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cottage cheese, hummas, yogurt, eggs, go slow!

I also posted this on the Pos-Op board, but I thought I should share it with my December friends, too. :biggrin: It's been two weeks since my surgery, and I have updates. I lost 20 pounds on my 2 week pre-op diet, and since then I've lost 14 pounds more. I've been absolutely fanatical about following all the rules of each stage of the diet. I want to succeed, and I especially don't want complications (slips, erosions, etc.) I know sometimes that's unavoidable, but at least I won't have any guilt if it happens. liquid Phase: After reading on these boards that many people gain weight before their first fill, I was deeply concerned that I would lose my progress. So on my liquid phase, after the first few days where I could only get down broth and tea, I stuck pretty much to my pre-op diet, not eating the vegetables of course, but adding in more Protein shakes, for a total of 800-1200 calories a day. I did not drink diluted juice even though it was "permitted," sticking instead to Protein Shakes and, two times, fat-free milk. Mushy Phase: I knew from reading these boards that a major pitfall for many bandsters is the mushy phase. Being that we're hungry and mushies go down easily, the calories can easily add up - many people understandably gain weight during this stage. I didn't want that to happen, so I was afraid to move forward to mushies - but I knew I should leave the liquid diet behind already. I was trying to solve the problem, when I decided that I could do mushies but I would have to keep track of what I was eating and how much. So, I joined Weight Watchers. Diets never worked for me for very long in the past, but I figured the 3.5 week liquid diet should have shrunk my stomach a bit, and knowing I have a fill coming makes it mentally easier to hang on and not go off plan. Before surgery I didn't think I'd care if I gained a little before my fills, but now I do. I've lost 34 pounds in 4 weeks, and I just don't want to go back. I've been sticking like glue to the plan. I weigh and measure everything before I put it in the food prcessor, and I track it online as soon as I've eaten it. I eat mostly low point foods, but I've also splurged on higher point items - did you know you can process french fries? To make them mushy I mixed in some Soup, which I also have to count points for, but they still tasted like french fries, and were worth every point LOL! I've also pureed pizza with a little extra sauce - it doesn't taste like pizza by the time you add the sauce in, but it was fun. Mostly, though, I stick to low point foods: sugarfree pudding, fatfree yogurt, scrambled egg whites with fatfree salsa (pureed), boiled vegetables (pureed), unsweetened applesauce, etc. I also eat whatever my family is having for supper, measured out and pureed. All in all, I've lost 14 pounds since surgery. Anyway, that's where I'm holding now. I have my first fill next month, and I'm terrified. I hope it won't be too painful! Anyway, that's the update. Good luck to everyone on this journey!

Thanks Valentina! Day 4 also has gone well so far, expect for my thoughts of going to buy burgers and pizza. I have maintained for today by just having a yogurt with my three Protein shakes and Water. I just want the 25th to hurry up. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am 4 days into purée stage! So far I made a big pot of pinto Beans (dry beans, half an onion, chicken bullion cube, pepper, garlic and a bit of tabasco plus about 3 cups water) and cooked that sucker for about 4 hours, then strained the beans and puréed it in my blender. Tastes so much better than the standard Protein drink and those beans have much needed potassium to boot. Put a tiny bit of cheese on there and it feels like your having restaurant style refried beans! I have had that for dinner 3 days in a row now and not sick of it yet. Then I decided on a whim to just purée some canned Soup I had been drinking the broth from. It was okay, but I get grossed out by the idea of some puréed foods. Like if I know what it is supposed to be pre-purée, I cant eat it... haha! So that idea only made it one meal. I think I am going to try making some lightened hummus next (love hummus!) and maybe some puréed Cauliflower (there are some great recipes on Pinterest). I had some mashed potatoes today, but those are like a treat for me because of the high carb/low protein counts. Also eating Greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese and sugar free lime Jello. Those all make nice little Snacks. Good luck! This is a hard one to navigate, but still a billion times better than the liquid phase. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I was allowed purée from day 2. :-) BUT: not everything felt good and the portions were tiny. Yogurt usually works well. RNY 14 April 2017 SW: 295 lb / 134 kg GW: 187 lb / 85 kg (I'll see when I get there)

Considering you're not banded yet, you would still be hungry. A cup of yogurt takes me at least 15 -20 minutes to eat and it is quite filling. No worries!

