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I don’t eat beef so I use ground turkey for everything. The lettuce I would leave out for a while but you can have ground turkey at soft foods. I had many of my usual recipes with ground turkey. Turkey chili, turkey taco meat in a soft flour wrap etc. I am not a person that rarely purchases premodern foods but I did buy the precooked grilled fajitas chicken from Sams or aldi as they are great for throwing a little bit in microwave with a slice of cheese. Or microwave till cooked. Put on a flour tortilla with cheese and put in the air fryer till cheese melted. I buy the small flour tortillas and don’t eat it all in one sitting. It’s still soft and so good to have real food. I also use the little slider buns for lunch meat or grilled chicken and usually share the last bites with my dog. As he is loving my surgery. Lol. I am six weeks out from surgery tomorrow and honestly it doesn’t feel like I had surgery. I just eat less and no complications. Only issue is if I don’t eat something later in the evening I can wake up from being so hungry. So I usually have a yogurt or shake in the evening.

I definitely wouldn't handle it by eating cookies. That is going to sabotage your weight loss efforts. Try the SF popcycles or pudding and see if that will help curb your cravings. How about greek yogurt? This is where you are going to have to buckle down and really use your willpower. That's the things about WLS, a chocolate chip cookie still smells and tastes like a chocolate chip cookie. We have to find ways to resist the urge. Good luck

lots of cheese, grilled chicken, chicken salads, yogurt, fish, eggs

I'm fabulous. The only reason I am tho is because my doctor advances diets very fast. I'm on a full diet as of this Wednesday. I get my protein through Oikos yogurt, Stonyfield Farms makes it. There is 17g of protein in one 7 ounce cup. I eat two of those a day, and then a can of tuna and I'm good. The only thing is tho, you have to add a packet of Splenda or something...it's kinda nasty otherwise.

Well, I feel like a true initiate now. Got a little too complacent, I guess. What with being in the mushies stage and having no trouble whatsoever with tuna salad, egg salad, chopped liver, unblended lentil Soup and the like, I thought I give some lovely fresh king salmon a whirl. Maybe not a mistake in itself, but maybe I was a little too nonchalant when I actually ate it? There it was, a lovely little 4 oz. chunk of filet. I cooked it nicely seasoned with salt, pepper and dill, in a little foil envelope in the oven. Came out looking delish as could be. Squeezed a little fresh lemon juice on it. Got busy. I maybe got down somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 oz., when - oops- the most recent mouthful stuck. Hard. Ow. Pressure continued to build in my esophagus until - kabloouie! - up came some of it. Not all. Not even most. A token amount. Pressure continued to build. And, voila! Now I truly know what "the foamies" are! I must take a moment to say that I've always thought I had a stomach of steel. I've rarely experienced upset stomach and I can't remember the last time I vomited. But at this point, I would have given anything to just have one good heave-ho and have it be over. But not to be. At one point I actually had to put my finger down my throat to get some action that might lead to relief. When my stomach gets hold of food, it is not going to give it back without a serious struggle. It took a good hour from the time the food first got stuck to when something "worthwhile" finally made it's way from my poor sleeve to the toilet bowl. Anyway, I know for some of you this might be TMI, and to those my apologies. I read here that just about everyone ends up experiencing this in some fashion, so I thought I'd document it. A lesson learned. I feel okay as I'm writing this, about 2-1/2 hours from when the episode started. My daughter got quite frightened and started to cry while it was happening and thought I might have to go back to Mexico. My son reassured her that what I was experiencing was normal, but he was worried too, I could tell. I know they won't be comfortable until I tell them I feel just fine tomorrow morning. Anyhoo... I just hope I can be in the moment enough going forward to never have THAT happen again! I'm looking forward to a day of greek yogurt and smooth Soups tomorrow, to be sure!

I stocked up on 4oz containers too. I helped portion everything for taking to the office. I am lucky we have a refrigerator so I can keep items handy. Fat Free Yogurt is a great item to have at the office. Cheese sticks, I kept a container of Unjury Chicken soup and other soups in case I needed them. When I went back to the office, I was on one shake a day, I had that one in the morning and I blended it at home and put it in a travel cup. When I got to pureed foods, my favorite was chicken salad with a little cranberry sauce on top, great flavor.

