Search the Community

I'm 6 weeks out. I'm having no issues getting water in, but eating is a whole other story. I'm really struggling. I'm lucky if I eat one small Okios 15g protein yogurt a day. I have tried new foods, but 95% of things tend to cause pain in my stomach area, and then about 10 minutes later, I'm vomiting. I'm almost scared to even eat anymore. Does anyone have suggestions for me? Do you all use Genepro or Isopure? Yogurt and Potatoes are really the only thing my stomach likes. I'm getting scared because I know my body is not getting enough nutrients.

A lot of people on here will tell you not to buy anything for post-op. I also live alone and knew I would be mostly taking care of myself so I did buy things beforehand. Honestly, I am glad I did because I'm not supposed to drive for this entire week after surgery. Although, I could have had friends pick things up for me afterwards I'm glad I haven't had to harass them with having them take me to the store. Plus I probably wouldn't have wanted to go food shopping this week. Things I bought include; broth, protein shakes, pudding, yogurt, and fairlife milk. I also bought quite a few things through this website. I highly reccomend the protein hot chocolate. Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm drinking the broth from a can of low sodium Cambpbell's chicken noodle soup. My spouse got the solid bits and enough broth that he feels like he has a thick soup. I think we're both happy with the compromise. Anyway, it's interesting to watch people's plans diverge. I just today worked up to not-premade shakes (Quest powder in Fairlife milk), and it was ... more of a challenge than the thinner premades. I managed it, with some gurgles and the occasional sternum squeeze when I took too big a sip. (My team didn't tell me to wait on them, but they're thicker, so I did.) But I'm on "no yogurt, and soups only if they've been strained" until probably Friday, when I have my post-op. I can't complain about that--I feel like anything but the thinnest puree would be problematic for me right now--but it's a constant source of amazement for me, how much plans differ.

Had surgery the 2nd and the tightening is calming down. It was the worst with water.. like you protein shakes have been the easiest thing. This morning I had Greek yogurt thinned with milk in the blender. It was a bit foamy and that was not going to work.. I took about 4 sips and knew I had to stop bc it felt like it was going to come up but never did. Just had 1/2 c homemade potato soup thinned and that was completely fine. So good!

I have so many questions and comments and you guys seem so awesome- you're all killing it! I am currently on day 7 of my 14 day pre-op liquid diet. Tomorrow I start clear liquids only and VSG is next Wednesday, October 17, at 1 pm (also super cranky that I didn't get a morning surgery time because my lips are going to be CHAPPED going all morning without water). When I first found out my program is 4 weeks of mashables (thats what they call puree/mashed/soft foods. If I can tear it up with a fork and its moist I can eat it) I was frustrated I wouldn't be able to try real food until after week 6. Now, all I am doing is fantasizing about my mashable foods and all of the options. Now for the questions and comments: Did anyone not like cottage cheese start to like it after surgery? I have always disliked cottage cheese, to the point I haven't tried it in years and now dont even know if I genuinely dislike it because the last time I tried it I was a kid. Do beans count as protein or as a vegetable or as a starch? Whoever showed a slice of turkey with a slice of cheese melted inside, you are brilliant. That is so simple and looks so good. Now I am craving chicken salad in a romaine lettuce leaf. I dont even want the sandwich bread right now. I am also craving "burrito bowls." In my head thats mashed beans, moist chicken (made in the crockpot with salsa until moist and shredded, most likely), lime juice, plain greek yogurt, and maybe some salsa verde. In my head that sounds like a good meal with good protein and low carb (knowing my 2 tablespoons at a time limit) - is my head wrong? Also this liquid diet made me get my period which I was not expecting and my teacher just told me to hang in there and now I am crying in the library (I am a law student) for reasons I don't fully understand. Hormones + liquids only is not fun.

