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My favorite diets are Mediterranean and Mayo Clinic Diet...which sound a lot like you describe. I'm not a fan of all this animal protein. I've started making vegetable soup with pea powder and brown rice powder in it (a complete amino acid)...to get more veggie protein in. I also eat a lot of nut butter, chia seed pudding, lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc. I like fungus protein, and do some soy. I also do chicken breast, fish, very lean red meat (super trimmed of all fat), eggs, yogurt, etc. But I try to balance it with at least equal plant protein. There is a whole section of this website that caters to vegetarian and vegan recipes for weight loss surgery. In the early weeks post surgery....you're going to have a problem with skins, and seeds...you won't digest them well and they can get caught in your suture line and cause problems. (even in smoothies the tiny seeds can be an issue) Forget about raw veggies and fruits...It all needs to be super soft at first. In the early weeks post surgery...you won't like bread. Or it won't like you. Bread is difficult at first, particularly whole grains. (But you will have a love affair with oatmeal:) ) By two months post-surgery you'll be able to eat almost anything. You can start reintroducing the foods you love. A word about protein.....you have special needs while you're in the weight loss phase as a bariatric patient. You will have a high demand for protein and if you are not consuming it, your body will consume YOUR muscles instead...and one muscle in particular is pretty important...your heart! Eating more protein protects us from muscle wasting. When your weight loss levels off...you can taper it down, but in the rapid weight loss months it's very important. I, too, am a big fan of phytonutrients...so I hear ya.

Hi Sunn, You'll get up and walk as much as possible right after surgery, You'll be hooked up to an IV & your nurse will help you set the pace. I walked hourly and after 8 hours, 2-3x's in a loop. You'll get ice chips at first, and medications for nausea & pain. You'll only be able to consume 2 oz at atime of: broth, SF Italian Ices, SF jellos, SF puddings, SF popsicles & SF drinks at first, then 4 oz by the time you leave the hsp in one hour's time. H20 is so difficult for the next months, so the SF Great Value drinks at Walmart are your best bet, costing less than Crystal Light, you get more & have a great variety. Like most, I was discharged the next day, after I'd been given the SF shakes to try & after my surgeon checked in w me. Your pain & anti nausea meds will be filled before you leave the hsp, and you will need them. Your stomach will be very sore, so sitting or lying down & being propped up with a heating pad on your stomach/abdomen is a good thing to do for yourself. I walked my dogs up and down over and around the sidewalks near my home, By day two I increased my distance & walking speed. During this time I drank my shakes slowly & I built up to 8 oz/per hour. I included in the hour: 8 oz of broth & 8oz of my SF drinks, the SF jellos & 1/2 the bar of SF popsicles, dreamsicles or fudgesicles. Fudgesicles were/are my favorite. You might feel that when you drink anything, right in the middle of your esophagus, you're blocked or have pain: so stop drinking or chewing & let what you've consumed settle. The heating pad's a great help. After 10-15 min, you'll be able to continue on & finish up what you're consuming. I weighed myself everyday, and couldn't quite believe the weightloss, but it's real--you lose weight fast. I got cold during rapid the weightloss all summer. I live in Las Vegas, so it's hot as hell & in the teens by morning with the hottest part of the day around 5 pm. Before sun up, it's steaming. Two weeks post-op, I was cleared to use the treadmill & recumbent bike. Three weeks post-op, I was cleared to begin teaching H20 aerobics, Pilates Reformer, Yoga, etc. 2x's daily. I teach to people with various disabilities/rehabbing injuries, etc. I didn't move quickly, just nice & slow like the turtle. I started walking 2.5 mi to & from the dog parks, and all over inside the dog park following my dogs, I don't stand still & chat or sit down. I've got an Italian Cane Corso Mastiff (2 yrs, 150 lbs), a Giant Schnauzer (2 yrs, 80 lbs) & a mixed Wire-haired Terrier (3 yrs, 20 lbs). Walking them at night was great for me & them, because that's when the heat of the day was dissapaiting & I sweated bullets. Then we'd all hit the pool to swim & cool off. I'd shower us off using our outside showers & we'd air dry quickly. We'd go inside & all of us went right to sleep. When the weather cooled in Nov, no more outdoor pool work, since the pools here aren't heated, unless they're indoors. So that meant morning & evening walks/hikes. A week post-op I was ok'd to add the chewable bariatric multi vitimins, biotin & calcium citrate. By the 2nd week post-op, I was ok'd to start eating up to 3 oz of NF: Cottage Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Cheeses, Fish, Chicken & an egg. Remember your stomach's the size of a sunnyside up egg. I got in an egg & was full. I still continue to drink my 3 protein shakes daily. I sometimes add a tsp of cheese to a scramble egg or make one into a tiny omelette. Eating tiny bits slowly is still an issue for me: I want to eat so much more quickly, but trust me, if you eat quickly it's all going to come right back up & into your washbasin! Fish is easiest for me, followed by chicken/fowl: I can't do beef, pork, etc., can't do salads or raw veggies. I also see a therapist to deal with my emotional eating issues. You'll need to do exactly what your surgeon, PA & nutritionist tells you to do. Mine offers 3 support groups per month all free, so if yours does, go to them. I also belong to an online bariatric support group in my vicinity. One thing I shouldn't be surprised by but still am, is wearing clothes 6 sizes smaller than when I started post-op & seeing how baggy they are! Also, getting compliments & being told how slim & fit I am by my neighbors & clients. I still see that 218 lb. person in my head. From the beginning, post-op, I meditate & do affirmations daily/nightly. Louise Hay, YouTube, has my favorites, but I listen to many others. Hopefully this bio helps you so you can wear your yoga pants & whatever you feel like with confidence & know you've done the greatest thing possible to become healthy. Namaste.

