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Maybe check with your care team regarding your liquids too? I'm wondering if you're flushing the protein shakes out too quickly if you're drinking that much water. I know all programs are different, but for the first week my team told me to aim for at least 32oz clear fluid (including water but also any sugar free clear liquids like broth, jello or gatorade), and at least one shake per day, slowly increasing it as I felt able. By the end of the second week they were 'hoping' for around 48oz clear liquids and two shakes per day, but they were happy I was averaging 1.5. Are you drinking your fluids slowly? Part of they reason they ask is because we're dealing with a smaller stomach all of a sudden, and getting us to train ourselves to eat slower and more mindfully, etc blah blah -- but part of it is also to slowly re-train our bodies / nerves / etc to recognize what our 'new full' feels like, the sensations as our stomach fills up, etc. I have to admit I had a lot of trouble with that -- still do -- because I still have barely gotten those sensations back. (I have the opposite problem -- I can't feel when I'm hungry or when I'm full yet, so I have to rely solely on portion sizes at the moment) I guess the third thing to maybe bring up with your care team: how is your body digesting the protein shakes? Some people are suddenly lactose intolerant, or suddenly can't process certain sweeteners the same way, etc. If you find that it's moving through you really quickly (urine or loose stool), it may be that your body is just dumping it out. It might be worthwhile to try a different protein powder/shake brand, or one with a different protein base. I know whey is supposed to be one of the best, but whey is a dairy product and maybe you'd have better luck with collagen, pea protein, etc. Good luck! I hope it gets easier for you soon!

So I had my 3 month post-op follow up yesterday (at 14 weeks out). It went... about as well as my cynical little heart expected? Maybe better? LOL My follow up was virtual, so I didn't have to go in to the hospital which is a plus. The dietician I saw today is mmmm... fifth I've spoken to in my program. I honestly would feel a little better if I could have the same dietician every time but I understand that can be hard to schedule. Plus it's still not the worst -- to be honest, I've only actively liked one of the dieticians and yesterday's I passively was ok with -- so at least it's better than the weirder three I've seen in between. Review of my meds, of my health conditions as per usual. Somehow there's always something being left off from last time -- or several last times. Like, yeah, still have diabetes. My numbers are obviously a lot better now in my latest bloodwork, but considering it was one of the comorbidities that got me approved for this program/surgery it would be swell if I didn't have to surprise my care team 4/5 times by informing them of my past diagnosis. Review of my eating habits. Fingers-rapped (gently) over a few things -- not getting enough fruits / veg with skin, not getting enough fibre in each my meals and snacks because it's mostly just in one or two meals. I mean, if my fibre intake is within the 25-35 per day range that they suggested, does it really frickin' matter if it's split up between 3 meals and two snacks? (Also, the fibre range wasn't brought up until yesterday -- it hasn't been mentioned to me at all by any of my care team, or in the pre-op and post-op guidelines and manuals they've distributed to date. The only actual numbers I've gotten from my care team has been about protein, everything else has just been "keep it low fat" and "keep it low carb" and "stay away from sugars" etc in mildly vague terms. I figured out my own daily goals and limits for everything else by taking the average of what I could find online / in books / through the forum) I asked specifically if my bloodwork reqs could be combined with the bloodwork my PCP wants since both of them want it every 3 months for mostly the same things, and I'd rather not take time off work for multiple blood tests -- or sacrifice my blood twice in a one-month period due to timing -- particularly because of the low iron. And considering they both get copies of each other's test results anyway (thanks Ontario Health Care!). But no, no, we can't do that. They can't put his name down in the 'send a copy to this physician' area right in the form. Because apparently even though my PCP is the one to referred me to my endocrinologist, she's the one who referred me to the program. So they send the results to her, and she's on a network with my PCP which is how he gets my results as well. But they can't directly ADD him. ((Can my PCP just ask for the tests that he wants to check but they don't? Nope, cause in order for it to be approved by insurance they look to make sure there are corresponding requisites. Can I have my PCP just add them to his requisition? No, because as the surgery providers they need the requisition under their name for Ontario insurance purposes, and there are certain tests that my PCP can't request 'without reason' and that reason seems to be that everyone wants to bill the government insurance plan for every test they can, and my iron will 'replenish' so it's fine. Nevermind that I've had anemia on and off for most of my life and know from personal experience that the more often I'm tested, the more slowly my iron is replenished.)) ((He was just a dietician. I shouldn't have bothered asking him. But the fact that he had an answer ready makes me feel like they get asked this a lot)) Other than that, it was ok. I've lost half the weight towards my goal weight. He reminded me to expect things to start slowing down. I nodded along even though I started a stall literally the day I hit my halfway score and even though my logic knew to expect and accept all this, my gut reaction was of course 'what have I done to eff this up???'. He was kind of crossing all his t's and dotting all his i's in terms of chiding me on dietary choices -- ie, every meal and snack being 50% protein, 25% non starchy veg, 25% complex carb. Suggested that I eat all these things that their own program handouts say not to start until between month 4 and 6, like nuts and seeds. I was ever so grateful for the internal consistencies. ((This happened with the last dietician at my 1 month -- which happened at my week 3. She was asking me why I hadn't been choosing to eat this or that, and I had to remind her that their handout and biweekly seminars both said not to until week 5-9)) All in all... I feel 'meh' about my follow up, but good about myself and good about my loss so far. And great about the salt & vinegar roasted edamame beans I just had as a snack even though it was lacking a vegetable and isn't 'high enough in fibre per serving'. In other news, I'm only day 7 into my second stall and have been fluctuation between calm acceptance and riotous panic that I'm messing up somehow even after nitpicking my diet and exercise with a fine tooth comb. My ADHD is saying I'm only working in one extreme or the other today/this week.

