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Thought I'd post an update for anyone still interested in this thread: I'm a about 5 weeks out and down 11 lbs, which when I step back, isn't bad at all. On the other hand, it *feels* like the last 5 weeks have been more like 5 months. I've had number of really low moments, sitting on the toilet at 3am cramped up and pooping my brains out with a blown out o-ring, and thinking "Holy sh*t! What have I done? This will be for the rest of my life?" ...and that was after being banished to sleeping on the couch by my wife because I was carpet gassing the entire bedroom with deadly nerve toxin. I was really starting to think I had made the worst mistake of my life.... and it was irreversible. I had no idea this part of it would be so bad. "My" nutritionist was a group class that focused almost exclusively on VSG patients. She must have forgotten to mention the gas or the cramps or the bloating or the hemorrhoids or the explosive diarrhea... Luckily, I started paying more attention to posts on this forum, and the last week or so feel like I'm starting to get a handle on things. What seems to be working for me: Staying the hell away from Gluten. Man-o-man what a difference. I love love love bread and pizza and pasta and ramen and steamed dumplings, but the reaction is so hard and so gross and so painful that I'm starting to be repelled by the very thought of those foods (which is probably a good thing for my weight loss goals anyway.) Surprisingly, I seem to be ok with other carbs, including corn chips and potatoes. I binged an entire bag of Cheetos the other night with no ill effects. Staying away from lactose. This one is a still a little speculation at this point, because I've been scared to really put it to an acid test, but based on the night I had a single piece of cheese pizza, i'm in no hurry to find out. "Metamucil" mixed in water. I hate choking this stuff down, but it does seem to help smooth things out. "Prisolec" Greek Yogurt. Never been a huge fan, but I'm finding those little containers to be a great "cravings buster" right around 3:00. Or I'll eat one a half hour or so before dinner, and it helps prevent me from going full Ham at the table Things that don't seem to work for me: Gas-ex. I went through half a bottle in a the course of a week, and it didn't do jack. pro-biotics (may be helping a little, but no magic bullet) Fiber pills ("Fiber Choice" brand) Hope my experience helps others. If anyone has any additional tips or suggestions, send me a shout.

fat free refried beans go down easy. Oikos tripple zero yogurt is packed with protein and no added sugar of any kind.

I can relate. 3 weeks post op and I feel like everything gets stuck after I swallow. I have tried everything suggested by the surgery team but its not working. Seems like I can only get down Greek Yogurt, Fine curd cottage cheese and FF refried beans. Other than that I feel sick all the time like food is just stuck and wont go down. Hope you can find some relief soon

I am 3 weeks post op. I have only been able to consume cottage cheese, FF refried beans, Oikos tripple zero yogurt and my protein shakes. I have tried several different proteins for the pureed stage, and now in the ground stage. Moving on next two weeks to fork tender protein but I cant seem to get anything down I take very small bites and eat slowly , it all feels like its getting stuck in my Esosphogus. Cant drink anything with the eating so , i keep eating the same 3 things over and over I seem to tolerate. Cant eat any kind of egg they now make me vomit. tried different fine ground meats etc, nothing works getting very frustrated.

Thanks, @MIZ60. I did not have shortness of breath before the surgery except when I dragged my fat azz up a flight of stairs, but I did have a lot of swelling in my legs. The doctors had always blamed it on my salt intake (it's my favorite food group) and since I had no other issues, they pretty much ignored it. However, my salt intake is now <800mg most days, so that isn't it. I was actually shocked at how low it was, but since I'm still living on yogurt, protein water and minced tuna salad, it's not hard to explain. In the last month, I've gotten progressively worse. Kinda scary. I get super dizzy every time I stand and I'm nauseous all the time. They did an upper GI on Wed. and found severe reflux. On top of all that, I have a Grade-A case of the stupids. People literally have to ask me the same question 2 - 3 times before I get it. UGH! Because of a family history of heart problems, the surgeon referred me to a cardiologist before surgery. He thought I had a blockage from the nuclear stress test so he ordered a heart cath. I was already 6 days into the pre-op diet at that point and he cancelled my surgery until after the cath could be done. Turns out, my heart was fine, I just have super skinny veins, but no blockages. Wouldn't you know, I had one really skinny part of my body and no one could SEE IT! Anyway, I left a message at the surgeons office about the IV lasix. Hopefully they get back to me before I get another dose in about an hour. I appreciate your concern!

