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Lunch: My leftover Ceviche on protein chips. It took me 2.5 hours to finish this. But I did it. Around 243 calories, I am stuffed!!

I have been making protein drinks at home. I add berries and Greek yogurt, peanut butter. My bariatric surgeon is doing everything. I had an endoscopy done and an upper gi and everything looked good. He just ordered bloodwork to check for malnutrition but even that was in range. I have tried different anti-nausea medications and none seem to work. He thinks the next step is a feeding tube.

I just heard of this recipe for “Bread” & will be trying it soon. It’s high in protein so yippee! 1 cup cottage cheese, 2eggs & Everything Bagel Seasoning from Trader Joe’s. Mix all ingredients in a bowl, then smoosh on to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

I would especially look at how much protein you are getting more than just the calorie count. Perhaps using protein supplements/shakes/powder as part of your intake for all that muscle you are building. Best wishes

I varied between protein shakes and soups mainly. I made a lentil and carrot soup with a kick of chili that was delicious and got me through many meals. Reminds me that I must make it again I also just had a low sodium liquid vegetable stock pot/cube a couple of times.

I feel like I am stuck in a repetitive loop with food at the moment - I find one thing I like and it is all I eat 😂 My current obsession is a mix of things in a bowl, including: beetroot, small balls of mozzarella, chicken pieces, cucumber, crème fraîche, olives, sundried tomatoes, and a protein popped corn and pea mix. Sounds gross but for some reason I really can't stop eating it 😂

So relieved to report I finally dropped to a new "lowest weight" after my 2-week stall. Weighed in at 198.6 this morning, a drop of 0.6 since yesterday. I really hope that might continue a few days at least before I hit the next rough patch. The cravings for sweets and carbs are real! I'm fortunate that I do feel a lot of restriction, or at least I do if I am eating the right kinds of foods. I can only manage about 2-3 oz (60-85g) of heavier proteins, which include salmon, poultry, beef, and pork. I also get full at around 4 oz (100g) veggies. Sadly, if I do eat bread or crackers, they seem to go down easy. Same with ice cream or candy. I had really hoped that wouldn't be the case. It makes it that much more important for me not to keep those types of things in the house. I'm struggling with what to eat, especially for breakfast. Nothing sounds good. I'm tired of plain yogurt and cottage cheese. I'm tired of protein shakes and smoothies. I was enjoying smoked salmon with cucumbers on rye crisp bread until last week when it made me violently ill. I've become repulsed by eggs. Plus, I don't usually get hungry until later in the morning. Today, I decided to wait, and I finally started to feel some real hunger at 10:00am. So, I'm having a leftover big Italian meatball from dinner a few nights ago. Lunch and dinner options aren't much easier. Cooking is a hassle when you can eat so little, and my kids don't like the kinds of things I can eat. But I worry it sets me up for grazing when I don't have a plan. I'd really like to do some meal prep and have a list of maybe 10 go-to meals that are bariatric approved and easy to make any time of day. I'd like to spend a few hours roasting a sheet pan of veggies and cooking some chicken to store in the fridge for the week and incorporate into meals. I need to clean out the fridge and pantry. I just don't seem to have the motivation to do any of it. It's like all my energy has run dry, although my bloodwork came back good so it's not an issue of something being off. Just my attitude, I guess! I'm feeling stressed and a little overwhelmed, and it shows in my environment because my house is getting cluttered and I have a pile of laundry that is quickly going to consume me. What I wouldn't give for a housekeeper to keep the place tidy and my own cook to make healthy meals and deliver them to me at appropriate times during the day.