I'm in Canada, so the brands we can get might be a little different. For SF syrups, Matteo's is my go-to for the most part. I really liked the Skinny Mixes and Jordan's syrups in the past (pre-OP) but haven't tried them since my surgery. I find all of them to be cloyingly sweet if you're not careful with the amount you use -- so really, add half a teaspoon at a time, test it out and see if you need more until you know what your 'sweet spot' is. I made tuna, salmon & chicken salad too, but my recipes were very lack-luster. I did a can of tuna or a can of chicken, drained (but not squeezing out the liquid using the lid otherwise it'd get too dry too fast, lol); I usually started with 2 tbsp of light mayo or greek yogurt, mixed until it was coated and then adding another tbsp at a time until it was saturated to the point of being sloppy (I was having a ton of texture / moisture issues at the time). Salt & pepper to taste. With the fish, I often added a couple shakes of dried dill and a touch of garlic powder, and some peas (raw or cooked). With the chicken, I liked adding curry powder and tiny pieces of cooked carrot. Honestly, any veg you like that you can stomach at this point would probably be a nice addition to change things up from meal to meal. I can still only eat half a can of tuna/etc at a time, so I tend to leave it plain and dress it up with seasoning or veg right before eating. I also found that for me personally, the light mayo worked better at moisturizing the salads. The greek yogurt was more protein (and overall healthier than the mayos I could get my hands on), but the yogurt absorbed differently into the flaked protein. Especially if I was making it ahead of time. Probably the oils in the mayo.

Has anyone experienced weight gain three weeks post op? To preface, I do have hypothyroidism and PCOS. I was down to 227 and I’ve been 230 for a week now. And the scale has not budged 😅 even after introducing more movement this week. I’m hitting all my protein and liquid goals as well. I’m intaking about 600-1000 calories a day. Has anyone else experienced this and does it get better?

For me, I use a European brand - barinutrics or else one of my many flavours from My Protein - salted caramel, vanilla, plain, mint chocolate.

Coffee with protein shake or powder

Which protein powder did you use?

I was allowed regular coffee afterwards, not restricted to decacf, so once I could have it I made a frappe version with cold brewed coffee, dark chocolate almond milk, a scoop of protein powder and ice cubes. Sometimes I include a syrup - Da Vinci Caramel Syrup Light. For the soft food stage I had a lot of bolognese or lentil curry/dahl - good amounts of protein and flavour for the small portions.

