet another uncomfortable plane. As a large woman, plane travel is freaking uncomfortable. It was embarrassing to spill over into more than one seat, even a bit. I always wished I just didn't take up so much space. I never had to ask for an extender seat belt, but was close. 4. Not being able to wipe my own ass sometimes. Hey, when there is that much body in the way, it makes it challenging to sometimes properly wipe your own ass. 5. Because you have creases, skin overlapping other skin, sometimes you have an odor. It's simple biology. 6. Always thinking about the next thing I'm going to eat and how much of it I might be able to get away with eating that item. Oh, and never really feeling full, even when I was painfully full! Crazy! 7. Not being able to reach around and scratch my own back. 8. Wanting to meet up with friends or colleagues, but being too embarrassed about my weight to do so. I've made/arranged appointments, dates, outings and have cancelled them on many occassions because I was embarrassed about being overweight. With the facebook craze, I've met up, on-line, with old friends, and have arranged to meet in person to only cancel. Crazy! ****** I could and probably will add more to this section. But, I just want to let you know...I feel all these things still. I am just 5 days from my surgery date. I've got a lot of changes ahead of me and I am so freaking excited about the future, it is just hard to explain. At this point, I'm in the healing process from surgery. I'm sore, but so so so hopeful and so looking forward to LIFE! If you have had weight loss surgery already, what things do you most enjoy doing now that you weren't able to do before? I will have to revisit this section when it is time. The surgery was super intense. It is not easy and no one should be mislead and think it is easy peasey. It is major surgery. I started at 266 lbs, was at 256 on my day of surgery (I didn't follow a pre-surgery diet as my surgery date came up quickly after my insurance was approved, but I had started watching everything I put in my mouth and did quite a bit of green juicing.) I actually didn't think I was going to get insurance approval and started to loose hope that I would. But once approval came through I had just two weeks until the surgery date. Looking forward to writing a bunch of positive step along my way to a new lean, fit, healthy, normal weight, beautiful woman!!! Check me out soon...Soon come... ************** Again, once I figure how to move around this site, I will post photos and many other blog posts. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Here are my particulars: Female Age: 49 Starting BMI: 43.5 Starting Weight: 266 Weight on Surgery Date: 256 VSG Surgery Date: January 17, 2012 Duration in hospital: 2 days NOTE: I am, today, on my second full day home from the hospital. The worst part of the surgery was the swallow test the day after surgery. It makes me want to puke just thinking about it. I had to fill my mouth with the most horrible tasting contrast three times an swallow it all. Well, after the second swallow, I know I was in trouble. After the third time, I puked it up. I was totally nauseous the rest of the day and threw up again. I was so afraid of keeping anything down after that. I had quite a bit of nausea in the hospital. Once I got home, I felt so much better. Started the Liquid Diet Phase. Taking meds is not a pleasurable thing for me. I had another incident yesterday when I took the liquid stool softener and threw that up. I will not be taking that ever again. I will do a little dulcolax (sp?) tab should I need it. However, I think my plumbing at this point is working fine. I've got all kinds of grumbling and rumblings going on internally. I've always been a big water drinking person, and have to keep telling myself to slow down with the water...sips and no gulping! Am I hungry? Heck no! This is a total strange thing for me...not to feel hungry! LOVE IT! Feeling very positive, albeit very sore, and just want to get the insides healed up so I can start exercising. Oh, I'm walking yes, but I want to get to some real workouts and start toning and getting strong. The first thing I'm going out and purchasing is a scale. I've never had one before and never wanted one. I do now!!

I hear ya. I dunno if I can follow what you are advocating because once you come back to real food (after a month or so) the temptations are enormous. I may not have the ghrelin to cause hunger, but I have the impetus to hurry up and eat so I can get to whatever. My life changed big time recently: retired, developed a fib, started working out with prsonal trainer since may. Am now 5 to 6 times bper week and just fired up the old proforma treadmill (10 yrs old and used maybe 5 times!). Yet I was tossing my Cookies before for eating turkey pastrami (low fat) and haven't been able to keep anything down all day since then. Its great to have determination and will but we're humans, too, and subject to frailities. I wish I had your confidence but at 66 I've been on almost every wl scheme and even kept off 128# loss over 5 years but still I came for vsg at 308#. And still I remember saying for each time I lost wt and bought new clothes tc: I worked too hard to get where I am. I'll never go back to that. And each time, I did. Yep, even vegetarian diets, south b*tch diet, wwatchers, fasting, Soup diet, tops, overeaters anonymous, pills, shakes, you name it. Each was a tool, too. No? I hope you retain your determination and will to succeed way past when the surgery will be a vague memory for you. I hope I do, too. I hope we all reach success and stay there. That'd be the 2012 miracle. I'm going to work with a shrink who has strategies for changing the mindset (lifestyle). I hope with that support I can achieve our shared goals. But hope is all we got!

