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I’m 6 days post op and on liquid diet. I’m scheduled to go to doctor today and get the push to the next stage which includes yogurt , sugar free pudding, farina. I’m not hungry but I sure miss texture lol. My doctor allows crystal light but only listed lemonade and iced tea. I wonder if I could have other flavors. It’s on my list to ask today. Last night was first night I slept on my stomach and oh what a great night of sleep it finally was!

ok I am back again. Nothing and I tell you nothing has helped me so far. I have elevated my bed and my pillows, I am taking omeprazole, gaviscon, zantac, ginger teas, milk, yogurt I am so desperate to get help! My acid reflex is not getting any better. I am miserable

Hello everyone! Officially 2 weeks post op today. Really struggling with my fluids but still trying to get more and more in! My main problem is food! The irony... it seems like I have a food aversion to everything. I’ve tried some things that work one day and not another. Still on full liquids/ some mushy. I was just seeing if anyone had some ideas besides applesauce, pudding, and yogurt. I can seem to hold beans pretty well but they’re getting boring. Thanks for any ideas Hw-378 Sw- 363 (2/27/18) CW-338.4

For those of us who can't have real cheese yet, I resurrected a very ancient Weight Watchers solution for a modern problem. LOL. Cheese is high binding and may cause some of us newbs to have constipation or occasional irregularity. My surgeon told me for the next few weeks, that I should not eat it. Ok. So I won't. Cuz I don't want to end up in the ER again. Horrors! Enter 2 playahs! 1. Red Star Large Flake Nutritional Yeast. If you squint real hard and cock your head to the side, this parmesan cheesy/ breadcrumby food looks kinda like old, golden Parmesan cheese--the kind from a green can. And it tastes vaguely cheesy. It's a favorite of vegans the world around. And it's available in the bulk isle and also in a jar in the health food section of most groceries. Also Bob's Red Mill carries it as well--that's on the baking isle with the rest of his stuff. Or online... . 2. Greek Fat Free Yo-Cheese (FCC recipe) Makes a little over 1 cup--about 267g after straining--about 75ml of whey from it). Serving size: 1/8th of recipe = about 34g 1 1/2c Greek fat free yogurt, plain (HEB) 1 clove garlic, peeled and pressed 1/2 tsp minced dehydrated onions (Tones) 1/2 tsp parsley flakes 1/4 tsp kosher salt Variations: 1/2 tsp lemon zest 1 tsp fresh lemon juice fresh herbs to taste Using a coffee filter placed inside a small mesh strainer, add yogurt and place strainer contraption over another small bowel or measuring cup. Cover and place in fridge. Allow yogurt to strain for 12-24 hours. Transfer strained yogurt to a bowl and add remaining flavoring agents. Make any kind of cheese you want! It mimics "boursin" or soft farmer's cheese. Nutritional Information Full Recipe*: 204 cals; 35g protein; 0g fat; 14g carb; 0g fiber; 14g net carbs; 11g nat sugars Nutritional Information 1/8 Recipe*=about 34g: 26 cals; 4g protein; 0g fat; 2g carbs; 0g fiber; 2g net carbs; 1g nat sugars *About the carb/sugar count of this cheese: There is no way to know what the true carb count is once this cheese is drained and the whey discarded. The whey is the element that contains most of the sugars and carbs. So by discarding about 75ml of this drained whey, this cheese is almost certainly lower carb and lower sugar than the original Greek yogurt I used. But to be as close as possible, these nutritional counts are derived only from the original ingredient prior to draining. I use this because it's filled with probiotics, is super duper low fat, flavorful, acts like a soft whipped cheese and won't stop me up or set my trains off schedule on the #2 track. I love it stuffed inside an omelet, mixed with lots of overcooked veggies, and smeared inside slices of deli meats. I also love it (down the road) as a veggie dip flavored with Ranch mix. Enjoy!

