Search the Community

What exactly are your program guidelines? Do you meet with a dietician as part of your program? Can you reach out for some additional assistance? I know for my program, I am in the range of at least 70-80g of protein and soon enough 80-100g. There is no specific guide to carbs and fats allotment, only that protein is the priority and to limit carbs and fats. More so complex carbs and healthy fats. Sugar free as much as possible. It can feel weird at first, but it gets better with time. I mostly stick to a protein and a veg. I do happen to eat burgers with no bun. I can only really manage a whole chicken patty, but only half a turkey burger or beef burger. If i feel like I want to have more traditional way of eating it, I'll put the half on a Mission Carb Balance Whole Wheat street taco tortilla. I do use sugar free bbq sauce, maybe some pickle slices and tomatoes with a reduced fat slice of cheese. It's all I can manage and I am satisfied. I also make cottage cheese bowls - taco bowls are my fave. About 3oz of ground turkey or chicken taco meat and a couple tablespoons of cottage cheese. Toppings as you like - i can do a couple cherry tomatoes, some shredded lettuce, a sprinkle of light cheese and a little salsa. Sometimes I can eat it all, sometimes I have some left which I may or may not be able to eat a little later. I would also say, instead of thinking of doing all the work for just 3ozs, meal prep. Make several portions to have on hand. Freeze extras if you tire easily. One pound of ground meat can easily last me a week's worth of meals, but I freeze to not waste if i don't realistically think I can eat any one thing. (I'm only cooking for myself a majority of the time). I also follow on IG your.onderland which provides a lot of helpful reminders, tips and recipes for the bariatric journey. Hope this helps.

Not sure what you mean by gross ingredients? I mostly went with broths and some cream soups in the 3rd week of clear liquids, I'd mix one can broth to one can cream soup. My fourth week sent me into soft foods which was mostly eggs, ground sausage or beef and some fish. Week 5 I moved into chicken. Chicken being so very dry it seems harder to digest than anything else, ground beef was so much easier. I can't much do the protein shakes, the only way I've been able to choke them down is to literally put in a blender with some extra protein powder & yogurt and ice and make a smoothie/milkshake thing and top with keto whipped cream. I use it more as a dessert bc I can't drink all that sweet stuff in the early morning. Not much of a breakfast person but since this surgery I wake up famished but I guess 3-4 oz only takes so long to digest and if I eat at 7-9 pm by the time I get up at 9-10 am it has been a long time. I got the Walgreen's extra protein shakes, small town, limited choices around here.

Hi Pat - I'm 68 and my weight loss has been slow,too. I can't exercise they way they want me to, but I try ! I've only lost 13 pounds in 3 months since surgery , but the doc and the dietician are blaming the bronchitis I've had for 2 months now. (The cough just won't go away ) I like to snack on string cheese , ritz crackers and I also bake some great cookies, they're like low carb trail mix in cookie form and I enjoy them because they take so long to chew ! LOL

I also had surgery 8/28. One week post op today. So far so good 😊

I’m having surgery in October but have been trying all different brands ahead of time to see which I like best. So far, I like the taste of Boost & Premier the best but shortly after drinking either of them, I get a bad stomach ache and have to run to the bathroom. I suspect that this is due a sensitivity I have to artificial sugars. The same thing happens if I try to eat sugar free jello or anything like that. I’m getting very nervous because I don’t want to be sick for 2 weeks and my dietician doesn’t have much of a solution for me. She told me to keep trying brands until one doesn’t make me sick but I have the same issue with Ensure and Glucerna. Anyone have a similar experience?

I am so glad you’re feeling better! I’m afraid of the gas pain after surgery I’m trying to embrace myself for the pain. Are the pains worst than childbirth 😬😬? I had 3 kids

My stall finally broke! I’m 4.5 months out of GSV surgery and have lost 62 lbs. Someone on here once mentioned to cheat and eat a few more carbs. I did that and I started consuming more calories and my 2 week stall finally broke. Don’t know how much the carbs had to do with it but I think I was consuming so few calories that my body was in starvation mode. Upped the calories to about 700/day and that worked! I know we are all afraid to overeat or consume too many calories, but make sure you are consuming enough!!