It's been a while since I have blogged. I've been out of town and living in a hotel for the past week trying to finish up all of my clinical hours. Staying to pureed foods has been difficult, but the hotel I stayed in had a fridge and a microwave in the room, so that made things a bit easier. First couple days of being on my feet and seeing patients all day was super tiring, and I crashed as soon as I got back to the hotel. We have also had drug reps bringing us lunch every day and that has been a huge challenge. I've stayed under 1200 calories every day, averaging around 800-900, but those drug rep lunches just about killed me. I had brought my own food and everything, but I was just so darn sick of tomato soup, yogurt and jello. One day the rep brought boston market and I ended up eating a little less than a cup of stuffing (it was really soft and mushie). Some people in the clinic have noticed how small my servings are, but they accept my excuse of having been sick and trying to not eat too much to lose weight. I am going to go to the gym for the first time since before surgery today. I'll probably just try walking on the treadmill or something else easy. I can't wait to get back to spin class and to be able to ride my bike again! Still waiting to see the scale move down after my initial 15 lb loss....trying to be patient

Usually with dinner there's a salad or green veg. What I'm showing there is purely my protein. I have to force myself to get to 100g carbs, but if I don't my athletic performance starts to suffer - so there may be rice or quinoa or a potato at dinner. Or a few tablespoons of granola in with the yogurt. But last night, I had 6 ounces of rib eye steak - left over from a night or two before and that was it. I didn't feel like anything green and was full after the steak. I always eat my protein first then if there's room I eat the rest.

That's more restrictive than my diet. I'm on day 1. same as your diet except we can have sugar free fudgecicles, popcicles and must have 70g of protein a day. We can have dannon light and fit yogurt and fruit juice and low fat cream Soup. I'm diabetic so wont be drinking fruit juice( unless I have a low blood sugar). Today has been really, really hard.

Today is 4 weeks post RNY surgery for me. - Down 16.8 lbs. I've had a couple of times where my weight has stayed stable for more than 5 days in that 4 weeks (including now). Still watching to see if a pattern emerges and trying to take it in stride (not always successfully). - No issues with liquids at all (yay!). I have been getting between 80 and 100 most days. - Eating up to 4 oz at a time. I haven't tried for more except with greek yogurt (I eat the whole container of the Oikos triple zero which is just over 5 oz). - On soft foods for the last 2 weeks and so far I've tolerated everything I've tried (eggs, Tuna, Ricotta bake, lunchmeat, etc...). I had chicken for the first time today (canned and made into chicken salad) and that went down well. - I can get my protein in but only if I do a couple of shakes (or max a premier out by adding some collagen). - Walking daily up to 1 mile. I go back to work on Thursday (I was VERY fortunate to take a full month off). I also plan on starting back with my rowing machine in addition to the walking. All in all I am extremely happy with how I've healed so far. I'm looking forward to continuing the journey. I have a lot of work ahead of me to get to a healthy weight but I am hopeful.

I was sleeved on 12/12/14 and have done really well with my program. I still have a protein drink for breakfast every morning. Here is my issue & I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing or did experience this. I will think in my head something sounds so good...a few weeks ago it was a chipotle bowl (no rice) I was on the treadmill thinking how good it sounded, after the gym I went there got the bowl, went home had a bite & it wasn't nearly as good as it was in my mind. (It was dinner for the week and I still threw quite a bit away) tonight I thought sloppy joes sounded good & I found these potatoes that were a weight watchers recipe that sounded good...got home from work made the sloppy joes and potatoes, had 2 bites and it just didn't taste good at all. Has this happened to anyone else? I'd rather eat protein drinks & a Greek yogurt because my head is playing so many games with me .

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives. Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled. :phanvan And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14. So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast. God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. :hungry: And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof. God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel food Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food." God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds. Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds. :faint: God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest. God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. Then Satan created HMOs.

Once you make the sincere decision to lose weight and get healthy....everything will fall in line. Using myfitnesspal.com is a cheap and easy way to track your calories, weight and exercise. I stress that it's free....and super easy to use. Nothing will motivate you like success will. That being said...go ahead and lose weight now. There are simple diets to follow and you will be acclimating yourself to the way of eating you'll be doing for the rest of your life when you are post-op. The simple diet consists of chicken, fish, meats, Greek yogurts, fresh vegetables, some whole grains and some cheeses and maybe nuts on occasion. Measure your food so you can input accurate amounts into the myfitnesspal tracker. Keeping the carb count down and eating at a calorie deficit (versus your bmr ) will absolutely lead to weight loss. Throw in some frequent walking and you are going to add to effect. Getting your mind wrapped around the needed changes and getting used to following a plan now will really help you later on. You are going to do great.