I'm in pretty much the same boat. That's all I could eat at 6 weeks and now, at 12 weeks, can still only handle a tiny bit more than that. Maybe 1.5 oz (by weight). At 6 weeks, my surgeon wasn't concerned, just said I was on the slow end of healing, but at my 12 week checkup he did get concerned. I am basically still on mushy foods, can't tolerate solid meat protein at all, although I can handle fish. Hopefully, you're just a slow healer and it will all resolve itself. Just pad out your day with extra yogurt or protein shakes/water until you can eat more at a sitting. Hope you're doing better soon.

I am so sorry you are struggling right now. If you have a busy life, it will just mean that you eat boring food at first. To start with it is just liquids for 2 weeks, no need to prepare food. Buy protein powder, soups, and yogurt. Meal planning for the later stages can be reasonably simple too. Keep in mind, no matter which surgery you have, you won't be able to eat much. There is a whole section of this forum that includes meal ideas. You can do it! You got through the pre-op process. In the end you will have so much more energy to deal with your life if you weigh less. Keep going!

your fears are normal and while everyone is different at 6 months out I : Look 15 years younger lol Always locate bathrooms when first entering restaurants now because i did have a minor emergency once and i want to be prepared from now on Im actually afraid of getting food poisoning and then adversion to something i eat routinely like yogurt

Hello again all! It’s been a few weeks since I posted. Things have gotten somewhat better, as I learn to live with my new stomach. Your encouragement was a great help! However, I’m now 6 weeks & 1 day out from sleeve surgery & can only fit about 25g (1oz?) (1 Tbs) of food at each meal. Though this does depend on what it is I’m eating (yogurt I can fit in about 60g). I’ve stopped trying to eat chicken & tuna at this point (as it was sitting really heavy in my stomach) & I am sticking to soft cheese, yogurt, egg etc. for 2 - 3 meals, along with my protein Coffee concoction & a protein shake/soup per day. I plan to try again in a week or two, thinking it might be due to swelling still? Is it normal to be this far out & not be able to eat anymore than a Tablespoon of food? I use a bariatric meal timer & chew extremely well. My plan says I should be ‘aiming for about 1/2 a cup’ Per meal, but that is impossible! TIA!

I am! A few days after being released I told my husband I didn’t think he did the surgery, they just gave me a nap. Lol! Incisions are healing great, I had hardly any bruising at all...I just started week 2, so I’ve tried some oatmeal, unsweetened applesauce and mashed potatoes...she told me no milk, so I made them with chicken broth and nonfat Greek yogurt. They were pretty good! Still just a teaspoon...I’m probably not getting enough fluid but I keep trying each day...I get tired during the day, but overall feeling good!

Well I had my 2 week follow up today and can officially start some pureed stuff. First up was a tablespoon of pureed chicken breast mixed with a little broth and greek yogurt. So far so good. PA was amazed at my fluid intake (about 110 oz plus 3 Premiere Protein shakes yesterday) and said my weight loss so far was about average. I am really feeling fine....almost like it never happened. Will be ramping up my exercise over the next couple of weeks.....so far just a lot of walking and some 3-5 pound dumbells for upper body work. Chicken was a little bland but IT WAS NOT A PROTEIN SHAKE!!!

Thanks for the advice everyone! I am using goat cheese and sheep's milk cheese to get my cheese craving. I wasn't a milk drinker before so that's not a huge loss but losing Icelandia yogurt was a blow. I haven't tried the soy/nut milk alternatives yet. Best wishes!

