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The sensitive nose thing for sure, one week post-op and the seafood department at Kroger nearly knocked me flat. I'm at 2 weeks out now, and I still can't stomach the premier shakes, I have to use the "clear" protein drinks. Crystal light is way too sweet, and I don't even want to think about SF jello or popsicles. I have a lot of "head hunger" cravings, but who knows what those foods would even taste like to me now. My favorite yogurt tasted weird and bitter, but now I LOVE a flavor I used to be ambivalent about. So weird.

I'm on day seven of the liquid diet from hell. (surgery December 5th) I'm hungry and grumpy. I would not wish this diet on my worst enemy. 5 premier proteins, sugar free jello, sugar free Popsicles, broth...and 100 calories of either cream of wheat or yogurt. it's ghastly, and I miss food. On the other hand....i'm waking up almost a pound lighter every day, and it's a good mental prep for the psychological crazy of the post surgical diet. I do feel prepared for what I'm about to undertake.

Hi - just checking in! My surgery was 9/28 (two months tomorrow/9 weeks out on Thurs). I am down 36 lbs from surgery and 70 lbs total (had to do a 3 month physician supervised diet that I started in mid April). With the exception of needing to take Miralax or Ducolax to get things moving, I haven't had any complications or issues from surgery. Although I feel like making sure I get all my water and protein in is a full time job and I am really tired of yogurt with protein powder (I do not like shakes), this has been a really easy process ...so far. My calories are around 500-600 per day and I am eating about 3 oz of food per meal + 1 snack. On Thursday I am officially off my post op diet and will move to my lifetime eating plan and I am so excited to eat raw veggies (couldn't have them until I made it to week 9). I have been craving a salad, but will hold off on that due to all the horror stories I have heard around digesting lettuce. I go to the gym 4-5 days a week where I do 30-45 minutes of cardio and another 30 minutes of weight training. My energy and endurance are increasing. The only bummer is that prior to surgery I had knee pain (bone on bone) and lower back pain and with losing 70 lbs, none of that is better. My ortho said that weight loss will likely decrease the knee pain and perhaps delay knee replacement surgery, but so far, I still have pain- I just basically ignore it. I couldn't be happier with the way things are going so far!!!

Hello Newme17! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes & for creating this site! I was sleeved 3 mos ago Aug. 16. As I started to add solids foods back into my diet I found that I can no longer tolerate All pork meat, cheese, eggs & now yogurt. Even greek yogurt! So I decided I would try eating healthy vegan style but I didnt know how to get started as well as to how to make sure I get in my recommended amount of protein(60-80g) daily! Any suggestions?

Yes! I have the same thing. Greek yogurt, one day I love it. The next, just the smell turns me off. Eggs, fab for a week straight, the next week, nope, not today. It's an interesting process and I just accept it for what it is. I usually know within a bite or two.

I didn't have a drain, but I do have a tip that helped me when I came home. I got 2 ounce souffle cups...the disposable ones. I got a pack at Walmart for about 2-3 bucks...had about 60 in there. They're the kind that a restaurant might put sauce in, clear plastic with lid for take-out or something. They were near the paper plates, paper cups, etc. I doled out 2 ounce servings of things like greek yogurt, popped the lid on and with a Sharpee marker - noted how much protein was in each. SO i could grab one, know it had X amount of protein, and was a good size. I'd fill some half-way, yes, believe it or not, a few spoons is more than you think when you're just starting out. Anyway, of everything I did, that was actually the most useful and what I was most grateful for. I had a few stacks of pre-made/pre-sized things so when it came time to eat something, I didn't have to think about it. Best of luck on your journey.

I was sleeved on 10/30 and I am so ready to be done with the blended diet. I go on 11/30 for the next phase! I eat scrambled eggs with a little pepper jack cheese; Oikos Zero yogurt; Premier Protein Chocolate, and drink about 56 ounces of water. I tried crystal light, but it actually made me crave sweets. I have been losing weight steadily, but actually had a stall the last few days!

