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How many of us have leftover strawberries or blueberries from our 4th of July celebrations? Berries are a great, early summer fruit. These include strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. Berries are packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, fiber and water. Antioxidants help slow down the aging process by protecting our cells from oxidative stress, Vitamin C helps with healing and fiber helps with digestive health. Berries have about 15 carbohydrates and 60-80 calories per 1 cup serving but the type of carbohydrate in berries don’t raise your sugars very much. Bariatric patients can use berries by puréeing the berries and freezing them. Use snack size, zipper-type bags, fill with ½ cup purée and freeze flat, which will stack better in your freezer. Because antioxidants need some fat to be absorbed, consider adding 1 teaspoon canola oil per 1 cup puree. Use the pureed berries in yogurt or when you mix a protein shake. Use ½ bag of your frozen purée per small container (5.3 oz.) of yogurt or a protein drink. That is about ¼ cup berry purée. You may need to thaw some before using the purée. Berries provide a nutritional punch your body will love. Hope you have many berry good times this summer!

Berries are packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, fiber and water. Antioxidants help slow down the aging process by protecting our cells from oxidative stress, Vitamin C helps with healing and fiber helps with digestive health. Berries have about 15 carbohydrates and 60-80 calories per 1 cup serving but the type of carbohydrate in berries don’t raise your sugars very much. Bariatric patients can use berries by puréeing the berries and freezing them. Use snack size, zipper-type bags, fill with ½ cup purée and freeze flat, which will stack better in your freezer. Because antioxidants need some fat to be absorbed, consider adding 1 teaspoon canola oil per 1 cup puree. Use the pureed berries in yogurt or when you mix a protein shake. Use ½ bag of your frozen purée per small container (5.3 oz.) of yogurt or a protein drink. That is about ¼ cup berry purée. You may need to thaw some before using the purée. Berries provide a nutritional punch your body will love. Hope you have many berry good times this summer!

Welcome! Snacks.. yogurt/ baby carrots (10only)/ turkey slices from the deli (prepackaged ones got to salty for me) and popcorn (100 cal pack) I know the popcorn isn't the best but it helped me get away from chips

I always state that every program and doc is different. I posted my personal pre-op diet on my blog on here. I'm on my last week of a three week liquid pre-op diet. It gets much easier as I go and it will for you. I noticed there is always a day or so that is just real rough. The fourth day for me was the worst. But after that it wasn't too bad. I don't even feel real hungry anymore. I have a schedule and stick with it. Every hour I have something. I start with two cups decaf coffee 6am- tomato juice (5oz can) and broth 7am - premier protein shake 8am - 1/4 cup cottage cheese with sugar free jello or seasoning of choice if I want savory 9am - I repeat this once more for 10, 11, 12 and 1 - then I go home from work and have another tomato juice while I make dinner for family. I have one Oikos triple zero yogurt (coffee is the bestest) and two sugar free Popsicle. Tada - days over and I start again... LOL - sometimes I have one more shake in the evening but really haven't much. I add protein unflavored powder (Unjury) to my jello and between that and the cottage cheese and yogurt protein - it makes up the protein from that last shake. Yes there are times I so want to eat, especially when cooking something I love for dinner, but every morning I feel better and better. My edema is practically gone and I'm down 20lbs which I really feel a difference when I walk because my back is in less pain. I keep real busy. I'm taking more time in my hobbies and stuff. I love painting and spend more time doing that than eating. I also walk. Especially at lunch break at work. I walk while everyone brings in their McDonald, Panda express and all that other processed poison. It helps get me away from all the smells. *wink* Blessing on your journey - You so got this - GrInS

The problem is that it's not only cucumber even when i eat yogurt the same thing happened i thought that i eat too much but it's only a couple of table spoons that's what I'm confused about

Today is 3 weeks, post op for me. I started soft foods today, and had 1 scrambled egg white in Extra Virgin Olive Oil Pam Spray (I ate half of it). I also had a little bit of Greek yogurt. I did not get sick, but I had a little reflux, after.

As soon as I could post op I added low volume prObiotic liquid yogurt to my diet. I'm holding off on the probiotics because I'm not sure what would happen when they swell in your new stomach. I believe in replacing healthy bacteria in your guy and do it every day.

