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I didn't force my stomach to eat "real " food enough in the beginning. So now I'm still struggling to eat things like chicken, veggies etc. So I hardly ever cook anything at home unless it's something that the boyfriend really likes. The last thing i fixed at home was ground turkey meatloaf, streamed broccoli and red mashed potatoes. That was a month ago. I would LOVE to eat leftovers, but it's beyond expensive when most of it goes in the trash. Protein bars, yogurt and cottage cheese are my daily staples

According to my nutritionist after you enter the Maintenance phase, your meals should consist of equal parts of protein, fats and carbs but always put protein first. Fats are important because they help to control hunger. It is common to have some limited weight gain after weight loss surgery. They call it a 20 pound bounce. The important thing is not let go beyond this 20 pounds. Most times this weight gain is due to a poor choice of snacks. Snacks should be limited to primarily to whole food options: nuts, natural nut butters, fruits, veggies, boiled eggs, string cheese, yogurt with berries and almonds, tuna pouches. Avoid processed packaged foods as much as possible. Also do not expect to lose weight at a rate similar to right after surgery. Generally if you gained the additional weight over a couple years, then it may take a couple years of watching what you eat to get back down.

I had my surgery one day before yours, I do find myself getting hungry but not half as much as I was prior to surgery. I do not know how much protein you are managing to get in but I have determined that as long as I am eating something with high amounts of protein then I usually do not get that hungry. I have resorted to some clear soups as well as sugar free popsicles but have noticed that they do not hold off my hunger for long. If I have some greek yogurt then that will last for several hours vs maybe an hour or so for the soup. Not sure if it helps but good luck!

omg I thought I was alone in this one. I can eat 4oz of pureed no problem and the same with cream soups strained. i was able to have an entire can of Campbells with one can of fairlife skim milk to thin it out. i was quite full and probably wouldnt do it again. yesterday I was able to eat a single serve oikos yogurt. it was the first time i actually felt a normal comfortable full. But today I had 2.6 oz of a tuna packet and 2oz of hummus went down well tasted good but 10 min later it was at my throat. i was very uncomfortable. took longer to get relief than it it took to eat it. Im so confused

But your able to eat an amazing amount one week post, i love hearing what everyone is able to eat. I am 7 weeks post and cant manage both yogurt and cottage cheese at the same etc. 2 weeks post .I was at 1 ounce at a time.maybe 2 . Keep up the good work. I was told not to work out for 6 weeks.

Im not sure if the sleeve is not working for me. I did well on my pre op diet. I lost 34# and then 10# after surgery 8/9/17 when I was weighed 1 week post op. I have since stalled and the scale hasnt budged. I work out at the gym 3-4 times a week and for my meals i eat 4oz at a time. example breakfast is 2oz greek yogurt light n fit, 2oz low fat cottage cheese. then mid day a premier protein shake for a snack. then later 2oz scrambled egg and 2oz ricotta bake. later a protein water till i get home from work and dinner is usually a a soup or a protein shake. any suggestions how to shake it up some?

