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For most proteins (chicken, beef, pork, etc) there are approximately 7g of protein per ounce. For other items you can usually find the protein amount for a serving on the container or look it up in MyFitnessPal. I eat multigrain crackers, whole wheat tortillas, and bagel thins toasted but no rice or pasta yet. I always eat a protein with the carb (fruit or multigrain). Yogurt is also a great source of protein but you have to watch out for the sugar. I used to like the Chobani 100s but now I can't tolerate any yogurt.

If salad dressing is your main concern, try your hand at making your own. I'll take fage greek yogut and flavor it with any marinade I think would go well with the salad I am eating. The marinades have very little in the way of calories because they use no thickeners.They are mostly spices and vinegar. The yogurt takes the place of the thickeners and mayo base. You can also make your own ranch dressing mix and blend it into plain yogurt. It's mostly buttermilk powder, garlic, dill, parsley and a few other things. There are tons of recipes online for yogurt based dressings.

I have noticed since yesterday if I eat, things seems to be hung up (cause minor discomfort) in my chest on their way down. I only notice with foods I have to chew. Meats, bananas, trail mix. I haven't had this type of discomfort since closer to my post-op time last year after surgery. Yogurt, scrambled eggs not so much. Is this common at 10 months post-op and is there something I need to do or just call doctor( which i will contact after I finish typing this)?! Thanks

Liquids typically pass through the stomach quickly, but thicker items such as yogurts will be slower to pass through. I was instructed to measure everything and take anywhere from 15-30 minutes to eat a meal. May seem like forever but the slower pace of introducing food to your stomach the better it is. Don't be concerned with stretching your sleeve - be concerned about eating too much and causing a tear/leak along the staple line. You don't want to feel uncomfortable after every meal, but your stomach may still be swollen and not able to take as much in yet. If you're hurting it's likely to to physical pain and not being hungry. While some people do experience hunger pains (whether real or head hunger) the majority of people don't experience the feeling of hunger so soon after surgery. You're only what...a week post-op? Everybody handles it differently, but I know for me at a week out I wasn't up to doing a whole heck of a lot. We went to Walmart one night to pick a few things up for me and I was done after 15 minutes of walking. It's critical to take it easy and doing things proper, especially so soon after surgery.

The only thing I can tolerate with no problem is grilled shrimp. Everything else eggs yogurt chicken tuna Protein shakes, I make myself eat but it's hard.

I agree, the broth and the unflavored protein powder and the Premier protein shakes are great! Remember, you've got to get that protein! Also, during the liquid phase I could do cream soups and I did a lot of strained cream of celery soup (it was my favorite), with the unflavored protein powder mixed in. You can also do sugar free jello and I think most plans allow yogurt on the liquid phase.

If I drank my whole bottle of protein water, that would give me 40g of protein. But my NUT last time I saw her told me to only try drinking half a bottle each day. She really wants me to try getting in most of my protein through food. I eat yogurt every morning for breakfast, but that’s it. I don't know what to eat with it. I'm going to ask my NUT for suggestions when I see her next week. I don't like the texture of cottage cheese. I usually eat 3 times a day (every 4 hours) but I think I can stretch that out to 4 for now.

I'm in the same place. The only thing I can eat is Greek yogurt.

While you are waiting for your sleeve to stretch out a bit, try yogurt or cottage cheese, eat 5 times a day, more liquid proteins and veggies (V8), etc. It is really important to get your calories up to a sustainable level.