Today is my first day posting so forgive me if I don’t get the lexicon right the first time. Surgery Date: March 5, 2018 Starting Weight: 261 Surgery Day Weight: 250 Today’s Weight (Week 1): 241 I had a 90 day program working with a dietician and completing all of the pre-operative testing culminating in a 3 day liquid diet prior to surgery. The first day of the liquid diet was hard, but the excitement of my upcoming surgery made the other two days fairly easy. I arrived at the hospital last Monday morning at 5:45 am and was wheeled into surgery at 7:45 am. I don’t remember much of that first day but I was up and walking that afternoon and evening. I was sore and there was pain but it was managed with Roxycodone every 3-4 hours (as long as my blood pressure didn’t drop too low - overnight, I had to wait 6 hours between doses as my BP had dropped below 100 systolic. Day 2 at the hospital was filled with trying to get my fluids in and trying to get the gas out! The pain I was experiencing was mostly related to my abdomen being bloated with gas as a result of the laparoscopic procedure. I was successful on the former (sip, sip, sip!) but woefully unsuccessful on the latter. (In retrospect, I wish I would have walked more that second day.) I was released by noon on day 3 and recovered the rest of the week at home. Below are just a few things that I’ve learned. Please share some of the things you’ve learned as well wherever you are in your journey and let’s help set expectations and share great ideas! 1. When you begin your protein shakes, your bowels will start moving again! I called my Drs office panicked because I pooped! (A bit scary after not pooping for almost a week!) 2. For me, I was unable to lay on my side until Day 6 comfortably. I used a comfy recliner most nights which prevented me from trying to toss and turn from side to side (I’m a side sleeper) 3. Sugar free popsicles are great! 4. I don’t know if this will last, but my taste for broth has changed. Pre-surgery - and for my whole life - I have loved beef and chicken broth. But now, I can’t stand it. 5. You will get bored on the all liquid diet post op. Look for things you can combine. On my plan, I was allowed coffee. The protein shakes I found to be quite chalky in my mouth. On Day 5 I combined the two, using my flavored protein shake as a “creamer” to my coffee. It was warm and delicious and now the only way I get in my protein shake. 6. Listen to your pouch. The one thing you don’t want to do is pop the pouch. The staples need at least 3 weeks to fully heal so follow your surgeon/dietician’s program exactly. No cheating! Two tips my surgeon gave me - if you hiccup, you’ve overfilled - and if you want to clear your pouch sooner, stand up very straight for a few minutes to help facilitate drainage through the small intestine. 7. You will get tired easily - so push yourself but don’t overdo it. I started out walking throughout my house the first few days, up and down the stairs, went outside on Saturday and walked up and down the driveway, and finally went out to a few stores with my husband yesterday. I did okay at the grocery store until we went to check out. All of a sudden I was super tired. When we went to Home Depot to pick out a barn door, I found a chair to sit in while my husband picked up a few things before meeting me in the door section. I was ok walking back to the car but was tired the rest of the evening. Take it slow. Today starts Week 2 and I get to add applesauce, yogurt, mashed potatoes and oatmeal. It’s nice to have something warm and chewy in my mouth again. I will continue to post updates and invite all other March surgery dates to join. Thanks, Roxine

I didn't have much trouble with the goals as I get my protein, water and supplements in. I dont know if my protein regimin would help you. But I sip a premier protien drink half in the am and half around dinner, that's 30g. Breakfast is either a oikos triple zero yogurt thinned down a bit with some skim milk so it doesn't sit so heavy, 15g. Or a dannon light and fit yogurt shake,12g. Whichever I don't have for breakfast I have for a snack later. I eat the yogurt slowly with a baby spoon and get up and walk for a few to help with the bloated gasey feeling. Just those three things are 57g, throw in some broth for dinner and I can usually get over 60g. Water is just a constant small sip, but ever since surgery and having only ice chips that day I have a new found love of ice water. I have a 24oz shake cup that goes with me everywhere.

I actually like the Premier shakes. I let them get almost frozen. They taste so much better that way. I've never heard of triple zero yogurt but I'll look into it.

I CAN FINALLY HAVE PUREED FOODS! My NUT emphasized that all foods must be put through a blender or a food processor for two weeks. So when I google search for "pureed" foods I get "mashed with a fork till soft", oh well. I just made a pot of autumn carrot and sweet potato soup following this recipe and replacing the butter with coconut oil: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/autumn-carrot-and-sweet-potato-soup.html I also squeezed a lemon after it was done and added some smoked spanish paprika. AND IT IS TO DIE FOR. I had 4 tablespoons though and got completely full. Did NOT experience this with yogurt or other liquids. Wow.