I am so excited - I found a really tasty soy protein on Amazon. It's called 365 Everyday in Unsweetened Vanilla. I mixed it with a banana this a.m. and it is so good I would have ordered something like it at a Tropical Smoothie. Heading to the store today with my grocery list for the pre-op and post-op puree phase (since most won't go bad): Unsweetened applesauce, various meat baby food, canned peaches/pears, sugar free pudding, about 60+ AdvantEdge and Atkins shakes, and 15 Healthy Choice meals for pre-op. Going to grab some cottage cheese and 1% milk as it gets closer. I'm not a huge fan of yogurt. Anything you guys particularly enjoyed during the pureed stage? I figured meat baby food would be best for me as far as the meat goes, because blending chicken/beef into a puree myself just sounds gross. =p What are some good veggie puree options? I figured maybe mashed cauliflower?

I'm so glad it's not just me who cannot tolerate the protein drinks. Just the thought of drinking that gluggy thick shake makes me nauseous. I'm buying high protein yogurt and still drinking Sustagen Hospital formula for breakfast so I get at least 30g protein a day. I think tomorrow I should be able to go to soft foods. Yay!! I am so looking forward to an egg with some mayo mashed up. And a small tin of tuna with some mayo for dinner instead of cream of wheat or pureed vegetables. Mind you, I've made some really tasty soups for the thickened liquids stage.

I had a similar issue for my first few months post-op. Yogurt was fine. Cottage cheese? Fine! Milk to mix a protein shake? Bad. So bad. I've taken to mixing my shakes with almond milk. I can have regular milk now without getting sick, but sometimes it doesn't sit right.

@planochick I had to travel for work on liquids. It’s not easy but a couple tips. I checked my suitcase and packed the single serve Horizon milks (1%) and packets of Unjury protein powder. Also bought yogurt at the airport and everywhere else I could and lots of Vitamin Water zero. There are also SF puddings that don’t require refrigeration. Packed some of those and SF applesauce in individual sizes. Hope that helps!

I am in the purée stage and just need to not be afraid to eat. I have had yogurt and protein shakes and jello and that is it. I still have pain in my side and in my back after I have any amount of food.

I just ate two stale saltines. I’m so nauseous. Preop I would eat a pickle or something salt and vinegar flavored. Of course the clear pops are a no go. Nothing appeals to me, I went inside the grocery store earlier and had to cover my nose. Name a food for the purée and liquid stage and I guarantee I’ve tried it , liked it once and eventually no longer liked it. I want to take another shot at tuna with miracle whip instead of Greek yogurt. Maybe add a finely smushed egg? I’m nervous because the thought of ANY seafood makes me 🤢. So maybe I should try a couple of spoonfuls of Wendy’s chili and pray.

November 5th for me! I'm terrified, but started drinking the Premier Protein Shakes and Greek yogurts for breakfast and lunch about 3 weeks ago. I'm happy that those, to me, are incredibly filling...which makes me a little worried about how hard it will be to force down anything once our stomachs are tiny :/

Looly use them mixed with Greek Yogurt and or cottage cheese and some cool whip

I'm following the rules set out by my Dr. They state in week 2 that I can introduce low-fat cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, runny oatmeal and mashed potatoes. However his rules state I can only have 2 teaspoons over 20 minutes as the week progresses I can slowly advance to 2 tablespoons over 20 minutes. I believe they do not want to stress or cause damage to my pouch.

I actually ate soft food yesterday! I had 5.5 oz of vanilla Greek yogurt and it was great it was a whole container and it took about an hour to eat the whole thing using a baby 👶 spoon 🥄. It was so good. Five or six spoons in I would stop for a while, like 10 or 15 minutes and then have 5 or 6 more spoons that is why it took an hour to eat what used to take 2 minutes. I coked two pieces of salmon for my husband for his dinner and lunch and I had to sample what I cooked I had just a 1/16th of an inch of a piece just a small fork pick off the end of one piece. I chewed it till it was water in my mouth and it was so good. I may actually try some cream of wheat this morning.

