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Tuna is a great means of getting-in protein. I am also not the greatest fan of eggs, but have found the need to push them more than I'd like. You are very correct, the powdered whys and similar are far from pleasant, but it's really about adding small amounts only.....barely enough to be tasted amounts....whenever we get the opportunity. There's really no way of making this thing easy, I know, but to keep in the back of our minds just how vital it is to work hard on keeping the protein intake as high as possible. Stating the obvious, I know!!! Your dislike of Yogurts don't help so much, although there's hardly masses of protein in standard yogurt. There are others that are 'high' protein, containing 15 grams or more per yogurt....but, you're not going to like those too much if you already don't enjoy regular ones, as it is a little noticeable that what the manufacturers have done, is basically add protein powder to a regular yogurt!! I'm not really helping too much, other than empathizing with the difficulties you're having....I, too am having difficulties and I wouldn't necessarily call myself a 'fussy eater. It becomes easier, as I mentioned, as your dietary allowances get better - it is seriously hard to get that protein until you get to the 'soft' phase....and even I only really managed to improve things with more eggs than I'd have really liked!! Be sure to drink your full allowances daily of Low Fat Milk and just do your best.....wishing you luck and success, and hit those cans of Tuna as hard as you're able!!!! (Should add that some of the low fat, low carb shakes available that sports-people use....or indeed the pre op low carb/high protein shakes we used ie 'Optifast' can be turned to, to give us around 10 grams of protein, all of which does help us....it really IS about making small changes....adding small amounts of protein absolutely whenever we get the chance to....a major challenge, I fully concur!!)

I’m 2 weeks post op and I am having a lot of trouble getting my protein in. I despise protein drinks and have to choke them down. I don’t eat cottage cheese or yogurt. I also have a weird texture pet peeve. I am very very picky. Just trying to see if anybody has any ideas for ways I can get it in. I really need some help. 🤓😐

I am feeling really good, actually - I am surprised it has been as easy of a recovery as it has been so far (knock on wood). I only took narc pain meds the day of surgery only, then took tylenol for a few days and then haven't taken anything since about 3/21. I went back to work 3 days post op. I tell you what, I was bawling like a baby before surgery in front of my husband and parents. My surgeon was like, why are you crying? LOL. It is nerve wracking making this decision to have surgery and then the unknown. I was just so scared I wouldn't wake up. I mainly am struggling with drinking - I get my 64 oz in, but I drank way more than that pre-surgery, so it has been a change. Also with knowing what exactly I should be eating - seems to just redundantly eat Oikos Triple Zero greek yogurt. How are you feeling? Our stats are very similar for starting weight/height! Looking forward so seeing all of our progress!

I felt that way if I ate too much too quickly. I would suggest only a tablespoon. then the next time try 2 tablespoons to work up towards a 1/4 cup. at 2-3 weeks I could easily get a 1/4 cup yogurt of cottage cheese in but it took 45 min to get an egg. Now at 5 weeks I can eat an egg in 15 min without issue. That is following the rules of no fluids 15 min before or 30 min after eating.

Good grief ! I missed all of your post and i love fancy schmancy yogurts!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

I'm a pescatarian. Not a problem at all. Liquid phase I did protein drinks, milk (fairlife has more protein), and yogurt (watered down). For the pureed food stages, I did pureed black beans (reheated with a bit of cheese on top), pureed egg salad (2 hard boiled eggs and either avocado or 1 TBL may and 1 TBL yogurt), and eggface's ricotta bake. For the beginning of soft food, I found Tilapia worked really well. And eggs (although note that a lot of folks don't tolerate eggs well) For regular foods, shrimp works really well because it can easily be made into small portions. I also sometimes do a tuna casserole that is basically a can of tuna and some homemade cheddar cheese sauce. It lasts me at least 3 meals. More now, but that's because I haven't been feeling well.

I think I have felt so nauseous because I barely eat anything and it's a viscous cycle. I've lost 45 lbs in 37 days and has taken a toll on me. Today I've eaten a yogurt, 1 string cheese & just ate 3 shrimp (first time) & I feel quite a bit better. I hope I'm turning a corner, it has been an arduous journey & at times I have questioned it. For today I feel better and out of bed a lot more, with a trip to the store!!

I don't have a plan that says puree then soft foods. I'm really confused about what I can eat I guess at this stage. I'll mix the mayo with yogurt from now on if I use it. Sent from my LG-Q710AL using BariatricPal mobile app

I know you are early on but when using mayo, my nutritionist recommends mixing it with Greek yogurt. 1 part mayo to 3 parts yogurt. less fat and calories and the mayo gives its flavor to the mayo. perfect in egg salad, tuna salad , chicken salad etc later on.

