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I’m 2 weeks post op today and smack in the middle of the purées stage. Trying to get my protein is a struggle without shakes, but working on it. Tried an Oikos Triple Zero smooth yogurt today. They are 5.2oz. Is that too much at this stage? I ate about 4oz in 30 mins, feel fine. Do any of you finish the 5oz?

Thanks again to everybody who replied. As an update, it actually wasn't an allergic or bad reaction to the protein shakes, but a really bad case of the STOMACH FLU. Ugh. Only starting to feel a little better now - 4 days later. On the bright side, my fears about how hard the first few days would be on a liquid diet kinda were for nothing 🙂. I still can't stomach protein shakes after all the violent vomiting (sorry if TMI). So my first 4 days of a liquid diet has pretty much consisted of chicken broth, water and a little non-fat yogurt. At this point, just trying to get my fluids up. I haven't spoken to my surgeon yet about this...hoping it won't delay surgery.

You are doing so well. I really struggled to get protein in too, its tough in the beginning. The advice I was given was just do my best every day. You will loose your stamina if you don't keep your calorie count but you have a few weeks grace yet. Eating high protein yogurts and drinking a shake a day should give you 50 grams of protein. This is a great boost of energy and if you choose wisely, low cal too. At the end of my day, I total my protein, using a app and if I am short I have some cheese, skimmed milk or a protein pudding. It will all get easier in the weeks to come

Ok, whole process wasn't bad at all. Not a whole lot of pain, minimal gas pain. However, the first time I got up in recover and walked around I developed a hematoma on the incision they pulled my stomach out of (the larger one). It was protruding quite a bit, but not pain or discomfort. Nurse took some photos and sent to the the doctor and he said he was not worried, that it should resolve on its own. Still a bit scary seeing what looks like an alien about to burst from my stomach! Liquid diet post-op does suck quite a bit, but having no issues getting my liquids in. Meet with the dietician on Tuesday, so hoping they will progress me to puree stage of post-op diet. Never thought I'd look forward to--crave!--pudding and yogurt and smoothies! Oh, I was told I was the 5th patient he worked on that day. Guess he warmed up on the others

Any cream of ??? soup, any soufflé, scrambled eggs, pate, bolognaise sauce. chilli without rice, any mince meat curry. Greek yogurt, milk and soft cheese are good back ups, Also any instant porridge pot or any milk based cereal. Sorry I am struggling to remember what I ate at this stage, I hope other people help you too

The hardest dairy item for me to get down is the shakes. I'm gonna focus on. The chocolate ones though those seem way easier right now. I have zero sugar chobani yogurts I love and the tomatoes soup with milk diluting. I'm also gonna see if heat pack helps things move along. It at least feels comforting. 😌

Hi everybody, I started my 2 week, pre-op LRD today and am really struggling…not with hunger, but with massive stomach pain/bloating and gas. My stomach can be sensitive to some foods (for example, I can’t eat fermented foods, aspartame, etc.), but I didn’t think I consumed anything “bad” today. My diet is supposed to be a protein shake for B, L & D with one yogurt and one egg per day (and unlimited zero sugar drinks). I had a Premier Protein shake (chocolate) for breakfast, one hard boiled egg for a snack, and 1/2 a Premier Protein shake for lunch a few hours later. Started getting really nauseous about midday, and my stomach now is just…pain. Also, I had a Gatorade Zero during the day. I have had small amounts of protein shakes leading up to this, and everything was fine, but this is most definitely some kind of bad reaction (maybe I’m a little lactose intolerant? I don’t drink much milk usually). I honestly don’t know how I’m going to survive this if I can even have protein shakes… Has anybody else gone through this?

