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Confession: I don’t really eat much post op. Everything tastes too sweet to me including my yogurt. If it’s not too sweet then my tongue just doesn’t like it. I’m beyond ready for purée food. I’m going crazy 😭😭😭😭😭

Hello! I just hit my one month post-op yesterday. I lost 32 pounds so far! I need some advice from the veterans. This has been a very stressful two weeks for me. I have anxiety and I really really want this surgery to be successful so I have been hyper focused on whether or not I am doing the right thing. My biggest problem is numbers! My diet plan doesnt provide what my macros should be and I dont see the nutritionist for another week or so and to be honest I dont really trust her - she just reads the papers to me and doesnt really know the answers to my questions. I can read them on my own! Its driving me crazy with worry that I am not making the most of time I have to lose weight! My diet progression: Oz are by volume. Weeks 1 and 2 - Liquid (Premier Protein drinks only.) Week 3 - 1oz Puree Week 4 - 1oz Soft Foods (I moved up to 2oz the last couple of days.) And now on week 5 I am doing 2oz soft and regular food mixed. I eat the same thing everyday because its easier for me that way so on week 5 I am eating the following: Half of a Premier protein shake. Breakfast - Scrambled Egg w/Greek Yogurt (No butter.) Lunch - Thin n Trim Sausage w/Greek Yogurt Ranch and Mashed Sweet Potato (Using greek yogurt not milk and butter.) Half of a half Premier protein shake. Dinner - BBQ Chicken w/Cheese and Mashed Sweet Potato (Using greek yogurt not milk and butter.) Total Counts: Calories - 420 Protein - 59.8 Carbs - 15 Fat - 11.5 What are the opinions on this? I feel like maybe I should have more carbs but I dont know where I would get them unless I wanted to drink more protein drinks for the protein instead of eating and eat some fruit but I really want to get away from the drinks. Before this week I was only getting around 7 carbs. My plan says to not snack if I can help it so Id rather not add another meal. Plus that would make it even harder to get my water in. They have me on a 30/60 water plan. Also I try to stay in an 8 hour eating period and 16 fasting. I usually end up going to 9 or 10. I am still working on that. Sigh. This is all so overwhelming and stressful. I know I am losing weight and its natural for it to slow down when starting eating and switching phases. I just want to make the most of it. Also do I HAVE to move up in food volume? Can I stay at 2oz volume of food if I feel full and good? My plan is supposed to be a total of 4oz (half a cup) when I am done transitioning the stages. Wouldnt I lose more weight if I keep the calories where they are? Thanks for reading this long af post. And for the advice if you have any!

I would first refer to your plan as set forth by your Surgeon and NUT.... But many plans are as follows with some variations based on individual surgeons CLEAR LIQUIDS ONLY Make sure all items listed below are sugar free. Water Broth Jell-O Decaf tea Decaf coffee Sugar free Popsicles Sugar free drinks that are not carbonated You should avoid: Carbonated beverages Very sweet beverages Sugar Caffeine FULL LIQUID DIET WITH PROTEIN Your diet may include all items from week 1 plus: Protein powder mixed with a sugar free non-carbonated clear liquid. Sugar free pudding. Soup with soft noodles. Non fat yogurt. Carnation instant breakfast. Look for the sugar free option. Very thin creamed soups. No chunks. Sugar free sorbet. Very watery hot oatmeal. Check the sugar content. Diluted no-sugar added juice. Sugar free, nonfat ice cream Thinned applesauce. Check sugar content

Ok, y'all feeling better this morning. I will "will" myself better or die trying-- roflmao! Walking really helped yesterday. I didn't want to do it-but once I was actually walking, I felt like living. Yay team! The month is winding down. I began IF on 9.3 and will just close out September with short numbers. But it looks promising, although I am concerned about the protein amount which went down from last month while fats and carbs went up. Today is a 16/8 day, but with 3 meals to it--eating to satiety. No tellin what it will be. I know soup will be one of those meals and probably some yogurt/cottage cheese/pbpowder/berries/Fiber One cuz it sounds good to me. Beyond that, dunno bout dinner. Oh @GreenTealael and @Matt Z I ordered some matcha yesterday. So do you use it in place of green tea bags or in addition to them? I'm also gonna try making the turmeric paste to have on hand.

I choked earlier in the week on Greek yogurt, but each,day that Precious is older, maybe she will calm down, maybe with the liquidfication it will go well. Never had trouble with blueberry yogurt Muscle Milk, it is sure worth an aytempt!👍😪👍

I wonder if you could do a banana in a greek yogurt and protein smoothie? Maybe the texture of a raw banana is too heavy by itself. Worth a shot if you want the added potassium and like the flavor. I know I did a half of a banana in my protein smoothie with some almonds for the longest time.