It’s March! Trees are leafing out and the green of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations surrounds us. This brings to mind that instead of wearing green, we should be eating more greens…and yellows, oranges, reds and purples. Include the colors of the rainbow in your veggie choices. Veggies have vitamins, minerals, water, fiber, and anti-oxidants. Having a smaller stomach pouch after surgery makes it a challenge to get in more veggies. Veggies you can sip instead of chewing to applesauce will make it easier to get in your vegetables. Think about blending veggies with protein powder to help increase your protein intake. Focus on non-starchy veggies. There are several ways you can sip your veggies. One way is to experiment with blended smoothies. A blended smoothie has 3 main parts: fresh or frozen produce, ice cubes, and a base. The base can be water, milk or yogurt. For bariatric patients, a base can also be protein powder or ready to drink protein shakes. You’ll need a good blending machine like NutriBullet, Ninja or Vitamix. Look for a blender with at least 1000 Watts for best results. Next time you make a protein smoothie, throw in a handful of raw spinach or kale, cucumbers, shredded purple cabbage, frozen veggie blend, fresh herbs or something from your garden. Fruits are often a part of a smoothie, but you will need to calculate the carbs to stay in your carbohydrate goal. Another idea is to make a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary. Stir a tablespoon of unflavored protein powder into 6 ounces low sodium V8 vegetable juice. This V8 is a blend of several vegetable juices. Throw in dashes of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, stir again and the pour over ice. Unflavored protein powder can be added to vegetable soups. Sprout’s has unflavored whey protein powder in the bulk bins, which is a way you can test taste this protein without buying a large canister. One tablespoon provides 10 grams of protein. If you use whey protein isolate, remember to keep it under 140o F. to prevent the protein from curdling. Healthy sipping!

Having a smaller stomach pouch after surgery makes it a challenge to get in more veggies. Veggies you can sip instead of chewing to applesauce will make it easier to get in your vegetables. Think about blending veggies with protein powder to help increase your protein intake. Focus on non-starchy veggies. There are several ways you can sip your veggies. One way is to experiment with blended smoothies. A blended smoothie has 3 main parts: fresh or frozen produce, ice cubes, and a base. The base can be water, milk or yogurt. For bariatric patients, a base can also be protein powder or ready to drink protein shakes. You’ll need a good blending machine like NutriBullet, Ninja or Vitamix. Look for a blender with at least 1000 Watts for best results. Next time you make a protein smoothie, throw in a handful of raw spinach or kale, cucumbers, shredded purple cabbage, frozen veggie blend, fresh herbs or something from your garden. Fruits are often a part of a smoothie, but you will need to calculate the carbs to stay in your carbohydrate goal. Another idea is to make a non-alcoholic Bloody Mary. Stir a tablespoon of unflavored protein powder into 6 ounces low sodium V8 vegetable juice. This V8 is a blend of several vegetable juices. Throw in dashes of lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce, stir again and the pour over ice. Unflavored protein powder can be added to vegetable soups. Sprout’s has unflavored whey protein powder in the bulk bins, which is a way you can test taste this protein without buying a large canister. One tablespoon provides 10 grams of protein. If you use whey protein isolate, remember to keep it under 140o F. to prevent the protein from curdling. Healthy sipping!

I'm 3 weeks and eating thin deli meat and cheese rolls oatmeal yogurt cream of wheat half of a half or open face tortilla canned chicken and pinch low fat cheese Soups and Protein shakes ham and eggs

How are all making out? Per doctor's plan I have graduated to a diet that includes sugar free jello and pudding, along with plain (yuck) or vanilla Greek yogurt. Can also have plain ricotta cheese. All this with protein shakes. Can't believe how excited I was this morning to have first bit of jello. Now I'm nervous about hitting requirements for liquid and proteins. Any suggestions for making all go down a bit easier or how to make all a bit more interesting?

Generally your surgery center will provide guidelines on what they want you taking after surgery. I'm on: Celebrate Multi (2x daily) chewable, Celebrate Iron+C chewable (because my multi doesn't have iron), and daily sublingual B12. At 5 weeks I add in a daily Calcium chew. I have a bunch of samples from my dietician to try that I'm going to use before picking one. Additionally: a stool softener. They suggested Milk of Magnesia and/or Miralax as needed. I needed it at first, right now I don't. I'm going to add a probiotic here this week though, as I've been having diarrhea issues (TMI, I know). It's helped in the past with that sort of thing. I prefer the kind you stir into a bit of Water or yogurt rather than capsules, so I have to go buy in person as they are refrigerated and not generally available to buy online. Our first blood panel is at 6 months to check for deficiencies, at which point I'll know if I need to supplement with Vit D or something else.

