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I told my nutritionist that I was willing to use artificial sweeteners for recovery, but not beyond. (I am persuaded that my Diet Pepsi addiction helped get me to where I am, and after weaning myself off of it, I find the aftertaste repellent.) She was not interested in discussing sweeteners or my preference for a whole foods approach to weight loss, which makes me wonder how current her training is. However, the bariatric nurse assured me I would be back on whole foods quickly, and it was truly the best thing to do for my health. So I won't be stuck in sugar free, fat free, fake food land forever. While not everyone is sensitive to the biota-changing effects of fake sweeteners, I will discourage my kids from using them, even though their father, who shared my 20-year diet Pepsi habit, is thin and still fits into his high school jeans. Getting them to take Probiotics is a tougher nut to crack! They'll eat fermented sauerkraut and pickles, though -- and occasionally kombucha and yogurt. They are not fans of kimchi and miso.

I haven't visited the forums in a long time! But things have been great so I wanted toupdate all of you that helped me so much in the early part of my journey. And just a few questions for old-times sake! 1) I am 4 months post op TODAY! and I have lost 67lbs since surgery, and 72lbs since my highest weight. It's amazing!!!! I didn't think I would lose THIS much! now I'm dreaming of weighing 140lbs....I'm only 45lbs away from goal! it's insane! 2) I FINALLY started an exercise program. I bought one of those mini trampolines, and I've been doing "rebounding" it's great, and really fun, easy on your joints. I think everyone should do it!!!! 3) I am a size 14! 5) I don't count my carbs :-x I know everyone was so worried about the carbs. But I haven't been counting them and I do just fine. I make sensible food choices (yogurt, whole wheat Pasta, cheese, veggies, fruit, seafood etc) and it seems to work just fine for me. Lastly....I haven't lost my hair. AT ALL! Is it going to happen still? I keep waiting, and no sign of hair loss!

This may be booming late in the day, but why not just find some protein shake that you like? I really don't mind the Premier Protein, there are other types/brands. You could also find some Pacific Coast Bone Broth, that has 14 grams of protein per serving. The yogurt is prolly premature, but try kefir. Creamy soups? I hear your frustration, though. I chewed up a piece of pepperoni and spit it out in the sink on day 8.

@@malvarez1210 If you are only three weeks out, you are likely not on solid foods yet, but maybe pureed and soft foods? Drink your Protein shakes and get your Water. As for other protein options in those stages, here are some good ones: scrambled egg soft cheeses cottage cheese greek yogurt refried Beans tuna salad chicken salad This site has some good recipes for this stage: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2007/08/pureed-foods.html

Wow, 3 meals/day with no snacks would be difficult for me. I have 1/2 an apple or orange midmorning and other half mid afternoon or string cheese, yogurt, a vegetable, etc.-something sensible but it prevents stomach acid and nausea for me. It also helps maintain a good blood sugar level in my case. We’ve each got different issues to deal with so makes sense plans can be different. I told doc I want my plan to be something I can live with long term and this works. Continued success and best wishes to you!

Hi joatsaint! Your video was so helpful - thank you so much! I must be overdoing it. I have just started eating a little more regular food (not just liquid and yogurt!! finally!!) and I must be eating too fast and too much. It is so hard after having a habit of doing both for so long! I guess that will be something I need to learn quickly. I like the tupperware idea - I have been eyeballing about 1/4 cup of food at a time - but it is too much for my tummy and not the right foods. I hope I haven't ruined my small stomach already!! Thank you again for your seasoned wisdom - I really appreciate people like you out there to help!!

I have tried them all, (and I usually buy according to what is on sale) but my all time fav has to be the Fage. LOVE IT. I've even tried the Kroger brand, blech, totally disgusting and not worthy of me even adding my SF syrup to. I already have one kiddo liking the Fage, just need to work on kiddo #2 (aka the picky sister). It's going to be a crazy yogurt bill around here on grocery day once hubby gets sleeved in March!

I agree. Regular yogurt is just icky now. I stick with greek yogurt as well. If I want to add sweetness, I just add sugar free pudding powder, or sugar free syrups to sweeten it up. I still use it for all recipes that call for sour cream. I rarely buy sour cream anymore.