Maybe the beans were too ridged - try something more smooth like yogurt or cottage cheese For me, it was the same and each day got easier but I started off with small amounts and increased daily trying to get myself acclimated to solids again HW 242, SW 236- (Bypass 12/20/17) GW#1- 199 [emoji736] (2/11/18) GW#2- 175 CW 190 5’6”

I'm doing great with Protein. I start off each day with a Premier Protein brand premade shake which has 30 grams! I have greek yogurt which has about 12 grams. I have 1- 16oz bottle of Protein2 0 which is a protein infused water that has 15 grams or the Premier Protein Clear which has 20 grams (I was told that the protein water counts toward both fluids and protein so double whammy 😁) The rest of my fluids are plain water. Then I finish the day with another Premier Protein shake (30 grams) or a pudding, soup, etc with unflavored protein powder added (10-20 grams) So, protein intake can range from 67-92 grams. I am a 4' 11" female.

Any chance its lactose intolerance ? Yogurt, pudding, protein powder/shakes all lactose intolerance nightmares And the bloating/cramping are telltale symptoms Not to mention lactose intolerance is common after WLS

Yasso frozen greek yogurt pops. The fudge one is amazing. 80 calories, 6g of protein! So not even really that horrible for you. https://yasso.com/products/bars/chocolate-fudge/

All minutia aside....you had... An egg, 1/4 cup of beans, and little bit of yogurt. Looks fine to me:)

18 Days Post-Op - 212.8lbs (9.6lb loss from SDW) Ok, was gonna wait until 3 weeks to make my next post but yeah, the post op crazies (insecurities) are rearing their ugly head and callin' me "FREAK" in ginormous all caps YELLING! Pooping continues to be filled with angst. I'm taking 17g of Miralax, 2 colace, 2 tsps of mag citrate daily, while blasting with 60ml of MOM every 3rd day. F me! WTF??????? So today is MOM day again. *le sigh* So last night, I shocked and surprised myself by eating the biggest meal in my post surg history. Holy Fu*k! At 3 weeks my capacity per my RD sheets is supposed to be 1/4-1/2c and that should be closer to 1/4c. It's 1-2oz by weight for protein, up to 1/4c soft cooked veg or very soft canned fruit or applesauce, and whatever room is leftover a bite or two of starch. So last night I made a bean and cheese omelet. I'm still off cheese, so I made yo-cheese from Greek yogurt and spiced it up and added a shake of "nooge" = nutritional yeast that sorta tastes like parmesan if you squint and cock your head a little bit. In my former life, I grew up eating bean, egg and cheese breakfast tacos! I ATE the whole thing. Let me repeat! I ATE THE WHOLE THING! Am I yelling? Cuz I think I am! Here's the exact dinner: Dinner Last Night - Black Bean and Egg Omelet 1 large brown egg, beaten 1 fl oz Fairlife FF Milk, beaten into egg 3 seconds EVOO spray 1/4 c FF Refried Black Beans with granulated garlic, ground cumin, and ground coriander 20g Greek yogurt 1/2 tbsp Nutritional Yeast Nutritionals: 168 calories; 14g protein; 8g fat; 13g carbs; 5g fiber; 8g net carbs; 2g natural occurring sugars I believe the ONLY way I'm going to get my bowel function back is by getting my food fiber back up and by moving a lot and staying well-hydrated (and healing more--let's not forget that). But how in God's name could I have comfortably eaten this entire meal when most people at my stage can't finish a single egg? Am I fu*king up my new gift by eating this quantity???

Surgery is March 12 and what I’m most scared about is getting enough water afterward. Also, my surgeon has me going straight to stage 2 purred food. My questions: 1) Does protein water count toward your water goal? What about protein shakes? 2) I’ve read that it will initially take 10 min to drink an ounce. How long before you can just take normal sips? 3) Does yogurt, hummus, soup etc count as “food” i.e. will I have to wait 30 minutes after these foods to drink water? Thanks!