@Liz C long, but this 6+ year VET/GOAL is worth it - ROFLMAO not staying in touch"!! 1,000 whips with a wet noodle!! (carbs, carbs eek!!) Glad you survived Florence and surgery went well. burping LOL - i use to burp so loud my daughter in GA. could here me from Syracuse, NY LOL I would TRY to stop eating as i was "approaching" being full.(before i burped) Hard to always tell (judge) when to stop. It's like asking someone on a bus "what stop do i get off for X street".? He says, "watch me and get off one stop earlier" LOL Don't push yourself - if you're too tired, (and you can afford time off from work) be easy on yourself. I read in your other post you are walking 2-3 miles a day!! That's great if you are feeling ok. But you don't have to walk that much. Walking is great to do any time - take it slow - if your body says no, no, no, stop i'm hurting - STOP . even though you are walking over 3X period - you sound too tired. don't overdue!! Take a nap, rest - pamper yourself!! you are worth it. Take yourself off that back burner. As far as yogurt (even only two tablespoons) you shouldn't experiment before the proper time. IE before you are supposed to go onto the next phase of eating. pureed', mush, soft, solids. Ok, end of well meaning lecture don't concentrate on the # on the scale - you will go crazy. Take your measurements periodically, and you will see, feel the change in your clothes. Everything takes time thinking of the bigger picture - great attitude to have!! I see you were born on Valentines' day!! How sweet is that!! LOL December 2019 - daughters wedding day - you will look amazing - that dress is a great goal to look forward too good luck newbie kathy

Have you tried different shakes? Can you have anything else like yogurt or something else with higher protein?

My favorites, Premiere Protein peach and cream, some people think it taste fakey but not me, I think it tastes like the candy circus peanuts, and I loved them critters when I was a little Frustr8. Muscle Milk, strawberry, blueberry Greek yogurt , the strawberry - banana you would hate, I do eat bananas but I didn't like it either, my only other Premiere Protein was the caramel, I can't have chocolate and I feel pretty much about vanilla shakes as you do bananas, who wants thick, white and tasteless.? Adkins are not as good--, sorry I know you were an Adkins baby. DO NOT BUY WALMART EQUATE! They are cheaper, but they taste of over processed evaporated milk, leave a vile aftertaste, poured the remainder in a old pie plate for the outdoor cats and other animals and it sat and soured. A couple soy based I found okay. I just got a box from Bariatric Pal store with other flavors to mix with skim milk, anxious to try the cheesecake, orange creamsicle and their 🍓 strawberry delight. See I am 3 weeks pist, my surgeon swiches many of his Bypassers to stage 3 sooner but Precious Pouch and I am going sliwer, I'm staying level 2 until October 9th at my next surgeon visit. That way she doesn't upchuck, I'm happier and I still keep looking. 18 pounds down since surgery, best weight loss I have had since having a baby. Dropped 25-30 pounds with each one, but pain, muss, fuss and bother to do that!

Congratulations @ Liz C on being 10 days out, 22 days since my RNY and I also am in a learning curve. My surgeon wanted to start me,on Stage 3 at 6 days, maybe many of his bypasses are ready, me and my pouch were not. We are still Stage 2, although,i was going to attempt again at 4 weeks I think Precious Pouch and I will wait until next Dr Needleman visit,on October 9th, envied your honey &yogurt story , PP even rebelled at that, she has an elevator fixation " Everything going back UP!" , liquids, strained soups , even low sodium V8 she will put up with, anything thicker, so is not always with the program. My worry, and do we always have at least one? 1 I'm still swollen in there 2 She doesn't even want to expand to hold 2-3 oz 3 I may have a slight structure of my stoma opening between pouch and intestine and all. But as long as I remember WHO,is running things she can be a benevolent despot. She doesn't realize the summit conference coming up, where Dr Needleman reminds her he made het, I own her, and if she doesn't behave herself, I go sleepy bye, they run and EGD tube down, look around, blow her up with air, or put a balloon catheter in her stoma and stretch it. But something will be done! Time for her to get down of her "high horse"! The good news I have lost 18 pounds in 3 weeks, I just want the good times to roll!

