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There are lots of recipes for home-made protein shakes online. There are also protein soup powders available from Bariatric Advantage and ProtiDiet. You can add unflavored protein powder to a variety of liquids. Think outside the box.

Your bariatric program should have this for you. Every surgeon is different.

I have had depression for a long time. Last year in lock down with all the bad news all the time almost broke me. Friends and family rallied round and helped me along. I realised I have bad days and they pass. Exercise and getting out of the house really work for me. Most people who come to bariatric surgery have dieted and failed many times. We have come to believe that even this will fail for us. I have read thousands of posts on this site and people say this over and over. What will we do when we fail at this fails too ? Looking deeper into their posts shows how much weight they did loose. This has helped me. I am 7 days from surgery and it cant come soon enough. I will get nervous as the day comes nearer but thats just surgery nerves. You are not locked into yours, you can walk at any point. If you are not ready you will know. Be kind to yourself, take some pressure off and just breathe.

Amazon. Just search on “straight outta bariatric surgery” and you’ll see a bunch of different designs!

As mentioned here and on your other post, every program is different. Follow yours. Read it now. And keep reading it. Follow it. Your experiences will be different from every other person's. Don't get caught up on the bariatric Facebook groups for advice. They are full of inaccurate information and sometimes downright scary, advice.

I second this. I stocked up way too much on stuff that I threw away. You may want to have a small assortment of allowed foods on hand, but just enough to sample to decide later if you want to have them again. And I know this is a site sponsored by a supplier of bariatric products and maybe even your doctor's office may recommend something specific, but you can find cheaper options that are probably just as good. Read labels and make sure you're following your nutritionist's recommendations. Wait until after your surgery to stock up on stuff you like. Costco and Walmart have lots of options that worked well for me. Costco's store brand Kirkland protein bars and multivitamins are just fine. I do buy Premier Protein branded shakes, but I get them by the case. Other advice: walk, walk, and walk some more. The more you move, the faster you will recover (within reason, of course). Avoid the urge to let people wait on you. The more you do for yourself, the better.

I'm 45, 6 feet tall, and started out at 396 my heaviest (was 366 at the start of the pre-op diet). I am very, very active. Outdoor work, sports, CrossFit. I did track my food and, like you, was on way more than 3,000 calories a day. Now, two months post-op, I am 94 pounds down from my heavy and 64 from the start of the pre-op diet. I eat more than most people—I take in between 1000 and 1400 calories a day, including up to 120 g of carbohydrates, which is unusual for bariatric patients. I am still in the fast-lose "honeymoon" period and am losing 3-5 pounds a week after the initial massive weight dump. And yet... I'm satisfied. Thriving, even. The only thing is the restricted amount means my strength isn't what it was—probably lost about 30% off my PR lifts. I don't really care, because now I can run, and jump, and my palms can touch the floor, and I'm off my meds. I do feel hunger when I haven't eaten in too long, but it's not the gnawing "feed me or I will make your life miserable" HANGRY feeling I would have had before. It's more like... "things are not right, please to be feeding me now." Here are a couple of typical days for me, all approved by my nutritionist: Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power protein shake Meal 2 (post-workout): Oatmeal with protein powder, a bit of maple syrup, blueberries, and raspberries Meal 3: Koussa (summer squash stuffed with ground meat and rice, braised in tomato sauce) Meal 4: Tuna salad on one of those little dense squares of European-style flat rye bread Meal 5: Collagen peptide protein and an apple ---- Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power protein shake Meal 2 (post-workout): Scrambled egg with a bit of cheese, spinach, and hot sauce Meal 3: Ground turkey with sugar-free Korean BBQ sauce, green beans, a bit of rice Meal 4: Skyr (Icelandic nonfat yoghurt) with raspberries Meal 5: Lentils with ham The biggest thing I had to teach myself was that it's okay to leave food on the plate, EVEN IF IT'S JUST ONE TINY BITE. Because the line between "I am full" and "debilitating nausea and acid reflux" is sometimes just that one single bite.