All doctors are different but mine allowed super free pudding, yogurt, and soups like tomato, any kind of cream soups ensuring they were strained or puréed for lump. One of my favorites was cream of potato with a sprinkle of cheese and real bacon bits puréed in a blender.

Day 10 post op, and my incision FINALLY stopped hurting! I couldn't be happier. Yesterday I went to a family gathering and I brought my broth and yogurt with me and surprisingly it went okay. I thought I had mad cravings big time because I kept looking at recipes and my insane cookbook collection and dying for a bite... but when the food was there in front of me I didn't really want it (not that I could have it). I sat with them for tea and talked and didn't miss out at all. One interesting thing though, I was definitely a dessert person pre-op.. I mean, I was a recipe developer and baker (I baked 3 layer gourmet cakes every weekend lol), but now I don't even have the slightest craving for something sweet :/ The only thing junky I craved was... chips LOL mom is a tiny person who loves chips to this day, and that's the only thing I really craved. I don't know if it'll last or not but I can't tolerate anything sweet anymore. I used to use a tiny bit of stevia in my tea and now even that tiny bit is too sweet. Oh, I'm down 18 pounds since surgery!

Thanks again Tex. I think that you are right. My calories may be over 1000 for the day but I’m not sure if it’s because of the smoothie. I have been logging my food on the lose it app and it looks like my snacks are doing me in!😣😖 I was meticulous for two days in logging in all my food and snacks were taking up 300-400 calories 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ I kept thinking, these are healthy snacks like nonfat Greek yogurt and sugar free popsicles and fudgsicles but too many of them add up. Yikes!! Plus I was drinking 2-3 protein waters a day. I may be getting more than enough protein but the calories were too much. I have also paid more attention to drinking water. That is the only thing I’ll drink from now on. No more crystal lite either. Your weight loss numbers are great Tex and I agree that as long as I continue to lose even if incremental I’ll get there. This is only my first month— I lost 12 pounds and you’ve lost 16 not much of a difference. Thanks for making me feel better yet again. I’m going to look at my weight lose by the month and possibly it will put things in perspective. Hope to post better news next time.

Last night I ate about 2oz of yogurt and then 30 mins later about 3oz of sf pudding. I don’t know what happened but since then I’ve felt uncomfortable and bloated. Woke up this morning and it was still there! I haven’t been able to eat all day. Took a few sips of protein shake over the last 8 hours. That’s it. I’m 7 days post op. Starting to worry. Anyone else had this?

It depends on what stage you are at in your journey. If you are pre-op now, I wouldn't worry about using protein shakes. Trust me, you will get sick of them soon after surgery, so you don't want to exacerbate the problem by drinking protein shakes before you need to. Best protein sources pre surgery and post surgery are fish and lean meats. Greek yogurt and cottage cheese help as well (just keep the carbs below 20g per yogurt). You can get plant based proteins, as well, but I found it is a lot harder until you get further along. In my first few weeks, I mixed the protein powder with broth, diluted 100% juice, FairLife milk, and I actually made these 2 once jello cups and mixed in the Genepro. Each Jello cup gave me 12.5 grams of protein. As I went into pureed foods, I did a lot of soups. Mostly of my own making, because so many of the store bought soups have too much sodium in them. The recipe for the jello cups: 1 box of sugar free Jello with 5 scoops of GenePro protein. Makes 14, 2oz cups. I bought the cups from the dollar tree. They are plastic with lids that restaurants will send home condiments in.

My experience was very similar. My first mushy food was mashed potatoes (in the hospital - my program starts mushy very quickly) and I felt nauseous and weird. Eating very slow and tiny little bites were key - like smaller than you can even imagine. Also, walking around right after I ate every time helped a lot. I found for the first couple of months every time I tried a new food I would feel a little nauseous but then the next time with that food I would be completely fine. Just keep mixing it up and trying. Maybe try the beans without the cheese or something different like yogurt or cottage cheese (depending on what your program allows). Also - if you spray low fat cheese with a tiny bit of cooking spray it will help it melt better