What did you eat (sic) for 3 weeks of liquid diet post-op? :blink:I am surviving on pudding with protein powder, cream of chicken soup, popiscles and non-fat yogurt smoothies. Had mashed potatoes today, felt like a real treat!

My favorites are Broad Beans (seasoned) , seasoned dried chick peas and chick pea puffs are insanely good and give me the feeling of eating chips /Cheetos :) Also- sf popsicles, turkey Jerky, oikos triple zero yogurt and string cheese are go to regulars! The below are also really good— taste like cinnamon cereal (Also a pic of the broad bean )

String cheese, white cheddar baby bels, bold salt and vinegar almonds, Atkins nut rolls, Atkins coconut bars, hard boiled eggs, salami, avocado, refried beans and cheese, nut butters, coconut chips, one birthday cake bars (yummy), one maple glazed protein bars also amazing, Greek yogurt and if I'm craving carbs a dill pickle kills the craving every time.

Toughest time was the first week post-op - port site pain and very "gassy" from use of Oxycodone - chose to give up using Oxycodone and just "tough it out". I was back to work within 2 weeks - but did not do alot of lifting for another 2 more weeks (I am an RN on a busy med-surg floor). Another tough time was my first time I was "stuck" - scary. You will figure out what foods to avoid and which foods are best. It helps to make the protein fruit smoothies - I use unflavored whey protein powder with frozen fruit and yogurt in my smoothie maker - sometimes I don't get enough protein in my diet - recently had an "unfill", because I was too tight and was not losing any weight.

This is a good place to start: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1055-pur%C3%A9e-stage-2/ Also try the search box in the upper right for "pureed foods" "pureed recipes" "favorite purees" -- stuff like that. It's a pretty frequently discussed topic. I'm lazy so I am just going to copy and paste an earlier post I made: I was on full liquids for four weeks after surgery (and true liquids, not this "yogurt is a liquid, pudding is a liquid" stuff). So after four weeks of that, pureed meat tasted great to me! The trick for me was to puree it with a flavorful sauce, NOT broth, stock, or water -- then heat it up in the microwave with some cheese melted on top. It tasted just like a casserole type dish. I mostly used canned meats, or the meat you can buy in the little single serving pouches. The flavored ones were especially good. Some of my favorites: thai spicy tuna pureed with sriracha sauce and pepper jack cheese melted on top chicken pureed with bbq sauce with cheddar cheese melted on top lemon dill salmon pureed with tartar sauce shrimp pureed with remoulade and pecorino cheese melted on top turkey pureed with peanut satay sauce and jack cheese melted on top chicken pureed with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese melted on top turkey pureed with light chipotle mayo and sugar free pickle relish and Laughing Cow chipotle fresco cheese wedge melted on top teriyaki salmon pureed with teriyaki sauce (I don't recommend cheese with this but if I had to, I might try some blue cheese) Good luck!

I've eaten some yogurt (not a full 6 oz. cup, just about a third) since I first started this thread. I covered the Slim-Fast and put it back in the fridge. I'm hungry right now. I last ate about 30 minutes ago. I usually squelch the hunger with Water, so I'm not concerned that I want to eat right now.