5 months out wouldn't really count towards diet having an effect as all the research I did was 1-2 years after surgery where most excess weight had been lost. I didn't look into stats from people under 1 year out from surgery. And like I said diet does influence gender BUT there are many other factors. Vegetarians and vegans have more girls but usually aren't overweight, extra body fat contributes to your body's overall Ph. Medications and suppliments are also a huge factor. I DO NOT think diet alone will yield one gender over another, I do believe it helps, especially if you are trying to sway a certain way. I don't recommend just going on a strict diet to get a boy or girl, you need to add suppliments, frequently monitor vaginal Ph (multiple times daily), use Ph lowering techniques, and timing among other things. I did all of these things and then some, including diet. I'm not saying I had a girl from just my diet alone, please don't get that misconstrued Excuse any typos, sent from my iPhone with auto correct.

Thanks all my sleevie friends! Thank you for everything! I am a vegetarian because I have been working for years to decrease the suffering I add to others life. Animals or people. Any sentient being. I am not always successful, but I'm working on it. Years ago I asked myself, "what can I do with the skills and talents I have, to benefit or at least not add suffering to others?" And my life has been moving slowly towards that. I just figure, its hard to love animals and eat them at the same time. (I do love how meat tastes, I was raised on it, but really, how good it tastes is not worth tossing my wish for their happiness) I don't judge others for where they are, I can only try to get in touch with my own 'destiny'. Perhaps a longer answer then you ever wanted to hear! Thats it in a nutshell. I love vegetables too, and one of my hobbies is making fake meat, which is getting pretty good and tasty if I do say so myself. Pass the BBQ sauce!

congrats! I do have a question - are you a vegetarian by choice or is it a medical decision? I'm always curious about why people are vegetarians or vegans. Not knocking it - just a curiosity I have

I am tight in the morning and mainly vegetarian so I have a protein shake every morning (premier protein from Costco 30gms for 160 cals). I was told your minimum need is half of your ideal weight so mine is 140 pounds so I need at least 70 grams a day. Most food you are eating should be protein though so what real food are you eating?

Last night I was talking to a friend who is getting RNY in one month. I was saying to her how quickly it would pass and she would be having the surgery. I remembered the date and realized I was at one year myself! It went REALLY fast and here I am at 2 1/2 pounds from "Normal" and 7 pounds from goal! I am one of those people who decided to eat "normal" food most of the time, and not do a very low carb diet. I am a vegetarian, so very low carb is pretty hard to do anyway. All in all, the sleeve has given me the help to "just say no" to the quantity, and my mind was able to do the rest enough to almost get to goal in one year. I am losing so slowly now that I expect to get to goal much later this year sometime. That is fantastic! I am going in for labs today, and if my previous labs results are any indication, these will be stellar. When I show my friends (the ones I see every day) old photos, they say they cant really remember me like that, only the way I am now. When I see the ones that I haven't seen for a while their chins hit the floor. I have never lot this much weight before, and I have been dieting from the age of 8. The older I got, the harder it was to lose. It was all I could do to keep my weight from going higher than 257, which was my high for 20 years. I also think,that just important as the sleeve itself, and the healthy food choices is this site... You guys have been the greatest support system, helping me keep my mind in the right place to be successful. I think the stories here are some of the most meaningful stories I have ever listened to. This is a very powerful group. I believe those who have a support group like this one, that you can go to every day if needed... or about 10 times a day if you are me! must improve success statistics significantly. My Doc asked me if I would be happy losing 50 pounds and I said yes, but would love to lose it all. He is ecstatic that I have lost so much weight, and I think this group has made that difference. Now to keep it off. I have actually lost about 8 more pounds than the image in the black dress....

I think we should stick together girl! we have a lot of the same issues and things, except that i am a vegetarian and not a diabetic- sorry you have to deal with that and stupid pcos! maybe we can motivate each other! I sure would love a fellow cyster (hehe) to go thru this with!! I was banded 9-28-11 and so far have lost about 22 lbs- dealing with some bloating so i will weigh when that is over.