Got mine on 5 June. Waiting for first in person appt to take off bandaid bc terrified to do it myself. So far drinking seeq protein water and some thinned Greek yogurt . Dying to find new ideas, new to this forum and would love to get in touch directly with other June ops

Pre-Op Diet The pre-op diet has a few purposes. The critical one is to shrink your liver so it’s not blocking your surgeon’s view of your insides during surgery. That makes your operation easier and safer. The pre-op diet also helps you lose weight. That may be surprising since you’re expecting to start your weight loss after surgery, but it’s actually a good idea to start losing weight beforehand. In fact, the more you lose before surgery, the safer surgery will be, and the better you’ll feel afterwards. Different surgeons suggest different pre-op diets. The diet has about 1,000 calories. It could depend on lean proteins and other nutrient-rich foods, or it could be a liquid diet with protein shakes. Or, it could be a combination of the two, with each day including two protein shakes as meal replacements plus one meal with vegetables and protein. The pre-op diet can last from a few days to several weeks or even months. In general, the longer you’re on it, the better. You’ll lose more weight, shrink your liver more, and gain confidence that you’ll be able to continue a strict eating program long-term after surgery. Get in Shape Why exercise before surgery? One reason is that, like with a good diet, it can make surgery safer. In this case, it’s because exercising can strengthen your heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Of course, exercise also burns calories and can help you lose a little extra weight before surgery. Another reason to get in shape before surgery is because it will make recovery easier. Many weight loss surgery patients find that walking around the house and then the neighborhood is their best tool for fighting post-op pain. If you’re used to being active before surgery, you’ll have an easier time walking after surgery. You don’t need to go crazy on your pre-op exercise regimen. If you’re not used to exercising, start small. As long as your doctor approves you to be active, just find a few minutes each day to walk at a comfortable pace. Clean and Stock the Kitchen Fact: you can’t eat food that’s not there. So, clean out your kitchen. Get rid of sugary desserts, starchy snacks, and fatty meats and cheeses. Anything you know you shouldn’t be eating shouldn’t be in your kitchen. Get rid of it before surgery because for weeks after surgery, you won’t be physically able to carry out heavy trash bags filled with forbidden foods. Once your kitchen is cleaned out, stock it up! At least get the protein shakes and powders you’ll need for weeks or more after surgery. Consider getting some flavored water in case you’re unable to tolerate water post-op. You can also stock up on non-perishable staples, such as canned chicken and tuna, frozen fruit and vegetables, and instant oatmeal packets. Take Your Nutritional Supplements You know you’ll be taking nutritional supplements post-op. If you have the sleeve or bypass, you’ll be taking them for life. With the band, you’ll need supplements for months, years, or life. Did you know you shouldn’t wait until after surgery to start taking your supplements? At a minimum, take a multivitamin beginning when you start your pre-op diet. Even if you’re eating a balanced diet, the supplement helps make sure your body has the nutrients it needs to heal your surgery wound. Also, it’s an insurance policy so that if you have trouble eating and swallowing supplements for a few weeks after surgery, your body will still have a good store of nutrients in reserve. Practice Your Healthy Eating Habits Consider the pre-op period practice for the post-op diet. That includes eating slowly, measuring portions, and choosing nutrient-dense instead of processed, high-calorie foods. Also consider making exercise a habit now, so it’s easier to get back to it after surgery. You cannot guarantee an easy surgery, but you can certainly do a few things to improve your chances. Use these tips to take control of your pre-op prep as soon as you’re ready to lose weight and get healthy!

First meal of the day (at 12:30 PM) and also post pilates meal. a slice of low carb protein toast, low fat cottage cheese, avocado, pickled onions, pickled serano peppers, chili flakes and sea salt. Ate half and felt too full.

So as I’m looking at these healthy recipes I am thinking that my food choices will be more quality over quantity In the future. I know that some generic products are exactly the same but for those that aren’t I am splurging on the better brands and thinking of using fresh products more often. Instead of grated Parmesan cheese in a shaker I plan to get the chunk of Parmesan and grate it fresh for instance. I know that for my broccoli cheese soup I use fresh grated cheddar and it makes a huge difference so im hoping that’s the same with Parmesan. I’m going to try the cheese grater I already have to see if that works but if not the rotary ones are pretty inexpensive. I’m also going to do fresh vegetables and herbs. I may even experiment with making my own sauces and dressings eventually. Hopefully that will infuse better flavor to the healthy stuff. I also have a store near me that has a lot more healthy options and really good produce but I never go because it hasn’t been important enough to me in the past. I am like 10 minutes away once a week for my crochet group though so I figured I can at least go that often to start and more often if necessary. It’s ironic because I don’t want to go because it’s “too far” yet I wouldn’t think twice about driving that far for an unhealthy restaurant or just about anything else to be honest. My plan is to prioritize my health and that begins with the food I am putting into my body. Now I just have to figure out a plan for the exercise and actually follow through on all of it. . Anyone else have any ideas to get us on the right track?