Not sure where I got this from.. somewhere that I was doing research on.. but thought it might be useful for this thread. Increase Your Chances of a Good Fill The following suggestions are good rules of thumb and will greatly increase your chances of getting a good fill. 1. Be sure you are very well hydrated when you come in for your fill appointment. That means at least 6 to 8 full glasses of liquid every day for at least several days before the fill. (Remember, Water is your friend). Drink especially well the morning of the fill. If you're flying in, it can be much harder to stay hydrated, so take an empty drink bottle and fill it after you pass airport security. TSA rules state you can bring an empty water bottle past the TSA security check point. Bring some of those "to-go" packs of Crystal Light, they’re ideal! Ask the flight attendants for a refill of your water bottle, pop one in, and then you will have plenty to drink. (Hint - If you flying in for a fill, while you're on the plane, grab a couple of those white barf bags. It’s good to keep one in your purse or car, for "emergencies".) 2. Do not to have any solid foods for at least 6 hours before the fill. Don't eat a huge or late dinner the night before. If you're having any trouble (reflux, possible slip, etc) please have nothing but fluids after dinner the night before. In some cases, food can still be in the pouch for 12 or more hours. ANY food in the pouch will make it impossible to give a good fill, or get a good fluoro 3. Don't drink COLD fluids for an hour before the fill. That will shrink your stoma and give a false fluoro reading, and a poor fill. Room temp fluids are fine. Let the ice in your drink melt and hour before a fill, and then you'll have room-temp fluids to drink right up to the fill time. 4. Avoid getting a fill during a menstrual period or a few days before an expected one. During this time, girls are usually retaining water, and the fluoro will not be as accurate, and the fill will not be either. 5. If at all possible, hang around for at least a few hours after a fill. Don't run right back home or to the plane. It takes the normal swelling after a fill 1-2 hours to develop, and by that time you might be too tight and need to come right back. 6. If you fly in, If at all possible, stay overnight and catch a plane out the following late afternoon or evening. If you are too tight, this will allow time to get a small unfill before you leave. This is not very convenient, but sure beats having to possibly return to TJ in a few days, on short notice, in pain, and at high last-minute plane fares! This is "prevention!" Overfills are not common, but they DO happen, even under the best of conditions. Be prepared, and think about this overnight stay. Test your fill the next day before you leave. 7. After a fill, please have liquids only for at least 24 hrs. This allows the stoma to rest and heal. Then, a day of soft foods, then back to regular foods. Full liquids are fine, no need for clears. Remember, if you staying over night test your fill before you fly out. 8. Review the eating and food guidelines again before every fill. You’ll need to refine your eating more and more with higher fill levels, and there will be less and less room for goofs. As you reach a higher fill level, you'll no longer be able to "get away" with things you might have before! 9. Please don't get a fill if you are having ANY trouble with the current level of fill. This means ANY regular pain, PB or barfing more than maybe once a week at the VERY most, not able to get enough calories in, not able to drink enough, able to eat only soft foods or fluids. More fill will NOT help, and will make things worse. Discuss all this carefully with your doctor. You may even need an UNFILL, to keep your band and stomach safe. 10. First fills are routinely given at 6-8 weeks after surgery, but only as you need them. Many people do, some do not. Your doctor will help you decide if you need a fill, just ask. There is no rush for fills. Too much can very easily get you in trouble, and you end up further "behind" than if you had gone slower with fills. 11. Give a fill at least 2-3 weeks to test it. Some fills don't "settle in" for a week or two, and sometimes more. Your weight loss is what determines how a fill is - not any feeling of restriction, necessarily. 