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@Alex Brecher btw- pic on left is not me the guy is a cutie, but i'm cuter ROFLMAO also prob with changing profile pic (profile pic is showing someone else, not me) lines can be spaced differently one line might show same spacing, other line will have a big blank space can' t fix signature or ticker i am getting so upset i almost ate a glazed doughnut !! don't worry all, my mental restriction kicked in !!!! lite and fit greek, blueberry yogurt - here i come help!! tia

@john925 I am 5+ years PO - GOAL past 4+ years (105 lbs down) during the last 2.5 years i fluctuated here and there as much as 5-7 lbs - but i consider myself at GOAL for ME, restriction gradually slowed down about 2 years+ my "mental" restriction" kicked in i still use a smaller plate with my small amounts trying to eat lessss sweets (that's a killer for me) pre-op my doc said to me "eat until you are full", then stop 2 bites earlier"! kind of like "tom" asks "fred" where is sleeve st???fred says,"watch me" - and get off 2 stops earlier!! I better stop writing now and grab a cookie oooops - meant to say Greek lite and fit blueberry yogurt weight gain would happen if i ate too often, and to much in this situation, size DOES matter you should usually/frequently follow all the rules that you've learned you can be a "little" lax as times passes I used to be 5"3 now i'm 6" tall kathy i will always be proudgrammy

When I was on my full liquids stage, I never tried Cream of Wheat. I agree with the above message... it doesn't have much protein. But then at this stage, you just aren't going to get a lot of protein with anything you consume. The best way to get at least 60 ounces of protein daily at this stage (very important), is to buy yourself some unflavored protein powder such as Unjury or Isopure. It is wonderful, because you can mix it into broths, cream soups and yogurt, which are all items that you should be allowed to consume on your full liquids stage. You can also get your protein through protein shakes. My favorite soup on full liquids was cream of celery (strain all soups to get chunks out). I would add some unflavored protein powder to my soup... again, you really need that protein.

First, 23 pounds in 5 weeks is good. Try not to compare yourself to others and their weight loss success. Everyone is different. Plus, a lot of people will have a stall or stalls, where the go for several days to weeks of not losing weight. It is perfectly normal. That said, you DO need to increase your protein intake. One protein shake a day is no where near enough protein. Protein will help you lose weight. You need to be getting at least 60 ounces of protein a day, so try to drink more or get more protein through food. Or, one really good way to get protein is by using a non-flavored protein powder such as Unjury or Isopure. The powder is awesome because you can add it to foods like yogurt, cottage cheese, soups, etc.... and what I really like is that you can mix it into drinks such as Crystal Light, Powerade Zero and decaf unsweet tea (my favorite). Get that protein up, up, up to see those weight loss results. And drink plenty of fluids as well... over 64 ounces a day. Good luck.

This is all true and hilarious. Slider foods are foods that will pass through your new stomach very quickly and easily, so you can and probably will eat a lot of it. Popcorn, potato chips, yogurt. These are all considered sliders. Chips turn to mush and go down really easily. It's a slippery slope for sure. I loved popcorn pre surgery. I've had it once since, several months post but will not buy it. It's too easy to eat a ton of it for me. I haven't bought popcorn at the movies in years. Too expensive. So i usually will eat before the movie and be fine as long as i have Water.

Man this has been a crazy day. Started out feeling great! I couldn't believe how good I felt! Then around 2pm I went down hill fast. I got super hungry for the very first time. I felt so weak I could hardly get up and walk. My vision was blurry. I was almost in tears when I took an account of all I'd done and had taken in prior and I realized I hadn't drank nearly enough water. So I fixed that over the next two hours and I feel so much better. Plus my dr called and gave me the go ahead to try some applesauce or yogurt tonight to help with the hunger. I gots tell you. That was the best applesauce ever!! One more day almost behind me. Still looking forward to "real food" but hanging in there.