There isn’t really a hard & fast rule about how much weight you will lose at certain points along the way. The calculators, advice from your surgeon, dietician, etc. are all based on averages so not what you WILL lose but what you MIGHT lose. At about 5 months you’ve lost 63lbs (plus the 40lbs before your surgery). It took me about 6 months to lose 60lbs & I lost at a pretty good rate. Yes, I started at a lower weight than you & we say, the more you have to lose the faster you’ll lose in the beginning, yet again this is a generalisation based on averages. I’d say you’re doing well - congratulations! My test always was what did my surgeon say. If he was happy I was happy. (My dietician to a lesser extent.) What does your surgeon say about your weight loss to date? Focus on getting in your protein. It’s essential as is getting in your fluids. It will help you get the most from your surgery. Eat your protein first, then your vegetables & if you are able any multi/whole grains you are allowed. This helps ensure you hit your protein goal. In the first months it wasn’t unusual for me to just to eat my protein & nothing else for a meal. Drink all day - in the car, out doing chores at the shops, etc. I found drinking through the night helpful too - still do. Enjoy every one of those pounds you’ve lost. Remember there’s no time line for when you have to have lost all your weight. You’ll get there in your time & there’s only right in that.

I use 6 oz of Bananas & Cream Premier Protein and 2 Tablespoons of Flavorless Vital Protein Collagen Peptides which in total adds 24 grams of protein to my coffee.

I am in a stall but have gotten back to a comfortable, positive vibe where I just don't care. And hopefully it'll break my addiction to the scale. My work week has been fraught with stress and cleaning up other peoples' messes -- but I'm trying to remind myself that their bad choices are not my responsibility, and if they want to continue to make poor choices despite my efforts that they can deal with the repercussions themselves. I have entered my malicious compliance phase. Having a lot of trouble with foods lately, particularly lunch times for some reason. I reached out to my team and they told me that while it's not ideal, if I need to do protein shakes or protein-added soups at lunch for a while, it's not going to do any harm. They'd 'like' me to be eating more real foods and not relying on a shake for lunch everyday, but that's something I can 'work towards'. I really don't see the big deal, tbh. I get plenty of dinner variety, and while breakfasts have been pretty much cereal or oatmeal for a while I see variety on the horizon there too. Ok, all that sounded mildly unhappy - but honestly, I'm in a great mood -- especially compared to last week LOL. I feel energized again -- emotionally, mentally & physically.

Thanks everyone for the replies. I do absolutely think my skeleton is adjusting itself! I can tell when I am walking that things have definitely shifted and my balance has changed. I hadn’t considered this before, but it does feel almost like my bones are adjusting themselves. I do have a check-in with my surgeon soon and will go over what I’m experiencing. We’ll see what she says. I’ve also added in a small banana into my morning routine. I think both the carbs and the potassium are helping. I was sometimes getting leg cramps, which can be a sign on dehydration or lack of potassium. I'm really good at watching my protein, but not as good at making sure I’m getting much for carbs. I’m doing better this week with it. I do think my total carbs were wayyyy too low.

Things are really swell. I'm on a regular diet and doing great with it. I am suffering from flavor fatigue from the protein shakes though. Also, I can finally get my seatbelt to fit me in the car! So happy.

Mine is readymade too but Im sure like anything else it will vary from brand to brand. What brand is yours without whey? Will be good to know if Dairy is an issue for me post SADI because I like the protein water better than the shakes. What’s so difficult for me is that I can’t see the darn labels. 😆. Im just getting to this stage in life so I never have my readers when I need them. I usually take a picture so I can zoom in to read it. Pain in the butt.

Fantastic! As I said before, I really wouldn't focus so much on calories as long as your sugar and fat intake remain on the lower end and your protein is between 40-60g/day for a female, aiming for 60g but not overeating to achieve it. I know my surgeon told me the #1 goal is to go slowly, space out meals with the no drinking 30 mins before and after, and to stop eating as soon as you begin feeling even a little full with goal during this stage probably being less than 4-6oz/meal between food and any broth/shake/etc, and that sometimes you'll feel full and content at less and that's ok.