Sorry for not staying in touch. Just so tried all the time but I keep pushing on. Worked a 2 half days, 2 days after surgery. I was so feeling it. I'm still having a hard time getting all the liquids in. Feel so full all the time. Now the burping is sometime I'm not use to. Thinking I should learn how to say the ABC's like the kids do. LOL Wanting to eat something so bad that I tried 2 tablespoon of Greek Yogurt with cinnamon and a pinch of honey. The cold is what hurts but letting it sit in my mouth to warm up helped. SOOO good. Still took me 15 mins to finish that, Takes me forever to finish protein shakes also. The scale says I have lost weight but my head and clothes says different. But I have to still keep my head in the game and think of the bigger picture. Target date Dec of 2019 my daughter's wedding. I'm going to find a Hot but Classy dress to wear! LOL

If you can tolerate food even though you do not feel hungry it is good to get protein from food. You can eat small portions of Greek yogurt...I like Oikos triple zero. You can eat small amounts of cottage cheese, tuna pouches, etc. Glad your complications are over and good luck returning to work.

@Brissie I agree with so much. If you can find healthier alternatives to things you used to find comfort in, go for it! Also for me, post surgery I find that I have things that are staples in my diet. I crave crunching on things, so I eat a lot, I mean a lot, of sugar snap peas with greek yogurt veggie dip. I used to be a big chip eater. Maybe for other people this is a no-no but I suck on SF jolly ranchers if I get a inkling for something sweet and it won't go away. Now, that being said.... it is still 5 calories per piece of candy... but a couple a day might prevent me from raiding the vending machine when I'm on my lady friend. Obviously, you change your life style and those "head hunger" eating habits will slowly diminish. You are training your body and mind to not resort to food in times of stress, boredom, ect.

I too had little to no complications after my surgery. I have lost hair over the years, but I am a picky protein eater. I refuse any kind of protein shake on the market, so my bad. I was NEVER close to being bald, nor did I have bald spots. I have very curly hair and no one ever noticed that I lost any hair. At the beginning of my journey I could only manage to eat 1/3 of a container of Greek yogurt in one sitting for breakfast. I now have no problem eating the whole container and sometimes I have a handful ( 1/4 cup ) of high protein granola mixed in. For me, portion size depends entirely on what I am eating. I can eat a ton of cucumbers or lettuce and spinach. But I still can't eat an entire crabcake. I couldn't finish an entire filet mignon even if that was the only thing I was trying to eat. If I'm trying to eat only protein, I can't pack in too much in one sitting. Maybe the size of the palm of my hand. Half of that if I am eating veggies too. I can definitely eat a lot more now and agree with @aroundhky that the sleeve is a tool that needs to be used properly or your results can be reversed. It takes work to maintain the weight loss. You have to put in the time and effort. I can drink soda, but I get a terrible stitch in my right side (always my right side) and it doubles me over in pain so it TOTALLY isn't worth it!! I stick with water. I do like to drink Bai coconut water for a change up. I'm not a coffee drinker but I like tea and I do drink that. I have had low iron and low vitamin D but I fought those battles when I weighed 265 pounds so I don't feel that is a complication. I am a bit of a hermit and I don't like milk so there is my Vitamin D problem. I have a thyroid condition which makes battle with iron. I take a prescription for GERD every night, but I did that at 265 as well. I have acid reflux if I eat or drink anything other than water too close to bedtime. Again, my bad! Even at 7 years out I still do things wrong, we are human. I am very proud of the fact that I have never overeaten to the point of vomiting. I think it is important to know your sleeve and how it feels. Eat slowly and stop just shy of feeling full because sometimes full hits you quickly, depending on what you are eating. Watermelon almost always gets me, funny enough. There isn't really anything I can't tolerate but food in general just isn't as appealing to me anymore. I don't love dill pickles like I used to. I can't stand to smell eggs cooking. Eating a hard-boiled egg is hard for me because it is so dry, I have to put hot sauce on it, if I eat one that is. I usually just put them in salad. I eat a lot more avocado and Greek yogurt now than I used to. Anything else I can bore you with...just let me know...I'm here to help!

So eat nothing? I feel like thats my only other option at this point RIght now for breakfast I either have 1/2 cup cottage cheese, a poached egg, or a fat free greek yogurt. for lunch I have. Canned chicken in a leaf wrap, Ground turkey with a little mustard and relish, or grilled chicken salad with tomatoes, banana peppers and feta cheese. I will add a protein shake if I haven't hit my protein goal.I have one lost weight one week out of the 7 I have been home.

Yogurt, banana & Nut butter (Cashew butter, peanut butter, almond butter, hazelnut butter, tahini) smoothies

Yogurt feels weird to eat... wth??? I have dannon light and fit Greek yogurt in the banana cream flavor. I added 1 scoop of genpro powder to it. Making it 139 calories, 42 grams of protein, 8 grams of sugar and 10 grams of carbs.