So we're just past the 5-month mark and I just got the notification of removal date, which will be April 19th. My husband's removal is April 29th so end-to-end he'll have his balloon in for about 2 weeks more than I have mine. As of today I've lost about 60lb, I say "about" because I had a different scale when I first started, but if it's 58lb or 62lb, either way, I'm pretty happy with that. I will probably end up right around 65lb lost, and my husband has been doing great- he will probably end up in the 70-75lb loss range. I am not looking forward to the actual removal, as I have to do 3 days of liquid diet (which can include smoothies, yogurt, etc) and 1 of clear liquids only. I've started taking some night classes so I'm worried about my ability to concentrate while on a diet like this, as well as the logistics of that last "clear liquids only" day since that's a work-then-school day but I assume I'll survive, so I'll stop complaining (for now). I have to admit, while I'm definitely happy with my progress, I'm also a little disappointed; I'd had daydreams of losing 80lb or more during the 6-month balloon period, and I think that is one of the lessons I really need to learn: be proud of what I've done so far, and stop feeling like it's somehow not good enough. It's plenty good. I also need to learn to give myself credit for what I've done (and my husband needs to do this as well), because losing weight is hard work. The gastric balloon isn't some magical short-cut; if anything, it's harder than doing it on your own because those first couple of weeks suuuuuuuuuuuuck. We're taught as kids that it's bad to be boastful, but honestly there are some things that we just have to boast about, and this is one of them. Going forward... I don't really expect any major changes to our lifestyle once the balloons come out. We're still eating around 1000 calories/day and exercising 30 minutes 5-6 times a week, and there's no reason we can't sustain this. I don't think the portions we are consuming to get those 1000 calories are so small that we'll feel hungry without the balloons. We certainly don't feel deprived-- in my previous career, I was a chef, so I can *cook* and my husband is no slouch either-- and we've managed to have the occasional night out (and yes, even dessert and beer). So this is perfectly sustainable. We just need to sustain it. Big lesson for now: this never ends. We don't reach our goals then revert back to our unhealthy habits. This is the new normal, and that's a big realization, but I'm totally okay with it.

My surgery was 2/12. I am in the soft food stage. I tried an egg on the first day I started soft foods ( I wanted to die). My main protein sources are ground chicken, ground turkey, fish and yogurt plus my every day 4 oz protein shake. When I started the soft food stage I was so excited to eat something not liquid and purée, but I still have days I would not mind it again. I can eat 1/4 c of what ever I’m eating. I am cleared to start eating raw fruit and veggies. I had a slice of seedless cucumber yesterday and it went well. Today I will have a cherry tomato with my lunch. Just keep trying. My nutritionist has a great rule that I have used. When you eat something and it upsets you or causes the day long “ I want to die “ feeling the next day go back to a few protein shakes and full liquids. I’ve used it now 2 times in 2 weeks it helped. Everyday is a new lesson we learn with our new stomach. RNY. 2/12/19 HW: 474 (5/16) ST: 412(4/18) SW:308 (2/19) CW: 272 (3/27)

I honestly don't get the angst of your post in looking at your selections? I'm so sorry. I would truly encourage you to start working on reframing your reality and doing head work to work through the grief you are clearly feeling about the changes you chose to make to your body and how that is going to affect your eating. You don't see this now, but a year from now when you are 50-100lbs lighter, your life will be TOTALLY different! I promise. You will be able to feel how fortunate this is! I sometimes think surgeon's give you these limits not only to protect your new anatomy (you can do serious damage by challenging it too early), but also because they want us to break the cycle of using food for in a disordered pattern and putting too much importance on meal variability and too much on "food being good/yummy/comforty." In this early time you have the opportunity to lose THE MOST WEIGHT IN A MONTH you will lose in all of your WLS history. We lose the most weight in the first 2 months following surgery. So please please embrace this time. I swear, it gets SO much better if you relax into it, keep it simple, measure and log everything, but just keep it simple. You know? Keep it low low cal/meet your protein goals/keep carbs and crap out of it. I didn't have to do puree. I had to do soft foods that were chewed to puree. But here are things that would fit your reqs. All you have to do is put em in a food processor (mini chopper) and bam you're there. 1. Eggface Ricotta Bake (google it) 2. Green bean casserole (bariatric style) with canned chicken 3. Tuna casserole (bariatric style) with green beans instead of peas 4. Mexican beef with cheese or beans with cheese (too carby for me--made me hungry too soon after eating) 5. Broccoli, spinach or cauliflower pureed with light cream cheese, lemon juice, s/p/g (steam the crap out of it first) 6. Smashed cauliflower with bacon and green onions (put in a food processor) 7,. Any soup or chili made bariatric style 8. Fish in foil pouches with lemon and spices/herbs. 9. zucchini sauteed with onion, tomatoes and herbs and pureed--can add any kind of lean meat. 10. yogurt/cottage cheese blends with berries. I just ate the same things all the time in rotation usually. And the time went by quickly. Hang in there. The time does pass quickly.