Hey all. My name is Geri, and this is my story. In 2010 after years of yo yo diets, ups and downs, I decided to do something. My husband was against Gastric By-pass and frankly I was to because I had a GF that had had it and was having all sort of issues. But being new to the bariatric world I didn't know why she was having issues I just thought it was Gastric By-pass in general. (Turns out she was doing all sorts of stuff to sabotage herself) So back then the latest and greatest thing was the Lap-Band. I asked my hubby if he would go to the seminar with me. He replied why would you want to go to a Lap Dance seminar Sweetie? LOL So we went, with Burgerking drinks from our meal that we had just had. We saw Dr Thomas Bass in Fort Myers Florida. He and his wife Tiffany ran the seminar and explained the two main surgeries Lap band and Gastric Bypass. He mentioned that after surgery and Burger King visits would have to stop! I went head first in with the Band. I was 290 at this point and so miserable, My mom has passed away at 63 from Diabetes and liver failure due to the disease. I dont want to have her ending. I literally watched my mom fade away in a hospital bed for a week after they took her IV away and basically starved her to death. Her liver no longer functioned and she quickly went down hill. I was in the room when she passed away. I will never get that image out of my mind. She was a wonderful woman but suffered so much due to this horrible circle of Obesity and poor life choices. If she had gotten the sleeve or the Bypass she'd probally be here still today. I swore to myself I'd NEVER go out like that. So I followed all the requirements, diets, appointments and finally the day came I got approval from my insurance the night before my surgery! I was doing so good. I got down to 212 and had lost 78 pounds. Then.......well, I stoped following the program. My husband told me I was being a pain in the butt because I had to eat small meals several times a day, and I started to eat poorly. I figured out if I drank while I ate, I could eat more. I never really got the hang of the Band. I could never tell if I was "Full". I admit I never measured my food, and I never really stopped drinking while I ate. Then I started eating more, faster, bad foods, and the weight came back on. I got back up to 250+. Then I needed to have a procedure (female related) and the surgeon wouldn't do it unless I was a certain BMI so I started eating the way I was taught with the band, and got down to the 220 I needed to be. Fast forward to last year. I maintained my 220-230 but was having a ton of back issues. I went to a neurologist who discovered I had a birth defect and my lumbar region was almost 3/4 of an inch off, pinching my sciatica on both legs with numbing, I had a spinal fusion in July of 2016. I couldn't work, I had to stay home for a year. Of course I ate all the time, because what was there to do but watch tons of cake boss, cupcake wars and food network! Mother's Day week I started to have chest pains. I was having so many issues with my band. I would drink water and lay down for bed and that water would come right back up. I knew I should go see my Dr. but I was ashamed I had gained that weight back and didnt want to let him down. So I suffered. Then I had such bad chest pains I thought I was having a heart attack. Two emergency visits later and one hospital overnight stay, I realized it was the same chest pain I had experienced right after my La NBand surgery. SO I asked the Drs, could this be band related? And the resident dr said "Oh....yeah I supposed it could be?" This is after tons of testing and a stress test. So I went to Dr. Bass and he said immediately it was the band. So he took out all the fluid and suggested the sleeve. I had been researching it by then anyway secretly wishing I had gotten that done instead. I had to under go another Spinal fusion in June(that went well). So now, I start my new journey for the Sleeve. I had my band taken out 8-16-17. I went this week to the nutrition appointment and tonight I go for my first of three classes required for my insurance in a three month pre trial. I weighed in at 254.4 for a start weight. When I had the band removed I started my own "Pre op" to retrain myself how to eat healthy. I bought some protein, almond milk, coconut milk, tons of yogurt, cottage cheese, and tons of eggs. I weighed in at 247 at the nutrition appt. I already have a surgery date of November 13th. So all thats left to do is wait. And wait. And wait..Can you tell I'm an impatient person? Well I am lol. But I know I can do it! As for my husband. I gave him a piece of my mind concerning the Band. I feel he played a role in my failure with the band. He started making fun of the Band and the whole process, like it was a gimmick and not taking it seriously. I told him about the sleeve and he was not too happy at first. I told him he will not effect me this time and that I will not stray from my goals. He's coming around but only time will tell. This journey is about ME, and MY health. I loved my mom and this world is lonely without her so I will do this in her memory and live a longer life for her and God! Thank you for listening, I will update frequently..........