Avocados, full fat eggs, full fat cheese, pork sausage rather than turkey, 80/20 ground beef, butter. You do have to be careful with adding TOO much fat at one time, but you should be able to eat enough with a mixed meal in order to get enough fats to up your calories. Then there's the whole grain and starch thing. And IF you're trying to gain weight the fastest way to do that is to add fat to carbs, BUT it goes to the wrong place. Honestly if it was me, I'd go search out not only what foods you can eat as an RNY, but look at programs designed for males who are trying to add lean muscle. Cuz honestly that's really what you need--even in the absence of being able to weight train right now. I'd eat saucy gooey casseroles that are very calorie dense (think lasagna, chicken pot pie, stews, chicken and noodles, chicken and rice). You can blend those things and then thin them out with Fairlife milk or broth in order to make them appropriate for Stage 2/3. Mashed potatoes fully loaded with sour cream or full fat Greek yogurt and cheese and green onions. That sort of thing. But, quite frankly, you really don't need to "gain" just for the sake of gaining. You really just need to not LOSE any more. Here's the "ideal" weight chart that insurance and the med prof uses. It's pretty beyond most of us, cuz it's so low...but look where you are. You're not that far off. If it was me, I'd just chillax about the scale. Eat to your stage, work with your RD to set up a healthy diet that keeps you from losing...then when you can begin a strategic strength training program working out in about 6-10 weeks, then you see an exercise physiologist who is also an RD to put you on a program to gain muscle. Hope you heal well and get better soon!!!

I've struggled to eat, so that may be the difference. I literally eat 2 tablespoons of yogurt, or applesauce and can't get anymore down without getting super nauseous. I started on Zofran today so I'm hoping that helps!

Has anyone used Tofu as a base in smoothies? Also want to venture out with my tub of Greek Yogurt, the nice 0 and 1% percent kinds.

Peanut butter banana yogurt smoothie Date & raisin oatmeal

Also they can vary greatly person to person. For me it's usually anything too calorically dense, too smooth of a texture (protein bars, yogurt, etc) that doesn't spark the satisfied sensation. But by far my biggest sliders are nuts. I try to usually pair them with foods that don't have high calories or generally slide like kale (in a salad)

Slider foods are foods that "slide" through your pouch without giving a feeling of fullness. Some are perfectly fine, like yogurt or protein shakes. But even with healthy foods, you have to be especially "serving-size" conscious with anything that slides. Less healthy choices can be disastrous. Crackers, pretzels, cereal, etc. make you want to drink with them, but once you drink, they slide right through you and make you crave more. Just think about anything that turns to mush when you add liquid.

All these ideas sound awesome! You got this under control I say[emoji16] . I know it's been only 4 wks post op but my stomach is super sensitive like it reject alot of things I use to be able to enjoy. I suddenly became lactose intolerant, cant handle any low fat milk based yogurt, scrambled eggs give me the runs(can only do a poached egg) you can understand the aggravation with trying to find things that work for me. I have tried 3 different protein shakes premier I can no longer do. The organic plant based didnt sit well with me felt so heavy and now I am trying the isopure whey(tried it with almond milk and nope not good) so will try again with just water. [emoji85] [emoji86] [emoji30] [emoji30] [emoji30] [emoji30] . Another thing is that when ever I try eating my 2oz or less I feel like my food is stuck in my throat wanting to throw up. When it's not that then I just feel cramps in my stomach sigh....[emoji17] Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

I've become a huge fan of Starkist Tuna Creations - I really like the Jalapeno the best, but the Ranch, Buffalo and other flavors are good too. Most don't need anything added and are very filling. If I do add something, The ranch and jalapeno I add 1 TSP of ranch dressing to make it a little more creamy and the buffalo add buffalo ranch 1 TSP. Cottage cheese (high protein) and I have become friends again and this too, easy to pack and store. Cheese sticks most have less than 70 CAL and decent protein Dannon Light and Fit Greek Yogurt and Oikos Zero both high in protein and can be made into two meals - I add ground flax seed to increase my fiber. I made a pot of chili last week (added a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheese) and it lasted.... My only concern with this, while my plan is all for beans, I read today that beans should be consumed in moderation, no more than twice a week due to its starchiness. So a late lesson, but I'll know for the future. Deli meat roll-ups. I get the deli to slice just a bit thicker than my usual preference of "thinly sliced" so it rolls nicely. If it's sliced right can get 2 - 3 slices and a cheese stick to make a meal I also bought on Amazon some wonderslim shakes/pudding... fell in love with the chocolate caramel... have used it both as a pudding and a shake 15g Protein and it was that right sweet when you want a dessert. They have other flavors. The BP site has something similar too. my diet has been pretty boring at work, but this has worked for me and kept hunger at bay.