I’m on a 1000 calorie diet two protein shakes per day and a small meal of 3-4oz of protein with salad or vegetables. I’m allowed to have two snacks per day as well piece of fruit, cottage cheese, sugar free jell-o and yogurt. Ugh! I’ve been loving coffee with my premier shakes lately, and I know I have to give it up soon. We were told to go on decaf [emoji37]

I can't believe you were able to get 3/4 cup down. You are lucky. If I eat more than 2 tablespoons I throw up. But the Indian food sounds so yummy. I had some sauce from lasagna and it didn't stay down tonight. I am a month out from surgery. Should have stuck to yogurt. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

hope4momof4, pre-ESG I also had the expectation of "restriction" limiting my eating. It may seem hard to understand however right now the "restriction" is showing itself in a different manner than I expected. Pre ESG I felt like the restriction would be a physical sensation, but as of now I just don't "want" to eat large portions or frequently. Mentally I'm also much more selective (no processed foods, absolute minimum sugar, no alcohol, no caffeine etc.) about what I eat. These choices are driven by the lack of my "cravings" for food and learning from my bad choices what "works" with my new stomach and what foods I need to avoid. I lost 2lbs/week over Christmas and New year's vacation and while we were traveling one night I decided to "splurge" on sautéed mushrooms, one of my favorite dishes. I did not have a good reaction the next morning, upset stomach and many visits to the toilet, so no more sautéed mushrooms for me. I'm still experimenting what works, for example, for a Friday night "splurge" tonight I had 2 onion rings tonight with dinner (grilled salmon). In the past if I started eating good onion rings (and these were delicious) there's no way I would have eaten less than 6-8 of them. I loved the flavor this evening but just had no desire to eat more than 2 of them. I'm hopeful all will go well tonight and I don't have to ban small quantities of Onion rings in the future! The rest of the day I had 2 yogurts (80 cal each) and 2 premier protein shakes (180 cal each), so 520 calories for the rest of the day. The procedure is going to help you a lot and your willingness to be open and committed to changing your life is what will ultimately make you successful! Keep going and sharing, we can all make this change for the positive!

I had been trying solids, chewed to mush, but no go. Painful. Back to protein drinks, cottage cheese and yogurt. I know that even though it smells good, I will pay for it later. Sent from my SM-N950U using BariatricPal mobile app

You'll never feel the way you use to... And it's kinda the point . You'll have to exercise longer to feel winded You'll forget why you used to over eat You'll finally start peeking on the juniors size side of the store (oops that's me) You'll start arguing with food labels questioning why so much sugar (seriously why? It's just yogurt) You'll take way too many selfies from all your new found good angles You'll forget what being heavy feels like You may even forget you ever felt any regrets...