Hi NettyD, I am feeling much better now it's day 3. The first 12-18 hours were really hard. I was not prepared for the gas pain but I think mine was just bad as there was another lady who had the same procedure and did much better with the gas pain than I did. The nurses told me sometimes it's painful for some and other times, not so bad. Wishing yours is not so bad xx

Tomorrow’s the day! I’m scheduled for my gastric sleeve tomorrow (9/5) and I’m so ready. I’ve been on full liquids for two weeks and I have to say, it’s already been a journey. I can’t wait to see how this is going to change my life.

Tomorrow’s the day! I’m scheduled for my gastric sleeve tomorrow (9/5) and I’m so ready. I’ve been on full liquids for two weeks and I have to say, it’s already been a journey. I can’t wait to see how this is going to change my life.

@RTL1234 I did not have swelling like this with the sleeve and I am assuming since the hernia repair as well is the reason for more incisions. On the positive side yesterday when I got on the scale I lost 5 of the 7lbs from surgery (fluids, air, swollen, etc). I know it's not actual weight. We will see how things go this week. Last night was the worse with itching! I found some Zyrtec dissolvable tabs in my cabinet which helped a lot! When I read up on it - it said it's a better choice than benadryl since the effects last longer (fingers crossed). Liquids - On for two weeks post op until my follow up appointment next week on the 12th. I will be completing my blood thinning ejections then as well. After I'll be on puree for 2 wks then soft foods for another 2 wks. I'll be glad to move forward just because I can add more variety to the previous weeks. This is definitely helping me re-familiarize myself with getting the right amount of protein and fluids in daily. I was told to wait to start my vitamins 1-2 wks after, I'll start those this week. I purchased the ones from Bariatric Pal (capsules), I can open them and mix the powder in when I make my protein shake. Yes! I did find a way to mix it up for this last week of fluids! Today will be cream of bacon made the same way I did my soup yesterday. Exciting right? LOL

Just finishing day 1 of a 3 day liquid diet. Gastric bypass on 9/6. It was mostly okay. Had to break up the sweet clear protein drinks with chicken broth with unflavored protein powder.

Yes! I had my RNY on the 18th. I am over the ready to drink proteins and all the different ingredients. I am going to experiment with non-flavored protein powders and adding my own flavors. So, far using the Premier Plant based chocolate powder with unsweet almond milk has been ok for me. I am on week 1 of soft foods and learning portion control. Hope the struggle ends soon for you!

Hi all - Had my sleeve the 25th. Struggling through my second week of full liquids. I can’t stand anything drinkable anymore. Can’t find any soups that aren’t filled with gross ingredients / fillers / fatty things, either. I’ve been living on FairLife shakes because the Premier Protein ones gross me out, now. Anyone else struggle like this? I know it will get better but the days seem to DRAG right now and I am over it!

I found the answer to my delima above. Getting Through The Liquid Phase I purchased these creamed soups: Cream of Bacon Cream of Broccoli Cream of Asparagus Cream of Potato I already had: Cream of Chicken, Cellery, Onion, & Mushroom How I prepared: Cream of Potato 2.5 Servings per container/Serving size 1/2 cup = 4oz 90 cal/serv = 225 total 2g protein/serv = 3g total -Put soup in sauce pan -Add 1 cup (8oz) Fairlife Fat Free (13 g protein) & simmer while stirring NOTE: I added spices - Cayenne Pepper, White Pepper, Dried Herbs (any spice you like) -Pour contents into blender & blend until smooth -Add soup to larger container if needed -Add 1 Scoop Unjury Chicken Flavor Protein Powder (20g protein) & stir/mix -Add chicken broth to thin out the soup to desired consistency -Measure out your serving & enjoy throughout the day I will do this for all the creamed soups as they all will have different flavors. Now I can make it through another week and will put these in rotation later! I also forgot I ordered Millie's Broths from their website and had to grab those from my mailbox today. I am including the image.

