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I never went to puree stage. I went from full liquids to soft foods. I pretty much ate greek yogurt, cottage cheese, no fat Refried Beans, scrambled eggs, pudding for the 1st 7 days of the diet. Then introduced canned chicken and tuna, deli meats and soft cooked veggies. This week I will introduce ground meats.

Hi everyone, I had my surgery on 5/2/2018 and, Alhamdulilah, I am doing very well! I have transitioned from liquids to soft foods and can tolerate nearly everything. EXCEPT DAIRY! So, after I got home, my liquid diet consisted of mainly shakes and yogurt which I had all prior to my surgery. Then, after 6-9 hours, I would have dumping syndrome. It was exasperating and confusing. I called my doctor's office, left a message, and then started doing some research online. I found a website by a surgeon in Alaska that said 90% of DS patients cannot digest dairy products with lactose. A fact that they never mentioned in the 4 nutrition classes prior to surgery. When the dietition at my surgeon's office finally called me back, she said, "Oh yes, that happens frequently to DS patients." GAH! Did you think to mention it????? Anyway, I just wanted to give a heads up to my fellow DSers that the probability of this happening is high. The good news is it is not permanent. They said dairy can be reintroduced around the 6 month mark. Which means cheese and I are not separated forever. I hope my experience is beneficial info to you. Peace and blessings be upon you. Rania

Try the different brands and see if you do find one you like. I am chocolate-allergic, I do have the blueberry Muscle Milk, I do find it thick but I thought it was just because it claims to be a yogurt formulation. ,I do have a suggestion , try Svelte, it is soybased but I honestly don't taste the soy in it. I have the French Vanilla, my barifriend Little Green has the cappuccino, I'm sure they have a chocolate as well as other flavors. You do have a lower protein count per bottle but. I like it and it is a little thinner.Wal-Mart has come out with their house brand Equate, equivalent to Premier Protein in formulation. My local has chocolate, vanilla and caramel. Runs maybe $5.25, Muscle Milk 5.98, Pure Protein about the same and Premier Protein 7.27. Of course Premier also has the most flavors as well chocolate, vanilla, strawberries and cream, cookies and cream, bananas and cream, peaches and cream( my favorite) and the caramel which makes a lovely creamer in coffee. Wal-Mart also has in Protein 20 and some other brands of protein shakes I haven't tried. I think everybody is trying to get into the bariatric game you can find ones at health food stores, Whole Foods. GNC, I've been looking around , I'm not to the presurgical liquid diet,have been dabbeling trying find the best for me personally. Gosh I want to do so good at this, I. can't reschedule life for later, I'm 72👵 and this is my golden time. PS I'm not grayhaired I have strawberry blonde still, not a gray hair to be found.

Tomorrow’s the day! I feel like it snuck up on me. I’ve spent the past 2 weeks taking care of my husband that I hardly noticed the time passing. As I prepare for tomorrow, I can’t help but feel like I am not prepared. Even though I’ve probably purchased more things than necessary... I have 4 different soups prepared and frozen (I kid you not I’ve had my crockpots going for over 24 hours to make the bone broths and chicken stocks!) enough premier protein for the next several weeks, and several other brands/flavors in case the premier is a bust due to post-surgical changes. I’ve got Greek yogurt a-plenty, fairlife milk and almond milk. And I’ve spent all weekend in the kitchen cooking up meal after meal for the fam so I can have a full week to recover before the mom/wife duties resume... I’ve got a ton of mini-plates (I have a collection now. I tend to collect oddities. I have a huge collection of coffee mugs, and now my obsession is decorative mini plates. I have issues LOL). I’ve got the spoons, forks, a plethora of different vitamins because damn chewables are gross. I even purchased a pillow wedge, toilet seat raiser, squatty potty, the colace/miralax/MoM/other various pooping aides... Despite having what seems like an arsenal of items, I feel so underprepared. I guess my anxiety is rearing it’s head. I don’t feel nervous about the surgery itself, I feel nervous that I’m forgetting something important. Anyone else feel like they had nonsensical worries before their surgery? The normal worries, complications in surgery, possible injury, or even non succeeding with the tool don’t plague me at all. Instead I’m paranoid that I don’t have enough plates, or that my protein powder will run out (even though realistically I probably have enough to last me a good 3 months straight) or that I won’t be able to take those terrible vitamins. Slap some advice or tough love on me! I need some help getting out of my own head!