So--today was my first fill. I was worried about nothing! I apparently have a good amount of scar tissue but it wasn't a big deal. I have 3 cc in my 10cc band. I go back in two weeks for another tweak. So far, no issues eating....I had a yogurt and blended food tonight. Phew......I am glad that is behind me. Now...to they gym I go......

low carbs before and after ive had mine since may8 2012 im six weeks out got my first fill monday chew chew chew a small bite of food i have lost 16 lbs since surgery and 22 before get an exercise plan i walk 6 1/2 miles 5 x a week eggs are your protien friend if u can eat them yogurt and cottage cheese best of luck

I received my 3rd fill last week and now when I eat it seems like I can feel every bite go down. It feels like it's a little stuck or takes a while to pass through. I haven't pb'd with it but I can definitely feel it in my chest. Is this normal? I think I"m chewing to mush and taking small bites but maybe I'm not. Also, if you can feel the food backing up in your throat does that mean you are full? I can get this with eating pudding or yogurt. Anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks!

Thought it was about time for an update! Long rant...Heads up! Completed ins requirements Dec 2014 & approved by ins the first week of January. Wooo hoooo! NOT! Surgeon changed hospitals so he is currently doing ZERO surgeries. My luck, right?! I waited and waited.. Now, 2.5 months after approval still no surgery. I went to another surgeon. Their office submitted all of my documents again under their name. Insurance cannot just change their info over to another DR.. They have to open an entirely new case. Its okay.. The first go around only took approx 3-4 days to get approved- cross your fingers that its the same this time too! In the mean time, I got started on buying Protein drinks. I tried some powder stuff. GROSS! I am sooooooo bad with textures of foods / drinks. I tried mixing it with greek yogurt. Nope. Gross. Tried super cold Water. Nope. Tastes like old milk-literally. Thats a sure way for me to lose weight though-- I will throw that crap up with a quickness. I did find Isopure through GNC. At our local store it was $5.50 per 20oz bottle (zero carbs, 40G protein) OR $40 a 12 pack. There are a few different flavors to choose from too. I poured half of the bottle into a water bottle and mixed it up. To me it tasted like kool-aid without sugar & super watered down. I can actually stomach it. I suggest trying a single bottle if you are afraid of spending $$ and not liking the product. I wasted $$ on powered stuff and I'm glad I found this Isopure stuff! Oh! I have also read a few posts lately about commodities (or lack of) and weight gain during supervised diet. Let me give you my advice as I should have listened to other people when they were telling me the same thing.. Every insurance is different. Call and speak to a rep from the insurance company. I found that sometimes they are very vague with requirements though. But your DR knows what will and will not work to get you approved (typically). My insurance normally denies people if they gain so much as 1/2 lb. HOWEVER, per somebody here's suggestion, I found a loop-hole. If your Dr documents a reason for a small gain you should be okay. For instance, I could not exercise at a normal rate for awhile due to my foot pain. Then my GYNO put me on the Depo Shot for my endometriosis. Gained weight then too. Documented. Then I had a hysterectomy and was out of commission for exercising all together. Documented. I gained 6lbs roughly during the 6 month period. Still approved.. But like I said I made sure the DR noted it all on the surgery paperwork. As far as commodities go... Some insurance companies have OTHER comorbs aside from sleep apnea, high bp, diabetes, high collest, etc. I fact, there could be as many as 30+ that could qualify you. I dont have ANY of those typical commodities. I was just pre-diabetic with a few other medical probs but not the typical that qualify for surgery. I only just recently ( after 1st ins approval ) was diagnosed with having edema. Aside from that, I am perfectly healthy for being so over weight. When I spoke to my ins company I specifically asked if those typical conditions were the ONLY ones they accepted and they said yes.. However, I did have those and still got approved. Anyway.................. Hope this has helped some of you!