Idk why it doesn’t feel as bad but I can tell you that just a little applesauce wouldn’t be enough for me to take my vitamin either. The best thing I found to take it until several months out when I could eat a little more was a protein shake. Just be sure to take it AFTER you have consumed the ENTIRE shake. I took it after half and even 2/3 and it came right back up. Also, it’s usually the iron in the vitamin that causes the issue so some people have to get one without iron and take their iron separate.

I have a lot of problems with the sweeteners in most shakes and powders. Sometimes just adding a few squirts of lemon (if you can handle the acidity) into a clear protein water helps -- or literally water it down until it's more palatable. I found mixing premier protein shakes with fairlife milk and/or coffee was a big help. (I don't like peach, but I like the sweetener in Isoflex's Peach/Mango Chiller -- and I can mask the flavour with lemon juice.)

I had some similar phases -- I'm in one right now, I just have no appetite and I've yet to feel hunger post-op so it's been a struggle. Part of it is mindset. Try to remind yourself that you're eating for nutrition now, and to recalibrate your body into accepting food again. You don't have to eat any full meal -- even if you just get a few bites down and then follow up with a shake half an hour later to make sure you're getting your protein in. I'm 3 months in and there are days where breakfast is a soft protein bar, lunch is a protein shake (and dinner is one of the thousands of frozen cups of pureed sweet potato with bone broth powder that I made back in week 3, LOL) . Or whatever I manage to convince myself to eat for the sake of it. Dp whatever you have to do to get through. Keep in mind, your body is still healing. You may be free of pain, but your innards can take 6-8 months to heal, move back into place, etc. Your hormones and body chemicals are all over the place right now. Cut yourself lots of slack. Survive this until it gets better for you.

I love proffee. I find more protein shakes too sweet, so I tend to mix decaf coffee with part protein shake, part fairlife milk. I've tried unflavoured protein powder into coffee with milk as well and it's not bad but never quite as good, lol. If you like flavoured coffees, sugar free syrups and extracts are great to change things up -- I like bourbon, almond or rum extract in my proffee, but can only handle the sweetness of the sugar free syrups if I'm using unflavoured protein powder in place of a shake, otherwise it's too overpowering. My program had me wean off shakes and into purees (not soft food), so I had a much slower reintegration into 'actual food'. But I remember being absolutely in love my first day of purees (cottage cheese and pureed sweet potato seemed like heaven) -- and progressing to soft foods, I had chicken noodle soup my first day and not having to strain all the delicious things out of it made a world of difference. It's like a light shining down on you from above that there's an end to what you're going through, confirmation that you will be able to eat 'real food' again, all that reassuring stuff. For soft food, definitely recommend ricotta bakes -- but since you're allowed lean ground meats too, you could adapt it into an even more lasagne (sans noodle) experience by making the tomato-sauce a meat sauce. If you're allowed crackers yet (my program allowed melba toast and saltines early on), 'avocado toast' with a bit of cream cheese is a nice texture, or pseudo-eggs benedict: crackers/toast with goats cheese and a poached egg. I loved making chili with ground turkey and random veg, add a bit of refried beans to thicken it up and serve with a dollop of greek yogurt on top in place of sour cream.

At 3 months out, I'm still between 1/2 cup to a cup per meal, depending on what it is. Thinner and wetter dishes are better tolerated for me; if I have a 2oz turkey burger patty, I can eat one or two bites of cooked vegetables -- but if I have that same amount of patty with gravy or ground up in a stew/chili/etc, I can stomach a bit more veg. At 2 months -- and even now at 3 -- the texture of food seems to affect me more than the quantity. Anything too dry (including both white and dark poultry for some reason) induces vomiting and/or dumping syndrome. Egg whites. Even when I think it's moist, often my body argues back and proves me wrong. I've heard from so many people -- on this forum, in my program support group, from my care team -- and it will get easier and better as time goes by, both in terms of portions and foods becoming less irritating, usually around the 1 to 2 year mark. Some people can never go back to a few certain foods, others can eat pretty normally. Bear through it. Cater to your tummy's tantrums when you need to -- move into soft food as slowly as you need to. Make your meal half puree and half soft if it helps (pureed sweet potato or really well mashed cauliflower/potato is a great side dish to help your protein get down).

I just had gastric bypass on 6/20 and last night was rough. Hoping today is better. I was only able to get down 1 bottle of water and one protein shake yesterday. Was up all night with what felt like dumping syndrome. Feeling a bit better today.