Weight loss is slower than I had imagined it would be, but wow, I am getting stronger.... and while I stalled in December, I am back to losing again. AT least I didn't gain! I am starting to see the return of that toned look, I just need to lose more fat! The workouts are incredible, I premake my meals and have gotten so into cooking, enjoying creative dishes, and then freeze for "tv dinners"that are made from great ingredients. IT is really quite a switch - no more relying on sandwich meat, cheese and a pickle for lunch - I am actually enjoying food. I challenge myself to take delish recipes and make them a bit lower calorie. Example, some dishes that the recipe has you dump in like a cup of heavy cream - instead I use zero fat greek yogurt. Sure, it isn't exactly the same, but I have been feeding other people according to my plan and everyone says "this doesn't taste like diet food - it tastes good!" The other thing I am doing is to be sure to actually eat the full amount. I sometimes slide into that whole "if I starve myself...blah blah". With this program, it is all about firing up the metabolism with the intense (and do I mean INTENSE!) workouts and then fueling it with adequate, high quality food. Anyway, if I buckled down a bit harder and totally gave up wine and going out to restaurants with friends, the progress would be faster. I have decided that mentally/emotionally - I am not in a space to really hit it that hard, so I am settling for slow, but measurable progress. It's awesome to not be hungry, to be truly satiated with food and to be excited about working out. I have decided those things are more important for me than losing quickly.

Aldi brand Greek yogurt. I'm cleared for eggs and toast, but it's just not sitting quite right with me yet. I might try peanut butter and toast next week. Does anyone have an opinion on white vs. wheat toast? White sits with me better than wheat, but wheat is, well, not healthier, but less unhealthy.

Omg! Me too!!!! The doctors saw me yesterday, did barium xray...he was there and saw his beautiful master piece. There is nothing wrong....he prescribed me Nexium. You will not belive how much better I have felt today. Just two doses. I do tend to eat strange foods....I just eat small snacks, instead of a so call breakfast, lunch and dinner. I make cornmeal malt o meal style with about I tablespoon of fat free creamer, 1 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt 2 packs equal. Simmer down to a smooth thick and creamy...hit's the spot. I only eat about two oz. Then about 30 min later an oz of protein Premier banana or chocolate drink, and some water. Two hours later 1string cheese...1/2 container of sugar free jello. Today I ate wonton soup and a half mush noodle..not the meat part. Then about 2 hours later another string cheese and a half oz of yogurt. And at night 6-7 jello, 1/2 cup mash potato with a bit of mayo and Parmesan cheese. Lots of sips of water thru out the day. I most 21 pounds since 12/29. Do not eat fast, do not eat too much and don't drink water while eating. That will make you burp and choke and vomit. Is like pushing too much too fast through a small funnel. Thathe is what made me miserable. The doctor also told me, not to worry if i dont get enough calories or the protein, just drink at least 40 oz of water. I hope that maybe helped !

I’m very boring and only 3 weeks out so protein shake.. I can’t drink just plain but it seems to go down better with some Greek yogurt blended with some banana and orange. Just some type of fruit. I can finish almost half

I say be brave! Do it! It sounds like you are excited about this race......Runs get addicting. Living the dream my friend..Doing intervals of running and walking is a great. It depends on how much running you plan on getting into. The investment is up to you. (This is long..lol I know I'm a running nerd) I you are not training already..Get a good program going. (1) Shoes shoes are something you should invest in as a runner. They do make trail running shoes. Here is some info to fit shoes to your needs: Look at the wear pattern on the bottom of your shoe. Google Neutral shoes Over pronate shoes under pronate shoes. Link to how to fit shoes by runners world. https://www.runnersworld.com/running-shoes/how-to-buy-the-right-running-shoes/slide/6 (2) Hydration. They do have aid and refill stations along the route. Check to see how far apart each station is. That should give you an idea of how much water you need to carey. Two types of hydration systems. Belts and vests. Vests cary larger amounts of water, they have less bounce. they hold tight to your Make sure they have room to hold things --- car keys, running gels, food for fuel, Nuun tabs,and medical stuff you may need (medication..Diabetic testing etc) Gatorade and water are usually at the aid stations..Gatorade turns my stomach upside down. Not promoting this product but it works well for me to avoid dehydration NUUN tabs easy to cary on your rote http://nuunlife.com/hydration/ (3) what to eat before during and after your run. I used a sports medicine dietician.,,. We all have different needs with this. Always consult the professionals first before, during or after a race. Never eat anything that you have not tested to see if you can tolerate it...This includes running gels. (I can't tolerate running gels) Before - Night before I eat plenty of protein (1g per body weight) healthy carbs sweet potato, brown rice, whole wheat pasta or bread steel cut oats. (I can't tolerate rice it bloats me) Morning of the race. I don't like to feel overstuffed - I eat strawberries, yogurt, and oatmeal. I drink in the morning and while driving to the route. Before the run look online or call. Check the event to see what foods will be on hand at aid/refill stations ( Usually bananas apples oranges muffins) I can tolerate a banana..the other stuff does not work for me..sits to heavy when I run. When I'm on a route I try to eat every 1 1/2 hours. OK...Yes I have done the following. Baby food pouches. and protein bars. I have to admit the baby food sat on my stomach better. Some runners have gone as far to by refillable baby food pouches to make their own running fuel mix... https://www.ebay.com/itm/12-Pack-Refillable-Baby-Food-Pouch-great-for-snacks-and-Drinks-USA-seller-/302118806329 After your run..Drink a protein shake for recovery. The rest of your meals as you would normally for the day. If it's a long run might add some carb. Some things I've learned... These items can be found in small sizes to cary on the route. Zantac, Imodium, small ace bandage, small size runners glide/vaseline to stop chafing. moleskin for blisters. small hand wipes after using the porta potty you will thank me!..sunscreen depending on the temp. To keep cool. When you see the aid station volunteers holding out styrofoam cups...Take one and dump it over your head to cool down. Works even better if you wear a baseball cap. (avoid your eyes) lol More info than you probably wanted...Enjoy this run!..I want photos!!!!!