I have a 13 year old step daughter, I’ve been her step mom for 4 years now and to say our relationship is strained is putting it mildly. Basically her mother wanted her to hate her step mom and she got her wish. Tonight I watched her eat a dinner plate worth of food in less than ten minutes. She shoveled the food into her mouth; barely chew as she reloaded her fork. All I could do was watch and cry inside. Her father & I have tried to get her to eat slower, smaller bites, etc… but it goes on deaf ears. The only thing we can do is only have health choices in our house. I am thankful that what she wolfed down tonight was baked salmon, brown rice, boiled carrots and for dessert a frozen Greek yogurt bar. I know that if she continues these eating habits she will be fat as an adult and will face all the things I faced as an obese adult. That makes me cry. I know that all I can do is what I already do, offer healthy choices and advise if she wants to listen.

1) Your swelling has subsided. 2) Liquids in, liquids out 3) Acid mimics hunger. However, not all "acid medications" are created equally. If you are on an H2 blocker, you will not get the full effect of acid reduction. An H2 blocker treats the symptoms, H2 blockers are Zantac, Pepcid. Proton Pump Inhibitors/PPIs actually stop the acid from producing in your stomach and those are Dexilant, Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, or any generic of those drugs. These drugs need to be taken on an empty stomach and some require a full hour wait time before eating, Nexium requires 30 minutes. OR, you can eat and take them 2-3 hours after eating. I choose to take mine first thing in the morning and wait an hour. Sometimes, you need to double up on the dose. Zantac, Pepcid never does anything for me. broth counts as a liquid. There is absolutely no reason to be alarmed with liquids. It's the sheer mechanics of your pyloric valve opening. Be grateful that you can get in that much liquid. It took me an hour to 8oz at 6 weeks post-op. We do not have pouches like RNY patients, there is no stoma. We have normal functioning stomachs, just smaller in size. Easy mental picture when you start progressing through the stages and learning about eating post-VSG: Think of your sleeve like a kitchen sink: Liquids : Dump liquids in, they slide right on down, empty into the drain. NO stopping Full liquids/thick liquids: Dump 3ounces of yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding down the drain; It will slide down the drain opening a bit slower, but you don't have to stir it around, or mush it through the sink drain. Mushy/puree: (this is where your teeth come in extra handy) you can dump some puree chicken salad/chili/egg salad down the drain and it's gonna sit there for a bit, it'll leak through, right? but it's going to take some time. So you might have to get a spoon to stir it around to get it to go down the drain. Soft Solids: Oh chewing is essential. You can toss some ground beef in the sink and it's not going down without some mushing down/stirring it around with the spoon to get it through the drain opening. . The stomach after surgery still isn't sure what to do with those soft protein/solids, so it's slow to work properly, and all the stomach really does is break down, mush down the food. 85% of Absorption of nutrients/calories etc etc occur in the intestine. Anyways, the meat is going to need some help to get down the drain. Gastric fluids, the mechanical work of the stomach, and chewing helps this process. This is when you really get the restriction. Measuring your mushy/purees and onto soft solids and Protein will keep you from overeating and puking or being in pain. Once you get to full liquids, still be cautious and measure out. Once you're on mushy/purees, always, always measure. Don't eat until full, eat the measured, prescribed portion and that will help you stay within your caloric intake for the day. The pyloric valve is what regulates how and when the food dumps into the intestines. That's why liquids don't offer restriction. Sip away, enjoy hydration so many of us struggled with being able to get in fluids. As time progresses, your stomach works better, transit time speeds up and you can eat a bit more. This is where the "sleeve stretching" posts come up. People think they've stretched something, when it really boils down to the stomach is just working properly.

What kind of texture is it? Is it soft foods like yogurt? Pureed? Dense proteins like chicken?

Sojo and others gave you some great advise. Nighttime snacking is one of my hurdles. I snack out of boardom. If I watch tv I feel I need to eat, plus the commercials don't help. So, I try to do other things instead of tv. I exercise, go in my sewing room and sew, get on LBT, you get the idea. This works for me most of the times. When I do need sweets I eat a Protein shake popsicle (premade chocolate Protein Shake poured into popsicle mold & freeze, makes 6 popsicles) or I just discovered Yasso frozen greek yogurt bars, come in strawberry, raspberry & blueberry, all are yummy. These Snacks have the protein we need plus they are sweet. Good luck, I know you can do this!