Today I could start introducing a few things. I could have loose mashed potatoes...but no milk (only almond, soy or lactose free skim), no cheese, bitter oil or margarine. So I made a small potato and used chicken broth and non fat Greek yogurt. They tasted pretty good. Of course that coming from a person that has been on clear liquid for about 2 weeks. (Surgery May 7)

Greetings! Looking for a bit of encouragement! The scale dropped 7 lbs during the first week post-op. Since the 8th day post-op, the scale hasn’t moved an ounce! I’m getting all 60 grams of protein and all my fluids and walking 10,000 steps a day. Averaging 800 calories from sugar-free Greek yogurt, tuna with low fat mayo, chicken breast, and low-fat cream soups. I feel great, by the way. HW: 225 SW: 214 (5/2/2018) CW: 207 GW: 145

I forgot to do my other meals for 12 weeks yesterday. Derp! Oh well! So here's a pretty standard lunch for me at 12 weeks: turkey swiss roll-up (Boar's Head) - (42g hickory smoked turkey breast, 26g lacy swiss-red fat/sodium, Lowensenf Extra Hot Mustard) veggies (23g rbp, 26g baby carrots, 33g peeled English cucumber) bari ranch dip (30g Grk ff yogurt, WF Italian, parsley, granulated garlic, bp) Nutrition: 169cals; 21g protein; 6g fat; 5g carbs; 1g fiber; 4g net carbs; 5g nat. sugars

Not sure if by a couple of days, but my surgeon had mentioned that if I found the thicker fluids (protein shakes/yogurt/pudding/jello items harder to handle that I should focus on my fluid intake for the first 3 days. I also purchased protein water, so that actually helped me significantly. I mixed it with benefiber and diluted the taste with extra water so it turned at 15.9oz 15g protein water to a 24oz, and was able to get LOTS of fluid, AND LOTS of protein. If you dilute it, its not too sweet. Another option you can do with the shakes is mix them with liquid. I mix my premier protein with my decaff coffee. I love it! I got 10g of protein in (about 4oz of premier protein) mixed that with 4ox decaff coffee and drank it over the course of 40 minutes for a decent fluid/protein group.

I'm on Day 2 of the pre-op diet (surgery is 5/29) and I'm struggling! I just choked down a yogurt (required), but I'm behind on my daily requirements. I hope people are right when they say the pre-op diet is the worse part of the whole process.

It sounds counterintuitive, but increasing your caloric intake with healthy choices can help to break a stall. I saw weight loss again after adding in an afternoon smoothie made with protein powder or high-protein yogurt like Fage. Your body needs to have a sufficient amount of calories to function properly. The stall is sort of like your body's way of taking a break after running a marathon. Try to be patient and keep the faith. Almost everyone has the "dreaded three week stall." For some it's very brief, and for others it lasts a month. Most of us do then resume weight loss.

Don't worry, the restriction is there. I had surgery 1 week ago and thought the same thing when just drinking fluids/protein shakes. When I started with a little yogurt and cream soup, I could feel the difference. 1 scrambled egg took me an hour to eat and left me full the rest of the night. Fluids can be deceiving, the restriction is there. Head hunger is just starting, but not too bad.

Good morning! Like you, my schedule is always on the go go go. I was worried about maintaining the pre-op diet after returning to work, which admittedly I have not done yet as much surgery was just 2 days ago. However I started the diet before leaving for surgery, and was able to successfully eat on the go and still fit in line with the diet. My office has a cafeteria, but we also have plenty of restaurants on the good. I would bring just a small sandwich bag of 1 scoop of unflavored protein powered and mix it with soup broth I would buy from the cafe or restaurant. I was able to successfully keep up this way. I also purchased things I could leave there, like Greek yogurt single serve cups, or oatmeal packets. The option I favor is packing a full day's worth of meals in my lunchbox thought but totally understand that this is not always a possibility!