No, the Dietician is not the one the surgeon uses. I will be having my surgery at a place called the Rockwood Clinic, they have their whole own program with their own dietician. My insurance wants me to complete 12 dietician visits before surgery, and they told me to go to one near me. (Rockwood is 3 hours away). I did ask my insurance about going to the dietician at the clinic and I told them I would rather see a dietician who specializes in bariatric (especially since I have noticed bariatric dieticians take a totally different approach than this lady). My insurance said that it did not matter and that it would be best to see a dietician in my town so that travel would not be so inconvenient. I will be seeing the dietician that the surgeon uses after I get the surgery. I actually already feel very full the way I am eating now, and the dietician knows this. I did not go in complaining of being hungry, infact, I have eaten when I was not hungry because she wants me to eat every 4 hours 3 times a day and then have 2 snacks, I do not have the snacks, I do not need them. I would be happy eating twice a day to be honest, but the dietician does not advise that. I do not have any restrictions on carbs, sugar, fats, or anything. I am just not supposed to eat fast food, this dietician wants me to cook everything (I have explained I hate to cook and my current situation does not allow for me to have a normal kitchen). Currently, I eat tomatoes, sprouts, cucumbers, feta, hummus, avocado, Daves killer bread (thin slice) turkey bacon, ( I usually turn all of that into a sandwich) fage yogurt and strawberries, mushrooms stuffed with cheese spinach, tomato, onions, cilantro. might have chicken in tomato/basil/cilantro sauce or cauliflower pasta with clams. blueberries and apples. I used to drink a protein shake in the morning (mixed with soy milk) but she told me I needed to eat something with it (again I did not complain about hunger) so I added a slice of toast and an apple, and she liked that until a different visit when she said that eating a protein shake for breakfast and having yogurt at lunch was the same as having two giant glasses of milk and I need to stop with the yogurt. Well, I still have the yogurt at lunch and I eat the sandwich at lunch and breakfast and sometimes dinner too. The yogurt has 12-15 grams of protein depending on which one I choose. I also have at least 96 oz of plain water a day. I should add when I eat chicken (which is always either breast or tender never breaded, always cooked in the air fryer) I get so hungry about 20 minutes later it's weird, but chicken has that effect on me and that is why I do not really care for it.

Choose any one scale, if its at home put it in exactly the same space every time. If I move mine to the other side of my bathroom I gain 7lbs. Is the dietician the one your surgeon uses ? and is this the surgeons advice to you ? 150 grams of protein is not a lot pre surgery. Eating protein will make you feel fuller while keeping calories low. I imagine you need to keep the Carbs low. Can you add what you protein count is usually like, it will help us help you Are you vegetarian or vegan? There are so many protein options out there now. Find some protein yogurts that you can eat or add extra protein to your milk and yogurt. Dhal is great for protein, add extra yogurt and seeds to top it.

Thanks for your response and the links. I am about 5 weeks out. I am typically a fast eater but I use a bariatric app now to time my eating. (Which felt so silly until I realized I needed to take more time) I track everything less for the calories and more to make sure I hit that protein goal so I know I am usually hitting the 60g or slightly surpassing it for 3 weeks straight now. Fluids was a struggle and hitting 60oz is hard for me. I get into that range most days like it might come out 50ish oz a day on average for the past two weeks so maybe that is the problem (I did admit this to my doctor as well) I don't drink at all after eating I figured out quickly that was a ticket to barftown. Meats are just not my friend. Chicken specifically my stomach just automatically rejects it in any form including pureed. Fish will stay down but I'm only gonna get a couple of bites from that. Most my protein is coming from eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese and protein shakes. So I think when I said that to my surgeon that was her red flag for gallbladder but I guess I'll find that out in April. I am not on the strict only three meals a day routine they set for me and my surgeon is okay with that because I'm only getting a few bites for meal times unless it straight up broth then I can do 4oz. I kind of just eat every 4 hours and use a food scale to figure out how much I ate each time. However reading your post I think maybe I'll stay away from the scale until I can hit the water goal more consistently. My next appointment is 6 weeks out (I don't think I can wait until then to see where I am because if I step on that scale six weeks later and I'm still 199 my heart will just shatter) and because I go through the VA I think that might be my last or I have to pay out of pocket so I am panicking more that I'm not on track. Like if I was progressing better I would feel more confident without that support and I know when I only have the VA to lean on then I am pretty much on my own no one is going to help me trouble shoot there. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi Brandi , I am 6 months post op and I am still having the same problem .I am still only able to eat runny food .If I eat tuna, mackeral , turkey breast -even soft salmon , it feels like barbed wire going down .I pretty much eat cottage cheese , protein shakes , yogurts , soft berries , soft cereal and crackers .I don't have the solution .I saw a woman on tv eating chunks of apple !! how she managed it I have no idea .Hopefully someone who has managed to eat more normally will come on and share with us how they manage to do it !! Don't worry too much , you are still very very new and all could be well for you soon I hope .