Hey sorry to hear that. I have issues vomiting and it hurts very badly. Why are you vomiting is it because food doesn’t agree with you or maybe you drank to fast or ate to fast? Just mark it off your list to not be able to eat it if it is food wise. We really shouldn’t be having chocolate chip cookies or anything sugary. If sugar is your weakness, mainly because it is mine, the alternatives. I ordered some items from Bariatric pal as treats (not that I’m a pet) to give myself every once in a while. Check it out or try your local nutrition store like Vitamin Shoppe or GNC. I am post RNY 2/7/18 and had my one month visit today officially 18.7lbs down. Just be very careful and mindful of the things you try. You don’t want to give yourself a bowel obstruction or hurt your new stomach. No one likes hospital stays. As for the vomiting, we don’t vomit like we use to because we lack stomach juices so the acid that helps dissolve our food is not really in our new stomach so vomiting at least for me is very painful because it comes back up the way I chewed it down. Hope it gets better. Food is secondary, make sure you always start your day with a bottle of water then hit your protein source. Vitamins, H2O, Protein is what you need. All I can say is go with what you like weather it is eggs, yogurt, milk, cheese, beans, eat what you like the most and try to meet your goals. As long as you try everyday your hardest, you can accomplish it.

I am only allowed 3 meals a day, but everyone does what they can. I did snack once today. My routine: Breakfast: 4oz decaf, 2 cups ice, 11oz caramel protein premier ( iced coffee)30g P Lunch: Greek Yogurt (7.5g-15g P depends if I stagger it and eat it all throughout the afternoon) or Dannon Light and Fit Smoothie Yogurt (9g P) Dinner: Egg and cheese omelet style 7-8g P or Shredded Chicken and cheese 15g P or more or deli meat and cheese 10g P or more With my night meds I drink 4-8oz of Fairlife for added protein (6.5g P to 13g P) I hope everyone else is accomplishing well. All my servings never exceed 2-3oz and if they do it is very drinkable and takes me longer than 30 mins to consume. I do drink water throughout the day as well.

Hey Hope4momof4 great post, thanks for adding the calories. You are getting more than enough protein, couple minor suggestions. Here's how your diet compares to mine, I'm eating about 800-1000 calories per day: 2 eggs in morning, have less protein ( only 12G) but also less calories (125) than smoothy. Morning snack non-fat yogurt. 17 gram protein, 90 calories For lunch and dinner think about using a scale for protein and veggie portions. For lunch I eat 3 ounces protein (usually chicken) 23 g protein, 200 calories. Afternoon snack- sugar free pudding 60 calories For dinner I'm using 3-4 ounces of protein and 1/4 cup of brown rice or pasta and 1/4 cup of green veggies. Salmon 2x per week, Chicken 2x per week, steak once. Usually about 300 calories, 20 grams protein. One more thought if I look at weight loss by month, don't get too depressed with only first month, there's more weight loss to come. Stick to your plan, you can Here's my weight loss by month: First month 16 lbs 2nd month 13 lbs 3rd month 10 lbs Let me know what you think, Tex

ROFLMAO!!!! I am so sorry for any and all who have endured this Rosemary's Baby event!!! @kennyranking You win the internet dude!!! Seriously! Anaconda? Ha!! I JUST went through this on Monday! Pain like never before! Throwing up my toes! Couldn't keep ice chips down! Went to ER, had to get fluids, CT, xrays, barium swallow...and got iv meds for nausea and bowel spasms. And then had to load on the colace and MOM! It took 8oz of Mom to finally dislodge Rosemary's Baby! Dear God, Satan's Spawn!!!!!! 6 poopies later - today...LOL> This was all backed up since pre-surge liquid diet. The doc saw it in surgery and told me to get going getting it cleaned out--which I thought I had! But um, clearly. I had not! Man WORST pain evs. Worse than surgery!!! FU fentanyl and anesthesia! Just FU! LOL. Today my bowels are still gassy, windy, noisy as well, um, crap! But I have started eating again. And am concentrating on yogurt and taking things slowly! I am now on a strict regimen of daily colace, Miralax, watching to make sure I poo every couple of days max. And I'm sposed to slowly start Benefiber. Later, I can go back to my beloved whole psyllium husks.