I had my surgery on May 3 and was in the hospital until May 5th. The surgeon also did a hernia repair through my belly button. He said I had a bit of fat he had to tear apart to fix the hernia and deal with some scaring as a result of my lap band I had from 2002 to 2010. It's now been 9 days, and I am FINALLY under my pre-surgery weight. For the first time in 8 years, my scale was under 300! I've been having some difficulty with activity because of the leakage of fluids (was pinkish clear, but now there's a lot less liquid and its more of a yellow-brown clear) from my belly button. I saw my surgeon yesterday and he said my belly button looked like it was healing fine (along with my other incision sites). His suggestion was to keep changing the cotton ball in my belly button each time it gets soiled, and try hydrogen peroxide once a day to clean it out. Basically, any time I get up and move around much, or do any bending, my belly button weeps So, I try to avoid much bending ( to whomever came up with the claw thingy that I can use to pick stuff up from the floor). As for diet, my surgeon moved me to the puree stage. I've been drinking protein shakes, milk, and water with unflavored protein powder and a dash of flavored drops. I have also been enjoying soups with unflavored protein powder stirred in, mashed potatoes and gravy, and Dannon Triple Zero Greek Yogurt. I think this evening I will try cottage cheese pureed and maybe some refried beans (if I get up the energy to drive to Taco Bell). I'm still taking 3 Percocet a day (7 a.m., 3 p.m. and 11 p.m.) and one muscle relaxer at 11 p.m. I've been getting some great sleep in my recliner thankfully, but just started sleeping in my bed today (took a mid-morning nap and it went well in bed). I'm also going to switch to regular Tylenol at my 3 p.m. med time starting tomorrow. Going to try to be off Percocet by next Friday. We'll see how that goes, as I also have Fibromyalgia my pain tolerance is very low. As for my diabetes, the highest my blood sugar has been since surgery was 143, but usually stays around 115. This morning my fasting blood sugar was 100, so I am very excited about that. I'm off all insulin, but Friday my surgeon asked me to resume Metformin for a month and then we may discontinue it if my numbers stayed low. Considering I hadn't been taking it since surgery, and they are running in the 115s, it will be interesting to see what the Metformin does when I restart it tomorrow.

Foods that pretty much turn to liquid in your stomach and "slide" right through. Some are perfectly acceptable, like yogurt, others can become a real problem like milkshakes, chips (turn easily to mush) or crackers. Since they don't stay in your stomach for long, you don't get a feeling of fullness and can easily over-indulge.

I'm so glad I'm not the only one, I wonder what they are from. It's the same here, it feels hard to catch a breath after I have the hiccup... I was a bit confused on the crushing or not, and I did get one. There was a booklet my doctor gave me that said to crush all meds and not to use capsules.. but then his nurses were telling me that small pills and capsules are fine and the whole time I was there they were giving me pills whole with water. I even asked to clarify and they said it was absolutely fine... I may crush some though if it keeps feeling the way it does. I didn't take my vitamins yesterday but I will today. (All but the multvitamin.. I got liquid and it's 6% alcohol, go figure. I called and he told me to wait until Monday for that one. So as long as he knows about it.) Oh my gosh, I'm glad I'm not the only one but I'm sorry other people have this too baha! I didnt know how to explain the half hiccup other than to call it that- it makes breathing afterwards a real pain in the butt. The pain is about the same here, but I will say getting up out of bed today was a breeze for me. Sitting on the toilet hurt a bit, but then got better after I was back up and walking. Yay for gas going away! I'm a bit jealous.. I'm on a clear liquid until Monday diet lol. Though Im not a big fan of yogurt so that's not too bad, but wouldn't mind having a few other options. Just finished my protein and felt super nauseated for a bit but feeling better now.

It is so funny that you mentioned the hiccup. I have the same thing, even the “half” hiccup. 🤣 When I don’t move or drink I hardly have any pain. Walking is ok but getting up and down is still pretty painful. My gas is finally moving and starting to come out ... what a relieve!! I am on a liquid diet which means I can have even yogurt but thinned out. It has to be pouring consistency.

What Allwet said . I’m eating 4-5 small meals.... protein centered. Meals are about 4 ounces- 3 ounces of protein with another ounce of veggies Snacks are sugar free , yogurt or cheese Have you talked to your dietician/ nutritionist?

