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I didn't make many recipes until I was cleared for regular food. For the soft stage I think I started eating yogurt with small bits of fruit, soft scrambled eggs, chili, meatballs with Low Sugar sauce, string cheese, and turkey lunch meat. i ate no veggies because there wasn't any room once I ate the protein.

This is ridiculous and unexplainable to me and I'm ready to just cry. I've been absolutely perfect following my Dr's order post op, with one very small exception of a cup of ice cream last Sunday when the family went out to dinner and I had no menu choices. I list about 5lbs the first 5 days. Since then basically nothing. What is going on??!!! I'm logging everything that touches my lips on the Baritastic app and I can assure you my calorie average is in the 500 range, I'm getting my protein and then some, I'm getting most of my water. My carb count is a bit high simply because most of the things I've been allowed to eat are higher in carbs than say meat or eggs. Like protein shakes, yogurt, cream soups, etc. but still not outrageous. With calories 5-700. And carbs below 100 what the heck???? Seriously this morning I'd gained 1/2 lb! I'm so upset. What's wrong with me?? Had my follow up yesterday and the said he'd hope for a few more lbs but ok. Everything else looked fine. I just really thought I'd see some weight coming off. When's it going to start?

This. It really is head hunger 99% of the time. People buy into the "going to stretch my sleeve" way too often. In time you will be able to eat more, but seriously...you'd make yourself throw up before you get to the point of stretching your sleeve. Pureed foods and those that are liquids at room temperature over time (like yogurts) pass through the stomach quicker than what solids will. Consistency of foods matters. I could get away with eating 2 cups of mashed potatoes if I wanted to, but if I eat a cup of solid protein like chicken I'd feel miserable for the next hour. Portion control is key as is tracking your food.

I had MGB surgery on 4/10/17 and am doing pretty good. Right when I woke up in recovery I was in a lot of pain but they gave me good meds for it. I didn't really have any gas pain so I was lucky there. I did better with getting fluids in at first but last week was a challenge. I think I'm doing better this week but I don't have much of an appetite so I have to remind myself to eat, which is mainly puréed soup and yogurt. I'm so glad I had this surgery. All my worry beforehand was for naught. Good luck my fellow April surgical compadres!

Great job on the loss so far. I hope you get the vomiting resolved quickly. I'm doing pretty well so far. My surgery was 4/18 and I came home from hospital on 4/21. They wanted to keep me there an extra day since I am 2 hours from that hospital. My biggest challenge so far has been getting my fluid intake up. Yesterday I was up to 30oz and today around 40 but still a ways to go to get to the 64 they would like. Overall pain has been pretty minimal, however I did have two nights of no sleep due to severe discomfort in my back. I assume it was gas related but today has been really good. I'm really looking forward to next week when I can add yogurt, applesauce, and oatmeal to my food list too a little worried about vomiting that may come with it.

So yesterday at work I had a yogurt around nine or ten, The triple zero Kind and got busy working on a project. I noticed while talking to my friend and I messed up her boyfriends name three times in a conversation and I was just very scatterbrained. I was reloading binders and my hands are shaky so I got a protein water and drank almost all of it and kept working. Around 2 o'clock I realized I was really hungry and so I drink a protein drink mixed in one cup skim milk. I still felt really awful and try to work while drinking it but kept making mistakes. I decided that my sugar might be low so I drove to Walmart and bought a BG meter and got back to the office and my glucose was 78. Around 438 a no sugar added applesauce andwent to an appointment. Got home at 7:30 took my BG and it was 61. This morning I woke up and felt fine and had a yogurt applesauce and a I so pure throughout the dayand when I got homecheck my sugar and it was 80. Around nine well I was making egg whites I checked my sugar again because I had a headache and it was 60. Should I be concerned or just need to eat more often? Where should my numbers be after I eat and how often should I test. Thursday I will be five weeks out and down about 25 pounds I have not lost anything this week Seminar 12/27/16: wt 304 Surgery 3/23: wt 287 3 week post: 266.4

Ditto y'all. Surgery March 20. Down 20lbs since surgery, 35 total. In a stall right now. I can eat one ounce of dense meat, or 2 oz tuna salad, but 4 oz of cottage cheese or a pint of milk. Feel like I have to eat and drink all day. Haven't started getting many veggies yet. Only thing that hurt a smidge was the cheese on the egg. Provolone isn't soft enough. I take 22oz of coffee/milk/vitamins/fiber. Takes a couple hours since it is thick like pudding. Tastes good, but can't get anything else in before noon. Helps with the bathroom though! On day trips I make a yogurt, peanut butter, banana smoothie. Drink it while heading down the road. Tuna with ranch dressing is yummy!