Hi there, wow what a weekend 😃 went in on Friday down 20lbs, went up 2lbs after surgery, and down 2 when I was let out! Had to have my gallbladder out due to stones and I certainly didnt want to go back for another hospital stay. Pain on incisions and pain in my back due to horrible hospital bed and a bit of nausea. Im so very thankfully for that as I was expecting horrendus gas pain but all I got was lots of burping! The main bit now is getting liquids in and thats all Im doing for the next few days. I get weak pretty quickly but ive had chicken soup and a coffee and not had any issues with them so thats a good thing. Im off for a small yogurt smoothie with some protien in it. Good Luck to everyone going today, I wish you all well 😃

I ate 5.5 oz of vanilla Greek yogurt and it took about an hour to eat the whole container. I did not rush. I enjoyed every bit of the yogurt. I made my husband two pieces of salmon for dinner and lunch and then had a small bite of the salmon I cooked for him. I chewed the salmon until it was mush and then some. The fish was so good. I still had back pain after I ate both the fish and the yogurt. it did feel good to eat real food.

My surgeon (not my insurance) wanted me to lose 10% of my starting weight before surgery. (I negotiated him down to "what if I do my best, but we schedule at the beginning of flu season, so I don't lose my surgery spot to the case of bronchitis I catch every winter?" And then, by a single pound, I actually beat his goal, anyway, on the day of surgery.) He makes all of his higher-BMI patients do that. I'm not sure how scientifically valid that extra requirement is, but he's one of the pioneers of the sleeve procedure and has done thousands of surgeries, so I guess he gets to cherry-pick for the most compliant patients. I felt like it was kind of cruel and unnecessary, for most of the four months it took, but honestly? In the last week before the surgery and the week since? I'm grateful that I had a chance to follow the "long-term bariatric patient" diet, with its focus on lean proteins and vegetables and fruits and (if those other things aren't filling enough, which eventually they won't be) complex carbohydrates. I learned that it wasn't especially hard, and I could follow it without tracking every bite (which makes me crazy) and without spending hours in the kitchen. I learned that there was room for "cheats"--for breaks from that protocol--and as long as I kept them to a minimum, with maybe a little stricter eating before and after to help mitigate it, I could be successful at following it and not feel miserably deprived. Now, like ... part of my problem is that I am always hungry (which is wild, when you're just a couple of days post-op; the belly gurgles, but it is lying, and oh how I hope this goes away soon). And to deal with that while still following the rules of the pre-op diet, I would do the normal things--drink and see if the hunger goes away, mostly--and if those things didn't work and it wasn't time for a meal, I'd have the smallest snack I could get away with, to stave off the hunger. Maybe it'd be a cheese stick. Or an ounce of peanuts. Or a Greek yogurt. Sometimes I could get by with just a sugar-free popsicle or a half cup of sugar-free Jello. It wouldn't make me full, but it'd take care of the hunger enough that I could focus on whatever it was I was doing. If that isn't the problem you're running into -- if it is emotional, say, rather than hunger-related -- my advice won't help much. (I won't claim not to have emotional eating problems. I definitely had some cheat days that were based around the news, for instance. But other than "don't do it often; be strong," I've got nothing for you, there.) I hope it helps someone, though?

My program only refers to three phases--"puree" and "soft" are so close, anyway, that they just lump them together. Yogurt is considered phase II, not a liquid, so that's also a difference. They apparently let us start on phase II after the post-op appointment, 10 days after surgery. I'm planning to ask a lot of questions about what are the easiest foods to start with, then. In our booklet, phase II (puree and soft) is listed as "3-6 weeks," so I guess it varies a lot by individual. I'm not inclined to push things unnecessarily, so I am just going ahead and planning for 6 whole weeks; if at my 1-month post-op they say "you need to try phase III foods now," then I will, but I bet they don't push it, either. (But then, I can live on cottage cheese, ricotta, yogurt, refried beans, lean meats, and mashed cauliflower for a pretty long while, because I genuinely like those things, which I get that not everyone does.)