Man I wished food smelled awful! It all smells like heaven and I am stuck at the gates! I was sleeved on April 27th - I had two days of a clear liquid diet prior to surgery then clear liquids two days after, and protein shakes and clear liquid for two weeks, today is my first day of soft protein. I can have three ounces a day. So after 16 days of nothing solid I am eating a yogurt and it is divine! Lost 19 pounds since surgery, I am pretty pleased at that--sometimes I feel like I should of lost more--compensation for pain and suffering.

I had my surgery 5/9. I’m on stage 2 diet already because my surgeon does that for most of his sleeve patients the day after surgery. I started out with some jello and yogurt and now am eating part skim ricotta. What I’m struggling with now is that I don’t feel hunger or fullness and I am worried about overeating.

Why no yogurt? But whipping cream is fine. Aren't they based on the same thing? I am having re-gain and really need help. Am thinking of trying this but not sure how to go about it. Not sure what to eat and why or what not to eat. Can you sort of outline a typical week or several days worth of menus? That would be awesome.

I recently had a tough few weeks. I was eating more carbs and snacking at night and doubled my calories. To get back in control I just took it a day at a time and tried to see patterns that hurt me. For example at night my snacks were yogurt and cheese, things that leave room for more snacking. I switched to 2-3 ounces of deli turkey and now I’m too full to eat more. Same with meals, if you start with 3 or so ounces of dense protein it’s really tough to eat much else. I also ramped up the exercise a lot by taking up jogging and some longer bike rides. some guidance / rules from my program: eat protein first, then veggies and few or no carbs. For snacks only have protein, if protein doesn’t sound good then it’s just head hunger, no drinking within 30 mins of eating, get 60+ grams of protein a day and 64 oz water, only have lean protein and track everything. Stalls are super common and expected.

I'm only slightly pink. And it will turn to tan, even on lymphedema arm. But I never get really truly dark. I ket lots (more) freckles! We're coming to the hill country in June and then hopefully again in July to a different area. We spent most summers at the Frio! Woot! *********** Thank you and glad you're here! Hope you'll post often! Central TX and red hair and freckles is tough!!! Where in the Hill Country? No burn, just a little heat "tiredness" not even exhaustion. Just a stupid stupid move on my part. The shakes will be over soon. I still do 1/2 of a PP per day. I use it as coffee creamer and love it!!! I probably will still be doing it next year! It makes it easier so I get to eat 2-2.5oz of protein at a meal and have more room for veggies! Your broth sounds lovely. Greek yogurt leaves me too hungry. So I don't eat it often. Sometimes as dessert with SF choco syrup and low fat PB powder, but that's not too often. I do find it best to weigh daily. There was a study that says daily weighers lose up to 15% more weight than those who don't. I find it truly keeps me honest and on my toes. But the down side is it can be aggravating! ((hugs))

Sorry you got overheated, it is easy to do since we are already hitting the 90's in our (central) part of Texas. Will be taking my pup to the community park near us soon to walk under the trees but I try to be out there no later than 7. I am vampire pale with red hair and freckles and have used industrial strength sunblock since childhood so it is routine to me. Nothing worse than a sunburn... All you food sound so good as I face ANOTHER week of the protein shakes...I told my husband last night that I am NEVER drinking another one for the rest of my life. Made some chicken "soup" last night with broth and some greek yogurt and I almost cried since it was so good!! Do you find it helpful to weight yourself daily? I do but I know some advise against it. I really enjoy your posts!!

Boiled eggs string cheese yogurt nuts HW 270 SW 238 CW 188 VSG 11/7 [emoji471][emoji471][emoji471]

Oikos triple zero yogurt super food bowl with strawberry ,Acai powder hemp hearts chia seeds and cacao nibs literally amazing HW 270 SW 238 CW 188 VSG 11/7 [emoji471][emoji471][emoji471]

On 4/16 I had my band removed and the sleeve was done. At my week follow-up I had lost 22 pounds and today at my appointment I had gained 4. I felt as someone let the air out of me!!! I don't eat soo many of the things on the list for this stage(oatmeal,yogurt,cream of wheat) and I have been making myself eat jell-o although I am not a fan. So I am thinking of just going back to broth for a while and trying to get my water and protein drinks in. I DO NOT WANT TO FAIL and I know this is the crucial time to drop as much as I can. Any suggestions????