I weaned myself off of coffee when I started the program back in March. I like unsweetened iced tea so I bought decaf teabags and made some for a little variety in the liquids. I live alone so I purged pretty much everything I can't eat on Sunday night, including pickles (they were really old anyway). I figure the better I am during these two weeks, the easier it will be after the surgery. Eating eggs and yogurt again is going to feel like a party. Lol.

Hello everyone, I'm 9.5 months postop VSG and I have lost 88 pounds since my surgery on Sept 19th, 2016, and 108 pounds overall since my pre-op liquid diet. For the first few months postop I was eating about 600-800 calories a day, and up until today I'm still eating around 700-900 calories a day, 80-100 grams of protein, and anywhere from 20-30 grams of net carbs. A lot of people keep telling me that my calories are way too low for someone as far out as I am, and I'm worried that if I continue to eat like this that my body will adjust to a really low calorie intake and once I hit maintenance that I'll start gaining weight if I eat over 1000 calories. I want to be able to maintain within a normal calorie range for someone my age, of around 1500 calories. I'm 5' 7" and 21 years old, and right now I weight 177lbs and I'm hoping to reach my goal weight of 150lbs. I was 285lbs before my pre-op liquid diet, and 265lbs on the day of surgery. But I'm honestly finding it really hard to increase my calories because eating up to 900 calories a day usually leaves me sufficiently satisfied for the day, and to be able to eat more than 900 calories a day I feel like I would really have to force myself to eat more. I eat healthy, nutritious food and always prioritize my protein, so it doesn't leave much room for me to eat too much calorie dense foods. I eat clean - no ice cream, pizza, chips, etc. or other junk whatsoever. Things I eat regularly include: Premier Protein shakes, chicken breast, shrimp, low fat cheeses (mainly feta, parmesan, mozzarella, and sharp cheddar), nuts (mainly almonds and pistachios), low fat greek yogurt, protein granola, high fibre bran cereal, small amounts of berries, Peanut Butter, and eggs. I eat a lot of veggies too, and always stick to non-starchy veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, brussel sprouts, cucumber, green Beans, and spinach. I weigh and measure everything I eat down to the gram and track everything on myfitnesspal everyday. Here is myfitnesspal account where I have my food diary visible, so any advice on what I'm eating would be really appreciated: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/avatarkorraa. I can comfortably eat anywhere from 5-7 ounces of food in a sitting, and I eat 3 meals a day and 1-2 snacks, every 3-4 hours. In terms of my activity level, I'm pretty sedentary because I have a lot of chronic fatigue and muscle weakness due to some complications I had postop , so I can't increase my calories too much because I'm not burning off a lot. In the meantime I'm following up with my doctor to see if there's something I can do about this so I can start exercising soon, because I really want to . So where should I go from here? I really don't want my metabolism to adjust to such a low calorie intake, but I'm scared that if I increase my calories that my weight loss will stop. Should I try eating more calorie dense foods or force myself to eat more in general? How many calories should I be eating right now to maintain a healthy weight loss and so my metabolism doesn't slow down? Is it too late for me now to do so? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hahahaha I am currently on google with "what does 80 grams of protein look like" The answer is, a LOT The sad part is that an egg white is only 3.6 grams . Thank goodness for chicken breasts, tuna and beans because I can't stand yogurt and it's so highly recommended all over the place for protein.

I have been provided with my post-op diet already even though my surgery is still a few months out. I must say that I am glad that I have this information as I am working the diet backwards now so that when surgery time and post-op comes, my body is already prepared for it and I won't have as many withdrawals. Dealing with a major lifestyle change will be hard enough so I don't want to also have to include the adjustment to diet during that time. The emotional aspect of it all will be challenging enough. What do I mean by backwards? Well, for many, the post-op diet is as follows... Stage 1: Clear liquids Stage 2: Full liquids Stage 3: Pureed Stage 4: Soft foods Stage 5: Regular foods Of course, regular foods is the norm, but, I am now focusing on protein. Eating the protein and then veggies and then carbs, if I am still hungry. I don't drink 1/2 hour before or after dinner. I drink water only and I make sure I sip my 64 oz. throughout the day. I will then move to the soft foods: soft scrambled eggs, yogurt, refried beans, protein shakes, tuna, for example. After soft, moving to the pureed/soft foods. I don't look forward to this but yes, I will try the baby food for my protein and veggies. I would puree my own meet but I am not sure I can get it to the correct consistency. Full liquids will be my protein shakes, creamed soups, etc. Finally, I move to the clear liquids: gelatin, broth, protein soups, etc. At this stage I should be about a week or so out from surgery and should have no problem continuing this immediately after post-op. Preparation will be important for ALL of us. Sure, it is easy to be happy about only needing 1 - 3 days of a liquid diet before surgery but it is best to consider the big picture and understand that this is a lifestyle change. Prepare for it as you WILL go through withdrawals of not eating what you were once used to eating. I wish everyone well in their journey!