12. One of the most important things in determining if a fill is good is choosing proper band foods. Soft foods, liquids, junk foods, sweets, etc, will NEVER be well-restricted, and will never tell a thing about having a good fill or not. Only solid foods give useful info. A good test meal is 2-4 oz of solid meat or chicken - be sure it's soft and moist - and about 1/2 cup veggies. You should be able to eat about a cup of food (no less) and this should keep you satisfied (NOT "FULL", but simply "satisfied, not physically hungry". for about 3-4 hrs. 13. Plan regular meals. A good fill will keep you satisfied for 3-4 hrs, but no longer. If you are hungry 5 hrs after lunch, it is not because you have an inadequate fill! Regular meals at planned times are important for a number of reasons; including avoiding snacking, maximizing your calorie burn and normalizing metabolism, which is essential for weight maintenance later on. 14. Learn to recognize YOUR "soft stop" sign. Common ones are chest tightness or "fullness", a sudden runny nose, a single hiccup or burp, an eye twitch, back pain, left should pain. All mean the pouch is full enough and we should STOP eating, even spitting out the bite that may be already in our mouths. If you do not, you could progress to the "hard stop" - slimming, pb, barfing. Please remember that good fills are very elusive, even with highly- experienced docs and fill people. There are just too many individual factors involved that the docs cannot control. Even the fluoro is only a clue, and not entirely accurate - for some of the reasons above. It usually takes 3- 5 fills to slowly and safely creep up on a good level, and they can be safely given a month apart. Trying to go faster with a bigger fill is not the solution, and the stomach rebels at big sudden fills. The goal of the first few fills is NOT to achieve a good restriction, but to gradually get your stomach used to some pressure so you can tolerate a GOOD fill later. SLOW and GRADUAL is the key! Going slowly with fills can be frustrating, but is well worth the wait to avoid problems. • After a “fill” you are on a clear liquid diet for 24 hours; then, soft for 24 hours; then, regular food o Clear – juice, water, broth, miso Soup, tea - no salty or iced drinks. o Soft – V-8, yogurt, cottage cheese, smoothies, (no ice cream), pureed Soups, squash, apple sauce. • Call me if you are unable to sleep lying down due to reflux to schedule a slight “unfill”. Do not talk yourself into “working through the reflux”. • Eat Protein at every meal; eat your protein first in order to facilitate proper digestion of this complex food. • Eat three meals daily or six small meals; do not snack – ¼ to ½ cup per meal • Drink water instead of mindless munching (add lemon to water) between meals. DO NOT DRINK LIQUIDS 45 MINUTES BEFORE AND 60-90 MINUTES AFTER YOUR MEALS.• Make sure your bowels are moving daily with ease not effort • Add Fiber into your diet if you are not having complete bowel movements – 1 tablespoon ground flax seed• Have some form of movement every day for 30 minutes • Avoid white flour and white sugar products • You are not allowed to be on an ice cream diet • You may not lose weight if you’re not eating enough • Eat slowly between bites; take small bites; sip your drinks. • Chew your food slowly • Throw out all the junk food in the house • Don’t buy anymore junk food • Eat organic as much as possible to avoid increasing exposure to false hormones, antibiotics, and other toxic substances • Join a support group, Curves, or weight watchers. • Stop eating after 7:30pm during the summer; and 6:30 in the winter • Keep working on the mental emotional component to comfort food eating • Schedule another fill when your portion sizes increase to “old day” sizes or you are feeling hungrier earlier then you remember. • Journal about your feelings, keep a food diary, create a collage of what your future looks like and hang it in your room. • Create a collage of images you want to let go of and burn the collage. • Laugh every day RECIPES FOR AFTER A FILL Master Cleanse Drink (adjust lemon, ginger and cayenne to taste) 4 oz of apple juice Pinch of cayenne pepper ¼ teaspoon fresh grated ginger 4-8 TBls of Lemon juice 4Tbls of Maple Syrup or Honey Pinch of salt top off the blender with filtered water Blend till mixed Strain and drink ½ - 1 Quart a day SMOOTHIE: FOR DAYS WHEN YOU ARE ON SOFT FOODS AFTER A FILL OR UNFILL - A 24 HOUR REQUIREMENT FOR POST FILLS AFTER LIQUIDS. 2-4 oz of apple juice or Rice or Soy Milk 3-5 ground almonds 1-2 teaspoons of flax oil ¼ cup of frozen fruit ? berries, bananas, mangos, papaya 1-2 Tbls (or packet) Protein powder (I use a Rice Protein which is hypoallergenic and tastes pretty good) ¼ teaspoon Bee Pollen (do not add if allergic to bees or huge environmental allergies) ½ - 1 teaspoon of chlorella or spirulina

No yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs, or Protein shakes? Hmm, that eliminates pretty much any idea I'd have for you (almost every breakfast I do has one if not a couple of those). Hopefully your tastes develop and your stomach settles. Look into the alternative forms of protein. You're kind of limited with your soft stage, but even more limiting is what you don't like. Tofu is a good source or protein that is soft. Check out Paleo diets that are low carbs and high protein.

refried Beans and cheese? Also have you tried eggs cooked in different ways? I still have issues with scrambled, for example, but I can easily eat sunny side up. I, too, despise yogurt of all kinds. ICK. refried beans and cheese? Also have you tried eggs cooked in different ways? I still have issues with scrambled, for example, but I can easily eat sunny side up. I, too, despise yogurt of all kinds. ICK.

I had surgery 6/2 so I’m in purées… I made a ricotta bake - I found the recipe on TikTok. SO good. Scratched the itch for pizza / lasagna. I’m also currently loving vanilla Greek yogurt with PB2 mixed in… nice peanut buttery treat!

Ok so went to go see my surgeon today and guess what???....I LOST 13 POUNDS!!! In only 6 days people...6 days!! He took my bandages off and I thought for sure I'd be grossed out but they are BEAUTIFUL [except of course for some bruising mainly from the needles they gave me in my belly to prevent blood clots, but no worries...the needles don't hurt one bit..I was scared, but they were like nothing after the first one lol promise *PIX UP OF THEM WITHOUT BANDAGES*]!!! lol Kinda hurting right now, but beautiful nonetheless lol I can start my full liquid diet tomorrow YAAAY!!! That means strained cream soups [so having tomato soup tomorrow lol],sugar free ice cream and yogurt. OH YEA!! Of course though I've been craving ice cream so I went and got a small sugar free ice cream. Felt so good, didn't eat all of it...put the rest away. But, it also I believe caused me to have my first bowel movement since Saturday!! And he said I can go upstairs as many times I want now...I can run, jump,walk miles, do whatever just not lift yet. Oh yeaaa. I still can't overdue it becuz I'm still weak if I do to much like earlier today [i finally was able to take a shower on my own, but of course going up all the steps to the bathroom plus the shower was exhausting enough for me. I had to come down and relax. It really takes a lot out of you] and I'm not use to it, but little bylittle and it's gonna be great!! Oh and I just went driving for the first time in awhile!! Super feeling lol

@@lifeofblair - I was asked last night going into and again going out of Bonos if I wanted GS Cookies (in my head I was thinking YES!!!). My reply was a "no, but thank you..." Dosidos & Thin Mints!!! I had a cup of greek yogurt last night about 2 hours after I ate...darn cookies.....

I love green smoothies. I drink about 16oz 4-5 a week. I drink half before and after my workout. Mine usually consists of items like spinach, kale, pineapple, peach, celery, banana, apple, cucumber, ginger, beet powder, hemp hearts, ground up flax seed, lime or lemon juice, spirulina, vital protein powder, protein Greek yogurt, ice, fairlife protein milk, and a tasteless protein powder. I don’t put all of that in, but it’s basically whatever fruit and veggies I have on hand. I do mostly veggies and add a few pieces of fruit to sweeten it up. Lime or lemon cuts the “grass” taste for me. If I want peanut butter, I use PB fit. Have you tried it? It’s good! Btw, I used fresh raspberries the other day and it was delicious. However, there were so many little seeds, I had to strain the shake.

Protein bars that are low in sugar. Some are like candy bars so read the labels! I like Pure Protein bars that I get at Walmart. Amazon too. Great flavors. Only problem is long list of artificial ingredients. RX bars have more sugar, but better ingredients I also like certain low sugar yogurts such as Oikos Triple Zero, Ratio with 25 grams of protein and Skyyr Icelandic yogurt made by a couple different brands. Also, boiled eggs, cottage cheese and cheese sticks are good. Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

Update Post-Op Day 11: YES scrambled eggs are the BOMB!!!! Add some FF cheddar cheese on top and POW! I cried yesterday as I ate it. Have to say something about My Fitness Pal (MFP) app. IT IS A MUST FOR ME!!!!!! I can't say enough about how easy it is to use and how it keeps me on track for Water too. I use it every meal and it helps me decide if I need anymore Protein which isn't always easy to track. I also will put in a meal and then save it as one of my meals and then I can easily add all the items at once instead of individually adding each item. Using the UPC scanner to add food is awesome. I just hit the UPC button and let it scan my yogurt and BAM information is added! If you don't use it give it a try and you will be glad.

My favorite fast foods: Babybel Lite cheese in little red wax "to go" packs Dannon Lite & Fit Greek Yogurt "Sandwich" with Applewood Farms chicken or turkey slices with Reduced Fat Sargento Cheese Slices for the "bread"

I keep my portion size servings of chicken fish and shrimp in little sandwich bags contained in one big freezer bag in the freezer, then take one out pop in lunch box it is thawed and easy to reheat/cook for lunch. For dinner I usually eat what ever I cook for boyfriend just small portion with no bread (ex 1/2 hamburger patty no bun). I love your list but my cholesterol is high meaning no cheese and only fat free mayo and such... I have pre cooked diced chicken that I just add a sauce/spice too heat and eat..... Fat free or low fat Greek yogurt or low fat granola Cereal with skim milk are my go to convenience food.