Thanks Berry78! I can't speak for makemyownluck, but some days, in fact most days, protein shakes are also a challenge to get it. It's a weird deal. I too struggle with yogurt, and mashed potatoes!!! But I will have a break in the clouds and I can eat a grilled cheese sandwich without any issues. I think my weight loss stalls simply because I'm starving myself most days. I don't have any way of knowing that I am having a good day or a bad day without trying, and since most days are bad I can got weeks without hardly getting any thing in. Because eating something that gets "stuck" way down in your esophagus makes for a miserable day! It's next to impossible to bring "it back up", trying to drink something only makes it worse, when that's the most logical method you can think of. It's a super weird deal. Taking medication is really tough too. Makemyownluck, it sure sounds like you've had some super rough stuff with the achalasia initially. I had the heller done initially and I can attest that helped significantly back then. I had a gi doc that didn't think I had a problem other than reflux. It was terrible. Lots of vomiting and feeling terrible. Then they did this barbaric throat pressure test and because of it's rarity they just didn't know what it was. So my tests were sent to some medical conference and my (now) bariatric surgeon saw the tests and called me out of the blue and said he could help me. He treated me (heller and hernia repair), and all the vomiting stopped and I felt tons better. I lost 20 pounds being sick so I just continued to lose with the help of diet and exercise. I was super motivated at that time. Then whammo auto immune #2, which has been horrific but finally getting to a manageable state. It's strange having two rare auto immune diseases. I'm sorry you've had so much go on for you. My bypass surgery wasn't fun at all. My myasthenia makes recovery very difficult. Not to mention he accidentally tore a hole in my stomach and then 4 days after I had to be re admitted with a very painful pulmonary embolism. Those aren't fun. I have to find a way to eat more. I think if I can do this I can break the stall and move on a little more quickly. I haven't done too much research on the achalasia. I to have no idea what a typical or type 2 is. The myasthenia is far more difficult to manage day in and day out. The achalasia is more annoying at this point. I too, thought of the achalasia as a tool to help me lose the weight but the myasthenia really made it impossible to keep it off. Now the myasthenia is manageable and with the help of my twice a week plasmapheresis I have more stamina and can get in at least 25 minutes of walking each day. I have never experienced heartburn or reflux. the achalasia has masked that for what sounds like years and years. How do you know you are having a reflux issue? Do you take medication to reduce or eliminate it? Good luck, makemyownluck! when your body gets to a certain point I know you'll begin to feel better. The bypass and the heller will help.

I bet that would be good in greek yogurt too!

I'm weirdly excited to have someone else to talk to about this too! I had my sleeve with no complications back in 2013. At the time, I was morbidly obese and had a new dx of high blood pressure, but was otherwise healthy and had no health issues to speak of. The sleeve recovery was fine and I lost about 150lbs. Then... I got pregnant. Pregnancy was good, baby and I were healthy, my son was born and life was great. Except that I had allowed about 50lbs to creep back on. So last spring/summer, I decided to kick start my weight loss and went on a keto diet. Shortly after, I started having symptoms of achalasia, which I didn't know what it was at the time, and just attributed my indigestion and vomiting to eating too dense of protein too often with my sleeve. I wasn't seeing my bariatric doc anymore due to insurance changes and just thought I needed to be more careful about what I was eating. In January, I experienced sudden onset of chest pain on my right side, that was so intense I would've thought I was having a heart attack if it were happening on the left side of my chest. I went to the ER, was checked for a pulmonary embolism (which it wasn't) and had a CT of my chest. I had empyema and pneumonia. I was admitted, the next day I had 2 liters aspirated from my lung, and it wasn't enough. I had to have surgery (thoracotomy), and during that surgery I aspirated. I ended up being put on a ventilator, sedated until they could stabilize me and operate again. I had my second surgery which was successful, but left me in so much pain! After that, I ended up with sepsis in my blood, my kidneys failed and I needed dialysis - all while I was too drugged up to know what was happening. I was referred to a university hospital in Chicago by the GI that saw me in the hospital. I had all the testing and confirmed I had achalasia - which now that I know what it is and have read up on it, I realize that my symptoms were all pretty spot on for this condition. My new bariatric surgeon says that the sleeve will cause reflux if he does the myotomy without converting to bypass, so that's what we're doing. I totally understand what you mean that some days are better than others. There are days I can eat just about anything with no problem, if I try to eat the same things the next day, it's a disaster and I'm miserable all day. Unfortunately, the easiest thing to get down most days are CARBS. If I continue to have swallowing problems after the myotomy/bypass, I have no idea what I'll eat! I also have problems with protein shakes, water, yogurt... stuff you would *think* goes down easily, doesn't. I'm quite nervous about what comes after this and why I developed this in the first place. Knowing that it's an auto-immune disease has me worried I may develop others, as you did. I'm sorry for us both suffering from this awful condition! Losing 50lbs in 4 months is fantastic, especially given the disadvantage of eating problems. I hope for similar results - I figure if getting this condition is what prompted me to do something about the remaining weight that I never lost with my sleeve, then it's not all bad. If you have any links of resources for this condition, please share. I've done my own research, but then I see other people referencing having "atypical achalasia" or "type 2 achalasia" and I have no idea what that means!