28lbs down at three weeks post-op, and we're seeing a bit of waist again! We're also seeing fantastically baggy skinny jeans which were skin tight before the surgery. I really liked those jeans... Since the jeans were size 20, I'm taking that to mean that I'm back into size 18 territory. Once I hit size 16, I'll have a plethora of clothes that fit me again but have been hardly worn. It'll be like having myself as my personal shopper, or something. I'm trying to wait until I'm definitely a 16 before opening the boxes so that it'll be more fun. Has anyone else done that? It's not all sunshine and daisies, of course. Protein is HARD, y'all, especially when you've lost the ability to tolerate the shakes at all. I'm keeping up with low fat string cheese and plain yogurt which, fortunately, I love. I've also discovered that string cheese with marinara dipping sauce (and, eventually once it's allowed, pepperoni) is an excellent substitute for pizza when that craving hits. Talk about a relief. Pizza, in its many forms, has been my go-to food when I'm feeling nauseous but still need to eat. Since even before surgery I spent a lot of time nauseous, I was really missing my sure-bet food. Thank goodness for cheese. That's all I'm sayin'. And at 50 cal/8g protein, it's been good to me.

Twisted chocolate Cherry Protein Ice Cream vanilla yogurt 1 oz extra dark chocolate, roughly chopped Cooking Directions Using a fork or whisk, mix milk and Protein Powder together in a small bowl. Gradually mix in yogurt, until throughly blended. Following your ice cream makers directions, add mixture to ice cream machine. During last two minutes, add in chopped dark chocolate. Enjoy soft serve or store in airtight container in freezer for up to 3 days. 185 calories, 4g fat, 23g protein, 12g sugars (from dairy)

I don't chart anymore, but the entirety of my diet consisted of: - Wife making home made meatballs, of lean ground beef, eggs, and almond meal in place of bread crumbs (tbsp of low sodium ketchup), eating no more than 2-3 at a time, 0g carbs - String cheese (0g carbs) - Maple Leaf farms chicken nuggets (3 at a time, 8g of carbs, tsp of KC Masterpiece original BBQ sauce) - Burgers with 0-2g sliced block cheese, generally cut up to ~ 1/6 of a pound and eat in small bites with dabs of ketchup (NO BUNS), 0-2g of carbs - Peanuts and almonds, unsalted, 1/4 cup, 3-5g carbs, mostly nullified from fiber - 2-4L of water a day - Vitamin supplements (Bariatric Advantage ADEK MV, Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate + vitD chewable tablets.. bottle is fricken huge, Jamieson C+D chewables, Walmart OTC iron mini tablets) - At the beginning I estimated it between 1000-1400 cals a day, didn't really change the diet much, stuck to the same regimen every day switching meats between chicken and beef daily. Post-op after I get to the stage of being able to eat anything (i.e. meats), I plan on sticking to a similar premise of 1000-1400 cals a day, less than 20g carbs a day, 2L+ of water daily, and of course the supplements. I plan on it being a permanent diet, just expanding my diet a little more to include vegetables I can tolerate (hoping my taste buds change). Kinda paranoid about my immediate post-op foods (yogurt drink, unsweetened applesauce, oatmeal, etc., which tend to have more carbs than I'd want) but more than willing to be patient given the importance of healing.

Diet hot chocolate, flavoured yogurt and fudgesicles can help.

Hello all... New here and sleeved on April 8th. Many of you are before me so it's inspiring and informative to read how you are doing, what your going through and how you've made out. Today i'm 10 day's out and noticed I can take a few bigger sips of liquid. Hopefully I can get a some more liquid in during the day. I find it very difficult to keep a cup in my hand and sip every few minutes. The post surgery pain has subsided substantially after day 6. The first 4 days were terrible for me. I still had to use pain meds and spent 1 extra day in the hospital. I think the walking has helped eliminate it. I did attempt to cheat and have a bit of pizza yesterday. Why did i do that??? (StupidMcNupid) It hurt like crazy and I had to call the Doc. Won't go into what he told me... The pain was so bad I had to pray. Had a "#2 blowout" and felt a little better. 4 hours later i started to normalize and feel better. PLEASE, PLEASE don't follow my lead on that one. I was weak and paid the price so that you guys don't have to. Other than that, my energy levels are quite good. I'm sleeping earlier than normal and waking up a bit early as well. Thats good to get an early morning walk in. I'm unsure who's tracking calorie intake but each day (2 shakes / 2 soups / 3 tsp of yogurt) i'm averaging a little less than 500 calories a day. Scary for me. Doc say's don't worry but wondered how and how you guys that are close in dates to me are doing. D

Hey, more options for me! Aspartame tends to trigger my migraines, and I've had the same problem from Splenda. I'd love to find more monk fruit sweeteners, personally, but it looks like we're headed in the right direction. I also use cinnamon to sweeten some things, like plain yogurt. My palate has been adjusting after surgery, and I find lots of sweet things, especially artificial sweet to be cloying.