Hi Jay. So glad you aren't experiencing any issues. I'm slowly learning my body. Protein shakes are a no go for me however I am able to to have protein in yogurt, cream of wheat, water,. Also learning my "hunger pains" are often me being thirsty. Keep us posted on your progress

An Update: I've been getting 3 meals eaten--yogurt in the morning. Usually cottage cheese or chopped moist chicken at lunch. then eggs or sometimes baked fish for dinner. Fluids aren't wonderful--usually 48 oz, still working up to 64oz. I'm feeling hungry but not traditional hunger--I get uncomfortable pains that rise up from my stomach, especially in the mornings--that seems to be a hunger cue. I also get gas pain/bubbles that rise up into my chest while I'm eating. Doesn't seem to matter how small a spoonful I'm eating. I hope that eases soon b/c its painful. On a TMI note, I haven't had a BM since Thursday. However I don't feel uncomfortable or have any pain. I feel very good otherwise. Took at 1 mile walk Friday and 1.8 mile walk at the beach yesterday! How are you other March 13-ers doing?

I had bypass on 2/13, I've always followed the plan very closely. I managed to lose 70 pounds pre-op on the dieticians plans and working out and then 20 pounds on the liquid diet. Since surgery I've only lost 5 pounds. I thought I was doing very well but I guess not? I stick close to the diet plan, though I admit my calories can go over but my main goal has always been to get to my protein goal before anything else. I've been working out 4-5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes. I do a lot of strength training because I am into strongwoman stuff, so its been weird staying in the weight restriction. I also hit my water goals alongside my protein goals. I made the mistake of posting this on a facebook support group and.. wow. I don't think I've ever felt worse about myself, there was almost no support and a lot of telling me I'm doing something wrong obviously. A lot of people there were blaming the scant amount of bbq sauce I use or the single string cheese. Most were telling me I'm eating far too much. Others were telling me to stop working out entirely? I don't want to be skinny, I want to be healthy and I want to be strong. Am I eating too much still? When I don't work out I get 600 calories, and when I do its usually more around 800 to be honest. I don't feel like I'm making the wrong decisions. Meal 1: Oikos Triple Zero yogurt to take my meds with. Meal 2: Fairlife elite core protein in my coffee. Meal 3: 3 oz turkey lunch meat 1 oz of cheeze and mustard. Meal 4: 1 String cheese. Meal 5: 4-5 oz of chicken with bbq sauce (its not sugar free, I live in the country and the rural grocery store doesnt stock sugar free and the next closest is over 50 miles away). I'm so confused and heartbroken.

Thanks everyone, the liquid protein shakes take me a while to drink but are getting easier. I need to get three per day (60-80g protein). Three shakes total about 450-500 calories. If I have some thinned yogurt, SF pudding or soup broth, the calories go up to 600 or so. I reached out to my dietician but she probably won’t respond until Monday.

Is Reser’s seafood salad acceptable during the purée stage? I’m 2.5 weeks post op and my doc has me on purée. I’ve done homemade refried beans and can tolerate it some, scrambled eggs, broths, yogurts. I’m burnt on protein shakes and I’m trying to work on getting protein from food as much as I can even though it’s quite difficult at this stage. I’m wondering if the seafood salad would help me at all or if I should avoid it at all cost