Ok, I'm feeling pretty strong (like Russian bull or East German female shotputter) today. I'm back down to 231.2 (only 0.4lbs away from my published weight). Yippee! And I'm post TG! Shoop! Der it is! One holiday down, 3 to go! I made a ridiculously easy pan roasted venison last night. I forget how easy moist roast is when you're cooking a small muscle. We separate the venison into individual muscles the shape of tenderloins and cut them to about 1lb each. So this was a small rump muscle (like an eye of round). Season then 2 minutes per side in olive oil to brown. Then into a 375 degree oven for 15minutes. Remove from pan and let it rest for 10 -15 minutes. Perfect medium rare, beautiful warm pink/red throughout, oozing juice. Tender as could be! You can do this same method with chicken breasts, turkey breasts, and small meat roasts of all kinds. Just adjust the amount of time in the oven. I am happy the scale is moving down again and I'm almost back to my published weight. My low was actually 230.4lbs, but I hadn't changed it on my ticker. Last weekend's pity party and eating fest really shocked and saddened me. I've been "in recovery" since May and despite a cancer recurrence scare with 2 months worth of heavy duty medical tests like multiple MRIs, CTs, PFTs, echos, etc, I was able to muddle through without eating for comfort and without deviating from my daily food plans. So I grew complacent. Complacency is the enemy of purposeful living. So now I'm minding my p's and q's. Today we're going for Texas BBQ with my sis and BIL to the #6 place on the Texas Monthly top 50 BBQ Restaurants List. It's in Tomball, so just basically in our back yard. I adore this place and if you can believe it, I'm excited to have their smoked turkey wedge salad. They have THE best smoked turkey breast--no sugar, moist, and fall apart tender, and a kick-ass cilantro salsa/dressing that rocks my world. So I know I will be able to enjoy the time with my fam while still being faithful to the diet plan for today. What's going down your piehole? Mindful Eating Question: How often do you still eat for comfort? Friday's Menu (November 24, 2017) B: cottage cheese frozen blueberries and fiber cereal bowl (57g HEB FF Grk Yogurt, 85g Daisy 2% cottage cheese, 1fl oz Fairlife Skim milk, 35g frozen blueberries, 8.5g toasted slivered almonds, 6.5g Fiber One cereal) MS: 28g hummus, 2oz baby carrots L: 3/4c broccoli cheese protein soup AS: 2tbsp LS peanut butter, 1.75oz GS apple, psylli tea D: 4oz venison roast, 1/4c homemade dressing, 1/2c roasted brussels sprouts, chopped salad (2oz romaine, 1oz baby spinach, 1.25oz cucumber, .75oz rbp, .5oz red onion, 1oz avo, 1oz gr toms, .5oz blue cheese crumbles, 3tbsp WF Italian Dressing) BS: pumpkin yogurt (56g HEB FF Grk Yogurt, 61g Libby's canned pumpkin, liquid stevia, pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, 14g toasted walnuts) Daily Totals: 1475cals; 97g prot; 75g fat; 96g carbs; 29g fiber; 67g net carbs (dayum! gotta get my protein down!!)

I like to mix a little cocoa powder and Splenda in my Greek yogurt... Makes it taste like a chocolatey treat!

Applesauce and refried beans were a nice break from broth. Took me 3 tries to finish a yogurt.

My insurance required 6 months of medically supervised weight loss. I've been dieting since June. Lost 33 pounds following a diet high in protein and non-starchy veggies, with just a few low glycemic index carbs. My surgical group requires you to lose 10% of your body weight to be eligible for surgery. My surgery is December 5th...so I started my liquid diet 4 days ago. The liquid diet is hell. (to me, anyway) I would a LOT rather eat a very low calorie diet of real food. (again, that might just be me) My liquid diet is 5 shakes a day, plus one serving of cream of wheat or yogurt per day (about 100 calories worth)....plus sugar free jello and sugar free drinks. It's not pleasant...but you do lose weight rapidly. In 4 days of being on it, I've lost 3 pounds. If you think you're hungry now....just wait till you try liquid. Ugh.

My plan that the nut gave me is 2 shakes a day i can have one single serving of greek vanilla yogurt, cream of wheat, cream of rice, strained tomato or split pea soup, sugar free pudding/jello, grits, skim milk, apple juice, soy milk, water and alos sugar free powerade zero cals. Its says 2 puddings allowed for like lunch. And its for two weeks! ugh! hope they fly by!

I am 5 weeks out and had the same issue. The entire time I am thinking that I got DUPED! I just kept drinking my water and my shakes and sugar free popcicles really helped me. I had a lot of head hunger and it takes a while to work through that one. I found that (this may sound weird) when I got like that I oils eat a listerine breath strip, gargle with listerine or just brush my teeth and then drink some water and it helped. Greek yogurt also helps a lot because of the protein. I promise it gets better. Getting through the pre-op is hard, having the surgery is harder but getting through the 6-8 weeks post surgery is the hardest of the hard. I am 5 weeks out and down 30 pounds and just that little amount has made a huge difference in my over all well being. Eyes on the prize don't let your head get into your stomach!!!!!