I know, I know, I should have started this before surgery, but instead I'm staring it 3 weeks after surgery, so let's see if my memory will let me get caught up. Background: I've lost and regained all of my excess weight the old-fashioned way a few times, but I had been resistant to bariatric surgery until I heard about and researched VSG because I was concerned about malabsorption and dumping syndrome. The last thing an aspie with life-long IBS needs is dumping syndrome. Even after reading up on VSG, I was leery to try it because I didn't want to lose the enjoyment I have from cooking for my wife and exploring the culinary world. We talked about it a lot. Finally, we decided that the benefits would outweigh the struggles in the long term when I became very unsettled by no longer recognizing myself in mirrors. (That's not to say that pain and fatigue weren't an element, or wanting to be there for my family long term, or wanting to avoid the severe loss of quality of life my mom suffered after 50... But those were already there.) Pre-approval classes: Before surgery with Kaiser So. Cal, I had to go through their Options class. What I learned from the class is that if one instructor seems to have unreasonable demands and/or rubs you the wrong way, there's usually another with a different approach. My first instructor was a "tough love" type, and if you know anyone on the Autism Spectrum (like me), you know that tough love doesn't work with us, especially when we're trying to meet you half way, but need more information to do so. Long story short, first instructor operated by goading the class, and some people need that. Some people do better hearing "don't ask - just do" while others need to know how they can tailor a plan to their other medical problems. This instructor insisted on 60 min, minimum, of moderately strenuous exercise per day, and all that did was destroy the little cartilage I had left in my knee. I could have really used that cartilage post weight loss! It got so bad, I almost quit entirely, when I found out that I could finish the class with another instructor, and what a fantastic instructor she was! She answered questions, explained the whys of everything, and she was honest that each post-surgical plan will be unique to the individual. I finished the course within a couple of weeks then, and I had my clearance to request an appointment with the surgeon by Feb 13. She also helped out by telling me which hospital tended to have the shortest wait. Approval: I had my appointment with Dr. Zane on March 10, and all of my labs were good. No sign of diabetes. Weight loss of 25lbs the old fashioned way. Blood pressure a little elevated but not too bad. Fibromyalgia? Bad. Joints and back? Crazy painful. Dr. Zane agreed that I was in a great place for VSG, and when he asked when I'd like to do the surgery, I told him "I'll take the first opening you've got." As it turns out, he had one last opening available for March 27, and I took it without a moment's hesitation. Pre-op & Surgery Day: To get ready for the surgery, I had to observe a clear liquid diet for the two days leading up. That, alone, made it tough for me to eat. Looking back at my logs, I was lucky to make 600 calories a day those two days, and that was only by virtue of being able to chug protein water. No chugging after surgery, though! Surgery day, my wife, MiL, and the service dogs all trundled down to the hospital. We arrived only to discover that we had a two hour wait before check in time! So the lucky dogs got a nice long walk around the new hospital complex with all of the flowers in bloom, and I think everyone felt better for that. Once I checked in, I was given a robe to change into and a pair of disposable hospital underpants that were made of the most uncomfortable material ever invented. They had a texture a bit like stretched out gauze, and (TMI alert!) my butt is STILL healing a patch of chafing from them 3 weeks later. Just so you know, part of the surgery involves you being sat up in the OR, so if you have mysterious butt bruises or soreness, it's probably that. I had no idea. Okay, so, hospital, gown, TMI, and now I met the surgical team. Two anesthesiologists, both of whom were incredibly cool. Don't be shy about telling these guys if you have nausea issues. Everyone kept me WELL drugged to avoid any vomiting. They also made adjustments for my long-term use of extended release morphine, so make sure you tell the docs about that, too. I remember being wheeled into the OR and my doctor making a joke. I was just alert enough to respond to the joke and then they knocked me out. I went out while being transferred from the gurney onto the operating table, which was so bizarrely narrow. After surgery, I woke up on the most comfortable hospital bed I have ever been fortunate enough to experience. I guess it's because it's the bariatric ward and the beds have to be comfortable enough for people significantly heavier than me, but it's the first time ever in hospital that I wasn't squirming in discomfort because of the mattress. Aside from that, I woke up thirsty and in zero pain. I think I only used the pain pump 4 times during my 24 hours in the hospital. I also want to mention that I woke up feeling incredibly positive, motivated, and ready for the future. For someone who's suffered major depression most of her life, that was kind of