I was the same. Nothing tasted good and I'm so not into sweet foods, protein shakes were a nightmare to drink and half a smoothie took me a whole day to finish (and they were gross no matter what I put in them). It gets better, I found that after the pureed stage I lost my interest in eating, it was only after I started consistent weight lifting and exercise (around 4 months) that my hunger returned. Hang in there!

Congratulations on your weight loss. I hope your sweating issue has resolved with your being closer to goal. I have question though? Do you recall the name of the rx your dermatologist gave you for sweating? I have a similar issue which I know is exacerbated by my weight but even when I lost weight with the sleeve it was still an issue. It’s horrible to live with. I have seen every specialist and had every test I can think of. My dermatologist gave me oxybutwnin which was great for my bladder but did nothing for the sweating. I would be thrilled to know that thete is another option.

@BlueParis Frustrating as it is, I think it takes most people about a year to reach their lowest weight. Those lucky few who drop the weight really fast are unusual. I know it's hard! But you're a healthy weight and looking great, so it's worth being proud of how much you've accomplished, especially with such a difficult travel schedule. At least your stall has broken! As for scars, mine are similarly dark purple. This is not a surprise to me as I get very dark scars, even from spider bites. Those pajama pictures reminded me that I had to get rid of an old favorite pair of pajamas as they were much too large. I look forward to buying a cozy new pair when the cold weather rolls around! I honestly don't know how anyone stays on track while traveling, especially on vacation. It is so hard when eating at restaurants non-stop, not to mention being surrounded by snack foods and temptations like ice cream and candy, which are much too easy to eat. I dread what my weight will be at the end of the week when I get home from my family trip. This will be the most days in a row I've missed weighing myself since surgery. But now that I've had a day of indulging in some treats, and realizing that eating junk isn't as appealing as I remember and kind of makes me feel blah, I'm hoping I'll be better about limiting myself to the healthiest options I can find.

I make a decaf cold brew and add the Caffe Latte Premier Protein shake (I know I know no caffeine, but I have tolerated it well and its the only caffeine I have all day). I found recipes for some for "shakes", 1 cookies and cream premier with 3 tbls of sugar free fat free cheesecake jello powder mix for an Oreo cheesecake mix. Caramel premier with decaf cold brew and there is a zero everything caramel sauce my Jordan Mims Skinny Syrup that you can top onto your shakes with a drizzle. PB Chocolate Premier shake with 1tbls of pb2 and ice. You can also make protein pudding with 1 package of the sugar free fat free jello mix and one shake. Anywho! I drink a profee every single day because I love them and my first bite of food was eggs and it was HEAVY. just go slow and find foods you enjoy! Okay I'm done with my tangent LOL

Proffee is just coffee and protein shake. I like mine iced with the premiere protein caramel shake. Someone in another forum just shared with me that the Walmart brand shakes taste just the same as premiere protein and I bought some today but haven’t tried them yet. It’s $1.50 cheaper for 4 so hopefully they are good. 🤞

As long as you are getting your protein and vitamins you should be fine. I didn’t experience that with my first surgery but mine didn’t work and I’m pending revision. My never been obese husband eats like that though. He thinks of eating as a chore and always has. I tell him all that time that he needs to be studied. I can only imagine it’s an adjustment but I feel like it would be ideal for food to not be the center of my thoughts anymore. Maybe just set a couple alarms to remind you when you get busy to get the necessities in. I do think it will get a little easier though based on what I have seen on here over the past few years.

I had my surgery on the 19th of June and I'm having the same issue. I have been following the full liquid diet religiously but doesn't seem like enough. I go to my first follow up this Wednesday, the 26th, and I definitely will be asking the doctor what are my options. I do feel I'm ready to advance to soft foods but I'll wait to see what the doctor says.

We're surgery twins! Well you're not alone. I've been struggling with my protein goals. I started putting ice cubes in a cup (filling the cup with ice cubes) and drinking my protein shake thus way. It's helping. I'm also feeling super hungry. I just want to chew something! Lol

I don’t add protein powder to mine but you could. Just started adding collagen powder to mine for no other reason than to make me look young & beautiful again LO!!