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First, remember that although it seems like a very long time, 8 weeks isn't long at all. It takes a surprisingly long time to get back to 'normal', or really to get to whatever your NEW 'normal' is going to be. Be gentle on yourself Dense protein is hard, and I've struggled with it since I was on solids last years. I'm now 14 mos post-op and I still have a hard time with meats. Just a couple of nights ago I spent a couple of hours foaming and sliming because I ate some grilled pork tenderloin. By far, fish is easiest for me to tolerate...salmon, cod, tuna, all shellfish. They all go down easy and stay down. I used to be a beef-a-holic, now I maybe have a few bites a month. Chicken is hit or miss, dark meat easier than breasts. One tip: the moister the meat, the easier it is for me. I have a pressure cooker and make Indian chicken dishes in it often and the cooking method keeps the meat moist and makes it very tender. So, if you can use a sauce of some sort, that may help. Have you tried eggs cooked different ways? I started with scrambled, which were a disaster, but I've found that I can eat them poached and boiled, but not fried or scrambled. And to the main point of your post, hummus can be a good option for limited use, but it alone won't trigger any restriction in your sleeve the way a dense protein will, so keep that in mind. It's more of a 'slider' food, so while it'll help you in a nutrition sense, it won't be as satisfying as some chicken or salmon. That said, at 8 weeks I was eating what I could get my stomach to like and retain, with an emphasis on any form of protein that worked. I mixed protein powder into mashed potatoes, cream of wheat, oatmeal, cottage cheese, yogurt, ricotta cheese, etc. Really anything that appealed and was slightly soft and moist will work. And you have to decide how many grams of carbohydrates you're going to eat each day, how much space you have for those carbs related to your protein and form a long-term plan with that as a basis. I'm kind of on auto-pilot now with food, but I counted every. single. bite. for the first year. Doing that taught me what my 'danger' foods are, how I react to simple carbs, how often I need to eat to meet my protein and nutrient goals, etc. It's a lot to think about in the beginning, but it gets MUCH easier as time goes by. Good for you for thinking about what you're doing now as potential habits for the future...you sure seem like you've got what it takes to be successful at this whole WLS thing!

Thank you both so much! I'm relying on the Greek yogurt and the broth. I feel I need a more concentrated source though. LOVE the idea of the Lifeway Protein Kefir. I love kefir! Drinking some today. But the protein version doesn't come without sugary ingredients and fruits. I just want plain. maybe I should replace all my water with broth and watery yogurt or milk. i can't imagine blended tuna. I did try other protein powders. Ugh. Bought plain and vanilla Paleo Pro beef and egg protein powder, couldn't choke it down. Same with pea and hemp. Nope. our nutritionist said whey protein would be for our whole lives to get enough concentrated protein in once a day. sigh. Thanks so much.

See if they have frozen low fat yogurt...

I'm really getting frustrated reading all these comments from these "expert" sleeve patients saying dumping syndrome doesn't happen unless you have a bypass. Don't assume that because it doesn't happen to EVERYONE, that it doesn't happen at all. It's VERY real, and happens to quite a few. I am one of them. It happened to me first in my puree stage, my Dr advised mashed potatoes and gravy.. I had about three teaspoons and the wave hit me. I had no idea what happened or why I was sick, or even ever heard of dumping. It happened again once with potato soup, and once with fat free frozen yogurt. Please stop assuming that it only happens to bypass patients. It's insulting to those of us who do experience it to be told it doesn't exist. Per the Mayo Clinic: "Dumping syndrome is a condition that can develop after surgery to remove all or part of your stomach or after surgery to bypass your stomach to help you lose weight. Also called rapid gastric emptying, dumping syndrome occurs when food, especially sugar, moves from your stomach into your small bowel too quickly."