amazing. Endorphins, maybe? I slept and dreamed of cooking delicious things and serving my wife and MiL afternoon tea on our deck, enjoying the process of creative cooking without needing to eat it. I still want to do that. (But I'll probably join in, at least for the tea...) Shortly after napping, I felt well enough to walk around the floor, and I fell into a routine of getting up to pee and then going for a walk. No catheter involved. Kaiser also had a set up for bariatric patients of single rooms with fold out chairs that allow a family member to stay with you overnight, and that was invaluable. I don't think I slept much after the time immediately post-op, and my will to exercise was a lot greater than my stamina. I was also incredibly grateful to the suggestion I read somewhere to bring your own pajamas and robe, etc. I'm sure that helped with morale. Food, or "food" rather, was diet Ocean Spray cranberry juice (ugh), chicken broth that tasted exactly like KFC fried chicken (still don't know what's going on with that one), jello (didn't touch it), and ice chips. I found the salty broth and the ice chips the easiest to eat, but I also discovered I had a bad case of water nausea. That's only just starting to go away, and I'm a person who LOVES drinking water. So, thanks to the soup, I met my Dr's expectations, and when he came in the next morning in between surgeries, I was bright eyed and bushy tailed and ready to go home. He warned me that I had one stitch "to remind me I had surgery," and said my healing looked good to him. Don't scrub the surgical glue or get it too wet, and then Discharge ahoy! Dr. Zane released me onto a full liquids diet and out the door I shortly went. I was also told that I'd had heparin shots (one last for the rode before I left the hospital) and a LOT of IV antibiotics. It was an absolute dream to slip into my own clothes, but if I had thought it through more, I would have brought something other than comfortable jeans. Even though they sat well below my incisions, they pushed up on the incisions just enough to cause a case of the ouchies and enormous relief upon arriving home. Having a pillow to hug to my stomach helped a lot on that car ride and on car rides for the next week and a half or so. First week post-op: I have 5 incisions, and the "big bad" where my stomach was extracted is just to the left of my belly button, about an inch long with almost no bruising at all in spite of the heparin. Dr. Zane assures me this is because my surgeon is just that awesome. I love him for his modesty. That one stitch he mentioned was a tiny slice of hell for the first week and a half. Rolling over or sitting up were painful enough to make me see spots and yelp, but that did go away as the sutures began to dissolve. So if you're in that kind of pain, know it does go away, and it's just whatever stitches you have being evil. In fact, they were so evil that on the first and second night home (where the IV pain meds had worn off), I was in so much pain, I spent most of the night wandering back and forth across the dining room and kitchen with a pillow clutched to my stomach. The third night, I managed to sleep all the way through, and then some. Taking my medicine for the first week was probably the hardest part. One pill at a time with only enough water to wash it down. Did I say water? I meant water with a splash of juice. I couldn't tolerate plain water or artificial sweeteners at all. And I did try. Unfortunately, my sensitivity to artificial sweeteners has only gotten worse post-op, which made it increasingly difficult to get my protein in. My salvation? The discovery that milk is still not only delicious but that I did not develop an intolerance to dairy! Granted, I always drink lactose-free milk, but I also have no problems with cheeses or yogurt. So, fat free lactose free milk kept me going when the going was rough. It took the best part of an hour, at this point, to get down a 12 oz glass of liquid. I spent a lot of time sitting at the dining room table staring resentfully at a glass half full. It did gradually get easier as the first 10 days progressed, and the evening before my follow up with the surgeon, I had a delicious dinner of Tom Kha Kai (broth only) from my favorite Thai place, and the spice was deliciously soothing. YMMV on that part, but I was raised on salsa. The other discovery I made the first week is that walking was suddenly easier. I wanted to walk. I felt like I could just keep walking forever. That's a feeling I haven't had in a long time. By the time I went to my follow up, the majority of those struggles were in the past. And one was in my future: thrush. Follow up appt & the 2nd & 3rd week: At the appointment, my Dr. asked me how I was feeling, how I was healing, and how I was doing at keeping things down with the full liquid diet. It was all going well there, with 20lbs lost since surgery, so he cautioned me that everyone has a 2 week stall about 2 weeks out, and he moved me right along to soft foods. I asked him what's the difference between soft foods and mushies, and he answered "they're the same." After asking a few questions, it became clear that he combines those two groups and emphasizes that the food has to be soft even before you put it in your mouth. No chewing chips until they go mushy. I have no problem with this at all. He also diagnosed me with thrush. Ugh! The