This is the pre-op diet: DIET: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner should be low calorie protein shakes or Non fat yogurt. We highly recommend a company by the name of REVIVAL SOY http://www.revivalsoy.com or go to a health store and look for a low calorie protein shake. The rest of the day or if you are still hungry at meal time you can have clear liquids. You should drink about 8 glasses of water or more a day. And Jell-O the low calorie kind is a clear liquid. Other clear liquids are beef and chicken broth, apple and grape juice, nonfat milk, and cranberry juice.

I have a protein drink I enjoy. I use one cup non-fat plain yogurt, one cup frozen strawberries (not sweetened), 2-3 pkgs Equal, one scoop unflavered whey protein powder, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Blend in a blender until smooth. Very high in protein and low in calories. Just stick it in an insulated mug and you can sip or drink from it over the day. I find it very filling and the unflavored whey protein powder has a higher protein content than the flavored ones.

Hopefully she meant yogurt without bits in it. Since it caused you discomfort, you could dilute it with milk and strain it.

I got my appetite back and could eat anything around 3 months. I welcomed the not getting sick from eating whatever I want part! I will get full pretty quick if I eat I eat dense proteins first. However, I can eat things like yogurt, eggs, cheese, fruit, mashed potatoes, nuts, soup, cereal, etc. and not get full at all. (And I'm sure I could down a LOT of chips or ice cream if I wanted to.) But where's the rule that says we have to eat until we're full? If I'm eating something that isn't as filling, I simply stop when I know I've had "enough". Then I wait 45-60 minutes and start drinking. I will be hungry again in about 3 hours and then I eat again. Rarely do I eat until I'm full. The goal should be about getting good nutrition including minimum goals of protein and water. It shouldn't be about feeling full.

So I had my surgery I week ago tomorrow. I went home after two nights in the hospital. Besides a little constipation I feel pretty good except all I want to do is lay around and sleep. I was hoping to get to the supermarket today but I was not feeling up to it. I'm off all the pain meds now (Oxycodone & Tylenol). I've been eating protein sakes & light yogurt but I'm really missing some real food like eggs or grilled cheese. What are the consequences of cheating with some Stage 3 pureed foods? Is it common to feel this weary one week post op? Thanks!

Hi! I just had surgery on July 14th and am on the pureed phase now. I am no where near the goal on the grams of Protein. Do you all rely on Protein drinks in this phase? And another worry I'm having....I don't feel full when I eat. I could eat the whole 5 ounce yogurt but I make sure I stop 2/3 way through it. Should I be worried about that? Thanks in advance!!!

I am 19 days post surgery and I have not lost any weight. I am taking in between 600 and 800 calories per day. I really try to hit the 800 because I am feeling lots of hunger now. I believe I am making wise choices--protien shakes, since I am on mushies/soft I have had 1/2 a packet of cream of wheat for Breakfast, adding half a scoop of protien powder in it to boost the protien content. lunch is cottage cheese or a 4ounce smooth greek yogurt, for a snack I have a sf pudding cup or a motz cheese stick, dinner is usually a cup of pureed veggies with a scoop of plain or chicken flavored protien powder added to it, and maybe a few sf popsicles throughout the day as well as my Water. I am getting 64 ounces of water in between meals. I was losing steadily before surgery and I am feeling a bit like maybe I am doing something wrong? If you have any ideas toss them my way, please!

I had my sleeve on Oct 14. Up until about 2 weeks ago (3 months post op), I felt like I couldn't eat more than 3-4 bites of anything and I was full, sliming, throwing up. I feel like I have finally turned the corner and can have a small, but normal meal. I have even dined out a couple of times and been able to order a small entrée or an appetizer, and eat a decent amount of it vs taking it all home in a to-go box. My normal routine: Breakfast: 1/2piece of toast with 1/2 yogurt Lunch: small sandwich, piece of fruit Dinner: usually some sort of meat (palm sized portion) and 1/2 baked potato or about that much In between meals....lots of Water, water, water.