@BigViffer lol thanks for the info. Sounds pretty accurate. I don't drink alcohol though. Too scared to since surgery lol. I'm one month post op as of yesterday and I lost almost 20lbs since surgery, the additional 6 lbs was pre-op a day before surgery. 20 lbs seems like the norm for weight loss after one month. I walked a lot this weekend on a mini vacay I took and yesterday even though I got home from work super late and was tired as f*ck I still went for a 30 minute walk. I'm trying, but the weight is barely going down. I just need to be patient. I don't think I'm eating enough either though. Wake up - on my way to work drink 8 oz of fluids Get to work - greek yogurt snack - either spoon of peanut butter or a string cheese lunch - a piece of chicken or protein shake snack - spoon of peanut butter dinner - yesterday I had a couple pieces of salami and cheese and like 3 olives I can't eat much more than that...mleh that's pretty bad eating habits huh?

My diet was 2 weeks, protein shake for breakfast and lunch .. at lunch I was allowed either cottage cheese, a sugar free pudding or a low sugar and cal yogurt ... then for a snack between lunch and dinner, one of those three things .. then for dinner 2 oz of lean meat and 1/2 cup of green vegetables but no sauces. Then I'd get to have another protein shake before bed because I am diabetic [emoji4] I had my surgery yesterday.. I feel relatively ok but the carbon dioxide pain in my stomach is driving me crazy [emoji17]

Thanks I've definitely thought about trying some of the Fairlife chocolate milk even though it's not sugar free. I have started some yogurt drinks, though they're a struggle with the fake sweeteners too. Broth is one of the few things I can tolerate like once a day. Might buy some regular sugar sweetened and plain unsweetened Greek yogurt and mix them and thin them out. I've put another call in to my dietician so we'll see what else she's okay with when she calls back.

I love using the Isopure unflavored in broths. (Make sure the broth isn't more than about 130-140 degrees or it will clump. I also use reduced sodium Better Than Bouillon + the protein for a quick meal some days. Also, I have added it to a little V-8 then warm it until it's a tomato soup thing...but I'm not sure if V-8 is legal from a sugar perspective? I also have added it to pot roast and other pan drippings to make a protein broth for me. I hear you can add it to low carb milk, cottage cheese, and Greek yogurt to up the protein content.

Thanks so much - that makes sense with the scale. I have a scale, just not real good at using it yet. I actually used it for the first time last night weighing out my fish. I had mentioned that about the calculating because my yogurt said serving size was one container (some crazy 5.2 oz). I took three bites and was done. The other hard thing is my program want me to do three meals a day with no snacks at 20 grams of protein at each meal. I can't eat enough to get that much at one meal. Sometimes the differentiation of programs is so hard on here and at our office. There are three docs at my doc office and each has their own rules. And everyone's program on here is so different. I agree with Aunt B's comment above : While we all want to follow our instructions perfectly, I have to remember that part of this journey is listening to and trusting my own unique body. I totally agree. I love this site. Y'all are like the most awesome group. Thanks again for the help. GrInS.....

Ok, lets think about this objectively. First off, you are going to be OK. Even if you can't tolerate milk or protein shakes/powders, you aren't going to starve to death in a couple weeks. You need to call your surgeon and get suggestions. Here are some things you can discuss: You do need to get calories on board, so what is liquid and has calories? Broth! Bone broth and homemade broth has about 8g of protein per 8oz. If you can drink 2 quarts of that a day you'll meet your fluid and protein goals. (Homemade should be made with meat and bones, and simmer for at least 8 hours. I like using a big package of chicken legs.) Fruit juice, vegetable juice (early for tomatoes, but other types may work) Thin, runny cream of wheat (not technically a liquid, so do not try without your surgeons permission) Chocolate milk (might go down easier than white. Sugar free flavorings would be better, but even regular sugar is better than nothing). Coconut water Liquid yogurt (thinned) has sugar and fruit, but if you can tolerate it...and you'll get some protein to boot. Once you get to purees you can start blending up real food and should really start meeting your goals. Hope this helps..