Today, marks my 6 month surgery anniversary so I wanted to update my stats. I will update again at the 12 month marker. I look forward to seeing the results of the survey. 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE (at time of surgery) , HEIGHT - F, 62, 5'5" 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) - 6.5 LBS 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. - 202.5 LBS 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery - 187.4 LBS 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery - 170.8 LBS 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery - 149.2 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery - TBD

So as you all know, I had A LOT of complications with my sleeve. I ended up with gastritis, esophagitis, horrible gerd, and precancerous polyps all though my stomach and duodenum. I had 4 endoscopies to have them all removed. Then I had a colonoscopy and found 3 cancerous polyps (stage 1) and they were removed and I'm ok. Wouldn't have found ANY of that had I not had the complications from the sleeve. During that time, I also had a ct scan to see what was happening, and 2 large fibroids were found in my uterus. Well, now that everything else was taken care of and I had my revision from sleeve to bypass, I decided to deal with the fibroids (they are causing my stomach to be large, my uterus is HUGE, they cause discomfort, very heavy bleeding, etc) One is 12cm (roughly the size of a grapefruit) and one is 6.5 cm (the size of an egg). I also had an endometrial biopsy (those SUCK) and was diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia, which is precancerous. So now I have an appt to see what to do about all of this. Again, never ever would have found this if I hadn't had complications that led to all the testing to figure out what was wrong. Sometimes the fear of the unknown, the long road ahead, and the daunting testing and procedures to diagnose and correct complications can make surgery seem like a no-go. But potential complications shouldn't necessarily be seen as a deal breaker. I had several precancerous and cancerous conditions I knew absolutely NOTHING about, and I wouldn't have known about them until it was too late, had it not been for the complications from the sleeve. Trying to find out what happened inadvertently led to correcting not only the initial sleeve complication but also the silent and secret health issues that definitely would have creeped up on me and taken me out had it all not be found when they were. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Maybe hitting every speed bump on the way sucks and feels overwhelming, but at least now it's done. I'm already healthier than I have ever been, and I'm only getting healthier. I'm following dreams I previously let go, and being 45, I'm at the age where health risks start to increase anyway. Now I'm having it all taken care of and I can just do my thing and live my life. I said all of this to say.... don't talk yourself out of a life changing and life SAVING surgery because there's the potential for complications. Yes, they're scary. Yes, they suck. But YES finding and treating them early on (especially if you never would have known about them otherwise) is a blessing. We are doing these surgeries to get our lives back. And if that means finding and treating other issues that can/will cause us problems down the road, consider that a perk of the surgery.

Going into my second week post op liquids and I have become weary eating the same things that I've noticed my fluid intake has been going down. I'm charting everything and although I am still within limits of my fluid intake I've noticed it declining as the week goes on. I was on a pre-op diet for one week with the day before surgery all clear liquids. So in actuality I'm going into 3 weeks of fluids. I've had different flavors of protein shakes, some I make some are premade. I have my SF popsicles, different flavors, broths, and creamed soups. I now want none of the above except I can still deal with the popsicles. It's like if you eat a certain food for a long time just the thought of that food makes you nauseous. I am still getting the protein shakes in but I need to mix it up a bit and need creative ways to get through this next week. I also have caffein free teas and SF hot chocolate (not a coffee drinker). I have been using SF Orange Crush & SF 4C tea with lemon packs to flavor my water. My 2 week follow up is Tuesday Sept 12 I still don't have an appetite and it's not that I am wanting to eat off the liquid plan, it's just that if I never have another broth or cream soup for the rest of my life I'll be just fine! lol Any suggestions to get through this next week?

41 days out & nearing the end of the soft food phase I was only eating 1/4-1/3 cup of food so really just a couple of bites. It took me 6 months to be able to eat about a cup & then another year to be able to eat about a recommended portion of most foods. I still have my restriction. I don’t feel it every day of course because I learnt not to eat until I feel it but that took time. There are days when it kicks in earlier than I expect - ate something more dense or rich, something that sat too heavily in my tummy, ate a little more quickly, or for some other reason my quirky tummy has that day. Some people can eat more from early on but it’s an individual thing. I remember saying to my surgeon at 8 months I can only eat what I can physically eat & he agreed. Do check with your team though to be sure everything is okay. If they want you to eat more you may have to eat your smaller meals more frequently. E.g. 4 or 5 small meals vs 3 meals of the size they recommend to meet goals. Worth discussions with your team. The healthy way of eating comes as you progress and are eating a wider variety of foods. At the moment you’re still healing & recovering & slowly introducing foods into your diet. In time you’ll work out how & what you want to eat in the long term. Think of the time you are losing weight as your time to learn better habits, about better nutrition, making better choices & what way of eating works best for you. I.e. a sustainable way of eating so you can maintain your weight that isn’t restrictive but complements how you want to live & enjoy your life.