I studied gender swaying for years before I tried to conceive. Diet has almost everything to do with what gender you conceive, most people don't know this as the older info says that it's the man who determines the gender. While the sperm are either x or y it's YOUR environment that determines which sperm thrive. Vegetarians and vegans have more girls, this is a fact and it's due to their diet. Yes, after the sleeve you are a host that is most suiting for the x (girl) sperm. I actually compiled a bunch of data after I had my sleeve on people that had weight loss surgery and conceived within 1.5-2 years after their surgery, most had girls. I wish I could find the old post as I did post it here, I'll look for the thread and see if I can find it, if so I'll add the link. The reason for the favoring x or y sperm based on diet is that y sperm thrive in an alkaline environment and x sperm thrive in a acidic environment. Each sperm is "frozen" temporarily in an environment that is opposite to their needs. Hence giving either sperm, depending on the environment, a head start to be where it needs to be. The diet after weight loss surgery produces a more acidic environment in the vagina and therefore favors x sperm. More boys are born than girls here in america, it's 49 girls to every 51 boys per 100 births. This is probably based on the diets of most Americans, salty, fatty ect. foods. I wouldn't be surprised if that number kept changing even more to favor boys. All that being said, I did sway while trying to conceive and I just had a baby girl Dec 13th. I got pregnant 8 months after my sleeve surgery so my diet was already correct and I added/did a bunch of other things also as I was determined to get a girl. It worked :cheer2:

I did not have to do a liquid diet before surgery. I had to do 100% vegetarian, very low fat, and low calorie. So no birthday dinner at the Brazilian steakhouse. Of course I could not eat or drink after midnight the night before surgery. I was at 40 BMI and I have the five incisions (that are mostly gone already, thankfully).

greek yogurt, cottage cheese, seitan (gluten/wheat protein products) tofu and soy products like TVP, nuts and nut butters... mostly almond butter and walnuts, flax, Beans, hummus, cheese, I also eat some eggs ( I get the ones high in omega3s) 4everfit Protein drinks (lacto vegetarian) balance bars....I make my own Tofurky style roast from scratch, buy morning star farms products, bean, pea or lentil Soups.....tempeh.....soy nuts.....

Feedyoureye what are your favorite protein sources as a vegetarian?

Honestly, its just Protein first, write everything down, stay around 1200 cals and eat a lot of veggies and some fresh fruit. I keep my carbs under 100. Im a vegetarian, so its pretty hard to keep the carbs much lower day after day. When being more "strict" I try and keep the carbs below my protein numbers. I am also working on getting more Omega 3s (and less omega6s)in my diet by eating kale, flax, walnuts, canola oil, spinach, and other leafy veggies. "Spring fats" http://www.prevention.com/food/smart-shopping/vanishing-youth-nutrient?page=2 http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/138981.php

You can't be prepared 100%.You will learn new things and struggle with others. How I handled the social eating thing was/is: I tell myself over and over again.. "I am here for the company, not the food." It just makes things a lot easier. I usually do eat, find something I can have... I am a vegetarian, so there are usually not that many things that really make up a protein first meal for me at most restaurants.. so I have protein ahead of time, or after, and just have a little bit of something I want and enjoy the company.

What about tofu, seitan (protein you can make yourself look it up)?? Tofu is great because it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it in. (I was a vegetarian for 8 years) My nutritionist said to add dried fat free milk powder to things. Good luck!