My surgeon's requirements for the pureed stage are pretty steep and lasts 4 weeks. I hate life and would like advice for "recipes" or survival tips. The rules are as follows: Lean skinless whole beans/chicken/turkey/shrimp/crab/lobster/tofu blended with spinach, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini. May use low calorie broths, salt/pepper, herbs, lemon/lime, worschestershire, soy sauce, vinegar, plain Greek yogurt to season.

If you do dairy, my favorite was Eggface's ricotta bake. I'd often saute a bit of spinach and do a layer of ricotta, a layer of spinach, and then the rest of the ricotta. I make it in small muffin/tiny bread pans, so each one was a serving. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html I also made a (small) pot of black beans, then pureed them with a bit of broth. Froze them in 1/2c. servings. Heated them up with a bit of cheese on top. If you can stand some heat, you can also add a bit of salsa. If you'll eat eggs, egg salad is easy. Just puree it instead of rough chop. 2 hard boiled eggs with either some mashed avocado or 1TBL greek yogurt and 1 TBL mayo. I did really well with soft scrambled eggs, but some people don't. Greek yogurt (look for high protein/low sugar like Oikos Triple 0) Added: as a treat, I also do hot cocoa - 1cup fairlife milk (13g protein), 1 TBL unsweetened cocoa, 1 packet artificial sweetener, 1 drop of vanilla (and sometimes a drop of peppermint extract)

Puree. I'm supposed to puree foods to applesauce consistency. If been eating yogurt ok but can only eat about two Tbsp. What exactly is custard? It sounds good lol. How so I make that? I think I'm supposed to focus on protein though. Sent from my LG-Q710AL using BariatricPal mobile app

Are you on soft or purée? Egg might be too difficult at this stage, maybe try sticking to things that blend easily with no lumps. Yogurt, custard, cooked veg etc

I can't drink whey at all - it makes me very nauseous and I get flushed and hot. But I can eat cottage cheese/yogurt just fine. I love NowSports Soy Protein Isolate - sold on Amazon. Unfortunately there's not a lot of good tasting alternatives that aren't whey. NowSports is really the only one I've found that tastes good - after spending $$$$ trying tons of different brands of egg, pea, rice, and fish/beef proteins. MRE Lite is pure animal protein (like salmon/beef) and their dutch apple pie is okay.

I made a hard boiled egg and used 2tsp of low fat mayo and then thinned it with pickle juice until it was applesauce consistency. My written out diet said to eat a quarter to a half a cup. I served myself a quarter. I ate about 3Tbsp of it. I ate it at 12:30... I was in SO MUCH PAIN I felt like it needed to come out one way or anther until 9:30 pm. I felt nauseas the whole time but never threw up. I was alone and afraid of what throwing up my do to my incisions. (I had surgery on March 14th I'm 12 days post op) I couldn't eat or drink or get out of my bed (because I also ended up getting extremely cold) today I'm afraid to eat or drink. I did force 1Tbsp of yogurt in and I'm trying to drink too but not doing well. I never want to eat again. I feel so anxious. Anyone else expierience this and have any idea where I went wrong??? Maybe I ate too much? Maybe low get mayo is not ok? Maybe I used too much pickle juice? Sent from my LG-Q710AL using BariatricPal mobile app

Gosh sorry you're going through this! The things I would do? 1. Go see Rude Surgeon and get copies of your chart from him including the test (which should have a report and pics) so you can take it to your second opinion surgeon. 2. Start today with a pre-op meal plan that ditches: Grains (whole or processed grains) White Things (sugar, potatoes, flour, rice, tapioca or corn starches) Diet Drinks Caffeinated Drinks Clean the crap outta the pantry (chips, pretzels, pasta, candy, etc.) 3. Start today with meals Prioritizing lean protein. 3-4oz per meal. Eat it first (the drier and plainer the better). Include a 1/2 cup-1cup serving cooked veg. Include a 1/2-1cup serving salad with homemade vinaigrette dressing Aim for only 3 meals per day without snacking. (If you must snack, limit it to 1 or 2 snacks of 100cals or less and very low carb/higher protein: cheese stick, hb egg, 1-2oz lunchmeat, raw veg with Greek Yogurt Ranch.) 4. Start today to track your calories and macros and plan your meals. I'd use MFP and I'd aim pre-surgery for 1500 cals, 20-30g of total carbs, 74g protein, and healthy fat to make up the calories until you reach 1500. **See if you can begin feeling satiety and restriction. I agree with @GreenTealael that I would do the DS from where you are--especially if you are dealing with issues of satiety. But you might be able to get back on track just from revamping your diet and eliminating all the crud that has crept in. It will definitely help keep you full longer.