If I had a smoker, I'd be all over trying that. I haven't heard of baking them until I read this, but I have tried hard boiling eggs in the microwave. It is absolutely possible to do without them exploding; cover 3-4 eggs with water in a microwave safe dish and -the critical component- add a couple of teaspoons of salt to the water; about 1/2 tsp per egg. Run the microwave on high for 4 minutes, let them sit for a minute, then zap them for another 4 minutes, then immediately get them into an ice bath for a few minutes. All of that said, I don't recommend it. Ultimately the eggs do get hard boiled, but the egg white massacre is truly horrific. I ended up having to cut the eggs in half - while still in the shells - and scooping the egg out with a spoon as successfully peeling them was absolutely impossible.

I had a bypass with a hernia repair, and the hernia repair hurt. Bad. (I was fleeping terrified of that first sneeze.) I am 24 days post-op, and the pain of the hernia repair has gone. That first two weeks though... I wish I had gotten more of a warning about how painful that would be. And I still have a bit of pain in the upper left abdominal area. At my two week checkup the doctor wasn't concerned. Ice packs have been helping a lot! Every day the pain is a little bit less.

Yeah, I haven't much been going to restaurants...we live in a rural area and only have 2 restaurants in our little town, both close at 2 pm, well there is a Mexican restaurant but I'm not much of a fan of Mexican food in general. I have a well stocked pantry, freezers and kitchen and actually enjoy cooking (this butt didn't get this big by itself) and Lord help me, I enjoy eating way too much. That said, I'm 33 days post op and it was awesome to find a "snack" I CAN HAVE...well I think I can have it? My list is so vague...I'll try to share this pic of my instructions. It says "Protein, Protein, Protein" suggests ground turkey....and I'm like with WHAT? As you all moved into your 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th weeks, What do you eat? I had a LOT of Cod this week, made an Alfredo shrimp/crab sauce to serve over it and some canned turnips on the side. I have Chicken thighs, breasts, wings, 3 kinds of Fish, Ground Beef & Turkey & Turkey burgers, Cooked red beans, 15 beans & Lima & Cream Peas and can't figure out a darn thing to make for dinner because I don't know how to pair or prepare it....I am seriously thinking of Buffalo Wings or thighs with sauce? Fortunately, I lost another pound (all that damned fish, lol) but maybe just because nothing seems to taste right or I don't have a taste for anything...rambling here, but does anyone else have that feeling? Like nothing is suiting you or you just don't feel like bothering for the whopping 3 or 4 oz you're going to be able to eat out of the pan after you do all that work? And What Veggies are acceptable at this point? Last night I had boneless ckn breast over a salad mix with a little dressing, green onions, bacon bits...and when I'm eating hubby asks if I can eat that. I had only considered the chicken, hadn't thought of if salad is allowed? I remembered someone saying they eat salads all the time but they are like an old timer. I have several containers of fresh mushrooms I was going to prep, some for now and freeze for later but then started wondering IF I can have??? Turkey burger with no bread sounds sucky... I'm not sure if food is "not allowed" bc of the calories/fat intake or if food isn't allowed bc of a possible adverse reaction with the bypass. Like if I make a turkey burger and eat a slice of whole wheat, is that OK? What about serving something with a sauce along side something like Quinoa? SMH...done with my rant, please share your rants and tell me I am NOT alone with all these things running around in my little A.D.D. brain

I think that might end up being the case for me tbh, but feel like I should give it a good go to be 100% certain :). I think I might need to try upping my carbs generally the day before instead... hummm. I have the half at the end of Sept, so peaking this and next week, which I feel vaguely prepared for, then a good gap with the marathon next easter. Thanks, Tek.

You have done amazing! What a difference a year and a lot of work makes! My last drs appt is this coming up week but my 1 year anniversary isn't until the 19th. So I'll hopefully update at my 1 year mark to make it official I have the same outfit from the beginning that I have been taking pictures in. Its been fun to watch the difference. I haven't taken pictures the last few months though because the weight loss really slowed down but I'll have to take one for the year mark. If I can figure out how to share it here then I will