I am 5 weeks out and had the same issue. The entire time I am thinking that I got DUPED! I just kept drinking my water and my shakes and sugar free popcicles really helped me. I had a lot of head hunger and it takes a while to work through that one. I found that (this may sound weird) when I got like that I oils eat a listerine breath strip, gargle with listerine or just brush my teeth and then drink some water and it helped. Greek yogurt also helps a lot because of the protein. I promise it gets better. Getting through the pre-op is hard, having the surgery is harder but getting through the 6-8 weeks post surgery is the hardest of the hard. I am 5 weeks out and down 30 pounds and just that little amount has made a huge difference in my over all well being. Eyes on the prize don't let your head get into your stomach!!!!!

All of those are great ideas, but you do need to get your water in. I live near Disney, and our winter is not like actual winter. February is often in the 80s and extremely sunny. Dehydration can happen year round. If you don’t want to carry food around, Disney has lots of options that can be fairly inexpensive. There are stands everywhere with healthy snacks so you aren’t spending a lot on huge meals that would take a month to eat. I usually get a kid’s meal with grilled chicken, side salad or broccoli, yogurt, and bottled water for $4.95. They have condiment bars with the peanut butter containers that I take for snacks. Have fun! You’ll have a great time!

Hello sweet ladies! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!!! I pray that you have a lovely day filled with family and laughter with the emphasis on fam and fun rather than food. I'm so excited and happy for those of you post surgery, and who are doing so well!!!! And I'm cheering on everyone who is on liquids preparing for the really big day!!! You got this! Love all around!!! My heart is still a little sore and sad that I won't be having surgery this Tuesday. *sigh* But still, every time I have this thought, I just have to run back to God and reassure myself that His time is perfect. There's a reason why it's been delayed! I'm muscling through the disappointment and am back on track after last weekend. But dayum, I still have 5 lbs of fluid on me! Maybe it will get tired of hanging around and vacate the premises? Ha! Today will be a quiet day--just Mr. Fluffy, my sis and BIL at my sissy's house. I'm about to go make a low carb/sf tiramisu for Mr. F. It's his favorite dessert in the whole wide world and pretty easy to make using only liquid stevia to sweeten it. He doesn't do well with artificial sweeteners or flavors--makes his mouth swell. I will make pumpkin yogurt with toasted walnuts for me. I'm a punkin girl. I think the rest of the meal is very low carb friendly and I will have a bite of my grandmother's infamous family dressing. I will be glad when we're through with this holiday. I have the tree up, but only 1/3 decorated. I will officially turn the lights on tonight. hahaha. Have a wonderful day everyone!!! Love and kisses all around (no tongue)!!! @PaulaUSN Congrats on 48lbs!!!! Wow girlie. That's fantastic!!! @vanwest83 Congrats on 36lbs!!!! Yay!!! It's happenin'!!!

My surgeon said plain Greek yogurt or vanilla only. Sent from my XT1650 using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow!!! Beautiful job there girlie!!!! I punkin pie. I'm gonna make my own concoction tonight: Greek yogurt, pumpkin canned, liquid vanilla stevia, pumpkin pie spice, extra cinnamon, toasted crumbled walnuts. I'm hopin it will appease the stomach gods. Happy Thanksgiving hon!!!! ((hugs))

A yogurt I really like is called powerful yogurt, it has 21g of protein. I also like oikos zero

Since having surgery on 4/20/17 I’ve been really successful losing weight. My highest weight was 311 and this week I weighed in at 194. I went from a size 24 and currently between 12-14. I’ve enjoyed the compliments most of the time and I love buying trendy clothes. Despite all of this I find that a good amount of the time I’m still struggling with seeing my results, especially in the mirror. Last night it hit me hard and I was just disgusted by my reflection in the mirror. It’s like the old me was staring back and I couldn’t do a damn thing to stop it. I just hate those moments especially since it feels like no matter how supportive my friends and family are they just can’t understand. I think that it’s also linked to the fact that ever time I lost weight in the past I gained it all back and then some. Now that I’ve lost 117lbs it’s my worst nightmare to put all of that weight or even some of it back on. I’m terrified of back sliding more then ever, possibly because this is the most successful I’ve been losing weight. I was also on vacation recently and gained 1.5lbs. I know that isn’t significant and I’ve lost it since but it’s just another reminder that it’s possible to gain it back. I’m getting worried too because my appetite is close to non existent and I’ve been having a protein shake, yogurt, be protein bar as my only food for about a week now. I’m getting my recommended protein but I know it’s not a good pattern. I’m especially concerned because it’s at the same time I’m having a hard time with my BDD. Has as anyone else been through either of these phases and what did you do to move on? I’m considering seeing the therapist I saw pre-surgery but I’m on the fence about whether it would help or not.