Sleeved 8/23/16 - HW 271.5 (4/16) SW 246.9 CW 205.1 From size 20-22 pants to size 14-12 right now. About 50 pounds to goal. If you are not already using it, use My Fitness Pal and track every ounce of food and Water that goes into your body. It keeps you honest. I weigh myself daily. (Some people do weekly but I find daily keeps me honest.) Make sure you have healthy options in the house so you never have to be looking around for a snack. Try different kinds of Protein powders now in the small sample sizes to see which ones you like or don't like and start experimenting with shakes. Pre-surgery for three months I did a Protein shake every morning for Breakfast -- and worked on playing with flavors, fruit, coffee-house syrups, etc. Start exercising - walk around the block, swim, join a gym. move your body and schedule time for it. Plan rewards for various weight goals -- 25 pounds - new lipstick? 50 pounds - new dress? Start a private pinterest board with fashions you want to try as you get thinner Research thrift and consignment shops in your area - you are going to need them. If you don't have a good scale, buy one. (I have a Withings, which sends my weight directly to My Fitness Pal. Consider purchasing a fitness tracker. (I use a Garmin Vivosmart HR and love it. I think it's much better than the Fitbit models.) Get your head in the right place - the surgery isn't going to solve any problem you may have with emotional eating - if that's part of your issue, get help now - work with a therapist or other counselor. Get a good pair of sneakers. Start by walking a little more now. Park 15 spaces away from the grocery store this week. 25 spaces next week. It's all incremental. Protein is your friend. Start counting your grams of protein. After surgery, your rules will likely be protein first, everything else after. I average 60-90 grams of protein a day and I eat about 800 calories a day now. Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt and Fairlife Skim Milk are your friends. I'm at the point now where I can eat anything, even bread, but I don't. Sometimes I'll have half a slice of whole wheat toast. Barilla makes a high protein Pasta (yellow box) which is really good. Once you get a surgery date, find a group here on BP to chat with that are all having surgery in the same month. Attend your hospital or clinic's support group meetings regularly. Best of luck with finding the new you. I wish I had done this 15 years ago.

Hey all! About a month out from surgery I went in because I had an unusual series of events happen. Out of nowhere, I was able to eat significantly less than I had been (just yogurt and cottage cheese), and I had even vomited after a few occasions of simple drinking (Water only). So, I went in and had a swallow study done. That confirmed my new stomach was slow to empty, and my surgeon suggest a scope to go in and verify and if needed, dilate the closing connection to allow me to eat. I got called the next day, offering me a time on Monday to go in, or I could wait about two weeks. Since my symptoms had gotten better by this time, I said I didn't need to rush in and get it done, and that I could wait for two weeks. That was another big mistake. I found my symptoms would be ok in the morning and then at night, they'd flare up and I'd end up vomiting and being unable to keep anything down. This eventually morphed in to being able to consume no Protein shakes (I was put back on Clear liquids and protein by my doc regardless of when my procedure was, UNTIL I had my procedure.) I felt fine though because my body was still burning fat. But all things being the same, I put a note in my online chart for my nurses to see Monday, asking for the next available date to do the scope. Monday I was called and told to come in Tuesday. Everything seemed very routine, and the overwhelming feeling was this procedure would fix my issue and I'd be back on track. Wrong! I got up after the scope ready to walk out and feeling refreshed from what I'd just call a nap. The nurses had different plans for me. As they wheeled me back to recovery, I asked where my wife was. They told me she had gone to get something to eat and would be up soon, in the meantime, I should order some food. I was told that I could "have whatever I wanted," which I immediately questioned. I also asked why I needed a meal if I was leaving shortly. The reply was that I wasn't leaving shortly, I was being admitted overnight. I was literally shocked. Confused, and now wishing my wife was there to answer some questions, I tried to get whatever I could out of the nursing staff. They had limited information because they're all just staff in surgical recovery, they don't know all the details of every patient, and there were a lot of them. I got ahold of my wife who told me she had actually gone home because they said it would be 2 hours before I'd even get back to a room. She told me the dilation was only mildly successful, and that I was malnourished and had to stay overnight for observation. Long story short, I ended up with a PICC Line, a massive bag of TPN, and orders for home health to help me with future daily bags of TPN for about the next 4-6 weeks until they can go back in and do another scope. I'm feeling a lot of things right now, most of that is disappointment that this hasn't gone as easily as really everyone led me to believe. I understand every patient is different, but it's so hard to hear things like "you're an ideal candidate for this now because you're so healthy and your only comorbidity is hypertension, so you're mostly healthy aside from that," or, "we don't anticipate any complications in your case." The moral here is if you think you're having issues, call your surgical team ASAP and tell them. I have no clue if there was anything I could have done to avoid this, I honestly doubt it, but here I am with a 2 liter bag of Fluid I'll be toting around for the next month and a half either way.