I’m also experiencing the same. Surgery was on 12/27 and I was approved to start soft solids this week. I thought I was doing pretty good as I eat an entire Greek yogurt everyday for breakfast without any problems, but I experience the chest pain, nausea and vomiting after eating soft solids. Even when I try to belch I end up throwing up. Now I’m experiencing acid reflux from all the throwing up. Today I had bad reflux and ate 2 spoons of yogurt to try to coat my stomach, but I ended up throwing that up as well. I think the trick may be taking breaks after a couple of bites to give it time to digest. When I do this I’m able to keep the food down.

Once again here , today is my 20th day post op. Surgery date 12/29. Still can't eat anything other than yogurt 2-4 oz over an hour, protein shake same speed. Anything else( soup , mashed potatoes, Baba ganoush, ) I can eat couple of bites, after 5 minutes of that I start belching , severe pain in chest and eventually I throw up . Now I'm even getting hungry but can't eat anything as I'm scared of the pain.my doctor gave an OK to eat almost a week and a half ago but I can't [emoji853] Anyone else feeling that way ??

I just watched this clip. And i used to coupon and i stopped bc there r rarely ever coupons for healthy food. The occasional salad bag coupon or yogurt. But other than that...its frozen meals n chicken nuggets. As i started to get into a healthier life style i left couponing behind. If i see a good coupon occasionally for healthy options ill use it but other than that ..nope. Its sad bc her husband seems to want to help and she isnt allowing it Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey Jess, I found them at Price chopper...I think they are pretty new. I also love the Siggi's plain yogurt..

Oooh I'm gonna try that yogurt Where do you get those cheese sticks? Sounds divine!

Normally I have 1/2 cup of egg-whites and .5 oz of low fat mozzarella in an omelette, or a chobani fat free Greek yogurt. Today was a bit different because I ate out for breakfast and got 2 eggs and a sausage link. Breakfast is the easiest meal to eat out because of the easy choices and almost everywhere you can order Ala cart.

@etc. etc. etc. i'm also pretty boring having a protein shake in the morning. buttt - i sometimes will scramble 2 eggs. delicious - or even a Fage yogurt with a few fresh blueberries kathy

Ok... I'll bite... I had a Yoplait Light & Fit greek yogurt with 1/2 banana...a couple of hours ago... in a few my snack will be Crustless Mini Quiche I found on My Fitness Pal...

After this fun thread from yesterday about lunches, I thought it would be interesting to see what people have for lunch. I go through weeks on weeks of having nothing more than a shake, so I'm interested to see what others do. Today, I had a Chobani plain greek yogurt with a tablespoon of chia seeds. That particular yogurt is low in carbs, which is good since I'm trying to limit mine. Adding in the Chia seeds gives it fiber, which helps keep me out of the various ohmahgawdI'msoconstipated threads. I let the chia seeds soak in for a few minutes so that they soften and taste better, and then a mix in a little water or tea to make it moist again (otherwise it turns to paste).