Oh shoot, did I remember to reply?? I have more answers now, at least. - canned tuna (add Greek yogurt and make it even higher protein) -rotisserie chicken (sadly only moist enough the day you buy it, but this is the meat my stomach likes best) -stewed chicken (fall apart soft, cooked low and slow like in a crock pot) -finely ground beef (I've been having this with my fam on tostada nights, but remember to chew especially well.) I had some with my beans in a pinch at Taco Bell too -meatball soups. Our Tia makes aboldigas with big 3oz meatballs, and they are fall apart tender. -fish steamed in foil or parchment paper packets avoid until later: fried baked (unless in a packet with liquid) dried (jerkey) sauteed steak, lamb, pork

I use the Torani SF in my coffee (hazelnut), and in yogurt sometimes.

Before surgery I got into the habit of food journalling, started and maintained an exercise routine, and worked on other unhealthy habits like eating out too often, eating in front of a screen, and drinking my calories. I made a LOT of changes, small and large, to my lifestyle, which I think greatly contributed to how well I'm adjusting to my post-surgery life. And hey, getting my sleeve at 196 lbs versus at my highest weight of 227 lbs means I'm ahead of the game and my goals are that much closer! Unlike others, I haven't cut any food groups entirely out of my diet other than carbonated and sweetened drinks. (Oh and Oreos, I don't have those anywhere near me because they are a trigger food for binging!) I still eat sugar and carbs... but my goal for this surgery was to maintain as "normal" a diet as possible while still leading a healthier life than I was living. Everyone strikes their own balance on that front, I think. There are people who go absolutely zero carbs post surgery, people who strictly limit their carbs, and people who still eat carbs but are choosy about where they come from or how often they eat them. One thing that pretty much everyone post bariatric has in common, though, is focusing on protein intake. "Protein first" is my program's motto. You eat your protein, then your vegetables, and THEN a limited amount of carbs with whatever room you have left (which in my case is gently waving a piece of potato in front of my nose and then putting it down on the plate again LOL). We pretty much all get some kind of protein goal to hit post surgery, since protein is important for your healing and for maintaining muscle mass as you lose the weight. So that might be something to work on now, finding out what in your diet is a good source of protein and what isn't, finding higher protein alternatives for your standby foods, and basically just being more aware of the protein value in everything you eat. And since you're dairy free, as well, now would be a good time to try out various vegan protein powders/supplements so you can find one you like or can at least tolerate, since in the early days post surgery it's hard to reach your protein goals without some form of supplementation. Do you see a dietician? It might be a good idea, especially with you not doing dairy. Just so you're prepared with a plan of how to get protein in when a lot of the typical post op suggestions for boosting protein intake (milk, cheese, whey supplements, yogurt) are all dairy dairy dairy dairy dairy haha. In later stages when you're back on solid foods I'm sure you can manage it with nuts and legumes and meats, but in that early stage some research on non-dairy liquid protein options can't go amiss. Good luck to you, and good for you on being so proactive! You won't regret getting started early, I promise!

I was on clear liquids the day after surgery and then 2 weeks of liquid/soft diet. So protein shakes, cottage cheese, strained soups, jello, SF pudding, apple sauce, yogurt, etc.

Crushing pills is such a headache for me. I found most of my pills in chewable, luckily. I can't take solid pills until May 30th. The taste of crushed pills make me gag. However, I find it's not so terrible when put in yogurt or pudding. Good luck!

I am a month post op and am on soft foods. What seems to be the case for me is I can eat up to 15g of protein at a sitting. My protein goal is 70g for the day. 5 sittings brings me up to 75g, IF I get 15g at each one. I don't. Some sittings are only 8g. So, I need to eat 6 times a day. Before noon I might get one solid meal, but mostly it is just milk, coffee, vitamins, and fiber (26g protein). After noon I usually have a can of tuna, an egg, cottage cheese, and yogurt. Takes until bedtime to get everything in.

Why not ask your doctor? It's better to follow their instructions rather than an unknown person on the web. Ask him if you can use a pill splitter to make them smaller and take those with water rather than crushing them. The reasoning for it is likely due to 2 things - (a) not wanting you to take too large of a drink of water and (b) fear of the pill getting stuck depending on its size. I have no idea where you're at post-op, but one thing I tried was to put a pill in something like my greek yogurt.