Head hunger is powerful. I have zero physical hunger. I eat because I'm supposed to but I never feel the sensation of hunger. Early on I had crazy head hunger. I couldn't tell if my body was truly hungry or just craving crap, so each time I felt hungry I ate. I only ate what I was allowed on the phase I was in. So hungry?, drink some protein shake. Hungry? Have some yogurt. Now, hungry? Find some dense protein. I still have occasional cravings for bad food. I am now in the habit of feeding that craving protein. It gets easier to resist that pull.

Thank you both for the replies...I look forward to trying a few out...today I did 1 tablespoon of low fat refried beans with half a teaspoon of sour cream fat free and half a teaspoon of salsa...man I felt like I was in heaven after just yogurt...cottage cheese and cream soups the last two weeks...thanks again any other tips please feel free to share...I also bought small containers for food even my mini measure cups which does 1/4 cup is perfect for now... Sent from my LG-LS997 using BariatricPal mobile app

Typical day. I get up drink a protein shake with 30 grams protein. Usually takes me an hour. Wait 30 minutes then start drinking water till lunch. Wait 30 minutes them do about 1/3 cup oikos triple zero Greek yogurt. I like strawberry and the salted caramel. It has 15 grams protein. Wait 30 minutes. Start drinking water. Drink all day. Then for supper I'll either finish the yogurt or if I'm not nauseous I'll puree 1/2 can chicken rice soup the small can. I take my time and savor it. About 30 minutes. Wait 30 minutes then back on the water. I use apple juice to get my crushed pills and supplements down just enough for about 2 drinks. And if I get hungry late I'll have a sugar free popcicle. I'm probably not getting enough calories but I'm getting my water in. And if I do the soup and I'm hungry still later I'll finish the yogurt for the extra protein. I had a bad hunger day one day so I made a protein smoothie I put one scoop unflavored whey protein powder, 2 packets splenda, about 1/4 banana and 2 strawberries with a little crushed ice blended it. Then I just sipped on it to keep hunger down. Plus I'm walking 1 mile everyday. It may not be tge right way but it's working for me. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using BariatricPal mobile app

7g is on the high side if you're looking at a daily intake of not exceeding 20g. Remember, things like milk, yogurt, fruit and anything that you should be eating as well has sugar in it. The most you can do to limit your sugar intake with the GS (or any diet for that matter) is better for you. Sugar really IS the #1 problem in our diets. It's in everything we eat with refined sugars (high fructose corn syrups) and hides in things you'd never think has it like dairy... I try and keep my total daily sugar count below 15g.

Hi guys! I have been on soft foods since week 2. I feel pretty good. I lost 18 pounds since surgery but last week the scale did seem to be stuck. I left Friday for a trip to California. So far it's been ok. A little hard to get water in. I have been staying with my sister in law but tonight we check into a hotel for the 4th. I'm pretty nervous about food. I did bring some lentils from home to eat but not sure if the hotel has a microwave available. Oh well, cottage cheese and yogurt will keep in the fridge, right. Sent from my SM-G950U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi skyeyes9520 Good luck on the pureed food...or baby food as I called it. speaking of..try some baby food it has come along way. I found a veg and brown rice that was pretty good (just watch for hidden sugars) and try to find a high protein content. If that's not appealing for fruit: you should cook 1/3 to 1/2 cup of fruit with 2 tsp of water. for a couple of minutes(straw, blue raspberry or peaches) or I lived on unsweetened apple sauce w/ cinnamon sprinkled on for flavour. Remember NO fibrous fruit eg. oranges or pineapples. I think you can have cream of wheat, oatmeal (if instant no more than 10 grms of sugar) or a cold cereal soaked in milk 'till it's mushy. Don't for get yogurt ( NO fruit bottom or chunky anything sugar and fat free) Sugar free jello ( I cheated with low fat cool whip ) you can't have jello without coolwhip...right. Sugar free pudding for another treat. You should be okay with low fat cottage cheese. Try as well a poached egg. For more purred stuff;Hummus is easy and quick...here are some recipes for Veggies >>1/3 cup of veg with 3 teaspoons of veg broth ( any veg into the food processor and blend for 2minutes it must be fine...remember baby food. meat and fish ( ground beef and a soft fish like cod or salmon ) 1/2 cup cooked meat/fish in 4 tablespoons of broth or water. Blend until smooth. NO CHUNKS !! One last hint...use spices and herbs (they are your best friends) to make your food tastier. One last hint make a more than you need to eat that meal and buy some little containers or even use ice cube trays to portion out your food and freeze it.It makes life so easy here are a couple of sites for recipe ideas. I hope this helps www.bariatriccookery.com http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/diet/pureedentreesalads.cfm#blended vegetables Good luck and good health