Good morning ladies and gents! It is hard to believe I am on my second day post op! I am thrilled to say that I am doing well. No complications have cropped up yet. In fact if the wounds on my belly didn't hurt a tad, I would swear I didn't even have the surgery! I have had no trouble getting fluids or protein down. In fact its 6:46am and I've already logged 20oz of fluid and 10g of protein today. In fact, I was a bit concerned, like many others, who could consume more than they thought. Yesterday, my first "meal" consisted of 1 cup of chicken broth that I was able to consume in its entirety of 45 minutes, and I truly felt it was my own obsessive pacing that allowed it to stretch for that long. I then followed that up with 8oz of water about 30 mins later over the course of an hour. I did notice more restriction when I had lunch and started sampling different protein shakes, greet yogurt and pudding. However I still felt like I was able to eat more than I should have been able to. I mean don't get me wrong, I am NOT complaining at all. Being able to consume that much has made it easier for me. I've had more energy to walk, and don't feel exhausted. I attribute to the reduced pain to this as well. The tummy gurgling though... its wicked funny. My stomach was always silent. Now it chatting all day! I hope my fellow May 14ers are having as easy of a time!

Started my liquid diet also today. So far, so good. Not feeling deprived at all. So far today, I've had 2 Premier Proteins, sugar free pudding, greek yogurt and soup. I still have a shake, sugar free jello and yogurt available to me yet today. We'll see how work goes tomorrow night though. I'm always hungry during the night..... How is everyone else doing?

I made cream of potato soup that tasted like heaven after all of the sweet shakes and stuff. I also ate cottage cheese and yogurt. I was only on purees for a week and moved to soft, where I've been for a while.

Today is 12 weeks since surgery (almost "3 months" which happens on May 20), and I am gonna post my food today so I can look back and remember the quantities I was eating at 3 months. For the most part, I "think" this is going to pretty much be the quantity I will be eating for the next 9 months (hopefully)--and maybe even for the rest of my life (super hopeful that this will be true). As per my usual angst about not wrecking Iron Will (my pouch), I'm very tentative about eating "too much." And as my post surg history goes, the healing went so well with very little inflammation--it's hard to know whether I'm just advanced or if I'm over eating and damaging my new tool. I'm eating according to my rules: No drinking with meals 30/30. Weighing or measuring (but not both). Recording every bite or morsel that goes in my mouth. Protein first. Veggies second. A smidge of healthy fats each meal. And fruit if there's any room leftover (never is). Protein goal is 75g protein per day (40% of cals) (presently averaging 77, close enough good). Carb goal is 38g whole carbs per day (20% of cals) (presently averaging 33g, so I have a tiny bit of wiggle). Fat goal is 33g fat per day (40% of cals) (presently averaging 33g, so perfect). Calorie goal is 750 per day (and I'm swinging broadly between 600-850 cals per day, averaging about 728cals/day. Think I'm going to leave it where it is for a while. Some days I'm hungrier than others.) Walking 1 hour/day=about 2.25 miles; Conditioning Training (PT) 3 days/week ******************** 3 Month Menu (12 weeks Post RNY 2.20.18)--by weight rather than volume B1- 3 protein lattes (Prem Protein + decaff + sf Torani syrup) B2- 1oz steamed crimini and spinach, 3oz egg puff w/turkey sausage crumbles, 19g light cheddar wedge, 1oz salsa L- 3oz sardines packed in water, 2tsp yellow mustard, 2oz cucumber and carrots w/1.75oz grk yogurt ranch dressing (see recipe above) AS- 1 GG bran crisp, 19g lt cheddar wedge, 6g PB slim peanut butter powder (Vitacost) D- 3oz blackened salmon, 1oz asparagus, 1oz avocado tomato salad with 2 small lime wedges BS-none Nutritional Totals: 655 cals; 77g protein; 21g fat; 32g carbs; 11g fiber; 21g net carbs; 10g nat sugar ************************* Here's breakfast. Will try to remember to take photos of the other meals for posterity and to give a visual reminder of approx volume. Plates are saucer size = about 5in diam.

@frust8 I was 304 going into the surgery, and somehow came out of the hospital at 312!!! But, today I weighed 296.8. So, I'm down 8 pounds since surgery, and now officially 100 pounds down from my highest weight (396 back in January 2011). I've been doing pretty good getting in the 64 ounces of fluid and the 60 grams of protein. However, I must have missed the memo that i'm supposed to be eating 2 to 4 oz. at a time. I had been eating a 5.6 ounce yogurt once a day for the last week (granted it took me about an hour to do). So, I'm being much more careful and paying more attention.