*newbie disclaimer* This is so true for me. I try to stay somewhere between 15-30g net carbs per day. I try to keep it loose so I don't get overly restrictive--and the daily carb count fluctuates greatly depending on appetite. The type of carb matters hugely to me. Most of my carbs come from low glycemic veggies and a tiny bit of dark berries (1oz servings), some nuts, some dairy, some eggs. I have to get that fiber from veggies and nuts/seeds in or suffer with constipation--no matter how much magnesium I shove down my gullet. I can eat 32g of net carbs from leafy greens, and low carb veg and still lose even though I'm a little over my target. But, if I took in 32g of net carbs from Triscuits, pasta, potatoes, winter squash, bread/toast, etc, I will be screamin' hungry and will have huge issues controlling my craving for more, more, MORE--plus, I will gain weight overnight--about 2-4lbs of fluid! (On fat, I generally want the best type possible including full fat dairy. But since I've been trying to fit a certain low calorie spectrum, I switched to some strategic reduced fat dairy...but I'm very particular about it. Fats for me include: some small amount of animal fat like grass fed butter, lard and tallow, but mostly extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nut oil for dressings, nuts and seeds and as my cals can go higher will include full fat dairy like small amounts of raw cheeses and sour cream/Greek yogurt. I don't eat a whole lot of dairy though cuz it is very insulinogenic and has more hormones than other protein/fat sources and with a hormone positive breast cancer history, that's not so good.)

My experience is a lot like Rosana's. I had some minor nausea right after the surgery but they gave me a patch and that made things much better. I basically only ate ice chips the first day. I tried a bite of jello and tried some broth but they didn't taste good. The second day I was put on full liquids so I had yogurt and pudding for breakfast. I went home around noon and stayed on my pain meds for another 24 hours. Liquids have been a challenge but finally easier today. I felt really empty, not hungry just empty, until yesterday. I made some pudding with protein and that helped take away that feeling. Honestly I wasn't walking around as much as I should but finally got out yesterday and that made a huge difference to relieve the bloated feeling in my abdomen area. The gas pain was never that bad for me, basically discomfort. Overall things have gone pretty smoothly. I have no regrets. Good luck, you are going to do great!

Hi Gabbee, You are doing all the right things! Will you likely be able to eat some of the food the hotel provides - yes. But better safe. I just got back from a work trip. I was approximately 2 months out from my surgery. I requested a fridge and brought along shakes, yogurt, cheese, and the like. For my breakfast at the hotel I just brought my own yogurt downstairs and then got an egg from the buffet. People didn't question it. The last thing you want when traveling for a work conference is to feel miserable. If nothing looks good/appetizing, then you can always have a shake in your room later. Best of luck!

I seem to be developing some kind of "reaction" to whey. I was ok with it for the two week pre-op diet, as well as about 3 weeks post op. Now I get shaky, nauseous, blurry vision, and a yucky sick feeling after sipping on it, even mixed with water. And my whey is pure grassfed with NO other ingredients. So it is the whey that is causing this. in order to get protein right now, I am forced to rely on my other two protein staples. Homemade bone broth (one big mug full a day, only, because it takes 2 days to make it in my crockpot) at 9 g a cup. And the Greek yogurt at 22 g a cup, which I put into a glass and add some vegetable juice. Looks weird but once mixed with a whisk it tastes good. My nutritionist doesn't need allow fruit or fruit juice as they are sugar bombs. So I need a new source of protein. Ordered from Amazon Paleo Pro protein powder made from grassfed beef and eggs. It has good reviews so going to try it. Will report back. I think the doctors need to ask people to pay attention for reactions to whey. I'm not the only person who feels sick from it.

I used to eat eggs every morning and now it just makes me sick. Sad really. I'm always at a loss for what to eat for breakfast now. I usually just do a yogurt.