Going back to the yogurt is the dietitians idea. The dr doesn't want me eating anything that will "slide through" my stomach. He wants stuff that will sit in there. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

"Back to" Greek yogurt? That's not considered a whole food protein source?

I KNOW! It comcerned me, so I met with a dietitian today, she suggested I go back to the shakes and Greek yogurt. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

I agree with you. I was concerned, so I met with a dietitian today. She suggested I go back to shakes and smoothies with un-flavored protein powder. She also suggested I go back to the Greek yogurt. I am still going to try more foods, but I am going to do what I need to do to get in my protein. Sent from my SM-G930T using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi northstar9148... here are some ideas I hope will help you. I don't know what brand you buy but...Buy a brand (any no name brand is fine at your local wal-mart or health food store even a big supermarket should carry protein powders. Buy a brand that is whey (milk) or soy. I think if you buy a vanilla (there is other flavours as well) flavoured brand you will have more options for shakes. Less than 5 grams of Carbs and 20 to 30 grams of protein and NO sugar. here's one recipe strawberry banana protein shake 1 scoop protein powder 1/2 cup skim milk, almond milk or cashew milk. 1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt 4 whole strawberries (frozen if want) or blueberry, raspberry 2 inch piece of banana 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 package sweetener (optional) Throw into blender and blend until smooth....delicious you can also replace the berries with peaches or even use coco powder (plain no sugar powder not hot choc mix) try using flavourings and extracts orange, root beer, maple, for baking ...DO NOT use juice, honey or sugar for flavour. try this site for more recipes www.bariatriccookery.com good luck

Hi, I'm 10 days post op and doing great. Day of surgery weighed 319 now I'm 289. Hard to believe but 30 lbs in 10 days. Most of it was water weight. My legs and feet were always swollen. Now I can see my ankle bones and calves are smaller. Also the first week it's hard to get much down. My dr had me on clear diet for 2 days and I couldn't stand broth so I lived on jello, apple juice, protein waters. And lots of water. The 3rd day I could have protein shakes, sf chocolate pudding, and Greek yogurt. I still only eat about 3 bites. Or can only get a half of the shake down but I drink lots of water. I'm getting about 400 or less calories. Oikos triple zero Greek yogurt is my go to for meals at this point. I have sf popcicles and organic tomato juice with seasalt found at publix it's a nice change from all the sweet stuff. Publix also has a protein milk called Rockin refuel that has 30 grams protein taste just like real chocolate milk and it's lactose free. I love it. The first 5 days were hard for me nausea was really bad. And smells really bothered me. It's gotten better. The pain was not near as bad as I imagined. Protein, water, and walking is the key. Also as soon as you fill full stop. Even if I have 2 bites and feel full I quit. I hate to vomit and haven't so far. Listen to your body and you will do great. It's hard and you will have days better than others. I literally just walk it off. That helps. Good luck to you. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using BariatricPal mobile app

Im doing better now that I'm in week two. I get a few gas bubbles because I forget I can't gulp water or whatever I'm drinking at the time. I haven't had nausea at all during this whole new life change which is surprising. Hopefully yours will stop soon it gets easier, I think when day 7 came everything seemed to be a lot better! I figured I needed more protein because my body was so week, my friend and I both got some protein shakes so we did that one day and felt soooo much better. And getting to have a few bites of yogurt was a nice change! Things are finally starting to get better!