Today is the end of 5 weeks for me, kind of leveled off on weight loss, but losing inches for sure. I switched form premier shakes to making my own think the little bit of fruit I'm adding may be slowing progress. Started eating some meat everything is going down good, meat does sit in your belly way more then cottage cheese or yogurt for sure. started at 310, weighed in today at 274.5

I run the turkey day 5K each year since surgery. It's my new Thanksgiving tradition. The holiday is not all about the food anymore. It's family and friends, being thankful, living life and having new experiences. Not having a food coma every year is an amazing feeling. No weight gain guilt. Food plan: turkey, steamed french green beans with bacon and sliced almonds, roasted pumpkin, cranberries and apple. Desert is dannon light n fit pumpkin pie yogurt with 2 oz vanilla halo top ice cream. I plan ahead at potlucks. I bring deviled eggs or a meat and cheese plate. I make sure there is something I can eat. I pack my meals for work with healthy sweet and salty options.

My doc likes two weeks of liquid diet pre-surg. Like... 5 Premier Protien shakes, sugar free jello, reduced sodium broth, sugar free Popsicles....and one small serving of cream or wheat or yogurt per day. That's it. I feel like one of those sun eater people....who think they don't any other nutrients than the sun, and stand around naked in the desert. Last night, I was scheming in my diabolic mode....maybe I can sneak just a little turkey and salad on Thanksgiving...just TASTE the mashed potatoes and gravy....one little pecan off the pie. I won't let myself do this....but I enjoyed the fantasy. Enjoyed is the wrong word. I despaired and let myself have the fantasy. Then, I ate another jello and tried desperately not to be bitter. Then, I made the mistake of weighing myself before bed. No, no, no, no....do NOT do this! I'd gained like 4 freaking pounds in one day due to all the salt in the broth, I was retaining water like the little girl who swiped the blueberry gum in Willy Wanka. I needed to be juiced. Woke up twice overnight to pee. Had coffee this morning and peed buckets....and was down 5 pounds when I weighed in after my shower. (and yes, I know obsessively weighing yourself is psycho and discouraging...but it was nice to see the water leave...and an extra pound to boot!) I'm more encouraged today, feeling a little stronger....feel less like murdering my husband (who has done nothing wrong at all, and has been wonderful through out) At this writing, I have no fantasies about cheating with turkey. Which is a great relief. (But I'd be lying if I didn't say I didn't have some lingering concern.) Going through perimenopause is not helping this situation. I'm not craving food that bad today, which is helpful. I'm going to cut back on the broth bigtime. Got some reduced sodium broth this morning. Liquid diet issues: Anxiety is up some. My memory sucks. Like...horribly. I keep forgetting everything I'm trying to get done. Water retention. Intermittent crazy cravings. My brain just feels weird and sluggish. 1 day down. 13 days to go. Good grief that's getting close! I'm torn between wanting it to come faster and running away in horror (I don't really want to run away, just anxiety...bleh) On the plus side....at least my body is getting used to eating much less and tolerating the liquid diet it's going to have to adapt to after surgery. The idea that I won't eat anything solid again for over a month...is a little freaky to me. Still kinda wrapping my head around that. I'm up for it...but man, this is gonna be challenging!

Hello Sleevers! I just wanted to say hello and check in I haven’t posted since I was sleeved on 10/10. My highest weight was 272, My day of surgery weight was 248 and my current weight is 221. [emoji4] it has been very hard for me to tolerate protien drinks but I do well with drinking water and eating certain foods. I’m currently in stage 4 and will enter stage 5 on 12/10. I feel great, some days I feel like I look the same but we all have those moments when we are hard on ourselves. If you have any recommendations for flavorless protien please let me know currently my sleeve loves, flat out flat bread, sugar free peaches , watermelon, deli meat, fish and chicken. My sleeve does not like eggs [emoji25], milk, artificial sweeteners, yogurt. Peace, love, blessings!

I have issues with artificial sweeteners as well. I started getting my Greek yogurt at Trader Joe's- excellent.