mouthwash treatment was intolerable, the tablet treatment, slightly tolerable, and the pill, completely tolerable. What a pain in the behind to deal with while learning to eat again! Especially with soft, mushy food. It did put me off eating for a few days, but things got better once the medicine kicked in. So make sure you can find a yogurt to take in during that first week after the IV antibiotics! Other than that, the Dr. said I'll be on this soft/mushy stage until my next follow up with his nurse, the beginning of may, so here's how I'm allowed to eat now: 4 tablespoons of food per meal, max. (I've only managed the full 4 a couple of times. More often, my meals are closer to 2T, and I feel full) 4-6 meals per day No water or drinks for 30 minutes after eating. All food must be soft and moist. On the way home, my wife and I celebrated by swinging through Taco Bell to split a Pintos & Cheese. It takes me about 30 minutes to eat 2.5T of it, one tiny mouthful at a time. We're talking Barbie spoon size for that first meal! I also had to wait another 30 minutes for the nausea to go away before doing anything else. Since then, I've been living primarily on beans, soft cheese (queso fresco is a favorite!), yogurt (plain with cinnamon), the occasional tuna salad, and lactose free fat free milk, still 1-2.5T for most meals before I feel that sensation that the next bite will not be appreciated in my stomach. That feeling really does seem to be different for everyone. For me, it's a subtle hiccup-like sensation in the back of my throat. I have missed the signal a couple of times, and yes, I did throw up. Throwing up itself is an interesting experience post-op. It's not the same "oh my god I'm turning inside out!" feeling I remember from before. With the exception of my body rejecting a vitamin it did NOT like, throwing up since the surgery has been non-painful and over quickly with very little bile involved. My birthday happened during this time, and I had a treat of curry rice in Little Tokyo for lunch, cheese enchilada and beans for dinner out with family (shared the dish with my wife, who ate most of it), followed by a birthday flan the table shared, and then at home, a bit of ice cream birthday cake and some out of this world raspberry sorbet from Fosselman's, a local family-owned ice cream parlor that's been dishing out the good stuff since 1914! Some of you are probably wondering if the carbs on that day set me back at all. The answer is: nope. Remember, this is only one day, and each serving was 4T or less. I had a great time downtown on my birthday and got in a lot of walking with my family while we explored Little Tokyo together. And then I crashed into bed and slept for 36 hours. No joke! During this stage, I also had my first post-op experience with stairs, and my heart would race like crazy by the time I got to the top. It turns out, that's a sign of dehydration. Once I got to the point where I was getting in my full hydration, the racing heart issue stopped. Now, I seem to be evening out a bit as I get the hang of things. I still eat with the family when there's a family meal, and I focus on the soft foods that I can eat, protein first. When they have tostadas, I have beans, queso fresco, crema, and salsa. When they have Eggs Benedict, I have egg and avocado with a teaspoon of hollandaise. When they have spaghetti and meat sauce, I have meat sauce. My travel food is low fat string cheese, or in a pinch, Taco Bell Pintos & Cheese. My wife and I split a lot of meals. My most recent meal was beans, salsa, and requeson from the middle of her burrito. Working out a plan to share meals with your SO has been a great way for us to keep eating together and enjoying food as a shared experience while keeping me within my requirements after VSG. I've also been pleasantly surprised with HOW the weight is coming off me. It seems to be coming off from the areas that were deforming my shape first. I used to be one of those larger people who stays perfectly in proportion, just large. I'm moving quickly back in that direction, and that alone is heartening. I do suspect that part of the reason my waist went down as dramatically as it did is due to the actual removal of 85% or so of my stomach. Considering how much I could eat in a sitting before without feeling full, I would imagine my stomach was on the large side. I'll have to ask about that during the follow up. What else? I'm on the verge of crossing down from Obesity III to Obesity II, which feels like a great landmark to pass. I'm wearing clothes I haven't been able to wear since a major injury pushed me from "hanging in there" to "nope" back in 2014 by severely curtailing my physical activity. My clothes are fitting better even when they're loose (except my damn bra, which is too big around the ribs now and a collection of underwear that think they're thongs). My vintage-style dresses no longer REQUIRE a petticoat to hang correctly over my hips, although petticoats are always cute, and I suddenly have more leggings and tank tops that are actually comfortable to wear again. It's like shopping in your own packed wardrobe and the opposite of all of those miserable shopping trips where nothing fit right. I'm glad I never gave up hope that I would be able to wear these things again. I really am. Hopefully by summer, I'll be able to fit into my favorite size 17 capris. #GOALS