Are you worried about you want to like meat again or are you concerned about getting enough protein? If it is the later, I can reassure you that there are plenty of non-meat protein options. I haven't eaten meat in 26 years. Since being post-op, I haven't had any issues getting in protein. Yogurt, protein shakes, cottage cheese, tofu, soy meat alternatives, nuts and seeds. There are plenty of options. I guess if you are upset that you don't like meat and wait to again, just be patient and keep trying. Your tastes will continue to change and perhaps your love of meat will return.

Yeah I'm close to 5 weeks out and am learning I need to take protein drink or powder EVERYWHERE in case I suddenly get shaky and need protein. I should invest in a little cooler so I can take Greek yogurt or other options. You won't need carbs when you are out and about. Not for the first months. Save those for at home.

I'm thinking cottage cheese, yogurt, protein shakes, etc.

Wendy's chili was not on my plan, nor were mashed potatoes. On my plan, my travel foods during the puree foods stage were cottage cheese, chicken salad, and sugar free jello. If your plan allows yogurt, that is a good option to pack too.

Try taking your meds in a tablespoon of yogurt instead of water. That worked great for me in the beginning.

I actually went in for my pre-op appt with my surgeon today (surgery scheduled for 8/24) and I was up 5.6 lbs from my final weigh in with the nutritionist (7/31)! That's despite having been on a liquid diet for the past 11 days! I have cheated but only with yogurt a couple times and a bite of macaroni salad once. Really, I can't believe it. Anyway, they thought insurance (CIGNA) may not cover due to the gain, but they called and got approval. I was panicking for a minute there! But it's my own fault, really. I shot myself in the foot because I went on vacation the first week of Aug. and ate everything I wanted because I thought my final weigh in was over! I gained about 7 lbs between that week and when I had to start my liquid diet. Just thankful that I'm still able to have surgery. I hope it works out for you! HW: 281 CW: 274 SW: TBD 8/24/17

I had a vanilla pure protein shake this morning for breakfast. for lunch I had a 2 ounce grilled chicken tender (leftover) that I sliced up with 1 ounce of shredded mozzarella cheese on half a Josephs pita pocket (just discovered these! 30 cal for half a pita and 3.5 g protein!) I had small gala apple and some rice crackers for snacks - should not have had the rice crackers - I took a short nap and woke up hungry and they were handy... they were 72 cal, 1 g protein and 14 g carbs - really shouldn't have eaten them. Not at all sure what I'll have for dinner. Right now I feel gross from the crackers - may just have a yogurt or some deli turkey and cheese.

I made some delicious low-carb broccoli beef in the slow cooker. Used light sodium soy sauce, and Splenda where it called for a bit of sugar. I cooked it extra long so the beef is just in tiny shreds, also allowed the broccoli to get really soft. I'm dying for crunch, but this has been a great meal to go to. I also made a curry chicken salad using rotisserie chicken and Greek yogurt in place of mayo. The curry seasoning helped mix things up for me. Try searching Pinterest for bariatric recipes--there are a ton of ideas! Good luck.

I would say to follow your doctor's order. Eggs might be fine, but there might be a specific reason why he/she doesn't want you to have them. After all, a liquid diet is a LIQUID diet. I did an all liquid diet for 4 weeks, and I was fine. I think that you will find that if you are consuming protein shakes at least 2-3 times daily, sipping on broths, and snacking on yogurts, popsicles and jello, you won't really get hungry. You will also lose lots of weight before surgery. You should be on day 4 now with 6 days left to go. You can do it.