The protein shakes do get old the first week, but they do help. Each doctor is different in their post-op instructions so I'm not sure how long you have to be on liquids. I know when I started with soft foods, cottage cheese and high-protein yogurt helped me get my protein. Check the protein shake cook book at bariatricfoodie.com, too. All the best to you!

Hey All - I am heading out on a 4 day kayaking trip. We will sleep in a cottage every night and have breakfast and possibly supper there before/after each day trip. I am planning meals for the cottage and while out on the water or parked on the shore. The cottage has electricity, stove, oven, microwave and fridge and I will have a cooler with me in my kayak. I am on diet 3, soft foods. I was wondering if anyone had and any ideas to share for food and snacks. I am used to being on the go with school and work. I have mostly been doing good but have skipped some meals and snacks in the past week in favor of convenience when busy. I am looking for things that are easier to set up, store and eat. For my health and good habits, and so I don’t get weak on the trip, I want to really stop and focus on making sure I can fit high protein, nutritive food into my day. I am fairly active, so I was told to have 3 meals and 3 snacks. An example of what I have been doing when I allow myself the time to prepare and eat properly: Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg, 1 tbs cottage cheese Snack: 6 oz 2% Fairlife milk Lunch: 4 shrimp (about 2 ounces), 2 ounces puréed spinach Snack: 2 ounces yogurt Supper: 2 ounces red lentil purée, 1 ounce puréed quinoa, hemp, cottage cheese blend (yes, it really puréed!) Snack: 0.5 ounce grav lox, 1 oz cottage cheese, 0.5 ounce avocado I plan to have a very stern conversation with myself and make every effort not to skip meals or snacks. Rather than sacrifice quality (I don’t love prepared foods), I have been sacrificing quantity (not eating) due to being so busy. And I always say we’re never too busy to get it right at work, so I need to implement that in every day life, too. In a pinch, I’ve eaten part of a little packet of almond butter or half an Epic or DMX bar. I guess I could do that but I was trying to think of more options. Does anyone have any other on-the-go and travel meal and snack ideas?

It's too soon to worry much about this now. Probably more important to concentrate on your water to make sure you don't get dehydrated. I didn't hit my water goals at all early on, but didn't get dehydrated--and I'll admit that my energy just sucked the first month. Had none. It picked up after I moved to real foods, although I still haven't had the burst of energy a lot of people describe having. Although, as one doctor pointed out to me today, think about the energy it takes for you to carry around 75 or 100 pounds all the time! I still have a lot of excess weight I'm lugging around . . . Protein will be easier when you have more choices--I still rely on cottage cheese, for example, almost every day. Yogurt is a good choice early on, though I couldn't eat more than half a container for a long time. Cheese (including cheese sticks as a snack) is helpful. Eventually, a handful of nuts. You'll get the protein and you'll always have those tasty, tasty shakes (she said sarcastically) to fall back on. As far as the protein water goes, I personally like it, but if you don't like one brand, try another before giving up on it. Sweetness levels and so forth vary. Hang in there, it will get easier.

True Keto is very high fat (like >70 grams), moderate carb (30-45 grams) and very low carb (<20) a day. I am 4 years out and have been Keto for a while. My surgeon and docs are all for it, I used this to conquer some regain and also to resolve a health issue. It is quite different from a 'bariatric' diet. I don't drink milk or eat yogurt anymore, I follow the rules of keto, I eat my macros calculated out for me. They change as my weight goes down. I also incorporate Intermittent Fasting which also has made a huge difference. I will probably eat this way forever. There are tons of resources out there, especially on youtube and there are substitutes for EVERYTHING, but I try to stick to a very basic food list.

Flip side.... I've been eating Mayo Clinic Diet for about a year...which has a ton of fruit, whole grains, beans, potatoes, brown rice, veggies, protein, etc. (I also eat protein bars and frozen yogurt bars in moderation and love them) I eat 1200 calories every day and have since week three after surgery.....and at support group, my progress has been as good or better than people eating Keto and very restricted calories. In the end...it's best to work with your nutitionist and do what works for you. Best Wishes:) PS...don't forget that exercise is critical to weight loss. My doctor writes my exercise recommendation on a prescription pad.