Happy Anniversary everyone!!! I have a strange urge to play Barry Manilowe's "Looks like we made it" , LOL!! All the pain is gone except by my liver when I try to bend all the way down. I am down 25 pounds. But, the loss is starting to slow i can drink freely. I will not touch shakes, they are nasty. I am drinking Oikos Triple something... it's a tiny little yogurt drink with 100 calories and 10 G protein. I am no where near ready for actual food. i have discovered the joy of sugar free popsicle brand fudge pops. Omg good!!!

Are you already on pureed food? If so, I was able to do very well mashed carrots (mash till they are mush), same with any other soft veggie that can be mashed. But about the only veggie I had on pureed were carrots, trying to keep carbs low. I also had very well mashed canned chicken on the pureed stage.... just mashed it with a fork and added a little mayo or yogurt to it, to make it a little like chicken salad. There are also some ricotta bake recipes out there for the pureed stage... the one I tried (and it was great) can be found at theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com. She also has some other recipes for the different stages including pureed. If you are eating cottage cheese on the pureed stage, you don't need to mash it. So my opinion is that you don't really need the blender on the pureed stage, unless you are eating veggies or other foods that can't be mashed to a smooth consistency.

Unfortunately many parents don't realize the damage they do to their children in regards to weight. Especially around 8-10 years when children are a little more self conscious of their bodies and don't know any better that they're still growing! i was a skinny minny growing up. I do recall my mom calling me fat out of sheer jealousy when I was 16 or so. That lie led me to start believing I was. So I delved into exercise/nutrition. Kept it off till about 8 years ago. My grandmother did the same stuff to my mother, as yours did. So young in age, she put my mom on diets. My mom is still morbidly obese with stage 4 cancer, diabetes, and neuropathy issues. I can honestly believe that if the parents were to not have made weight the issue, or suggest bikeriding (as you said), you and my mother would have turned out quite different. I don't do this with my kids. They're young, 3,7, & 12. I heard my stepdaughter mention something about calories in a yogurt. I told her she had no business worrying about that because her body is still growing. I make it a point to not share my struggles out loud or with my kids as well. They don't even know about my surgery. I'm sorry you had to go through that. It hits hard for me because of where my mom is in her life that started in childhood.