I'll list out what I ate all day yesterday @Newme17 6:00am - chike mocha coffee shake with almond milk 9:30-1oz of walnuts coffer with 2 splashes of half/half 11:30- mixed green salad with tomatoes, cabbage, orange sesame vinaigrette. 12:00-Diet green tea 16oz 3:00 - 10 raspberries with 4oz yogurt 6:30- whole grain pasta with veggies, ( zucchini, yellow squash, spinach, red bell pepper, onion, cherry tomatoes, can of crushed tomatoes flavored with garlic and basil. 7:00-coffee with half/half 9:00- cup of unsweetened chocolate almond milk

The whole BFF thing. I was just thinking about that yesterday. Every week I meet with my bosses and co-workers and we eat lunch for our staffing meeting. There are times when I do skip lunch because I just can't possibly eat at that moment so I know what it is like to choose to sit there and watch everyone else eat. My boss brought that up when I talked about this two years ago, about eating together might be hard for me. But maybe I can make it up - sometimes I bring just yogurt just to see if I can handle eating yogurt while they eat their big old burger or whatever it is. Sometimes I have to skip eating because my blood sugar is high so I know if forced to - that I can skip eating with them. BUT YET - it is such a comfort thing to eat with people we are close to. Everything revolves around food - our BFF. Even if we are alone - there is always food. I was never really able to tell if I was an emotional eater or just an OCD eater. When I am happy I eat more when things are bad I don't have an appetite, but they have to be pretty darn bad to get to that point. THe divorce diet is always nice for a little while. lol So, maybe I will have a farewell lunch with my co-workers. Where I get to eat bad with them one more time. Just as a "good bye last meal." Yesterday I ate a quarter of my food and did not drink with my meal during our staffing meeting. Also, yesterday, I got hungry in the late afternoon and I had half of one of those peanut butter pouches. I knew I wanted the rest because it tasted good but I didn't need more than half to satisfy me. Little things here and there.

@dreamingsmall - I'm on week 6 and my daily food consist of the following: probiotic shot (Good Belly Shot) early morning - before my workout. Then I drink Water during the workout and for 1 hour after. Breakfast: drinkable yogurt, with protein fruit flavored drink and 8 oz of water Lunch: Meat based soup (like French Onion, or Chicken and Vegetable) or Chicken Taco meat, cheese, sour cream, salsa all about 1/2 cup. Eat Slowly take a min between bites Dinner: Meatloaf with potatoes and steamed veg's or soft grilled pork with veg. I drink about 32 oz of water in between eating. I drink water before bed. Most of the water is flavored with protein powders. So I get 60-80 mg I found by eating slower and stopping when full, I eat less, and I drink more! Today I'm in a pair of pants I haven't worn in 2 years! I know it's working by the clothes not the scale. Hope that helps.

You can keep the cost of miralax down by buying the generic which has the same ingredients but is less expensive. I also used miralax (generic) but I found it causes too much gas for me but it dos work. I add Fiberone Cereal in my Greek yogurt every morning. I also have a cup of Smooth Move tea which works for me and tastes good. I buy it in bulk from Amazon. If you want to try it first you might be able to find it at your grocery store, mine has it. If one cup doesn't work have a second cup in the evening. Good luck, I have had chronic constipation all my life which did not change after the surgery...

Yes, yogurt is fine during the pre-op diet since it's considered a pudding-thick liquid. However, the yogurt needs to have less than 10 grams of sugar or else the liver won't shrink.

If I'm not mistaken you can have yogurt too cant you? I have bariatric advantage and make my own shakes. I'm not even at the pre op yet. I'm in the pre approval stage with insurance. But I love the shakes. Down 6 pounds so far... but an egg, I agree is ok. NO FAST FOOD. Lol good look you CAN DO IT!!