It's been 2008 since I had a very successful surgery. Seriously, I swam in SF Sharkfest from Alcatraz to SF 2 yrs in a row. As I've gotten older, I have learned a few things I'd like to pass on to those who might not know this. Someone who has had bariatric surgery can only drink 5 oz of alcohol (wine/beer) and then they are legally drunk (trust me, you look act like you have had way too many drinks--slurred speech, staggering, falling down) and if you were to blow into a breathalyzer, you would get a reading indicating you are inebriated. Although I hadn't had anything to drink in about 30 yrs, during a few social dinners at our house, I had a small glass of wine and then my husband wanted to know just how much I had had to drink. When I say, "Not even one glass of wine," I was in such bad shape that he didn't believe me. He was furious and told me I wasn't to have any more drinks for the night. This also happened at my son's who was just livid with me and told me to go to a spare bedroom for the rest of the night. And, truly, I felt super drunk. At some point, I did some research and learned that because of how small my stomach pouch is and the way liquids are absorbed, I really shouldn't even have a sip of alcohol. Just thought I'd pass that on. Also, I originally lost 137 lbs to get to my goal weight. I maintained it for several years because I was working out regularly. A few yrs ago I started to put some weight back on, mostly because I wasn't exercising as much, I was alone ALL the time because of Covid because my husband was in contact with Covid infected people at the hospital he worked at 5 shifts a week for 1 yr and 9 months until his last day was Nov. 1. My diet wasn't as healthy and we were sleeping in different bedrooms on separate floors because he was so afraid he would test positive and give it to me. All last year, from July through May 29th when I had left hip replacement, I swam in a local lake for 1 hr each session...2x-4x a week with water getting down to 40 degrees. That kept me sane. Both of us have had our Covid vaccination shots and booster shots and I'm back in swimming in the cold water. If you have gained weight during the pandemic, just go through every day thankful and get back on the post-surgery diet your doctor put you on. (Currently, mine is 1200 cal, unless I burn over 900 swimming and only then do I get to add on 300). Even though I was afraid I had "stretched" my stomach pouch (I'll be 68 yrs old in a few weeks), I had an endoscopy and colonoscopy a month ago and the gastroenterologist said everything looks perfect.

I would eat the Bariatric Advantage calcium chews as candy if that wasn’t such a terrible idea. It’s like a starburst laffy taffy. 💖

Immediately post surgery you may eat only 300-500 calories, but your intake will increase as you transition to soft and pureed foods and finally to "real" food. Yes, you will feel satisfied by this minimal intake. Enjoy the restriction and weight loss because it won't last forever. Learn to recognize when your pouch is full and STOP immediately. You also need to learn how to prepare and cook food appropriate for your new body. There are lots of bariatric recipes online and bariatric cookbooks are available on Amazon and elsewhere.

My program refers to the entire 2-week thing as a "liquid diet," but part of the plan is a protein bar every day plus either a banana or 8oz of low-fat milk (for potassium). It becomes strictly liquid-only 2 days before surgery, though. For me, that will happen on Saturday. I love bananas, so that was an easy choice at first, but right now I'm desperate for any variety so I'll be switching to 1% milk this week. And they only provided 12 protein bars to begin with (smart bariatric center!), so I won't have to remember to stop eating them. I have my pre-op nutritionist appointment tomorrow morning, and Wednesday morning is the pre-op with my surgeon. I have a feeling this week will go by really fast!!

If you don't already know how to cook, now is the time to learn. In order to eat differently for the rest of your life, you need to know how to choose, prep, and prepare appropriate meals. There are lots of supportive books about WLS and bariatric cooking. Here are a few that I've obtained:

Scheduled for a mini gastric bypass this Friday, the 19th. Trying today to get a list together of everything I need as far as new foods and drinks so I can have it all in house by then. Confusing with so many different sites/people saying different things or mentioning different products. I would really appreciate any help or sites that kind of lay it out in simple terms. I've been given a lot of paperwork from the doctor and hospital and met with the hospital's bariatric person. Just ordered disposable medicine cups and case of Ensure Max Protein (suggested by Dr.'s PA) Also bought a bag of Bariatric Advantage Calcium Chews and Bariatric Fusion Multivitamins from them to start out on but will source out equivalent products that may be less expensive during my week off next week. Any tips or things to watch out for are welcome. Thanks in advance!

Scheduled for a mini gastric bypass this Friday, the 19th. Trying today to get a list together of everything I need as far as new foods and drinks so I can have it all in house by then. Confusing with so many different sites saying different things or mentioning different products. I'm a single man and have to handle this alone and would really appreciate any help or sites that kind of lay it out in simple terms. I've been given alot of paprerwork from the doctor and hospital and met with the hospital's bariatric person. Guess how I feel afterwards will dictate what I drink the 1st few days or week, but still unsure of how often and what is allowed or suggested as a whole. Thanks in advance

My surgery date is 12/2 with Dr. Perez and Renew Bariatrics in Tj, Mexico! So nervous and excited!!