Four weeks today I did something that was to change me for the rest of my life. I had the Gastric Sleeve done at Centennial Hospital with Dr. Dyer on 07/17/2017. My highest weight was 315. I as of today weight 270.0. i never got my Day of Surgery weight, but I think it was 286. I have been on a roller coaster stall for a couple weeks now. I've read this is common but it can still be frustrating, especially since I'm only four weeks out and already hitting one. It seemed to happen when I changed stages and the problems with Constipation started. I was worried also about changing stages a little early may of caused the stall. I did stage one, good. But I did stage two like a week and then moved to pureed stage 3 early. I was getting so nausea's on the shakes. So I added the pureed stuff a little early. I'll admit I'm not good at pureeing the foods. I just chew chew chew till it's pureed in my mouth or eat already soft stuff like eggs, cottage cheese and yogurt. No problems with anything yet, well still no jello and anything strong mint, like toothpaste.... it makes me nausea. Not sure why. But doing good with everything else. I'm still under 500 cal a day. I'm going to start my food journal this week as well as measurements. I was told this can help see any bad trends I might need to nip in the butt and make sure it truly is under 500. Its so hard when labels state 1 cup 200 cal, but you only eat 3 T. Hard to calculate. Still have trouble with the Anal Fissure. Fibers and stool Softener help, but like I had mentioned. Normal stool even for me is not fun. Going to have to go to a specialist and have this looked into more. Really don't want to go through another surgery right now. Not cool - nope nope. Any others who stalled early on? Love to hear your advice. Hope everyone is doing well in Bariatric Land. I'll let y'all know how the week goes. I have my follow up next week so can't wait for that. Lots of questions. Later Gaters

Thank you. I am still unable to tolerate a lot of food so I mainly stick to protein, protein and more protein. That would be in the forms of lean meats turkey, chicken, steak, light yogurt, 2% milk and cheese ( have become a little lactose intolerant so I don't do much of these. I will occasionally be able to get some veggies in as well but not that often as I still cannot eat much in one sitting. However I too have gone through stalls and the key is listening to your body if it is telling you that it is starving for something do it but in moderation. I sometimes had to break my stalls by incorporating some bread carbs because my body was starving for it but I don't tolerate it to well so it is very spring but it kicks me out of my stalls when I have them. I do walk around 5 miles a day and do hip hop fitness 3x's a week. But again all of our bodies respond to different things so be sure to listen to your tool if it tells you that it is full stop if you don't have those triggers then measure out portions that are recommended by your nutritionist and remember the sleeve is there to help but it doesn't by any means do all of the work for you. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. I hope this helps.

And I would think that broccolli would also be a bit difficult on the stomach at this stage. It took me a while to eat many different veggies. Yogurt, cottage cheese, that sort of thing are perfect for now. In fact, you should try the ricotta bake! I got the recipe on this web site but don't remember who exactly. Baked Ricotta with Marinara This is the one that everyone RAVES about! 8 oz of ricotta cheese ½ cup grated Parmesan 1 large egg, beaten 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning Salt & pepper to taste ½ cup marinara sauce ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese Mix ricotta cheese, parmesan, beaten egg, seasonings together and place in a oven proof dish. Pour marinara on top and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake it in the oven @ 450 for about 20-25 minutes (best) or nuke it till hot and bubbly.

Thanks for everyone advice it's really helpful. Haven't tried scrambled eggs or tuna but will do. Just having a hard time with yogurt and soup, I always thought about Indian food but had a chance to try it pureed

No decrease in the amount it's been like that since they introduced eggs. Yogurt and cottage cheese are fine and I measure out around 3 ounces for those. I feel like I'm a being paranoid but really don't know.