My pre-op diet was not a clear liquid diet. For 2 weeks prior to surgery, I was on 800-1000 calories a day with 80 grams protein minimum and 64 oz. water. I had two protein shakes (166 calories each), at least one Oikos Triple Zero yogurt and then a meal of a lean protein and a salad dressed with balsamic vinegar. I was NPO after midnight on surgery day. I had a limitation on fats as it was a liver shrinking diet. The yogurt is part of my daily routine now - 15 grams of protein and 120 calories - it is either breakfast or a mid day snack. I think (just my opinion) that some docs go for clear liquids for two weeks to both shrink the liver and prepare you for the first stage after surgery when you are liquids only for a week or two.

After weight loss surgery, you may need to eat three to six small meals and snacks per day, plus drink at least 64 ounces of fluids at times separate from your meals. Add your nearly constant eating and drinking to a busy lifestyle, and you probably have quite a few strategies for hitting your nutrition and fluid needs! Which meal and snack helpers do you use? Do you live off of protein bars and shake powders? Do you use pre-packaged salads and pre-cut veggies? Do you take advantage of ready-to-eat products such as rotisserie chicken, yogurt, and string cheese? Also, what are your indispensable helpers for taking your food and drinks everywhere with you? Do you have a favorite water bottle, protein blender, and set of containers? What other tricks do you have for making on-the-go weight loss easier? Share here!

Yep I've heard of people being allowed to have yogurt on their pre-op diet. I wasn't, but others were depending on their calorie and nutrient needs pre surgery. You're still going to be fasting after midnight or whatever the day before surgery, I'm sure. You can always call to clarify with your clinic team, but if your surgeon says yogurt is okay, then trust them

I started my 2 week pre op diet today. Yogurt is on my list but can only have 1 a day.

Hello, All! I hope you are each having a beautiful Sunday where ever you are in the world. I am being sleeved on Thursday, April 27 (Four days from now! Wow!) and my doctor's instructions say on the last three days of my pre-op diet I can have clear liquids and yogurt only. Have any of you been allowed yogurt on your diet? Professionally I am a nurse and I understand that yogurt is good before surgery because of the probiotics which help ward off c-diff. However, with this being a surgery on my stomach I was a little thrown back by the addition of yogurt being on the list. I was hoping some of you have had this experience or may be able to offer some insight that I missed. Thanks!

The first month diet of soft foods has been smooth. Make sure you're following your doctor's plan, not my doctor's plan, because each plan is unique to our situations, including anything your doctor found or did during or before your surgery. It's also important to note that I am not diabetic and I do not have any signs of insulin resistance, before or after surgery, so my body has a healthy relationship with all of the food groups. Here's last night's family dinner, all made from scratch with my meal front and center and my wife's delectable tostada on the far right. I eat vicariously through others and cannot wait to be allowed something crunchy again. I miss crunch, but I know I'll be allowed to crunch again soon. Oh, how I pine for a sturdy lettuce leaf! Homemade refritos, a little bit of spiced ground beef, requeson, crema con sal (a type of sour cream), and two tomato salsas, one very mild and fresh and the other hot and cooked. SW: 275 CW: 244 So, a month out, I'm on "soft foods" which my doctor defines as foods that are soft BEFORE you put them in your mouth and that anything hard to digest like solid meats and veg needs to be taken down to more of an apple sauce/fine mince consistency. I've been on this regimen since my 10 day follow up and will continue until my 6 week follow up in two weeks. There was no intermittent "mushy" stage for me. I try to eat before I take my pills with very small sips of water. Pills taken on an empty stomach may come up. I'm eating 3-4 T at meals that go well for me (that is, no stress, which makes eating any more impossible and leaves me sick for an hour or two). I tend around 30-40g protein a day from a variety of sources: lactaid milk, yogurts, cheeses, finely ground beef, beans, meatballs cooked in soup, soft tofu, and egg. I do not avoid carbohydrates, as I feel better when I eat a balanced diet. I eat 5-6 very small meals a day (some as small as a tablespoon of yogurt or a small skim string cheese). I often add nutritional yeast to savory foods to increase protein and B-12. My carbohydrate intake tends to be slow-burning low glycemic index (oatmeal, berry, beans combined with high protein rice, fresh apple sauce with no additives, a bit of high protein pancake...) The exception is that I do occasionally eat some white rice, always combined with a protein, and I have had no crash and burn. I have also had ice cream and sorbet in very reasonable amounts that fit within my plan with no ill effects or delay in weight loss. With the restriction I've felt from my sleeve, I average 350 calories a day with my highest day just under 500 and my lowest day 0. I registered my greatest weight loss after the 500 calorie day and felt my best, so I'm working up to that as a second month goal. Here's what I won't be eating again for a while due to nausea and/or vomiting: Full fat dairy, lentils, ginger (go figure!), oral B vitamin, whey protein Here's what I won't be consuming again for a while ever due to migraine strong enough to punch through the botox*: Aspartame, sucralose Here's what I won't be eating again for a while due to changes in taste: Ginger, cheddar cheese, V8, melon (with the exception of watermelon) I haven't felt the kind of "hey, I'm kinda hungry" hunger I felt before surgery since then, but If I skip a meal or two, my stomach will gurgle, and if I've missed 3 or more meals, I tend to feel a bit dizzy, headachey, exhausted, and/or fuzzy-headed. Fair enough. If I don't eat a balanced diet (for me: too much protein or fat), I feel generally unwell, but I can power through. No dumping syndrome or anything related. Just lots and lots of water nausea that leaves me out of action for an hour or two when it hits. I've also had a couple of bouts of stress tummy which results in worse nausea, a fever, and, strangely, intolerance to light, so maybe migraine, too. It lasts about an hour. I've always had a stomach sensitive to stress, but the surgery has made that worse. Oh, and the best reason not to cheat? That's down to my doctor. who cheerfully told me all about some of his patients who had advanced too soon or cheated (fits through a straw on full liquid does NOT mean fits through a boba straw) and did rupture the staple line. It's fragile while it's healing the first month or so, especially. Will it happen to everyone? No. But it COULD happen to you. And then you spend a miserable (up to a) year in the hospital being operated on, in pain, possibly dying, and guaranteed not eating those tasty things you thought were ok just a little early and felt fine at the time. Was it tall tale hyperbole to keep me on the straight and narrow. Mmmmmmnnnnnnnpossibly. But I know he wasn't joking, and I'd rather not risk it. Would you? And last, but not least, here's a random picture of my dog discovering Bones Are A Thing That Exists In The World and elevating, on the spot, to a higher level of doggy existence: *I have incapacitating migraines that have been unsuccessfully controlled with medications. Botox was the next step, and it's working great as long as I avoid my worst triggers. (Bright sun, aspartame, sucralose, non-natural cleaning products) 10/10 would recommend.