I had surgery in August 2011 and have lost over 60 pounds to date and have never had a fill. I know this is really weird. I had a hiatal hernia repaired which I heard was very bad I was even shown a photo but it just looked like some kind of egg bash in a skillet - whatever. So, I live with what feels like a too tight lapband. This is horrible at times when I try and eat foods too dense/solid to go down no matter the chewing, and I have to run into a bathroom and purge quickly. I try to keep these episodes down to a minimum and stay in my safe little world of oatmeal, yogurt, more yogurt (did I mention greek, frozen, any kind of yogurt?) my favorite grilled eggplant and zucchini with fireroasted tomatoes (notice all mush again). I eat chicken salad now and again but for the most part have become almost all vegetarian other than fish. I often wonder if I can do this forever. Like now, when I came home to a dinner left for me on a plate - a fried pork chop with mashed potatoes. And I think yeah I can do this and I chewed and chewed and till ended up barfing it up. Eating out sucks too unless its appetizers and dessert. I find I can eat dessert and still lose weight. I lost weight over Christmas even though I ate the apple rhubarb cobbler in 3 times in very small amounts. My problem is the paranoia that begins when I take a bite and I have to do the 5 minute wait and see thing. Sucks after 6 months. I am not a big water drinker either although I do make an effort at times. Constipation is a major problem for me - sometimes it hurts so bad I cry when I do go - other times I just freak that I can go 5 days with no bowl movement drink milk of magnesia and nothing happens the next day until I have more. I have been on line int he drugstore clutching MOM, prunes, etc. That sucks too. I work out about 3 times a week - I like the way I look - but I hate the way I feel inside. The other side of the coin from my side is I see people in the surgeon's office getting fill after fill and losing little weight and complaining about that which I think is the norm for most - I feel like perhaps my surgeon did not take into account the enormity of the repair to the hernia and then banded me and did not realize what living with this much constriction was going to be like. So, what do you all think? I'd love to hear. Most people hear all this crap and shrug - they are also overweight and don't really care to hear somebody who is losing weight whining. I have a 21 year old daughter who weighs about 250 pounds and I would never tell her to get banded and her father thinks its great and wishes she would and I'm like no no don't tell her that uyy shes too young to have to either go through the anguish I do or worse yet have it and she doesn't lose. Overall I cannot say I have a better quality of life - I am healthier than ever and look good but the eating experience is definitely a bummer. and considering I was never much of a drinker that how I get through social meals now I can always sit and nurse a drink maybe two - ever more than that though. If your ever in NYC check out the Red Hot Coffee Cocktail at Southern Hospitality OMG so good tastes like a red hot candy and the glazed banana pudding with the warm nilla wafers on the bottom this is in a very small potion for humans and its wonderful you can really enjoy it without the guilt because its in MODERATION!!! I ordered a second one because I had to relive the ecstasy the first one provided :-)

I cannot beleive that you are forbidden protien shakes- I have done extensive research on all the weight loss surgeries both here and abroad before I had my band and sleeve done and NONE of the physicians ever said that as a matter of fact the ONLY Thing that all physicians I have found agree on is the fact that protein drinks are your new BFF afer any weight loss surgery- I also think that each program can be curtailed personally by a legitimate nutritionist for everyone- I have a friend with the same doctor as me who is a vegetarian.. she doesnt eat fish- so the only way she can get protein is through drinks.... But regardless- I hope you get over the hurdle and one day will appreciate what you have done instead of despise it... good luck

Congratulations and courage to all who are on the verge. I got my band on Dec. 6, 2011 and just had my first fill three days ago. i'm still working on getting comfortable with the new way of eating. The dietary rules that I've followed for a long time - vegetarian, planning veg and fruit before protein, eating lots of fiber and having frequent small meals - are all turned upside down. It's been a journey already and I look forward to settling into eating less and seeing a steady drop on the scales. I'm 61, and wish I could have done this much, much earlier, but in a way I feel like I'm in a similar place to Bri, preparing to start a new stage of life now that my kids are grown and settled, my parents are gone and I've had to give up on my previous career. What next? Something really good!

crystal - 50 pounds is awesome - you should be so proud! if it helps - just think if you never got surgery you would likely not have lost 50 pounds and may even weigh more today than 6 months ago!!! As far as the 800 calories - nowadays because i have pretty tight restriction - especially in the mornings - it's a 110 calorie EAS AdvantEdge carb control protein shake (17 g protein) - chocolate or vanilla - then for lunch a healthy choice "fake meat" (i'm vegetarian) entre - usually from 270-290 calories - then for dinner - another frozen lien cuisine or healthy choice - usually a pizza which has higher calories - there's a cheese one that's called brick fire margarita pizza or something like that - it's 310 calories - i drink no calories whatsoever during the week -usually do the 0 calories flavored bottled water - SOBE or equivalent - then sometimes i have 100 calorie pack snack - pringles for example or a 100 calorie smart pop single serve popcorn. That's pretty much the routine - on weekends i may replace one of those meals with a meal out - such as a veggie burger w/ cheese then just peel off the buns and eat only the fake meat/cheese. Hope this helps!

Im on day 2 of my Pre op diet and ended up in a position where I was out with none of my liquid meals. We ended up at Panera as I wasn't driving. I tried to make the best choice and got the low fat vegetarian black bean soup. I didn't eat all of it and I still have 12 days till surgery. How bad did I screw up? I see my surgery nurse on Friday and will fess up but right now I feel horrible.