Honestly, no. It's pretty organic. I follow my RD and surgeon's advice and leave it there. And it naturally falls to around 20% carbs (from low glycemic veggies + very small amounts of low glycemic fruits), 40% fat, 40% protein. I eat around 650-750 cals per day working toward 800cals/day. I get between 68-74g protein per day aiming for 74g protein. I eat healthy fats (avocado, almonds/walnuts/pecans/low fat nut butters/other nuts & seeds), olive oil, butter, ghee. My main protein source in this order is eggs, fish, shrimp, chicken breast, turkey, pork, venison, lean natural beef from TX--in that order. I eat VERY tiny amounts of lentils and other beans along with the seeds, but I don't look to them to give me my main source of protein. My main veggie sources are: leafy greens (baby spinach, baby super greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, rbp, red onion, grape tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, garlic). My main sources of fruit when I eat it is: blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, peaches, GS apple WITH peel). I eat VERY cleanly with VERY little crap and almost no "treats" like sugar free things like Halo Ice Cream, yogurt bars, protein bars (aka candy bars), etc. I'm a puritanical little putz. It works for me. Keeps my body well-nourished without extraneous carbs or "fictitious play" calories, gives me enough fiber to keep my gut biome happy, and me happy. I poop daily now with a little help from my "friends" lol. So my meals look like this: B1: 1/2 Premier Protein in decaff coffee as creamer B2: 2-2.5oz lean protein + 1-1.5oz veg + healthy fat L: same as B2 AS: same as B2 D: same as B2 BS: 1.5oz Premier Protein in decaff or decaff hot tea as a bedtime drink If you want a NON-bariatric excellent book on low carb - then go to the masters: Drs. Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek in The Art And Science of Low Carbohydrate Living available on Amazon.

I am one month post sleeve tomorow. It has been harder than I anticipated. It has been an extremely isolative process. I had to go back in for 4d after the surgery for minor (mostly preventable) complications. From the surgery on 4/11 to 5/1 I was drinking maybe 20-30 ounces a day (that's being generous). I was taking about half my vitamins and eating maybe 3-4 ounces a day of the program recommended 6 ounces per dy. Popscicles have been my best friend. I couldn't get enough protein, barely 8oz. I had to be put on infusion week 3. Now at week 4, after the infusion of fluid and vitamins, I feel relatively normal. I drink water when I wake and take my vitamins. Then I drink close to a complete protein shake. By 10 or 11 I can maybe tolerate something to eat. I got VERY conflicting info about what constitutes puree. The surgeon said if I can mash it with a plastic fork it's ok so I have been going by that which has widened the availability of foods I have eaten. I've had oatmeal made with a little butter and skim milk (very liquidy), carrot pasta (with tomatoe sauce until I realized no tomotoes on my list opps), pureed chicken salad, chicken with zuchini pasta and alfredo (until I realized alfredo even homemade isn't on the list), all kinds of mashed well chewed fruits, tons of yogurt (not light because I don't eat artifical sweetners) and soups/broths. I haven't been nauseous nor have I thrown up (though my carrot pasta and eggplant no sauce dinner just now gave me cause for concern). I do get hungry mid-day and evening, my sugar seems to drop because by hungry I mean hangry, otherwise I'm fine. I do think about food, food prep and what I can or sometimes sadly what I can't eat. I am probably grieving a little. I have an extremely strong faith so I stay positive. I have lost 30lb from my highest and 23 since surgery day-I can't see it which makes me a little sad. I am extremely self conscious and wear mostly my bigger clothes. Now for anyone who is still reading this extremely I know long post, is my experience similar to anyone!?! Mostly referring to the food as I am not certain if I am eating the right things and since the infusion I haven't spoken to the dietician because they said focus on the protein so I have and now I get at least 40g a day not including the 3 proteins I eat a day. Also the sense that I haven't really lost. I know what the scale says but that doesn't connect with my brain. Also I still can't get enough water which is odd because I LOVED ice cold plain water pre-surgery but now the gurgling sound it makes and the way it feels going down grosses me out. Also the only thing cold I can tolerate is popsicles . All of that to say.... any logistical insight anyone can give great. Mostly it just feels good to get all of this off my chest because I haven't talked to many other bariatric patients (missed the support group with readmit and infusion). If you read all this wew God bless you!