I had IBS when I was younger and it developed into full-fledged ulcerative colitis by the time I was 30. I've been on meds for it off and on since then. I had my surgery 3.5 weeks ago and I have to say I haven't had any symptoms. I think. It's hard to know what's normal after sleeve since I've never had a sleeve before. Unlike many other people, I do not suffer from constipation post-op, and usually have a bowel movement 3 times a day - it's always loose and soft, similar to what I had pre-sleeve. However, I do know that when I went on the pre-op diet, which allowed lean protein and non-starchy vegetables, and was no dairy or alcohol or caffeine, all of my symptoms cleared up immediately and I had no issues. The big difference between then and now is that I am eating cheese and greek yogurt to help meet my protein goals, but I wonder if that is affecting my BMs. However, I'm not going to change anything until I back to full foods and can cut back on the dairy. I'm not taking any meds for the colitis at the moment as I don't know how well they'll work with my new sleeve. I'm going to go talk to my gastroenterologist next week about it. That said, I've done some research about it and it seems that the sleeve really helps alleviate symptoms. I know colitis and IBS in general are not exactly the same, but as I have suffered from one or the other for over 30 years, to me there is little difference between them.

Almost 4weeks post op and I've tolerated most things I've tried. Lots of soups, cottage cheese, canned peaches, bananas, mashed sweet potato, yogurt, re fried beans, scrambled eggs, chicken and very lean ground beef. I add one or two new things every other day or so. Only thing I did not tolerate well was a soft crab cake I tried to make. Holding off on seafood for a little while.

I had sleeve surgery in Sept 2016, so I am about 6 months post-surgery. I eat pretty much what I want, within reason, but I don't eat much; I just can't. I try to keep my meals high protein, low/no carb, and don't worry too much about the fat. I still eat many of the things I used to eat, but in such a different quantity, and far more infrequently. Last week on chicken wing night (50 cents each for buffalo wings) I at 3 wings (sections, not whole chicken wings) instead of the 15-20 I used to consume. Tonight we had pizza for dinner; I had 2 pieces, but ate only the toppings. I used to eat at least a half of a large pizza, if not more, toppings, crust, and all. If I wanted a taco (and sometimes I do!), I'd break a shell into pieces and use the pieces as a scoop to eat the meat and toppings- or skip the shell entirely and just have some meat, cheese, lettuce/tomato/onion, with maybe a little sour cream and salsa. However, I can only eat about 1/3 of a cup of food at one time, so I'd be really careful to eat slowly. My daily meals look something like this: For breakfast, I usually have a protein shake made with unsweetened almond milk, and a cup of coffee with about 2T half-n-half. Snack time at school (around 10:15) I'll have a slice of cheese. For lunch I have dinner leftovers- something like some roasted veggies with chicken (about 1/3 cup total), or 2-3 mini-meatballs (1" in diameter maybe, the frozen ones) with some shredded mozzarella. If I'm hungry when I get home from school (around 4), I'll have a glass of almond milk or maybe a 4oz yogurt, or 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. Dinner (around 7:30, after my husband gets home) is protein with roasted veggies (about 1/3 cup total). I don't usually have dessert, but if my husband is having ice cream (my big weakness), I might have 1/4 cup. If I'm hungry before bedtime (usually go to sleep around midnight) and haven't had dessert, I'll have a tablespoon of peanut butter. Dinner proteins include fish, chicken (1/2 to 1 thigh is all I can eat), or deli roll-ups (1-2 slices of ham or deli roast beef with some shredded cheese melted on it). I can eat pork if it's not too dry (or cooked in a sauce), lamb (which we only have 1-2 times a year), and eggs (omelet or fried, not scrambled). Burger doesn't go down too easily, and sausage is hard to digest (but I love sausage so it's a struggle!). Haven't tried hot dogs but I'm sure I'll get there! Steak also doesn't go down easily, which is heartbreaking for me, but I'm optimistic it'll happen- I LOVE STEAK!!! I miss salad, but if I have a salad I can't eat anything else- fills me up too much. Same with raw veggies or fruit; if I eat them, I can't get my protein in. I still have to avoid drinking 30 mins prior to or after meals, which makes it hard to drink enough as I eat 5-6 times a day. I feel like I am definitely still a work in progress, but I'm still losing weight, so I guess it's all good!