So far cheat wise I’ve had fruit bottom yogurt x2 servings (3rd day out of hospital); 3 bites of a hot dog (bun, ketchup and mustard... go big or go home right?) (2nd week into liquid diet) a few bites of chicken and prosciutto (supposed purée diet) and started the purée diet a bit early. So far my highest cheat day was the most carbs I’ve had with an intake of maybe 40% carbs which is too high and 1000 calories or so. It was like shredded wheat cereal, crackers with hummus yogurt and avocado, yogurt and cream cheese mixed together with some tsaziki herbs, and 2/3 of a lentil soup with 2/3 of a serving of protein (I couldn’t finish the soup) and a bit of apple juice mixed in with my water. This was just on Sunday. Oh that was also when we went to a show so I brought “meals & snacks” with me (cottage cheese, apple sauce, and sf jello) because I couldn’t have anything there. Everything smelled and looked so good. There was ice cream, popcorn, fudge, maple candy treats... the worst so far was going to see friends and her child was snacking on dill popcorn. I really wanted some or some of the cookies her husband got into but I don’t like the consequences especially when visiting friends! I can handle it if it’s at home but not at a friends house!

Hi @thatch Try removing the oatmeal and protein bar. Go super clean. Try something different in the mornings like water then a smoothie or super bowl from chia seeds (fruit blended with protein powder or yogurt or cottage cheese) Remove the wilted spinach and eat it raw less goat cheese less nuts (weigh those bad boys) FIBER WATER EAT NO SNACKS... SORRY drink instead see if your weight begins to move again.

Interesting comments above . I am 3 months out and averaging about 10-15 lb loss a month in the last month , but I am am only about 15 lbs from my goal and I was a lower BMI. I can’t do 500-600 a day most days , as I am very active , spin 5x a week and get 10k steps . Seem to be settling at the 800-1000 calories range with 1-2 protein drinks a day and at least one yogurt in order to get protein grams in ... hard to eat enough protein honestly

Just returned from a weekend family (3 of our adult kids who live out of state, sister in law and the kids friends) trip to Las Vegas. I’m feeling like I need an accountability post.... 6 weeks out, I brought a cooler with Power aid zero, protein drinks, yogurt, cheese and other protein foods that barely got touched. I ended up eating in the buffet twice with the family. I did make decent choices, sticking to protein, few carbs and no sugar but probably ate more that I should have. At another restaurant I didn’t order food and just ate bites from my family’s plates...more carbs than I normally eat for sure. I also ate 1/2 of a KFC chicken thigh including the breading on the long drive home....way too much grease and sat like a rock in my pouch. I was never much of a drinker at home, occasionally socially, but in Vegas tequila shots were the norm. Well not now, I didn’t do any shots but I did however have Captain Morgan and water with Mio style pineapple/mango drops consistently while playing slots....we played a lot of slots. The alcohol did seem to take effect quicker, but I drank slow and free Vegas drinks are not strong, so I was good. I was cautious and mindful though to be extra aware. So....Today I’m feeling like I’ve been on shaky ground and it’s time to get back to WLS reality. Priority number 1 is to make sure I get in 80oz plus of water, make sure my food is all protein, no carbs and keep calories in the 600 range. I was so happy to spend time with the kids. I don’t get to see some of them very often, but I’m not thrilled with way I handled my responsibilities as a WLS patient.

I love Genpro unflavored protein powder. You can literally put it in ANYTHING and you can't tell. I add it to flavored water, coffee, any flavor of broth, yogurt, cottage cheese I could go on and on. It really opens up your flavor options! Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

bariatric foodie has some easy recipe. I highly recommend ricotta bake (google "eggface ricotta bake") - super easy and tasty. Sometimes I add some sauteed spinach or a spoon of pesto. If you like shrimp, it is super easy and tasty. Defrost a few, add a bit of oil or butter to a pan over medium heat, and saute for a few minutes until they're pink. You can add some spices. I like cajun seasoning (if you can deal with heat), or italian seasoning. Added: this is super easy, don't even need to defrost the fish: https://www.bariatricfoodie.com/one-pan-cooking-tilapia-fire-roasted-tomato-sauce/ But, one fish fillet will serve me three times, and I don't eat thawed fish more than two days after it thaws, so I often have to toss some fish. Also really like egg salad - just 2 hard boiled eggs, masked with either a bit of ripe avocado or 1 TBL mayo and 1 TBL greek yogurt.