That does sound filling! I just love my Protein cold brew LOL So its possible that a protein bar a couple of hours later which I have been doing with the Rxbar and its been filling. I will have to look at some other recipes for cold brews see if I can beef it up. Thank you for the suggestion!

I hope you have a wonderful vacation!! My 4 months is tomorrow. I see the dietician and surgeon's office next week which I'm excited about. I weighed in this morning and I'm down 50 pounds. I'm very happy about that in 4 months! Speaking of packing protein things, have you tried the Quest chips? I love the BBQ!!

I am only 6months out and I eat more than the average sleever..so my doc told me. I also workout 6 days a week and am active. I cannot eat 1.5C of food. if I want to add a veg or carb to a meal then I will eat 2C of protein and then some veggies and if I have room like 1-2 TBLS of carbs. I eat around 1200-1300 calories but my protein is around 130-150g. I fear that I have stretched out my sleeve but I never eat to being full. ok ok maybe once or twice. but I don't feel sick or miserable just like I might eaten too fast. Anywho, For lunch today I made a jalapeno chicken salad with bacon bits and I was able to eat 4oz of that with 1/2 bag of quest chips. and I am good for about 2-3hours. So I think that equates to .5C? its a constant worry I think for all of us to not mess this up. I know for me I fear that I will wake up and be 300lbs again and that fear makes me stop eating shi&&y. I think my comment mightve been a tangent...Ill get off my soap box LOL

I did 2 things preop that helped immensely: 1) this may sound weird but i guessed i’d be in a little pain from the incisions so a couple of days before going into the clinic i move everything i figured i’d need in the first week post up to middle shelves in my kitchen/fridge : cups, scales, protein shakes and powders etc. And thank god i did because i had abdominal muscle pain (like i’d done 10000 crunches) and was told not to bend down for a while. 2) i wrote out « meal » plans from what my dietician provided in order to clearly see what time of day i’d eat (protein shakes) and drink (water). I’m the kind of person who needs a set plan that’s clear and that i can follow because i was lost the first few days. I wrote out 4 weeks of meal plans and i varied the shakes and purées and soups so i didn’t get sick of one specific one (never ate the same one 2 meals in a row and alternated with the next day). Not sure it actually helped my experience but it did help me see clearly mentally 🤣

That's wonderful!! You did it!! How is it going? Still keeping up with the vitamins and hydration? How frequently would you say you use the protein shakes as opposed to eating mechanical soft foods, etc? I'm trying to figure out how many I ought to plan on needing for the weeks up to and after my surgery at the beginning of August.

Well done for getting the surgery you so badly needed. Its amazing isn't it. A little word of caution though, You will be eating tiny amounts and this will not sustain hard core exercise. You might get dizzy and nauseous, always carry a drink or a protein shake and a snack. I still do this and still need them now and again

Ugh. Conflicting information is so frustrating. I have gotten a lot of that with the SADI being new too. I just started making more appointments with the NP and I’m going with her advise. I had my Baritastic app open so I could show her a couple of weeks of nutrition at a glance and I told her my average step count from my watch. She actually had me increase my carbs and protein a bit because of my activity level. But she started me at like 60 carbs so your plan is different. Now they are good carbs. All veggies, fruits and whole grains like real oats or brown rice. I am now supposed to be around 80 but I haven’t quite gotten there. It’s hard to do after reaching 90g protein. I’m up to like 70g carbs and still lost 4 pounds last week (I started at an average of 5). I’m sure not all of our bodies are alike though or they would be able to land on one ideal diet plan that works for everyone. I don’t eat a lot of rice or oats. Most of my carbs are from veggies, fruits and beans. Once a week I have a low carb wrap which makes the carbs go way up but it’s mostly fiber so I think that’s okay (that’s on my list of questions) For your exercise bike, start out whenever you can fit it in but once you get the boost or energy it gives you to keep going try doing it first thing in the morning I started walking at night but with the rain had to do it in the morning a couple of times and realized that it gave me a tremendous amount of energy for the day. I even work in more movement throughout the day now. It’s pretty great.