This is a myth. The "reset" is to get you back on track with a proper diet. It isn't going to magically make your sleeve smaller. The stretchy part of your stomach is what gets removed. Your new stomach IS supposed to stretch out to an extent over time and you should be able to eat more. You also need to be more specific. What constitues a meal for you? What are you eating? Have you introduced slider foods back into your diet? Is the issue of eating too large of a portion or being able to eat another "meal" 1-2 hours after your last meal? There are key differences here. I wish I could recall the member that originally posted this, but they put up a picture similar to this. So many people were saying it's impossible to eat all of that being a year out. Actually, it isn't as hard as you think. If you start on the potatoes first I could get all of those down and my chicken and some of the veggies. Now flip that around. If I start on the chicken first I'd likely get some of the veggies or potatoes, but that's it. Why? Because I started with the denser protein first. Think of it like this - you're trying to fill a hole with some freshly made cement and some hunks of rock to at as a filler. You can do it two different ways. One way is to pour the cement in first and then throw some chunks of rock into it. The other way is to put all the chunks in first and then pour in the cement. The difference? You'll likely get more of each in by starting with the cement first because it's going to fill all those little voids up. If you started with the rocks the cement may not be able to reach all those little spots or ever reach the bottom. This is a broad overview but do you understand the relationship? It's important to get a good understanding of slider foods and how they work. It isn't to paint the picture that all slider foods are bad for you. I consider yogurt to be a slider food because it's a liquid at room temperature. It's going to break down and go through your system much faster than 4 oz of chicken.

Energy wise the first month was really difficult for me. I'm not much of a napper, but I felt exhausted all the time. Walking is helpful for the healing process and exercise is important, but I didn't stress much about exercising for the first few weeks. I got off to a rough start so my focus was on healing first and avoiding any further complications. If your doc isn't overly concerned at this point that's a good thing. I wish there was a solid answer to your struggles, and it sounds like a cop-out excuse, but the truth is we all react differently. It may be taking longer for your stomach & brain to work together again. After surgery things are in chaos and those signals are all messed up. It is frustrating when a baby spoon full of food can make the difference of being satisfied vs feeling miserable. My suggestion is to keep doing what you're doing. Measure your food and stick to that. Eventually you should be able to add in another spoonful and not be bothered. Stick to that for awhile and then try increasing again. This is difficult phase to go through for a lot of us. The full sensations will come in time. Just keep in mind that with liquids and soft foods like applesauce and yogurt won't typically give you a full feeling as they pass through your system quicker. I had zero appetite in the early days and ate because I needed to, not because I wanted to. Things will start to come together soon. Hang in there!

I had my surgery about a month ago. It has been difficult. I never had pain due to surgery but pain from eating. I don't seem to get a signal of when I am full. It doesn't take much and when I eat that next spoonful it goes over and then the pain begins. We are talking about 4 teaspoons. I make protein the priority - don't want to lose my hair. So I eat plain greek yogurt with no added sugars and protein drinks. I try soups and have had some apple sauce. It is very liquidy then it is sort of ok - though even then I can drink too much. Apple sauce (the kind without added sugar) tastes good but really I can only have 2 teaspoons before it will start to hurt. So I pretty much measure ahead of time based on the experience I have had so far, what I can eat before it hurts. I stop before then and wait. I wish I knew what feeling full felt like. The one thing I am happy about is that I don't get ravenous. I think I feel hungry but not that ravenous feeling I used to get when I would try to diet. I did have a few things that would be considered poor choices - grape juice, potato chip (yep just one) and a few others thing but I could only get so little. I panic and then focus on why I went through this in the first place and try to move on. This is very hard. Not so much eating healthy - just eating period. It takes just one bite to make the difference between being done and pain for the next couple of hours. I hope this doesn't last and I figure out when I am full without pain being associated. Yes, I have seen the Dr and they agree I need to measure ahead of time. Unfortunately, the measurement changes with the food type. I guess it is a brain thing that I will figure out. Oh and the exercise thing - way too tired. I did walk for about 2 hours last weekend. I took breaks in between. Still when I finished, I slept for 4 hours and was wasted for 2 days. Today, I walked about a mile - slept for 2 hours and am still exhausted. Hope this goes away soon too. How was it for everyone else 1 month out?

Breakfast: 2 eggs w/ 1tbl feta/ 1/2c. spinach/ wholly guacamole 100 cal pack 16 oz coffee w/ 1c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk Lunch and Dinner: 3 oz baked chk breast w/ 2 oz green beans Snacks: Fage plain yogurt w/ 2 tbl chopped pecans and pumpkin pie spice Finlandia parmesan/ gouda cheese stick 1/2 oz. almonds