Sooo, just as an update, I am still sick. It has been 1 year and 8 months since my car accident(s). My go specialist has diagnosed me with IBS. I still don't believe that this is the issue. I was given dice yep and baclofen and it actually made the pain worse. I am so tired of people telling me that I am "constipated". However, that said I take polyethylene glycol almost daily which softens stool, but it still takes about 9-10 days for food to pass. I am still maintaining my weight, but not losing. How is this possible. My highest known weight was 340 pounds and I currently weigh 163 pounds. So I guess that is still a win. My family doctor agrees that I likely have vagus nerve damage, but I feel like something is still missing. It really doesn't make sense. Yesterday, I ate 1/2 c yogurt and 1/8 cup meat. That is it. My pain has improved a bit, such that I am not dying after eating. I have been on tramadol tid for almost 2 years now. After doing more research, I am planning to speak with my family physician about the possible late complication of rny of candy cane roux syndrome. I have never heard of this before. But I have all of the symptoms. This however may not be the answer, because I cannot verify how long my roux blind limb is, if at all. But I would be even open to having surgery to remove more of my small intestine to just "see". It is so hard because almost 2 years ago I was running marathons and loved my life. Although my surgery was not easy, it made my life better. 1 month after my car accident my life became unlivable. Last november I was very low mentally. I have survived that, and am hopeful I will get better. It has improved my nursing practice amazingly. Unfortunately I don't feel like my coworkers can count on me. I have called in sick because of pain more in the last year than I have in my entire life combined. I have spent most of my time in bed and my muscles have atrophied. I work and stay in bed. The only thing that got me out of my depression in November was my husband and dog. I have lost a lot of friends, and am still mourning that loss. I am determined, I will figure this out. I will find out what is wrong with me and I will let you know as I know. I know this is vagus nerve damage, which was worsened by all my abdominal surgeries (4 surgeries now). I know the car accident caused abdominal trauma. I know I have slow sluggish bowels, but i am not "constipated". The slow bowels, the persistent nausea and post-prandial pain, constant fullness, may be related to poor peristalsis of my manipulated bowels. I will keep you posted, because I do not want someone to go through what I have.

Hard boiled eggs or edamame and garbanzo bean salad. Soups in a thermos. Yogurt frozen before you pack it. If you can stomach it at the point chicken salad made with plain Greek yogurt or smashed avacodo. HW-292 • SW (6/29/17) 256.6 • CW 230.2

I had a Vertical Banded Gastroplasty in 1994. I have had problems over the years that have been increasing as the time goes by such as Acid reflux, vomiting, severe abdominal pain followed by massive diarrhea and lately, constant pain in my stomach area behind the rib cage. I can't eat anything solid now and keep it down so I am on protein shakes and yogurt to get my nutrition. have an appointment with my primary care physician on Wednesday for this reason and am wondering if she will order an endoscopy or should I suggest it. I am worried about the possible damage that the surgery may have caused but I need to know. hate the thought of being on a liquid diet for the rest of my life. Has anyone else had the VBG and needed a revision? What were your symptoms? Am I just being paranoid?

My before pictures were in a t-shirt and workout leggings. I did not keep any of the size 22 pants but I have some 2XL shirts still- I sleep in them. But I'm almost 1 year out and I drink wine and every once and a while I have a slice of pizza. I stocked up on what I needed for post op according to my plan - which in my first 2 weeks was full liquids - greek yogurt, creamed soups, protein drinks, Vitamin Water Zero, Crystal Light, Fairlife Milks, protein powder, sugar free jello and pudding, sugar free popsicles and fudgesicles. I made sure I had enough stuff to make dinners for my family on hand so I didn't have to go to the grocery store.

IT GETS BETTER!! It really does. So first advice I have for you is remember that. I'm now 16 days post op and feel great. The second week was better than the first for me, but I still struggled to get my liquids and protein in and got tired easily. Have you tried introducing some savory liquids? Try unjury chicken soup if you're still on clear liquids, or if you can do soups, do that (sometimes i mix in unjury chicken powder just to get more protein in). Also try to vary shakes a bit, and the time of day you have them. I drank them for breakfast everyday for 2 weeks. One day i couldnt even smell them. I switched to yogurt for breakfast, and soup for lunch, with protein water in between. I'd completement with the shakes at night if needed. That helped a lot!