Your weight loss is on target. No you do not need to eat whey based protein powders. The numbers for the one you like sound okay. The extreme fatigue may in part be due to not meeting your protein requirements. I used FAGE 0% greek yogurt to my protein shakes for an added protein boost. A half a cup will give you 65cal 5carbs 13gms protein and 5sugar. I would add it to my morning protein shake since I worked out first thing. It was a terrific protein boost and fueled my day. You do need to watch your carbs and sugar throughout the rest of the day, but this helped get me started and kept me going without fatigue. It also made it easier to meet my protein goals by the end of the day so I had more time to focus on getting in my water.

The best way for me to describe sliming is that you throw up the last thing in your gut but it isnt like before sleeve/band throw up- it is just like sitting there and it comes up with a bunch of saliva (slimy). It is gross but at the same time often a relief because for me (when I had my band) it signified that I had a) eaten too much or ate too fast. Congrats on graduating food groups- I am still unable to tolerate anything non-liquid except for yogurt- and it takes me about an hour to eat it...

I just got banded TODAY! I went thru a lot of anxiety, all the way up to them putitng me unde ron the surgery table (of "am I doing the right thing?') I know I did, but even now I'm scared. I ate some tomato soup, jello, then tried some yogurt and my chest started to hurt...so I put it away for supper later. It just scares me to not know exactly what is going to happen, how much I can eat, etc. a fear of the unknown. anyway I first saw my surgeon like 2 months ago (?) and had lost 7 pounds...so m y "start weight" was down. I was told to lose 10 pound sint he 7 days before surgery. so for about 4 weeks I was in last supper mode (bush)...fast food, pizza, all my favorites. Then i began the preop diet UP 5 pounds according to the nurse. That alone caused me more anxiety. Then for the past 3 days all I;ve wanted to do was treat myself the night before surgery to an entire order of Phad Thai noodes with beef...but I opted to treat myself to reasonable servings of chicken breast, rice, and asparagus instead. Soemday I'll have Thai again (my all time favorite food), but I know it'll be several weeks away and a very very small serving. anyway, you are so not alone. I think this is very common. If you feel the need to bond with some foods before you begin a preop diet (if you have a preop diet) I say do it...but in moderation. Just within reason.

I was told not to have rice, but the others were OK for me. Remember Protein is the key. If you stock up on protein you will feel better and not be as hungry. Check with your Dr. They should have a list for you to refer to. I went and got Egg flour Soup, hot and sour soup and put it in the blender- yummy. Cottage cheese, yogurt, soft poached eggs(again...protein) are good things too. Steam carrots put in blender with a little chicken broth, blend any chunky soup... believe me...I am into week 2 and I am getting creative! The blender is my buddy! Good luck! Jill

Hi, rice may get stuck and even though it's soooooo good, it's not really that great for us bandsters. No protein at all. Just starch which turns into sugar. Mashed pot. aren't so great for us either but at least they won't get stuck. I cut chicken chunks up into tiny, tiny pieces during this stage and chewed them thoroughly. I also ate lots and lots of Yoplait yogurt and SF jello. There's many soups out there too that would be seen as mushy stage food. Cream of pot., Dinty Moore Beef Stew is great too. Just mash up the chunks with a fork. My doc. let me have homemade chili with ground beef at 2 weeks. It went down fine. I had no problems until my first fill. At this time, I began having food get stuck and throwing up. I had to learn how and what to eat. It's a learning process. Just try things you think you might can handle...just a little at a time. Good luck.