I'm 5weeks post-op and I found that Boca veggie burgers, Greek vanilla yogurt, 93%lean ground beef meatballs,and baked chicken breast shredded worked well for me. Shrimps, fish and eggs too.

I sent it, check your email, dont know if it will help you cause youre 3 weeks out and Im still on phase II, you would be on Phase III puree foods. Just concentrate of getting 64 grams of Protein and 64 oz of liquids by week 4. Youll be fine. Stop with the baby foods and bananas. Get a decent pre mixed Protein Drink you can tolerate I suggest Premier Protein products for pre mixed, and genpro powder to add to your yogurts and puddings. no more than 4 oz at a time, go slow youre still healing.

So sorry you didn't get proper guidance. It would help so much. I'm almost 3-weeks post op & already lost 22 lbs. Following the proper diet will be very useful. Your body will respond properly. Also, remember you're still swollen so the weight you see the first few weeks might be even heavier than you really are since the body is still healing. It takes 6-8 weeks to fully heal. According to my plan that my doctor, nutritionist, & nurse gave me. Take your multivitamins daily. Your body is not getting all the nutrients it needs. Take your calcium daily for your bones. Have 60-80 grams of protein a day to prevent hair & muscle loss. Drink 48 fl oz or water or more to stay hydrated. Post op the first 4 weeks are liquid only. Jello & yogurt are okay. Post op 5th week, puree food only. Post op 6th week, soft foods. I hope you get the proper guidance from a real nutritionist. I'm sharing what mine tells me. Height 5'0" Weight for WLS consultation: 216 lbs. Surgery date: 2/13/17 Goal: - 71 lbs for healthy BMI (about 145 lbs). Current weight: 188 lbs My profile picture is not me. It's my "FitSpiration" body.

My take is the swelling from a fill can take a day or two to settle. Please don't irritate it.... mine takes days to settle down. Yogurt and soups seem to help. Good luck. Please update when possible !

I was sleeved on 12/21 and have lost 31 lbs since then. I also have a stair-step pattern of weight loss - lose, lose, lose, stall, lose, lose, lose, stall. I am really big on hitting my Protein goal of at least 60g per day and I track everything I eat in My Fitness Pal. I eat small "snacks" every 2-3 hours. I have been in physical therapy to rehab a bad knee that is preventing me from engaging in most cardio exercise, so I have NOT been very physically active at all, but working toward getting there. Here's what I eat in a typical day - usually between 800-1,000 cals. Breakfast - Danon Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt mixed with 1 scoop Genepro Protein powder Snack - String cheese + mandarin orange lunch - Small cup of chicken chili Snack - 1/4 c. tuna salad spread on three wheat crackers dinner - 1/4 c. Bolognese sauce over "zoodles" Snack - chocolate protein powder smoothie mixed with light almond milk and 1 TBS Peanut Butter HW - 270 SW - 244 CW - 213 5'5"