Wow...i am almost 6 weeks post RNY and i can only get about 70 grams of protein and 500 calories if I am lucky...still having trouble tolerating alot of variety of foods...so pretty much just yogurt, cottage cheese, canned chicken and beans..any other suggestions...only losing about 3.5-4 pounds a week...

You're doing great! I was on my feet (standing still), for 3-hours yesterday morning and I was exhausted for the rest of the day. I think taking a 3 mile hike is amazing -- I'm keeping to a mile on those days I have the energy to take a walk. I'm doing 20-minutes on the recumbent bike on hill mode and I'm going to increase it to 30-minutes this week. I'm concerned about my lack of energy, but everyone's different I guess. I wish I weren't hungry. I'm really sick of the shakes and my plan allows me some mushies now. I've been having refried beans mixed with low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese and I feel guilty for eating it, even though it tastes delicious. On Tuesday I move to more solid foods -- I can eat things like chopped meat and chopped chicken or turkey, tuna fish, mushy veggies, etc. I'm looking forward to getting some veggies into my body. I really need to figure out the difference between hunger and cravings. Bunny

Thank you for responding - that's very helpful! I have some low/zero fat greek yogurts in the fridge and will try eating them earlier in the day.

Yoplait Greek yogurt is 14 grams of protein is has been filling for me, as well.

Looking for suggestions about how to deal with this hollowed out feeling of hunger I am experiencing six days post-op. My surgery was on 4/18 (Tuesday) and have experienced some ups & downs with nausea, which I still need meds to deal with. However, my actual pain experience is getting better every day. I'm back home and my largest issues seems to be hunger, which I totally didn't expect. My doctor wants me to stay on a full liquids diet until day 7 & then easing into pureed food, so I've been following those directions. I hit approximately 60 grams Protein yesterday & have been careful about making sure that I'm getting at least 48 oz in daily liquids, aiming for 64 oz. I was in hospital until Friday mid-day & had a very hard time consuming the protein shakes, yogurt & soup I was given while in hospital, but I was pretty vigilant about the liquids and also on IV through Thursday night. Unlike others here tho actual food does not nauseate me now that I'm bak home - I can eat no-fat yogurt, broth, blended soups etc. and drink my protein shakes. But I am still hungry.I Is this hunger just a reaction to not having really eaten for a few days last week? I really thought my appetite would be checked by the surgery. For what it's worth I seem to have lost 5 lbs but assume that is mostly Water weight. Thanks for any insights you have!