Finding Erika sorry for the late reply! I see that there have been some great responses and tips so far. As for my programme here in the UK please see below: A healthy diet There are five main food groups and a healthy diet comprises a mix of them: Protein foods – such as meat, fish, eggs, beans – include 2-3 60-90g (2-3oz) portions per day. You must be particularly careful to chew meat, chicken and fish thoroughly before you swallow – the recommended bite size is the size of a 20p piece. Eat the protein part of your meal first. Milk and dairy – choose low-fat cheese and limit amount to 30-60g (1-2 oz). Choose skimmed milk and low fat yogurt varieties. Fruit and vegetables – try to have 4-5 portions per day. A small glassful of unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice counts as one portion. Carbohydrates – bread, potatoes and cereals. One small portion of 60-90g (2-3oz) at each meal will be fine. Fatty and sugary foods – use a small amount of olive oil for cooking and replace puddings with a low fat yoghurt or stewed fruit. As mentioned before, beware of the soft calorie-laden foods such as chocolate, sweets or ice cream (see section on dumping syndrome). Fluids Choose non-carbonated fluids. Avoid diet and/or regular fizzy drinks. These make you feel uncomfortable and the gas produced by these can stretch the pouch. Your best choices for fluids are water (try squeezing some lemon into water), artificially sweetened, non-carbonated flavoured waters, coffee or tea, herbal teas, clear soups, and diluted 100 percent unsweetened fruit juices. Read labels carefully to be sure your healthy sounding drinks do not contain lots of calories. Do not forget that alcoholic drinks can be high in calories, so moderate your intake. Aim for 10 glasses of fluid a day. Meal ideas for normal diet: Breakfast Coffee or tea or 200ml skimmed milk or 200ml vegetable or fruit juice 1 slice brown bread or roll (toasted) or 50g breakfast cereal 10g butter/margarine or 20g low fat spread 1 portion jam, honey or low fat cheese spread or 50g lean meat or 1 egg Lunch 50g poached fish or 50g meat or 50-75g chicken/ Quorn/ tofu-based product 1 tablespoon risotto or rice or 1 tablespoon mashed potato or 1 small boiled potato 1 peeled grilled tomato or 2 tsp broccoli or carrots or a small mixed salad Evening meal 100g boiled spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, 1 teaspoon Parmesan cheese and 1 peeled grilled tomato Or 3 small slices of low-fat cheese, 1 slice brown bread and a small, non leafy, mixed salad (tomato, cucumber) Or 1 tablespoon tuna or egg salad with diced pickled vegetables, 1 slice brown bread Or 50g baked potato with cheese and ham with1 tablespoon of tomato salad Steps to success: Limit portion sizes for meals to a side plate or about half of a normal portion. Using measuring tools such as food scales to check your portion sizes can help initially. Eat the protein part of your meal first followed by the carbohydrate and the vegetables. Do not eat more for fear of getting hungry later. Remember that it will take time to get used to what your smaller portion looks like. Eat slowly and if you do get hungry later on have a ready-prepared snack such as a piece of fruit or a low-calorie yoghurt. Stop eating as soon as you are no longer hungry. You have to listen to your body’s feeling of satisfaction and fullness; otherwise there is a great risk of you stretching the pouch. Eat slowly, taking 20-30 minutes to complete your meal. Most obese people are used to rushing their meals and, as there is a time delay from stretching the wall of your stomach and it telling your brain you are full, you need to be careful with this one. Try placing your knife and fork down between mouthfuls. Chew foods thoroughly, aiming for 15-20 chews per mouthful. Swallow the food once you have achieved a smooth puree consistency in the mouth. Take tiny bites (cut meat up to the size of a pencil-top rubber) and chew each piece 10–25 times. Stop eating after about 20 minutes and if you are hungry again a few minutes later have a little more. Eat three meals per day –You should be satisfied eating three meals a day without getting hungry in between meals. Beware of developing 'grazing' eating patterns of small snacks throughout the day. Eat healthy, solid food –Many soft foods are high in fat or carbohydrates and as a consequence you may be taking more calories than you should and your weight loss will slow down or stop. Choose solid foods without lots of sauce (e.g. small meal of chicken and vegetables) and you will eat less overall and stay full for longer. Do not drink while eating as you could feel full too soon before you have eaten the right amount of food. So avoid fluids for half an hour before your meals and for one hour afterwards. Do not eat or graze between meals as this will slow down the weight loss. You should not need to eat between meals because of hunger if you are eating three sensible meals per day. Only eat good quality nutritious food (see above). All drinks should be zero calories – Calorie laden drinks, including alcohol, will simply add calories to your daily intake. Women need calcium and this can be obtained from skimmed milk. You should avoid juice, squashes, milkshakes and. fizzy drinks (the gas can also cause considerable pain), Drink adequate fluid between meals as mentioned before. How much exercise should I do? It is recommended that adults should aim to be active daily. Over a week, activity should add up to at least 150 minutes (2½ hours) of moderate intensity activity in bouts of 10 minutes or more. One way to approach this is to do 30 minutes on at least 5 days a week. Alternatively, comparable benefits can be achieved through 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity spread across the week or combinations of moderate and vigorous intensity activity. I'm using this as a guide but still finding it difficult to eat much (better since I last posted to you) and I struggle to do any exercise (except long walks) because I feel so tired! My hair is thinning so badly as well but I know it will be worth it in the end! [emoji4]