My doctor allows regular foods after 4 weeks. I have been on several cruises before and it really is possible to make your cruise WLS friendly. If you eat in the dining room (as opposed to the buffet) you can request exactly what you wish to eat and will have many more WLS type options. For Breakfast there is always eggs cooked however you would like, and you can ask for skim milk. Tell your waiter that you don't want bread and he will remember and not continually offer it to you. Main meal menus almost always offer a beef, a chicken, a seafood and a vegetarian offering. If none of those seem right, you can ask for something else. Worse they can do is say NO. Portions in the dining room are generally small, you can always order just an appetizer and that would most likely fill you up. If you enjoy seafood that is usually your best choice. There are usually several Soups available. Stay away from fresh vegetables and fruits at this point as they could be harmful to your sleeve this early out. Some ships have deli's-you could order a sandwich with shaved meats and just eat the meat and cheese. Cottage cheese is usually available at every meal and so are things like mashed potatoes, applesauce and other "soft" foods that will be good for your tummy. If you feel you absolutely MUST have a dessert they usually have several that are sugarfree. I think the hardest thing will be when you realize just how little you can eat (that old-My eyes are bigger than my stomach-syndrome). You will find this early out that you will most likely feel completely full after only 2 or 3 bites-so choose those bites carefully to get the most benefit and enjoyment from the foods you do eat.

I eat 5 to 6 "mini-meals" over the course of a day. I have a very restrictive sleeve, and it hasn't really loosened up very much in the last almost 9 months.... so I eat between 1/4 and 1/2 c. of food at a time (I can eat more Soup or liquid-y type foods, probably around a cup). So the best strategy for me has evolved to the mini-meals. For instance, I'll have 1/2 of my iced mocha and 10-15 almonds in the morning. Then for "lunch," I'll have a few small slices of cheese and the rest of my mocha. Later, I'll have some Beans (I always have them cooked and ready in the fridge), or I'll make a little broccoli slaw, which I make fresh in teensy portions each time because I like it crunchy. Other options would be a couple of shrimp with cocktail sauce, some grapefruit sections, some yogurt, some soup/chili--really, whatever sounds good and is convenient at the time. I find this plan is working beautifully for me, and I like the feeling of snacking without the bad consequences. This might not work for other people, if snacking is a trigger or if you're not careful with the foods you select. I do eat carbs happily daily, which again might not be for everyone. I will say that I'm a strong believer in finding the best way to work your sleeve for the long term, and that it's a really individual thing. What works for me might not work for anyone else, etc., and definitely what works for other people wouldn't work for me, since my sleeve has me on an almost vegetarian (and thus more carby) diet; I can tolerate dairy and shrimp/scallops but otherwise get Protein from beans, veggies, and nuts. Anyway, that's how I do it. Smaller portions more frequently. Variety.

I'd tried everything from the time I started gaining weight in my late teens, with diets ranging from vegetarian to macrobiotic to Atkins to Dukan, counting calories and obsessing over every nutrient I consumed. I also ran, lifted weights, worked with personal trainers, shifted to working with medically-supervised weight loss, tried Weight Watchers, you name it. I had no serious health issues, but nothing would shift more than about 10-15 pounds no matter how long I stayed on it or how hard I tried. I'm two weeks post-op now and have already lost 23 pounds. It's been a bit painful, and it's hard to get down enough fluids and Protein, but each day gets easier. I did this for my health so that I'll live long enough to see my grandchildren grow up when I have them someday, and I'll also have the energy to have fun with them. Being thinner and better-looking will just be a bonus. Short-term inconvenience for long-term gain is well-worth it in my opinion!

Totally agree that they are good for you. I am vegetarian so beans count for much of my protein. I love black beans so I measure them on order to prevent eating too much of them.

Same here! I haven't had any type of bread in almost a month, and surprise surprise...I feel great, and I don't miss it all that much! I even walked by a bakery twice this week, and was totally okay...nothing in the window appealed to me! As far as post op, I am a little over 3 weeks out, and the number one thing my stomach still loves is Greek Yogurt. It is the ONLY thing I did not have an issue with at first. eggs were my fave pre-op, but now I can only have on a good day, and even then, I still can't eat all of 1 egg scrambled. Soft chicken also took some time, but I think that's because I have been vegetarian up until recently on top of it. pureed low sodium Soup with chicken and veggies went ok, but Greek Yogurt is a main staple. Try to find one thing your sleeve loves, and base some meals around that!!