That's easy! Even my non-bariatric friends love this recipe. Enjoy! 2.25 cups of almond flour .5 cups of sweetener of choice (I use monk fruit sweetener) 1 tsp of baking soda 4 eggs (you're vegan, so I'd recommend Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer...I've used it before and it's amazing) 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice .25 cups of milk substitute Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 12-count donut pan and set aside. Mix the ingredients together and pour into a plastic ziplock bag. Cut one corner of the bag and squeeze out batter into the donut pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove and let cool before transferring to cooling racks. Frosting: There's actually a couple of things you can do here, depending on what kind of donuts you like. Are you a glazed donut person? Frosting? Jelly? Cinnamon sugar or powdered? I like using the standard recipe for Cool Whip frosting made with sugar free Cool Whip and sugar free pudding mix. But... I just realized that's neither kosher or vegan. Let me know. :)

Exactly as @The Greater Fool said. Give yourself time to heal. Once you are eating more solid food you’ll have a better sense of how things feel for you. Then you will work out how full feels for you & eventually what real hunger feels like for you too. Make sure you eat slowly as the message you are full takes time to get through & by then you likely have eaten too much. But the goal really isn’t to eat until you are full or your restriction kicks in but to eat until you’ve had enough or all you need. I still ask myself if I need the next bite or do I just want it. There is a big difference & it is likely very different to how you used to eat. Don’t be afraid to put your cutlery down & push your plate away. My plan was portion size, not calorie, focussed once in purées. Quarter of a cup to begin increasing to a third, then half, etc. This took months. About a cup at 6 months. I’m still very conscious of portion size too. PS - I didn’t have gas pain either & apparently my surgeon is know for his bariatric patients having little or no gas pain. But when he does gall removal, oh boy lots of discomfort then.

Protein soups are available from ProtiDiet and Bariatric Advantage. You might find plant-based protein easier than whey-based. Orgain's Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt is to die for, as is their Peppermint Hot Chocolate. Both are in powder form that you add to water or milk. Isopure has fruit and punch flavored protein powder. There are also unflavored protein powders you can add to other things once you are allowed soft and pureed food. You can also make your own protein shakes at home. There are lots of recipes online. Google "protein shake recipes".

Bariatric Advantage and ProtiDiet sell protein soups, same as protein shakes.

I would honestly take a stay on the surgery and prioritise quitting smoking and getting bariatric therapy - then see about surgery. I'm a ex-smoker (and I was a HEAVY chain smoker for most of my adult life), and had quit two years prior to surgery. My surgeon is ADAMANT that I never touch the stuff again, or be around passive smoking because of the high risk of developing ulcers in my new stomach joins. And I have already had a bout of ulcers at my stoma join due to stomach acid, and it is truly unpleasant. So that risk has really bolstered my resolve to never go near tobacco again. It took me a good ten years to quit (cigarettes were my emotional crutch), on again off again until the nicotine patches no longer worked. I instead went to my doctor and was put on Champix. The nausea was a great deterrent and I threatened myself with another round if I touched another ciggie. Worked a treat and finally saw me quit properly. Might be worth considering if you're ready to give them the flick.

I paid 24,000 out of pocket but he is worth every penny. He did not take my insurance but he may take yours. His office is called Maryland Bariatrics. The number one surgeon in my area for Bariatrics. He sits on several Bariatrics boards and is in charge of the hospital program. Very well respected. I had ZERO pain or nausea..they start the pain and nausea regimen 36 hours before. So, you are very well prepped for what others complain about. I can not say enough great things! Sent from my SM-G770U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

This is great advice. @Livgreen___ are you part of a bariatrics program right now? Would meeting with a psych be part of the process? Definitely worth it, or at least do as much research as you can and self-evaluation. They're going to tell you not to smoke. I've heard of plenty of people that get nicotine tested to make sure they aren't smoking. Some start up again after surgery.

I agree that a bariatric therapist would be helpful to you with or without surgery. The surgery is a tool. The smaller stomach and the decreased hunger hormones help but the head hunger will remain lost surgery and you have to get that under control for this to be the most successful. I am only learning post surgery that I have these issues so I am now doing the work that you can do pre surgery and you will be ahead of the game.

Surgery changes your body but does nothing for your brain. Many people see therapists to help address issues regarding addiction and/or using food as a coping mechanism. Personally, surgery has done wonders for my body. My brain is a work in progress and I suspect that will always be the case. Your question is wise and shows you have insight. My suggestion would be to seek a therapist, preferably one with experience with bariatric patients, for guidance. You have nothing to lose by proceeding slowly to ensure you make the right decision for yourself.

It comes down to personal taste/what you can tolerate/what you're willing to spend (Bariatric Advantage tends to be more pricey than Bariatric Fusion). I used to take the Bariatric Advantage calcium until I discovered the Celebrate brand calcium which is so much cheaper ($59 for a 4.5 month supply verses what would cost $75 for the Bariatric Advantage one that would last the same length of time) and both taste good to me (I get the tablets over the chews because the calcium chewable tablets from both are more pricey. You save $8 for the Bariatric Advantage tablets verses the chews, while you save $46 on the Celebrate tablets verses the chew ones). So yeah. Taste, tolerance, and price are all key factors into what one's are the better choice for each individual person.