I actually cheeted 2 days before I had some cheese and yogurt I felt so guilty. But just had my surgery April 13 nd so far so good.

You don't get "full" that **** slowly flows right through.So get used to some minor hunger pangs wait til you get into drinkable yogurt huge help

A friend of mine used the fruit to flavor yogurt

Hi Georgina, Yes, I had my band to bypass revision in one surgery -- along with getting a hiatal hernia fixed. I'll be a week out of surgery tomorrow and I have to say that it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined it would be. I was given a morphine pump while I was in the hospital for pain and the morphine kept me pain-free and reasonably sleepy (good for rest). I was in the hospital for 2 nights and 2 1/2 days and I came home with Oxycontin pills for pain -- which I only needed for a day or so. I transitioned to Tylenol pretty quickly and starting yesterday, I've been on nothing at all. I'm still pretty wiped out -- the surgery takes the stuffing out of you -- but I go for short walks outside ever day -- each day a bit longer than the last -- and I'm due to go back to work (I have a lot of autonomy over my daily schedule), a week from tomorrow. The all-liquid diet is boring, but necessary in order for the pouch to heal (at least, that's what my surgeon says -- every surgeon is different), and I can either advance to some mushy solids (ie: cottage cheese, yogurt, etc.), this week or next. I'm not saying it's easy, but I have no regrets so far. The weight is coming off however it wants to come off. I actually gained weight between when I went into the hospital for the surgery and when I came home -- water weight from the IV which took a few days to leave my body. I'm now down 5 lbs. from when I went into the hospital, so it's not as though I'm losing fast here. Nevertheless, I knew the weight loss would be slow based on what I read about revisions and I'm OK with that. I plan on being very compliant with what I'm supposed to eat and when and in time, the weight will come off, I"m sure. Good luck -- let me know how you're doing. Bunny

I would bring what I was told was ok by the dr. Nuts?. Jerky? protein powder, protein bars, yogurt, string cheese softened, maybe a banana?

I am clear liquids for 1 week (sleeved 4/12), then will go to purées which includes yogurt, sf pudding, applesauce, etc

First, congratulations on your surgery. I know it can be hard to get your liquids and protein in. Right now, I wouldn't worry too much about the calories. If you are unable to get protein shakes down, I want to offer you a suggestion. Try an unflavored good protein powder such as Unjury or Isopure and you will be able to mix it in broth, soup, yogurt, etc. Or maybe even better in your case, you can also mix it into drinks such as Crystal Light, Powerade Zero, or my favorite, decaf unsweet iced tea. Maybe a protein powder in one of those drinks will help, as it does not thicken like a regular protein shake. Really concentrate on getting those liquids in, you might want to set goals for yourself every half hour or so... like "I will drink this many ounces every 30 minutes." You certainly don't want to get dehydrated, and it can happen very easily. It happened to me twice and I had to stay at the ER and get IV liquids for half a day. Liquids and protein... very important. Calories at the moment, I wouldn't fret over that. I wish you a speedy recovery!

That is the way my plan was. Full liquids that included strained soups (my favorite was cream of celery) or broth, yogurt and pudding. I basically lived off of sugar free/low carb plain yogurt with a little stevia to sweeten and the cream of celery soup. I also used Unjury unflavored protein powder and mixed it into my soup and yogurt to get that protein up over 60 grams a day. I didn't eat much of the sugar free pudding though, because it's really high in carbs. I did the above for 2 weeks. Then 2 weeks on pureed after that. If you aren't sure about your plan, please check back with your nutritionist to be safe. Congratulations on your surgery.