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My go to is Oikos triple zero yogurts, cheese sticks and roasted chick peas for snacks :) When you get there— turkey jerky is yum! Hummus and tuna packs are great options for lunch! Here is my lunch today— chick peas , cucs , peppers with spicy tuna and a smidge of feta . Amazing . When you get there tho! Congrats !

Sophrosyne, I agree with your method of eating. That is the only way I can lose weight. Fortunately, there are many recipes available online for low carb. I use several of the Atkins diet sauces to 'grease the meat' so it goes through the band properly. And the vegetable recipes are great. Of course, my favorites are the sweets. I make a wonderful ice cream with my vitamix. I take a cup of liquid (usually milk or cream, but sometimes yogurt) add a scoop of protein powder and sometimes an ounce of DaVinci sugar free syrup. Then I add a few cups of ice and blend. If you don't have a powerful blender, use less ice and have a milkshake. That recipe has saved me through many a problem with the band, but I used to make them before the band. My child loved drinking these for breakfast. A milkshake with the protein of a steak.

I can eat a container of yogurt (guessing 5 oz but not sure) in less than 5 minutes. I can drink a Premier Protein shake in less than that. And I don’t feel crappy at all. I don’t think that’s normal - but I don’t have my post-op appointment until Thursday.

What do you all mean by "no restriction"? How much can you eat in a half hour period? For comparison purposes I (sleeved 10/3) can eat 4 oz of yogurt or roughly 3 ounces of cottage cheese, refried beans, smooth tuna salad, or custard. It takes me 20-30 minutes to get through that much. If I eat more than that much, or I go too fast, I don't get the "full" signal you hear people talk about on here (sore shoulder, etc.), but I definitely feel pretty crappy and kind of sick.

When I was allowed to eat egg I hard boiled it and added some non-fat Greek yogurt to make an egg salad kind of thing. Just mash it up well and chew, chew and then chew again. I'm struggling with water and protein too 4 weeks out. I'm managing about 1 litre but I'm just not hungry so having a hard time with the protein thing. I cannot get past the gag reflex with protein shakes so that's out. However my partner's ex-wife (we're friends and she's 8 weeks ahead of me with RNY -even the same surgeon!) gave me some pure unflavoured non-gluggy gelatin based protein that I've been adding to my supper, so that has to be helping. It's called Peptipro gelatin. It's from Australia so I'm not sure if they deliver to the US but you should be able to find something similar online.

Hi Guys, I am about 7 weeks out from gastric bypass surgery and I have some questions regarding how much I should be able to eat. I have been cleared to eat normal food since week 4 and since then I have been sticking to three meals a day of high protein homemade meals like chili, tilapia baked in salsa, an egg baked in lentil stew, or chicken cooked in crushed tomatoes. I had my surgery in Mexico so my aftercare from my surgeon has been essentially nonexistent even when I called early on with some issues I was having. Additionally, my health insurance here will not cover any weight loss attempts whether it's surgical or non-surgical so I can't afford to see a bariatric surgeon or nutritionist so I am relying on you guy's experience to guide me in terms of what a normal volume of food is at 7 weeks post-op I weight out all of my food and food prep so I know exactly what and how much I am eating at any one time. I am worried that at 7 weeks post-op I can eat anywhere from 4 oz to 6 oz of dense protein mixed with a sauce at a time. This is almost always at dinner time. So my usual breakfast is one container of Siggi's yogurt which is 5.3 ounces. That usually takes me an hour to finish. I feel no restriction when I eat the yoghurt but I feel no need to eat until lunch after having it. My lunches are usually chilli or chicken in some sort of tomato sauce. There I can consume between 2 oz to 5 oz of food. How much I can handle before I feel full varies day to day. Now the biggest issue comes at dinner. I can and have in the last week eaten up to 6 ounces of dense protein and sauce in one sitting within 30 mins. Now usually there will be 4 oz of dense protein 1 ounce of beans or other vegetables and then the remaining ounces will be sauce. Now I make sure to not drink water 30 mins before, during, or after my meals so I know the issue isn't that. And I am eating dense protein like ground beef, fish, or chicken so I should feel more restriction. I read posts from other people and they talk about how they can barely handle 1 ounce of meat at 7 weeks out. But it seems I have an iron stomach. I haven't eaten a thing so far that bothers my stomach or gives me any pain. So I am wondering if the issue is the fact that I am eating my protein with sauce? I have tried dry chicken and even with that I could eat 3 oz at only 4 weeks out with few problems. This seems like way too much food. I know stews like chili are considered sliders but the fact that I can consume 3 oz of dry chicken seems like way too much. Maybe I should limit the amount of sauce I use with my food. Mind you I make my sauces from scratch using canned tomatoes or so I am not using high carb premade sauces. What thoughts do you guys have? What has your experience been? Is my capacity way out of line? Am I pushing things too far? I am really starting to worry that my surgeon may have made my pouch super big and that will hinder my weight loss. To date I have lost 27 pounds since surgery and 42 since my 2 week pre-op diet. Sorry if this super long post it's been weighing on my mind.