Unfortunately, you are basically in bandster hell. You really need to stick to the prescribed diet given to you by your doctor. You are in a healing phase to allow the sutures holding your band in place to heal properly. Eating solid food too soon can cause those sutures to break. Though you may not feel anything now, it could cause major problems later (band slippage, band removal). If you continue to be hungry, talk to your doctor to find out what you can add to help (protein drinks, yogurt). Please, don't eat solids before he allows. Good luck to you.

I get heartburn from any kind of breads or grains. You mentioned a sandwich at bedtime? Maybe try just PB and banana. Even popcorn can cause it for me. Eating yogart everyday helps a lot. When I slack on my organic yogurt, I notice more heartburn. I don't know why. Sorry you are in pain, no fun!

I luckily dont have a reflux problem with sleeve until after my plastic surgery. uber tight compression garments!! Not eating after about 7 and laying propped by pillows solved it. I agree that if you do eat late make it Greek yogurt and really small portion. (In fact itty bitty portions earlier in the day is also key. ) I think a sandwich before bed would give me reflux.

Almost nothing! LOL! I eat 1 or 2 times a day. So far I've had yogurt, canned chicken with a little low fat mayo and pepper, refried beans with cheddar cheese and taco sauce, scrambled egg, a pureed egg with mustard...stuff like that...I've tried to get creative and make it interesting where I can. Right now I'm craving pizza soooo, I'm going to use low carb pizza sauce, a little browned and finely chopped hamburger meat with some skim mozzarella cheese...sort of a mock pizza...now prior to surgery it was protein shakes 2 to 3 times a day and then a sensible meal...

Today I started soft foods. Yippee!!!! I had a very strange sensation when I ate my yogurt w/ fruit. I felt very full in the top of my stomach (my stoma I guess). Couldn't have eaten another bite. But the bottom have of my stomach felt empty and kept growling. Not gurgling with food, but growling from emptiness. It wasn't head hunger either because I didn't want to eat another bite. Very strange. Also, I just experience "sliming". I was so afraid it was going to come back up. But I lifted my arms and walked it off. Thank goodness. I forgot about the warning that soft foods need to moist. But the good news is that I obviously have some restriction (from swelling I'm assuming). Full liquids were just going right through me with no restriction at all. I'm glad to be on the next phase. I hope the restriction stays for awhile since I can't get a fill for 4 more weeks.

My nut said that by 1yr out I would be able to eat 1 cup at each meal. I'm a yr post op and I am eatin about a cup twice a day. I can't tolerate anything at breakfast except my protein shake and I follow it up with a cup of coffee with protein. I have at least 2 snacks like 1 oz beef jerky or a Greek yogurt with nuts added(sometimes it's too much). My nut said I need to up my animal protein but I'm struggling with that still. I TRY to keep each meal at about 250 cal with protein first. Do y'all ever get tired of eatin meat and just want a salad?? I do A LOT! Good luck!!

I make yogurt every weekend. It is very easy you can buy a yogurt maker if you choose but it's really not required to make a good tasting product. I got started making yogurt by watching an episode of good eats I couldn't find a link to the episode but here is a link to the recipe-http://www.food.com/recipe/yogurt-homemade-from-good-eats-alton-brown-40602 I use good organic milk now (lesson learned) and i always run the vessels I'm gonna use through the dishwasher to act like a sterilizer before I begin a batch Good Luck- its really very satisfying to make, and if you have an Ice cream maker you are in, just pop in the fresh yogurt with some sliced peaches and you now have a lovely frozen treat- you can also use it to make cheese (kinda a nice farmers style herb it up any way you like)

To make a long story short, I got my second fill and couldn't keep much down. So, went for an unfill Friday, but he couldn't access the port so told me to do another week on liquids. Over the weekend the restriction lessened until yesterday there wasn't much left. I also hadn't had any coffee since Friday, but had been drinking grande skinny lattes most days up until then. So, today, I was tired and decided to get a latte and it went down fine, but went to eat a carb control yogurt as the first part of my lunch and I started gurgling and burping, then in 3 spurts it all came up! So, I'm wondering if it was the coffee...I know that coffee can irritate the stomach, but can it make you get stuck more easily? Just a thought...