We did our classes pre-op, but our phases were about 2 weeks. Discharged on full liquids (yogurt, protein drinks, cream soups, etc.) Two weeks later, puree. Two weeks after that soft, two weeks after that full diet. (I was never so happy to see a scrambled egg as I was in week five.) Do the people who do the nutrition classes work with your bariatric team? My nutrition classes were taught by RDs who were in my surgeon's office so the program was continuous. In fact, they went through the stages with us during a 4 hour pre-op special class right after we got our surgery date talking about the pre-op and post-op diets.

Feeling discouraged by trying soft foods. Eggs and tuna, were my go-to but every time I eat them I have to lay down for 30 minutes. I don’t enjoy cottage cheese, but enjoy yogurt and some fruits... but none of this is protein. So I’m going back to my blender... this is still my first 4 days of soft foods but I’m feeling discouraged. I’m sipping a homemade smoothie currently and feeling much better. Any other ideas?

OMG that's also where I feel the pain just before Precious Pouch starts to hurl everything back up. That said I would thin your Greek yogurt down with skim milk, and work your way up to full strength. Your new digestive system is still pretty tender, take it slow and gentle, you will have a lot time to eat the thicker and regular foods. Your tummy is learning its way also.

I’m trying to transition from liquids to puréed food and feeling not so well today. Thinner purées like apple sauce are mostly alright but thicker foods like Greek yogurt can cause intense pain under my sternum because the air I swallow can’t work it’s way out. It’s breathtaking and stops me in my tracks. Is it too soon? I’ve reached out to my surgeon but in the meantime, do you have any input? I’m just worn out today and not feeling good at all.

You don’t have to wait 30 min to drink liquid after liquid. The 30 min will apply to protein jello, yogurt, pudding mixes. I’m just a week ahead of you and am figuring it out too. Good luck!

Ok, well got my exercise in today. Yay!! I can breathe a little better, but it's definitely still goopy in my chest when I get my heart and respiration up there! And boy am I much more tired afterward. Like shattered. Completely shattered. Part of tiredness/exhaustion after exercise/exertion is common for me. I had hoped it would go away completely with weight loss and surgery, but it is looking like I'm stuck with the after-effects of chronic fatigue post-chemo/radiation. It sucks, but I've learned to manage it somewhat even though it does limit what I do. It's still MUCH better than when I weighed 287lbs that's for sure. Everything in life is relative. Today is an UD. I am doing a 16/8 IF and will have my first meal around noon, but am trying hard to get around 1000-1100cals in for the day with really strong protein at around 70g. I'm looking forward to eating lunch! LOL. I found these hatch chile turkey burgers at the HEB last week, so Mr. F had grilled hamburgers and ugly broccoli last night, and I had a hatch chile turkey burger with pico de gallo and ugly broccoli. Dang! It was delish!!! I felt like I was sinning, but instead, I kept the day under about 575cals and got in my protein too while doing a 16/8 IF. (Yesterday I did a DD.) And the best part about it? I didn't get nauseated within 30 minutes after eating like I probably would have with the higher fat beef. (I do pine for my beef, but it is not liking me so much these days...yet I still tough it out with occasional ribeyes with all fat trimmed away...) Lemme repeat for anyone stumbling upon this thread. IF is NOT difficult. As Dr. Fung says it's about what you DON'T eat, rather than what you eat (in it's purest form). But I like jackin' around with things and I combine about 3 different protocols during the week cuz it keeps things mixed up and lively round heah. And it amuses me. It's also still working for my weight loss. I'd been stuck and stalled when I tried to increase my cals to around 800-850ish area and now I'm having days where I'm eating 1000-1200 cals and I'm still losing. So it's a win win. Menu for Today: 1130cals; 73g protein; 52g fat; 39g carbs; 11g fiber; 28g net carbs; 17g naturally occurring sugars L-hatch turkey burger with BH lacy Swiss, applewood smoked bacon, avocado, greens, tomato, onion, cilantro and baby carrots on the side. (I'm using the turkey patty as the "bread" and sandwiching everything inside of it.) AS-yogurt/cott cheese/blueberries/walnuts/fiber cereal threads D-grilled salmon, asparagus, chopped salad with evoo dijon vinaigrette (homemade)