No, other than to add the full fat versions of food such as, real vinaigrette with olive oil instead of WF zero cal stuff, full fat cottage cheese rather than 2%, same with Grk yogurt (full fat rather than ff), regular cheese rather than low fat cheese. Then to add a snack or a 4th small meal composed of calorie dense food rather than volume such as 2tbsp nut butter with 2oz of an apple or 1ounce of almonds + berries. She would ideally like me to add back some whole grains if I can tolerate them, but works within my needs cuz of the high insulin levels still hanging around and the higher blood sugars hanging around...oh and to switch to fattier cuts of meat: chicken thighs rather than breasts, salmon rather than cod, that sort of thing. Neither of us think that it will be difficult to raise me to the point of maintenance--maybe 250-300 extra cals per day based on what I've experienced so far and my blood work. She knows I don't tolerate grains well...

So from the time I was cleared for Stage 4 or 5 foods (diet for life), we had this instruction: 1. Add new foods slowly, 1 thing at a time to note any reactions or intolerance. 2. Eat protein first, followed by low glycemic veggies, including small amounts of healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds). Include whole grains and low glycemic carbohydrates and fruit if room is left. (Avoid added sugars, white rice, pasta and potatoes.) Most of my meals consist of: That's usually about 90-98% of my diet about 90-98% of the time. lean proteins (mostly fish-salmon, white flaky fish, shrimp/shellfish, chicken, turkey, sometimes very lean pork, beef, and also venison/lamb/bison/emu/ostrich) crap tons of leafy greens (at least 2 meals and I try for 3 meals to include either raw or cooked leafy greens + mushrooms) crap tons of low glycemic veggies concentrating on the brassica, cruciferous, allium, summer squash, and lily families a modicum of daily prebiotic fibers from things like (inulin, psyllium husks, oat FIBER (diff from oat flour), jicama, asparagus, onions/leeks/garlic, sometimes a few beans) at least 1 or 2 servings of lacto fermented veggies such as Kim Chi and Sauerkraut. sometimes a "snack meal or breakfast" with a combo of plain FF Greek yogurt, a little 2% cottage cheese and dark berries, or I will have a snack with 2oz of GS apple with peel and 1Tbsp of nut butter or almonds/walnuts/pecans I add 1 fat to each meal now--usually in the form of either evoo, avocado oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, nut butters. If there is something that I absolutely want I will eat it. I will have a cheat meal (not a day...just 1 meal) whenever I feel like it. But I try to account for that meal before I ever indulge and make concessions to be super light the rest of the day, or make sure I've done some strength building exercises and done plenty of my walking that day in addition to eating light the remainder of the day. If I want a bite of contraband...I will take that bite and leave the rest. I will usually order a good meal to oppose that "wicked stray bite." I've lost 70lbs in 8 months post op and have lost 135+lbs in the past 18months. I've lived this way for most of 18 years and feel ABSOLUTELY zero deprivation. It's just the way I eat and anticipate eating this way for the rest of my life. I still refer to it as a diet. I always will. I plan. I plan to live my diet for success and the second it quits working, I will modify, modify, modify!

Hi All, I went for an adjustment this past Thursday and my doctor added an additional two cc of fluid into my band. For the first time I am facing serious resistance in my band. I ate two small shrimp over the course of an hour on Saturday evening and could not keep it down. I had coffee on Sunday morning and could not keep it down. I had two pieces of penne on Sunday night and could not keep it down. I struggled to finish half a cup of Activia yogurt on Sunday night. I tried to eat a sous vide egg bite this morning and could only get through about a third before I started feeling sick. Is this what normal ideal resistance should feel like, or do I need to go and get an adjustment?

Hard boiled eggs, chili, cheese, yogurt, lunch meat. All easy for lunch.

See I can do the yogurt and just make some smoothies and eat beans all day everyday. But CANNOT do pro-prebiotic. They reek havoc in my belly. Before and after surgery I tried them but my surgeon said NO.