@Bluesky1 - I have been pretty adept now at eyeballing what the size/weight would be - but still weigh food when i am at home and it is a new recipe or food or when i feel i am getting off track a bit - I will make my chicken, for example, think what i think the weight is and then measure it - if i am more than .5 ounces off then i weigh everything for a week to re-adjust myself. I log everything in myfitnesspal (the good, the bad and the ugly) and mostly just pay attention to my protein/carb/fat ratio. I hate to say i have struggled a bit getting my calorie count back up so i can fluctuate between 800-1200 Calories a day. I can eat normal amounts for a vsg person I guess - Probably can get down between 4-6 ounces at a time depending on the bulk of it. Typically I will have as a meal: pre-breakfast: coffee, splenda, fat free half and half (or regular half and half if I am out of my house) Breakfast on days where I am hungry: 0% Fage greek plain yogurt with lemon juice, splenda, 1/4 banana and a handful of raisin bran for crunch Mid morning: premier Protein chocolate drink lunch: 2.5 oz tuna pack with light mayo and dill relish Snacks if i snack: beef jerkey, a few Peanut Butter pretzels (which i am trying to cut out as they are wasted carbs and i wish they wouldnt have at the office). If i am hungry i will maybe have the yogurt or cottage cheese if the jerkey isnt in stock at the office Dinner: I mixed it up between home cooked grilled fish or chicken (in a variety of preparations...could be with mexican seasoning or asian or gravy, etc.) with a squash or green vegetable, zoodles with turkey meat sauce, turkey or chicken "burger" with blue cheese crumbles in a low carb tortilla with avocado or just on a plate, turkey mexican salad, eggplant Parmesan with turkey and cottage cheese to up the protein. When i create meals, i will normally weigh them out and make recipes to store in myfitnesspal so i dont have to type it all in each time. I typically do sashimi 2x a week after my trainer or get beef carpaccio as a treat. Other snacks: cheese stick, boars head turkey pepperoni, light babybel, cucumbers with bolthouse avocado greek salad dressing and lemon juice, Sweet Craving satisfiers: grapes, dole dippers 60 calorie strawberry packs, a few tablespoons of halo top or similar ice cream, skinnygirl Milk Chocolate Truffles with Sea Salt Toffee Alcohol(Don't judge): 1.5 ounces of citrus vodka in a 44 ounce tumbler with Water, big ice cubes, a squirt powder packet (I love these) and ginger powder - I also mix msm powder for my joints into it. I also cheat on my diet. I have a pizza slice at the office every once in a blue moon, each spinach dip or nachos when we are out, sour patch kids, etc. but I log it all and keep myself accountable and acknowledge when i put it in my mouth that I am consciously eating something that i gain no benefit from- and i am ok with that, I guess. I decided awhile ago that I am not going to deprive myself of the joys of food - but i am NOT going to ever again 1) reward myself with food, 2) self medicate myself with food when i am feeling sad or down, 3) eat out of boredom. As long as what I am eating is not for one of these reasons, them I am ok with it in small amounts. I have been fluctuating for many months and cannot get to below 140 - i go 140.2 - 145 - today i was 143.7 - go figure. Probably because i have been busy at work and haven't worked out since getting back from a trip on monday.

I'm doing high Protein... triple zero yogurt, eggs, 2% cheese sticks, 2% cottage cheese with barely any complex carbs ..... it has helped me lose 6.5 lbs over the past 2 weeks

Holy moly! Haw can a doctor do this to a patient especially with such a significant surgery! You should report this to your insurance if it was covered. Anyway...clear liquids and protein shakes only for the first few weeks ( I had two weeks), then you can introduce low fat, low sugar yogurt, sugar free pudding in third week. Intake goal :48 oz of fluids / 60 grams of protein Next three weeks for me are liquids, soft proteins (tofu, soft chicken, eggs, yogurt, retried beans etc. ). I am not allowed fruits or vegetables until 6 weeks out. Goal 64 oz fluids 60-80 grams of protein. Check out theworldaccordingtoeggface.com, she's got a lot of suggestions for this and each stage. After week 6, can start to introduce all textures and fruits &veggies. Good luck!