I am self-pay too. Surgery here in Texas with My Bariatric Solutions on 3/24. I started liquid diet today...I'm so jealous of other plans that allow for food pre-op! I can't even have yogurt or pudding. Good luck to you! Sent from my SM-S918U using BariatricPal mobile app

hi-- I copied and pasted from my original post. "OK, anybody have persistent diarrhea? They are apparently just now connecting the loss of pancreatic function with WLS. Sometimes. Google it. I went for months to the GP, and they threw antibiotics at this gas/poop problem; while I ate yogurt to get it to stop. Horrible gas as well. BAD stinky gas, lol sorry. Nothing worked. I ASKED MY WEIGHT LOSS DOC TOO. "Oh no, no diarrhea reported with this." That was horse hockey as well. I then went to a Gastrointestinal specialist, who did a protease enzyme test. Turns out my pancreas is not working. While it is not life threatening, it is darn inconvenient. I am not posting this to have you not have the surgery -- I still would have done it, even if I had a crystal ball. BUT if you have those symptoms, Google it, ask your doc, and maybe even if your WLS doctor says nope, go to a Gastrointestinal one. It can be managed. FYI."

No, I just weigh it before I pack it and/or bring portion controlled, single-serving items (I am very guilty of eating Lunchables and leaving the crackers behind in a pinch LOL). I actually pack both my breakfast AND lunch AND snacks when I go into the office, a 10 hr day that starts at 6:30 AM once a week. The way I figure it I need to take care of Future Me's needs so I don't feel tempted to go poking around in the vending machine. My lunch usually looks like this (I am 18m post op and am in maintenance, but my calories are low because I am a small person): Breakfast: Zero sugar Chobani, 1/4 oz of chopped walnuts or pecans, Super Coffee protein shake as a mid morning snack. (all in, about 200 calories and 25g of protein) Lunch: Veggies, some kind of dip (if you aren't making dips with greek yogurt what are you doing with your life?), usually a couple of "lunchmeat roll ups" that are each one slice of deli meat and half a slice of cheese, another 1/4 oz of nuts (usually pistachios this time), a couple pickle slices (usually somewhere around 250-ish calories and another 25g of protein) Snacks: Options include Babybel light and a couple triscuits, Campbell's Well Yes sippable soups, protein shakes, or half a protein bar (I usually end up with leftovers)(any of these would give another 10g or so of protein). I eat dinner at home with my husband on these days and it's usually something protein-heavy

no - I just prepped my food at home and packed however much I could eat of it into a container and just took that. I also always had a couple of things of Greek yogurt and a ready-to-drink protein shake or two in my office refrigerator.

I pretty much eat the same exact things. I had miso soup today and a 3oz piece of grilled chicken plus protein shakes, yogurt and decaf tea. At 3 weeks post I feel like I can eat. I also have not lost anymore weight this week. Thinking I should try and stick to liquids only for another week.

I am 3 weeks out today too! I’m still on liquids for another week, that’s just my Dr. it’s hard seeing others at same place eating soft foods! Today though I’ve been “grazing” all day. Since I have no issue with liquids, nothing is really filling me up. I’ve had a protein shake, soup, sugar free pudding with almond milk, more soup, yogurt, and jello. Not really hungry, but totally not satisfied.

I’m also really sensitive to the metallic, chemical flavor of protein shakes (Muscle Milk makes me want to vomit), so I tried dozens of different protein shakes before my surgery. My favorites: Fairlife Vanilla (melted DQ ice cream is the best way to describe it), Fairlife Chocolate (like chocolate milk), Premiere Protein Cake Batter (to me, this tastes like a vanilla shake should) I like these flavors blended with ice and banana: Fairlife Power Strawberry Banana, Premiere Protein Chocolate, Premiere Protein Peanut Butter Chocolate For unflavored protein, I use Bariatric Fusion. Can be mixed in with all sorts of things, like yogurt, sugar free pudding and Gatorade Zero. I’ve also heard that Unjury protein powder is good (but haven’t tried it yet).

I have discovered Premier Protein cereal as a good alternative in the mornings. I have a small bowl of the berries flavor cereal with a scoop or so of plain yogurt and almond milk or regular milk, let it sit for a good 20 minutes to soften (bc it is too hard and crunchy otherwise), and then enjoy. It adds about 30g of protein to start my day and I find it enjoyable.