I'm a VSGer but Totally invest in pre/probiotics early on. I chose gummies - they were just easier. I think it did help a lot when I look back to when I was on Antibiotics- no yeast infections no crazy digestive issues creaping up (Sometimes i ate plain Greek yogurt too, lots of beans- food for the microbes)

I think my biggest thing is how effective they will be... And more of a woman concern is with taking antibiotics normally if you don't also eat some yogurt or do a probiotics you can also get a yeast infection. Don't want a compound issues just to get rid of a cough and get my voice back.

I must say I have not had any artificial protein in weeks. I get all my protein from natural healthy food. I have totally switched to natural organic (when I can) wholesome foods. Nothing artificial or packages or processed. The way I feel is amazing. I have not had one dumping episode and really don't see myself having one. I have been able to stay strong and frankly just want any of that junk. If you know exactly what your eating, and I mean you know what it is an how it was prepared. No processed packaged JUNK I would think you would be fine. I do even eats fruits in raw form and smoothies and do not have any issues. I LOVE spinach, frozen strawberries, frozen blueberries, shredded coconut (that I keep in the freezer) and a smidge of plain yogurt. A lot of the time I leave the yogurt out. Don't be afraid to play around just eat what your body is telling you it wants. (unless its screaming Mcdonald's LOL)

We do practice calorie control. From week three until goal...my calorie goal was 1000-1200 calories per day. We are encouraged to move liberally. Lots of daily walking and 30 minutes of cardio or resistance training 3 times a week. My particular diet allowes 75 calories of "treats" per day that can be banked for special occasions. I do eat meat. When I do, it's mostly chicken and fish. I very occasionally eat fresh red meat. I get more than half of my daily require protein from plant/carb bases sources. I eat 60g of protein per day. Because research strongly links cancer to dairy and processed meats, I avoid any form of deli/luncheon meat, whey shakes, whey protein bars, yogurt, cheese, milk. I occasionally eat these things in small quantities. I know bariatric patients who are getting 30%+ of their calories from these sources...and it's worth reviewing the research for your own safety.

I lived on pouch yogurt, mushroom soup and diet cordial for weeks. All good now though

A couple times I have been a little nauseated in the early morning, taken Omeprazole, which I take daily, had a little yogurt, and been fine, FWTW.

The average bariatric patient does not get a massive amount of anything. At almost 6 months out I use about 7 ounces of premiere protein shake daily in my coffee...you said before that you do this to. I do not eat protein bars, only an ounce or less of natural cheese a day, plain Greek yogurt maybe 3 times a month and have not had milk in over 6 months. I do take the recommended calcium citrate. Sorry but this particular rant is really crazy. Fat people are getting cancer because that eat massive amounts of dairy? Post a link to that study please, I would really like to see it and share with some of my friends at high risk for breast cancer due to family history.

The average bariatric patient gets a massive amount of their protein from protein drinks, protein bars, yogurt, cheese and milk. And they are encouraged to. Dairy products are strongly correlated to breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer . No one discusses this, and fat people are getting thrown out of the frying pan into the fire. And it sucks because they work so hard to be healthy. The lack of education is staggering.

@smm86 Everything you posted I experienced as well. I was really annoyed that I seemed to feel more bad than good and even though I was cleared to progress I couldn’t hack it with water (I liked sparkles too before I had to cut them out), I had a hard time with eggs, I ate tuna salad ok, but the lunch meats and cheese went down ok - just didn’t like them. Ground turkey went down, but sat like a ball of lead. Chicken was a major “no” and my taste buds rejected anything with sucralose. I went back to liquids and mushy foods and stayed there longer than the NUT required. I ate all kinds of soups and started smoothies with spinach, using Greek yogurt and BiPro protein water as my wet ingredient. Protein powders were a firm no to my taste buds. And for me, it worked. I had to continue Premier Protein to ensure I had enough protein and calories (was hovering below 500 when I was going through it) and still have yet to meet a water goal — but the step back was really helpful for me. After a week of going back to mushy and liquids, I tried refried black beans, turkey chili w/beans, and egg salad. Success! I’m still kind of doing wet and soft foods but I’m able to tolerate flavors and spices better and I get a better sensation in my stomach when I’m eating. I did feel terribly tired for about three weeks. Just freaking exhausted. So... you’re normal, love. I think your instincts will take you far. Still trying to figure out the multivitamin situation for myself. I vomit every time I take it.

My team lumps puree with soft food and suggests you start with easier things (ricotta, cottage cheese, yogurt) and gradually move down their list over time. But ground meat is totally on the same list (at the bottom! but on it) as yogurt, for me. I've had good success with going through their list and adding a new thing every day or two, as I feel comfortable. On day 6 of this phase, I just added tuna salad made with Greek yogurt and mustard and nothing "chunky." (I made it more "gloopy" than my usual recipe, too. Didn't want to risk it being too dry.) Maybe that's too slow a progression, though? I'm being so cautious. I hate throwing up.

7-10 days full liquids, 3-6 weeks purees & soft foods (which they sort of lump together). They gave us a list of soft foods and suggested we work our way down it. (Each level has two things on it.) It starts with cottage cheese and ricotta, then yogurts and Greek yogurts, then sugar-free puddings/custards and soft-cooked eggs, then fat-free refried beans and low-fat tofu, then chicken or turkey made in a crockpot and baked fish that flakes easily (cod, salmon, tilapia, crab), then canned tuna/salmon/chicken and thinly sliced lunch meats, then ground meat and soups (lentil, for example) and chili. I'm on my 6th day of phase II, and I'm good with cottage cheese, ricotta, Greek yogurt, refried beans, and really gloopy tuna salad (made with Greek yogurt and mustard and without anything chunky in it). I cook my eggs thoroughly, so I'm holding off on that, and with the lifting restriction, I'll need someone to move the custard and its water bath into and out of the oven for me, so that's this weekend. Also maybe this weekend: ricotta bake! I'm trying not to rush things, but I'm also trying to work my way up into somewhat denser proteins so that I can drink fewer protein shakes.

Wondering what other folks maintenance diets are like? How many calories, what types of foods, number of meals / snacks etc? I'm meeting with my nutritionist to tweak mine, I think I probably need to vary my diet a little bit and figure out how to maintain for the long term. Right now my diet consists of protein centered meals (eggs and sausage for breakfast, ground turkey with sour cream and taco shells for lunch, some kind of lean meat for dinner (4-5 oz) and usually 3 or so snacks throughout the day, which range from pure carbs (pretzels and hummus or chips) to more protein heavy (Greek yogurt). There's certain things I'd like to eat that I really still struggle with due to restriction (vegetables, more than a small amount of fruit and any kind of hard core starch like potatoes, rice or pasta are painful after more than maybe 1 oz). To get enough calories my goto is peanut butter toast, nuts or sometimes a protein shake smoothie. Daily calories for me are around 2,000 and probably vary from 1500 - 2500 depending on what I'm doing. At that level I'm slowly losing weight What's your program like? can/could you eat stuff like potatoes in any quantity 10 months out?

And I am waiting for my second attempt at releasing my stricture, Dr Noria, my Dr Needleman's partner who is very skillful at endoscopy, , to quote Duck Dynasty, it is her "bang zone", attempted on October 12 to release it, dicovered I now have 5 new ulcers, around the stoma opening and on the back wall of,the jejunem, I have been on Carafate around the clock every 6 hoursc(6am-Noon- 6pm-Midnight) and doubled up my omeprazole to twice daily, told me to maintain vitamins, Zofran, minerals, and of course the Carafate, and omeprazole, which I was on when my first ulcer, Hector, was discovered back in December 2017, I don't believe for,me it is gastric-protective, but I will slog along with it. Liked Dexilent MUCH better but They are the specialists, aren't they? And the same liquid diet, what I Call Stage 2A, there are things on a true 2 Precious Pouch balks or refuses. Don 't add anything she has refused before, this includes plain Greek yogurt weak runny cooked cereal, cottage cheese, even a salted soggy saltine, I always could keep them down the only other time in life when I had so much emesis, pregnancy. She will try again October 26th, another EGJ, can't call it an EGD, because a bypasser's duodenum is no longer accessible. And this morning I woke up with right subcostal pain, the self-same pain that sent me to the gastroenterologist last winter. They thought then, it m8ght have been from Hector, my anteal gastric ulcer, that's why I underwent my EGD then. Took my Carafate as close as I could to 6AM, I had a rough night, got woke up about 2, couldn't get back to sleep until 4:30, then back awake for that dumb pill. Have to pour boiling water on it to melt it down and chug, well you know, what passes for a chug these days, the slurry. Tastes about as thrilling as white flour paste, but I do it,I do it. So now what, keep sipping small sips of water, go open a protein shake, or stop even putting THAT in? I've read , I've studied, I probably got as much book knowledge as a layperson can have, but still this surgery did not come with an Owners Manual. I am in Subjective, not Objective Mode. See my white flag waving? I SURRENDER! Bypass Surgery 150 Frustr8 Nil! And yes, my bowels are working so I can't be full of💩anymore.

@ElectricBoogaloo I am having similar experience to you. I have been able to swallow normal mouthfuls of both water and yogurt, soup, etc. I wondered if I have placebo sleeve as well! I am 3 days post op when it's supposed to the worst I thought.